← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
3 & Out - Bears STUN Packers, Rams SURVIVE Panthers on NFL Wild Card Weekend
00:50:34
Loading summary
Transcript19 lines
- [00:00]
A
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Did you know Tide has been upgraded to provide an even better clean in cold water? Tide is specifically designed to fight any stain you throw at it, even in cold butter. Yep, chocolate ice cream. Sure thing. Barbecue sauce. Tide's got you covered. You don't need to use warm water. Additionally, Tide pods let you confidently fight tough stains with new coldzyme technology. Just remember, if it's gotta be clean.
- [00:31]
B
It'S gotta be tied.
- [00:33]
C
A new year doesn't ask us to become someone new. It invites us back home to ourselves. I'm Mike De la Rocha, host of Sacred Lessons, a space for men to pause, reflect and heal. This year we're talking honestly about mental health, relationships and the patterns we're ready to release. If you're looking for clarity, connection and healthier ways to show up in your life sacrifice, Sacred Lessons is here for you. Listen to Sacred Lessons with Mike Delaroach on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:03]
A
If you only listen to one thing to make sense of the news this year, make it this the final episode of this season of Next Question pulls together the most important conversations of the year. You'll hear David Graham on Project 2025, Liz Oyer on the plethora of presidential pardons, Tina Brown on the year's biggest scandals here at home and across the plus much, much more. It's a crash course in the last 12 months, how we made it through the year, and a look at what might be coming in 2026. Listen to next Question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:46]
B
Today we'll attempt a feat once thought impossible. Overcoming high interest credit card debt. It requires merely one thing a a SOFI personal loan. With it, you could save big on interest charges by consolidating into one low fixed rate monthly payment. Defy high interest debt with a SOFI personal loan. Visit sofi.com stunt to learn more. Loans originated by Sofi Bank NA member FDIC terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891 the volume. What is going on everybody? John Middlecock three and out podcast brought to you by my friends at Zone Pouches. What a night in Chicago. Remarkable. Incredible. Glorious. It's got to be cool to be a Bears fan because that is doesn't get any better. We will obviously talk about what we just witnessed. I'm recording this late on a Saturday night. Chicago Bears score 25 points. Come storming back to beat the Green Bay packers in just an epic, epic game. Caleb makes, I think, the play of his career. Matt LaFleur in the packers kind of melt down even as they kind of don't melt down. Just it was crazy. So we will dive deep into that game. There happened to be a game before that which shouldn't have been entertaining, but it kind of was. The Rams barely beat the Panthers as a massive underdog. Bryce Young made some plays. Matt Stafford made some plays that he didn't make some plays. Ram special teams is a disaster. So we will, we will talk some. We'll just talk football tonight. We'll talk those two games and here's the plan. This this podcast is also on YouTube. Starting tomorrow night, all of our video podcasts will live on Netflix. So Sunday nights, POD will go up live on Netflix on Monday morning. And then moving forward, all of the podcasts will be on Netflix. So exciting times for the three and out crew. And audio won't change a bit. We'll just keep rocking and rolling. We obviously do. This is an audio podcast first and foremost, before video ever came around. So we have a large group of people that listen on audio. Nothing's gonna change. If you want to check it out, check it out on Netflix because that's where we are and that's where we're gonna be. So appreciate everyone and I guess let's talk some football. But, but let's start with what we witnessed tonight. My thought all along for this game, before the kickoff and before we saw the context of the actual experience. The Chicago Bears have had a miraculous season. They have pulled games out of crevices of their body that we didn't know exist. It's been fun to watch. And the two previous Packer Bears games have been must see television, right? I, I remember the Bears in a loss. I, I earned more respect from the Bears in that loss to the packers in Lambeau than a lot of their wins. And then obviously the game that they pulled off several weeks ago in the comeback fashion on Saturday night against Green Bay, which was one of the cooler nights probably in Chicago when it came to football in the last 15 years. But you're the 2 seed. You're hosting Green Bay, who's this bitter rival who's kind of owned you as a franchise for a long time. They've had Farve, they've had Rogers, and then they just are beating your brains in. You're down 21 to 3. It feels like 40 to nothing. You then kind of come back in the second Half. But you look up in the fourth quarter, Jordan Love drives him down the field. You're still down 27 to 16. There's a fourth at eight play that it for a split second, it looks like Caleb's gonna get sacked and five minutes later you have 31 points, they have 27 points. And I can't imagine the experience, not just of the city, but the paying customer, you know, because this league is built upon you and I, those of us that sit on our couch and watch the games. That's where the league makes all their money. That's what pays for the players. That's what pays for everything. That's what makes these teams worth billions of dollars, is their television contract. But as someone who has been to a lot of NFL games, great ones, bad ones, you never know what you're getting. But when you go to a playoff game in a experience like this with this team and then you're getting your ass kicked, you're like, obviously we have this special coach and we have this quarterback who's proven these late quarter comebacks. There's no disputing his physical skills, but it's all just going wrong. And then for it to flip like that and score 25 points in the fourth quarter and to beat the Green Bay packers and to put Matt lafor's job status in major questions and head to the second round where you host another playoff game, that there can't be a sweeter feeling. So as a sports fan, if you're a Chicago Bears fan, that's as good as it gets right there. I mean, honestly, besides like winning the super bowl, That's worth like 10 playoff victories by itself. The crazy part about this rivalry between these two teams is they've only played twice in the history of the playoffs and they've both been around since like 1850. Once in the 40s and