2024 Week 11 Recap

Published Nov 18, 2024, 6:34 AM

Gregg Rosenthal is joined by Patrick Claybon and Nick Shook to recap all of the Week 11 action from around the NFL. The show starts with Chiefs at Bills (01:30), followed by Ravens at Steelers (11:56), Packers at Bears (22:30), Seahawks at 49ers (32:37), Rams at Patriots (42:45), Falcons at Broncos (53:01), Raiders at Dolphins (01:30:00), Browns at Saints (01:08:47), Vikings at Titans (01:14:50), Jaguars at Lions (01:20:55), Colts at Jets (01:31:10) and Bengals at Chargers (01:39:27).

Note: time codes approximate. 

Welcome to NFL Daily, where we're always scrambling for a last minute touchdown.

That could be Josh Allen, It could be Gino Smith, it could be anyone. It could be me here in.

The Chris Westling podcast studio for your week eleven recap, alongside Patrick Claybond Nick Shook, joining us from Cleveland where the undefeated Cavaliers roam. And I thought this was a fantastic Sunday of games. We had some headliners, but maybe that's just because my agendas were fulfilled, because you seemed more salty Patrick when I came into the into the studio today.

Yeah, all things Greg vibes up and even I I met one.

Ravens losses saw ruined your hoday.

It wasn't just that Greg, I picked a game that I did not want to happen. I picked the things I did not want to happen, and I lose both ends of that. We'll talk about that coming up.

Okay, I'm looking forward to that. And and Nick, yes, you're your NBA team is doing great. NFL team not so much. But you can just kind of turn off those emotions and now just enjoy the spectacle because you actually were the one that was a signed to Ravens Steelers early rare case orry where Patrick.

Doesn't get that big time game.

Yeah, it was a game that I wish was played in primetime just because of the matchup, but be judging by the final score and the result and how ugly it was at times, I think it was deserving the one PM slot.

Okay, So put a pin in that one. It's part of the big block that we're starting the show with. We always start with the best games, and there's no other game to start with than Josh Allen versus Patrick Mahomes, Bills and Chiefs in Orchard Park.

All Right, here we go, game on the line here with the Bills up two and two, twenty seven left. It's a fourth and two. For some late motion fakes to throw Allen gonna step up in the pocket. Now he's gonna take it and run and he's got the first down the more.

Ten five and bustles his way into.

The end zone for an unbelievable.

Twenty six star touchdown run. Are you kidding me?

We're not kidding you, Chris Brown of WGR one of the moments of the season, no doubt, Josh Allen comes back to pass.

They got a mess concept.

He wasn't planning to run, but he decides to run and he's bouncing off defenders into the end zone. The Bills get the victory, thirty to twenty one over the Chiefs. This is a rivalry that always delivers, and on Sunday, the Bills delivered the Chiefs the first their first loss of the entire season. Bill's got a chance here to be the one seed in the AFC. They are flying right now at nine and two, and the Chiefs they were bound to lose eventually.

I guess you never know. They are at nine and one.

And yes, I think that play told us so much about this rivalry, about where these two teams are at in twenty twenty four. Because Sean McDermott has evolved in the past. Fourth down to twenty seven to go, I don't know if Sean McDermott is going for it in that situation, and it's one thing we've talked about on this show from the very beginning of the season. They've been extremely aggressive on fourth down. And one of the reasons I was so impressed that he went for in this case is that they failed in a somewhat similar spot in the first half of this game where in theory they could have taken points. Meanwhile, they don't really have a good kicker. That's probably informing the decision right there. But he knows you need touchdowns patrick to beat the champs, and he let his best player decide the game, and Josh Allen decided.

Yeah, fourth and two in a high leverage situation, and as you mentioned, the Bills run mesh.

They run mesh.

They let their generationally talented quarterback at a high leverage play just run something where it's not confusing. Again, we'll talk about another team that did not necessarily do that in a high leverage situation. The off line not not salty at all, but was a This is the first time it's been forty four games. Greg has scored thirty points in the regular season against the Kansas City Chiefs. That is the way back to Week four of twenty twenty two, and they get it with those not to say the relatively simple concepts, but a lot of screens. To Khalil Shakir, we saw the Chiefs defense miss more tackles today that I've seen them miss in a very long time. Khalil Shakir was seven yards after catch. Curtis Samuel was six yards after catch. These are average on every single reception. I didn't know if the skill position players with the Bills, with all the injuries, we're going to be able to make this a game. They played spectacularly after catch.

They were awesome. Keon Coleman does not play in this game. Dalton Kinkaid does not play in this game. And sometimes it is just about your players showing up and playing a little bit above where we've seen him. Amari Cooper hasn't been on this team for long. You look and he only has two for fifty five, but they were both really difficult catches at massive points in the game. Cooper leads them to an early touchdown. His other catch was also fantastic. Curtis Samuel, it's been in mothballs most of the season, made an unreal play on the very first drive of the game that helped lead to a touchdown. That was on a third and nine where he got again free from some Chiefs defenders playing above his skeys. He gets a huge touchdown in the fourth quarter, and yes, this Bills team ultimately beat a Chief squad. Nick that I didn't think got a ton of pressure on Josh Allen that if you really break it down, it was a close game. But if you really break down the line of scrimmage, I thought the Bills won the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Their defense and their offensive line both won. They're a little tougher I think than maybe previous Bills teams.

It's weird because this rivalry has kind of evolved, much like Sean McDermott has evolved. In previous years. We would think about shootouts, would think about, you know, explosive plays, tons of points on the board. We saw that in the playoffs. We saw that when they met either in the regular season or the postseasons. It's been back and forth affairs. This was not like that. Both these teams have changed. The Chiefs offensive line is a huge concern for me, but which is part of why the Bills found success up front. But Greg Russo is having a great year. He causes a pressure that results in a von Miller sack, the Chiefs have to punt the ball, whereas meanwhile, the Bills don't have the same explosive offense, but they still have Josh Allen and so it's almost like the scales have kind of tipped toward even again because both these teams look different, and yet we still get a total of fifty one points between these two teams, right, and the Bill still almost melted down in the fourth quarter before Josh Allen essentially assaulted this went away with that touchdown.

Run, right, because the defense has made plays in this game. Mit Patrick Mahomes starts the game with an interception where he panics a little bit, but it was because of a really quick pressure. Josh Allen throws an interception on a fourth down early in this game. That was the fourth down decision. I was referring to great play by Tamari Connor. There were segments in this game in the middle where the Bills punted a couple times in a row. The Chiefs punted a couple times in a row in the third quarter. So that's why I just love this matchup because it's got a little bit of everything. But I like how you mentioned those long drives at the and that's the chief style, and that's what the Bills did to Kansas City. They showed that they can win in this style. James Cook did not have a great game. They did not run the ball well, but they did get it done in the red zone and he broke some tackles and they were able to kind of play like the Chiefs offense and pick you apart. And they go on two drives late in the game, a ten to play sixty one yard drive where they take up six minutes of the clock, and then that final one right after Patrick Mahomes makes it twenty three to twenty one. Patrick, like you're just thinking. It was almost like Mahomes needed to be down nine points in the fourth quarter just to feel alive again, you know what I mean, Cause that next drive that he had that was like the best drive I've seen the Chiefs offense have all season. Like he's making next level type throws. He's on the run. They move fast for once and they get that touchdown and you think, oh, here they come. But the Bills just kind of squeeze the life out of it. A huge play by Khalis Shakir on a third and nine. Whether it's passing or rushing. Josh Allen is right there with Lamar as the best quarterback in the league, and he proved it in the biggest of spots.

Today and also the Bills offensive line. They lose Dion Dawkins for a couple of plays they're late. We'll have to check and see long term if that's a particular issue, but you mentioned that third and nine, just Khalil security. He takes a huge shot on that play from Cook, like on his back hip, he's able to get the first down. There just so many moments where you look and see the Bills make plays like that. And on the other side, Nu Hopkins had a ball kind of roll out late. Kansas City not able to get a couple of conversions in a game where this might have been the best Exavier Worthy game that they've had in several weeks, and you kind of wondered Kareem Hunt had his longest run of the season as well. The plays that Kansas City has had to win the game were there. It's just the defense that they can normally count on to shut out opponents couldn't get off the field.

And Chemo, Yeah, it's a good call on Worthy. They really built the game planing around him early. Although he always has that one play, the Xavier Worthy like mental boner play, and that was he blew a what would have been about a forty yard catch on a nice throw by my home's not getting his feet inbound, which just happened so many times.

But they still scored enough.

I mean they get they get a couple of touchdowns there from no great I thought it was really important. Just looking at the next Gen stats, nick thirty seven percent pressure rate by the Bills despite barely blitzing, which is that. I think that's been the key to them. So as Oliver, it was Rousseau, it was Miller, it was Epiness, it was everyone. Meanwhile, for once Spagnolo didn't dial it up enough. They were blitzing plenty, but they weren't really getting to Alan. There were segments of this game where Allan was missing open receivers, like not seeing him, and I give Spagnolo credit for that. So I think it was just a good game between two really good teams. But at the end of the game, like the winning play comes off of blitz, the touchdown to Samuel comes off of blitz. Let's actually listen to that.

Alan in the shotgun secure in motion, right to left. Here's the snap blitz coming. Alan has to throw it wide open. It's Samuel scampering to the inside. He's into the touchdown.

Well, Welcome to the zone, Curtis Samuel twelve yard touchdown reception, his first as a Buffalo Bill.

Welcome to the twenty twenty four season, Curtis Samuel. I was waiting for you. I've always believed in you. You arrive in Buffalo and I think, Wow, this is the place to unlock him. And he's been a net negative all season. They actually tried to get him going last week. I thought it was pointed. I thought they're thinking, we need this guy at some point, and they're feeding him targets early in that game against the Colts. It didn't really work. Actually they threw them the ball eight times for thirty five years. But maybe it paid off a week later because he made a number of really good plays. Look, this isn't a devastating loss for the Chiefs. You bound to lose. Eventually they get to their buy, or rather the Bills get to their h No, the Chiefs get to their buy and their schedule is still pretty favorable coming up. I'm not too worried. The Bills have a really interesting schedule coming up for just what you're thinking about potential MVP. They actually do have their buy, so they're gonna feel good coming into it. And then they have the forty nine ers. They're at the Rams and at the Lions, all these high leverage spots for everyone to kind of see Josh Allen on national TV, and if he can get through that, well, then he's got three cupcakes to finish out the season. Two Patriots games and a Jets game. So the Bill's in good shape.

Here.

Let's listen to Josh Allen trying to keep it in perspective, because yes, this has been a rivalry. The Bills have actually won four straight games against the Chiefs in the regular season, but it's the playoff games that everyone remembers.

Means we have to nine wins. I know it's from perception. Outside perception, it's a really big game and what it means for both fan bases in the league. We're in week eleven, you know, we're nine and two. Last time I checked, nine wins probably doesn't get you in the playoffs. So you know, going into the spy week, get to enjoy ourselves a little bit. But coming back ready, you know, a hungry team and just trying to go want to.

Know, yeah, he has been through this before.

He knows how long this season is, how difficult it will be to slay the dragon. But this was a good start going from one great AFC rivalry to another.

Let's go to Pittsburgh.

Lamar Jackson in the shotgun, three receivers bunched tightly to the left, snap, Lamar moving out to the left, Lamar being strung out, and Lamar flings it backhand.

In complete and the Steelers defense has come.

Up with a stop. I don't know what Lamar was doing there, just running.

It seemed like blindly down the line of screws.

You got.

I know, we had somebody leaking through in the backs and I don't even see it.

That was Rob Kingg and Craig Wolfy of WDVE in Pittsburgh. Yes, that two point conversion was the difference in an eighteen to sixteen victory by the Steelers. Nase Harris ends up icing the game a handful of plays later, after some misadventures from justin fields where he slides too early. Glad that didn't end up being the difference in this game. But man, Patrick, you could pick a lot of differences in this game.

Where do you want to start? How about that play?

Yeah?

Well again, when we talked about this, and I'm glad you know, Shook, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this game because I'm gonna be thinking about that play where it seems like the Baltimore Ravens both sides of the offensive line and all the receivers and Lamar Jackson are all running different plays.

