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John Middelkopf
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Coming to prime with an epic day of live sports. Black Friday football is back with the Chicago Bears taking on the Philadelphia Eagles at 3pm Eastern followed by an Emirates NBA cup double. Bucs Knicks at 7pm and Mavs Lakers at 10pm and the whole day starts with the Capital One Skins game as four elite PGA golfers meet with $4 million on the line. Black Friday game day the Capital One Skins game at 9am Bears Eagles NFL action at 3pm and the final night of Emirates NBA cup group play with Bucs Knicks at 7 and Mavs Lakers at 10 only on Prime.
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Sophie Cunningham
This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snore loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at. Don't sleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lily, a medicine company.
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John Middelkopf
PayPal learn more@paypal.com the volume. What is going on everybody? John Middelkopf three and out podcast. How are we doing? Hopefully everyone is doing well and enjoying life, obviously. This podcast on Thanksgiving is brought to you by my friends at Zone Pouches. We watched a lot of football today. Also ate a lot of turkey and some ham and some cocktails and some sweets. So I'm ready to go to go to sleep. But we got it. We had a lot going on. We had Joe Burrow returning. They destroy the Ravens. We have the Dallas Cowboys. That might be the hottest team in the NFL. The Chiefs are now 6 and 6, and if this weekend does not go well for them, their playoff hopes are basically over. The the Green Bay packers kind of in full control now. Control their own destiny because they still play the Bears twice. They look pretty good. Jordan Love was fantastic. The Lions offense wasn't the problem. But defensively they just can't get a stop whenever they have to. So we we'll talk some football. The Bears Eagles, if you're listening to this on on Friday, obviously play Black Friday. So excited to watch that game. You guys know the drill. Subscribe to the podcast, subscribe to the YouTube channel, and before we dive into some football, you know I got to tell you about my friends, my partners, and the official ticketing app of this podcast, Game Time. Best in the business. That does not get any better. If you want to go to one of these games, you want to go to an NFL game, you just download the Game Time app. You type in your team, you type in the stadium. You want to go see, you can search by where you want to sit. They got flash deals. It doesn't get any easier to use. The price you see on the app is the price you pay at checkout. There are tickets as low as $100. There is no hidden fees when you check out. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use the code John for $20 off your first purchase terms. Apply again, create an account and redeem the code Johan for $20 off swipe, tap, tick. Go download the Game Time app today.
Sports Analyst
Whoo.
John Middelkopf
Okay, let's start with. It does feel like the stories of the day are Dallas, the Packers, obviously the Chiefs. But you know, I just watched the Ravens game. So we'll hit on this really quick because big picture with the Cincinnati Bengals, they could run the table. They're still not making the playoffs. But I do think what Joe Burrow said when he was interviewed right before kickoff represents the power of the sport of football and even the mindset of its NFL players is when they kind of ask like, why are you doing this? You don't need to play. And he's like, I'm paid a ton of money to play a little kids game. If I can play, I'm going to play. And I was thinking, like, how refreshing is that for the consumer? You know, they were trying to break the record with the Chiefs Cowboy game of potentially being around 50 million people watching. And we'll see what the number is. But obviously this day, millions upon millions of people are watching all three games, even the night game, which felt even though these two teams get Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, almost like a comedown off the. Off the previous two games. But I mean, you're probably talking 25 million people sitting on their couch consuming this. And Joe Burrow, one of the most famous guys in the league, listen, he's not relatable in the sense that he signed a $300 million contract, but just like, you know, I get paid to work, and if I can work, I'm going to work whether we can win the super bowl or whether we can just beat the Ravens on Thanksgiving night. Because you know why? Playing football, like everything beside the 17 weeks when you play, if you're an NFL player, the 12 weeks when you play, if you're a college player, kind of sucks. You know, for the majority of the year, you're not actually even during the season, right? I'm talking like January or I guess January, some of the good teams are in the playoffs. But February, March, April, you're just like training, getting up really early, cutting things out of your diet, busting your ass just to get ready for spring practice, to then train again all summer, to just get ready for training camp, to just start the season where you then practice to then play a game, right? So you spend all this time preparing to do what he just got to do, come out there, sling it to his buddy Jamar Chase, who he's known for whatever, seven, eight, nine years, who they have like a Montana to Rice, like chemistry. His other buddy, Higgins, has a concussion, but he'll come back. Guess what? It's fun to play football, especially when you're good. I'd argue any industry you work in, when you are talented at it or when you enjoy doing it, working is kind of fun sometimes. And whatever is like the pinnacle of what you do. And for football players, it's playing the game that's the enjoyable part. So watching Joe Burrow, that they announced before the game even kicks off that, you know, he said to Us that he is going to take off his shoe every single series when his team's on defense because it doesn't feel good on his foot. Just to maintain the structure, whatever, to limit the pain of the turf toe. It's like, you know what? I, even before the game kicked off and I obviously had the, the Bengals plus seven and a half, I didn't feel great about it, but I was.
Sports Analyst
Like, you know what?
