The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Rams Overachieving, Philly Shouldn’t Panic, Bills Hitting Their Stride, Sharp or Square

Episode Date: December 23, 2023

Colin’s best takes of the week!   He gives props to Sean McVay for a brilliant coaching job that has the Rams punching above their weight (2:00), and lists several reasons why Eagles fans shouldn��t panic despite their recent losing streak (7:00).  John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” joins Colin to break down the Bills demolition of the Dallas Cowboys and why the Bills could be primed for a deep playoff run (14:00). Chad Millman, Chief Content Officer of the Action Network, joins Colin for a round of “Sharp or Square,” to help provide Colin with the sharpest betting advice for the Week 16 NFL slate!  (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) 19:30 - Steelers vs. Bengals 20:45 - Cowboys vs. Broncos 22:00 - Pats vs. Broncos 24:00 - Ravens vs. 49ers 27:00 - Bucs vs. Jags 29:00 - Bears vs. Cardinals 34:00 - Seahawks vs. Titans Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates! #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart 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, 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, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. The volume. This week on Prime Cuts, baby, Chad Millman, Sharper Square,

John Middlecuff on the Buffalo Bill's resurgence. My Top Takes the Week. How about them Rams? There were two games this week on the docket that I really, really liked. One of them, I talked about this on FS1, was the Rams tonight, minus four, three and a half against Derek Carr and the Saints. McVeigh on a short week has won six of seven games. Offensive coaches on a short week can be really, really good against defensive coaches. They can do little tweaks with their quarterback in their offense.

An offensive culture, I think, always has a bit of an advantage on a short week, especially if you're playing at home. and McVey is six and one in these spots, now seven and one. And also, I don't think Dennis Allen's a very good coach. The last two weeks, I've watched McVeigh work Ron Rivera of the commanders. Commander's late game situational football was embarrassing. And I thought Dennis Allen's halftime move right before half was a swing and a miss. So, you know, I go on and on about this. But McVeigh is having an unbelievable year.

If you watch all the motions and all the shifting and all. the manipulation on virtually every play. Saints line up. They don't use motion. I mean, most of the time they don't use motion. They line up. They don't put the defense in conflict. It's much easier for a defense to just line up, see what you're doing, and go. The Rams are using shifts and motions and these multiple sets where you've got three receivers, jumbo sets. It puts a lot of conflict and a lot of decision-making, throw in some mostly. motion. The Niners with Kyle Shanahan lead the league in motion, along with Miami with an offensive coach, and the Rams with an offensive coach. It is checkers and chess. And McVe, McDaniel,

Andy Reed, Shanahan, it's a different looking sport. I mean, it's a different looking sport. So, and McVe's had his way, two and oh against defensive coach Pete Carroll, one and oh against Ron Rivera, one and oh against Dennis Allen, two and oh against Arizona. He lost earlier in the year when the Rams were kind of beat up to Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. But since Thanksgiving, Matt Stafford, 14 touchdowns, one pick and a passer rating of over 114. And I think one of the things that jumps out to me is that McVeigh and Lesney, the GM really work hand in hand. And that's really, really important. I remember when Jim Harbaal was with the Niners, but Trent Balkey, and they couldn't stand each other. And there's some situations in the NFL where the GMs and the coaches

aren't close. Mickey Loomis and Sean Peyton, when they were in New Orleans, were best friends. Really matters. But, you know, less need. And McVeigh, McVeigh's got a great sense for offense. They find Puka Nakua in the fifth round. And they also go get, here's a prime example

of an offensive culture. So Dotson, the interior offensive linemen for the Rams, they pick him up in a trade on the interior of the own line from the Steelers. Steelers weren't going to start Dots. the guard. He's now the fourth highest redded guard in the NFL with Sean McVeigh.