once in 2011 and the packers have won them both. And it felt like it was going that way again. And I'll be honest, my take, I didn't have any money on this game. I, I picked the Bears just because I kind of trusted the football gods. Did not feel good about that. Ben Johnson was really letting me down, you know, Caleb and the rug, it was just off their play calling, was off the fourth down calls in the, in the first half I, I thought were reckless. I know the analytical guys are all like giving each other reach arounds like woohoo. Yeah. It's like you can't go for it in a 14:3 game at your own 30. You you can't do that. Not now, not 20, not ever. That is moronic. Well, we don't know if our defense can play. Let the game play out. If you got to do that in the second half, okay. But with five minutes left to go in the second quarter, that, that is dumb. It really is. And Ben Johnson was a part of a team that had a huge lead against the. The 49ers a couple years ago in the NFC championship game. And they got reckless. You can't be reckless with these fourth down calls. And it almost cost him the game. But then, luckily, I mean, the craziest experience of this game is the Chicago Bears defense in the first half looked like it had been looking not very good. They can't cover a soul. I mean, they cannot cover a soul. And honestly, even toward the end of the game, they can't cover a soul. But they have pulled turnovers just constantly. So they just make plays and flip the game that way. But it wasn't really happening. Jordan Love wasn't even putting the ball in harm's way. And then the second half comes. They're getting the ball. Obviously, McManus misses the field goal at the end of the first half, which would have made it 24 3, still 21 3. They get the ball, and their next four drives are punt, punt, punt, punt. They gain one first down over that experience and gain a total of 29 yards. So whatever Dennis Allen and the defensive player said to each other, they obviously lost TJ Edwards to what looked like a shattered ankle or dislocated ankle. And he's like, I. I don't know, I. I looked at my wife, I'm like, I. They just don't have the bodies. Even the guys, they're rolling out, you know, Jalen Johnson, who's a, you know, former Pro bowl level guy who's come back from injury, you know, he's had growing surgery, I think over the off season or early on in the season. Clearly, he's just not running as fast as he used to. He's never been like a burner, but he just doesn't look the same. Their defensive backs can't really cover anybody, but they listen. I don't blame LaFleur. You start running the ball, you start running the ball, you try to kind of shorten the game, control the clock. They couldn't go anywhere. I don't have the numbers in the second half. From a run game perspective, my guess is Josh Jacobs didn't gain over 20 yards the entire second half. Honestly, it might be like under 15 or 12 yards. It was a dominant, dominant performance. And then they were getting pressure on Jordan Love and then it kind of flipped. And what's still then the offense for the Bears kind of sputtered. You know, Caleb was inaccurate at times. They just couldn't get any drives going. They had to settle for some field goals. They went forward on a fourth down, which he ended up throwing an interception. He threw two interceptions on fourth downs, which my take on that would be those aren't as bad as, like interception on a second or first down because you have no choice. Like, you got to throw the ball, you got to get rid of the ball. It's. You can't take a sack. So it's, it's. It's not as bad as, you know, other down interceptions, but obviously it didn't feel good when it happened. And then it's 27 to 16, Loveland turns into Kelsey in his prime or Shannon Sharp and is just dominating the game. He. He had eight catches for 137 yards. Honestly, it felt like he had 200. He was getting open with ease. Even balls that were called incompletions or drops, he was just. No one could cover him. He was dominating the game. And it's 21 to 16. They get the ball back and Jordan Love leaves them right down the field. I think they go six plays. He has four completions. Golden with the play so far of his early, you know, young career has that play, I think goes like 23 yards for a touchdown. And all of a sudden it's, you think, going to be 28 to 16, but he misses the extra point. So it's 27 to 16, and you're just kind of doing the math. You've watched the Bears, who, let's face it, have been awful most of the game, I mean, have been awful. Their defense came to play there for a stretch in the third quarter, but then Jordan Love drove right back, back down. So you're like, well, they're just probably running out of gas. And offensively, Ben Johnson, who's been brilliant, it just. There's been no rhyme or rhythm to what they've been doing. He felt off. He honestly kind of looked off. I don't know if it was the freezing cold temperatures, but I just, I didn't have that much faith. And then they got in that situation on 4th and was it 4th and 8 or 4th and 6 when Caleb Williams. I, I think it's the play of his career. It was fourth and eight at the Chicago 43. He hit Rome Rolling to his left. I mean, there is. Josh, Allen, Herbert are probably the only two guys that can make that play who physically, I'm not saying they do make that play. I'm just saying have the capability to make that play. And when we nitpick like, like when Fernando Mendoza gets nitpicked, you know, how great are his physical attributes? Like, he can't make that play. Right. So there are elements, and this is where I can live with Caleb's inaccuracies because he does miss a lot of throws, but he also can make throws that no one else can make. And he does make them in huge spots. And that individual play saved the game because two plays later, he hits a 22 yard pass to Menunji. A couple plays later, he throws the touchdown pass to Zacchaeus. And then they get the ball, they drive right down the field. Of course McManus misses a field goal again. I mean, he was, he was bad tonight. You had no faith when he lined up. And then the Bears get the ball driver out down the field and score another touchdown. 