Three plays appear to be run.

They come out, Mike Tomlin gets the Greg Popovich time out and shout out to coach pop hope he's doing better recovering from the broke there, but he sees what the Ravens are gonna run. Yeah, so Munkin has to scrap the play that they were initially running. And then it's an absolute galaxy brain panic on the biggest play of the game, where I legitimately I'm looking for postgames sound to find out what the hope was here because there was nothing there.

There was nothing.

It was extremely confusing and give to everything Tomlin does this year just turns to gold because what's.

The worst case scenario.

I mean, I guess you don't want to run the same play that you were planning to run the first time around because they started running the books.

But they should have, is my answer.

Nick, Yeah, I would agree.

I think Charles Davis in the Badcast goes oh, I think that that was like jump pass and obviously if you give that away, you're not gonna come back and run it again, because that's an element of surprise play. It looked like it was blocked right up front, and it just completely crumbled once they got to the edge. I'm not going to make too much of a deal out of one play, because Patrick, you'll be on board with me on this. The Ravens played one of their worst games of the season today, Yeah, and a lot of that is credited due to the Steelers defense for complicating the picture. They were bracketing z Flowers often. You know, they were making it hard for Lamar Jackson to throw the ball until that final touchdown drive there. He had only completed two passes of receivers all day. Everything they did offensively was a struggle. But they also got completely in their own way. They had twelve accepted penalties against them. They fumble away possession on Derrick Henry's second carry of the game, and they go four to eleven on third down, and it was even worse earlier in the game. They just looked like a disjointed operation all day. This is not the Ravens offense that we knew them to be prior, and a lot again, a lot of that credit is due to the Steelers defense. But this is a winnable game, justin Tucker missed his two field goals in the first half, shooting themselves in the foot time and time again. They gotta be on that plane kicking themselves all the way back to Baltimore because this was a game they very much could have won, and now they've lost it. Their a game and a half behind the Steelers. H And I'll tell you what though, it's making up. It's setting up for a real nice rematch later this season.

Yes it is. That's on Christmas Day.

The Steelers have won seven out of eight in this matchup between Tomlin and John Harbaugh. After the game, Cam Wolf of NFL Network is going to be with us in studio, by the way, on a preview show in about three weeks, So I look forward to that Patrick, That'll.

Be esme, he said.

Tomlin was going around the locker room and just going up to players and saying, welcome to the rivalry.

Welcome. I like that.

I like when the coaches lean into an actual rivalry. What is it you think the Steelers do? That just has been Raven's crew tonight. Whether it's Lamar on the field or not, it's been very effective. Whatever they do well.

I mean, we saw it in the Ravens win against the Cincinnati Bengals where Lamar's rolling to his right. It's an absolute hopeless play. Half of the planet is telling them to throw the ball away. He makes a move, tucks it, eventually gets down inside the two yard line. It's very difficult for Lamar to make those plays with TJ.

Watt on the field. He's just never been able to.

And so many times we see him stiff arm the edge guy, get away, spin away from the edge guy. It feels like he's oh for lifetime in getting away from TJ.

Watt.

And then on the other side, like last year's last year's lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers was again they dropped everything last week. At least the Steelers were knocking the ball down this time. A lot of Lamar's passes got battered at the line of scrimmage, but just mistakes, just being mistaken. I don't know if Mike Tomlin has the magical juju to just make things go horribly wrong for Baltimore. But in these last couple of games, it has been the Ravens. I mean, all credit be it's it out. George Pickens made a great play down the sideline. Yeah, it shook, said the Ravens losses.

Yeah, I want to hear what you think about what the Steelers offense and defense did.

Well. Shook.

But let's actually listen because I think it's apropos right now to hear Lamar Jackson talking about the loss.

Ever since last year, I believe you know, going back to the da as a championship game, we killed ourselves Chiefs game, the OpenAL killed ourselves, Raiders who killed ourselves, and today same thing. It's just like we can't be beating ourselves in these type of games. You gotta find a way to fix that.

Going.

Yeah, he's right, they really do feel like they beat themselves. Justin Tucker missed two kicks. So out of four losses this year, all of which are by one score, Justin Tucker has played a huge role in three of those four losses. Lamar finishes two for ten under pressure for twenty seven yards, was hit a number of time by the Steelers defense. But Nick, let let's give the Steelers credit here. Now, on top of this division by a game and a half. What did they do offensively defensively that you think was special to to be be able to keep winning in this rivalry.

Yeah, I'm actually really glad Lamar pointed that out, because that was the initial thought I had while that game was going on.

I was like, this looks a lot.

Like the AFC title game for us offensively, and I think that's a big product of what the Steelers defense did. Lamar could not get loose as a scrambler. I mean, he found extending plays to be very difficult and he would ended up sailing passes over guys heads.

And again it's because of the Pittsburgh defense.

So what did Pittsburgh do well, Well, let's talk about offensively, because they weren't much better offensively. But what they did do is convert all their field goal attempts. Chris Boswell hit six of them. That's the most. That's the most converted in Akracher Stadium since it was built. It's also the most since Gary Anderson hit six in a game at Three Rivers Stadium back in nineteen eighty eight research fact right there in Pittsburgh.

But no, I mean it was up and down for the Steelers Russell Wilson.

This is a classic Russell Wilson game for him, because you know, we talk about, oh, he's exceeded expectation and he has, but play by play he's still very up and down. He was very up and down today. Where he was good was in the short passing game. He was extremely excellent at just take what the defense gave him. He was a perfect no. He was twenty and twenty four on passes under ten air yards day for one to twenty six, so one hundred and twenty six of his two hundred and five yards came on passes under ten air yards. And then that big completion that Patrick reference to George Pickens would set up, surprise, another field goal, but at least got them deep in the Ravens territory. So he made the big plays here and there, very very small amounts, and he just kept him steady and consistent, and they just kind of won this war of attrition by staying ahead and playing well enough defense to deny the Ravens of their opportunities. And that's the AFC North and that is Steelers Ravens in a nutshell. I texted a friend as a Steelers fan, I today, I think today end seventeen to sixteen, and that's when it was late to nothing.

It finishes nail in sixteen. That just looked like that game.

Yeah, that's amazing, and this division's not over. I do think we can say a few things about the twenty twenty four Ravens right now. They're not going to be the one seed, we know that, and they're not missing the playoffs. So they're at seven and four in the way, the AFC isn't how good they are, so they're gonna be somewhere in between. They're gonna try to go win this division. Not over yet when you look at the Steelers' schedule, although Steelers do get the Browns two out of the next three weeks, so at least in the relatively short tournament, it's not brutal.

They can win this division.

They're gonna be, you know, somewhere between the two and the four seed, most likely somewhere between the three and the five seed, and it's a decision whether they can go win the division or not. That the Steelers, Yeah, were in the bottom ten percentile in terms of EPA per play and success rate on this game, so their offense did struggle. Russell Wilson had that ghastly interception in the red zone. One of the worst plays of the year, right, I mean, considering the situation that you just can't make that play late in the game. The running game was okay, but it's really the Ravens defense, which I guess had a better game. And yet at the very end, I know Kyle Hamilton caught your eye.

Patrick.

He did because Justin Fields comes in into the game to run the ball. The Steelers are not going to throw the ball, and Kyle Hamilton is hopping on one leg before that play. It's an immense depth. It's second and nine. He gets crazy depth just because he can't move, so he's just back there just for moral support. Rokwan Smith was out of the game. I don't know if it was a helmet communication issue where they couldn't take Cayle Hamilton off the field. Either way, he stays in the game on the next play because Justin Field slides down despite the fact that Klin was not going to do anything to contact him on that play.

And yet I didn't know the rules justin fields. By the way, someone's got to tell him the rules.

He slides short. The spot is where you initiate the slide, and then so on third and one, Kyle Hamilton stays in the game. Again, he's on one leg and they can do nothing to stop nause He gets the first down in ball game. But just we're gonna have to check on Roquan's status. Cayle Hamilton's already playing on one leg. It seems like those two Without those two, I don't know. The defense played better today.

But it's the hamstring too, So that's concerning because you know how hamstring's can be and that's the key part of their defense right there.

So that's concerning for sure.

That is a big one to watch. Yeah, Lamar Jackson's numbers against the Steelers in his last five starts five touchdowns, eleven turnovers in twenty one sacks taken hard to believe. Van Jefferson played most of this game at wide receiver. Mike Williams didn't get any runs. Van Jefferson with a big fat o fer. I'd like to see a little more Mike Williams at some point drop as well, but these on his only target, I believe. Uh the uh, these are champion problems. Steelers are rolling. They're a big part of this season. They're going to the playoffs too. We'll see what where they are in seed, Uh somewhere. I would guess between three and six. Is a fun division, and it feels like it's just getting started. Let's head to the only division that's better. Yes, the NFC North Sanchos for the game. Here's the snap placement made.

The kick is is fuck.

Then the Packers up one beautiful, It is beautiful, It comes up short and the Packers have one eleven straight over.

The Bearers twenty to nineteen. Oh my goodness, what a finish. Wow.

Wow, Wayne Laravie and Larry McCarron for WR and W. Yeah, some franchises they just seem blessed. I mean, thinking about the Chiefs last week on that blockfield goal, thinking about the Packers this week on that blockfield goal. But that was a great block and special teams matters, Rich Pasacia matters, and the Bears. Man, some franchises just seems snake picked, and they have been since about the nineteen eighties. This could have been such a nice sole satisfying win for Caleb Williams and a Bears squad that has just been going through it. Caleb Williams gets them in position. Maybe Matt Abraflus.

Didn't get them close enough in position. I would argue that's today.

Yes, Packers win this game twenty to nineteen. I am stunned by how well the Bears hung in this game, and probably deserved to win this game. But I didn't watch it as close as you explain to me how they did that well they.

Did so, and we'll start with the good news, of course, before Carlbrooks kind of ruins the day of all Bears fans. A nice game for Thomas Brown, like congratulations. The offensive coordinator change worked out. Got to see the playmaking ability of Kayleb. Williams scored on four of their first five possessions.

Did the Bears.

They also converted fifty six percent of their third down plays. If you want to check my math, it's nine of sixteen there. And I think one of the most consequential drives for them, because the Packers late go for it on fourth and goal. They roll Jordan Love out. It's hopeless in the end zones, so he tries to run for it. They get the turnover on dials. They start that possession on the two yard line and then they have a twelve play drive. The problem is it's only forty nine yards, but they at least flip field position. They give the ball back to the Packers. Jordan Love hits Christian Watson on a sixty yard play. Wow, they review it. It looks close like he almost has that ball hit the ground, but they go in. They score, and then we heard the results of that final drive. There are the only Bears victories with moral ones. Yeah, as the offense had a low bar to clear, but they definitely cleared it today.

You know Caleb Williams in this game, early on, he's running around. He ends up with seventy yards on the ground, which is that's fantastic. And I see as that last drive is going the Roma Dunes catch on the sideline, great back shoulder throw. That was fourth down, right, a great catch by the two rookies, and you do feel like, oh, this is the tide turning. Let's have that conversation about not going far enough. The Bears have the ball with a timeout, which, by the way, the Packers took at thirty five seconds. Okay, We've just been through this so many times. The ball's at the thirty yard line. Okay, So at that point it's what a forty seven yard field goal they've got. It was probably more than forty seconds when they could have taken that time out. The Packers took it at thirty five. You have a timeout, You have a timeout left, but you don't want to use it there, okay, But the Packers they used it.

They decided to save you a little bit. At that point.

You have your time out and you have thirty five seconds left, why not try to get closer to make it easier? Like, why not there? I know bad things can happen. Don't live in your fears.

I will play Devil's after here.

Because that drive started with Caleb Williams taking sacks on first and second down, okay, And so it was one of those things where they had it became third and eighteen, right, he gets the pass to Odun's are you then they have to convert that on that fourth down that you mentioned where perhaps memory of that and seeing Caleb getting sacked all the times that he's getting sacked this season, they don't want to go from a forty seven yard field goal to a fifty eight yard field goal. It's one of those things where, of course it could be closer, but considering the way things have gone for Chicago, it's, you know, you gotta protect the field. Though we seen it league wide, you haven't been able to protect the field.

