What’s Wright - NFL Week 17 Reaction: Maye-Stafford MVP DEBATE, Eagles & Bills PANIC? 49ers FOR REAL? | Nick Wright

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – “What’s Wright: NFL Week 17 Reaction”

Date: December 31, 2025
Host: Nick Wright (joined by Damanze)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Nick Wright delivers his trademark heated takes and deep analysis following an “insane” NFL Week 17. Major themes include: a spirited MVP debate (Drake Maye vs. Matthew Stafford), looming panic alarms for the Eagles and Bills ahead of the postseason, questions about the 49ers’ legitimacy, and broader structural complaints about the 17-game, expanded-playoff NFL season. The show also touches on the Hall of Fame finalists and provides Nick’s take on the biggest games and storylines as the playoff picture clarifies.

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Main Discussion Topics & Insights

1. NFL Week 17 MVP Race: Drake Maye vs. Matthew Stafford

• Key Point: Nick argues that Matthew Stafford has been the best player “start to finish,” but the MVP has devolved into a “December Player of the Month” award due to recent voting patterns.
• Drake Maye's Performance: Five TDs in Week 17 virtually locks up the MVP, according to Nick—a move he criticizes.
• Stafford’s Case: More passing yards, more TDs (12 more), far fewer sacks taken, “brutal schedule,” and did it in the league’s toughest division.
• Nick’s take: “From start to finish, Matt Stafford’s been the MVP of the league... But because Week 17, Drake May throws five touchdowns and Week 17, Stafford has one of his two bad games that he’s had all year, it’s now going to be…Drake Maye won the award” (15:05).

Notable Quote:
“It feels to me like MVP is slowly moving towards who's hottest at the end of the year. And I don't love that.” (16:38 - Nick Wright)

Timestamps:

• [10:04] Damanze introduces the MVP race – Maye’s odds, Stafford’s stumble.
• [10:25–19:51] Nick’s extended breakdown of MVP trends and gripes.

2. The Impact of Playoff Expansion & the 17-Game Season

• Complaint: Nick strongly dislikes the expanded seven-team playoff system, arguing it makes the season less dramatic and the playoffs less exclusive.
• “Most things in life are improved by a little exclusivity…which makes getting in all the more rewarding.” (30:28)
• Under previous six-team-per-conference playoffs, there’d be much more at stake for teams like the Bills, Chargers, Packers.

Notable Quote:
“Every team that is worth a damn is going to make the playoffs. And under the six team playoff field…[teams] would have overcome all this, had this great year, but because they couldn’t take care of business…they have to go win in Week 18.” (32:28)

Timestamps:

• [30:14–37:06] Nick’s impassioned soapbox on exclusivity, NFL playoff stakes, historical examples.

3. Eagles & Bills: Panic Time?

Eagles

• Alarming Half: Negative passing yards in the second half, for the third time this season.
• Strange Droughts: “Three of [their 32 halves], you had negative yards passing. One in 10. That’s insane.” (45:26)
• Locker Room Issues: Sirianni’s tunnel antics, AJ Brown’s frustration.

Bills

• Nick’s Worry: More alarming for the Bills' playoff path, as they’re locked into a tough wild-card situation and could be one-and-done.
• Josh Allen: “He’s got to be better in that game...he just missed the game-winning play.” (42:06)

Notable Quote:
“I like either of those teams [Rams or 49ers] to go to Philadelphia and win…those teams have been so much more consistent throughout the year.” (46:59)

Timestamps:

• [41:42–48:12] Nick and Damanze dissect the Eagles/Bills matchup and playoff implications.

4. Are the 49ers “For Real”? Brock Purdy Cycle Continues

• Brock Purdy Debate: Nick expresses his frustration at the cyclical nature of arguments about the 49ers' QB spot: “It is maddening to me that we are somehow…in an endless loop of me making statements that seem unprovable about the Niners quarterback situation. They then get proven, and folks still saying I'm wrong...” (48:29)
• Credit Goes To…: Core of Niners’ success is Kyle Shanahan and Christian McCaffrey, not Purdy alone. Purdy's greatness in the last two weeks is acknowledged, but context matters.

Notable Quote:
“The story of this Niner season is not a Brock Purdy story…It’s about two people more than anybody: Kyle Shanahan and Christian McCaffrey.” (51:54)

Timestamps:

• [48:12–54:43] Ongoing “system QB” vs. “real star” discourse. Nick’s verdict on Coach of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year.

5. Playoff Picture Breakdown and "Quick Hitters"

• Rams’ Playoff Scenario: Path got much harder; the difference between the 5 and 6 seed is pivotal, depending on other outcomes.
• Bears: Good year, probably a year away from contention. Defense not ready for a deep run.
• NFC South: Tampa Bay “unforgivable” to need help making the playoffs; only the Saints playing with fire.
• AFC North: Steelers blew a golden chance; Nick savages Rodgers’ game. Derrick Henry’s impact since joining the Ravens is highlighted.
• Jaguars, Cowboys, Vikings, Broncos, Chargers, Patriots, Saints, Bengals, Giants: Rapid fire “who’s up, who’s down” with playoff positioning.

Timestamps:

• [54:43–68:42] Playoff scenario rundowns, team-by-team comments.

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In-Depth: Lamar Jackson, John Harbaugh, and Ravens Drama

A major chunk of the episode is spent examining the strained relationship between Lamar Jackson and Ravens coach John Harbaugh, especially as it relates to injuries, contracts, and playoff absences.

• Pattern of Absence: Nick meticulously recounts three years of late-season/post-injury ambiguity, contract disputes, and missing crucial games.
• Contract Agent Issue: Lamar’s unique negotiation situation (represented by his mother, who can't officially serve as agent) complicates things.
• “I feel like I can say with full confidence that the Lamar Jackson–John Harbaugh partnership is ending and it is very likely that Lamar has played his last game with the Ravens…with John Harbaugh being the coach.” (79:23–82:16)
• Two Options: (1) Lamar’s injuries (ankle, knee, hamstring, toe, back) are severe enough to keep him out, raising concerns about long-term investment. (2) The injuries are minor and he’s leveraging them in negotiations, also raising red flags.

Notable Quote:
“If it’s just A or B, is that a player that you are comfortable giving a top of market guaranteed contract to?” (81:11)

Timestamps:

• [70:03–84:25] Full recounting and analysis of the Lamar–Harbaugh dynamic.

