The Ringer NFL Show - NFC and AFC Playoff Pictures Get a Shake-Up After a Wild Week 12!

Episode Date: November 24, 2025

Sheil and The Ringer’s own Diante Lee get together after a blockbuster Week 12 in the NFL to assess how the current playoff scenarios look for both the AFC and NFC. (00:00) The NFL playoff picture ...after Week 12(1:27) The NFC playoff picture(3:47) Can the Cowboys make it to the playoffs?(7:25) Can the Chicago Bears make it to the playoffs?(13:34) What are the least likely NFC playoff scenarios?(18:56) The AFC playoff picture(19:32) How do we feel about the Chiefs and Colts after Week 12?(25:56) Can the Jacksonville Jaguars make it to the playoffs? This episode is presented by State Farm®️. Don’t settle for just any insurance when there’s State Farm. https://www.statefarm.com/lp/trainer Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Host: Sheil KapadiaGuest: Diante LeeProducer: Chris SuttonSocial: Kiera Givens and Brian WatersProduction Supervision: Conor Nevins and Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to the Ringer NFL show. I'm your host, Sheila Kapadia. A highly entertaining week 12, chiefs save their season with a win over the Colts. The Cowboys come back to beat the Eagles, lions, bears, jaguars all survive. So where do things stand with the NFC and AFC playoff pictures and what's going to change in the next six weeks? That's what we're talking about today. Our guest is my friend, the ringer's own Deonté Lee. let's take a break and come back with Deante.
Starting point is 00:00:32 This is the Ringer NFL show presented by Fandul, the best place to bet the NFL all season long. Fan Duel's got it all. Same game parlies, quick bets for jumping in live and your way so you can build the bet that fits your play. And Missouri, get excited because Fandual's coming your way December 1st. Download theFandual.com slash Ringer NFL to get started. must be 21 plus and present in select states and 18 plus in D.C., Kentucky and Wyoming.
Starting point is 00:01:05 Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler or visit RG-dash-help.com. Call 1-888-78-9-77-7-7 or visit ccpg.org slash chat in Connecticut. All right, we are back on the Ringer NFL show with Deonté Lee. We're going to go over the playoff picture, NFC first, then AFC. Talk about what's going to change, what's real, what's not. But, Deante, we just got finished watching Sunday night football. Let me start with this. I think the Rams are the only trustworthy team in the NFL.
Starting point is 00:01:48 I'm serious. Like, they're the only team that I'm sure is good. And by that, I mean, well coached on both sides of the ball and quarterback that I trust. If those are your only qualifications after week 12 for a team is good, I don't know that there's another team in the NFL that I can actually say that about. I mean, I can't imagine having a more jarring experience if you're a casual NFL fan. if you're watching Eagles Cowboys and watching the Eagles stumble over themselves in the second half,
Starting point is 00:02:15 and then you flip over to Sunday night football, and within a quarter and a half, the Rams are basically just totally dispatched of another playoff quality team, right? So I'm right there with you. As I was watching, I think it might have been the second touchdown of Devonce Adams.
Starting point is 00:02:29 I was like, man, this is just what a Super Bowl-level team looks like. When they have food in front of them, they don't play with their food. March right up and down the field. Defense looks faster than the offense. They look like they have every big, bit of their opponent's tendency scouted out. And it just marched up and down the field to the point where at the half time,
Starting point is 00:02:47 at halftime, Buck's head coach Todd Bowles was basically lost for answers. It's like, I mean, I think we need to run the ball because we can't give the off. We can't give their offensive ball back. We also just aren't executing. I don't have a play call that's going to fix this. That's the effect of an elite team. And the Rams are definitely playing like the most elite team in the NFL right now. So the Rams are the one seed in the NFC.
Starting point is 00:03:06 You have the Eagles at two. You got the Bears at three. you have the Bucks at four, and then your wildcard teams are the Seahawks, the Packers, and the 49ers. So Deonti, despite the Lions win today over the Giants, they would be out of the playoffs if the playoffs started today. They're the eighth seed at seven and four.
