The Ringer NFL Show - Week 18 Recap: The Most Steelers Game Ever, Seattle's Dominance, MVP Debates, Playoffs are Set, Myles Garrett's Record, and Madonna is Before Our Time

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

The guys unpack the Steelers’ insane win over the Ravens to clinch a playoff spot, including helmet malfunctions, missed kicks, and Aaron Rodgers turning back the clock. They then preview the playoff field, celebrate the Seahawks’ rise to the top of the NFC, and talk through Texans-Steelers, Niners-Eagles, and all the weirdness heading into the postseason. (00:00) Intro (02:48) ‘Sunday Night Football’: Ravens-Steelers (26:34) Seahawks-49ers (41:38) Bucs-Panthers (46:44) Falcons-Saints (50:17) Bears-Packers (53:52) Jaguars-Bills (01:06:24) Oppenheimer Award (01:20:03) Stat of the Year (01:31:47) Intrusive Thoughts (01:40:35) Fart or Shart? (01:45:09) Ick of the Week (01:50:12) Worst Play Discord link: https://discord.gg/Ge8bbYHrau Check out the 2025 Ringer Fantasy Football Rankings: https://fantasyfootball.theringer.com/ Email us! [e-mail] The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Hosts: Danny Heifetz, Danny Kelly, and Craig Horlbeck Producers: Kai Grady, Carlos Chiriboga, and Cameron Dinwiddie “Arcade”: NSYBBH8ONNLKC7H4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome with the Rigger Fantasy football show. My name is Danny Hylian. Today I'm joined by Danny Kelly and Craig Coralbeck, and we're going to roll the games for Week 18. The last week of the regular season, Craig is chopping at the bit to talk about Steelers Ravens. He's got your hat that makes you look like a large child. I look like a nine-year-old in this thing.

Don't care. Worth it. It was like a cool nine-year-old, though. I can't wait to wear this to school on Monday. We have a lot to talk about. But first, some quick housekeeping. We're going to be on Netflix in a week. So starting next Sunday.

January 11th, I guess that's Monday, January 12th, all the episodes that you, if you listen to the audio, nothing's changing. But if you listen to us, you watch the videos, you will be able to watch us on Netflix starting next week. So we want to let you know, go, you can search us right now and go to the ringer and just type in ringer and like, we'll be there and you can go and hit the set to reminder or, I don't know what the button says, reminder or something. Hit the reminder button and you can watch us on Netflix.

Or don't watch and just play it and then leave the room, which would also be great for us. you can do that too. And then, yeah, that's mostly it. We're going to be going three times a week during the playoffs. Craig and I in the middle of this episode disagree on what days they're going to publish, so we'll figure that out. But we can agree we'll go three times a week during the playoffs twice a week after the season ends. We're not going anywhere.

So we cover the playoffs, Super Bowl, the draft, you're your draft expert. Our next episode is going to have a mock draft for the top 10, 12, something like that. Coach firing, so all that jazz is coming. So, yeah, we're not going anywhere. Honestly, the episodes probably get a little more fun, if anything, during playoffs and off season. I'm currently in negotiations with Ted Sarandos to put our show in movie theaters like they did the Stranger Things finale, but it's not going well. So I'll catch you up

on that. You got to talk to the AMC guy. So yeah, the playoff matchups because we don't mention all of them in a row for quite some time. But the the Rams are at the Panthers. The Packers are at the Bears. The bills are at the Jaguars. The Niners are at the Eagles. The charges are at the Patriots. but after this break we will discuss the Texans at the Pittsburgh Steelers because the Steelers beat the Ravens Q Renegade

We were the rights Just just do a version of it The Doodda da Doe We finally found The Renegades See how bad does my song me singing have to be

Till they couldn't even claim copyright That's our workaround We just have you sing all the songs. Just tone dev. All right, we'll be right back. All right, Craig. Steelers just beat the Ravens. One of the best games I've ever seen.

Football games I've ever seen my entire life. Craig, we're letting off the leash, Craig. Craig. Look, I'm not a religious man, but when I saw the priest out there pregame, splashing holy water in the end zone, you know, I debated going to church next Sunday, and I just might because Aaron Rogers is my pastor.

I don't know That was the most perfect Pittsburgh Steelers game in every way That is exactly who they are as a football team And who they've been as a as a franchise For the last 20 years Since Ben Rothesberger stepped foot on the field That is exactly who the Pittsburgh Steelers are And we fucking did it

Steelers are in the playoffs Yeah baby The what was the most Steelers moment Was it when you lit all three of your second half Timeouts on four? fire for no reason. Dude, there's so many. What a great category, D.K.

Wow. Or was it when your most, like the most reliable kicker maybe in the NFL missed the extra point that would have put them up three? Or was it when Rogers' his helmet broke and then I think he got another helmet. And they swapped helmets again? Yeah. Or was it when Alex Highsmith literally had Lamar wrapped around his arms and couldn't sack him and then Lamar for a 60-yard touchdown?

And then that happened again, the next possession, another. 50-yard touchdown to Jay Flowers. Everything you guys just said was in the final four and a half minutes of the game. Yeah. That all happened in five minutes. Craig, what were you what position were you sitting in during the second half here? Like, what was your

range of emotions when you were watching this game? I didn't move. I sat on the couch the entire time. Just frozen. When Loop missed the kick, Liz, my wife was sitting at the kitchen table next to me. I said, oh my God, he missed it. And I stood up out of off the couch. Oh, wow.

I yeah I want to look I think we cancel all the plans for this pot we just talk about this game for an hour and a half I gotta tell you I could I could I could work my way through every goddamn play so where do we start so the Steelers won 26 to 24 uh I want to really I think to your point this really was Raven Steelers bingo because it had this game had everything it had T.J. Watt intercepting a lima. I you know why I think this was a perfect game perfect Raven Steelers game I think the way you feel about it. about the Steelers is also how Ravens fans feel about the Ravens, which is this game had everything where you believed and then felt stupid for believing in all of the players and coaches on your team. And that felt that way for both teams because I think the Ravens came out and it was like,

oh, my God, the first play Derek Kennedy runs for 47 yards. And it's like, oh, the Ravens are going to destroy the Steelers just like last year. And it's going to be a romp. And then honestly, the Ravens were like, should have been ramming the Steelers off the field. And then around the beginning of the third quarter, you were just lamenting the whole game, how badly the Steelers are playing. And then you texted us, at what point have the Steelers

actually outplayed the Ravens? Uh-huh. Yeah, the middle chunk of the game, the momentum completely switched. And the Steelers were outplaying Baltimore. They were moving the ball down the field. Like, the Steelers genuinely cannot create big plays. So the only option they have

is to, like, have eight minute, nine minute drives. And it's what they were doing. And the Ravens and Lamar look completely discombobulated. Lamar was very, his pocket presence tonight was super weird. He was missing stuff, even though he was able to, to evade some sacks. But yeah, until the fourth quarter, when the Ravens turned it on,

I think the Steelers were just like dominating the game, commanding the game. They could run the ball. Rogers played well. Rogers played really well, I thought. And then the fourth quarter, you know, everything went off the rails. As they should. This was such a good metaphor for the entire season of just listening to Craig talk about the Steelers.

It ends with Tomlin blowing kisses into the camera. He beat his chest. It was just like, that was. Unbelievable. This is the most, it's so over, we're so back season the Steelers

have ever had. I can't believe. I mean, the fact that the Steelers fans wanted Tomlin to be, I mean, they were chanting fire, Tomlin at a football game,

like a month ago. They were booing renegade a month ago. D.K. I just, I mean, just looking at the statistics here are just unbelievable. I mean,

the disparity. Lamar Jackson. You can't look at stats in Steelers games. Stats are for losers. No, but they don't matter. But Lamar had 238 yards.

And Aaron Rogers had 294, so they were 60 yards apart. Rogers threw 30 more passes. Lamar was 11 for 18 and Rogers was 31 for 47. Yeah, yeah. I think there was a point in the game where I saw this tweet that it, Rogers had like 31 pass attempts and Lamar had eight. There was a point in the game and like Craig,

Craig laid out perfectly. It was like the momentum shifted several different times in this game. So it felt like one team was dominating than the other totally took over. There was one point in the game where I was like, man, what the hell happened to the ravens? They just look so shitty. They don't. They have one receiver that can do anything.

And then, of course, that was the one receiver that the Steelers decided not to match up with on two like, like, of the biggest plays in the game. And so yeah, this was just a wild game. And, you know, as soon as I had kind of counted out Lamar Jackson, he came back and made that miraculous play. That was a one in a million play. One in a thousand at least. Because like the fact that he even escaped that sack was incredible. And then he threw. And then he like directed traffic and lobbed up like a perfectly placed pass down the field.

to Zay Flowers. The camera pans and I'm like Patrick Queen, the middle lineback guarding Zay Flowers. Yeah, what is he doing on? It's the one receiver on the team that we have to worry about is Zay Flowers. We have Patrick Queen chasing him down the field 10 yards behind him. Chris Collinsworth being like, that's the most open area of the field I've ever seen, Mike. It was unbelievable. It's funny because the beginning of the game, the story was, and Chris Collinsworth nailed this, that the Steelers offense could, it didn't exist without D.K. Metcalf.

I mean, they had this, I mean, they got Adam Thielen is essential. Scotty Miller, Marquez-Valdes-Scatling. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say, I don't, never mind what these guys play for other playoff teams. I don't know if those guys would make the active roster on game day. MVS teams. Marcus Valde-Skantling had seven targets in this game. Who made a crucial third-down catch.

I can't remember third or fourth down. Like something he does eight out of a hundred times. Some like, you know what Rogers did this game that I was happy about? No back-shoulder throws. He learned at least that, all right. Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdezs Cantling, at least they cannot complete back shoulder throws. Craig, Marcus Valde Scantling started the season on the Seahawks.

Didn't know that. I think you're right. This game was unbelievable. I mean, I thought it was so over when they flashed the graphic. Aaron Rogers has played playing football for a long time. Sure. And they flashed a graphic that said, Aaron Rogers had, since D.K. Metcalf had been suspended, basically.

They had done six quarters without a touchdown, which was the longest stretch of Aaron Rogers is in time. career. That was in the middle of this game. And then they went and scored two touchdowns in like two minutes, including his, they swapped his helmet out twice. Maybe I was wrong.

He went back and forth. I don't think I've ever seen a helmet swapped out twice in two plays. It looked like he went through three different helmets in total. He was fucking yelling at Arthur Smith. This knew what was not working either. I thought it was Danny Kelly the way he was screaming at Arthur Smith. I was like, this is the first time Danny Kelly's ever loved Aaron Rogers in like five years.

It was like DK trying to use a Bluetooth speaker, screaming. Seriously. It's like when your parents are on speaker. Seriously. Dude, I don't think I've ever seen an old man clinic quite like what this dealers put on today. Between Cam Hayward, who is fantastic, 36-year-old teen captain Cam Hayward and 42-year-old Aaron Rogers. They did the post-game interview on the field.

I can't remember the last time, or if this has ever happened, where the two players interviewed after when both were covered in gray hair. I think is Rogers the oldest 42-year-old ever? it's funny because he's like this health that guy you know and it does all this like alternative stuff but he's like the brian johnson the guy trying to live forever i'm like he's the opposite man he looks like he's been smoking a pack of heaters every day for the last 30 years i'm pretty sure like anne hathaway's 42 go look at anne hathaway and aran rogers right they look like they live on living planets um but yeah man he i mean that that touchdown pass to calvin austin in this in the fourth quarter was

incredible. He was letting loose down the field that he hit Friarmouth down the seam on one play. Rogers was fucking fantastic. And for what he is given, I mean, he's playing with Jalen Warren and Kenneth Kenyon were the best players in the team. They are both fantastic. The wide receivers are picked up off the street.

I've never wanted or appreciated D.K. McHough more than this game and last game. I mean, the fact that they had to do this without him, I can't wait to get him back. The whole game, I kept thinking I hate that fucking Lions fan. I hate that long time. He ruined everything that guy. I hate that clown. I hate their clown.

D.K. McC have earned all $30 million each year tonight because I want him back so bad. I have to go, I have to admit just because Ravens fans are probably screaming, but is, you know, obviously the game really changed when, as Craig said it, over text to us, the Steelers offense is so bad that Ravens defenders are crashing into each other like vultures for like to pick the carcass. And that play where Kyle Hamilton crashed into Eloy Gilman. And again, why these $11 billion dollar franchise valuation teams. can't have two blue tents. Like the fact that there's a line outside the blue tent to evaluate like it's a nightclub.

Yeah, exactly. Like the best safety thing. Like, hey, busy guy. One in one out. And so they're waiting for Gilman to come out so Hamilton can go back in. He's hurt. And then Gilman's banged up clearly.

And like the game, and that really is when suddenly Valdez, Gantling and everyone seemed to be able to catch passes and everything. That changed. Now, I don't want to hear about injuries from the Ravens. And again, fall, both guards for the Ravens ended up coming in

and out of this game. But when the Steelers, It's probably the worst past catching group on a competitive team since at least the late Brady teams. And that was when you wouldn't count gronk. It was unbelievable. But D.K., what did you make? There's so much to talk about this game. We got to go back to all the fourth and ones.

And the end of the hat, they do the Steelers go for fourth and one early. They get a tush push with Cam Heyward, shoving Connor Hayward his younger brother. They don't get it. The Ravens get a field goal out of that. And then it was, it was fourth and one, but it was really fourth and two. Fourth and fourth and seven yards. And they run a fucking push push, which I thought it was a horrible play call. And they don't get it.

Yeah, you're right. It turned into a field goal. I'm happy they went for it at the end of the half. I thought that was the right call. Ultimately, they didn't get it. But they didn't do the touch push at the end of the half, which almost cost the Steelers the season because then they cowered out of the push. And they do this crazy play to Kenneth Gainwell.

