The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd's Blazing 5: 12/15/2018

Episode Date: December 15, 2018

Coming off a 4-1 week Colin gives his Blazing 5 picks from week 15 to RJ Bell of Pregame.com and Fox Sports Radio who tells him which ones the wise guys in Vegas agree with. Plus, Colin releases a special bonus pick that was not included in his Blazing 5. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me.

He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. you just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to her. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, it's the herd. Everybody knows about the risks of driving drunk. You can get in a crash. People get hurt or killed. But that still doesn't stop everybody. You could get arrested.

You could incur huge leads. legal expenses, and you could possibly even lose your job. We all know the consequences of driving drunk. One thing's for sure. You're wrong if you think it's no big deal. It is. Drive sober or get pulled over. To our Saturday morning, RJ Bell podcast, Blazden 5 podcast, very excited today off of four in one week. First, our Blazing 5. Let's blaze it up. It's Collins, Blazine 5. Browns and Broncos. I love Cleveland plus three at Denver. It's a Saturday game.

Browns have won three of four. And since week 10, when they got rid of that mess between Todd Haley and Hugh Jackson and the infighting and the infending divorce, Baker Mayfield leads the NFL and pass yards for attempt, they are throwing the ball and throwing it downfield, baby. He is also, and this is key, only been sacked once over the last four games. That is fewest by any quarterback. He's got good running backs, a couple of nice receivers, and the offensive line is protecting him. I'm going to take what I think right now is the better, more optimistic locker room.

Browns plus three win 2423. Rators and Bengals. Listen, I've been critical of John Gruden, but they're great in this spot. The Raiders plus three, I'll take them. The Bengals defense is, I'm not joking here, last in about eight different categories. It's one of the worst NFL defenses of all time. And Derek Carr, don't buy into the hype. Watch the games.

Hasn't thrown a pick since week five. And over the last two games, Derek Carr is completing 75% of his passes and averaging 300 yards. John Gruden and Derek Carr are clicking right now against an awful defense. I'll take the better team in the points. Raiders win 2721. Cowboys at Colts. Like it. I love it.

I'll take the Colts at home. minus two and a half. They've won six of seven. They have a lot to play for in this game. They're in a dog fight to earn a wild card spot, and the Cowboys already off emotional games are locked in. Also, Andrew Luck this year is absolutely a monster, and this is still without a number two or three receiver.

Dak Prescott, for the record, has been sacked 48 times this year. You're talking about a quarterback, Andrew Luck, that used to get hit that isn't. and one that shouldn't get hit that is, I'm going to take the Colts to win 24-20. Titans and Giants. Titans plus two and a half against the Giants team that will not have Odell Beckham.

This is an easy one. First of all, slow down on the Giants, suddenly hot Giants winning streak. They've beaten Ryan Fitzpatrick, Chase Daniel, Mark Sanchez, and Nick Mullins. Let's slow down a little. The Titans have the significantly better defense. Eli's still been sacked 43 times, third most in the NFL. The Titans are an

incredibly physical team up front. They're the better team. Now, they're not great on the road, which worries me a little, but I'm going to take the two and a half. The Titans win straight out. Eagles and Rams. I don't call blowouts on this show. I'm calling one. This was minus nine. Now it's Rams minus 11 because Carson Wentz is out. are going to roll and win this thing by a ton. First of all, they're 5 and 0 after a loss with Sean McVe. They're also 6 and 0 at home. This is a team that's very good when comfortable.

They're facing a backup quarterback. They're at home. They're after a loss. They're ticked off. And the Eagles have not won a game this year when they don't rush for 100 yards. Without Carson Wentz, they're going to try to run the football. And the Rams know it. This is going to be ugly.

And if the Rams, because Goff has struggled in the last couple of weeks, if the Rams get ahead, they're going to pour it on to give Goff confidence in this game. Because he's really struggled last couple of weeks. Rams a blowout. And I don't call these much, 41 to 26. All right, before we get to RJ, the holidays are close. Really close. And if you're behind in your holiday shopping, I am.