Starting point is 00:03:27 Panthers play Monday night. They're six and five. And then this Cowboys team, 10th seed right now, Deontay, five, and one. I'm not, you know, trying to go, all first take or whatever you want and be like, we have to lead with the Cowboys.
Starting point is 00:03:45 But I actually think the Cowboys have a real shot of going on a run and sneaking in. It's not the most likely outcome. They're plus 520. I'm not bold enough to predict it. But they would have to go like five and one down the stretch. And just that game today against the Eagles where they get off to the Rocky Star, you referenced it, they come back. That offense is just like most weeks, that's just going to be tough to deal with.
Starting point is 00:04:08 Those two wide receivers who are now, you know, if they're healthy with Dak Prescott, with the offensive line, with the stuff they scheme up in the run game. So I was looking at this. I think they probably have to finish like five and one down the stretch. And they've got the chiefs on Thanksgiving and then they're at the lion. So those are two tough games. After that, Vikings Chargers at Washington at the Giants. So I actually think if they can beat the chiefs or the lions the next two weeks, go one and one.
Starting point is 00:04:38 and then win their final four games, they're 10, 6, and 1, and they're getting in. Is that crazy? I know it's far-fetched, but what does your heart tell you is possible with this Cowboys team? I mean, I'm right there with you. I was joking right before we got on the show
Starting point is 00:04:54 that I've been in every playoff simulator, tapping away at games, teams can win and lose and how that's going to shape the rest of the playoff race. And I'm right there with you. I've kind of had it laid out the exact same way where Dallas can split these two games, up against Detroit and Kansas City. And if they went out the rest of the way, they do need help, right?
Starting point is 00:05:13 Like they're going to need San Francisco to kind of nose dive, right? And I think that that's a possibility, just given how hurt this defense has been. And then they really need the NFC North to just like totally beat up on each other. Detroit plays Chicago twice. Chicago still got to play Green Bay again. They need those games to just be a wild smattering of results, right? And no one team runs away with it. So that way they're all kind of jostling with each other to either win the division
Starting point is 00:05:36 or not make the playoffs at all, that would be the best pathway. I do think, though, almost more interesting for me with Dallas is that they can play spoiler for Kansas City in Detroit. I think I'm less invested in whether or not the Cowboys can make the playoffs. And these will be greater conversations to have in the offseason about their roster building and kind of trying to tee everything up more for 2026 than this year. But at least for 2025, they can 100% ruin Kansas City shot to get back in the AFC playoff race. And they can have a large influence on what can happen.
Starting point is 00:06:06 in the NFC North that they're able to beat Detroit. I don't have them as a playoff team, but I do think they're one of the teams that's on the outside looking in that can have the most outsized impact on the final 14 that we get in the tournament come January. Yeah, the NFC North is the most interesting aspect to this
Starting point is 00:06:23 because right now you look at the standings and you say the Chicago Bears are 8 and 3. And then I go to Fandle and I look at it and I say, the bears have worse odds than the Lions and Packers right now just to get into the. the playoffs. So basically the way it's set up is like this. Of the following teams, Bears, Packers, Lions, 49ers, and we'll throw the Cowboys in there in case you think the Cowboys can get in. Only three of those teams are going to get in. So whoever wins the NFC North and then two
Starting point is 00:06:54 wildcard teams. That's assuming Rams win the NFC West. Seahawks are a wildcard team. Those teams, you know, those things seem pretty sure at this point. So again, Bears, Packers, Lions, 49ers, and Cowboys. only three can get in. And Deante, I was getting ready for the pod and I'm going, well, no, this, no, I think this, well, no, I couldn't decide. Who do you got?
