What's Wright - NFL Week 6 Reaction: Bills UNRAVELING, Chiefs BEAT UP Lions, Bears WALK-OFF Commanders | Nick Wright

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd – "What's Wright" NFL Week 6 Reaction: Chiefs Beat Up Lions, Bills Unravel, Walk-Off Win for Bears | Nick Wright (Oct 14, 2025)

Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Host: Nick Wright (with Damanze)
Episode: 378
Date: October 14, 2025
Theme: NFL Week 6 Deep Dive – Why the Chiefs Have Righted the Ship, Alarm Bells in Buffalo, and What Upsets Mean for the League's Power Rankings

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Overview

This episode of "What's Wright" with Nick Wright and Damanze provides a rapid-fire, no-holds-barred reaction to NFL Week 6. The hosts celebrate the Chiefs’ convincing victory over the Lions, dissect the Bills’ unraveling against Atlanta, and discuss emerging playoff storylines. Nick's unapologetically passionate takes on league power rankings, ref controversies, and emerging MVP candidates make this a must-listen installment for those wanting sharp NFL insight.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Power Rankings Outrage & Media Take

• Nick's Rant on ESPN NFL Power Rankings ([03:56]–[06:52])
  • Nick lambasts the Week 7 ESPN NFL Nation Power Rankings, calling them "the single worst power ranking in the history of sports media."
  • Chiefs, after blowing out the Lions, inexplicably drop in rank.
  • “They had them at seven going into last week and dropped them to nine... What is happening?” – Nick ([06:09]).
  • Nick insists too many in sports media refuse to admit when they’re wrong, especially regarding the Chiefs’ strength.

2. Chiefs vs. Lions: The Restoring of Order

• Why the Chiefs’ Victory Matters ([07:45]–[11:13])
  • After early-season doubts, the Chiefs have re-established themselves as the league’s benchmark:
    • “All is right in the world again... Who’s the favorite? Patrick [Mahomes]... Who’s the favorite? The Chiefs. Everything is the way it’s supposed to be.” – Nick ([07:56]).
  • Dismantling the Lions—despite star absences—cements their status atop the league.
  • Nick draws a line between the Chiefs’ competence and chaos around contenders like the Broncos, Chargers, Bills, Eagles, and Lions.

3. Referee Controversies and the Detroit Meltdown

• Breaking Down the Refs Narrative ([11:17]–[16:05])
  • Nick addresses widespread complaints about officiating in Chiefs-Lions, especially from Lions players and fans.
  • Breaks down each of the five penalties called:
    • Emphasizes none were egregious or game-altering in his view.
  • Skewers Detroit’s response: “Get it together, Detroit.”
  • Calls out Lions’ Brian Branch for a post-game cheap shot and public whining.
  • Notable quote: “‘You got bullied. Should Juju have to sit by himself at lunch? Is Patrick gonna have to miss the juice box tomorrow?’” – Nick ([16:07]).

4. Chiefs' Offensive Resurgence & Playoff Outlook

• Kansas City's Offensive Trajectory ([19:30]–[25:01])
  • The return of Rashee Rice will only make Kansas City more dynamic.
  • Nick expresses concern over kicker Harrison Butker but sees a silver lining: more aggressive fourth-down calls from Andy Reid.
  • “Patrick now has full confidence in his offensive line... immediately makes the Chiefs the most dangerous offense in football again.” – Nick ([21:27]).
  • Chiefs’ remaining schedule analyzed with confidence.

5. Bills’ Unraveling & Josh Allen Discourse

• Dissecting Buffalo’s Troubles ([28:05]–[37:47])
  • Bills lose to Atlanta. Big games from Bijan Robinson and Drake London.
  • Josh Allen's MVP odds fall; Nick remains high on Allen but thinks public hype needs tempering:
    • “The Josh Allen hyperbole... has always mystified me.” – Nick ([29:28]).
    • Quotes Greeny’s bold claim: “No one has ever played that position better than Josh Allen.” ([30:28])
  • Bills have “real, real question marks”—soft schedule wasted, defense regressed, and the risk they’ll once again peak in the Wild Card round.

6. Falcons’ Emerging Duo: Bijan & Drake

• Spotlight on Atlanta ([38:06]–[40:43])
  • Bijan Robinson and Drake London dominate: “Bijan is just sensational... He’s on pace to shatter...” – Nick ([39:18]).
  • Some nerves about Michael Penix’s consistency at QB, but optimism overall.

7. Bears’ Walk-Off Over Commanders

• NFC Wild Card Implications ([42:03]–[46:42])
  • Bears win ugly, but “they're playing for something.”
  • Weird stat: Back-to-back 25–24 wins ("scoregami"?)
  • Caleb Williams shows “some progression.”
  • Commanders at 3–3 but 12th in the NFC: “NFC is loaded.” – Nick ([46:51]).
  • "Head-to-head loss for the Commanders is a big one.” – Nick, mapping wild card path ([47:32]).

8. Playoff Landscape and AFC Picture

• AFC’s Soft Underbelly ([49:34]–[50:56])
  • There’s a heavy pileup of bad teams in the AFC (“just bad”) vs. more parity in the NFC.
  • Nick and Damanze list AFC playoff contenders; both pick Broncos as the likely odd team out.

9. Baker Mayfield & Buccaneers: Legit Contenders

• Baker’s MVP Case ([55:01]–[59:34])
  • Injuries mounting, wins keep coming, and Baker keeps making “MVP plays.”
  • “Right now, Baker’s the MVP of the league. What a story, man. I’m so happy for Baker.” – Nick ([59:34]).
  • Schedules remaining: Nick predicts at least 13 wins for the Bucs.

10. Rapid-fire Game Recaps & Other Major Storylines

• Eagles Look Vulnerable
  • “The Eagles are teetering... they might just not have the offensive identity, and they don’t have Saquon to lean on.” – Nick ([61:52])
• Giants Hit Controversy with Dable & Russell Wilson
  • Damanze criticizes Brian Dable for “yelling at the guy whose job it is to look out for player’s safety” ([63:38]–[65:34])
  • “The head coach screaming at the team doctor can simply never happen, ever.” – Nick ([65:56])
• Broncos vs. Jets: Unwatchable
  • “Truly one of the worst football games ever played.” – Nick ([66:12])
• Panthers: Secretly Good at Home
  • "Panthers at home are a decent team. I don't know what explains the discrepancy." – Nick ([67:06])
• Seahawks: Quiet Contender
  • “Seattle is probably the best team that I haven’t really talked much about.” – Nick ([68:00])
  • Listener question later chides Nick for sleeping on Seahawks
• Chargers Escape, Dolphins Drama
  • Tua’s leadership questioned: “Tua’s lack of accountability is jarring.” – Nick ([69:53])
  • Damanze: “Every time he gets up there, it’s a deflection.” ([70:07])
• League Notables
  • Rams beat Ravens (Lamar’s absence glaring), Colts continue to impress, Patriots win with Mac Jones showing bottom-of-ballot MVP traits, Steelers win but with some lucky elements.
  • Raiders, Titans, Packers, Browns, and Bengals all discussed with quick-hit analysis.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Chiefs Detractors:
  “All is right in the world again... Who’s the favorite? The Chiefs. Everything is the way it’s supposed to be.” ([07:56])
• On Detroit’s Complaints:
  “‘You got bullied. Should Juju have to sit by himself at lunch? Is Patrick gonna have to miss the juice box tomorrow?’” ([16:07])
• Nick’s Praise for Baker:
  “Right now, Baker’s the MVP of the league. What a story, man.” ([59:34])
• On the AFC Playoff Race:
  “One of those teams is going to be out.” ([50:56])
• Listener Calls Out Seahawks Snub:
  "It's a fair critique... we've been under discussing Seattle." ([77:16])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Power Rankings Rant: [03:56]–[06:52]
• Chiefs-Lions Recap & Big Picture: [07:45]–[13:55]
• Detroit's Meltdown on and off the Field: [13:55]–[16:05]
• Chiefs Offensive Evolution/Butker Worries: [19:30]–[25:01]
• Bills-Falcons Deep Dive: [28:05]–[37:47]
• Falcons Emerging as a Force: [38:06]–[40:43]
• Bears-Commanders & NFC Wild Card Race: [42:03]–[46:42]
• AFC Playoff Picture: [49:34]–[50:56]
• Baker’s MVP season/Bucs Outlook: [55:01]–[59:34]
• Rapid Fire Sunday Recaps: [61:35]–[75:15]
• Listener Q&A: [76:44]–[78:53]

