3 & Out - NFL Schedule Release REACTION: Patriots Face Nightmare Schedule, Rams DOMINATE Primetime, Week 1 Primetime Lookaheads, TNF Bigger than MNF?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "3 & Out - NFL Schedule Release REACTION: Patriots Face Nightmare Schedule, Rams DOMINATE Primetime, Week 1 Primetime Lookaheads, TNF Bigger than MNF?"

Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd (via 3 & Out with John Middlekoff)
Date: May 15, 2026
Host: John Middlekoff
Theme: Breaking down the NFL’s 2026 schedule release: major takeaways, particularly tough stretches (notably for the Patriots), Rams’ tremendous primetime presence, new roles for Amazon and Netflix in NFL coverage, and considerations around the importance and quality of TNF vs. MNF.

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1. Episode Overview

This episode revolves around first reactions to the NFL’s 2026 schedule release. John Middlekoff shares big-picture observations instead of diving into every fixture. Key topics include:

• Major schedule themes and matchups (especially Week 1)
• Fallout for high-profile teams (notably Patriots and Rams)
• The international (Australia) angle and primetime shifts
• The changing TV landscape: Amazon and Netflix’s growing presence and strategies
• The evolving prestige and power of primetime games—particularly the rising stature of Thursday Night Football vs. the traditional big dog, Monday Night Football

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2. Key Discussion Points and Insights

NFL Schedule Spectacle & Big Picture

• Why the NFL Schedule Release Is a Big Deal:
  Unlike baseball or basketball, where schedules are a given, the NFL schedule is eventized—timing, travel, and primetime assignments heavily influence team discourse and fan excitement.

  “They've created this spectacle which is the schedule release. Again, something we already know... But it really starts tonight when you start thinking about it.” (06:13)

• Week 1 Focus:
  Opening games are always pivotal. The Super Bowl champion usually opens the season, but this year it shifts due to an international Australia game—demonstrating the NFL’s global ambitions.

  “Because Roger wants the NFL... to become more worldwide... They're going to Australia. And because of that, Seattle has to play on Wednesday.” (04:03)

Standout Team Storylines

• Patriots’ Brutal Schedule:
  New England faces an unusually harsh slate: tough road trips, primetime appearances, and formidable opponents. On top of this, media scrutiny looms following Super Bowl drama and coach Mike Vrabel’s offseason headlines.

  “Their schedule is insane.” (05:10)
  “On first glance, the New England Patriots is pretty insane.... There's a lot of potential playoff teams here... it's a lot of hard games.” (38:11–38:54)

• Rams’ Primetime Domination:
  Los Angeles Rams are featured prominently in marquee primetime windows—reflecting their elite status and coach McVay’s star power.

  “It feels like the Rams, every single week they are going to ride McVay like he is a movie star.” (34:10)

• Seattle as Contenders:
  Seattle seen as a possible #1 seed again, adding intrigue to their unusual Week 1 opener (in Australia).

  “Seattle's gonna be really good.... Right in the mix to be the number one seed again.” (08:26)

International Games & Complications

• Australia Game Logistics:
  NFL’s plan to expand globally means bending traditional scheduling, with early season flexibility making it feasible but raising acclimation/travel issues for players and coaches. McVay’s focus: managing jet lag on the return trip.

  “The hard part is not getting there. If you get there early enough they'll be able to acclimate. It’s the travel home that can really wear on you.” (09:58)

Evolution of TV and Streaming: Amazon & Netflix

• Amazon’s Thursday Night Football (TNF) Transformation:
  TNF has risen to true parity with Sunday and Monday night thanks to Amazon’s investment—no longer just Jags/Titans matchups, but now anchored by elite teams and quarterbacks.

  “Thursday night game... has become every bit as... a marquee game as Sunday night Football and Monday Night Football.” (25:29)
  “The first Thursday Night football game of the year is Detroit at Buffalo. I mean, it’s just like, boom, we’re off and running...” (26:53)

• Netflix’s Event Strategy:
  Netflix enters live sports by targeting “special events” rather than just any random game, securing high-profile matchups (Rams vs. 49ers, Packers) and holiday windows (Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Day).

  “Their sports strategy is not... ‘We want to buy the Cardinals at the Minnesota Vikings’... They want a big event.” (28:37)
  “This year... they get the Niners and the Rams. They get the Thanksgiving Eve game... Christmas Day games... a Saturday Week 18 game...” (29:09)

• Streaming’s Growing Impact:
  The league’s willingness to grant marquee games to streaming platforms shows where the future money and audience are—from Amazon to Netflix, bidding for the NFL's "special events".

Primetime Hierarchy: Is TNF Even Bigger Than MNF Now?

• Shift Toward TNF and Primetime “Spread”:
  With more platforms, primetime no longer means MNF glory. TNF is perceived as better or at least evenly matched in marquee value, thanks to big-brand matchups and Amazon’s leverage.

  “When I pulled up Monday Night Football, has it kind of been passed... by Thursday Night Football?” (34:46)

• MNF Still Holds Cultural Weight, But...
  Not as “guaranteed” to be the week’s best, as TNF and SNF get similar, sometimes better, matchups.

