Jenny and Gary break down the Week 16 action, including the Seahawks defense stepping up in a victory over the Rams. Plus, the Packers smash the Titans and remind everyone of their Lambeau advantage, the Steelers finally start throwing downfield, the Chiefs wait until the last minute to beat Atlanta, the Browns playoff hopes are in danger after a farce of a game against the Jets, the NFC East race gets wacky, FitzMagic on Saturday night, and much more.
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Hello, and welcome to the mm QB Monday Morning NFL Podcast. I'm your host, Gary Gramling. I am joined by Jenny Brentis of the week Side podcast. Jenny, we are we are fifteen games into week sixteen here, and in the show, we're gonna talk about those games, those first fifteen games, but we're also going to take a terrifying look into the future. Wow. And it's not even the oracle like on the weak side, Pie, I know I would, I would steal the name, but uh, I know Connra is very lititious, and I just don't want to take that risk. So we are gonna, like it's e We're gonna run through all the games here, and we are going to where we can do our best to hit the playoffs scenarios or in some cases to maybe hit the uh the the the draft order implications, because lord knows everybody loves talking draft order implications out there. But we are starting in Seattle where the Seahawks, Uh, the Seahawks really turned back the clock over the last like five or six weeks. Here. This is kind of back to uh, back to sort of the you know, it's not Legion of Boom level. The defense isn't that good. But stylistically it's like they're winning. Uh, they're winning with defense and uh and and more of a run heavy attack at this point. And the the let rust cook days of September and October have sort of, I don't know, we'll remember them fondly, but they're they're kind of not here anymore. But uh, this game was I thought, by far, the best performance by the Seahawks defense this year. And if you are going to be optimistic about this team going into January, this is probably the game you're gonna point to. Yeah, I agree, Gary. This was kind of one of those slug fest performances between the Seahawks and the Rams, and there were just so many plays that showed up from a defensive perspective that the Seahawks just hadn't been able to make in the early weeks of the season. And when Russ was cooking, he had to cook because the defense wasn't making any stops. But you saw them getting consistent pressure on Jared Goff in the second half the goal line stand and setting up the goal line stand was that remarkable play by Jamal Adams to chase down k Malcolm brown Um to prevent him from getting in the end zone. So there were just a number of occasions where the defense really stepped up and won the game for Seattle, which was something that early in the year we wondered if would ever be possible. Yeah, it was. It was really the four man pass rush. And I guess we're kind of getting into the good of Seattle and sort of the bad of the Rams, because, I mean, we talked about it on the show when Andrew Whitworth went down. And if you look at Jared Golf historically, he has really struggled and when the offensive line has not been good in front of him. Uh, And whether it was great Seahawks pass rush or or crummy Ram's offensive line, the way this played out was Jared Golf was under constant siege in this one, and he responded the way, quite frankly, that he's for responded throughout his career to just not having good protection in front of him. Yeah, when things are off schedule, he really struggles. And we saw that with that very ugly interception to Quandary Digs where it was unclear work Off was even throwing the ball. And those are the kinds of plays that make you question his long term future with the Rams. I mean, they extended him and he, you know, helps lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance. But there are just our continued questions that pop up in terms of can this quarterback do all the things you need him to do? Now? He has the thumb injury heading into week seventeen, so there's a lot of questions moving forward for the rest of the season, but also long term questions. Is this the right quarterback for the Rams? Yeah? And uh, lookay, I don't want to pick on Jared Golf too much and we will get into the thumb just a little bit here, but uh, that interception and correctly if I'm wrong, Jenny, But you know, when guys throw interceptions, you can usually go back and say, Okay, this was a bad idea, but I understand why, or okay this this pass was off target and that's why it happened. I cannot wrap my head around what happened on that play like it just and and Mitchard Robiski threw on earlier in the afternoon where he sort of he ran around from sideline to sideline and he tried to throw like a jump ball among like eight guys in the ends, but you could sort of get like, Okay, I get you were just trying to put up the jump ball and hoping he received it makes a play, and it was a terrible idea. But I understand the logic behind this, that golf interception, I don't. I don't see what could have been the thought process on that. It wasn't if it was in inaccurate throw. He was inaccurate by just an alarming uh rate. I don't know. I don't know what to say about it. Yeah, it was hard to understand what he saw exactly on the play and bad during Mahomes, for instance, had an interception where you're like, why did he throw that? But then you could see, well, he didn't see the defender and he kind of emerged from this massive bodies in the center of the field. So sometimes, okay, you can see in a split second the quarterback makes the decision um and might not see the defender in position to make a play on the ball. But this was not that Gary. This was unclear exactly where he was trying to throw the ball. I also want to correct myself. I said that Jamal Adams made this saving touchdown saving tackle on Malcolm Brown, but I believe the running back on the play was actually Henderson, So I just wanted to clean that up. I was gonna say, I was going to let that slide. Okay, well you should have corrected me on a lot of Brown on that series. So it was a non cam Acres running back in the rooms. And I think either one of them could be fine. But yeah, Darrell Henderson, who also got hurt on the plate, which is a bummer for them. And then obviously that great goal line stand by the shows events. But as far as Golf goes, and and we'll have an entire off season and talk about Jared Golf and lord knows we will, but they are, because of the contract, kind of kind of locked in through Uh that said, I you know, I'm not sure what they'd be able to do besides get in on maybe the veteran trade market at this point. But right now, if Golf can't play Week seventeen, and he did play through what uh right now is being a report as a fracture thumb. He did play through it late in this game, so I suppose you don't immediately write it off. But if he can't go, it seems to be John Walford, and uh I I I'm I'm slightly ashamed to say I've I've seen a decent amount of John Walford because I am as Syracuse grad and I watch a lot of ACC football, and he was awake for this guy. Uh, kind of a smallish I he's probably running around six feet, kind of a runaround guy. But you know you're not talking You're not talking a Russell type guy or Kyler type athlete or something like that. Uh, he does want to play Laton to the down. Uh. You wonder how he would function in a highly structured offense. Not a big arm talent guy. And he uh, I don't know. He was a he was an a a F star. He was an Alliance of American Football star for I think it was the Arizona team there. That is the most detailed scouting report of John Walford that I've ever heard. Gary had until about seven Eastern time on on Sunday evening, I had no idea who the Rams backup quarterback was, and I looked it up. I was like, oh, John Walford, I know him. I thought you were gonna say you knew him from watching all the A games because that would have been But but seeing the Syracuse connection, I now understand, so our listeners aren't better off for this. He tourt Syracuse at least once, which which really is not saying much because everyone tourts that Syracuse defense. But as yeah, as far as the MCST goes, it belongs to the Seahawks. They win the division. Uh, they still a chance of the one seed, which kind of blew my mind. I did not realize i'd going into the weekend and and perhaps I should have had a more open mind going into this. Uh. This this wild uh seventeen field in the NFC. Uh. And as far as the Rams go, they if they if they win against the Cardinals, which you know backup quarterback now it's a taller order. Uh. If they win, they are in. If they lose, they can still get in. If the Bears lose to the Packers, and uh, we will