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Listener Mailbag Highlights

• Chiefs’ possible playoff run as a wild card – Nick: “You can never doubt the Kansas City Chiefs... next year, more obituary talk” ([76:53])
• Why not more Seattle Seahawks praise? – “Fair critique... we've been under discussing Seattle.” ([77:16])
• On Raven’s divisional odds, and the athletic leap at QB vs. field goal kicking standards ([77:36]–[78:15])

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Tone and Style

Bold, irreverent, and highly opinionated. Nick Wright is at his most animated when defending his takes, eviscerating bad punditry, or standing on the Chief’s corner. Damanze offers sharp questions and one-liners, keeping the banter brisk and high-energy. The language is candid, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, but always in the spirit of passionate sports debate.

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Summary:
This episode is a turbo-charged breakdown of NFL Week 6, with Nick Wright’s unapologetic takes on the Chiefs’ reascension, Bills’ crisis, absurd media narratives, and an emerging NFC wild card hunt. Baker Mayfield’s MVP candidacy, the Falcons’ offensive duo, and the Eagles’ stumble round out a show dense with insight, humor, and quotable moments—indispensable for anyone following the midseason NFL chaos.

Transcript

[Damanze]

This is an I Heart podcast.

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[Host]

Welcome in what driving Think right, episode 378. This episode of what Driving the Right is brought to you by our friends at Boost Mobile. As always. And listen, let me just get right to. Straight to voicemail because before we even get to the actual show, I have to get to a little rant about something I just saw. Straight to voicemail. Brought to you by our friends at Boost Mobile. Travis Kelce evidently sings al an album insert with Taylor Swift. I don't really understand a lot of the words in that sentence. Oh, signs I. That makes so much more sense, guys. Okay. I should. I. I was so excited. I was like, he sings on her album. No, he signs. Okay. That's actually kind of cool. That makes a lot more sense. Titans fire Brian Callan. How about that? Come on.

[Damanze]

Yeah. Now we can bet on him. Huh?

[Host]

We can bet the Titans again. I might this week if they. If I'm telling you right now, right now, they're getting seven against New England.

[Damanze]

They gotta be a little juiced up.

[Host]

If that gets to seven and a half. That could be in one of Nick's picks. Red hot Knicks picks, by the way. Four and one. I told you. I promised On Demand's life. I'd never bet on the Titans again until Callahan was fired. I didn't realize. So he finishes his head coaching career and I think it's fair to say career, because I don't know that he's getting another shot. Four and 19 straight up, which is horrible, but somehow worse than that. Four and 19 against the spread. Vegas knows the Titans are bad.

[Damanze]

Pretty bad.

[Host]

That's bad. And to. We might actually do more on this at some point in the show. Tua holds this press conference and it's the. I don't. I think the guy's name is Nathan Robinson. There's that meme where a hot dog car drives into a. Oh, yeah, from.

[Damanze]

I think you should leave. And the guy's wearing a hot dog suit and it's like, who crashed it in here?

[Host]

He's like, who did this? Yeah, that's. Does Tua not realize when he stands at the podium and, and he's like, leadership. Our players only meetings have no leadership. That he's the hot dog suit guy. Like, buddy, you are the quarterback, which makes you a leader. The highest paid player on the team, which makes you the leader. You are the leader. That was crazy.

[Damanze]

Him and McDaniel like that. Tandem, like quarterback coach, tandem has got to be the funniest one in like recent memory, huh?

[Host]

Man, shout out to Big Cat, who made a point other people were afraid to make, but he was correct, which is much like, I don't know if you guys remember when it looked in 2016, when it looked like the Cavs were about to get dusted by the warriors in the finals. Before the greatest three game stretch by the greatest in the history of the league, LeBron went to one of the press conferences. He had bought matching suits for everyone on the team, but they were Tom Brown suits. So they were suits that the pants were shorts and, and he's. And he's. And so now they're down 3:1. It looks like they're going to lose again. And he's doing this press conference in this kind of odd looking suit, right? And it was like, man, like doesn't really play as well coming off a loss. That's what Big Cat said about Mike McDaniel and his Capri pants. And I gotta tell you, I don't think he's wrong. Like shout out to Big Cat.

[Damanze]

You gotta switch those out.

[Host]

Yeah. All right, here's the thing. Before we get to the actual show, so I, you know, there is a. There is a great. Actually, you know what? I don't even know if it was the chief's receipts account that tweeted this, but regardless, I'm scrolling Twitter and I see one of these aggregators has posted the latest ESPN NFL Nation power rankings for the NFL. And I'm so certain that it's bad information that I then just go to the website myself, Google ESPN NFL power rankings. And again, I, I am not trying to take a shot at the good folks at espn. And I don't want to overstate anything, which is why it pains me to say this article that was posted at 6:45 this morning that leads with welcome to week 7 of the NFL season. Jets are still winless, Chiefs bounce back. The Buccaneers are shockingly still atop the NFC race. How do all these teams fit in our updated power rankings? We restacked the NFL heading into week seven goes on to it. Our panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities evaluated how NFL teams stack up against one another, ranking them from 1 to 32. Late breaking 80 person sample. Watched the NFL this weekend. Saw what the Kansas City Chiefs did to Detroit. They had them at seven going into last week and dropped them to nine. They watched football this weekend and said the Chiefs are going into the Lions game. We thought they were the seventh best team in football. We've now seen it. They're ninth. Detroit is two. Buffalo whose wins have come against teams that are combined 3 and 21 is 3. I don't want to overstate it when I say this is the single worst power ranking in the history of sports media. I've never seen anything like it. Week six result, beat the Lions 30 to 17. Week six ranking seven and then a little red arrow down. What is happening? You had 80 people on this. Nobody threw their body in front of this bus like, guys, I don't think this one's gonna pass the smell test here.

[Damanze]

Might have been.

[Host]

It's not an error. Green, listen. Green Bay. Green Bay last week was eight on this thing. The Chiefs were seven. They watched Green Bay eek past Joe Flacco and the Bengals and the Chiefs dog walk the Lions and they're like, green Bay, you're six now. You jump them. What? What are we doing? I don't know. I don't. I don't. So, okay. Amazing night of Monday Night Football, but we're not starting there. We're starting with. Well, go ahead. Damanze.

[Damanze]

Yeah. Sick doubleheader last night and that led to two upsets. But yet you wanted to start with the Chiefs, who are 3 and 3. Lasted Rasheed Rice's suspension stayed. Stayed afloat. But they still have some ground to make up as they are third in the division.

[Host]

Here's the reason we're. Here's the. Here's the deal. All is right in the world again.

[Damanze]

Pretty happy this one. He's amped.