  “Monday night... doesn’t feel quite as guaranteed to be the best game of the week.” (37:27)
  “They still get good packages, but I do think Amazon is somewhat past them.” (37:36)

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3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the NFL's Mastery of Eventizing Anything:

  “In football, it’s extremely important, right? Are you playing night games? Are you playing road games? When are your long travels? When are your international games? And they've created this spectacle which is the schedule release.” (05:44)

• Nostalgia for MNF:

  “Denver, Kansas City, that is right in the wheelhouse of a 14 year old John Middlekoff... Monday Night Football... that game is something that still hits me, gives me a little football nostalgia to my youth.” (14:18)

• On Streaming's Insatiable Investment:

  “Netflix is doubling down on a key element here, special events... spending about $500 million... less than 3% of their annual content budget.” (28:32)

• Rams’ Primetime Fast Track:

  “They are going to ride McVay like he is a movie star.” (34:10)

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4. Timestamps for Important Segments

• NFL Schedule Event & Macro View: 02:17–07:14
• Patriots & Week 1 Intrigue: 04:34–09:10
• Australia Game / International Impact: 09:20–10:59
• Sunday & Monday Primetime Historic Matchups: 11:01–13:08
• Injury/Player Health Sidebar (Malik Nabers, Giants, etc): 13:08–14:49
• Week 1 Other Notable Games: 15:01–19:49
• Amazon, TNF Gaining Prestige: 24:37–28:20
• Netflix’s NFL Event Playbook: 28:20–31:40
• Sunday Night & Primetime Schedules: 32:10–34:47
• Monday Night Football’s Changing Role: 34:46–37:36
• Deep Dive: Patriots’ Tough Schedule: 37:43–39:40

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5. Additional Insights

• Best Seats at a Live NFL Game?

  “Sitting closer to the field is not a better view... that second level they often call like the club level... gives you the best view of the field.” (07:47)

• Old School vs. New School: The podcast blends nostalgia for NFL traditions (like MNF) with acknowledgment of seismic changes brought by streaming and new media giants.

• Intriguing Matchups:

  • Buffalo at Houston, Week 1: “That is an elite week one game. I mean, Joe Brady, welcome to the National Football League. You're getting Demiko Ryan's Will Anderson, who's a certified ass kicker...” (15:01–15:18)
  • Baltimore at Indy: “That's pretty freaking good. Indy was 8 and 2 before the quarterback broke his leg...” (16:10–16:14)

• On NFL’s Unique Place in U.S. Sports:

  “Football by far is the best television sport. There's nothing better than sitting on your couch and watching the game on a big screen TV.” (07:14)

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6. Takeaway for Listeners

Whether you’re planning trips, crafting fantasy football strategies, or following streaming’s sports conquest, the 2026 schedule release is a game-changer. Middlekoff delivers insight, humor, and occasional self-deprecation, making “3 & Out” a can’t-miss listen for anyone who cares about what’s next for the NFL—on the field and on your streaming device.

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End of summary.

Transcript

[John Middelkoff]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Matt]

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today another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you friends funnier. This week my guests SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter.

[Matt]

Where does your group perform?

[John Middelkoff]

We do some retirement homes.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[John Middelkoff]

AT&T business Wireless connecting changes everything.

[Matt]

The volume,

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foreign.

[Matt]

What is going on everybody?

[John Middelkoff]

John Middelkoff 3Now podcast hopefully you are doing well getting ready for the weekend

[Matt]

the schedule release came out. I will break down every single game

[John Middelkoff]

and make a prediction on every single matchup. I'm kidding. That will not happen.

[Matt]

But we will talk about some big picture stuff. Opening weekend the primetime games, Netflix now getting involved on Thanksgiving eve the Black Friday game with Amazon. Some some themes that that I saw

[John Middelkoff]

just on initial glance. There's obviously a lot going on. This is. It's actually a this is probably way more difficult of a podcast than anything during the season because like where do you even start? You're not going to break down all the games, Matt. It's just too hard to keep up with everyone's travel schedule, so we kind of had to keep it on a macro level. I think over the course of the next couple weeks we can dive in deeper. Partly because I got to get to my family because my wife was supposed

[Matt]

to be on a bachelorette trip, but

[John Middelkoff]

I'm playing in a golf tournament. So our mom's here.

[Matt]

So I just try to keep everything

[John Middelkoff]

healthy here in the house. So yeah, this will be a little scheduled release. Big picture thoughts. And that will be the game plan. So you guys know the drill. Make sure you subscribe to the 3Now podcast.

[Matt]

If you listen on Collins feed, we're

[John Middelkoff]

also up on Netflix.

[Matt]

Check out Netflix and you can hit an alert. I'm also doing some fourth down, which

[John Middelkoff]

is stuff that's off, not on the podcast. We've put some stuff up on YouTube, just some, some takes that we didn't hit on on the show. And maybe I expand on on the YouTube three and out page so you can check that out as well.

[Matt]

So let's just dive right in. Let's start with week one because we were waiting to see. We already knew.

[John Middelkoff]

Typically, the team that wins a Super

[Matt]

bowl starts on Thursday Night Football. But because Roger wants the NFL and listen, I totally understand, you're either growing or dying. How much bigger can they get domestically? Now?

[John Middelkoff]

You could argue they do pretty well

[Matt]

here domestically, but they clearly want to become more worldwide. If he asked me, I probably wouldn't say go to Australia, but they're going to Australia. And because of that, the Seattle has to play on Wednesday. Now, it's not as big a deal like it is later in the season because one, no one plays in the preseason and two, like you have the

[John Middelkoff]

entire month of August to manipulate your

[Matt]

practices and set up your guys for rest.

[John Middelkoff]

It's not a big deal at all.

[Matt]

You could play a Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night. It doesn't matter Week one, but we've been waiting to see who they were going to play. And because the NFC west and the AFC west play each other once the game leaked about the Monday night game, which is the Broncos and the Chiefs, it was kind of down to a couple teams. You're like, well, it's probably not going to be the Raiders and it's the Patriots. So New England goes to Seattle for a Super bowl rematch where they got throttled. I'm not going to hit on individual schedules, but New England was just in the Super Bowl. Their head coach has been like a

[John Middelkoff]

Bravo reality television show star because of everything going on in his personal life. Their Schedule is insane.

