PMS 2.0 1413 - FIRST 15: NFL Week 3 Recap

Summary

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The Pat McAfee Show 2.0 Episode 1413 – FIRST 15: NFL Week 3 Recap

Date: September 22, 2025
Host: Pat McAfee (plus AJ Hawk, Steve Smith Sr., Michael Irvin, Ryan Clark, Louis Riddick, Adam Schefter, and the Toxic Table)

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Overview

In this “First 15” segment, Pat McAfee and his panel break down the five biggest NFL storylines of Week 3, focusing on the often-overlooked impact of special teams, late-game heroics, breakout performances from backup quarterbacks, and the dramatic rise of the Indianapolis Colts under new leadership. Interwoven with banter and signature humor, the group provides both insider perspectives and “relatable ridiculousness.”

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Special Teams Take Center Stage

(00:00 - 10:00)

• Pat McAfee spotlights special teams, stressing how this phase can sway outcomes but goes undiscussed despite its game-changing plays.
  • “Nobody’s talking about the third phase. …Any play could win the game. Any play could sway playoff hopes. Super Bowl dreams. That’s what special teams is.” (00:25 Pat McAfee)
• Highlight plays:
  • Jalen Lane (Commanders) – 90-yard return vs. Raiders.
  • Torrey Horton (Seahawks) – 95-yard punt return, plus a blocked punt scooped and scored.
    • “Seattle Seahawks…not only return a punt, but also block a punt…beat the living dog sh** out of the Saints.” (01:13 Pat McAfee)
  • Cameron Dicker (Chargers) – remains flawless, hits a game-winner with five seconds left.
    • “Cameron Dicker might be the best kicker in the history of football.” (01:49 Pat McAfee)
  • Chase McLaughlin (Bucs) – seals win after a Jets blocked kick-turned-TD.
    • “All Baker does is have comebacks. Chase McLaughlin would then nail this 36 yarder, 29-27.” (03:12 Pat McAfee)
  • Browns vs. Packers: Cleveland blocks a late kick to set up Andre Smith’s (rookie) 55-yard winner.
    • “That’s called stealing that shit from the Green Bay Packers.” (05:01 Pat McAfee)
• Athlete Moment:
  • Jordan Davis (Eagles), 330+ lbs, runs a scoop-and-score at record speed for his size.
  • Jalen Carter & Jordan Davis block kicks, becoming a special teams nightmare.
  • “This man, Jordan Davis, should not be able to do what he did as easily and as smoothly as he did it.” (06:59 Pat McAfee)

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2. Home Field Trends and Notable Wins

(10:17 - 12:40)

• 12-3 record for home teams:
  • Discussion about whether home field is a real advantage or simply a function of matchups.
    • “I don’t think home field advantage is that big of an issue especially at this point in the season.” (11:02 Steve Smith Sr.)
  • Notable surprising results: Browns top the Packers, Panthers win 30-0.
• Road Warriors:
  • Only three road teams win (Chiefs, Steelers, Colts). Louis Riddick points out only dynastic-level teams seem to win on the road right now.
    • “Only the dynastic teams…are able to win on a road right now in the NFL. The Chiefs, the Steelers, and the Indianapolis.” (12:32 Pat McAfee/Louis Riddick)

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3. Baker Mayfield – Late-Game Magic

(12:40 - 14:28)

• Baker Mayfield leads his third consecutive fourth-quarter comeback, a feat matched only once since 1950.
  • “Baker, comeback maker becomes the second guy since 1950…to lead three fourth quarter comebacks for the first three games of the season.” (13:25 Pat McAfee)
  • Tampa Bay celebrates both franchise history and winning culture on a legacy day.
    • “Three weeks in a row. This is the first time they’ve been 3-0 since 2005.” (13:31 Steve Smith Sr.)

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4. Backups Seize the Stage

(14:28 - 17:10)

• Unexpected starting QBs rise up:
  • Mac Jones (49ers), Marcus Mariota, and Carson Wentz (Vikings) all win.
    • “Backup quarterbacks back that thing up. All over, folks.” (14:28 Pat McAfee)
  • Vikings and Kevin O’Connell barely unleash Wentz as they rout the Bengals.
    • “He really only got through like the first couple pages of the playbook, you know, because they were beating the hell [out of] them.” (16:07 Michael Irvin)
  • Bengals dissected for massive struggles post-Burrow injury and team spending.
    • “They can’t block, they can’t tackle, they can’t punt, they can’t kick, they can’t cover. The only thing they can do is hope Joe Burrow can bail them out.” (15:23 Ryan Clark)
• Ireland Game Preview:
  • Upcoming neutral-site game raises humorous “Carson Wentz as Ireland’s LeBron” scenario.
    • “If they see Carson Wentz too much, they’re not going to turn. Steelers fans are going to hope that he keeps that helmet on.” (17:03 Pat McAfee)