That horrible play call. Like a toss way. It seemed like they, when they motioned, I forget, at this point, it was so many plays ago. They motioned a tight end of receiver over thinking it'd be man. and I guess they thought he'd be cover or follow him. But then the guy, they stayed. So they had one blocker for two guys. And so they had Kenneth Gainwell trying to outflank.

It did make any sense. Yeah. I think they were trying to get the motion going to the right. They were trying to get, you know, the eye candy all going to the right and then tossed to the left. It was just like a classic, whatever, counter type play. It just didn't work. Maybe Arthur Smith thought he had Bajon Robinson instead of, well, who did you get Kenneth

Gainwell? I mean, Kenneth Gainwell is a good receiver, but he's not like the most explosive guy. He's been better the last month. Well, let's be honest. But hyphids, and then so they don't, so they run the tush push on fourth and basically do, don't get it. Then they don't run the tush push on like fourth and one to end the half. And then they don't get it. And then they do run the tush push later with Connor Hayward and do get it.

And I will say, but the net, the whole reason all the math and the analytics and everything fourth downs, it's not that complicated. It's succeeding once is worth more than settling for a field goal twice. Seven's worth more than six. So when they get the touchdown, that ends up basically being the margin of the game. It's 26, 24, then going for the touchdown and then getting it kind of ended up like, kind of winning the game. Yeah. But, D.K., I'm curious what you think. I agree with Craig, though.

I think this was probably the best game Rogers has played for the Steelers since week one when he throttled the Jets. Yeah, I mean, he looks sharp. It didn't look, he didn't look his age. There was even a point where he, like, scrambled and kind of picked up some yards and tried to, like, truck a guy. Well, I mean, here's the perfect time to drop the stat that Aaron Rogers has more 20-yard runs of the season than, Lamar Jackson, which is hilarious. That is, you know, we're going to have to do a category at the end of the show. Which is one.

He has one. But we did the rewatchable. One rush or 20 plus year. That is, that might be the stat of the year. Rogers has more 20 and what yard run for Lamar. Dude, Lamar, yeah, Lamar. I mean, he's clearly not himself right now. Like just when he's moving around outside the pocket, there was a couple of times he got

outside and ran. And I mean, he definitely made some things happen, but he did not look like himself whatsoever. But yeah, fun game. It sucks that it came down to kicks as usual And then the young new kicker just fucking missed it But I did I did tell Liz I was like Oh that guy's a rookie and he just lost the game for his team to not come to playoffs And she was like oh my god I feel so bad

Yeah that's tough kickers It's the worst feeling in the world It's like You know Atlas like they Atlas is to trick Hercules to hold the weight of the world at his shoulders And then like he tricks him to take it back And it's like that is I feel like that is Boswell like Boswell just has the weight of like oh my entire

life will just be different now. And then like two minutes go by and fucking Tyler Loop just takes it from. And Boswell's like, oh my God. I wonder if Loop was freaked out by Boswell's miss kick. Like what's going on out there? What kind of wizardry is taking place? If he missed it. Yeah. He missed

it from 25? Yeah. I got to say, I thought the Ravens, I thought it was very interesting clock management and play calling down the stretch that final, that final series where one, Lamar didn't pass it to DeAndre Hopkins on that rollout. And I know he wanted DeAndre to run up the but that looks like a guy he could have hit

and gotten at least 10 yards out of that and they were discussing that. And then they worked their way down to where this was, I think it was a 42-yard fuel goal for Tyler Loop. What did you guys? It was, they had 12 seconds left and a timeout and they decided to just like position the ball

call the time out and have Luke come in and kick it. Rather than try and run a play, and you could have probably gotten another 5, 7 yards and then called a timeout. And then you would have had to kick it wherever they caught the ball, obviously. But I thought that was, 42 was not that close. Teams do this all the time.

It's weird, yeah. 44-yard field goal, I think it would feel even stranger if this wasn't a year where so many long kicks have been made. Mike Tariko, who is the man and always on just, Mike Driko's, I think, the best play-by-played. He made the point of Tyler Loop, all his misses being from 52 plus. So I think that's the point is the 44 yards over and over. I think the reason, frankly, is John Harba, I think was really pissed about all the holdings

that ended the drive in the first half of the Ravens. The Ravens had all these flags. And I think John, I think, I think. I think they were just like, we've come too far. We're going to, like, if you told me we can make a 44-year-old field goal to make the playoffs three months ago, I would have done anything for that. And I think that's honestly. You could have even run the ball, but yeah.

Yeah, they could have run the ball. And imagine, honestly, you're a Steelers fan. As D.K. has noted, all A&Lyx are just trying to figure out what the opposing fans want. Sure. Didn't you want one more chance to make Derek Henry fumble? Wouldn't you have rather that traded that opportunity for like Derek Henry getting four more yards? I don't know. I don't think so.

Give me the opportunity to get like a sack or something. Yeah. I think I think like a 44-yard field goal with a, with a rookie, I wanted that over them trying to get five yards closer or something. DK, if the Ravens had ran one more play with Derek Henry to try to get closer, you were a Steelers fan. Would you be, you would have been like excited for that, right?

I'm telling you I would not have been. I was happy that they decided to lose two yards by placing the ball and kick it. I thought they were too far away. I well the more he went too far backward on the kneel that bothered me he lost how many he lost two yards on it I'm like just going to be 42 yard there on the 25 and then it became a he went very enthusiastically backward I don't that was the most snip snap like the emotional tall game that was unbelievable I don't think that's one of the better week 18 final games I've ever seen I don't that it's the last game of the year dude I don't think anything will ever top that chargers raiders game

in week 18 whereas that ran in staley versus and herbert did all the fourth down and everyone kept joking going into that game like, oh, if they tie, they both make it. Can you imagine? And like, everyone just said that for a week. And then suddenly like we're in overtime and it's like, oh my God, they're going to tie and they kind of looked across the sidelines and Brandstalia's fucked it up.

But this game honestly might be second in terms of like one of the best week 18 games. I think it being Raven Steelers and it's like in Pittsburgh, it's January. Like just the history of these two teams made it that much better. Even having Collinsworth on the call made it that much better. Aaron Rogers and Lamar of like, what, six MVPs between them? Dude, I felt like it was 2008 watching this game. It was fantastic in every single way.

That's awesome. Rogers was, I mean, I kind of love Rogers still doing the old school. It feels like he's the only quarterback left still playing football the way old quarterbacks do where he's just like out there like yelling at. He's like, MBS, come here. He's like drawing routes on his hand. I just, I love it, man. It's like, it's a pretty different world we're living in Washington.

Green 18. It's so true. Yeah, he's like trying to. to catch 12 men on the field at all times like no one else is doing that i love it oh my god is that the only thing he says it's green 18 right isn't that what he says yeah yeah i wonder how long he's been saying that do you guys think i'm crazy for i want to talk about this the moment when the steelers um when the steelers scored that that kind of blown coverage or whatever that was to calvin austin that put them up two there was 55 seconds oh yeah yeah i thought they should have gone for two i immediately texted it

before anything because I was like 55 seconds and the Ravens have three timeouts with the new kickoff rules and how good kickers are. And I was like, they are obviously going to get into fuel goal range. And if we just go for two now, I think they, they would have secured the win. And of course, Boswell ends up anyway. So we're still in this do or die situation up too. But I thought they should have went for two. Yeah. In hindsight, 100%. Yeah. Totally. I thought in the moment, in the moment, it was like just get, get the, get the, the point, like, you know, and then make it a three point game and then like force them to

actually execute. You know what I mean? And they didn't execute. They obviously like, once, Boswell missed a kick, like the equation changed. But I think they still probably just, you just take the odds of hitting the extra point and then going back and forcing the Ravens to execute and actually get a field goal. Yeah. I mean, either way, if you missed the field goal, you win. Even if you go for two and don't get it. So I was kind of like, I don't know. I think this wins the game. If you go up and do it, that wins the game. Maybe you take a time out and think about it. You're saying that even after their forked down, like the pitch play to gain well where they fucked it of. Like, you want them to go to two.

I don't think, I think going for two would have been a little crazy. It would have been a very aggressive. It would have been a fade to fucking NVS in the end zone. It would have been, why the fuck did we do that? Also, I loved when the helmet kept going out. Chris Collinsworth was like, so why doesn't Aaron just call a play? That's what he does all the other time. It's like, all this guy wants is to run the offense.

It's like, hey, Aaron, you can't even hear your coaches. Isn't this kind of your dream? I can't believe the Steelers went 10 and seven. And I want Rogers back. I do. I want him back next year. You know what? I legitimately found myself during, and this is like so funny because I have always just kind of been, you know, anti-Rogers the last couple of years because of like some of the shit he says.

But when they were when they were lining up to do the kick, the Ravens were and I thought that the Steelers were going to lose. I was like, damn, this might be the way he goes out. That would suck. Like I kind of want him to come back. And I think now regardless of what happens in the playoffs, he'll probably come back. He has to. Dude, I have to also, I'm sorry, we have to mention this, this viral post. It was going around that someone said, Aaron Rogers would throw my grandmother at,

my grandmother's ashes a back shoulder route if it was a one-on-one one-one cover. I mean, yeah, man. But next year, it will be a lot of that with Dick A McHaff, but an actual offseason to practice. I have to say, I thought generally Rogers is pretty good this year. I enjoyed watching him play. I think regardless of the dumbass shit he says on Joe Rogan's podcast, like on the field, the players like Rogers. I think Rogers is awesome to watch.

Everybody seems to like him. I thought he did a great job in the media this year, like in his pressers, talking about his teammates, talking about his love for Pittsburgh and Mike Tomlin and the leadership and what it was like being the organization. I thought he played great for a fucking 42-year-old who's had an Achilles tear in his fort.

I thought he was as good as you could have ever wanted from Aaron Rogers coming to play for the Steelers this year. Well, going forward. So looking at some of these playoff matchups. So the Steelers now are going to host the Texans, right? Monday night. which is wild because of one hand, the Texas defense is going to look very different

than this Raymond's defense. Certainly. Hound him. And that's the other thing. DK, you're talking about how Rogers looked young tonight and whatever? I mean, the Ravens had zero pass rush.

And that is a big reason why Rogers was able to do what he did. That's not going to be the case with DeNeal Hunter and Will Anderson. Right. I will say, though, like in terms of play, in terms of matchup, styles makes fights or whatever. I think this is a good matchup for the Steelers relative to some of the other ones.

Yeah. Steelers could absolutely win this game. It's hilarious. I mean, I don't trust CJ Stroud. I don't trust CJ Stroud. Somebody leaked. I don't know if this was fake or not. Who knows it these days?

We should just caveat that with literally everything we say. I saw it like I saw that it was Fandul or Draft Kings. I don't know who. Apologies in advance. We'll say it's draft kings because they did it wrong. But they, they put up an early line. It was Houston, Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh was favored by minus one and a half like in the first quarter of tonight's game. And everyone's like, oh, the script has been written. Like the NFL knows. The Steelers is the best to win. And so I'm kidding. curious what the line ends up being. Is it out yet? What is it? Right now, I'm seeing Texans minus two and a half. Oh, okay. So here, let me read this full playoff

schedule or anything else. Are you guys on Steelers Raven specifically? That was unbelievable. I just, I continually just crack up at the state of the Steelers receiving court. Fucking Adam Thielen, who forced his team to release him so he could go play for a contender and came in like came in like the last two weeks. Yeah, MVS who they picked up off the couch a couple of weeks ago. Now I'm like, dude, with DK. Metcalf were unstoppable. Calvin Austin looked like a like salvation. Like, thank God he was back.

I know. It's just so funny that an NFL team of that caliber and this history, especially a history of having some of the best receivers of all time. Like this was their thing. They got the best receivers. That has to be the most memorable game of the year. It was really fun. I mean, maybe the race.

Ram Seahawks game. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I also think it's worth noting that both MvS and Adam Thielen were both of three different teams this season. That is the guys that they're trotting out there in the, in the game, like the clenching game of the season. Hilarious. Ram, Seahawks, Steelers, Ravens, maybe that Packers Bears game or Caleb threw that touchdown. That, that, that, that, yeah, that one, though, is probably going to linger the most. So the playoff schedule, so we have it here, and we'll go through a lot of these games.

It's wild that the playoffs are here, by the, I'm so hyped for it. I can't wait for the playoffs. This feels like the most unpredictable playoffs that I can remember. It does. It does feel that way. So Saturday, as Bill and Sal would call it, the Shaky's game.

So the Rams are at the Panthers, which is just funny, especially since the Panthers are the worst team in the playoffs, but they actually beat the Rams. I know. It's wild. The Packers are at the Bears, which I want to talk to you guys about very much. I believe that's a pick-em. Sunday, there's three games.

Bill's are at the Jaguars. The Niners are at Philadelphia. The charges are at New England. And then Monday night is going to be the tech. at the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is incredible. So with that said, how do you feel about the Monday night game? Getting the Monday night game, Craig?

I absolutely love it. And it gives Rogers an extra day to rest, that old man. I think that's true. I think that's a big deal. If they played Saturday versus Monday, that's a big swing for 42-year-bodied. We have to talk about one of the teams, though, that is not on that list,

which is the Seattle Seahawks, the first round by in the NFC, the number one seed, Dika goes to your Seattle Seahawks who... I can't believe this. Kind of spanked the 49ers on Saturday night. Kind of? I mean, everything but the scoreboard, let's be clear.

It was 13 to 3, but that game very much should have been 26 to 3 Seahawks. Dek how do you feel? Your team is literally the number one seed in the N.C. It feels very strange, to be totally honest, because at no point did I feel like the Seahawks were a number one seed type of team coming into the year. I thought I was always offended. I told you guys at the beginning of the year. that and I love that if we could go back and find this at some point.