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Pregame.com is the exclusive odds provider to the Associated Press at RJ in Vegas. In fact, what is that Twitter handle again, RJ? At RJ. Yeah, it's at RJ in Vegas. At RJ in Vegas. Keep it simple, baby. All right, here we go. Off a four in one week, I love my picks this week. I'll start with this. Browns Plus 3 at Denver.

Denver is lost now. They're two best receivers for the year. I don't think they have a ton to play for. While I think the Browns are still very optimistic, I do worry that they're missing one of their better tackles because Bradley Chubb and Vaughn Miller are exceptional pass rushers. But I really like the Brown's optimism, what they're playing for. You've got coaches on that staff, frankly, RJ, that are playing, coaching for jobs.

I'm going to take Cleveland plus three. What do the wise guys think? Oh, big agreement here. This is super sharp. Listen, I think these two teams are going in opposite directions, and in a 16-game season, you would think, oh, it's not enough games to really ebb and flow that much. Well, I think here we're certainly seeing it. On one hand, Denver's not that good, even if you look at the whole season. One of the stats we like to look at, Colin, is what percentage of the snaps is a team leading throughout the season?

Because it tells you are they controlling the game? Denver, the third worst in the NFL in the number of snaps they've led a game. Now, you mentioned it, Sanders out, their best quarterback out, and they got tore up Denver last week on defense. So they're not playing well relative to the whole season, and the Denver didn't really play that well beforehand. Plus, Denver's out of the playoffs. I mean, they have less than a 5% chance.

That lost last week. Oh, yeah, crushed them. Dream crusher. Now, quickly, let's flip it around. Cleveland's playing not only for jobs, but to make a statement about Hugh Jackson. And, oh, by the way, since Hugh Jackson left, Baker – you might not want to hear this. Baker-Mayfield, third best passer rating in the NFL, behind only Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. Well, you got an agreement.

I like that. Raiders, the narrative is they're no good. But you know what's interesting? I asked Greg Kossel this week. do you see things you like? And he's like, offensively, yeah. It was a really good game plan. The Bengals are a bad football team.

I still like the Raiders offensive personnel. And like Cleveland, they're not a great team, but they're playing for next year. Players are playing for jobs. They know Gruden will get rid of him. I'm going to take the Raiders plus three against the Bengals with a potential blowout here. What are the wise guys think? Agreement here. And I tell you, I think the mainstream media has been playing wrong about the Raiders and

Gruden. You heard talk of tanking. To me, and you mentioned it, is Raiders probably financially, the weakest team, the poorest team in the NFL, they're looking to bridge themselves to Vegas, because when they get to Vegas, they're hitting the slot machine. They're going to be financially fine. So what do you do in the interim? You get the best PR guy probably could as a coach to take the He, and, quite frankly, he's a motivator. Keep the team motivated. So Raiders have played hard. Number two, we don't know much about Cincinnati's effort here.

Hugh Jackson's in that team right now, in that building. What does that mean for the future? No one knows, right? Now, Jeff Driscoll, if you look at the stats and just glance at him quickly, 64 attempts, 53 completions. That sounds awesome. But only 406 yards. I mean, talk about dink and dunk.

Last two games, bengals, only three offensive touchdown. So Driscoll's stats don't look bad, performance is not good at all. Here is the insider tip of the week. Raiders defensive coordinator, Gunther, was the D.C. for Sinci in 14, 15, 16, 17. So inside information, and you know Marvin Lewis isn't changing very much. I think that's a big edge agreement rater. Two and O agreement from the wise guys. I love this game.

Colts are a favorite. And so everybody, all the squares are going to take the Cowboys. I love the Colts minus two and a half for two reasons. Again, Dallas has won their division. Okay. And they've come off hugely emotional games. Colts are in a dog fight. Here's another thing I thought about all week.

Frank Reich, the Colt coach, he's faced Dallas. the last couple of years. He knows this personnel. That's inside information. I love the Colts this weekend, even though I bet the public loves Dallas. What are the wise guys think? Yeah, super sharp play.

