The Kevin Sheehan Show - Defense Caves In 34-27 Loss

Episode Date: September 29, 2025

Kevin is in post-gaming Washington's 34-27 loss to the Falcons. Kevin's "Game-Take" is kind to Marcus Mariota and the run game but not so much to a defense that really struggled. The Commanders are 2-...2 and two games back of the Eagles in the NFC East. For all your football betting needs: DCRELOAD at MyBookie for a 50% Deposit Match Want to spruce up your lawn? FastGrowingTrees.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:02 You don't want it. You don't need it, but you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Sheehan Show. Here's Kevin. Shotgun for FedEx. Down at 318 and counting left in the fourth. Seven-point game. Rushes off.
Starting point is 00:00:19 Pennicks. Unloads. A low throw. Drake London going downstairs and it's a catch. What a catch. That was brilliant. Wow. Despite being outplayed,
Starting point is 00:00:32 much of the day, they had a chance until that catch by Drake London on a third and seven. The Falcons converted three straight third downs on that final offensive series. Just one stop, one. And Washington would have had the ball back down seven with an opportunity. I'm in a bit later than usual following a one o'clock game to do this postgame show. The reason, well, the Ryder Cup was unbelievable. and then the 4 o'clock games got really good. So this is going to get out later than usual, but let's do it after a 34 to 27 loss in Atlanta.
Starting point is 00:01:11 A game that drops Washington to 500, 2 and 2 overall, a full two games behind the undefeated Eagles in the East. But who's paying attention to the standings at this point? We got a long way to go. And the news on Jaden Daniels pregame and even during the game is promising. He's expected to be back for next week's game against the Chargers in LA. The Chargers, meantime, lost for the first time this year. They lost to the Giants in Jersey in Jackson Darts first start. The NFL, go figure, week to week, as we always say.
Starting point is 00:01:48 This show is presented, as always, by Window Nation, 86690 Nation, windonation.com if you need new windows. So I want to start with this. I'm not about to tell you that Washington played well enough to win today. They didn't. But the loss today in Atlanta, in my opinion, was much more about how well the Falcons played, especially on offense. The Falcons were much more capable offensively than they showed last week when they got shut out by the Panthers.
Starting point is 00:02:22 And they were clearly fired up to redeem themselves today. I've said this many times. It's a week-to-week league. It's not always who you play, but it's when you play them. Atlanta was embarrassed last week. They were fired up. They were prepared, and they were ready to undo and erase the memory of 30 to nothing against the Panthers. It's just the way the NFL seems to work, you know, especially when a team has talent and Atlanta does. And they play like the seasons on the line, which is what they did. That's, what decided the game more than anything else. In particular, Atlanta's offensive performance led by two stars and a quarterback who rebounded with an excellent performance off his early career worst last week. Bejohn Robinson superstar played like it. Drake London, a pretty damn good number one wide out played like it. And Michael Pennix Jr. often absolutely, horrific performance last week. All the talk about Will Cousins, you know, replace him at some point, and he goes out and
Starting point is 00:03:35 has his career game throwing for 313 yards. It was, from my standpoint, much more about what Atlanta did, especially their offensive players. Now, back to Jaden for a moment. Plenty of reporting pregame from guys like Rappaport and others, along with, with the crew calling the game today, suggesting that Jaden was much closer to playing this week than he was last week, and that he's expected to be back next week in L.A. That's huge, because while Marcus Marietta played another good game,
Starting point is 00:04:14 not as good as last week, but a solid game today, he's no Jaden Daniels. I know that recency bias plays into a lot of our conversations. I'm not saying that the majority of you were like, hey, let's just ride Marcus Mario dearest last week. But there were some people out there that suggested it. He's no Jaden Daniels. This team is a playoff contender and more with Jaden. Without him, they're really not a serious one. In part, because I still think this is a team that has concerns on defense. Obviously, after today, it's easy to feel that way. I'm giving most of the credit.
