The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens beat Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals, 5 big questions, Fugazi Friday

Episode Date: November 8, 2024

John returns to react to an ELECTRIC Thursday Night Football tilt between AFC North divisional rivals the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. John breaks down quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow dueling all night and explains why the Ravens were able to squeeze out a 35-34 win in an amazing Thursday night battle. Next, John Blasts Bengals HC Zac Taylor for some questionable play calling in a tight game that might cost Cincinnati a playoff berth down the line. After, John goes in on the NFL’s referees after another night of questionable officiating, and salutes Bengals superstar WR Ja’Marr Chase who had 264 REC yds and 3 TD on the evening.  After, five week 10 questions that John takes head on including an Eagles vs. Cowboys breakdown, Christian McCaffrey’s return to the San Francisco 49ers, the New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers’ playoff hopes and Trevor Lawrence’s “doomed” career. Finally, another edition of Fugazi Friday where John tackles Jason Kelce’s apology. Lastly, John reacts Next, John gives you his five biggest questions heading into the weekend. 2:58 - TNF reaction - Bengals at Ravens 20:53 - 5 Week 10 questions 21:09 - Can the Commanders win the NFC East 24:34 - How much will the Eagles ANNIHILATE the Cowboys? 28:16 - What will CMC look like in his return this week? 30:40 - Can the Jets crawl back to make the playoffs? 34:58 - Is Trevor Lawrence's career doomed? 38:30 - Fugazi Friday - Jason Kelce did not need to apologize 44:34 - Stuckey joins the podcast Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. 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 #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

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I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app,

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And that's what Zach Taylor's performance was tonight for the most part. Because he had a stretch in the second half where Bengals fans, I feel you. You guys have been complaining to me for a long time. And that was another game. You had the Ravens on the ropes. You were killing them until you weren't. And your head coach slash play caller popped his head in and ruined your night.

And then Jamar Chase tried to save you. I mean, that's Chase, 23 catches, over 450 yards and five touchdowns this year against the Ravens. Lamar. I mean, Lamar and Joe Burrell this year combined playing each other Have to have for a divisional opponent The two greatest games if you just combine their stats For the two games they played Probably in the history of the NFL

Of a divisional opponent twice, both quarterback stats So it was a very entertaining second half The Ravens win Because their offense is just incredible Defensively, obviously a lot of issues and doesn't help that Kyle Hamilton got hurt. So we will dive into the game, dive into some other stuff from the NFL for this upcoming weekend.

And yeah, Fugazi Friday, you know, Jason Kelsey gave an apology for what happened at Penn State. And I understand where he's coming from. He's embarrassed. But I do want to just dive into just general apologies to just people, but not an individual. visual just kind of thrown out there in the ether and it just kind of made me scratch my head and we've seen this happen for a long time like are they we'll dive into it for a big fugazi

but stucky will join us as well picking some games my man my man's pretty red hot right now other than that you guys know the drill subscribe to the podcast three and out subscribe to the youtube channel we will have content i'll have a weekend mail bag coming out for saturday if you if you need a little weekend, something to listen to you want to walk or work out. We're just driving around casually. But first, that game actually looked fun to be at when the Amazon crew went to the fan. It looked like he had pretty good seats, and he's just screaming at the Ravens. I mean, they looked anemic on offense.

You went, God, I've never been to a game there, actually. And if you want to go to a game, college, pro, you want to go to a concert, you want to go to a comedy show, you want to go enjoy yourself. Just download a little app called GameTime, the official ticketing app of this podcast, and here's what you do. You search for whatever you want.

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So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code, John. For $20 off your first purchase, terms apply again. Create an account, redeem the code. J-O-H-N for $20 off, down on the GameTime app today. Last minute, tickets, lowest price is guaranteed. There's a lot going on. Honestly, I don't even know where to start, so I think what we will do

is we will just start at the end of the game and then kind of work our way backwards and then go back to the end of the game. I love the Zach Taylor went for two. you had to go for two in that moment, right? You're playing Lamar Jackson, who at any moment, whether you rush 10, rush 1, can have a 30, 40-yard play. And they have had huge plays in the second half.

You had to go for two, all for it. Joe Burrow, and listen, there was a play early in the game where there was defensive holding on the Ravens, and it was, I think it was third down, it got the Bengals a free first down. scored the next play. So it was definitely a four-point swing. I have a huge problem with defensive holding. I hate that call as an automatic first down. I'm all four making it a five-yard penalty

and not an automatic first down. But like the hands to the face, and I give Joe Burrow a lot of credit, it's hard to watch him and go, this is everything I want in a quarterback. Well, Lamar is kind of that right now, but I just mean in terms of toughness and complaining, he never does it. I mean, he never says shit. And he was getting destroyed the night. And on that last play, he gets cracked in the face. Now, that's not the reason. He missed the wide receiver, or I guess it was the tight end on the smaller DB.

But he just, he never complains. And he probably should have because that's a penalty. And we can complain that, like, in my youth, that wasn't a penalty, but it's pretty clear and obvious. And there were a couple times on that drive where he's hit. and to me the difference on this, like when Sam Darnold got drugged to the ground, they had to go 100 yards on that Thursday night game. This is a two-point play.

Like with the playoffs on the line, like this game more than likely is going to be the reason that like you look up and they're 8-9 and they're the 10th seed or the 9th seed or the 8-seat and they miss the playoffs. They have lost to the Ravens now twice where they have had double-digit leads in the second half. But like that can't happen. And the ref behind the back.

back judge is standing right behind Joe Burrow. Like me or you, just watching the play. It's like, listen, I didn't go to officiating school. I've never talked to Terry McCauley on the phone and got a breakdown of my job requirements, but I'm pretty fucking sure you're supposed to keep an eye on that guy. And he's watching the pass. It's like, bro, he's getting cold cocked in the face and you're watching the ball fly over 87's head.

That's embarrassing. I'm going to start with the Bengals because I get asked a lot by Bengal fans about Zach Taylor. And my stance has been pretty consistent. I'm kind of indifferent. I don't think he's as bad as they've made him out to be. But obviously he's probably not as good as the guy that had a lead late in a Super Bowl and went toe to toe with the Chiefs a year later again in the AFC championship game. Like, it's clearly kind of middle of the road.

I thought tonight was a pretty. embarrassing stretch. I mean, the first half of that game, the Ravens looked like it was a mid-August practice, and they were just kind of over it. Their body language, Lamar's body language, the whole thing. I mean, it just looked like they didn't want to be there. And sometimes this happens. As the season goes on, these short weeks, you never really know.

I didn't bet tonight. And if I would have, I probably would have taken the Bengals plus six. who ended up covering, but I didn't want that. I just think these games are just weird, short weeks. These guys are exhausted, and the Ravens look like it. They looked in that first half. It's like, they're kind of mailing in this game. And I'm writing down notes.

I'm like, well, they're about to have four losses. If Pittsburgh wins this weekend, they play Pittsburgh in a week, all of a sudden you go, they could lose the division well before Thanksgiving. How are we not playing with any effort? and then they come out of halftime, down 14 to 7. Bagel's like first or second drive. Jamar Chase goes 300 yards on him on one play. I mean, this guy combined in the two games he's played them is basically 370 or 470 yards.

He has five touchdowns. He's eviscerating them. It's like, guys, how is no one covering this guy? They're up 21-7. And you're like, what, everyone's shitting on Zach Taylor this year. They're about to be five and five. Who does he really need to catch them make the playoffs? And I've written them off.

It's like the Broncos, the Colts? I mean, the Jets got to win like six straight games to have a pulse. I'm like, it's probably a playoff team. They haven't even played the Steelers yet. Look at Burrow and Chase dominating. And then Brown fumbles. And then it's on like Donkey Kong. The Ravens immediately score.

The Bengals get the ball back and actually have a pretty good drive going. I do not understand. on third and fourth and short, on multiple drives, on third and short. Like, it's pretty basic when you watch the good offensive play callers, starting with Andy Reed, but then McVeigh, the LaFleurs, the Shanahan's.

Why am I running a go-rout anywhere on the play? You have on your team, Jamar Chase. I would say, I'm watching that game that I'm thinking, can you imagine? Like, has any wide receiver duo ever aged, even better as fast as Justin Jefferson and Jamar Chase. Can you imagine some back in 2019

the opposing SEC DB coaches during the week when they were getting ready for those two guys? Because we all agree Justin Jefferson is the best wide receiver in the league. Sometimes you watch Jamar Chase, you're like, I'm pretty sure that guy is the second best wide receiver. Like, how do you stop that guy?

But the one thing Chase is great at, he's great around the line of scrimmage. Run a quick slant, run a quick out, get them the ball. And they're throwing these bombs to a rookie wide receiver. And then they punted up 2114 where I thought, it's like you got a pretty good field goal kicker. I know the field goal would be 56-ish yards, but all of a sudden you could be up 10 points.

They punt. What happens? A couple of plays later, this is a team fighting for their season right now because of how shitty they started. They basically played two-hand touch, three different guys, and Wallace went 75, 80 yards. The moment that happened, you're like,

did the Bengals just quit? Like, what happened? How does that happen? And then they get the ball back again. It's 21 to 20 because Tucker misses the extra point. And third and short, fourth and short, across their own 50, they make some good plays to get some movement on the drive.

They throw multiple goals. go rouse. So it's like, listen, ultimately Joe Burrow is the level of player and he's an outstanding player. He bears some of the responsibility. But how can the play call come into the headset without just, I don't know, a scheme like two point play to get us the first down to keep the clock going, you're playing the best offense that you're going to play all season long?

