Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron (ESPN Radio)

Episode: Hour 2: Must Win Week 1?
Date: September 7, 2025
Hosts: Matt Jones, Myron Medcalf

Episode Overview

In this fast-paced Week 1 NFL conversation, Matt Jones and Myron Medcalf dive into the make-or-break stakes of opening weekend for several teams and coaches, tackle the new NFL storylines, and break down notable news across the sports landscape. They mix sharp analysis with their signature banter—all as the Sunday countdown to kickoff draws close.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

AFC Showdowns & Quarterback Pressure

• Bills vs. Ravens: The Mahomes Window and QB Legacies

  • Game importance: Both hosts agree that the Sunday Night Football clash is a major test for Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, each facing pressure to avoid being the "next Dan Marino" (a great QB without a Super Bowl ring).
  • On Mahomes and shifting windows (01:47):
    • Myron: “There’s a fight between Lamar and Josh Allen to avoid becoming this generation’s Dan Marino...If you don’t get it done, you may not get this opportunity in the future.”
  • AFC Logjam: Matt notes that because all the top QBs are in the same conference, not everyone can win, unlike the NFC (02:16).
  • Stakes for Ravens especially high: As home team and after last year’s heartbreak, a loss could set the tone for skepticism about Baltimore as true contenders (03:54):
    • Matt: “If the Bills lose, they can say, okay, it was on their home field, whatever. But for the Ravens, I feel like just mentally, Myron, this is a big game.”
  • Pressure Difrerentials:
    • Myron: “Lamar’s facing a different level of pressure than even Josh Allen...the window feels smaller for Lamar Jackson to get a Super Bowl than it does for Josh Allen.” (04:38)

• AFC East: Dolphins vs. Colts, McDaniel’s Job on the Line

  • Coach in Hot Water: The Dolphins’ coach Mike McDaniel faces must-win stakes after off-season drama, especially Tyreek Hill’s public trade demand and locker room tension (06:56).
    • Myron: “I also don’t know where there’s the evidence that Mike McDaniel is a good head coach. Where are the signs? ... He has to do [that] rather quickly at the start of this season.”
  • Player-Coach Dynamics: Matt compares McDaniel’s trajectory to a high school cool parent who eventually loses the kids’ respect (07:40).
    • Matt: “There comes a point where you can only go to the pool so many times and you go, all right, this guy’s starting to wear on my nerves.”
  • Locker Room Authority:
    • Myron: “You can be a player’s coach but you can’t be a player’s coach to the point where people don’t respect you.” (09:22)

• Colts’ QB Woes: The start of Daniel Jones means tough times for Anthony Richardson and uncertainty about Coach Shane Steichen’s future (09:40).

Breaking NFL News

• Christian McCaffrey to Play:
  • Breaking announcement (10:05, revisited at 31:39): Matt, Myron, and James react (playfully) to Adam Schefter reporting that San Francisco’s star RB will play despite a late-week calf injury.
    • “Go outside, knock on your neighbor’s door and tell them…” - Matt (10:51)
  • Fantasy perspective (31:47):
    • Myron: “This is a huge deal...Anything with Christian McCaffrey has to be concerning. ... He’s always struggled to stay healthy.”

Sunday Morning Headlines – Notable Moments from Other Sports (13:50)

1. NBA: Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, and Endorsement Scandal

• The NBA investigates owner Steve Ballmer and the Clippers after Kawhi Leonard’s $28 million endorsement from a Ballmer-linked company.
  • Myron: “If there’s evidence...the NBA is going to really severely punish both the Clippers and Steve Ballmer to try to deter others from doing something similar in the future.” (14:15)
  • Matt believes these infractions will become more common with younger, connected billionaire owners (14:42).

2. College Football: Alabama Fandom

• Bama crushes UL Monroe, but the fanbase is still irate after losing to FSU.
• Viral clip: Alabama fan says on WHNT News 19 she’d spend lottery winnings to fire coach Kalyn DeBoer (16:58).
  • Matt: “First of all, she sounds like Alabama. You know, I can tell country when somebody starts with ‘I’ll tell you what I’d do.’” (17:08)

3. WNBA: Angel Reese Suspended

• Chicago Sky suspend Angel Reese for “bombastic” comments criticizing teammates and the organization (19:01).
  • Myron: “My most disappointing thing was that she...said her comments were taken out of context, which, that’s always the easy line from athletes...I don’t know how she can remain a member of that team after something like this.” (19:30)
  • Matt: “You want to be loud and outspoken, get endorsements for it. ... However, when they then come back at you for something you say, you cannot complain.” (20:09)

4. MLB Teammate Drama: Pitcher Hits Own Catcher (21:06)

• Astros’ pitcher Valdez throws a wild pitch and then beans his own catcher after a miscue; both hosts condemn the action as “not the best teammate in the world.”
  • Myron: “Baseball players I don’t think realize how hard a baseball is sometimes...To me, you gotta fight him.” (22:15)
  • Matt tells a story about baseball lifers and “old guys” still crushing it in batting practice for levity.