Starting point is 00:04:54 to Atlanta, but it doesn't take a genius to know that the defense did not play well, and they do not deserve to be taken off the hook. The optimism heading into the game today about the defense was based on two excellent games against teams that aren't that good offensively, and they really weren't that good the days that Washington played them because of injuries along their offensive line. They've now played two games against what I would call a decent offense and maybe, you know, one that's a little bit better than decent in Green Bay. And the defense has struggled in both of those games. I believe the talent's better than it was last year. I do, especially up front. But it's been too quick, too early to be sure
Starting point is 00:05:41 of anything defensively at this point because their best games were against the Giants and Raiders. I'll get to the specifics of the defense's difficult day when I get to my game take, but needless to say, 34 points, 435 yards is not very good. Add to that, you put the Green Bay game together with today's game, and their two losses, the defense has given up 61 points and 839 yards. And let's be honest, they're going to play at least a few teams that are better offensively than Atlanta and Green Bay. You know, they've got the Lions.
Starting point is 00:06:24 They've got the Eagles twice. They have other opponents on their schedule the rest of the way that will be even better offensively than Atlanta and maybe even Green Bay. And Washington has struggled in two outings against better offensive teams. I got this question from Darren that I just read a few minutes ago. Darren wrote, Kevin, Do they win today with Jaden and Terry?
Starting point is 00:06:52 You know what, Darren? I think maybe they would have won with Jaden and Terry. Neither of them play defense, okay, so they wouldn't have been able to help out there. But this team today settled for four field goals. I'd like to think that with Jaden and Terry out there, they would have had another touchdown or two. And that certainly would have or certainly could have made the difference. but Darren, they didn't play today. And Terry's injury is obviously a bigger concern now than Jadens.
Starting point is 00:07:24 So we will get news on that, I'm sure, in the coming week. So the Chargers are next. They'll be in the mode the Falcons were in today, you know, trying to erase a poor outing and a loss against the lowly giants. But Washington's in the same boat next week. Both teams looking to get back on track in what should be a really good football game. especially with Jaden Daniels back at quarterback. The Chargers, by the way, early three-point favorites.
Starting point is 00:07:56 All right, let me get to my game take. We'll do that right after these words from a few of our sponsors. Fall is planting season. Did you know that many plants and trees actually do better when planted this time of year? But you've got to know where to start, and that's why I love fastgrowing trees.com. Doesn't matter if you live in the sunny south or if the air is getting chilly where you live, their plant experts can help you find the perfect fit for your space. They have all the plants your yard needs, like fruit trees, privacy trees, flowering trees,
Starting point is 00:08:31 shrubs, and so much more. Fast-growing trees makes it easy to get your dream yard. Order online and get your plants delivered directly to your door in just a few days without ever leaving home. They're alive and thrive guarantee ensures your plants arrive happy and healthy. And all plants and trees are locally grown in the U.S. ensuring they will thrive in your yard. This fall, they've got the best deals for your yard, up to half off on select plants and other deals. And listeners to this show get 15% off their first purchase when using the code Sheehan at checkout. That's 15% off at fastgrowing trees.com using the code Sheehan at checkout.
Starting point is 00:09:20 Now's the perfect time to plant. Use Sheehan to save today. Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply. Check out the link in the show notes to support the show. Are we finally ready for some football? Well, a new sponsor on this podcast will help out, and it's a good one, guys. Chubbies is ready to help you with their NFL collection.
Starting point is 00:09:45 Whether you're tailgating, grilling, or riding the highs and lows of the game from your couch, Chubbies has the officially licensed NFL gear to keep you looking like the ultimate fan. If you're not a Jersey guy, this is a good alternative. It's an elite alternative. If you are a jersey guy, something tells me you'll love their NFL collection, because when you're invested in the game, your outfit should be too. For a limited time, use my exclusive code, Sheehan, for $10 off at chubbies shorts.com slash Sheehan.
