The Dan Patrick Show: C&R – Championship Picks, Abba & Brainwave!

Date: January 24, 2026
Podcast: The Dan Patrick Show
Hosts: Covino & Rich (C&R), with contributors Danny G, Dan Beyer, Iowa Sam, and Spot
Network: iHeartPodcasts & Dan Patrick Podcast Network

Overview

This episode kicked off Championship Weekend on The Dan Patrick Show with Covino & Rich (C&R) at the helm. The crew dove into their football championship picks—including lively debates and friendly trash talk—explored pop culture tangents, paid tribute to old TV favorites, and kept the energy high with rounds of their trademark “Brainwave” game. With guests, shout-outs, weather rants, Abba singalongs, and friendly rivalry, the episode’s spirit was equal parts sports insight and irreverent fun—all while serving listeners bracing for a chilly, football-filled weekend.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Championship Weekend: Picks & Predictions

[16:30 – 41:00]

• Main Discussion: The crew picked winners and predicted scores for the two NFL Championship games, breaking down each matchup’s pros, cons, and X-factors. Listeners could email in their own picks to win a prize pack.
• Patriots @ Broncos:
  • Covino: Pats win 24-17.
  • Rich: Broncos upset 20–14, predicting a cold, defensively tense game.
  • Danny G: Likes Pats, 17–13.
  • Iowa Sam: Pats cover, 20–13.
  • Spot: Close game, Pats 20–17.
  • Dan Beyer: Picks Broncos 19–17, noting his poor record in prior brackets.
• Rams @ Seahawks:
  • Covino: Seahawks, 37–31. “You’d have to be a fool to believe that the Rams beat the Seahawks.” [38:19]
  • Rich: Rams, 31–21. Predicts a bounce-back after lackluster playoff wins.
  • Danny G: Seahawks, 27–23. “Number one defense versus number one offense.”
  • Iowa Sam: Rams, 24–21 (sticking with his earlier Super Bowl champion pick).
  • Spot: Seahawks, 34–17 (“Going to dominate after seeing last week.”)
  • Dan Beyer: Refuses to pick because it’s his team, citing superstition. (“I refuse to choose.” [40:00])

Notable Quote:

• “What does Michael McDonald sing? ‘What a fool believes’… You’d have to be a fool to believe that the Rams beat the Seahawks.” —Covino [38:19]

2. Weather Woes & Viewing Habits

[19:45 – 22:55]

• East coast weather and subzero temps prompt speculation that NFL viewership will break records this weekend.
• Rich: “Half the country’s going to be indoors, worried about snow, just ordering pizza and eating and watching football.”
• Playful banter about childhood TV, cold weather nostalgia, and Freezey Freakies gloves.

3. Nostalgia Segment: Childhood TV

[14:30 – 17:50]

• The hosts reminisce about Romper Room, Sesame Street, Thundercats, The Great Space Coaster, and Public Access legend Uncle Floyd.
• Covino pays brief tribute: “I saw that Uncle Floyd passed away, man… That’s where Mr. Bill came from.” [16:00]

4. The “Brainwave” Game

[54:50 – 1:24:15]

• Listener Brian from Virginia competes to see if he’s on the “Brainwave” with the C&R crew by matching answers to subjective pop culture, sports, and music questions.
• Lively discussion on broadcast stereotypes, annoying neighbors, and the most stubbornly earworm-y songs.
• Argument erupts over whether barking dogs, fighting couples, or partying neighbors are most annoying.
• Abba’s “Fernando,” Baby Shark, and Dr. Pepper Girl jingle all make the “most stuck in your head” list, sparking singalongs.

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• On picking sports shows:
  • “I’m going with the 70-year-old dude who started in the 90s.” —Covino [56:47]
• On annoying neighbors:
  • “Dogs bark. What do you want me to do? You want him to sing for you?” —Spot [1:03:30]
• On song earworms:
  • “That Dr. Pepper thing’s lightning in a bottle, man. It’s so catchy.” —Rich [1:09:35]
• On Brian’s surprising win:
  • “That really was the most ass-backwards victory in history of Brainwave.” —Danny G [1:24:00]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14:30 | Nostalgia TV talk (Romper Room, Uncle Floyd, tributes) | | 16:30 | Start of Championship picks and predictions | | 19:45 | Weather effects on football weekend and binge-watching discussion | | 24:30 | More in-depth scores and playoff debates | | 38:19 | Covino’s Michael McDonald/Seahawks quote | | 40:00 | Dan Beyer “Refuse to choose” (Seahawks/Rams) | | 54:50 | “Brainwave” game begins | | 1:03:30 | Annoying neighbors debate ramps up | | 1:09:35 | Earworm song argument heats up (Baby Shark vs. Fernando vs. Dr. Pepper) | | 1:24:00 | Game concludes with Brian’s “ass-backwards” win | | 1:33:00 | Express Pro of the Week & Weekend Hobnobbing (what to watch/stream) |

Notable Quotes

• On refusing to pick his own team:
  “I refuse to choose… Gotta respect the refusal.” —Dan Beyer [40:00]

• On dog vs. neighbor noise:
  “If you have a neighbor with a dog barking, that could ruin everything… Imagine I passed up—I'm being serious—I went to see an open house once, and the whole time I'm in the open house, all I heard was next door—and I'm like, no thanks.” —Rich [1:02:15]

• On sticking with past predictions:
  “I picked the LA Rams as a Super Bowl champion, so I have to roll with them.” —Iowa Sam [37:50]

Pop Culture & Pick-Me-Ups

• Streaming/Movies:
  • “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen, new on Hulu.
  • “He-Man: Masters of the Universe” trailer is a must-see (Jared Leto as Skeletor, movie out June 5).
  • Chris Pratt’s new film challenging “Avatar” at the box office.
  • Various Netflix romcoms, Apple TV’s “Shrinking” (returns January 28), “Hijack” season two.
• OverPromised Podcast: Episode 125 teased as “one of our best shows”—sports, pop culture, even Hillary Duff’s butt discussion.

Tone & Atmosphere

The show balances deep-dive sports analysis with accessible humor, offshoots into pop culture, and high-energy audience engagement. Listeners can expect rapid-fire banter, more jokes than stats, and heated (but friendly) arguments about everything from football picks to 1980s TV and flavors of neighborly annoyance. The playful, sometimes irreverent, tone keeps things light for a weekend of hunkering down with football, friends, and maybe some cookies.

Final Note

The episode is an enjoyable, personality-driven prelude to an NFL-packed weekend—offering loyal fans and casual listeners alike everything they need to jump into the games, laugh along, and catch some new streaming recommendations. If you missed it, you didn’t just miss predictions—you missed the sound of modern sports radio at its most engaging.