[Host]

It's just everything's back the way it's supposed to be. You guys. Check the latest MVP odds. Who's the favorite? Patrick going Hard Rock bet. Check the latest super bowl odds. Who's the favorite? The Chiefs. Everything's. Everything is the way it's supposed to be. And one. And what is so gratifying about this is we don't. I thought the way this was going to go was all the folks that wrote the chief's obituary three weeks ago were going to have to answer for that commentary in January instead, because of how even with the loss nine days ago by the Chiefs, because of how the rest of the league has looked and how Kansas City looked on national TV Sunday night, all those folks have to eat it immediately. We're not to Halloween yet. And they all have to be like, all right, I'm dumb. You're right, I'm wrong. It's so good. It's so much fun. And the fact that they're winning this way with the offense humming back to. You're shocked when they don't get a touchdown. Patrick doing Patrick things and they don't have their best offensive weapon. Not named Patrick Mahomes yet. And then you just. You watch the rest of the league and. And we'll get to these games, but you watch the Broncos do everything they can to try to lose to one of the worst teams I've ever seen in the Jets. You watch the Chargers do everything they can. Great play at the end by the Chargers. But the Chargers struggle with a Dolphins team that seems to actively hate each other. You watch the Bills, what they did last night, the Eagles that are ripping themselves apart at the seams. The Lions, we saw him play. And the other reason I'm happy is, you know, the one team demand say that you can hold up next to the Chiefs right now and be like, hey, what's. What are you. What's the. What are you going to say? Bad about this team? And I'm going to say, no, there isn't anything.

[Damanze]

The Bucks, Tampa.

[Host]

Yeah, the Bucks. Who are my pick going into the year?

[Damanze]

This guy.

[Host]

Man, I'm feeling good. I had to eat it a lot those first couple weeks. I had to come on here, talk about all these concerns. I had to listen to the great, my beloved Kevin Wilds act like Andy Reid and Travis Kelsey are not essentially family. And worry about the fact that Andy bumped Travis. I do all that and less than a month later, you know, the other way I know we're back because we're back to the refs. We are. The Chiefs are back.

[Damanze]

I was just about to say. Yeah, it seemed like the rest might have taken a night off there.

[Host]

Okay, so let's talk about that real quick before we get into the actual game. Look, if you smoke or dip, I'm going to give you a few good reasons to try Zen nicotine pouches. First, Zyn is America's number one nicotine pouch brand. And. And Zen offers an unbelievable rewards program. There's a lot of options for nicotine satisfaction, but there's only one Zen visit zen.com find to find Zen at a store near you. Again, that's zen.com find zyn spelled z y N this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical 0 penalties 005 penalties called in that game there so there were. Let's talk about the P penalties part first because that's what people are whining about. Five penalties were called in that game. One was called on Kansas City. For the record it was declined. So they did throw a flag on the Chiefs when Chris Jones jumped off sides it was declined. The four penalties called on Detroit were as follows. They didn't know the rules on their stupid trick play and that was a black and white. You were not set after being under center have to call it. Then the Lions were so thrown off by the fact that that penalty was called they got a delay of game on the extra point attempt because they didn't know what they were going to do. So that's two. The third one was a clear as day took three steps and hit Mahomes in the head by Aiden Hutchinson. And the fourth one was a judgment call but obviously the right call a pass interference on Detroit. So if did the the most subjective calls that there are illegal contact, defensive holding, offensive holding, illegal man downfield. Those ones where you can be like that happens every play or whatever it was. There were zero called on either team the entire game. So the level of whining I expected from some of the media and certainly fans. But did you see Kirby Joseph first team all pro last year Kirby Joseph for the Detroit lions sent out 24 tweets after the game whining about the refs get it together Detroit.

[Damanze]

He's one safety study that came out. It was a study that came out.

[Host]

By the way I have never seen Can I just say something that that that UTEP I paid the eight and here's so that UTEP study that by the way no one has read. Everyone has just read the news article about it. You know how I know? Because to read that study you got to subscribe to that journal which either is going to cost a couple hundred bucks or you can pay 18 for 24 hour access. Guess who paid the 18 for 24 hour access? This guy. Hand up guess who didn't everyone else. It's one of the most ridiculous studies I've ever seen. The too long didn't read version of it is the Chiefs have played the most playoff games and therefore their opponents have been called for the most penalties that like give you it is. But, but I don't even give a I, I, I don't care about that high. I do care about high leverage spots again. The games are on TV. 30 million people watch them. Find me, find me. The, the call we're all mad about but I don't even want to talk about it. I, I, I don't, I'm going to get, I'm going to get mad. That's not what today is for. It's not for the idiots in el Paso. The SO1 Lion Safety took the loss so well he went on tweet storm tweeting out photoshops of Mahomes kissing a ref. The other lion safety took the loss so well he hit juju Smith Schuster in the face and now he's going to have to miss a massive game against Tampa and then goes in the locker room and I don't know if you guys watched that video but it sure seemed like he was about to cry while saying and I quote they were bullying me out there, end quote.

[Damanze]

Are you bullying him now?

[Host]

What you were bullied out there Is this Sunday Night Football with the big bad Detroit Lions or recess? What are you talking about? You got bullied. Should juju have to sit by himself at lunch? Is Patrick gonna have to miss the not get a juice box tomorrow? You got bullied. You're supposed to be the bullies. And instead of being the bullies on 4th and goal to set the tone on your first drive of the game and handing the ball to David Montgomery from the 6 inch line, you pop Jared Goff out wide on a play cause you're that you don't even know the rules on and throw him a pass. You got bullied. That's a bad look buddy. That's a bad look. And if you are, listen, the Lions are obviously a good team. I thought Chris Collinsworth made a correct point which was there's a lot of cracks in the foundation if they're not playing from ahead. If all of a sudden it becomes a drop back passing game and Jared Goff and those hands, the ball is put there. It's, it's shaky. I think they're a very good team. Don't get me wrong. And I think Dan Campbell was absolutely right when the way he said I love Brian Branch but that's unacceptable. Of course it's unacceptable. It's the professional football is very unique in this regard to Monze. You almost never see post game fights during the game. Sure. And pregame occasionally. But the moment the game's over, what you normally see is embracing. Yeah. Guys pray together. They come together and it's. It. It is similar to boxing in that regard where guys can be going at it until the bell in the 12th round and then immediately hug because there is an element of. This is dangerous, man. And the, you know, we have to respect factor. Right. The respect factor of. All right, game's over. And so what Branch did and for it to be that level of cheap shot was bizarre. It was really bizarre. It started with Patrick trying to shake his hand. He didn't want to. And then juju. I don't know what juju said or what happened, but he hit juju in the face. Go ahead.

[Damanze]

Yeah, no, I mean, he shouldn't. He shouldn't have done that. I. I didn't really see it as a Che cheap shot. I think juju knew that dude was probably coming up to hit him in the face. Dude. I think he knew it.

[Host]

No way. No way.

[Damanze]

I mean, you never see it.

[Host]

Yeah, I mean, I don't think so, but. All right, I want to talk about the chief side of this quickly before we move on. The only listen officially worried about Harrison Buckar. There's no way around it. And I. And that makes me very concerned for a high leverage playoff spot. Oddly for the regular season, and I think you saw it last on Sunday night, there is a benefit to buck or struggling. It is going to force Andy into being a little more aggressive on fourth down. So the Kansas City Star had an article. Since Patrick took over, going into Sunday night, the Chiefs had faced 86 different fourth and three or longers inside their own 30 and they had kicked a field goal all 86 times. And then they went for it Sunday night. Now, part of that might have been because the Lions are such a potent offense, but the other piece of it is Bucker's not automatic at the moment. And I think the Chiefs being aggressive on fourth down is a net positive. I still think they need to trade for a running back. But Patrick now has full confidence in his offensive line and Patrick with full confidence in his offensive line and is semi competent, much less what is about to be. An excellent receiving core immediately makes the Chiefs the most dangerous offense in football again. Immediately. Yeah, go ahead.

[Damanze]

And with that, Kelsey's had probably arguably his best game of the season. What are you expecting to see from him when Rice gets back and you got the whole gang?

[Host]

Well, so that's. So now you're going to listen. Juju has been awesome in his role.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

But that's going to be Rasheed Rice's role. And now you're going to have Rasheed Rice doing some intermediate stuff, Kelsey doing intermediate stuff. Xavier and Tyquan Thornton both being deep threats and Patrick with protection dialed in, being able to hit any quadrant on the field. Again, the Pacheco's gotta be better. And I wish they had just a.