Steelers weren't going to start him. And I go on and on about this. McVeigh is the preparation, the in-game management. And I think a lot of times that the media beats up on coaches for some clock stuff late in games. It's fast moving. It's fluid. Nobody's perfect. But I'll take the offensive guys over the defensive guys every time.

And I also think one of the advantages the Rams have because they don't have good special teams. They're not a Super Bowl team, in my opinion. They're a team that can go, they'll probably end up getting into the playoffs and facing Detroit in Detroit. And I would probably take the Lions. They have more experience. They have a dominant offensive line. Jared Goff is very good at home when he gets on his spot and not rushed. And the Rams pass rush can be a little hit and miss.

Their special teams aren't good. Their secondaries young, got torched over the top a couple of times tonight, first half and second. half. That's what Rams games are, but they've scored at least 27 points, I think, in four straight games, and I thought they should have beaten the Ravens. It was a go-e-e-e-e-or-way game, but we'd seen other teams in the NFC go out to Baltimore, Detroit and Seattle and get smoked. The Rams went out there and went toe-to-toe with Baltimore, a really good football team. So I just think you're looking at a Rams team that has made over the last six weeks. They are a completely different football team. A lot of it is on offense. The special teams

work good early or not good now. Their secondary is okay. It's okay now. It's the offensive improvement. Guys have gotten healthy. Stafford's getting time to throw. Kairn Williams, they're running back. Small guy, but very powerful and shifty.

And McVeigh's offense is really a ball control offense. You know, you think McVeigh, you know, you think these offensive coaches, you know, it's big over-the-top plays. It really isn't with McVeigh. He was at his best when Gurley was in his prime and now Williams in his prime. That's really when he's at his best. he can rely on a 15 to 18 carry running back. And also, Cooper Cup's a big receiver. Puka Naku is a big receiver.

He uses those highly effectively. So it is all rolling for the Rams now. They're hot. It was a coaching mismatch to get a scheduling break. And they feel like a playoff team. You know, if Philadelphia, the Eagles really remind me of the Kansas City Chiefs, I still think they're a really good football team. They've just had a brutal schedule.

They can't catch a break. There's some fatigue. They're not very good on the back. end of their defense. And they find themselves, they're going to make the playoffs because of Dallas is lost. They've got a break there. They're going to make the playoffs. And outside of San Francisco, I think they could win every single game. I mean, I watched them play the Rams earlier this year, pushed them around in Los Angeles. I've watched them play the Cowboys twice. They match up fine. Detroit, Detroit had to go on the road to Philadelphia. I'd take Philadelphia. Jared

golf on the road, cold weather, not the same quarterback. So I think Philadelphia is fine. you know, it's recency bias. They just lost again. They look cooked. They're not a great team. Kansas City's not a great team. I mean, Cadarius, Tony, if they were a great team, wouldn't get on the field again. They need him.

They need Cadarius Tony. In Philadelphia, for all the misgivings about the Eagles, they had this game won. You know, these have been close games with Buffalo. Dallas, they got whacked, but they won a close game against Dallas earlier. They were in a close game against Bulls. Buffalo, this is a good football operation. It's a good intense football team, and I think Philadelphia is going to be fine. There are teams in this league. If you have a bad CEO, the business gets worse over time. You saw that with Brandon Staley and the Chargers. They got worse every week.

They opened the season, nearly beating Miami, looked really interesting. And then a poorly run business gets bad. Washington, the commanders with Ron Rivera, they were a viable team seven weeks ago. They just get worse. It feels like every week. You can see some of these defensive coaches. They feel Jurassic. They're out of touch. You know, meanwhile, you've got Shane Steichen, taken Gardner, Minchu, and beating the Steelers.