John Middelkopf
I'm rooting for this guy tonight. Like, I, I'm rooting for the Bengals tonight. And I, I have, I'm completely indifferent to the Bengals. If anything, I, I'd root for the Ravens because I'm kind of rooting for the Steelers demise right now just because I want to see chaos in that organization and potentially Mike Tomlin go to the Giants and just a complete mix up. And there's some, there's some rumblings out there. I saw a headline recently that like a veteran, highly like accomplished coach might be looking for a reset. Everyone's like, Mike Tomlin potentially could be John Harbaugh, but I think most of us thought like Mike Tomlin. And listen, we'll get into the Ravens here in a second. But I just, we get a lot of dms and people asking me and listen, it gets thrown out there. It's a fair conversation to have. Would the Bengals trade Joe Burrow? What could you do to get, Listen, he, he's gotten hurt a couple times and it really sucks. He hurt his, whatever his wrist a couple years ago or was that last year? Obviously the turf toe this year derailed their season. Hurt his knee early on in his career. But if you're the Bengals, like, he's going nowhere for the foreseeable future. And any talk about, like, should we pivot, can we keep dealing with his injuries? The answer is simple. Hell yeah, you can. He's the best player probably in my life to be on their team. You know, Carson was really good. Chad Johnson was pretty good. Obviously Jamar Chase is fantastic. But I mean this, this guy is just a franchise changer and he was a little rusty tonight. Obviously made some good plays, had a couple balls, you know, go probably way off that typically like left his hands like, oh, that's going to be. Oh, let's miss the guy by seven yards. But he hasn't played in like three months. So I just have a lot of respect for Joe Burrow and I think moments like that, when the mic went in front of his face, it's like, that's why the NFL's king, because that's the player's mindset. I mean, we literally have a massive investigation going because a team in a similar situation, legendary, highly paid player, team has no chance. They're like, yeah, we're just going to Dame. Lillard is going to sit tonight. We're going to start tanking the bank this Thanksgiving. They're, they're 3 and 8. They win tonight. They're 4 and 8. You got no shot. I mean, you could run the table and you're still more than likely missing the playoffs by a couple games. So I just have a lot of respect for Joe battling back and playing in Thanksgiving. I mean, when the, when the injury initially happened, people said maybe by the middle of December, guy ended up coming back November 27th, first game back, beats the Ravens, who were in a position to really kind of take a stranglehold of this division because the Steelers are playing the Bills on Sunday in Buffalo. I don't know about you, but I'm taking the Bills. I'm taking the Bills by a lot. I think the Steelers blow. But here's the thing. The Ravens, if you have Lamar Jackson at, what is he, My wife, we're sitting on the couch. I got my wife, my mother in law, my mom, my wife's aunt walking on, sitting there watching the first half. And Maria looks at me, she's like, Lamar looks kind of slow. I'm like, yeah, he's by all accounts and reports he's probably closer to 50 than he is 80%. He's not himself. And obviously he played a terrible game tonight. Right, the fumbles. But their whole offense, you know, from a passing standpoint revolves around him making plays. And it just doesn't look off or it doesn't look right. It looks off. And they just were in shambles all night long. Now it doesn't kill them because like I said, I would expect the Steelers to lose on Sunday. And come Monday, the Ravens will still be in first place. But you see that performance, you go, well, they got no chance in terms of like beating good teams. Now you could also argue like, who are the good teams in the afc?
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Colts.
John Middelkopf
They're quarterbacks in shambles. Chiefs aren't even going to make the playoffs. Chargers have a million injuries. The Broncos, I guess, are the best team. But their quarterback, does anyone trust that guy? So you start looking around, you know, the J, you trust the Jags, like the Jet, the Jags. That's, that's, that's who we're betting on. The Texans would be a scary team, but like, can C.J. stroud get healthy, I don't know. And you just look around, you go, the AFC is in shambles. That's the shitty part. If you're a Bengals fan, if, if Burrow could have come back a month ago, or if Flacco could have rattled off a couple more wins after that big win against the Steelers and just you're six and six instead of four and eight. Maybe it's a different conversation. Maybe you get a little more interesting. You know, they, I think they got Miami coming up. They get the Ravens at home, they got a lot of winnable games, but it's just going to be a little too, little too late. And you watch the Ravens and you go, I mean, part of what's a major change, the Sunday night game, when you're going outside, is the first two games, it's like 70 degrees, air conditioned in a dome. And then you go to Baltimore and I was telling everyone on the couch, I'm like, do you guys realize how cold it is? We're in Arizona, I was in the pool all day. It's like, it was like 78 degrees here. Like, do you understand how cold is? Like, it doesn't look that cold. I pull up Baltimore, Maryland, it was like 33 degrees. Like, these people can't feel their fingers, can't feel their toes. This is a different level of football than playing indoors in Detroit or playing indoors in Dallas. Like, that's, that's a different level of mental toughness. And again, the Bengals came out like they were in the playoff mix, like they had something to play for. And maybe that's Burrow kind of, I don't know, injecting life, just giving them some confidence of, like, guys, I, I, I believe in this team. I'm, I, I'm working hard enough to come back, let's go out there swinging. And they, they played their ass off on defense, creating turnovers, creating fumbles, flying around. I mean, their defense actually didn't look bad. And that's a defense that looks terrible. Maybe that's more of indictment on Lamar's health, because to me, he doesn't even look remotely close to the guy way earlier in this season, the guy we've seen the last couple of years, he's just not moving around very well. And when he can't move around and be the dominant playmaker, that's a huge part of his game. Like, that is the Lamar Jackson package. And when that's gone, he just becomes a shell of himself. And their offense obviously sputters and they still make big plays. He did hit the one dude on the go route and the DB made a great play. But at the end of the day, like I'm looking at this Ravens team and the last couple of years, you took them really seriously going in the playoffs. I mean, two years ago they were the 1 seed. Last year on the road in Buffalo. Like I like their chances. They obviously lost that game, but they were a team that wouldn't have shocked anyone if they rattled off a couple playoff, you know, beat the Bills and then had a chance against the Chiefs. This year doesn't feel like that. This year, I would say depending on the matchup, feels like a decent chance that they're, you know, potentially one and done in the playoffs. Today's show is brought to you by our new presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. There are three things to be thankful for this week. Family, food, and you guessed it, football. Thanks to Hard Rock Bet, you can easily sneak in some bets while your crazy uncle goes on his annual rant. Sign up today and you could feast with 150 in bonus bets. Just place a $5 bet. If it hits you, not only get your winnings, but also a hundred and fifty extra in bonus bets. That's an offer you can't pass up even on a full stomach. Plus, this week on Hard Rock Bet, you get three 50 profit boosts, one for each Thanksgiving Day game. Boost your same game parlay or same game parlay max, so your bet pays extra winnings. Hard Rock Bet offers new promos every single day. Download the Hard Rock Bet app now and make your first deposit 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-Playwise in Indiana, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-9 with it gambling problem. Call 1-800- Gambler Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia.
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Black Friday game day is coming to prime and it'll be an epic day of live sports. Black Friday football is at the center of it all with the Chicago Bears taking on the Philadelphia Eagles at 3pm Eastern. That's followed by the final night of Emirates NBA cup group play and a doubleheader starting with the Bucks and Knicks at 7pm and the Mavericks and Lakers at 10pm but the whole day starts with the return of the Capital One skins game as four elite PGA golfers face off with $4 million on the line. Black Friday game day teaser off with the Capital One skins game at 9am Eastern before the Big Bears Eagles football game at 3pm and it all culminates with a double dose of Emirates NBA cup action featuring Bucs Knicks at 7pm and Mavs Lakers at 10pm only on prime.
