The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Dak Prescott & Cowboys suffer HUGE LOSS vs. Jared Goff & Lions on TNF

Episode Date: December 5, 2025

Former NFL scout John Middlekauff is reacting LIVE immediately following the Week 14 Thursday Night Football matchup between Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions vs. Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. John will react to the biggest plays of the night, breaking news from around the NFL and college football, and much more! Later John is joined by betting guru, Stuckey from The Action Network to break down the upcoming weekend in both college football and the NFL. They dive into the biggest matchups, key storylines, and deliver their expert insight on where the value is for bettors. From Saturday’s slate of massive college games to Sunday’s NFL action, they’ve got you covered with sharp analysis and some of the best bets to make this weekend. 04:21 - Cowboys-Lions 30:05 - Fugazi Friday: Mike Tomlin to Penn State? 36:48 - Fugazi Friday: Lane Kiffin's dog  Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest.  All lines provided by Hard Rock Bet Use promo code “3ANDOUT20” on https://nicokick.com/zone for 20% off at checkout! Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis keep coming to. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him.

Listen to Season 14 of Family Secrets on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do.

Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is, getting a new one put up in its place. I'm Akela Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things.

As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority black city in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslave people. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever. you get your podcasts. The volume. What is going on, everybody?

How are we doing? John Middilkoff, three and out. Podcasts brought to you by my friends and its own pouches. Hopefully everyone is doing well. Probably not as well as the lions who get a massive win, saved their season, are now 8 and 5.

The Cowboys were terrible early, kind of came storming back, and then ended up losing by 14 points. But loose Citi Lamb to concussion, George Pickens did not have the finest day at the office. and we'll dive into that game. Big Ben says Tomlton should go to Penn State. It's Fugazi Friday.

So does Lane Kiffin, do you actually fake own a dog? And we'll dive into that. But we'll also have Stucky on the show. We recorded earlier before, obviously, the game, and went over some of the college games. And obviously, the big NFL slate. We got a lot on the line on Sunday and Monday night.

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J-O-H-N for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go, download the Game Time app today. I was thinking about this tonight, you know, when the game was, I think, 27 to 9 at one point. It obviously got within three points in the fourth quarter, but then Detroit pulled again with Dan Cam. putting his cahonises on the table when he called a nice play action shot to Amin Rae St. Brown, who essentially iced the game. When your back's against the wall and the lion's back was against the wall,

I don't know about you, but we've all been through trying times. I've been fired from a couple jobs. My back's been against the wall. I do think you've got to stand on two things. one thing that is 100% required for anyone, regardless of the industry you're in, you've got to be mentally tough, right? You cannot mentally break because it'll just get worse. And to me too, you've got to lean into whatever you're good at and almost double down.

That's the only way to get out when you're in a shitty situation professionally. And the Detroit Lions were in that position tonight. They're back and their season was against the line. And obviously in football, it's mentally and physically that you've got to lean into when it comes to toughness. And I thought the game was set, or at least the tone was set for the Lions, in pregame warmups, when Dan Campbell last week was like, I'm in Ron's going to miss some time. And to me, your culture for a football team obviously is set by the head coach. They determine the type practices you have, how intense your days are.

I mean, the majority of football is not the three hours you see on game day. It's the hours upon hours Monday through Saturday. You spend in the facility, you're training. It's a grind. And the head coach really sets that. But he sets that through the type guys that they acquire. And in college, through recruiting, or the transfer portal, and in the NFL, through draft and free agency,

you develop the culture through the type guys that you have run your team. and your best players usually dictate how far you're going to go. And I remember Dan Campbell earlier this season said, I never really get that worried about our squad because our best players are our hardest workers and most focused guys. And tonight, St. Brown, when you have an ankle injury and you're a wide receiver, like you can gut it out a little bit of like guard or even quarterback because you're kind of playing within a phone booth.

Not as much now a quarterback because there's so much, you know, quarterback run and scrambling around the old days when you kind of just stayed in the pocket. But St. Brown's toughness to me set the tone for the game. Like, hey guys, yeah, we're not going to be the number one seed like last year, but we sure as hell are not going down the night. And I didn't accept all this money. I'm not one of the leaders and one of the best players in the league, three straight years in the Pro Bowl. I'm a highly paid guy. And the coach relies on me to set the tone from a toughness standpoint on offense. I'm the guy going over the middle.

I'm the guy blocking. I'm the guy who for years now have been one of the leaders of one of the better teams in the league. And to me it was like, okay. And the first play of the game, right to 14 on a quick out route. I love that guy.

I mean, that guy could play. There is not a good coach in the history of this sport or a good team in the history of the NFL that wouldn't want that guy in the trenches with him. And then to me,

the game as it went, was like we're going, like our defense has problems. Our secondary is not good. And hell, Brian Branch is getting carted off, you know, toward the end of the game, right? Our pass rush is okay, but our defense isn't good. So we're going to have to win games, even if our defense is playing as hard as they possibly can,

and they did early in that game. They're flying around, they're trying. They just have physical limitations, right? C.D. Lamb, before he got the concussion, felt like he was on pace for like 350 yards. I was like, they cannot stop this guy. And in fairness, like, who the hell is going to cover him? You got to rely on your best players.

So St. Brown says, like, we are a tough team. Dan, me, that's how we roll. But then it's like, Jemir Gibbs has to dominate in this game. James and Williams has to dominate in this game. And that's what happened. Because the one thing that's a bugaboo for the Cowboys, and they've played a lot better, right, defensively over the course of the last month.

The defensive tackles up the middle. the young kid from Boston College, the second round pick. He's really good. Oversone's back. Their defense has been much better. But you could tell the team speed of the lions was on a different level than the Cowboys.

And tonight, when you look, Jameson, William, seven catches for 96 yards. Amon Ross St. Brown, six catches for 92 yards. Jemir Gibbs, seven catches for 77 yards. He also obviously had three rushing touchdowns. David Montgomery had the big 35-yard touchdown. their best offensive players completely dominated tonight. And that was the difference in the game.

It was like, you cannot stop the speed of Jemir Gibbs and James and Williams. And they made big play after big play after big play. And it felt like all their guys, starting with St. Brown, setting the tone, you know, that first play of the game, but really in warmups, and I'm sure the last couple days, like, guys, I'm playing. Maybe gets shot up, gets double tapped or double taped. not sure what he did, but it's pretty rare that you see a guy.

It's not like they were just lying. When he leaves the game last week, he's going to be a while, and then he's able to play. That's really, really impressive, especially at that position. But kind of speaks the type guy he is, and those type guys you want.

And that's the reason the Lions, when they're seasons on the line. They lose the night. They're not making the playoffs. No chance. I mean, it's over. And they're still not guaranteed, but they definitely are alive now.

And I thought the performance by Gibbs and Jameson Williams was freaking awesome. And obviously Jared Goff played well. There was just a level of that offense. And they had these moments last year where it's like, guys, especially at home, we're going to rely on you. More than likely, the Cowboys are going to score. At the beginning of the game, you would have said somewhere between 27 and 32 points. So I think if you're the Lions to start the game, like we need 30.

and we don't have much margin for error. And Dan Campbell's a guy that it's, I don't want to say taking shit because I know Collins hard on them about the offensive coordinator situation. You know, you got to have a more exhaustive search when you're replacing a guy like Ben Johnson. You know, hiring Johnny Morton, who clearly was a failure, Dan Campbell's already taking the play calling back.

I like Dave Shaw a lot. every time I've ever dealt with him or been around him. He was always awesome to me. His success at Stanford spoke for itself. But when I think David Shaw, he's not really an innovator on offense. He really was kind of a carbon copy of Jim Harbaugh, which I respected. Old school, between the tackles.

They kind of tried to spread it out at the end of his Stanford tenure. I think they brought a guy from like Wake Forest in to run the offense. At the time, Wake Forest was like running and gunning scoring a bunch of points. It did not work. Like David Shaw's background, old school, two tight ends, two running backs, like going back to like the 90s.

He was John Gruden guy. And, you know, Dan Campbell just had to take it into his own hands and called a really, really good game tonight. And I think Lions fans have DM me this. Like one thing that changed once he took it away from Johnny Morton was the explosion of James and Williams.

And to me, like you can't teach speed. I mean, him and Jumeir Gibbs. I mean, the speed in which they play is just at a different level, right? I mean, compare that to George Pickens. Like, George, are you running? George, are you going full speed? Mike Thomas was like, I told you.

I told you guys. This is the George Pickens. George is like, I'm just chilling. I'm just chilling. Meanwhile, CD's over there. His elbows pointing this way. He's got a concussion. He's got 150 yards.

He's like, George, come on, man. even the play where Dack through the slant, I think Dan Campbell manifested the interception to start the second half because they come out and I actually kind of enjoy I give the NFL credit on this one.

They created that rule this year that both coaches want us to talk at the end of the half and one us to talk at the beginning of the second half. You kind of just get a little star power with the two coaches and Dan Campbell's like, we just got to get a turnover

right here, get the ball back and start running. First play, Dack, slant. George kind of, I don't know, doesn't stick his arm out. And, you know, you could say the D.B. made a play. But then you see Dack, like, George, you have to attack the ball type stuff you learn in, like, high-level high school football. And it just kind of felt that, you know, George going through the motions, I feel like Dack's playing his ass off.

The six-round pick was playing his ass off. Javante's playing their ass off. They're really trying. Meanwhile, everyone in the Lions is just playing their balls of. off. And listen, defensively, like I said, this team has no chance to go far in the playoffs. Just like last year. They just do not have a defense. And if you don't have a defense, you got no shot. I think Pat Riley's old thing, like you can't rebound, no rebounds, no rings. It's like no defensive stops. You can't cover anybody. It's not going to work out. But offensively,

when they get on, they can hang with you just because they can score points. Clearly, they're built for a dome where their team speed can really show. And listen, you got to give Dan Campbell credit. He had the glasses on. He's calling the plays. And he was dialing up pretty well. And he was exposing their lack of team speed in the middle of the field with the linebacker play, running those little like option or choice routes with Jamir Gibbs,

who was just flying and hitting Jamir James and Williams over the middle of the field and just letting him scoot. And I thought the lines today, that was a gut check win. They might have limitations on their ceiling. this year. They obviously, some stuff's out of their control. I think where they're sitting today, they got to root for a couple things here.

I think if you're them, you would either want, you either need the Bears or the Packers to win both these next two games over the next 13 days. And I think in a perfect world, the way it shapes up, I think you're rooting for Green Bay to sweep the Bears and then the Niners to beat the Bears, and then you play the Bears at the end of the season.

Now, I don't know how realistic that is. You know, it's hard to bet against the bears the way the season is going. It feels like they're like a team of destiny right now. But I think that's what you would be rooting for if you're the Lions. But still, like you've got some catching up to do. The 49ers next game off the by is the Titans. They'll have 10 wins. So, you know, you still got a scratching claw.