Starting point is 00:07:17 Who do you have from that group if I told you three of those teams are getting in, which are the three you would pick right now? I think right now, I think right now Chicago ends up being the odd team out, actually, in spite of being the division leader at the moment. Because you would have to make an argument that Chicago is going to handle the games they're supposed to handle against the Browns. You'd have to pick them to beat the 49ers. And then from there, you would have to feel very strongly that they can beat Philadelphia,
Starting point is 00:07:47 Green Bay, one out of these two teams, one out of the two times they play in Detroit to end the season. Now, if Detroit goes on a heater, right, and they get to week 18 and they don't have anything to play for because they've wrapped up the division, maybe Chicago can get a backdoor sneak in that way. But you would still need help if you're the Bears. I think if you're San Francisco, you look at their upcoming skisks. schedule. If they win tomorrow night against the Panthers, they're kind of sitting pretty, even though I don't think they're actually a good team because then you have Cleveland,
Starting point is 00:08:14 you have Tennessee, you can probably beat both of those teams without necessarily needing to play your A game. And then you should be feeling like there's really nothing that can go wrong for them unless there's just like some disaster scenario where a bunch of other tie breaks work out or teams stack up enough wins to where they end up being the odd team out. I think they're going to be a 10 and 7 team that gets into the playoffs. So I would say that San Francisco would be with with Chicago, those two teams being kind of on the fringe, I think I'll be leaning a little bit more San Francisco in Detroit and Green Bay filling up the rest of the NFC wild card.
Starting point is 00:08:44 All right. I think the Bears are the team that best represents the 2025 NFL season, Deont. Because I was thinking about this. You, you Biden, at this point, we've done many pods together. You know my beats, the stuff I reference. And all those things would tell you, do not trust the Chicago Bears. Okay, they are six and one in one score games. They've got a minus three point differential,
Starting point is 00:09:04 which if you look at it, the last 10 years, there's only been two times a team had eight or more wins through week 12 and had a negative point differential. The other was the 2020 Browns. So they are not as good as their record says. Yet I look at this. And I say if the bears were on a neutral field against one of these other NFC teams in the coming weeks,
Starting point is 00:09:26 do I really think they're frauds and that they can't win? And the answer is no. I think they could win because I think they're going to, their run game's going to be good. I think they can scheme up explosives. I know they're just feasting on turnovers on defense. I don't really believe in their defense. But I look at all those things and I'm like these other,
Starting point is 00:09:44 all these teams are so flawed this year. Like if this was another year, if these were even last year where you had the Eagles playing the way they were playing, where you had the lions playing the way they were playing. Even the Packers last year, I would have been like, no, this Bears team, they're frauds. I would be coming on here saying, get them out of here. They're not making it.
Starting point is 00:10:01 I just don't feel that in my heart this year. Like, you could tell me over the next six weeks, they play better than some of those teams. And they beat some of those teams. So while the resume is not what I typically like from a division winner or a playoff team, I actually am not going so far as to say, like, they're kind of growing on me. Honestly, I watch them every week, and I see them do some of the same nonsense. And I see Caleb Williams have some great plays. And I see him escape from some sacks.
Starting point is 00:10:28 And I see guys running wide open. And I see their defense getting, and I'm like, you know what? If I were a Bears fan, I'm having a great time this year watching this team. Look, first of all, I just enjoy the fact that we're just slowly kind of brushing away at those rough edges on shield, right? It's slowly, but surely, you know, he's leaving some of the more art intakes and just saying, hey, man, if you're having a good time, I'm having a good time right there with you with Chicago. And I will say to that point, if I wanted to take the other side of the argument I just made about the bears missing out, I would say a lot of what you're saying, right? They have a lot of the component pieces that you would like to see offensively. I've tweeted it earlier today that they've been one of the better second half offenses in the league,
Starting point is 00:11:10 if not the best second half offense in the league. They do a great job of making adjustments. And to your point, differential point, I think that if you're a Bears fan, you would say that Lions game in Week 2 has an outsized impact on that, right? Like that game totally got away from them early, turnovers, three and outs, bad field position, the whole thing. You end up losing by 31 points. And for the rest of the season, they basically are playing in one's,
Starting point is 00:11:32 score games. Now, that probably means you're not as good as your record suggests that you are. And you're, you know, you're definitely kind of taking advantage of that one score game variance. But I think that if you're Chicago, this is a success almost on its own. I don't really care about what seating we're in. If I'm a Bears fan, right? I'm just glad that the quarterback looks like what he was billed as when he was drafted. And that your head coach in year one looks like the kind of guy that we thought he could be coming into this scenario.