Like, I was pissed because I want to say one of the books had the Seahawks win total exactly the same as the Cardinals. And I was like, that is just insulting. Get out of here. Are you fucking kidding me? They won 10 games last year. And now everyone's all on the Cardinals jock or whatever. So I was just like really offended by that. The Cardinals, by the way, won three games.

So that's cool. How did they finish Dead Last? Yeah, what did they finish? Dead last they won three games, the Seahawks won 14. Suck it. The third pick in the draft. Wait, I have to look this up. You just, I just, I forgot until right now.

I actually have the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl at 70 to one. Do you? Which is the fact that they were 70 to one. How much did you put on it? Be honest. Fucking not enough. How much? Tell me.

I'm trying to desperately trying to find the bet, but I have to figure out what state it was what do you think it was if you had to bet. 20 bucks, 10 bucks? Yeah, probably 25 bucks. Here's, here's what I'll say about the Seahawks. Coming into this game against the 49ers, I kind of, I felt like, I felt like, like it would be a really close game. I felt like it would be one of those games where I feel really miserable afterwards. But the Seahawks fucking dominated in San Francisco in a game that

was really important to both teams. They out gained the 49ers 361 yards 173 out. Outrushed them 180 to 53. This was the worst offensive game in the Kyle Shanahan era. There's all these caveats that 49ers fans would throw out night. And I think it's valid like Trent Williams was not in there. You could argue kiddles probably not fully healthy. But still, this was like a make or break game, not make or break, but like a very important game. Trent Williams hasn't played what the last week or two and Brock Purdy has like 10 touchdowns in those games. I don't care Trump Williams missed the game. They scored three fucking points. They couldn't move. I'm trying to be fair. I'm trying to be fair.

You can you have to try to be fair. It was absolutely dominant. You know why you don't have to be fair? Because the Niners said Nick Mullins and Jimmy Garapolo and like the like the quarterbacks the Niners have trotted out over the course of this era. Like it was the the the The Niners, the, I felt like I watched the entire spectrum of the Niners offense between the Bears game a week ago that felt like eons ago. And this Seahawks game, it was six days or whatever. It was unbelievable the difference between the Niners in one week. The Brock Pretty passing chart, you know how next gen stats does their passing charts. I mean, it looked like something Bryce Young would put out.

It was like nothing past 10 yards, a bunch of stuff to the side, you know, basically just trying to manufacture off. So CHawks absolutely put the clamps on. And that makes me really confident, obviously, for the CHawks. This is a, like we said it before, this is a weird playoffs. Feels like anybody can win. I think the Seahawks have a Super Bowl defense. And it just kind of depends on what they do with Sam Darnold. If he can continue to like play at least a little bit more disciplined football, he didn't

have any turnovers in this game. Thank God, I think because that would have been a huge deal because this was such a close game. The Seahawks fucked it up. Their kick or missed two easy kicks. And they had a fourth down conversion that went awry. It was just like they tried a lot of ways to like keep this game close. But I do think with this defense, with the personnel that they have, the coaching from Mike McDonald's incredible.

Devin Wetherspoon and Nick Emondwary are two very unique players. And it really helps that they can match up with run heavy teams, teams that are balanced, seems that want to be physical. And they can do that in like nickel and dime defenses because they have these dbs that can basically play the run like their linebackers. So the Seahawks defensive. have, I think like a type of defense, I haven't really seen this type of defense for Seattle in

particular, but for really any teams since like the L-O-B era, that's really how it feels. It's so amazing. And it's funny because to deeply oversimplify what the Seilks did with the Legion of Boom and Pete Carroll, who RIP, you know, today, but what the Seals did, well, you know, I know, but what this feels that way, but what the Seilks did like 13 years ago with the Legion of Boom was to oversimplify it, the lead changed the rules with how receivers and you could contact them. And everyone, on offense, it was about speed. And everyone was getting faster.

And there was a feeling on defense you had to go faster. And the Seahawks went the other way. And they're like, we're actually going to get more physical. And we're going to hit you more. And so they played this defense that was totally predictable. And you knew what was going to happen. But they were bigger than you and there was nothing you could do. And they were going to out-execute and out-physical.

And now the Seahawks defense is one of the best defenses we've seen since that Legion of Boom Seox defense, except instead of being predictable play-to-play, it is completely unpredictable and it all looks the same, but you don't know what it's going to happen. The illusion of complexity. Yeah, and it's all just like they're trying to confuse you before the play and then again after the play every single time. But they've done the same thing,

whereas everyone's getting bigger and everyone's going to have more tight ends on the field and everyone's trying out physically, the Seahawks are like, fuck it, we're going to smaller. We're not even going to match your side. Like they're doing a different thing, but doing the same thing. Because they're like, we're not going to match your side. We're going in some ways, speed. They're going speed and speed.

as opposed to matching the size, which is, it's fascinating. So Mike McDonald, I mean, Greg Rosenthal, who we love, he said he's going to vote for Mike McDonald's coach of the year, which I think is totally valid because if you think about the fact that he's calling the best defense of the league and they also went and had the 14 games, that's amazing. But 14 wins, they had the best point differential in the NFL by far. Eight of their wins have been double digits.

They've been pretty much dominating it. And the other thing that I want to point out about Mike McDonald before we move off of him, I just, I do think I really appreciate him as a coach because, and he talks about this in a lot of his press conferences is he coaches effort. And, you know, if you don't have a ton of effort, you don't hit and you don't like rally to the football on every play and all that. He's like, you know, even when a guy makes a bad play or when he's like, plays not very well in the game, you hear McDonald talking about like, well, I'm going to go back and watch the tape and see what the effort was like, you know, coach him up on the effort, blah, blah, blah. And man, the Seahawks just rally to the

football. That was one of the big differences in this game was the 49ers missed. crazy. Yeah, the 49ers missed like 15 and 20 tackles in this game and the Seahawks missed almost it was like three or four tackles in this game that they missed. Um, and so that to me is just so satisfying to watch as a fan. It's like, man, they just tackle so well. It's, it's just so, uh, you know, it's like almost like a primal feeling. It's like, man, our defense can fucking tackle. I just love watching that type of defense. DK's all horned up. Yeah. Craig, you, you got a little horned up too. So just let me have my time. Oh, I'm, I'm, I'm very happy if you just, the Seahawks deserve it. I think it's awesome that the NFC runs through Seattle now.

I honestly, I thought while the win was very important, obviously, I just thought this was huge for Sam Darnold's confidence. Oh, yeah. Week 18 last year in Minnesota, Darnold goes 18 for 41. They get killed by the lions and then the rest is history against the Rams and the wild card. Like, I just thought that was massively important for kind of just like peace of mind

going into the playoffs with Sam Darnold. I thought he made a lot of huge plays. I really like it. They kept throwing the ball. Like into the third and fourth quarter, they still relied on him. He was great on the move. They kept throwing.

He made big plays with his legs. I thought that was like a very reassuring Sam Darnal performance across the board. Yeah, totally. I honestly, I mean, Caleb Williams played his best game of the year against the Niners defense. And then I thought Sam Darnel played better than the number of show against the Niners D. And I'm curious to see how the Eagles do. But before we leave the Niners, I do have to say, I have to read you this. Just one of those that sounds like fan fiction.

Quarterbacks who have won 14 games two years in a row. Tom Brady, Sam Darnold. Yeah. I can't believe that kind of is a little different because the 16 game schedules, the switch to 17 makes it a lot easier to do that

because I was like, man, Rogers and fucking Brady and Mahomes and Peyton Manning, no one's ever done that. But it, even if you, Craig, even if you like shorten it to 13 and kind of account for it, it's like all Hall of Famers than Sam Donald. Totally. It's crazy.

Donald has as many wins the last two seasons as the Jets as a team do, the past six years. God. God. They have. What are you like, what do you expect out of the Zocs?

Like what, what, what will make you happy enough to consider this season? Are you already like, you know what, whatever happens? We were 14 and 3 in the one seat and Darnal was great.

Mike Donald's awesome. This is awesome. Or are you like, they need to make the Super Bowl or this is a disappointment now? I think, thinking about it, if they don't win

in the divisional round, it'll be a huge disappointment. just because you gone this far and then to like blow it at home after winning 14 games after winning the 1C like that would be a huge disappointment obviously I mean it's super bowl or bust because that all the games are going to be at home I agree with deacon if you lose the divisional round that's I'm not saying I'm you're putting words on my mouth I'm not saying super bowl or bust but if they lose in the divisional round that would be a disappointment for sure dude I thought them running the ball against like Kenneth walker turned into sayquin

barclays oh that's the other thing that we we do need to make is the Seahawks. And this is something that I've been like railing on. You know, whenever I talk to my buddies about the Seahawks, I'm like, they just can't be so one dimensional early on in the year. The Seahawks were just, you know, lighting up teams by going to JSN down the field. And then teams started to like adjust to that. They needed to have like a second punch and they've been running the ball a lot better

the last like three or four games. That's not to say, that's not necessarily that they've been like awesome running the ball, but they're at least able to kind of create some explosives from that. Both Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet had huge explosive plays. in this game for on the ground. Mike Sando had a stat that said, I couldn't believe this either. There have been four running back carries this season

on third and 15 or longer. They got a first down. Four carries by running back. White flag inside handoffs are actually good. All four of those carries were but the C-Ox. Yeah, I saw that as well, but I saw that from Nate Tice. So I don't know who did it first,

but shouts out Nate Tice and Mike Sando. Unbelievable. I mean, Kenneth Walker is one of the fruit, like, when you just like bring the aliens down and have them watch football and I like show them Kenneth Walker in certain place. He looks as good as anybody. And he's a funny. This is what I always saying.

This is what I'm, trying to say, Craig. This is what this is, you're speaking my language here. But you guys heard him talk? He's one of them like helium voices guy. He does have a kind of a high voice. And there was one play in this game.

And this is I think the problem with Kenneth Walker is like in the, what drives people crazy about it. There was one play where they did like a swing past screen to this to the edge. And there's like one defender and one Seahawks blocker. Jake Bobo, I think it was. And then like Ken Walker just like ran directly into the defender and like got I don't know. I don't did he run into Jake Bobo or did Jake well get launched into Ken Walker?

I think it was like a little bit of both. But those types of plays are I think what drive a lot of Seattle fans crazy. But then I mean, I'm like man, how can you like see the other plays that he made this game and have any problem? You know why it's because sometimes Ken Walker runs the way Zay Flowers runs, which is like, what are you doing? Yeah. He's a little bit, you know.

He's a crab. Yeah. Yeah, he's a crab to get. Okay. So also. I was going to say one more thing. It just feels like having Rashid Shaheed is like a Joker card in the deck. Like I just think he's going to like what we already, the Al Michaels play where he.

Shaheed. He's just like one of those guys where when you're in the playoffs, you know that he is like such a valuable piece that is going to make a game changing play. Big plays. He is the big. So kick returns. Such an X factor that they have him. The biggest beneficiary of the offense, the offense will have for the, for the buy is getting the extra week. to figure out what the two shot plays are.

The one shot played each half would be for Rashid and how to set up the play action. Like he's going to have a 50-yard touchdown probably in the divisional round and they're going to figure it out next week. DK., if the Steelers and the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl, what are we doing? Are we going? We're going to figure out where to go to that game.

We're live streaming it. Yeah, yeah. It's going to like strip-go-go-go-me. You've got to take a clothing. Unfortunately, there's no fucking way the Steelers make the Super Bowl. I think the Seahawks very well can make the Super Bowl. Yeah. Okay.

to go through some of these other games here. While we're on the Niners, the, so the Niners lost obviously look terrible. They're playing the Eagles in Philadelphia. Yikes. I didn't think the Eagles would make it out of the Wild Card round, but I got to tell you, it's funny because the Niners looks so good for most of December. But I think the last two weeks have reminded me that the Niners are like just, is it in poor taste to say Narcan for offenses? Maybe that's in poor taste, but I think they're going to revive the Eagles offense. Like, I just, yeah, their defense is not good. I mean, it's not been playing well. They're out of people.

They have lost several of their most important players, obviously. But can I give you another stat just I think sums up the Niners? Entering, that's the Oaks game. Nick Bosa has the third most sacks on the Niners. How many games do you play this year? Two. Good Lord. He got hurt in the first quarter of week three.

And Nick Bosa is still third. He has two sacks. And it still was the third most of the Niners entering that game. The last time the Eagles and the Niners played in the playoffs was that NFC championship game where Brock hurt his elbow, right? Yes. And they didn't have any quarterbacks. And then Josh Johnson got concussed.

And they invented the emergency quarterback role they have now where your third quarterbacks gets, if it has to go in the game, they invented it because they ran out of quarterbacks. So you guys, so you like the Eagles in that game. I kind of still feel like the Niners are going to bounce back. I do like. Like is the wrong word. Do I like the Eagles?

favored. No. Eagles are favored by three and a half. I think that's right. I think the Eagles going into Philly. Their defense is playing really well. I don't know. That's tough.

Yeah. Pretty also got kind of banged up. He had like a stinger. He hurt on the last play of the game. Yeah. The Eagles basically took the week off. I don't know. True.

Yeah. It's going to be hard. That's a different. That's why that game was so important. I mean, getting the buy and home field, it's just massive having to fly to Philadelphia. There's an interesting thing this year where I think all of the, like all the West Coast teams have to fly to the east coast in round one. The charges are flying to New England. the Rams are flying to Carolina

Houston to Pittsburgh and the Niners are flying yeah Houston to Pittsburgh and then the Niners are flying to Philly. You know, it's funny, the Eagles were pretty, not heavily criticized, but a lot of people criticized them

for not playing the starters. You could have got the two seed. And I'm like, would you rather host the 49ers or the Packers if you're the Eagles? Wouldn't you rather play the 49ers? Probably. I don't know.