25 points in the fourth quarter. That is, that's as exhilarating of a sports ending as you're gonna see. And it kind of symbolizes their season that these are, this is a team that just. You can't count out, count out, because how many of us are Texan people? This game's a wrap. This game's over. They look like we all were doing it because they did. It looked that bad. You're watching them and you're like, they can't cover a soul. And you look at the packers like, well, they got good wide receivers. Dobbs when he's on is excellent. He had a big game. Golden starts making plays. The route he ran on that final drive because Jordan Love was driving him right down the field. Hit golden for a first down. Hit Dobbs for a first down. He hit. Was it. Yeah. Read for a first down. Hit three big first downs to drive them. And obviously the. The center gets hurt. And they're deep at. Where are they? They're at the 40. No, they were, they were at like the 20 yard line, 23 yard line. The center gets hurt. And they had the 10 second runoff. And then they ended up getting a delay a game. I, I thought, I thought lafleur with the timeout on the delay of game. Well, he didn't call a timeout on the delay a game that ended up pushing them back a little bit for the field goal. And then he called a timeout when they were on defense. With a bunch of time left against the Bears, we'll dive into lafleur here in a second. But you know, things just come up the Bears and a lot of it is their defense makes. Tonight it was timely stops and throughout the season it's been timely interceptions. And their defining characteristic are these huge plays by Caleb and the Caleb talent in the ceiling that everyone agreed upon when he was coming out. Like a small percentage of people have that physical ceiling, right? The arm strength, the, the mobility, the ability to run and throw to your left. Like a lot of talented guys can roll right and throw right. Jordan Love can do that, right? Roll right, throw right. Now certain people can throw it farther or a little bit harder, but most guys with athleticism in the NFL can roll right and throw right. A very small percentage of people can avoid sacks. Right handed quarterbacks roll left, throw a ball 40 plus yards in the air on a dot to a guy on fourth down to save a season. And when we talk about attributes, it matters. Now here's the thing about physical attributes. There are a lot of guys that have them that don't even ever make plays. So then you get like the inaccuracy and you don't get any plays, you just begin become a bad player. But you can live with some of the missed shots when you're making the great plays. And obviously when he had due tonight on some of those big drives, he hit quote unquote routine passes. And then on the schemed kind of fake screen that slipped DJ Moore down the sideline, Caleb hit him in stride, he walked in the end zone. And that's, you know, at the end of the day, kind of the difference in the game, right? I mean that was, that was the game right there when, when DJ Moore scores a touchdown 31, 27 ball game. Like Jordan Love, I was actually making routine passes, doing well from within the pocket, hitting Dobbs, hitting Reed, hitting golden. Like I thought Jordan Love for a lot of the game played pretty well definitely in the first half and definitely, you know, down the stretch of the game. But he doesn't always give you the miraculous. He. And that's part of why he was more of a late first round pick, right? Even as a quote unquote project, he still has good physical attributes, pretty good athlete, not great, you know, for NFL standards, probably average and has a good arm. And when he's in rhythm and playing on time, he can look really good. You know, I think he can get a little reckless, like the back foot throws. He's not going to have the same physical talent as Caleb, kind of freelancing with his lower half. And it cost him a couple times tonight on some misses, couple under throws on some big spots. And that's reason one team moving on, the other team's not going anywhere, right? It's really. It's really that simple, is one team has these crazy plays in their back pocket because of their quarterback, and the other team doesn't really. They kind of have to scheme the play, and then he's got to execute it. Like, say what you want. Like, I didn't think Ben Johnson was that great tonight. That's probably the worst game I've seen him have. But Caleb bails them out. And this is the thing with a great play caller. They're gonna have bad games. They're gonna do stupid. I've watched Kyle Shanahan do it for a long time. Sean McVeigh Today, I thought, was really bad at stretches. It's like, Sean, your quarterback has a hurt finger. He's clearly off. Your team is averaging over five yards of carry. Run the ball. Sean's like, pass it again. Pass it again. It's like, bro, just call some runs, slow down the game. Coaches can get in a bad rhythm. They can make mistakes. It happens. It's football. It's really hard. Bill Walsh lost a lot of games. Belichick lost a lot of games, playoff games, Super Bowls. Like, it happens sometimes. Players can bail you out. And in a weird way, like, this guy, I'm watching him like, God, you know, it's not all his fault. It's not like he's got Mike Singletary and Urlocher and Briggs out there. So the talent is not great. I mean, clearly six was a major liability. The packers were going at them over and over. It just didn't feel like they have much team speed on defense, but it felt like God does. Was Dennis Allen just going to go down like this? And whatever adjustment they made loading the box, maybe his guys just started playing a little bit more focused. Maybe they just play a little harder. I don't know. But they definitely looked it because they started dominating the line of scrimmage against the Green Bay Packers. They own the line of scrimmage. I mean, Josh Jacobs could just take over a game. Hell, we saw last year in a loss, remember, against the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs. Jacobs was every bit the best player on that field. He was just a dominant force, and he has games where he just imposes his will. Today, there's nowhere to go. I mean, the best run for him today was when they put him at kickoff returner. And for split second, you're like, is he gonna take this to the house? He ended up fumbling. I mean, there were also some crazy plays with fumbles. That fumble, there was the fumble on the play where the packers threw it to the offensive lineman, who I think got a little cocky and then got very lucky. The ball went out of bounds. You have the Christian Watson play in the first half, they end up scoring a touchdown anyway. But they got extremely lucky that his ball didn't go out of bounds and stayed inbounds. And he can't advance. Advance it. But if that thing goes out of bounds as a touchback, there was just some crazy shit going on. The football gods had their hands all over this thing. That's why as the game kind of went and it never got quite, like, if it had got to 28 to 3 or 31 to 6 or something, there would have been a gap, but the gap never widened enough. Where even if you're someone. Listen, I. Not that I think they're frauds, but like, if they lose tonight, they would have been two and five in the division and like