The Ringer NFL Show - Three People Who Have the Most at Stake the Rest of the 2025 NFL Season

Episode Date: November 25, 2025

Sheil is joined by The Ringer’s own Austin Gayle to talk about some of the most polarizing NFL personalities this season who are in danger of losing all the clout they’ve earned over their careers if they don’t finish 2025 successfully. (00:00) Who has the most at stake in the 2025 NFL season?(1:31) Mike Tomlin(10:57) C.J. Stroud(19:35) Daniel Jones(26:26) The Hurry Up: Raiders fire Chip Kelly This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. Don’t settle for just any insurance when there’s State Farm. https://www.statefarm.com/lp/trainer 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: Austin GayleProducer: Chris SuttonSocial: Kiera Givens and Brian WatersProduction Supervision: Conor Nevins and Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Ringer NFL show. I'm your host, Shield Capadia. Today we are looking at who has the most at stake over the next six weeks. It's really when narratives are shaped in the regular season. What happens between now and the playoffs? This can go a long way in determining what happens in the offseason and beyond. So we're going to talk about some of those guys with a lot at stake. Our guest is Austin Gale from the Ringer.

I've asked him to come up with three people. So we'll see who he chooses. We'll see if I agree. if I disagree, and then we'll talk about it. Let's take a break. We come back and we talk to Austin Gale. This is the Ringer NFL show presented by Fandul, the best place to bet the NFL all season long.

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Call 1-800 gambler or visit RG-dash-help.com. Call 1-888-88-78-9-77-7-7 or visit ccpgg.org slash chat in Connecticut. All right, we are back on the Ringer NFL show with Austin. Gail. Austin, your task today. who are the three people in the NFL with the most at stake, the rest of the way, the next six weeks. Let's get started. Who do you got? Who's number one? Is it crazy for me to start with Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin?

And when you first ask me this question, I think the only way to approach it is to look at their next six games, like look at their final six games and see what they have. The Steelers, for six and five, who've completely fallen off after starting the season hot, and I think they're two and two over their last few games. it looks like the Baltimore Ravens who are now six and five after starting the season one in five are probably going to win the AFC North. The Steelers remaining games

are bills at Ravens, dolphins, at Lions, at Browns, and then Ravens again. They need three wins for Mike Tomlin to maintain his, I've never had a losing season. And you've got the bills coming off a tough loss with extended rest on Thursday night football against the Texans.

You have the Ravens twice, who need both those games to win the division. Dolphins, let's just give them that win. But then you have at Lions at Browns. Well, Browns, maybe you give them that win, but you need one more win. You need one more win. Are they beating the bills?

Are they splitting games with the Ravens? Or do they beat the Lions in Detroit? I don't know. I think this Steelers team is underperforming, and I think we kind of felt that. I think we talked earlier in the season about this offense feels gimmicky, this defense is easily the worst they've had in the Tomlin era.

It's hard to find three wins remaining on the schedule, which would mean the first year, Aaron Rogers, is a Pittsburgh Steeler ends up being the first year Mike Tomlin has a losing record in the NFL would be quite the way to end the season, especially after starting the season, obviously with a winning record and winning games early on.

Which I have a streak, Austin, of predicting every year is going to be the year that Mike Tomlin loses that streak. And I did predict it again this year. So I'm not jinxing anything. Let's see if it happens. But when we talk about what's at stake, so is this just, oh, a streak of never having had a losing record

that's at stake? Or do you think there's more to this? Because if what you, the scenario you painted actually plays out, and let's say they finish eight and nine. Maybe it even goes worse. And they're seven and ten. And they have a losing record. And they don't make the playoffs.

Are we finally at the point where we say, you know what? It's time. It's just time for a natural break. What's your plan? You're going to run it back with 43-year-old Aaron Rogers next season? Or are you just like, no, the streak's, the streak is what's at stake. But let's be honest, Tomlin's not going anywhere. I think the streak is obviously at stake.

And that's a big part of it. I think talking to Steelers fans, even, you know, Editor-in-Chief here at the ringer, Ben Glickson, it's hard to put my head in their headspace of like they're really frustrated with Mike Tomlin because they haven't, they haven't won a playoff game since, what, 2018? 16, I think it is. Yeah. Yeah. I was looking at it up earlier.