talk about this Sunday night game right now, because again I thought the Packers would a win would have clinched the one seed in the NFC. But no, they have some to play for next week. It is not over in the race for the the loan by and then in the NFC. But the Packers on Sunday Night football in the snow just kind of had their way with the Titans in a game that it got close, but it never really felt close. And then in the end it wasn't close. Yeah, it's close for a brief period of time, but it became clear that the Packers, the home team, was far more equipped to play in the snow, and that is where the home field advantage would come in in the playoffs. You know, we were talking about this year is a strange year because without fans, for instance, Seattle, the twelfth Man is not a factor, but a place like lambeau Field where you could be playing in snoway conditions, and the Packers were clearly prepared to have a thriving offense in the snoway conditions, which is not easy to do. Um. So that is where winning the number one seed and having everyone come through Lambo Field because of the weather conditions there, even without the fans, would be a major advantage for Green Bay. Yeah it was. And look, theoretically, the Titans are built to win a game and that type of weather, and you have Derrick Henry, you have a power run game. But there's just somebody said for uh having to play in that footing and you know they showing the telecast couple of times that you know the studs in UH in Henry's Cleetza and Derrick Henry was not problem in this game by by any means. But he was not otherworldly. He did not carry this offense the way that he has some games. And it is it's a little bit different running with those studs in your shoes and uh and in the snow like that. And the difference in this one was was the quarterback play quite frankly, I mean, Ryan Tannehill just had a uh just sort of a disastrous game. They were playing from behind for a while, and we always wonder how will Tannehill respond when he has to play from behind. That's kind of the deal with a lot of these quarterbacks in the in the highly structured offenses, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Ryan Tannehill and and other Zavy Kirk cousins. We've been talking about that with him for years, is when they fall behind, can they rally? Can they bring you back? And the answer was just sort of emphatic no in this one. Uh not say you can't do it later, but did not in this night. And uh, yeah, Rogers again, I mean it's it's years of playing in these kinds of conditions. And this wasn't a game where he went out and through four hundred yards. But when they did throw, there was an efficiency to the passing game that just wasn't there for the Titans. Yeah, that's exactly right. There was a precision. It looked like the Titans were almost tentative on some of those early pass routes they were running. And you know, there was a brief period when the Titans scored and you know it looked like they were pulling within striking range, when they seem like they were playing with confidence in the snow for a little bit, but that ultimately um did not persist. And you know, you often here with Brady, he doesn't have two bad games in a row, right, and that was the case with Rogers, even despite the snowing conditions whatever. Last week was kind of a blaw win against the Panthers, and then he comes out with this dominant performance in the snow. Uh. And he and Davante Adams are really just on another level. As you're sorting through the m v P race, which has been a total roller coaster this year, because it looked like Russell Wilson was going to run away with it for the first five weeks of the season at Josh Allen's also in the mix. But now it looks like it's coming down to Rogers and Mahomes, and Mahomes didn't have a good day, and Rogers on Sunday Night Football has this tremendous performance. Yeah. I thought that race was not competitive coming into this week, and now I think it's competitive again. I thought Mahomes was was uh the clear cut number one in that race, and Mahomes had such a dud on Sunday and Rogers was so impressive in this game. Uh yeah, I hadn't even I hadn't even looked at the final Novembers from last night. But both quarterbacks twenty six dropbacks. Uh, Rogers one four touchdowns, he did throw one bad interception, So if you're looking for flaws in that game, that that I guess would be it. And Tannehill on the other side eleven for twenty four, takes, two sacks, and really that that play that brought them close was was that read option that ended up being just a straight shot forty five yard touchdown run for Hannah Hill, where the linebacker and Adrian Namos, the safety on the play, both just completely bit on the run. If you watch it, it's just kind of funny seeing Amos comes crashing up and he stops for a second and looks at Tannehill and then goes back to attacking Derrick Henry and then realizes way too late that, oh wait, Tannehill did still have the ball and Tannehill runs for the touchdown. You wonder if there's some weirdness with the white uniforms and the snow falling and that sort of stuff, But we don't have to we don't have to break down the color schemes just yet. But uh yeah, as far as as far as this one goes, and we should mention Aaron Jones limited this one by a hip injury. Uh. I mean he was in there in the fourth quarter, so I I guess it could have been too bad. He ends up going A J. Dillon, the second round rookie who the the much maligned second round pick, ends up going one and two touchdowns in the snow. Uh. And yeah, just just in all around dominant performance for a Packard's team that uh again. I mean you said it, Jenny lambeau Field, the field itself, in the field conditions is going to be a home field advantage, and you very much saw it in this game. Yeah, A j Dylan. It's really important to touch on that because you often hear, UH this time of year, coaches say someone comes out of the blue and they have fresh legs and they can be a big factor in a playoff run. Um. I remember hearing that when I covered the Jets. You know, Sean Green was kind of lower on the he was, you know, expected to be a starter, but they brought him players like with Dadian Thominson late in the year, you have these younger guy with fresh legs, and that's exactly what Dylan was. So you could foresee him being a big factor in this postseason run for the Packers. And this was kind of the premonition of that. I'm a huge fresh legs guy and uh and Packers. Packers fans remember James Starks Buffalo, his own James Starks, and the last time they won the Super Bowl. Was was the guy who kind of emerged in December as just sort of a guy who had just been on the shelf and then all of a sudden they get to the postseason and he becomes a huge factor. But much better example Gary than my hearkening back to my Sean Green is a good one. But James started to me, James Starks will always be the the epitome of fresh legs. That'll go on his uh, I don't know his inscription on his bust in Canton or something like that. All right, Jenny, hangout for one second. We'll have you back in a few But now it is time for the SI Fantasy segment, presented as always by DraftKings, Michael Fabriano of SI dot Com, Slash Fantasy, and the s I Fantasy Podcast. Uh FABS Championship Week is in the book for most leagues. Here, I assume everyone went out and uh and started Brandon Allen and and are now celebrating their their uh their their championship. But it was a fascinating way actually, you know, I mean, god, I hope no one started Brandon Allen. If you did, you are some sort of genius that probably probably should replace both of us in our jobs. But uh, let's start Christmas Night with Alvin Kamarrow. What what was that? And it could have been seven touchdowns. I don't know why Sean Payton took him out of the game and used Taysom Hill there. I'll say this. I I was eight championships. I played Kimeara on my team. In two, I'm gonna win both of those. I played against him in three, I'm losing all of them. Like, you have no shot. Like once once a guy scores almost sixty points by himself, that's basically the production of three players. You're you're done, Like, I mean, your opponent would have to have three guys go under five points for you to have any shot. I mean, like, so it was. It was a fun performance to watch for me. It's like, Okay, well it's good and bad because I'm playing him and I'm playing against him. It is what it is. But I mean, like to score six touchdowns and score fifty six points in Week sixteen when fantasy owners to the most. Alvin Kamara has gained a lot of fans of the fantasy community because he single handedly gave them the gift of a Fantasy football championship. He uh, he definitely deserves credit for that, and you know else, he deserves credit for the fact