And when your defense is this limited because of the injuries, it's kind of started to hit me. We don't really talk about Detroit's field. but like MetLife gets crushed because, you know, the turf. And I do wonder, is there something with the Lions turf? Do they have a cheap turf? The amount of, and it feels like it's more Lions than the other team. Obviously, branch at the end of the game, but there were three or four other guys.

Even when guys get up, you're just like, what's going on? How do the Lions lose two? It feels like the Niners early in the season. It's like they lose three or four guys a game. somehow CD comes down honestly I thought he had dislocated his elbow and maybe it was just the way his body dexterity works but it looked to me like he popped in his elbow I'm like oh my God and it actually wasn't he was completely fine it turned out he had a concussion but that was the play if that if CD would have been a lion his shoulder and his elbow would have been dislocated he would have been out for the season so props to lions props for Dan Campbell Kelvin Shepard is playing, and this is where Aaron Glenn got a lot of credit. And, you know, defense is a lot about effort. Think about, like, basic basketball.

Like, defense, obviously, to be a great player, like Miles Garrett or Ray Lewis or whoever, there's a level of talent that you have to possess. But there are a lot of guys in the NFL who do not possess pro bowl upside that just play their balls off, that are smart, that are willing to. tacklers that just play with their hair on fire. And that's, I thought the Lions couldn't have played any harder. You say, John, it's the NFL. There are a lot of teams that kind of go through the motions.

And this is a team that showed a lot of pride tonight. I respect, I've been saying this for a while, the hell out of Dan Campbell and what he's done to resurrect this franchise. Let's face, it was a complete joke. Today's show is brought to you by our new presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. The Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app is the only legal sportsbook for winning. whenever you're in Florida. It's also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, and Colorado. Coming soon to more states, too. Sign up today and you could win

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We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luke. and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid.

He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stopped by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers,

why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, I said. You figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Farrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcasts presents

soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip.

Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drinks. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo. Well, then you got it.

Do you want a white collar or something here? Just hit you. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album? Come on. How did you believe? I would buy it.

Cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You are. I'm lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh.

Listen to soccer moms on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own.

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how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Heart Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network available on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. The United States will not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country. From IHeart Podcasts, Saigon. Please allow me to introduce Joseph Sherman. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?

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this. There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the flip side, like, it felt like the game was a little off from the beginning for the Cowboys. It was like something was just off. And, you know, CD was dominating the game. And they were still, it was like 20 to 9. You're like, ah, this is just, this is not the type game Dallas wants to be. and usually set of field goals. They're scoring touchdowns. The weapon they have of Brandon Audrey or Aubrey is hitting 57 yards,

hitting 63 yards. I mean, you talk about a weapon. But then when CD goes out and it really puts the magnifying glass on George Pickens, because everything, when, listen, I don't care what you're in. A relationship, a company, a football team, when things are going well, right? When you're in the honeymoon phase, when the country, company's pritting cash. When the football team is winning, everyone's got smiles on their face.

You know, historically, there's been like two miserable SOBs when you win. Bill Belichick, Nick Saban. They've always said anyone that's ever worked for Nick Saban, they're like, you know when he's at his best is when we lose? He's the happiest. When we win, everyone's on pins and needles. Yet the Cowboys, like, they're owner. And we're all guilty of this. We're like, damn, Dallas. Dallas is humming. Listen, they were fun to watch. beat the Chiefs, come back against the Eagles, destroy the Raiders, and Chip Kelly's career.

This team is just kind of badass right now. They're scoring on left and right. Brian Schadenheimer's being asked about his number one offense. He's got all these new pieces on defense. They're a fun team. And then tonight you're like, this kind of feels like a little earlier in the season, Dallas. And then when the magnifying glass went on George,

I don't pretend to be a wide receiver coach. Been around a few good ones in my day. one of the positions that most of us that grow up on Madden you kind of focus on you know you live long enough you know what the good ones look like and there's no disputing George's physical gifts and his talent but there was a little lazy fair effort tonight and some of those routes you could tell Dak was like

problem is he couldn't totally lay into him because he needed him and it just felt like his head was that was the guy the Steelers trading now listen you play 17 games you're going to have some bad games. He has been remarkable this season. So I'm not trying to act like he's some scrub or whatever. But tonight, when they really needed him, didn't feel like he was there mentally.

I mean, he had five catches for 37 yards. I feel like I don't even remember two of them. He had the one nice one at the goal line, which he fumbled. Don't totally blame him. He was trying to make a play. But there were just some of these routes where it looked like he's not even trying. Now, maybe in his mind, he's the third or fourth option.

I don't know. But it was, that was a night that you feel better if you're a Pittsburgh Steeler fan or Pittsburgh Steeler Front Office member, Mike Tomlin, or anyone in that crew. Because that was the guy that they traded and felt good about trading. That was not the guy who before this game had more yards and was more productive than the entire Steelers wide receiver room. And this also brings into question down the stretch of this season. Now the Dallas, I mean, if the Eagles, we'll dive into them in a second,

but it's going to be a lot harder for the Cowellers. Cowboys to win the division now. They would need the Eagles to seriously impelote. You're judging this guy on, okay, it's been good, but now it's like the final stretch, are you still playing your balls off? Or have we arrived? Right. Because the going rate for wide receivers is not cheap. I mean, the 49ers made a catastrophic mistake in Brandon Ayuk. Now, they got very lucky that somehow they got $25 million back. Still not quite sure how that happen. But wide receiver mistakes are not tight ends or linebackers.

They are extremely expensive. Average guys want $25 million a year. So, you know, and Jerry, his negotiation tactics, you know, when he likes you, he ends up paying you. Some would say overpaying you. And I think this is just a situation to monitor. It was always going to be interesting. Like if George had some incredible, like his pace

never stopped. Were they really about to give them like $80, $90 million guaranteed? Who knows? I mean, nothing is out of the realm possibility when it comes to Jerry and it comes to the Cowboys. But I think you have nights like tonight where you go, we got to keep letting this play out. Obviously, you're not just probably going to let him walk, but it's a more complicated situation than when he's playing the Raiders going for 150 yards.

And he can make these plays, and he did it the other night against, on Thanksgiving, 57 million people watch. He's catching slants. He's got four slants for like 80 yards. Slant is like a 7-yard route. So there's no one disputes his ability, his upside, his playmaking capabilities. But then tonight's like, this is a business.

And I do like investing in St. Browns. That, yeah, not the physically most gifted guy in the league. Not the tallest, not the fastest. But you know what that motherfucker will do? Go to war for me. Not when times are great and we're headed to the number one seed. How about when we're seven and five? And our seasons on the line.

And his ankle looks like a grapefruit. You think he's going to go above and beyond to ice it, to rehab it, to stem cell it, to do whatever it takes, to put himself in position to maybe be 80% to play a game? And the answer is, hell yeah. I'm watching George. He's like, hey, George, Archiezenes kind of on the line. line too. I don't know if you saw the ticker today, but Jalen Carter has had surgery, and I had to

read this on both shoulders, injections, again, not a doctor, did enough Twitter research to know that, yeah, you could miss a couple weeks. He's definitely out Monday. It's like all of a sudden the Eagles, I mean, I don't know where on the hierarchy of players, but he sure is held near the top. And in terms of like most unblockable and unstoppable when he's on, he's probably number one for the Philadelphia Eagles, pretty big blow. Now, that wasn't news for them today. I think it happened a couple days ago. It broke to us civilians, the public.

But it's like, I had a lot of respect for the way most of the guys on Dallas. Like, I thought Dallas's effort was high. Like, their left tackle, who's a backup, was happening a rough night. He's a backup. They got some good pass rushers. Aidan Hutchinson. Like a super high-end pass rusher. He's not going to be able to block him.

I mean, Dak was getting. punished tonight. How many times was he sacked tonight? Five for 50? If I had to guess, I didn't see the final numbers. Hit 17, 18 times? I mean, he was getting peppered. And that's the thing. That's the thing in football. It's like, you get in these big games, and tonight was a massive game. Because this wasn't your typical Thursday night game. They were both on normal rest because they played last Thursday. Both these two teams now, you know, the Cowboys have this playoff life, and the Lions have

this holding onto a thread of what has been a consistent playoff team. And all of a sudden they meet tonight. And I thought 99% of the guys are just playing their hair with their hair on fire and their balls off. Some guys are better than others, so it looks better. But the defining moment of St. Brown and then the kind of lackadaisical nature of George Pickens was on full display. And this is a business. And if there was no salary cap, Jerry could pay whoever. And it wouldn't matter.

but there is and you've got to invest in the right people and when you invest in the right people you know when the tough times hit those are the type guys that come through that's why the chiefs have had so much success because they're guys mentally and physically obviously they're talented but they're mentally and physically so tough right all those patriot teams hell they didn't even have like the best players how many hall of famers did they have in the second iteration of the dynasty from 12 to 19. Tom and Grunk, that was kind of it. But they had a ton of guys who were tough as shit, smart as shit,

and when it came to the game, you're going to have to, you know, take their helmet and their shoulder pads away. If they were 50%, they were on the field. And the Lions got a lot of guys like that. And they deserve a lot of credit. And listen, the Cowboys do too. I mean, Giovante Williams, the guy's resurrected his career. He was, that guy runs hard.

I have a lot of respect for all. I think a lot of people, you know, definitely in the NFL circles, fans, fantasy people kind of wrote his career off. And he's had a good season. But, you know, I think some of their defensive awards showed up tonight. Now, in fairness, how many teams have guys that can run with Gibbs and James and Williams? And the answer is not many, right? I mean, I don't know, Dion Sanders and Ed Reed aren't walking through that door. Like, what are you going to do?

When those guys were humming and you're not getting, I mean, the one way to slow down the lions, and this is what the Cowboys had been doing pretty good. Now, Clowny was inactive the night, was hit Jared Goff, hit Jerry. A couple times early in that game, they did, and it kind of derailed them a little bit. I know there was the one controversial moment

about the sack safety. They said the ball was out. It was, it was iffy. I mean, it was, there were some shitty calls. I've got to the point where it's like I have such little respect not for them as humans I mean I'm sure there are a lot of good

A lot of good men But God most of these guys feel really bad at their jobs And we got the technology How are we I mean the PI on Ferguson at the end There was the double The pass interference on pickings They would have put them at the one yard line

But they called it like a double penalty There was also like a A defensive holding Or an offensive holding It was hands of the face on Ferguson or something. It's like, what? What's going on here? And this is the one thing with the NFL.

They don't care. I mean, they're laughing all the way to the bank. They do not care. I see these clips. I saw my hometown, Sacramento. I grew up at Davis, but right across the causeway. There was a fan thrown out the other day for screaming at Zach Levine for saying he paid money to sit in the front row and he was disgusted watching him play how little he came. how little effort he put on defense. And the fan got thrown out.

And I was thinking, I don't think you guys realize how little the NBA cares about you sitting wherever. They will throw anyone out. They care about the television deals. That's where they make their money. They don't give a shit about you. The NFL, you can complain all the way, all night, all day.

