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10 Takes with Kyle Brandt: A 'WILD' Wild Card Weekend!

Published Jan 13, 2025, 6:43 PM

It's Wild Card Weekend but still just 10 minutes to explain it all!

  • Don't count out this underdog
  • There is a scary good team in the playoffs
  • A legacy team has no direction
  • Big concerns about a big team
  • Tom Brady was in playoff mode
  • The new Mr. Cool in the NFL

Predictions for the Divisional Round as well.  We'll be down to 4 teams next week!

Ten Takes is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio.

Ten Takes.

Thanks for clicking, Love You, Thank you, special episode today. You know why ten teams played this weekend? Ten teams, ten takes. Doesn't that sound perfect to you? Let's just line them all up, one take for every team in ten minutes or less. I say or less, but it'll never be less. It'll always be exactly ten minutes. You want to go, Let's go team number one, take number one Texans. Texans defense won the weekend, and I mean that. I think they were the best thing in any team in any game. They were also the team that made the most people in media look stupid when you do the classic lineup of pregame show prediction picks and you put the logos at the bottom of the screen.

For example, hand up.

I picked every game right this weekend, including the Commanders winning in Tampa. Every game with one exception. I picked the Chargers to win in Houston. They were road favorites. You probably picked them, everybody I know picked them, and then the Houston defense picked them apart. Do you understand the power of this Houston defense? And you should, because if you're listening right now and you consume the NFL, You're going to be hearing a lot about them this week because they go to Arrowhead for the next game, and there's going to be a lot of discussion. Not only is CJ. Stroud up to it? Can the Texas defense take down the Chiefs. Here's a pretty cool thing about the Texas defense. So you already know you've heard this that Justin Herbert threw three interceptions all season through four in this game. He's never even thrown three in an NFL game before. He's never even thrown three in a college game before, he's never thrown three in a high school game before, and he just threw four in the biggest game of his career. Set Herbert aside isn't about the Texas defense? Is that the reason that he did that the guy who never gets sacked, never throws picks, end up doing a whole bunch of both. Do you know they made him play the worst game of his career, just like the Houston Texans made Jared Goff throw five picks and maybe the worst game of his career. They made Josh Allen play maybe the worst game of his career earlier this year is sam As Tuatagovailoa. How about a young quarterback, an athletic guy, very talented, Anthony Richardson. The Texas defense made him tap out of the game. He actually said get me out of here. That was against this Texans defense and now goes to the Chiefs.

Now.

Patrick Mahomes beat them. Lamar Jackson beat them. That's two teams they could ostensibly have to play, one team that they definitely have to play. That will be the question for the next several days. Can the Texans defense stop Patrick Mahomes? The answer is probably no, because it's January and Mahomes just beasts on everybody. Take number two Chargers. So I just mentioned this stuff about Herbert. The Chargers are such an easy target and people like laughing at them. It was a really horrific performance, and yet I kind of go Pollyanna on them. I could jump on and say Herbert this, Herbert that, and I did in the last take. The fact is those that I give their season a B be's pretty good. They more than doubled their win total. They got into a playoff game, they got annihilated, fine, but the Chargers mattered this year. The Chargers were a thing. Jim Harbow was a thing. Justin Herbert had a fantastic regular season. How many times can you say the Chargers mattered and their quarterback had a fantastic regular season. It doesn't happen very much. The Chiefs win would have been nice. Showing up in a playoffame would have been nice. I still give them a be and I don't care take number three Ravens. They're not good, they're not great, They're not excellent. They're scary. They're a scary team. I almost got a little nervous watching them at home, the way that they run the ball, in the way that Derrick Henry does his thing and Lamar does his thing, and remembering that they just did that without their best receiver, say Flowers, not even playing in the game. That's supposed to affect your offense. They's supposed to affect the way the defense covers you and supports the run. I don't have affected anything. I look at that team. It's the kind of thing where if you're a mother or a father of someone on the other team and they start running that ball, you're like, get my kid off the field.

