The Dan Patrick Show

Hour 1 – NFL Week 3 Comeback Recap, Louis Riddick

Date: September 22, 2025
Host: Dan Patrick
Featured Guest: Louis Riddick (ESPN Analyst), plus contributions from the Danettes (Paulie, Fritz, Seaton, Marvin)

Episode Overview

In this jam-packed first hour, Dan Patrick and his team break down an electrifying NFL Week 3, spotlighting several dramatic comebacks and shocking collapses, particularly the Eagles’ wild win over the Rams. Dan welcomes Louis Riddick for a deep dive on both the NFL week and key college football shakeups, including the Clemson-Syracuse game Riddick just called. The hour is loaded with trademark humor, lively banter, and insider analysis for fans seeking perspective on an unpredictable football weekend.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

NFL Week 3 Madness: Comebacks, Collapses, and Brutal Beats

• Wild Finishes and Bad Beats:

  • Dan recounts a weekend packed with late drama: blocked kicks, punt/interception/fumble returns, and historic upsets.
    • Notable game: Eagles’ comeback win and wild cover against the Rams.
    • Dan quips: “That’s one of the worst beats in the history of beats and it’s a 300-pound lineman who’s going to score the touchdown there. Wow.” (06:47)

• Survivor Pool Heartbreak:

  • Dan reflects on the Browns shocking the Packers with 13 points in under four minutes; breaks a 300-game winning streak by Green Bay when leading by 10+ points late.
    • “The last time they lost a game like this before yesterday? The Baltimore Colts in 1967 when Vince Lombardi was the Packers’ head coach and Don Shula was the Colts head coach.” (08:44)

• Assessing Team Fortunes After Three Weeks:

  • Dan and crew run through quick-hit takes on various teams:
    • Texans: “That defense is one of the top three in the NFL. They’re 0-3 and C.J. Stroud… pick up a white courtesy phone.” (09:42)
    • Dallas: “When you can’t sack a quarterback who was sacked 68 times last year, that seems like that’s a problem.” (10:05)
    • Bucs: “Baker Mayfield… he’s a closer. It’s probably the best compliment I can give him. He’s a closer.” (10:25)
    • Chiefs: “Chiefs are boring… Chris Collinsworth, man, does he love himself some Patrick Mahomes. Felt like a Hallmark greeting card.” (11:10)

College Football Recap: Changing of the Guard?

• Clemson’s Shock Loss to Syracuse:
  • Both Dan and Louis Riddick (who called the game) discuss the seismic impact.
    • Dan: “Clemson at home, man, that’s one of those what? I’m watching, I’m going, okay, where’s Cade Klubnik?... You’re losing at home. Just surprised.” (11:50)
    • Paulie jokes: “That lightning delay… best thing to happen to Clemson. People turned the channel.” (13:46)
• Coaching and the State of the Game:
  • Dan and Louis highlight how the NIL and transfer portal caught unprepared coaches off-guard.
    • Dan: “You can’t sit there and have your head in the sand… you are [still getting players], but so are other teams, and they get them by just paying them.” (12:30)
  • Riddick on current trends: “Football is about an attitude and a mentality. There’s something wrong with the attitude, the mindset, and the mentality of the players at Clemson right now.” (27:00)

The “Comeback to Haunt You” Club

• Games with Lingering Effects:
  • The Danettes debate which losses will haunt teams most (Rams-Eagles, Packers-Browns, Patriots-Steelers).
    • Dan: “Whenever I see a loss that is that bad for a team that’s that good, I always think, ‘Are you on the road in the second round of the playoffs?’ That’s where championships are won and lost.” (16:48)
  • Dan and Seaton riff on “moral victories,” questioning if good teams ever benefit from them.
    • Dan: “To lose like that, that stays with you. It feels like a little bit longer.” (15:50)

In-depth with Louis Riddick: College, NFL, and Quarterback Transitions

On Clemson-Syracuse and Dabo Swinney’s Struggles

• Riddick: “Syracuse had a different mentality. Fran Brown said, ‘We’re pulling out all the stops.’ We’re going to run the football better than we’ve done the past two years, right at the heart of your team where you supposedly had two or maybe three first rounders on your defensive line and we’re going to smack them right in the mouth. And how are you going to respond, Clemson?” (27:47)
• “There’s something wrong with the attitude, the mindset, and the mentality of the players at Clemson right now… for whatever reason, they are just not able to dial in and maintain consistent performance.” (28:30)

Transfer Portal & NIL: Silver Bullet or Poisoned Chalice?

• Riddick cautions against assuming embracing transfer portal/NIL is an automatic fix:
  • “I don’t necessarily agree that you have to be gung ho, like 100% into the NIL/transfer portal arena in order to compete… It’s not all of a sudden putting [every team] at the top of the heap.” (29:37)
  • “Nick [Saban] says, if you pick the wrong guys, as he says, you’re shit out of luck. And then what?” (31:28)

Is There a Great College Team?

