The Josh Innes Show - Don't Tell Me To Be Happy With 7-5

Episode Date: November 26, 2024

The Chargers, who were on the rise, are now on the decline after losing to the Ravens. I still think the Ravens, Chiefs and Lions are the most viable Super Bowl threats. The Eagles are also in play. Saquon Barkley should be the MVP. Where would the Eagles be without him? I hear people saying that Barkley and Henry prove that the running back has been unfairly devalued. I disagree. Most running backs are a dime a dozen. But, special running backs can be game changers. I saw a guy post that the Texans fans should be happy about being 7-5. Bullshit. This team has woefully underachieved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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And it was a big road win for the Ravens, who had been kind of sputtering a little bit. So that was a nice road win for them to kind of get back on track. They did a really outstanding job against the P pass, which is something they haven't done all year. So, I mean, they've been awful against the pass. So to basically shut down Justin Herbert, particularly in the second half, I mean, they left them, they rendered them null and void in the second half. So give the Ravens credit there, but watching the game, it wasn't very exciting because neither offense really ever got going in the game. It was kind of a stagnant game. But you watch the Chargers and the Ravens and you look at it from the standpoint of the Texans and you go, all right, AFC, big picture. We talk about this every week. Texans are playing bad football. CJ looks broken.

The offensive line is bad. They commit too many penalties. The defense gives up too many big plays. We questioned D'Amico Ryans as a coach. There's so many things we're looking at from a Texan standpoint here and the AFC, but you looked at the Chargers and we were looking at them as a team on the ascent and we were looking at the Ravens as kind of a, just kind of meandering to slightly descending team well now how do we feel about those two teams after the games we saw or the game we saw last night and the games we saw over the course of the weekend that's the question and you start to look at the AFC big picture and you go all right we know it Texans are married to the four seed more than likely they're not going to They're not going to be a team that's going to more than likely get to the three, right?

They are where they are. They are the four. There's really nowhere they can go. They're not going to lose the division. So they're going to hang out there in the four seed, and that's who they're going to be. But then you got the Ravens now who sit at eight and four, and you got the Ravens coming up in a few weeks. and you got the Ravens coming up in a few weeks. You've got the Chiefs coming up in a few weeks.

You got the Dolphins coming up, and this is that big stretch of games for the Texans. After they play the Jaguars, they've got essentially a murderer's row, if you want to include the Dolphins, who I will, who at five and six have figured out how to score again that two is back. So what you're looking at now in the AFC

is there's a good possibility that the winner of the AFC South who is going to be the Texans because the Colts can't get out of their own way if the Texans win the AFC South which they're going to there's a good possibility they are at best a nine and eight football team that's pretty much where they should be at the end of this thing is nine and eight. That is bare minimum worst case scenario. After losing in an embarrassing fashion at home to the two and eight Will Levis led,

about to fire the coach Tennessee Titans. After losing the game they lost on Sunday, there is no way they can come out and lose the game to the Jaguars this week. It is a must win. It is a no doubt win. You must go and win that game and win it big. So you win that game and that gets you to eight and five with four games to go.

There is a more than likely possibility you lose three consecutive games and lose three of four going into the playoffs. There's also a possibility that you lose three in a row and have already locked up a playoff spot by the end of the season. And you may not play anybody against the Titans and might lose that game, or you might try and lose that game. So there is a possibility that we are looking at a nine and eight, eight and nine football team. That's going to be in the playoffs in the four seed. Now, the question is, do you believe that the Texans could somehow turn things around and upset somebody? Do you believe in that three game stretch where they play the Dolphins and they play the Chiefs and they play the Ravens?

Do you believe that they could come out and win any of those games? We'll talk about that. Let's's do that here I'll play a couple commercials let's talk about that AFC big picture and other stuff so last night Chargers who were really on the come up and people were talking big about their defense their defense got worked pretty good by big plays last night the Chargers weren't great Lamar wasn't great he only ran for a handful of yards didn't throw the ball particularly well. They got a few big plays that were huge for them. But the Chargers, the whole world was blowing the Chargers.