three or four plays away from being a seven or eight win team. That doesn't take away. They have a ton of talent. They have an excellent play caller. They just had a lot of shit go their way in big moments, and you get credit for that. The Commanders did, too. But the Commanders last year ended up in the NFC championship game. So, like, yeah, they're playing with house money in the sense that no one thought the Bears were gonna be this good. Not a soul. Ben Johnson, ryan Poles, the McCaskeys in August didn't think they were gonna be the two seat. But then you are the two seat, right? It's like, well, I don't have any money. And all of a sudden you're rich. It's like, well, you better start investing your money or figuring out where you want to put it. Maybe buy some. I do something with it. Cause you're here now. This is where you. You're the two seed at home against this rival. And now you win this game. Like, obviously, who knows, the sky's the limit. Maybe the football gods just carry you to the, to the Super Bowl. I do think it's hard to ever top that. I've been watching football for 30 plus years. We've all seen crazy playoff games. When you factor in a crazy playoff game against the connection you have with the team you're playing, factored in with the setup of the game. Given that you're down 11 points with like five, five minutes to go and then you score 25 points in the fourth quarter, you win the game at home. I just don't think it gets any better than that. Like if, if they would have just played the rams or the 49ers and just won the first round, like just won a game like 31 to 10, like kick their ass, that would not have been as cool as this. This is as good as it gets in Chicago, right? Besides like winning NBA finals with Michael Jordan, the Chicago Cubs, obviously winning the championship is the best possible outcome. But like, I, I think this is right behind it and I think most Bears fans would agree. Biggest win for a lot of people. When, when's the last time the Bears have had a bigger win? You'd have to go back 20 plus years on that super bowl run team with Rex Grossman. And this feels a little bit different because like you have a quarterback, he's drafted number one overall. You have a coach who again, bad night happens, feels like a star, right? And it's like you just get some more defensive pieces. This team could be something because Loveland looks special. Burden's really good. DJ Moore is kind of a bizarre player. I thought Ben Johnson, there were plays, there were times tonight where he got away from Swift, which I didn't understand. I mean he gave DJ Moore a carry in a big spot. It's like DeAndre Swift had the best year of his career. He's just a fantastic player. Like he's the confidence in which he runs, he's breaking tackles. I mean he had the one run today. I think it might have been a pass, but he cut it all the way back, gained like 7 yards when it could have been like a 10 yard loss. Look at Barry Sanders out there. I don't think he had enough touches tonight. He only had 13 carries. To me, I, I bet Ben would admit like he's got to be closer to like 18, 19, 20 carries. He, he's too good of a player. He's playing too well this season and he's just too impactful. Now I, I understand they were down, so you kind of had to get a little pass happy. But I, I bet Ben Johnson be the first to agree that 48 pass attempts for Caleb is not the way we want to play. I mean he threw 50% right? And obviously the two picks, but like I said, I, I, the picks, it's not like he's throwing first down picks. This is Dante Moore last night throwing pick six on a first and 10. You throw interceptions on fourth down. You don't have a choice. I mean, you just gotta throw the ball up. The one play call where it was clearly going to DJ more and he slipped like, I, I don't love fourth down calls. One, I thought you could have run it there. And two fourth down calls when you clearly have one distinct option if something goes wrong. And listen, it's. We're human beings. It's a field like you can, it's freezing cold, you might fall on the ground. And it just. You got to hope Caleb pulls something out of his. You know what, he tried to overthrew it a little bit, but I saw, I think Portnoy said, big pet peeve when a guy intercepts the ball and ended up losing their team like 20 yards because they'd be better off just knocking the ball to the ground. You get the ball farther up the field. But you know, I don't blame defensive players, just in the Mode. But yeah, 24, 48, a couple touchdowns, 360 yards. But the touchdowns down the stretch, just the massive plays and that Rome play, I truly believe that's, that's one of the more miraculous plays you'll ever see, given what was on the line. Speaking of. What's not miraculous is I, I think it's just hard to shake this if you're Matt. It really is. Now, your best player comes into the game in sweats on crutches. So you had a built in excuse. We trade all this for Micah Parsons, he tears his knee. You lose your star linebacker in the middle of that game, right? Gets hit in a pile in the shin or ankle or whatever, he gets KO'd. You lose some offensive linemen. I get it. It's football. Things, things happen. You lose players. The Bears lost guys. Tonight you, you're up 21 to 3 on the road, getting the ball at halftime. You got to win that game. You just do. And you talk about no rhythm to the play calling. That stretch in the second half kind of did them in because if they just get a couple field goal drives, and obviously their field goal kicker was not reliable tonight, so there was no guarantee even if you got in field goal range he's going to make the kick. But everyone. And listen, I've watched a lot of his press conferences. He feels like an impressive guy. And I followed his career since he was a DB coach. When I used to go to Niner practices in like 20, 15, 16 range, he actually worked for Chip Kelly. And Kyle Shanahan, I didn't even know much about him. I remember asking people, like, yeah, he's pretty impressive. 