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5. Colts Ascend – Daniel Jones‘ MVP Emergence

(17:10 - 23:36)

• Indianapolis Colts stand as NFL’s only unbeaten with a single punt in three games and no turnovers.
  • Daniel Jones revitalized outside of New York, thriving with Shane Steichen and a strong supporting cast.
    • “Danny Dimes…on pace to win an MVP after getting an opportunity that isn’t in the New York Giants uniform or organization.” (18:02 Pat McAfee)
• Pat, Steve Smith Sr., and panel marvel at the transformation, Jones’ talent now unlocked:
  • “Did he need to go through all the shit to get here is the question?” (22:08 Pat McAfee)
  • “Three complete games without turning the ball over, only punting…one time is crazy.” (22:57 Steve Smith Sr.)
  • Jonathan Taylor’s return sparks the team further.
• Insider Perspective:
  • Adam Schefter details how Jones was always respected by some execs and why this fit works:
    • “There were some very smart football people that really liked Daniel Jones…He winds up at Indianapolis.” (24:10 Adam Schefter)

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6. Major Injury Updates

(25:52 - 27:54)

• Adam Schefter recaps impactful injuries:
  • Mike Evans (hamstring strain), CeeDee Lamb (high ankle sprain – hopes to play), Colston Loveland (hip, mild)
  • Two big RB injuries:
    • Najee Harris (Steelers), Achilles – likely out for year.
    • James Conner (Cardinals), severe ankle – season-ending.
      • “The crowd, when they replayed the play on the scoreboard yesterday, gasped when they saw his ankle bend. They didn’t even play the replay on tv.” (26:30 Adam Schefter)
  • Nick Bosa (49ers) – getting MRI on knee, initial fears: not an ACL.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Pat McAfee:
  • “Cameron Dicker might be the best kicker in the history of football.” (01:49)
  • “A man who’s over 330 pounds was clocked going the fastest that he…Man 330 pounds has ever been clocked going.” (06:59)
  • “Danny Dimes…on pace to win an MVP after getting an opportunity that isn’t in the New York Giants uniform or organization.” (18:02)
• Steve Smith Sr.:
  • “You got to be an athlete there and scoop and score that though. Got to get seven.” (01:38)
• Ryan Clark:
  • “They can’t block, they can’t tackle, they can’t punt, they can’t kick, they can’t cover…” (15:23)
• Adam Schefter:
  • “There were some very smart football people that really liked Daniel Jones…” (24:10)
  • “The crowd…gasped when they saw [James Conner’s] ankle bend.” (26:30)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Special Teams Chaos: 00:00 – 10:00
• Home Field Trends: 10:17 – 12:40
• Baker Mayfield’s Comebacks: 12:40 – 14:28
• Backups Stepping Up: 14:28 – 17:10
• Colts, Daniel Jones Renaissance: 17:10 – 23:36
• Injury Roundup with Adam Schefter: 25:52 – 27:54

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Conclusion

Fast-paced and wide-ranging, this recap episode blends savvy football analysis with infectious humor, highlighting the unpredictable and spectacular storylines shaping the 2025 NFL season’s Week 3. Special teams’ impact, comeback heroics, the rise of backups, and Indy’s unlikely dominance all take the spotlight, with insider reporting and classic Pat McAfee banter throughout.

Transcript

[Pat McAfee]

Put 15 on the clock. Please welcome first 15. These are things that we think you need to hear about. Now, it might be 15 minutes on the clock, but this is off of the first 15 plays, you know, that are kind of scripted in there. So that clock is there. But it certainly has not worked in the past couple weeks as we have debuted this. Let's dive right into the five big headlines that we seen from the weekend of ball for the NFL. Number five, how about some super duper all over the place now? Not great for punters in a lot of situations, not great for kickers and a lot of situations, but everybody talks about the offense. Hey, who this quarterback can lead them. Defense, they got championship defense. Nobody's talking about the third phase. I think we try to bring it up, obviously, because I was a punter, so I have massive respect for the guys playing on special teams, which is the back half of the roster. That's a rotating bunch, too. So the special teams coordinator is the only one that addresses the entire team. Offense, defense, and then obviously the guys that are just there for special teams. Because at any moment you can pull from any in any play could win the game. Any play could sway playoff hopes. Super bowl dreams. That's what special teams is. Let's dive into some highlights. Torrey Horton from the Seahawks, I'm sorry, Jalen Lane from the Commanders 90 yard return versus the Raiders. Then Torrey Horton, Seahawks 95 yard punt return. They also happened to block a punt earlier in the day. They blocked up. Go ahead and give me that. Seattle Seahawks not only return a punt, but also block a punt. Have scooped it, scored that one, put another seven on. But they beat the living dog sh out of the Saints. Feels like a lot of people are doing that, but you got to be able to hold up in special teams down there.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

You got to be able to hold up. We used to call it the fourth down army. We were in the Indy and that look, complimenting football. That third phase doesn't get talked about enough. Enough. But I mean, unbelievable. You got to be an athlete there in scoop and score that though. Got to get seven.