NFC North/NFC West: Must-Win Season Openers

Packers vs. Lions: Measuring Success After Losing Key Coaches

• Coordinators Gone:
  • Myron draws a parallel to the Eagles’ struggles after losing both coordinators:
    • “I do think losing your coordinators means a ton…Can the new guys keep the Lions a Super Bowl threat?” (25:21)
  • Question on Lions’ Window:
    • Matt: “The Lions have gone from feel-good, surprise story...to having huge expectations. ... Are they in a window to contend or was it a one or two-year thing?” (26:16)
• How much was Jared Goff and how much was OC Ben Johnson?
  • Matt: “There’s going to be a question of how much of that was Ben Johnson or was it Jared Goff just got better?” (26:16)
• Division games carry extra weight:
  • “I do put more stock in these [early division] games because these teams know each other.” - Matt (28:43)

49ers vs. Seahawks: Christian McCaffrey’s Health and Sam Darnold’s Opportunity

• Fantasy must-play, injury risk:
  • “This is like a fine wine. Drink it before somebody else steals it out of your house.” - Matt (32:31)
• Seahawks as Playoff Sleeper:
  • Matt: “They’ve kind of gone and people don’t really think about it...If you’re going to make the playoffs, winning at home against the 49ers in Week 1 is a good start.” (32:31)
• Sam Darnold’s Crossroads:
  • Myron: “Was that a fluke? ... When things fell apart, he couldn’t be the hero...Now he’s going to a place where he has to be even more heroic.” (33:52)
  • Matt: “I never thought Sam Darnold could be my hero, to be honest. I just wanted him to be decent.” (34:07)

Quarterback Spotlight: The Sophomore Prove-It Year

• Bears vs. Vikings: Caleb Williams and the 2024 QB Class
  • All Eyes on Caleb Williams:
    • Matt: “They’ve kind of taken the excuses away. It’s now Caleb Williams’ time one way or the other.” (36:54)
    • Myron: “No more excuses this year either. You are a generational talent...Caleb Williams has to prove that.” (37:54)
  • Second-Year Threshold:
    • Matt: “I cannot think of very many NFL players, maybe any, who struggled for two years and then got good in year three.” (38:43)
  • Sorting the 2024 Draft Class (40:03):
    • Jaden Daniels looks like a star, but uncertainty reigns for Drake Maye, Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., and J.J. McCarthy.
    • “All five of those guys might be good, and we might come to the end of the year and say they’re not what we thought.” - Matt

Bengals vs. Browns: A Must-Win Opener

• Historical slow starts must end:
  • Matt: "Week One is as important a game as I can remember them having...they lose week one every year. They’ve got to stop that." (41:18)
  • Myron: “Zac Taylor’s record of 1 and 11 in Weeks 1 and 2...doesn’t feel real. What is that—psychological?” (42:13)
• Rivalry results matter:
  • “Until last year, I want to say the Bengals had lost like seven straight games...This is crucial for the Bengals and it’s the only game on the slate today where I think one team has to win or I’ll start to feel very differently about them.” - Matt (43:04)
  • Myron: “How do you give him [Burrow] confidence that he can win a Super Bowl with this team if these things continue to happen again and again and again?” (44:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There’s a fight between Lamar and Josh Allen to avoid becoming this generation’s Dan Marino.”
  — Myron, on the pressure on the NFL’s star quarterbacks (01:47)

• “Mike McDaniel had the progression of a lot of people at high schools across America…you can only go to the pool so many times and you go, all right, this guy’s starting to wear on my nerves.”
  — Matt, on the Dolphins’ coach losing his locker room (07:40)

• “You can be a player’s coach but you can’t be a player’s coach to the point where people don’t respect you.”
  — Myron, on coaching dynamics (09:22)

• “Go outside, knock on your neighbor’s door and tell them they need to know this very second.”
  — Matt, tongue-in-cheek on the "urgency" of the Christian McCaffrey injury update (10:51)

• Alabama lottery fan soundbite:

  • “I tell you exactly what I’d do with the first 70 million. I’d pay off Kalyn DeBoer and get him the heck out of the University of Alabama.” (16:58)

• On Angel Reese and outspoken athletes:

  • “You want to be loud and outspoken, get endorsements for it...However, when they then come back at you for something you say, you cannot complain.” — Matt (20:09)

• On fantasy football must-plays:

  • “This is like a fine wine. Drink it before somebody else steals it out of your house.” — Matt, about McCaffrey (32:31)

• On division game importance:

  • “I do put more stock in these [early division] games because these teams know each other.” — Matt (28:43)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• AFC East/Week 1 Stakes & QB Legacies: 00:34 – 06:27
• Dolphins-Colts, McDaniel Hot Seat & Locker Room Dynamics: 06:27 – 09:40
• Christian McCaffrey Injury Update/Breaking News: 10:05, revisited at 31:39
• Sunday Headlines (NBA/NFL/College/MLB): 13:50 – 22:52
• Packers-Lions/Lions’ Coaching Turnover: 24:32 – 29:49
• 49ers-Seahawks preview/McCaffrey fantasy implications: 30:32 – 33:27
• Quarterback Sophomore Year Stakes (Caleb Williams & class): 36:54 – 41:17
• Bengals-Browns: Must-Win Narrative: 41:18 – 44:18

Summary by PodcastGPT with focus on clarity, engaging insights, and key timestamps for every die-hard sports fan and NFL junkie who missed the live show.