A collection of Kyle Brandt's best cuts from the week of 12/23/2024:
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Right now, you just go back and forth as it Bill's Ravens and I think it's a week to week thing now, and we're spoiled by their recency bias. The Bills didn't look that impressive against the Patriots. The Ravens did look at impres agents Steelers this week.
It's the Ravens.
When the Bills were scoring forty eight to beat the Lions last week, I think it's like, oh, it's the Bills.
You know. I like the Steelers too. The Steelers have lost two in a row and three out of five. Now.
The good news is they get a chance to do it on Christmas and we'll see what the deal is. But I don't feel like the Steelers suddenly are playing their best football right now. The Bills beat the Chiefs this year. The Bills beat the Chiefs this year. This stubborn, weird, absolutely immovable Chiefs team that never loses and always finds a way. There was exactly one team they couldn't find a way against Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen, I gotta tell you, it makes me nervous I'm hearing now, let me get this straight, that his Josh Allen's non throwing hand has been broken all year. Okay, well, he's been playing great, that's fine, but now his throwing hand is also banged up. So we have two hand injuries. Well, he only has two hands. We need both of them.
There's almost important hands in the league right now.
I don't like that, especially in the cold at the end of the year, when it's his throwing hand.
That doesn't make me feel good.
And he didn't have that against the Chiefs, and then I still look to it.
They've found a way to do it. I still listen.
We talked a lot about the Vikings that in the NFC, that there's like kind of a we're all wary of them, and there's a recent history where yeah, you have a good record, but the last time we signed the playoffs, it didn't end well. I still feel that way about Baltimore kind of. I've just been so excited about so many Baltimore teams over the years. It doesn't end well. It usually ends shockingly. Now it's the same for Buffalo, but they beat the Chiefs this year. So I'm going back and forth as we all do I have a slight edge to Buffalo, although.
I'm worried about Josh's hands.
The fact that they actually got a victory over this team that no one else can, I think it has to be the answer. If you're interested in the offensive rookie of the year, that's over. That's over Shade Daniels. He's putting it right next to the Heisman.
It's over. Bo Nicks had a great year.
Maybe he'll go and get in the playoffs and win a playoff game.
That thing is over. The other thing. I was really putting some time into this.
I think this is the biggest Commander's win in twenty years.
I really mean.
That their last playoff win was zero five, and it was a wild card win and it was Mark Brunell leading them against Chris Simms.
It didn't amount to much. You don't remember it very well.
I don't either, with this stakes, with the winning streak they were on at this juncture of the season at home, with this quarterback, I don't remember a bigger Commander is blash, slash, whatever they call win in twenty years from Jayden Daniels.
It is that massive. They have the guy.
He's gonna be here he's not going anywhere. He was incredible at the end of the game. And I know there's a massive part of the Eagles who are saying our starting quarterback was out. They didn't talk about it enough on the broadcast. They're not talking about it enough on Good Morning Football. I know your starting quarterback was out, and maybe he'll be again in the in the game if you see these guys in the playoffs, which you might. I also know that your defense, which is the strength of this Eagles team, as good as the offense is, it's the defense. They're on the field at the end of the game against a rookie quarterback and had the chance to make a stop and they couldn't do it. It was the most casual game winning touchdown throw I've ever seen, and then they just casually got the two point conversion right after it. All Right, we may see this game again, but I'm not hanging some giants seventy two point front asterisks on the Commanders when their own quarterback went five touchdowns and they still had five turnovers and still won. I don't think there's been a bigger win in two decades for this organization. You guys know, I talked to Jaydon Daniels this week. When you get into it later, part of the conversation we had was Philly's coming. They're coming to Washington. This is different. This is not you playing the Giants. This is not some out of division team. And we talked about does this feel like Georgia or Bama when you're at LSU And he totally got it. He understood the weight of the situation and he won, and he won dramatically in the final minutes. I was blown away by Jadon Daniels. The Commanders right now, Egos were gonna lose. Eventually they lost to a new rival, and that is a new rival on the road.