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Hall of Fame Finalists & Wrap-Up

• 2025 Finalists: Nick breaks down the semifinalists and predicts the most likely inductees: Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, both Suggs and Keuchly (hard to choose), and one offensive lineman (likely Willie Anderson).
• “I don’t see any chance Frank Gore or Jason Whitten have to get in first ballot.” (86:04)

Timestamps:

• [85:52–90:48] Hall of Fame rundown

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Nick on the MVP race:
  “MVP has slowly started to turn into December Player of the Month amongst the MVP candidates. And I don’t like that.” (11:48)
• On the playoff field:
  “You want there to be a team or two that was good but not good enough. Every single team in the league this year with the possible exception, I guess, of Pittsburgh…that is above .500 will make the playoffs. That's too much.” (35:38)
• On the 49ers:
  “What I want is just the right people to get credit.” (51:31)
• On Lamar’s future:
  “Something’s been weird with Lamar and Harbaugh and the Ravens all year…to me it’s pretty obvious where this thing’s going.” (84:25)

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Episode Timeline Table

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------| | 00:00–02:55 | Ads, intro, Christmas/holiday well wishes | | 02:55 | Podcast opens, Jokic injury update, NBA notes | | 10:04 | NFL MVP race: Drake Maye vs. Matthew Stafford | | 30:14 | Soapbox: Expanded NFL season/playoff critique | | 41:42 | Eagles-Bills panic breakdown | | 48:12 | 49ers: Brock Purdy debate & playoff prospects | | 54:43 | Playoff scenarios for major teams, rapid analysis| | 70:03 | Baltimore Ravens drama (Lamar/Harbaugh/contract)| | 85:52 | Hall of Fame semi-finalist rundown | | 90:48 | Sponsor/Wrap |

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

• Signature Nick Wright: Opinionated, data-backed, not afraid to revisit old debates or harp on systemic league issues.
• Engagement: Playoff discussion is high drama—stakes, legacies, and huge implications are picked apart for both teams and individual players/coaches.
• Takeaway for listeners: If you’re jumping in cold, this episode offers an intense, comprehensive state-of-the-league heading into NFL playoff season, with special attention to award debates and what really matters when legacy is on the line.

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Transcript

[Nick Wright]

This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human love.

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[Nick Wright]

Pressure is coming down. Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8Watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you know?

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[Nick Wright]

Welcome in what's right with Nick Wright Episode 409 our final episode of 2025. 2025 has been an unbelievable year for the podcast. We partnered with the Volume Damante became a father. We the. The we added all these great new sponsors and we really hope 2026 is even better. It is also our second to last show of the year. Did I say it was our last? It's our second last. We have the gambling show coming to you tomorrow. Last week we saw the real perils of doing an NFL gambling show on Tuesday, Wednesday heading into the weekend. But despite the results, I don't mind the process. This week we are tweaking it a bit as week 18 is always tricky but that is coming your way tomorrow. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, wonderful holiday season as we get ready for New Year's. Damanze, I was telling you before, I keep having dreams about your daughter. I. She's about to turn two months old. The turn.

[Damanze]

No, she'll be two months.

[Nick Wright]

Two. Two months. Right.

[Damanze]

She's about two months in a week. Like almost a week Exactly. In.

[Nick Wright]

In just over a week. And my subconscious must think that she's way ahead of the developmental curve because then my dreams involve her walking around and talking to me. So I think that. I mean. Well, I, I assume. Listen, I. I'm sure she's going to be smart and I'm sure she's going to be athletic since you and her mom were both college athletes. But I just. What, what I am really trying to get to evidently is her turning into a full blown person with a personality and that's going to take a few months. My subconscious is trying to accelerate that process. But we have a ton to do today. We have a loaded show after an Insane Week 17 and this morning one of my favorite things, the NFL hall of Fame finalists came out. So we will get to all of that. And as always, this show is brought to you by our friends at Boost Mobile and we bring you straight to voicemail. Presented by Boost Mobile, Jokic left last night with what looked like a scary knee injury. Now I don't want as they say in the poker world, ride the broom on this, but it looks like the preliminary reporting is he avoided disaster that they think it might just be a hyper extension with no real damage. That obviously is season changing and more than season changing when you're talking about the best player in the league who is just days off of a 56, 15 and 15. So. And a guy who's never been hurt, a guy who's Been incredibly durable. It was shocking to see him go down and. And it made me think, like, have I ever really seen this guy in pain? And like where he really looks like some. Something got hurt and I couldn't remember it. So obviously our great producer Daniel's a die hard Nuggets fan. He's holding his breath, but it seems like they think everything's going to be okay. Luca leads NBA All Star fan voting. And Braun turns 41 today, which means the numbers are in. In his age 40 year of basketball and he was 25, 7 and 7 from his 40th birthday until today. Pretty solid. I understand that some folks would like to make the story of the Lakers, you know, swoon over the last few weeks, that they have a LeBron problem. I would argue if the plan was ever have the guy with 70,000 minutes in year 23 who just turned 41 be our primary lockdown defender. That's probably a roster build problem. Speaking of roster build and like rate, subscribe review to our channel. It'd be a wonderful New Year's gift for us. Did I. I didn't even tell you guys, I do this very quickly before I get to the football, that I didn't even tell you when I was out there that I talked to Polinka. No, you didn't tell me when I.

[Damanze]

Was in the game.

[Nick Wright]

That's insane. When we were at the game the day after. Because I have been very critical of Rob Belinka. Yeah. Some would say mean. And when we were at the game the day after Thanksgiving, he walked right in front of me and didn't like, was looking the other way and I was just like, ah. I was like, Rob. And he turned around and saw me and was clearly just my read on it, a little taken aback. And I did what I always do, which is made things awkward because I don't want people to ever say, that guy's a coward. So he came over and I was like, hey, man, nice to finally meet you. Congratulations. And he said, oh, thank you. And I could have left it at that, but I don't.

[Damanze]

Swindling the Mavericks.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, exactly. But. So I could have just left it at congratulations, but I didn't. And I was like, listen, maybe, you know, maybe you don't. I've been very critical, but congrats. I was like. I was like, but congrats, you know.

[Damanze]

Yeah, I don't.

[Nick Wright]

I don't think I said you got Luca, but I just kind of motioned over to the team, which at the time was rolling, and I Still think, you know, is in a really good position. And he was like, oh, thank you for that.

[Damanze]

Thanks, man.

[Nick Wright]

And I was like, yeah. And I was. And that was that. But that was my Rob Polinka interaction. Now there is the small chance that he had no idea who I was or that he knew I was like, no idea.

[Damanze]

I've been very critical of you to my family.

[Nick Wright]

Right.

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[Nick Wright]

That would have been super funny if he really had no clue who I was. Just that I was just a fan where critical. But. But yeah. So there's our NBA talk for today as this will be an NFL heavy show. And again, please if you could subscribe on YouTube. It really helps us and definitely on itunes and. Or Spotify. Don't need to do both. Also, Daman, do you. Oh, no, that's just a light. I thought you had something in your.

[Damanze]

I thought I do look like a little tear.

[Nick Wright]

No. Okay. No. Okay. There you go. You were. I talked about your daughter walking and talking and made you cry. It's unbelievable. All right, let's talk about last night's football game.

[Damanze]

All right. So Bijan rolled through the Rams last night in the upset. Stafford messed himself up a little bit, dropped to number two in MVP. He's at plus 300. Drake Mays now at minus four 50 after his three interceptions. How do you think last night impacts the MVP race?

