The Josh Innes Show - The "Unc Bowl" Was Pretty Epic

Episode Date: October 17, 2025

The old dudes were slinging last night in Cincy. When you watch actual pros like Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco spin it, you realize just how bad so many starting QB's are. Are the Bengals still alive? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All right, everybody. Welcome in, all up in S-433. I'm a little bit late today because there was a wreck on the road. Again, none of this impacts you because you're listening to this whenever the hell you're listening to it. But as it stands right now, I'm about 10 minutes later than I normally start. So I must get going. We must get motoring. I love you guys. I thank you so much for listening. I thank you so much for telling all your friends about it and spreading the word. I would appreciate it if you found more and more and more people. I need everybody possible to listen to this thing.

So please get in. So great football game last night. I had to do a remote last night for the station so I didn't get home until like the second quarter of the game last night. But what a just a fun game. And you get the two old dudes, the old hags going out there and slinging the ball around. And when you watch these old hags throw the ball around like they were last night, it really highlights how mediocre and how terrible so much of the quarterback. play in the NFL is today, that one of the most impressive, most fun games to watch this

year, statistically at least, was a game between two 40-plus-year-old dudes, one who's played, I guess both of whom now have played for at least what combined 10 teams, something like that. It's wild, but let's get into that after these words. Yeah, it's pretty crazy when you think about it, man, that you've got Aaron Rogers, who's what, played for the Packers and the Jets and the Steelers, right? Is that the three that we've seen from Aaron Rogers? And then I don't even know if we could list all the teams that Joe Flacco has played for.

I mean, he's, I guess the AFC North. I guess he's played for everybody in the AFC North at this point. Oh, yeah, I guess he has. I guess he's played for the entire AFC North. My man's bounced around everywhere. He's played for the Colts. I actually need to look this up because I don't know the answer, but it's been the Colts and the AFC North for sure.

and he's played in a lot of places. But Joe Flacco, who is now 40, looks like he's 40 going on like 57. Like you look at Flacco, as he and I are both 40, right? Like, it's wild to think that, but he's the same age as I am. And actually, he's pretty close to turning 41 at this point. But Flacco looks much older than he is. Like, maybe it's the gray hair or what. But, like, you know, you look back at some pictures of people.

Like, I was looking at this the other day. I saw a picture of the cast of Cheers of like the first season of Cheers and it's like Shelley Long like 32 and Coach is the oldest and he was like 50 and then or 40 something even and then there was you know John Ratsenberger and he was like 35 and and Norm was like 32 and you're like holy shit like you watch this and you would assume all these people are in their mid to late 40s no they were all younger than I am now when they started on Cheers and that's kind of like how I feel when I see Joe Flacco. Like I assume Joe Flacco is a lot older than he is

because Joe Flacco has been around for 100 years and he just keeps showing up and he just keeps slinging the pill. And he's obviously found like the Fountain of Youth playing with Jemar Chase who he threw it to 19 times last night. I think it was 18 targets and 14 catches for Jemar Chase. Chase had seven catches in the first half and I believe he had seven catches in the second half. Like Jumar Chase has to feel like he just,

got out of fucking jail because he's playing with this Jake Browning who can't get him the ball. I mean, you're dead no matter who you throw out there. You think, oh my God, it's a wasted season. And at this point, it's still a wasted season. It's not like they're in it. Although that division is so bad, you never know. That was a huge win for the Bengals

last night. For as awful as things have gone, for as bad as their point differential is, as dire as things have looked. They are three and four. They are in a better position than the Texans. Seems like the Texans to make the playoffs. And it's wild to think, but it is. And Joe Flacco might be their savior.