You're right. And this is one of those pros versus Joe's. Joe's on the Cowboys. Pros with you on the Colts. Now listen, I generally like both of these teams. Yeah. I look at Dallas and I think, all right, since Cooper came, you know,

all kind of stats about what kind of improvement he made. league high and catches since he came, for example. Also, the defense for the Cowboys young and trending upwards, which means probably the September games aren't really representative, so those season-long stats that get blended, probably underrating the Cowboys. That said, motivation. Dallas is now over 99% to win the division.

So were they really playing for, especially off a tough game? Colts are playing for their playoff live. Also, you mentioned Reich. So true. If you look at the Eagles last year, statistically, the only stat they really excelled in was third down and long, which is so tough in the NFL, but Wentz was amazing. Well, Frank Reich was the guy who put that third down package together.

We see the absence now in Philadelphia what it's doing. Now he's in, obviously, Indy and doing well. luck, but very familiar with the Cowboys agreement. By the way, I'm going to watch this game. I'm not going to bet it because I actually think Dallas is surging. The pros love what you're doing, but I'm going to look to bet on the team that loses, Colin. So this is a great tip for the listener, is when you have two teams you want to play on, sit back, watch the game.

Whoever loses look to play on them next week because the public is going to be sour on them for losing. Before we get, we have three more picks. Now through December 25th, Christmas. The 23 and Me DNA kits are on sale. 23 and Me helps you understand your DNA, your family story. It's named for the 23 pairs of chromosomes that make up your DNA, our DNA. It's a perfect gift. I loved it.

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where you're from, physically where you're going. Highly recommended. All right, back to RJ Bell, pregame.com. This line confused me. Titans are getting points at the Giants. Again, the Titans are in an absolute dog fight for the playoffs. This is a team that is manhandled, manhandled the New England Patriots. And, you know, the Giants, again, I do think they're a better offensive team. But they've been wildly inconsistent. I think the much better team is getting too many points. And I was a little confused by the line.

I'll take the Titans. What do the wise guys think? Well, listen, if you don't understand the line, it's always important to really realize why it's off. And I think if we think about this one, we know. Giants, a New York team, a team that when they start to win, people get excited about. And the Giants have won four out of five games. When's the last time they've done that? And they should have beat Philadelphia. Imagine the excitement of the Giants had won five in a row. And they looked dominant last week against the Redskins. Obviously, Sanchez, a quarterback, the O line decimated for the Redskins.

so it probably wasn't as impressive as it seemed. Now, a negative for the Giants, beyond them being expensive, Landon Collins. Yes, out. You know, they lost or they traded, Snacks Harrison. The defense actually against the run got worse after that. Now another problem on defense. And then if you think about it, and one of the things we like to do is consider matchups, is you have a mobile quarterback with the Titans.

Giants have given up the fifth-most yards to opposing quarterbacks rushing in the NFL. So agreement on your Titans. I do have one concern. Tennessee has one of the more severe home road split. Five and one at home this year, two and five on the road. That said, I think there's still value Tennessee. Okay. And finally, this is an interesting game.

I'm going to take the Rams minus 11. Now it was initially minus 9. Carson Wentz is out minus 11. But I do think this is a really important game for them. The Rams have been struggling. They've been a terrible cover team. And then the Chargers in their hometown win on Thursday and look great. They've got to get it right.

And they have just not played well for a month. Gough has struggled. And I think some of that's the loss of Cooper Cup. But I think Philadelphia with Wentz out, they're just, I mean, it's a hospital ward. And I do think the Rams are mostly a very solid team. They're at home, and I do think this is, even though they've got their division, I think it's one of those rare opportunities. We're a coaching staff and a locker room.

It's like, guys, we got our division. Let's clean this up. We got to get some momentum back. So I think they roll over Philadelphia. What are the wise guys think? I tell you, this is going to be a slight agreement because if you're laying doubles, you're going to be with Freddie Fannie Pack, as I like to call. They walk down Fremont.