[Nick Wright]

So I think last night Drake May won the mvp and I do not like that at all. And it is not because I don't like Drake May. I said on this show and on the TV show two months ago that there aren't five guys in the league I'd rather have at quarterback than Drake May. And that's not just moving forward. That is right now, this moment. I think he is. I. I've been telling Wilds all year how legit, how much I do believe in Drake May. And he is having an unbelievable season. And it is not as if him winning mvp I would find it to be a travesty or an outrage. That's not my issue at all. My issue is MVP has slowly started to turn into December player of the month amongst the MVP candidates. And I don't like that we saw this. There have been. Listen. 2018, MVP Mahomes was a no brainer. He ran away with it. 2019, MVP Lamar was a no brainer. He ran away with it. 2020, it was a two man race. Rogers and Mahomes. I thought it should have been Mahomes. Rogers won it. There was no issue with that. That was a Two, two great candidates. You know, Mahomes rested at the end of the year. Rogers won it. Fine, 2021, Rogers and Brady. It was a legitimate argument. Rogers won and 2022, Mahomes ran away with it. There was no question those MVPs were relatively easy. 2023 was the first year I saw this phenomenon happen. Which was.

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It?

[Nick Wright]

There wasn't a clear cut favorite throughout the year. And then in December, two MVP there, there were games amongst the MVP candidates, Dak, Purdy and Lamar. And if I have it correct, and I'm going to double check to make sure, Dak Law. I thought Dak, you know, as far I thought Christian McCaffrey had the best argument for MVP that year. But it doesn't really matter. Like that's not the point. Dak played poorly in a December game to Buffalo and people were like, well, he's out now it's between Lamar and Brock Purdy. And then Lamar and the Ravens annihilated the Niners and Purdy and it was just like, okay, Purdy's out now it's Lamar's mvp. That's that. And we ended up that year giving MVP to a guy. And again, this is not anti Lamar, I promise. Because if we didn't get. Lamar had a better case last year than he did the year before. But Lamar in 2023 was 15th in the NFL in passing yards and 11th in the NFL in passing touchdowns. And while he had an awesome passer rating, it was fourth in the league. It was, he did not have MVP numbers, but he had the MVP December and so he won it. And then last year, Lamar had been the MVP really all year long. But Josh Allen had the moment against the Chiefs, the six touchdown game and a loss to the Rams and.

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[Nick Wright]

He had the finishing surge and because of that he was the mvp. And this year, from start to finish, Matt Stafford's been the MVP of the league. If we look at, if you take this season to Monse and put the 16 games each guy has played and you reorder them randomly and you do that 100 different times with a hundred different orders as far as the order of the games and then stack up the MVP seasons, I think Stafford wins MVP 85 out of 100 of those reordered seasons. But because Week 17, Drake May throws five touchdowns and Week 17, Stafford has one of his two bad games that he's had all year, it's now going to be betting wise, it's over. And conventional wisdom wise, Drake May won the award even though Stafford has thrown for more yards, has thrown for 12 more touchdowns, has taken 25 fewer sacks. They have the same number of interceptions now. Drake May has a slightly higher passer rating.

[Damanze]

One more game too.

[Nick Wright]

No, they play the same number of games.

[Damanze]

No, I'm saying. Okay, yeah, fair enough.

[Nick Wright]

What do you mean?

[Damanze]

I guess they've. They've both played their week 17 game. I was going to say they've got one more game. It's not locked up, but going into yesterday I would have easily given it to Stafford. The picks.

[Nick Wright]

No, I mean they, they both have a. They both. They both have a Week 18 game. By the way, did my lights just get really weird? Like Jesus, okay, can I fix that? I don't know how the hell that happened. I'm going to keep talking to you guys. Oh, now it's better. I don't even know what. I didn't even touch anything. I don't know what just happened. That was really weird. I looked like I was glowing for a moment. The bright lights is not a good look for me. I need very. Just regular warm lighting. No, I, I just don't. It feels to me like MVP is slowly moving towards who's hottest at the end of the year. And I don't love that. And I just think Stafford, and this is where I do think when it comes to league mvp, it's totally fair to pick nits. I think the fact that Stafford has done it in the league's toughest division against a brutal schedule where they have played Houston, Philly, the Niners, Jacksonville, the Niners, Seattle, Seattle again, those seven teams and I'm. That's just me listing the teams they have played that have locked into the playoffs, not including games at the time that we thought were big like Indy, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Carolina, where he didn't play well, Detroit and Drake.

[Damanze]

Majors had his five touchdown game against the jets.

[Nick Wright]

And again he still. He was. I'm not going to neck that game. He was perfect in it and I think he's an awesome player, but I just don't love that. It feels to me, this is I guess my general take it feels the last three years. This is the way the MVP has been done. The first three months of the year are to determine who the actual candidates are and then the award is given based off who has the best December. And I don't love that. And it feels like we are. And by the way, Stafford, Thursday night against Seattle, Stafford was unbelievable. That was his second most recent game. They scored 37 points. He threw for 457 yards. He had three touchdowns against that defense and now the team blew it at the end. My lights just did that thing again. I don't know what's going on. We're just gonna the I think it's.

[Damanze]

A camera thing now. Drop two in a row.

[Nick Wright]

Yes, but I know they dropped two in a row, but one of them was one of them was a 3837 win or 3837 loss. And so I just it is very diff difficult for and I know Drake May had the great comeback against Baltimore. I just don't. It doesn't sit right with me that it feels like it's becoming a glorified December player of the month. So that's where so right now my vote would be for Matt Stafford. I don't think he's going to win it. And I also think we've talked about this all year that man, it is crazy how thin these margins are in sports. But is there an argument that not tackling Rasheed Shahid on the punt return in the fourth quarter last Thursday night is going to cost Matt Stafford a spot in the hall of Fame? Maybe because if they win that game and they are sailing to the one seed, I happen to believe if they win that game they come out ready more ready to play last night because they know we control our destiny for the one seed rather than being locked out of it as they knew. They knew going into last night that they were locked out of the one seed and I think you saw that lack of attention to detail early. If they're the one seed and Stafford has the exact same numbers but in a win he is going to win MVP and maybe and they are the huge favorites at that moment to win the super bowl now. And this now impacts the Rams are now damanze in a very interesting spot in this regard and this impacts whether or not we want to bet them this weekend. Here is the situation for the Rams. If the Niners beat Seattle on Saturday night, the Rams are the six seed locked into the six seed. No matter what they do against Arizona, the six seed means you either going to Chicago or to Philadelphia. Cold weather January road playoff games. That is if the Niners beat Seattle, the Rams are locked into the six. If Seattle beats the Niners, then the Rams can be the five seed if they beat Arizona. And so whether or not they have anything to play for will be will depend on what happened Saturday night. I still think on a neutral site. I like the Rams better than any team in the league, but McVeigh is not and his Rams teams have not been great in cold weather against good teams, and their road just got so much harder over the last couple weeks. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet Florida Sportsbook, and the official sportsbook partner of your favorite Florida teams like the Jags, the Jags, Bucks, Heat, Magic and Panthers. Week 18 playoff spots are on the line Think you know how it's going to play out? Build a same game parlay on Hard Rock Bet and turn game day into payday. Or if you're more into hardwood than gridiron, you can put up shots on the NBA in college every night on a Hard Rock Bet, your home for hoops action all season long. You can even combine your football and basketball bets. You've got a week. If you've got a week 18 parlay, add an NBA bet or player prop to turn up the payout and if you missed the start of the game, don't worry. Hard Rock Bet has live in game betting, so you're never too late to bet any football or hoops game all season. Find a winner. Grab that player prop you had circled. Bet live in just a few easy taps. If you haven't tried your first bet on hard rock bet, just place a $5 bet and if it hits you get not only your winnings but also an extra $150 in bonus bets. Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app is the only legal sportsbook for whenever you're in Florida, and it's also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan. Coming soon to more states too. Plus, Hard Rock Bed offers new promos every single day. So whenever you're listening, just open the app and check out what you've got. Any day of the week, download the Hard Rock Bet app and make your first deposit payable and bonus bets. Not a cash offer offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida. Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC in all other states. Must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida? Call 1-833-PLAY-WISE in Indiana. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem wants help, call 1-800-9 with it gambling problem, call 1-800- gambler Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia ready or not is on.