[Pat McAfee]

Have to. Okay, let's go to Cameron Dicker of the Chargers. He's had the greatest start in NFL history. First hundred kicks, now he has one to win it. Fourth quarter, five seconds left, game on the line against division rival. And Cameron Dicker does what Cameron Dicker do. Knocks it right down the middle. Justin Herbert's the real deal. Cameron Dicker might be the best kicker in the history of football. D bugs, he Might be.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

And you knew as soon as they got him in field goal range. Now up until this point, we have seen some big time blocks and big time moments. So that would have been the only thing that got in the way of Cameron Dicker. But he is Dicker the kicker. The best in the business. Big time kicker. Kick took 30 against three division opponents to start the season. Unbelievable start.

[Pat McAfee]

That's a great way to start for the Chargers. Let's go to the Bucs. Chase McLaughlin. He has a 36 yarder to win it. How did we get here, you might ask. Well, let's do some more Special teams earlier. Two minutes left. Will McDonald off the edge, block. And then what, Scoop, Then what? Score cut to Tyron Taylor in the middle of a playoffs. Why are we doing that? Touchdown, New York Jets. Special teams block a Chase Mulglaus. Right up over the center. No leverage was used, no call was made. Game winning blocked kick. Scoop. Score. Right. We did it. We did it. We did it.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

Yes, we did.

[Pat McAfee]

What a moment. 149 left in the game. That might be too much for Baker Mayfield. Yeah, right. All Baker does is have comebacks. Chase McLaughlin would then nail this. 36 yarder, 29, 27. The Bucs remain undefeated. Unbelievable stuff from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now let's go to the 49ers. They're starting Mac Jones as their quarterback. They were in a dog fight with the Arizona Cardinals. An absolute dogfight. Eddie Pinheiro knocks one through, wins the game. You know, Moody, who had been kicking for the Niners, lost his confidence. And maybe the op wasn't great. He had been missing a lot of kicks and extra points. Pineiro coming out making that saying, this is my shit.

[Michael Irvin]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Is my shit. Huge for them going forward, the Niners might be inevitable. By the way, they got a lot of people hurt.

[Michael Irvin]

A lot of people.

[Pat McAfee]

And they're still with Christian McCaffrey. I got a stat from Hembo. He's on pace to have the most touches in the history of ball. Like. Like how much they're using him right now. He's on pace to have more touches if he can stay healthy and the Niners can continue to do what they do. And Mac Jones doesn't turn the ball over?

[Ryan Clark]

Nope.

[Pat McAfee]

What's he doing?

[Ryan Clark]

I mean, look, Max going to do that sometimes, you know how Mac is. But also, you know, that's just classic Mac Jo.

[Pat McAfee]

What he's referring to is Mac Jones, whenever he was asked about the turnover, basically said, I threw the ball right to the guy. Oh, Way to go. He's a professional athlete. He caught the ball. That's real. That is actually real. True story. We appreciate Mac having the personality in the boxing, also being undefeated. Congratulations to Matt Jones. He might get paid $100 million. Now let's go to that Packers Browns game, shall we? 2 seconds left. 55 yarder for Andre Smith. How did we get here, though? Well, let's go back. 27 seconds left in the game.

[Michael Irvin]

Unbelievable.

[Pat McAfee]

Really. To steal a win against the Browns. No blocked kick. The Cleveland Browns special team. Bunch of dogs in the dog pond. Come around the edge. Got to get a hand on him. Talk. Got to get a body on him. We got to get a better shove on the edge. He comes around, gets a huge block. They scoop it. Only need a few more yards now for you to be in game winning field goal range. And they certainly did Andre Smith out of Syracuse, right? Don Broadway. What a kick. Flag was not on the kicking team. And that's how the Cleveland Browns beat the Green Bay Packers. Block kick into a long kick. And that's called stealing that shit from the Green Bay packers tie. What a heartbreaker for you in the dog pond.

[Michael Irvin]

Yeah, absolute heartbreaker. You just saw it there. 27 seconds. The Browns have no timeouts. They block a kick and Flacco completes one pass. They get down, spike it. Apparently. Didn't think they'd have any time. It is a cool story for this Andre Schmidt guy though, because last week he did, or week one, he did not play well. They were calling for his job. I think he lost his mom. And then for him to respond, you know, this way and absolutely dagger the packers playoff hopes, you know, I mean, that's. A lot of people are saying, hey, this team can't do anything. You can't beat the Browns. So we'll see.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, so you guys are saying we might win some games. This would be fun. But when we got to go on the road and win a big one, we. We lost the Cleveland. I don't know if you're respecting Cleveland.