Starting point is 00:10:22 Yes, that includes the NFL collection. Let the thighs out and let the good times roll. Chubbies is the ultimate football apparel brand, so much so. They created their own fantasy football league. George Kittle, Ian Rappaport, and others have come together to assemble the Chubbies League. on NFL fantasy. Each week, the top five scorers will win a chance at Chubby's Polo Shorts combo with their team's logo.
Starting point is 00:10:51 The Grand Champion gets the chance at an ultimate fan experience, a five-city, five-stadium NFL game tour with a plus one. While the fantasy flop faces a hilarious and unforgettable punishment, only Chubbies could pull off. Head to chubbyshorts.com slash the Chubbies League to learn more and have some fun. Get ready for the most outrageous fantasy football season of your life. And would you look at that? For a limited time, our friends at Chubbies are giving you guys the listeners $10 with the promo code Sheehan at chubbyshorts.com slash sheen. That's $10 off your
Starting point is 00:11:35 order with the promo code Sheehan and that includes the NFL collection. support this show and tell them we sent you. Fortin. Debo Samuel with the silencer. How about that throw from Marcus Marieto to Debo Samuel on a fourth down with still nearly nine minutes left in the game? They converted the two-point conversion and it was a 31 to 24 game. Both of those players played well today.
Starting point is 00:12:14 Marcus Mariotta and Debo Samuel more on them and everybody. else coming up in my game take. But first, let me mention that this segment of the show is brought to you by Window Nation. Wind donation is offering two free windows right now with every two purchased and the option of not paying for any of it until the year 2027. No down payment, no payments and no interest charged for two full years. But you have until the end of the month to schedule a free in-home estimate to qualify for that offer. So call them at 86690 Nation or go to windownation.com. Mention my name.
Starting point is 00:12:55 They'll come out and give you a free estimate. You'll actually find out which windows in your home need to be replaced. You're going to be working with a company that has a great product. They are phenomenal when it comes to customer service. And the offer right now is second to none. Buy two, get two free, pay nothing until the year 2027. 86690 Nation, Window Nation.com.
Starting point is 00:13:20 Let's get to my Game Take. Pay attention. He's Kevin's Game Take. The Game Take, as always, is a list of the things that I thought were good from the game, a list of the things that I didn't like, and then other observations that don't really fit into either one of those two categories. Let's start with the things that I liked, and there was plenty from this game, almost all of it, on offense.
Starting point is 00:13:44 I'll start with just big plays offensively and in the return game. Explosive plays like the 48-yard run by Chris Rodriguez on the second drive of the game, and the 58-yard kickoff return by Luke McCaffrey. Those two plays kept them in the game in the first half. They went to the breakdown 17 to 10. Both of those plays set up the 10 points that they got. They overcame a first and 30 on the opening drive of the second half, with Mario da scrambling for 22 yards on a third and 14, a big play.
Starting point is 00:14:24 The 24-yard touchdown pass to Debo on 4th and 3. How about the 25-yard deep shot that drew a PI on Atlanta, a pass intended for Debo on the final drive of the game? The offense made plays in this game. Luke McCaffrey had a great kickoff. return in this game. If the defense had done its part, the game was winnable. Number two on the list of things that I liked, the rush offense. I'll mention when I get to the list of things that I didn't like, the play calling, but man, they had a day running the football. How about Rodriguez,
Starting point is 00:15:03 seven carries 59 yards? Bill, Kroski Merritt, seven carries 47 yards. Those two alone, 14 carries for 106 yards, 7 and a half yards per carry. The offensive line did a great job. The backs did a great job in the run game. In total, with Debo, Marioota, Chris Moore, McNichols, 22 rushes for 147 yards, 6.7 yards per rush. Should have gone to it more, in my opinion. Number three, on the list of things that I liked for a second consecutive week, the quarterback, Marcus Marietta.
Starting point is 00:15:43 Pretty good encore to last week's, you know, terrific performance against the Raiders. He felt the pressure this week more than he did last week and he had some bad plays. I don't think he saw the field as clearly as he did last week, but given what they had to work with offensively, he and the offense did enough to be right there, you know, with a chance at the end.