that he did it in the first game of the week, and if you are playing against Comara like like you were FABS, you didn't have to wait for You know what, if that was a Sunday night performance, I mean you would have been you wouldn't have made it onto the show this morning. Let's not talk about the Sunday night performance because A J. Dillon, What the hell was that? Honestly, man, Aaron Jones just crushed so many, including me and one of my leagues. I'm gonna lose because in part Aaron Jones did nothing, I mean, had twelve points, but there were another thirty out there that A J. Dillon ad up. I mean, and I'll tell you one thing. I don't think Aaron Jones gonna be on the package next season. Honestly, I said that when they drafted Dylan Aaron Jones a free agent. I mean, are you gonna use the tag on a running back? I don't know, but I would not be surprised if A. J. Dillon is the starting running back for the Greenway Packers and Aaron Jones is somewhere else. Who knows it could happen. I mean, you don't you don't spend a second round pick on a guy to have him sitting behind Aaron Jones, who's gonna get a long term contract? I mean, Joe, you're totally Jones is not getting a long term deal. Whious question of do they you know, do they do? They figure it out for a year here. I mean, he's a good young back. But and it's funny to remember last year he had just a massive season, got into games and I believe it was a nineteen total times and everyone in the fantasy industry was screaming regression. And he started this season off on fire and I was like, Wow, I can't believe this, but then it all went downhill from there. M hmm, Well we uh, we still have some weirdos out there who play week seventeen football. I I I have to pat myself on the back briefly. I did just win the Sports Illustralia League for the second time in three years. To spend that Kyler Murray's uh Saturday performance and uh, all my leagues we do. And I've talked about this on the show before in the past and and nobody really cares, but uh my league's we do. We played through weeks sixteen for a regular season, and we the playoff Redraft League um with the teams who have finished top six or in the sixteen team league, we do top seven. So, uh, if you are in one of those leagues, you still have work to do in the playoffs. And the good thing is that uh FABS is gonna be here every week during the playoffs to help you out and get your team ready for for all that. But again, some of you play week seventeen. I don't recommend it, uh FABS, I don't know if you have thoughts on it, but we will run through the waiver wire. It's just I mean, Kansas City is the perfect example. They're not gonna play anybody. You're gonna lose Mahomes. You're gonna lose Kelsey, You're gonna lose Tyreek, You're gonna lose Levian Bell, although some would argue that he never was there to begin with. That was a disaster for him. So we'll go through some of the positions here. You want to start off with the quarterbacks, Yeah, let's go quarterbacks. Uh. Kirk Cousins has got the Lions. He's been very good for the last month plus. Philip rivers that the Colts need to win. They've got the Jaguars. Rabinsky has been really good. I mean, I I don't know if he's if he's earned himself, uh you know, the starting gig there in Chicago next year, or the Bears are gonna end you know, bring him back. But they're winning games with me. The matchups not great. He's got the Packers coming up. Derek Carr's got the Broncos. Traditionally he hasn't done great against ever. But it's weeks seventeen and then I can't believe I'm saying this though. Andy Dalton, where the hell did that come from? I mean, Andy Daltons the KIBI three right now this week, it's unbelievable. Like everyone was talking about Jalen hurts. The only thing that hurts was my chances of winning the championship. I started that guy, right, I mean's the QB fifteen right now against the Cowboys. I mean he he looked like a rookie. I mean he is, but he was so good the first couple of weeks. Massive disappointment. But I mean Andy Allen's got the Giants and the Cowboy It's I don't know. I'm not gonna lost for words. I don't want to make the day of playoffs. I want a high draft pick because we're not gonna get our butts handed to us if we if we get to the playoffs, we being the Cowboys. Because if you've been listening to this show for the last seven tea a weeks, you know that uh dinhard fans so so yeah he don't though he's on the radar now man, Yeah crazy. They they got those receivers and he put all three had huge games gallup, especially Holy cow. Mm hmmm, all right, let's let's sit the uh anyone that for running backs? A J. Dillon yeah still stars me like, I mean, good for him, but Aaron Jones Ja's Louis Gus Edwards is gonna be a really popular pick this week because uh j K. Dobbins got hurt against the Giants. Of course it's way too early to know his status, but um mark Ingram has been a healthy scratch. I would guess Gus the Bus would be the guy against the Bengals. Malcolm Brown for the Rams going up against the Cardinals with Cam Akers out and Darrell henders An injured. Uh Darryl Williams for the Chiefs, right, I mean LEVI on Bell is probably not gonna play, and there you know, they've got the Chargers coming up next. Somebody's gotta to carry the rock. Daryng and Wally for the Jaguars, assuming James Robinson can't go. I mean he basically was the featured back for the Jags. Somaj p Ryan. I mean that's another one, really, Somaj freaking p Ryan that we'll scored thirty points. And and the crazy thing too, is that GEO score over twenty. How bad is Houston's run defense? Holy com? I mean that J. J. Watt said it right. If you didn't watch that clip, go on social media someplace to watch it, because he's right with what he said. So yeah, I guess. I mean, it's week seventeen, so anything can happen, and they've got the Ravens, and the Ravens still have something to play for. But it's week sevent team, so you roll the dice, fresh legs, fresh legs for some of these dudes. How about the receivers. I've been talking about Nelson I are like forever and people still don't play him or pick him up whatever, So don't listen to me. He only had you know, nearly thirty points. It's crazy. He got the Broncos this week. Uh Sterling Shepherd probably owning a lot of leaks, but also was dropped and he hadn't been doing much. Got the Cowboys this week, kik qt Uh Michael Gallop against the Giants Jacoby Myers and now now that game hasn't been played yet Patriots Bills. But he's got the Jets next week. And then Cam Simms Kim Sims could have had a big game if if Washington had a good quarterback, really could have. And uh, the Eagles just gave it up to three big Cowboys wide receivers. So Cam Sims also worth a look assuming Terry McLaurin can't go, and maybe he will be back, but we don't know at this point. And uh, tight ends. Could you believe Jimmy Graham scored twice? Everybody was on cold command, every oh this is the week, and it was Jimmy Graham. Uh So, I mean Graham's got you know, he's got the revenge game against the Packers or Smith though, and nice nice two touchdown performance there on Christmas Day. He's got the Lions. And then I mean Dalton Schultz didn't have a great game against Philadelphia, but he's got the Giants coming up here, so he's worth a look too. Tight ends, I mean tight ends. Tightan has been brutal all season long, and there's really not much out there. I mean. The good thing about the tight end position. There is a lot of guys that we started this week actually like showed up. Riley Garnkowski, who I didn't like, had two touchdowns. Kelsey's a beast. Waller was good, Ibron was good. Austin Hooper, who we knew was gonna get targeted a ton of was good. Evan Ingram was good, Mark Andrews was good. So you know, Logan Thomas had another big game. He had seven catches. It was nice to see George kittleback. Although we didn't have a massive game for fantasy purposes, you know, he still gave you, you know, thirteen twelve thirteen points. So alright, fabs, we will like I said, this is this is not a goodbye, This is not the end of the season. We will have you through the playoffs. Here on the side fantasy segment presented by a draft king said, if you want Michael Fabriano in the meantime, as I would says dot Com Slash Fantasy or the s I Fantasy podcast Fabs Heavy. I have a great New Year celebration, and we'll talk to you next week. You too, my friend, We'll talk to you soon. Alright, A hearty welcome back to Jenny Rerentis and Jenny. We still have plenty of Week sixteen action to run through here, and we're gonna touch a little bit on the Saturday games too, and and and even the Christmas Night game. Uh that that that made so many album Kamara Fancy owners so very very happy. But we're we're gonna pick this back up with the Steelers and the Colts, and