The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders DOMINATE NFC No. 1 Seed Detroit Lions in NFL divisional round

Episode Date: January 19, 2025

John returns on this NFL Saturday to break down Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders out dueling the NFC’s top team in the Detroit Lions by a score of 45-31. First, John salutes the sensational rookie QB and former Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels as the Commanders offense capitalized on the Lions turnovers during an epic NFC upset. Middlekauff GOES off on the Detroit Lions struggling offense and coordinator Ben Johnson for getting “cute” with Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders eyes upon the potential head coach in waiting. John proceeds to tee off on the Lions’ banged up defense for being unable to stop Jayden and a potent Commanders offense, comparing the former LSU quarterback to Baltimore Ravens star QB Lamar Jackson for his dynamic impact on the position before debating his place on the greatest rookie QB ladder. Next, John breaks down the myth of the Commanders playing with “house money” as they gear up for an NFC championship appearance. After, John pivots his focus to Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs’ quest for a third Super Bowl victory in a row. Middlekauff talks about how the Kansas City Chiefs and their reputation for getting beneficial calls is good for business, and not going anywhere in the NFL any time soon before saluting DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans effort in the loss. After, John salutes Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs’ high-octane offense before laying out the team’s brutal path to a three-peat. Finally some thoughts on the NFL’s coaching carousel including updates from the Chicago Bears, Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers and more. Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest.  #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? 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. 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. Tired and sick.

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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 Akila 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume. What is going on, my people? How are we doing?

I said, you know what? The commanders beat the lions. Got to do a podcast, and that's what I did. So reaction pod to just watched. It's about 10 o'clock. The number one seed get bounced in Detroit. The commies and Jaden Daniels headed to the NFC championship game for the first time since 1991, which is a long time, which ironically

last year was the first time the Lions had been in the NFC championship since 1991, because that's when they play each other. But other than that, we will talk about the Chiefs, the officiating, I'm sure everyone's up in arms, but also D'emico, who I love, and the Texans not taking advantage of when they were playing well. So we'll dive into those two games. Mike Tomlin, the Bears and we had talked hell I'd throw it out like the Bears should try to trade for him

they clearly sniffed around but doesn't look like that's going to go anywhere and yeah that'll basically be the show so make sure you subscribe 3 and out podcast if you listen on Collins feed make sure you subscribe to the YouTube channel all of our content is up there as well

and I'll be doing I won't have a podcast on Monday Well, I will, but it will be a preview for Notre Dame, Ohio State with intern Jackson. I will just, I'm doing with Coward after the Bill's Ravens game. And so you can catch that on Collins' YouTube page or his podcast feed. But let's dive into some football. Let's start with this game.

And I was, I've been thinking about, as it was like, the lions are going to lose. And it's like, well, what are we going to lead the show with? What's the headline of this game? And I think big picture, and this is what makes sports so cool, is like, if this is a movie, you'd go, well, last year they got to the brink and they lost the Niners. This year, they win 15 games. They honestly with the commanders forever. But unlike the commanders, they didn't get a new owner. The Ford family still owns the squad.

But they did hire the right people. And it was like, this is going to be their year. I don't know if they were going to win the Super Bowl, but they're going to win the squad. the Lions are going to go to the Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions are going to go to the Super Bowl. But this isn't a movie. And there isn't a happy ending. This isn't Rudy coming off the edge and getting a sack.

Or remember the Titans winning the last game. This is sports. This isn't reality TV. Even as much as people that watch Chiefs games think it is. This is not scripted. Anything can happen on any given moment. And tonight the Lions imploded. Jared Goff threw multiple interceptions.

one that scored a touchdown for the commanders. Another one that was caught in the end zone. He also had a fumble. Their wide receiver threw an interception, which was honestly the backbreaking play of the game. But if I told you that the commanders would average well over six yards of play and that the Lions would throw three interceptions and lose a fumble, there's just no way you can win.