So one, it's a game of keepaway, which you did an outstanding job of in the first half. and then the second half it's like you're getting into a three-point shooting contest with these guys. What the fuck are you doing? So to me, you're either coaching it or allowing it to happen. You can't allow Burrow to throw that play

or that route by the play that you call into the huddle. Especially when you have good tight ends, you have a running back who can catch, Burroughs been dumping it down to him all night, and you have this dominant, dominant wide receiver. Oh yeah, their defensive backs blow this year. they cannot cover anybody

and you're going for what you can't have a kill shot with 15 minutes left in the game because of the offense you're playing if anything the flow of the game like keep slowing it down keep being methodical on first or on you know keeping the chains moving

actually scoring too fast is problematic it's why he 100% went for two at the end of the game because he knew that 100% Lamar would get them in field goal range now does Tucker hit it? it the way things are going this year, who knows, but it was a lock they were getting in field goal range.

Well, don't you have to think that way in the middle of the third quarter when you have a lead? And he didn't. I didn't understand what was going on. The play calling was an embarrassment. It really was. Like, how does that happen? How are you not running the ball on some third downs to try to, I don't know,

slow down the game a little bit? Get a free couple yards because I think you're going to pass it. It was an abomination tonight in the second half for a long stretch for Zach Taylor. And he ended up coming back because late in the game, when it felt like the Ravens were dead, they hit Jumar Chase on like a 70-yard bomb, where Marcus Williams has no clue what he's doing, and Chase is wide open and walks the ball into the end zone.

But it was like you never should have been in that position. So my takeaway tonight was, I kind of understand where Bengals fans are coming from. and I think if this team misses the playoffs, I think Zach Taylor's clearly in major trouble. And there's no way you watch and go, yeah, I think people would be lined up to coach that quarterback. I understand this organization is a little different

and historically pretty cheap with coaches, but sure seems like a pretty special quarterback and a pretty special wide receiver. And clearly they got some good defensive players. But this is twice now, where they had the Ravens on the ropes. This is many people think it's hard to call them the best team in football

regardless how good their offense looks when their DBs are just Humphreys can play but they lost Kyle Hamilton tonight who is not just arguably their best or second best defensive player he's one of the best defensive players in the league

it looks like he rolled his ankle I don't really know but then he's in a boot and never comes back that's a pretty devastating injury so he's long gone and they can't cover anybody and he still lose and Burrow and Chase now against these guys They can't make much better plays And you lose both games

And now you're 4 and 6 You're just not going to be good enough It really is pretty sad So I do understand the frustration Coming from Bengals fans And it feels like it starts and ends with the head coach You start slow every season You've had these massive games

Against Harbaugh Hall of Fame coach Lamar Hall of Fame player And you had opportunities to beat him Like you were kicking their ass. I'm not a big UFC fight guy, but it'd be the equivalent of like, you fucking need this guy to the head a couple times. He's lying on the ground. It's time for the kill shot. And all of a sudden, you just whiff. And all of a sudden, you're on your back getting your ass kicked. You're like, how did that happen?

Wasn't this guy just about to tap out? Wasn't this guy just about to pull Anthony Richardson? And then Harbaugh, Lamar, and Eric Dacosta are hugging on the sideline. So just an awful loss. awful loss for the Bengals, especially a team that looked like they showed up to lose. The Raven showed up to lose. But when you have Lamar Jackson, I mean, these two guys combined for eight passing touchdowns. Quarterback, Burl threw 430 yards.

I mean, that's crazy. They can't even block anybody. He threw 430 yards. I mean, Lamar, 290, 4 touchdowns. He just, he's an unstoppable force. But like, there's nothing left to be said about the way Lamar's playing this year. He won the MVP last year, and to me he looks dramatically more dominant right now.

Part of it is Zay Flowers a year older, Henry huge upgrade at wide receiver, or excuse me, running back. Andrews is healthy, which obviously is big. I mean, tonight he had six catches for 68. The Wallace guy, I don't even know that much about it. He's like a fourth-year player. I mean, he had an 84-year-old. I mean, that was on the Bengals defense, but Aguilar's made some plays. they add Deontay Johnson from the Panthers,

in a weird way from the Steelers, who they probably always liked. But their offense ain't the problem. It's going to be their defense. And I just think, like, you can't be a Super Bowl contender when your defense is this bad. Like, their defensive back unit

is equivalent to, I mean, the bad teams in the NFL. Yet their offense is as dominant as you're ever going to see. They have a Hall of Fame quarterback a Hall of Fame running back, excellent skill guys, excellent coordinator.

It's like they have a Super Bowl offense. Speaking of LSU wide receivers, LSU last year had a national championship offense. They had Jaden Daniels, elite, Brian Thomas Jr., awesome. Malik neighbors, unreal. Offensive stats up the wazoo.

They could not stop anybody. Obviously college is different than the pros in last year with the Final Four. you lose games, but like, they could not have won a national championship with that defense. You cannot win a Super Bowl with this defense. It's not possible. Now, we'll see the health of Kyle Hamilton, but it's crazy because right now your quarterback can't dominate anymore.

It's like it's literally impossible. I mean, the way he dominates on some of these scramble plays, whether he throws, whether he runs, it's crazy. It's, I mean, he is so dominant. Obviously, Burrow is too, but he doesn't move. Everything's throwing. Lamar is doing that throwing. His touch is so great now, climbing in the pocket.

What I love about him now, too, as a runner, is he's not looking to run. He's looking to pass. And this goes back to the way I grew up on football of Steve Young, who was a lot like Lamar Jackson in the 80s, said the way you become a great player is learn how to dominate passing the ball from the pocket. And Lamar has learned that.

his running at any moment can just be like, how did he just do that? But if I'm him, I'm like, John, what is going on with our defense? This can't be it. Like, this can't be it. And I think if you're a Ravens fan, you just got to keep your fingers crossed for Hamilton's health because your defense was already pretty pissed poor in terms of past defense, and he is just, I mean, he's just an elite player. So that's a very, very scary injury.

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in non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 168 hours. Additional wagering restrictions apply. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see dkng.com slash B-ball. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, and so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you're just so you. y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to my new podcast. Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing,

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Okay, we did this last week and I thought, let's just do it again. As we head into week 10, let's just ask five questions, five things that, you know, I'm fired up on that I want to see this weekend that I just, I'm fascinated by. And first and foremost, number one is, can the Washington commanders really win this division? It's weird, right? At this point in time, we all acknowledge their quarterback is sweet. Their head coach feels strongly in the mix. I mean, obviously Dan Campbell's having a great season as well for Coach of the Year.

I mean, Andy Reid's undefeated with random dudes on offense. So listen, Coach of the Year, you can have an incredible year coaching and not win it. But Dan Campbell, what he's done is, or excuse me, Dan 2, but Dan Quinn, it's remarkable. It really is. And like, it's at the point now where you beat the Steelers at home and you're 8 and 2 playing the Eagles on 30. Thursday night in Philadelphia, assuming, and I think most people do assume, the Eagles are going to take down Cooper Rush and the Cowboys, that you have the exact same record as them in the middle of November? Like, that's pretty crazy. It really is.

And it feels like, you know, like a college team that's like 4 and 0, then they're 5 and 0, and then all of a sudden they're like 7 and 0. You're like, this team, this team can't win the national championship. And by the end of the season, it's like, yeah, they're just undefeated. They're in the playoffs. Now, they might not win or probably won't win the national championship, BYU or something, but you have to take them like, you got to take them for real. And if they win this game, there's really no disputing,

like this team can win the division. Like, if they win and they're 8 and 2, then they play the Eagles, which obviously is going to be very difficult. And you could argue, okay, playing at Philly, we lose, we're 8 and 3. they still have not played the Cowboys yet. They still play the Titans, and they play the Saints. So, and then they get Philly at home. Like, listen, I have been late to the party on this, have not gambled on them,

have been very just, is this real? Like, they're a playoff team. Like, honestly, if they win, whether they win or lose this game, at seven wins with some of the remaining games they have on their schedule, like, they are a lock to. get to 10, and I think it would be very, very surprising if they don't get 11. They beat the Steelers. Like, 12, 13 wins is on the table and obviously division.

And like we've talked about before, the pressure would be on Philly. And that's where the other question comes in. Like, are the Eagles just going to go to Dallas and completely put a stake in their heart? Their season ended last week, right? Once you lose to Atlanta, we all acknowledge they just suck. saw a headline I mean, Dack said that. Like, Dack was quoted

on television by lip readers. We fucking suck. He's not wrong. Saw a headline right before I jumped on here that Dack tore some of his hamstring off the bone. I can't even imagine how much that hurt. Like, I mean, the pain,

the Dack has to be feeling sucks. And clearly, as of right now, they haven't quote unquote, officially put him on injure reserve, but he's clearly not playing for a while. They've won games before with Cooper Rush, but I think we have to acknowledge a couple years ago, their team was a lot better.

Now, Micah could come back, but CEDs banged up, they trade for Mingo. Listen, I mean, he's got 12 catches this year, so I don't expect him to come and hit the ground running. As we talked about earlier in the week, that trade was really for the next couple years to get a cheap player that ideally can be a starter.

But, like, Howie and Siriani and Jay and Saquan can go in there and just clown them. And they are the national game at, for us, Mountain Pacific Standard, or not Mountain Pacific Standard Time, that doesn't exist. I get very thrown off on the time change, right? I'm Pacific Standard Time for six months here in Arizona, and then we don't do anything and we just turn into Mountain Standard Time.

I'm a West Coast guy in California where you turn the clocks back. Here, you do not do that, and it really is, it has me swimming. So that game for me is a 225 kickoff. I would imagine it's Brady and Burkhart. And a lot of people are going to be watching this game. And this game, last couple years, felt like, I mean, a really, really big deal. Obviously it was. I mean, these are the two teams over the last three years that have won the division.

You know, the Cowboys have won this thing two of the last three years. And it feels like Howie and Siriani, are they just going to blow these guys out? Like, are we going to look up and this thing's going to be 35 to 7? and we start talking like, Jerry, you might as well just put Mike McCarthy out of his misery. Is Sequin just going for a buck 80 and three touchdowns? And Jalen just cruising, no interceptions, no turnovers, just efficient throwing some touchdowns.