I feel like we're just like ignoring the way they played for the last month. Obviously the Seahawks game was down. I would say that's close, but it's not enough for me to, like, risk all my guys getting hurt. Yeah, yeah, probably. Okay, the other one big game here, we have to recap and then let's go through the rest of the playoffs here. So the Rams are going to play the Panthers, but we got to go through this Bucks Panthers.

I don't know what to call it other than trial by combat because the Bucks, you know what I mean? The Bucks Panthers, they played this game on Saturday, which we can go through, but I would just summarize it as the Bucs Panthers game on Saturday was just absolutely pouring rain. Dude, it was pissing. rain I've seen it. The most rain I think I've seen in a game all year. Torrential is the word. The Bucks won 16 to 14. The Bucks dominated Carolina in the first half and the referees dominated Carolina in the second half.

So the Panthers lose. And then they, it's not over. So then the Falcon Saints just literally becomes like a proxy game for the end of the South. I choose my champion. Which, yeah, it's literally trial by combat where the Saints were representing the Bucks basically. And the Falcons represented the Panthers and the Falcons won. The Cuck Chair game. It was the Cuck Chair game, which is also, how do you, that was, that was the reality.

And everyone's like, yeah. I know. It was very odd. And what's funny is, so the way that the NFC South ended up was the Panthers, the Bucks, and the Falcons were all eight and nine. And the Saints were six and 11. And now the Falcons who just fired their head coach Rahim Morris and their GM, Terry Fontnell. The Falcons lost to the to the Jets this year. in a ridiculous game.

So now you look back and you go, Jesus Christ, if the Falcons could have beaten the Jets, they win the NFC South. Rahim Morris obviously doesn't get fired. And all of the trajectory of Atlanta changes. The Rams don't get the 13th pick in the draft. D.K., did you see Ted Seth posted this? The Falcons were eliminated from the playoffs mathematically

on December 7th and they finished tied for first in the division. This division, this is the most pathetic division. I also think it's so funny that like the Bucks and Saints like hate each other I guess everybody in this division hates each other but the Bucks and Saints hate each other so much and then the Bucks just need the Saints to win and then the Saints can't even fucking go get like get it done for

The Panthers are the nastiest four seat of all time dude the Panthers have a worse point differential than the Giants this year the Panthers were outscored The Panthers were outscored by their opponents by 69 points this year the Giants are only 58.

11 points better. The giant includes a 30 to nothing game over the Falcons. I'm a fan of a team that eeked its way into the playoffs and the Seahawks back in 2010, I believe it was. They were like 7 to 9 and they still went in there. And then they beat the Saints at home in a crazy game. But this is the saddest team I've ever seen make the playoffs, I feel like. I mean, it's so funny.

We can't even do the whole rant though because they beat the Rams. Yeah. I know. But they lost. Okay. That's true. It was a weird game. but I mean they lost three other last four games,

including the game that could have clinched them the playoffs. Like they they just fucking eeked their way into the playoffs. And at no point, I have any confidence in this team. I know that they beat the Rams. There's no fucking way that's going to happen again, right? It would be funny if it happened again. The only thing I will say just was the Panthers did get jobs in that game. That's Saturday game.

The Bucks out played them and they should have been up by more points in the first half. The second half, this guy Rick Patterson is this random ref, his field side judge on and this crew. and they're like celebrating Rick Patterson. It's wearing like the Rex Becks from the 70s. And they're like, it's his 30th game. It's his last regular season game ever. He's retiring after the season.

And then like, unfortunately, five minutes later, he's explaining to Teteroa McMill and why he called him for a phantom Opie that had reached a 31-yard gain in the pouring rain. One play after maybe the most egregious face mask of the entire season because one of the bucks defenders, I can only describe it as like a shot put of the helmet. from someone's face. Oh, yeah.

He took Tommy Trembled, the Tatar the Panthers helmet, and he, like, shot. I've never seen someone throw a helmet so far that was on someone's head at the time. And they didn't call it. And then the next play, they wipe out this Tetrauma McMillan play.

And so, I don't know, the Panthers probably should have won that game, but it was raining, but overall, I don't know, they have won, win, loss, win, win, loss, win, win loss, for like three months. How the hell did they beat the Rams?

I don't know. It's fucking weird. Pick six. Has a team ever? won the division while losing both games to the team that got last in their division, that's crazy. Like they lost both times to the Saints and they finished under 500. I don't know. I mean, they've been outscored by 69 points. Yeah. Um, yeah, they just have, they have, uh, two quality wins this year. They beat the Rams, beat the Packers. They lost the Cardinals who won three games this

year. They lost the Saints twice. Do you guys agree with the Panthers, Rams being the Shaky's game? 100%. You don't need to watch that game. It's like if the Rams start losing, you turn the game on. But no, I don't think, I mean, people can, if you want, it's one of them,

like, if you're going to be holed up all weekend and you have to, like, do something, you have to do errands or something. That's obviously the game you would do errands to it. For sure, for sure. And it's like Saturday, midday. Yeah, it's, um, the,

I will, just before we move on, the Falcon Saints game, we don't have to talk about the game specifically, but it ended up getting, um, Rihim Morris and the head coach and the GM, Terry Fontino fired,

um, The players were just absolutely begging the Falcons to keep Rahim Morris after the game ended, which is funny because clearly they had kind of decided before and to fire him because they had all the statements up pretty quickly. Literally tied for the division lead record and you got fired. What do you think of the Falcons cleaning house? I think the GM thing makes more sense to me than the coach. You know, firing Terry Fontno makes a lot more sense to me just based on kind of like the moves that they've made, particularly at the quarterback position.

But I think this is like the way I will say this is it's kind of instructive. And this is what happens in the NFL. This is something you should keep in mind during the off season coaching GM cycle, the carousel here that we're about to go go through is it's just so important to get a quarterback. Like it's the only thing that matters is get that quarterback because I went back and look, Fontna was hired in 2021. His final season, that was the final season of Matt Ryan's tenure in Atlanta.

And then 2022, Marcus Marriota, Desmond Ritter, 2023. Desmond Ritter, Taylor Heineke, 24, Kirk Cousins, Michael Pennings, Michael Pennix, Kirk Cousins in the reverse order. And basically, at no point did they get high quality quarterback play. And they spent a lot of money and a very high draft pick. And it didn't work out. And this is just like the story of the NFL. If you don't nail the quarterback thing, you're fucked.

You're going to get fired. Yeah. I mean, all of the biggest complaints about Atlanta are about the moves they've made, giving Kirk Cousons the money they did, getting up to, you're drafting Michael Pennix, the trading up into the first round and giving to pick to the Rams to get another edge rusher. Like all of the problems with Atlanta have mostly been from a front office standpoint.

And it seems like Rahim Morris is a beloved coach from the players. It's like he's only been there two years. You know, that's a tough beat for him. And I would love for Pittsburgh to hire him as a defensive coordinator. I agree with everything you guys have said, basically. I, it's just, I would have kept Raheim Morris fired GM Fontenow. The only thing I'll note is that there's consultant they hired sportsology is they have these consultancies,

which because GMs don't get hired twice, so they start consulting businesses. One of the partners in the consulting firm they hired is Rick Smith, who used to run the Texans. Rick Smith was considered for the GM job for the Falcons and didn't get it to Terry Fontenelle. So they hired the guy to advise them that they didn't hire last time.

And they told them to fire the guy that got the job over him. Does that make sense? Yeah, that makes it a ton of sense. It's just like a funny, it's like, did you have to pay for that? So can we become consultants to have people to tell people who to hire? We're basically fantasy consultants.

I got last in the Ringer League and I'm consulting people on what they should do with their fantasy. There you go. See? That's that's the yeah. I'm Rick Smith. By it. Rick Smith. Okay.

The we'll talk and also we're going to talk more about coaches and everything. We're going to have a big episode on Tuesday just covering all the coach firings and on everything going on. So we'll have all that. Um, or sorry, Wednesday. I don't know. What day is that, what episode? What day is that episode? out, Greg.

Tuesday. Also, by the way, what's our new schedule? We're going three days, we're going three episodes a week during the playoffs. Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. Let's go with that. Or it's Sunday, Wednesday, Friday? No, I think it's going to be Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. I don't know.

All right. We'll figure it out. Three episodes a week. Yeah. Okay. So we'll figure that out. Good messaging, guys. Thanks.

Can you believe they put us on Netflix? Yeah. So the last NFC playoff thing, so the Bears get the Tuesday and the NSC and they're to host the Packers, seven C. Fantastic. That's just fucking so rock hard NFL. Love that. I couldn't get any better. This is perfect.

This is perfect. So Caleb, so I mean, the Bears Packers, they split the first two games this season. And honestly, they both came down to the end. And the first game, Caleb Williams just had a touchdown and he didn't hit it. And then the second game, Caleb Williams made two throws. And they won. And, yeah, D.K. Are you as you as rock artist, correct for this game?

Hard as a diamond in an ice storm right now. Yeah, this is going to be great. This is going to be fun. This is like playoff football. I bet it's going to be snowy, but it's going to be cold as hell. I don't know. I honestly have no feel for who I like in this game. The Packers definitely kind of like petered out as the season went along.

I don't know. And they obviously have a ton of injuries right now. Let me tell you something right now. We will be taking Chicago and ringer 107. Can I put a number on this for you, D.K. Just in case you have that feeling of kind of Peter out. The Bears didn't exactly finish strong either. Well,

DK, let me tell you something. Okay. So the Packers, they did rest their starters today, and then they subsequently finished with negative seven net passing yards. Mm-hmm. So more sack yards than they gained. ESPN's Rob Domovsky had the stat. The Packers are the fourth playoff team ever to end the season on a five-game losing streak.

Okay. So I was under, I was understating it a little. Including last year's Steelers, Greg. Wow, they lost five in a row. I don't know if I actually realized that. They have not, the Packers have not one game. That's so brutal. You remember that game.

where Caleb Williams had, like, he rolled out to his left on fourth down and like he threw the interception of Keishon Nixon and like that was the first game the Bears lost to the Packers. They haven't won since then. That was the last game the Packers won. They have not won since that Caleb Williams interception to end the game. That was a month ago. Yeah. And they made the playoffs. So, but you'd actually trust the bears in the playoffs, Craig? Yeah, I don't know. I do. I don't know why. I had them way higher than you guys in my ranking. Yeah. Remember that? Yeah. But the vibes with Green Bay are tough because Matt Lafleur openly was like I'd

rather get healthy than have vibes. But yeah, the Packers, it's, I don't know, sometimes you've got to see the ball going to the hole. And we'll see. I think the Packers are a way more experienced team, but I want to see the injury report. Like everyone's just hurt. I want to see how, I don't know.

What are the rest of the playoff matchups? Let's keep reading. So it's like looking at a menu at a restaurant. Just like, I know, look at a fun. So AFC here, Broncos are the one seed, which they had like a very anticlimactic. The Seahawks are the Seahawks 49ers like battling it out for the one seed. minus and then you look at like the a fc and it's it's uh the she the broncos just kind of like

cruising to the one seed by beating the chiefs without patrick holmes and then the chargers today without uh or when it with trade lands without herbert so um you know obviously this is a very good team they this is something else i didn't really realize they won 13 or their final 14 games um they're kind of like the seahawks they're really really good defense they have a super bowl defense and i think their offense depending on how it's playing can be really good or sometimes it can be underwhelming. But yeah, this is like a, I feel like they kind of just cruised into the playoffs

and we're not really thinking about them all that much, but this is a very, very good team. Where are you guys on the Bronx? Coach of the year. Sean Payton would coach you the year most years and he's going to come in sixth. But I mean, it's pretty incredible. I mean, the fact that he made the playoffs last year

when a third of their cap was getting rid of Russell Wilson dead money and there's some of it's still there and they're going to be the one seat. Or they are the one seed. So they're the one seed. And then the next. two AFC games here. So the Jaguars at 13. Sometimes I just like reading the records.

The 13 and 4 Jacksonville Jaguar. 13 wins. Also, the combination of it being the Jaguars and it's 17 games and I'm still not yet really used to it. I just want to say that again. The 13 and 4 Jacksonville Jaguars are hosting the 12 and 5 Buffalo Bills. And then the other one is the Patriots. The 14 and 3 Patriots are hosting the charges.

This Jaguars Bill's game, I do want to mention, I think this is, quite this is I think this is maybe the best game of the weekend after his backers. This is on Jags, Bill's Trevor Lawrence versus Josh. I mean, Trevor Lawrence, D.K., your friend Dante Coppowitz-Fleming had this stat. Trevor Lawrence in his last eight games has 19 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns. The only players with those touchdown totals in an eight-game span in NFL history are 2019 Lamar Jackson when he won MVP and then Cam Newton 2015 when he won an MVP.

And then now Trevor Lawrence. Yeah, that's sick. Trevor Lawrence is just on fire right now. The other thing I noticed about the Jags is interesting that Parker Washington finished as their leading receiver this year. Didn't see that coming, both in catches and yards. And so, I don't know, man. The Jags.

The second most surprising leading receiver in the season. Yeah. The Jags are great. They led the third and turnover, turnover differential this season. Second in the NFL and takeaways, 31 takeaways this season on defense in addition to having, like, one of the most improved offenses. Liam Cohen's awesome, man. There was a moment in this game

where it just kind of was like showing Liam Cohen on the sideline and he's just kind of like basque. It reminded of you like a general who's like they're finishing up a battle and he's just like surveying like the destruction. He was just like, he's just watching. He's like, we just fucking dominated. This was a fucking great year. I'm the

fucking man. It was great. And then like one of his like assistant coaches came by and like dabbed him up. I was like, man. Good for him. Great season. It's a huge win for everybody involved. Jimmy Stone's the Dugie Houser GM. I mean, it's one of the most inexperienced coaching staffs in a long time with Campaniel as a defensive coordinator, their offensive coordinator, their GM is legitimately 12 years old.