And this was the question mark before the Vikings game where you went, listen, man, is their defense going to be good enough? Is their defense going to be good enough? And you saw tonight, it simply was not. But in games like this, your offense has to be perfect. You might have to score 40 plus points. But their offense wasn't perfect. Jared Goff imploded and played one of the worst games I can remember him having in years

in a spot where clearly they could not afford to have him do that. And then because, you know, his play was all over the map. It felt like Ben Johnson, I don't know, got a little cute. I don't know if he was showing off for Tom Brady, hoping there'd be a $60 million offer on the table for his services tomorrow from the Raiders. Or it's just what he does. Because in fairness to him, they run a lot of trick plays. But when you're in a position and you're down, you know, by 10 points,

and you got the ball and it's in the second half, I'm not sure a double pass is the right play because when you do that stuff, I would say typically, no matter what you coach the wide receiver to do, if he's not open, eat it. If he's not open, throw it away. I think that gets coached into those players all the time. But what usually happens? The skill guy wants to make a play.

He wants to throw the ball. And he threw it right to the DB. And it essentially ended the game right there. But like, this game isn't that complicated. We can, you know, I do this a lot as well. We crush coaches for being cliche, for being just the coach-speak answers in these press conferences. But there is a reason you hear over and over and over again. We cannot lose the turnover battle.

We cannot lose the turnover battle. They have been saying it since the history of the sport because it usually kills you. Now, there are moments in certain games where you can get away from it. You cannot avoid it in playoff games. Because you're not only playing the best teams, you're typically playing the best quarterbacks. And we'll get into Jaden. It turns out he looks like a fucking Hall of Famer. But when you turn the ball over that many times, you got no shot.

and then when you factor in, your defense is awful. I mean, Amique Robinson, who had been playing really, really well for him. Last or two weeks ago against the Vikings did an excellent job against Justin Jefferson. I think he got a game ball, right? And he has played really, really well for them this season. Shattered his arm early in that game. You're like, they cannot overcome this. They were already at, you know, at a typical.

point of like, this is a law of diminishing returns and we are well past it. And then Jared Goff starts throwing to the other team. You're like, listen, I didn't expect a rookie quarterback to be as good as he was. But if I told you to begin the game that I'm not even going to count the last interception, but he would throw a pick six, he would throw another pick in the end zone, and he would have a fumble. So he'd have three turnovers, they're not going to win like that. They can't win like that. We saw them in a game late in the season against the 49ers on that Monday night. And it was the same situation.

Touchdown, touchdown, touchdown. No one was punting. The only way you're going to lose in games like that is turning the ball over. Why did the Niners lose? Pretty through a couple interceptions. And to me, that's 100% the difference in the game. And obviously the Lions defense was atrocious night. They could not stop a soul.

beside the one play where I don't know if it's like a tush push quarterback sneak with like three options or Marriota just tried to ad lib. I kind of hope he tried to add lib. But if he was looking to pitch it to Jaden who was in the shotgun, I think it might have been an option. My guess is, and listen, you probably hear, they might talk about it in the press conferences, is that like it's an option play. He can either go for it if he sees a lane or flip it to J. but when that play happened you're like hey you know Dan is kind of you know

know or I mean Dan Quinn like Dan Campbell they will go for it relentlessly and then as the game went on every single fourth and short and they were always in fourth and short they were in fourth and sixes they were in fourth and twos fourth and ones fourth and threes they were automatic you never had one thought in the back of your head and by the second one if you were a commander fan, you're like, we're getting these. There is no way they're going to stop us. We can do a quarterback play action run, first down. We can have Jaden drop back, hit Zach Ertz, hit Terry McLaren, run for it, do whatever.

We are going to get this first down, and it just kept happening and happening and happening. And there was a drive. You know, they had long drives. They had long drives of like 10 plus plays, six, seven minutes. It's like you just can't afford. There is, you know, in football, when they are running the ball down your throat, and tonight it felt like how many yards did the commies run for? 183 yards.

183 yards. So you have, I'm not going to count the last turnover. But two picks and a fumble, and they're running for 180 plus yards, and they're controlling the clock 33 to 26. That's hard, man. That is really, really hard to overcome, especially when you factor in, obviously their quarterback was a huge running threat. But that's a big kick in the nuts if you're the lines.

Because as Schaefter said, I think he said it multiple times this week. he reiterated it when I saw him say it this morning. These two guys are getting jobs. We don't know exactly where Ben Johnson's going. Is he going to end up with the Bears? Shefter made it seem like, don't discount the Jags. Obviously, the Raiders are all in trying to get him. Ben Johnson is gone.

And by all accounts, Aaron Glenn is gone as well. And sometimes, and listen, a couple years ago when the Charger couldn't stop a soul in the second half of that game to the Jags. That was on Brandon Staley. His guys had no fucking clue where to go. I remember it was blown coverage after blown coverage after blown coverage. It's like these defensive players have absolutely no clue what he's calling. Tonight, like, guys are close, guys are there, they're just not good enough.