Is Packers team any good? By the way shook? They're seven and three?

Like they are good because their coach is good, and I believe their quarterback is good, and I think their offensive talent and their scheme is good and their offensive lannything, So they are good. But they are one of the teams in the in the NFL where I just don't feel like I know much about them.

They're just sort of like, what what's going on here?

They feel a little lucky to be seven and three, But they're also so talented that it's like, Okay, I'm fine with them being seven and three.

Every time I think about them or I'm asked about them, I come back to the same feeling, which is that I am being tested on a book that I never finished for summer reading. But I read the cliff notes, like I know parts about them, but their quarterback's been heard on two separate occasions, and they've played in some inclement weather situations, and they lost the time of possession battle by in this game by nearly thirteen minutes today, So how much of a sample size did you get Jordan Love through seventeen passes, he threw a pick that was really ugly, that would have led to a touchdown, that would have flipped the scales of these game early and probably put the Bears in a position where they were pressing, and instead they had the benefit of time. They had the benefit of time and patience and a new start with Thomas Brown and oci and they were so close to winning that game, just like the Broncos last week. They played well enough to win and they didn't win. And you know what, shout out to Carl Brooks from none other than Bowling Green State University Mid American Conference guy.

Getting that blocked field goal. Oh but when a MAC guy changes a game.

Well, finally someone from that defensive line does something that is a little part of my frustration. I think it's the scheme because it's all the same players as a year ago, and their pressure numbers are just so down, and they're like their overall team numbers aren't terrible, So I I don't know what it is. It kind of speaks to what I'm talking about, was this this is a team I'm not sure what to do with, Like it's a game where like Dobbs, you.

Know, doesn't do anything.

But then Watson pops up for that big play and that was a fantastic play.

And I do give them credit.

Love through that interception earlier in a big spot and they needed a touchdown to go win a division game and they got the touch on. Hell, let's let's listen to the Jordan Love go ahead rushing touchdown.

Loove to the line of scrimmage, crap buntions to the right, follow the right, Nash Mark just inside the one. Quarterback keeper Jordan Love pushed forward to the end zone for the touchdown and the Packers take the lead twenty to nineteen.

Yeah, they haven't beaten the Packers since twenty eighteen. What were you doing in the fall of twenty eighteen, Patrick Claybahn, you were here, You were here.

I think in the twenty eighteen season I got put on the bench in one of those years.

There were some there were some decision making changes.

Oh no, I should have brought this up.

No, it's fun and your boy was chilling on Sunday, but hey, we're still now.

He's so busy.

He only does NFL daily when it's his second show of the day, Like he always has live programming before doing this, So you have so many jobs.

But hey, that's twenty and sixty three days if you're counting your fingers, which the Bears are, and you know they.

Had a shot. They had a shot to winder.

I know folks don't want to celebrate just moderate improvement as opposed to beating a team in a rivalry game.

But no, good point, what was there.

Let's just put up like the visual of Thomas Brown getting so pumped in the booth for the Bears, for the YouTube audience, and yes, thank you for everyone that's been subscribing on YouTube. I just loved, like how pumped up he was, like one of the best, Like, let's goes after a touchdown I believe it was the Roshawn Johnson touchdown right before halftime.

What they did absolutely worked.

This was their most encouraging, maybe offensive performance of the year, considering the opponent in the situation that it was in.

In the pantheon of headset slams that we've seen on TV over the last few years. There you have the negative one, the angry one, which is Total Wolf, the team principal of Mercedes AMGF one, and then you have the positive side, the other end of the spectrum, which is Thomas Brown. When they take a ten to seven lead over the Packers in the game they're not supposed to win.

He scared his booth mate, he's sitting right next to him. He slams that headset down.

Are he used to it?

And he jumps like, whoa? This is why we had Waldron on the field. You're up here breaking stuff.

Man.

This division is so good it's unfortunate. In the NFC four and six for the Bears fields like a death sentence.

I thought this team was done done.

This was such an like an encouraging performance that if they had won it, they would have felt a little differently.

They now feel done.

At seven and three, the Packers with a really interesting slate of difficult games coming up, starting with a San Francisco forty nine Ers matchup next week. We're gonna listen to Matt Lafleur, but then we're gonna take a break, So This is Matt Lafleur in the locker room talking about the blocked field goal unit. It was from Packers dot Com. And we'll take a break. We'll be back on the other side with a little NFC West showdown.

I love how Rich always defines our field goal unit, right, it's the definition. It defines a character of our football team.

And I'll tell you what.

Man you guys got after their ass on that final play.

We need it right there, right I got.

I got one game ball right here, representing the field goal block units, goal front.

Books.

Gino gets them back to the line of scrimmage twenty two twenty one, gets a snap, looks, steps up, got a run ten time.

Jo Hawks, Holy catfish, Ron fluff.

Side can't find anybody open from thirteen out, twelve seconds left. Heard the Seahawks take the lead nineteen seventeen.

Are you kidding me?

No?

Quit in this bunch, Holy catfish? How could you have a frown on your face?

Claybon on a Sunday that produces that one of the moments of Geno Smith's career. That was Steve Rabel on the k I R r oh Wow, Gino Smith with the drive that if nothing else psychically changes one of the most one sided division rivalries in the NFL, forty nine Ers Seahawks. The forty nine Ers have absolutely owned Seattle. Maybe it saves the Seahawks season, It certainly makes them feel more relevant. At five and five, forty nine Ers fall to five and five, And yes, that was a drive to remember Shiki.

You know when the voice cracks on the call that it's a peak moment in football in your season as the Seahawks team that desperately needed to win, just to stay in the thick of this very messy NFC West race guys, when he's scrambling left, I'm shouting at the screen, get out of bounce, get out of bounce.

And then I saw that there was open spaces. Score the touchdown.

I screamed so loud in the news room. That was one of my favorite moments.

And that's the thing is, as soon as he crossed the goal line, I thought, nobody on this planet will enjoy this moment more than Greg Rosenthal and I can't wait to talk to about it. This was the geno game because you had the highs like that, you had the lows like when he throws a pass rolling to his left and sails at five yards over Jackson Smith and Jake's head for an interception to start the third quarter. Like you had everything in between, but what you had more than anything was a veteran quarterback who's been doubted, who's been through the fight before, and was capable of leading you down the field when you needed it for a touchdown. Oh, by the way, was also benefiting from the fact that Nick Bosa wasn't able to play because of an injury.

Yeah, so the Bosa did not play the last handful of drives of this game. He actually wasn't on the field for any of the Seahawks scores for what it's worth. And I really give the Seahawks defense though, a ton of credit. They quietly played their most impressive game of the season. I thought before the buy shook against the Rams and it ended up all being for not because Stafford has that play in overtime the offense can't come through. And it seems like they played another great game today and they got the ball back for Gino late and he ends up knowing he needs to go eighty yards to have a touchdown. Just a bunch of really good decisions A nice throw to metcalf, a couple of dumpoffs Jackson Smith and Jigbu is playing really well, just a composed, veteran type of drive, and he's had a lot of these last second drives that now over the last couple of seasons. And it just felt like this team, their center literally retired a couple of days ago before this game, out of nowhere. Connor Williams like, it just felt like this team was teetering a little bit and they really needed something like this.

Yeah, and you know, like that sequence on that final drive alone kind of captures who they've been as a team. You know, it goes beyond Geno, but like focusing on him specifically, just for this example, he hits a passer over the middle on first down, he misses an out route by like four yard shallow, and then he you know, rips a pass through a tight window to JSN on third down. It's a team that's coming together. I think they're starting to kind of understand how to play together and not having the pressure of the world on them because they've kind of already realized, oh, we've disappointed ourselves, especially at home a lot this year. But what stood out to me the most more than anything, was that they played inspired football on the defensive side, which has been the most unpredictable part of this team this year. They were closing passing windows on third down. Boy A Mafe dropping in coverage and batting down a Rock Party passer over the middle was really impressive to me.

They were getting after him.

Party had a solid game too, But that was the part that really allows them to even buy the time to get back into this game and be able to win. It was the fact that they were playing pretty complimentary football, even if the numbers aren't super high from.

It, Yeah able to get You mentioned Boye Mafe and coverage. His pass rushes are very good as well, bothering Party, especially in those key moments where he had a solid Christian McCaffrey game in total yards. But it's gonna be tough to limit Christian McCaffrey total yards. Why they were able to kind of limit him in the run game and then just good decisions by Mike Donald. You mentioned the fact that their center retires in the middle of the week late again they only have one time out. Gino hits Jackson Smith and Jig but thought he was going to get out of bounds. He instead Alexa cut it up field. I'm wondering if they're going to try to sprint up and clock Ittt. Gino had just had a huge run, and instead of going up there losing it down to Clockett, Mike McDonald goes ahead and calls the timeout. Gino gets the opportunity to get a breather, which he clearly needed because he's able to come back after the time out and have the game winning touchdown run Bosa or not. This is something Gino needed. First win as a starter against the San Francisco forty nine Ers. Vibes up and immaculate on the on the eve of a huge NFC West battle on November twenty fourth against the Arizona Cardinals.

I love it.

This division is stupid. There are three five and five teams. Seahawks, Cardinals, forty nine Ers are all five and five, and the Cardinals, I mean the Seahawks, Rams and forty nine Ers are all five and five spoiler alert, and the Cardinals are leading the way at six and four. All these division games are gonna be really fun down the stretch because it's the double jeopardy of second place in this division is very likely not making the playoffs the way that the wild cards shaping up. So it's probably just one spot for all four of these teams, which all have good quarterbacks and all are intriguing, but are all clearly flawed. I mean, Juan Jennings is the man, and jen catches ninety one yards so many key first downs. But you get McCaffrey back and then you like lose Nick Bosa during this game. This team just feels a little snake bit Kaffrey. Fine game, you know, over one hundred yards from scrimmage, not incredibly explosive, and you just start wondering, Nick if like the Niners team that we keep thinking and I was saying, well, they're gonna start coming along after the bye, like maybe the old Niners just just aren't coming this year.

I don't know.

Yeah, I mean they're banged up.

I think McCaffrey's gonna slowly kind of like build up to what we knew him as it's because it was a little bit closer than the week prior.

But yeah, they're banged up. Like they didn't have Kittle today.

They dealt with a number of injuries on both sides of the ball and it's just really hurt their ability to get into a rhythm. The beauty of it is that it's week eleven, like we still have basically two months of football left. But in a division like this where you didn't build an early lead because you lost some games early, you have no breathing room. So you have to hope that you figure it out quickly and hope that you can do it if you continue to miss guys here and there, if you can find a way to piece together and hit that stride before you're at full strength, because at this point they're not going to really be at full strength this.

Year, right Well, but they were the team that had a really tough schedule down the stretch, them in the Seahawks compared to the Rams and Cardinals, and just on paper it looked tougher, and this was a game you thought they would win. They go on the road the next two weeks in Green Bay and Buffalo. It's not cutting time, like it is time for them to show up in this season or else it's gonna totally slip away from them. They are one to three in the division, so they actually don't have that many division games left to make up ground. They have the Rams at home, and then they finished the season in Week eighteen in Arizona. They also have an at Miami and a home for Detroit. They are getting tested in a way in the regular season we haven't seen since the Jimmy Garoppolo like out for the season type injuries seasons that they've had, and so it's been a minute. It's gonna be a challenge for this team to make the playoffs. That's true of the Seahawks too, But at least Gino and the Seahawks are feeling better. Let's actually listen to Gino after the game.

I was out there smiling on that last drive, like I walked on the field. I mean, I just had kind of felt like Andrews in the outfield, like somebody's just rubbing my shoulders the whole time, and I just felt like there was no pressure. And I think the perspective that I have that I've gained over my career has allowed me to play that way. And so whenever there is a moment or a mistake that's made, I don't I'll never really get too down on myself. And I also don't get too high when when you know good things happen. I think as long as you stay even killed throughout the process, I think, you know, things work out better that way.