[Matt]

We knew it because again, we.

[John Middelkoff]

We knew who you were playing.

[Matt]

There was not a team today where someone found out.

[John Middelkoff]

Like, I didn't know we were playing them. We all knew who everyone was playing. We just didn't know the dates. So that's. The NFL is incredible.

[Matt]

This is before we dive into what they have in their back pocket. Like, they got a pitch or if you're a golfer, they got a shot

[John Middelkoff]

that no one else has.

[Matt]

You couldn't even get me. You'd have to pay me a lot of money to watch the equivalent or pay attention to the equivalent of a baseball schedule. There's 162 games. No one ever discusses a basketball schedule. Once the season's going well, they got a back to back coming up, but you just know you play everybody, it rotates. You travel here. You got the Texas road trip, like baseball, it's like getaway day. We got, you know, six, six games this week, seven games next week. In football, it's extremely important, right? Are you playing night games? Are you playing road games? When are your road games? When are your long travels? When are your international games? And they've created this spectacle which is the schedule release. Again, something we already know, right? It's like, what's a big moment in my life? When Maria told me she was pregnant. Did not know. When I proposed to her, did not know, right? When once upon a time, when Colin Coward called me, he's like, hey, this is years ago. This is probably 2018 or 19. You interested in doing a podcast? Think about it, come up with a name and we'll go from there. It's like, didn't know that was coming. Got a call. Out of the blue. This is not out of the blue yet. It feels pretty cool. I'm looking around, I'm looking at the Thanksgiving Eve game. I'm like, when do those two teams play before and they get the mini buy. And it becomes a huge talking point for us all throughout the season. But it really starts tonight when you start thinking about it. For those of you that go to games, more power to you.

[John Middelkoff]

Football by far is the best television sport. There's nothing better than sitting on your couch and watching the game on a big screen tv. But if you want to go to the games, I totally understand. Hopefully your team has a good tailgate situation and you enjoy it. Road trips, it's fun. I've been to not a million, but I've been to many, many NFL games. And if you get on the right one, a big game, just A great game that you didn't expect. They are extremely, extremely entertaining hack.

[Matt]

For those of you that haven't been to that many and that plan to go, this is not basketball. So sitting closer to the field is

[John Middelkoff]

not a better view.

[Matt]

This, that typically, especially if it's a

[John Middelkoff]

newer stadium, that second level they often call like the club level. But even the upper part of the lower bowl or the bottom part, even

[Matt]

sometimes of the third tier gives you

[John Middelkoff]

the best view of the field.

[Matt]

When you get too low, it is

[John Middelkoff]

much more difficult to see. We did it when we went to

[Matt]

the Red river rivalry a couple of years ago, Texas, Oklahoma, we were just

[John Middelkoff]

too close and it was, it was

[Matt]

a mistake by me and that's a mistake I knew, but I was like, yeah, it'd be kind of cool.

[John Middelkoff]

And then I regretted it immediately and the game was terrible anyway, so it didn't necessarily matter.

[Matt]

But New England at Seattle, which, listen,

[John Middelkoff]

Seattle's gonna be really good.

[Matt]

A lot of hype.

[John Middelkoff]

I to me, they got right in the mix to be the number one seed again. I mean as they're going to be

[Matt]

loaded, their coaches elite.

[John Middelkoff]

I think the only question mark is clearly this new coordinator who'd been with the 49ers for a long time is like their tight end, coach, run game type guy. A lot of question marks with New England though, this is a big opening

[Matt]

statement and there's, let's face it, the elephant in the room. Even though it's six months away or however many months away, like they're going to have to address it, like, you're not just going to be like, yeah, pretty normal off season for Mike Vrabel. Just, just going about his business, had a good summer vacation. He was telling us, just relaxed with his family.

[John Middelkoff]

You'd be like, what else, Mike?

[Matt]

What else? Let us know. Like, what do you mean? What do you do? It's going to be the elephant in the room every time they play. And we've talked that nausea about the Australia game.

[John Middelkoff]

Not much to say. The only thing that interests me about that game beside the game, I mean it's going to be, it's a fantastic matchup. Kyle versus versus Sean. And hopefully everyone's healthy for the 49ers. And the substation doesn't take out half their team in training camp was what

[Matt]

happens next week before I walked in because I might have played a little golf today, got home at about 5:30, the schedule was released, took, took some

[John Middelkoff]

notes, kind of got my bearings together and then hit record is one of the first Things I right before I walked into the office, Mick, I turned on the television to like ESPN with Schrager and in that and Orlovsky and that crew and McVeigh was on and

[Matt]

he said the number one thing he

[John Middelkoff]

was looking for is his doctor told

[Matt]

him the hard part is not getting there. If you get there early enough they'll be able to acclimate.

[John Middelkoff]

It won't be as difficult for the players or the coaches to be fresh. It's the travel home that can really wear on you. When I was really young with my dad in New Zealand, it'd be hard for me even to chime in. I don't remember it. And I was 12 or 13 years old so it didn't faze me. But it clearly I remember as my dad got older one year he went there fishing with his dad and tore his knee and had to get helicoptered out. It was a bad deal but it could wear on you. I mean the jet lag's real. Especially you know, not everyone just sits in first class even on a team plane, you know, there's only so much space on the bird. So it's about what you're doing. The Next week the 49ers get the Dolphins at home on a Sunday afternoon. I think we all would agree the Dolphins are going to be one of the worst teams in the league by probably a pretty wide margin though they

[Matt]

just signed probably their best player, the

[John Middelkoff]

running back Achan to a really good contract actually.