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This is where mindset comes in.

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Someone will be eliminated.

[Nick Wright]

Pressure is coming down. Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you.

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[Nick Wright]

Right, Damanze, I gotta get on a soapbox here for a minute so go ahead.

[Damanze]

Oh yeah, we now have a half decade sample of the 17 game season, 14 game playoff. You said you wanted to talk about this. Do you have some gripes?

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, well, so they expanded the season shortly after Covid. They expanded the playoffs during COVID and it stuck with it. I don't love this. I think 16 game season was better but I understand everything's always expand like that is a. That is a fight that's not going to be one and this other one probably isn't either. But I want to get on the record on it and I've advocated in the past for the 17 game season via the international week. So I don't, I, I don't have a huge problem with it now though that we have a half decade of the expanded playoffs from six teams of conference to seven teams of conference. I think the jury should be in that it was better at six teams of conference because anything in life shouldn't, not any that's too that's overstating it. Most things in life are improved by a little exclusivity by a little bit of man. You could be good, you could be deserving, you could do things right and still be left out. Which makes getting in all the more rewarding and gratifying and the greater reward. And when you look at the playoff field this year and what has turned into a pretty week 18 it is because every team that is worth a damn is going to make the playoffs. And under the six team playoff field demons a per conference 12 team field the Bills would be in a situation where we're headed into week 18 on the outside looking in where we have to beat the jets and get help. The Chargers would be in a situation where they've overcome all this, had this great year but because they couldn't take care of business against Houston they have to go win in Denver in week 18.

[Damanze]

I'm sorry like vendettas they sound like.

[Nick Wright]

No no no that's I'll do it for the whole league. It's not that at all.

[Damanze]

No I get what you're saying but like the Bills the charges be in.

[Nick Wright]

The first well I'm just. I'm looking at the seven and the six seed I the it's. It's really. It is absolutely not that. It's that last week's every game down the stretch run the last last week and this week has felt okay. They're playing for seating but no one was playing for their lives. The because of the expanded playoff field the packers can sleepwalk on defense through a game against Baltimore because they know they're going to be in the playoffs anyway at 9, 6 and 1 they're locked in as opposed to the packers having to win that game to then hope to win this week and have pressure on the Bears to not fall like it again. Every single team that is any good is in the playoffs. That's too much. You want there to be a team or two that was good but not good enough. Every single team in the league this year with the possible exception I guess of Pittsburgh if Pittsburgh loses this weekend that is above.500 will make the playoffs. That's too much. If the Steelers win this weekend then every team in the league that finished above.500 will make the playoffs. That that's not what you want. And there would be there should be real stakes took the only Week 18 games that feel like they have massive stakes are divisional games because the division is terrible. The NFC south and the AFC south that's it I'm sorry the the NFC south and the AFC north but under the six team format Texans, Chargers Bills would all know if we don't win this weekend we could be out and one of us will be under the old format the packers would have felt going into this Saturday we have if if we can win this game then we can set up where Week 18 if Chicago trips up we're in and they're out and so and there is an added benefit and I'm actually glad the Chiefs are not a part of this because people would assume this is a chiefs thing this second part.

[Halion Advertiser]

It.

[Nick Wright]

Also was more fair when there were two buys per conference when the 1 and the 2 seed got a buy. The Broncos and the Pats have been start to finish this year the two most consistent best teams in the AFC they are likely both going to go 14 and three the Broncos reward is going to be they get a buy home field advantage all of it the Pat's reward might be the Bills in round one the and that's not how it should be I and again that just because the way it used to be I don't know see the winner of the NFC west is going to get a buy I personally I don't think you have like this is a year where another NFC team definitively deserves one but Chicago and Philly going into this weekend feeling like man we can get a buy get some rest and all of that as opposed to going into this weekend feeling like how important is this game really I just don't love it and so I don't mind the 17 game season but the playoff field was better when it was more exclusive and when good teams got left out like it's if you go back I mean the most famous example is probably 20072007 or sorry 20072008 the 11 win New England Patriots 11 wins absent Tom Brady obviously did not make the playoffs the there were good teams that was just like man you had a you had a hell of a year you should be proud of yourself not good enough the nine and seven teams missed them all the time obviously but you would have with some regularity 10 win and sometimes didn't happen a lot 11 win teams miss and that's just never going to happen again and that to me we have the in 2015 the 10 win jets missed out 2014 the 10 win Eagles missed out like turn the pressure yeah I just I and it makes the end of the season feel like it just has a little more stakes to it which I Personally enjoy the 2010 the Giants were a couple years removed from winning the Super Bowl. The Giants and Tampa in 2010 both won 10 games. Neither made the playoffs in the same conference. I just think that was a superior setup and it would have made week eight. It would make week 18amat like Bills, Chargers, Texans, you if you're the Chargers this week and again and then I'll stop ranting about it. If the Chargers felt like we had like if we were 16 playoff and the Chargers be like well the Bills are going to be the jets so they're going to get to 12 wins and the Texans are playing Riley Leonard and the Colts they're probably going to get to 12 wins. We are going to be out of the postseason if we don't go to Denver and win that then makes Denver have to obvious Denver's playing for the one seed matters to them. The Patriots all of a sudden are like holy moly. You know we are alive for the one seed. The Jags say well if Denver loses we're just one. You know we can jump up to the two. It's just the exclusivity is good. All right, let's talk about that Eagles Bills game.