Well, i'd feel like angels in the outfield that rubbing me if I had that shirt and sunglasses combo waiting for me after him.

I have never seen angels in the outfield that after.

I feel like Patrick once definitely has until he can tell me about it or explain that to me.

I mean, it's it's a pretty self explanatory title, The Angels Earth, Why are you a surprise my deity? And uh well, it's I feel like everybody there was a run there Greg, where there was super early Internet wise culture was generally driven by movies and angels in the outfield. For sports fans, it was probably one that most of us did, did it counter? I think it's not just gonna I think a lot of people are gonna be shocked.

Okay, I hear you, But this is where I think our age difference. And Nick is obviously much younger than myself and younger than Patrick as well. Uh you know, I was like fifteen then, like am I going to see like Disney movies in the theater?

Now? It was like Greg was too cool. Yeah, Angels city outfield.

I was too cool at fifteen or sixteen, whatever it was. It was just kind of like, Eh, that's kids stuff.

I don't need.

I don't need angels in the outfield in my life, you know what I do? You stand on toy story then, I'm just saying at that particular time, it's like, do I want to go see that?

Or I don't know, Oh had other plans, Nick, That's where that's what we're found.

Do we just want to go like.

Drive around the hills of western Massachusetts and find the beer that we buried in the forest.

All right, you know what else I have time for?

It's time for the Sunday Drive, presented by the all new hybrid Toyota Camera.

Let's go to Foxborough.

Saron Foxboro Rams on defense protecting a six point lea third down, thirteen deep drunk from me peach it over the middle fIF.

Packs intercepted at midfield.

Cam Kitchens takes.

A seats with LA's fifth win on.

A pass intended for to Mario Douglas.

Kitchens calls Jame, that was our friend.

JB Long KSPN Rams close out at twenty eight to twenty two victory on a mistake. Ah Biden to Mario Douglas. I don't even think it was on Drake May. Why are you looking to Mario Douglas, it's going right over your head. T can my rookie quarterback look bad in a big spot? Rams get the road victory fun quarterback? It wait, I gotta just stop it down for a second though. You never you never like buried alcohol in the I want to.

Learn more about the stave Greg Rosenthal Forest Beer.

Yeah, like you know this is you know, people just would like go put him out. You know we're in western Massachusetts. You know, you get the beer.

And you just like go you go put them out somewhere.

And then you go meet up and everyone. Because you're not gonna leave it in the house. You're not gonna carry it around. Someone just goes puts it out in the woods.

But someone has to carry it to bury it.

Yeah, you carry you don't even bury it. You just kind of like you just go put it out by some trees or whatever. Yeah, you buy it, you get it, you leave it out there. You assume no one's gonna go take it.

You're fine.

Enter at the other outpost.

He had some experience with this as well from what I recall listening to, So you're not alone in this. It's just that the geographical connection, we're missing it here with me and Patrick.

And yes, I'm glad we're talking about this because yes, my geographical connection to the Massachusetts region. People should be feeling better in Massachusetts. Well, we'll get to the rams part of it here, but I actually do want to start with Drake May do it.

I'm shocked.

I think this is the best loss you could possibly have. Like, Drake May is so good. This was actually his best game. I don't even think it was close. And I know he ends up with two turnovers here, one on a sack that was so fast from Kobe Turner the conductor, you know, getting inside quickly with the pressure, and then Braden Fisk finishing him off that he had no real chance on that. But this was the game that I was waiting to see because Drake May's shown the real highs, but on a play to play basis, it's still been real up and down and I thought he was just nails, like he was changing plays before the line of scrims.

He was really accurate.

Most of it was short stuff he was like reading the defenses. I thought him and Van Pelt, the play caller, were on the same page. They didn't have a ton of drives in this game, and they almost went for four hundred yards, so all game they looked like a real deal NFL like professional offense. It wasn't about the scrambling, Like he got twenty seven yards on the ground in the end and had a couple of key little scrambles, but that was just like a minor part. Sean McVay said after the game that, Wow, this kid is gonna be special long term. And so that was my biggest take was he was doing all the little mental stuff that people like Nate Tights were saying. He's better than you think at that at getting the gimmeis getting the short stuff and if it wasn't for three or four drops from his receivers a couple of which change drives, a couple killer penalties which took thirty forty to fifty yards off the field, another boneheaded Jalen Pokee play where he goes with a false start on a fourth and one late in this game, which actually forced them to kick a field goal to make it twenty eight to twenty two or else it could have been a different game in them going for the touchdown. Just a ton of mental errors. I have no faith in this Patriots team around him, and the decision making by Girod Mayo where he thinks he has a good defense and their defense is getting cooked out of all of that was bad and you just got this shining star of a rookie quarterback that is really exciting if you're a Patriots fan right now. And we'll get to the rams, but talk about Drake may Nick Chuck or yeah.

Well that's what gets too excited about it is that like in previous weeks of like, okay, well he's just gonna scramble his tailoff for the first quarter of the game before he settles in.

And now he's actually not needing to do that.

He's settling in and he's using his mind and his process and ability to throw on target passes.

Taking the game.

He's like you said, he's settling in. He kind of in spots reminds me of what I saw from Joe Burrow way back in his rookie season. It's like week two, I mean, well, the formerly known Cleveland brown Stadium watching them play the Bengals, and I'm like, wow, this, this speed of the game is not too much of this kid. He's processing there because he's making the right decisions. Granted, he threw the ball fifty three times in that game, but I don't want drink they doing that. But he did throw the ball forty times today for two and two touchdowns, so like he can handle it. That's what helps you sleep at night as a Patriots fan. It's just that now they've got to fix everything else around it.

They don't need to win this year. They're three and eight. Oh, that's all fine. And they didn't win today because I thought the quarterback play in this game Patrick was outstanding. Like it was as high level as you could have possibly expected. Like I said, I think it was easily Drake Made's best game. It was also one of Matthew Stafford's best games in a long time. He was just about perfect after does a couple of little misplays early but only eighteen completions, but he did it for two hundred and ninety five yards. Every play was big. Mentally, he was absolutely sharp. He beats the zero blitz to Cooper Cup for a long touchdown. But some of the throats to Na Cool were fantastic. Pukah's running over players. The touchdown to Colby Parkinson was just a fantastic flip your hits like throwing left. It was the Matthew Stafford that we've been waiting to see.

Yeah, and now four touchdowns the two of his last three games. Puka goes for one to twenty three in a score where I was worried he hurt himself again because he does the Puka Nakua thing, completely lays out to make a grab in the end zone, is able to stay in the game. He has one hundred and twenty three yards that one score. Cooper Cup had another to go with the long touchdown you mentioned. You mentioned as they beat the blitz Kyron averages five point seven yards per carry. It's it's the Rams offense that we were promised right that kind of didn't necessarily show up. And we'll talk about the Dolphins defense and the win that they had, because I think we're gonna go back, especially Rams stands are going to go back and kind of circle that game in prom Tom that lost to the Dolphins, depending on how this season shakes out in the NFC West. But it's tough to critique this particular Rams team where they are on offense. Everybody was there and everybody played well. They protected Stafford well as well.

I have a critique and the critique is not specifically about this game, but it's just about the unreliability of Matthew Stafford this year.

Who is he?

Like?

Who is he?

Last week? He was not good?

This week he's eighteen for twenty seven for two ninety five and four touchdowns, which Stafford am I getting because it's driving me insane.

Yeah, this was really encouraging.

Maybe he's the guy, although last week would prove me wrong. That excels when he's got one of the best wide receivers in football. It's I really think, like just ab testing when Pukainakua plays football like they're a really good.

Offense, but he had them both last week.

Well, that's true, they needn't do anything. That's what drives me insane, that's true. But other than that uck.

Test and like he's just so good Pukakua, I don't think he's one hundred percent. And it's not just because when he came up off that diving touchdown, I don't think he was moving that fast. In this game, and yet he made so many defenders miss. He ran people over. These are he was so good on outbreaking routes. Stafford was in this game. It was something like eleven for sixteen for one hundred and fifty three and three touchdown. Those are like difficult throws that you need a big arm to make. A lot of them were to Puka Nikoua. Our friend Jordan Rodrigaz The Athletic points out that the touchdown to Cup was very much similar to the love of the Game route that Cooper Cup had against the Buccaneers in the playoffs, where he's supposed to just kind of be running that route but isn't expected to get it. But over the years they've realized sometimes it does pop open and that he's a He now is more of an option on that play, and that was a fantastic play by the offensive line and Stafford to read it and then Cup got free behind Jonathan Jones. But they had thirteen Nikoua and Cup of the eighteen catches, but they're not all equal. I mean, Pooka is a number one, number one, and he is awesome, And the dimes from Stafford were so fun. I want to listen to see if our friend JB. Long enjoyed that Kobe Parkinson touchdown, because that was one of the sweetest plays of the entire day.

Second down, two rams at the nineteen of the Patriots boot leg left side end zone toss.

One man brings it over his shoulder, his first as a ram touchdown Colvid Parkinson nineteen yards. It's another red zone dot from Matthew Stafford.

Though, I mean he is fading away.

That's like a trick shot and he has the time that so perfectly, or else Parkinson runs out of room right over the linebacker.

That was sweet.

They did punt a couple times in the fourth quarter, which gave the Patriots a chance to win this game.

But my god, was he on fire for a while.

That throw made me feel like I do when I step into a really really hot hot up.

Yes, yeah, that was awesome. It was really good to see Christian Barmore back on the field. He's been out all season with blood. Clott said that he went through some tough times really in the months since we've seen him, and so it was good. He made a couple of plays and yeah, like I mentioned this defense, he always make a couple plays to change the game, and even though the secondary struggled a little bit, Kobe Turner was awesome. I do think jerd Mayo has got to do a better job in terms of game management. Very conservative, acting like they're not moving the ball in this game. With a couple fourth down decisions, they can't pick up a yard to save their life inside the five. Let your guy Drake may get out and he's the best player on your team right now. Just give him the ball like he's Josh Allen. Do not trust the running game. It's not happening. Great win by the Rams. That was the Sunday Drive presented by the all new hybrid Toyota Camra. Whatever your vibe, it's a Camra vibe. Learn more at Toyota dot com slash Camry. So big win for the Rams gets them to five and five and right in the thick of things. That was the Broncos record entering Sunday. They knew they needed to win after a couple tough losses to Denver.

Nicks will operate under center on second and six from the Falcon forty one playfake bowl, rolls toys.

Right, squares his shoulders, throws a strike dep.

Ball clot and this is little Jordan Murphrey pulling.

Away into twenty fifteen to ten five touchdown Denver, Little Jordan Humphreys strike from bow Knicks forty one yards on the touchdown reception. That is the fourth touchdown pass of the game by rookie bow Knicks.

Yo too.

Nicks had four touchdowns and three hundred and seven yards and five incompletions in an NFL game to get a thirdy eight to six win to keep the Broncos like in playoff position. This is happening. He's getting better every week. Sean Payton is dealing, bow Nicks is dealing. They embarrassed the Falcons blowout win. Good foresight by us Patrick, all three of us on game debut, Cynthia myself and you predicted a Bronco's win and they got it.

Yeah, none of us had thirty eight to six where Michael Pennix is coming in and making plays late in this game because it's just a wrap for Kirko and company where they really couldn't get anything going. He's eighteen to twenty seven for one hundred and twenty three yards. And then when you Kirk Cousins got negative two yards on pressure dropbacks.

Wow, that was the total.

It's pressured on thirty percent of his dropbacks for a total of negative two yards. Wasn't necessarily that great in no pressure situations where the Falcons couldn't stay all the field for long periods of time, and when they could, we as was the case all season, they could get absolutely no pressure on bon Knicks, including on two screen pass touchdowns where the Broncos got a touchdown to Mims and then they come back back later on next red zone possesion they run the same play to Troy Franklin and it's there's no Falcons in the picture. Quinn Minors gets free blocks two people. The exact same thing happened a couple of drives later where the Broncos were just having success on everything.

They called it.

That is Sean Payton in his bag.