I mean, boy, I think everyone was sort of ready to right off the Steelers because we've been saying all year, Okay, when are they going to expand this offense? When when will we see the downfield element become a part of the offense. And it wasn't happening. And we saw them just struggled desperately on Monday Night against a Bengals defense that just isn't very good. So they fall behind by seventeen the second half of the Colts and then finally, finally they start attacking downfield and it all just sort of comes together. Yeah, I think the way you described it as perfect Gary, they weren't just playing Ben Roethlisberger didn't just look old on the field. They were calling a game as if he were too old to call the things that would win the game. And the big change here was in the second half when they really opened up the offense and they were essentially in desperation mode, so they just did what they had to do to win the game, and ultimately that's when they came alive. And now the prospects for the Steelers look a little bit brighter seeing that they can put together an offensive performance like this against the defense that's as good as the Colts defense has been. Yeah, it's uh, it's been so frustrating watching this offense. It was really neat watching them in September and it was like, oh, look at this, Look at all this this motion stuff they're doing now and this horizontal attack. We've never seen that from the Steelers. And then it was like, Okay, you know, we're mid season and they're still doing the same thing and that's neat, but it's time to build stuff out and it just never happened. And I feel like This was really the first time you saw it, and I was just kind of wondering. You know, Ben's been sort of on and off the injury report with with a with a knee problem. And uh, they are obviously, I mean, the quick stright attack is designed to protect the veteran quarterback, but you wondered if it was such a problem with the knee that they were just not going to risk him even taking the the slightest hit. And and there's there's always a calculus to this, how much do you want to put your veteran quarterback at risk? But it seemed like they just they were willing to just kind of say, whatever we do, we are not going to let him get touched and we'll just let the game play out as it goes. But he took a couple of shots in this game, and it was just kind of like, I I feel like that is the most encouraging thing you could see if you are Steelers fan. Yeah, And I think the other encouraging thing was you really the first half was not encouraging in terms of the defense stopping the Colts offense, but the second half was a better performance. And so what we've seen the last few weeks has been this The defense hasn't looked quite as good with the losses of players like Bud Dupree and Devin Bush, and the offense has just looked totally stagged in So what happened after halftime in this game looked like a team that could be a factor in January as opposed to one that was kind of limping to the finish line and still in the mix because of a strong start. Yeah, and uh I I always look back to that Proncos team is sort of the if you are the Steelers or maybe for like the Bears, like that's kind of the blueprint going forward here. But uh, I mean it's it's you. You You just want to be able to score points when it's time to score points. And especially again the Steelers will not be getting ah you know that first round buying the a f C. They're gonna have to win four games that they're going to win the Super Bowl, and you're probably gonna have to score points and one of those four games. Just that's just life at this point. Uh. As far as the Colts go, I mean, look, it was it was a it was a good performance. Again, you know, if they got the Steelers in the right week as opposed to the week that they kind of open things up and start getting effective downfield. This one plays out much differently for India. And I don't want to make excuses for them, but I mean, you know, the Steelers have not played offense like this all year, but the Colts end up letting one slip away. The offense really dried up in the second half, which I think it is just as disappointing as the defensive performance because you do in a lot of these games in in this in this day and age, in this modern era, Uh, offense is what closes out games. And they just couldn't stay on the field and they couldn't generate any points in the second half. Uh as far as they go, they are now. Uh, it's it's incredible at say, considering some of the teams we're gonna talk about in the NFC. But uh, they need to beat the Jaguars at home week seventeen, But they also need they need help. They need the Browns to lose at Pittsburgh, or the Dolphins lose at Buffalo, or or the Ravens to who lose at Cincinnati. The ladder's probably not happening. But uh, the Colts are in danger of missing the playoffs here. Yeah, and I have not been in favor of the number seven seed. I still am not in favor of the number seven seed. But at least in the a f C, you have enough interesting teams to fill out that picture and someone is going to be left out that would have been a compelling playoff team. So the a f C at least has been worthy of seven seeds going to the playoffs or seven teams going to the playoffs. Whichever side of the argument you fall on, you you have a you have ammo coming from the season. Let's let's go down to Kansas City, where I don't have a ton to say about this game. That the Chiefs just sort of, you know, they just sort of sleepwalk through another game, and uh, I mean, look do you play? That sort of stood out to me when I think back of this game is a J. Terrell dropping. You know, the rookie corner has a chance to seal the game with the interception in the end zone. Would have been it would have been a great catch, but just doesn't quite hang onto it, and all of a sudden, you know, the Chiefs couple of plays later in the end zone with the go ahead touchdown and the Falcons uh end up missing a field goal at the end, but that play, and I mean, I don't know, our our buddy Greg Bishop and I have been talking about this a little bit. I don't know if he's talking to you about it, but sort of that looking back on the Falcons and like, why do the Falcons keep on losing games like this? And it's so difficult to put your finger on because if the cornerback hangs onto that interception, this single play, this single player in a single moment, in a single play, then they don't lose the lead. And we don't say, boy, how did the Falcons blow another lead? I mean, it's it's just the football gods just I don't know. They have it out for Atlanta at this point. It's for Gary. They were in position, it looked like the games ceiling play. He thought, Wow, things are breaking for the Falcons. You know, this would have been a really good win for a team that has had so many off losses this year, and it just didn't quite happen, couldn't quite hang on and uh and Kansas City kind of got bailed out. They did they did. Uh. And the one other weird thing about the Chiefs here is it was such a struggle. I mean, the protection hasn't been great for mahomes this year, uh, and we saw a little bit of that in this game. They also they just weren't getting a ton of separation. It's tough to see without looking at the all twenty two yet, but it seems like there wasn't a whole lot available downfield until that final drive when it just sort of all opened up for the Chiefs. And again, it's it just it just has that feel on a week to week basis where they just aren't really interested in winning the game until it's time to win the game, and then they win it with relative ease, right. And I think that's why it's hard to make sense of the Chiefs team. I mean, they're the best team in the a f C, but they also haven't looked as dominant as you might expect at times. On the flip side, I think it's pretty masterful performance to be this good coming off a Super Bowl win, because a lot of times we see teams stumble, So I'm not really sure what I think are are they would I still choose them as my Super Bowl winner at this point in time, I would, because there's a lot of teams that have a lot of flaws in the Chiefs find ways to win. But I agree that performance was it was a dud. It was a disappointment, and I feel the same way as you did. Gary. I didn't think there was really an MVP race. I was ready to write Patrick Mahomes in on the ballot, And at this point in the year, every Sunday means something for the m v P race. And so you had this dud by Mahomes contrasted with a master for a performance by Rogers. Uh, And I was starting to lean Rogers by the end of the day. So we've got got one one week, I guess. But um, Week seventeen is always a weird week, right because the Chiefs already locked into the number one seed. Yeah, well, uh, we'll