Is that how this is going to go? And Cooper Rush just looks completely overwhelmed. This thing could get out. I mean, it's already out of hand. And as I said, if you're a cowboy fan at this point, when you're clearly not going to the playoffs, You're clearly having the season from hell. You just want to lose out.

You really do. Because you have to view this at this point in time. You're going to have a new coach next season. So you're going to want the best picks possible. Like, yeah, ask Charger fans last year at this point in time. If I would have said, hey, you're basically not going to win the rest of the season, what they would have said. Well, that sucks.

But it's going to lead you to Jim Harbaugh and a bunch of sweet draft picks. Like you're starting right tackle. you're arguably your most talented wide receiver. Like, you can change the franchise around. So just take your licking. You know, just take your absolute punishment as a fan, which sucks, but happens to us all. There is no avoiding this.

And once you become kind of good, you never really expect it. I know people are down on the Cowboys. No one expected this. And it could get really ugly. Three. What's Christian? McCaffer going to look like? Because last year, non-quarterback, he was easily one of the best players in the NFL. And I would just say, even when he was on Carolina, when he has been fully healthy,

he has been one of the more, I would say, more unique players I've ever seen. He's one of the best running backs of like the last 20, 25 years in terms of the total package. There is nothing the guy can't do. and he was tailor-made for Kyle. Then he gets injured, and he just hasn't played all season long, which, again, no one can exactly quantify what happened. And I'm sure he's either talking today or tomorrow, and he'll definitely talk after the game. But, like, even his dad has said on podcast, like, yeah, it's kind of mysterious.

It's just we don't exactly know. So what version are they getting? Like, are they getting 100%? I'm healthy. I got fresh legs. or is this a guy that looks a little rusty? Because if they do get pretty good high-level Christian McCaffrey, that's a problem for the rest of the league.

I mean, this is adding one of the best players. Like, what position does he play? Well, he's a running back, but he also could catch at any moment, like 10 catches a game, and no one can guard him in the open field. And you can utilize them basically in every element of your offense. And as a player, he can run inside, he can run outside, he can catch the ball, he can pass protect, he is just the total package.

I mean, listen, Sequin is a Hall of Fame talent. But the one knock on him is like, hands good, not great. And as we saw, he dropped that ball early in the season against Atlanta. That cost him a game. Which, you could argue, wasn't totally his fault.

The coaching staff never should have put him in that spot. But that, like, he has some drops. He doesn't have, like, this isn't Marshall Falk or Ladangian Tomlinson or Christian McCaffrey. Like, that is not a problem. And one thing this should help is Purdy. Check the ball down, throw it to him. And a checkdown goes for 30 yards.

But is that the guy they're getting? I don't know. I talked about it with Stucky. I liked them than the 49ers to kill Tampa this week. But I am a little like I'm as interested as anyone is what does this player look like. Fourth, are the Jets really going to come back and be a playoff contender? They obviously have no margin for error. They're three and six.

and when you look at the AFC between Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and I'm recording this part before the Thursday night game, one of those two teams is winning the division. And the other one of those teams, I would say 95% is going to be the five seed. So you're looking at a division winner, which is going to be the second or third seed,

and then you're looking at the five seed. And then when you look at the six seed, look at the chargers who are five and three, play the Titans this week, and based on the remaining part of their schedule, as well as their head coach, they're going to the playoffs. So I think it's fair to say

there is one playoff spot open. Obviously, the Jets don't have a snowballs chance in hell to win the division, the Bills. You could put the X next to their name right now on ESPN.com. They've clinched the division. So can the Jets get the 7th? I would 100% bet against it, simply because their coaching staff stinks,

and they're a team full of mercenaries, and if things get hard, we've seen it over and over, they tend to fold. But they can't lose this game. This is what happens when you start 2 and 6. You have no margin for error. So this is a game. Somehow, the line's kind of gone back and forth.

I looked this morning. I think Arizona was like plus one. How are the Jets favored? Now, maybe they will win this game. And if they do, awesome. you're now four and six, so you still have to win two more games just to get back to 500.

Now, when you look at the rest of the landscape, the seven seed is, you know, the Colts have a lot of issues, right? And we'll see how Flacco plays this week. Right, do they go back to Anthony Richardson? So there are still some question marks. You know, the Bengals aren't technically dead when it comes to the seven seed.

I do believe that you're going to have to get to nine. So at 3 and 6, with 8 games remaining, to get to 9, you have to win 6 games. So you have to go 6 and 3. Can they go 6 and 3? I don't know. Is that math correct? If they go 6 and 3, they would be 9 and 9. Excuse me.

Awful at math. They would have to go 6 and 2. I do have a couple degrees. Probably cheated a little too much in math over the years, though I I do love it. I keep my own books here. Actually, I've added an account, and he runs the payroll. But you know what I mean. Three and six, eight games remaining, you'd have to go six and two.

That was bad. But is this team going six and two? I don't care if you play the shittiest teams in the league every single week. They've not shown a propensity. And actually, it wouldn't be six and two because they just beat Houston. It would be going seven and two over a nine-game stretch. I do have a hard time envisioning that. And that's just to get to nine wins.

Last but not least, is Trevor Lawrence career doomed? It was reported today that he probably will not play this weekend. He has a shoulder injury. Jay Gruden, John's brother, was on the old X app, formerly known as Twitter, tweeting away that he has sources. He coached the Jags once upon a time.

That Trevor's going to need surgery. I think there's decent chance. We don't see Trevor the rest of the season. So this team, who is going to fire their coach, I would imagine as well fire their GM and have a complete reset with the franchise. The problem is you can't reset the franchise because you just paid this guy $200 million.

So whoever is interested in coming to coach this team goes, I have to rehab and somehow create a good player out of the version of this guy we have seen who has been at best average who makes a ton of money and who now has two straight years of being injured a lot. Is this a good job? Is this a good job?

And I don't know. Like, even the Bears, right? The Bears job is going to come open. Even if you don't believe, and I would imagine at this point, like, yeah, is Caleb ever going to be a top five quarterback? let's just try to get him to be a top 12 quarterback. And I bet a lot of guys go, I think I can create him to become a top 12 quarterback.

Our defense is already good. We need to improve the offensive line. And then have him play within the system of our operation. That is doable. We're not trying to make him Patrick Mahomes. Can I just make him like some version of Dak Prescott? You know, a version, a lighter version of like Jalen Hertz. right? Can I do some version? I'm not looking to get Lamar Jackson here.

You can talk yourself into that one pretty easily. You look at the Jagson and you go, is it even in there? Because listen, and maybe Caleb can never get there. And maybe this goes down as like, wow, how did that happen? Very possible. But at least there's a ton of hope there. Right? He's a very, very young player, one season, bad coaching staff. Like, we've seen Trevor now with several guys. we've seen Trevor with like capable offensive talent the guy's a turnover machine and now it's listen this isn't totally his fault

I mean his offensive line kind of in shambles and I haven't seen the clip of the play in which he got hurt on but like he's been hurt a couple times now and he makes an astronomical amount of money so anytime you guarantee someone $200 million like eventually it comes due on the books

so you already got the best year in terms of low cap number once you sign it's always the first year and the second year is probably obviously the second best and then it starts getting weird third and fourth year well if he ain't the guy like that's a pretty bad job it really is and that's also a job where people's careers go to i don't know just kind of end it is not good to become a head coach with jacksonville especially first time head coaches so i i think there are a ton of question marks just with this operation and what is going to happen moving forward. And if Trevor does eventually need season-ending surgery, I think that's even a bigger red flag

on this off-season job. I really do. Let's end it with Fugazi Friday. And I was thinking about this. Last week, I had walked in the house from golf, a couple cocktails deep, and Maria looks at me and goes, did you see Jason Kelsey? What happened today? I'm like, what are you talking about?

and then she shows me the clip of the dude you know calling him gay with not that word with the F word and him flipping right carrying 12 pack of beer just trying to have a good time which I think it's pretty insane I get why people talk a lot of shit on the internet

to other people things that you would never say to someone else's face because you never have to confront them totally understandable like it makes sense like we're at the point now where it's obviously why this happens. It's just a basic human laboratory, right? But it's another thing to see a guy, especially an offensive lineman, Kelsey, is not small, maybe

small for like NFL O'Lignment standards. Always the knock was like actually he didn't weigh that much relative to a lot of offensive linemen. But that's not the point here. Relative to the guy's screaming at him, he would beat the shit out of them all. Without hesitate, you could tie his arms behind his back and he would kill these guys. So these guys liquid courage, him saying it. I just don't understand. I'm at the point now. And I get where he's embarrassed in his quotes and his apology on ESPN about just like, it was just a bad look.

And listen, I don't think it was. I don't think anyone with a brain has a problem with anything he did. I mean, literally any, if he would have picked up the dude and slammed him to the ground, no one would have said shit. I do struggle with apologies. And I'm not blaming him for doing it. I don't know. He claims ESPN didn't tell him to do it.

Obviously Disney, kind of a, you know, I mean, historically pretty sensitive company when it comes to shit like that. But like, who are we apologizing to? Like, I get it when you screw up and you have to apologize directly to your wife or your business partner or your boss. like a one-on-one apology. Like, hey, man, this is, this was wrong. But when we do these public apologies, like a shotgun blast, and listen, when I worked in radio, I got in trouble a couple times.