And this is what happens when you get the attrition of the amount of injuries they had. Aaron Glenn is clearly an excellent defensive coordinator. and his style because they're so undermanned, he had to be really aggressive. And there were countless times when the game was like seven to ten points. So the commanders hadn't taken off where he's blitzing guys off the right side. And because Jaden is such a great athlete, he was just able to run away. And he made so many plays tonight with his feet that weren't just quote unquote designed runs. It was Lamar-ish.

They're like, yeah, nothing's here, nothing's here. I'm out. I'm going to gain six yards, I'm going to gain eight yards, I'm going to gain 10 yards, I'm going to keep these, move the chains, let's keep rolling. And there's nothing you can do about it. That's tough. That's tough. And I think if you're a Lions fan, for as awesome as this is for the commanders fans,

and it should just be an incredible moment. You just won your 14th game this season. You're in the NFC championship game for the first time since 1990. and no one saw this coming. At this time last year, they had the number two overall pick in the draft. I'm not even sure as of January 18th was Dan Quinn officially their hire? Maybe Adam Peters had been hired, and I'm not sure. I don't have to Google when they even hired the guys.

I'd say there's a 50-50 chance that neither guy was even hired at this point in time. And if one was, it was probably Adam. But I think the lion's loss is worse than they. their great win because, like, this is the first time that Washington has made the NFC championship game since 1991. 1991. I'm 40 years old. In 1991, I was seven.

That is a long time ago. But remember last year was the first time that, I think it was the first time ever the Detroit Lions won multiple playoff games. It was the first time, I think, since 1991. won also because they played Washington in the game. So you were looking at two franchises that hadn't sniffed success in so long, but the difference is Detroit, the expectations were there this year, because they were in the game.

Last season, at this point in time last year, they were headed to the NFC championship game. This was going to be their year. Their coaching staff had been there forever. They have three head coaches on their fucking staff. Dan Quinn, Ben Johnson, and Aaron Glenn. They have an all-star lineup on offense. So even if their defense sucks, we are going to score on every drive.

And you notice the first drive of the game, it's like, they had to punt. You're like, ah, that's a little weird. That's a little weird. And let's face it, it was just off. And by the time they had to call that double pass, you know, from Jameson Williams, it almost felt like Ben Johnson had lost his confidence in Jared Gough. they can say whatever they want, but I never judge a human being on their words.

Words to me don't mean shit, I judge you on your actions. And his actions, calling that play in that spot was like, and listen, I get they like trick plays, but was kind of, you know, a direct reflection of golf, and it felt like they had kind of jumped off his bandwagon, which to me is crazy because he had given you three years of playing at a really high level. And it's the opposite with Washington.

They treat Jaden Daniels who, I saw Jim Rome tweet this out. He thought that Jaden Daniels is the greatest rookie quarterback he'd ever seen. He's got to be on the short list. And when you factor in that most rookie quarterbacks that become, that go on to have all-time great careers, when you think of the great quarterbacks in the NFL, Tom Brady did not play as a rookie. Peyton Manning was terrible as a rookie.

John Elway, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, I can't speak to their rookie years. Brett Farve was a backup in Atlanta as a rookie. Steve Young was on Tampa Bay. It did not go well. Aaron Rogers was sitting, right? Patrick Mahomes did not play as a rookie beside the last game of the season in Denver. He's just, Josh Allen wasn't good as a rookie. Lamar was good, but didn't start.

the whole time. It's just Joe Burrow shattered his leg. Justin Herbert had a really good rookie season, but his team didn't make the playoffs. So I think when you look, Rathusberger's team went far as a rookie, but he wasn't that good, and their team was built about avoiding him.

Dak Prescott had a really good season as a rookie, but they lost in this round. So pretty special. special shit, man. These guys changed the franchise overnight. Changed Washington overnight. Think how insane that is.

This franchise, like the Lions, this is what we said last year, what they accomplished. Like, that's insane. You did that to the Lions. What they did with this team, and it's really because of Jayden Daniels, I don't think their defense is that good. Like, in two years, how many guys on this

defense are going to be starting for that defense. The corner from Michigan, maybe a D. Lyman, a couple of D.Bs, maybe. This isn't like, it's insane. Now, McLaren's an excellent player. The touchdown he had tonight was badass. Terry McLaren is a stud. But, you know, that kind of got a running back group by committee. Echler's a good little change of pace scatback.

