Tony Kornheiser (2:37)

That's right.

Mike Wilbon (2:38)

And they're big and bad and bold. They're well coached. They believe in what they're doing. And everybody else is second. Right now the Rams, they come close twice. They're not ready yet. They're not.

Tony Kornheiser (2:52)

So that was the craziest ending of the day. And I want to deal with people who bet on the Rams because their heads exploded at that moment. The Rams were getting three and a half points. So Mike, when they line up for the field goal, they're down. Even if they the field goal doesn't go, they're still going to cover because they're only down one. In this case they go down seven. They don't cover and they watch as a 336 pound man goes to the other side of the field. That is horrific if you are gambling on the Rams because the Rams at one point I think were up 26 to 7. Something like that. So the entire game, you're counting your money, you're sure you're going to win in this thing? This is not. Scotty Van Pelt refers to a bad beat. This is not a bad beat. This is the worst beat. And now I will agree with you completely on the Eagles. They're a terrific team and they have been for a while. You know, they're down by like 20 points and they come back at you and they win the game. They blocked two kicks. I've never seen so many blocks in a day. Who does it? Who blocks two kicks? I mean they stood up and they were really, really good when they had to be. Really, really good. And for the first time in two years, Mike, we're not talking about the Eagles in the context of the Tush push. We're now talking about the Eagles hearts, not their tushes.

Mike Wilbon (4:17)

Best team. Tony, you know we just signed an extension. I didn't know you were angling for espn Bet job. When you gonna do that? You and Joe Fortenbaugh? You and Joe Fortenbaugh? You gonna nudge me out? I'm just saying I don't understand. I don't understand anything you said. I don't want it in that sense.

Tony Kornheiser (4:35)

I know the number. I know the number. I know it was when I was plus three and a half. And I know all of a sudden the last play with 000 it's seven and you lose.

Mike Wilbon (4:43)

I'm glad you know all that stuff. I pay no attention. So we're going to set aside now the Eagles and the Bills who won Thursday and discuss the NFL's other unbeatens, the 49ers top the Cardinals. The Bucks edged the Jets. The Chargers scraped by the Broncos and the Colts. And Daniel Indiana Jones. I hate that nickname, but I sort of. I really do like it. I'm starting. Starting to grow.

Tony Kornheiser (5:04)

I like it.

Mike Wilbon (5:05)

Dominated the Titans. So which one stands out to you?

Tony Kornheiser (5:10)

Okay, so the perverse side of me wants to start with the Colts because they are 3 0. They got no business being 3 0. Nobody thought they were going to be 30 at quarterback. They have Daniel Jones. So you will remember the Giants got rid of the Giants, who are now 0 and 3. And if you watched last night, they have no quarterback and they can't score any touchdowns. So Jones has been terrific. The Colts have been terrific. They've scored 103 points in three games. None of Peyton Manning's teams at the Colts started the season with 103 points in three games. And they've only punted once all year. But that's the perverse side of me. I think in all fairness, you have to start with the Chargers. The Chargers did to the Broncos what the Eagles did to the Rams. They came back late. They were down 17:10 in the third. They were down 20 to 13 with about three minutes to go in the fourth. Something like that. And you know Justin Herbert, he's really good, right? I mean, he really delivers the ball he throws.

Mike Wilbon (6:13)

You coming to make the case through.

Tony Kornheiser (6:15)

That late touchdown pass, then got him in position for the winning field goal. They're a formidable team, Mike.

Mike Wilbon (6:22)

Tony is definitely the Chargers for me and everybody else did. Did fine work. By the way, how did the. How do the Giants feel about no Saquon Barkley and no Daniel Jones?

Tony Kornheiser (6:33)

Who.

Mike Wilbon (6:33)

The two of them are 6 and 0 and then. And the Giants still looking to win a game. It's the Chargers. Okay. Because the Chargers have Harbaugh and Herbert. I said this last week I'm repeating myself just like I did with the Eagles. Listen, you can make the case, and I'm never going. I'm going to set Patrick Mahomes aside because he, too, just does whatever he has to do, including recovering a fumble on the ground to help his team win a game. So I'm going to set Patrick Mahomes and his super bowl rings aside. If you ask me who I'm going to take right now, the answer is Justin Herbert, man. And I will get to my man Caleb. And in the future, you know, a couple of years from now, I may want him. Herbert's in that place. What is he in his fifth or sixth season. He's got a coach who, who is perfect for him, who pumps him up and makes him feel great and he's got all the requisite skills and the arm you need. And now he's got a team. And, and, and Jim Har. I'm sorry. Yeah, Jim, not John. Jim Harbaugh is not going to let them take a nap. He's not going to do that. Tony the Charge and they beaten three division opponents.