[Ryan Clark]

And Cleveland and those jerseys are sick.

[Michael Irvin]

Those jerseys are sick. But how many. How many road games you got play a year?

[Steve Smith Sr.]

8.

[Michael Irvin]

Same amount.

[Pat McAfee]

Less than half of them.

[Michael Irvin]

Yeah, exactly.

[Pat McAfee]

So you're worried.

[Michael Irvin]

I mean, we'll see. You know, I wasn't.

[Pat McAfee]

And what if the Cleveland Browns are good?

[Ryan Clark]

The Browns line is going to be amazing. We, I mean, we talked about the Giants, I think their D line for a while, and then all of a sudden you think, okay, never mind. Mason Grand Miles Garrett and the kid from Ohio, they got. Yeah, all three of them just were collapsing pockets yesterday.

[Pat McAfee]

And we can't talk about super duper special teams without bringing out a super duper play. A man who's over 330 pounds was clocked going the fastest that he. Man 330 pounds has ever been clocked going. Ladies and gentlemen, this man, Jordan Davis should not be able to do what he did as easily and as smoothly as he did it. Now, granted, obviously could fall over and win that game, but one, no problem. Instead, clean scoop. Not easy. Balls oblong, obviously, right after he demoralizes a guard, snags a kick out of midair. Clean scoop. Give me that and let me just go ahead and beat everybody to the end zone. Tight end right there realizes I'm not going to be able to catch this guy's 330 pounds. He was striding out earlier in the game. It wasn't just Jordan. It wasn't just Jordan. Jalen Carter blocks a kick on this guy, too. I mean, you're talking about Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis getting a block this early, obviously that's going to make other teams think to themselves, like, okay, we gotta be stout against these guys. But Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, now that they got one, it's almost like taking a lid off. Like, okay, if we do drive just a strain a little bit, then we get our hands up, we can actually block these kicks. It's like a confidence builder, I think, for people. And Jalen hurts during Football Night in America. Came in during Maria Taylor and Jordan Davis conversation and basically said, yeah, I saw you two Georgia boys out there. It's like, this is what we got these guys for. And they did just that. I don't know how one guard is going to stop them. No chance, genuinely. I have no idea how one guard is going to stop on the offensive side. Everybody's talking about the Tush push for the Philadelphia Eagles. They just cheat and they just cheat and they jumped outside again. Yeah. Which it is. And it didn't get called. This is cheating. We are a supporter of the play. It's a football play. You got to do what you got to do. You got to stop them. They did jump offsides again. It didn't get called. But the Tush push, you know, still involves pushing and shit like that. For blocking of kicks. They used to let linebackers, like multiple linebackers go put their hands directly on the cheeks of these D tackles and they would push them and then they would be the ones that would be up there jumping. They got rid of that because they said it was unsafe. Okay. Now, on the offensive side, they still got it going on, but they got rid of it. On defensive side, now you got Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. That's basically similar to what it used to be. With four people pushing. I think they're going to use this as an advantage. I think there's a real chance that because they get to this early, they get confident and they're only going to get more debuff.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

I mean, it's a lot of power, a lot of explosiveness right. Right in the middle of that deep. And they've been playing great on defense as well. When you get a guy that big, that tall, and I don't know if we all remember, he blew everybody away at the combine because of how big he was and how explosive he was. I believe he ran like a 48 or somewhere around that at that weight. So to see him scoop and score, we talked about the Seattle one. It should have been a scoop and score. To see him be an athlete like that, scoop and score and take that thing all the way to the crib for a walk off. I mean, a terrible beat for a lot of bettors out there who have Rams plus three and a half, but a great way to finish the game for the Eagles.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, it was terrible beat. It was a great win, though. Sirianni was losing his shit out there. Jalen hurts like this while watching Jordan Davis run down there. Super casual, no facial expression. Sirianni's watching it happen, looking for flags, taking his headset off. And he said, we're meeting at the end zone. He's running how fast? I'm gonna try to run about half of that. Yeah, we got it. Good. There's a thought. Get down. Somebody's thinking, no, you know what? Actually go, no score. Go score. Go look for flags. There's no flags. Holy shit. Holy.

[Ryan Clark]

Yes.