49ers spoke island. So I've followed Halfley's career ever since then. Ohio State, Boston College, obviously the last couple years. But it's a rough night for those two guys. And one guy wants to become a head coach. And in your season and your career is not defined on one half of football, but, like, you got to find a way. You can't. You just can't lose that game. And the LaFleur timeout situation, I, I'm sorry, I just. The delay a game situation, when you're in field goal range, like, I. The points are at such a premium there. You're up three points. To go up, like a field goal can't beat you is so big. And honestly, like, your wide receivers have got open to put yourself into third and long. When you're in third, Nate, or third, nine or third and 10 or whatever it was, you got to call the time out there. And clearly he was willing to use them because he used it on defense. A couple plays later when the Bears had the ball. This was a guy that came into this season on an established platform by his new president, who was essentially the owner of, like, we're evaluating. And their record now, 9, 7 and 1, essentially 9 and 8 and 1. Lose to the Bears twice in less than a month, get knocked out of the playoffs, where it felt, I mean, I even wrote down they are going to have two wins as a seven seed in the last three years. That's an incredible accomplishment. A couple years ago, they went to Dallas, ended Mike McCarthy's career. This year, it felt like they're going to go to Chicago and ruin their season. After all, the Bears fans are wearing cheese graters on their head, feeling themselves like, damn, lafleur, that's, that's a big one. And, and listen, I'm not saying I'll probably get into Matt Ryan more tomorrow if LaFleur is available. LaFleur's been Matt Ryan's quarterback coach. I would imagine that the Atlanta Falcons would be extremely interested in Leflore. So I'm not acting like LaFleur is just going to go to the unemployment line, have to go on food stamps and beg for food like, he'll be fine. He more than likely would be 100% immediate head coach, but there's not many better jobs in America, any industry than the Green Bay Packers. About as good as it gets. And I, I, I think his Job status is very in jeopardy over the next 48 hours. It's something to keep a close eye on. And I'm. I'm recording this at 10:30 Arizona time. It would not shock me at all if leading into that Jags, Bills game, Shefter and Glazer and those guys talk. It's going to be like the packers are going to have a lot of discussions over the next couple days. And he's going to talk with them, they're going to talk with him. I personally would keep him, but you watch something like this this season. Like, I understand the question marks. I do. He's not a dominant enough coach that, like, oh, you can't get rid of this guy now, who you replace him with. How do you just elevate halfley after that? 25 fucking points in the fourth quarter? You just give it to Halfley. So if I'm a Packer fan, I like Jeff Halfley a lot. But I. I don't know. We're kind of in a weird spot. And the great unknown is there's not an owner. He just does not exist. There's just this president who gets to act as the pseudo owner and make these decisions. Guta Kin's a made guy. He. He's not going anywhere. And who knows, I don't know all the inner dynamics of the organization, how much juice he has to fight for LaFleur, does he have another guy in mind? Does he want Halfley more than Leflore? But then you just put yourself in a position like, who's your offensive coordinator? There are a lot of question marks for the packers, which, you know, 45 minutes ago felt like gonna be one of their finest moments in years. Ruining the Bear season on the road as a seven seed to now, like, does their coach get fired? Is Matt LaFleur gonna get fired? And after tonight, choking a game like that, because that's what choking a game like that, I get. The Bears make a lot of people choke, but they were on the choke side. I think these people are asking these questions and it's to me the number one story to go. And there's still obviously a lot of talent on this team moving forward. Assuming that Micah Parsons come back, it's a team that next year can be very good. Like, they always draft well. They were missing their right tackle tonight. They had a bunch of offensive line injuries. They have a lot of talent on the team, and they easily could be competitive for, like, the number one seed next year. Right? But I think these next 48, three or four days, I guess it could bleed into like Tuesday or Wednesday. Is something really to watch when it comes to Green Bay packers because that's tough. That's losing. Football games are always bad. You only play one game a week. This is not basketball, this is not baseball. You don't get to just, well, just play again tomorrow. Not the way this works. But playoff losses in this type manner just sting as hard as possible. It's just, it's hard to, it's hard to get over this sometimes. And people in power sometimes never look at you the same again. Couple years ago it's. This isn't apples to apples, but Mike McCarthy when he blew that game against the Green Bay packers, he was clearly a dead man walking. Next year, the season didn't go well and it was a no brainer, but he was, he was done that year. Jerry just didn't want to pay him to go away, so he rolled him back. But his career unofficially ended that night. And you have to wonder if Tonight officially ended LaFleur, which I like I said I think Atlanta would hire him yesterday. I think Matt Ryan would be a go to again. He coached Matt Ryan with Kyle Shanahan on the year that he won the mvp. So I, I'm assuming they have a good relationship and it would make some sense. A guy with a ton of experience, a guy with a ton of playoff experience, a guy that you know can coach quarterbacks. So I think he would immediately get another job. But this is a conversation that has been brewing in Green Bay. You're sitting there as a Bears fan, you're going, wait, our coach is this guy that everyone loves who thinks a star. And the packers have questions about their coach they might fire and have to go on a coaching search. What, what world are we? Is this really what 2026 is? And I've never been to Soldier Field and I, I would guess part of the reason the aspirations to get the new stadium is the outdated suite situation. You make so much. These new stadiums come equipped with just so many suites that that's how you print money, right? Any of these, you know, Staples center change the game with the amount of suites they have. That's where you make your big cash. You can sell the suites at the price of like I don't even know how many normal seats but it's. They go, they're very expensive and after a while they start just being free cash for the owner. So I understand the aspirations to build the more of a modern stadium. But I will say this, that stadium at night with that crowd. You know, clearly they've renovated the press box over the years. I think it looks fantastic. Like, that does not feel like some decrepit. Doesn't feel like the Oakland Coliseum or Candlestick. Like, that place feels badass. And again, I'm not speaking from experience. I've never been there. Clearly, there are financial reasons to want to upgrade. I get it. Like, who's not in the business of trying to make more money or as much money as possible? I understand it. I'm not one of those, like, you know, big J's that just hate