[Matt]

And someone asked me in the mailbag

[John Middelkoff]

the other day about would you rather be a first round pick or a second round pick? Well, there's no difference between a second and third round pick in terms of where your contract set up. He's a great example. He got less money because he wasn't a first round pick. If he would have been the 32nd pick and said I think he was a third round pick, his, his he would have had the fifth year option hanging over the contract and they would have had to guarantee more than what I read, $32 million. He's a fantastic player. I think I get you have to have some players and I would imagine Seattle's really excited about Price, the running back from Notre Dame. But I think it's safe to say Seattle definitely would have traded the 32nd pick for HN you know if the financials lined up, especially that contracts pretty good deal. So they could have got a first round pick for him. But you got to have some good players. He's clearly a dominant player and I have no issue with ever drafting and signing and extending good players on your roster even if you're going to suck. I mean what's the point of football just to have a bunch of me and use out there and get your teeth kicked in. That's like so I. Props to. Props to the Dolphins for at least keeping him Sunday Night Football. We've talked about this. You know, Dallas Giants, this is, this is, this is Yankees, Red Sox, right? This is Niners or Giants, Dodgers. Back when the Giants were decent, probably Padres, Dodgers. Now you know, Cubs, Brewers. This is a big time interdivision matchup. Cubs, brewers, bad example because the brewers aren't a big market. That was terrible example actually. My bad. I'm an idiot. It's much more like Red Sox and the Yankees, two massive markets. They desperately want the Giants to be good.

[Matt]

They haven't been good except for the

[John Middelkoff]

one year with day ball. Basically the whole time the jets have sucked too. I guess they had the one year with McAdoo where the love cocaine boat. But everyone wants the Giants to be relevant. A lot of hype, a lot of buzz. Not ideal.

[Matt]

Like anytime I don't pretend to be

[John Middelkoff]

a doctor, just got a couple degrees that are pretty meaningless and got me nowhere because football got me places.

[Matt]

But one thing you know is when a guy needs a cleanup surgery, especially

[John Middelkoff]

when you are an explosive elite talent like Malik Neighbors a little scary. It's. I saw some doctor online like it's not the end all be all but it's somewhat of a red flag.

[Matt]

Same thing with the Bo Nicks thing. It's like oh my ankle's fine. Well, how many ankle surgeries do you need?

[John Middelkoff]

You know it's like everyone gets injured. It's football, it's a violent sport.

[Matt]

But anytime it's like got to go

[John Middelkoff]

back, got to go back. Remember McCarthy? It happened to him. He got the knee surgery in training

[Matt]

camp, then he needed to clean up. It's just one of those things. Especially when you're such an explosive speed

[John Middelkoff]

down the field guy like, like him. It makes you a little nervous if you're a Giants fan and then the Monday night game is just elite. I mean Denver, Kansas City, that is right in the wheelhouse of a 14 year old John Middlekop of a 12 year old Dick Vermeil. Mike Shanahan, Monday Night Football with probably in Davis, California with just probably our shitty 40 inch huge box TV that probably if I'm on 1080p right now or you're on 4k watching games that was probably like negative 75lp. Whatever. It was terrible, but it was awesome. You know, Derek Thomas, Terrell Davis, John Elway.

[Matt]

That game is something that still hits

[John Middelkoff]

me like, gives me a little football nostalgia to my youth.

[Matt]

That means something on Monday Night Football.

[John Middelkoff]

I'm sure with Troy and Joe doing it, we'll have some glimpses of some of those. Dick for meal or not? Dick Vermeil, but Marty Schottenheimer. Dick Vermeil came a little after then. That's when the game kind of didn't quite have the same punch. But the Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Shanahan, I mean, you're talking about lead defensive guy, old school tough guy, gets this elite offensive coach with Kubiak always next to him.

[Matt]

That's.

[John Middelkoff]

That's just a special game. It really is.

[Matt]

Some other games, Week one, I'm not

[John Middelkoff]

going to go week by week. I'm not going to talk really much about any other weeks beside the primetime games.

[Matt]

1.

[John Middelkoff]

Buffalo at Houston, 10am for us on the west coast, depending on where you live, you do the math. That is an elite week one game. I mean, Joe Brady, welcome to the National Football League.

[Matt]

You're getting Demiko Ryan's Will Anderson, who's a certified ass kicker.

[John Middelkoff]

The rest of their defense, they got Hunter back. They got elite DBs.

[Matt]

Pretty sure, if memory serves me correct. Got a lot going on.

[John Middelkoff]

I got kid brain.

[Matt]

Didn't I watch Houston play Buffalo last year and beat the shit out of him? So like they've matched up against you specifically as an offensive guy in d' Amico and his defensive staff. And that defensive personnel took you to school, remember, was a Thursday night game or a Sunday night game. They just. Buffalo had no shot to block them. Now they might add some injuries, like, it's hard to piece it all together, but they got.

[John Middelkoff]

It felt like that's.

[Matt]

Josh Allen got sacked like 10 times. It was an ass kicking. So that. That is a fantastic. That's. If you told me Buffalo at Houston was the Monday night game instead of Denver Kansas City, I wouldn't have complained at all.

[John Middelkoff]

That.

[Matt]

That's. That's a pretty unreal game. Some pretty good AFC matchups here.

[John Middelkoff]

Baltimore at Indy. That's pretty freaking good.