[Damanze]

You know what I think about Pacheco? I think. I think Pacheco is who Scatterboo is, who Pacheco thinks that he is. I think that when he runs and how he feels his physical.

[Host]

He feels like Cam Scatterboo, by the way. And Pacheco's faster than Scatterbo.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

Or he was. And Pacheco was. Pacheco was that. And then he broke his leg.

[Damanze]

The tibular thing.

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah. And he just hasn't been the same ever since then. Also not. This isn't me being a pedant and I don't want to be annoying, but I just. I. I don't have it. You combine, oddly, you combined the two bones in the leg into one.

[Damanze]

It's fibula and tibula.

[Host]

No, no. Fibula and tibia.

[Damanze]

Tibia.

[Host]

I think it's tibia and fibula. And I think you did tibula, which is actually not terrible because I don't know which one he broke of the two, but they are two different bones, tibia and fibula.

[Damanze]

I think it was. I think it was. I think it was fib, but might have been Tib.

[Host]

Who knows. But regardless, the. So no, the offense is go. They need a little bit more consistent pass rush, but they're just the best team.

[Damanze]

And.

[Host]

And, and they now get the incredibly rare. I think the. I think the first time all. Not yet. Definitely the first time all year. The Chiefs play a nondescript 1pm Sunday game week seven and they still get Nance and Romo because they're the Chiefs. But they have gone from Friday night Brazil, Sunday afternoon Super bowl rematch with Tom Brady in KC Sunday Night Football against the Giants, prior the 4:30pm CBS game with Nansen Romo Monday night against the Jags, Sunday night against the Lions. Now just a regular 1pm game but it's still n. Romo and then it's back to normal for Kansas City when the next weekend they're on Monday Night Football against the Commanders and the next weekend they are on the big 4:25 CBS game with Nancy Romo and feel sure feels like they're going to be five and three going into that Bills game and I feel really good about it all Right. Tailgater says that I need to stop bullying Brian Branch. I, I did feel a little badly about that, I'll be honest.

[Damanze]

Like, just now, like, on the, like, what, you saw the pod?

[Host]

Yeah, when I was doing it, I was like, the guy really did seem sad.

[Damanze]

Like, wait, you're bullying him even more. Like, you're actually bullying him now.

[Host]

Yeah, I am. But I don't know, maybe that was, maybe that was mean, but I really didn't like him hitting Juju in the face. Juju's nose.

[Damanze]

Juju's nose? Yeah. I was just about to say he had a nosebleed.

[Host]

I mean, that was like a real hit man. And what I really didn't like was Patrick seeing it and then running to the fight. And then there was a moment where, like, Patrick gets lost. Invisible bodies.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

Yeah, that was. I, I, I didn't love. I, I tell you, I didn't love that. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. New customers can place five dollar bet. If it hits, you get not only your winnings, but also 150 in bonus bets. The pennants on the line, the lights are brighter, the pressure's higher, and one swing can change everything. You can be a part of every pitch, every moment on Hard Rock Bet. New customers place $5 bet. And if it hits, you get not only your winnings, but also $150 in bonus bets. Plus, every day this week on Hard Rock Bet, you can get a profit boost for a postseason baseball parlay. There's new promos every day. Boost your same game parlay or same game parlay max so your bet pays extra winnings. Want to see what everyone else is betting on? Who's going to home her top picks to parlays across any other sport? Hard Rock Bet app literally shows you. It shows you. It's another reason. Download the app just for the info tap discover and you can see trending picks and parlays at any time. 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, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concern about gambling in Florida, call 1-888- admit it in Indiana, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-809 with it gambling problem, call 1-800- gambler in Arizona, Colorado Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia. Look, if you smoke or dip, I'm going to give you a few good reasons to try Zen nicotine pouches. First, Zen is America's number one nicotine pouch brand. And Zen offers an unbelievable rewards program. There's a lot of options for nicotine satisfaction, but there's only one Zen. Visit zen.com find to find Zen at a store near you. Again, that's zyn.com find zen spelled z Y N. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. Chemical. All right, Daman. Now we can get to the Monday Night Football double header. Oh yeah.

[Damanze]

So who would have saw Atlanta upsetting Buffalo? I guess you kind of did and you were right.

[Host]

Well, and not, I mean not entirely, to be fair, you saw kind of about it. I would have. I didn't even include Atlanta plus the points as one of my picks, but I did, I did think they were live. And I also thought Atlanta was the hardest team in the league to kind of get a beat on because week one they play, you know, a tight game, comes down to a field missed field goal against the Bucks. They, there's. They get annihilated by Carolina. But Carolina's oddly been a good team at home. They beat Washington, but Washington doesn't have Jaden Daniels. And then there's one other game they played. I forgot what it was and then they had a buy and so I just thought Atlanta was a little bit of a. I don't want to say unknown. Oh, they beat the Vikings 22 to 6 and in a weird game when win start like. No, when J.J. mcCarthy was in and then J.J. mcCarthy's been hurt since then, but go ahead. Sorry.

[Damanze]

Yeah. So Bijan and Drake London accounted for 396 of 443 yards on offense. Buffalo has dropped their second straight and Josh Allen's MVP odds are up to plus 300. He's number two behind Mahomes. Is it time for the Josh Allen is the best player in the NFL. Chance to come to a simmer.

[Host]

All right, so again, hold on, let me find the exact quote. Let me see if I should have looked this up beforehand. Okay, so this is. You guys know that I actually have been pretty pro Bills the last couple years. Last year I when everybody thought they might be in a rebuild, I thought they'd make the AFC championship game. I thought they'd be really good. They were. This year I once again picked them to go to the AFC championship game. And I've been pretty consistent that I think Josh is the second best quarterback in football. I. With that said, the Josh Allen hyperbole on some of these things has always mystified me.

[Damanze]

And.

[Host]

The example of it this year is three weeks ago after a Monday night Football game against the Dolphins when Josh was good, don't get me wrong. But it was against the Dolphins. And that game, if you remember, was really close late. And it was coming on the heels of a Jets game where they annihilated the jets, but it was a James Cook game. Josh had thrown for 140 yards and no touchdowns. Greeny on get up says quote. I'm watching that game last night and no one has ever played that position better than Josh Allen. Again, the quote is no one has ever played that position better than Josh Allen. And it just seems like we, we are so eager to anoint the next guy when we're in the midst of the guy that we sometimes, you know, get a little ahead of ourselves. With that said, listen, Josh has had a rough couple weeks. I still think he's the second best quarterback in football. I also think that it was likely unsustainable, the streak he was on, on not turning the ball over. And now all of a sudden you've seen he's turned the ball over four times in the last three games. And the Bills, in my opinion, have real, real question marks. They have four wins. They beat Baltimore, which at the time we thought was an awesome win. The defense allowed 40 and they needed that late comeback to beat them. Baltimore has won one game since then. They beat the jets in one of the weirdest games of the year because they outscored them 30 to 10 despite Josh not. And they outgained them for not weird, but they, it was, they just ran all over him. They out gained them 400 to 154 and the jets had no shot. The jets, by the way, have won zero games all year. They beat the Dolphins in a game Josh played great, but in a game that also was tied with. They were tied with the Dolphins with seven and a half minutes left. The Dolphins have won one game all year. They beat the Saints in a game that the Saints thought they took the lead in the fourth quarter only to have a touchdown overturned. They had to settle for a field goal. And that game was a two point game in Buffalo with seven and a half minutes left. The Saints have won one game all year. They then lost to the Patriots and got thoroughly handled last night by Atlanta and were, in my opinion, lucky to have a shot to steal that game because Atlanta, after doing anything it wanted for the first three quarter. First quarter and a half the offense kind of went comatose on him and the Bills are now in a spot where they have squandered already Damanze what was supposed to be their biggest edge for this season, which is an incredibly soft schedule that would lead them to their first one seed since Jim Kelly was the quarterback. And now they wake up this morning and they're not even leading their division and they still have games left against the Chiefs, against the Bucks, at the Patriots, against the Eagles, at the Steelers, at the Texans. And you just wonder is this going to be be another year where Buffalo. I still think they're going to win the division by the way. Like I don't get me wrong, I wouldn't put a little.