The other teams in that group, by the way, Austin, who haven't won a playoff game since 2016, Bears, Panthers, Cardinals, Raiders, Dolphins, and Broncos. that's it. So it's not, now they've made the playoffs more, but that's not a good group to be, you know, with right now.

So I do think Steelers fans are frustrated with Mike Tomlin. And then if this season ends up being the season where the street ends, it also ends where Mason Rudolph has to get extended playing time, where he was the backup in Pittsburgh

for a long time, then went to Tennessee, and then they brought him back. Like the Steelers bring him back thinking he's this capable backup that can come in a pinch and they continue to lose games with him. They haven't had a top 10 offense

by success rate since 2018, since like the latter years of the Ben Rathosberger, era. Tomlin has not been able to figure out the quarterback position since Rothensberger left. Now, what was supposed to be the strength for Tomlin all this time, the defense is easily the worst defense of the Tomlin era. And when you look by most metrics, it's the worst defense this millennium by success rate, by EPA per drive allowed, by points per drive allowed. Like, the defense is bottomed out. They still don't have an answer at the quarterback position. They could have this losing

record, this losing streak, and they're probably not going to have another playoff win. I think that the frustration with Mike Tomlin, he hits at least its high. highest boiling point that it's had in the entire time that he's been there. Will that lean? They let go of him this off season. I don't know. The head coaching cycle this off season looks pretty rough. I don't think there are going to be better options than Tomlin this off season. But it will get to as close as I think Steelers fans have been to being like, you know what, it's time. It's time to move on for Mike Tomlin. We need a new era. We need to start fresh. Okay, but what you just said makes it interesting, makes him an interesting candidate because you know everyone at the Ringer

loves a good head coach trade, Austin. And we need to be the company that starts making these happen. around the NFL because yeah, you look at the candidates and you're like, wait, these guys are up for head coaching jobs? Oh my gosh. I'm glad my team doesn't need a head coach this offseason. And so it feels to me like this isn't going to be a Steelers thing. They're not going to say, all right, or done with him. He's underachieving. That's not how they operate. They know he's a very good head coach. They know he sets a floor. They know he's a good face of the franchise, all those things. However, if you're Mike Tomlin, and I was listening to our friends on the press box and they had Chris Collinsworth on. I don't know if you heard that or not. And they asked him, Austin, who they said,

who's a guy who you meet in production meetings, who you're just like, this guy would crush it on TV. And his answer was Mike Tomlin. And I just do wonder at some point, does Mike Tomlin say, this has been a great run, either I need a mid-career break here. Let me go do some TV for a couple years, though like Bill Cowher. Now, Bill Cowher never came back. But then, you know, I'll come back in a couple years. I'm only 53 years old. I got time. I'll wait for the right job. Or do you have a team, like say the New York Giants that's looking for a coach this offseason and looks at the candidate pool and says, that is not that enticing. And we've struck out on all these guys over the year since Tom Coughlin. We need a sure thing to someone who brings some stability,

some respectability to the franchise. Let's at least call the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let's talk to Mike Tomlin's agent and let's see if there's something that can be worked out there where we send some draft capital that way. Do any of those scenarios intrigue you with Mike Tomlin in 2026? Possibly. It's hard to imagine the Steelers moving on for Mike Tomlin unless it is. It does start at Tomlin and Tomlin's like, I'm looking for a new place. He's like I need a break. I'm kind of looking for a change of pace. And I think having a losing season would accelerate that. I also comes back to like, I just don't know what they're building in Pittsburgh. It's the second oldest team in the NFL by Snap,

snap-adjusted age. And you look at some of the picks that they've made, you know, Broderick Jones hasn't worked out at left tackle. They aren't building something in the receiving core. I love Darnell, Washington, as much as the next guy, but it's still like they don't have pieces that you're excited by offensively or defensively. And also, you know, we always joke about when a receiver leaves Pittsburgh,

it all goes downhill from there. George Pickens looks like a superstar in Dallas. And you move on, you lose George Pickens for a third round pick. This offense is one of the worst in the league by most metrics. Aaron Rogers is kind of probably. it up in a very gimmicky way, a lot of yards after the catch, low average depth of target, et cetera. And now the defense isn't playing well.