• Riddick: “I don’t know if there’s a great team… but we have some very, very quality teams right now that is going to make the CFP very interesting and hotly contested, which I think is great for college football.” (32:08)

NFL: The When and How of Playing Rookie Quarterbacks

• On Jackson Dart:

  • Riddick: “I don’t believe in the whole, ‘You ruined quarterbacks by playing them too early.’ Last year, Drake May inspired the football team. I think Jackson Dart, he’s played enough football at Ole Miss. He can infuse that team with confidence… Put him in there now.” (34:10)

• On the psychology of devastating losses:

  • Riddick: “This can have a lingering hangover effect… You have to quickly find a way to turn the page. That's on Sean [McVay], that’s on Matthew Stafford…” (36:47)

Bears & Cowboys: Identity Crisis

• Dan: “I’m not sure I have a strong opinion on the Bears or Cowboys… I don’t know how good the Bears are and I don’t know how good the Cowboys are.” (37:35)
• Riddick: “Defensively, [the Cowboys] are just not a very stout, tough, physical, grinding, gritty defense that can stop the run. And they give up way too many explosives in the passing game… People are challenging Dallas’s manhood, and they have no answers for it.” (38:34)
• “If I’m betting on anybody of those two teams, I’m for sure putting my money on Chicago. There’s no question about that.” (39:10)

Chargers’ Fast Start Under Jim Harbaugh

• Riddick: “They are just… infused with so much confidence and so much willingness to put in the work and do whatever Jim asks them to do, that’s a very powerful combination. They’re going to be tough to deal with.” (41:17)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan Patrick on historic Packers collapse:
  “Green Bay had won 300 consecutive games when they were up by at least 10 in the final 4 minutes… The last time they lost a game like this before yesterday, the Baltimore Colts in 1967...” (08:44)

• Dan on crazy late NFL swing:
  “The only way you can lose is if they block the kick and they run it back for a touchdown, which is exactly what they did. That's one of the worst beats in the history of beats.” (06:47)

• Louis Riddick on Clemson-Syracuse:
  “Football is about an attitude and a mentality. There’s something wrong with the attitude, the mindset, and the mentality of the players at Clemson right now… they are just not able to dial in and maintain consistent performance.” (28:24)

• Dan on the Chiefs’ lack of flare:
  “Chiefs are boring. I mean, they should have been down at halftime. There's no excitement.” (11:05)

• Riddick on college transfer portal hype:
  “Nick [Saban] says, if you pick the wrong guys, as he says, you’re shit out of luck. And then what?” (31:28)

• Riddick on playing rookie QBs:
  “I don’t believe in the whole, ‘You ruined quarterbacks by playing them too early.’ ... Just put him [Jackson Dart] in there. This team needs an infusion of energy because right now, they just look like dead men walking.” (34:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• NFL Week 3 Recap & Best/Worst Beats: 05:50–13:46
• College Football Weekend, Clemson-Syracuse: 10:40, 26:38–32:31
• “Comeback to Haunt You” Losses Discussion: 14:07–17:54
• Louis Riddick Full Interview (Clemson, College, NFL): 26:38–41:11
• Rams/Eagles Losses and “Hangover Games”: 36:27–37:35
• Bears & Cowboys Analysis: 37:35–39:41
• Fan Calls, Best/Worst of the Weekend: 48:06–55:47
• Notable Play of the Day (Eagles’ Game-Winning Block): 47:01–47:32

Listener Calls and Fan Reaction

• Cowboys Fan Meltdown:
  • One caller, Fritz, rants about the Cowboys’ collapse, joking about skipping his kids’ soccer games only to suffer watching Dallas and now being forced to “watch soccer all freaking weekend.” (48:06–49:56)
  • Bears fan taunts Cowboys: “Your defense is like the kind you play on homecoming weekend and everyone’s back in town.” (49:59–50:07)
• Eagles Fan Celebrates Comeback:
  • Cites Jordan Davis’s remarkable speed on the game-winning return. (51:02–51:35)
• Falcons Fan Laments:
  • “The only thing worse than watching that game live is having to watch it on tape delay… Our offense can't move through the red zone. Our defense can't stop the Panthers.” (52:00–53:22)

Episode Tone and Language

• Dan and the Danettes employ their signature combination of humor, self-deprecation, and pointed sports insight, while Louis Riddick is analytical but candid and passionate.
• Example: After a particularly brutal call from a Cowboys fan, Dan quips, “Probably similar scoring to the Cowboys.” (49:16)

Summary

This episode is a must-listen for football fans who want more than just scores and highlights. Dan and his team excel at placing dramatic weekend moments in historical and cultural context, with Louis Riddick providing a clear-eyed analysis of both the tactical and psychological aspects of football at all levels. From wild plays to existential crises at traditional powerhouses and real, frustrated fan voices, it’s a lively, comprehensive wrap-up of a weekend where little went to script.