It took him a week to get – it really took him a half of football to get going. They were awful in the first half last week. They started slinging it in the second half last week. And then this week, they just came out guns fucking blazing with Flacco. At least Pittsburgh's defense was kind of revealed, too, because I think Pittsburgh's defense sucks. I think Pittsburgh sucks. But like, hey, it is what it is. Now, here's the teams that Joe Flacko has played for. Holy shit, the Ravens, the Broncos, the Jets, the Eagles, the Jets, the Browns, the Colts, the Browns, the Browns, the Bengals. My God, the dude's played for everybody, and he just keeps slinging. Like, you know, he's the kind of guy that a lot of the Internet people hate because, like, they all want to believe, like, the Anthony Richardson's of the world.

the Justin Fieldses of the world or the J.J. McCarties of the world. Obviously, those three aren't totally comparable, but you get my point, like these young dudes, like the future of the league or whatever. And then you see Joe come out here, old-ass, 40-year-old, going on 41-year-old Joe Flacko, and it just puts up 352, like it's nothing. And then some of these darts the dude was throwing, I mean, he was throwing some gorgeous passes. And what it really shows you is that the Joe.

Jets and the Browns are such worthless organizations. Like Aaron Rogers last year, when you watched Aaron Rogers play with the Jets, everyone to a man just assumed that Aaron Rogers was cooked. When you'd watch Aaron Rogers play, you'd go, oh yeah, he's fucking cooked. Like, he stinks. Look, the team sucks too. But Aaron Rogers is cooked, and it's over for Aaron Rogers. Then you watch him last night, my man's out there slinging it around,

getting out of the pocket, making throws on the run, look my man's look is he what he was 10 years ago no seven years ago no maybe not but the guy can still get out there and get it done the and then you look at the browns the browns basically killed this poor bastard joe flacco because when you watched him with the browns you're like oh god like i guess fly why is flaco still out of it it's very easy to sit there with joe flacco playing for the browns going why the fuck isn't gabriel playing hell why isn't shader playing man flacko fucking sucks. And then you watch him out there slinging the pill around with Jamar Chase and

company and T. Higgins, who made a bunch of plays and Noah Fant, and the running game actually got going as well. I guess it's easier to get a running game going when the defense has to respect the fact that you've got a guy that can throw it for $352. It's a lot easier to shut down a running game for a team, whatever Jake Browning's the quarterback, and you know he can't get the ball to anybody. Shit, man, that was like I enjoyed what. watching that, and I won a lot of bets last night.

So last night was a good betting night. Any night that you can take Jamar Chase, here's something to keep your eye on. Jamar Chase to have a catch in different drives. So, like, they give you the options on the gambling sites to take, like, to have a catch in this drive. I played that thing, like, eight times for Jamar, and I think I hit seven of the eight. Like, the dude's just a fucking stud, and they forced the ball to him. But I say they force it to him.

He's open. It's not like they're throwing it to him in triple coverage and saying, please make a play. The dude is bawling. He's open and they throw it to him. There weren't a ton of these plays that were contested catches. My man's just out there hitting slants, finding openings behind the defense, and just balling. He's open.

Throw it to him and they do. Simple concept. Man, that game was good last night. I was hoping that there would be a little bit more time so maybe A. A. Raj can make one or two plays. But shit. Dude's four. How old is A.

Rage? 41, 42? Dude, throws it 60 yards in the air for a Hail Mary at the end of the game. I mean, look, it wasn't super close to being caught, but it was there. It's not like he ended up 10 yards short of the end zone. My man's 40-something years old, on the run. Hail Mary, 60 air yards, 60 plus air yards. And gave D.K. at least a chance.

Overshot him a little bit so it was easy to knock it down, but gave him a chance. So now what does this mean for Cincinnati? because Cincinnati was dead and buried. But it's impossible to not look at Cincinnati now as a team that could do something if they're going to continue to get that kind of play from Joe Flacko. So now you look at the AFC standings. What does this mean for the AFC? What does this mean for that division?

Look, the division's right there for them. They've got the win over the Steelers. They've got two more losses than them, but they haven't had a buy yet. So the Bengals are three and four. The Steelers are four and two. And as I told you, I don't think the Steelers are that good. And the Ravens are cooked and the Browns are cooked. Even when Lamar gets back, it's going to be tough for the Ravens to overcome one and five.

I don't know what data there is out there that shows, you know, what teams do after they're one and five. But I'm going to guess making the playoffs is really unlikely when you start out one and five. Fortunately for them, they're in a shitty division. But still, the Bengals have completely saved their season. And that's for a Bengals team that's like minus 80 in the point differential. But here they are. They're three and four. and they're in it.