You've got Sean McVeigh. I think Sean McVeigh, right now week to week, is doing the best job of coaching in the entire league. Really outplayed the commanders from the very beginning. And you just saw a classic young, smart, progressive, offensive head coach, just getting better offensively every week. It's amazing. He takes a rookie Puka Nakua. He takes Kairn Williams, who's now like the third best offensive player in the league behind Tyree Khill and Christian McCaffrey. Folks, that's coaching. Coaching is getting the most out of your players. And here in Los Angeles, nobody got less than Brandon Staley and nobody gets more than Sean McVeigh. The job he has done this

year is absolutely remarkable. He is squeezing every ounce out of a defense that's Aaron Donald and kids and an offense, which is guys mostly Stafford Cup, Tyler Higbee, probably Rob Havenstein didn't play today, the right tackle, a little bit out of their prime. And then kids, Kyron Williams and Puka Nakua. It is a marvel to watch the Rams play. And I know I live in Los Angeles, and you're thinking, oh, Colin, you're going overboard. This team was picked to win five games in Vegas, and they have an opportunity to win 10. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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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 Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok. Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped 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 Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a 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 all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, 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. 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. All right, everybody. Welcome in. It's the Colin Coward Podcast. You know who I am, I hope, by this point in my life. And this is John Middletoff, three and out podcast at the volume. You see them all the time on our digital stuff, the Twitter accounts, and a former NFL Scout. We start with the obvious one. I did like Buffalo to win. I do think this league week to week, it depends on the spot you're in.

I think San Francisco is unique in where their bad game is. still good enough, you know, to go to Cleveland and almost win if they hit field goals. But most of the teams in this league have just bad Sundays. They're off a big win. They're, you know, this was a spot for Buffalo. James Cook now is becoming a real part of this offense. All of a sudden, Dallas on the road falls behind. Dax's not the same quarterback behind. Are you surprised, however, how the bills ran the ball on the Dallas defense? It was, I don't remember seeing the Dallas defense, run defense that poor for a couple years. To me, one thing that Dallas over the last month, why a lot of us have been buying in is

because of their physicality, like just their overall toughness. And today, Buffalo kicked their ass. I mean, that, that, Giac on was a beat down. And I think I said last week when we watched Buffalo pull that crazy game out against Kansas City, it's hard to take them seriously when all their games were like that. They were like the better version of the Chargers. They just found a way to win some of them. But today, you got to give them their ceiling. I mean, they have a couple wins this year.

That Miami win early in the season, Miami's pretty good. That game against Dallas today, like their ceiling is pretty high. When they're on, obviously playing at home, the division is still open. Like, the division is not set. Miami schedule is very hard. They play Dallas. They play the Ravens. Then they finish with Buffalo.

You look at Buffalo schedule at the Chargers, who mailed that thing in, the Pats, and then they finished, like we said, with Miami. Listen, they've kind of reeled me back in because today wasn't as much about Josh Allen, just going LeBron, James, or Steph Curry. It was more the defense annihilated McCarthy's offense. And like you said, the run game, what has Buffalo always lacked? It's like never had a running back beside Josh, well, if you can get a guy, you don't need them to get 180 yards every game, but if you can rely on an individual to be a hundred yard,

a game guy in cold weather games, hard not to like Buffalo and look at them a little differently after the last 60 minutes, right? Right. You know, I was thinking about the Steelers teams with Tomlin when Ben was in his prime, is that, and they had like, you know, a Levian bell. And that's what Buffalo reminds me of. They didn't win, you know, they got a Super Bowl, no question, a couple with Ben. But this is what Buffalo reminds me, a defensive coach, a defensive culture with a star

quarterback that's about 70% of the offense. And they, when they had the star running back, kind of in his prime, as an energy, a twitchy energy player, there's always, Pittsburgh always had a star receiver on the outside. They draft and develop receivers better than Buffalo. But this is what, this is really what they remind me of. This is a big Ben Steeler team with a defensive coach, defensive culture, that has enough offensive. pieces to win. And when I watch them today, I'm like, not everybody peaks at the right time. Rams are a totally different team than six weeks ago.

