PMS 2.0 1481 - TOP 5: NFL Week 18 Recap, Coach Firings, & the Playoff Field

Summary

The Pat McAfee Show 2.0, Episode 1481

TOP 5: NFL Week 18 Recap, Coach Firings, & the Playoff Field
Date: January 5, 2026
Host: Pat McAfee, with AJ Hawk, the Toxic Table, Tone Digs, and crew

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a fast-paced, hilarious, and insightful rundown of the NFL's Week 18, focusing on Pat and crew's top five storylines coming out of the regular season. The crew recaps the final playoff seedings, major coaching firings on "Black Monday," and the ongoing MVP race. Their trademark blend of insider perspective, wild tangents, and honest reactions is in full swing as they highlight what makes this postseason unique.

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Key Segments and Insights

1. Top 5 Headlines: Kicking Off the Postseason Discussion

(00:00–16:40)

#5: The Playoff Field is Set – Super Wild Card Weekend Preview

• Pat (A) launches into the playoff matchups with gusto:
  • "Super wild card weekend is officially locked. It is Saturday, Sunday and Monday of magical NFL football." (00:25)
• Rams vs. Panthers:
  • The Rams are favored by 10.5 despite losing to the Panthers five weeks ago.
  • Pat emphasizes both teams’ playoff potential, lauding Matthew Stafford’s (likely MVP) resurgence.
  • "This Carolina Panthers team can beat anybody. And on that note, this Rams team could beat anybody." (01:37)
• Packers vs. Bears:
  • Breakdown of this NFC North rivalry’s playoff implications and both teams’ current form.
  • "Packers are limping into the playoffs worse than probably any other team." (03:17, B)
• Bills vs. Jaguars:
  • Both franchises say poignant goodbyes—Buffalo to their beloved stadium, Jacksonville to a troubled past.
  • Josh Allen’s playoff expectations and Lawrence’s transformation under new coach Liam Cohen discussed.
  • “Jacksonville Jaguars are a great football team... do they have enough to keep up with Josh Allen? I don’t know if anybody does.” (04:25, A)
• 49ers vs. Eagles:
  • The crew explores the Eagles’ gamble to rest players and possible “recency bias” in favoring the Niners.
  • Notable stat: "80% of the bets sitting on the San Francisco 49ers plus three and a half." (08:37, A)
  • Quick props to Sam Darnold for his play when called upon:
    • "Some of the biggest moments, he made the biggest plays, and they were completions to his own team." (09:13, A)
  • Defensive matchups and weather conditions could be game-changers.
• Chargers vs. Patriots:
  • Patriots' turnaround led by new coach Vrabel and MVP candidate quarterback.
  • “It is a great feeling to be back on the biggest stage and hosting playoff games.” (13:49, C)
  • The Chargers’ unpredictability looms large.

AFC Showdown: Texans vs. Steelers

• Texans’ culture flip highlighted, thanks to rookie QB C.J. Stroud and the coaching staff.
• Steelers’ Monday Night prowess cited, but “playoff game is its own game.” (15:43, D)

The Power of Super Wild Card Weekend

• "Maybe best weekend of ball that there is all year." (16:13, A)
• The crew takes a moment to savor the start of the postseason.

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2. #4 Headline: Farewell to The Ralph – Emotional Goodbye to Bills’ Home

(16:48–21:58)

• The Bills say goodbye to their storied stadium (“The Ralph”), evoking nostalgia and community stories:
  • Pat reminisces: “Playing in the Ralph... felt like I was in the middle of a football movie.” (17:23, A)
• Buffalo fans praised for their loyalty—“the best fan base that you could have.” (18:13, A)
• Crew draws parallels to iconic stadium closures in Pittsburgh, highlighting how sports venues carry generational memories.
• Takeaway: “It’s not just football... you go there with family, it’s a family tradition... an emotional day for sure.” (21:22, E)

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3. #3 Headline: Myles Garrett Sets Sack Record

(21:58–26:39)

• Myles Garrett breaks the NFL’s single-season sack record for the Browns, discussed in context with all-time greats.
  • “We know of Myles Garrett's greatness... it is a shame, though, much like Joe Thomas, the teams he has played on have been ass.” (22:32, A)
• Lively debate on whether 17 games taints the record.
  • “Now it did take 17 games as opposed to 16 games... I think that's a very real argument.” (22:54, A)
• Some controversy over stopping the Bengals game for Garrett’s celebration.
• Pat and crew defend the on-field tribute, comparing it to Drew Brees’ passing record moment:
  • “Whenever legendary NFL records get broken... there’s going to be a moment of holy hell. This league's been around a long time.” (26:30, A)