[Damanze]

You wouldn't put a taste on New England winning the division at plus 185.

[Host]

It's only plus 185. Is that right?

[Damanze]

Vegas thinks so too.

[Host]

No, I mean no, that's. I, I might put something on Buffalo at minus 2:30. I like I, no, I, I still think Buffalo. I would have thought Buffalo is minus 300 to win the division.

[Damanze]

Not believing in New England.

[Host]

No, but, but no, I mean I think New England. I picked New England make the playoffs. I just think Buffalo is still gonna win 11 games at least. And I don't see New England, you know. And so, but regardless, my point is this. It sure looks like it's going to be a season like we've seen a lot with the Bills where they win the division but they don't get the buy. They beat the hell out of a team in the wild card round and then they play someone in their weight class in the divisional round or the conference championship game and get beaten. And that was. It's really crazy how bad that defense has looked this year. The again the Panthers only score. I'm sorry the Falcons only scored 24 points. They move the ball at will Drake May at his coming out party against them. They, they seem to even though I don't know that the stats back it up. They just seem to be a defense that can get got. And Josh is, Josh is a great, great player but the conservative low risk style that he's been playing the last year and a half really doesn't fit. If you don't have a defense that you can rely on to get stops. I don't think they have that defense this year. And so I, I look right now if I had to pick it Damanze, I would still say Chiefs, Bills, AFC Championship game. But now we're staring at a very real possibility. That game is going to be an arrowhead. When the cheat the Bills were four and oh, with the Chiefs at one and two about to face the Ravens. Life comes at you fast, man. And the Bills also need a good win. They just need a good one. What are you laughing about?

[Damanze]

You got to get on top of your division first.

[Host]

Same with Buffalo. Yeah, I mean Buffalo like. And I am. Well, we'll get to the Chargers and the Broncos in a minute. Let's talk Falcons just for a second.

[Damanze]

Yeah. So it's. If it feels like Michael Pinks has kind of gotten lost in the shuffle as far as quarterbacks in his drive class, what do you, what do you make of Michael Pinnicks as of now?

[Host]

Yeah, I mean, I guess he's going to still be a little lost in the shuffle with me because I, I like. There are certain things you really like. There's also. Like last night when that game was wrapped, essentially all Atlanta need do was run the ball three times, kick a field goal. With two minutes left. They called a pass play that Pinnocks made a horrific decision. And it was this close, being a pick six tie game when the game was basically over. So some of that concerns me. But Drake London is really good and Bijan is just sensational. Yeah, I mean, listen, I picked him to win offensive player of the year as a rookie. Here's what Bijan's done since he came into the league. His rookie year, he had 980 rushing yards, 480 receiving yards. So he had 1460 yards with eight touchdowns. Really good. Not. Not super elite, but really good. Last year he had 1450 rushing yards, another 430 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Elite. This year he has 480 rushing yards and already 330 receiving yards, only three touchdowns, but is on pace to shatter, I think, the yards from scrimmage record for a season. He's got 800 yards from scrimmage through five games. Like.

[Damanze]

That was, I had Bijan to score the most rushing touchdowns.

[Host]

Oh, that's such a bad beat. Yeah, I, I mean, it's not a bad beat, but it's so crazy, right?

[Damanze]

You get all the yards. Right? Exactly.

[Host]

Yeah. So like just for context on what he's doing as a receiver, he has 338 receiving yards. Again, they've already had their buy. So he's played five games. Jamar Chase, who is fifth. Chase and a book.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

Abuka have 468 and 469 receiving yards. In an extra game. So he's averaging.

[Damanze]

That's ridiculous.

[Host]

I mean that's crazy. He is on a yards per game basis right now. He is. Where is. Oh, I can't sort by that, but I mean he's 68 receiving yards a game. He's top 20 in the NFL. He's so good. He's so good. By the way, the Falcons, my NFC playoff picks to Monze going into the year in not in order, but just the seven Eagles commanders, Lions, Packers, Bills, Bills. Hold on, wait, I'm gonna have something wrong. Oh no, that's. I, you know what, I take it back. It was Eagles, commanders, Lions, Bears, Packers, Bucks, Rams. I had the Falcons in and then the Pinnock straight happened and I took them out and put the packers in. So that's what it was. The. Did I say the Pinnock straight. The Parsons trade happened. Pardon me? The. When the Parsons trade happened, I put the packers in because I had them out. That's what it was. I was like, wait, was it. I have eight playoff teams. But no, I think Atlanta's. I think Atlanta is at least semi legit. All right, let's talk about the other Monday night game.

[Damanze]

So the Bears pulled out the upset in the, in that inclement weather. A lot of turnovers for Washington. Washington, some of it was the weather, some of them were just turnovers. So we now have two good games between these two teams. What is, what did this game mean for either one of them? Did it mean anything for anybody?

[Host]

Well, listen, no, for the, the Bears I don't think played great, but they gotta win. And this is, you know, last year the Bears deserved some wins they didn't get. They've now had back to back games where they got wins. By the way, in one of the most unlikely occurrences, totally meaningless, but one of the most unlikely occurrences probably in NFL history, the Bears have won back to back games by the exact score of 25, 24. Like that, you know that. I don't know if that was a score gummy, but that is, that's not a score you see often. And they've now done it in back to back games. So the Bears, they lose a heartbreaker in Week 1 to the Vikings, they get annihilated by Detroit and then play great against Dallas, play poorly, but win against the Raiders and play okay and win against the commanders and had some tough calls go against them, you know, so maybe they felt like they deserved it, but it would have been demon, a crushing loss. Yeah, you can't win the turnover battle Three nothing with and lose that game. You just can't. So the Bears now they get the Saints at home like all of a sudden what was supposed to be a very tough stretch in the middle of their season, look at their next four home for the Saints, then back to back road games, which going into the year you would have said, oh my God, that's as tough of a back to back road game as any team has all year at the Ravens, at the Bengals and then home for the Giants. Now the Ravens will have.

[Damanze]

Yeah, I was about to say will be back.

[Host]

No, no, no, he will be back, but it'll also be Lamar's first. If you're going to have to play Lamar, playing him in his first game back would be the time to play him. And the Bengals are just stone dust. Like the Bengals are drawing to nothing. And then you get the Giants, like the Bears now have a chance. I thought the running game looked good coming out of the buy. I thought the run defense looked good. They are, you know, lucky for them McLaren didn't play. Again, I'm not trying to overhype the Bears, but they, they have started 0 and 2 and now they're 3 and 2 out of the buy. Feeling like, all right, we're playing for something and Caleb is again up and down, but you're seeing some progression. Here's what I will say about Jaden and I don't know how closely everyone watched that game last night. I know there were two games going on. Jaden get. Take some tough hits, man. And I know I'm going to sound like a broken record on this, but he's coming, he's. He's played two years or a year and a half. He has suffered an injury that made him miss time both years. Not a lot of time, but he's missed time both years. And yes, last night he didn't seem to like be protecting himself. That worries me. I, the, the interception was a terrible throw. That's going to happen. I'm not going to kill the guy. He's take, he's taking care of the ball throughout his career. And the, the fumble or the pandemic.

[Damanze]

I guess that's the rain.

[Host]

It's the rain. It's. It's not good. I mean it cost him the game. You could argue. I'm not going to kill him for that.