He did that so often in New Orleans where he'd run the same play with but with different personnels later in the game. He does little things in the game that show you how good he is and why not, Like they they have such a crazy team right now, they're winning up front. Like the biggest mismatch all day was Broncos offensive line versus Falcons pass rush. But it's a mismatch on the other side too. Shuck their pass rush for the Broncos is getting after cut. It's situational football, it's complimentary football. It's looking at a three person backfield and using all these guys like Vela and little Jordan Humphrey and Franklin, and they're all making plays and it really does remind you of Saints' teams, Like I don't want to go crazy with the Knicks Breeze comparisons, but they are really ahead of where I would have expected them to possibly be here at six and five.

I'm just trying to figure out who Marcus Colson is in this receiving corps.

They don't have them yet, Yeah, they do not.

They don't, they don't. But it's fun.

This is a very fun team to root for because it's a bunch of young guys. Will Jordan Humphrey has been there for a couple of years now, but like Devon Valle and Troy Franklin and even Audric Estima, the big hulking running back from Notre Dame. You know, he gets his run in the last couple of weeks it's been very fun to root for them, but you're right, like when it comes to playing the Falcons, there is one best course to victory over them, which is getting after Kirk Cousins, because, as we've discussed many times on this show this season, he can't move and how do you stop that offense. You get in his face and dare him to make throws under pressure, And I mean, that's that's really what made a difference for Denver in today's game, and then allowed them to just continue doing what they've been doing with Bonnicks for weeks, which is get him out on the perimeter. That highlight we just played, he's on a play action rollout. Of course he's gonna find the guy. That's where he's at his best. So it's fun to see all this come together. I have a hard time looking at the Broncos and thinking legit, But at the same time, I don't. You're gonna be legit if you're still in the conversation at the end of the year. I'm not saying they're a title contender, but it's fun to see them in the conversation right now.

I would make the case if we're going Saints parallels that Courtland Sutton to to Marcus Colston is probably as solid as you can get on this route. We'll have Devon Valet be Defrey Henderson, maybe Jafonte is name.

It doesn't quite work.

I mean, you're right at some aspects to him, but he you know, he's more of a deep guy.

Yeah.

But there was a play where bo Nicks in one of the situations where everybody was covered, which was very rare in this game, Bo Knicks lost one up to Courtland Sutton who goes and makes a grab over the top of aj Torell, who was in good position on the play. It takes the ball away from him. Just an overmatched Atlanta Falcons team where they had the disaster in New Orleans and young Way Kup came back hit two long field goals today, so the kicking game wasn't necessarily I saw people, you know, concerned about the alignment because Kup takes that awkward stance. The stance stayed the same, the positioning and the distance was the same today. He hit his kicks this week, but it did not matter other than the Falcons getting a few points, which if he didn't hit them, they wouldn't have any right.

There was a fourth and go for it by Raheem early in this game where they got it in their own end down fourteen three, and I thought that was a telling go for it and smart that Raheem knows their defense isn't good and that they're going to have to be really aggressive to win games offensively. Now, this is their worst offensive performance, and it's why I think the Ravens, I mean, the Broncos are legit now winning the Super Bowl. Legit, no, but like a legit playoff type of team. When you're that good upfront and you're coaching is that good on both sides of the ball, then you totally pass my smell test as like a six or a seven seed, which I think they are angling towards Peyton and the Broncos and the rest of the AFC West has benefited from playing the NFC South, Like that's partly why they're loading up on wins. But Sean Payton owns this division, like they swept the NFC South. Sean Payton did it like he is still the best coach in the NFC South. Most of these games weren't even close either, Like he handed the Bucks their werest offensive performance of the season that was back. I mean Vance Joseph is coaching really well, really creative, and the Falcons never felt to me like a six and three team or even a six and four team. Maybe they're more of a six and five team. Their defense, I think is so problematic that we'll see if there's a team over five hundred at the end of the year in the NFC South. I think the Bucks are very much alive in this division. If you look at their schedule, I think they can win this division. I would guess, like nine wins, you got a decent chance here to be at least tied for the NFC South Division, you know, championship. We'll see, Like, I just think that's where it's going that these two teams.

You don't look like you agree, SHOOKI.

No, I see three wins on their schedule right now that I feel comfortable about, which is the Falcons, which is Vegas Giants, Panthers, and then you get Chargers, Vikings and Commanders. They're all smashed in here together. But I mean six and four, I can see them winning nine games and win.

Probably they're over under right now, should be about ten, Like you're right, but they're a team. They're their pass rush, their defense is problematic enough that I don't think for sure any game is for sure. Good job there by the Broncos. While we're talking teams like trying to stay in the playoff mix, Let's stay in the AFC and let's go down to Miami.

That can love from Miami from their own forty three yard line, nursing.

A five point lead here on the fourth quarter with three twenty eight.

Left to play, g smyth in motion across the formation back to throw two.

When pressure gets off the field.

What open Smith at the at the he got touchdowns down?

Wow to a tunka Bilo is looking down the field that John Hu Smith gott behind everybody.

That was Tua Tugabiloa's only throw over twenty yard air yards all game, and it was a great one.

He sound found some blown coverage.

When you need a big play, you call up John Hu Smith.

That was Jimmy.

Cefalo and Joe Rose on WB G.

G in Miami.

What an offensive performance by the Dolphins in this game. It really shows how their offense is different this year. But absolutely back thirty four points on only seven drives. They scored on six of those drives mostly touchdowns, and the only one that they didn't was a forty five second drive at the end of the of a very weird first half where they really didn't have time to get going extraordinarily efficient. They were eight for twelve on third down. Tua was just making great throw after great throw on third down. Yeah, most of them were under ten yards, some were in the ten to twenty rain range. The thing that really gets to me when I think about this Dolphins team lately is that Tua from the pocket mostly good. But there was like a third quarter play where he looked for Tyreek Hill. It was dialed up perfectly, and Tua just made the wrong decision of like what type of throw to make, and he just lays it up there and gives Jack Jones chance to come back and break it up. Very next play is one that shouldn't have worked. The Raiders pass rush was decent today. They flushed to out. He's rolling to his left. He makes a sensational touchdown throw to Tyreek and his numbers in this game in terms of creative first of all seven for eight when he held the ball over two and a half seconds for one hundred and twenty one yards in two touchdowns and then for three when he was outside of the pocket and on the run like creat a. Toua is really making it happen in the last handful of weeks and it's working.

And we saw it on the touchdown to John new Smith where these are the plays considering his injury history where we tend to say, oh no, like toua, what's going on, get rid of the football. But he's he's made the right decisions, like including the win out here against the Rams. You mentioned that touchdown pass where it's things things get squarely in the pocket, he rolls out, Tyreek comes with him, he's able to get his second foot in for that touchdown there where this offense is more John new Smith than Jalen Waddle.

Now we haven't seen a lot.

Of Wattle this season, but he can't argue with the results is John who goes over one hundred yards receiving with two touchdowns there and Devon ah Chan had a solid performance. All of Devon ah Chan's production has come in games where two tongue of Bailo is the starting quarterble. It's almost like the Dolphins just ceased to exit us for a few weeks there, and now they're back. When we're left to wonder what if, what if things didn't go wrong?

Well, they're four and six, so in the NFC, that would probably be a death sentence. In the AFC, I think you got a chance to make a run at that seventh spot. Another easy matchup next week, and then an interesting one on Thanksgiving, so they're in it. You're right, it's too bad when you think about those games that they weren't more prepared for their backup quarterbacks. But yeah, eight Chan goes over one hundred yards from scrimmage one hundred and five yards, including four catches. Moster is weirdly not part of this group. The running game was fine today, but they didn't really need it. They kind of knew what they were getting from the Raiders defense and they just kept possessing the ball. There was only five drives nick in the first half of this game, five total, not from five team five total. Four drives in a row from the Raiders and the Dolphins that were all at least twelve plays. Three of them were fourteen plays, the more one was sixteen plays. The Raiders offense actually played quite well today. The Turners made a difference, but it just didn't matter because the Raiders defense couldn't get any stops.

Yeah, if you want a sign that football is cyclical, look at the Miami Dolphins, one of the most explosive teams in the NFL in the last couple of seasons, suddenly becoming like the Chiefs are kind of which is a shorter offense. They're taking what defenses are giving them. John new Smith's role increases because of this style of offense, essentially, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the Dolphins already went through hell and high water with this team this year without two a tongue of my love for that stretch. So now it's like, all right, let's get our rhythm back, let's get kind of acclimated again, Let's take what the defense gives us, and we'll just move our way down the field. We don't need to be the seventy yard touchdown pass team anymore when we can beat a team like this.

I am curious.

I want to know, because I was wondering about this last week when they were doing the same thing to beat the Rams. Do they have that in the bag still or is it something that like, we're just trying to win games right now and again against this defense. This is the defense gave up forty one points in five touchdown passes to Joe Burrow recently.

So it is the Raider still.

But yeah, I'm very curious about the Dolphins and see if we'll ever get that from them again.

Well, we saw today where you think about this Mike McDaniel offense and play action guys in motion. They only had six play action dropbacks today.

That's like I was gonna say, Kirk Cousins, like, but Kirk Cousins only had one today.

When I looked, you.

Have to throw Kirk o out just when we're talking play actions. The Falcons don't do it. It's it's weird, but weird from the Dolphins today. But on his non play action dropbacks too, it was twenty four to thirty for two hundred and fifty yards and three touchdowns.

So so if it ain't broke.

Yeah, don't fix it right, Yeah, it like Antonio Pears knows he's in a tough spot. He actually told the broadcast crew that he made the offensive coordinator change because he because he wants to be around next year too, which so he's very aware.

Keeps it real.

He's very aware that he could be one and done. And when his defense is getting shredded like this, they had no answers.

You do worry. Like I said, the Raiders offense was better.

People are gonna look that their leading rusher was Jacobe Myers with twenty yards and look at the points and think it's same old Raiders.

I don't blame him.

In their first five drives when the game was actually in doubt, that the score was thirty one to nineteen with three minutes to go, they averaged three point eight points per drive. To put that in perspective, that would be the greatest offense in NFL history. Like they moved the ball, they scored points, I know it, Like they were going slowly down the field and until Minshew threw that interception and the game was basically over. Like he had a couple like scattered by bad Minshew plays, But overall they were good and he was pretty good in this game. Brock Bowers is an absolute beast. He is the best tight end in the NFL in my opinion, at least certainly receiving thirteen catches for one hundred and twenty six yards. They built the whole plane out of him and his hand. The combination of his hands in his yards after the catchability are just crazy. He's one of the best tight ends catching the ball on a play to play basis that I've ever seen. I mean, he really is that good. He took my breath away how good he was in this game. The Dolphins had absolutely no answer for him when they put Jalen Ramsey on him.

Sometimes they double him.

Like everyone knew on third down they were going to Bowers and he was making the hard catches.

He was making it easy.

He had seventy eight yards after the catch to making people miss.

He is freaking awesome.

Maybe they'll be happy they didn't get Michael Pennox.

I don't know, depends.

You would always rather have a quarterback, But man, brock Powers is so freaking good that I think they should be thrilled that they have Brock Powers. I'm thrilled to take another break. That's right, We're gonna come back. We're gonna talk little Saints, little Browns, and a little coming out party. If a thirty four year old can have a coming out party after the break.

I totally agree.

Second and having to chase him again this time less had we get to the outside.

Twenty five thirty Taysom on his feet forty Taysom's gonna get it on the sideline forty thirty Taysom twenty ten.

One a day, see you little bite Taysom Hill. Guess but he didn't stuck out the bouch nothing seventy.

Five yards.

Taysom Hill with his third rushing touchdown on the day.

He finishes with one thirty out on the ground. But that's not all. He finished with eight catches in fifty yards through the air. But that's not all.

He completed one eighteen yard pass and through an interception through the air. I mean, don't do the deep deep Taysom Hill throws anymore. But my god, what a performance by Taysom Hill.

That was my cost. Induce McCallister on w w L.

Saints win thirty five to fourteen against the Browns in a game that was tied, I believe in the fourth quarter fourteen all and they just put him on him late.

Nick.