see how that plays out, and uh Young Huaiku falls out of the m v P race with uh that missfield goal at the end. He's been great. I mean, look, you've probably seen the sad He's eight for eight from from beyond fifty yards. He's having a great year, and it was just sort of a again, it was a stunner to see him miss that, and then you just kind of say, well, this is this is how it goes with Falcons. He he pushes the thirty nine yard or that was his second missfield goal of the year, and that's just that's the way it always plays out for them, and there's no real logic to it. And there's again, I just these little things that happened to them. I don't know, I don't know why they happened to them, but hopefully they don't happen to them much longer because it just seems it just seems cruel at this point. Yeah. So, speaking of cruel, the the Browns go to East Rutherford, uh for second or eight week they play the Jets. They have to do so without any of their wide receivers. Uh. And look at I don't know how much time we want to spend on game. It's it's I think it was silly to play this game. Uh. And there are lots of things related to this pandemic and the way it's been managed outside of football that we can sort of, uh put our indignation tour that is probably more deserving of it. But uh, I feel like when the NFL has sort of forced these games through where teams are missing entire position groups, and again it almost relates to like Thursday night football. I hate Thursday Night Football because I don't think, uh, it respects the fact that for an NFL player, it is incredibly difficult to turn around in three days, uh and and play another game. In cases like this, it's like, how can you expect the team to lose an entire position group forty hours before the game and then go out there and compete. I mean, it just it blows a huge hole in your roster. And it's one thing, you know, I know there's comparison to like, oh, well, you know, if you had a bunch of injuries, it would be the same thing. It's not the same thing at all, because you're losing these guys. You you practice and prepare all week with the plan that these guys are going to play, and then all of a sudden, you lose your entire receiver group and you have to plug in a bunch of guys who haven't practiced and haven't prepared all week for this game. And and this is the result. I mean, it's it's not it's not professional football. When it's all said and done. Yeah, this was difficult to watch, and the timing of it was really a curveball. As you said, it's so late in the week and you're forced to adjust on the fly. The way things have worked out in the NFL this year is that they've kind of wanted compliance with protocols to be a competitive advantage, essentially that you know, you may get some benefit if you comply with protocols. But in this case, there were a few players identified as close context. It's not clear exactly and you know exactly if anything was actually if anyone violated anything other than the fact that there you're going to have close contacts if you're preparing for a game together, and you know the idea of um, we're living through a pandemic. We're asking players to go to work, they have families, they have other, um, other potential contacts just from living their lives in the community. And so I think this is where this whole season has been uncomfortable. Gary is because there's things you can control, there's things you can't control. You're trying to parse through the differences, and then you have essentially the Browns going out for a very meaningful Week sixteen game for their franchise, for the players, and they're put in a really tough position, and it's just one of the parts of this season that is just always not going to feel great. Um, the NFL's decision to go ahead and play, you know, a complete schedule, and their commitments to playing a complete schedule was results in circumstances like this, and it's kind of crummy. I don't know why they put the Week eighteen plan in at all, Like it just it's like, if you're not gonna use it in a case like this with a playoff competitive team, I mean, as as mean as it is to say, I would get it if this was Jets, Jaguars and two teams that are sort of out of it. I mean, I don't know why you stage the game at that point, But if you really want to stage the game, because that's the way the NFL does it, you go ahead and do it. But uh, the Browns are now they are in need of a win at Pittsburgh. You can still get in if they lose at Pittsburgh. But uh, you know, I I just mentioned the other teams that have to play here, and you know, Miami losing a Buffalo is is probably the most likely of the other competitors to drop a game in Week seventeen. But the Browns could be on the outside looking in after losing a game that really they you know, anything could happened, but they would have won this game if they if they had their full complemented players, and it just, uh, it's incredibly unfair as far as the game goes. It was, you know, Bigger Mayfield lost a couple of untimely fumbles and and he didn't take responsibility for that, and and that's a that's a good thing to do, you know, fourth and short, he had that sneak to try and keep the final drive alive when they were down near the red zone and ends up losing the ball. And that was the end of the game. And that's I don't know, that's the way it goes. It was just it was it was a silly game to stage, It was a silly game to watch, and I don't I don't really know if there's anything you can actually draw from this except for the fact that it will have huge implications on the playoff race, and uh, and of course on the race that everyone cares about, which is to get the number one pick in the draft is the Jets are now locked into the number two pick um with their two game winning streak, and I, I mean, I don't know. I I it gives me a headache when people route against her team to uh to lose games. So I'm with you, Gary. You know, UH, players, coaches, their futures in the NFL are not guaranteed. So you go out to win every week. I don't understand the end of the questioning of the motivations or the scrutiny of that. That's they go out every week to win a game. And now they're locked into the number two pick. And as we discussed last week, now they have a bunch of different options at number two. It's to choose your own adventure as opposed to a straight line path to handing in Trevor Lawrence's name. There you go. So much more fun this uh, this draft season for Jets fans, it is what will come down to. Uh. Let's stay with the New York teams. The Giants go down to Baltimore and and look, I think the Ravens are just uh, they're just wonderful. I think they're so good I couldn't believe they're just scenario where they might miss the players, and they still might. They're now in a situation where they just have to beat the Bengals in Week seventeen, the red hot Bengals actually uh in Week seventeen to to make the postseason. But uh, this team is coming together and I think it's really uh. We know the defense is great, we know the offense had been great last year, had some issues this year, battled some injuries. But now they're just going out there and they're just rolling over teams again. It's not quite to the level of last year, but they've been over four hundred yards three last four weeks. They would have gone over four hundred yards last week had had Lamar Jackson not had to had to step away in that in that victory over the Browns or I guess I was two weeks ago now. But they are the team that I would not want to play in the postseason if I were saying the Kansas City Chiefs. Yeah, it's a little bit reminiscent to the Chiefs last year, although not the same because the Ravens are, you know, fighting for a wild card position. Now they're they're in a good spot to get it. But you know, the Chiefs had that explosive season in two thousand eighteen, and then two thousand nineteen, you know, Patrick Mahomes has an injury and they kind of fly under the radar a little bit more, and um, then they round into form right before the postseason. It's it's not a dissimilar trajectory, Gary, and Um, I agree. I was really bummed that they might miss the playoffs. We had um last week's weeks side podcast. Gary, we actually picked presents for if you could give a present to someone in the NFL, what would it be? And I said, well, I'd like to see you know, one of the teams Ravens need to lose, lose so they can get in. Now. That was no wishing, no ill will and other fan bases, and obviously some of the tough losses over the weekend were difficult to bear for those teams. But um, the Ravens have looked good and on a saturd or on a Sunday in Week sixteen when a lot of uh, well the guest games were played Friday, Saturday, Sunday, so whatever. Over a weekend of games in Week sixteen where