[Damanze]

The Eagles escape Buffalo with a win. Despite not completing a pass in the second half, the Bills had a chance. Josh Allen kind of whiffed on the two point conversion. With the playoffs coming up, who was this game more alarming for?

[Nick Wright]

I think it was more alarming for Philly as far as the quality of their team but it was super alarming for Buffalo as far as their path now.

[Damanze]

Right.

[Nick Wright]

Had Buffalo one they're going to be they're alive for the division but they again would need the Pats to lose to Miami which could happen but I don't think it's likely. But there were the Bills would then be in a position beat the jets were the five seed. We get whatever fraudulent team comes out of the AFC north and we'll see if Josh Allen and this Bills team can get its first ever road playoff victory. Now they're in a spot where round one demands a they are playing either in New England or in Jacksonville on the road the entirety of the playoffs. And their path just got so much harder. And the other thing on the Bills that I will say is this because we just have fair is fair. And you guys know how highly I've talked of Josh Allen this year really the last couple years. He's got to be better in that game. The I thought the fumble was a bad call but you can't stand there and argue about it rather than chase after the fumble. That's the first point. You got your offensive lineman running 30 yards downfield. You're standing there yelling at the ref. That's the first one. The taking the 20 yard sack knocking you out of field goal range when that field goal would have mattered. That was bad. And he just missed the game winning play. It was open. It was not that hard of a pass. He just missed it and that game mattered for them. And so you got. I've talked a lot so I don't have to do too much more on it. How much pressure I think is on the Bills this year. We have, we have not talked about McDermott or Allen in these in like this because the Ravens have been struggling. The Chiefs are out, the Bengals are are out. But man, if Daman the Bills end up with the six seed which that's what it looks like they're going to be and they go to Jacksonville and lose, man, I Wonder if Sean McDermott survives that like we the we haven't. If they go one and done by losing to the Jags, even though I think the Jags are really good. It feels like it. When the all the other veteran excellent quarterbacks the field is, you know are removed from the field then you've this hat. This has to be the Bills moment now I did think their defense was excellent and the defense has been the question mark about the team on Philly. I don't know what people want me to say. I. They had negative passing yards and a half to Monze for the third time this season. So they have played 32 halves.

[Damanze]

What other teams literally this year.

[Nick Wright]

No, they're the only one. You've played 32 halves of football. Three of them. You had negative yards passing. One in 10. That's insane. And it's just really weird.

[Damanze]

What the hell is going on?

[Nick Wright]

And then you got Sirianni yelling at the Bills fans in the tunnel. AJ Brown's clearly annoyed by him. It's. I understand they win and I, I feel like winning in Buffalo, which has been happening. It's happened twice in the last two years. That a team's gone to Buffalo and win should be like an unimpeachable type of victory. But that wasn't unimpeachable. They were up 13 nothing and then gained 17 second half yards as a team and negative yards passing. And so I will see how everything falls seating wise because they could be the two or the three and if they're the two they get the packers. But if they're the three demons, a, they get either the Rams or the Niners.

[Damanze]

Yeah, both very losable. And if they lose.

[Nick Wright]

I like either of those teams to go to Philadelphia and win. I understand the weather could be a factor and. But I just feel like those teams have been so much more consistent throughout the year and they don't go through these just inexplicable, indefensible droughts. And, and listen, A.J. brown was not wrong. His delivery might have been wrong the way he did it, all of that, but his concerns were correct. This. The offense has been an issue all year long and Saquon can't save them. So I, I don't know how. You know. On one hand they're the first defending NFC east champion to win it again in more than 20 years. They're the defending super bowl champion. They just went to Buffalo. And one. On the other hand, we just watched that game and man, that offense goes through droughts the likes of which no other even average team does. All right, let's talk Niners, Bears, purdy, he's peaking.

[Damanze]

300 yards, three touchdowns without all his guys. He had five touchdowns in the game before. You were gonna end the pur debate after Mac Jones came in earlier in the season, balled out, you know, system quarterback stuff. How close are we to reopening that conversation? I gotta say, Brock Purdy's looked amazing.

[Nick Wright]

He's looked great. Listen, there is, there is no argument. I mean he's had back to back five touchdowns because he had three touchdowns through the air and two, he's moving. He's been awesome. He's running. He's been awesome. I. It is maddening to me that we are somehow. I'm just in an endless loop of me making statements that seem unprovable about the Niners quarterback situation. They then get proven and folks still saying I'm wrong like that. Which is this the Jimmy. The original statement. Jimmy Garoppolo don't care that he wins. He's not very good. Oh, but look at how he wins. He. They went to a Super bowl with him. My statement, I think if you dropped any starting caliber quarterback in his spot with that team, they would perform at that level.

[Damanze]

You think in the last, in the last two games would have. Okay, I'm right back. Go ahead.

[Nick Wright]

Just hold on. Just, just wait a second. They then put literally the last pick of the draft in Jimmy Garoppolo spot. He performs at an even higher level. They go back to a Super bowl and people are like, scenic. You were wrong. Like, wait, what? Didn't we. We just saw it then. Brock Purdy has this run prior to this season. They go to the Super Bowl. We were like, give him more credit, Nick. I'm like, I listen. He's. He was underdrafted. He's clearly a starting caliber quarterback. He might even be good. But I think most of the credit should go to the Avengers on the team. They're like, well, what do you want? You want to see him do it without those guys? I'm like, well, he probably won't ever have to, but, yeah, if he did it without those guys, they then have a season where all those guys are hurt. The team goes in the tank. And I'm like, see, the thing that we didn't think we'd be able. This is the second time. The thing we didn't think we'd be able to test. We tested. And I was right. We were like, no, it's not fair. This year comes out, He's out for two months, a guy that everyone agrees is not a good quarterback. Mac Jones steps in, looks awesome. The team wins. Like, oh, another test. And then Purdy comes back, is better than that guy. And people are like, see, Nick, you're an idiot. I. I don't know what people want me to say here. Now. Do I think Mac Jones is as good as Brock Purdy? Obviously not. Do I think Mac Jones could have done what Brock Purdy did the last two weeks? No. Do I think Brock Purdy is proving himself to be a pretty good NFL quarterback? And does that surprise me? Yes, I. All of those things. But all the folks arguing with me two months ago when I said, see, this is why I wouldn't have necessarily paid Purdy 53 million. Where you can get that level of production from Mac Jones were quietly agreeing with me, which is why they stopped arguing with me. And now he's on this heater. And certainly if he's playing at this level, he's worth $50 million. I don't think this level is sustainable, but he's been great. But my biggest thing is, and I know people, and I've done it to myself, so I'm not whining. Look at me as a Purdy hater. But the other way to look at it is I just want the right people to get credit. And the story of this Niner season is not a Brock Purdy story. He has played half the games. The story of this Niner season is about two people more than anybody. Kyle Shanahan and Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey who has been available and used like a pack mule all year, and Shanahan, who has been in his bag to even by his standards, an insane degree. That's the story of the Niner season. Now the story of the last two weeks is Purdy has been utterly brilliant and I give him credit, but I don't. I can't. I feel like I'm in a time loop on the Niners quarterback arguments and I keep throwing out there things that I believe but I'll never be able to prove. And then somehow we get real life samples of it. Replace Jimmy Garoppolo with Mr. Irrelevant. See what Purdy looks like without his star players. See if. What if you dropped Mac Jones in the Niners offense, what it would look like. And every single time it looks exactly like I say it would. And then people are like, nick, you're still wrong. I just. I'm going to lose my mind. All right, go ahead with some follow ups.