[Damanze]

Caleb, for doing that and the end broadcast, they would have cooked him.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Especially in that spot with a lead late in the game. And so, but here is what's crazy right now. Daman about where the command, the commanders are. There's obviously 16 teams in each conference. The commanders are three and three. Where do you think? Don't look. Where do you think they are right now standings wise? 1 through 16 in the NFC in their division? No, in the in the conference or.

[Damanze]

In the conference 1 through 16 call it 8th, 9th between that I don't want to say 8 and 10. I know that's three answers but in that range.

[Host]

No no no it's fine. They're 12th 3 and 3 and 12th in the conference.

[Damanze]

NFC is loaded.

[Host]

Well here's what's true about the NFC versus the AFC. The the NFC has one team with less than two wins. The Saints. And the Saints are oddly like frisky right? The Saints. The Saints lost a close one to the Cardinals in Week 1, lost a close one to the Niners in Week 2, got annihilated by Seattle in Week 3, lost a close one to the Bills in Week 4, beat the Giants and lost a close one of the Patriots this week. They're obviously not good but they're not horrific. But there's they're the only one win team in the nfc. The AFC Damanze has five one or zero win teams now one of them is Baltimore who we think is not really a one win team because when Lamar gets back but Miami, Cleveland, Tennessee and the jets are horrible. There's then also a two win Bengals team which is a zero win team since Joe Burrow came back or since Joe Burrow got hurt and a two win Raider team that while I'm rooting for him have not looked good. So it just feels like the AFC is shockingly just that all the bad teams are there. So the reason I'm mentioning that in this conversation is it for Bears Commanders. The other reason this matters is if I either of these teams going to make the playoffs it's probably going to be through the wild card and that head to head loss for the Commanders is a big one. And speaking of playoff in the afc, let me ask you this because the only team that in the AFC that I don't know like I'm very confident and again the Raiders thing makes me sad because I put so much take equity in them. But all of the 2 or 1 or 0 win teams in the AFC are just bad. That's Cincy, Raiders, Ravens with an asterisk, Miami, Cleveland, Tennessee and the Jets. The only team that has two wins that I'm not including in there is Houston as a bit of an unknown. Let's call Houston something of an unknown. And then the three or more win teams are Chiefs, Broncos, Jags, Bills, Patriots, Chargers, Steelers, Colts. So here would be my question for you. I just listed eight teams. Let's assume so the playoff picture. If we just, instead of even including the Steelers, we say if the Steelers fall out, it will be because Baltimore. When like that division's going to get one team, Pittsburgh or Baltimore, The AFC North. That leaves for the other three divisions, six playoff spots. Here are the seven teams vying for it. Colts, Chargers, Pats, Bills, Jags, Broncos, Chiefs. Which of those seven is most likely to be odd man out? The Broncos. You say the Broncos.

[Damanze]

Yeah. You said Colts.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Damanze]

Denver. Yeah. I don't.

[Host]

I'll say it again, Bills, because I thought you were maybe gonna say the Jags. I will also say the Broncos.

[Damanze]

I believe in the, I believe in the Jags in their defense. I mean, Trevor Lawrence is, he's a little goofy, but I believe in that defense. Yeah.

[Host]

And what the Jags also have going for him is two games left against the Titans, a game left against the Jets, a game left against the Raiders.

[Damanze]

A game left against the weaker, weaker division right as well.

[Host]

I agree with you, but one of those teams is going to be out. All right. Before we get to maybe not maybe, definitely, I think the best game of Sunday afternoon, I want to talk to you guys about Chad Powers and our walk on Mount Rushmore. Eight years after flushing his promising college football career down the toilet, hot shot quarterback Russ Holiday tries to resurrect his dreams by disguising himself as Chad Powers. A talented oddball walks on to the struggling South Georgia Catfish. Sidebar this was something I always wondered pre Achilles surgery if this was something that I with the new nil stuff and everything I I there, I always had in the back of my head, I'm like, if demons at like 27 wanted to be like, hey, I want to try playing college basketball again, could he have done it? I don't know. Chad Powers did. You wouldn't have had to wear disguise Demons Based on Eli Manning's Eli's Place segment from ESPN and Omaha Productions. Make sure to check out Chad Powers, now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney plus for bundle subscribers. We're in week three of my Mount Rushmore of college football walk ons, paying tribute to the legend who started no Scholarship, no Spotlight, and still carved out unforgettable careers. The first two were just stone locks, J.J. watt and Baker Mayfield. Today we add another guy that I think is a lock and Maybe it's a little recency bias but Stetson Bennett is my third on walk on Mount Rushmore. Stetson Bennett was a walk on at Georgia and didn't take a snap his whole freshman season because Justin Fields committed to Georgia and Bennett decides to then transfer. So he doesn't play as a walk on in 2017 obviously and then transfers. He then goes to Jones College. He then goes back to Georgia and he sits behind Jake from He then takes over the team in 2021 and I had these numbers up before. The the numbers are good, don't get me wrong. I mean they're not unbelievable. He did lead the nation in passing yards though his senior year 29 touchdown, seven picks his junior year 2927 touchdowns, seven picks his senior year. But the reason he is on walk on Mount Rushmore is his junior and senior year. They won the national championship those two years as a starting quarterback. They lost one game both of those years. Stetson Bennett was the national championship game offensive MVP. He goes to Georgia and despite being 510 maybe is the signal caller for two of the greatest college football teams of this era winning back to back national championships, winning back to back offensive MVPs in those national championship games. He is our third person on walk on Mount Rushmore. Make sure to check out Chad Powers new episode streaming every Tuesday on Hulu and Hulu on Disney plus for bundle subscribers.

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[Host]

All right, Demonte, let's get to Bucks Niners.

[Damanze]

All right, so the injuries keep piling up and so do the W's. Man, your guy Baker is defying logic out here. How worried are you that they're peaking too early?

[Host]

I. I'm not worried at all because this was if you guys remember in the preseason when I picked the Bucks to go to the super bowl, the logic was I think that they can be the one seed. And they are right now on Hard Rock bet the favorites to be the one seed. And you're about to see why. If we throw their schedule up and then we'll get to the actual game they have. The next six weeks are tough at Detroit. Detroit angry coming off a loss is tough at New Orleans. Hard place to play should win a bye week then home for New England at Buffalo at the Rams. But because they've already booked demands a 5 wins. Let's be pessimistic here about that middle stretch, okay and say they go 2 and 3 beat New Orleans and then go 1 and 3 against Detroit, New England, Buffalo and the Rams. Right? That would put them at 74 going into a final six games of home Arizona, home New Orleans, home Atlanta at Carolina at Miami home Carolina. They they easily can get to 13 wins this year even if they struggle the next month. I think that they have a real shot at 14 wins and Baker every week, every week makes an MVP play third and 14 this past week in a one point game or whatever. I think it was a one point game when he did it. Him somehow escaping the rush and finding a scramble for 14 yards and then hitting the little guy from body Tez what's his name? Tez Johnson. Tez Johnson who demands a weighs 145lbs hits him for the touchdown like I mean he was the compare five.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