Sophie Cunningham
This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don'tsleep on osa.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company.
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John Middelkopf
Cowboys, Chiefs. What a game. What a. What a just marquee matchup. You know that that just felt. It felt big. It really did. And you can't convince me, especially if that game Ends up breaking records. That a game with a 6 and 5 team playing a team that's 5, 5 and one could have felt as big as it did. And it lived up to the hype and it was awesome. And when the Chiefs scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, you know Rasheed Rice is. He's a big time player, that dude. Pretty clear why. When he crashes the Lamborghini and there's like, is he drunk?
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Is he hide?
John Middelkopf
He takes off and he gets in some trouble. The Chiefs are like, well, stand by our man. They're like, Tammy won that. They're like, we're not going anywhere. And I don't blame him because that dude is a baller. He is by far their best offensive player. Travis Kelsey. No, he's a bright lights player. He had a fantastic touchdown. And you're like, are they going to score 50 points in this game? And the thing is with the Cowboys, like, okay, you want to get into a scoring contest. The one thing that isn't debatable, and here's where I was wrong about Dallas, is at the beginning, really going back to when Jerry made Brian Schottenheimer the coach. I like most people, and I don't want to say I was like a sheep or fell into group think here, but this guy wasn't getting hired by anyone else to be their offensive coordinator. Now that would have been wrong because clearly he's an excellent offensive coordinator. We're watching his work on a weekly basis. He's really good at his job. But there is no other team in the NFL that would hire him be the offensive coordinator. Fair enough. And definitely no other team would have hired him to be their head coach. And sitting here after Thanksgiving, heading into December, he's been fantastic. And just as an offensive coordinator, he's been pretty elite. I mean his rapport with this quarterback, Dak Prescott. Today we had some really good performances by quarterbacks. Mahomes played well, obviously the two guys in the morning, I mean Jordan Love was, I thought fantastic. That Prescott was just elite. I mean that's, that was especially spags defense. You know, they got some momentum. It's not like they're not playing for anything now. He is parlayed. When they made those trades, whatever three weeks ago, the game against the Raiders, the game against the Eagles and the game against the, the Chiefs, even Brian Schadenheimer in that, in that locker room was like, how about those four days? I even think when you factor in the Raiders. Now I understand the Raiders are a complete joke. Their. Their coach, a Report came out today. Chip Kelly like didn't know the plays, was calling in the wrong plays, was calling in plays to Geno Smith that they hadn't even installed and the players didn't know. It's like Chip, are you boozing or something? Like what the going on? Like what I. I've been on this for a while. I'm not gonna beat a dead horse. But like that performance against the Raiders was really high level. Then you, then you bring that to the Eagles comeback was like really impressive today. Felt like the icing on the cake. What an incredible three day run. I mean incredible three day run for Jerry as the gm because I do think we talk about Jerry sometimes. Obviously they get discussed all the time by all major shows, by the major networks, by a lot of podcasts. Like they're just a major story and they're in the mix with making trades and doing big time stuff. Micah Parsons trade is, I don't know, one of the bigger trades of like my adult life. Trading two first round picks for a potential hall of Fame pass rusher. Like it doesn't happen very often. And I mean literally. I think him and Khalil Mack are the only time a guy's ever been like all pros under 25, you usually give those guys a second contract. So it's just going to make waves now. I thought the Schottenheimer hire was crazy. I did not think the Micah Parsons trademark was crazy. Now once he starts trading for Quinn and Williams, I'm like, this is Jerry's like just kind of gunslinging right now. But every time you look up, 92's in the backfield. George Pickens field J threw this out before today. Now the Steelers haven't played, but coming into today he had more receiving yards than the entire Steelers receiving core. He is D.K. metcalf isn't the number one wide receiver. Like I got news for you. But the Steelers pay him $150 million like he's Jamar Chase or Justin Jefferson. Meanwhile, Pickens today I saw a stat had four slants that he ran that went for a combined 75 yards. Last time I checked, slants where you're catching the ball, I don't know. No more than 7, 8 yards by the time the ball hits your hands past the line of scrimmage. His ability after the catch for a guy that it's not like he's worthy or DK Metcalf in terms, it's not like he's a 4:2 guy, but making guys miss breaking tackles Using angles. George Pickens has been elite, but that's why George or Brian Schottenheimer deserves credit. Because when you trade for a guy like that, you're like, how are you, how are you going to use him? How are you going to handle this personality? Then the Cowboys get him and he becomes Dax. I mean, a lot of this season has been his number one target, has been the most productive player on the field. I mean, how many times a day it's like it's probably going to go to George and something big happened. And obviously CD Lamb had a massive game. So you're keeping these two guys. I mean, there's a story that comes out a couple weeks ago. It's like they're boozing late night and I gave him respect. Kind of like a throwback to my youth. A couple dudes on the road all nighter and who even knows what exactly is true, but who cares. Brian Schaden item are completely unfazed. Play the Eagles, both those guys crush. Play the Chiefs Thanksgiving, front of 45, 50 million people. Both those guys make huge plays and a huge reason that they win. Obviously, you know, Ferguson had the play that I guess it was overturned, but every time I watch him I go, listen, I understand he's. This isn't George Kittle, but he's pretty good player. I mean, I think he's just extremely productive. Their entire offense just produces. I mean, what was Dak today? 