a lot of teams struggled with opponents, you wouldn't expect them to struggle with the Ravens. Didn't miss a beat, and they just rolled over the Giants. The Giants as far as they go, Daniel Jones still not back at when our present they they I mean, look, they struggled on this one against a better team. One for ten on third down just didn't work out. All that said, there, they're still in it. They they play the Cowboys at home next week. Uh. The winner of that game will will get to watch Sunday Night Football sort of breathlessly as the winner of that game gets in. If the Eagles defeat the football team is how it will ultimately go down in the Uh oh so so exciting NFC East. Uh So, let's let's go out to the NFC East now and touch on those games. Uh Cowboys Eagles down in Dallas. And and look, it seems like for the past five years we've been talking about the Eagles defensive backfield and mean, like boy, they you know, they're they're really not very good back there. They just don't have guys who can cover. Uh. The Cowboys, we know the talent they have at wide receiver, and it was just on full display in this game. It was a total mismatch. Michael Gallup just was was totally unguardable in this game. Ari Cooper made a bunch of big plays. Ceedee Lamb had a bunch of big plays. I mean this was just uh Andy Dalton the receiver has just ended up toying with these Eagles defensive backs. Yeah, it was a total mismatch and the game really flipped after a promising start to the game for Philadelphia. And my takeaway really is that Philadelphia just has so much work to do. You know. There was a brief glimmer that, oh, my gosh, you know they started out this game, well, maybe they'll actually make the playoffs. And now they're the first NFC East team to be eliminated in a disastrous season for the NFC East. And so I think that means something. And the Eagles you need to take a look at the roster. They need to take a look at the coaching situation. My hesitancy of switching to Hurts initially was that there were so many flaws on the roster that it would be hard for him to succeed. Now he had a difficult day. He turned the ball over three times in the second half in this game. But he's shown a lot in his starts that is good and that indicates that, you know, he could be somebody that you could have success with. But the problems around him are really they they should not be ignored. And the Eagles have a lot of tough decisions to make this offseason about how they address a roster that's flawed in a lot of areas. You know, a coaching staff that underachieved in a lot of ways this season. They've got to figure out what to do with once. Um. So the Eagles, um, it's just a couple of years since they won the Super Bowl, but they're really in kind of a messy situation. I mean, they won the Super Bowl and and you know all those sort of factoys that came about uh uh, you know, they have the following core players locked up for the next multiple seasons, and it was kind of like, oh, the Eagles are going to be in it, uh forever here and until the end of time. It is I mean, you said it, Jenny. The fact that they are the only team out of it in the NFC East at this point is is jaw dropping. If you thought about it. At any point the season, you would have thought the Eagles would have been as close to the end as any of those maybe you know, kind of crumby teams in that division are, but they are. They are done. And and look Jay and Hurts in this one. Uh again, they got the They got the big play, the long touchdown to Shawn Jackson, which was really neat to see, by the way, I haven't seem to Shawn Jackson do that in a while, and it was kind of like like, oh, I remember that guy. Uh, they got that play and then they just got nothing. It's it's an offense that just wasn't able to really sustain anything going forward. They put up three points over the last fifty minutes of the game. After that, Hurts had a couple of uh just I wrote on her outline, I I called them wentze and turnovers in this one one of them, I mean the last one. Who cares? I mean, they're they're driving in a three touchdown game and you threw an interception, not a big deal, but the red zone one was bad. Losing a fumble even if his knee was down. Uh, that was a bad turnover too. It was just you know, he has worked to do. And when it's your developmental quarterback, you just kind of shrug your shoulders and say, well, he's developmental quarterback. It's different when it's Carson Wentz. But uh, it is kind of a reminder that, uh, Jalen Hurts is probably not going to be playing at in m VP level next year, which is what you had been getting from Whence a couple of years ago. And uh you said it, Jenny, lots of lots and lots of problems with this team. Yeah, And to bring things for a full circle to your first point, the Eagles were the only defense to really make Dwayne Haskins look good this season. If you harken back to that Week one performance, that's a that is also a perfect transition in the business here as we call it. Uh Yeah, the football team, I don't know this. This offense has just been, uh it's been insulting to me the way they play offensive football. And they went back to Dwayne Haskins and they're hosting the Panthers and it's it's a winnable game. No, Terry mclauren. In this one, they were shorthanded, but Haskins just had an absolute meltdown in this one, and it was uh. He regressed as a year went on. I don't think the coaching stapp did him a lot of favors, and certainly uh, I think putting them on the bench was probably not uh going to be helpful in the long term here. But I mean he was he was atrocious in this game. He had three turnovers. Uh. And you can live with turnovers when it's like good aggressive football, but these were just turnovers sprinkled in with bad football in between. And uh, he gets sent back to the bench in favor of this time it's it's Taylor Heineke. So he has been bench for three different quarterbacks, all of whom are I don't know, probably not within the top forty h in the NFL, I think is the nicest way I can say it. Yeah, And I remember in the off season Ron Rivera and May maybe it was said, well, if training camp were impacted and they had less time, you know, because of the COVID related changes the schedule, that they might go with Kyle Allen. And that was the first time I realized, like, this guy doesn't have a lot of confidence in haskins Um And maybe it was okay, getting used to a new offense. But you don't say that about a number one or you know, first round draft pick very often. So that was the first indication. And really that Week one game was full's gold, and both on the field and off the field, Haskins hasn't done anything to earn trust. And you know, there was a strange situation post game. Initially the PR staff said Haskins declined the interview, the left the stadium. Then they said there was a miscommunication. But essentially this points to the end of his chances in in Washington and the fact that Rivera pulled him for Taylor. Heinegie. It was a desperation move. He didn't really have another option. He couldn't keep going with Haskins. But that, you know, I think cemented the the end, and I think it's at this point it's you kind of have to make the move and say, hey, we we messed up with this first round pick, which happened before Rivera was there, and uh, we've got to move on. Yep. I may look three different offensive play callers while he was there over his uh not quite two seasons at this point. So, uh, a tough situation for hasscens anyway, he was not nearly good enough, and uh, look he's still young guy. He'll he'll land somewhere else and someone will try and develop him, but it's not going to be in Washington at this point. Uh. Chase Young was dominant again in this game, by the way, which so if you are looking for something positive for Washington, that's one thing. The other thing is they still get into the playoffs if they beat the Eagles in Philadelphia next week, which it's a Taylor Heineke game or maybe an Alex Smith game against Shalen Hurts and an Eagles team that, as we said, has uh has issues across the board here. So looking things looking up ish for the football team. I guess I can't believe that this was the pick for the Sunday Night Flex Gary. It is. I get it with the markets, like you know, it's like I can't go wrong with that East Classic match up, that sort of thing, but uh, the game might be unwatchable. Yeah, it's a risk you you run and where I guess close doesn't make it unwatchable. But I don't know. This is this is going to feel like a preseason game. There's gonna feel like like the Alliance of American Football, John Walford would feel right at home in uh in that game perhaps, But yeah, it's it's gonna be It's going to be something to watch, I hope. But yeah, I mean to to just your earlier point, just