And then you look at their schedule. First of all, they've got to still play a bunch of division games against a division that fucking sucks. Now, again, that changes if Lamar gets there. If Lamar comes back, that does change things a little bit. But that said, the Ravens' defense has sucked whether or not Lamar plays or not. But if you're at the Bengals right now

and you look at your upcoming schedule and you go, we can beat the Jets, the Jets don't have a fucking win? Why couldn't we beat the Jets? You think we can't line up and put Joe Flacco out there and beat a team led by Justin Fields? Do you think we can't win that game? Of course we can't. Think you can't beat the Bears?

I think the Bears are going to be able to move the ball against them because the Bears have just nasty offensive players. But that's not a game you go into at home against the Bears and go, okay, pencil and a loss, that's a game you can win. And depending on how Flacco plays this next week, it wouldn't shock me if they went into that game as a slight favorite over the Bears. Bangles and Steelers, this time on the road, Steelers would probably still be favored,

but as you've seen, you can win that game. But like, let's say you go two and one. You find a way to go two and one in your next three games. What are you, five and five at that point? You're five and five with seven games to go and you're in the middle of it. See what happens. It gets a little bit tougher after that. You've got two of your next four at that point against the Ravens,

but what's the situation health-wise for the Ravens? I would assume Lamar would be back by then. But again, it doesn't change the fact that the Ravens' defense is among the worst in the league, which is weird to say, but their defense is trash. so you're going to give yourself a shot you get the bangles you get the browns at the end of the year you get the dolphins at the end of the year you get the cardinals at the end of the year those last three games are winnable games there Dolphets who knows what they're going to be by the end of the year I mean more than likely they will have already fired the coach by then they're a train wreck so you'll have three games at the end of the year there potentially

so let's say you get to that five and five mark before the last seven games of the year then you split the next four so you're sitting at seven and seven and you've got three games at the end of the year that are more in the winnable category could you get to nine and eight ten and seven to make the playoffs why not And who knows what the limit is, what they can be offensively with Flacko? Who knows? Maybe yesterday was a fluke and then teams figure things out. But, I mean, it's a pretty good strategy that a lot of quarterbacks don't seem to understand.

Find the best player that can catch the ball and throw him the ball a shitload of times. My man, unabashedly, is like, hey, here's 18 targets for Jamar Chase. My man caught like 14 of them. And there's no shame in that game, man. Flacko's just out there, bang, bang. Oh, Jamar, here you go, pal, bang. Last drive of the game, they're driving down the field to try to win the game. First play after the kickoff.

14 yards, Jamar, bang. Next play after that, like 15 yards, Jamar, bang, we're in field goal range. Like, it's a novel fucking concept. And I guess Jamar also helps make it easy because Jamar just gets open. The dude is always open. But like, it's a novel concept. And that's what a lot of these young dickhead quarterbacks don't seem to get. is you just line up and throw it to the best fucking guy on the field and let him make a play.

Every good receiver in the league should get 18 fucking targets. CD Lamb should get 18 targets a game. You think A.J. Brown looks at that and is happy. A.J. Brown's like, fuck this guy. I'm getting like three catches for 40 yards a game. Jamar's getting 18 fucking targets. A.J. Brown will never get 18 targets. A.J. Brown's lucky to get 10 targets or eight targets.

But do you think guys like A.J. Brown watch that and are happy? They're like, no, fuck this guy. Do you think A.J. Brown's going to stroll into work today? Like, boy, I'm happy to be catching passes from Jalen Hurts today. Let's play football. No, he's going to go, I can do that same shit in his mind. He can do the same shit Jumar Chase does. Yet he ain't getting those 18 targets and 14 catch because goddamn limp-dick quarterback can't get it to him.

Boy, what a game, though. Love that game. I think maybe I'm just excited because I won a lot of bets. to. But still, anyway, awesome last night. The old fuckers went out there and just did the damn thing. Old dude football last night. The Unk Bowl, as it was called. And as they're showing these young dudes how to actually do it, to play quarterback. Not play seven on seven shit that you do in college at where there's, you're not making the right reads anything. These are grown-ass men playing football. I was erect watching that last night,

watching grown-ass dudes throw the football last night. That was fun. Anyway, more to come.