Starting point is 00:16:07 And they were. But the defense couldn't get off the field when it mattered. 16 of 27 for 156 yards, two touchdowns, one interception. That was on him. He did not see the safety, didn't look him off. He took two sacks, but he escaped at least another two. The touchdown pass to McCaffrey, a really good throw for their first points of the game.
Starting point is 00:16:29 A smart checkdown to get into better field goal range to Debo Samuel in the second quarter. He had an excellent throw to Ertz under pressure near the end of the first half. had a great throw to lane that got called back. The third and 14 scramble for 22 yards. The fourth and three touchdown pass to Debo, obviously two highlights. He did have another intentional grounding this week. He had another near pick to that guy Diablo, but overall, I thought he played well. I'd give him a B plus in this game.
Starting point is 00:17:05 Debo Samuel is on the list of things that I liked. Six catches for 72 yards, ran the first. ball a few times. He did fumble after a catch, but recovered it himself. He's having a good season. On pace right now for 93 and a half catches. Not to mention what he's done on kickoff returns, although not today. They knew with Terry and Noah Brown out that Debo was going to be overworked on offense. They put Lane back there with McCaffrey on kickoffs today and spared Debo. I put Luke McCaffrey on the list of things that I liked. A 58-yard kickoff return that set up points, two catches,
Starting point is 00:17:46 including his second touchdown of the season. I'm not sure how he'll truly grate out, but a 58-yard kickoff return and a touchdown catch gets you on the list. Matt Gay is on the list of things that I liked. No kicker worries this week, four-for-four, including a 52-yarder. He did sail a kick-off. off, the opening kickoff of the game, into the end zone for a touchback that gave the Falcons the ball at the 35-yard line. But four for four, also perfect on the extra points. So a good
Starting point is 00:18:23 day for Matt Gay indoors in Atlanta. It's kind of hard to put anybody on defense on the list of things that I liked, but I'll mention a few. Eddie Goldman had a big stop on a third and one near the end of the first half. Kinlaw had a TFL in this game. Armstrong had a TFL. And Payne forced to fumble on that opening drive of the game on a Bijan Robinson run. Pennix Jr. recovered it for the Falcons, but that was a play that likely saved them four points. They went from the Falcons did a second and one at the Washington 14 after Payne's strip to a third and seven at the 20. So they were able to force a field goal. Louvo made a few plays. John Baptiste made a few plays, but he got hurt. Peck injury, and that could be a serious injury, and that would be another huge loss,
Starting point is 00:19:20 defensive end-wise, edge-wise. What else is on my list of things that I liked? Oh, a takeaway. Finally, a turnover. A takeaway. First of the year, Sanra still caught the interception that was thrown right to him. That was just a bad throw by Pennix Jr. He was trying to lair that throw. over Sanra still. They were in zone. Pennix Jr. didn't have many bad throws. That was one of them. And Sanra still caught it.
Starting point is 00:19:47 And Washington's got one takeaway on this season. Also on the list of things that I liked, man, there were some big hits on special teams coverage-wise. Seemed like every Atlanta returned, someone was getting carted off the field. Number 34, the guy from the preseason, you know, Cahoe, he had a huge hit. on a kickoff return in the second half.
Starting point is 00:20:12 All right, a list of things that I didn't like, which were certainly more significant here to the outcome of the game. And I'm just going to start number one. And this is the reason they lost the game more than anything else in terms of what they did. I still give Atlanta the majority of the credit for playing exceptionally well on offense. They deserved what they ended up getting.