[Damanze]

You think that Shanahan should win coach of the year at plus 150 at number two and CMC at offensive player of the year at plus 275. They're both number.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. Who's number one for both of those? Because those would be my picks. I think Shanahan's been coach of the year. Oh, you know, Christian McCaffrey should win offensive player of the year over JSN. As good as JSN to be. Christian McCaffrey's been the most important non quarterback in the league this year and Brave was favorite for the other one. No, I would give it to Shanahan and Christian McCaffrey.

[Damanze]

The Niners, they're playing for the one seed on Saturday. How alive for a real run at the title do you think they are and do you think this is should have been a Sunday night football game?

[Nick Wright]

No, I'm. I'm fine with the winning. You're in game being Sunday night football. The. They want Raven, Steelers, Rogers, Lamar. It's fine. It won't. Might not be Lamar and I think we're gonna. It's. I mean, yeah, we'll get to that. We'll get to the Lamar stuff. Oh, Nick's a hater. Nick doesn't know what he's talking about. Nick's making things up. I told you so guys, but let's stay here for a minute.

[Damanze]

Dude, he's hurt.

[Nick Wright]

Okay, we'll get to it. We'll get to the Lamar stuff.

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[Nick Wright]

Pressure is coming down. Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you.

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[Public Investing Advertiser]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member finra SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures running a.

[Odoo Advertiser]

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[Nick Wright]

I don't think the Niners defense should be good enough to win a Super Bowl. But with the way the offense is playing and the with the way the offense is playing and if they win on Saturday, getting the buy and having all the games come through Santa Clara, obviously they've got a great shot at it. I'm shocked by that. And that speaks what I was saying about Shanahan and McCaffrey and how well Purdy's been playing. All right, let's talk Bears just for a second.

[Damanze]

After Bears after Atlanta defeated the the seat after Atlanta defeated the oh yeah, on the Bear. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was like, what on the Bear side, Caleb had a shot to win at the end, but he came up short. Is this the team that you'd feel comfortable with betting money on in the playoffs?

[Nick Wright]

Listen, I think there's been a great year for Chicago and I think that if they win Against Detroit and get the two seed. I think they'll beat the packers in round two. In round one. Their defense has just as many questions as the Niners. And while Caleb I think was awesome in that game, I don't, I think they're probably a year away from real contention now. It doesn't mean they can't do it, but it would surprise me. And so if they now if they fall to the three and they have to play one of those nfc either the Niners again, obviously they can win that game, but that would be tough. Or the Rams, I don't think I'd like them. I certainly wouldn't pick them against the Rams and I might not pick them against the Niners. But this is a great year for Chicago no matter what the NFC playoff feel. Just the three NFC west teams, Chicago and Philly. It's a tough field. All right, now we can do NFC South.

[Damanze]

So yeah, after Atlanta upsetting the Rams, the, the Panthers Bucks race a little bit more complicated. If the Falcons win next week, this against the Saints, Tampa Bay will be out. So it's totally possible that your two super bowl picks don't make it to the playoffs.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, I know. So the Falcons winning was a big problem for Tampa because it's no longer, as you explained, a winning. Your end situation for Tampa against Carolina because now it's weird because the Falcons can't win the division but they can get to 8 and 9 which is because the Bucks just keep losing awful games. That's where the Bucks would finish if they beat Carolina. And if it, if it's a two way tie between Tampa and Carolina, Tampa gets it. If it's a three way tie, Carolina gets it. So here's the what the Bucks have done since the start of the year is unacceptable on so many levels. Since starting five and one, they have two victories. A good win in New Orleans to get to 6 and 2. So I really should say that since starting 6 and 2 and then a skin of their teeth win against a terrible Cardinals team while losing to the Patriots, getting blown out by the Bills, getting blown out by the Rams, a bad loss at home to the Saints, giving a game away to the Falcons, a terrible loss to the Panthers, Rebaker threw a pick at the end and a loss to Quinn Ewers and the Dolphins, it is unforgivable for Tampa to need help, to need to win and get help to make the playoffs. Now I think that their upside is higher than Carolina's who again I don't know how many people are actually watching the Panthers on a week to week basis. But Bryce just had one of the worst games of the NFL season this year. 24 pass attempts for 54 yards, 2.3 yards per attempt, zero touchdowns. One pick.

[Damanze]

He.

[Nick Wright]

And he's had a few. I mean that was his worst case, his worst game of the year. But he's had a number of rough ones. But neither of those teams. Carolina deserves it more. To be honest. The only team in that division that's playing like it wants to be in the playoffs is the damn Saints. But even Tyler Shuck. But they just started. They started too far behind. All right, let's talk AFC North Demase.

[Damanze]

Pittsburgh had their chance to wrap up the division against the Browns this weekend. They failed. The Ravens won without Lamar. Tyler Huntley, I like what he was doing out there. Derek Henry, just run the ball. Now the FC north title is up for grabs on Sunday with his Raven showdown against Pittsburgh.

[Nick Wright]

Listen, Pittsburgh's loss on Sunday was one of the most unacceptable performances of the NFL season. By the way, Joker hyper extension in his left knee will miss at least four weeks. Not bad. But what it does do to Monze, it probably eliminates him from being able to be MVP.

[Damanze]

Because 65 games.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. So. And they're. I mean they were already down three starters. So this has. I mean we're about to. Right. I mean they're going to. Right. They'll be. They'll be fine for the playoffs. But not fine for seating.

[Damanze]

Seating.

[Nick Wright]

And so not making.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

This has massive implications. But you do have a sigh of relief that he's okay. You know, miss a month, maybe more. My guess is maybe they hold him out through all star. That'd be like a month and a half. And you know, then he comes back. But that is. And. But it does probably eliminate him from being eligible for the mvp, which sucks because he's been playing so great. Help Shea a lot in his ability to win. Keeps Lucas Sneaky alive for mvp. It opens up for a lot of people. All right, back to this Rogers performance on Sunday was unforgivable. I don't know if he was just trying to avoid Miles Garrett getting sacred.

[Damanze]

Game just so he couldn't get sacked.