McNichols, Adam Peters loves that guy Brian Robinson I'm a fan of but he clearly fell out of favor though he had a touchdown in the night Ertz is my age So it's It's insane that they are in the NFC championship game With this roster

And it's simple like quarterback There's going to be a lot of talk about In Caleb I saw today he was at like a USC game He's got a cast on his arm because he removed assist or something. I mean, the chances that in five years, Caleb Williams has two playoff victories. Like, what he's already just accomplished immediately as a rookie is pretty insane.

Like, the lead he has on his draft class, and it's obviously he's a special athlete and he's got a big arm. But when you watch him play quarterback, you're like, he's not, he is a running quarterback. but he doesn't really play like a running quarterback on so many past plays where he just sits in the pocket like a true pocket guy and throws these absolute seeds and darts right over the middle of the field, hitting guys in stride on like third and long or second and long or fourth and four. It's like how calm, cool, and collected is this guy?

It's amazing to watch. As just a fan of football, it is in. insane how calm this guy is in these moments. He's on the road in Detroit. I can't even imagine. I mean, right when he comes out for the first drive, he's going like this. He's trying to hear. And his team's not as talented as who he's playing. And it doesn't even matter. He was the best player on the field tonight by a country mile. Like, who would you even say was the second best player on the field? He was. He was the best player. He was, was dominant. And clearly, and listen, you know, it's a new school way of thinking, always going for it on

fourth down. Now, granted, their kicker sucks. And one thing Brady mentioned in the second half, like you're playing with house money. Like, no, Tom, they have a 10-point lead in the second half of the second round of the playoffs. Yet, most people probably thought they'd win seven, eight games and be a successful season. But that's no longer house money. That is, we've taken like $1,000.

to the blackjack table, and now we have 50K. So it's like, yeah, just if you blow a little bit, what, no, you have $50,000. You started with $1,000. Like, let's be smart about this. We want to go home with $50,000. If you want to bet a couple more K-O-K, but at minimum you're going home with like 47. You cannot lose this game. Going into this game, 100% you're playing with house money.

the moment you have a 10-point lead at halftime and your quarterback looks like he's in a different universe than Jared Gough you had to win it and they did and they dominated and you know you talk about a storybook kind of ending and obviously their season is not over I mean they have going to have a legit chance to be in the Super Bowl they are going to have to go on the road again right so tomorrow night or I guess tomorrow day afternoon

whoever wins that Rams Eagles game is hosting the NFC championship game. And I think if you're the commanders, I think most people would say, oh, they'd rather play the Rams. I don't know. I mean, you're pretty comfortable playing the Eagles. Like, you know their schemes, you've coached against them twice, you watch cross-tapes so often throughout the season because of the division. There is just a huge, huge comfort level there.

I think if you just pulled the average NFL fan, They would say 100% the Rams. It's going to be hard regardless. And who knows? Could Sofi even host a game next week? They couldn't a week ago. Can they do it now? I mean, they're still fires ripping.

Maybe they could. I don't know. We'll find out, I guess, if they win. But I don't think you'd be intimidated to play the Eagles, even though you would be a big underdog. Because, like we had talked about, the house money thing. You would have house money go. going into the game until you would be winning the game or something at halftime.

And there's no longer house money. Then you're actually playing to go to the Super Bowl. This was the thing with the Lions last year. It was like when Dan Campbell went forward on fourth and whatever instead of kicking the field goal. It's like, Dan, this is no longer house money. This is a game to go to the Super Bowl. If you kick this field goal, you will be up 17 points. Last time I checked, that takes three offensive drives to get 17.

plus points. They can't tie the game with two drives. You have a huge advantage, and last year it kind of bit him in the ass. So you could argue looking at Dan Campbell, like, yeah, this sucked. I can't even imagine being in that Lions locker room. I can't even imagine being Dan Campbell

knowing you're going to lose your two coaches. But you could argue looking back on last year, the opportunity was there to put a knife in the throat of the San Francisco 49ers. I don't know if you've watched that Cowboy and Indian show that Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights

plays this dude who's taking this chick across the country. It's basically like John Wick meets the 1850s. It's incredible. People just get killed like every five minutes. But sometimes you just you got to go for the kill shot.