one more beat on this. Chase Young really is fun to watch. And that was a pick that Washington got right, So they have that piece moving forward whatever they decide to rebuild with um. Chase Young has been fantastic this season. The Bears go down to Jacksonville and get the win they needed to get. H it was it was it was ten to tend at one point in the second quarter, and and things were maybe a little bit interesting. Yeah, you kind of wonder, and I don't know, will they will they figure out a way to let one slip away? And and know that the Jagglers just aren't very competitive at this point. I frankly, I don't know why you even send them to Indianapolis next week and in the middle of a pandemic to just sort of show up and and get beaten up by the Colts. But that's just the way it goes, I guess. But as far as the Bears go, third straight win. Uh. Troubisky again. Uh, a better quarterback than what we've seen. I thought this game was actually a little bit shaky for him. Uh. He put a couple of passes in danger that we're just kind of like, Huh, you can't. You can't do that as a starting quarterback the NFL. You can't do that multiple times in a game. That doesn't that doesn't work that way. But they got it going and they end up being fine in this one. Uh. As far as the Bears go, if they win at Green Bay next week, and the bad break for the Bears is the fact that the Seahawks beat the Rams, which means the Packers have not clinched the one seed, which means the Packers out of something to play for in this week seventeen game at Lamba, So the Bears need to win that one. However, if they do lose, they still get in if the Rams and John Walford perhaps beat beat the Cardinals in UH in their regular season finale. So all sorts of scenarios for the Bears here. I guess yeah, I mean in with a win is good, except for the fact that the game is against a Green Bay team that has something to play for. Yeah, yeah, kind of a bummer for them. Um And and as far as you know there reports, Adam Schefter tweeted out that some folks think that Trubisky might be back in Chicago after all, when when it's all said and done, I don't mind dru Whisky as a bridge guy if they keep him there. Uh, this is not a long term marriage. It is clearly not a long term marriage. Like besides the you know, the passes that he put in danger. Uh, I mean, it is a limited offensive running. It's not as limited as they were running with him before, and it makes a little more sense with his skill set what they're doing with them now, but it's still it's not a level of quarterback play that you look for from your starter. It is not satisfactory as a starting quarterback at this point. And I just I it's it's just wrong if they try and run this back with the Drubisky as as sort of a possible long term solution. Right. I agree with you that it works as a bridge guy, and maybe that's the best option for next season, but it's this can't he can't be the long term solution, and the Jaguars clinched the number one, UH draft pick, and that's that's just great, and all their fans were rooting for Bear to score touchdowns. What a what a wonderful scene, What a great system this is created in the NFL with the rookie wage scale and the fact that Trevor Lawrence has to play for like a third of his market value the next couple of years. Uh, and that's why the Jaguars get to do what they do. I don't know, let's go to the lightning Round, the fastest three hours in sports, a couple of Sunday games left, and then we'll hit the satur Day ones and the Christ's Night game. But yeah, the charge of the Bronx. Third straight win for the Chargers. It looked like they might find a way to let one slip away again, but they end up holding on against Denver this time, and look like it's the charge of one three straight. We know, the kind of ridiculous run of sort of bad break games they had against really good opponents early in the year. And I don't know, it might be over for Anthony Lynn, but uh, I don't know what else you wanted him to do with this team this year. I agree. I think he should get credit for the way that Justin Herbert has been playing. I don't think he's gotten enough credit. It's not easy to put a first round quarterback who didn't have a real off season, and you know, you go into the year think not thinking he's going to be your starter, you know, until minutes before our game, Tyrod Taylor has you know, this injection goes awry and all of a sudden, you're you're putting Herbert in there. I mean, I don't think he's gotten enough credit for that. I know there have been some late game questions of a game mismanagement, but I also think the sidelines are very chaotic, and he has a staff that has kind of been put together piecemeal. A lot of the staff was left over when he first arrived with the Chargers. UM, he has some younger coaches and roles, you know, offensive coordinator for example, And I think they should keep him and give him a chance to make some staff changes. UM and you know, continue to develop Herbert. And you know, they you don't like to make a lot of excuses obviously with injuries and and things like that, but they have had some key injuries since Ekeler has been back, the offense has been functioning a lot better, and I would like to see them give him another another year. Gary. I think he deserves that, and the team is clearly playing hard for him down the stretch. The only game that was absolutely done for them was that lost the Patriots that and that was exceptionally ugly, and they come back and won three in a row since then. So again, it's it's uh, it's been a wacky year for the Chargers here, but they are They're finishing up nicely here and as far as Denver goes, I mean it's it's good they're still competing. Vic Fangio will be back next year, that was announced before the game, and they'll still have to figure out what they do on the offensive side of the ball going forward here. Uh. Down in Houston, the Bengals go get a second straight win after that Monday night when they turned back to Brandon Allen. Brandon Allen through for I. I look, this is this is a very backhanded compliment for Brandon Allen just had a career game and and really uh played well on this one. He ends up throwing for three seventy one in this game and and two touchdowns and just has a really good performance and it just sort of goes to show you how bad this Texans defense is. Boy and J. J. Watt did not hold back after the game criticizing the team, saying that I believe he said the Texans haven't played like trash Um and he's right. And I think what is where the Texans are at now is they need to figure out the right leadership moving forward because they have a tremendous talent at quarterback and you don't want to waste that talent. Yeah, it's a got five forty yards for the Brandon Allen Bengals. That's a Uh really is that is? That is two games worth of offense for the Bengals. And and that is not hyperbole to say that that is Ah, that is more than you would ever expect them to put out put up without Joe Burrow in the lineup. Uh. Let's let's go back to Saturday night. I mean, this was this was the game of the week, the Dolphins coming back on the Raiders. Frankly, it was a game that if you only watch the final five minutes, you saw, you saw all the best parts of it. You saw maybe the only watchable parts of it. The Dolphins come back and just this absolutely wild back and forth finish, uh and beat the Raiders and stay in the playoff picture. If they win at Buffalo next week, they do make the playoffs. If they lose, they need some help here. But I mean, this was Ryan Fitzpatrick in relief again with just an absolute Ryan Fitzpatrick performance. And they're to a to a tongue of Biola for the Buffalo game. I don't know what the right answer is because I you know, I wouldn't have thought bringing Ryan Fitzpatrick off the bench would have been the right answer in the in this game, I am with you, Gary. Brian Flores seems to have a good feel for what the team needs. He really um has a good relationship with the locker room where he can move quarterbacks in and out and the team rallies behind whatever decisions he makes. I think that's really a testament to his leadership. And as far as the final parts of the game being the only entertaining ones, I actually so, I've you been at home my parents house for a couple of weeks, trying to help them with a few things, and uh, my father wanted to watch Casablanca. So we put on the movie and it ended right at halftime. So I only watched the second half of this game, but I don't feel like I missed anything. I mean, those final minutes were thrilling. I still don't know how Fitzpatrick completed that pass with his face mask being torked and just sending it up. I still don't know how it got there. But that was a tremendous moment. It was. It was as good a