It's like a parent.

In a viral video running onto like a Pop Warner League because they let some kid who's twice the way did the other kids run around and truck everybody. Get my kid off the field, drag them off there. They're such a scary team, so physically dominant, and Lamar and Derrick Henry is seeing like such nice dudes, but they're so evil on the field. Just absolutely destroyed the Pittsburgh Steelers. I can't believe the Ravens lost to this team this year. Taking them before the Steelers, I've seen them average before, even in my life, I've seen them bad. I don't think i've ever seen them rudderless. That logo, that family that runs the team and that coach always at least have direction and strength, And even if a season doesn't work out the way they want it to, you still kind of know where they're going. I have no idea where the Steelers are going. I have no idea who their quarterback is going to be next year. Their two other offensive players, and Pickings and Nagy are like ready to be paid or extended, and I don't know how you do either of those. The defense, and I see guys like Cam Hayward and TJ. Watten, They gave up three hundred yards rushing. The three hundred yards rushing what I've already done. The thing you can find it online where I've talked several times about Mike Tomlin and the fact that I really think it's time to consider a divorce. And I don't try to just come out of my lane and try to be really personal about it, because I respect the way the Steelers handed themselves and the way he handles himself. But I understand it's been eight straight years without a playoff win from Mike Tomlin. You might know that, which you might not know is that they have very few coaches in their history. The ones you probably remember. Chuck Nole never went more than four years without a playoff win for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bill Coward never went more than three years without a playoff win for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin is now doubled the longest and worst streak of either of those guys, and it's getting worse, and now he's getting annihilated by divisional opponents. It's not just that they lost that game. The first half of that game especially was undignified. It was not becoming of Steeler football. You lose, fine, it happens. You can't embarrass yourself, and they did. If it's a trade to another team who is be happy to make the playoffs and lose every year, of which there are many, or if it's just saying I think it's time to do with you, Mike, like the Eagles did years ago with Andy Reid. We go our separate ways, we both land on our feet. I don't know why you run this back, but they probably will. Taking them for five, Bill's two seeds are really good guys. Everyone gets excited about the idea of the shock and all of an upset.

The Broncos could go win there.

They got Sean Payton and they got this crazy quarterback.

They got destroyed, and it's not their fault. It's not their fault. They got leaned on.

They were way out of their weight class, way out of their weight class. They weren't going to beat the Bills, as much as we got excited about it during the week. Take number six. I'll give the Denver Broncos season. I give it an a an A. I don't care that they lost. I don't care that they lost by a lot. That was a great season. The Broncos were in the playoffs. They have a quarterback, they have a coach. They could fly back to Denver last Night'll be like guys today didn go ourway.

Hell of a year man.

They couldn't be more different from what the Steelers had to go through on their flight back home Denver, playing cards, Poppa Champagne, celebrate. Let's go to Tuloom and just reflect on a great season and a lot to build on their team. To watch now, I know exactly where they're going. They've got their hand on the rudder. Broncos A for the season, take number seven. Why do I feel like this? Eagles are still combustible? I know I shouldn't. They just keep winning every single week, But I don't like that Jalen Hurts didn't play well, and he didn't in the passing game, didn't go well. I know everyone thinks it's so funny that AJ Brown was reading a book on the sideline and he's doing it to stay calm. I don't think it's funny that he needed to stay calm and focused. Doesn't that feel like one of these weeks there's gonna be him on the sideline throwing his helmet or something. Maybe it's next week, maybe it's in Detroit. I don't know when it's gonna be. There's just this feeling of we win, and our defense is really talented and Saquan's magical, but there's still this kind of spark that's gonna land down a powder keg and it comes mostly from the quarterback and wide receiver. We've been talking about this for weeks, and I know this is a negative take, but they were always going to beat the Packers. They now beating the Packers on two different hemispheres. The Packers had nothing. I'll get to them in a second. I wish that egos would have looked a little better against a team that did not have it from start to finish. Jalen Hurts hadn't played a long time. I get it, he's played a lot of football. I don't think it's I think it's kind of a funny that Aj Brown had a book, just because I've never seen a guy with a book, fiction or otherwise on the sideline during a game. I don't like that he needed a book. Is it gonna need the book next week? I mean, he had one catch in this game. It's fine. We know Aj Brown, we know receivers of his talent. Two games are row ain't gonna happen. If he goes to halftime next week and he doesn't have a catcher, he has one catch, it's gonna take a lot more than a book taking number eighth. The Packers a lot of nope, npe, nope from start to finish. They didn't have it. And I mean that almost literally. They fumbled the opening kickoff in a playoff game. Come on, guys, there was never a second of that game you thought they had it.