Tony Kornheiser (7:43)

Yeah, they've gone through that schedule very well and I don't want to give short shrift to the 49ers or to Tampa Bay. The 49ers, they're pretty much running on fumes. Bosa just went out. He's out for the rest of the season. They're on a second string quarterback. They don't have any offense. They average less than 20 points a game. Their entire total three. And oh, they are plus 10. And if you think that's low, Tampa Bay's plus six. That's all they are. Tampa Bay has won their first three games in the last minute of the game. The first team ever in the NFL to open three wins last minute because Baker Mayfield is a stud this year and has been for a couple of years. Let's move, let's move to your division, Mike. The NFC North. Let's look at the three results from yesterday. The packers lost to the Browns in the last second. The Vikings without JJ McCarthy destroyed Cincinnati 48 10. And your Bears got on the board beating Dallas Handley 31 14. So I will ask you, fearing your hometown answer, which was the biggest result of these three?

Mike Wilbon (8:44)

Well, the biggest result was probably the packers going down in Cleveland to a great defense, but a team that can't score. Jordan Love throwing that stupid interception late that just. That warmed my heart nearly as much as watching Caleb Williams go for four touchdowns and no picks and the first time he's played a game in the NFL without being sacked. That's pretty big news too. Now, do I believe the Bears are going to automatically go on some roll based on that first game? No, because our defense isn't any good. The Bears defense is just. It's nearly as bad as Dallas's defense, which stinks. The Cowboys rushed for an average of six plus yards per rush in that game against the Bears yesterday, who got some turnovers, who came up with some really nice plays defensively against that passing game in a strip fumble. The Bears were resourceful and Caleb Williams was great. So. So they're both of a part, but the packers going down like they did Tony at Cleveland. That was a surprise. A lot of people thought the Bears would run up some points against the Cowboys. The Cowboys. And they did.

Tony Kornheiser (9:51)

I know that you went to the Bears game yesterday.

Mike Wilbon (9:53)

I know you did.

Tony Kornheiser (9:54)

I sat with your boys. Richard. Dent. Dent.

Mike Wilbon (9:58)

Otis, my man. Otis, my man. Wilson.

Tony Kornheiser (10:00)

Otis Wilson.

Mike Wilbon (10:00)

Yes.

Tony Kornheiser (10:00)

Otis Wilson. I know you saw Caleb Williams, dad, before the game. I know Caleb Williams had a great game. And as you point out, no sacks for the first time. But it warms my heart to hear you admit that the bigger deal was the packers losing to the Browns. Yeah, okay. Because two weeks ago, not last week, but two weeks ago, you had the packers in the super bowl and nobody Browns were even going to win six games. Right? And the Browns aren't going to do that. The Browns defense, they have no offense, but the Browns defense was tremendous. They chased Jordan Love all over the field. They sacked him five times so he looked like Caleb Williams used to look. They held that team to 2.6 yards per rush. They held him to 10 points in the game and no points in the fourth quarter. And they too blocked the kick. Everybody blocked the kick yesterday. And they won late. And that was tremendously surprising. Neither of us can make a judgment on Minnesota because when both starting quarterbacks are out and you get a result, you don't know what it means. You honestly don't know what it means with Minnesota. So it is the packers, and that was a big deal. Let's take a break. Coming up, Indiana smashed Illinois on Saturday. But there was a more intriguing result or but was there a more intriguing result from the college football weekend and.

Mike Wilbon (11:16)

The Mariner sweep the stro. So which race in baseball now deserves our attention the most? Yeah, Tony, you watch it with Denton or will you know how much I feel? I know today guys who are great players calling out things before they happen. It was like they had a direct line to the field when they were screaming that the Bears run the damn ball. They ran it 11 times in a row.

Tony Kornheiser (11:38)

Have you ever. Have you ever seen so many block field goals? Have you ever seen a lot?

Mike Wilbon (11:43)

No, there's never been four. Like in one week or something. It was crazy.

Tony Kornheiser (11:47)

Wow. Cleveland Kitchen part in the interruption is brought to you by the all new ESPN app. All of ESPN all in one place, your home for the most and best live sports.

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Tony Kornheiser (13:36)

Time to find out what matters to the masses. I got the mailbox here. Let me put on my glasses and get the first one. What was the most intriguing result of the college football weekend?

Mike Wilbon (13:48)

Well, Tony, for me there were two. I called you about one of them. I called you at halftime and you didn't think Syracuse was gonna hold on and beat Clemson. That was one of them.

Tony Kornheiser (13:57)

Did not.