And tonight I felt like every time the commander's never relented. But end of the game, it's like okay, and it's different scenario. It's not apples to apples. Like, no, we got to kick a field goal here. We're not going for it. We're going up 17 Now, he missed the field goal, but that was 100% the right move. It would end of the game.

But I guess this thing, there is absolutely no shot. So what a moment. And this is why we like sports and football, because you never know. Stucky and I talked about it. And he was really hammering this home. He's like, this weekend gets weird. NFL playoffs. We're talking about the NFL playoffs.

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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. 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. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy,

not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman, Help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports slice brings you closer to the action. with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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.

As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the civil war. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes. In Rebel Spirit, Season 2 goes deep on both of those things. The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space.

We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And speaking of weird, the Chiefs are headed back to the NFC championship game seven straight year.

I do think the headline of this game. And listen, it's not like the Texans deserve to win the game. there were three calls, definitely two and another moment, they were pretty outrageous. Now, I am all for protecting quarterbacks. They carry the league in terms of entertainment. At least the good quarterbacks. I don't give a shit about the bottom 15.

Those guys should not get flags. No one would care when they miss games. No one misses them. But all the Pro Bowl high-end guys, all for protecting them. all for it. I am four Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jaden Daniels, Jared Gough, being in the game. I mean, tonight for a split second when Jared Gough got rocked and didn't get a penalty and you thought if that was Patrick Mahomes, they would have thrown three flags and it would have been a hundred yard penalty, but he didn't get anything. You thought he got a concussion

he was going to be out and they were going to have to play with Teddy Bridgewater, who was literally coaching high school football like three weeks ago. I think he won Miami State. championship. Kind of crazy that he was even the backup. Pretty questionable indictment on Hendon Hooker, who I said, if Ben Johnson gets a job, he should take him with him, but that's a conversation for another day. So I'm all for protecting the quarterbacks. But there were two moments today that I think we've jumped the shark, and people push back on this about the chiefs, that the refs and the league are in the tank for the chiefs. Now, one thing that is not debatable. The Chiefs are the number one rated team in the NFL. I read an article like halfway

through the season. They were rating higher this year than the Cowboys. They are doing astronomical numbers when they're on television. They have the current most famous player in the league in Patrick Mahomes. Obviously their second most famous player is dating one of the most famous human beings on the planet. They are a ratings bonanza. And when I was a kid, the Sacramento Kings couldn't beat the Lakers. And then it came out later that one of the referees was working for the mob and helped the Lakers make it to the NBA finals. And there were always rumors about how David Stern wanted to fuck the smaller markets to make sure the Lakers were in the primetime games. Now, from a business perspective, if I was David Stern, I would have done the same thing

because it was better for business if the Lakers were in the NBA finals than the Sacramento. Kings. But I hate the fucking Lakers. I wanted the Kings to win. And I remember that infuriated me. And as I got older and you find out the details, you're like they never had a shot. Made you even more mad.

But then you get even older and you realize, well, from a business perspective, totally get it. It's about moving the needle. And I think most people think that the Chiefs are, these games are rigged. And I think they watch today, and that's going to be a huge conversation for people

that aren't Chiefs fans. Here's what I do know. It is great for business when people hate you. You either want them to be hate you or love you. You want nobody in the midic, middle, you want no apathy. That's bad for business. And the one thing the Chiefs do right now is they create a motion. The Lakers have done this forever and the Yankees do this and the Cowboys starting to diminish. They used to do it a lot more. But when I say the Kansas City Chiefs, I evoke some sort of emotion into a football fan. And there's a lot of hatred and people rooting against them right now.

That's a good thing for the business of the NFL. Do I think that they told the referees to make sure to call plays or call fouls when guys get close to Patrick Mahomes? I don't necessarily think they do that. I do think these referees when they officiate Patrick Mahomes

are just basically officiating scared and are so quick to throw the flag. Will Anderson did not touch his helmet. It should not have been a 15-yard penalty. The second one, the two Texans players, helmet-to-helmet, each other. Patrick Mahomes didn't even get touched. But to me, the most egregious thing today, and this is where the NFL needs to step in.