And I was kind of forced to do it. And I even remember thinking, like, like, who's this? Who am I doing this to? Like, if I offended one individual when he could walk up to me and be like, hey, man, what you said, that was really wrong. And I could be like, hey, man,

I didn't mean to, obviously, you're just kind of, naturally if you talk for a living, offend some people or piss some people off, like, welcome to fucking life. But if you had a one-on-one interaction, like, hey, man, I didn't mean, I apologize for that, right? Just a simple human interaction. But when we do these, like, broadcast ones, like these shotgun blast ones, like, who's this? What's the point of this? I just don't understand, especially with something in a situation where it's like, I think you got universal agreement that honestly you could have,

the problem is like he can't swing on the guy not that he did but if he did he probably shattered the guy's jaw then you got problems but like what he did slamming the guy's phone which was pretty funny then he slams the phone he picks up the phone and he takes the phone with him I just I just don't get these apologies and I think we're at the point now

with the way the world's turning I mean you just you saw the authenticity of the voting public in America from California all the way to New York like People are kind of tired of the fake bullshit all over the place. I think it's kind of unneeded. And a situation like this, like there's no point to it.

There really is not. So I just, I think these public apologies, especially in situations where I don't know who disagrees with what you did. And I'm not, this is not blaming. Like, I understand why he did it. And when you hear him talk, like, he's embarrassed. And I get it. but like spraying this out to the world, like, what's the point of it? Like, there's not like, well, you do this and then this results in this.

It just, it's completely meaningless. It doesn't mean anything. So I just think these public apologies with media people or just celebrities or whatever are just pretty pointless. Like I really, I just don't think there's any, they don't result in anything. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

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fatherhood, pressure, and purpose. On my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app search learn the hard way and listen now okay uh back at it again with my main man stucky and all lines provided uh by draft kings it was a massive massive muscle flex week for uh the gambling community because anyone that spent a little time on the internet on tuesday saw that the legacy media which obviously is trending in the wrong direction was depending on who you're watching a long way behind the reality and the gambling community and the odds of Pauley Market,

which I got to be honest, I didn't know much about until the last couple weeks, uh, we're pretty dialed. And if you wanted to know what was going on and who was going to be president, just get on the internet because the television and then breaking it down and they're fucking 50 people sitting on a set were, uh,

we're just, I mean, it was like the draft on steroids, but big moment for the gambling community. stocky yeah i mean just money talks follow the money uh where the big money is and what people are betting it's a huge absolutely huge market on polymarket and i mean i've been watching election coverage on tv for you know since i was a kid on the election night but you just just have to know that they're incentivized to just keep it uh kind of entertaining

and up in the air for as long as possible to keep your eyes glued. So, yeah, it's a different world these days. You know, someone that like you grew up, what year were you born? 85. Yeah, so we're same age. It is crazy the power of television, and you can feel the death upon us.

And obviously television, for our generation, was really taken off in cable TV through the 90s, and its power through, most of our adult life and now the transition of like you didn't need to watch TV to know exactly what was going on. I mean, and some of these people

that were streaming, some of the numbers they're doing, but obviously they are reacting live to the internet information, not the information that television is, which obviously has the internet information as well, but like you said, it's the highest rate of night they're going to have on the year. I saw Fox News and over 10 million people watching.

So regardless of the actual information, like this is when they make their money. That's their business model. And that business model gets more and more outdated, you know, by the year. Now, the draft still is kind of unique and it's the difference of maybe a pick. But even that, I mean, I'm with you. I'm old school. I like a good, you know, raw reaction.

But it is difficult as someone that just craves the, you know, current information. Yeah. Yeah. It's, I mean, it's also just crazy to think about. about so now, you know, if you could, you could go on to some of these market sites, you know, during the election night and you would just know it's like, at one point Trump, it was like up to like 96%. And all these networks were like, it's still too close. We don't know. But think about before TV on election nights.

I guess you were like, how do people were, yeah, radio before. it's pretty crazy to think about you just saw a lot of people just found out the with the paper talking to your neighbor that's pretty crazy to think about how far we've come but yeah it's a certainly changing landscape and

I agree I mean I peak at times especially when I'm really interested but I do like the draft surprise I'm surprised the networks don't you know I I mean, I guess you want your employee to gain a big following on social,

but, you know, they're trying to get eyeballs, too. I'm surprised that they let them actually tweet out, you know, especially like the NFL. They have such a control over everything that they actually let that information get tweeted out ahead of time. But it's pretty. They've been pushing back against that. It feels like the last couple years. It does. It does.

The NBA told Wojjj. Hell, they might have driven them into retirement. I think they didn't say no more. And even he tried to do like the word salad with a name. But the NBA draft has become so irrelevant because 99% of sports fans don't know any of these kids anymore. Right. That's true. It's still, you got some of these guys going rogue.

The thing people don't realize in the NFL, the reason it comes out is because there's a person in every war room that has the computer that is directly tied to the leak. So when you hand in the card that says they've. drafted John Middilkoff, you have to let everyone else know so they can like all the teams know. And that's way ahead, you know, of that's probably 10 minutes as the draft goes on, even on the first round ahead of the TV. So, you know, there's someone in every war room that can text Albert Breer or whoever, you know, the pick is in. And that's where I think it's really kind of, it's grown. A lot of leaks from inside those draft rooms. Absolutely.

Where do you want to start? Let's start with the NFL. You know, I was thinking about this. The Chiefs, it's pretty crazy what they've become. I mean, they really are the, they've got to the point where it's like, yeah, they're like the Patriots, you know, in the Belichick run. But the Patriots, I mean, they lost a lot of random games. And, you know, they only went back to back one time.

And, you know, their run of the Patriots that I think a lot of people did, if you just brought it up to a sports fan at a bar, they would think more recently than, you know, obviously the dynasty spans 01 to like 18, 19. But you think of the Gronk, McCordy, Edelman, like that unit around Brady and Belichick, when really their most dominant teams in terms of wins of losses were the early version, right?

Wasn't that the team that won however many straight games, like 24 or 25 or whatever into the next season? you know, they won back to back, and they were just a dominant, dominant team. They easily could have won the year that, you know, Peyton Manning finally got the monkey office back and came to Storming back, 24 to 7 or whatever they're getting their ass kicked in the first half. It's like Manning's defining moment of his career, I would say,

even more than the Super Bowl in the rain against, almost at the Dolphins. The Super Bowl was in Miami, but against the Bears and Rex Grossman. But his moment was that comeback against that Patriot team that I was a big Manning fan at the time and I was like, he's about to get fucking lose like 50 to 10 in this game.

I mean, think about the way we talk about the Patriot dynasty now. Imagine, let's just say, man, he doesn't come back in that game and they kick their ass and they destroy the bears. It would feel even crazy.

That's what the cheats feel like right now. It's like, yeah, no matter what, it's not sexy or whatever. They're just never going to lose. Well, they are going to lose eventually a game.

Like, they're not going 17 and 0. Honestly, I don't even feel like they're going, they're going, if they go 15 and 2, that's a fucking incredible season. It's like the equivalent in the NBA of winning like 74 games, you know, that's like what the Warriors did a couple years ago. So you're going to, if you just assume that they're going to lose, right, which I think

most people, even Andy Reid, like, if you could talk to him in his office, close the door, he's like, yeah, we're going to lose a game this season. You're going to get good odds in that game that they lose, right? I mean, they are going to be, like this week, it's almost a three to one money line. I do think they're just going to lose a game to a big underdog. I like Denver plus seven and a half, not because I even love Denver. They actually played your squad pretty hard. I saw it in the first half, and the Zayflowers thing kind of broke it and then the gates opened.

But like, it's not about loving Denver, just about the odds of this continuing. It's basically just a numbers game. And you go Monday night, the way they want it, in the room. rain. I mean, that was just a pretty big muscle flex in front of probably 15 million people. Eventually, they're just going to have a game where weird shit happens and all of a sudden they lose. But at the end of the day, there's still be the one seed and lose one or two games on the season. Right? Am I, am I crazy for that? Yeah. I mean, look, they've definitely been fortunate, too.

I mean, if you look, that Bengals game, they get the PI call, the Falcons game they could have lost. They don't get, the Falcons don't get the PI call, don't get a couple fourth down conversions. the Raiders with the toe, I mean the Ravens with their toe and the opener. So they've won, what, four, five, there's six and all in one possession games. Also, like, just looking at injuries, like the Saints had a ton of injuries, the Chargers, the 49ers lost all of their weapons in that game. The Bucks didn't have their top two receivers. So, yeah, they've definitely been fortunate.

In fairness, they have two, right? I mean, they've had injuries too. On offense, I think they've had a couple of corner, too. and their offense is very overwhelming. It's just kind of like it's an efficiency monster but there's no explosiveness

but they're going to get better because they're going to get healthier and you know you added Hopkins and their offense should get better their defense is good it's very good this year it's a lot better against the run

but they definitely benefited from you know who they've played who they played and when from an injury perspective but their schedule is pretty easy if you look the rest of the they have a bunch of division games and then their non-division games are the Panthers.

They're home against the Texans. They're at the Steelers. And then the one where I think they probably lose is at the bills next week if they take care of business this week. Where did you say that Panther game was? At Carolina. See, that is going to be a spot

where you can get the Panthers like a plus 500 or plus 600. Put yourself in the Chief's situation. in what world can Travis Kelsey and Chris Jones show up Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and take that team seriously? Like they are human beings. They've already got two rings at the time by then. They still might not have a loss.

In what world? After the bills game. That'll be after the Bills games too. That's got, if they go 15 and 2, they're going to lose a game. Like, losing to Denver is up the craziest thing division. That could be a game in which they lose, or at least it's like 10-10 in the third quarter, because they don't give a shit. How could they?

Yeah, you're right. Mahomes has never been a great bet as a favorite of a touchdown or more. I think he's like 40. What's the line going to be on that game? Like 14 and it shouldn't be that high, but it will. Yeah, well, the Panthers injury situation is worth monitoring. We'll see if it's Dalton or Young. See how Young looks like again this week against the Giants.

He actually had his first competent game as a pro last week in, that upset win over the Saints. But yeah, this team right now, it's not a team that you really want to lay a big number with. They're, they're, like I just said, all, but what, two of their wins have come by one possession on the season.