Roger Goodell ain't losing an ounce to sleep. Probably, you know, getting ready to go teed off at Augusta. They're probably close for the winner. but he does not care. So the officials, I'm not going to get too caught up because most of these big games are just atrocious and I don't really know what we can do. Like I said, I think one of the big winners tonight,

as well as the Lions, had to be Philly. Because if Dallas wins this game with Jalen being out, the pressure on them come Monday night would have been immense. Now, even if they lose, they still got a little breathing room. It felt like when that came across, and I learned the day when I was recording with Stucky. He's like Jalen Carter's out. I'm like, Jalen Carter?

Jalen who? He's like, yeah, shoulders. I'm like, what? I mean, that's a pretty big blow. It's also just something to monitor. You know, anytime a guy first gets injured, sometimes it's St. Brown, he's back the next week.

And sometimes we just don't see him for like a month. So you just never know. That's really concerning. And that's a problem. But it is what it is. And now Philly, I mean, if they, win on Monday night against the Chargers. When you look at their schedule, you'd be like, okay, if they can win that game on the road

3,000 miles away, they would feel, I don't want to say a lock, lock, because you just never know. Their things get weird fast, but they would be in the complete driver's seat with nine wins and the Cowboys only having six. Okay, a couple quick Fugazis. We got a lot going on, okay? Really quick on Big Ben. I saw, he's got a podcast.

I think he does in his basement, which looks enormous. Looks pretty badass. He's probably got a big pad in Pittsburgh. You know, there's some comments. James Harrison said that Tomlin's good, not great. Big bed's basically like he should go coach Penn State. It's like, guys, I mean, I don't know what your personal relationships are with the guy, but both you had a lot of success with him.

It felt like kind of backhanded jabs at the guy. But specifically the Penn State thing. I used to think like four years ago when they ended up hiring Lincoln Riley Mike Tomlin, if he had any interest, USC would be a, would be like an incredible spot for. Right. Bright lights, big city. They paid Lincoln $120 million. They would blow you away with cash. You could live on the water. If he wanted to do that, I think like he would, they were going to the Big Ten. He could dominate recruiting and it would just be like a glamorous job.

And he was pissed off. I remember his, I watched his press conference when he was asked about it, felt like he wanted to take the microphone and throw it at the report. Like, he was offended. And I don't blame him. He's like, hey, motherfuckers, I go to playoffs every year in the national football league. You think I want to go to USC at the time was a complete embarrassment and coach college football?

Are you guys crazy? But I always said, like, hey, it's USC, unlimited money. Tomlins, kind of Hollywood. It would work, right? Now, I get it. If I was him, I wouldn't want to go to the college either. But Ben going to Penn State, like, hey Ben, you think Mike Tomlin's going to move to State College? Mike Tomlin, I mean, there are multiple jobs open right now, the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants.

If Mike Tomlin was, quote, unquote, available or was just on the street, he would have been hired like three weeks ago by both. He is going to be, if he's available, the number one candidate by a mile in this cycle, which I got news for you, ain't a great cycle. Google some of the names. Right? It's a lot of Robert Salas, who I like a lot as my defensive coordinator. I think just immediately

make him a head coach feels a little risky to me. And I just think this notion, Big Ben's saying he should go coach Penn State, it's like, hey, Ben, the Tennessee freaking Titans are a complete embarrassment. They don't have a coach.

You think it Mike Tomlin, he's no longer wanted in Pittsburgh Steelers, the Tennessee Titans wouldn't take him, let alone the New York Giants. what are we talking about? Now, I do think Penn State, it also reflects. One thing I think you've got to be careful in life is I see people getting very offended like Jimmy Sexton runs college football. He's got too much power. No, he just has all the power because it shows you how inept a lot of these different schools are at understanding the business of football. He has the leverage because he knows

what he's doing. Clearly a lot of these athletic directors, most of them are kind of embarrassments. I mean, really? They're not like, I think this notion, I'm not saying all of them, there are clearly some high-level guys. There are also a lot of complete jokes. No different.

There are a lot of people in sports, and maybe it's like this in other industries, where it's like, oh, just because this guy has a position. I mean, I've heard stories about conference commissioners, athletic directors, hell, even successful college head coaches. He'd be like, yeah, if you actually knew how little he actually did, and the people behind, but he gets all the credit.

The way the world kind of works. But when you fire a guy, and there have been a lot of rumors that Penn State really pissed off Jimmy Sexton, because of the way they fired James Franklin. And I don't know if you've checked lately, but they don't have a football coach. And they try to get the BYU guy. Turns out the crumble cookie, I mean, crumble cookie is basically, you know, diabetes in a three-inch by three-inch cookie. Google what's in those things. Don't get me wrong. Fat guy at heart, eating my fair share of crumbull cookies.

After I saw this Instagram, I don't think I'm ever eating a crumble cookie again. Not great for you. That being said, they're like $75 a cookie. And the CEO of Crumble Cookie, print money, big BYU guy. And so he made sure that they didn't steal his coach. And I thought, like, well, if Kalani Sataki, who I'm pretty sure is LDS Mormon guy, like, I don't know why he would go to Penn State at BYU when they have an unlimited amount of money. you know, potentially the number one pick in the NBA draft.

Do you know that he didn't go to Kansas, Kentucky, or Duke? He went to BYU. Why? Because they paid him $7 million. Like, money ain't a big deal in the church. They got a lot of coin. And, you know, Penn State, you piss off the wrong person, right? One thing I learned early, anyone knows this if they're in sales. Who, you know, who's the gatekeeper to the guy you want to talk to or the lady you want to talk to?

If it's the assistant, you got to go through her. You better figure out a way to create a relationship with that assistant. Because that's the only way you're getting past that gate to get to the person that's going to have the decision-making power on what you want to sell them. And I just think Jimmy Sexton is the gatekeeper. And if you ain't playing the game, I remember when I worked for the Eagles. One thing, Howie, and I saw this back then, and it's clearly been true for the last decade-plus. He's great with agents, especially the ones that matter.

why they hold a lot of the cards you need to deal with them historically gb's big fucking agents well it's like do you want the player or not because if you think like the players making the decision it's not the way it works how micah parses just told you that guy just got a hundred and eighty eight million dollars talk to dave i'm not dealing that's the way it works so if you don't realize who's in power that's on you and i don't fault them if they wanted to fire James Franklin. But clearly it happened in an emotional state and it looks to have backfired on them. Because I don't know if you'd notice, but Jimmy Sexton placing a guy over here, guy over there, guy over there, guy over there. He in full control. And that's just the way it is.

That's the rules of engagement right now. So if you're going to play and everyone tries, and I know nothing about this guy beside what people write about him in the athletic or talked about him when he fired James Franklin or that he worked with Matt ruled in this AD Packraft. But you can't be that good at your job if you find yourself in a position like this at some quote unquote glamorous program. Mike Tomlin would quit before he went and coach Penn State. I do believe that. Another all-time potential Fugavs, again, allegedly, there have been rumors floating out there. And listen, there are a lot of rumors. And this is how you know if you're deep in the SEC Twitter accounts, message boards.

A lot going on between Ole Miss and LSU. A lot of stories floating around out there. Which makes me love it. There is nothing like SEC football. I mean, really nothing. It just, it warms my heart. And there is a rumor that Juice Kiffin, who was allegedly Lane's dog,

is not actually his dog. Doesn't actually live with Lane Kiffin, lives with a handler, and a lot of people think that he's not going to take it to L.S. you. And I do think if you are going to promote, like listen, Kirk Herb Street, I think pisses some people off, at least based on the comments you'll see on Twitter or social media, taking his dog everywhere. Now, personally, my wife loves it. She always says, what time is college game day on? I want to see Peter. But the one thing you know, whether you like that the dog's able to travel

with them to the Amazon Prime Games and College Game Day and the game he's calling that night, or you don't, That is his freaking dog. And listen, as any dog owner knows, one, I like dogs more than 99% of society, right? And once you get a dog, whether you purchase or adopt or however you get the dog from a young age, or even like me who comes into a dog's life after she had had it forever, there is a love and a bond there that's pretty special.

Even going back to the COVID draft, when we met Nike, Belichick's dog, You know what no one's ever argued that that's Belichick's fake dog that he just used to fucker? No, that's his dog. He lets out in the morning before he goes to work. He comes home. He lets out at night. He feeds it. Like, take some responsibility.

Haven't had a child yet, but part of having a dog is a responsibility that comes along with it. There are a lot of football coaches that have dogs. Part of it too of like, you're going to be the family man? Well, sometimes guess what with a dog? Your family chips in. Well, hey, I can't walk today. Can you give it a walk? Can you feed it? It's like, what are we got going on?

because I haven't had a big issue with Lane going to LSU the way he handled it. It was never going to be clean. It was actually, from my standpoint, pretty entertaining. But if you have a fake dog all for social media and a Twitter account and just PR, I'm going to judge you as kind of a D-Bag. I really am. If it truly comes out, and this story's still, you know, percolating, we'll see how it all ends up.

If the dog's in his office at LSU and starts staying at us, house. I'll give them a little bit of a pass. But as of right now, the dog living with the handler, and you can't be like, well, I'm a football coach, you don't have much time. Your family lives with you now. Your son's in high school. Right? Your ex-wife, she's living with you? What's going on there? I just

think that's got to be an all-time food. You faked owning a dog for the PR and the publicity? That's the first time that I will support the old Miss crowd of, come on, bro. That's pretty low. And yeah, other than that, like I said, right before I hit Polite Day,

I just heard this crazy noise coming from pipes under my house. And I told you about that water spill that I had the other day out of my front yard. And for those of you that don't, you know, own a house and a rent in somewhere, and sometimes you think, like, I want to own something, the power of being able to call someone to help you. And I had to call my landscaper Francisco, who's a badass. Since I moved in this house, I've had about four different landscapers. My buddy Jeff Fong, who I play golf with, big Arkansas guy, can't be happy with the new coach.

But he's into Calipari, so he's probably doing okay. Actually, a cowboy fan too. Love me some Jeff Fong. Hook me up with this guy, Francisco, and he's been a badass. I call him, I say, Francisco, we got this big leak. I told you guys about that. And he comes out, and I was like, okay, man, just knock on my door or whatever. If you find out what's going on, I don't even know what to say.

And then all of a sudden, I hear in my backyard, he's like, Amigo! Amigo! And he's smiling. He's with, I think, one of his guys, and they're both laughing. And I come out there. And part of the reason I bought this house, because we kind of remodeled it, but he had already done a big-ass remodel. So he had, like, wiped out walls, opened it up, put these big doors in the back that can open up to the backyard. He had kind of done part of the backyard. So he had done a lot of legwork that made, like, if you could just kind of do some cosmetic upgrades.