Starting point is 00:11:59 Wait, hold on, hold on. That was the case going into this season. Diatta, now you're 8 and 3. This is where you don't make the irrational behavior. No, if you don't make the playoffs now, talk to a Bears fan in January. They're not feeling good about the future. They have to go three and three down the stretch.
Starting point is 00:12:15 They're an 11-win team and they're in the playoffs. I'm with you. I'm with you. And just like I know you from podcast with you, you know me. I'm always ready to shift the blame to the people who really deserve it in my opinion. So Bears' peers, if you're looking for somebody to be mad at, Ryan Poles is your guy.
Starting point is 00:12:29 If you go 10 and 7 and miss the playoffs, you talk to Ryan Poles and say, hey, man, all the time you spent trying to draft guys and develop, you know, we're trying to get this program together where you're looking at all these great athletes and basically borrowing from the relative athletic score to kind of shape your big board. Why aren't these defensive players making more of an impact? Why are we getting guys that are always hurt? That's where you should be shifting the blame to. It should be less about whether or not.
Starting point is 00:12:53 I love that. Exactly. You know, I'm always setting that up. It's not about Ben Johnson. It's not about Caleb Williams. The real issue here if they don't make the playoffs is Ryan Pulse. That's your agenda if you're a Bears fan. All right.
Starting point is 00:13:05 You know what? I'm going to say the Bears get in. I'm just going to embrace the chaos. I'm going to say all three of those NFC North teams get in. The 49ers don't get in. The Cowboys don't get in. You know what? That's how I feel at this very moment.
Starting point is 00:13:18 I'll change my mind next week. But that's why we do so many pods here. All right, let's finish this with the NFC. Because I was thinking this, Deonté, for the first time all season, as what I just said, probably indicated. I am open to the chaos. Okay, so I was trying to come up with the most chaotic scenario in the NFC. You tell me what here seems maybe the least likely or what you can get behind.
Starting point is 00:13:41 Panthers win the NFC South. So we just watched the Bucks, stink it up, Baker Mayfield, we don't know about this injury. I mean, the Panthers are right behind them with this Monday night game looming against the 49ers. So Panthers win the NFC South, bears win the NFC North. We just talked about them. the Cowboys getting in. We talked about that scenario. And the Lions and the 49ers not making the playoffs.
Starting point is 00:14:05 I mean, the Lions needed a 59-yard field goal to force overtime at home against the Giants today, giving up more than 500 yards to James and Mike Kaska and whoever else was on the field there. So what of that scenario do you feel like, all right, settle down, shield. That's not happening. What can you get behind? I had to fight every bit of my body to not stop you as soon as you brought up the Panthers. It is very clearly the one that is least likely to happen is Carolina making the playoffs. The ask is just too high.
Starting point is 00:14:38 I don't think there's any way in the world they beat either the Rams or the Seahawks. Even if the Seahawks don't have anything to play for come week 17, there's just such a delta in between roster talent and the way that these teams have played. And then you're telling me they'd have to beat the 49ers on Monday. We talked about that earlier in the show. and they would have to at worst split the games against the Buccaneers. And the Bucks have been hurt. We will see, obviously, what the scenario is going to be with Baker Mayfield.
Starting point is 00:15:03 They've been dealing with injuries all across this roster all year long. And I know that it would be easy coming off of this Sunday night game where the Bucks just got totally run off the field against the Rams to say, hey, maybe there is a window open for this team to make the playoffs. Too many things have to work in Carolina's favor for them to make the postseason. There's no way I would pick any other scenario other than Carolina. miss in the postseason, even though to the same point we made with the Bears, I think if you're a Panthers fan and maybe a little bit more realistically for them than with the Bears, because
Starting point is 00:15:31 you know, Bears fans can be a little irrational because they've been quarterback thirsty and they've been head coach thirsty. I think if you're Carolina, the fact that you got through a full season where Bryce Young as a starter, it wasn't a disaster. You guys won some close games. The run game thing has existed from last year to this year, just as stable with different running backs from Chuba Hubbard last year to more Rico Dattle this season. You should feel good if you're a Panthers fan, even if you don't make the playoffs. And I see you shaking your head shield. Tianti, too many moral victories.