And the fact that they were able to pull this off with the bizarre trade up to Travis Hunter, who was basically irrelevant on the season with Brian Thomas disappearing and completely flopping after what he did last year. The fact that they went 13 and 4 is unbelievable. And I got to say, we're going to talk about the MVP eyes a little bit later. It's basically just a battle between Stafford. and Drake May. I don't know why Trevor Lawrence isn't in this conversation.

Just talk about it now. It's weird. So right now, after last week, after Drake May's great game last week, he was minus 650, which is pretty heavy favorite to be the MVP.

Then this week, the Patriots basically kick the shit out of the dolphins, but they run the ball most of the time. So Drake May doesn't have a great statistical game even though they killed the dolphins. And Matt Stafford puts up four touchdowns against a terrible Cardinals team.

And now Matt Stafford has come back like Apollo Ono, and he is now minus 160 to win the MVP. What? I'm looking at it. It's basically a coin flip between May and Stafford. I'm shocked by that. Trevor Lawrence is 300 to 1 to win the MVP.

And I'm like, Trevor Lawrence won more games than Matt Stafford. He's 13 and 4. He won his division. He had more touchdowns than Drake May. I'm kind of like what he should be equally in the mix compared to either. Very interesting.

I interpret there's betting markets and there's what I think. I don't think this is a good criteria, but it is how it has been done for 20 years. I don't think a quarterback who's won the wild card has won it and not won their division has won an MVP and it's been 20 years I think maybe one in the last 25 years the Rams are the five seed and I'm not saying that that's a good criteria I actually think it's kind of win their division but I know but that's the reality yes but that's I mean that's the reality what Hyph is saying is like that is that's basically a non-starter for that's what people vote MVP and I actually think the way people vote on this is very silly and I have a lot of problems with the way people love for this stuff but um I it would be the first time in about 25 years. And also the, I agree though, the fact that the odds shift, I don't know, there's a lot of stuff at the betting markets that I, my dad was telling me this too, though.

It's like if Stafford wins, it's kind of like a lifetime achievement award type of deal. It's like the Oscars, Craig. It's the Tony Star. It's the fucking Robert Downey Jr. winning for Oppenheimer because it's like, you know what? Right, right. We loved Avengers, but we wouldn't tell you because they were making money. So we'll tell you now. We love those were great flicks you made, Robert.

I'm not going to be upset about it. Like if he wins the MVP, like Stafford was. Stafford's here for 46 touchdowns this year. Like, you know what I mean? Like, he was fucking awesome. And I know if people are going to complain that he picked up four garbage time touchdowns against a shitty team, well, the Patriots didn't play a good team all season. So you can't really say that that's unfair because the Patriots had the easiest,

had like a historically easy schedule, not saying Drake May wasn't perfect because he basically was, but they also played nobody. So saying that, oh, Stafford had four touchdowns against the shitty cardinals and that one in the MVP, I'm like, well, Drake May had 35 touchdowns. against every shitty team in the league the entire season. Yeah. I would not be upset if he wins. I just don't think he will because of like the way that people have voted over the years.

But I also, I agree with that D.K. I agree with what you're saying, Craig. There are some MVPs that I actually do get annoyed at. And this is probably not one of them. Like if Stafford wins because I actually think the whole like, what his division is like, all right, cool. Tell me which of these losses was his fault. The Panthers one.

I'll give you that. The Panthers one was kind of his fault. The Eagles game where they had a game winning. That game might be disqualifying. I like how you started. Tell me which game was his fault. Carolina. Okay, that was his fault.

All right. That one. But the Eagles game where they had a little game winning kick that he orchestrated the track. That was wild. The Eagles blocked it and returned it for a touchdown. And then you, you know what I mean?

It's like the Seahawks game where they scored 37 fucking points. I mean, even if you want to point out the I mean, they lost a Mac Jones. I guess you could throw out that game. But the Carolina game, I mean, what? they let up 31 points to Bryce Young. Is that his fault?

Well, I'm just saying that the Rams literally had five, 400, they had 581 yards and no turnovers and lost to the Seahawks. And I'm like, like is that Matt Stafford? I think Stafford absolutely is good enough

to win the MVP. Like it would not, it would not make me upset if he won the MVP, but yeah. I feel like it's a joke on me because I finally came around to Drake May being the MVP like this week.

And then the odds flipped. I'm like, what the fuck changed? I'm perfectly fine each way. I totally agree. It's like it's something. dumb. So it's like if Drake May, instead of punching in those touchdowns with Ramandre Stevenson and Trayviel Henderson, if Drake May just threw those one-yard touchdowns,

does he win the MVP now? It's so stupid. No, I agree. And that's why I think even passing yards, I'm like, I'm okay to fold Drake May's rushing yards in with his passing yards. For sure. Matt Stafford. You know what rushing yards have this year? You guys guess. Five. Oh, like 20. One. One rushing yard. Nine plural. That is so fucking good. Yeah. So it's like they basically both put together 4,700 yards roughly, Drake May a little bit more. Stafford had 11 more touchdown. Stafford had 13 one yard touchdown passes. If I had a vote, I would probably go Drake May.

And I could honestly, I could be convinced either way. And it's like, to me, it's simple. It's like, Drake May, it's like the schedule is bad. Matt Stafford, it's like the surrounding cast is better. Yeah, the Patriots won more games. But I'm like, does that matter to you that the surrounding cast is better? Does that factor in? Should that factor in?

It does. Of course, it factors it. but it's like how much of a factor is it. I think the difference with me to Drake May of all that like I feel like if good, if good skill players should be a factor, then strength of schedule should also be a factor, no? Yeah, that's why I said they're both a factor. Okay.

All right. Touche. So wait, we did we started this conversation because you were saying Trevor Lawrence should be in the discussion. I do. I just talked about May and Stafford. I don't know. We forgot.

I don't know why Trevor Lawrence is 300 to one and Drake May and Matt Stafford are one to one. It's because it's the Jaguars. And it's what he said two months ago, no one gives a shade. And also is late. But you're right that because no one had, it's because he had a bad beginning this season and it felt like he was out of it. But you're right. He had one of the Drake May this year.

If we split it in, I think here's your point, Craig. If we'd split the award into two halves of the season, the second half of the season, it's like unquestionably Trevor Lawrence. Like it's not even close. It would be Trevor Lawrence first and it's like probably not close. And then strike Maine, that's the African. He ended the season on eight straight wins. They're 13 and four.

they won four games last year I'm not saying like right I mean I guess the Patriots too they won like three I'm not saying that Trevor Lawrence should win the MVP but I don't know why this isn't a three-headed race is all vibes it's probably fair

it's funny Stafford's gonna get an offensive player the year probably uh what a percentage I would decline that award it's the second play no thank you so Jags yeah

we we didn't even mention Jags bills fun ass game kicker I will say I want the Jaguars for a number of reasons, and I know it's always scary. It's like the LeBron Warriors final scary to go against the best player in the game is probably Josh. I want the Jaguars for a variety of reasons.

They can run the ball and the bills can't stop the run. Trevor Lawrence is so hot. Hansel is so hot right now, Hansel. But the other one, the Jaguars kicker is out here hitting 67-yard field goals outdoors, which is the biggest ever. He has their NFL record indoors, and he has the 70-yard field goal with the preseason.

So they can hit 70-yard field goals in Jacksonville. And Buffalo lost their Matt Prade. today who was already their backup kicker. I think, I have think the bills are gonna sign Justin Tucker this week because the bills, they have no, who is the, the bills, Matt Prater got hurt during, they, they blew up the Jets, it's like 35 to nothing or something, but the kicker got hurt in the middle of the game. They need a kicker for a game in six days. Signing Justin Tucker nail in the coffin for the bills.

That's kind of what I'm saying. All time bad vibes options here for the bills. It's a, it's a really tricky matchup because it's like, you, it's like, you, like, you're like you said hi Fitz. Nobody believed in the Jags, probably watched a lot of the Jaguags this year, probably looking up and it's like the amount of dads that are tuning in for the place going to Jacksonville Jaguars are 13 to 4 and they're playing Josh Allen, I'll take the bills. It's going to be very hard, like the institutional belief in Josh Allen versus like the fucking Jaguars is, we'll be tricky to deal with. Speaking of which, and then the institutional belief is going to kick in again, though, when the Patriots

host the Chargers and everyone's going to be like, I want the Patriots and I want the Patriots to They destroyed the dolphins. I don't know how much you guys want to talk about this. But I don't, you know, there's a lot that there's a lot that's gone into the Patriots like schedule this year. I just think the Patriots are fucking good though. Like, I don't, I don't think there's any flukiness to maybe like they won a couple extra games that they wouldn't have. They if they had like a really hard schedule. But I think they're a legit, really good team.

I would have. Does that make sense? And I would have Josh McDaniels as assistant coach of the year. I got to tell you, it's hard for me to, I would give it all. It's hard for me to not want to do. all three, Ravel's coach of the year. And Josh McDaniels, assistant coach of the year and fucking Drake May is MVP. And honestly, the only rable, the only reason I probably wouldn't put Rable as

coach of the year is because giving them all three sounds ridiculous. But there's so much more prepared than every team every week. They outcoach every team they play. They're like Butler or Wichita State or those teams, those like mid-majors in March Madness, who are like 30 and two. And you're like, they've played no one. But they beat everybody by 20. They play it as a team.

Yeah. Yeah. And they just like show up and skate to the final four. because they're just like awesome and have fantastic chemistry and know how to play the game. Yeah. But yeah, you know, I don't know.

It's hard. You look at their schedule and I'm like, name their great wins, Buffalo. Wait, name their great wins though. Wait, wait, you tell them the paper. You remind me, Roger Sherman, our former colleague here at the rigored,

this thing of like, it's so stupid that the NFC South decides their winner by a tiebreaker of the other division teams. We should find a better system like a committee of shadowy people to just decide at the end of the season. Who makes it?

Yeah. Maybe we, you know, maybe we leave the Patriots out. Yeah. Once again, I mean, the Chargers are so beat up.

And it's impressive. They won as many games as they did with their offensive line. But I mean, I feel I'll be taking to England. Speaking of MVP, DK, watching the Chargers lose today with Trey Lance,

did you at all think Herbert locked up the MVP today with how the charges look with that fucking Justin Herbert? Yeah. Yeah. It makes a difference to have Justin Herbert out there. Definitely. The Chargers are like the team this.

year, I think they have a blind spot for like it's shocking to me. They're even in the playoffs. I feel like every time I, weird. I feel like every time I turn on the the chargers, they're just getting their asses kick. But they somehow won 11 games. They're in the playoffs. They have like a freaking super hero quarterback. But yeah, I just kind of, I feel like I have a blind spot with them. For whatever reason, I just feel like they're not very good. Isn't it funny that we're like, who's the MVP? We're like, probably Drake May. I'm like, okay, cool. So what team would have lost the most value if the player wasn't there. Like, oh, well, Justin Herbert.

But he won't get any votes. I mean, I'm sure, I don't know how good the Patriots would have been without Drake May. The Patriots, Stefan Diggs quietly went over a thousand yards today, you guys. Did you guys realize this? Good for him. Stefan Diggs, a thousand yards. Hunter Henry, 700, sorry.

Yeah, I know. I'm just saying it was, probably shouldn't have brought him up, all right? But I just thought that was interesting. No, that's great. That's great. Good for him. Remandre Stevenson and Trayvion Henderson. So Trayvon had 1,100 stormage yards.

Romandre had 950. Trayon scored 10 total touchdowns, Ramandre eight touchdowns. Romandre has been playing really well lately. And he's like doing all the stuff that I thought Trayvon Henderson was going to be like in their offense. Like catching wheel routes off the sideline, vertical route, touchdowns. He's been really good. Dude, this is the year of like two running backs. Yeah.

In the play, I mean, in the playoffs, there are so. many one A, one B's. I mean, Seattle, you have Charbon A and Walker, Chicago, you have Manungi and Swift. The Steelers have there two guys. The Rams have Williams and Corum. New England's got there, two guys. That is definitely like a trend that we're seeing right now. The Eagles of Sequin, Barclay, and Tank Bigsby.

True. I like Tank. Just like fucking picked up Bobby Wagner today like it was dirty dancing. That was really impressive. I was unbelievable. I was quietly one of the craziest things that started running back to, I think that was better than any run this year. He just Bobby Wagner went from going to truck him to.

He just picked him up. Just picked him up. That was crazy. That should be the new, like, you're too small. Should be like you just pick them up like they're a toddler. Is that not literally holding? Yeah. He's holding him.

He held him. If somebody said like, somebody says, hold my baby. That's what he did. That's what team should do to Miles Garrett. He's cradling him. Yeah. Like if Trent Williams just picked up Nick Herbert. big. Isn't that holding?

How's that work? How's that work? I don't know. It's in the case studies, Craig. It's like you can't trip them. It's like, why? Yeah. Just imagine if you could pick up Miles Garrett. Yeah. We should talk about Miles Garrett. Anything else at the playoffs? Well, obviously, we got time to talk about all these games. Yeah. Yeah, we're talking about the, yeah, a lot of coach firings. We're going to have like a mock draft in depth later this week. It's really nice that only good teams are left. I'm happy about that. I say this every year, but it is, it is. It is.

It is wild that we're already to the playoffs. The seasons fly by, I swear. It's one of those phrases that the older I get, the more I start saying them, and I'm okay with it when people are like, this year flew by. I'm like, it really did. It really did. I feel like that every year of my life is flown by. Same.