He had taken care of a lot of stuff. But the way he remodeled the backyard is the slope of it kind of comes into the house, which is not what you're supposed to do. But it doesn't rain that much in Arizona, so it's not that big a deal. And there's like sets of drains every like, I don't know, five feet. And so when it rains, if the water comes to the house, it all drains in there and comes out the front of the house. Well, I had this guy, you know, I built this office in the backyard. yard and I think they needed some water and they were using the hose for drywall or something

and this crazy rainstorm came. So I think they were doing something with the hose and they like took off, you know, to find cover. It was like a, it was like a tornado. And I guess they just forgot about it. So for two days, it was just my hose. And so Francisco shows me the hose is just on to the drain and it's just coming out the front yard. I even had like this HOA security guard come by and put like a put a flag he's like you gotta take care of this I'm like I don't know what's going on and in fairness I didn't do it

so it's like why would I even look at the hose but when he showed me that it was just the hose on in the drain going out to the front yard and looking like yeah it was pretty embarrassing so sometimes just do a perimeter check

and you'll figure out this not actually a major problem hey it's us the Jonas brothers and guess what we have some big news What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast

where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcast presents

soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. This is my best friend Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later. We're still joined at the hip.

Just a little bit bigger hips. Wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drink. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo.

Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here? Just hit it. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a wrap? Alba. Oh, I would.

Come on. Could you believe? I would buy it. Cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky.

I'm not an alcoholic. You are. I'm lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team. And I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, point game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows.

Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that,

Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a parameda Pazzo chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my GenX squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS.

All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening. on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy?

That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network

available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. The United States will not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country. From IHeart Podcast, Saigon.

Please allow me to introduce Joseph Sherman. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? I should stop talking so much. I like hearing you talk. One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. I've taken a hit from Japanese ground fire. Do you rate me?

They're pouring petrol all over him. He's holding matches. I'm on a landmine. For free time. Let's get out. Freedom from Vietnam. Run! Saigon.

starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict. Sting here's madness. The world should hear about this. There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, back at it again after a crazy, crazy holiday week where we missed him. We were busy. We had a lot of stuff going on.

But he's back. And he's going to help me because I'm not quite. I'm definitely not even close to as sick as him. Like I just, we're going to dive into some college football because this weekend, we might be coming down the home stretch of these conference championship games, but we do have them this week. And there's some big implications. And there are a couple games that have teams that are going to make it that I know nothing about

besides that their coaches are clearly pretty good because they just got big jobs. But back here with Stucky, all of our lines here are presented by our friends at Hard Rock Bet. And, you know, Stucky, I, I'm looking at a game, and I know you know a lot about these teams, and I only know a lot about Tulane because I've been hearing about their coach forever. I only know about North Texas. Now, these two teams have been good, especially Tulane. Now, this is their second coast that they have just put. Willie Fritz was their coach. He went to Houston. And now, some are all who, by all accounts, is pretty legit. I know, you know, Florida is a little hesitant. They're fan base because they're saying it's Billy Napier 2.0. This to me feels a little different. I mean, this guy, I don't know, I'm buying stocking this guy. Again, just based on a couple of press conferences and texting around.

And it did also feel like he could have taken three different SEC jobs if you wanted, Arkansas, definitely Auburn in Florida. Now, both these guys, North Texas coach went to Oklahoma State, right? And the winner of this game is in. So these guys have been, you know, I don't want to say just tipping their toes in not as focused, but like they've had press conference. They've been flying around. Though Oklahoma State hired him, what, a couple weeks ago. so it's a little different than this Summerall was he introduced on Monday? Yeah, he had to do a presser. Morris hasn't done any of that. I would have like Summer Rolls that went to Kentucky.

He used to coach at Kentucky. It was a GA. It was an I'mbacker coach, Co. D.C., I don't know, six, seven years ago. I would have liked Kentucky to get them. So I'm a believer in Summerall as well. I think it was a good hire. That was like who I wanted to Kentucky. Kentucky to get after the inevitable.

That's what I've been saying for like the past couple years after the inevitable stoop's departure. But yeah, so the funny thing is I'll try to give you a, you know, a high level view of how this is, how this all, all these games playing to the college football ball playoff because it is pretty interesting. I think inevitably it's going to end up leading to a expanded college ball playoff with 16 teams,

but that's a discussion for another day. One interesting nugget is the quarterbacks for Tulane and North Texas last year are the starting quarterbacks in the ACC championship game. Mensa came from Tulane and Morris came from North Texas. North Texas, their quarterback now is this kid Drew Mestemaker, who didn't start a single varsity game in high school, walked on at North Texas, and leads the nation in passing yards. The North Texas offense is electric. I mean, this team can put up 50 on anybody. Was like Cade Clubnick, the guy starting over?

I mean, how does he not start a game? Was he at a powerhouse program? How's that even possible? I'm trying to think who was. Sorry to put you on the spot here. I just think that's insane and not what you would have to be if you're a college level quarterback to be on a team with a blue chip quarterback or like the coach's son. I'm trying to think.

Mac Castle of high school football. No, it was this guy. I think it was Deuce Adams. did not, it wasn't anyone who's, who's like turned out to anything. But he didn't start. He had a walk on in North Texas. So, but he leads the nation in passing yards. And North Texas also has an electric.

I mean, their offense, you watch their offense. It is, Morris is considered like a quarterback whisper, offensive guru. But Caleb Hawkins, their freshman running back is also a stud. So they're really well balanced. Their defense, you can run on them a bit. But they hired a defense coordinator from Sam Houston State last year. year brought him in with a lot of the Sam Houston players. And Sam Houston's defense last year was really good. Defense, like, predicated on its position lists. They kind of want to force turnovers.

And they're pretty good against the past. But their defense is much improved because in recent seasons, the North Texas offense has been electric, but their defense has been really bad. Now their defense is much more respectable. Tulane's quarterback is Jake Retzlaff got kicked out of BYU and then came over to Tulane. North Texas is the better team, but this is on the road. Tulane gets to host this game, the winner of that game will be in the college football playoff. The top, the five highest rated conference champions get automatic bids. So, you know, you have your SEC, you have your Big 12, you have your Big 10, and then

you're going to have your, you're going to have the winner of the American between North Texas and Tulane. and then if Virginia beats Duke and Duke's I mean Duke has five losses on the season but if Virginia beats Duke they're in they're the ACC champ Duke's defense has been horrendous I mean the drop off from last year or this year has been stunning their defense can't stop anybody I mean they won last week they won a crazy tiebreaker it really should be Miami here but if Virginia wins they're in if Duke wins I don't know if they're necessarily in they have five losses they lost to Tulane.

They lost to Yukon. So it has not been a great season for Duke. Well, they should not be in. Win or lose. Agreed. Now, could I see the committee saying, all right, well, now they got a win over a ranked Virginia team. Their schedule was harder than JMU because JMU is the other team.

If Duke wins, many presume that JMU, assuming JMU beats Troy, that JMU would then go in. And JMU is a, what, 23 point favorite. I actually bet J.M.U against Troy. It's a really good matchup. Troy cannot run the ball. Their pass protection, they lost

both their tackles early in the season. They have two freshman tackles. Jamie can really get after the quarterback. Troy's not a very good team. And this is at home. J.M.U knows they need to run it up. And they have run it up a number of times this year. I think they have five league wins by more than 25 points on the season.

They're going to keep their foot on the gas. So I did bet J.M.U. But it's a fascinating. discussion between JM and if Duke wins. Now, the other fascinating part of this entire weekend

is let's say BYU, you know, if BYU loses, they're out and then all of a sudden you have Notre Dame and Miami right

next to each other on in the rankings line. So do they can, would they then say, oh, well, the head to head now matters and put Miami in. Another interesting angle is they might also like, because there's politics involved in this, they might also do that because, say, Duke wins and they might say to the ACC, okay, you don't have a team in. So we'll put Miami in discussions on the back. back in and then Notre Dame gets bumped out.

I think Notre Dame is one of the best five teams in the country. But if they lost to Miami, they don't have great wins on their resume. They're not going to play it this weekend. If they had two spots, they would just put those two teams in, but more than likely it's just going to be the one spot. So they're kind of squirts. Or if BYU wins, they might bump them both out. That might be what the committee is rooting for.

I think that would be bad for, like, I think Miami is a top 10 team overall. I think Notre Dame is the top five team. I think the actual bracket in the playoff will be better off if both those teams are in it instead of, you know, two group of five teams. But it is what it is. If you're a Notre Dame fan, you're rooting for, I think you're rooting for, you also want to root for Boise State because it's a small, it's a small point. But Notre Dame did beat Boise earlier this year. Boise State now is hosting the Mountain West Championship game against UNLV. That was a four-way tie record that came down the computers.

But Boise State's getting its quarterback Maddox Madsenback this week. So that's another, it could be like a feather in the cap of Notre Dame saying, hey, one of our wins also is against the Mountain West champion. Now the Mountain West is way down this year. They have no chance of getting in the college ball cloud. But fascinating storylines across the board. And then you have some rematches in some really good games. Texas Tech, BYU mentioned that.

Texas Tech's 12 and a half, 13 point favorite. I don't know if BYU can move the ball on Texas Tech. Now, granted, the first meeting was in wind, outdoors, in Lubbock. This will be indoors and Jerry World. But you just can't run on Texas Tech and nobody can run on Texas Tech. Their defensive line is like top of the SEC caliber with what they did out in the portal. Their linebackers are really good. And I'm not sure BYU can block them.

so we'll see. I mean, they could barely move the ball in the first meeting. Georgia Alabama rematch should be fascinating. Georgia arguably should have won that first game. Alabama had some key injuries. Georgia lost at center last week, and for some reason they couldn't score on Georgia Tech. Maybe Drew Bobo, their center is that important,

but their run game created without them. But they should have won that first game. I mean, they averaged almost seven yards per play, and they dropped the bomb that would have won the game. They had the ball fourth and won. Alabama didn't score in the second half. of that game. This game is pretty, if everything goes according to, and look, Kirby's been owned by Alabama. I mean, he's one in seven against Alabama. If everything goes according to how these

matchups have gone and how every Georgia and most Alabama games go, this game is pretty easy to predict. Alabama gets out, jumps out to a lead. They're really good in the first quarters under DeVore. They usually have a really good script. We've seen them jump out against Georgia, number of times. Georgia also falls behind whenever they play a competent opponent and then they come back because Kirby Smart is the best in-game adjuster in college football. So what makes the most sense here is Alabama gets out to lead and then I'll be looking to bet Georgia live. And then you have Ohio State Indiana, two undefeated playing in Indianapolis. I think it's going to be very pro-heavy in the Indiana crowd, obviously the location. Ohio State fans probably don't

want to travel this. I mean, they're out for national champions. National championships, they probably want to book tickets to a college ball playoff game. This game means a lot more to Indiana. So I could see taking the points with Indiana. I'm not sure like Ohio State needs to or wants to show everything here. Indiana probably does. Like, hey, how would Ryan Day at this point? Once you got the Michigan thing off his back, this game really doesn't mean much. Yeah, maybe a little bit of emotional letdown too after that Michigan game. They've been load managing all. year. They have the slowest, they're the slowest pace team in college football. They're, they basically play two fewer games than most teams. If you look at the snaps that

they've played, they've been low managing for the college football playoff all season. It's, it's really smart. I think it's eventually going to pay off. So I could see taking the points there that Indiana, just on the intangibles, I think the line is about right. But the, I think the loser that game will still get a buy. The winner will get the one seed. And I don't think it's that big of a difference. Depending on how everything breaks, the one seed could end up being worse than the two. The three seed as of right now would be the one that you want because you would play the winner of Ole Miss without a coach and one of the group of five champions. So most likely Ole Miss without a coach.