on people trying to make more money. We celebrate that here on this show. But I will say this. My experience this year of just being a fan of football and a lover of great environments at night. It's why I gravitate toward these SEC games. The Bears games at night are fucking awesome. That was that crowd erupting in the fourth quarter. That experience down the stretch, it doesn't get any better than that. Like, that Chicago is something special. Obviously. The stadium's downtown. I can't imagine that vibe of the people leaving, the excitement, everyone going to different bars, freezing their ass off, having cocktails and beers with each other. There's something pretty special, you know, in this. In this day and age of. I try to spend less and less time on social media. It's just the same old shit over and over. People scream at each other. It's just not real life. I go out in real life, everyone's friendly to each other, but there's something so communal and just. What sports. And specifically football and football towns, bringing people together, people that don't know each other, people from different sides of town, and everyone pulling in the same direction for the same common goal and celebrating it together. It's just something we don't get very often. And football brings it. I don't think it's shocking why it's the number one sport in America. And that game tonight probably had 40 million people watching. It's awesome. Congratulations, Chicago Bears Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson for moving on. Get to host another game. You know, you get to host another game. So it's. It'll either be. It'll either be the Rams or the Eagles, I guess. Right? So if the 49ers win, they'd play Seattle. And if the Eagles win, the Rams will play. The Rams will play Seattle. So we'll learn tomorrow the matchups. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock bet, the official sportsbook partner of the AFC south champion Jacksonville Jaguars. Duvall is going to be jacked up this weekend. You know what I love doing with these standalone playoff games? Same game parlays baby. Lock in one matchup at a time and stack your picks. Maybe a quarterback throws 250 yards, maybe a running back hits 100 tight end punches and a touchdown. Got you covered. And if you miss kickoff, do not worry. Hard Rock Bet has live in game betting so you're never too late to the action. Find a winner or grab a player prop you meant to play and live bet between snaps. It's just that easy baby. So if you haven't tried your first bet yet at Hard Rock Bet, there's still time for you to get 150 in bonus bets. If you win, just place a five dollar bet and if it hits, you get not only your winnings but also an extra 150 in bonus bets. That's Hard Rock Bet. Download it now and make your first deposit today. Payable and bonus bets Not a cash offer Offered by Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida Offered by Seminole hard Rock Digital LLC in all other states. You must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida? Call 1-833-PLAY-WISE in Indiana, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-809 with it gambling problem call 1-800- gambler Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia a.
- [38:56]
C
New year doesn't mean erasing who you were. It means honoring what you've survived and choosing how you want to grow. It means giving ourselves permission to feel what we've been holding and knowing that it's okay to ask for help. I'm Mike De La Rocha, host of Sacred Lessons. This podcast is a space for men to talk openly about mental health, grief, relationships, and the patterns we inherit but don't have to repeat.
- [39:23]
B
Here.
- [39:24]
C
We slow down. We listen. We learn how vulnerability becomes strength and how healing happens in community, not in isolation. If you're ready to let go of what no longer serves you and step into the year with clarity, compassion and purpose, Sacred Lessons is your companion on your healing journey. Listen to Sacred lessons with Mike Delarocha on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow Sacred Lessons with Mike Delarocha and start listening on the free iHeartradio app today.
- [39:56]
A
As we head into 2026, it's safe to say that 2025 was a year like no other. So much news, so much disruption, and yes, so much division. That's why we're wrapping up this season of Next Question with a look back at everything that's happened. Things are coming at us with such a velocity. We thought it was important to take a moment, connect the dots and explore what it all means. We're summing up the first year of Trump's second term with David Graham on Project 2025 and how many of the goals have been implemented. Richard Haass on foreign policy and the changing world. Jessica Valenti on reproductive rights and the terrifying consequences of abortion bans. Tina Brown on the year scandals here and across the pond. The president has upended everything from pardons to the press, so we're covering it all. Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [41:00]
B
Like if we're on the air here and I literally have my contract here and I'm looking at, you know, as soon as I sign this, I'm going to get a seven figure check. I've told them I won't be working here in two weeks. From the underground clubs that shaped global music to the pastors and creatives who built a cultural empire, the Atlanta Is podcast uncovers the stories behind one of the most influential cities in the world. The thing I love about Atlanta is that it's a city of hustlers, man. Each episode explores a different chapter of Atlanta's rise, featuring conversations with ludicrous Will Packer, pastor Jamal Bryant, DJ drama and more. The full series is available to listen to now.
- [41:37]
C
I really just had never experienced anything.
- [41:39]
B
Like what was going on in the.
- [41:40]
C
City as far as like, you know.
- [41:42]
B
Seeing so many young, black, affluent creatives.
- [41:46]
C
In all walks of life. The church had dwindled almost to nothing.
- [41:50]
B
And God said, this is your assignment. And that's like how you know, like, okay, oh, you from Atlanta for real? I ain't got to say too much. I'm Grady, baby. Shut up. Listen to Atlanta is on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [42:04]
A
RingCentral will completely transform the way you work. It gives you built in AI across all your business conversations. Your phone System has an AI receptionist that answers calls 24 7. Your video meetings have AI that takes notes instantly. Even your contact center has AI so you can help customers faster. It all comes together in one reliable platform for effortless AI communications. See for yourself@ringcentral.com ringcentral voice of your business.