Mike Wilbon (13:57)

But then the main event came for me a few hours later when Indiana beat Illinois 170 to 2. That was a stunner to me. Cause I thought those two teams were even if you'd asked me, okay, going in, who's going to win this game? Indiana had some home field advantage. Illinois slightly higher ranked. I thought it was going to be a tussle. It was no tussle. What the hell happened to the Illini? I just, I cannot get over the result. Now I know Signetti. I realize the coach of Indiana is really good at what he does, even if he annoys the hell out of a lot of us in the Midwest. He's really, really good. They were in the playoff last year, lost Notre Dame. They may get back there. They got some tough games coming up because the Big Ten's loaded. But wow, Tony, that was the stunner to me.

Tony Kornheiser (14:46)

I will tell the people about the conversation we had about that Game. Because I asked you, does the coach at Indiana have a problem with the coach at Illinois or with the University of Illinois? Because 63 to 10 in a conference game. 63. And I asked you, did he run it up? And that's an important game. As is the fact that Bill Belichick's team lost to Central Florida34.9, which is bad, as is Miami suffocating Florida. But there is no doubt in my mind that the biggest news is Clemson losing at home to Syracuse. 34, 21. That's unthinkable to me. Earlier this year, Syracuse gave up more points, 24 to Colgate. Then they just gave up at Clemson. To me, Mike, and to you too, this starts the clock on Dabo Sweeney. I'm not saying that anyone's gonna fire him, but I don't think we're gonna hear another whiny press conference. And I think he's gotta start thinking in his mind, where is the soft landing for me? Is there some other place I wanna coach than here? Gain? Yeah. Cause I think that's unbelievable. To lose to Syracuse at home. It's unbelievable.

Mike Wilbon (15:55)

It is.

Tony Kornheiser (15:56)

It is.

Mike Wilbon (15:56)

That is such. It's Jockey.

Tony Kornheiser (15:57)

What's next?

Mike Wilbon (15:58)

Shocking. What's next?

Tony Kornheiser (16:00)

It's the final week of the baseball season. Which race are you most interested in?

Mike Wilbon (16:05)

Well, I'm still interested. I know that the Mariners just sort of put some distance between themselves and the Strobes. I get they went down to Houston and they want. I still care about the National League. And I know the National League is not as interesting as the American League. So I'm going to take something that again, is a child of the Midwest interest me specifically, and that's Cleveland and Detroit. That is not a. That shouldn't have been a race. I mean, Detroit led by such a wide margin some weeks ago that I would just look at the standings and go, okay, I'll check back when we start doing the seedings. 1 October, there was no way the Guardians could catch the Tigers, and now they can. And so it's that race. Head to head, Tony. Head to head.

Tony Kornheiser (16:51)

I understand that Detroit was up by 15 and a half games. They're now up by one. And they gotta go to Cleveland starting tomorrow night, I believe for three games. But that collapse is not close to the Mets. I am looking at the wild card, the third wild card in the National League, where the Mets are now even with Cincinnati, child of the Midwest and one ahead of Arizona. On August 1, the Mets record was 62 47. And since then, they are 18, 29 and Buster only told us last week. And if they don't make the wild card, it's going to be the biggest collapse in history. In history. And I just want to say one thing about that game yesterday that they lost to the Nats. They lost two out of three to the Nats. Jacob Young made one of the greatest catches I have ever seen.

Mike Wilbon (17:33)

Yesterday he made two great catches.

Tony Kornheiser (17:35)

He yeah, but the first one, he takes the home run over the wall, brings it back and then loses the ball. The ball is falling to the ground. He kicks it with his right foot, kicks it in the air and makes the catch and it's an out. And that is just a marvelous catch. Absolutely Marvel. Marvelous. Guys, just enough email. Let's take one last break. Still to come, Bruce Pearl makes a surprising career decision.

Mike Wilbon (18:00)

What's the big takeaway from the Chiefs beating the Giants? The Cubs went in the tank, hadn't lost four games in a row all season and just gave four to Cincinnati. Now, I understand wrestling. I understand.

Tony Kornheiser (18:16)

The Mets could miss the playoffs. After all this, after all the money that was spent.

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Tony Kornheiser (20:14)

Happy time people. Happy 76th birthday. Harold Carmichael, the Philadelphia Eagles great wide receiver was elected to the hall of fame in 2020 by a veterans committee after waiting more than three decades for the honor. Carmichael, who played for The Eagles from 1971 to 1983, is still the team's all time leader in career receptions, 589, in yards 8,978 and in receiving touchdowns 79. Carmichaels, a seventh round draft pick out of Southern, had his best season in 1973 when Roman Gabriel was the Eagles quarterback. They combined for 67 receptions and 1,116 yards, best in the NFL after Gabriel Carmichael's quarterback was our great friend Ron Jaworski. Jaws to Carmichael resulted in 335 receptions over seven seasons and Carmichael was the NFL's man of the Year in 1980.