Oh yeah. Worthy's a lot taller than the Worthy's my Height and is 165 or 165. Tez is a legit 145. I don't care what he's listed at and I mean so no Mike Evans, no Godwin Abuka goes out injuries on the offensive line and I understand you're playing the Niners and they're like we don't want to hear about injuries and poor Fred Warner and that and the the Niners by the way are now done. That's not recoverable. I it was unbelievable what they've been able to overcome so far. But you the defense is now going to be terrible every week and Brock Purdy or Mac Jones aren't going to save you. So the Niners are to me because of the injuries a cross off. I do want to talk about Baker and MVP because this was a great you should go to my Twitter and check the replies to I sent out last night. The moment the Bills game ended I sent out and just like that your Vegas favorite for NFL MVP is dot dot dot Patrick Mahomes. And the responses to that are just folks that literally can't read or idiots. I don't know not everyone but a lot of them because that was not an opinion, that was a statement of fact. Now to be Fair. I. The odds hadn't posted yet. I just know how gambling works. And with Josh Allen being the favorite and Patrick already being ahead, like going into last night, it was Josh Allen one, Patrick two, Baker three. And so Josh having that type of game was going to knock him down. Baker wasn't going to leap Patrick when not, you know, week six for them was already baked in. To be clear, right now, the MVP is Baker Mayfield. Yeah, but that's different than they. They don't vote right now, but right now, if they did vote demanz, I don't think it's debatable. Yeah, if they voted right now, Baker should get every vote. His team's been awesome. They've dealt with a ton of injuries. He's been sensational. He's been clutch. He is right now the mvp. The odds are saying they think Baker's going to come down to earth a bit and Mahomes is only going to get better. And the other thing the odds are incorporating now is could the Chiefs end up with a really good seed, which is really helpful with mvp. And so that's where you know. But right now, Baker's the MVP of the league. What a story, man. What a story. I'm so happy for him. I'm so happy for Baker. All right, I want to get to the other games, including the Eagles loss on Thursday night, which at this point seems like it was a month ago. But first, let me tell you about my friends at Boost Mobile. You're thinking about upgrading to the all new iPhone 17 Pro. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever, but you're also thinking about all the traffic on your way to the store, 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 Boost mobile.com to get started. Delivery available for select devices purchased@boost mobile.com Terms do apply. All right, Damanze, let's get to the other games from the weekend.

[Damanze]

Giants defeating the Eagles 34 to 17 last last week you said if Saquon doesn't is quiet on Thursday Night Football. Football. It's fair to say that it'll be quiet all year. He didn't break 60 yards, so we're.

[Host]

Here and he had 30 on the first two plays.

[Damanze]

Right? Weird.

[Host]

The Eagles are teetering. They're teetering. Now what is teetering for the Eagles Mean they'll miss the playoffs? No. But could they be staring at a year similar to the one the last time they made the super bowl where they make the playoffs and then get beat up in the first round of the playoffs because they're a team that really was never together all year? Possibly. And the Viking, the Giants, just flat, thoroughly outplayed them. And one of the concerns for Philly all year was this really tough schedule. We gave them a ton of credit because despite the tough schedule, they found a way to start four and oh. But then in what was supposed to be a bit of a softer portion of the schedule, home for the Broncos. And then one of your Giants games, you give those wins back and you still have on the schedule at Green Bay, home for the Lions, at the Chargers, at, at the Commanders, at the Bills, another Commander's game, a Bears game, at the Cowboys. Like, not a lot of soft spots for a team that right now can't throw the ball and right now doesn't have an offensive identity. So I think that, that and they don't have Saquon to lean on. So, yeah, I think it's. And for the Giants, listen, Jackson Dart's going to get himself killed. It's fun. It's exciting. He's going to get himself killed.

[Damanze]

And I really did not like what D did in that game. I, I, I, I, I've never been like, a huge. I felt really bad for Russell Wilson. And also on top of it, you yelling at the guy whose job it is to look out for the player's safety. What if the guy is actually still, like, messed up? You're just trying to throw him back in the game. Throw Jameis Winston in the game or something. If you want to see Russell out there. I thought that was really. I didn't like how they did Russell Wilson that night. I thought that was crazy.

[Host]

That is a perfect take. Everything you said there is 100% correct, every piece of it. For I think Dable should be fined a lot of money for that. Yeah, I think screaming at the doctor when you're checking a guy for a concussion is crazy. And also, listen, Dable, Dable. None of it made sense. First of all, to your point, if you are that horrified at the prospect of Russell Wilson coming into the game, Jameis Winston's on your roster. Now, they couldn't put Jameis in because he's the emergency third quarterback. So if you put him in, you can only use your emergency third quarterback. If you, if you use your emergency third quarterback, your previous two quarterbacks cannot go back in the game. They're done. It's like a baseball player gets taken out. But you could have just made Jameis the backup and made Russell exactly. Third quarterback. That's first of all. Second of all, if you. If you don't trust Russell Wilson that much, then don't on the second play that he's in there, call a pass play. And this was the most damning you saw. Once Dart. And then I'll get to the doctor part. Once Dart went out of the game, you got a real test of how terrified you were without him.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

On the next drive, he was back in.

[Damanze]

He called quarterback run.

[Host]

Quarterback runs like, what are you doing? So there. That's the football piece of it. The ethics piece of it is the head coach screaming at the team doctor can simply never happen ever. Like, especially when they're checking the guy for a concussion. Like that just can't happen.

[Damanze]

And what makes you think that was a terrible look?

[Host]

Correct. I. I agree with every single thing you said. All right, let's quickly go through the other games.

[Damanze]

The London we got the Broncos defeating the Jets 13 to 11. One of the worst football games in recent memory, I guess. Guess that was pretty bad.

[Host]

Truly one of the worst football games ever played.

[Damanze]

Really bad.

[Host]

And listen, the Bron Nick Bonito is one of the best players in the entire NFL. That Broncos defense is awesome. Every single thing I've said about b Knicks not only is correct, it might have been too nice. And the. The jets game management is just. Aaron Glenn is not covering himself in glory on this. And. But in his defense, Justin Fields was unplayably bad in that game. That's one of the worst games I've ever seen. And there is no one in the world that with a straight face can say they feel better about the Broncos for getting that win. That team's offense is a really a problem for one of the seven teams Sean Payton's ever coached that he thought could win the Super Bowl.

[Damanze]

Next we got Panthers defeating the Cowboys 30 to 27.

[Host]

All right. We just have to accept this weird fact for the moment. The Panthers at home are a decent team. I don't know what to. I don't know why and I don't know what the explains the discrepancy. But on the road, they got annihilated by the Jaguars. They lost to the Cardinals. They got annihilated by the Patriots at home. They beat the Falcons 30 to nothing, beat the Dolphins and beat Dallas. And Rico Dowdle all of a sudden is unstoppable so. And the Cowboys, on the other hand, they just have the worst defense in the league.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

And every day you see more example of how much Micah Parsons was holding together by himself. Next.

[Damanze]

Speaking of that, Charger or no, no, we got Seahawks defeating the J 2012.

[Host]

Yeah, the Seahawks are probably the best team that I haven't really talked much about. They're just a good team. And this was a weird. The Jags games have been so weird because they only scored 12 points and they lost. And it was, I think, one of Trevor's better games. Like they've scored more points and won and he hasn't played well. But Seattle's just good Seattle. Now Seattle's wins before the Jags game. No, that's not true. They beat the Steelers, they've beaten the Jags. They beat the Saints and the Cardinals. They lost a game to the Niners that they had a chance to steal late and they lost to Baker in one of Baker's crazy late game heroics. Like, the Seahawks are just a good team and Darnold's playing awesome. Credit to him. Like, Darnold's playing really good. And the Jags, Brian Thomas just hasn't been right. Trevor hasn't been right. The defense is really good and they're not getting enough out of Travis. They haven't figured out how to use Travis Hunter yet.

[Damanze]

Next we got the Chargers defeating the dolphins 29:27.

[Host]

That would have been a horrifying loss for the Chargers. Justin Herbert made an unbelievable play late in that game to shake off the rush and find McConkey. And that's a great win for the Chargers. You know, I do think that last AFC playoff spot, Chargers, Broncos, Jags, two will be in, one will be out. So all of these games matter. And then after the game, we talked about the top of the show, but to his press conference where he's like, who's responsible for team leadership?

[Damanze]

Is he like the reason?

[Host]

Yeah, that's the meme. That's exactly right.

[Damanze]

Is he the reason McDaniel's not getting fired right now? I don't know. It's like, oh, if the quarterbacks do, how can we really even blame the coach?

[Host]

But I don't know. But Tua's lack of accountability is jarring.

[Damanze]

And I every time he gets up there, it's a deflection. Like every single day, it's deflecting towards the fans. Like.