Don't even look like the same team. I mean, that's a dangerous team now. They're blowing people out. So do you buy my bills look like a Steeler comp, Ben, Josh Allen, defensive coach, with a very, very energized running back? Yeah, don't hate it at all. And like the Pittsburgh, they're comfortable playing outside. Right?

And look at the AFC. see, it's hard to know how the seating's going to shake out, but they would be comfortable. We've seen them go on the road in Kansas City and play well, go on the road in Baltimore and play, right? Cleveland, no problem. Miami, no problem. They won't. They view Miami as an inferior team, right? So you go, listen, if this team gets in there and they have a chance to run the table and get to 11 and 6,

I mean, a couple weeks ago, it felt like the building was on fire. And this is where you got to give McDermott and Josh and some of the guys internally, some credit. They handled it. They kept, you know, kind of the train on the tracks. A little lucky. However you want to look at last week, it played out. They won the game. And today, they beat the living shit out of the Cowboys. And that was, listen, a lot of people were betting on the bills. It's another thing to be up 30 to 3. And the Cowboys struggled to get over 100 yards of offense with five minutes left to go in the game. I don't think anyone saw that. And that's kind of a rough reflection on Dallas that, you know, the Eagles, obviously the story today, changing

defensive coordinators, guys are sick. They're working through some stuff. But how's that team going to go on the road and beat the Niners? Because you want to take Dallas seriously as this NFC contender, this team that go to the Super Bowl. And then you watch a game like today. You're like, how does that happen? Chad Millman, Sharper Square.

I'm kind of on a heater. I don't want to brag about it. Oh, yeah? How much of a heater? Four straight winning weeks, four in one last week. I had a little bit of an early Denver Bronco. John Payton Russell Wilson, September slump, but shit is rolling downhill now. I'm like McVeigh and Stafford and Pooka Nakua.

Here's the thing. No matter how successful you are and whatever field you're in, when you're winning bets, it just like the whole day is brighter. And I say that like, it just, it doesn't matter how much you're wagering on it. You just feel good. last week, we do our podcast on Sunday nights at 7.30. Normally, I am biting fingernails and sweating until 729 because I don't know how our day is going to end because of all the games that matter so much. Last week, we were so locked in at 7 o'clock, I was doing dishes because like, it was like I was done. It was over. And it just, it felt lovely. So I'm going to take the Steelers plus two at the Bengals. Pittsburgh gets a second look. at a backup quarterback. They're a desperate team, veteran coach, great as an underdog.

They are a cornered animal, Steelers Plus 2, Sharper Square. Totally sharp. This was a two and a half. It got bumped down. Look, you have a couple of advantages. One, no Jamar Chase. Two, buying or selling very high on the Bengals, buying very low on the Steelers. Three, no DJ Reader.

And that is a huge deal in the middle of the defensive line for the Bengals. not only is he great against the run, he's phenomenal against the past. So you're really going to be limiting your pass rush capabilities against Mason Rudolph. And don't think like, all right, we're going from Kenny Pickett to Mitch Trubisky to Mason Rudolph. He's been there. They're all the same. They're the same quarterback. And then you just mentioned the most important thing.

Mike Tomlin. Mike Tomlin as a dog, most profitable coach the past 20 years. Mike Tomlin as a dog at home. Mike Tomlin as a dog in the division. Mike Tomlin as a dog late in the year. Mike Tomlin as a dog of a loss of more than seven. Like every category, it starts at 60% and gets up to 90%. No joke against the spread.

So yes, the wise guys, they're going to be on the steers. I'm not getting the best number at Pickham. I thought it was one of the bets of the year. I'll take Dallas plus one and a half of the dolphins. I have a theory. Very good teams who are physically humiliated on big TV games. come back the following week. It's not just losing. It's being humiliated, physically pushed around. And Dallas is a physical team. Miami's not. Now, I do think they generate since week five a very nice pass for us. That's a fan geo defense. But I think Dallas has something to prove. I think they were embarrassed. I think they're a good football team. I'm going to take Dallas to win by about a touchdown. Plus one and a half here, sharper square. Yeah, the wise guys are on the Cowboys. This opened it to two. It's been bet down. There's places where it's won.