Days are long, years are fast. Yes. With that said, Miles Garrett, sack record, 23 sacks, did it in 17 games. And Strayhan was like, well, I did it in 16. And T.J. Watt quietly did it in 15 games. But however, I think, completely. we all agree to not talk about that because of the fact that Miles Garrett did it in like 100 fewer pass rush opportunities than TJY and like almost 200 fewer than Michael Strayan in terms of just the Browns were always losing. No one was actually dropping back to pass against them. Well, that was what I was yeah. That's what I was a great. I think a great way of looking at it is like man, he did this on the Browns team when they're like I would love to look at how many minutes they were actually winning this year, the percentage of minutes that they played because that's that that's like the best place to get sacks is when your team is leading late and you know they're. going to be passing and you could just tee up on them.

You see guys get sacks and bunches in those situations. Miles Garrett's out here. And honestly, it's like people who quibble with this record, hyphids, I know you're doing a little bit. And I understand like your point of view on it. But Miles Garrett is a fucking alien. He's one of the best pass rushers ever, full stop. Maybe the best pass rusher ever.

So we can just, can we just accept that he's like fucking awesome and we don't have to quibble about this? I know I'm a prisoner of the moment a lot, but I do think, we actually have just recently witnessed maybe two Mount Rushmore defensive these guys at their position like Aaron Donald is genuinely one of the four best defensive tackles ever and maybe actually just truly generational yeah like I know there's a lot of great

detackles in the past like fucking two tall Jones and purple people eaters and guys from decades before I was born but Aaron Donald's actually like the best guy we've had in years and Miles Garrett is the best past rushers since like Reddy White. I've never been more happy when someone retired than when Aaron Donald retired. Just thank God. That guy was a game record. Which, by the way, why is he retired?

Just join this Rams team. He's like, he's a Barry Sanders. He's like, I'm done. He lives in Los Angeles. He's still in shape. Don't fucking start this shit. High Fitz. We do not want this to happen.

I don't put this out into the world. Like, what is he doing on Sunday? Like, what is he doing next weekend? Keep his name out of your mouth. I don't want him to get any ideas. I know, he'll be at the game. Like, what the fuck is he doing? You can't play 10 snaps?

He's probably in better shape than every NFL player right now. Dude, you know me? He's better than all the 49ers. Anyway, so Miles Garrett had the sack record. And he earned the shit out of it. He's, he's an awesome player. He, I can't believe we're all just using the term get off, but whatever. He had a fafed get off.

His get off is unbelievable. Get off is unbelievable. But the play, the snowmo of the play is, it is like a good. encapsulation because he just is like across the line of scrabbage and everyone else has barely moved yeah burrow kind of was like you know what i'm not going to get drilled for this i'll just go down you can have it he did the he did the patent manning it looked like the farv no the farv one the famous one that strahan got it and farv just went down and mark gaston freaked out it looked just like that business decision from burrow fine who cares it's weird it's a little weird i don't think

it just looks weird i think he knew he was going to get sacked and he's like i'm just going to get down. He's like, I'm not dying for this. You'd do that too if fucking Miles Garrett was running out of you. He, Khyphitz would try and pick him up. He'd lift him. Can you imagine? Wait, was that this? No, that was last, now I can't even remember time. The years fast. Was it this season where, yes. Oh my God. I left this out of play of the year. When Miles Garrett went around the Packers left tackle and he screamed, Jordan, run! Jordan! He's coming.

Is that real? Is that that really happened? I don't know if I saw that. Like it's a fucking stranger things episode. Run, John it! He said so good. Run. Run.

Run away. Run away. Run away. Oh my God. That's like you guys. He's right behind me, isn't he? You guys never saw. This is probably too old of a movie, but Monty Python search for the Holy Grail.

Of course I have. You see that? You know, when they go and like trying to attack the, like the killer rabbit. And they come out, they're like, run away. Run away. Dude, it sucks that. Hyford, you're like, oh, we got to witness the two best defensive players of the century, blah, I don't think many of us did witness Miles Garrett.

It's like Bill talking about how he's like, I know, nobody really watched Barry Sanders. You just like got to see his highlights or whatever. It was like, you just heard that he had a great game and then you saw it like a highlight on Sunday night football. It's like Mike Trout. I mean, I've watched a lot of Miles Garrett because they're in this division of the Steelers. but like, I don't know how many people actually watched Miles Garrett. That's a good point. And I would like to take this opportunity to solidify an intrusive thought I had.

And I would just make it a solid thought and a take that I now believe. I'm angry at Miles Garrett. And I would like to take this moment. I'm mad at Miles Garrett. And congrats on your sack record. But Miles Garrett decided he'd rather have $40 million a year from the Browns than merely like $34 million and play for a Super Bowl contender. And why Miles Garrett resigned with Cleveland instead of like he was about to force to he could have gone to Philadelphia.

Green Bay clearly would have parted with picks. And the fact that he might have had 25 sacks if he was on a different freaking team that had actually the lead more. And I agree. The fact that Miles Garrett's going to do this whole career and make the playoffs, he's one time. Because he was like,

oh, Andrew Barry told me we had a plan of quarterback. Like, I'm actually mad that Miles Garrett decided that he never wanted to make a blouse. I'm never going to knock loyalty. I know. I was going to say, it's such a double-edged sword because, you know, you want guys to be loyal. If he, if he would have forced his way out and forced to trade,

then people would be talking about him like Kevin Durant or whatever where it's like, you're going to joining some good team. Not from the, well, that's no way. That's not that bad. Please. That's understandable. Also, I'm glad you're talking about trade, about LeBron going to the Warriors. Like, I forget who said there's been like a couple of reporters now to be like,

LeBron to the Warriors makes a lot of sense. I'd rather die than have LeBron doing him of fucking warriors. That's the last thing I want. If somebody was like, the Warriors could win a ring with LeBron James, I would say no fucking thank you. That is the last thing I want. Keep him off the Warriors.

They should never be together. What are we talking about? LeBron on the Warriors. You kidding me? No. Why does it buggy so much? That's terrible. I don't want LeBron on the Warriors.

Even if it meant you could win a title? No, absolutely not. I would rather not get a fifth step title if it meant LeBron was his teammate. But don't you like the idea of LeBron having to come to you. Don't you like that a little bit slowly? He's like his entire legacy. It's a good point.

Kim crawling to the Warriors. Yeah, just begging a little. I like that a little bit. Look out the turntables. I want what I would like, the middle there is that I want the report out there that LeBron really wants to go to the Warriors and they say no.

That's what I want. Yeah. And then we go 500 and miss the playoffs. You just want them to grovel a little. A little grovel. People were concerned about you today, Hyfitz. I had multiple people tweeting and texting me asking how you're doing.

man what a day for you Craig and I our team's punched their ticket to the playoffs I got the one seed in my team somehow had the first pick in their hands now they have the fucking fifth so because the rain and round's one the giants if they had this is why tanking is so hard and I get mad

when people talk about like November the giants if they had won today they got they won they got the fifth pick if they had lost they would have got the first pick and they blew it I'm not as mad as I would be or I was a couple years ago because Jackson's Art looked awesome in this game and Jackson Dart is like the guy

and Jackson Dart looks phenomenal, which is the only reason I'm kind of like doing mental gymnastics in my head because now it's like the Giants are going to add. It's infuriating because the Giants are now just going to take whoever they were going to take instead of just trading down and adding a first round pick in 2027. They'll probably be a top 10 pick next year and a trade. And now they just get to just take a fucking player and they're stupid and whatever.

But you know what? What was the what was the, I sent you a stat, high fits earlier and it was oh i got it here giants i tweaked it four of the giants last eight wins have just been in a week 17 or week 18 when they're eliminated when they're eliminated when they're eliminated they basically only win when draft picks are on the one they're the best team in nfl history when they could get the first pick i don't know if by EPA per play there's ever been a better team than the giants when they could get the first pick they think they're in the toilet bowl they heard us on the show and they

were like all right they honestly the giants would just owning the first if you could play for the rights, which again is how it should be. So the draft order, we had the beginning, so the Raiders have the first pick. Congratulations to Austin Gale here at the ringer. Raiders are the first pick for the first son. Austin fucking earned it, all right. Yeah, they did. He did.

You know, you look at the top picks and like, you know, this is about right. It's like the Raiders of the first pick. The jets of the second pick. You're like, yeah, that tracks. Cardinals have the third pick. You're like, yeah. Titans have the fourth pick. Giants have the fifth.

Browns are sixth. Commanders are seventh. commanders are seventh do the chiefs have the ninth picked in the draft or the bank the Bengals are nine the chiefs are 10 oh I thought I saw that the or maybe it's a coin flip maybe I did it wrong

I thought I saw I'm looking I don't know how accurate Tankathon is but they have chiefs at nine I think tank a thought's pretty good yeah have that's the chiefs with the ninth pick I almost think they came into this game today and they're like I don't care we're losing we want a top 10 pick that is the sacrifice if my home store is ACL we are gonna fucking tank

and get a top 10 pick and the smart team And then the Rams have, maybe I'm looking at this wrong, the Rams have the 13th pick in the draft. From the Falcons. From the Falcons. Great job, Falcons. Which is why the Falcons fired the gym.

Do you think the Jets having the second overall pick confirms that Dante Moore will return to Oregon? Yes. Do you know I didn't think about that? That's so funny. You know what's funny? That's what happened, Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning was going to come out.

The Jets got the first pick. He went back to Tennessee. Five million bucks to come back and play at Oregon, win a national championship maybe again? Why not? By the way, we were talking about the Jets and what it's like to be a Jets fan the other day and I was like,

maybe we should talk to Sean or Roger Sherman. Roger texted me, by the way. He's like, since you were wondering, he's like, there's no feeling in being a Jets fan anymore. I don't feel anything when I watch the games. I just pre-assume, I don't get excited when they win.

I don't get excited when they lose. I just pre-assume all their picks and free agent people are going to suck. He's like, I just don't have any feeling. I mean, can I read you a couple of jet stats now? Should we get into it? Oh my God, I have some too. Let's do the zero interceptions thing.

The first team ever, there's a stat going around that's like since 1933. That's just since they started tracking interception. That's from the forward pass. That's just when they invented football. Yeah. No one's ever done it. Like since 1933 implies that a team in 1933 did this. Right.

No team has ever done this. Zero interceptions on the season. I don't believe it. Also, they're the first team in the Super Bowl era to lose five. straight games by 23 plus points. Wow. See, they just like laid down.

And they still didn't get the number one pickings. Yeah. That's how bad the Raiders were. Dude. Garrett Wilson, we were talking about this a few weeks ago. Garrett Wilson did end up as the leading receiver on the Jets this year with 395 yards. When was the last time he played?

He played in seven games and didn't finish all of them. So I looked this up. I looked this up because I was curious. what how many what's the fewest receiving yards has ever led a team like what's the fewest yards like he didn't have 400 yards and he led the Jets. So I looked it up this Chase Stewart at football perspective

tracked this years ago ironically a Jets fan which is hilarious he didn't know that at the time that this would be about the Jets but so he looked it up he probably had a suspicion though yeah actually probably because of just come to think of it so Garrett Wilson

395 yards led the Jets. That is the fewest for a full team since 1982, which was the strike season when they played nine games. Before that, it was 1976. And before that, it's just the 50s and 60s and 40s. It's just like literally before it's like before the merger. The Jets finished the season with the third lowest passing yards per game in the NFL over the last 15 years. They averaged 140 passing yards per game and opposing quarterbacks, we've kind of been tracking this all season.

So like we said, no interceptions on the year. Opposing quarterbacks officially finished the year with a record of 14 and 3, 6,000 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and no interceptions. So can we put those two things together? The Jets defense allowed 34 passing touchdowns and

we're the only team... 36 passing touchdowns. And we're the only team in the history of pro football to not intercept a pass during a season. That's the defense. And then on offense, we're the first team to not have a receiver reached 400 yards in a season

in 50 years. And they didn't get the first pick. And they didn't get the first pick. And then every day, they had the most 21 point blowouts of any team ever. Special teams are good, though. It's been a tough year. That's fucking.

And also, Sam Darnel won 14 games for two different teams and two seasons. Sam Darnold is as many wins as the Jets do it less six seasons combined. Cloy's box almost had more receiving yards in one game than anyone on the Jets did the entire season. What did he having a game, 280? Like 395 or something. Yeah, it was something crazy. 395 in a year.

Dude, I can't stress enough also the thing about having 395 since 2020. Dude, 395 is crazy to lead the team. And he played seven games. Do you know what receiving yards Jackson Smith and Jigba had this year? 1790. almost 1800. I just think it's wild that there was never just like a deflected pass. Like you didn't even have to be a real interception.

Like a deflected pass, a pass that just like bounced off someone's head and like went up in the air 10 feet. Scott Hanson was cutting the jets today like when there was a tipped pass. Like it was Barry Bonds at the plate. And also you know it's so funny. It's so clearly their fault. Rogers has made won the division with the Steelers. Sam Darnold's like out here like just again,

can't stress enough, the one seat in the NSC and was playing to be the one seed last year at this exact time. Like, it's the Jets. 14 wins in back-to-back years, which, by the way, I don't know looking at this now, has it, has the NFL ever had three teams win 14 games?

This year, the Broncos, the Patriots and the Seahawks all won 14 games. Have we ever been three teams do that? That's a good question. I feel like that's never happened before. I don't think so. Probably, but probably pretty rarely to two seasons. I definitely, I don't think ever happened in the 16 game era, so it would have to have happened the last five years,

which I don't know if it has. I don't remember either, but that, yeah, it's pretty impressive. Right? Three teams winning 14 games? Yeah, maybe not. I mean, yeah, I mean, the Patriots won 14 games. Didn't get a buy. Yeah.