It's really cool.
We continue to be impressed by Sam Donald. It's time to stop being surprised by Sam Donald. This is a thirteen and two football team. I remember when they were the best story of September, Like, oh wow, the Vikings are actually gonna be good this year. No one picked them for the playoffs. It's December now. Do you even remember their last loss? It was to the Rams and then they lost to the Lions by two points. That's it. They lost to the Rams. They lost the Lions by two points. It's hilarious to me though, as Peter brought this up when we started, the thirteen and two team has a worse seed than the Falcons and the Rams.
That's just the way it works right now.
But they have a chance to do something about it, and they look every single part that they can. Guys, they could be the one very easily. They still played Detroit's they went out. Now that Philly lost, they're right there, thirteen and two team, just to fireworks display yesterday. Seattle's a good football team. We know it's tough to play. We've mentioned it a bunch of times. It's the greatest hits. It's Addison, it's Jefferson. They make plays when they need to. But they have done this now for months. I wonder, though, where are we nationally with the reputation and the image of this Vikings team. I'm just saying, they're thirteen and two over and over.
Are you still going to pick him against Green Bay next week? Do you still expect them?
Even if they do get the one, you go into some kind of buy and then come out and lose it home in the Divisional I'm not there. It's too many wins. You have to respect them. I don't care who their coaches, who their quarterback is. They look fantastic just about every single week. And by the way, I already gave the Offensive Rookie the Year to Jaden Daniels.
That's over. If I had a.
Vote, which I don't, koc is the offense is the coach of the year. Coach of the year is Kevin O'Connell. You can say Dan Campbell did a great job too. He had golf coming in. He was with golf last year. They kind of had this whole machine. Everyone gives so much credit to his coordinators.
Kevin O'Connell. For me, that's over.
Jamiir Gibbs, I said it last week. He's gonna have to be a superstar. With David Montgomery injured, guy had twenty three carries.
He felt every bit the workhorse.
I also have to give him the Best Supporting Actor award. We've been talking about the Lions fake stumbled play all morning long. It's a hilarious thing they cooked up where Jared Goff appears to be falling.
Look at Gibbs. That's great acting right there. He falls down, he rolls over.
Everybody's telling me too, that the people on the Lions sideline, all the players, the staff scream ball like they're trying to act like it's a fumble, even they were in on it.
They're like extras in the movie.
But Gibbs is the leading man in Yesterday for the Lions offense, as good as Jamison was, as good as golf was twenty six. Is the player who I think will get this offense to a Super Bowl or knots And yesterday, yes it was the Bears.
Yes they haven't won in two months. Heavy volume perry.
For a guy who's not usually getting that, the Lions really impressed with them. He looked every bit the part of a guy who can say, no problem, David Montgomery's out, get on my back, and they did, and they'll continue to. I love Jamiir Gibbs. He's my game ball guys. It's come to this. Joe Burrow got his lineman's swords. He let me repeat that, the Holliday thing they usually get him jet skis and golf carts and trucks. He bought his linemen swords like actual swords. And here he is explaining it. Joe Burrow never changed. Well, they wanted guns, and I was like, I don't know about guns, guys, and so I was in the weapon mindset and I.
Was like, what's cool weapon? Samurai swords I think are pretty dank cool. They are pretty dank cool.
That's the first ballot weapon right there, the samurai sword. First of all, the linemen are like, hey, Joe, buy us some guns. Jeez, not taking it easy, dude.
I'm not buying you guns.
I'll get you swords. And I also like maybe a little return to normalcy. There's always this one upmanship that I'm getting them a car and I'm getting them a boat and I'm getting them a yacht. He's like, no, I'm gonna get them some cool swords that they take pictures with and look cool on Instagram with and do in the backyard. So Joe Burrow, one of the most eccentric guys in all of sports, and I mean that as a compliment, bought his Lineman swords.
And I like to check those swords out. If anybody's looking for me still for the last minute.
Ideas, I'd like a sword as well.
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