You mentioned Pickham as well. Like, it would not surprise me and some of the rumblings I've heard in the market from professional betters if Dallas ended up as the favorite in this game. So I will say it's very important you get Dallas as an underdog if you like them because the trends start to work against you if they become the favorite in terms of covering. So you want to get them at the plus number. But for all the reasons you said, like there are a lot of trends that will back up the idea that when you are a team that has been blown out, and then you are going on the road again as an underdog. You are the team that people should be backing. So in agreement so far.

Two for two, Kyle Cowher. The number's been bumped up. All of our odds provided by Draft Kings. I'm talking to Chad Millman's CCO Action Network. Patriots plus seven at the Broncos. Weather could be crappy. Seven's a lot of points. Denver can nickel and dime you.

Bailey is okay. He's not great. But my takeaway is this is a low. low-scoring, ugly, crappy weather game. At six, I would probably stay away. At seven, I would take New England. That's a lot of points in lousy weather. We've had huge rain through Southern California.

It's all moving into the mountains. Denver, Colorado over the next two to three days. Patriots plus seven, sharper square. Sharp-ish. Like, there's a lot better games on the board. There's not a huge edge with the Patriots of plus seven. The challenge for this game is that, that the Broncos prior to last week had been living off of turnover.

Yes. That's how they were winning these games, right? And that stuff always evens out. It always evens out, except they're playing Bailey Zappy. So what is the formula for winning for the Broncos? They're playing bad quarterbacks and getting turnovers. So what are they getting? They're getting, I would argue Bailey Zappi is not a good quarterback in bad weather,

in altitude, in a high. hostile situation. This is tailor-made to be a turnover masterpiece for the Denver Broncos. Look at what happened last week with the Chiefs, right? The Patriots were in position to keep that game close. They come out of the locker room, Bailey Zappy, second throw. He's rolling out, throws it directly to a Chief's defensive back. Like, doesn't even, there's not even a Patriots receiver there. And that is going to happen two or three times in a game. And a couple of those times, at least one of those times, the Broncos are going to catch the ball. And that's going to be the way the game changes.

I would not be comfortable betting the Patriots in the spot. I would bet the under, though. All right. One more dog, Ravens plus five and a half at the Niners. They're a bit beat up. But Harbaugh is an underdog. NFC teams facing for the first time, Lamar Jackson. Now, the Niners have excellent linebackers.

Twitchy, Fred Warner. They should be able to be more than competent against Lomar. Mar, but if you've never faced him and you don't have anybody in practice to duplicate it, it can be an avalanche. Five and a half is a silly number. This is a very close physical game, hard to run on the Ravens. I'm taking the points all day here. I think it's a good game. I like the Niners. Five and a half seems almost disrespectful, sharper square. Yeah, so the wise guys are on the Ravens here. I will say I'm conflicted. I'm conflicted because, A, I've got a decent sized bet on Christian McCaffrey at 25 to 1 to win the MVP. And let's face it, this is,

this is the MVP ball, right? You got Brock Purdy at about minus 200. You got Lamar Jackson at about three to one. And depending on the book, you've got Christian McCaffrey is the third shortest odds or Dak Prescott or Dak Prescott is third shortest and McCaffrey is four shortest. So in my heart of hearts, what I'm hoping for is Christian McCaffrey is dominant and that the Niners win the game. And then the next two weeks, it's just a coronation for Christian McCaffrey, and I win my Christian McCaffrey 25 to 1 MVP bet. The problem is that everything you just said, Lamar Jackson against the NFC, that's not a sort of quirky statistical. It's like 16 and 1. Anomily. It's because there's nobody like Lamar Jackson that these NFC teams can prepare when they

are playing him. Number two, there are like some concerns. I haven't seen the injury reports from today. but look, Amstead and Hargrave on the defensive line for the Niners, when they were missing last week, the Cardinals gained nearly 400 yards, right? And they kept it close. And we also don't know about Lenore. Is he going to be playing in the defensive backfield? When he started to play, that defensive backfield was much better.