You know, Freeman. Oh, yeah. They got the Twinkie, D-Frient. Twinkie, right, in the fanny pack. That said, if you think about, you do have that slight agreement with the RANF, FOS. Five and O agreement, by the way, I haven't had that ever. Well, no, I think I did it once last year.

Yeah, over the years you've had it. I think this year's first time for sure. Fos' Super Bowl performance, everyone remembers it. It was probably a top five of all time for a quarterback. But if you look at his average game since he replayed, you know, since the end of last year, it hasn't been all that much better than an average backup, right? That's important. Number two, what message does it send?

Did Wents get any more hurt, Colin, in the last week? Or they're putting them on the shelf, which is a sign they think the season's over? I think it's that, and I think the locker room knows it's that. And that's the message. Yes. So it's not just the absence. It's the message of Went's sitting now. By the way, Eagles, D-backs, the most decimated defensive unit probably in the league, they're D-backs.

Dallas, who doesn't slow down field much, passed for 434 yards last week. And you mentioned it. Golf has been off. Is this a case where McVeigh looks to get him off to snide and make his statement? And make him feel better. Build his confidence back up. I think they'll pour it on if leading. And I think you're right.

Last thing. Talib. Now, you know, he's a guy that we can say, oh, I don't like his style or character, whatever. Some people might say that. But here's some numbers. Six, or there's been five games this season, Taleb has played for the Rams. They've given up 14 points a game.

There's been eight games without Taleb. Over 30 points a game the Rams have given up. This got obscured last week because the offense played so poorly, but the Rams D, especially against the pass. played very well. And finally, bonus pick for our audience. RJ Bell hosts the first ever national network radio show covering sports betting, six to seven Eastern, three to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, listen myself.

I'd probably take the Texans minus six at the Jets for this reason. The Jets do not, and it's gotten worse over the course of a season, they're really struggling to defend the run, and Houston's running game over the last five to six weeks has gotten dramatically better. I kind of feel the Texans control the line of scrimmage, and I don't have to give up a touchdown. I'd probably lean Texans minus six. What do the wise guys think?

Big disagreement here. And I don't love the Jets, but if you look at Sam Darnold, very rusty early in the game, but you would make the case the last 18 minutes for Darnold last week, maybe his best 18 minutes of the season. No, that passed to Robbie Anderson. That was a veteran big time.

He and Baker of both had real moments this year where you know they're both going to work. Well, I tell you this, Colin, is we're in the super contest gold. It's the biggest NFL contest in the world. 5,000 enter. Win or take all, 640,000. We are one game out of first, only one player ahead of us. An online sportsbook actually put up odds on who's going to win.

The pregame team is favored to win that 640. We'll see. Our only lost last week was the bills. So I feel that pain a darned a win. he did. And there is one more thing here. I'm a big believer in looking at regular season December onwards. So really, sometimes there's a stray January game, right? So if you look at those stats, last three seasons, Texans are the worst team against the spread in the NFL, two nine and one. And here's the logic to why it's important. It's because teams get tired,

and if they're not in good shape or they don't have a good training staff, they end up playing worse at the end of the year. Oh, by the way, the best team at the end of the year, the Patriots, so it shows you good coaching makes a difference late. Great talking to you. Good luck on that contest. That is amazing. And I know what you're going to do if you win. You're going to take a trip to New York because you love New York and you're going to go watch Broadway plays. I know you. I know you're going to do that. I was following you all the way to the Broadway plays. Probably a lot of pizza when I go to New York. No question. But I'm very happy for you. We love.

having you on this show and you've really offered clarity through the years. And we feel good on, you know, in our little show, we may get 58, 59% this year, which is always our goal to get 58%. And if we have another good week, I think we're there. And I love the picks. RJ, good talking to you. Thank you. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. And every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves.

Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlic. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman, help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Cliver Taylor the 4th.

And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season.

And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to him, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs.

This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human