And it's not a team that just builds giant margins because their offense is just so methodical. And, yeah, so this is a divisional game, home field isn't as much. Chiefs on a short week after an overtime game. Historically, teams have not done well against the spread in that spot.

So, yeah, I think it's either, it's Denver or nothing here. Historically, teams on a short week off of overtime, 43% straight up, 44% against the spread over the past decade. So it's not a great spot for the Chiefs you'd expect the Broncos to come out here with a game effort. is like no one's been able to run on Kansas City Denver needs to kind of get their run game going for everything else so it might be tough but

I think that their defense can hold its own here against the Chief's offense which is still pretty limited I mean if you think this Chief's team is we were just talking about Brady this Chief's team resembles more of those in its current form more of those Brady led teams

that had the dominant defenses Bruce and Brable group Rodney Hous. I mean they just scored, the Chiefs scored 30 points last week for the first time, and I believe 20 plus games. And that was because the game went to overtime. You were like a couple years ago, this Chief's team would score 30 every week. So it's a completely different team and credit to Andy Reed, Steve Spagnola, and, you know, that entire organization for building out that defense and being able to maintain a championship caliber team.

And they know that if they just are in a close game or get to the playoffs and you have the best quarterback on the planet, then you're going to have a better shot the most. So yeah, they'll be right in the discussion again. I don't think that they're gone undefeated. But they're just going to play too many close games because their offense isn't that explosive. And eventually, you know, they're not going to get a couple of people. As we sit here right now, would you say they're more likely to go 16 and 1 or 14 and 3? 14 and 3?

Because if they do go 14 and 3, like, they're going to have, I mean, the bills, I guess, if you lose to them, it's not a crazy upset. But like they're going to have a couple pretty big upsets like Sunday night or Monday morning when we're talking about the league. Like, that's a pretty crazy moment that so-and-so team beat the Chiefs, right? Yeah, I mean, I think they could lose out the bills. and then you got to remember that game do you think assuming health probably like

yeah it's close to pick on it won't be a field goal either way probably maybe bills minus one um depends of what happens this weekend too but like you also have to remember if they're what is that game next week next Sunday

4 o'clock um it's a good way if you have to remember that if they're like 15 and 2 The last game at Denver, they probably lose because they're probably playing backups. But yeah, I think they'll probably jump to. For sure. Yeah, I agree.

I mean, I would say one of the better games of the weekend, you could argue it's the best. Steelers, Washington is a huge reason for this. This is just Washington. I mean, they're going to have a pretty, you know, this is going to determine to me their season these next four days starting Sunday. because they play the Eagles on Thursday night. So, like, you could just, like, this could end for them in terms of winning the division, right? You lose the Pittsburgh at home, and then you lose the Eagles, and I'm assuming the Eagles are going to beat the Cowboys. That'd be a pretty big swing right there in all but sure of the Eagles.

You know, they have a clear path to winning the division and Washington is playing for a wildcard spot. You win this game of Pittsburgh. like my first inclination is like Steelers, feel goal, like this is a spot. We've talked about this for years, the Tomlin spot, underdog. And this isn't like an underdog. Like no one believes in you.

You're playing the build with the chiefs. It's like, you're playing a rookie quarterback who incredible season so far. But like a team that player for player, you're better than you're like, I understand Washington has resurrected the franchise. You know, Dan Quinn and Jay, there's going to be a lot of. Steelers fans there. They just travel well. I like the Steelers in this spot. And not because I'm like,

Washington some fraud or whatever, like the Bears. I just like the Steelers in the spot. I saw that number. It's like, boom, I gravitate toward to it. Now, you know, outdoors, Russell Wilson, weather were to get weird. Who knows? Like I have just, it's not like I'm sold on Russell. He's kind of the wild card here. But you add Mike Williams. They're just going to keep throwing lollipops up and letting their guys get 50-50 catches. Now they add Lattimore. who Dan Quinn's pretty excited about, but I think I'm going to hammer the Steelers here. Yeah, I'm not there yet.

I think a lot of more practicing. I don't think he's, we'll see if he practices today. It's Thursday. I think he's important in this game. He clearly becomes their best corner. You can match him up against Pickens. I'm just not ready to fade this commander's team yet.

they remind me of like Indiana in college football who just keeps covering every week. The market just can't catch up to how much better, including myself, it's hard for me to power rate this team for two reasons. I mean, Daniels is so much better than I could have ever imagined at this point, his career. And two, the defense, which many projected as a bottom five union in the NFL, is trending way up. I mean, over the past month or so, they're playing as a top 10 union. it. So Dan Quinn's done a tremendous job with that side of the ball. And then I think

Latimore will raise their floor and ceiling on that side. And I'm also just not sold. It is a great, you know, your classic Tomlin dog spot and they'll find ways to ugly up the game. But having Daniels' mobility against that defensive line is key. And, you know, he'll also get the ball out quick and test this Steelers defense that on the back end hasn't really been tested. I mean, if you look, what top-tier offense have they faced this year? I mean, look, they played Atlanta. It was a really good offense, but that was Kirk Cousins' first game back from injury in the first game of the year, and they brand this ridiculous, predictable offense.

And they played Denver. The Chargers were Herbert and both tackles get hurt in the 10-10 game. They lost to the Colts. You know, they gave up nearly 30 points in that game. They lost it home to the Cowboys. And they beat the Raiders and both in New York. teams. And that Giants game, I mean, there was a punt return was the difference. Giants playing without, you know, their left tackle. And they were, they were moving the ball in that kid.

They put up nearly 400 yards of offense. So there's a chance that the Steelers defense is just a touch overrated. Their defensive line is always going to be good. And they can always change a game. And what could always force a couple fumbles and get a strip sack. And now they're even deeper. I kind of like that, Trey, just adding next your, you know, Preston Smith, just behind your body. Yeah, can't hurt. So. yeah, this is probably a stayaway for me. If Washington wins this game,

even though it's at home, but I'm just saying if they beat Pittsburgh, I can't, that's got to, I mean, we'd be going into one of the cooler Thursday night games in a long, long time, right? Yeah, we'd have two back to back the Thursday night games. It's rare Ravens, Bengals, and then Commanders, Eagles.

So, yeah, that one, that one should get some eyeballs. But, yeah, if they, all of a sudden, then if you're the commanders, and you could find a way to win both those games, you have two home games coming up before the buy against Dallas, who's without DAC, presumably, and the Titans. So, yeah, you could, the division either could be gone. It's a big swing game. Or you could be...

You're like chasing Detroit for the one seat. Yeah, by December 1st, going into December. You could have Washington near the top, depending on how this next week goes. You know, I have a lot of respect for Tampa the other night. I think Bakers, for the most part, played like a top 10 quarterback all season long. His coordinator, Liam Cohen, what he did in that game without the wider season. You know, throwing, obviously, Auden's a good player, but past two games, really.

I think Liam Cohen, everyone loves to circle jerk, you know, and I'm probably guilty of this too early in the season, Kubiak or Slowick, like, I think Liam Cohen, how good their offense was with those guys, let alone to be competitive and how good Baker looks. But that, that's a pretty big kick in the dick loss, and that's one of those. And as we'll record this, you know, he's banged up.

but this is a spot. Niners getting McCaffrey back. Juan Jennings is healthy. Debo says he's fine. Even Trent Williams in the locker room was like, it's a big deal to look out of practice and see 23 running around out there. You know, sometimes we talk about the trade deadline and,

you know, some of the bigger names that got traded. They actually got traded a couple weeks before the trade deadline, but it's just a lot of random names. If McCaffrey is just, I don't know, close to full health. And if he's playing,

like, I don't expect to see him like limping around. he's either good to go or he's not. Like that's, you just can't have a bigger addition than adding this guy back to the team just in terms of what he means for them emotionally. Like, I mean, he's one of the best players in the league. The Niners, you know, just have to keep winning also. Like, clearly the Rams are coming.

The fucking Cardinals, if they beat the Jets, which I think is very possible, all of a sudden you look up, they're six and four. Like, the Niners margin for errors is zero. I just think the Niners kicked their ass. And I have a lot of respect for Tampa this season. They got dealt a shitty hand with their injuries. I think they would have been a very competitive wildcar team.

They probably could have won the division. But I just think that what happened on Monday night, wind out of your sales. This is a tough spot for them. And I just like the spot for the Niners coming off the buy and getting the guys back. I agree. Yeah. I don't mind the over as well. Also, but that's taking a lot of money, kind of getting out of range there.

But, yeah, I would like the Niners in this spot whether Tampa pulled that game. out or not. I mean, they clearly, kitchen sink game for them, that fight, like, if they would have gone for two and won the game, which obviously they should have, but it's just a tough, that Monday night when you're undermanned against the big boy, and then you win or lose,

it's just, when you lose, it's even extra deflating, flying home. It's a nightmare situation on spot. I mean, you are on the road and then have to come back home with travel on a short week, and your defense is on the field for 80 plus snaps.

They were on the field, the entire game, on the road in overtime, 80 plus snaps, coming home to play the San Francisco team off the buy. And this is usually when that 49ers offense starts to get rolling. They make some tweaks, especially during the by week. And they were getting healthier. This Tampa defense is beat up and not very good. Crazy he didn't go for two, right? I mean, the touchdown play was wide open.

Even the play before Houghton holds onto it. He falls the end zone. Liam Cohen was on, he was like an NBA player. hit like seven straight three. Like, give him back the ball. Like, he's cooking. Let him cook. Yeah, I get like, hey, I also wouldn't have called a time.

They called a time out with like 30 seconds to go. You didn't need to do that. Like, you just leave as little time as possible. I think that's less crazy, though, because you're a little discombobulated. Sometimes you get in that spot. Everyone runs down late. I think sometimes you just freak out in that spot. I know it's easy sitting on the couch being critical, and it's obviously the wrong move.