That's a lot better than potentially Notre Dame or Alabama. So it's not a big difference between the one, two, or three. If Ohio State loses and doesn't get the one, I mean, they're going to try and, want to win, but it's not the end of the world if they don't get the one seat. But yeah, some really, really good games. The other game, the Mac championship, I kind of like the under a bit there. And then you got the conference USA on Friday night, Kenna saw Jacksonville State, another rematch from earlier in the season. So it should be a fun weekend. I think it's just a lot of committee storylines and how everything's going to break. Notre Dame fans are going to be tuned in,

Miami fans. And I think what this is all going to eventually lead to is an expanded playoff. And then probably, I don't know if conference championship weekend will look like it does in the future. And what it currently looks like in the future. Like there's going to be something on this weekend because there's too much money. But there might be like playing games, right? And that would make more sense if you have an expanded 16 team field. So you would have like this weekend.

you would have, you know, maybe Vandy is playing someone, Miami is playing someone, Alabama, Notre Dame, right? All these teams are playing, Texas. And then that helps decide who the final spots go to in the expanded field. So, yeah, college football, it's going to continue to change on an almost annual basis. I do think they got it right with that the automatic conference champions don't automatically get a buy, which was obviously the wrong way to go about it last year. Imagine this year. I mean, you'd have, you could even, you would have like Duke or North Texas or James Madison with a buy.

That'd be a disaster. Would be something. Then all of a sudden, you'd want to be in that five, the five, Steve would be the best place to be. but so I do think they got it right but yeah it's just it's it's a changing game it's going to continue to change every week but should be an exciting weekend well because look Penn State lost Oregon last year

and they ended up getting Boise SMU back to back games right Oregon I said it all week Oregon should lose that game on purpose and they would have been better off they would have had an easier path who knows how it would have played out but they would have had an easier route to the national championship instead of getting blown out by Ohio State it was the best team.

But at least that's no longer a thing, whereas you don't know. Like now there's no incentive to lose because you just don't know. Like you can't say if you're Ohio State, all right, well, if we lose, we'll be the two or three and we're going to play this team. It's a lot easier to project that if you know you're going to be the five and you've got to play a team that has a buy that's you're going to be double-digit favorite over. So they did get that right. But yeah, it's crazy world of college football continues.

to change. Honestly, the most interesting part about the Indiana, Ohio State game given that, like, at the end of the day, there's just not that much on the line, given that they're both going to get to buys. The GM, John Spitech of the Raiders, Andrew Barry, assuming he's going to keep his job in

Cleveland, and the Jets new GM, like, they got to be in attendance at that game. If I'm those guys, I got to be in attendance. I mean, listen, you got to give Ryan Day a lot of credit, the Matt Patricia hire. The guy had been a lifetime NFL guy. You just never quite know.

Though, you know, Wink, you've seen guys they transition relatively well. It couldn't have gone much better from Matt Patricia. So you get Matt Patricia against Fernando, even if they end up losing, you know, 30 to 20, if he leads several touchdown drives and looks confident, you'd feel pretty good about his stock and kind of solidifying. Maybe Will Stein leaving to Kentucky is kind of signaling that Dante Moore might come out as well. I don't know to put that much stock in that. I mean, he got, what, 30, 35 million?

He got a lot of money. And I didn't know his dad had played in Kentucky, too. So he clearly has roots. He played at Louisville. So it's not really that crazy of a jump. Even though to me, I'm like, if you're Will Stein, why would you take that job? But I do think Fernando can do a lot for his draft stock. Obviously, it's already good.

But I just mean to like these data points and these check marks, like this is as good as it gets. I mean, he answered the bell after he threw that pick six in Oregon and came right back down. He's had some incredible moments. he's clearly very physically gifted, but this is the type moment. I mean, if they were to upset him and he looks awesome against this defense. And awesome could be a 21 to 17 win. I mean, it's not like he's going to throw four or five touchdowns more than likely. Hell, he throws two touchdowns.

That'd be pretty important. I mean, don't they average like under 10 points a game against Big 10 opponents? I mean, no one scores on these guys. No one scored more than 16 all year. Now, I mean, they're their best defense in the country. But I will say, like, they haven't really been tested. this will be their best, their biggest test for both Mendoza and the Ohio State defense. And it's on a fast track.

But you could say this anything about the Ohio State offense, which has really just been kind of managing time. Like they're on a fast track now with Carnal Tade and Jeremiah Smith, the best wide receiver duo in the country. So, yeah, we'll learn a lot about both teams because Ohio State, I mean, the best offenses they played this year were like Washington, who had offensive line injuries. And we've seen Washington struggle against better competition this year.

And then Texas, who early in the year their offense was a mess against everyone. And then Michigan's offense this year just isn't it, especially away from home. So this will be the biggest test. Now Mendoza, I mean, he was only 8 of 15 for 100 yards against Purdue. He should have had a couple of interceptions. You know, he struggled a bit against Penn State. He struggled a bit against Iowa.

Now, he's had some big moments, and I do think he's very good. I don't think he should be like a number one overall pick. I think this quarterback class is pretty weak. But he's going to go in the top five or top ten. It's a very good test for him. I will say one of the things you have to question about Ohio State is I think that Ryan Day would love if this game goes down on the wire. Because the one thing Ohio State hasn't done has been in like a close game with a freshman

quarterback, right? Like everything has been easy. And Indiana has been. They were in a dog fight at Iowa, close game against Oregon. They had to have a drive to win. against Penn State. The one thing I am confident in is that Indiana this year is much more capable than the team last year at competing with the teams full of five stars. They're much better in the trenches. And they prove that at Oregon. And that win on the road in Eugene, not an easy

place to play, has aged very well because Oregon has won every game and looked good. And Oregon was healthy then as well. So Indiana can compete in the trenches here. The one remaining question for Ohio State is that, like how Will Sane play if it's a close game? They just haven't been tested yet. So I think Dave would like that. And yeah, Patricia's been phenomenal. Obviously, they have great players. There's NFL players on both teams.

So, yeah, your point on the scouts is spot on. But I was wrong on Patricia. And he's been great schematically. And he seems to get along with Dave better. They like, yeah, it seems like they really like each other. I agree. And Ryan Day has been a covering. machine. This is the number one team in the country. Since they lost the Michigan last year,

it's almost hard to believe. They're 14, one and one against the spread. They haven't, they've only not covered one game over their past 16 and they're number one in the country. The team everyone wants to bet. Mark it just hasn't been able to catch up to them. So, yeah, this is, it's a game I'm looking forward to watching. But as far as the big implications, doesn't really mean much. It might, based on how these teams fall and how the rest of the Braccavals, but I do think it means a lot more to Indiana because they can really say, no one can say, like, you don't belong anymore.

You have wins over Oregon and Ohio State. So, yeah, it should be a fun one. This is crazy to say because, you know, he feels like an NFL guy. He'd want to go back. But for some reason, my YouTube algorithm, I get some, like, Matt Patricia interviews. He's always, now again, again, they're winning, they're dominating. He's had a loaded program. He feels much more like kind of lighthearted and he's smiling a lot.

Obviously, he's lost a bunch of weight. Maybe he's found his colleague. Like he's really enjoyed, like you said, they're always hugging and smiling. Like he doesn't feel like the Belichickian grumpy kind of a hole that went to Detroit. There's like a looseness to him. I mean, as we record this, Penn State doesn't have a coach. I don't know. I mean, this guy's been an NFL head coach before.

Schematically, he's clearly really bright guy. Yeah. And, you know, recruiting-wise, I mean, he's got a year apprenticeship at Ohio State. Like, he's seen the blueprint of what you do. Like, I mean, I just keep an eye. Maybe if you're him, you just stay in college. There's a ton of money in it. Maybe he's just found a sweet spot because no one's hiring him to be an NFL head coach.

And like, Ohio State will pay as much as the NFL team. So I think he's going to be there for a little bit unless he wants to become a head coach in college. Like, that might be the route. I agree. I think that's the route he might end up taking. But as it right now, yeah, it seems like he's, in a good spot. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what?

We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And, well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a

parameda apostle chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45.

How high can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard, you know? Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm a good. I just say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva

as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school.

Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later. We're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate. youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey with all the snacks and drink.

Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? They had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Do you want a white color or something here? Just take it. What are y'all doing? Microphones?

Are you making a rap album? I would. Come on. I would buy it. Cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky.

I'm not a drug addict. You are. I'm not an alcoholic. You are. I'm not a killer. I love this team, and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives

that they can rely on. Oh. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall.

And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. The United States will not stand by and allow any. Any town, however great, take over another country. From My Heart Podcast, Saigon. Please allow me to introduce Joseph Sherman. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? I should stop talking so much.

I like hearing you talk. One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. I've taken a hit from Japanese ground fire. They're pouring petrol all over him. He's holding matches. I'm on a landmine. Or free time!

Let's get out. Freedom, Mom, and Nah! Cigone, starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict. Sting, here's madness. The world should hear about this. There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's transition.

And let's start with a game that when they were one in five and they were still favored to win the division, it did feel a little crazy. And, you know, if I would have told you that they would have been six and six at that moment, you'd be like, okay, they'd battle back, but they would have probably been a game or two back. Turns out the Steelers are a mess and, like, legitimately circling the drain. And I understand, you know, it's your squad. They looked awful on Thursday night. The turnovers, it was just a disastrous performance. But I'm going to take the same mindset it comes.

If J.J. McCarthy's playing, I'm going to short the Vikings. I don't really care who they're playing unless they're playing the Titans. I'm going to take the same logic when it comes to the Steelers. This game's in Baltimore, and I understand the Steelers have played Lamar well over the years. But this Lamar actually is a little different player than the guy. He's kind of banged up. He's not moving around quite as well. This is more, like, this does feel like a lot of points,

but it's just a bet against the Steelers. And I'm going to hammer the Ravens minus six, honestly, is like one of my favorite bets on the board. Yeah, as a Ravens fan, I'm programmed to expect that this game will end 20 to 17. And it's just, that's how all these games end. I mean, if you look, these Harbaal and Tomlin have met, what, in 16 years where they're both there, 32 times in the regular season, 26 of them have been decided by one possession. when either as an underdog of three or more points, the underdog has gone 19, 3 and 3 against the spread,

86 and a half percent. But, and Tomlin as a dog has always been good, but this isn't the same Steelers team. Their defense is really bad. I mean, it was eye opening last week to watch them against the bills who were without both tackles, without Kincaid, and they just ran the same rushing play 27 times and it worked almost every single time.

They didn't adjust. They couldn't do anything. They have defensive injuries now. Is this a game where the Ravens can just do the same and just hand it off to Henry, use their backs? It might be. Now, the Ravens' offense, in fairness, and Rogers is a mess.