The, yeah. So, ironically, the Vikings won 14 last year and also didn't get a buy. Yeah. With Donald. With Donald. Okay. other do you want to go over any of the

like other random stats like league leaders and stuff? Sure. Oh yeah. Yeah, quickly run through those. Yeah. Celebrate the end of the season. Sure. So the passing Matt Stafford finished leading the league in passing yards to like 47 under yards. They did 46 passing touchdowns which I just feel like even though he

people are going to argue about the MVP. I feel like 46 touchdowns went under the radar. That's a lot. Like 46 fucking touchdowns for Matt Stafford. But he had eight picks? Yeah. We were concerned about Matt Stafford playing this year. All we heard was an airstream in his back and, like, stupid me worried about Stafford. I mean, that was insane.

James Cook led the league in rushing yards. That's crazy. That's awesome. Derek Kerry didn't pass him tonight, right? I don't think he did. He had like 50 to go. I don't think he got it. So 1621 for James Cook, which you remember his holdout?

Barely. Because he was right. And then John Taylor finished with 18 rushing touchdowns, which led the league. And yet it's incredibly disappointing because he had 15. touchdowns in his first 10 weeks and then he get three in the final two months. God. Brutal. Receiving.

JSN had 1793 receiving yards, which is one of the 10 most highest marks of all time. Wow. He had more yards than Tyrie killed it two years ago. See, that's crazy. That, because it, I don't know like what the national sort of opinion on JSN is, but like, he's like, he's, because obviously people love him here. Seattle, but like, do people think of him as like an elite guy or? It'll probably take a bit.

The playoffs will probably help a lot. I think his primetime games helped a lot. But yeah, it usually takes an extra year for somebody to kind of reach that level. Even on this show, he was just the Shane, are we live Waldron guy. Yeah. Until like three months ago. We did it. We did our all boring team.

And then I said, should we do him? And we, we decided he was like too boring for the all boring team. We were like, he's so fucking boring. I mean, I think there's a little bit. of that with Drake May. Like I feel like all of us are kind of like collectively having to like understand that I guess Drake May is like one of the best quarterback. It's like elite now out of nowhere.

Yeah. Which it just kind of feels weird sometimes. Yeah, I got to tell you. I came to Drake May as MVP. I hope this is long enough for the episode. Bill was not listening. Bill was listening to Bill was listening to this episode. I realized my resistance to Drake me as MVP was because he was a patriot.

And it wasn't because I hate the Patriots, but it was more about like this, this cloud. You're only human. And I just, the idea that they could just have another one, I realized. I can't believe they won fucking 14 games again. They won 14 games. And I'm like, if Drake Me- Just when you think you're rid of them. Yeah.

Like if Drake Me was, it did the same thing, but it was the Jets, I'm like, yeah, give me the MVP. Hi, Vince, was it, was it the 2024 draft of the Giants won that stupid game against the Jets that would have had you the third picker? Tommy DeVito won three fucking games in 2024. They beat Washington twice. And so Tommy fucking DeVito. Sentimental with the federal cost us money. And so the Giants would have had mayor Jane Daniels. Oh.

Right, right, right. And Bill has the audacity to complain about Joe Milton costing the pick last year. I'm like, they got Drake Bay, the MVP. Another notable stat this year that I think kind of flew under the radar is Bejohn Robinson led the NFL in scrimage yards. He had 2298 scrimage yards. hundred so sorry, 1,478 rushing yards, 820 yards receiving. That is the ninth most scrimmage yards in a season ever. I understand, obviously 17 games, but I mean, he's up there with Chris Johnson.

So this is the top seasons ever. Chris Johnson, Christian McCaffrey, 2019, Tiki Barber, 2005, Lidania Tomlinson in 2003, Stephen Jackson, 2006, Lidane and Tomlinson in 2006, Adrian Peterson in 2012, and Edron James in in 2000. Wow. He's up there with like some of the all-time great names. at running back. So obviously pretty fucking impressive.

I mean, Bejohn kind of just flew under the radar half the year because it's what Jonathan Taylor was doing for most of the season. But man, he's just so fucking good. Tyler L.Gere was stealing his touchdowns while Michael Pennix couldn't move the ball. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

That's fantasy football. Once Michael Pennix needed his ACL reconstructed and Kirk Cousins returned from his Achilles injury at 36, then Bijon was set. Yeah. The Tyler Al Jir complaints earlier in the season didn't really materialize. All right. Let's just run through some categories here for. old time's sake.

I want to steal one from the rewatchables we just did. We did what age the best. And I didn't put this in, but I shouldn't have, which is Kurt Signetti, the coached in Indiana, his opening press conference saying about what his pitches to recruits. And he said, I win. Everywhere I go, I win. Google me.

And I don't know if any press conferences ever aged better. This motherfucker destroyed Alabama. he guillotine them. Like Alabama's the monarchy. It was like the French Revolution. Pretty badass. He should have also said like Google Mark Cuban.

Google. Who's paying your, who's writing your check? Google Mark Cuban. Anyway, that was worse. Yeah, he's doing okay. You ever heard a fucking shark take? The Mavericks heard of them? Yeah, we're all right.

The Ringer Fantasy football show is brought to you by Fandle. Football fans. We've waited all season for this. It's time to flip the switch to playoff mode on Fandle, America's number one sportsbook. Right now, all Fandul customers can get in on the action with a wild card reward for the NFL wildcard round. Just pick your card and you can win up to 100% profit boost. I think we all, I think Craig DK and I, I don't want to speak for them, but I've got to, I think we like the Bears over the Packers because I just don't like the Packers lost five straight games.

And I am extremely, extremely dubious of the bills in the first round. I know it's scary to bet against Josh Allen, but I just think the Jaguars are better in the running, so much better running on offense and the Bill's defense can't stop the Jaguars rushing game. And I also just don't like the bills need a kicker, like six days out from a playoff game, and the Jaguars kicker is making 67-yard field goals.

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Intrusive thoughts. What you got? I had a few. And I want to start with D.K. The Seahawks, I didn't choose to thought, which I kind of think Gray's able, the guard for the Sealk should be the offensive rookie of the year. Wow. That's fun. Okay.

So run through the other candidates here. Obviously, Jackson Dart was on there. Glad you asked. They all suck. Teteroa McMillan. Very bad year. Tetero and McBillan's probably going to win the award. And that's stupid.

And it's just because he got to a thousand yards this week. And they can't there's just because he got to a thousand yards. He had a good year. Yes. It is. It is just because he got to 1,000 yards. A thousand yards of seven touchdowns as a rookie is a good year. That's really good.

I think if the Panthers had, if the Falcons had lost to the Saints and the Panthers didn't make the playoffs, I don't think it either had won. Bryce Young, Bradshaw gets like 3,100 yards this year and Tet managed to get over a thousand. I get that. I get that. That's fine. But he all, Ted McMillan last year would have came in fifth an offensive rookie of the year. It's not a special season.

It's whatever. Gray's able played 15 games. the Seahawks transformed the Seahawks interior offensive line and they won 14 games. They got a first round by. They Sam Darno like looked so much better. The whole issue of San Darnal is interior pressure. Again, these looks destroyed people all year. The running game went from horrific to like merely average issue.

It was an issue late like in the beginning of the year, but then got better and better. I don't know. I think Gray Zabel was the best rookie in the year. We never give an offensive lineman, but this is that one in 50 year. I support it. What are the actual odds right now? He's not fucking listed, Fandall. What the fuck?

He should. He was better as a rookie than Tederoa. We're guards. That'd be awesome. The NFL should sack up and give it to alignment. That'd be sweet. Hell yeah. They should.

I should start a campaign. You should. I like that. That's real football. That's watch the tape and it's crazy able. Speaking of the Panthers game, though, and then their intrusive thought watching the Panthers bucks game just torrential downpour. I was like, why don't the refs get jackets?

Oh, wow. That's a good point. I can't why the players don't get to wear a rain jacket, but I'm watching the referees soaked out. I'm like, this guy's 60, 70 years old. And I'm like, why don't you get a rain jacket? Highfits, I'll tell you what, my friend, despite your best efforts, you might have landed on something here.

Why don't they get jackets? I feel like sometimes they wear jackets. Not during that game. They were just wearing their ref outfits. They get giant black and white zebra rain jackets? Yeah. This just reminds me of the funniest question, Skippy ever out. asked me, which was, do that,

are the umpires wearing blazers? Why are they wearing blazers? Why is that a, is he wearing a dinner coat? What is that? Hi, Fitts, I regret to inform you. I do think they have them. Gemini has weighed in. Gemini is our Terry McCauley, and he weighs in and says that you're incorrect.

I think the issue here is that, look at, I don't care what Gemini. It says, Google the pictures of the refs and Buck's Panthers. They're not wearing rain jackets. Well, look what I just sent you, Evad Hoculate. I think they just make the rain jackets look really, really good. Yeah. Oh, wow. I think that's just a rain jacket designed to not look like a rain jacket.

Yeah, yeah. All right. Well, this guy's wearing short sleeves, but I see your point. They do exist. Okay. All right. Depending. But I don't know why they weren't wearing those in Tampa.

You just didn't plan ahead. Look at the weather report. That's why they kept missing the fucking calls. It's because they weren't wearing their right clothes. They're cold. Do you have any other intrusive thoughts? Mine is not associated with the game of football, but, you know, we're 18 weeks in, 18 weeks of me for 12 hours on Sunday,

parking my ass on the couch or the laptop on my legs. It can't be good for you. The couch was designed obviously before the laptop was invented. And we haven't figured those two things out. I don't know how to look at my laptop while sitting. on a couch. Craig, you got to get one of those like gaming things where you lay back and like the screens like above your head. How do I watch the television? That's what I'm saying. You're, well, you know, you're watching. You have the screen in front of you on the like, it's like you're in a

dentist chair almost. I need the TV and the laptop to be comfortable to look at for 12 hours and I, I don't know how you do it. Do you guys think stealth recliner? Stealth recliner. Stealth recliner. Stealth recliner. You need stealth recliner with a little pop-up thing and like, you need a stealth recliner. You mean like a lazy boy. You can like kick back on? Yeah. That's cool, but a couch. I don't know how you sit on a couch with a laptop for more than an hour. That would kill my neck. Without hurting. How do you watch games? What are you? I sit at my desk all day. I'm surprised you guys sit on the couch. I don't have a TV in this room. I'm in. Well, I stream everything on. You sit at that desk all day? I do. You watch you watch the days, you watch every Sunday just on a computer? Yeah. The hell? I watch all the games in front of you.

Yeah. You're not putting it on a television? No. Well, I mean, I have monitors that are much like televisions. Yeah. What about like Sunday night football? Are you moving into the living room? No. Wow. I'm concentrating. I'm putting together the dock. I'm doing research. I'm getting stoliosis on the couch. Yeah. I'm doing. You're getting the heat on your thighs. And you're going to burn your thighs with that. I was going to say, yeah, the sperm count.

Every position possible to get, I need like a comma suture for sitting on the couch because I can't figure it out. If I sit on the couch for five minutes trying to look at my laptop and watch a game, my neck starts killing. I think it's underrated that couch is not that comfortable of an adventure. We haven't talked to me right now. There are very uncomfortable couch designed. I can't sit there for a long time on my laptop. I like go crisscross, bend over. Not on a laptop.

Yeah. My neck's bent. It's not designed for laptops. It's not at all. I think this is a good point. I think if there's a chair or a cleaner company that's listening to this that wants to get in touch about a chair for Craig and me. But again, it's like some people don't have, I don't have room in my living space

to add a chair. I have to sit on the couch. So it's like maybe I get like one of those like side table like TV tray looking things that I got a couple of I put the laptop on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's hard. That's the move.

Anyway, that was my intrusive thought. I was like, I'm uncomfortable 18 weeks in. That's good. Can I give you one other intrusive thought? This is a good intrusive. This is a true intrusive thought. So obviously, you know, Madero.

in America now. Yeah. You know? Yeah. And I just was watching Maduro. Dot, dot, dot. He's here.

He looks like Big Cat kind of. I thought it was Big Cat for a second. Jesus. That's not a bad thing to say. I'm just saying there was just like a moment when he was like in his like Nike get up. I was like that kind of looks like this cat. It's about to host a pod. Like that's a yeah.

I don't know if he would ever do that for Halloween. He's about to make some bets. But there's moments where I was like, is he not kind of like Big Cat? Older Big Cat. I was watching the news and they were like, yeah, he's got a court hearing on Monday. And I'm like, I had this, it's just though.

I was like, so does he, how does he go about getting a lawyer? Like, does he just call? Like, does he just get his phone call and he just calls up a lawyer? Imagine just Kim calling before. Imagine getting that call. He probably has a lawyer. I know he, I know he has a lawyer. I know he has one.

But my. intrusive thought was like, what if he doesn't have one here? He just, does he just, do they call him? Court appointed. One can be provided for you. Isn't that what they're called? It gets a public, yeah, it gets the public defender. Yeah.

That was why intrusive thought. As public defender showed up, be like, wow, this is quite the case. I have the worst fucking attorneys. That, there's your stupid fucking movie. There's your Netflix movie, crank. It's like a fucking lockoff with a public defender. The husband, the wife, if the, Husbands doing the crime.

It's called, it's my cousin Vinnie, too, Venezuela. He was a tanik. I didn't do it. It's Joe Pesci right now representing Maduro. That's his last case. Joe Pesci's last case. He's only had two, though. He hasn't worked since.

He never got the, no. He's been vacationing in Florida this whole time. How old is Joe Pesci now? Gotta be 75, I don't know. Well, he's more than that, I bet. Someone getting in touch of Joe Pesci and tell him this should be my cousin, Viti. He's 82.

Do you mentioned this on the town, Craig? It's going to get made. All right, that's good. I like that. And then Big Cat can play him. Done. It's all coming together. Done.