I think that going for two is crazy. easier than that because how often do we see I forget exactly how long the play was but it wasn't like a five-yard day it was like 15, 20 yards, right? You're just a little discombobulated, everyone's running up. You have two plays called in the huddle. Yeah, I don't mind the time out there. I just would have let

a little more clock run down but yeah, the thing, the argument against what's the argument on the timeout? Go up and spike it or go up there and run a play. I mean, I just would have went up, ransom time, run run some time down. To like 18 seconds or whatever? Yeah, yeah.

But then you can't run the ball or whatever because you have no timeouts left, right? If you're at the two-yard line or one-yard line. Yeah, that's true. Yeah, I wouldn't have done it, but that's not the most egregious thing. I've ever seen. Going for two,

the argument against going for two there is that if you do get it, then, and you kick it to the chiefs, you incentivize them to be aggressive, like really aggressive, and, you know, to potentially get a field goal instead of going to overtime

to win a coin toss. But I still would have went for two. I mean, you're also, you got to remember the condition. like the conditions weren't ideal for offense and this isn't a very explosive Chiefs offense right? Or for your field goal kicker

what if he slips? I mean it's a 35 yard field goal. Yeah, the Chiefs, they don't, you know, yeah, yeah,

the extra point people forget isn't, you know, automatic anymore as well. But the Chiefs, it's not an offense that gets chunk plays a time. I know it's my homes.

You probably would have found a way, but yeah, it's you are a, you're a, eight and a half one underdog on the road in bad conditions. You have all the momentum.

And then once that happened, I was like, the chiefs are winning this coin toss. But you're right on Liam Cohen. He's been great. And you can look at no further than Kentucky. Like he's had two stops of Kentucky over the past five years. The times that he was there, their offense has been so much better than the years that he's not. So that just wasn't that the second, whatever Levis is second to last year there? I mean, I thought, I remember watching him play like, this guy could be the number one overall pick.

Yeah, he was there 20, 2021, or yeah, two of the last four years he was there. And the offense is so much better. And that points to his schematic ability. But I agree. This is a 49er spot. This reminds me of, I mean, you'll remember this, maybe three years ago, 49ers off a bye when they went to Jacksonville. Oh, my God, they murdered them.

It was two years ago, I think. And they just blew their doors. off of the Jags. I think it was 34 to 3. Murdered them. I mean, it was a, it was a the college equivalent it would have been like 65 to 10. You know, it was the NFL version of like,

this is a joke. And the Niners, they haven't really had that moment this year. That's the one thing where I think, you know, fans obviously they've had the devastating comeback losses to the Rams and the Cardinals, but you do feel a little bit better. It's like, okay, we've had a couple of games

where we've just blown people out, like start to finish. I mean, last year they did it all the time. And that's where, I think, one, we led up to that Ravens game on Christmas. It was like both these two teams, like, their high end is really high. And then the Ravens obviously kicked the shit out of them. And it was like, God damn, that sucks. But that was last year, actually.

Oh, the Jags game was last year off the bottom. Yeah, so same exact weekend as this year. The Jags were kind of heating up, right? Yeah, yeah. And the 49ers lost three straight going into the buy. Well, they got Devo back after the buy. They were dealing with a ton of injuries, and then they came out of the by, beat Jackson 34-3, and then ended up winning six in a row. So this is about that time, and they're getting healthier.

Bucks or not, it's just a good spot. I wonder with the Jags, you know, I saw Jay Gruden, who I think was assistant coach there, so he's pretty dialed in, but he knows the trainer or whatever, tweeted out, like, hearing sources that Trevor Lawrence is going to need surgery, that would end this season. Like obviously Doug and everyone's going to get fired. I wonder if that job's going to be desirable at all. You have some quarterback whose question marks as a player is up in the air. And then the guy's been injured now multiple times.

Like that's just that franchise feels like they're fucking about to unravel. Will Ben Johnson take it? That's the name that gets voted out there. Do you think he would? I mean, based on what we know about him, I don't think so. but money talks, but we'll see. That's the name's been floating out there. Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if.

I think there's a ligament damage, and Lawrence is probably just going to choose to get surgery or something. I mean, where they're at this year. You know, these coordinators, like Liam Cohen now has a pretty long resume of like, he's been to college, kicked ass, like with NFL level guys, made them look better. And he's gone to the pros, worked with multiple quarterbacks, McVeigh. Now, he's clearly like, Bulls ain't telling him what to do. he's running the offense.

You could argue, like, Ben Johnson, it's kind of been scared to be the lead dog. We've seen historically a ton of these coordinators that are like, he's the smartest coordinator, and then they become bad head coaches. Like, for example, Gannon, all my buddies with the Eagles are like, listen, I fucking love this dude.

You can nitpick him. He's not Belichick schematically, but I'm telling you, players love him. A lot of them said, I bet he's a better head coach than he is just like a schematic genius. And he's proven. Like you watch the Cardinals play,

you're like, I think he's actually probably a pretty solid head coach. And that's where I just think you just never know. Like Ben Johnson, yeah, you give him a sweet offense. He clearly has an innate feel for being an awesome play caller. And Detroit has been an incredible watch now for three years.

But he's going to go to some other team. Well, what happens like when your star defensive tackle gets arrested for beating the shit out of his girlfriend? And you don't have extra time to call because you have to go deal with your GM? Like you never have to deal with that shit. Like when Jameson Williams gets pulled over and he's got a couple of glocks, like, it's like, hey, Jameson's out. Okay, I don't have to deal with.

Dan then has to deal with that, right? So I think it's just, I think it's really, really difficult to try. It's why we miss on so many head coaches. You just have no fucking clue. Or Signetti's a good example. It's like, yeah, he just knows how to be a head coach. Now you never know when you're going to level up. But like Brian Kelly, Signetti,

most guys that just have a long, long resume of being a head coach are going to be good at being a head coach. If they're good enough, you know, college is a little different. Got to be a recruiter too. But I just think it's, I don't know, there's so much unknown. And just because Kyle and McVeigh hit, there is no guarantee that that works because I would say historically it doesn't work as much as it does. Yeah, I think that that's the case in like the real world too. You know, I used to work in finance. I had no interest in ever rising to the very top,

which would mean like you just have a bunch of people under you. I know that that's not my strength, like managing people delegating. You know, I work best on my own just as like a power worker. Like, here, what do I need to get done? And so I realize that and I just had no interest in doing it. But you're money-wise, you're just incentivized to get to the very top of everything. and that's where you'll end up being that, you know, manager of lots of people.

And that takes a specific skill set that not everybody has. And running, you know, an NFL organization as a head coach is, it takes a lot. And a lot of these guys that get there, they're like obsessive scheme guys because they had a ton of success as a coordinator. And that might not be just their skill set with managing people. relationships dealing with all of that stuff. So yeah, it doesn't always work out. And we just assume that it will. But as you said, we've had.

Especially younger guys, right? Like Mike McDonald's a good example. I think Mike McDonald and Ben, if you give them elite talent, they can out scheme any coach in the world. Like they can go toe to toe with Belichick or Kyle and whoever. It doesn't matter. But like what happens when it's like,

you don't have the unlimited time to just deal with that. have to deal with all this other shit like hey uh you know dk didn't show up today like that's your biggest strength your biggest strength was like your scheme and then you you you have to take away a lot of time from what gave you your biggest strength because and you can't blame anyone they just want the biggest yeah hey hey coach kenneth walker his uh girlfriend just started banging this other dude that actually plays in the NBA and he he can't even think straight right now could i just send him home like those are problems you then have to deal with.

And before Mike McDonald's like, I just used to be deal with the defense. Now I got to worry about all this other shit. Yeah. Or it's like coach, my fucking daughter's really sick. I got to leave. It's like,

well, you're the quality control. Like you just have to deal with all this shit. And it's why Belichick to me like, like we question. He's obviously a lot older. But you watch him enough. Like he clearly,

I would say still comes off pretty sharp. You 100% know he can deal with all of it. Right. Yeah. Absolutely. I agree. I think Gannon is a great. head coach and I've heard nothing but good things.

I know some people, some of my good friends know him personally as well and have nothing. People love the guy, don't they? Good things you have to say about him. One of my really good friends is the best man in his wedding. So I have heard nothing but good things about him. With that said, I think this is a good week for the Jets. To bet the Jets, I did bet the Jets.

It's a good spot for New York. They needed, look, they've been really unlucky. I mean, like, they haven't been great, but they've, lost like what four or five one possession games that could have went either way Greg Zerline cost them a couple of games on his own and they were you know they had a ton of injuries like on on on on on on on secondary they now redick back but they needed this break and they needed a win against Houston I think they'll carry that momentum over to this week but they have the mini bikes they played on Thursday they needed that break so bad I mean it was a team

at what, they played five or six prime time games over the first nine weeks, which was an NFL record. And they played multiple Thursday night games, right? And they played overseas. And so it was, and while dealing with all those injuries. So I like the matchup of their secondary, which should be healthier here against Arizona. There, I think that they'll be able to get pressure on Mary. And this Arizona defense is not any good. They can't get any pressure. So Rogers will be able to operate from a clean pocket. He won't be confused by some of the looks that Arizona

gives them. Like, Arizona isn't a talented defense, but it's well schemed. They can confuse some young quarterbacks. Yeah, play hard. But, you know, it's not a, they're not a huge home field advantage here. And Arizona, you know, while New York, the jets have been very unlucky in close games. Arizona has been

extremely fortunate. I mean, three of their wins came by two points or less when they were down by double digits. You know, against the chargers, they recovered all these fumbles, one in the last second field goal against the 49ers they're getting blown out the 49ers kicker gets hurt uh yeah that fumble late and they end up winning uh in the final minute miami's up 10 in the second half they snap it over their heads like it's a college game for safety Arizona ends up winning on the last second field goal that their two convincing wins came against the rams in a really good spot you

just talked about coming off overtime the rams are coming off overtime loss against the lions and an all-out effort we're dealing with injuries and then had to go on the road to irezona and the other was last week against Chicago, who was coming off that devastating loss on a Hail Mary and had to go across the country for a second straight road game. Locker image reportedly in shambles. And they were without multiple offensive linemen. They were what they were without.