27 to 39, couple touchdowns, 320 yards. CD Lamb, seven catches, 112, Pickens 6 for 88. Ferguson 5 for 36. Javante Williams, productive. Malik Davis had the big touchdown run. Their offense is just legit. So it's like my head coach, who is. And here's the thing, it's not like some random dude who was coaching like John Carroll and then got like a quarterback job on some shitty team and just all of a sudden came out of nowhere. Like, this guy's been around football since he was shitting in diapers. Like, this guy's a football guy through and through from day one. And once upon a time in his 30s, he was like a shooting star and didn't pounce on the opportunity. This is why assistant coaches have told me over the years when I'm like, bro, why are you taking that offensive coordinator job? And they go, john, two things. One, they signed me to a three year contract at each year's worth. Over. And this is like over the years, over 800 to 900 to a million dollars. This is like 10 years ago now. An offensive coordinator jobs pay like 1.2, $1.5 million for guys that have never been coordinators before. So they pay a premium. And once you kind of get in that mix, you're just kind of in that mix. And like this guy was a stud. This guy was a star. But then his career kind of got derailed like after that Jet situation. When he didn't take a head coaching job over the course of the 2010s he was kind of all over the map. I mean at one point in time he was the Georgia offensive coordinator. In the mid-2010s. This was after the jets had him as their offensive coordinator in his mid to late 30s and they were the number one rushing offense. Back to back years in the AFC championship game. Back to back years, the New York jets. And like five years later, he's coaching the Georgia Bulldogs. And this ain't the Kirby Smart Georgia Bulldogs. This is Mark Richt. So like, listen, sometimes your career goes down the wrong path for some people. It ruins them and they never become, you know, a coordinator or head coach again and they just kind of get lost in the shuffle. Now this isn't the worst industry to work in that still gets paid a lot of money, but there had to be a time and point in this guy's career where he thought this was never going to happen. And then he gets it and then the Parsons trades happens. The whole media thinks like this whole thing's going to crumble. And even at one point in time it's like, ah, it's going to be a pretty big uphill battle. Now you're looking at them 6, 5 and 1. They play the Lions next week in what could be honestly an elimination game. I think Dan Campbell said after the game that St. Brown's not out for the season, but he's definitely going to miss next week. So they're going to be missing their best wide receiver. The Cowboys defense ever since, since getting Quinn and Williams looks like a completely different unit. I mean Quinn and Williams is all over the place. Clowney, Jadavion Clowney had multiple sacks today. The dude they traded for from the Cincinnati Bengals, he's been excellent. Obviously they're get over shown back, he's making plays. Their defense just looks completely different since the trading deadline. So like when I see Jerry on James Slater's Instagram or Twitter page with a huge piece of turkey in his hand with a big ass smile like he should be swinging that thing around. This was an incredible, like, this is where you get credit. Like, listen, what are Most owners doing right? Not much. They hire their guys and listen they ideally good ones give them the, give them the money but like they're not wheeling and dealing. Like Jerry's a huge part of this. Jerry's the ones like Micah Parsons out. He's even kind of admitted during that preseason game when Micah Parsons laid on the training table. I think Jerry said within the last month he's like I, I've owned this team for whatever 35 years. Never seen that happen in my entire career. Like I really pissed him off. Just like it would have pissed anybody off. It would have pissed coaches off, owners off, GMs off. It was embarrassing but I didn't listen Micah. They were at odds and they split up and everyone took Micah side and listen the packers don't regret it. I'm watching Micah today. There was that one play was kind of a broken play and he kind of comes around. Goff kind of holds on. He crushed him. Michael's flying around like Mike is a really good player. But like do you think Cowboys regret doing that? No. This is kind of a win win so far this year. And then they parlayed it. I think a lot of people were stunned when they trade for Quinn and Williams. He's a 27 year old elite defensive tackle. He's really, really good. They still have two picks. Now. Are the, are the Cowboys going to make the playoffs this year? I still doubt it. Right. Even if you go best case scenario like 10, 6 and 1. I doubt that gets you into the playoffs, but you'd have a chance. But if I would have told anyone alive that November 27th, when the Thanksgiving Day, when that game ends that the Chiefs and the Cowboys are going to have the same amount of victories, there's not a soul that would have believed you. I don't think Jerry Jones would have believed you. It's just a remarkable accomplishment this year from the Cowboys. And one thing is like what about the penalties? What about the flags? Officiating in football sucks. It's bad all the time. Like really, really bad. There are calls that could go either way all the time. There are calls that are made that should have gone the other way. So if you want to say that these past interferences shouldn't be called. Yeah like I'm anti past interference call most times. Let the guys duke it out. I fucking despise, I mean despise defensive holding. It's my least favorite call in sports. It's so over called. But it's football. The Chiefs have benefited a ton over the years. From calls. It's, it happens. Like I didn't watch that game and think the Dallas Cowboys won because of the officiating. I think Dallas played a really good game and I don't think the Chiefs were that bad either. Right. I mean what was Mahomes today? Bring up that box score. He was 23 at 34 through four touchdowns. If I would have told you at the beginning of the day going into the Cowboy game, then my homes would be 23 at 34 for four touchdowns and no picks. You would have probably said the Chiefs win by 4 or I mean win, win by 10, win by win by double digits. Because you would assume probably. Well, I bet Kareem Hunt gets a running rushing touchdown. It's probably 35. It's like the Cowboys offense is good, but I can see the Chiefs making some plays and win that game like 35 or 33 to you know, 20, 23. That's not what happened. Okay, Cowboys score 31 and, and that's where going back. The thing they hang their hat on is they're so explosive on offense. And you go back, obviously the Raider game was a joke. I mean, I mean you're playing again. I, I mean the stories about the offensive coordinator are b, are as embarrassing as anything you're going to hear. And while I do think Tom Brady has really, really improved on tv, I mean dramatically. I think Tom Brady's pretty good now. He's solid. He's an easy listen thought he was better than Tony Romo and Jason Garrett. I mean whatever that NBC executive is that thinks Jason Garrett is like the next John Madden. I, I, I don't root for people lose their jobs, especially with AI incoming, you might never get one back. But that guy should be relieved of his duties, you know, I mean come on man. I respect Collins Worth has in his contract. I do not work Thanksgivings. Even though Romo works. Even though Brady works. Chris Collinsworth does not. Tareco works. Tariko's gonna be doing Sunday Night