- [42:40]
B
On the Panthers Bears game went over to a buddy's house with my wife, Chris and Sarah. We had a little midday chili, just kind of seeing his new pad, enjoying ourselves. I watched the first quarter there, and I'm not going to lie, we both looked at each other like this. This game's so stupid. Why are we playing this game? What is going on? It felt like when it was 17:7 and the Rams were driving at the end of the first half. This thing's got like 40 to 10 written all over it. And obviously they go for it on fourth down at the end of the first half. They don't get it. Carolina drives, scores. 17, 14. And as the game played out, Stafford was atrocious for most of the game. And I thought Sean McVeigh was not good either. You know, he gets very east. He's much closer. Like his style of a coach. I've said this forever. He's a pass game guy, right? He wants to pass. He want. Like Ben Johnson will not love seeing 48 attempts. That's not the way he wants to play football, right? He, he. He would much rather have Caleb be like in the low 30s and they had 28 rush attempts. He'd rather have 40 rush attempts. He'd rather flip that number. He'd rather have 48 rush attempts and 28 pass attempts. Sean McVeigh is like Andy Reid. He. He'd throw it 60 times a game if he could. But tonight there were stretches in that second half after. I don't know if it's Stafford's finger. I don't know if he just started playing bad, but it was not working. And their running game at the time, I remember looking, the two running backs were averaging over five yards of carry. Blake. I've loved Blake Corum since he was at Michigan. Kyron Williams is one of the more Steady Eddie players when he's not fumbling the ball in the league, just run the ball. You're in control of the game. It's. It's 14. I guess it was 1714 at the end of the first half. Then they kick a field goal. So it's 20 to 14, but they get back in the game. So it kind of ebbed and flowed like Carolina would not die. And then the ironic part about the Rams is they had fired their special teams coach. Chase Blackburn, former New York Giant I think he's won like two Super Bowls as a player. Definitely won one. And, you know, anytime a unit sucks, head coach loves going, it's all that guy's fault. But like, hey, we really appreciate you. Wish you and your wife and your children best in your future endeavors. Like, you just told the guy to pack up and leave. There's nothing more fraudulent in sports. When they wish them the best mid season with the coordinator, it's like, you just love me like a week ago and now you're firing me because something screwed up. Like is the owner or GM want you to fire me now? Their special teams have been bad, but like, was it the coach or is it the players? Because when they got that punt blocked and then all of a sudden the Panthers score and take the lead 31 to 27, you're like, the Rams are going to lose this game on the road to an 8, 9 Panther team because of their special teams. And I had people because during the season, like the downfall of this Rams team is going to be their secondary. And the 10 Rams fans that exist were dming me like, middle cuff. It's not our secondary, it's our special teams. It sucks. And on that punt block, Isaiah Simmons, who might be the best special team or former first round pick, like, listen, not a defensive player, clearly overdrafted. But when you're 6 foot 4 and the dude on the edge just kind of goes like this. He just walked right into the punter. A lot of times when a punt or a field goal gets blocked off the edge, the dude has to like come out the blocks like he's Carl Lewis, lay out like he's Ricky Henderson. You're like, that is peak athleticism right there. That explosion out of the blocks, the leap like it doesn't get. It's a great play, right When a punt or a field goal is blocked coming around the edge. This play, the dude on the Rams honestly, like gave a pat on the ass like, go get him, Tiger. Like, that play was an embarrassment they deserve when that play happened to lose the game. But then Stafford, seven plays later leads him on the game winning drive. And I think I saw on social media that he said told Devonte, like, let's rip their heart out or some cliche comment. And he did it and he's done a lot in his career. And the Rams should beat the Panthers. They should never lose to the Panthers. But you watch that game 34 to 31 and you go, it's hard for me to trust this team. It really is. Now we'll have to see, you know, the Bears have defensive issues. We'll have to see the eagles and the 49ers tomorrow. You know, Seattle still got Sam Darnold. Like all these teams have question marks. It's hard to watch the Rams today and go, yeah, it's a team that can win the super bowl. That's team that can win three more playoff games. They're just not playing that well. They lost to Seattle, obviously. They, they were getting, their defense was getting cooked by Jacoby Brissette for two and a half quarters cooked. And you're watching today, Bryce Young just scrambled around making throws to what's his name, I mean Coker, nine catches, 134 yards. Guy was dominating McMillan at five for 81. I mean Coker had that, that play that they dialed up for what felt like for a second, potentially the game winning touchdown was beautiful play, beautiful pass. But you go, you have to stress this much to beat an 8, 9 team in a beautiful day too, right? This is not Soldier Field where it's freezing cold. What was it, like 68 degrees there? It's gorgeous. It's, it was one of those when they took the lead and I was thinking, well, if the Rams don't drive the field and score, does McVeigh just quit and go to Amazon? You know, Raheem and Tomlin, if I make vay, I just get out ahead of it. Like I just steal their chair. I go, actually, I'm done. Like, he kind of had this look on his face. They're going to lose this game to the fucking Panthers as a 10 and a half point favorite special team. When your special teams can't be trusted. Listen, I gave the Bears a lot of credit. I can't take you seriously as a Super bowl contender. When your defense is like that. You can only pull so many games. Like eventually you can't go down 21 to 3 and come back when your defense is not trustworthy. It can't happen. When your special teams at any moment can just like give up a block field goal for a touchdown, can give up a block punt at the 30 yard line, can just have a disaster happen anymore. I just can't take you that seriously. And you know, clearly Stafford, who I think is numbers 24, 42, 300 yards, not, I mean, not great. I think he started the game like 8 of 8 or 9 of 9 and then they didn't have a completion for a while. There were a couple touchdowns. Now two of them were Puka, technically