[Nick Wright]

That's what he was on. It was so bad. And his decision on 4th and 1 to throw a deep fade to Scotty Miller. His decision on the final drive to only target mbs. He was awful and they brought him in for that moment. And if the Steelers had won that game, they're in really good shape to Monze if they win that game, they are locked into the four seed. They can rest in week 18. They get a home game against either Texans, Chargers, Bills, who will have just come off games that they. Well, no, it wouldn't be the Chargers, but the Texans or Bills. And again, not an easy game. But teams that would have just had to go theoretically. Well, I don't know if those teams are going to go all out in week 18. Doesn't matter. Bills probably aren't. But regardless, a home game and rest instead, you have to win a playoff game to make the playoffs. And I just thought Rogers was awful. Just really, really awful. I, I believed in Pittsburgh this weekend because I thought Shedor would make a few just egregious mistakes. He did.

[Damanze]

He's solid.

[Nick Wright]

And they couldn't take advantage of any of them. It was pathetic. And that for to that be a game that, you know, it was as if they thought Baltimore was going to lose the night before. So that game wasn't going to matter.

[Damanze]

Right.

[Nick Wright]

But Baltimore won the night before. You knew that game mattered and you knew if you want it, you won the division. You just can't. You can't score six points. I know the Browns have a good pass defense. They've been allowing 27 points a game the last month. Like that's just so it's as bad of a loss as it gets. And now we get to Baltimore. Derrick Henry was unbelievable. Snoop Huntley did his thing, but Derrick Henry was great. And Derrick Henry, by the way, since he's been a Raven, leads the NFL and rushing yards. Leads the NFL and yards rushing yards per game leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns and is second the NFL in rushes. He has gotten his fair share of touches. He's been awesome. But the story in Baltimore is Lamar and Demonze, you can get mad at me here I am just going like, so there was that article in the Baltimore sun that was a torched Lamar.

[Damanze]

Yep.

[Nick Wright]

By a guy who has written at the Baltimore sun since 1983. Okay. A 42 year writer in Baltimore, local columnist. Now, it doesn't mean that he doesn't play favorites. It doesn't mean that everything he's saying is fair. I'm not saying, I'm saying, but. Right.

[Damanze]

And.

[Nick Wright]

I have been trying to tell you guys all year that something is off with Lamar and Harbaugh and I'm not just guessing. And what we are now seeing is. A situation where for the third time there have been like, I want to be fair here. But I think the fairest way to put it is to just give you the timeline on it in real time, and I will read you exact quotes because people get very mad at me, but I don't know what you want me to say. Okay. In 2021, which was the first year that Lamar Jackson was playing for the Ravens, in the midst of wanting and deserving a contract extension that the Ravens were unwilling at that time to give him. And you add to the context. Lamar does not have an agent. And I know everyone says, well, his mom does it for him, which is fine. However, this is an important detail. Lamar's mother is not a certified NFL PA Agent. Here's the only reason that matters. It means the team is not allowed to talk to her. Okay? They. They. She can handle stuff for Lamar once he gets it, but the team can only talk to Lamar. And that has been weird up to and including that we found out through court filings over the summer that when they were trying to negotiate a contract with him, the summer he asked for the trade to Monze this in the court filings, he said the microphone on his phone wasn't working, and because of that, they couldn't talk. So, like, it's been the weird. It's a weird contract negotiation situation. And as someone. As someone who has, you know, done negotiations, one of the reasons you have an agent is you go to. You want to make, you know, $100 million from the place you're working. The place wants to pay you $80 million. They are going to explain to you why you're actually not worth what you think you're worth. You're worth less. That can hurt feelings. It's like, well, actually, you're not good at this or as good at that. So the agent does the negotiation, keeps the relationship between both sides, you know, happy, where you don't have to say nasty things to each other.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

You don't have an agent. It makes it a little tricky. Again, it doesn't mean you have to have an agent. I'm just giving you guys some thick.

[Damanze]

Skin going in there.

[Nick Wright]

Right. The context of it. Additional context. That is not lost on me. What was the big. One of the big stories of this Raven season? That they removed all those video games and toys from the locker room. And what was one of the kind of weird. Huh? Pieces from that column for Mike Preston that they think Lamar stays up all night doing what? Playing video games. So there was a lot of not so subtle what's. And the other thing in that story was Lamar wants a new contract.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

He's the back to back defending first team all pro quarterback. He's won an MVP since his last contract. A bunch of quarterbacks have passed him in the pay scale seems reasonable. Also the Ravens right now he's got a cap hit of 75 million each of the next two years. So they certainly want to rework his contract. He wants to extend his contract. So I give all of that context while trying to be fair. And then I remind you guys of this. In 2021 when the Ravens were in the midst of trying to make the playoffs and Lamar wanted and deserved by the way, a second contract, he hurt his ankle in week 14, John Harbaugh said going into week 15, I'd say he has a chance to play week 15. It's one of those things where it's an ankle sprain. If he starts feeling good and everything is all right, we'll check him out probably pre game. He's in all the preparations. We'll see where we're at. Week 15 he did not play again that season and the Ravens missed the playoffs. After the year, John Harbaugh was asked about why Lamar didn't play. He said, quote, lamar felt like he was going to be back. The first week he thought he had a chance. The second week he assured me, he said I'll be back, I'll be back. So in 2021, Lamar got hurt. At the end of the year, the team thought he would be back. He was not back. He was in the midst of a contract negotiation. He did not get the contract in 2022. Lamar Jackson obviously deserved a new contract contract. They had not given him one. He got hurt on December 4th in a game I removed from the game. John Harbaugh said. It's not a season ending type of knee. We'll get more tests tomorrow and let you know how long it's going to be. We'll see if he can be back this week. If not, he'll be back sometime after that shortly. He did not play again that season. They did make the playoffs. Everyone thought he would be back for the playoff game. He did not play in the playoff game. And then he tweeted after the season that it was a grade 2 PCL strain sprain bordering on grade 3, which was not what Harbaugh had said, Schefter had said any of it. So in 2021 he suffered an ankle injury. The coach thought he'd be back. He never came back. He was in the midst of a contract negotiation. In 2022 he suffered a knee injury. The coach thought he would be back. Schefter said he'd be back. And I'm not picking on Schefter here. It's just like meaning the team was telling him he'll be back. He did not come back and he missed the playoff game. In 2025, Lamar Jackson evidently has been in a contract negotiation. He suffered a hamstring injury against the Chiefs. He missed time. The team did not play well. When asked about why the team would be better after the buy, John Harbaugh said, our quarterback is going to be back. That's a big one. Lamar then was not back after the buy. And if you remember there was the issue with I'm trying to remember what game that was before the the weird. What was the weird game this year? Oh, that was after the hamstring injury. That's what it was after the buy when he had when they had to change the practice designation, remember? And they got in trouble for it. It was like oh that the about whether Lamar was a full practice or not a full practice.

[Damanze]

Oh yeah.