Look out for the Chargers. Chargers at home really laid an egg. The game wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. And now the Ravens are back on the come up. Let's talk about that after a few words. All right, if you're ready to win some real cash during the basketball playoffs, you've got to check out Pick 6 from DraftKings. When it comes to basketball payouts, DraftKings Pick 6 posterizes the competition,

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Void where prohibited. One per new customer. Bonus award. It is non-withdrawable pick six credits that expire in 14 days limited time offer see terms at pick six dot draft kings dot com slash promos all right so you start to look at the afc we officially are done with the week right you say what teams are contenders in the AFC? The Ravens are contenders. The Chiefs are contenders. After that, I will not call any other team a contender. I will not call Josh Allen a contender. I stand by that. I always stand by that until Josh Allen, who's probably going to

win the MVP, by the way, until Josh Allen gets in the playoffs and beats Pat Mahomes in a meaningful game and actually gets to a Super Bowl. Then we'll start talking about them being contenders. But until that happens, Josh Allen continues to be a loser by the definition of the word loser. Not a bad guy, just a guy that doesn't win the big games in January. So the Ravens, I'm going to give the Ravens credit and say I think they can do it, even though Lamar hasn't done it either. I mean, look, you're in a world where it's Patrick Mahomes and everybody else. The Ravens don't get it done in that situation, neither do the Bills.

But for whatever reason, I have a greater trust in the playmakers and Lamar and the King. Once you get to January, they have a guy, when you look at the combination of Lamar and the King, I think that Derrick Henry's the kind of guy that if the day is right and that offensive line's blocking it up good, that guy can give you a buck 50 in January and you can win a football game. I would trust that more than I would trust Josh Allen to win a big playoff game. As we've talked about, Josh Allen's had many opportunities in big postseason games, 13 seconds against the Chiefs, they didn't get it done. Blew a playoff game early in his career to the Texans.

Like, I just, I don't believe in Josh Allen. You can give him the MVP all you want. You can give him his flowers for having this team playing extremely well despite the fact he lost digs and they don't have the same playmakers they've had. Give him all that credit. Also look at the fact they're playing in a really bad AFC East. They're going to coast to winning that division. It's not very competitive. Look, the AFC West, the Chiefs, people talk about how the Chiefs have not looked Chiefs-like this year.

Well, they still only lost one damn game, and their division with the Broncos, their division with the Chargers is a better division than what Josh Allen is dealing with in the AFC East. But either way, none of that matters. Once you get to the playoffs, who do I believe can win playoff games? Who do I believe is legit? And until proven otherwise, no matter who Pat Mahomes lines up against in the playoffs, I'm going to take Pat Mahomes and Andy Reid. I don't feel the same way about Lamar and I don't feel the same way about Lamar, and I don't feel the same way about Josh Allen.

But I like the coach better in Baltimore, and I like the weapons better in Baltimore. So I would take the Ravens to be a Super Bowl contender, but if they lined up against the Chiefs in a playoff game, I would take the Chiefs. Although they should have beaten the Chiefs in week one. They missed it by an inch. Then you look at the NFC. I think the Eagles have worked their way into Super Bowl contender status, even though I'm still not a Jalen Hurts guy, but they've played

the right teams. The games have played out the right way. They play a very slow, boring brand of football that eats a lot of clock. They put together long drives, but whenever they're running the ball well and the play action's working. But whenever they're running the ball well and the play action's working for them and they're not relying on Jalen Hurts to beat teams by throwing 30 times, the Eagles are damn near unbeatable. When they get the running game cooking

and they control time of possession, and you can say that about a lot of teams, but there are other teams that do have quarterbacks that can win it if you put it on their shoulders. Like Pat Mahomes can win a game for you. Josh Allen can win a game. Lamar can win a game. C.J. Stroud, I know you haven't seen it this year, but C.J. Stroud can do it.