[Pat McAfee]

Yes, yes, yes, we did. Yes. And right behind him there, the guy with the sunglasses, the mayor, Randy Brown, who's special teams coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, or special teams, whatever. He's got a really big title. He's been there for a long time. That's his boy, okay? Yeah, he's special teams for the Philadelphia Eagles. They both won Super Bowl. Obviously, they've done a lot for special teams. I respect that and appreciate that. But, boy, Jalen and Jordan getting that much confidence this early is not good for anybody, okay? That is not good for any kicker out there, but it is good. Special teams, number four, how about we must protect this house and they did 12 and three last yesterday. All the home teams now there were a few that went on road. There were obviously not a zero in that second column. It's just three. Why do you think this is happening? Do you think we got a home field advantage? Do you think it was just a matchup, Steve?

[Steve Smith Sr.]

Maybe just the matchup. So I don't think home field advantage is that big of an issue especially at this point in the season.

[Pat McAfee]

But 12 and three division game jump.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

I mean it is some division game. Let's see what do we got here? What is the most surprising win here? The the Browns.

[Pat McAfee]

Browns. The Panthers. 30 nothing.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

That was supreme.

[Michael Irvin]

Huge shout out, shout out.

[Ryan Clark]

Texas going on Michael Pennix.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

That was a bad battle.

[Pat McAfee]

Good news. Got $180 million of backups.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

Is that good news?

[Ryan Clark]

And he looked good.

[Pat McAfee]

Tony. Home field advantage. Yeah. Normally counts what 3, 4 points and 2 debuts points.

[Louis Riddick]

53% of home teams in 20 in 20, 24. 53% of the time the home team won. How come we didn't put up the teams that won on the road? Cuz that's more impressive than the home teams win. Who was it? It was the Chiefs which they're a dynasty.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh great win last night. I was trying to watch them be back now. Andre and Travis Kelsey doing a little. It didn't seem like not getting each other grill. Yeah but they love ball. They do, they love ball. Are they back? Went by three scores. Yeah. I think any NFL team, I think they're definitely back. Certainly some moments where you go they don't look like a good team right now but win by a bunch. That's what Chiefs are. They go on the road until you.

[Louis Riddick]

Expect them to win on the road. You'd expect the best team in the NFL to win on the road. That'd be the Indianapolis Colts right now probably.

[Pat McAfee]

So they did that.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

True point.

[Pat McAfee]

And then the other one.

[Louis Riddick]

You'D expect, you know the six time super bowl champs, the greatest franchise in NFL history to go on the way in the road and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

[Pat McAfee]

They did that. Yeah, you're right. I guess only after this about only the dynastic teams. Bingo. Are able to win on a road right now in the NFL. The Chiefs, the Steelers and the Indianapolis. That's right. That's what we're talking about tonight. Could that change? We shall see. That's number four. Number three, Baker. Baker, comeback maker becomes the second guy since 1950 basically to lead. Yep. Three fourth quarter comebacks for the first three games of the season last week. Baker obviously Came off Monday night. He said, we don't take no shit. Now he beats the jets in the fourth quarter as well. We saw the blocked kick. The jets definitely thought they were going to win that game. What they didn't realize is you gave this man way too much time. Baker Mayfield, give me that big time throws in big time moments. Feels like the guy's cut of his jib is perfect for this situation. And I'll tell you, football gods bless some teams with some teams of destiny type feel. Three fourth quarter comebacks this early with the mentality that they have D. But I like what the Bucks are cooking this year.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

Yeah, you always hear it in the locker room, hey, 60 minutes. Whatever it takes to get it done. And now three games in a row where Baker has played his best ball down the stretch to get, you know, get his team over that finish line. And look, three weeks in a row. This is the first time they've been 3, 0 since 2005, I believe as a franchise, which is crazy. And big day for Tampa Bay. I believe they were celebrating 50 years. So Coach Ba will be here. We saw coach Gruden, Derrick Brooks, a bunch of legends out there. Steve Spurrier, who was the first quarterback in franchise. I had no clue about that. Ibuka was a superstar again yesterday. So a big, big day for the Tampa Bay Bucks. And once again they are believing the.

[Pat McAfee]

Bucs game winning drives thus far. Against the Falcon, it was five plays, 63 yards in a minute 18. Against the Texans, it was 11 plays, 80 yards in two minutes and four seconds. And against the jets it was seven plays, 48 yards in a minute 49. They go ahead and just drain that thing. Just take it over.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

Is Baker in that conversation now? Where is a too much time?

[Pat McAfee]

And by the way, backwards hat one time, next time looking cool. Baker said, I don't care what I look like, I'm letting you know we ball and we don't take no shit. Respect to Becker, number two. Story of the weekend, backup quarterbacks back that thing up. All over, folks. Okay, Mac Jones, we talked about him. How about Marcus Mariota? He scores a touchdown. We assumed that was going to happen. Marcus Mariota, football. Congrats to them getting a big win. And then Carson Wentz.