[Matt]

I mean, Indy was 8 and 2

[John Middelkoff]

when before the quarterback broke his leg and tore his Achilles. They were playing well. They obviously have good players. I think Chris Ballard does a good job. I think their coaching staff's good.

[Matt]

You know, big test for Baltimore.

[John Middelkoff]

If Lamar's right.

[Matt]

Right.

[John Middelkoff]

And Jesse mentor like Mike McDonald transitions easily.

[Matt]

They should be Pretty good, right? Some unknowns with the play caller, some new personnel, but the Baltimore Ravens, the only difference between them and like the packers, right, has been, you know, Green Bay has gone through some coaches now.

[John Middelkoff]

Like, I mean, I remember being a kid, Mike Holmgren to Mike Sherman to Mike McCarthy to LaFleur.

[Matt]

Like, it's not like they've had the

[John Middelkoff]

same guy for 20 plus years.

[Matt]

The thing with the Ravens, I get some of you guys dming me like middle cop. You're talking so much shit. I respect the hell out of that franchise. They haven't just been a model in

[John Middelkoff]

the NFL, they've been a model in professional sports. They've been a model business.

[Matt]

They are consistently excellent.

[John Middelkoff]

They have a, they have a defined culture.

[Matt]

Like, they're a very, very well run

[John Middelkoff]

brand business with a very clear philosophy, right?

[Matt]

Run the ball, beat the shit out

[John Middelkoff]

of you and play defense. And then Lamar added this element unlike anything they've had in my lifetime of like.

[Matt]

And we got a quarterback who's like

[John Middelkoff]

a buttoned up, better version of Michael Vick. Good fucking luck. And a couple of years ago, if I ever Talked to Mike McDonald like long, like, besides the hello, that's one of the better teams I've ever seen. Like, I thought they were going to walk to the Super Bowl. I thought they were going to dog walk the Chiefs. Then I thought they would dog walk the 49ers and they would be hoisting the Lombardi. And now a couple years Later, Harbaugh's gone, McDonald's gone. A lot of those players are gone.

[Matt]

And now you got some new infused staff which, listen, is good. Joe Brady in theory should be a positive thing. Jesse Minter in theory should be a positive thing. That's a, that's a nice start on the road at Indy. A lot of pressure on the Colts. Sleeper game, Saints at Detroit.

[John Middelkoff]

I don't know who's going to win the South.

[Matt]

My pick's going to be the Saints,

[John Middelkoff]

but you could obviously Tampa and Carolina, I think it's one of those three teams. I would not include the Falcons with their quarterback situation, but I think the

[Matt]

Saints can be pretty good.

[John Middelkoff]

If Tyler Schuck is what we think, he's going to be a good player. The guy we saw down the stretch, obviously some pressure on Jordan Tyson to step up.

[Matt]

I. That's, that's a nice little test on

[John Middelkoff]

the road to Detroit.

[Matt]

Tampa at Cincy.

[John Middelkoff]

I'm picking Cincy to win that division. And you know, Tampa, it was pretty devastating for them to miss the playoffs.

[Matt]

I Mean these are solid Sunday sitting

[John Middelkoff]

here watching football, just enjoying myself. And then Chicago at Carolina, you know Carolina like Tampa, like New Orleans. I think one of those three teams win the division and I think it's going to be better than it was last year. More like a 10 or 11 win team, more than like what it was limping to the finish. So that's a good test. I mean Ben Johnson, Chicago, obviously Caleb Williams, what's he look like in year

[Matt]

two under bend a little more fundamentally

[John Middelkoff]

sound still with the Josh Allen element to his game. I'm high on Chicago because I'm. When you have an elite coach, I bet on you. It's pretty simple. It's like what do you have? Do you have a talented quarterback and elite coach? Like I'm betting on you. Do you have some question marks at either?

[Matt]

We got, we got problems and that's

[John Middelkoff]

my one issue with Carolina is I

[Matt]

think coach is solid. Still some TBD and the quarterback just he had some moments and he's definitely mentally tough.

[John Middelkoff]

And I listen I'm not talking shit on them for picking him when I would have picked him too. He was the guy that I liked out of college and then that first game when he was so small, I'm like I don't know man. And he's had some moments, there's no disputing that. But they added another big ass wide receiver from Tennessee so they got Tetra, they got the big Tennessee guy. They have some big weapons for him which I think when you have a smaller quarterback that helps like Josh Allen. He could have big quarterback or big wide receivers. Small wide receivers. Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson doesn't matter as much to me. Zay Flowers works with Lamar Jackson. Wouldn't like him in Carolina as much. They would be much more difficult on the court. Same thing with Brock Purdy. Little smaller. He's not. He's bigger than Bryce Young but Mike Evans, Jwan Jennings get big. George Kittle, bigger targets. Little harder to see when you're six one and under.

[Matt]

Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor Hard Rock BET Florida's sportsbook. We obviously talk a lot of pig skin on this show but the second round of the NBA playoffs is here

[John Middelkoff]

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[Matt]

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[John Middelkoff]

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[Matt]

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[Ferguson Home Announcer]

Virginia Today's podcast is brought to you by Ferguson Home. Whether you're a homeowner creating your dream space or a pro managing multiple projects, Ferguson Home is where it all comes together. Ferguson Home is designed for the way

[John Middelkoff]

you want to shop.

[Ferguson Home Announcer]

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[Matt]

all the details together.

[Ferguson Home Announcer]

You can count on support from them start to finish, from choosing the right products to coordinating deliveries with your project schedule. Book a one on one consultation at your local Ferguson Home showroom or shop [e-mail] whether you're working on a new kitchen, a new bathroom or a whole home remodel, you'll find the latest designs and technologies from the brands you trust at Ferguson Home.