Starting point is 00:15:58 What are we talking about here? We got to fight off phrases to talk about. Listen, this is about getting in or not getting in for these fan bases. They're dreaming of just that Saturday afternoon where even if it's only one game, they can say our team made the playoffs. They're not looking at a, you know, eight and nine. Let's go celebrate Rico Dattle today in January. Come on.
Starting point is 00:16:23 I am trying to free our NFL fans of the shame of the 2-7 blowout on Wild Card Weekend. You don't have to experience that, okay? You can be free coming right out of the new year, feeling great about everything. Your team got a winning record. You might not have made the playoffs, but that's where you could trick yourself. You can run all the hypotheticals all year long, all offseason long about if we would have made it, we would have played X, Y, or Z team closer. That's what I'm really rooting for for all of these teams on the fringe.
Starting point is 00:16:51 Yeah. We would have beat them. is a fun fan thing. We would have beat them if we got in. So you can always count on that. All right, NFC lots to sort out. That NFC North is really the one. Those teams all still playing each other.
Starting point is 00:17:04 NFC South still needs to get sorted out, despite what Deontes said. The Bucks are the favorites. Rams look like a pretty good lot. Not a lot, but they are in the driver's seat for the one seat there. All right, let's take a break. We come back. We talk about the AFC.
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Starting point is 00:19:06 at the playoffs right now and it would be the new england patriots as the one seed they get a win against the bengals the broncos had a buy they're the two seed colts three ravens four chargers five jag six bill seven and then you look at at the teams that are out of it right now, but have a chance. You've got the Steelers at six and five, the Texans at six and five, and the Chiefs at six and five. Let's start with that Chiefs Colts game, Deonté. You know, I was really trying to think like how differently I feel about these two teams. And I think I do feel differently. Well, I shouldn't say differently about the Colts, because I've been kind of like everyone pumped the brakes a little bit on the Colts. And I still think
Starting point is 00:19:45 that that AFC South can be had, you know, Jaguars win, Texans win in week 12. So that that's still up for grabs there. And then that Chiefs team, which I've been saying, I still like them. I would still pick them. I mean, there was a time in that game where I just go, this is a lot of Kareem Hunt, man, for a team that's trying to, that I'm saying can get to the Super Bowl. You know, all due respect to Kareem up. But in the year, 20, 25, 33 carries for Kareem Hunt. I'm a veteran of Andy Reid in some of these big games where it gets a little tight and you get a little uncomfortable. You could feel that. I was feeling that in the fourth quarter of this game. and I just had a moment where I'm like, do they have enough good players to actually go on a run both in the regular season and in the playoffs?
Starting point is 00:20:28 So they're definitely back in the mix. They wouldn't be in. They got more work to do. But I thought I would feel better about them after them having won this game than I actually do. I'm with you. And I think if we laid out a hypothetical where Patrick Mulholtz passes for 350 yards, Jonathan Taylor goes for less than 60 yards rushing, right? That you would have 33 first downs. Exactly.