[Michael Irvin]

Oh yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

In the Minnesota Vikings, we didn't see much of the Carson Wentz experience. What we saw was the best of Carson Wentz and they demolished the Bengals. I. I mean the Bengals. I'm not saying it.

[Ryan Clark]

No, you might, you might have.

[Pat McAfee]

We spent all our saying. We spent all our Talking about they paid wide receivers. They paid a quarterback. They spend 50% of their money on the six positions. I don't know if that's winning football. Then you get Joe Burton. I'm not saying it. It's over.

[Ryan Clark]

Do you want us to say no? No, Keep going.

[Pat McAfee]

It's.

[Ryan Clark]

They can't block, they can't tackle, they can't punt, they can't kick, they can't cover. The only thing they can do is hope Joe Burrow can bail him out. And guess what? Joe Burrow's big toe is around the neck of Eric Armstead because he ripped it off. We do. All right, so I'm done with the whole Bengals thing. Cincinnati eat poop. All right, that's it.

[Pat McAfee]

That's Washington Connor saying that your team sucks.

[Ryan Clark]

And guess what? We're gonna have to see Jake Browning in prime time. And that's shite. Okay. There's a lot of stuff going on with the Bengals that's gonna piss everybody off. And I think that we can foresee it happening.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, well, there was a lot of conversation about that in the offseason. We said, can they win that way? They were able to. Now they don't. Carson Wentz might have been a problem for anybody with Kevin o' Connell on the call, though. Yeah.

[Michael Irvin]

And he really only got to get through like the first couple pages of the playbook, you know, because they were beating the hell them, so they really did. Kevin OConnell didn't even get to unleash Carson Wentz. So I think it makes sense. Hey, let's unleash this guy in Ireland. Let's introduce them to a brand of football and we'll get the entire country to maybe even flip. I know they're a Steelers country. Maybe they're going to be fans of the Vikings and Carson Wentz after next Sunday.

[Pat McAfee]

I assume McQuade is getting a one on one with Carson Wentz. What Carson Wentz is going to tell McQuade, don't put this out until, you know, at least kickoff or so. We don't want the Steelers to hear about this, but they're going to unleash me. They're going to unleash me next week for the Irish people to understand what a shamrock could potential look like out there as it's running on the field.

[Ryan Clark]

Yeah, exactly. The Irish people are going to see pale skin and red hair and be like, okay, this is our. This is our.

[Pat McAfee]

And then they're going to see this guy potentially coughing, reckless. They're saying, this is our guy.

[Ryan Clark]

We're talking about Ireland being a Steelers country. It's going to stay that way. But I think there's a chance that Carson Wentz becomes like the LeBron of Ireland.

[Pat McAfee]

Dude, think about the Irish people, too. They would love. Oh, yeah. Oh, what are we doing? They're going to love that. Carson do. Now, I know the Steelers have had rep representation over there. Rooney has served as a diplomat to Ireland, and there's so many Irish people in Pittsburgh, and I couldn't even fathom the amount of Irish Steelers fans. So that's going to make for a great game. But if they see Carson Wentz too much, they're not going to turn. Steelers fans are going to hope that he keeps that helmet on.

[Michael Irvin]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Because if he takes that thing off.

[Michael Irvin]

Time for a crowd.

[Ryan Clark]

Who is that? Is Sheamus playing quarterback for the Vikings?

[Pat McAfee]

Is he from County Court now? Where is he?

[Louis Riddick]

They're not going to turn on their.

[Pat McAfee]

Greatest ambassador of all time, but I'll tell you this. There it is. Ambassador on diplomat. That's a big thing. Carson ain't giving that job back. Yeah. That's certainly a conversation to be had. Another day. We hope JJ gets healthy. Congrats to the Vikings and the number one story of the weekend. You guessed it, best team in ball is right here in Indianapolis, Indiana. Danny Dimes, only guy to do everything that he's done and not have a turnover. The Colts, the only team to ever do what they've done and not have a turnover. The percentage of scoring drives higher than anybody that's ever played ball. Only having one punt through three full games of NFL action is better than everybody that's ever done it before. The defense is all over the place. Brought in the right guys. Lou Annarumo, D coordinator, being one of the right guys being brought in, let alone Cam Bynum and Moni. The energy on the defensive side, different than it's ever felt. And on offense, Tyler Warren is the one. And Danny Dimes is so good. I don't know if he was always this good. I don't know if the Giants ruined it, because you see Saquon, he leaves, he wins the Super Bowl. Danny Dimes right now on pace to win an MVP after getting an opportunity that isn't in the New York Giants uniform or organization. What he's doing is awesome. Pittman's awesome. The offense is awesome. The offense aligned is awesome. Jonathan Taylor scored three touchdowns. We like that. Yep, we like that a lot. Okay, let's get some tackles. 244. We like that a lot. It's got an up value of entire team here. Turning up the band as the boys were rolling down Broadway. You see that? That's Broadway down there. In Nashville.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

I've been down.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. Great play. I would say Nashville, the city itself, maybe favorite in the country.