And Patrick Mahomes has been doing this for years is when he went to the sideline and he was running to get out of bounds, and then he stopped. He's manipulating the rules. he has turned in to Chris Paul James Hardin when it comes to getting fouls on the sideline and he got shoved now they ended up not throwing a flag

thank God but he's too great of a player and too important to the league to be doing that stuff the league does need to step in and end that right now and honestly I'd have no problem if you do that that's a 15-yard penalty

on the offense that that cannot happen but I'm also not going to sit here and act like, you know what? The Texans should have won the game. It was their game to win. D'Amico is a great coach. And I saw a headline today from Rapsheet about Robert Sala, who somehow was getting a million interviews. It's like, guys, I like Robert Sala. I root for my bald brother. I'd hire him as my defensive coordinator. He was a fucking terrible head coach. I mean completely over his head as a head coach. Interviewing as a head coach to me seems insane.

same. But Rapsheet basically said is like, no wonder everyone's interviewing Sala, he was once D'emiko's mentor, and D'emico says that he learned everything from him. I think there's some truth to that. He was a mentor to D'Miko Rions as a younger coach. But there is not one team in the NFL who would hire Robert Sala over D'Miko Rines. Obviously, as a head coach, let alone a defensive coordinator. D'Amico's really good. I think D'emico is easily, I think we saw two of, I don't know, top two or three defensive coaches in the league in Spags and D'Miko going at it in that game. D'emico is an elite defensive coach, and he had the boys ready.

Now, they have a lot of talent, and their front, obviously the Chief's offensive line can be a little iffy, was dominating the line of scrimmage. Early on, Patrick was running around for his life. But there were two moments in that game that just made me go, D'Amico, this cannot happen. One, early in the game, he kicked a field goal into the wind, which did not even have a chance. If it was a golf hole, the ball would be out of bounds. It was really, really bad. It was a 55-yard field goal. You can't do that in a field position game against Kansas Chiefs.

And then late in the game, it was 20 to 12, and as Aikman is screaming at the television, I guess he's on television, he's screaming through the television, call time out. I don't like this. Call time out. and he didn't, and it probably should have been a delay a game, and the play got all messed up, and it wasn't even close. I got no problem necessarily going for it, and I have a rule of thumb.

I'm not a big call timeout guy in the second half for a delay of game, but this is the playoffs, and that play was essentially your season, so you either got to take the delay a game and then choose to punt, or call a time out, and he didn't either. So like situational awareness and time management, which is something that Andy used to get crushed for, he's now a lead at that. And D'Amico, a young coach, who is a stud?

If, you know, I saw Harbaugh say the Big Cat say, hey, anyone selling Justin Herbert stock, I will buy all of it, I will keep accumulating D'emico Ryan's stock. He is an excellent young coach. if he was an offensive guy we would talk about this guy I mean shit everyone blows Kevin O'Connell he's never won a playoff game D'emiko's won two in two years

so and went toe to toe today with the champs but you gotta be better than that and he said after the game like we knew coming into this game everyone would be against us i.e. the refs and it was true but that can't happen that was a moment that just

you got to be better because in this game like you're out playing them, you're at one point in time, I think they had 100 more yards offense, they just look like the better team, and everyone's saying that. Well, that's great, but this is game's not like scored from the 20 to the 20 or on time of possession. There is a scoreboard. So when you don't have the lead and you're down in a game or losing in a game,

especially in a playoff situation, no one cares that you're out. playing them. That sounds great. And that to me mean stuff in the regular season, because ultimately over the course of a month, that will turn into wins. But this, this is not a seven-game series. This is a 60-minute game. So I can be out-playing my opponent all I want. If it's 13 to 3, who cares? Obviously, their kicker melted down, you know, missed the field goal into the wind. Then they come out a halftime, and this is, D'Amico shines again. Squad is ready. They have a long, 15-play drive. T takes up 10 minutes on the clock. They got five first downs off third downs on this drive. It meant they were either in third and five, third and three, and they converted it five different

times, scored a touchdown to make it, it was going to be 13 to 13, misses the kick, and then you're like, God, something's just off about the Texans. Something is just off. Now, later, that's what happened when Patrick slid or whatever and the two guys fly over them and they call the penalty, which was egregious. It was. And there's no, I'm not going to argue around that, but I'm also not going to act like, you know, the Texans didn't screw themselves countless times throughout this game. But like, this is what we thought about the Chiefs all season.

And Mahomes was asked after the game, like, was this rust? because you guys didn't play? And he said, no, they're a big-time defense. And I don't think he's wrong. Will Anderson is a badass. Like you watch today, you're like, I get why Will Anderson went third overall last year. I get why Jaden Daniels went second overall this year.