Like there are a lot of quarterbacks in the league. Justin Herbert can do it and throw for 300, 350 and win a game. Joe Burrow can do it for you. There are two that can. There are a lot of guys who have the ability as throwers to do it. I don't believe in Jalen Hurts in that can. There are a lot of guys who have the ability as throwers to do it. I don't believe in Jalen Hurts in that way. Things have to be going very well for Jalen Hurts to be successful moving the ball down the field vertically.

But when that team is running and Saquon Barkley, who for my money is the MVP of the league, at plus 750, he's a guy you should strongly consider at plus 750. I think it's where the number is. It may have changed. But he is the league MVP. The guy is dominating the sport. Don't give it to Josh Allen. Great. Oh, why? Because he's a quarterback and his team's playing well. And Stefan Diggs rolled out on his ass. Look at what Saquon Barkley is doing

from a running and catching and touchdown scoring perspective. And tell me there's somebody else that should be the MVP. Unless the MVP is truly just about giving it to the greatest player in the sport, then give it to Pat Mahomes every year because he's the best player in the sport. If that's not what it is, look at what a guy means to his team. Look at what Saquon Barkley is doing right now and what the Eagles would be. And it's so weird to say this because it's strange to say it

because the running back has been so diminished value-wise. And for the most part, it's accurate. Most teams can get by and win games with good quarterback and kind of marginal running back play, right? Like you can survive with a no-name running back. Now, you'd like to have Derrick Henry, who I think has been a big addition for the Ravens. And you'd like to have a Saquon Barkley, who I believe is the reason why the Eagles are doing what they're doing. But you can survive with guys like Kareem Hunt, who are on like a second tour of duty with the team.

You can get by with guys who are not superstar, high-priced guys at that position. So I'm never going to say that, oh, I think we devalued how important a running back is. No, we're exactly right about how valuable a running back is. But there are a handful of guys who trump all that because they're just ballers. And Saquon Barkley this year has been a baller, and I think Saquon Barkley should be the MVP.

Based on the touchdown numbers, based on the number of games that he's putting up, a buck 50. I don't think there's been a game this year, maybe one game where you go, shit, Barkley was a non-factor. Catching, running, attitude. He has made life a lot easier for Jalen Hurts. That guy's the MVP.

So because of that, and because they're not putting Jalen Hurts in situations where he can cost you these games, like early in the season, Hurts was turning the ball over a ton. Those turnovers have gone down. They're running the ball extremely well. Now, in January, if you face a team that's able to shut down Saquon Barkley,

do you believe that Jalen Hurts is going to beat teams by having to throw the ball? I don't, but I have to put them in the category of contenders. Lions, Eagles. And I know that's easy to say, but you look around the NFC, who else is there? Who else are you going to look at from the NFC and go, look out? Packers? Because I like Love and I like his playmakers. But it ain't going to be the team that comes out of the NFC West.

It ain't going to be the team that comes out of the NFC South. I think both of those teams, Tampa, Falcons, Seattle, are all teams that can sling it. So if you get the right matchup and you get into a shootout with a team, you could upset somebody. Like I think Geno on a good day, Geno can sling it. On a good day, Baker can sling it. So if you get the right matchup, they can win a playoff game.

And if you find a team that's able to shut down Saquon, do I think Tampa with their playmakers all you know they're missing Godwin but they still have Mike Evans they still have two very capable running backs who can catch and run like if Baker faced off against Jalen Hurts battle of Oklahoma dudes if those two dudes played in the playoffs do I think Tampa could beat the Eagles sure I think they could I don't think they would but I think they could so there's really to me only and like I throw the Ravens in there just cuz really I think it's the Chiefs and I think it's the Lions and we're on a crash course for this and then I would throw in the Eagles because of

what Saquon Barkley is doing NFC wise I just don't see ton. The team that's the sleeper that can maybe pop up and beat somebody, I'd put a sleeper on the Packers, and I'd put a sleeper on whoever comes out of the NFC West if it's a team like Seattle who on a given day with the combination of Smith and Jigba and DK and Lockett, and they can run the ball with Walker. if you get a team like that and they win the NFC West and they play a home playoff game which is a tough place to play like they could win a playoff game I wouldn't say they're a contender like they're like I don't think it's wide open like I do think that there is a hierarchy of teams that are the clear-cut favorites the