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4. #2 Headline: The MVP Race – Matthew Stafford’s Big Moment

(26:39–33:34)

• The Stafford vs. Drake May debate is center stage.
  • Tone: “Both these guys have had unbelievable years... I wouldn’t be surprised if either of them won.” (29:47, E)
• Stafford’s late-career peak, Rams’ offensive revitalization, and the impact of their supporting cast analyzed.
• AJ and others weigh May’s value to New England, factoring in weapons and coaching.
  • “Matthew Stafford has never really been in the MVP conversation... Matt Stafford does deserve it in his own right.” (30:50, C)
• Amusing tangent on Stafford's $140,000 MVP “bed”:
  • “If you have a hurt back then you go in that thing... maybe we need to lay our asses out.” (34:04, A)

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5. #1 Headline: Black Monday – Coach Firings & Franchise Futures

(34:05–End)

• Pat unpacks “Black Monday,” the mass firing and retention of NFL coaches and front office staff.
• Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts both retain leadership, prompting debate about loyalty vs. results.
  • “It’s almost like guys gave up... that’s not what winning teams do.” (37:52, A)
• The value (and peril) of continuity highlighted, especially for the Colts.
  • “With you look at Ballard’s resume, 31 other teams probably would have fired him after, like, his fifth or sixth year, and he’s going into year 10.” (38:47, B)
• Lighthearted but honest: “Good luck to all these men as they try to find new homes and their families.” (38:56, A)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

Super Wild Card Weekend:

• “Who's going to get in? Are we going to make it? Are we not?” (00:30, A)
• “This Panthers team can beat anybody... this Rams team can beat anybody.” (01:37, A)

On the Bills’ Stadium:

• “I had a chance to play at a lot of places that are football movies. Playing in the Ralph... felt like I was in the middle of a football movie.” (17:23, A)

On Records and Celebrations:

• “Whenever legendary NFL records get broken... there’s going to be a moment of holy hell. This league's been around a long time.” (26:30, A)

MVP Race:

• “If you’re in the MVP conversation, you’ve had a fantastic year. And Matthew Stafford I think did put a stamp on it this past weekend.” (28:32, A)

On Coach Firings:

• “Every single season, there’s valid excuses. Valid. [But] are we just going to continue to do that? Feels like the Colts are saying yes.” (36:41, A)
• “With you look at Ballard’s resume, 31 other teams probably would have fired him after, like, his fifth or sixth year, and he’s going into year 10.” (38:47, B)

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Episode Timeline/Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – 16:40: Top 5 intro and Playoff Field breakdown
• 16:48 – 21:58: Goodbye to The Ralph (Bills’ stadium reflection)
• 21:58 – 26:39: Myles Garrett’s Sack Record, record-breaking etiquette debate
• 26:39 – 33:34: The MVP Race: Stafford vs. Drake May, Rams offense, Stafford’s mattress joke
• 34:05 – 39:00: Black Monday, coaching changes, discussion on continuity vs. results

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Tone and Style

• High-energy, banter-heavy, and irreverent (“relatable ridiculousness” in full effect)
• Candid, with emotional asides about football tradition and the human side of the league
• Nuanced insider football talk juxtaposed with playful trash talk and personal stories

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Summary Takeaways

This episode is a must-listen for football fans eager for playoff context and locker-room style analysis. From the nostalgia of old stadiums to the drama of coaching changes and the heated MVP debate, McAfee and crew bring equal parts football IQ and goofy camaraderie. Woven through it all is a recurring message: the shifting fortunes in football can change overnight—whether for teams, coaches, or stadiums—but the love of the game (and running your mouth with friends) never fades.

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End of Summary.
[For full analysis, see time stamps for each key moment and highlight.]