[Dish Network Announcer]

Tired of overpaying with DirecTV? Dish offers a reliable low price every month without surprises. Get the TV you love and start watching live sports news and the latest movies. Movies plus your favorite streaming apps all in one place. Switch to Dish today and lock in the lowest price in satellite TV starting at 89.99amonth with our two year price guarantee. Call 888 add dish or visit dish.com

[Robert Smigel]

today another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk the to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs Banter.

[Matt]

Where does your group perform?

[John Middelkoff]

We do some retirement homes.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Middelkoff]

I did just want to hit on. I think the NFL has been very cognizant of the fact that Amazon has just unlimited money. I mean that company, my mother in law is in town right now and

[Matt]

I was like, oh yeah, the Kleenex is.

[John Middelkoff]

Kleenexes should have arrived. She's like, do you guys ever go to the store?

[Matt]

I'm like, why would I go to

[John Middelkoff]

the store when I got Jeff Bezos? Because I just think of something, I press a button, it's here. Do I need toothpaste? Boom. Do I need laundry detergent? Boom. Do I need some pens?

[Matt]

Boom.

[John Middelkoff]

Do I need golf balls?

[Matt]

Boom. What do you need? I don't need to go to 15 stores. I just press a button and it's

[John Middelkoff]

here and they're crushing it. Amazon's doing pretty well for a reason. And the Thursday night game, which I

[Matt]

think started as somewhat of a throwaway,

[John Middelkoff]

which I think was ran by Brian Rolap, who's now the PGA Tour commissioner, I would say has become every bit as of a marquee game as Sunday night Football and Monday Night Football. Now Sunday night football is a little different because it's a bleed in all day and Monday night is just there's a brand recognition that goes back to before I was born. I forget the first year of Monday Night Football, but it's been, it feels like it's been going on as long as I was alive. And Thursday Night Football, I think in

[Matt]

a short period of time has stepped

[John Middelkoff]

up to that level. Now I feel like I'm a hater. I respect the shit out of this guy. As a college football analyst, I love it when he calls college football games. Who doesn't love college game day? He's an all time staple when it comes to the sport of college football and has been an integral part in the explosion. The interest like Kirk Herbstreet is A major, major cog in the business that is college football and has played a key role over the course of the last deck several decades.

[Matt]

I just don't. When I turn on an NFL game, I don't really want to watch him so shot at him. And I think Amazon knew it. It's why they went after Sean McVay.

[John Middelkoff]

It's why they went after John Lynch.

[Matt]

Like they wanted to get an NFL guy.

[John Middelkoff]

Mike Tomlin probably wouldn't have committed to it because I think it's pretty clear he's going to be coaching next year.

[Matt]

But when you just I just pulled

[John Middelkoff]

up their schedule, it always pops. And that that didn't used to be the case. It felt like there would be like a lot of Jags and Titans game. It's like the first Thursday Night football game of the year is Detroit at Buffalo. I mean it's just like, boom, we're off and running a Detroit team with several stars and Josh Allen, the second one. Listen, I'm not high on Atlanta this year. They got Bijan Robinson, but at Lambeau Field that works.

[Matt]

The one thing you can get away

[John Middelkoff]

with a little bit is like the

[Matt]

Browns aren't any good, but it's like division rivalries. If you tell me the Browns are playing the Ravens, the Bengals or the Steelers in a Thursday night game, we're in. Remember what happened last year when they got Flacco, right? Was that when he beat him? Or now am I getting confused? Was he on the Bengals can't even

[John Middelkoff]

keep up with the Flacco career arc.

[Matt]

But like that works. Baker, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle, Denver, New England,

[John Middelkoff]

Chicago Green, Lambo hosting another game, Baltimore, the Washington Giants.

[Matt]

Not, you know, we'll see Colts at

[John Middelkoff]

Indy or excuse me, Colts at Houston.

[Matt]

Black Friday, Denver at Pittsburgh, Kansas City at the Rams, Minnesota at the Patriots, Niners at the Chargers.

[John Middelkoff]

Like, these are excellent games.

[Matt]

The Christmas Eve game is Texans at the Eagles. The New Year's Eve game is the Ravens at Joe Burrow. Like Amazon is getting taken care of. And I think that is somewhat of

[John Middelkoff]

a foreshadow of like get ready because Netflix, who I I guess we could just jump right to them.

[Matt]

I saw that Joe Popliano said that

[John Middelkoff]

Netflix is doubling down on on a key element here, special events.

[Matt]

Their sports strategy is not.

[John Middelkoff]

They don't want to buy the Cardinals at the Minnesota Vikings and that's listen, Minnesota, you had good teams. I don't think you're gonna be that good. It's not a shot at you. My point is just some random game right the, the.

[Robert Smigel]

The.

[John Middelkoff]

The Jags playing the Jets. They want a big event. And this year it's.

[Matt]

It's reported that they're spending about 50, $500 million on the events they're getting,

[John Middelkoff]

and that's like less than 3% of their annual content budget. They get the Niners and the Rams.

[Matt]

They get the Thanksgiving Eve game, which. What is that game? Oh, packers at the Rams. That's. So their two games both include McVeigh

[John Middelkoff]

against the packers and the 49ers. And they have the Christmas Day games, which always work because, I don't know, we're all fucking at home. They have, I guess, a Saturday Week

[Matt]

18 game, which again, January 9th.

[John Middelkoff]

Weather terrible. Lot of the country. Everyone's watching that game.

[Matt]

And then one thing they did this year, I don't think they've done in

[John Middelkoff]

the past, I didn't watch the Kevin Hart Roast.