So I do think there are some concerns, but I generally think the wise guys are looking at this and saying, the public is so high in the Niners. And there are reasons to be high in the Niners, right? They are undefeated when Debo Samuel and Trent Williams are playing. and they are beating teams by double digits. They are a legit team. I do believe the Niners will win the Super Bowl,

and I do believe we will look back on this team and think it is historically great for the past generation with the combination of Kyle Shanahan, who you think this, I think this, a lot of people who cover football think this. He's a brilliant coach who has had bad injury luck and not exactly the perfect people for what is an incredible system. And I think he has that. He's had luck on his side for health. but I think this week

the Ravens are probably going to be the sharp side. All right, Tampa Bay, let's go to some favorites. Minus one and a half. C.J. Bethard probably plays. Jacksonville's in a funk.

Trevor Lawrence is banged up. I don't think he's been healthy in three weeks. We have to be honest about this. Baker Mayfield, with weapons and reasonable protections, the best quarterback in his division. He plays with a great deal

of confidence and emotion. I think he feels really good right now. Todd Bowles is letting him kind of control the office. fence. I know they're a favorite. I tend to like dogs, but C.J. Bethard is an average, average backup. I'm going to take the buck sharper square. No real consensus on, on what side is the right side here. The bucks were two and a half point underdogs when this game opened before we had the insight on, on Trevor Lawrence. I will say what's interesting here,

Baker Mayfield, no joke, he was elite. against the Green Bay Packers. Like, I think it was 21 of 28, north of 300 yards, four touchdowns, and all season long, the wise guys have been backing the Bucs. And the Bucs have been one of those teams where for three quarters, they're amazing. But there'll be four or five drives in the game where Mike Evans drops a ball or Baker throws a pick. And like, it just puts the game a little bit out of reach for them.

But they've generally played really, really well. well. So I can't fault you for liking Baker in this spot. It's a scary spot because you're also backing Baker after he was just as good as he's ever been. I know. But with CJ Bethard, yeah, you're taking a short home favorite. All right. Let's go to games I want you to talk me into. So I have two rules in life. Number one, don't do math. No winners. Number two, always take a team favored by four because the odds makers are telling you we'd rather do three. That's what we want to do. We can't.

This team's better. Rams tonight. They're just better than the Saints. It'll be a coaching mismatch. Now it's down at three and a half, but at four, I thought it was a great bet. Bears minus four to four and a half. I have been betting best quarterback in games, but I think Iber Fluse is coaching for his job.

I don't think Arizona's guy's coaching for his job. I think Justin Fields is playing for his job. Oh, yeah. This is a big game, a dome team going to crappy weather. It won't be a blizzard. The weather is kind of unseasonably mild in the Midwest. But I think the urgency and intensity here also, remember last year how teams after they played the Niners, like all lost. We're not tracking it this year as much. And the numbers aren't the same. But when you play, when you play San Francisco, there are repercussions. They're a really physical. team. I think Arizona played spirited football. It's a really bad roster. The Bears aren't a bad roster. I want to take Chicago, Sharper Square. Square. The wise guys are on the Cardinals. The game was at four and a half. It got that down to four. I'd actually take it one step further. I don't think he refluse is playing for his job. I think he's auditioning for his next coordinator job. I think Justin Fields is auditioning for the next team he's going to play on. I think that as a