Football. But we get Jason Garrett. I, I take anyone else, Anyone else. I should I take Collinsworth's kid. I don't care. You can't give me Jason Garrett. But the offense is just, it's, it's been unreal to watch and I, I don't know if he can win the MVP because I do think Stafford, if the Rams win 14 games and you know, he only his stats are awesome and he's clearly just a dominant player week in, week out. I think he's going to have a pretty good I think the story matters a lot. It was kind of like Josh Allen last year. People kind of wanted to vote for him. But Daxman, pretty good man, and the team's been pretty good. Schottenheimer's been awesome. Jerry deserves a lot of credit. It really does. And I think when you look big picture, you go, well, we got two first round picks next year, so we're going to have. Even if we miss the playoffs and win nine or 10 games, we're going to have a lot of momentum into next year. Clearly our head coach is a play caller, so we don't have to worry about losing our offensive coordinator. We have some young dudes on defense. Quinn Williams under contract. He ain't going anywhere. Kenny Clark's under contract. He ain't going anywhere. Add a couple edge rushers and look at your division. Like, Washington was the oldest team in the league this year. They got, they got a lot of problems. Debo's been pretty productive for them. Debo's a free agent. Laramie Tunzel is going to want to get paid. So, you know, can Jaden Daniel stay healthy? And the Giants got a long way to go before they even have a long way to go. I mean, we got no clue what the hell's going on there, right? Even though we all like a lot of their pieces. Like, they don't even have a coach, let alone like who's running the draft and free agency. Like, is the GM gonna survive? So we'll have to see how that thing shakes out. If I'm a Cowboy fan, I'm pretty proud right now. And Jerry's taking a lot of shit. And listen, they have underachieved in the playoffs. And I was messing around with people on Twitter during the middle of the day. Having a few, having a few cocktails. The Cowboys have been a well run organization over the last 10 plus years. Really. In the Dak era, they have had some really good teams. The downfall has been Dak did not play well in the big games in the McCarthy era, they had two really good teams. They lost to the 49ers twice with defenses that I thought could have won a Super Bowl. And the reason they lost those games is Dak played like shit. I think he had three picks in the two games combined. One of the games he had two picks. He was bad, he just was not good. And obviously the game against the packers, the defense completely fell apart and he, I think you remember he threw a pick six. But in the two Niner games, like that team that lost the packers they had some issues the previous two seasons. The year I guess it would have been 22. They were really good on defense and if Dak just played solid, they would have competed for a Super bowl. And obviously McCarthy and Kellen Moore, a lot of people got blamed there. Stacks just didn't play well. That's the thing about football, you know, in basketball, in a seven game series, if I had the better team than you and I got Steph Curry or I got Jokic or some Luka on my team, they could have a bad game like game two. Luca can score 17 points and we lose by 20. Whatever. See you tomorrow. See game three. Football's. The playoffs are not like that. It's what, it's what makes the sport so unique. You have one shitty game, you have one bad half, it could cost you a Super bowl run. And that's kind of what's happened to the Cowboys. And I've always said this about Dak. Just like Jared Goff, just like a lot of the Kirk Cousins, they're capable back to back weeks in the playoffs if everything's going right. Like they could throw seven touchdowns over two games and be right there in a championship game or depending on their seed, be in a Super Bowl. It's possible. We've seen it happen before. It happened with Flacco. He got red hot. Where was his team? Super Bowl? Eli did it twice. It's gonna put him in the hall of Fame one day because he got red hot at the right time. And that's, you know, I do think Dak shows this in individual games in the regular season all the time. Like he can play at a really, really high level. And their success with this Dak Prescott era is like whenever they get another opportunity in a playoff game, can he just throw for like three touchdowns? Not in a game too where. The one playoff game that he won during the McCarthy era, they were playing the Bucks. It was Brady's last year and they were just done. Brady was checked out. They were terrible. They couldn't. I think they were historically poor at running the ball and deck, if I remember correctly, threw like five touchdowns and was awesome. But they need that against a team that actually, you know, it's like they're equal, not a team they're going to beat. And he hasn't done it. But I, I think like most people that watch football, he's easy to like, he's kind of earned, he like earned your respect over the course of his career. It's like, God, I kind of like, like this guy like watching him play, just, he's just a good player. Now I understand his playoff resume speaks for itself and that's the only way that he's ever going to be able to kind of validate everything. And if he could just get the Cowboys to the championship game over the course of the next like three years. Because now they're kind of in a little window, right? They're probably not going to make the playoffs this year. I wouldn't completely write them dead right now. I mean there's, there's hot as a team in the league. I mean the four game, the four day stretch, they just had that come back against the Eagles in the end of days. Gotta be one of the better four day stretches in recent Cowboy memory. Especially when you just factor in the two teams they beat. To do that to Philly and then to do that to Kansas City. And I understand this Kansas City team, like, I actually think they're not that bad. I mean their defense isn't quite as good, but offensively like they're playing pretty good. Mahomes is playing well. Rasheed Rice is dominating. Kelsey's been relatively productive. I think they'd like a little bit more out of Xavier Worthy. You know, you draft him in the first round now Grant is the end of the first round. There was a big play today that he had that went for 42 yards, is a great example. Some of the great elite speed guys, Tyreek Hill, desean Jackson, guys Andy have had, can take a play like that and kind of look and go, I'm going to cut this thing big back and just basically play one on one with the safety. Instead, Xavier Worthy just kind of keeps his momentum and just keeps running and ends up running into like his other wide receiver and a db and the safety comes over and the play just kind of ends. That's a play that Tyreek Hill or desean Jackson just hit the brakes, cut on a dime, take off going 50 miles an hour and score a touchdown. And it's the play of the day and he doesn't quite have that capability. Again, he's not