It's just hard to think you go into next year, right? Let's say Tomlin does stay. You can't look a Steelers face in the face and say, it's going to be different. I don't know unless they get a miracle at quarterback and make a big trader, a big splash play, which they've not done since Rothensberger has left. I don't see how the Steelers team is any better next year.

It's an old team, a lot of older guys under contract, and still, no long-term answer at quarterback. no long-term answer is really at receiver. The offensive line is still not where it needs to be. I just feel like they're due for a change-up. I don't know if it's Tomlin necessarily, but it feels like you're going to finish the season as a Steelers fan being like, man, nothing changes.

Nothing really does change. The Pickens thing is the first time I thought. Has Tomlin lost his fastball? Because every time we've talked about this before, he gets rid of the guy and then the guy's like an even bigger disaster somewhere else, San Antonio Brown, of course, being the greatest example. But there's been other guys too. And the fact that Pickens went on and now looks like better than he ever did in Pittsburgh.

I'm like, huh, that is kind of weird. I didn't expect it to go that way. So we'll see. All right. So Mike Tomlin streak on the line. It's almost, you know, not to be mean Steelers fans. It's kind of the only interesting thing with the Steelers, the rest of the way. Because even if by some miracle, they sneak into the playoffs.

No one's taking them seriously. They're not going anywhere. They're plus 250 to make the playoffs. They're probably not even going to get in. And so that's kind of the only interesting thing about them the rest of the way. they're just kind of mired in mediocrity, which is what you're saying here. So we'll see what happens with the streak for Mike Tom and I.

It has to be said, though, just real quick, like the mediocrity of it all. It's better than being, you know, the Jets or the Giants or the Raiders or the Browns. And I think we have to recognize that. I do think, though, so many consecutive seasons where it feels like there's this hard ceiling on the team. And yes, a hard floor, but also a hard ceiling on the team with no like, oh, man, this young receiver or this young offensive line. like, okay, we're building something. There's something that's stacking up here.

I feel like they've had stopgap, Band-Aid solutions at every key position since Rothosberger has left. And that, to me, is why I just don't know, like, you need to change something, right? And like, I think Tomlin has tried with coordinators and these different things, but it just hasn't worked out.

Maybe there doesn't end up needed to being a change down the road. Yeah, they're not a train wreck franchise. They're not a bad franchise. They're just mediocre with no real chance to win big. So there you go. All right, who's number two on your list, Austin? I don't know if he's actually number two,

but I've been meaning to have a conversation about him for a while now. CJ Stroud. Okay. And now I've been in the depths of Texans Reddit, trying to understand if there's actually some diehard fans who think Davis Mills is better than CJ Stroud. Thank God the Reddit is right and that no one's really considering that Davis Mills is better. However, Davis Mills obviously won these last three games.

C.J. Stroud was overwhelming to start the season. He was overwhelming last year. Got an offensive coordinator and Bobby Sloak fired. now going into this stretch here, and let's look at the schedule again. Remember, it's most at stake over these next six weeks. They have a real shot at making the playoffs

if they go four and two over this stretch. They have at Colts, at Chiefs, two hard games coming up, then Cardinals, Raiders, at Chargers, and then Colts again at home. If they split the games with the Colts and then lose to the Chiefs, but beat the Cardinals,

beat the Raiders, and beat the Chargers, there's a better than 75% chance that they make the playoffs according to the New York Times playoff predictor. So they need to go pretty much four and two down that stretch and specifically split those games at least with the Colts. If C.J. Stroud, who since week one of last season, mind you,

is 22nd and EPA per dropback, 24th in net yards per attempt, and 25th in success rate. Quarterbacks in that same tier are Aaron Rogers, Spencer Rattler, Bryce Young, Russell Wilson. He has been, by every valuable metric, bad over the last two seasons now. And obviously, you have the injuries this year. I think he's been playing better before he got hurt. And I think when he comes back, the offensive line looks better.