Shit, should have gone to won. You watched Jemir Gibbs. You're like, no wonder the Lions drafted him in the top 15. That guy plays anytime, any day. Someone tweeted at me that he looked like what everyone thought Reggie Bush coming out of USC was actually going to look like in the NFL. That's Jemir Gibbs. Like, yeah, that's a pretty good one.

So the high-end talent on the Texans, and I said this coming into the game, like, listen, they have some flaws. Their offensive line is a major question mark. And you saw today the Chiefs have, I think, I don't know if it was the first or second sack. I mean, he was sacked. How many times was CJ sacked today? eight sacked eight times eight sacks

I'm sorry that just can't happen one happened when they move Chris Jones out to defensive end over the right tackle and he smoked him for a sack George Karloskis who is just a good high energy just a really good starter was just all over his ass all game long

I think he ended the game with three sacks You cannot win a playoff game against the Kansas Chiefs when you get a couple bad calls go your way when your quarterback gets sacked eight times. It just can't happen, especially when you're running the ball pretty well. The Texans ran for 150 yards. Mixon's averaging five yards of carry. But what happened today?

It's like he's washed, he's washed, he's washed, he's washed, like just wait for the playoffs, wait for the playoffs. And he's not as fast as it used to be. it was evident on his big how long was his big play 49 yards he probably scores on that five years ago he might score on that three years ago

his speed if it was once for a tight end like a 9 out of 10 it's probably like a 6 and a half now but his instincts in space when you get 87 the ball to make a guy miss to break an arm

tackle you can't teach what he brings the table And the other thing, and this is where Chris Jones, Carliscus now is, I mean, this is Carliskschus third year. All George knows is Super Bowls and being one seats and kicking the shit out of everybody. That's all these guys know. So you are playing people that have just unlimited playoff experience at the highest level. And no one has more than Patrick and Travis. So when you get those guys in big spots and, you know, what basically was, you know, the game winning score,

when Travis or when Patrick's about to get sacked, goes down on his knees and throws the ball to Kelsey. And people go like, how does he always get open? Why can no one cover him? Because they're not like running specific routes. He's not, this is going to be a five-yard curl. This is going to be like a seven-yard in-rout.

This is going to be, he just freelances based on what you do. So if you have zone concepts, he is just going to find the opening and sit in it. And Patrick knows exactly, where he's going to go. So when you're at practice and these guys are hammering home like, hey, this is where they like to go against these defenses.

This is where he likes to go. You have no clue. You could think he might sit there if you're sitting as an underneath, you know, middle of the field spot dropper as a linebacker. But if you're cheating the wrong way, he'll go the other way. They're not running. It's like basketball. It's like a fluid situation.

where you watch the lines, like everyone's running specific place. Right, like this guy's doing this, this guy's doing that, and the other guy's doing that. Like Travis is running a route out into the middle of the field, and he's going to find the empty grass. So if you're cheating the left, if you're cheating the right, he's going to go the opposite way. And he does it over and over and over again in all these big games. Because think about the heightened intensity of a playoff game. You're extra focused, all these linebackers, do your assignment, don't follow.

up. This is where I got to be. These are my keys. This is what I'm looking for. And you're just playing high-level football. And then you're basically playing checkers and he's playing chess. What do you do today? Seven catches for 117 and a touchdown. I think they said on the broadcast is ninth game with over 100 yards. And, you know, the Chiefs have a huge advantage that they get basically a 24-hour rest before the other team plays. And then whoever wins that, game. If it's Baltimore, they got to fly home, then they got to fly again to Kansas City, and if it's Buffalo, they just have a long travel. Now, I think, you know, it's going to feel like more than likely, we'll see how the Eagles look, that the Super Bowl will be played in the

AFC. Obviously, the Eagles, to me, are probably the team that could beat one of those three teams. I have a hard time. I'm not trying to burst anyone's bubble, but could I see the commanders beating the Chiefs, Ravens or Bills. Could I see the Rams beating one of those teams? I can't. I could see the Eagles if Jalen's playing good, but if Jalen's playing bad and AJ's reading the inner game of tennis or whatever the fuck he's reading, no chance.

So yeah, man. Lions lose, commies, first time since 91, and the Chief's seventh championship game since 2019. So it shows you how polar opposite the chiefs are to like the commies. Comey's like, yeah, we haven't been in this game since 1991. Patrick was like, yeah, I was there last year. Then I was there the year before,

then the year before that. And I think the year before that and oh, and the year before that. 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 a first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range

of podcasts throughout there. But, this one's extra special. So how did we 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. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman helped make you funnier. my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between

songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the

internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action, with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea?

