NFL Cover Zero: Top 5 Teams, Tailgate Weddings, and Week 2 Previews!
Podcast: KSR – NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones & Drew Franklin
Date: September 11, 2025
Overview
In this episode, Matt Jones and Drew Franklin recap a chaotic Week 1 in the NFL, debate the league's top contenders and biggest disappointments, and dive into a quirky Browns tailgate wedding interview. They also preview Week 2’s juiciest matchups, hit on the week’s wildest news, and keep up with their survivor and anytime touchdown pools—all while delivering their trademark wit and banter.
Table of Contents
- Week 1 Recap: Surprises and Disappointments
- Top 5 & Bottom 3 NFL Teams (as of Week 2)
- Notable News and Storylines
- Interview: Browns Tailgate Wedding
- Week 2 Previews & Predictions
- Survivor & Anytime TD Picks
- Fun Moments, Quotes, and Banter
- Key Timestamps
1. Week 1 Recap: Surprises and Disappointments
Matt and Drew kick off by recapping the roller coaster of Week 1—highlighting the strong TV ratings, exhilarating finishes, and the heartbreak of their own teams.
Major Takeaways:
- Packers' Dominance: "The absolute dismantling of the Lions... Jordan Love is kind of doing whatever he wants." (Matt, 07:25)
- Bears Meltdown: Matt laments his Bears’ collapse: "They didn’t score again until the middle of the fourth quarter. The Bears are cursed…" (Matt, 02:16)
- Dolphins Disaster: "The Dolphins were an absolute disaster. Does Mike McDaniel make it out of, say, week six?" (Matt, 06:42)
- Drew: "There's just not a lot of optimism in Miami right now." (06:57)
- Micah Parsons Impact: "Seeing how well Micah Parsons fits in immediately..." (Matt, 06:28)
2. Top 5 & Bottom 3 NFL Teams (As of Week 2)
Matt and Drew reveal their power rankings, with lively debate (and disagreement!).
Matt's Top 5:
- Eagles (Super Bowl champs, ride until they lose)
- Bills ("After you beat the Ravens, have to be number two.")
- Packers ("Because of how good they looked... knock off the Lions.")
- Ravens ("Should have won... best team through most of game.")
- Chiefs ("Based on reputation, but with a worrisome…")
Drew's Top 5:
- Eagles
- Ravens ("Even though they lost, I'm putting Baltimore.")
- Bills
- Packers
- Chiefs
Challenge Flag Moment:
Matt: "I'm throwing a challenge flag. You cannot have one game—one team beats the other one and you put them ahead of them. You can't." (10:43)
Drew: "I just did it. It's pretty cool. I just did it." (10:52)
Bottom 3 (Discussed in passing, focused more on Dolphins and other underperformers.)
3. Notable News and Storylines
Billy R Sports rounds up the week's key NFL headlines, sparking sharp commentary:
Travis Kelsey… the Responsible Vet
- Kelsey took the blame for teammate Xavier Worthy’s week-one injury:
"He completely took responsibility, basically said, this was on me... I have to be better." (Matt, 12:39)
Taylor Swift Super Bowl Rumors
- Discussed as likely Super Bowl 60 halftime performer (Coke vs. Pepsi deal, numerology, Easter eggs):
"She makes [sourdough] about 60% of the time, which they think was a hint that she was going to do Super Bowl 60." (Matt, 16:58)
Drew: "If this were anyone else, I'd say this is stupid. But she's big on numerology... I kind of believe she's dropping another hint there." (17:17)
Fan Bans and NFL Security
- Bills fan banned “indefinitely” for shoving Lamar Jackson and DeAndre Hopkins.
"How do they make sure he doesn’t get in? What if he has a fake mustache?" (Matt, 18:22)
"I have a friend that's banned from Toronto Blue Jay games... How do you pull this off?" (Drew and Matt, 18:50)
Travis Hunter’s Two-Way Hype
- More defensive snaps coming:
"He had six receptions for 33 yards... only six snaps on defense. How many snaps do you think he could actually get?" (Matt, 21:38)
NFL Coach Rule Blunder
- Titans coach Callahan botched a catch challenge by not knowing the rule.
"It's a really bad look... Every football team needs a director of common sense on the sideline." (Matt, 24:09)
Drew: "It's not just him. You have a whole booth... How did no one in a Titans headset go 'hey, that's a catch'?" (25:44)
Jalen Carter’s Fine
- Ejected and fined $57,000 for spitting on Dak Prescott.