Nico Collins looks better. There's a chance he comes back and things start to look better. But if they don't, and Davis Mills wins these three games, C.J. Stroud comes back. They go three and three or two and four down the stretch. They miss the playoffs. Again, it's going to get harder and harder to remember that rookie season where he won rookie of the year and he won that playoff game.

Everyone's really excited about him. Maybe he's like a top eight, top six quarterback in the league. And you're coming down this contract. Are you going to give C.J. Stroud $55 million a year. David Will get to his agent. You know he's going to be aggressive trying to get money. like are you going to get are you going to feel confident as a texans fan giving c j stroud $55 million a year after now what would be back-to-back seasons of underwhelming play and maybe even

another offensive coordinator right you don't even know if texans are going to go with nick cayley the new o cd this year again after kind of what has happened this year i just feel like cj strow coming from injury after where davis mills was how good this texan's defense is maybe the best in the nfl you can't come down the stretch here with i think not a not an easy schedule but definitely a winnable schedule to get into the playoffs i think if he misses the playoffs i think if he misses the playoffs. There are going to be some real concerns around CJ Stroud in the offseason. At first, I was wondering, why do you have C.J. Stroud

on this list? I was kind of like, well, what does he actually have at stake? It's not that big of a deal, but the money thing is really, the contract thing is huge because, like you said, he's eligible for that extension this off season. And Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love are making $55 million

per year. I wouldn't put those two in the same tier. I'm just giving you two guys in that range, but that's the neighborhood we're shopping in if we're talking about C.J. Stroud. Now, the Texans don't have to do anything. He's under contract next year. Then they got the fifth year option. Then they have the franchise tag. So if they want to slow play it, they can slow play it or they can commit to him and say, no, you're our guy. And so, yeah, let's just like, you know, nip this Davis Mills comparison in the bud here because I think we got a natural

experiment. Stroud versus Mills, you know, similar supporting cast. I know guys were injured at various times. But Stroud, just this season, you gave the numbers the last two seasons. No one's denying last year was bad. I think it did kind of go under the radar that he was improving a little bit this year and the offense was showing strides. You know, he's 16th in EPA per pass play, 18th in success rate this season. So you're saying, all right, mediocre competent play. Davis Mills is 30th and 33rd. So you are, we can at least, no, this isn't like a great experiment, but you could tell, all right, he is maybe turning this from one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL to a mediocre passing game, which is something. It's not what you want if you're a big CJ

Stroud fan and I think he's got a higher ceiling, but you can at least say that. So the Texans have not won three in a row because of Davis Mills. They have one three in a row. He had the great comeback against the Jaguars, but it's been, like you mentioned, their defense looks incredible right now. And you know what? You were laying out the scenario earlier? I think they're getting in.

And I've been, they've sucked me in before and I've gotten burned by this Texans team. I joke that with the Rigger 107, I'd be in first place if I just didn't take the Texans all year long. But I lose on the Texans pretty much every week. But you know what? I'm going back in because I think you just need mediocre offensive play with that defense is going to be enough to get back in the playoff picture. I even look at the division, Austin, they're plus $750 to win the division.

I'm like, that seems like it's not going to shock me if they beat the Colts twice. It's not the most likely outcome, but it's certainly possible with that defense. So maybe I'll get burned again. I'm with you. I think if he plays well down the stretch, now we're talking. about, all right, now the offseason, you're giving him that money and you're feeling really good about this team. So there is kind of the high variance with what could happen here over the next six weeks with Stroud. That's exactly how I'm seeing it. I think there's a huge range of outcomes

for CJ Stroud and how Texans fans, I think specifically are feeling about C.J. Stroud, depending on how these next six games go, right? If he, you know, at Colts, at Chiefs, he loses back-to-back games, doesn't look good. And then every game down the stretch is a playoff game, they probably miss it and they don't go into the playoffs. I think a lot of, Texans fan at the Barr is going to be like, I miss Davis Mills. He won three games for us. I miss Davis Mills. That sounds like a video content idea, by the way. I would watch that.