bad, but I think you'd like a little, if you had that extra oomph with him, with Rice, with the way Kelsey's playing, they would be a pretty dominant offense. But it does show you like they're very dependent on Rasheed Rice, who's a pretty dominant player. I mean at 8 for 92, a couple touchdowns a day, they can give the ball in the, out of the backfield on end arounds, uh, you know I think the running game, Kareem Hunt's been really good for them in terms of short yard stuff. But do they have a true guy that they can rely on? But the offense, they couldn't stop him. Now you can say, oh, the penalties, penalties. I mean that wasn't that. The knock on the Chiefs over the years is they get way more penalties than the other team. I, I just, I kind of hate doing that. And I get it. I mean those couple toward the end of the game are huge. I mean, the Cowboys got what the or The Chiefs got 10 penalties for 120 yards, Cowboys seven for 50. I mean, it's a really, really big deal. But I don't know, I mean, I just hate, I just hate playing that game. It obviously doesn't have no impact, but it's like, are the Chiefs a nine win team if they're getting better calls? I think they're just not quite as good and they're missing a little something on defense. And I do think that now when you start looking at the math, the playoffs are probably not going to happen this year and you know, they'll probably end up going 9 and 8 or 10 and 7, miss the playoffs. And it does feel like we're kind of at the end of the Kelsey Chris Jones era. You think now maybe, you know, I thought Travis Kelsey would retire after the season maybe if they don't make the playoffs and he gets January off and he gets a much longer off season that he comes back. Because if you're given five, six catches a game, it's not like they're going to kick you to the curb, right? It's not like they wouldn't want him back. They have to pay for him anyway. Like, you know, he's under contract so you know, Chris Jones is a guy that still makes big time plays, but is he someone that you can just depend on on a weekly basis? I think they were going to have to find kind of their next generation of impact guy on defense. And it's hard, you know, to do it typically when you're drafting 31st, 32nd every single year. Now maybe you draft 18th, maybe you get aggressive and you get up to like 10th and that's what the Chiefs are going to have to do. Potentially this off season is like if you're drafting 18th or 19th, does Veeche just go, you know what, fuck it, let's take the 271 and go from 18 to 7 and get the second best edge rusher in this draft and kind of put all of his chips in the table for next year and do something aggressive like that. And that's where I think the Chiefs are in a position where they can do aggressive things that other teams probably hesitant to do because I think, listen, they're going to keep battling their ass off and playing hard. But, you know, they were, you know, Tony was kind of breaking it down on the broadcast. When you looked at the, at the standings, if you just look at the conference, they are 6 and 6 right now and sitting in ninth. Well, the Texans are 6 and 5. The Bills are technically the 7 seed at 7 and 4. So if the Bills beat the Steelers this week, they'll be 8 and 4. The Jags play the Titans Sunday, so more than likely they'll be 8 and 4. So two teams that beat you are going to be 8 and 4. I think the Texans, I don't know if they're the hottest team in the league, but their defense is playing as well as any unit in the NFL. They play the Colts this week. I don't know if you saw the clip on Daniel Jones. He can't move. So I don't know about you, I'm taking the Texans in that game. You know, it is. They despise and like their value of Anthony Richardson is so low that they would rather play a guy that cannot move against a defense that literally could break your other leg than be like, you know what, we're going to give him the week off and play Anthony Richardson. Who knows? Maybe Anthony Richardson ends up playing. But this week could be pretty devastating for the Chiefs. You lose and the Texans, the Bills and the Jags all win. I think it's very likely that that scenario plays out. The Texans, the Bills and the Jags all win. Chargers, a little bit of a wild card because they have so many injuries, but I just checked, they play the Raiders this week. So, I mean, there's a decent chance that all three of those teams, Chargers, Jags, Bills are 8 and 4 and the Texans win and they're 7 and 5 and they've already beat you. So it just, it's one of those scenarios where the Chiefs, and this is why the Ravens are a little lucky that the Steelers are just such a disaster that their slow start doesn't completely derail their season. When you start 1 in 5, if you are in a credible division, you have 0% chance to win it. The only way you have a chance to win a division at one in five is if you're in a division with awful teams because 9 and 8, I mean, it's going to be hard to achieve, right? If you get 10 wins in the AFC north, you're going to win that thing by multiple games. I'd bet a thousand dollars right now, nine and eight wins the game or wins the division. So I think, you know, you look at the Chiefs, it's like some years, 10 and seven, boom, get you the 17. Some years, you know, you got to win some tiebreakers with 11 wins to get in. And it feels like that's the case with the Chiefs. So listen, hell of a run. Five super bowl, six years, not the end of the world. I also think that they could flip this thing pretty easy in the off season, kind of transition to next year. Because, listen, I think Mahomes, he's still really good, but I think he's closer to, you know, this version of Lamar obviously is not an elite guy. You know, Burrow's been injured all season. Josh Allen's kind of been all over the map. No one's really playing of all the top guys to their elite caliber. But Mahomes is the same thing again. He's still really good. I would take him on my team in a freaking heartbeat over 95% of these other guys. But like, he has moments in the game where it's like, oh, that's really impressive throw. And he has other moments where, ah, I'd like a little more and like, maybe he's just going to be a really, really good player. The days of his, you know, time being the most dominant guy is over. He's just going to be really good, which is fine. And now I think, you know, Veech would be the first to tell you it's on me to build a really good team. So I need to pick the right players on defense so I can get. I clearly have, you know, Andy and Spags, we just need a little more oomph. We need better players. I think I saw a report when I was scrolling, maybe at halftime that Josh Sim or Simmons, that's the first name Josh broke his wrist, the star left tackle from Ohio State. So that's not ideal. I mean, last time I checked, you break your wrist probably out for the season. It's just not their year.
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This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don'tsleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company.