[Nick Wright]

And now Lamar Jackson suffered what his coach called a back Bruise in week 16 while in a contract negotiation with the team and missed a must win week 17 game and we don't know if he is playing in week 18. That's the timeline of it. Folks can draw whatever conclusions they want and folks can act like I'm just being a shit stirrer for no reason. But I feel like I can say with full confidence that the Lamar Jackson John Harbaugh partnership is ending and it is very likely that Lamar has played his last game with the Ravens. As with John Harbaugh being the coach, let me say that better because I do not think the Ravens are going to move on from Lamar, but I don't know that I believe Lamar is going to play again this season and I don't think there is any realistic chance John Harbaugh is the coach next season and here's the last thing I'll say on it. And this is supposed to be a quick show but they never are and we still have a bunch more stuff to do to do. We might not get to all of it. Damon, say there's to me. Tell me if you think this is fair. There are two ways to look at this because Lamar does want a new contract. Yeah the either Lamar has suffered by my counter hamstring, knee, ankle, toe, back five different injuries this year that were legitimately severe enough that two of which he missed games and three of which he missed practices that a guy who turns 29 next week so running quarterback who doesn't run as much anymore and is coming off his worst year, suffered five separate from semi significant to truly significant injuries and wants a new big guaranteed contract. That is one option. Another option is that these injuries are not quite so significant but because he is in contract negotiation he is leveraging his injury status. I don't see and if the producers do or you do or anybody a third door to walk through, I think it is A or B. And my response to that is if it's just A or B, is that a player that you are comfortable giving a top of market guaranteed contract to either a guy who is not playing in do or die games as contract leverage, which is a real indictment that I am not levying, or a guy who suffered five different injuries this year that made him miss valuable time. Either way, that's a risky investment.

[Damanze]

And.

[Nick Wright]

That'S where I stand. People can say I'm unfair. I know I'm not wrong and I know that's your guy to Monze and I apologize for putting you in this spot. But yeah, the timing, what I believe.

[Damanze]

Like a year after year, December, the contract negotiations, I'm going to sit out. I mean and then even just seeing the play where it is where like his back got hurt, it was fast.

[Nick Wright]

He ran into it and seeing Harbaugh make clear on Monday, this past a week ago, it's a bruise. It's a bad bruise, but it's a bruise.

[Damanze]

It would be unfortunate if he was just.

[Nick Wright]

I also like go ahead.

[Damanze]

No like leveraging his injury, especially at this time of the season. But I will say that if he does end up playing next week, win or lose, I think that's huge. I just, I hope, I hope he plays.

[Nick Wright]

But I, but so they're also in a weird spot. If he doesn't play and they lose, that's obviously awful. If he doesn't play and they win. Man, talk about pressure on him to finally perform in the playoffs. If, you know, if, if Derrick Henry's rolling and Huntley plays fine. There's just, just a lot there and I know Marcus Spears and a lot of people I really like don't like any of this Lamar commentary. I get it and they think some of it's unfair. I just something's been weird with Lamar and Harval and the Ravens all year. Mike Preston shined a bit of a light on it and to me it's pretty obvious where this thing's going. So are you thinking about upgrading to the all new iPhone 17 Pro designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever. But you're also thinking about the traffic on your way to the store and the hassle of transferring all your data. Good news, when you order a new phone online with Boost Mobile, they'll send an expert to your home or work to deliver your brand new iPhone 17 Pro and get you all set up on Boost Mobile within minutes. No hassle. Visit boostmobile.com to get started. Delivery available for select devices purchased@boost mobile.com Terms do apply. All right, before we get to our quick hitters, Dean, let's do the Pro Football hall of Fame here.

[Damanze]

The NFL announced its finalist for the hall of fame class of 2026. We talked as we do every year about it and you gave out your finalists. The final the semi finalists were announced. Let's take a look at how you did with yours.

[Nick Wright]

All right, so the Here are the finalists. Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Willie Anderson, Luke Keakley, Terrell Suggs, Jari Evans, Tori Holt, Eli Manning, Adam Venateri, Reggie Wayne, Darren Woodson, Marshall Yonder and so I the other finalists are Frank Gore, Jason Whitten and Kevin Williams. I did not think Gore and Whitten or Kevin Williams would be finalists. They were, but otherwise this went about from the semifinalist to finalists went about how I said I anticipated it. I believe this will be the hall of fame class of 2025. I said this on the other show. I've thought more about it. I believe Breeze and Fitzgerald are no doubt first ballot guys. I think that they are going to have too hard of a time debating between Keakley and Suggs. Keakley higher peak Suggs, such a longer more decorated career. Both similar as far as A plus honors. So I think they put them both in and then I think they put in one offensive lineman and you could make the case for Willie Anderson, Jari Evans or Yonder. I think they will end up going with the person who's been waiting the longest in Willie Anderson. So I think the hall of Fame class is going to be Breeze, Fitz, Suggs and Keakley along with one offensive lineman, Willie Anderson. Eli Manning is going to have to keep waiting. Mark, you know maybe Evans are young to get in. I bet one of the offensive linemen get in and I don't see any chance Frank Gore or Jason Whitten have to get in first ballot. All right, let's do the other games quickly. The Jags beat the Colts. It was the first not great Jags game in a while. Not great Trevor game. But unlike previous years where they have these not great games they wanted anyway. They are still alive for the one seed but they would need Denver to lose to the Chargers backups and the Patriots to lose to Miami so they are probably going to be the three seed. I I would I was really hoping we would get Char Jags Chargers in round one. It looks like we're probably going to get Bills chart or Bill's Jags in round one which is a bit of a bummer but is what it is. Cowboys beat the Commanders in a meaningless game to all parties. Vikings beat the Lions in just a Jared Goff disaster class on Christmas Just as as bad as it gets as the Lions season from hell continues. Broncos beat the Chiefs in one of the worst performances in a win a team has had all year long. The Texans beat the Chargers in a game that neither quarterback played well and if you're the Chargers, you're a little anxious after that performance going into the playoffs. Patriots beat the Jets. We talked about it earlier in a game that might have won Drake May the MVP Saints beat the Titans as Tyler Shuck keeps rolling. He's played well bro. Bengals beat the Cardinals. Joe Burrow having fun again and Giants beat the Raiders in a game literally nobody watched. All right, like Rate Subscribe Review to the Show Gambling Show. We're going to record it now. It will come at you tomorrow. We will try to rebound for a tough week 17 that is tomorrow. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much. The Volume, Blue Dock, Hard Rock Boost and Zen. All our wonderful sponsors talk to you guys tomorrow for the Gambling show. What's right? What are you reaching for? If you're a smoker or dipper, you could be reaching for more with Zen Nicotine Pouches. When you reach for Zen, you're reaching for 10 satisfying varieties and two strengths for a smoke free, spit free option that lets you lean into good times instead of stepping away for premium rewards, chances to break free from your routine and a unique nationwide community. Whatever you're reaching for, reach for it with America's number one nicotine pouch brand. Find your Zen wherever nicotine products are sold near you. Warning. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

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[Nick Wright]

Pressure is coming down. Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you.

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