A little touch of gray. Oh, my God. Before we play the sound drop, do we have a fart of shart to play the sound drop? Yeah, I can throw one at DK. Oh, okay. All right. Well, Cam, I always got a fart or a shark cooking. Cam, I told you you wouldn't have to play it, but I think you had to play a fart of shirt.

Just did the button. Cam's Oh no, it's a lot This one's a minute in 30 seconds No! We need a Look, this That's the best one.

The yacht rock fart or shart is the best one, but it is two minutes. I'm disturbed how good the clanker music is. It's horrific. It's bad for society. It's not, we're no longer in the yacht rock era.

We're in the clank rock era. Clank rock? Clank rock kind of sounds cool. I know. God, they got to go. Well, that song sounds cool. I apologize for clank rocking.

All right. What's your fart? Craig? I think we have to come right back to Sunday night football, Danny. Daniel. Baltimore Ravens, 8 and 9 this year. Fart or Shark, John Harbaugh, Lamar Jackson, Derek Henry. This run that the Ravens have had,

this disappointing run that the Ravens and bills have been competing against each other to beat Patrick Mahomes and get to a Super Bowl. This would have been the year to do it. And now the Ravens are not. going to do it. Eight and nine, fart or shart, Baltimore? Man, I think it's a, it's a shart, a mini shart. I think they're good. I think John Harbaugh is going to get fired.

And I think they're going to clean house and like change a lot of stuff. There's already talk that Lamar maybe wants to leave or whatever. Like, I don't know. It's going to be an off season. It's going to be weird off season. I don't think Lamar is actually going to leave. Unfortunately for Lamar, he's under contract for $55 million. dollars a year. No, I just meant like they would trade him. But, um, yeah, I think it's going to be,

it's going to be a transformative offseason. Well, and with Lamar, he's, I think the only quarterback in the league where he has actually had a fart or shart during the NFL game. It's true. He's been there, done that. Well played. Well played. He's had a literal and figurative shart this season. Uh, I want to say Schfter said, or this morning, I don't know what Schifter said about Harbaugh, he also, I believe, said, Harbaugh, well, he said, leaning safe, so maybe not, maybe he'll stay. He also said, what's that graphic say, but Rahim Morris, D.K.

Good question. Good question. Leaning safe. Ooh, ho. Losing your fastball. I don't know for sure if John Harbaal will be fired. I wouldn't be surprised. I'm not saying it, like, will happen, but I do. What do Ravens fans feel about this?

Well, I will, a stat that I had never thought of. but someone sent to me, and it's been in my head bouncing around ever since, like our intro with a little hitting the corner, is that no quarterback coach combo that's been together longer than five years that winning a Super Bowl has won a Super Bowl,

which blew my fucking mind. Oh, interesting. And I... It's like couples who don't get engaged for too long. You know, it's like they're 10 years in. It's like you're still not engaged. It's over. I don't know if the Ravens need to move on from John Harbaugh.

It's one of those where, I mean, wouldn't the Giants, all these teams trip over themselves? John Harbaugh and the Ravens, you know, really start with the Steelers having no head coaches. I believe the Ravens have only had two head coaches since 1996. Like, you know, it's 30 years and they've had two guys. It's not, I mean, John Harba was the second longest tenured coach in the NFL after Tomlin. And on one hand, it's a weird thing to flush the toilet.

The other hand, I don't know. I mean, we'll talk about this on the next episode, but I don't know. It's there, there's something going on with the Ravens team. There's, it's hard to blame the front office and everything. They have a lot of stability there. I it does kind of remind me a little bit of like the Pete Carroll thing like where he's just been there too long need to move on need a new voice in the building you knew like a like a fresh philosophy or whatever but it's just like man and they've had so many like depressing like playoff

failures that it just kind of like permeates the organization a little bit's like you almost need a fresh start not to say that he's a bad coach it's just like it it's like the Belichick thing or the Carroll thing it's like man you just like been there too long and he's quietly a decade older than Tomlin. Yeah. Like Tomlin's really young. Tomlin's 53. He was the youngest coach in the league when he got hired.

Yeah. That's like fucking McVeigh. McVeigh, you know if Harbaugh goes and Tomlin retires next year. Is McVeigh going to be like the second longest tenured coach in the NFL? He's going to, but also be like the fifth youngest. Oh, that's weird. Insane. So, yeah.

Okay. Ick of the week. Oh, I had one. It was early on. the games. And by the way, this, this early slate, the, the, the, whatever, the song been waiting all day for Sunday nights, never been truer. Like, this was the fucking worst day of football. The both. The morning slate and the afternoon slate were just frigging terrible. But there was a point in the, in the, in the Vikings game early on with J.J. McCarthy. Like, he escaped the pocket,

scrambled. And then instead of just running out of bounds, he like lowers his shoulder, runs into the defender. tries to truck him and then gets in his face starts talking shit like you can see his head starts to just like you know like go inside to side he gets a flag thrown on him his teammate comes over tries to like pull him away from the ref he's getting mad at the ref and then he like spin moves away from his teammate like almost falls down and it's like okay I'm out that what are you doing the ref hold down to his arm like he's a toddler at them all and he's trying to get away it was the biggest ick and then like as he's running back to the to this like huddle he's like

my bad, my bad, that's my bad. I lost my cool. I'm like, turn your swag off, T.K. Nine. Nine came out. Like, okay. It was just too much. And then he re-injured himself in the game.

I'm just like, man. What a disaster. Nine has played like nine games. Yeah. In two years. He needs to, he needs to fucking relax. That's all.

I feel bad for Kevin O'Connell. Kevin McConnell was asked today if he wants competition for J.G. McCarthy. If he's committed to JJ McCarthy's to start next year, and Kevin O'Connell's like, you know, I mean, look, you know, today was JJ's kind of early to start. Yeah.

And he just said, he let that hang. He's like, it was his 10th start. I'm like, yeah, it's a 10th start. He's got like four injuries. It's like Cadarious Tony level like injuries per game is incredible. Any other Ix? There was a point in the Packers game when Emmanuel Wilson lost 18 yards on a run and almost turned into a safety. That was one of the worst runs I've ever seen my life.

This was like the living embodiment. The football play that embodies week 18. An 18 yard loss. There you go. He looked like a punk returner. Right. Being like, I can save it. I can save it.

I can reverse field like three times. It was like a Russell Wilson sack. He's like crying. I can fix it. I can break this whole weight. Oh my God. It was brutal. It was brutal.

It was so bad. I had a couple X. The Steelers handed the ball off to Jonu Smith. And I'm like, you know, it's an heck is just like seeing a tight end line up in the back. Yeah. Get a rush. Don't do that. I don't like that.

The second he got the ball, I'm like, all right. He's now the worst running back in the league. What is this? What is the point of this? He's the worst running back in the league with the ball. And the other heck, I don't know why it just finally hit me, but the way that Aaron Rogers stands when the Steelers run a tush push, why does he stand like he's getting a fucking blowjop? Like, what is he doing?

What? Okay. You got to describe it. He stands there like the fucking king of the world with hands on his hips, his feet wide. Like he's a superhero. Like his cape is blowing. He's getting a blowjob. I don't know why he does that.

It's like a pose. It's so true. His hands are his fucking pockets. Why? He's so proudly like stands there. It's defiant. It's weird. Maybe it's because his eyes are closed.

Okay. I need you to say. me a picture. I don't, I never noticed it. I never noticed it. Oh my god. Because you're on your fucking screens in your office. I can't believe you've never seen.

He just, he stands with his hands in his pockets. He actually puts his hands away. Yeah, dude. He's like, got him in like his hand warmer. Yeah. That's okay. I mean, I, the, the image is evocative, the, what Craig described. No, now you need to see it.

You have, oh my God. This picture. the hands on the hips why did he do that it looks like it does look like he's getting a oh my god

he's a really funny he does have a wide stance guy yeah wow that's really funny I don't know the hands on the hips thing

is too much And that game is from Minnesota. That's the game in Dublin, D.K. We were there. The photo I just said you. I just never noticed it. I'm sorry. Stands there and watches.

Likes what he sees. I don't know. I don't know what to do with my hands. That's, yeah. My God. All right. Well, I don't really think I could top that. Choice.

Word choice. Nobody. What's that? I don't think I could top that. No. Should we end there? I don't know. I don't really,

worst play of the day. My Max Brossmer fumble doesn't really live up that. That wasn't really bad. I think makes me miss Will Levis. Poor little bro. Dude, it was like, you know that scene in Willie Wonka with Gene Wilder where he's like limping and then he like does the little thing?

Yeah, yeah. It was kind of like that, but then he fumbled. He tripped on his own teammate. I think he thought the play was over and it wasn't. It was, I actually think it was way more embarrassed than the pick six. What a season. We did it. We did it.

We did it. We did it. Playoffs are here. Crazy. Crazy times. Boy, does the NFL season ever feel like it goes by fast? Or to me, it feels agonizingly slow. Great.

It's both grueling like a marathon and also goes by very quickly for me. Because it's like every week we have a very rigid schedule day in and day out that we just like stick to every single day. And it's like goes by quickly. Sorry, I didn't mean to use the word rigid there. but, you know. It is a very stiff schedule. It's, yeah. Set in stone, if you will.

But yeah. I am looking forward to the playoffs. One final thing, week 18 is incentives week, and it's when, like, Adam Schaefter has nothing else to do, but tweet out, like, random incentives that need to be hit for players to make, like, 500 grand. Yeah. Dude, I didn't realize how specific some of these incentives could be.

I saw one today about Bradley Chubb on the Dolphins. Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb has reached thresholds for both playing time and sacks to trigger 5.15 million incentives. However. 5.1 mil? Yes. However, that is... 5 million? That's a lot.

That's a big ass incentive. Sorry, continue. No, no, yeah. There's a lot of money. However, that is all contingent on Miami's defense finishing in the top 20 and points per game. Oh, my God. Heading into Sunday's game in New England, they are 21st at 24.1. What the fuck?

Did not know they did that. So he didn't get, he, he didn't get his money? I don't think so, because they let up like 40 points. Damn. That's insane. Craig's like, yeah, it's a lot of money. Anyway, look at your agent like, could have done fucking 22nd in points per game? It's like, are you kidding me?

We've been negotiating, we've been going back and forth about this for weeks. They won't go higher than 20. If your EPA per dropback is better than 0.0.4. I didn't know they did that. That's also a lot of money. To not get because you finished. God, damn. Get a new agent.

That's tough. Sucks for Brad the job. Sorry, Brad. Speaking of Chubs. I was waiting for you. I was trying to alley you. I was like, Duane Wade with the audience.

Christ. Yeah. All right. Thank you, D.K. Thank you, Craig. Thank you everyone for listening.

Emails at ringer fantasy football at gmail. Gmail. I can't believe the fucking Rogers. You're right. That's exactly what we said. stands like. We're going to have episodes. We'll have all the coach firings that are going to happen and mock draft stuff.

We'll do that. And again, we cover the draft, cover the offseason. Stick with us for the playoffs. If your team's been eliminated, stick with us for the draft, the offseason, free agency, all that jazz on the whole offseason. Honestly, this show's a little weirder and more fun when the playoffs get going. And yeah, people's on Netflix Sunday. Type and ringer, look us up.

it'll our show will be there you can click you can hit the set to remind you can remind yourself for a reminder that we're there next Sunday you can watch this on Netflix next Sunday um do it thank you Lord Lord thank you Madonna thank you Madonna wow okay I don't know if I've ever shot shoted her out or not are you fan of hers yeah do you okay not you yeah I think she was before our time she was for sure but I knew about Madonna right from like league of their own she was actress right I've been saying I think she was before our time and D.K.'s like yeah. Yeah, she's 65 years old. That's correct. Craig, what year did she? What was like her first hit?

Was it like 80s? I don't know the answer that. Yeah, she's a very 80s artist I would say. Life is a mystery. Like a prayer. Let's see here. Wait, just like a prayer and like a Like a Virgin was 1984. Yeah, baby. You know what's a great song is hung up, which samples, Gimmy, Gimmy, Gimmy. Van Lathen, our ringer colleague, had a Instagram story the other day where he was like, random thing.

But if you ever listen to a song and you just look up the song that it samples, is like, that song is usually better. And I thought that was like, Gimmy, give me. I know, but that was like really good advice. And I've been trying to do that with songs. because you can kind of look it up on Spotify of like what it samples.

Yeah. And it's actually pretty good tip. You can really go down like a TikTok warmhole learning. Like when you can just go through like. Yeah, there's some people explaining songs that were sampled. And it is very cool to hear how they contort them and twist that. There's a whole New York Times article about sicko mode because sicko mode I think still has the most writing credits of any song ever because it samples 10 songs that sampled four

songs. So there's like, I don't know. There's like 100 fucking people. on the credits for sickle mode yeah Craig I read a or I saw a video about how Madonna like had to write Abba a letter and like beg them because I guess they don't typically license any of their

stuff for the most part yeah and she had to like write them an individual letter like a heartfelt letter to get the rights for that song Jay Z did that for hard knock life that one where it's like it like they have Annie yeah and he obviously they like you know late 90s the people who wrote Annie in the 50s or whatever weren't like, you know, huge fans of the New York rap scene. So he had,

they said no. And so he then wrote them a letter and he wrote this story about, hey, like when I was like, you know, in Brooklyn and like they took us to Manhattan one time. We saw Annie on Broadway. It had a huge impact on my career and my influence and I really resonated with me.

And it's why I became a rapper. And he wrote the story completely made it up. It was totally. God damn it. But they released, they gave him the rights of the song. Good for him. Good for him. It worked out. Goodbye, everyone. Must be 21 plus in present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 plus in present in D.C., Kentucky, or Wyoming. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-gambler or visit RG-Hallephap.com. Call 1-888-8-9-7777 or visit ccpg.org slash chat in Connecticut or

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