I mean, he has a minus 13.6 completion percentage over expectations since week 10. That's dead last among every quarterback. I mean, Gabriel, McCarthy, Brasmer, you name them. They haven't completed a pass longer than 20, guards in a month. And he has a hand injury now, so they're always in pistol and it's predictable and their receivers can't get separation. It's a mess. Now, the Ravens can't get pressure on defense, so maybe that's a reprieve. And the one thing I will say is the Ravens' offense is also

a mess because Lamar isn't healthy. And, I mean, if you look at some of his numbers, since he came back, I mean, he's second, worse than the league in catchable ball rate. third worst and on target rate when he's not being pressured. Those are troubling signs, and that's because, you know, it's the hamstring, a knee, a toe, an ankle. But the Ravens might be able to just line it up here and run the ball. Yeah, so I'm saying. And their offense is a mess.

And you're right. Like, the Steelers have done a really good job containing Lamar and his legs, but that's not really his game at the moment. And the Ravens do have upside in their offense in that there is going to be a point where Lamar does get healthier. and he keeps saying he's getting closer. And then once that happens, I think this offense is going to take off.

I don't see what the upside is with the Steelers offense. Like, it's, what, 42-year-old Rogers now with the weather getting colder and colder and a hurt hand. And they just signed, they just went out and got Adam feeling. Like, that's when you know it's bad. Yeah, so. He can't brace on sacks because. because the arm, you're holding the ball in the one hand,

you naturally kind of, it's just a human reaction, whether you and me are playing pickup football out on the grass or whether you're playing NFL football, even that play with Joey Bosa, he's kind of limp. And, you know, you're just kind of, I mean, you're kind of fucked. I wouldn't be shocked. There's a couple turnovers here. Yeah.

So. Which I respect at 42 years old with, I'm sure, hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank, he does not need to be doing this, but he signed up. And I think there's some pride in him, you know, to even come back into that game. It's like, what is he doing? But he doesn't want to let down.

Like he signed up for Tomlin. And now he feels, you know, he's compromised. It's just, it does just feel like this thing's unraveling. And for the first time, there's like substance behind. Like, this could really kind of be the end of this, of this coaching era for this guy. Yeah. I mean, look, there's six and six. There's a huge game in the division.

Now they play each other again in the last game of the year. And the Steelers do have games against the dolphins and the Browns left. So maybe they find a way to get the nine and eight again, which would be very fitting. It just needs, look, Tom one's a great coach. I mean, he's never had a losing record. Great motivator. But there comes a time when I think it would be best for him and the organization. depart ways the voice sometimes you need a new voice and the steelers need to just stop going nine and

eight because they need a franchise quarterback they otherwise they're just going to be stuck in purgatory forever at an eight nine nine and eight with no chance of winning a playoff game a super bowl and that's where they're at now there are like a couple weeks ago they're talking about rogers coming back next year it's like if i was a steelers fan it's fun that you're in it and like in the playoff race in the division race all the time but you don't feel like you ever chance to win at all and that's ultimately the goal in this whole gig and um so yeah the steelers eventually need to blow it up which is why i said at the time like i don't know why i know they had to do it but i wouldn't have given why all that money um because you just need a reset and you need to find

your quarterback but uh yeah so my my fan of me says this is going to be close because that's all raven steers games ever are but it's hard for me to see the steers all offense. And then their defense, their run d is so bad. There's so many issues. So I don't hate your look there. The Rogers thing, they didn't really have a choice. There weren't any other options. But the Watt thing is going to be, the D.K. Medcalf move is devastating to give him that much money and a second. Then you're watching pickings become like the best receiver. Well, so yeah, so the swap out there, they gave, like when you are paying a bunch of people a lot of money, you don't have that much wiggle room. So when you give a guy a one year, $10 million deal like

they did dislay. That's pretty important for that guy, even if he's not a pro bowler, to be like a legit, solid start. He didn't make it to December. He was a healthy scratch by Thanksgiving. He's like, that's a disastrous personnel move, you know? And it's just their personnel moves. And I put something on Twitter and people are like, well, Kevin Colbert was bad the last

couple years. For most of his run, that organization was viewed, like the Ravens, like the Packers, just one of the most consistent. They know what they're doing. They don't feel like that right now. They feel really out of work. whack. So I love the Ravens. Another team. Well, they're trying, because they're stuck in like the middle. They're trying to maintain it. Yeah, and they're trying to just like do these band-aids and

it's just not going to work. Turns out Collinsworth was right the way that he was pronounced in Mariotta. And Marriota got his back saying that's the actual way to pronounce it, though I just say Marietta. He actually looked pretty good on Sunday night football. My simple logic is this. If J.J. McCarthy is starting a game against a team with just some capable players, I'm going to take the other team and taking Washington plus two and a half. Listen, you know, I just think this JJ thing, you get to a situation where you're going to, they'll start, and Minnesota is less likely to boo than like, let's say a Philly or some of these other places. That place is going to be on tilt if he goes three and out a couple times of like,

this is a disastrous situation. most people you know like listen he's not the first guy to show say hey I got a headache or whatever on the plane right home or the next day so I'm not going to say that he made that up but there just been two kind of all of a sudden this guy's injured after just disastrous performances and coming back he obviously hasn't played much football

when he has he's been awful I could just see like all of a sudden he's just going to look good I mean I have a hard time to see that so I'm hammering Washington in this game. I played the Vikings, but at a bunch different number. I can't blame you for Peyton McCarthy. I mean, this line opened

with the commander's a favorite. And this is my case for the Vikings, and the rebuttal can just be, McCarthy's not going to hit That's my logic. I'm just against JJ McCarthy. Yeah, but I'm saying like, you could just say, McCarthy's not going to hit a wide open pass because the commanders

can't get pressure. Their defense has been a little better since Quinn took over. They're playing more zone. He simplified some things, but it's still a really bad defense. Like, their second, they're dead last and drop back EPA. They cannot get any pressure anymore because they don't have any players left on the defensive line. They have no edge rushers. So there's going to be opportunities from McCarthy to hit wide open receivers. Can he hit them? I don't know. So far, he's shown that he can't do it consistently. But like the Vikings, their defense is still very formidable. It's still a really good home field advantage. This is the first road game for the commanders in 41 days.

they're coming off a devastating overtime loss. Their defense is on the field. There were so many plays in that game. There was a chance Daniels is going to play a quarterback. I actually think that would be a bad thing. He's struggled against the blitz. He's been off for so long. Mariotas numbers have actually been better than Daniels.

They've got the same amount of snaps this year. Not the same Mario's. Mariotta is better. But this year, Daniels has just had a little bit of a sophomore slump. He never got in rhythm with his receivers. There's been so many injuries. coming back from a long absence facing that Vikings defense, that could be problematic. But I do think now that this number is jumped, it's not the same. But originally, I was like,

this is the bottom of the market on the Vikings. They've, and for what it's worth, teams off of getting shut out historically have hit it about 60% against the spread the next week. I mean, who wants to, usually, who wants to play the team that just got shut out? You might get a, you know, a point or two of value. And the, in fair, to the Vikings. They were three and two before the buy week and then after their buy, they played the Eagles, arguably should have won, at the Chargers, at the Lions, they won that game with McCarthy, Ravens, Bears, at Packers, at Seahawks. That's been their last seven games. Vicious. So now this is definitely more of a break. So, yeah, I did play some early Vikings,

but you can just say McCarthy at why McCarthy favored over whatever it's marriota or Daniels no way he hasn't shown that he can complete even wide open passes consistently in NFL and historically team quarterback's coming off of a concussion there is a dip in production so I can see the case for the commanders but I do have some Vikings uh am I scared about it yes I also bet the Raiders. Am I scared about that? Yes. But yeah.

Who are the Raiders even playing? The Broncos. They're catching eight. Home divisional dog above a touchdown historically, 56, 57%. Usually a good bat. When the total is below 42, 70% historically. I just don't trust this Broncos offense. Now, do I trust the Raiders offensive lines,

is a disaster. Geno Smith's a disaster. it's all a disaster. But this Broncos offense will go in, like Bo Nix will just be completely, he can't complete a pass for quarters. It's very difficult for them to build margin. There are games away from home this year.

They lost to the Chargers and the Colts. They beat the Eagles by four, crazy comeback. The Jets by two. It was 12 to 10. The Jets had negative 10 passing yards. They won by two. The Texans by three,

crazy comeback when Stroud got hurt against Davis Mills. and then Washington by one in overtime. So they're four and two with a plus six point differential on the road. They haven't won a game by more than four away from home. And their defense is coming off a game when they're on the field for 100 plays in overtime and prime time. Now, another road game.

You should get the Raiders best effort. And these two teams played in Denver with the Raiders coming off an overtime game where their defense on the field, 90 plays on a short week. Teams were 6 and 26 against the spread in this spot. short week going to altitude and the Raiders lost 10 to 7. That was the score in the first meeting. So it's horrible.

But I did bet the Raiders plus eight. Well, my last hammer is the Saints that fit that criteria because the over under is 41 and a half. You know, you look at the Tampa, obviously, they had that struggle, that three-game losing streak where they were in shambles. I mean, it's not like they blew out the Cardinals last week. Now, in fairness, the Cardinals are going to be like one of the truly great four and 13 teams of all time because they've been in like the overwhelming majority. It was every game back. Yeah. So I'm just taking the Saints here plus eight and a half and it's more of a bet against Tampa that, you know, the injuries.

Obviously, Baker hasn't been right all year. You know, once he kind of got banged up. It looked like an MVP there through like a month, which at the time you'd get him like 25 to 1 coming in. I think it was actually 50 to 1 coming into the season and went down to like 25, 20 to 1. and now he's got really no chance, even though the MVP discussion is really wide open. I just, listen, I'm not going to be some big believer in the Saints. They've got two wins, but it feels like a number that's very, very coverable.

Buck's offense has quietly been a disaster. I mean, since week nine, they're 24th in EPA per play. Why do you think that is? A lot, there's just, I don't think Baker's fully healthy. I mean, last week against, you mentioned the Cardinals out gained him 386 to 279, 6.3 yards per play, Bucks 4.9. Cardinals aren't bad.

No, they're not, but I'm saying the Bunk should have lost that game, sophisticated. Their offense wasn't great. And I mean, there's just been so many injuries with the Bucks, right? So you've had all the injuries in the backfield, the offensive line, wide receiver,

Baker's been banged up. So it's all just added up and the operation is just broken right now. Now, is there at some point in an inflection point where, like, as they get healthier, you're going to start to see that offense trend up. Maybe this is at the bottom as far as the market on their offense, maybe.

But until I see further evidence, yeah, I have no interest in wanting to lay eight and a half with Tampa. Now, the Saints won't be able to run the ball at all. Like they'll have zero rushing yards in this game. So it's just going to be chucked against the blitz having to throw it, which might is a bit concerning but the Saints defense is fice enough to keep them in this game I don't have anything kind of needs to win I mean you lose your 7 and 6 Carolina 7 and 6 you still play them twice Carolina would have nothing to lose right they got house money

you know there's all the pressure would be on Tampa in those games this could get weird I mean this is this obviously you know it must win when you're playing bad teams but like when you're just not playing well I would it shock you if it's like 10 10 in the third quarter or something? Yeah, I mean, last year in week 18, in Tampa, the Bucks needed to win, and they were playing Spencer Rattler. It was a crazy comeback when he took off on the run, right? They were down 1913 in the fourth quarter and won 2719.