We talked about this last week. They ended up being without sweat. They were without briskers. That was an ass kicking, bro. Like that was. Dominion. There's never got off the bus. Never got off the bus.

Yeah, that was a tough spot. So, and they just confused Williams. They were just able to get pressure the whole game, too, because the offensive line injury. So the Cardinals have been quite fortunate if you break down their schedule a little deeper. So I like the Jets here as, you know, a one-point favorite. I know the Sunday night game was a little bit of interest to you. It's kind of a stay away for me as someone that had a little action on the Texans on Halloween. And I don't know where they sat, but after Thursday night, so going into the weekend,

the Browns had their quarterback had been sacked more than anyone else in the league. It was like 37 heading into the last Sunday. And part of that, like if you watch them play, Deshawn ran like into half of them. Like it was a joke. But after that game, after he got sacked eight times, no team beside the Browns, their quarterback had been sacked more than CJ. And then I would imagine when you factor in the pressures and shit, it's like, it's not working.

And that game, one thing that drove me nuts about that game is like, Sloick's a Shanahan guy, you probably should have like 40 attempts in that game running the ball. Your quarterback, one, you can't block for him, and then it's like the chick in the egg, it's like, and he's losing his confidence in playing shitty as he's getting peppered. It's a disaster, and he was not looking good. You're running back, arguably like, if not the best player in the field,

one of them, like just ride him like a horse. You got to get, you know, three straight runs to get first downs, but these coaches, these young guys are just, so quick, well, I'm going to pass. It's a disaster. And that's what makes me nervous now. Detroit, losing Hutchinson if he was playing in this game, he'd be like us.

CJ might be in trouble, but he's long gone. He still leads the league in pressures, Hutchinson. He's been now for a couple weeks. I mean, it's... This would be a field day for him, like this type game. Yeah, but a lot of the pressures that are haunting Houston are coming up the medals. The guards, hopefully they're healthier. I mean, they're coming off a loss on a

Thursday night. Mini-buy should help. We'll see if they get healthy on defense. I did play the Texans plus four and a half when this line opened. I just thought that that was way too many points in a pretty good spot with, you know, Detroit's second straight road game. Houston coming off the mini-by, I figured they'd be healthier. The key was getting Nico Collins back, who was supposed to come off IR.

All reports were good. And their offense is night and day without him. And Straub, by the way, he's been very good as an underdog, not as a great as a favorite, but you got a top to your quarterback at home. Their offense is also a juggernaut at home on a fast turf. So is the Lions, to be fair. But I just thought it's a great spot. The Lions, they just cover every week.

It doesn't matter. So, I mean, I'll probably lose their – I think they're 40 and 15 against the spread over their past 55 games. That is unheard of. And it's been a run of favorites. It's the most successful five weeks of NFL favorites over the past 20 years. that they're just crushing road favorites as well. Just one of those stretches.

A lot of variance in week-to-week results in the NFL. Would you say that means the public has been cashing in for about five? Oh, yeah, one of the best public runs of all time in the NFL. But I just like the Texans are still one of the better teams in the league, in my opinion. You're getting them at home and catch the four and a half. And I assumed, you know, even Will Anderson, Nico Collins is the big one. I mean, I think there's six and 13 without them. it's and if you just look at Strauss splits

with and without Collins massive and you got to remember they lost days so I figured he's going to be back but he hasn't practiced yet this week and I don't know if he's going to play or not that that's huge like I wouldn't love it as much I would say the line would probably creep back out to four

in which case I'd still like the Texans but obviously not as much they've been dealing with injuries on defense you'd hope to be healthier but I have to watch the injury report there it's generally, this is generally just like a classic spot. The Lions having great. Golf has been super efficient, but, I mean, we've got to be reaching the top of their

market value. And you got to remember, they've gotten a lot of help over the past couple of weeks. They played, you know, in the Titans game, the Titans moved the ball at will. The Lions just had about like 300 yards and 300 return yards. That was like a college game. They scored 52 points with like 220 yards. Last week, you know, they got out game by 200 yards. They had 200 yards and won and covered that game.

they get a pick six. The Packers just, you know, hiss all over themselves in the red zone. They were pretty fortunate in that game. And Jordan Love clearly just wasn't 100%. They faced the, you know, the cowboys who were decimated and they haven't been very good. Decimated with injuries on defense,

same with the Seahawks in a good spot. I wonder if he could do that over. Do you think he would have started Malik Willis? If you gave him true serum, he could just do that over and give them a week off or that's, you know, coach is just so canned to start their starter, you know. Yeah. And then you got to.

I think he would have because you also have to consider I mean he was probably just thinking it's like hey it's my guy and this is a huge division swing game so I can't really blame them but I maybe would have went I think he'd get a trucey me but he might have went to Willis in the second half

they were running the ball I think I think you tweeted that didn't you put him in the second half I was soon put them in like and then you have to remember like you were you have nothing to lose and at that point you're down 17 to 3 the only thing that you could lose is that love could get more injured on, you know, dealing with that injury in those conditions and you have a

buy coming up. So I would have given it a shot. And you can run on this. Last year, you couldn't run on this Detroit defense. You know, they did add to their defensive line with it areas so that they're going to be a little bit better. But since they lost Hutchinson had some other injuries, you can run on them a bit. So Mixing could have some success here. But if Collins plays, I really like the Texans. If not, it gets a bit if you're. but I still think this line would be a bit too high with where it closes around four. When if you think about it, the Halloween game, two of their touchdowns, like it's not like the Texans are bad on defense.

I mean, one of the kids are third and 20 or whatever, he throws it up and, I mean, makes one of the greatest catches of all time. On the first touchdown, you know, on a blitz where Rogers, you know, if he holds it another half second gets absolutely killed. And he makes a great play that the DB got a little aggressive. and Garrett Wilson made another one-handed catch. I mean, he had two touchdowns. He didn't even use one of his hands.

Think about that. So now, that was just a high-level NFL play. I do think we have to acknowledge the one touchdown, which is like the O'Dell Beckham on steroids catch. Like, that was a really lucky play. I mean, Rogers just threw it up. He's covered, and he just makes one of the great catches of all times. So I still, I view them as having a good defense,

and obviously D'Amico is one of the better coordinators in the league. so I don't hate your mindset there. I just, Detroit, I just, I bet against them a couple times and I've gotten killed. Yeah, same. But I also expect, I expect the Texans to have some changes on the offensive line this week. That's something that really could come out of the mini-by. Their left guard position is just whoever's been getting destroyed. Yeah, I, like, you could see Titus Howard their right tackle.

move to guard this week. And then I don't think you're going to see green in there anymore. He's been a turnstile. And you could see Blake Fisher who they drafted out of Notre Dame promising right tackle.

I think you could see him at tackle. We'll see. I mean, there's also, they had some other interior injuries guys that could be back this week that could help them there. But I'm sure that's what they spent most of the bi-week working on. But, yeah, Nico Collins is just massive. One of the most important receivers to his team, especially now without digs.

Okay, let's go to college. I mean, one of the best games every year. Bama ad, LSU, night game, LSU catching three points as I look this morning, at home. I kind of like the spot for LSU. that was just my first inclination. I don't know. I actually think LSU, who obviously has been up and down this season,

but at home, at night, this Bama team's been weird. I saw yesterday they lost, you know, this week, another player, one of their wide receivers out for the year. I mean, they're so dependent on the 17-year-old kid, maybe he's 18 by now. But Ryan Williams,

who's, I mean, looks like Jerry Rice, but you usually don't see elite programs just writing 17, 18 year olds, but kind of the case. I don't know. I just, you remember two years ago, LSU beat him on a walkoff touchdown, right?

Yeah, watching that game. That was a badass game. But I don't know. I just, I think if I'm going to take anybody in this game, I'm taking LSU. Yeah, I bet LSU here.

Brian Kelly both teams are. There's a playoff game too, right? This is a playoff game. I don't, There's no situational advantage for either team. This is basically an elimination game. Both teams coming off a buy. Brian Kelly's been really good off a buy,

2011 against the spread. He's also been really good as an underdog of three or more points, 28, 13, and 1, 68.3%. But DeBoer has been great in big games. We saw that against Georgia. But I think, yeah, I have to take the three here. I don't think that they're, like this line is implying that there's like a touch.

touchdown difference between these teams and you, you know, zitterates of LSU's plus three and then, you know, Death Valley at night, home field advantage. Pretty massive. Like you're talking near a touchdown, not for the home field advantage in total for the difference between these teams. I just can't get there. I mean, this Alabama team has, it has warts.

This isn't your older brother's Alabama team. They had that explosion against Georgia with the great game plan. And that could happen here. like DeBoer extra time to prepare we'll see what he comes out with Milro I think was dealing with some bumps in Perusus so he could be a bit healthier here and you just unleash him and his

legs one of the fascinating things to watch is can LSU I'm sure and their defense which is getting better each week under the new defensive coordinator Blake Baker they lost that Texanagan because they weren't prepared for the running quarterback well now you're getting Jalen

Milro they're at least going to be more prepared can they make the necessary adjustments. So we'll see if that's the case. But LSU's, where I think LLU has a big advantage here is Alabama's secondary is not great. It's very inexperienced. You can pick on them. And they have not really been tested. I mean, we saw Carson Beck go nuclear against them. And it's not like Carson Beck has been great since. Who have they, who have they faced other than Georgia? They played Western Kentucky with a quarterback who's now been benched. Wisconsin who's starting quarterback got hurt on the first drive.