finish as I could as I can remember. And there's just something I guess They're just something to be said for. And by the way, I would love to see a team start using quarterbacks like it was a pitching staff in football, where you where you go to the bullpen when you need to me. But there's maybe there's a trend here. There is absolutely something. Who said look and and we'll have a whole off season to talk about TWA and his development and some of the good and some of the bad. But to it was was incredibly concerned, way too conservative in this game against the Raiders defense. That just gives you opportunities. He just wasn't going to put points up on the board. Now, Ryan Fitzpatrick might go out there and throw three interceptions and you lose the game. He might go out there and do what he did on Saturday night and you win the game. But I guess the point is kind of Uh, if Fitzpatrick went out and through three interceptions, it's still not necessarily the wrong move, because if you lose the game by ten points, or you lose the game by twenty four points, you still lose the game. And they weren't gonna win with two out there. So uh, they did what they had to do when Fitzpatrick delivered in the way that I guess only he could at that point. I mean, we've always said that Fitzpatrick is good in small doses, Gary, So maybe this is the key. You start your other player for the first three quarters and then you put him in to close out the game. Maybe that's the key to really channeling the best of fits magic. M It's uh, it's just it's fascinating. It's been fascinating to see how this plays out too. And and certainly Brian Floor is earning plenty of points in the Coach of the Year race for uh, for the way he is a man as this and kept everyone happy in the locker room along the way. Uh. Earlier in the day, we had the forty Niners go out and spoil the Cardinals. So the Cardinals now need to win in l A and have the uh or no, if they win in l A, they're in. Right. If the Cardinals win in l A, they are in. That's right, Okay, Okay, So that that is fairly simple for them. Uh. And they'll get They'll get John Walfer in that game. And and most likely, I should say, golf isn't necessarily totally out uh. As far as this game of Saragozo. Uh, just kind of a reminder of how good Robert Sala has been with this defense, and for anyone sort of looking at last year's forty Niners performance and saying like, oh, well, you know, they added Nick Bosa, so of course they got better defensively, And yes, having Nick Bosa definitely makes you better defensively, but Sala is doing it with what is I'll just I'll put it this way. They have multiple guys on that defense who wear numbers in the sixties, which you usually only see in the preseason. And it's just kind of like this is a preseason. This is like this is your second string defense and they're going out there and uh, you know you have this high pedigree Cardinals defense, and and Salah absolutely uh just had the Cardinals number in this one. Every time the Cardinals slid a protection, the forty Niners had a free runner coming at Kyler Murray. Uh. They just absolutely had the Cardinals figured out. And Robert Salad deserves a ton of credit for that. That's a really great point with the numbers, Gary, I hadn't thought about that, but that really illustrates just how shorthanded they are. Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, they're out some guys in the secondary. And I agree with you. I don't think he got as much credit as he deserved last season for the way that the defense played, and um, because they had so many good pieces up front, it seemed like, oh, well, it will be easy to scheme, but it's never easy to scheme a defense that can make a run to the Super Bowl. And they also this offseason traded away to Forest Buckner, so it's a very different unit that's been out there for most of this season. And this was really a masterpiece and hopefully he gets the consideration that he deserves in the head coaching searches that will see around the league because you know, he's really put together, um, some impressive game plans. He's he's been the kind of defensive coordinator that players say is a leader and really brings out the best in them. And it's always hard to get an opportunity when your team is playing deep into the postseason. It changes things in terms of the interview process. So this year that won't be uh, that won't be a deterrent and hopefully he gets consideration. And as far as the offense go, CJ be third, Uh a nice performance made it made a handful of plays when he needed to. Jeff Wilson, big day running the ball. I mean that that Kyle J. Hannahan just dials it up in the run game as well as a name in the league here, and that's a That's the way it went down, even with Robbie Golden missing a bunch of kicks, That's the way it went down on Saturday afternoon. Uh, the early game, I mean, look, this was just a ridiculous game. What's Matthew Stafford was out, The Lions had no chance of actually scoring points. It was just a question of what the Bucks get to fifty and no, they did not get to fifty points. So uh disappointment in Tampa, and they have to soothe their uh, their their wounds with the fact that they do make the playoffs with this win. Go back to the drawing board right, figure out what's ailing the offense. I did see some comments about, wow, there was all this criticism of how Arians was not maximizing Brady and look where they are now. But there were a lot of growing pains this season, and it did seem like a lot of the questions about if Arians was catering to Brady enough may have been coming from the Brady camp himself, because they all seemed orchestrated to come out the very same week. So I do think there were some growing pains. Obviously, they're at a good place. They've made the playoffs, and um, this was the kind of performance despite the fact that it was against a Lions coaching stuff that was very short handed, against the Lions defense that has not been good this season. Um, this was the kind of performance that you like to have before you go into the postseason. It was and they'll the host Atlanta in Week seventeen. Here and again, as my uh former podcast partner and my spiritual guru, Andy Beannoit would say, these are all professional football teams. Everyone is good, Uh, you know, Atlanta, Detroit, Atlanta. I mean, are are you feasting on some of the the the struggling teams, the teams that maybe don't have playoff calibert defenses? I guess we'll find out in the in the playoffs. Uh. And then finally the Christmas Night game the Saints, and look, Alvin Kamara was the headliner, and this one with the fact that he scored six touchdowns and he probably could have had seven and set the record, but uh, it looked like Sean Payton kind of changed his mind about patting the stats and then changed his mind again when they had another chance to score a touchdown on the final possession. But Kamara just rolls up a huge night here. I do want to say one thing in this game about the Saints events. The Saints were out there for nine two plays on on Sunday and then had to turn around in five days and play another game. Uh. And look at this Vikings team. They are a physical run game. That's how they want to beat teams. Uh. So the fact the Saints defense sort of held up and this wasn't their best game. This this wasn't a dominant performance. So it was a very good performance against this Vikings offense and uh a Viking seem overall that went there and beat them last January. Yeah, that's a great point. This was a defense that has played a lot of snaps, so it was encouraging to see them performed as well. And the Vikings. You would not expect a Mike Zimmer defense to uh struggle that much against the run. But it's just indicative of sort of what's happened to this team this year. They're they're missing, they lost a lot of pieces on on defense, Others opted out, and um, they just haven't had that same look that you have that they've consistently had during the Mike Zimmer era in Minnesota. All right, Jenny, you have the week Side podcast this week. Folks out there, if you're not already, subscribe and go subscribe now because we'll have lots more uh talk of of of playoffs scenarios, which thankfully we don't have to do a week from now. Jenny, when we take them Monday show, we'll know who's in and we'll be able to uh I don't know, just just let loose with all the takes. Sounds great, Gary can't Wait. The mm QB Monday Morning NFL podcast is Jenny Brentis and me Gary Grambling. We are produced by Shelby Royston, Sis, Executive Producer of Podcasts, and Scott Brody. Ben Eagle is director of Editorial Projects and product Mark Ravick is Emeritus editor of the MMQB, and Ivenois is the founder of the MMQB NFL podcast. 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