[Matt]

But like, the part of the reason they. The Brady Rose, the Kevin Hart Roast, like, just a big event. Jake Paul fight, just do some things. Live event that will draw people to you. The NFL honors isn't really for me.

[John Middelkoff]

Like, I don't care one way or the other. Like, I think it's cool when the guys go into the hall of Fame or the MVP award, but they're doing that. So I think the NFL just wants them to get more and more involved and will build special events for them.

[Matt]

Because the first thing I did was like, well, if they're playing on Thanksgiving

[John Middelkoff]

Eve, what are they doing before? Is there like a Saturday game? Because you wouldn't give it. You wouldn't make a team play on Sunday and then play a couple days later on Wednesday.

[Matt]

Well, they basically get a mini buy. So the Rams and the packers both

[John Middelkoff]

play the previous Sunday. So they get the entire week off and then they get three days and

[Matt]

then you get another mini buy because you don't have to play that Sunday.

[John Middelkoff]

So you don't have to.

[Matt]

It's a huge. Whoever wins that game. If you were able to win the game before Thanksgiving Eve and the Thanksgiving Eve game and go two and oh, in those games, that is a huge

[John Middelkoff]

bonus for either one of those teams. Obviously the Rams, a lot of people are going to pick to, you know, I don't know, win the super bowl, be in the super bowl, be in the super bowl mix in the packers every year in the mix.

[Matt]

So that's.

[John Middelkoff]

That's fantastic. And like, they're taking care. And they did this with Thursday Night Football with Amazon, like Bears, Cowboys, Packers, Josh Allen, packers again. Lamar Jackson, John Harbaugh, Aaron Rodgers, McVeigh Patriots who were just in the Super Bowl, 49ers Chargers, Jim Harbaugh against the fucking Kyle Shanahan Eagles. Like, they give big brands to Amazon and Netflix. They want their money. And I don't blame.

[Matt]

I would too. And this is why someone asked me recently about the DOJ and the streaming thing. These networks are. They know at any moment if Netflix ever changes their tune, be like, we love big events, but hey, we'll take, we'll take some more games. Like any more games they want, they

[John Middelkoff]

will get because paying for those, it's like pocket change for me and you. Well, what else I want to look at here?

[Matt]

Sunday Night football, which has a little flexibility,

[John Middelkoff]

I guess. We got. They got two games the first week, right? Because one is the Wednesday night game. We got a lot of Wednesday night football. I love football and it is financially changed my life that if you would have told my dad this 25, like when I was in junior high and high school, what I could do for a Living at 40, I don't even think he would have comprehended one podcast didn't even exist then. But like, the, the reason this works, regardless how good or not you think I am, it's because football matters. If I had the same talent and

[Matt]

the same passion talking about other sports,

[John Middelkoff]

it would not be the same. I'll be the first to tell you I've benefited greatly from the explosion of football.

[Matt]

I cannot tip my hat enough to

[John Middelkoff]

the players, the coaches, Raj, everyone involved with the fucking sport.

[Matt]

College football too, Saban. That has taken this sport from an

[John Middelkoff]

interest level to a different stratosphere.

[Matt]

Football's always been big. It, like, I don't even think it's

[John Middelkoff]

possible to get any bigger domestically.

[Matt]

But these games, Wednesday, like, I, I'm good with just Thursday, Sunday, Monday. But I, I've always pushed back one day. You think we'll have Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday? I don't know.

[John Middelkoff]

I don't know. We're definitely creeping that way. So like, drip, drip, drip, eventually you're going to get a flood. I think the more this happens, the less I think it's unrealistic.

[Matt]

Now, the Friday thing with high school

[John Middelkoff]

football, you would think that. I think there's a, there's a legality there in the federal government or some law that doesn't enable the NFL to do that. Tuesday is just hard with the schedule. This isn't baseball, so I think we're safe. But I could see the Wednesday game creeping in more and more.

[Matt]

Some Sunday Games that stick out.

[John Middelkoff]

Chiefs, Colts, Week 2, Rams. I mean, it feels like the Rams, every single week they are going to ride McVeigh like he is a movie store. Lions, Carolina, a lot of Falcons here. Bijan better be good. Chiefs at Seattle, Week seven. Cowboys at Green Bay, Week six. Those are good games. Pittsburgh at Cincy. Vikings at Niners in Mexico City. One of the best games of the last five, six years. Chiefs have Bills. That's fantastic. First year of the Bill.

[Matt]

Stadium, right?

[John Middelkoff]

Patriots at Chargers.

[Matt]

Some good games. One initial takeaway. When I pulled up Monday Night Football, has it kind of been passed not

[John Middelkoff]

in terms of, like, its relevance, but like the games?

[Matt]

They're good, but it's like, I wouldn't. Is Thursday Night Football creeping up on it? Obviously.

[John Middelkoff]

Broncos, Chiefs is fantastic.

[Matt]

Next week, Giants, Rams. We're hoping on the Giants. I hope the Giants are good, but there's no gear.

[John Middelkoff]

They could easily be six or seven wins.

[Matt]

Eagles at Bears.

[John Middelkoff]

Fantastic.

[Matt]

Falcon, Saints, Matt Ryan and Drew Brees. You know, this isn't 2012. Again, could be a good game, but it's like a little risky. Bills, rams, fantastic. Washington 49ers. Are we sure Washington's going to be good? I love Sonny Styles. Love their quarterback. When he's healthy, can he stay healthy? How talented is their defense? There's some question marks with Washington, Cowboys, Eagles, no one will ever complain.

[John Middelkoff]

That's just, that's. That's a Yankee, Red Sox game.