I know you probably didn't enjoy this as much as Saints fans, but I gotta say I do. Like when sports gives you something and like, for all the Saints fans that showed up today, it's it's been a bad season. You got last week and then you get this Taysom Hill game, Like that's a memory. I feel like that people went to that game will remember the Taysom Hill game for the rest of their lives in a bad season. And that's about as much as I could have hoped for in a Saints Brown's matchup at this point in the year.

I can I can attest to that.

In twenty ten, the Browns went to the Superdome and David Bowen's picked off Drew Brees twice and then both back for touchdowns.

So they do it?

Does linger in your mind? This was a clastic as all right, First, I have to say this real quick. Okay, I am a noted and maybe I keep this under the covers a little bit. I'm a noted Taysom Hill hater just because I don't like it when people's names get thrown into flashpoint topics that are then circulated and recycled over and over again.

So to see Taysom Hill.

But we're kind of passings, are we aren't we?

In the postand yeah, do you would think that would upset me. But Taysom Hill's role has evolved. We're no longer flirting with the idea of him being the full time starting quarterback, and that interception would show you why. He is still a very threatening ball carrier. And he ran through those Brown's arm tackles like it. Who was the easiest job in the world. He was fantastic today and Drew Brees or not Drew Brees, Derek Carr, excuse me, was also fantastic for the most part.

A couple of really good games for him. I mean the Saints.

Look, I'm not going to buy in and be like, oh, they're turning it around, but it's nice for them to have a couple of really good positive weeks under Darren Rizzy and this time they did it without a clog toilet, So good on the Janitors.

Jamis after the game was caught on video just going up to hug his old teammate Taysom Hill and just said you are amazing man. And he did it with a look in his eyes like that that was like, that was JC right there, like that. He was praying to Taysom Hill after the game. He said, when you're playing against one of the best all time athletes the NFL has ever seen.

You have to come with it.

He was prepared and he did a great job today, And I do think there is something to that. Taysom Hills teammates are always like, man, this guy is amazing, like what he's at practice and everything, and so you just appreciate that the Taysom Hill Yes game of all.

Time literally literally, And you questioned the Taysom Hill deep shots, I think they'd heeded it. Like the Brown's getting that Taysom Hill interception had the secondary salivating to the point where it's like, all right, we got to buckle in here because Taysom's throwing the rock and that was it. The two attempts, one completion for eighteen yards and then the interception as well, but one hundred and thirty eight yards on the ground.

Taysom Hill average nineteen yards of carry.

Like the pass is such a factor where it's like we don't want to get beat by Taysom Hill, So yeah, have them go in there and throw a pick. Otherwise, you know, keep balls away from Alvin Camara where the defenses is thinking that it's a give but but no, it's Taysom it's Taysom every time?

Man, Why wouldn't it be.

I'll never forget with their great friend Chris Wesleing, who this studio is named after, after that Vikings Saints play off game and him just standing on the table and saying, Taysom Hill was the best player in that game. He was the best athlete, he was the best player. And I was like you back then, I was getting sick of Taysom Hill before it even happened. I was like, this man had six touches. Can we calm down on the Taysom Hill off it all? And now here he is thirty four years old and he's somehow better than ever. They use him better than ever Clint Kubiak with a nice game plan. I mean, look, if Valdez Scantling is getting a seventy yard touchdown every week, I mean, and Derek Carr it only had six incompletions against pretty good secondary, two hundred and forty yards and two touchdowns. And your number one receiver other than Valdas Scantling the last couple of weeks is Kevin Austen. And you're winning games in the NFL. I'm giving you a lot of credit Darren Rizzy. Let's go, Let's go Rizzy.

Oh.

Also, Dante Pettis almost had a punt return for a touchdown, but his half of his foot stepped out barely, which is why they said didn't step out of bounds that time on the hill run. That would have been cool too, considering all the places he's been in his NFL career.

What a bunch of people he could root for.

Low moment for the sefan Ski Era two and eight, the defense maybe collapse in a little you know, maybe if you started Jamis and fantasy, you're like, wait, they had a bad day. I mean he had three ninety five and two touchdowns, but it's pretty dark for your Browns.

Yeah, not much good to say about them.

The tackling crumbled on the back end, and their offense is still around.

I mean Jamis did a good job. Like if Week one.

For Jameis's first start against the Ravens was like the high point, like the productive side, You're gonna get the lot touchdowns out of him, and then the second start was all the bad parts, which is all the turnovers, the three picks. This is like right in between, you know, like did enough to lead a couple of touchdown drives, couldn't convert in the fourth quarter in a close game. Defense doesn't do its job, and next thing you know, you're down twenty one points with a few minutes left in the game.

Well, we've been talking all season how many teams have two or three losses this year? Right now it's nine different teams. Cleveland is in third place in Tankathon at two and eight. The Saints now after a couple of wins at four and seven. Who knows, maybe the NFC South is up for gods, let's go to Tennessee, where the Titans have been out of the mix and in the mix for that number one overall pick.

Darnold back to pass hit as he throws finds Addison over the medal twenty five twenty preside ten to five touchdown.

Jordan Addison, with his fourth.

Touchdown this season, hits a forty seven yard strike from Sam The man on the fan.

That was Paul Allen on kfan, Jordan Addison feels like he only makes awesome, big time catches.

He's like the poor man's Devonte Smith. But I don't want to call him a.

Poor man's anything, because he's an outstanding number two receiver. Vikings win twenty three to thirteen in Tennessee.

Kind of the game.

Everyone expected, really like nothing too crazy, right, but they're in control, not like a crazy blot.

Maybe I'm wrong, patchck Well.

I was just thinking gaus coming off of that dreadful game by Sam Donald.

We have the turnovers.

He actually injures his hand trying to make a play after one of his own turnovers against Jacksonville. Now he's another game against an AFC South opponent where.

I think this was This game was better than Sam Donald's.

That line, he was twenty of thirty two for two forty six, got the ball to nine different receivers. That touchdown that we heard there the touchdown to Jordan Addison with pressure around his feet. He had one hundred and forty one quarterback rating under pressure in this game. Pressured on thirty two percent of his dropbacks. He was good in the pocket, had a couple of throws on the run where we didn't necessarily know what we were going to get from this Minnesota Vikings offense. I think it was a bounce back. Of course, justin Jefferson had a solid game. And then I always side the Titans had a few big plays go the other way. Wasn't just that Jordan Addison touchdown. Calvin Ridley had a fifty one yard touchdown called back due to a late legal shift that really didn't have anything to do with the play. There was also an unsportsman white call on coach Callahan because they got an unnecessary roughness on a third and goal that actually gave the Vikings a first and goal at the one yard line that you could say that the contact wasn't to the head and neck area was a shot to the chest. He lost his mind after that got an unsportsmanlike Darnald scored on the next play.

So there's there are spots here where this.

Titans team showed a little bit of fight, yeah, but just the same type of mistakes that has them with the record that they do.

They also had a ninety eight yard touchdown. And there's been so few moments to hear from Mike Keith on this show all season.

Go to touchdown.

I have not heard this call, But if you're gonna give me a ninety eight yard Titans touchdown, I'm going to listen to it.

Six men sent to rush Levis forby Senzo firing deep down field for Westbrook.

A key ain't got it. Forty fifty, forty thirty, twenty ten.

God, it's a touchdops.

The longest touchdown pass of the year in the National Football League out ninety eight year.

Put that on the Calls of the Year or less.

That was by Keith of WGFX, a man whose voice is so distinctive.

Shook uh somehow, Walker my son knew it.

Like I heard him say, like while playing Madden Touchdown Titans.

I was like, wait, you know, Mike Keith, that is amazing.

But he's like watched enough of like the highlights videos on NFL that he knows it. So a little bit of levity there for the Titans. And Levis has been better by the way since he's been benched. If you want to look for some positives.

Yeah, yeah, he's slowly getting back to where you know, they want him to be.

I think anybody who roots for quarterbacks wants him to be because you see the potential there in between. Now I am now kind of rooting for a ninety nine yard Will Levis touchdown pass. Just sucking here, yeah one more time.

Yes, that was what did it for me? I love that.

Yeah, credit to Darnold for having a good game on a day where they couldn't.

Run the ball. A little bit concerned.

I think Aaron Jones and when it was Cam Akers who that wasn't working either, But Aaron Jones is kind of and their running game hasn't been really working well that that might be where they missed Christian darrisa as well, not just in the passing game. So on a day like that, to be able to cruise and be efficient and obviously have Brian Flores do his whole thing, that that's huge. They're eight and two, only one loss behind the Lions here and Kevin O'Connell feeling a little uh chesty after the game.

I'm old enough to remember when nobody thought we were very good. So the same way that I answered that question, I'll answer it now. We just got to continue to get better improve. Eight and two means absolutely nothing.

Name names, koc yeah, put them on blast.

Yeah. Who is eight and two does mean something?

It means you're very likely to make the playoff based on your schedule and that you absolutely have a chance like we talked to like, oh the Eagles, do they have a chance of the one seats like, I don't think the Vikings are gonna get there, but they're literally just one game back and we have some head to head coming up, so they absolutely could do it.

Big time job by the Vikings.

They did what have good teams do, which is they've taken care of business all season long and beaten the bad teams. And they had this little run against the three bad AFC South teams and they beat them all like a couple were ugly Colts and Jags, Titans, you went on the road. Good job by them, speaking of, you know, a mismatched NFC North versus AFC South matchup. We're gonna go to Lions and Jaguars next. But before we do that, we're just gonna say goodbye to Patrick Clayband because Kevin Patrick coming atcha is gonna do a couple games with me and then Shook, you'll come back with me to finish up with Sunday Night football.

Patrick. I hope we've brightened your mood since since this all starts.

Oh, it's all We're it's always bright. What what is life without football? And if not for the losses, we couldn't appreciate the wins.

Oh wow, that really does Buddha like, let's go to Detroit.

Fossil plunder center turned takes the kid to Jimmy.

Or throws end zone, caught Monross Saint Crown touchdown.

Detroit Lions go off with the chart.

Fourteen is having a day, sixteen is having a day.

This whole team is having a day. If it's Sunday. It's a great call by Dan Miller of w x YT.

That was the seventh Lions touchdown on the seventh Lions drive. At the time, it was forty nine to six. They close out the Jaguars, potentially close out Doug Peterson's career with the Jaguars with a fifty two to six victory.

More on Peterson in a second.

Kevin Patris here live in the good life as a Lions fan. It's their first eight game winning streak since nineteen thirty four. I don't know if your grandparents were alive back then.

They were, My grandparents were. Okay, That's all that's about all I know.

I you know, Steve Belichick might have been on that team. Who knows he was at some point? What a team this is before we get to the Jaguars of it all, because that is interesting to me, like, just explain what stood out the most to you in this version of offensive excellence of in terms of their performance.

How easy it was. They literally it was like seven on seven out there for golf. It was hilariously. It was hilarious, Like you knew on third down, second down or third down. I was like, okay, this is going to be a first down. It was so I'm gonna have Sam Brown. They could not stop eleven for eleven for one hundred and sixty one yards. Anytime, yes, anytime there was a question mark, it was like, yeah, this is going to same Brown and it's going to be a first down. They had two of their first three d they didn't even get third to third down. They didn't hit one third down in two of their three first drives touchdown drives. Like it was offensive efficiency at its finest, and the offensive line gets a lot of credit. But they really won this game. I mean Walker and Heinz Heinz Allen had a few pressures, but Goff had all day. He could have had three tea parties back there and then made a throw and it would have gone for a first down.

They had thirty eight first downs in this game. Yeah, I gotta admit I did not see that until just now. I can't imagine there are many teams in the history of the NFL that I've ever had thirty eight first downs.

Yeah, what the heck was?

It was crazy because I said, the last time when they whooped the Titans and they scored fifty plus points, they had a lot of short fields and the defense got turnovers that didn't happen today. It was literally like seventy yard drive, eighty yard drive, forty fifty yard drives, sixty five yard drives, seventy two yard drive. It was unreal. Eight point five yards per play. I mean, Jamo went for one hundred and twenty four. Gibbs had one hundred and twenty three scrimmage yards. I mean, I don't know what David Montgomery is doing only getting seventy five rushing yards and two touchdowns. Like, yeah, what a bad day, you know.