Mike Wilbon (21:07)

And if you think Harold Carmichael in those clips looks a little bit bigger than the defensive acts trying to cover him, that's because he's 6, 8 and they're not. But just a great receiver and a great dude.

Tony Kornheiser (21:19)

A not so happy anniversary Mario Cristobal on this day seven years ago, the then Oregon coach opted not to kneel and run out the clock with his ducks up three at Stanford's 42 and under a minute left, Oregon fumble and Stanford drove down the length of the field for a tying field goal and ultimately a shocking victory. Cristobal did the same thing in 2023 coaching Miami and lost to Georgia Tech. But Cristobal is sitting pretty in Coral Gables right now. His 40 canes beat in state rival Florida on Saturday, they beaten Notre Dame in South Florida and now number two Miami will play number eight Florida State in two Saturdays for the mythical Champions Championship of the Sunshine State.

Mike Wilbon (22:00)

Tony, seems like we're in a position where Miami could be national champion again and I don't know that anybody started the year thinking or talking about them going that far being that good. But look, it seems possible, doesn't it?

Tony Kornheiser (22:16)

Well, they're up to two already so yeah, yeah it does. Happy trails to coaching for Bruce Pearl, the Auburn coaches style stepping down to become an ambassador for the athletic department. In his place, the school gave a five year deal to his son Stephen Pearl is 65. He has had terrific teams at Milwaukee, Tennessee and Auburn which made the Final Four last season and in 2019. His decision comes about a year after Tony Bennett did the same thing at UVA. Pearl said he will not run for the U.S. senate, something that had been rumored.

Mike Wilbon (22:49)

Tony, he become a divisive person, it seems to me, intentionally. And I hope there was pressure to just get him out.

Tony Kornheiser (22:57)

Really. I really liked him. He was such a great guest. We're on the other side on him. A melancholy trail is to Bernie Perant. The hall of Fame goaltender has died at the age of 80. Perant was in the net for the Flyers only two Stanley cup championships during their Broad Street Bullies era. With Bobby Clark over a 13 year career, he made five all star teams. He won two Vesna trophies as the NHL's top goaltender and Tucan Smythes as playoff MVP. And we have now lost three legendary goalies just this month. Perant, Eddie Jocheman and Ken Dryden.

Mike Wilbon (23:30)

From a time, Tony, when not everybody had a mask all the time at the beginning of their careers. Sad to lose them. Some things don't need to come in threes, that's for sure.

Tony Kornheiser (23:40)

One omission. Rocket starting point guard Fred Van Vliet reportedly tore his right acl.

Mike Wilbon (23:46)

Mike, that could be team altering. That's a huge loss for the Rockets. Tone. Sad to hear that.

Tony Kornheiser (23:52)

Yeah. Let's go to the big finish if we could.

Mike Wilbon (23:54)

Let's do it.

Tony Kornheiser (23:54)

The Texans, they're 03 after losing to the Jaguars. There's cause for concern, right?

Mike Wilbon (24:00)

Yeah. Cause they're wasting a great defense. They can't score at all. Yes. Concerned if you're there. The Chiefs beat the Giants. Were you impressed with that win?

Tony Kornheiser (24:10)

Okay. The Chiefs had to win that game. The. The Giants aren't any good. You know, they got a problem in quarterback. They're not any good. The Fever beat the Aces in game one. Did that make sense to you?

Mike Wilbon (24:21)

No. And the aces, after winning 17 in a row, have now been off form three games. That's just a little weird. The Falcons replaced Michael Penix Jr. In game with Kirk Cousins late yesterday. Your read on that?

Tony Kornheiser (24:37)

My read is that they're not going to bench Pennocks, but it's a little too soon to anoint him as the greatest player in the world. And they got a guy they're paying millions to on the bench. You put him in the game. Doesn't mean they change. Last one. Monday Night Football. Lions at Ravens. Who you got tonight?

Mike Wilbon (24:52)

All right. That's a. That's a great matchup. I got skin in that game. From an emotional standpoint, so I'm rooting for the Ravens to take out the Lions. Want to see if the Lions were the team they were that lost to the packers, the team team up north in week one or the team that beat the daylights out of my Bears in week two.

Tony Kornheiser (25:11)

Ravens are a really good regular season team. I expect them to win their problems in the playoffs. We are out of time. We'll try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

Mike Wilbon (25:21)

And I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow. Knuckleheads. Talk about stepping up.

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