[Michael Irvin]

Really?

[Ryan Clark]

It's top five without a doubt.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

That's a hell of a state. It's top five from Miami.

[Michael Irvin]

Without a body of water, it's.

[Pat McAfee]

It's okay. Yeah. Without body of water.

[Ryan Clark]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Miami doesn't have body water either. Really. Coral Gables. I didn't see that. You get the water flew over it. Yeah. I could feel it. Miami, Coral Gables. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I wasn't in Miami. Was in Coral Gables the entire time. Absolutely glorious. Actually thought about buying a house. Dinner was Zillow. Okay. All weekend.

[Ryan Clark]

Good.

[Pat McAfee]

While I was down there. Property's cheap down there. Nashville, great time.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

Yes.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah.

[Ryan Clark]

When it comes to strictly inside city limits, it is top three.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. I don't even know how to do the numbering system because I haven't been to every city. In every city, I've had a good time.

[Ryan Clark]

You've been to the major ones. You're not put in one of those shitty ones.

[Pat McAfee]

Nashville is awesome. So we hope that their team becomes good. We hope they become great. I don't know about Coach Donner.

[Ryan Clark]

Oh, yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

I don't know.

[Michael Irvin]

Coach is gonna get fired in the next few weeks here.

[Pat McAfee]

I think it looks like it might be good for him. He is.

[Michael Irvin]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

He's an angry man.

[Ryan Clark]

Wild, tight, real sawed off prick. Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

What's that? What you said he sawed off a little bit. It does sound like he is that way. Yeah. Yeah. Just.

[Ryan Clark]

Just a little bit. And it's not his fault that the Colts are putting him in a living hell. I. I think Pittman said is the smartest team I've ever been around.

[Pat McAfee]

But.

[Ryan Clark]

But I mean, has there ever been a greater start for new ownership? I guess we can say commanders. But they didn't even start three and oh. Last year. Like, when it comes to the big three, this is unbelievable. I don't know if there's ever been when it comes to just same players for the most part, same coaching staff.

[Pat McAfee]

Well, there's one pretty big difference.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

Huge. Probably the biggest.

[Pat McAfee]

And I got a lot of heat from a lot of people that don't know ball on the Internet last season. There is one pretty big difference. And I'll tell you what. Might be the greatest quarterback that's ever played in the NFL.

[Ryan Clark]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Might be the best player of all time. So smart. So I was talking to name drop. Boom. Coming. Peter Burke, okay. He makes movies. Peter Berg, Giants fan, I think in that area, knew Danny Dimes the entire time. And whenever Danny Dimes got drafted, obviously all Giants people are like, who's it? No, Remember the reaction?

[Michael Irvin]

Oh yeah, they went crazy.

[Pat McAfee]

So Peter Berger started doing research on this guy. He's like, oh, my happiness is going to depend upon this guy. Like bye bye bye's dad. I think Giants fan, the whole thing. Like he gets in there and then I guess people ought to do like this guy could throw the ball like 80 yards if he has like he can run faster than literally everybody. He's got a Duke brain. So like from day one, Peter Berg's like, run, throw far, super genius. This should be a guy. And then in the Giants, it doesn't work out. Then he goes to Minnesota and they're like, Minnesota's thinking about offram. They really like what they're seeing, but nobody really knows what it's going to look like. And then with Shane Steichen's offense, feels like he is just fully in control, understands it entirely. Shane has empowered him. And we got weapons. Yes, we got guys for him. It's like he's getting a chance, I think to finally be the quarterback that he is. But did he need to go through all the shit to get here is the question?

[Steve Smith Sr.]

I guess, yeah, probably. And look, it takes time. We talk about all the time. Like it's hard to play in the National Football League and you need the people around you. Not only people on the field, but the coaches from the top down, the ownership level. You mentioned the big three, but that tweet from Conti is the biggest thing because the biggest issue with Daniel Jones throughout his career was turning the ball over. Not only interceptions, but fumbling the ball. So to go through three complete games without turning the ball over, only punting, you know what, one time is crazy. So him playing well on offense is huge. You know, starting it off, Kenny Moore with a pick six. So going on the road and division rival, they talked about kind of even with the intros, they were like, ah, these guys don't have the energy. They're not ready to play today. So when you kind of put that fork in them early and kind of suck the energy out of that building on the road, one of those games, I would assume the coach said, hey, we're gonna have to bring our own juice boys down here in the Music Center. And they did. Kenny Moe did. He left for the injury. We signed Mike Hilton this week, but a big start on both sides of the ball. But Daniel Jones, he has been playing phenomenal. Jonathan Taylor, you mentioned him earlier, like that long touchdown run. That's the type of that to get the whole team on the sideline juiced and going, man. So like when you see your guy doing like this, this you like. Okay, yeah, we're, we're going. So, I mean, it's all on the table right now. Three and O played, you know, the combined record of the three opponents he played. A little ugly, but, you know, I like where we're at.