So it's a franchise record of six hundred and forty five yards of offense. They are the first team to score a touchdown on their first seven drives since the two thousand and seven Patriots. In terms of Lions history, it's the first since at least nineteen thirty three. They just you know, don't go back that far. There are just so many different stats you can come up with, you know that many yardage is a lot of fun and Montgomery and Gibbs getting it done every week, Jamison Williams having that moment where he spins and he has the sixty four yard touchdown. That's his second receiving touchdown of over sixty yards. It's it's just awesome. They are a historic group, Kevin. And just before we get to the giantrations, and I'm not going to ask you this each time we have you onto the Lions team, but just at this moment in time, I just do want to know what it's like to be a liance fan and the people around you and everything like that.

It's it's insane, like as Liones, like, the mentality has always been like, Okay, we're gonna probably lose this week, but if we win, it's fun and just talking of friends and stuff. Like now it's like, no, we're winning, Like there was no question walking into this game. And like the Jags kicked a fifty nine yard field goal on the first drive and it felt like the JV like golf clap, you know, jv team scoring on the varsity team golf clap going on, like, okay, you had your fun and now the real team's gonna gonna get the ball and just gonna march down the field.

It was.

It was a mismatch that you rarely see on NFL level. Usually when there's a blowout, there's folly from the other team. It was just four play on one side and awesome ex execution on the other.

It sounds crazy, but I actually am glad that they had this sort of performance, just because the last couple of weeks that Titans game was weird. Their offense didn't need to do anything, but they really didn't do that much. And then that the Texans game. You're a little off kilter if you're playing defense.

Is bad.

Ryan Nielsen, Man, this it's bad. It's so bad. So let's get into the Jaguars of it all. First of all, or lastly, Alex Azeloni could be out sixty eight weeks with a broken big forearm, which could put him back for the playoffs. So that's disappointing for the Lions, but they could get him back for the playoffs. So the man, they've had a lot of injuries. Zadarias Smith also played in this game and apparently looked pretty good.

He was pretty solid. He led the team with four pressures and had half a sack. It was solid for a first performance. I would say he definitely brings something to the lineup, but they're just they They're still gonna be working progress upfront. That's just how they're going to be right the year.

The Culton Pouncey, who does a great job with the athletic and has a podcast you guys should check out. He said this thing a couple of times, and he keeps repeating, which I think is true. When you have safeties that hit like linebackers and cover like cornerbacks, and you know, and catch the ball like wide receivers, it's like you're gonna go far. This safety tannum is absolutely electric. Brian branch is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Okay, let's get to the I was really bothered, excuse me for a second, to rant patra by the reports that had been building for weeks frankly that Peterson could get let go after this game. And if you just watch around and you listen to what reporters are saying, in different little whispers and stuff. I just was seeing it pick up, and then it was really picking up last week that like, well, this could be his last week. And then our our national reporter, Ian Rapport, who's doing a good job reporting this. It is no shame, no slight to Ian, but basically reports on Saturday night that this could be Peterson's last game, which, if you really dig down deep into it, it's like Doug Peterson knows going into this game he's gonna get fired after this game, and.

That that does bother me.

And people could say, well, he's a millionaire and he's a bet he's doing a bad coach. It's just like yeah, but that's why bad organizations stay bad. It's like you don't have to let all the happen, and if you're doing it, just do it. Don't tell everyone that you're gonna fire the guy for weeks on end, because these little whispers don't get that out there by accident. So the team went into this game kind of knowing their coach was getting get fired. Doug Peter that this is what I believe. He hasn't gotten fired yet, so we'll see. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I suspect he's going to get fired. I'm going to continue ranting here and like, this is the same organization that also thought it was smart to hire Urban Meyer.

You know, this is the same.

Organization that I like, they've made so many mistakes organizationally over the years that they thought it was a good idea to keep Trent balk For instance, We'll see if Trent.

Balk keeps his snap, they might still keep him.

There's a report for Pro Football Talk that it could be a Trent Balki that stays there with Bill Belichick.

Balki was there with Urban Meyer. You just can't kill this guy, and.

So I picked Trayvon Walker over Agent Hutchinson. Like, come on, right right there, look at the trajectory of these two teams that just played on the field. They were both one and two in the draft, ones dominating in the other just floundering.

Now, there wasn't the other way.

There was actually an article in The Athletic before the start of the twenty twenty three season comparing these two organizations as two teams that have rebuilt and like, which organization is in a better spot?

Right?

Because the Jaguars are coming off that strong end to their season with Trevor Lawrence and now like the whole way it went down just to me shows why bad organizations stay bad. And yes, I'm trying to think of like the other way that they've blown things lately and it's just not even worth it. But anything you want to say about the Doug Peterson era, because I think it's over.

It is certainly over. I mean the defense is ridiculously disappointing at this I mean, they switched to coordinators this year, all the talk off seasons how they're going to be more physical, and they just got blown up like this. There there's three three games started with teams with that scored touchdowns on their first five possessions. Two of them were the Jags that gave up the Bills in Week three and then today, uh and then the Cowboys against the Saint The Saints put it on the Cowboys. So those were the three games, and two of them came against the Jags d like it's and then Mac Jones, I mean, what do you what is there to say he couldn't keep the ball in Bountance to save his life, Like he had a couple of deep shots that he could have connected on and they were five feet out of bounds.

Okay, let's listen to Peterson after the game asking, you know, asked if he's coached his last game?

You know what, I can't I can't control of that. And and you know, listen, I've been I've been around this league a long time, and you know, if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen, obviously. But but at the same time, I still have a job to do and and and that's to you know, you know, get ready for you know, a good division opponent here in two weeks.

Yeah, they have a bye, and uh, don't expect it'll be himy coaching afterwards.

It'll probably be Mike McCoy.

Great career with Philadelphia getting the Super Bowl championship, probably the last time we'll see him as a head coach.

Good guy.

We'll see if he, you know, decides the coach again in the NFL. Let's go to a Jets team which already changed their coaches, but trying to keep their season alive against the Colts.

Third and goal for Indianapolis.

They are five for fourteen today on third down.

This is big Richardson out of the gun, he said off left edge.

Into the inone touchdown, Anthony Richardson his second rushing touchdown today and the Colts with the score right there, lead twenty.

Seven with forty six seconds to go. That would be the final score.

That was Matt Taylor and Rick Van Turrey w f N I yes, and Danny Richardson needed two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to come from behind and get a victory to keep his team in the wild card mix.

And you know what he did. It maybe the best day of his career.

And yes, it helps that the man can truck stick a defender on the goal line. Had a touchdown earlier in the game that was very impressive to get the Colts out to a ten to nothing lead. The Jets looked dead in the water for most of the first app didn't have a first down until you know, two minutes to go.

But they actually come back and leave this.

Game twenty four to sixteen before the Colts storing back. Kind of a fun game, KP. I mean, you changed the assignments you wanted this game and you got a good one.

I did.

Yeah, it was started out. The Colts started out strong, you know, thirteen to nothing and Anthony Richardson made some His second pass was the one of the worst screen short screens you'll ever see. Was kind of like, oh, sure we were he.

Back to this and then that.

By the third drive, he settled in and he made some very very nice throws, like darts over the middle. I think he was like sixty six percent completion percentage, which for him is ridict awesome. Yeah, compared to what he his forty four percent coming into the day. So he had career two hundred and seventy two yards, two past, two touchdown passes, two runs, and his he's such a threat in the red zone, dude, Like that's what That's where he makes a difference. Like he's Josh Allen but bigger. Like he's just so physical, Like you cannot stop that that run they showed, you cannot stop that. I don't care who you are, you're not standing him up. So he played with a lot more calmness than we've seen, like before he went to the bench, Like I really wondered early when he made a couple missthrows whether he was gonna just keep getting scattershot, and he really calmed down. I think that's the part of the game that they wanted him to work on the mental part, and he really did settle down. Now their offense went in tank a little bit. They couldn't run the ball, but he when they needed it, he made the throws. He made a few darts over the middle, like when he throws his fastball. It's it's great, it's awesome. Like over the middle to Josh Downs is perfect. I would throw that pass like twenty times a game for like that fifteen yarder. It's great.

Occasionally he can throw a little bit of touch.

He almost overshot Downs, who's just one of the best hands catchers in the league, who made a really great over the shoulder catch. He ends up with five for eighty four and a touchdown on five targets. So Josh Downs, fantasy owners like me out there, maybe there is life here. With Anthony Richardson, he had gotten most of his yards with Joe Flacco, and then.

The whole shot that Pierce threw to Pierce.

I mean that Richardson through to Pierce on the game winning drive was just that thing of beauty over Sasce Gardner. Sas Gardner's really been struggling, whether it's in coverage, giving up some place here to downs and to pierce. Not great tackling, but that was just a beautiful throw. Richardson finishes nine of twelve on throws over ten yards. According to next Gen Stats, that's the fifth highest percentage on throws over ten yards of any quarterback all year with at least ten throws in the game. So pretty like it couldn't have gone better. This was a good feeling victory for them.

He'll miss the he'll miss some short stuffs, but when he has his fastball, is that fifteen yard dark like, just let it rip and he can do it.

Yep.

And this is this is the type of game we wanted to see when at the beginning of the year started. This is the game we thought use his legs. He had ten rushes for like thirty forty yards, two touchdowns, and then he mixed in some good, good intermediate throws.

You know, Seenstiken after the game looked so happy, so relieved. It just saved just like exactly what they want. Now they have the Lions next week, and they have a tough game in Denver after they're buy in about three weeks, so this team still has a pretty tough road to the playoffs. At five and six, So they do have a bunch of games where they'll be favored Patriots, Giants, Titans, in Jaguars, so they could get to eight nine wins something like that. But I just think this game, the way they won it and the point of the season it was at, it's going to calm everything down, really important for them and so happy for them. And eighty Mitchell is starting to make plays the last couple of weeks too, which which is great.

Let's flip it to the Jets side.

There was like a Bronx cheer in met life when they finally got their first first down with one forty five left, and then they got to go in Patra, but ultimately they're one in five since they made the coaching change from Robert Sala and one of the reasons I think they lost this game is all Brick and his game management situations, you know, not deciding to go for it on a fourth and two, not going for a two point conversion, two decisions which Anthony with Aaron Rodgers not so subdly criticized at the podium.

I'm sure that's going to get a lot of run in New York.

Yeah, the fourth and too late, like to kick the field goal to go five, Like, that's proven to be one of the worst decisions you can make. Just let it be three, or just go for it and try to put the game away like the Bills did. But he also went for it at fourth down earlier. So I don't like the thing coaches that I hate. With some coaches, it's pick a strategy and stick with it. Be aggressive or don't be aggressive the wishy washing. This gets you burned every single time. So like, yet they couldn't get a first down to save their lives. I was literally found myself yelling at the TV, like what are you doing? Because they were It was an amalgam of orally blocked runs, awful passes from Rogers. He was like so scattershot earlier, like behind Garrett Wilson by like four feet, like he's wild.

It was wild.

And then they calmed down and Breis Hall made got them back in the game basically at the end of the half with a great run, catch and run. But Rogers's he just doesn't have it. His a dot had to be sold. I didn't look it up, but he he had twenty nine pass attempts, four of them were over ten yards. Four of them were over ten air yards. Right, he's twenty nine pass attempts. He is, it's ridiculously bad.

Yeah, it was a four point two average yard per throw. And yeah, you can see the difference between him and Richard said. Richardson averaged nine per throw, which for him is actually quite low. So that means he's getting under control. But yeah, Rogers is cooked. You can see the plays mentally, and you can see the positive plays, but when athletes age poorly, it's that, Yeah, you can make the play sometime, but you can't make them consistently. And he's playing without a lot of confidence. He wants to clear his head during their by they're at three and eight. I mean their season has been over, but it's extra over now.

At three four straight games without a three hundred yard passing day in twenty twenty three and four like or twenty two four like, that's a long time in this day and age to go without a three hundred yard passing yea.

If they had a developmental quarterback, this would be the time that they would go to it.

But they don't.