Starting point is 00:20:36 But the defense wasn't good. too many points, too many yards, too many third down conversions, too many explosive plays. The Falcons were really good today. They've got a superstar running back. They've got a very talented tight end. They've got a true number one wide receiver. They've got a pretty decent O line. But, you know, let's go through the list here on this defense, which is the number one bad from today's game. The tackling was not good enough. Too many mistackles. And I'm not just talking about the whiffs on Bejohn Robinson. You can't even count some of those because he does that to everybody. But Tyler Algier must have broken four or five tackles on his own today. Reeves missed a big one on
Starting point is 00:21:21 Bijan's ridiculous touchdown run that made it 17 to 7. Yeah, the defense tackled better to open up this season than they did last year, but today was a step back. It was a rough day tackling. Atlanta's not an easy team to tackle, that's for sure. But it was not a good day in that area. The defense gave up too many explosive plays. You know, a 69-yard swing past Robinson out of the back field, a 43-yarder to London, 26 and 22-yard passes to Pitts, a 20-yarder to number 82, Washington, multiple runs of 10 yards plus, just too many explosive. of plays allowed. You know, the third down defense, six of 12 and three for three to start that opening, to start that closing drive of the game. They desperately needed to stop, couldn't get one,
Starting point is 00:22:22 down 31, 24 after the Debo touchdown on fourth down and the two-point conversion, still close to nine minutes left, and Pennick scrambled for a first down on a third and four. He threw to pits for 22 yards on a third and six on a play in which he got held by Kwan Martin. That didn't work. And then on a third and seven, the play that we played coming into the show to Drake London, which gave them field goal range. They had to have a stop, you know. And that throw, by the way, was a big time throw because he was under pressure. Armstrong was closing in. I think Louvre was as well. And Drake London being covered by Latimore had this separation. The throw wasn't perfect, but man, did he reach down there and snag it? It was an excellent
Starting point is 00:23:09 catch. That put him in solid field goal range and gave them three more plays minimum to run clock and force Washington to call their timeouts. The next play, Alger, broke a few more tackles and rumbled for 19 yards down to the nine yard line, and that was, you know, basically game over. Coverage defensively was an issue again. It's been a problem, even in their wins. Bobby Wagner, excellent as a blitzer, excellent in the run game. Not the guy you want matched up against Bijon Robinson. Not the guy you want matched up against tight ends. He has struggled and I think is a bit of a liability in coverage.
Starting point is 00:23:50 You know, it reminds me of London Fletcher's last few years. He was so good in some areas, but coverage-wise, he couldn't run the way he used to be able to run. I thought there was some pressure at times today. There's been pressure pretty much all season long, but not enough, especially when they needed it on some of those third downs. When they did get it, Pennix Jr. was just really good, along with receivers who got too open. The run defense took a step back today. It's been pretty decent all year long. The numbers may not look horrible today, but this was the worst run-stopping day of the year.
Starting point is 00:24:30 It's not all their fault. Bejohn is elite. 128 total rushing yards for Atlanta. Robinson was 17 for 75, 4.5 yards per carry. Defense just wasn't anywhere near good enough today against a team that, you know, I will remind you, did not score last week against the Panthers. How much of it is scheme versus, you know, talent? I don't know.
Starting point is 00:24:58 I think some of it is, though. The defense through four games is improved, but still not good enough against better offenses. It's early, and we've got a long way to go. But as I mentioned in the open and I mentioned all week, be careful about declaring this defense to be fixed, to be much better, to be a strength of the football team. Two decent offensive teams, but not the best offensive teams in the league, torched this. defense to the tune of, you know, 61 points and 839 yards in two games. It's not good enough. The Chargers aren't elite offensively, but there'll be a challenge very much like Atlanta was today. So, you know, I covered pretty much everything I've got in my notes. Defense number one on the list of
Starting point is 00:25:53 things I didn't like. Number two, Cliffs Play Calling. I hate doing this, but I just didn't think they ran it enough. 22 rushes, including Marioados, for 147 yards. That's 6.7 yards per carry. The running backs, I've already mentioned this, Rodriguez and Kroski Merritt, 106 yards on 14 carries.
Starting point is 00:26:17 That's really all that needs to be said. Until Atlanta could stop it, why did you stop running those guys? The O line did a great job. Last week, the run game was the key to their offensive success. Not sure why, like on the opening drive of the second half.
Starting point is 00:26:32 Let me use this as an example. Bill rips off a 16-yard first down run on the first play from scrimmage to start the third quarter. And then Cliff goes tempo, deep shot to Lane, which, by the way, was caught, but Cinnett got called for holding. So now it's first in 20. Then they throw it again to McCaffrey, who gets called for offensive PI.