USF, whose quarterback has missed about 10 wide open deep shots, and their passing offense is terrible. Vanderbill, not the most explosive passing offense, but they put up 40 and beat Alabama. South Carolina, not the best passing offense, which arguably should have won at Alabama. And they played Tennessee,

whose passing offense has been in the dumps, and they beat Alabama. And then they played Missouri with an unplayable. backup quarterback. So if you look at their numbers, they're going to be good, but look down that list. I mean, of those passing attacks, nobody

is that good. Meanwhile, LSU top 15 across the board, they've had a top 15 schedule. They've had the tougher schedule. And they have a top 15 passing offense. And they have an offensive line that is elite and past protection. And the Alabama defensive line is just not

as elite as it's been in years past as far as generating pressure. So Nussmeyer, should have time here to pick apart this inexperience and really untested Alabama secondary, just that Georgia game, and then they played a bunch of favorable opponents. So I think that LSU can have success moving the ball. Now, the defense, the LSU, and the one of their starting guards is really good Dellinger. So we'll see if that ends up being like the weak link of the offensive line. But it's not an elite elite, them a pass rush.

On the other side, Milro, the Alabama offense, the Alabama offense, line is a problem. And the LSU defensive line is an underrated group that's getting better. So Milo's going to be under fire here. There's going to be some negative plays that I think can kill some drives. It comes down to, he's the best deep

ball thrower in college football. And LSU is vulnerable to explosive plays. It's an aggressive defense. How many of those does Milrow hit? And just is LSU's defense prepared for the

for Milro's legs? And I think it's actually ends up being a good thing that they got roasted by Texas A&M and Marcel Reed when they just weren't ready. I think before the buy, getting roasted like that

by a running quarterback, I think helps, but we'll see if they make the necessary adjustments. I think it sets up as a thriller. So I had to take the three at home with LSU. This Alabama team's,

they've looked vulnerable all year. I mean, they're, you could argue, and you could say the same thing with LSU too. like these two teams have both been up and down. LSU probably should have lost the Ole Miss at home. They probably should have lost at South Carolina.

When they got all those calls, they were down big. But Alabama probably should have lost to South Carolina as well at home. And, you know, if they didn't squeak out, both these teams didn't squeak out one of those wins, they would already be eliminated. I think you can do that a lot with college football, though, this year. Because I could do that with Georgia. I could do that.

Yeah, but that's that step. I agree with it. you. But I think that's one of the reasons I just took the three points is I don't think that there's much difference between a lot of these teams at the top anymore. There's not a huge separation. So, like, I don't think that there's this huge gap up close to a touchdown between these teams, and especially in the SEC. Like, as you said, you can do this with a lot of the teams in the SEC. It's one of the reasons SEC underdogs this season are, I believe, 28. and let me double check.

I think 29 and 13 against the spread. Yeah, 29 and 13 against the spread and league play. SEC underdogs. I mean, do you like Ole Miss at home against Georgia? Because, I mean, I just can't take this Georgia quarterback seriously. I mean, he's calling part.

I played Ole Miss Plus 3. Yeah. I played Ole Miss Plus 3 for some of the same reasons. If you just look at data this year, Ole Miss is the better team. Now, there's, you have to respect. The scary thing here is, that and these guys i think it's going to be a close game as well there's some interesting what time is this game is this a night game ls u's at 730 yeah um and georgia i believe it's the

330 game yeah it's the 330 game the 330 game the 330 cc game this is a this is i think there's not as big of a separation between these teams and this is again assuming this is implying that the difference between these teams is like six points when you account for the home field event. I don't see that. And if you just go based on this year's day to Ole Miss has actually been better than Georgia. And I mean, the Georgia offense, they've been, it's not good right now. They can't run the ball.

And Carson Beck appears lost. He's tentative. He's not reading defenses. I mean, on the season, Beck has more turnover-worthy plays than big-time throws. four turnover-worthy plays, no big-time throws over the past two games. Last year, at this point in the season,

he had two times as many big-time throws as turnover-worthy plays. And he's also completing just 36% of his passes under pressure. Well, Ole Miss, as dominant of a defensive line as there is in college football. They have six defenders of at least

20 pressures. They're number one in havoc. Like, he's going to be under fire here. So, I, and, But the one of the wild, the two things that I'm worried about here are, well, I guess I should say three, but I had to take the three points. Kirby's smart in a big game. I mean, this guy's like 66% against the spread against ranked teams versus Lane Kiffin, who has not been good in big games. So the coaching edge there for Georgia scares me a bit. Will Georgia's defensive line, which has been up and down?

Some weeks they dominate, some weeks they don't. Will they overwhelm the Ole Miss offensive line? That's what happened. Georgia did that against Texas. That's the best they've looked all year on defense. So Texas's offensive line is better than Ole Miss. The Ole Miss weakness of their entire team is that offensive line. Will they just completely overwhelmed Dart?

But I do think Dart's mobility and his legs are important. You need mobility to beat a Kirby Smart defense. One of the reasons why Texas struggled so much they don't have that. But the other thing, the other... And Alabama does, right? Yes. which is the only team that Georgia has lost to in years. But also it's worth noting that this is not a playoff game

because I think Georgia, if they just beat Tennessee next week, then they beat Georgia Tech, and they're going to go to the cultural playoff their 10 and 2. The desperation is all on Ole Miss aside. Maybe that works against them, but I think you're going to see more upsets with teams in this role in a new format. But the other thing that's worth noting is the injury report for Ole Miss.

I think Lane Kiffin is just playing games, but he has 27 guys on the SEC availability report, including his two best receivers who are listed as doubtful. I think they're going to play, and then there's every, like, starter is listed on the injury report. So that adds some uncertainty. I can't imagine like this is their season this is like literally their season they lose their out

I think he's got to be fucking with Kirby doesn't I assume that's what's going on here but yeah I had to take the three with Ole Miss should be another really good game but I just yeah back every week

is making a key mistake or two it's I mean even that winning at Texas he was bad in that game the win against the game they played Alabama where they put up all those yards and points he also had a ton of turnovers in that game

he just doesn't seem like he's seeing the field right now. That's problematic against a very, very good Ole Miss defense that can get a ton of pressure up front. You gave out a nice little winner at the end last week, Air Force against Army. And then right before kickoff, I think, like it was announced that or that morning that Army's quarterback was going to be out. That was a nice little cruise cover. They scored, I think, 14 points in the second half. it was really, I mean, they were right in it. You got any games like that this week that's something of just a little off the beaten path?

You're like, I fucking love this. I will say, let's see. It's probably time to buy low and sell high and the Rutgers, Minnesota. Minnesota's been rolling in late. I do like Rutgers off the buyer. They should be healthier. But I'll give you a late night one. This isn't all the beaten path, but although I do.

Service Academy games, I don't mind Fading Army again this week. Povered by like six. We'll see if daily goes, but the North Texas offense is really good. Army's defense has faced nobody with a pulse all year. North Texas is like a top 20 offense coming off a by.

And I also don't mind fading Navy either. I guess I'm being un-American this week. But Holy War, Saturday night, 10 p.m. Eastern. I think you've got to take the points with Utah. Catching four. That jumped out to me too, BYU. at Utah. I was like, uh, Utah's been so bad. But this is their Super Bowl, their season, they're coming off a bye, which is important because

their defense needed a rest. Their offense has been given no help. They've been on the field forever. And they're, they, their offensive coordinator stepped down at the end of October. They had an interim. So now you have extra time to like implement some things. There's some wrinkles that you can put in. There's the uncertainty with who they're going to play, even play a quarterback. It's either going to be Rose or Wilson. BYU doesn't know. That's some uncertainty that works in your favor. BYU has been very good. They're undefeated. But this is, I mean, they've also been quite fortunate.

Like they should have lost Oklahoma State. They've won, they were a fluky win against Kansas State. I mean, it looks like they blew them out, but they got all kinds of defensive and special teams touchdowns. So they've been a bit fortunate. This is, and Jake Retzlath, their quarterback, he's been good, but he's gotten away with some risky throws and he hasn't been good against cover one. That's all Utah is going to do here. This Utah defense is very good. that the UIURE receivers are really good in certain ways, but they're not like the guys who are going to beat, just burn you against aggressive man on the outside, which is what Utah is going to run.

Utah disappointing year, but this is their Super Bowl, at home, raucous environment off the by. I think you got to take the four points here. And I mean, even BYU is like plus seven turnover margin. They're 15 of 18 on fourth downs this season.

Like there's some regression coming there. this will be like an ugly game that Utah can just lean on Bernard, they're running back, and against a bad BYU run defense and stay in this. So I like the Utes late night on Saturday. I think that starts at like 10,

10.30, Eastern, 7.30. You guys, you guys got some late night games on the East Coast. I remember going out to the bars in Philly and it'd be like, you know, 11 o'clock and you'd look up at the TV on Saturday night and be kicking off. There's a fucking wild ride out here. I like it for that. People hate it, but I never sleep. But I also like being out at the bar with the, if I go out and there's a games on TV.

Yeah, that I'm sweating late. But for many saner people, I can see why they prefer the West Coast. And the good thing is, you know, the overseas game is coming back this week, but it is so irrelevant that even if you love football, you do not need to get up, even for the first half, if you live on the West, because you can sleep in a little bit. yeah well that's a bad that's a bad that's a bad game yeah i will be sleeping in for this one another bad game for i feel sorry for the germans and i guess i always got to give out one an ugly NFL pick the saints i had to play the saints this week catch a three and a half four uh just

too many points car won't be under pressure uh interim boost um falcons be getting very fortunate in close games all they do is play close games um how to play it this is you know at their seven straight losses, fire your coach. It's just a spot I have to play. They haven't been hitting this year, but I have to play it. It in New Orleans? Yes. Okay.

Well, I appreciate it and go at Utah game. I like a nice, tasty little action at night. Yeah, it should be a fun one. It'd be a great environment. But, yeah, have a good weekend, brother. I'll see you next week. See you, buddy. The volume.

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