[Pat McAfee]

I like his celebration, too.

[Steve Smith Sr.]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

It is great. Don't love what he did, but he's certainly a good football player and seemingly got a lot of years left, too. A lot of years left. Very fresh, very fast. Joining us now, ladies and gentlemen, is a man who knows all the things that maybe we weren't able to cover that. Senior NFL Insider for espn. Ladies and gentlemen, Adam Schefter. Let's wrap it up here on the Colts, Danny Dimes. Is this what he was supposed to be? Is this what he always was? It was just the Giants universe, uniform and organization or what is kind of what you're hearing about Danny Dimes on a renaissance type year.

[Adam Schefter]

Look, I remember I said this past off season when there were some teams that were going to be in the market for quarterback, I was surprised at the level of people that had the level of interest that they did in Daniel Jones. Now, not all the situations materialized and the Colts were the team that made the most sense and pursued him the most aggressively. But there were some very smart football people that really liked Daniel Jones that had an interest in making a move on him that didn't need to. And so he winds up at Indianapolis. And again, let's remember this, Pat. I would have to look, but was it two years ago, Two years ago, roughly, that the Giants signed into a contract for about $40 million? 3.

[Pat McAfee]

3, 3, 3. They made a playoffs. Remember Minnesota? That whole thing?

[Adam Schefter]

Yeah, yeah. No, no. Okay, so it was three years ago. So three years ago they gave him a contract befitting of a franchise quarterback. And that was a year in which what he did was magic. And in fact, it was so impressive that they opted to resign him over Saquon Barkley because they couldn't do both. They chose Saquon Barkley.

[Pat McAfee]

We don't need to do that, right? Hey, we don't need you to be doing that right there. Okay? We don't need you to be Doing that. We're having a good time with Danny Dimes right now. Could have paid both. Okay. Could have paid both. There are places that have. Have certainly made it possible in that type of situation. But we love him here in Indy. Feels like he fits the town perfectly. Not scared to go have a couple beers with the boys, which we love. We respect. Okay, let's move some other news out of the weekend that maybe people need to be caught up with with Shefty. What did we miss maybe in there that's in your department. I saw some Achilles, I think some other injuries. Obviously that's going to happen with football. What should we be paying attention to?

[Adam Schefter]

Well, we got a bunch of injuries going on right now. Mike Evans looks like he has got a low grade hamstring strain. We'll see how long he's sidelined. He's missed a few weeks last year with a hamstring injury, so I'm going to guess he misses a little bit of time here. CB Lamb, the thought is a high ankle, but he believes that he could try to play next week.

[Pat McAfee]

Week.

[Adam Schefter]

We'll see whether he could do that. Colston Loveland had a hip injury. Doesn't appear to be serious at all. And obviously the two big injuries of the day yesterday were at the running back position. Najee Harris, you saw his Achilles on the replay, Pop. Awful injury. The Chargers confirmed after the game it's an Achilles injury. They were waiting to get the MRI for the official word, but I think everybody knows what's coming there with Najee Harris. And of course we have the situation with James Conner, the Cardinals running back who now suffered a awful ankle injury that's going to end. He's in and require surgery. I don't even know exactly what it was like, whether it was an ankle dislocation, whether there was also ligament damage. I just know. I was told it was severe and it's going to end the season. And that's an enormous blow for a guy who not only is a great running back, but also a leader on that team and incredibly popular in the locker room. So it's a bad scene. And the crowd, when they replayed the play on the scoreboard yesterday, gasped when they saw his ankle bend. They didn't even play the replay on tv. And it was just one of those injuries you knew right away. And of course, Nick Bosa is about to get his MRI right now as we're talking for his knee injury. We don't know the full extent of it. He obviously was spotted walking off the field gave a thumbs down sign to some fans in the stands. Exactly. Kyle Shanahan said he didn't think it was an acl. That was the initial test. What? That showed it was intact initially, but they have to go send him out for further testing. And sometimes things show up on a second test that didn't on a first. Or sometimes it's not as bad or worse. We'll see.

[Ryan Clark]

But.

[Adam Schefter]

But I know he's about to go into the MRI as I was coming on the air here.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay. So hopefully he's good. Obviously walking off means something, but does it? He might just be a completely different species of human. Especially if you look at him. You think maybe life is a little different for his body than for our.