Lions are the clear-cut favorite to The Lions are the clear-cut favorite. To me, they are clearly, today, the best team in the NFL. Record-wise, they're brilliant. They're just great. I don't really think the Chiefs are a great team, but I don't think there's a great team in the AFC. So the team that's more likely to get upset in the postseason, to me, like if the Chiefs got a matchup, I could see the Chiefs getting upset. Although I've I've said I mean I don't believe a team's going to beat Patrick Mahomes and at this point until proven otherwise I don't but I'd say it's more likely that Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs get upset because I think there's better AFC potentially AFC quarterback play than on a given day could beat them it's all about the matchup and where you play if it's Arrowhead Stadium and it's sub

zero temperatures like Tua was in a couple years ago, well, Tua's not going to win that game. But if you get the right matchup in the AFC and things go really well, could Lamar beat the Chiefs in a playoff game? He could. I wouldn't pick it to happen, but it could. I don't believe the Bills could. Talent-wise, Josh Allen could. I don't believe he would. I don't look at the NFC and see teams that i think are going to upset the lions i think the lions are just they're a wagon they're a train they are monsters so i don't believe that like i don't look at those guys and go yeah okay i think they got a shot like like the lions it would be a massive failure on every level for the Lions to not be in the Super Bowl. That would be a failure. Like last year, they almost got there and they ran into

the 49ers and it didn't work out, but the 49ers were good and Purdy was playing well. They had their weapons. I mean, the 49ers are a mess this year. The 49ers aren't a threat to anybody. Like, I don't think anybody looks at the 49ers and says, oh, look out for the Niners. They're not. If somehow the Lions do not get to the Super Bowl, it is a massive, massive failure. If the Chiefs don't get there, it's kind of like, well, we don't know that the Chiefs are really that good this year anyway. They're just the Chiefs. There's not a team in the AFC where you go failure if they don't make the Super Bowl based on where they are now like based on name you'd go Chiefs didn't make the Super Bowl Pat Mahomes didn't make it what a failure but based on where we are with a handful

of weeks a month plus left in the season if Detroit doesn't make the Super Bowl Detroit failed no longer is Detroit cute little Detroit. No boy, we're biting people's kneecaps and they're just excited to be in the playoffs. And now they're just excited to win a playoff game. It's different. The vibe is different. Everything is different today for the Lions losing any playoff game. And they're going to have home playoff games the whole way through. If they don't make the Super Bowl Campbell Goff down the line they failed if the Chiefs lose a home playoff game to the Ravens I can't sit there and tell you they failed Lamar Jackson's won two MVPs so okay that time they finally got your number if you lose to Josh

Allen it's a failure because Josh Allen's a loser but you lose to Lamar you lose with some of these other guys like okay the Chiefs kind of over, I mean, the Chiefs have overachieved this year. There's no doubt about that. The Chiefs have been a massive overachiever. So anyway, Lions would fail if they didn't make it to the Super Bowl. AFC, it's kind of whatever. Then you go back to the Texans. There is a very good possibility that they are losing three of their last four games

heading into the playoffs because they're going to make the playoffs. And if the last game doesn't matter, they might lose four. I don't think they're going to lose this week. Can you imagine the Texans rolling into the postseason on a four-game losing streak

at eight and nine in a home playoff game in one of the lamest home field environments in the league it's very possible right now things are dire for them they're awful like I saw a guy and one of these media guys post a graphic that had the previous coaches of the texans or some of them had david cully had lovey and had o'brien i think it also included the the one doofus and there wasn't the coach but the behind the scenes guy and there he goes i remember where there'd be a day where if the texans were seven and five and in first place by two games people would be crying tears of joy in Houston well that's bullshit considering that Bill O'Brien went to the playoffs four times and