Love. His body language is bad.

His facial expression was just kind of bummed out the whole time. And I actually thought one of the most interesting parts of that game was listening to Tom Brady talk, because Brady woke the hell up. It's not that he isn't gonna wake he just took it up another notch. He was playoff Brady on the call in that game. His energy was way higher. He was louder in a good way, and there were a couple of different times that he was calling out different Packers for showing intensity. He was like, look at Josh Jacobs, he knows it's a playoff game. He's playing hard. Brady was like he was like the mf or Braid, the one we would see come out of the tunnel and scream, let's go. He could tell he felt the vibe in that stadium and he did not like what he was seeing from the Packers, and he let him have it. I don't have much to say about the Packers and then other I don't know if Jordan Love is really good or not. I've been told by people who crunch film all the time that he's actually a top five guy. I know he's really talented. He had nothing in this game, and I hope he was hurt only the sense that can that would explain it. Nothing and in the biggest moments, was inaccurate. In some of the not even biggest moments, just.

Didn't have it. I flat, flat, flat.

I know that justin Herbert completely imploded and started throwing interceptions everywhere. Loved throwing receptions everywhere too, but just looked listless the whole game. That's gonna be a tough, tough offseason for Jordan Love.

I liked that MATTL.

Fluer started his press conference by spilling two different drinks up on the lectern, a gate Raad in the water and he goes, well, that describes our night pretty much. Matt taking number nine. Commanders all day leading up to that game. What Jayden Daniels can't do. What rookies can't do, rookies on the road. This is not a rookie, And I don't mean this shit at this point of the season. One's yeah, I just mean I've never seen a rookie like this. We have to go outside of football. We have to look at the great rookie baseball and basketball seasons. When you watch Jaydan Daniels, you have this intangible sense that he's got this. He will make the play so calm and so poised.

It's so cool. He goes on the road, he doesn't throw.

An interception, you get sacked one time for zero yards lost.

It's just awesome. Take number ten. I got nothing about the Bucks. I love the Bucks.

I love Mike Evans, like Baker Mayfield, like Jason Light all those guys.

That fumble was horrible. Good night.

Kind of a rude way to end the podcast. Events a very classy Tampa Bay Buccaneers team who gave it there all.

Sorry, listen, I got rules here, clock management. I have to deal with it. Todd Bowles has to deal with it.

I gotta go. I'm not even supposed to be talking right now. This is coming out of my check. That's ten takes in ten minutes plus in overtime.

We'll do it again next week.

I should give you my predictions, but let me think Chiefs over Texans, Lions over Commanders, Eagles over Rams. That might even be wrong as you listened to this, maybe the Vikings one, I hope not, and then Bills over Ravens in one of the most anticipated football games of the decade.

See you next week.

Ten Takes is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio. For more iHeartRadio pods, go to the iHeartRadio app, go to Apple, go anywhere you like, it'll be there.

10 Takes with Kyle Brandt

Kyle Brandt has 10 minutes and wants to give you 10 Takes. Every Monday, The 10 Takes with Kyle Bran 
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