KSR NFL Cover Zero: Bears/Bengals Madness, Celebrity Couples, and Upset Wins!

Episode Date: November 3, 2025
Hosts: Matt Jones & Drew Franklin
Podcast: KSR, iHeartPodcasts / Sports Talk 790

Episode Overview

This episode delivers an energetic, first-person recap of an NFL Week 9 headlined by the astonishing Bears vs. Bengals game, followed by deep dives into other wild finishes, upsets, quirky NFL stats, and even NFL celebrity couple rankings. Matt Jones kicks the show off still buzzing from witnessing his first in-person Bears win, recounts one of the wildest football games of his life, and, along with Drew Franklin, takes listeners through all the NFL's biggest action and oddities from week nine.

Main Theme

A night of NFL chaos and celebration, featuring Matt's euphoric Bears experience, a breakdown of unique game moments and wild finishes across the league, and side conversations on NFL culture, from coaching miscues to pop celebrity romances.

Key Segments & Time Stamps

• [01:58] Bears-Bengals Wildness: Matt's In-Person Recap
• [24:04] Bills-Chiefs Rivalry & Playoff Implications
• [35:04] NFL Life Events: Funerals, Weddings, Babies at Tailgates
• [36:07] Patriots/Falcons, Late-Game Decisions & MVP Talk
• [38:15] NFL Celebrity Couple Power Rankings
• [43:17] Broncos-Texans: Sideline Drama & Kicker Psyche
• [46:12] Cameo Price-Guessing Game: NFL & Pop Culture Figures
• [57:39] Packers-Panthers: Upset, QB Questions, Uniform Controversy
• [62:23] Titans-Chargers: ‘Winning’ by Covering the Spread
• [66:15] Sunday Night: Seahawks Roll, Commanders Collapse
• [68:05] Survivor League/Weekly Challenges & Listener Interaction

Bears vs. Bengals: A Personal, Immediate Classic

Matt’s In-Person Account
Time Stamp: [01:58] – [17:18]

• Matt describes the scene—a Cincinnati stadium packed with drunk, rowdy fans (“I did my ESPN pregame show at the Holy Grail bar. People were already drunk before the game…” [03:39]) and a surprising takeover by Bears fans.
• “I personally had never seen the Bears win in person. …I’ve been to seven Bears games in my life. In person. We were 0 and 7.” ([06:05])
• The game was wild from kickoff - “By the time I get into the stadium, it’s already 7 to 7. …The Bengals might have the worst defense that anyone has ever had.” ([03:39-04:13])
• Matt details a second-half sequence with crazy turnovers and reversed touchdowns (“Joe Flacco, on three plays, throws two interceptions…both called back…celebrated two touchdown interception returns only to have them both called back.” [04:51])
• Iconic fan moments: “Bears fans are chanting, ‘Green Bay sucks.’” ([06:25])
• Heartbreak and redemption—after a disastrous onside kick (“The Bears guy just decides to come in over and he kicked it himself.” [09:04]), the Bengals take the lead, only for the Bears to win it back on a wild, multi-defender-bouncing TD (“I counted six different players hit Loveland—nobody brought him down.” [11:05])
• Drew sums it up: “Even after all the craziness…I thought ball game, there can’t be any more magic left in this.” ([11:32])
• Matt’s deepest joy: “After the game, high-fiving strangers on the way out—the best part of sports.” ([71:19, 71:48])

Notable Quotes from Bears/Bengals

• Matt Jones: “Seriously. It is in the book of Ezekiel: ‘Ye shall be disappointed by Trey Hendrickson.’” ([10:47])
• Drew Franklin: “I looked around at the Bears’ fans in the crowd and it’s the saddest group of people I’ve ever seen.” ([10:02])
• Matt Jones: “This will be the worst loss in history. …But there’s still 40 seconds left, and the Bengals Defense is the worst defense that God has ever created.” ([10:10])
• Drew Franklin: “Chase Brown and Jamar Chase are both like, ‘We’re scoring. How can we not stop someone?’ …they were that blatant with expletives calling out the defense.” ([12:09])

Other Games & NFL Themes

Bills-Chiefs: The Rivalry & Its Regular Season Curse

Time Stamp: [24:04] – [26:31]

• Bills win another regular season nail-biter. Allen’s best completion percentage (88%), Mahomes' worst (44%).
• Matt: “The Bills have won all five regular season meetings. The Chiefs have won all four postseason meetings. …It almost makes the regular season wins worse, doesn’t it?” ([25:03])
• Playoff implications: Chiefs currently on the bubble; regular season drama might repeat come postseason.