probably should have been four. They counted one as a run. Puka also dropped one. In fairness to Stafford, they would have walked right in the end zone. But I, I don't know, I, I, what the hell's the difference? You know, people nitpick The Bears like, what's the difference with the ramps? Because their coaches won a Super bowl, because their quarterbacks won a Super Bowl. Like you watch them play, it's hard to have faith in them. They, they're hard to be trusted. Now Puka Nakua is a dominant force. I, I think he's, I feel like he's one of the best players I've ever seen. That, that might be a little over the top. But like when you're watching him and he's rolling, you're like, what is this? How's this guy's unstoppable. And Devonte coming back obviously helps him. Parkinson touchdown catch was sweet. That, that was nice. And I gotta say, one, one area, I was wrong. I've been hard on this guy. I didn't think he could play. And this morning Schefter, I think tweeted or might have said on tv, and then he tweeted that the expectation is for the Panthers to pick up the Bryce Young fifth year option. And I, I've talked about it. I said I would not do that. I think I've come around a little bit. I at least can understand it. I, he's still not my ideal quarterback. Little small for me, clearly not terrible. He's, he's had some moments over the course of the last month. Today he was pretty good. Made some big plays, made some beautiful throws. And at the end of the day, if you pick up the fifth year option, and this is according to Google, I'm not a cap manager, it says the number would be around 26, $27 million they owe him because on these rookie deals they pay him a ton of upfront money. So the cash they pay him next year is like $5.5 million. So basically over the course of the next two years, it'd be $16 million a year. Well, you know, Bridge Gardner Minchu is like a 10, 14 million dollar quarterback. Like that's how much kind of those guys cost. So you get this guy for two years, keep building up the team and figuring it out. He's shown enough. That's like, what are other options? What are we going to do? I understand it. And there are individual plays. You watch him, he grows on you. Now he also makes plays where it's like, don't love that. I mean, there was a throw today early in the game, McMillan coming around or coming over across the middle that he just hits him in stride. I think McMillan walks into the end zone. It would have been like a 40 yard touchdown, like 20 yard throw. And McMillan would have ran another 15, 20 yards, but he throws like this wobbly duck. And you know, it's not totally his fault. The last play of the game when I think was that Horn Jr. From, I think he played at Colorado last year, just needs to hit the ground. Greg Olson was like, bro, you can't try to kiss that with your hand. So that's not totally his fault. But not the biggest Canalis guy. But I, Bryce has definitely improved. And for $16 million a year for two years, I, I would not be in favor. There can be no discussion about future big contract, even like three or hundred million dollars. Like none of that. But I do understand when you look at the landscape and the cost of the league, you know, Daniel Jones just went for $15 million to the Colts or $14 million getting a guy that you drafted, you clearly like a lot that the team likes. High character guy, he just has some flaws Small, can't really see. Not a great athlete, not a huge arm. So he's got to be on time. When he gets in rhythm, he, you know, he kind of becomes a playmaker. But if you get him scrambling and moving like, it's not like he's running away from anybody, take some bad sacks. But a lot of guys at his price point do. So I, I, I've come around to at least understand the logic of picking it up and trying to continue to build this team, because they do have some building blocks. I mean, their young wide receiver core is very interesting. There's a couple running backs are pretty good. You know, they have good defensive backs. You know, Horn got hit in the head today, had to go to the, the tent. But Mike Johnson was, I don't even know that much about that guy. He was making plays all over the place. If they can improve their defensive line, they just got a little foundation there to be a very, very competitive team. Their defensive coordinator, UC Davis Guy Avero, he's pretty good like him. And, you know, Dan Morgan's done a good job of just kind of getting this franchise going in the right direction. Now, I, like I said I would not compare Canales to, you know, the top offensive coaches in the league going back to last week when he ran a flea flicker in a rainstorm. But it happens. You know, it's, I do dumb shit too. I think he'd like that one back, though. That was, that was pretty bad. And his, his justification for it might have been worse. But today they fought, they fought really hard, and they made some big plays when they had to. And the, the Rams just, I'm telling you, I thought they just looked like shit most of the game. But today's all about the Chicago Bears. And, and again, we will be live on Netflix Monday, 8am Eastern, reacting to all the games tomorrow. I'll be on YouTube with Coward tomorrow afternoon after the 49er Eagle game. Have a great Saturday night. And for you Chicago Bears fans, congratulations. That was really, really cool. Okay, before we get out of here, let's, let's talk about someone that needs to zone in. I, I'm a defender of Justin Herbert. Ever since he ran that ball in, in the Rose bowl, been rooting for the guy. No disputing his talent this year. What he's done has been remarkable. As offensive lineman, injured reserve, torn knees, broken hand. His playoff record is not great. I mean last year was atrocious. I mean he, I think he just threw another interception in that game. It was really bad. And obviously the legendary loss to the Jacksonville Jags, I think on a Saturday night when they just melted down, you get to go on the road. Big underdog against a second year quarterback, kind of with nothing to lose. But I do think Sunday Night Football, lot of eyeballs, having a good performance can just go a long way of quieting everybody. You can lose the game. But if you play well, because right now, if you have another one of those games where it does not look good, you throw some picks, it's going to be hard to dispute. Three playoff games, three bad performances. I'm a Herbert guy. I got the Chargers tomorrow. But if they're gonna make a little run here specifically, just win this game as a road underdog, flying 5,000 miles, taking on the number two seed, my guy Justin Herbert's gonna have to zone in the volume.
- [56:28]
A
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.