[Host]

Is this an unfair take? The media gives to a something of a pass for these post game and pregame comments that we Wouldn't give other quarterbacks because we all kind of feel badly about his concussion history.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

I mean, you're shaking your. You're shaking your head, so maybe that means you don't think that's a fair take. I think I just feel like criticism of tua.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

It. It almost falls to me in my brain, like, if there's a weird, almost like Demar Hamlin feeling to it, which is like, man, this guy is. We. We have seen this guy go through so much. And I. The. So it feels like criticism is unfair. Like, with. Can you imagine if someone, like, again, he's not a quarterback, but, like, nobody would go on TV and be like, I tell you the problem with the Bills, that's safety. Like, nobody's gonna come after demar Ham. Poor guy. Like, we saw him. And I feel like there's an element of that with Tua.

[Damanze]

Yeah, 100%. And. And, yeah, it can't be like. I mean, I don't want to say it can't be like that, but at the same time, like, there has to be some type of accountability. And if you can't grade them on the same scale.

[Host]

Constantly is throwing his teammates under the bus. Constantly in games where he plays terribly. He threw three picks. All right, next game, we got Rams.

[Damanze]

Defeating the Ravens 17 to 3. Oh, my God. Lamar Jackson means a lot to this organization.

[Host]

You think?

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

Now, I mean, glass quarter full. The defense finally had a pulse.

[Damanze]

Yeah, I thought.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Damanze]

Cause I definitely thought the Rams were going to carve them up.

[Host]

Yeah. Glass three quarters empty. One in five might be unrecoverable.

[Damanze]

And you kept saying, like, our path is to win the division. Pittsburgh, we're. It's.

[Host]

No, they. They need pit. My point is they need Pittsburgh to fall apart.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

You need Pittsburgh fall apart. Next.

[Damanze]

Colts defeat Cardinals 3,000, 127.

[Host]

Yeah. Listen, I guess the culture. The other good team that I don't talk a lot about with the Seahawks, I mean, the Colts have just been really good. And by the way, I now have a new kind of ideal. If the Chiefs can't get the one seed, which they. It's going to be tough. I hope the Colts do. The Colts getting the one seed means Arrowhead Invitational is back on the table.

[Damanze]

I think. Yeah, I'm serious.

[Host]

Colts get the one seed, loser first playoff game. Arrow Invitational back like that. That exists. But the cults up to this point look really good. Now flip side. To the flip side. Jacoby Brissette scored 27 on him, so that's not Ideal. But the offense in Daniel Jones look good.

[Damanze]

Next Patriots Defeat the Saints, 25:19.

[Host]

The story of the Patriots right now is Mac Jones deserves real, like, bottom of the ballot MVP consideration. Like fifth place right now. He's been awesome and he's a dude, man. And so I don't think they have a ton of great weapons. And he is chucking that sucker downfield and carving up defenses. The Patriots got a horrific whistle in that game. Had some phantom calls take away huge plays. They overcame it.

[Damanze]

Next Steelers Defeat the Browns 23 to.

[Host]

9. Credit the Steelers man off a bike. Continuing to win. Dylan Gabriel looked terrible. Like, really bad. And you see the thing that he.

[Damanze]

Did when the guy hit him, he, like, pushed him. Like the guy. The guy hit him. I. It wasn't really a late hit. He threw it and then he hits Gabriel and then Gabriel grabs him by his shoulder pads and like, mushes him into the ground. Like you, like, threw, like you got.

[Host]

Like a little angry at Dylan Gabriel size. Yeah, I didn't see that. The Browns are terrible. Steelers. I. I need to pay more attention to the Steelers. I have thought it's kind of smoke and mirrors, but they're now 4 and 1. They have the second best record in the AFC. I gotta give them credit.

[Damanze]

Next, a Raiders defeat the Titans 20 to 10.

[Host]

That's just a horrible game. I mean, good for the Raiders for winning it, but the Titans are just like. We'll see what the Titans look like now that Brian Callahan's been fired.

[Damanze]

Next, packers Defeat the Bengals 27 18.

[Host]

Not a great win by the Packers. I mean, a win to win. But coming. They haven't. Great.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Host]

Off a buy. They haven't won a game. They hadn't won a game since September 12th or something. And I mean, they controlled that entire game. But not great. And now this from Lebitard. Show these sons of. Go ahead.

[Damanze]

Oh, wait. Is this a vampire or a werewolf?

[Host]

How dare Dan Lebatard send this tweet.

[Damanze]

You kind of do look like Hotel Transylvania a little bit.

[Host]

Okay. I sent Lebatard's crew a video recapping. My long story short is this. Dan and I bet five grand on Chiefs Lions. He then for some reason thought we were betting a white Corvette because the guy does. I don't get it. I then wanted my money. He. I then felt bad because it seems like he thought it was a gag. But I made the point of if I wasn't betting with him, I would have bet that elsewhere. So, like, now all of a sudden, am I going to lose money. But I had told Dan I was playing in a huge poker game last night. And so I said if I won in the poker game he could distribute my winnings from him to the rest of his staff. And I sent him a video saying, sadly, I lost in the poker. I'm need that money. I'm gonna need that. Run me that money. I'm gonna need that money. So that's the, that's the long story short of that. If you haven't been listening to my. You know. Okay, I don't even occasional appearances with the lebitard crew. All right, let's quickly do some listener questions before I go.

[Damanze]

Corn says if Chiefs ended only getting. If Chiefs ended only getting a wild card and went all the way and won the super bowl, what would the media's take on it be?

[Host]

Well I mean in the mean in the very short term it would once again be. You can never doubt the Kansas City Chiefs. And then come about mid September next year we'd get new round of Is the dynasty now over? Like they're just going to step on that rake every year. Next.

[Damanze]

Christopher says no talk of Seahawks in the discussion for top teams despite number two quarterback this season, number one wide receiver and number one defensive line.

[Host]

Listen, that Chris, that might. I don't think I would quite have Darnold as the number two quarterback but he's been excellent and that's a. And obviously Jackson Smith and Jigba has been unbelievable. The D line under Mike McDonald's been really good. The Raven Stevens have hadn't been the same since he left. That's a fair critique, man. It's a fair critique that we've been under discussing Seattle. That's fair.

[Damanze]

Next, north asks, do you still have the Ravens winning the division?

[Host]

No, I'd have. I mean the odd damante it's not. The Ravens have better odds right now to win the division than the Patriots. Yeah, like that's great. Yeah.

[Damanze]

Lamar, he's hopefully come back and scorch.

[Host]

It but come back and just got to get on like an instant five game winning streak.

[Damanze]

Yeah. Anaki says hi Nick. Follow you from Spain. I have a question. What's more shocking for you watching the sports compared to 2000 athleticism of almost any quarterback or automatic 50 yard field goals.

[Host]

No, the quarterback stuff, I think I would have thought that, you know, field goal kicking is going to continue to progress. But these, I mean these superhero quarterbacks are unlike really anything we had in the past. All right, last one.

[Damanze]

Kafa asks, should the Bengals have traded for James Winston instead of Flacco.

[Host]

That's what I would have done. Would have been more fun. I I think it would have made more sense. I think Jamar and T would have liked it. That's what I would have done. But that's not what they did. And Mike Tomlin didn't like that the Browns traded Flaco. That was funny.

[Damanze]

It was funny.

[Host]

He's like, Mike is like, evidently Andrew Barry knows more than me. I wouldn't have done that. All right, reminder Like Rate Subscribe Review that helps us out a ton. The again, the subscriptions matter a lot more than the liking and the rating, but we'll take it all. But please subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, all of that. And huge thank to our sponsors, Hard Rock, BET Boost and of course our friends at Zen and Hulu and Hulu plus with Chad Powers. Thank you to the Volume. Thank you to Blue Duck. I will see you guys on Thursday. Talk to you then.

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[Damanze]

This is an iHeart podcast.