Real heads are going to be like, no, C. Jay Stroud still has it. Wasn't a good year. Offensive line. We've got to figure it out. We had the Iowa State receiving court for some of the season. Nico Collins has missed time. It all will line up. The defense looks good. You have something to build off of. However, if it looks bad down the stretch and the offense looks as it had maybe in the early parts of the season,

and you're going into another offseason where C.J. didn't win a playoff game and look bad down the stretch, I do think it's going to be hard to even consider extending him this offseason. And I think anytime I think about, you know, maybe playing it out as you go, like, you know, you do the one more year and then the fifth year option, then maybe franchise tag, it's kind of like playing it out as the Cowboys did with Jack Prescott in a way. I think that I'm leaning much more toward after these two seasons

and if it ends as poorly as it could this season, of waiting another offseason to see if Stroud, again, I just want to see Stroud look like a top 10 quarterback in the long. league again. I felt that way his rookie year. I felt like, oh my God, he's making the leap right away. I feel really good about him being maybe even a top eight, top six quarterback in the league. He's going to be competing with these guys at the top of the AFC. Since then, it's hard to feel that way. And I think until then, when you're, because obviously when you're going to the quarterback contract negotiation, everyone's starting at this like $50 million number now. I think you can't pay a

quarterback that number unless you honestly feel he can be that top 10, top eight quarterback in the league that and when you road playoff games in January and February. I'm not feeling that way about CJ's draft right now. And I think these next six weeks will kind of be a big part of what that discussion ends up being in the offseason. I'm with you. If he doesn't, unless he goes on a tear here, I would be inclined to slow play it a little bit, which is easy for me to say there are relationship dynamics and agent relationships and all those things. But I would just be like, let's not get into a sorry Dolphins fan situation.

We're all of a sudden, we're looking back in two years going, why did we rush that or Daniel Jones? We could have just waited a little bit here. So there you go. All right. So Texans fan at the bar. Austin, video idea. You're at the bar. Red Davis Mills jersey.

You're crushing Michelob Ultras. Maybe you're ripping a couple cigarettes. And you're telling us that the Texans could actually get to the Super Bowl with Davis Mills. I'm just telling you I'd watch it. You know, we got YouTube bring around the NFL. I'm just saying there are a handful of Texans fans at bars. If they lose these games, they're going to be like, dude, I miss Davis Mills. I think he could sling it.

I think he could sling it. I want Mills in. And I think CJ Stroud is like standard deviations better than Davis Mills. But this is, this league is what have you done for me lately? And if CJ Stroud down the stretch, you're coming back from injury after Davis Mills wins three games and they missed the playoffs and he doesn't play well, that's what's going to drive the conversation in the off season. I hear you. All right. Let's take a break.

We come back. One more. Who does he have next on his list for the most at stake the rest of the regular season? This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm. It's like needing the protection of an offensive guard on the football field, but getting an elementary school crossing guard. Sure, they're both guards,

but you can only trust one to keep your quarterback safe when the game is on the line. So don't settle for just any insurance when they're State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. All right, we are back on the Ringer NFL show. All right, Austin. Who's the last guy on your list? Who do you got? I saved him for last because I don't even know if I fully believe it,

but I kind of want to believe it. And it's Daniel Jones. It's kind of the Indianapolis Colts overall, right? Obviously, big favorite to make the playoffs or 8 and 3 right now. I wanted to go over who they've beat this year and the games that they've won and then also look at their last six. So their eight wins this year. Week one blew out a bad Dolphins team.

Miami fired their GM this season. It's been a disaster. They barely beat the Broncos and Bo Nix off that leverage call. That was like a 29-28 game. They blew out the Titans, one of the worst teams in the league. Blow out the Raiders, maybe the worst team in the league. Beat Jacoby Brissette and the Cardinals barely. JT had a huge game.