It seemed very crazy. But I felt so dead. desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong on what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. 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. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever. because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I guess we can end on this. I was hoping that the Bears would do what was reported that they did. And honestly, the more I thought about it's like, of course, well, they would not be doing their job if they didn't call the Pittsburgh Steelers. I think there's two, it's like a double-edged sword here with Mike Tomlin. On one side, I really respect him because in a business where it's a shady business, from the teams, from the coaches and their agents, you do whatever you can to survive and make sure you get as much money as possible for as long as possible. So if you were just looking at, like, I think now we have to acknowledge,

as long as he has a winning season, regardless how it ends, he's just going to keep his job in perpetuity. Maybe if he ever had like a four-win season, anything would be on the table. But as long as his team's winning nine-plus games, Mike Tomlin's not going to get fired. But there has to be an element of most coaches I think would do this. Like, you know what? I don't really think I can win here.

I am going to jump to the Bears where they do have a young quarterback, assuming he likes him, maybe he doesn't, and go, hey, sign me to a five-year contract for, $60, 70 million, and I just got a better chance to win. Maybe he doesn't think that. But there is a loyalty that he shows to the Pittsburgh Steelers from, one, he never even leaks out. And I think a lot of coaches would, given his situation, this is just kind of going nowhere. And everyone's shitting on him that, like, you know, Tomlin's ready to sniff around.

Like, Tomlin is a really, really loyal guy. There are elements to coaching of, like, use car sales. and like snake oil salesmen, not necessarily to their players, but when it comes to their contract, when it comes to, you know, trying to put themselves in the best situation to win. And Tomlin's just pretty old school in the sense that like, doesn't do any of that. Comes out after the season, they try to ask him about the situation. Would he go anywhere else? He's basically like, don't waste your time.

and he's been saying this for years. And finally, someone does get aggressive and reach out, and they immediately shoot it down. So maybe this, the Steelers are the most loyal franchise in all of sports. Mike Tom is pretty loyal, too. And it's like a two-way street. Sometimes, and I'm sure we've all experienced this in life, whether with a personal relationship, with a professional relationship, one side can be a lot more loyal than the other side, whether it's a business partner, whether it's an employee and a boss, whether it's a boyfriend and girlfriend, a husband and wife.

This feels like they're very connected at the hip. There is extreme loyalty between the two. And I think it's time for a change. If I was Mike, I'd probably be ready for a time for a change. But like maybe he goes, why would I want to coach the fucking Chicago Bears? I coached the Pittsburgh Steelers. I would rather try to figure it out here without. a quarterback, then, and again, there is no guarantee he thinks Caleb Williams any good.

Because you're watching Jaydon Daniels tonight, like, Caleb got a long way to go before he ever looks half as good as that. So maybe he doesn't even want to risk it. He goes, what the hell's the difference? I'd rather have nothing than be tied to this guy where all the pressure is going to be. What if he's not good, it'll make me look like an idiot. But there is a, I just think most guys would at least put it out there. And he doesn't at all. We've seen Sean Payton do that. The way he kind of wiggled his way out. We've seen a lot of coaches do this.

Kind of entertain other jobs, get raises. You know, Andy Reid's done it over the years. Just even floating in retirement. That's the business they're in. They should. I'm talking like McVeigh. It's like floating Amazon to get a raise. Happens all the time.

You're not even a bad guy if you do. It's just part of the business. It's part of it. You have to have a little of that to you. to maximize your money. And Tomlin, I don't know if it goes back to when he originally got hired and no one thought that no one even knew who Mike Tomlin was and they took a chance on him.

A couple years later, he wins a Super Bowl. He's made a shitload of money there. If you watch Hard Knocks, his wife's got the little boutique in town. Like, they're living well. But there is just an extreme two-way loyalty there that I just don't think exists in the NFL. Honestly. I mean, help. They were rumors about John Harbaugh getting fired, like right the year before Lamar got there.

I think they're going to fire John Harbaugh. Never even comes up with Mike Tomlin. So, congrats to the Steelers. Mike Talamma's not going anywhere. The volume. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe.

I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? 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. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired. of being and ask questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. 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.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 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 two

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 two on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now.

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