[Matt]

Bear, Seattle. Okay, that's.

[John Middelkoff]

That's. That's elite. That's Seattle. Monday night games are fucking unreal.

[Matt]

There's some.

[John Middelkoff]

There's a couple environments.

[Matt]

The Chiefs, the Bills, Seattle primetime games. It's just, it's just hard to beat Buffalo at Minnesota. Like, It's. This is November 9th. What if Minnesota isn't good? Like, what if they're not good?

[John Middelkoff]

That's. That's November 9th. I mean, we're pretty far into the season.

[Matt]

Chargers, Bills, I'm in that. That's.

[John Middelkoff]

Or, excuse me. Chargers, Ravens, That's a fantastic game.

[Matt]

I'm seeing a lot of Washington.

[John Middelkoff]

I just think Washington's a pretty risky. There. There is. We have two data points.

[Matt]

One, they pulled off some crazy games last year.

[John Middelkoff]

They were unwatchable. I. It's just, it's just something to keep an eye on. I'm rooting for him.

[Robert Smigel]

I.

[John Middelkoff]

The more good teams, the more I watch football anyway, so it's like, I'd

[Matt]

rather watch good quarterbacks. Steelers, Jags, like, in theory, like, on paper. Got a couple playoff teams. I don't Know Patriot Chiefs. Okay. Giants again. I mean they're, they're really riding these. The Jags get a couple Monday night football games.

[John Middelkoff]

I guess you got to take care

[Matt]

of them because they're going over to London. God, how many?

[John Middelkoff]

Washington. Oh, the. Oh, never mind. I'm reading the Jags. Let me repeat that. Those are the NFL network games that are over in, in London. The Jags have back to back games.

[Matt]

Jags have a tough little stretch in Europe. They get the Eagles and then the Texans.

[John Middelkoff]

Jesus. So yeah, I mean we got.

[Matt]

I just think Monday night. I love Monday night Football, but it

[John Middelkoff]

doesn't feel quite as guaranteed to be the best game of the week. That's not what it feels like. Or maybe it was just that's what I thought when I was 13 years old.

[Matt]

They still get good packages, but I do think that Amazon is somewhat past them. Before I get out of here, I

[John Middelkoff]

just want to end on this because this team was in the super bowl last year and you know the variable question marks with his confidence and just how we'll handle himself, it's just. We'll just have to see especially once training camp starts are more stories going to come out. Time will tell their schedule. On first glance, the New England Patriots is pretty insane. They got to go to Seattle, loss, then fly across. Now they get kind of a mini by Pittsburgh.

[Matt]

Okay. Then they go at Jacksonville, who was

[John Middelkoff]

just, I mean a pretty fucking good team last year at Buffalo.

[Matt]

Then they got to fly back across the country to play the.

[John Middelkoff]

Nevermind, I'm screwing this up. When there's Nat in front of you, that's when you are on the road. I'm a fucking idiot. Let me repeat.

[Matt]

Jags, Bills on the road.

[John Middelkoff]

Get the Raiders at home who granted beat them last year with Geno Smith. Weird game.

[Matt]

Jets, okay.

[John Middelkoff]

At the Bears, the Packers, the Lions.

[Matt]

At the Chargers, the Bills again at Kansas City, Denver. It's a lot of hard games. Now you do get the Dolphins, you

[John Middelkoff]

do get the jets, but there's a lot of potential playoff teams here. Broncos, Chiefs, Bills, Chargers, Lions, Packers, Bears, Bills, Jags, Steelers. Just a weird team. Even if they're just that random.

[Matt]

Seven seed always. And the jets, like anytime you have a team in your division who everyone thinks gonna suck but actually has like

[John Middelkoff]

the one thing with the Dolphins and

[Matt]

the Jets, I think we all agree

[John Middelkoff]

the jets have a much better roster on paper.

[Matt]

You just.

[John Middelkoff]

It's gonna be hard for the jets to be as shitty as they were last year. And I say the same thing for the Raiders. They might be a year away from being like wild card competitive, but yeah, exciting stuff.

[Matt]

The Volume

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Sidelight help an acapella band with their between songs Banter.

[Matt]

Where does your group perform?

[John Middelkoff]

We do some retirement homes.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nitza and the Ad Council]

If a baby is giggling in the backseat, they're probably happy. If a baby is crying in the backseat, they're probably hungry. But if a baby is sleeping in the backseat, will you remember they're even there when you're distracted, stressed or not? Usually the one who drives them, the chances of forgetting them in the back seat are much higher. It can happen to anyone. Parked cars get hot fast and can be deadly, so get in the habit of checking the backseat when you leave a message From Nitza and the Ad Council.

[Amanda Knox]

I'm Amanda Knox and in the new podcast the Case of Lucy Letby, we unpack the story of an unimaginable tragedy that goes gripped the UK in 2023. But what if we didn't get the whole story?

[Matt]

Evidence has been made to fit. The moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapsed.

[Amanda Knox]

What if the truth was disguised by a story we chose to believe? Oh my God, I think she might be innocent. Listen to Doubt the Case of Lucy Letby. You can binge all episodes now on iHeart podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dish Network Announcer]

Dish has been connecting communities like yours for the last 45 years, providing the TV you love at a price you can trust. Watch live sports news and the latest movies, plus your favorite streaming apps, all in one place. Switch to Dish today and lock in the lowest price in satellite TV starting at $89.99 a month with our two year price guarantee. Call 888-D dish or visit dish.com today

[John Middelkoff]

this is an iHeart podcast.

[Amanda Knox]

Guaranteed Human.