"Is there a book that's like—spit $57,000... How do we calculate what that wad of spit cost?" (Drew, 27:14)
Matt: "Each piece of spittle is worth $16,300 and we're going to get to 50—three and a half spittles." (27:35)
Quick Hits:
- Kicker Jake Moody (49ers) and punt returner Xavier Gibson (Jets) cut for crucial mistakes (28:51)
- Kicker ball prep conspiracies: "Each kicker is allowed to massage and deep rub his balls before the game..." (Matt, 30:41)
4. Interview: Browns Tailgate Wedding (36:23–49:56)
Guests:
- Brown Spider & First Lady—two diehard Browns fans who got married in style at a Week 1 tailgate.
Interview Highlights:
- Their “Meet Cute": Met after a 2021 KC game in a distinctively Spider-Man–themed car.
- Love—Despite the Browns:
"You get used to it being a Browns fan. You get used to ups and downs... embrace the community of suffering." (Brown Spider, 41:31)
- Why a Tailgate Wedding?
"If a man is willing to marry you, you get married where he says you're getting married." (First Lady, 43:54)
- Details: 100 invited guests and open to everyone in the Muni Lot; stage, music—rained out but Brown Spider ad-libbed with rapping.
- Favorite Browns Players:
- Brown Spider: "Bernie Kosar... represents everything it means to be a Browns fan." (47:39)
- First Lady: "Myles Garrett... humble, dinosaur loving, Spider Man loving." (48:23)
- Honeymoon: Browns game in London.
5. Week 2 Previews & Predictions
Highlighted Matchups & Analysis:
-
Packers vs. Commanders (Thursday Night)
- "Home team on Thursday night has a huge advantage... I'm gonna take Jordan Love in the pack." (Matt, 57:43)
-
Eagles vs. Chiefs (Super Bowl Rematch, Sunday 4:30 ET)
- Drew: "Chiefs can't go 0-2... laser focused Travis Kelsey." (58:43)
- Matt: "The Chiefs are going to be one of the teams that goes 0-2 and still makes the playoffs. I think they're going to lose this week." (59:13)
-
Bears at Lions
- Drew: "I don't know if the Caleb Williams experiment is going to be what you want." (60:32)
- Matt: "I'm not out. But he's got to make those throws." (60:49)
-
Patriots at Dolphins / Bills at Jets
- "Whoever loses this game, especially if you lose ineptly, I'm scratching you off." (Matt, 62:13)
- Drew: "Jets will cover, but the Bills will still win... finally have a competitive Jets Bills game for the first time in a while." (63:26)
- Matt: "I think they destroy them... load up on the Bills." (64:00)
-
Other Quick Picks: Broncos-Colts, Bengals-Jags, Chargers-Raiders, Rams-Titans (see timestamps 66:20–70:31)
6. Survivor & Anytime TD Picks
Survivor Pool Week 2 Selections:
- Drew: Cowboys vs. Giants ("...believing in the Giants sucking more than the Cowboys doing well." 72:16)
- Billy: Cardinals over Panthers ("I'm giving Kyler Murray the chance to prove us wrong." 73:16)
- Matt: Ravens at home vs. Browns ("Is there an easier game on the schedule for the Ravens than Browns at home?" 74:06)
Anytime Touchdown Scorer Pool:
- Billy: Jonathan Taylor (Colts)
- Matt: Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
- Drew: Jamar Chase (Bengals)
7. Fun Moments, Quotes, and Banter
- Matt’s tale of nearly being detained at the Canadian border for “offenses, including farting.” (05:29)
- Bears 1985 nostalgia: "It was cool to see the 85 Bears back... It was weird to see them in their 60s and 70s." (03:18)
- Spider-Man car, Ninja Turtles as superheroes, and Andy Warhol tangents (53:15)
- Drew’s football trauma: “If there’s any sports trauma that I carry with me, it’s Kentucky basketball with Wisconsin, and it’s the Rams–Titan Super Bowl. Those two still hurt me where Jesus lives.” (70:29)
8. Key Timestamps
| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:10 | Show opens – Week 1 overview | | 06:02 | Week 1: Biggest surprises & disappointments | | 08:35 | Top 5 teams debate | | 12:18 | News headlines with Billy | | 36:23 | Browns tailgate wedding interview begins | | 49:56 | Interview ends, reactions | | 56:00 | Week 2 game previews begin | | 72:02 | Survivor pool picks | | 75:32 | Anytime touchdown picks |
In Closing
This episode had it all: sharp NFL analysis, quirky personal stories, a stadium parking lot wedding, and high-spirited banter. Matt, Drew, and Billy keep things fresh by blending diehard football talk with irreverent humor—never missing a beat, whether they’re breaking down power rankings, pondering Super Bowl penchants, or just musing about superhero cars. If you missed the episode, this summary covers the play-by-play.