Starting point is 00:26:56 Amazingly, they over, they overcame, that first and 30 with a throw underneath and then Mario his third and 14 scramble. But why not continue to run the ball after Bill rips off a 16-yard runs? 16 on first down. Bottom line, if you count penalties and sacks, 33 called pass plays, 20 called run plays. They were behind in this game.
Starting point is 00:27:28 They were, but, you know, it wasn't. out of hand. 31-16, late third quarter going into the fourth quarter. I understand at that point, you know, two scores, fourth quarter, but the game was never completely out of hand. 10-7, 17-7, then 17-10, then 17-13, then 24 to 16. Atlanta's defense was smaller, and Washington up front with that extra man with Trent Scott and them going heavy and running the football, I think they should have done it more. I felt that way. against Green Bay, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that Bates, you know, was lost in that game, but they've got an answer to no Bates. It's that six-man offensive line, heavy
Starting point is 00:28:10 jumbo with Trent Scott is the sixth offensive lineman that's eligible. I just think that in a game where your defense can't get off the field, can't get a stop. Let's try to dominate possession and let's run the football. Look, they move the football and they scored 24 points in 27 points in the football game. I just thought they could have done it differently, and it may have had more of an impact on the game. Number three on the list of things that I didn't like. You know, there were several fumbles in this game,
Starting point is 00:28:44 although they did not lose one. Lane had two muffs on punts, both of them at the end of the first half. Debo fumbled and recovered it. They got lucky that they didn't lose one of those fumbles. Atlanta, by the way, fumbled a few times, including, you know, they had that, kick on the punt coverage on the punt return.
Starting point is 00:29:04 That ball was loose, but they recovered that. They recovered the Bejon fumble early too, that pain knocked out. Yeah, several fumbles in the game. They were lucky that it didn't cost them. Next on the list of things that I didn't like. This is a bit nitpicky, all right? I think most of you actually have a bigger issue with it than I do, but I'm going to put it on this list because I think in this game,
Starting point is 00:29:35 I wanted them to be aggressive on offense running the football for sure. But at the end of the first half, when they were down 17 to 10, and they got the ball from their own 8-yard line, and they start off being aggressive. And they get to the 33 pretty quickly. And then they run McNichols for two yards on a second and 10 at their own 35. Yeah, they were getting the ball. to start the third quarter, and you didn't want to give Atlanta the ball back with too much time the way
Starting point is 00:30:04 your defense was playing because maybe you're down more than 1710 if you do that. But the early part of that drive, which was aggressive and was successful, had me thinking in the moment that they had a few more of those plays in them. But Quinn dialed it back pretty quickly. On second and 10 after a run, they let that clock roll. By the way, so did Rahim Morris. I'll get to that in a few minutes. The last thing on the list of things that I didn't like, they didn't need to kick the field goal at the end when they kicked it. I think most of you understand this.
Starting point is 00:30:41 I don't know why they kicked the field goal with a minute 29 left in the game. There are circumstances in which you kick the field goal immediately, you know, or try to get the field goal with plenty of time. You were already in a position with no timeouts where you were going to have, in under two minutes, you were going to have to kick an onside kick if you scored, whether it was a touchdown or a field goal, which meant that you either recover the onside kick or it's three knees game over for Atlanta. When it's that scenario, you take it to, you know, at least 30 seconds left in the game, not a minute 30 left, to try to score a touchdown, especially when you're moving the football. They had moved the football in the previous drive.
Starting point is 00:31:26 They were moving it on this drive. you know, get the touchdown, or at least try to get the touchdown with, you know, you could have run three, four, five more plays to try to get the touchdown. Kick the field goal with 30, 35 seconds left if you didn't score the touchdown. But if you get that touchdown and even if, let's say, another 30 or 40 seconds have come off the clock, you recover that onside kick and now you only need three. It's, look, it's, there's, there's, Not a lot of ways to do these things at the end of halves and end of games.