So you do wonder if these are the final days of Aaron Rodgers in the NFL. We can talk about that later in the year, but first we got to talk about Sunday night football. Thank you, Kevin Patra Coming ahead, guys, straight from Detroit. Enjoy you know all your newfound success. The Tigers have a fun season. The Lions are a juggernaut. Even the Pistons are winning some games. Goodloos. They look like a good young team. All right, let's go to Sofi Stadium across the street.

Burrow taps his helmet, takes the snap. They bring an extra body to rush. He throws to the end zone. It's in the air and it is incomplete. Chargers win. The Chargers win, thirty four twenty seven. Derwin knocks it down.

That was our friend Matt money Smith on k y s R. Chargers hold on for a wild thirty four to twenty seven victory in one of the the longest games of the season.

That ended in regulation.

That thing took three hours and forty minutes. In one of the craziest games that we've seen all season, Chargers blow a twenty one point lead in the matter of minutes in the second half.

They're chargering the hell out of this, but you know it was stronger.

Nick shook as we finish off this fun Week eleven recap the twenty twenty four Bengals. We need a nickname for them because here's what they do each and every week. Their offense plays fantastic, Joe Burrow has MVP quality stats, but the rest of the team comes up short. And in the end, it's often the Bengals offense that has a chance to put the game away and Joe Burrow and his guys can't get it done either. With a little help from Evan McPherson, the Chargers escape. They are seven and three and the Bengals are buried.

Yeah.

Oh, maybe that's the nickname right there, the buried Bengals, because they can't dig themselves out of the hole they've put themselves in. I mean, Joe Burrow tries as hard as possible to dig them out almost every week. You know, there was a period in this game when they were still down twenty one points and he got hit on a third down where he got blasted from like two different directions and he like hits the ground and lays there for a second, was slowing it up, And I wondered, is that the hit that sapped the last like desire, like burning desire to win out of Joe Burrow. Is this the moment where he just gives into the fact that the team around him and the way this season's going, you just can't overcome it. And then he comes out and throws three touchdown passes and they tie the game, and they getting field goal range twice to potentially take the lead, and then his kicker lets him down and he tries all the way to the end and they lose another one.

Yeah, let's start with that comeback.

So it's twenty seven to six early in the third quarter after a short field goal drive by the Chargers puts it at that level at that point in the game. Justin Herbert's absolutely dealing. He's getting protected very well. Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense are a little bit of a mess. They have six total points in their first six drives. They have three straight three and out, So the Bengals offense not covering themselves in glory. Chargers defense looks so sound, and then the Bengals start getting stops and the Chargers offense really runs dry, and the Bengals have a drive where they get down close to the goal line They're down twenty one points at the time, and they spend what felt like about fifteen plays inside the ten yard line, and they keep coming up short, and they go backwards, and then they go forwards, and then there's a penalty on the Chargers. So you keep getting more and more chances, and finally it's fourth and goal the game. There certainly have no chance to win it if they don't get this, and for some reason jesse min are in. The Chargers single up Jamar Chase on the outside with Cam Hart, their rookie who went out of the game with an injury after this, and they get a touchdown in single coverage on a zero blitz. It's twenty seven thirteen at that point. There are five minutes left in the third quarter, roughly seven minutes of game time later, and forty five minutes of actual time later.

The score is tied.

The Bengals get a stop, They hit a fourth and down to t Higgins who just runs straight through double coverage for a forty two yarder on fourth down. Then Herbert fumbles the ball and they get it right back, setting up this Jamar Chase touchdown.

Let's take a listen.

The Bengals will go empty.

On second down and ten at the seventeen yard line of Los Angeles, Burrow catches the shotgun snap against the four man rush. He's back pedaling all the way to the thirty throws before getting.

Hit into the eight zone in his cock by Jamar Chase for the touchdown and the Bengals are.

A pat away from a racing a twenty one point deficit this.

Game, Nick reminded us and of course that that's our friends Dan Horde and Dave Lapham on w CK. Why it just reminds us how good they are when they have t Higgins and Chase. Chase finishes seven for seventy five and two touchdowns, although costly kind of drop late in the game. T Higgins a nine for one forty eight in a touchdown. He jumped so high on one attempt for one of those touchdowns. He looks so athletic in this game, like they are a different team with those two dudes. But I bring it to that point just to point out that, like that comeback was so fast and so big. Oh, there hasn't been a team that won coming back from twenty one down in over a year, Like it's hard to do that and we still had all this time left in the game. There was like a whole other game that was played after that point. It was almost like they came back too fast. I don't even I don't even know how that makes sense, because they got the ball three more times after that, but somehow they didn't score after that because of the McPherson misses and a couple good plays by the Chargers defense.

Well, I mean, if you operate with the idea that there's finite energy in a football team, it's almost as if they ran out of gas. But they did it like they still got in scoring range, but they had to storm back from such a deficit that it did expend a lot of energy. But it also illustrates again what we've known about these Bengals all year, because this, essentially, to me, was the Washington game, This was both Baltimore games. Like we've seen this from the Beans. They've been able to bit yeah a little bit. Yeah, they've been able to explode. In fact, there was a there was a third down coon version that they didn't get where Chase jumped up for the ball and the dB got there at the perfect time, and it was almost like the cam Taylor Britt, you know that type of play that set up the field goal for the Chiefs and that loss, and it just kind of tells the story of the whole season for them, which is that Burrow is out there slinging it. He's slinging it to Chase, he's slinging it to Higgins. They're moving the ball, they're putting points up in bunches. It's coming quickly. But they just lacked that extra little thing to get them over the hump in so many of these close losses. And what we were treated to was this weird, like hot potato of possession between these two teams and the fourth quarter, it's like, you go the game. No, I don't want to. You go win the game. No, you go win the game. And neither of them decided to win the game until JK. Dobbins got in the end zone, right.

There were great defensive plays in that breakup you mentioned on Chase. There were a handful of plays that it seemed like they were gonna make the Bengals at the end of that game. And it was Christian Fulton who had a big play. It was Tarheeb still, the rookie fifth round pick who's made the play I think you're talking about, and on one of them, Yeah, you give the ball back to Herbert with under two minutes to go in great field goal position at the forty one yard line after the McPherson miss, and they just go three and out, like three straight incompletions, including a pretty bad miss that Herbert had in there to McConkey, and you're thinking, well, of course, of course the Bengals are gonna get it here, and they don't.

And that's why I don't know what to say. Like Nick Wesseling, I'm in this text.

Thread with the two Westling brothers that I'm closest with, Nick and Phil, and they're making fun of me because I keep pointing out that this season is just like a smidge overrated for Burrow. And I just said, well, based on this season, because this was right when they tied the game. I texted back, he'll be sensational, but they'll blow it in the end. And that is why it's like a smidge underrated, because I keep seeing beggals, just fans say he'd be the MVP if he was getting help, and I'm like, they've had the ball with a chance to win on offense and Joe Burrow and their offense to go make the place to win it five times they've won no times.

The question though, because.

I know it's the rest of the team that's partly putting him in there. I'm just saying this team has loserish vibes. Yeah, it's combined. Like even the way this game started, the offense somewhat put the team in position by playing so bad. They just keep finding ways to lose. Burrow might make my All Pro team in the end, Like I don't know, but you can't say like he would have an MVP season. He's been part of that just because they haven't been able to close an offense. Sorry for Ramsey.

Yeah no, the good outweighs the bad.

And I think about some of those that dif't produced points in the fourth quarter, like some of the even the passworker bet just talk about he puts it on this guy, he put it on his guy a few times. I think he missed yoshaas wants deep like. Other than that, I can't really think about a ton of mistakes.

Somebody tweets yet the interception that was overturned by penalty, that one, that's what was somebody tweets other than that he was just about perfect exactly and that that's who he is. It's just that, like the loser's mentality is all around him, and I'm not, you know, trying to completely defend him, but it feels like he's the only one that's like pushing them forward. It's Tim and Jamar's riding along with him, and t Higgins when he's healthy, has been there, and it's just like so painful to watch as a football person to like sit back and see this guy's playing tremendously for the most part. He has to overcome so much and yet they fall short again. So he'd be on my All Pro team for sure, absolutely, like no doubt slam Dunck.

But they're well, that's the top, that's top two though, So at this point he wouldn't be because you know, I wouldn't. I would have Lamar and Josh Allen definitely, yeah, ahead of him. But he's been sensational. Don't get it twisted. I don't want to get too distracted on like picking knits there. I do want to give some credit to Herbert and the Chargers as a whole, because ultimately they were charging but it didn't end as if Bratt Brandon Staley was the coach in the end. Somehow, maybe that is the difference, and ultimately you do build a twenty one point lead because of the reasons that they are better than the Bengals on balance. This year, they protect their quarterback well. The Bengals offensive line did not play well at all. Joe Burrow made so many plays escaping pressure, and so Herbert was dealing in part because he was protected well. And then at the very end, even though they weren't getting much done in the second half offensively, at the end, it was the combination of two dots by Herbert on that final drive and then the setup to JK.

Dobbins. Let's listen. I bet Matt mney Smith had a fun call for this one.

I have not heard it yet. Let's listen to Dobbins take the lead with eighteen seconds left.

Dobbins and Matt Locke hand off to Dobbins and there goes Dobbins, hot as horse to the twenty, to the fifteen, to the ton into the end zone.

Touchdown, shutters twenty nine yards shake Kay Tobbins with eighteen seconds left.

Oh, great call. There By Matt money Smith And yeah, that was a part of the game. You thought, maybe go down, Gus Edwards, go down, But you can't blame them flipping into the end zone fifty six yards on the ground for him. They were quiet running the ball all day. McConkie ends up with one hundred and twenty three. He's really turning into that dude. But Dobbins and the run game come through and what a night at SOFI Stadium A late night.

Yeah, and I'm sure the traffic there is insane, but rightfully so. Two things, Lad mccackey typically cap to you, sir for overcoming a drop on a previous drive when you were wide open along the sideline to make some huge catches on that final drive.

He was a big part of that.

He's one of my favorite receivers in this rookie class to watch, has been since the combine and number two shout to Matt money Smith because you can hear a little bit of trepidation in his voice as he's called in those plays. He's been through the ringer time team's on a roll, team blows the lead, he can feel the walls caving in. Even on that last throw by Bro it's very calm, very like it throws it deep and it's different. It's you know, touchdown, you know, then he explodes for excitement like he went through it all tonight. Congratulations to him and the Chargers.

Yes, and you're right about the traffic. If you're watching on YouTube, you might notice I'm home now. That's because I got I got out of there as soon as I could, because not only is this Chargers game happening, and I would have got stuck for an hour and a half after that got out, but there's a Sabrina Carpenter concert right next door, and my god, it was insane.

It was.

It was traffic, you know, palooza, you know when when you bring in Sabrina Carpenter and then you got the clippers over at into it one block away.

That way, you got car on the other side.

I squeezed through there like Joe Burrow, you know, a fading that rush, stepping up in the third.

Down, stepping up, sliding for a big game.

Yeah, yes, to be.

At home now and big win for the Chargers because yeah, they have the Ravens next week on Monday Night football. A lot of Los Angeles during uh these night games coming up in the final stretch of the season. They also have at Kansas City in a couple weeks, so that was a big one to pocket, just to make sure they feel like this is a different Chargers team, different season, and yet it would have been a more fun season I think if the Bengals were a little closer to in the mix.

But I'm still not totally writing them off at four and seven. I just can't quit this team.

One of the best four and seven teams we have ever seen, one of the best week elevens we've ever seen.

Nick Schuck. Appreciate you, man.

No appreciate you as well, And I'm pulling for you Bengals fans. I'm sorry that you've been through all this, but there are brighter days ahead. Hopefully we'll see.

Okay, we will be back Monday Night football, Nick Shook. We're gonna have to cook up some fun segments or something a little extra if this Texans Cowboys game uh doesn't deliver for Nick Shook. Uh and Eric Roberts, Patrick Clayband, Chris giving us a lot of help.

Yeah, when Uh, when JK.

Dobbins is show an NFL Daily guest, get it done in the end.

You know football is back. See you Monday night.

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