Like, they were on the brink of losing that game. So, yeah, the Panthers win over the Rams was enormous for many reasons. I mean, the one seed in the NFC, how seeding breaks. But also that division race, like they were 10-point dogs. You assume that they were going to lose that game. Then picking that win up with two meetings with the Bucks left makes that division race very, very interesting. especially since, you know, the Panthers go, they have a buy than the Saints. And, you know, they have a game, they host the Seahawks, and then they have two games against the bucks.

So, yeah, that division race is going to be super interesting. I'm excited. There's been a lot of boring games in the NFL this year because there's just a lot more. There's more parity at the top overall. I mean, think about the AFC. The AFC, there's a world where Lamar. Mahomes, Borough, and Allen all missed the playoffs. But there's a lot more parity at the top.

But there's a lot more just the bottom is bad. So you get just some really bad football games. But now this stretch run over the last five weeks is going to be really exciting. I mean, just this weekend, this weekend could decide so many things. You have Raven Steelers, which could decide the division and a playoff spot with the loser potentially being out. We're recording this on a Thursday, so you'll know the result already, but Cowboys Lions could be an elimination game in the NFC playoffs. You have Colts-Jan. It definitely is for the Lions lose.

The Niners, Bears would feel like they're both in, right? Yeah. Yeah, and the Cowboys, I mean, they're six, five, and one. They got to pretty much. They got to win the division. They win the division. Eagles, I mean, they have a tough schedule. Jaylon Carter looks like he's going to be out for a couple weeks.

What happened to him? I must have missed that. Yeah, that came out like half hour ago. He's going to have surgery. Wow. So that definitely hurts their defense. Not a position that they have a ton of depth at. Well, and he's such a difference-making player because of the ability to rest of the path.

Wow. He demands so much attention. But, I mean, that game Monday night, Eagles Chargers. Eagles lose, Cowboys win. That division gets a lot of shakier. I mean, Eagles play the commanders twice more. Daniels will be back. They go to the bills.

All of a sudden, it gets shaky for them. Chargers in the AFC, they lose this game. You know, they're 8 and 4 now. They lose this game. They go to 8 and 5. You have the Herbert Hand question. You still don't have an offensive line. Their remaining schedule is at the Chiefs, at the Cowboys,

home against the Texans, at the Broncos. All of a sudden, that gets really dicey. You have the Texans chiefs. Is that Sunday night, that's potentially an elimination game. If Chiefs lose, they go to six and seven on the year, and they don't have a tie rig over anyone ahead of them. They've lost almost every other team that they would be batting for. Bears Packers for first place.

I mean, just awesome tie leverage, playoff leverage games this weekend. So the NFL is going to get really good from now all the way through the Super Bowl. Well, let's talk about a couple of the big games. Indy at Jacksonville, Indies leaking some serious oil. Sauce is now out. Their quarterback, obviously, shelved himself even before he got to. injured once he started getting hit, and now it's not going to be the same. You know, it's not like I love Jacksonville, but this is one of those games.

Indy could be in trouble, assuming I like Houston at Kansas City, you know, just their ability to rush the pass. Simmons now is on IR, right, with a broken wrist. So, and that would have been a tough matchup for a rookie against those pass rushers in general, so there's going to be a drop off there. If Houston wins, like to me, Houston, if they take care of business against Kansas City, they just need these two teams when they play to somehow split is the way I've looked at. I don't know if you look at it differently.

I have some futures on Houston to win this division. It's still alive. They got to win, but they just need whoever wins this game and then that other team to win the other game when they play each other. And then I just think they are, that defense is just ferocious. That is the best unit of these three teams. Would you agree? Yes. Yeah, and they host the Cardinals and Raiders next.

So this is their season. They just got to go to Kansas City and win. Yep. Find a way to win. A team they hadn't been able to beat. But yeah, I mean, the Chiefs have other offensive line injuries as well. I haven't seen their injury report, but Trey Smith, their stud right guard, Taylor got banged up last week.

So you could have three-heard offensive linemen against that defensive line could be trouble. And the Texans' offense is improving. Like Woody Marks gives them some juice in. out of the backfield. Their offensive line has been getting better. And then when Nico Collins was out, these other receivers were able to kind of step up, build confidence, and like a guy like Higgins. So their entire offense operation is improving. So the Texans are a really dangerous team. If you're in the IAC, you don't want to see the Texans in the playoffs. You don't want to see that defense that they will be in every game

because of it. So yeah, they're super loud to win the division. But this game, They're not out of it if they lose it, but it's going to be very tough. And then the Chiefs are, so they lose their 6 and 7. They could get the 10 and 7. But that doesn't guarantee anything. And, yeah, this might be lights out for the Chiefs. Especially they have no tie. They lose every tie record with everyone.

I mean, they lost to the Jags. They lost to the Bills. They would have lost to the Texans, like basically just the Colts. So, yeah, taking the 3.5, find a 3 and a half there, I think makes sense. These are also the two best under teams in the NFL over the past three years. Texans unders are just a cash cow. I mean, they're 31 and 15 of the under over the past three years. 67 and a half percent.

The next best under team is the chiefs 30 and 16, 65 percent. The chiefs unders at home over the past three years, 17 and six. They just go on these, and this is where they're going to have to do this on Sunday night. They're going to have to go on these long, and they can do this at home. They go on these long methodical drives. where it's like dink and dunk and dink and dunk and then third and one run it. That's what we're going to have to do because Moe's not going to have any time here and no protection. So I don't mind the under.

I don't mind taking the Texans there. Yeah, Texans are a very dangerous team. The Chiefs actually, if they lose this game, this is crazy to say, are better off just finishing 7 and 10 because that would give them a position all of a sudden. It's like, oh, the Chiefs have the 14th pick. They could kind of reset the run, you know, because they've been drafting every single year, 30, 31. all of a sudden you're drafting 14. That's every round. Maybe the first round Vich goes from 14 to like eight to get some incredible pass rusher or something. You could just kind of reset your franchise

with some players who are cheap that they just haven't. I mean, they're taking swings on worthy who worthy out of play in that Sunday night game or maybe it was a couple weeks ago. It's like, he's good, but he's not quite. I mean, it's clear he's not Deshaun Jackson or Tyree Kill or whatever. It's just, but that's what happens when you draft at the end of the route. So you just, you just, just don't have the act they they would be the first to say it's pretty crazy that Josh Simmons is sitting there I mean we all agreed I mean there were some question marks with his injury and some other stuff but he was like one of the more talented players in the draft right typically they're going to be picking from Xavier worthy or Keon

Coleman right well that that's not the case if you're drafting 14th and I just think that they are picking from a litter of players that way and who knows maybe the last couple weeks you just kind of it's not worth getting Mahomes a major injury and like you know when you're out of it. They've never been in this position, obviously, honestly, since Andy's been there, because they've just been good. But this is the first time where it's just like, okay, you ran out of gas. I don't, I don't look at them any differently. I mean, they lost some crazy games this year. It's not like some indictment on the run, I think. It just was a year that didn't go there. I mean, last year they were 11 and 0 one position games this year. They've lost by 6, 3, 3, 7, 3, and 3.

So they're one in six and one position games this year To me their defense clearly just doesn't quite quite have the same oomph. They're missing a couple of players. Carl Offtis. Don't get the same pressure. Not quite the same player. I think they had hoped that he was going to continue to become. Yeah.

Now, I agree with you. But if they win this game and just the narrative, or actually so, will change drastic for both these teams, depending on the outcome here. They win this game, they're seven and six. And the remaining schedule is you got revenge against the charges at home with the banged up Herbert, no offensive line. At the Titans,

revenge against the Broncos at home, at the Raiders. To win this game, all of a sudden, it's looking... They're alive. Decent chance, you're going to 11 and 6, and the Chiefs are back in the playoffs, and they're always going to be dangerous in the playoffs.

But if you lose, the best you can get is 10 and 7. I'm not sure that gets you in the playoffs in the UFC, especially because you're going to lose every tiebreaker. So, yeah, huge game for both teams. And then what was the other game you mentioned first? Andy Jacksonville. Yeah, I'm waiting for the Jags. Look, the Colts defense is not the same without Soss Gardner.

He's a locked down corner, was going to make, you know, with Ward and Kenny Moore, they were going to have one of the best corner groups in the NFL. Without him, they just don't have the same flexibility. They're also not the same group without DeForest Buckner in the middle. With DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart in the lineup versus when one of them's not on the field, They give up one yard more per rush. So if both were on the field, they're allowing one yard fewer per rush. And that's important against the Jags.

Basically, with the Jags, any Liam Compton, you want to say first, can they run the ball? If they're able to run the ball, everything else stems from that. And they have one of the best, most dynamic, well-schemed running games in the NFL. And then you have Daniel Jones, who's playing with a broken leg, doesn't have that same lateral movement, taking more sacks now. and it's it's just not going well. I mean, they're lucky that they've won, they beat the Falcons in overtime, otherwise they would have lost four straight.

And their schedule is brutal coming down the stretch. I mean, the Colts lose this game, can make a case that they don't win another game. I mean, they have, they're at Seattle, they got San Fran, Jacksonville again, then at Houston. So they could go from looking like, the one seed a month ago to missing the playoffs very quickly if they don't win this game.

And it's a place where they have it won very often over the past 10 years. The Jags, I don't, I think they're a decent team. They're not a great team. They do have some good wins this year. I mean, look, they beat the Texans. They beat the Chiefs at home. They won at San Fram when they were healthier. They dominated the chargers.

They've been much better at home. And Jacoby Myers has been an amazing addition. He's not dropping the ball. He's providing juice to the offense. They got Brent and Strange back. I do want to see the injury report for the Jags, Armstead, Trevon Walker, Olicon, Devin Lloyd, they all are banged up. You want that full complement of your defensive front to not only stop Jonathan Taylor, but to get after Jones with his hurt leg. So I think the injury report for the

Jags is very critical. Huge game. I think it's more of a toss-up. I don't mind anyone taking the points if you wanted to tease the Jags. I don't have a strong feel. on it. There's a lot of injuries that I'm watching for the Jags as of right now. Do you think it's a good indictment on Anthony Richardson? They'd rather roll with Daniel Jones on a broken leg than him? Yeah. Not ideal. Not great. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. but this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys?

I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad Hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the fly. Man, he running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball.

Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcast presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet.

Hey. And we have been joined at the Hipsons High School. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still. Joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast we're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drink.

Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar something here? Just hit it. What are y'all doing? Microphones?

Are you making a rap album? Oh, I would. Come on. Could you imagine? I would buy it. Cut through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug addict.

You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You are. You're lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team, and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean.

I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with the Animaniariva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive.

Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How hard can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be?