Starting point is 00:32:03 Sometimes they are subjective. In this particular case, they did not need to kick the field goal with a minute 29 to go. They didn't need to clock it after that completion where they got up and clocked it and then sent the field goal team out. They could have continued to try to get the ball. They were at the Atlanta 24-yard line. You're in shot-taking territory, but not even shot-taking territory. Your next play might be to the 12, to the 11, with a minute 15 left. Get the touchdown when you're rolling like that.
Starting point is 00:32:35 It's just way too early for them to have kicked the field goal. I'm not sure why they did it, because there's nothing in analytics or game situation, clock management, score management, given the context of that, that would have said, kick it now. All right. Other observations after these words. from a few of our sponsors. Hey guys, new podcast sponsor, Hall of Fame bets. Smart betters rely on data.
Starting point is 00:33:07 Hall of Fame bets hands you powerful analytics at your fingertips to tilt the odds in your favor. Improve your chances of winning, using historical data, matchup grades, trends, and player performance insights. HOF crunches millions of data points in seconds. Whether you're building a same game parlay or pitch up. picking a money line, let the stats help guide your decisions. No math or stats knowledge needed.
Starting point is 00:33:35 HOF is designed to be easy to use for the everyday sports fan. You can send plays from Hall of Fame bets directly to your sportsbook app to save time. HOF has over a million total users and is rated 4.9 out of five stars on App Store based on 7,000 plus reviews. For a limited time only, my listeners not only get a seven-day free trial, but they also get 50% off their first month when they use code Sheehan at checkout. Just download the HOF app on iOS or Android. Enter code Sheehan, and you're all set. Lejean with the Mustard. Touchdown!
Starting point is 00:34:30 The mustard. You've been waiting for that one. I like it. Look at these jump cuts. Look at the mustard on these jump cuts. This from Mo Z. Mo Z writes, Kevin, you're not right about much, but this was my first time watching the Falcons and you were spot on on Bejohn Robinson. He might be the best running back in the league. I don't know if he's the best running back in the league, Mo Z, but he's certainly in the conference. This segment of the show brought to you by My Booky, if you want to bet on the two Monday night games, and we do have a double header coming up on Monday night football. Not the best or most attractive Monday nighter. Jets Dolphins to kick it off at 715. And it's not a true double header because the second game starts at 815. But at my bookie, Miami's right now a two and a half point favorite. Justin Fields scheduled to get the start for the Jets. And then in the nightcap, Denver minus seven and a half against the Bengals. I give the Bengals out. I did give the Bengals out as a smell test pick. The smell test right now through 1 o'clock is 9, 5, and 1 on the weekend. Not bad.
Starting point is 00:35:48 With two games pending. Dallas tonight and then the Bengals tomorrow night plus the points. Go to the Kevin Sheeonshow.com slash my bookie. and use the following promo code. DC Reload. DCR-E-L-O-A-D. And MyBooky will give you a 50% cash bonus, whether you're a new customer or an existing or returning customer.
Starting point is 00:36:17 The Kevin Sheeonshow.com slash my bookie promo code, DC Reload. All right, a few other observations from the game, and then we'll get out of here. Yeah, Bejohn Robinson, insane day. 181 combined yards. That is the best for him in his career. He had 75 yards rushing on 17 carries. Man, it certainly seemed the way he started. He was going to have a much bigger day than that. They gave Tyler Algier a bunch of the carries late. I was actually surprised. I know Alger is the banger and Al Jir is a good backup running back. but Algier basically played the majority of the fourth quarter. I guess he is there run out the clock back,
Starting point is 00:37:03 but I'd use number seven as much as possible. Bejohn also had four catches for 106 yards. So the 181 combined yards on 211 touches is a career best for him. Yeah, he's just, his vision is, there's no, nobody that has it in the league or nobody has better vision than him, the way he's able to kind of slide and juk and wiggle and that cutting ability in tight spaces and not being able to get a clean shot on him is just, it's so, so special.