Beat the Chargers with that banged-up offensive line. They don't look the same without Joe All. They blew out the Titans again. They get the gift of playing the Titans twice. And then against the Falcons in Germany almost ended up losing that game. But J.T. has like an absurd game. Jonathan Taylor has an absurd game, three touchdowns over 200 yards rushing, whatever. Those are their eight wins against a lot of bad football teams,

a lot of injury-played football teams, and also in situations where I think Jonathan Taylor has been the best. To finish the season now, after losing to the Chiefs in a game that I think they could have won, but Daniel Jones, I think specifically played poorly down the stretch. They have Texans at Jaguars, at Seahawks, Niners, Jaguars again, and Texans again. They have four divisional games left on their schedule. Texans twice. And then you've got to go to Seattle and you got home against the San Francisco 49ers who are never an easy out.

This is going to be a tough schedule down the stretch. And I think you haven't beat a lot of good teams this year. You've played teams that are banged up. When the game matters most towards the end here, and specifically in this, I want to talk through some of the Chiefs plays after I kind of hear what you think about this, but I do feel like when you heat up Daniel Jones or when the situation heats up Daniel Jones,

it gets harder and harder to see like, okay, this Colts team is a Super Bowl contender. This Colts team is a deep playoff contender. And like everyone's been kind of counting them as a pretender since they started off so hot. But I think this Chiefs game specifically last week and seeing how Daniel Jones played in the fourth quarter and overtime, really reminded me of like, oh, wow, if it's a one-score game late,

and you're getting into just getting into third down with Daniel Jones, you're going to have a real shot to beat this team. Whereas, like, when obviously they're up in big leads and Jonathan Taylor's running over everyone with a really good offensive line, it's easy to see them as this juggernaut that's blowing out teams. But I just don't know if I trust this Colts team in one-score games, and they might have to play three to get to the Super Bowl. Yeah, I'm totally with you.

I mean, they've got the fourth hardest schedule, according to the betting markets. They've got just for Daniel Jones specifically, they've got the second hardest remaining schedule of opposing defenses by DVOA. So they're going to have to earn it. And I'm not penciling them in to win the AFC South. You know, I'm with you. You look at the end of that game and I rewatched it before we came on.

And those last four drives, they don't pick up a single first down. They couldn't run the ball. And so now you're getting them in a situation where Spags is saying, you're not finishing this game by running the football on us. And so first drive, they try to run it. They can't. then he gets a pass deflected. Second drive, Stuyken comes out and says like, all right, we can't run it on them.

Let's go play action. They try a screen. And then third down, Spags gets to him, heats him up, speeds him up. That's an incompletion. Third drive, they go three straight passes. And one of them, he throws into, as the announcer say, you know, the defensive back meeting room where it's like that ball is intercepted, seven, eight, nine out of ten times. And they just drop it because they run into each other.

And then the fourth one, you know, they try a couple runs there in overtime. they try an RPO and they get stuffed in short yardage. So four straight possessions without a first down and you zoom out a little bit. And Daniel Jones ranks 30th out of 36 quarterbacks and turnover worthy play percentage. He leads the NFL with eight fumbles with Cam Ward. This is just why I've said. And it goes back to the sauce gardener trade. I'm like, I'm just, can I see a little bit more before I say the Colts have figured it out and

they have this great plan and they're going to be a contender? And Austin, the other thing I was thinking about was there are a lot of teams in the AFC this year that are like, we're on the way up. And this is the start of something. You know, Colts, Broncos, Patriots, I might be made. This is a unique year where Lamar Jackson and the Ravens don't look great. Josh Allen and the Bills don't look great. Patrick Mahomes and the cheese don't look great. Joe Burrow got injured. Like, if I'm a fan of one of these teams, I'm like, this isn't just the, like, we should really try to capitalize this year because the next five years might look totally different

because sometimes you feel like you're on the way up, you're not on the way up. That was your shot and you look back three years later and it's over. So that's kind of where I'm at with this Colts team.

Development's not always linear. Success is definitely not linear. This year over year stacking that I think a lot of Broncos fans or Colts fans or I think Patriots fan probably have the best, best like, you know,

case to be thinking, oh man, because Drake May looks like this monster and like, but we've said that about quarterbacks before. I think with Jones specifically, and you kind of brought up kind of the specific plays I was going to hit. But there was that play where he throws it to two chiefs defenders at the same time.