Bears fan. We saw what we saw last week against the Browns in that second half, where Justin Fields was like seven of 19 for 60 yards. And that offense was not able to execute. And at some point, that's on the quarterback and his inability to find the right receivers. And so, and on the coach for coaching a defense that gave up the game to Joe Flacco and had a 10 point lead. There's a stat that we had that we were talking about on the favorites podcast. The Bears, I think this season or the last two seasons have had 10 point leads in the fourth quarter six times. They're three and three. Everybody else in the league, the past two seasons, something like 93 and one. Literally, it's like a 93% cut, you know, win rate. So there's a lot of issues with that Bears team. I think that what we got in

the Cardinals is a team that is just always going to be undervalued. And I don't think that's, think if you look at the market, there's going to be any professional better who says, oh yeah, I'm comfortable betting the Bears as more than a field goal favorite, which is why the line moved down. Also, don't forget, Kyler Murray against the spread on the road, 15 and 5.

So you're talking about a guy who is very good at covering the spread. And by the way, he also covered it last weekend. That number was bouncing around. So I like what I like what Kylea Murray can do here. All right. Finally, dumpster dive. What's something that I would

probably be appalled with, but you think is pretty tasty. I'll say this. I thought about Eagles minus 12. They're bound to win. Yeah, I think, look, in any other scenario, you're looking at Raiders plus 10 against the Chiefs. You're looking at Giants plus 12 against the Eagles. I'm not going to ask you to do those things. I'm not going to do those things this week. I think there's a lot of wonky in those games. And I think professional betterers are sort of divided on really betting those numbers. They're not

really looking to do it. Can I interest you in the Atlanta Falcons minus one? By the way, McIntyre's on this. He's like, that's the sharp side this week. It is. I mean, look, that number, I bet

Atlanta plus two and a half. And I know what I said. I said, you got to be wary of those games that bounce from the one side as the underdog is now the favorite. But the Colts are really kind of frauds. And I don't like Shane Steichen, he should be getting votes for coach of the year. He's great. What he is done with that team, what he is done with Gardner Minshu, who I think had won two games as a starter before this season.

Like, he has put them in a position. But also you've got to think about the teams they've beaten during the streak they've been on have not been very good. And now if you want to talk about a coach who is coaching for his job, you're talking about. you're talking about Arthur Smith. And he's putting Taylor Heineke back in there also because the Colts defense is just trash. They can't really stop the run. They were good before Grover Stewart went on his PED suspension. They haven't been good since.

They're in the middle of transitioning that defense. It's just not a very good defense. And also the Falcons offensive line, which was really injured. They had many players who were out or questionable heading into the game against the Panthers, back at home, on turf, Arthur Smith going to have to be as creative as he could possibly can to keep this team in the hunt. I like the Falcons here.

There's one more that I like. Probably not worth your time. It's a corner TV game. Are you ready? Tennessee Titans plus two and a half. Yeah, well, the way Seattle won, people fall in love with their, they really have some really fun young athletes,

but Vrabel at home, They're getting what, three? What is it now? Two and a half. Did it move to three? I haven't even noticed. Did it? It may have moved to three.

I'm checking right now. If it did, all the better, then go get that three. Because that's the game that the wise guys love. And I know it sounds crazy. They like Tennessee plus two and a half? They love it? Love it. Why? Explain.

Love? So, on the team. that just had the dramatic win in prime time by the team that just had the devastating loss, Mike Vrable as an underdog, he's 26 and 28 straight up as an underdog, right? Like, this is a guy who just wins when he is counted out and his team is not supposed to win, let alone the amount of time that he covers as an underdog. Him and Tomlin are the two guys that wise guys love to cover. they love to cover in these exact spots,

like to bet on in these exact spots. So, yeah, the wise guys are digging themselves some Tennessee Titans. Chad Millman, happy holidays, CCO Action Network, all odds provided by Draft King. Great talking to you, buddy. Great seeing you too, brother. Happy holidays to you and the entire crew.

The volume. 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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I don't care which I'll say. Yep, that's me. 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 Clifford Show.

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