Starting point is 00:37:45 And he's versatile. He can catch the ball. He can block as a pass protector. He's, he's, I mean, Sequin, Bejon, I think Bejon's probably right there with Sequan and Derek Henry. You know, probably Gibbs, you know, McCaffrey, healthy.
Starting point is 00:38:05 I'm forgetting somebody, but he is really good. And then Michael Pennix Jr., 20 of 26, 313 yards, two touchdowns, one pick. The pick was on him. It was not a good throw. His QBR, I think, is going to be off the hook when it comes out because he also had a big scramble for the first down on that first third down on their final drive. But given what people were saying about him last week, he was exceptional. He had multiple balls dropped too.
Starting point is 00:38:37 Early in the game, I think Ray Ray McLeod dropped one. I think Mooney dropped one or that kid Washington dropped one. He had a couple of drops in the game. But through for a career best, it's an early career for sure, but 313 yards, It's just torched Washington. He is going to be an interesting quarterback to follow. I think he's got it all. I think he's got the super quick release.
Starting point is 00:39:02 Once he gets comfortable reading defenses, I think that arm and that release, I think he's got a great demeanor personally. There's a lot of humbleness. There's a lot of self-awareness. He didn't point a finger at anybody. He took it all last week. and he really had a game to follow up the game he had last week.
Starting point is 00:39:28 I think he's going to be a good player. Rahim Morris just doesn't impress me with game situation stuff. I think he essentially cost them a playoff berth last year in Washington with his just absolute horrible, I mean, just amateur hour clock management at the end of the first half and at the end of the game last year. and he did it again. You know, I criticized slightly Quinn for not being more aggressive, but once it became clear that Quinn was going to let the clock roll,
Starting point is 00:40:01 Rahim should have called a timeout. They got a sack on that third and eight. They would have gotten a ball back with, you know, over a minute to go. He lost 35 seconds by not calling a time out. They could have added to their halftime lead. He's just not good at that. The Atlanta fans kill him for his clock management. What else did I have here?
Starting point is 00:40:23 I thought Ben Sinit really stood out as a blocker today. I thought he blocked pretty well last week and Quinn actually pointed it out. He had two blocks on one play. It was a reverse jet sweep to Debo. He had a few penalties today also. And he has not been a pass receiving target since Bates left. But I think his blocking is perhaps better than maybe even they anticipated it would be.
Starting point is 00:40:54 You know, the Falcons made one of those extra points after the kick got blocked. I don't know who blocked it. I haven't gone back and looked, but somebody got a hand on it, and yet it still got through the uprights. And then real quickly, Quinn going for the two down 31 to 22. I love the two-point play. It was like zone read. No, it isn't.
Starting point is 00:41:15 It's RPO to Ertz. it was such a well-conceived play on the two-point conversion. I understand that going for two gives you more information. I also am a believer that an eight-point game puts more game pressure on the opponent so that if you miss that two-point conversion and you're down nine, there's less game pressure on the opponent with a nine-point lead. I think the analytics, the two-point analytics people say go for it sooner rather than later so you know what you're working with.
Starting point is 00:41:52 You have more information. I think 31-23 puts more pressure on the opponent than 31 to 22. But they made it and it was 31 to 24 and that put enough pressure on Atlanta, but the defense couldn't get off the field. And that was really the story of the game. The Atlanta offense was exceptional and the defense wasn't. and Washington is two and two. Long way to go. Next week, big game. They've got that and then the Bears at home before two road games at Dallas
Starting point is 00:42:22 and that Arrowhead against the Chiefs on a Monday night at the end of October. So this is a stretch of four road games in five, and this game against the Chargers is a good matchup between two good teams when they're healthy, and it's an important game for both teams. the chargers if they want to, you know, stay ahead of everybody else in the AFC West, especially after their loss against the Giants in Washington to keep their heads above 500 rather than going below 500. We'll have all week to preview that one. All right, done for this show.
Starting point is 00:43:02 I'll be back tomorrow with more.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.