That was a clean pocket on first and 10, right? And I think those are the situations where like, that's what I say. Like, it's not just heating them up with pressure. It's heating them up with situation being like, this is your time. We need you to make a play. And I felt like his accuracy was off, not reacting to pressure well. And, you know, on these like key third downs, you put the Colts in third and six plus, third and eight plus.

I think they have a lot of skill players that can solve problems for them and they have a really good offensive line. but against the best defense coordinator in the league, the best defense in the league, it's going to be very difficult for, I think Daniel Jones to step up, especially if he's on the road, outside,

playing against teams that I feel like in the playoffs you're going to be playing against. And it would be such a sad way for the Colts end this season where they look sloppy down the stretch against a very good strength of schedule. You got Texans twice, Jags twice, Seattle, Niners.

And then you go into the playoffs. You don't have the first round by like you maybe could have had with such a good record to start the season. You're on the road, potentially in a wildcard game or something along those lines. and it's like all of a sudden, wait, this Colts team finishes without a playoff win?

I mean, how likely is that? I mean, I don't know what the odds are on Bandal, but like to bet right now the Colts finish the season without a playoff win, it feels like there is a real shot for that, despite at times this year thinking they might be the best team in the NFL. Yeah, I mean, they're still the favorite. They're actually the favorites to get to the Super Bowl in the AFC and plus 480, which kind of speaks to what I was talking about. You're looking around and you're going, I don't really feel great about any of these teams. But yeah, they still are the favorites. Now, there's a bunch of teams bunched up there.

at the top, but the Colts have the shortest odds in the AFC. And of course, Daniel Jones, we didn't even talk about the contract stuff. He's another guy who he is, this is, you know, they could either pay him at the end of the year, they could tag him or they could do something else. So he's got a lot riding here at the end of the season as well. All right. That was great. Austin, Gale, with me.

Who has the most at stake the rest of the regular season? Austin, thank you for joining me, my friend. Absolutely. Thank you. All right. I'll be right back with the hurry up. The hurry up is our closing segment where I give you a take on news in the NFL and after week 12, news broke that the Raiders have fired offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly.

Listen, it was a bad situation. No one's going to argue otherwise. Offensive line has probably been the worst in the NFL. Pete Carroll's got two of his sons on his staff. But having said that, this is a little bit of that's what the money's for, Chip Kelly. Like, can you figure out some type of scheme as a way to coach around these shortcomings? with Gino Smith and Ashton Gentie. And Brock Bowers now, I know Brock Bowers was injured.

And the fact is Chip Kelly showed no ability to do so. And that's despite reports from the MMQB that he was the highest paid offensive coordinator in the NFL at $6 million per year. Yet this was one of the worst offenses in the NFL by just about any metric. I'm not telling you a great offensive coordinator could have turned this into a good offense,

but it could have turned it into at least a little bit better than what they were showing week to week. So this idea that Kelly's second act in the NFL was going to be a hit after he honed his scheme and play calling in college, let's be honest, it just fell flat. Nothing worked. Everyone looked miserable. And we have to be honest about the fact that the last time Chip Kelly coached an NFL offense that looked competent was like 11 years ago. So I don't know.

I suspect this is probably the last time we ever see Chip Kelly in the NFL. Now, when we zoom out with Pete Carroll, it's just hard to see a scenario where he last. past this year. Unless Mark Davis just doesn't want to pay another coach, which is possible. But man, that whole situation has just been depressing. It's been a disaster. It's been a mess, whatever term you want to use. All right, we'll spend more time in a future episode talking about what the Raiders do next, but the Kelly firing, it just seems like the first step in yet another reset. All right, thanks to Austin, Gale. Thanks to Kirsta for Sutton for producing. Kira Givens on social and additional production supervision by Connor Nevins and our Juno

I'm Shil Kapadia. Talk to you tomorrow on the ringer NFL show. Must be 21 plus and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 plus and present in D.C., Kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler or visit RG-Hallephampor or visit RG-HampLeghabilr.com. Call 1-888-8-8-8-9-7-7-7 or visit ccpgagbling.org slash chat in Connecticut or visit MD gambling help.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gambling helplinema.m.m.m.m.m.m. or call 800-32750 for 24-7 support in Massachusetts.

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