Starting point is 00:20:51 You would not point, you would not pick out a game flow that lands with an overtime three point win for Kansas City. You would think, oh, wow, okay, the chiefs are right back to where we thought they'd be. Maybe Steve Spagnola caused a bunch of problems for Danny Jones, even if he didn't turn the ball over, et cetera, et cetera, right? Not the way that this game felt at all. It did feel like, if anything, this was a Spaggs win. I think if you're giving somebody the game ball, you're giving the game ball to Steve Spagnolo for the second half adjustments, really taking away the runs between the tackles, flummoxing Daniel Jones. And I think putting Shane Siking in a lot of uncomfortable positions on third downs,
Starting point is 00:21:24 or you have to make decisions on how aggressive do we want to be? Do we want to play for a fourth and short? Do we want to try to get it all right now? And I think that you saw them kind of hung up in between decisions, bringing the offense out trying to draw guys off sides instead of just being aggressive and taking those chances. So that part was great for Kansas City. It was hard, though, before those last couple of drives in the fourth corner and overtime,
Starting point is 00:21:46 watching Patrick Mahomes. Look at times a bit flummocks. The way he looked, honestly, the last time he played a great. Like I didn't think Patrick Ball was played great today. For 350-yard game, this is not a great Patrick Mahomes game. And like I said, before those fourth quarter drives to tie the game
Starting point is 00:22:00 and then the overtime go-ahead drive, it looked like he was really having trouble figuring out where he wanted to go with the football and some key passing situations. And I think that if you're a Kansas City fan, you should not walk away from this game feeling good about anything other than you get another week where your playoff hopes are alive. Yeah, you get the win,
Starting point is 00:22:18 but it doesn't feel like you turn the corner. I mean, And when they settled for that field goal at the end of regulation, I'm like, this is it. They're like, yeah, this is over. I'm going to have to admit to Deonté that he was right. And I was right. I don't have to do it yet. But yeah, I just don't feel great about him. I mean, I thought Tony Romo was as critical of Mahomes as I've heard a broadcaster be in maybe his career,
Starting point is 00:22:38 you know, talking about how he was going through his reads too quickly, wasn't waiting for stuff to get open. He did feel sort of panics them too far, but like, for net, they were the pace. It was kind of like he's like, I'm doing this. this, you know, like I'm making a play. And sometimes it was good. He made some great plays. I'm not saying he played poorly, but there were times in this game where it just felt like, oh, man, you know, I'm looking around going, I don't know. Maybe Deonté was right.
Starting point is 00:23:03 And they don't have it. So they survive. But my point is I'm not like, oh, yeah. And now they're just going to go on a run, which is kind of how I thought I'd be feeling if they won this game. What about the other side of this? You know, you mentioned Spags. I totally agree.
Starting point is 00:23:16 But the Colts, you know, you pointed to it. Scyken had some uncertainty. Their last four possessions, I mean, they really needed one drive on their last four possessions to win the game, and they couldn't do it. They last four positions. Across midfield. Across midfield.
Starting point is 00:23:30 Four punts, 13 yards, zero first downs for what has statistically been the best offense in the NFL. And now, by the way, you still have to play the Texans twice. You still have to play the Jaguars twice. You know, you don't have a huge lead over those teams. You're eight and three. the Jaguars are 7 and 4, and the Texans are 6 and 5. How are you feeling this week today if you're a Colts fan?
Starting point is 00:23:56 You have to be queasy. You have to be queasy knowing that you've got four divisional games coming up. Not that, and that doesn't mean that what we've seen over their first 11 games means nothing. I just think that gravity is undefeated, right? And I think that right now that force is definitely pulling on the Colts offense. I don't think they're going to be a bad offense down the stretch. I don't think that we're going to get on a podcast after week 18, and you're going to be pulling up straps from true media
Starting point is 00:24:18 about how Indianapolis was the 29th best offense by success rate in the last six, seven weeks of the year. I don't think it's going to fall off a cliff. I do think when you think about the Texans twice, you have to see the Seahawks, right, within that stretch. I just think you're going to see more elite-slash-competent-level opponents the rest of the way. And that just opens up the door for more mistakes to happen.
Starting point is 00:24:38 For a quarterback that we know is prone to mistakes, especially when he's pressured. And I think that that thought was definitely in Shane Seikin's mind, I thought I felt like during the second half of games. You didn't see, you saw some early down passes. You didn't see the same kind of early down aggression that you typically get from the Colts offense, at least in 2025. I wonder what it's going to look like next week when you know you're dealing with an elite,
Starting point is 00:25:01 elite pass rush. I think that in a way that it hasn't really been for Indianapolis all year, we're going to have a one game sample that I think we're all going to use kind of as a bellwether for how much we can trust the Colts. Not that they have to go hang 40 on Houston, but if they look as bad against Houston as Buffalo did on Thursday, I think that when we come back to this conversation talking about the AFC, the way that we've talked about, the Colts will definitely be reversed a bit.