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Learn more@paypal.com. Okay, let's end on this Two guys just deserve their flowers today. I thought La Flores, who has taken a lot of crap, he's been under a lot of heat, right? People are like, what's up with his play calling? I thought he was excellent today. I thought, now again, he's not exactly playing the 85 Bears. The Lions are not good on defense, right? They got defensive issues, but in terms of. I thought that's as good of a game. I can remember LaFleur calling, they had 125 yards on the ground. You know, Love threw for 334, but he threw four touchdowns, was excellent in the red zone. Christian Watson coming back has completely changed their offense in terms of speed, obviously. Wicks was like star of the game, especially the one that. That ended the game. I did think toward the end of the game when they're in that scenario where they can't run out the clock, but it's third and whatever. Third and four, third and five. The Lions have no timeouts. If you just run the ball from like 156, you would. The fourth down would come at like a buck 15 and they have no timeouts. They have to score a touchdown to just tie the game. So you're basically at the 50 yard line with 120. With a buck 20 left or a buck 15, you could punt and make them try to go 80, 90 yards to score a touchdown. Right now they're good on def. Or excuse me, they're good on offense at home. I get it. They can. They got explosive players. Even with your defense being excellent, I understand being aggressive. I personally would have ran the ball on third down. But I'm not going to nitpick him. Maybe he would say, I'm going for it no matter what on fourth down. So who even cares? I'm not necessarily playing the clock. I'd still push back. Even if you're going to go for it, at least put them in a position with way less time. But that being said, fourth down goes for it. Take some nuts, because if you don't get it, you know, Dan Campbell, if he does score, he's going for two. And if you lose, that's one of those that would have been hard to shake. But he didn't and he got it. Love made a great play. I thought Jordan Love was fantastic. Obviously the touchdown that he threw, the first touchdown of the game was just. I mean, it's like football porn. Just an absolute beautiful throw down the left side for Wicks's first touchdown. And how long was that play? That was 30 yards that was beautiful pitch and catch. He was excellent through a couple nice red zone touchdowns. He had the beautiful pass to Christian Watson, who again, just gives them. It's like, listen, if the Lions are fully healthy, what Jameson Williams brings to the table, especially with Dan Campbell calling, is something that you can't teach. Like what he has, and he showed it a couple times today, is what you want out of worthy. Utilize the speed, change of direction, use angles. You're faster than literally the other 21 guys on this field. You are the fastest guy. Jameson Williams knows it, and he plays like it when the ball's in his hand. Christian Watson knows it a little bit, too. Like he can just scoot. And watching those two guys with the ball in their hand, I mean, they both can fly. And I just think that today was huge. And now the Green Bay packers does feel like they control their own destiny a little bit. I mean, they literally do because they play the Bears twice. But, like, I think it'd be a little stunning if they don't win the division. Listen, maybe the Bears just have a magical season, but those are going to be really hard matches for Chicago. But even if they split, they got to go to Denver, which is tough. They got the Ravens and they still go to Minnesota. So their schedule isn't simple, but they are going to get the Bears next week. I guess they only get the extra day because the Bears are playing on Friday against the Eagles. But that was a massive, massive win and huge moment. I just thought, you know, Jordan Love, Matt LaFleur, just taking a lot of shit, right? Everyone, and rightfully so, is Ben on Halfley in the defense. And they fly around. I mean, that front. Micah. Micah came through. I mean, Micah made big, big plays today. But one big difference today. I mean, obviously, you know, for Dan Campbell, the first fourth down, he went for it on. When they ran Jameer Gibbs up the middle, it didn't even have a prayer. The second one worked. Golf just missed. Jameson Williams threw it behind him. I mean, you would like a guy to make a play, but that's. That's a tough catch. And he drops it. So they go, oh, and two on. On fourth downs. Meanwhile, the packers go 3 for 3 in these games against these teams that are always going for it on fourth down. That's. That's huge. I mean, that literally was the game, because when they got the fourth down, it literally ended the game. And if they don't get that play, which was an incredible catch, him high, pointing the ball. The Lions are getting the ball, basically at midfield with what, like a over a minute 45 left in the game with some elite offensive players. So that's just. These fourth down swings are huge. I mean, they're just massive, which I appreciate. You're kind of on pins and needles, especially as we go in the second half of these games, because you know these people are going to go for it. I think Dan Campbell's got to be a little worried because next week against the Cowboys, which he's going to be missing, Saint Brown, everybody and their mother is going to pick the Dallas Cowboys in that game. Dallas's strength, it's like, okay, you want to get in a shootout? They can just do what Green Bay did. We can score, you know, 30, 35 points, no problem. But our defense is playing really well. St. Brown's gone, your tight end's gone. It's like, let's just, let's just focus on Montgomery and Gibbs. What's Jameson Williams going to do? Go for 300 yards? So to me, if I'm the Cowboys next week, it's just like you just somewhat neutralize Gibbs and Montgomery, which, listen, both those two guys made plays today. They're excellent players. But I think this Lions season has just kind of been weird. You know, it really has. And I think it just gets back to defensively, they're just not very good. You just have no faith that they're going to get any stops and their back seven. It's just they got holes everywhere. It just doesn't feel like their DBs make any plays. I mean their corners multiple times. Even on that last drive before the fourth down, Christian Watson, what felt like had a third down that, you know, you thought kind of iced the game. It ended up not really, but it was just, it was an easy out route on what, like third and six. It was like it felt like training camp for the Packers. So congrats to Green Bay. Massive, massive win and we'll get out of here on this. I was hot today. I went three for three. I think I don't feel great about this. I feel a little bit like the Bengals against the Ravens where it's like this is too many points. It does feel like the Bears have been a little bit of team of destiny. Love their coach, Ben Johnson. They're getting seven points on the road. The Caleb. Ben Johnson versus Vic Fangio is just an excellent matchup because I want to see how Caleb can handle Fangio. Obviously the new added edge rushers to the Eagles. We know how good their interior defensive tackles are. If you can Neutralize at all the run game for. For the Bears. Can Caleb just carry you throwing it against the Eagles? Can he run away and break the tackles of their defensive lineman? Just a really, really interesting matchup. I also just wonder about the psyche of this Eagles team that lost to on Sunday to the Cowboys. Is like, are they just going to be able to just shake that off and keep their head up and not even be phased by it? Listen, this is really going to test Sirianni, because this is going to be a moment where if this game is weird, if it's like three, three or seven, three Bears in the second quarter, you go three and out. Like they are going to boo the living. You know what out of you, you could hear the booze. Like if you're in Pittsburgh or Atlantic City, they're going to boo so loud. This. This play's going to be a little on edge coming in. Not because they view the Bears as some juggernaut, but it's more looking at their own team. They have a really high standard. They're the defending champs. Their offense can look really weird. Their offensive line has not played well this year. They cannot run the ball. The, you know, the rapport Jalen has with the wide receivers. He can have series where they look awesome and then it just disappears. So I'm taking the Bears plus seven. I'm going to take Rome anytime. Touchdown. I'm gonna throw in AJ Brown, like first series. I could see him having a touchdown. They love getting him involved to like, try to make everyone see they're friends. And then he won't have a target the rest of the game. So that pays. Plus 995. So, you know, almost 10 to 1. But again, I. I'm gonna take the Bears plus 7. 1. The Eagles just playing a lot of weird, close games. I. I think this game could get weird. I. I'm expecting this thing to. To be weird, which I like. Which makes for a good podcast. Everyone, enjoy the night. Happy Thanksgiving and talk to everyone soon. The volume.
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Sophie Cunningham
This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at. Don't sleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly, A Medicine company.