there wasn't a year that they liked Bill O'Brien the fans hated Bill O'Brien and also conveniently this guy left off Gary Kubiak who made the playoffs twice in what six or seven years as the head coach of the Texans so like you make it sound like people, if you win at all, people will love you in Houston. People didn't love Gary Kubiak and now they only act like they loved him because he went on to win a Superbowl with Denver and Bill O'Brien went to the playoffs four times. And in some instances with bum ass quarterbacks and nobody was crying tears of joy. So the idea that like, well, the Texans should just be grateful that they're seven and five and in first place. Well, that's bullshit too. It's the two things can be real, right? A football team can be underachieving, which the Texans are, and you can still be okay with the

fact that they don't suck. Like multiple things can be true, but like people live in this universe where it's like, well, maybe you should just be happy about the fact they're seven and five because it could be worse yeah it could be worse but it could also be better when you look at the games the Texans have lost and the quarterback they have like I love these people that say well uh you know you got to look at CJ Stroud give me a retweet if you're still rolling with our quarterback of course I'm still rolling with Stroud he's a super talented guy. But you can't just say, I got his back and not look at the fact that he's played like shit. Everybody tries to come up with excuses for why the Texans stink, and all of them are valid.

Offensive line stinks right now. The secondary stinks right now. You know who else stinks? The quarterback. He looks scared shitless. If anybody not named C.Jj stroud would have run out of the back of the end zone on that on the play at the end of the game that got the safety we'd ridicule the shit out of that guy but instead since it's cj we're like that's okay

no it was a bonehead play and he sucked in that game and he's had a lot of games that he's been mediocre or sucked and he's made a lot of bad decisions and he's seen ghosts. He's leaving the pocket when he doesn't need to. A lot of that has to do with the fact that his offensive line is dreadful. That's fair. But he's played like shit in a lot of instances and missed some big throws and made some big mistakes. I mean, think about where the Texans are.

They're 7-5 and you say, oh, well, where the Texans are. They're 7-5, and you say, oh, well, I think people would be thrilled to be 7-5. Well, you're 7-5. You blew a 16-point lead at home to the best team in the NFL that turned the ball over five times, and then you just sacked Will Levis eight times last game. You had a defensive score, and that team was 2-8 at home, and you lost that. So you can sit there

and tell me, oh, you should just be happy to be seven and five. They should be nine and fucking three at worst. Just looking at the games, they blew. I'm not talking about getting your ass kicked by Minnesota. And I'm not talking about playing like shit against the jets, which was still a game you could have won, but you played like shit and probably didn't deserve to win that game. If you just take the two of their five losses in the last three weeks, and you take 16-point lead, second half, at home, Lions five interceptions, and then a two and eight Titans team comes in, and you score a defensive touchdown, sack the quarterback eight times, have a huge kickoff return to start the game and you lose those this should at worst even with all the bad shit they've had happen to them at worst should be a team that's nine and three and if you're nine

and three the two seed comes into play more than not the one, although you get to play Kansas City head up. And Kansas City's the team sitting in the one seed at 10-1. If you're 9-3, you've already beaten the Bills. It's hard to believe this team beat the Bills. But if you just win those two games you should have won in the last three weeks, you have a huge win over the best team in the NFL at that point too. Basically, you'd have wins over two of the best teams in the NFL the Lions and the Bills and you'd be at nine wins with a game against Kansas City still coming up

you could be playing for the one seed had you not blown that game against the Lions and been dreadful at home in this game against the Titans that's what makes it frustrating that's what makes you go like don't feed me that we should be you know we should be happy to be seven and five bullshit you should be upset as shit to be seven and five because you should be nine and three which could have you in the two so don't give me that shit all right anyway we'll do more