Life Events at NFL Tailgates

Time Stamp: [35:04] – [36:07]

• From a fan’s “funeral” for the Steelers defense (they respond with 6 turnovers) to wild speculation about babies being born at tailgates.
• Hilarious funeral philosophy: “When you die…do you want a fun funeral or a sad one?”
  • Drew: “Let’s have a party!”
  • Matt: “I want it to be very sad… have some tears.” ([32:20])

Patriots/Falcons & MVP Race

Time Stamp: [36:07] – [38:15]

• Questionable Falcons call (punting 4th and 20), Drake May’s rising MVP candidacy, and the Patriots’ new “cool” factor (Cardi B sighting).
• “Cardi B, Robert Kraft and celebrity couples—the Patriots are getting kind of cool.” ([38:29])

NFL Celebrity Couple Rankings

Time Stamp: [38:15] – [41:04]

• Swift & Kelce dominate. Allen/Steinfeld and Diggs/Cardi B debate for #2 slot.
• “I would put [Allen/Steinfeld] third. And then I think Russell and Ciara…dropped to four.” ([39:54])
• “Enough to impregnate each other. …Their love moved fast.” ([39:29])

Coaching Blunders & Trickery

• Matt eviscerates Bengals HC Zach Taylor: “Zach Taylor…should be playing golf with Hugh Freeze tomorrow.” ([13:08])
• Multiple Bears trick plays, including a backup QB (Tyler Bagent) as WR; Bengals are completely fooled.

Head-Scratching NFL Rules & Referee Decisions

• Intentional grounding isn’t reviewable (Bills/Chiefs call); questioning which infractions should be reviewable. ([27:01])
• Early in Bears-Bengals, a 14-yard Flacco pass is (incorrectly) called a fumble—“Maybe the worst call I’ve ever seen.” (29:07)

Quick Hits & Quirky Stats

• Broncos-Texans: Kicker psychology—should the coach talk to him before a big kick? Drew: “Leave me alone.”
• Four Denver 4th-quarter comeback wins, including this one.
• Packers-Panthers: Panthers—underdogs every game, still 5-4. Packers’ “clown” uniforms—Matt and Drew loathe the loss of iconic looks.
• Titans-Chargers Sadness: The only celebration—covering the spread.

Upset Wins & Tricks

• Jaguars squeak by Raiders via a gutsy 4th-and-1, questionable but smart decision-making.
• Raiders opt for two—hosts approve.
• Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy proves Billy wrong, sparking a humorous on-air apology ([51:14]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Matt Jones: “Of all the things to do, it [punching a helmet] makes the least sense. ...That’s why it’s there, to keep people from getting hurt!”—on Trayvon Walker’s ejection ([50:48])
• Drew Franklin: “You have a geriatric on your team out there. He has taken his Metamucil. He’s got his AARP card…don’t you owe it to him to at least make a tackle?” ([19:47])
• On Uniforms: “You can’t just have the Cowboys showing up with candy canes on them!”—Matt ([59:52])

Listener Engagement: Survivor Pools, Weekly Bets, and More

• Ongoing Survivor League updates, QB/rushing bets (“I had the Rams, they won easily. You had the Chargers less easily, but they won. Now we’re both still in it.” [68:05])
• Next week’s survivor picks: Matt leans Bills, Drew considers Seahawks or Panthers.

Memorable Side Tangents

• Cameo Price-Guessing Game ([46:12] - [56:12])
  • Riffing on the cost of personalized messages from NFL legends and pop culture figures—Bo Jackson at $550, David Ortiz at $650, and Ray Lewis at $330.
  • “I think you’re overpriced at 20, but you’re a bargain at 4. …$7.36 feels like the right price for you.” ([52:30])

Episode Tone & Flair

• Irreverent, self-deprecating, and deeply personal.
• Play-by-play emotional swings—whether over a Bears comeback or Matt’s fantasy of a miserable funeral.
• Humorous nitpicking that feels like a fan-to-fan conversation.

Takeaways for Non-Listeners

• Matt’s live Bears-Bengals recap alone is worth the episode—an epic, statistically bizarre game with high drama and swings.
• The episode is a potpourri of insightful breakdown, hilarious anecdotes, and in-the-weeds NFL discussions, from trick plays to the aesthetics of uniforms and even cultural oddities like celebrity couples.
• Entertaining banter delivers both genuine insight and a feeling of sports-fan camaraderie—something to enjoy even if you missed the week’s chaos on the field.

For next week:
Matt and Drew head to Buffalo for the Bills game—soliciting food and sightseeing tips. The survivor league continues, and the NFL’s madness shows no signs of slowing.