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Episode: 3 & Out – Joe Burrow OUTPLAYS Lamar Jackson as Bengals UPSET Ravens
Date: November 28, 2025
Host: John Middlekauff
This episode dives deep into a wild Thanksgiving slate of NFL action, with a special spotlight on Joe Burrow’s gritty return and the Bengals’ surprising win over the Ravens. Host John Middlekauff delivers candid, passionate takes on Burrow’s mentality, the woes afflicting Lamar Jackson and Baltimore, Dallas’ rapid evolution into a legit contender, a potential tipping point for the Chiefs, and the surging Green Bay Packers. Throughout, Middlekauff emphasizes the power of NFL football—why it captures millions—and peppers in sharp observations and memorable quotes.
Timestamp: 04:59 – 12:24
Burrow’s Mindset and Grit:
Burrow played through a painful turf toe injury, taking his shoe off every defensive series for pain management.
"I'm paid a ton of money to play a little kids' game. If I can play, I'm going to play." (Burrow’s pregame quote paraphrased by Middlekauff, 06:00)
NFL Player Ethos:
The willingness of stars like Burrow to play through pain contrasts with trends in other sports to rest or “tank.”
“How refreshing is that for the consumer?” (Middlekauff, 06:15)
“That’s why the NFL’s king, because that’s the players’ mindset.” (Middlekauff, 10:31)
Bengals' Odds and Reality:
Despite the upset, Cincinnati’s playoff hopes are virtually nil, but Burrow’s competitive fire lifts the team.
“They could run the table…they're still not making the playoffs. But I do think what Joe Burrow said…represents the power of the sport.” (Middlekauff, 04:59)
Future in Cincy:
Middlekauff dismisses trade rumors:
“If you're the Bengals, like, he's going nowhere for the foreseeable future…he's just a franchise changer.” (09:18)
Timestamp: 12:24 – 17:23
Lamar’s Poor Outing & Injuries:
Jackson looked sluggish, less than fully healthy (~50%), and struggled with fumbles and inconsistent passing.
Concern for Playoff Viability:
“Their whole offense…from a passing standpoint revolves around him making plays. And it just doesn’t look right. It looks off.” (Middlekauff, 11:23)
“Depending on the matchup, feels like a decent chance that they're, you know, potentially one and done in the playoffs.” (Middlekauff, 15:59)
AFC Landscape:
With the conference in “shambles”—injuries, inconsistent teams—the Ravens may survive, but their ceiling looks lower.
Conditions and Mental Toughness:
Middlekauff highlights the harsh, cold environment in Baltimore as a hidden factor:
“This is a different level of football than playing indoors in Detroit or Dallas…a different level of mental toughness.” (Middlekauff, 13:49)
Timestamp: 20:40 – 49:11
Offensive Renaissance under Brian Schottenheimer:
Schottenheimer, once doubted, is praised for innovative, productive playcalling and strong rapport with Dak.
“There is no other team in the NFL that would hire him…as their offensive coordinator. Clearly he’s an excellent OC. He’s really good at his job.” (21:49)
"As an offensive coordinator, he's been pretty elite." (22:51)
Jerry Jones’ Bold Moves: Trades for Quinn Williams (DT), Micah Parsons, and others have transformed both the defense and the offense.
“Micah Parsons trade is…one of the bigger trades of my adult life.” (26:02) “Every time you look up, 92’s in the backfield.” (26:56)
Key Player Highlights:
Realistic Playoff Picture:
Despite their hot streak, Middlekauff doubts Dallas makes the playoffs but lauds their momentum and organizational strides.
“Are the Cowboys going to make the playoffs this year? I still doubt it…But if I would have told anyone…Chiefs and Cowboys…same amount of victories…there’s not a soul that would have believed you.” (41:32)
Dak’s Playoff Narrative:
Dak’s regular season excellence is undebatable, but postseason doubts linger.
“Their downfall has been Dak did not play well in the big games…can he just throw for like three touchdowns?” (44:23)
Timestamp: 41:32 – 49:11
Still Dangerous, But Ceiling Lower:
Offense is potent, Mahomes played well (4 TD, 0 picks), but defense is vulnerable, and supporting weapons don’t measure up to previous dynastic runs.
Penalties and Officiating:
Chiefs had 10 penalties for 120 yards; Middlekauff dismisses blaming refs, calls it “part of the game.”
“Officiating in football sucks. It’s bad all the time…if you want to say that these pass interferences shouldn’t be called…Let the guys duke it out.” (38:55)
Outlook for Playoffs and Core Players:
Real chance KC misses playoffs; potential end of Chris Jones/Travis Kelce era.
“It does feel like we’re kind of at the end of the Kelsey, Chris Jones era.” (45:09)
GM’s Task for the Future:
“We need better players. I think I saw a report…[star left tackle] broke his wrist …just not their year.” (48:40)
Timestamp: 52:15 – 61:00
LaFleur Out-of-Hot-Seat:
After criticism, LaFleur gets kudos for playcalling and giving Love opportunities to shine.
“I thought LaFleur…was excellent today. That’s as good a game [as I] can remember.” (52:19)
Love’s Star Performance:
334 yards, 4 TD, big throws to Watson and Wicks; sense of renewed hope around the young QB.
“I thought Jordan Love was fantastic…that was beautiful pitch and catch.” (53:10)
Big Fourth-Down Moments:
Packers' 3-for-3 on fourth down vs. Lions' 0-for-2 was the difference.
Lions' Defensive Regression:
Despite their firepower, their defense simply “just can’t get a stop whenever they have to.” (35:17)
“It just gets back to defensively, they’re just not very good.” (59:22)
Timestamp: 61:00 – 62:00
Bears vs. Eagles (Black Friday):
Picks Bears +7, predicts a weird, close game given Philly’s current offensive inconsistencies and Chicago’s underdog energy.
General NFL Parity:
Emphasis throughout on how unpredictable the season is—no dominant AFC team, playoff races wide open.
Middlekauff’s style is conversational, at times irreverent—blunt opinions, colorful put-downs (e.g., the Raiders’ offense, officiating, and TV analysts), but he balances this with genuine respect and insightful football analysis, especially for players and coaches who rise to the occasion or make bold moves.
This episode captures the drama and unpredictability of late-November NFL action, offering energetic analysis of Thanksgiving’s biggest results, signature performances, and the larger forces shaping the playoff races. Whether you’re a fan of the Bengals, Ravens, Cowboys, Chiefs, Packers, or just love football, Middlekauff’s breakdowns will make you feel right in the heart of the NFL universe.