I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. The United States will not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country. From My Heart Podcasts, Saigon. Please allow me to introduce Joseph Sherman. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?

I should stop talking so much. I like hearing you talk. One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. I've taken a hit from Canada. Japanese ground fire. Do you rate me? They're pouring petrol all over him.

He's holding matches. I'm on a landmine. Or freeze on. Let's get out. Freedom's bomb it. Run! Saigon, starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict. Sting, here's madness.

The world should hear about this. There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And then you have Packers, Packers Bears. Yeah, let's hit on that. I mean, a couple weeks ago, hell, a month ago, I'd have been like, I'm a hammered the Green Bay. It does feel like the Bears.

I mean, we get these type teams every once in a while. Minnesota was like this, what, that Kirk Cousins year when they, I think, won 12 games. Yeah, a big band at the end of his career when they were like, they started like 11 and 0. Just a scary team to bet against. It's going to be hard, obviously, for the Bears. But, I mean, Ben Johnson, I mean, that performance he had all. Thursday was was unreal. I mean, that made Eagles fans go, what is happening to us? I think Canales saw that and was like, you know, I should just copy that and run the ball a little bit more. It's like,

yeah, Dave, you should. And Ben Johnson, he's the Midwest Kyle Shanahan. You don't see many of these young coaches in college or the pros that are play callers that are the head coach that consistently, like, I would rather run it 40 times a game than pass at 50. And he would rather, even if Caleb Williams was the best quarterback in the league. I don't think his philosophical belief on how to play football would change, which I respect because those days, we just don't really have them anymore. I mean, even Sean, call some more runs for your guy. But these guys like to pass.

I mean, listen, I love Coach Reed. Coach Reed, if you had to give him a choice, he would throw it every time if he could, you know, and it's just a lot of these coaches like passing the ball more. And Ben Johnson not only likes calling runs, he's a great run schemer. I mean, some of the breakdowns of using those tight ends and motions, like, it was incredible that performance he had against Philly. But he's done that all year long running the ball. So I just think that this is going to be a really fun matchup. I guess I would have to take the Bears.

This is a stay away for me. I just can't wait to watch this game. But Ben Johnson has been a fucking stud this year. I mean, look at the lines. Part of the reason, I know their interior offensive line isn't as good. but their run game all year has not been anywhere close to what it was their offense hasn't been operating anywhere close to what it was and a lot of that and look at the bears their run game i mean especially over the past month has been dominant and that will always make them a scary dog now

their defense has benefited from extreme turnover luck like plus 17 turnover margin they even did it last week they got the the push strip have the eagles ever even fumbled on that play like in their heyday it doesn't feel like they really have no they did it once i forget the game game. But the refs like blew it dead, but it really was a fun. This is against the Giants, I think. Oh, yeah, it was. Shane went on my producer. So, yeah, I mean, their run game is incredible. Now, their defense is very bad. They have injuries at linebacker. They can't get pressure. But they've survived without, I mean, they got getting Jalen Johnson, getting Kyler Gordon back. They were able to develop some depth in the secondary. And they held up. You have to give them credit for the wins.

and now they've become a scary team. But the Packers are also a scary team. And they've started to figure out their offense a bit post-craft. And I think, you know, you might get Jaden Reed back. Christian Watson, I think him coming back is really getting juice to the offense. He's looked good. Yeah, they should be able to move the ball on the Bears. Am I rushing to lay six and a half against the team?

They should have success running the ball against Packers. I mean, they're going to have success running against everyone. And, I mean, the Packers now lost Wyatt, another defensive lineman to a season-ending injury. So I think it should be a really good game. I think the Packers eventually win, but would it shock me if the Bears do? No. A huge game in the division, though. Winner of this in the driver's seat.

When you say the Bears, I mean, would be in pretty good shape, given that tie is kind of a swing. They'd have two more wins than the Packers if they win this game. Yeah, and they'd play again, but it would be they host the Packers. Now the Bears do have a tough schedule, but are they winning this game? The 49er game is like, how are the 49ers going to stop their run game? They're a 49er's going to score. I don't know how that game doesn't go over the total, by the way. Both teams should just move it at will.

It should be like an offensive clinic on both sides. So, yeah, the Bears after this. They do get the Browns at home. And they're the one seed in the NFC as of the time we're talking right now. But then they get the host of Packers at Sanford. And then you get the post-Jarck Golf outdoors at the end. So you win this game, it looks a lot better. If you lose it, then you're looking at that schedule a little differently.

And the Packers will be in the driver's seat for the division. So, yeah, really excited to watch that game. Just a lot of great games end up out this week. Okay, let's end with the Monday night game. You mentioned, you know, Herbert had the surgery. I mean, do you expect him to have like a cast similar to Rogers type deal? Yeah, I assume. I think that they'll just, they'll have to go shotgun.

I mean, they usually go shotgun. I don't know, 80% of the time. expect him to play though you do but i don't know for sure um harbaugh's weird with that you know it's it's hard to get much information out of them yeah it is a huge game for the charges i just listed their schedule like they're scheduled now they've had a really easy schedule so far now it's one of the hardest um so they i think they've come out they said they're going to use like tray lansson in like goal line packages um so he's going to get snaps regardless i assume they're just going to be in shock and all the time so does that make their offense

more predictable. Like, we saw how that worked with Aaron Rogers, and you don't have an offensive line. Now, Jalen Carter being out, that's very helpful to that offensive line. That's a massive, massive loss for Philadelphia. The one guy in their defense that they really couldn't afford to lose, he just commands so much attention. They don't have great depth there. And he's just a game wrecker.

And this evil's offense, it's still broken. I don't see how they can fix it. every week they go almost a half without scoring. I mean, the Bears defense has not been good all year. Couldn't run it against the Bears. Their offensive line, there's no Lane Johnson. The line hasn't been as good in the interior. I think they missed Beckton.

They've just been beat up, too, on the offensive line. They can't figure out zones. Well, they're going to get a ton of that against the Chargers defense. So, yeah, the Herbert injury throws a wrench into this. but like every week you got to look at an Eagles under. I don't know how you could ever bet an Eagles over because their defense is still good and their offense will just die for a half plus. And it's hard to see this Chargers offense doing, you know, with a herd Herbert,

that offensive line doing a ton. So I would lean on, I would lean to taking the points too, but the Herbert uncertainty makes it tough. But big game for both teams. Well, if you're Philly, you lose. you know, you just obviously at the bills, if I'm giving them a loss there, you would have given them wins against the Raiders and the two commanders games. I can see them dropping one to.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Then it starts getting weird. Then you just can't trust them playing whoever they're playing besides like the Titans. You're like, I don't know, this thing, it's got some similarities and parallels of a couple years ago when it all kind of unraveled. And I've been saying this for a while, when you have this bubbling weirdness with your just two-star marketing. key guys. I just think it's hard to hide that. And then the Petula

thing, the way the fans, like, listen, it looked like young kids egg in his house. It wasn't some indictment on like the city. You know, I mean, I'd be lied if I hadn't egged a few homes in my dayday. Yeah. Yeah, so it's like, welcome to 17 year old kids. But

I just think we know the pressure in that organization. If they lose this thing, there's just so much pressure. You know, and listen, Siriani has proven to be able to handle me a leader, but he ultimately doesn't call the plays or anything. So it's like, it's like, okay, it's kind of like the Tomlin thing. Like he's a great rally the troops guy,

but if the fucking offense ain't gaining yards, the offense ain't gaining yards. It's like nothing, he can't do anything about it. Yeah, I mean, it's just, this is the Eagles every other year. This used to be like the San Francisco Giants. It was like odd years or even years. Yeah, it was 11 and 13. They won the World Series three out of five years and missed the playoffs in the other two.

So, like, they have an offensive coordinator every other year. This is like Brian Johnson 2.0. And, yeah, I don't know. You give me the stats. He's worse than Brian Johnson. I remember like a month ago. Worst against zone. There's no creativity in the office.

They don't use, there's no motion, no play action. It's just, it's bad. So, yeah, so they lose this game. You give them a win over the Raiders. We'll say they lose out the bills. And, I mean, especially if Carter's out for weeks. So then they're at 8 and 6. And if, excuse me, 9 and 6.

So if you split with Washington, you finish 10 and 7. And the question is, that's not getting a wild part in the NFC. So can the Cowboys get a 10? Can the Cowboys catch them? So if the Cowboys, they're six, five, and one, the best that the Cowboys can finish is 11-5-1. I doubt they're going to win out. But if they beat the Lions, all of a sudden they're 7-5-1.

And, I mean, they're playing very well. Their defense is trending up. I win the division if I'm 10, 10, 6, and 1, and you're 10-and-7, right? Yes. So they'd have to just get the 10. Yeah, you're right. They just have to get the 10 wins. So if they win tonight, they're at 7.

Can they host the Vikings next? Win. They host the Chargers. Then they're at the commanders and at the Giants. It's doable. Winnable games. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, it's going to get interesting. You're right. This has, because I get some DMs, like, has this season been shittier? I'm like, there definitely have been stretches where there's been bad mornings. and afternoons. Like, there have been some rough games. I'd be, love football as much as anyone, but there have been some rough Sundays. There's no disputing.

There's been some rough primetime games. There's just been bad games. But at least they matter now. So I'd even argue in college football, there's been some stretches where it's like, it's been a weird football season, even though historic ratings, more people watch it, more people talk about it, which is awesome for our business. You know, the games, I would like a little more action. But part of that is some of these teams are just shitty.

They're just Huffle. And then like you said, some of the good teams, the parody atop makes them kind of hit or miss, right? So it's, I mean, the Packers went through a stretch where they were rough. The Eagles are going through a stretch when they were rough. The Ravens, I mean, most years, even a random Ravens team would be 9 and 3 right now, right? The Bills are a team that's 8 and 4. Yeah, it's a big and 6.6 and 6. It's been an ugly year, but it's about to get good.

We've, we're going to get paid off for our, for suffering through some of the bad football we've watched. Well, thanks for firing. us up sucky and uh let's enjoy the weekend and let's let's buckle in here to the home stretch and you got a baby here what next couple weeks 22nd is induction date so it's going to be a interesting i get asked all the time like are you ready i'm like i mean i guess i mean it's yeah ask her like she's the one the baby's getting hiccups and kicking her it's much yeah the hiccups i didn't know i found that yesterday that there there's hiccups um when is when is your date uh like middle of january So hopefully like a Wednesday, ideally if he could come, like Tuesday or Wednesday of one of those playoff weeks?

Yeah, we're inducing on a Monday. So you already know. Yeah, the 22nd. So it's, we'll be a busy week, but I'll still be here. People ask like, are you going on maternity? I'm like, well, it's not like this isn't a normal job. So it's like, you know. I can't pause sports.

Yeah. It's like, yeah, I might have to miss depending on the day. maybe like a Saturday or Sunday, but I don't just disappear for a month. That's not the way this thing works. The day of, I will not be able to do anything, but other than that, it's business as usual. I hear you.

Okay, Stucky, thanks, bro. Absolutely, have a good one. The volume. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick, and guess what?

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