Starting point is 00:25:23 I think coming down the stretch of the season. It's definitely a recency bias, but I almost feel like the Texans were the biggest winners in week 12, and now I'm looking at them going, like, if you told me the Texans beat the Colts twice, I wouldn't be like, that's crazy, you know, the rest of the way. Do you know what Davis Mills, man? Yeah. Well, yeah, with Will Anderson
Starting point is 00:25:43 and Daniel Hunter in those corners. I mean, three in a note with those guys. Probably with those guys. With those guys, it's like they're just going to have a chance. And who knows? So the AFC South, it's not over. The cult are still the favorites. The Jags, Deontay, we can finish with this.
Starting point is 00:25:58 I mean, just the most Jaguarian game. Is that, though, what I'm like. Mine is for on turnovers. They let the Jacoby-Berset, Arizona Cardinals come back. Trevor Lawrence, three interceptions and a fumble. And yet they still win. the game and are seven and four, but I don't have them in the playoffs. Deonté, I've got, I still am going to stick with the Bills, Chiefs, and I'm going to have the Texans in as my
Starting point is 00:26:23 third wildcard. So where are you, Jaguars and the rest of this wildcard picture as we finish up here? I'm not budging. I mean, my take was too hot saying the Kansas City was going to miss a playoffs. It's been looking good, Deontae. I wanted that. Now's not the time to back down. You might still be right. I'm not abandoned to that. I'm going to hold on to that ticket for as long as I can. but I do think like, and I wrote this today and we're going through power rankings, like if you're a Jags fan, please choose happiness over the holidays.
Starting point is 00:26:52 You don't have to ride this roller coaster, okay? I'm not telling you you got to totally divest, all right? But be a front runner, okay? When they play the Colts, look away. In the second half, if it's close, you can tune in. Let the Red Zone channel tell you how invested to be in the Jax the rest of this season. Go watch some good football elsewhere, man.
Starting point is 00:27:13 please, because I'm right there with you. I think that since the upset win over the Chiefs, which is like very quietly just become one of the most consequential games of the NFL season. Now, when you start talking about tie breaks in the playoff picture, I feel like I have been coming into every Sunday saying, this is the week where Trevor Lawrence is going to stand tall in the pocket, dice the defense up, and we're going to see the $275 million quarterback that we've been waiting on since he was drafted.
Starting point is 00:27:38 And every week, it is the clunkiest passing game for any playoff caliber team outside of the Eagles, it feels like. I don't know what is going to take for it to get fixed because it's drop issues one week, then it's protection issues next week, and then it's a play calling, kind of disjointedness of the next week. We have just not seen anything really come together cohesively for this passing game. And I think that because the AFC is so wide open and because we know there are so many teams in close competition, there's no way that you can invest past your nose, honestly,
Starting point is 00:28:10 for a team that cannot pass the ball, right? Like that's just kind of where I'm at with Jacksonville. I think they'll make the playoffs ultimately because they do have Tennessee twice. They do have the Jets. I think they'll get to 10 and 7. They're losing one of those games. They're absolutely losing one of those three games. I wish I could make an argument to the contrary.
Starting point is 00:28:26 I wish I could make an argument to the contrary, but I can't. Right. And I think that maybe Denver has the division wrapped up and they're feeling good week 16 when they play and they're able to go beat a team that's not very motivated. If they get to 11 wins or 100% safe, in my opinion, I just don't feel good about it. I don't care where they're seated. I don't care who their first round matchup is going to be. I think they make the playoffs,
Starting point is 00:28:45 and they are 100% going to get trounced in the first round, in my opinion. All right. Thanks to Deontay Lee. No hurry up today. We had too much to get to. We'll get to the other stuff later this week. Thanks to Christopher Sutton for producing Kiera Givens on social and additional production supervision by Connor and Evans
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