Transcript

[A]

It's time to get to our top five. Top five, top five, top five headlines coming out of the end of the NFL season. Let's start with number five. This is driven by Ram. And you know, anytime you drive a Ram, you're gonna think to yourself, wow, this thing's got a lot of power. Oh, yeah. This thing's so comfortable. Wow, this thing's so easy to use. Oh, look at all the space I got. And then whenever you hit that gas pedal, it's gonna sound like. And that's gonna be that power. You know, I believe the Hemi is coming back.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

But I also know that the Ram truck, even if it doesn't have a Hemi, has got a stronger engine than you. Let's get to the top five. Number five. We're dancing. Okay, this is what we've been waiting for. Super wild card weekend is officially locked. It is Saturday, Sunday and Monday of magical NFL football. Now, throughout the season, you think to yourself, who's going to get the one seed? Who's going to get the two seed? Who's going to get home field advantage? Are we going to make it? Are we not going to make it? There's teams in a bubble. We need this to happen. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Who? Baker. May for a long day. Nice house. Real nice house.

[C]

Look like getting some work done, too.

[A]

Yeah. Him sitting up on that island.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Kitchen.

[C]

He's bummed out.

[A]

That's a good house.

[C]

Yeah. Great house. Marble.

[A]

You are in that, Baker. You earned that. Baker's a walk on, I think at one point.

[B]

Yeah, he was.

[A]

Baker was a walk on at one point.

[D]

What a store.

[A]

Yeah, What a. What a store. What literally Instagram story and metaphorically, Baker Mayfield story as a whole. He's watching along, seeing how people are doing. Everybody's waiting for something now. We got it officially locked. 14 teams make it on Saturday. Rams take on the Panthers. Rams favored by 10 and a half on DraftKings. Just five weeks ago, the Panthers beat the Rams. People will forget about that. Panthers hosting playoff game. Congrats, Carolina. Congrats, congrats. Carolina had to have something happen for him, obviously, in the other game that was happening in the NFC south between the Saints and the Falcons. And congrats to them getting that done. But they have 61% of the public bets strictly because they're getting 10 and a half. They just beat them five weeks ago. This Carolina Panthers team, I think, could be stingy. They could come up and get you or what the books are expecting. DraftKings Expecting is this is Matthew Stafford in the playoffs now this is whenever all the stars come out. You know, people say the biggest games create the biggest players and the biggest moments. That's why they're called the big players. Well, there's a chance that some of these stars are either coming out of the dirt or some of these stars are already there and they're going to go on a run. Matthew Stafford, Puka Nkua and the boys over there in la, they're in the big lights all the time. Is this whenever they play their best or is this the Carolina Panthers finally coming out and saying we're for real now? A lot of people are going to be pissed at Panthers hosting a playoff game. Their record is ass compared to a lot of other people that have gotten into the playoffs. But this Carolina Panthers team can beat anybody. And on that note, this Rams team could beat anybody last year in the playoffs. Will they be able to do that again? And Matthew Stafford is going to win the MVP it appears after a four touchdown day debut.

[D]

Yeah. Stafford has had a phenomenal year from wire to wire. And I mentioned it earlier, you know, if you're going into this playoff run with a head coach quarterback combination, you probably feel most comfortable either the Rams or the Eagles. But yeah, on the road at the Panthers team you lost against, had Mike Jackson had to pick six in that game. It was some weather, some other things going on. Panthers a good team, good defenders for sure. I think this would be a great matchup. 10 and a half is a lot of points, especially on the road.

[A]

Packers, Bears, you guys split during the regular season.

[B]

That is correct.

[A]

How do you feel going into the playoffs? I saw Jordan Love not playing, saw Caleb doing his thing over the weekend. Your thoughts?

[B]

I, as a Packers fan I actually feel very good. Like you said, packers are limping into the playoffs worse than probably any other team in the like the entire playoff field. And you know they, they didn't, they didn't play anybody yesterday. So you, hey, are they going to be rusty coming in? But Chicago did play everybody. Like they haven't been sitting anybody at all and they didn't look great yesterday. Yeah, exactly. Against the Lions. So. And again it's a lot of those guys for the Bears like this is the, this is the first time they've went to the playoffs. Like the packers team is young but they're experienced. Like they've been to the playoffs before and for them like they know each other very well. So yeah, as a, as a Packers fan, just like Bears fans are probably confident. I'm very confident.

[A]

I like that. We get an NFC north rivalry game right there on Saturday night. A super wild card weekend. And then, oh, yeah, we go to bed, wake up, have a little breakfast, talk to the fam. Maybe go talk to God. And then all of a sudden, the Buffalo Bills are down in Duvall against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bills favored by one and a half. I'll tell you what, we'll talk about it here in a moment. I feel for those Bills fans, what they're going through right now, big time.

[D]

What's that?

[A]

We'll talk about it in a little bit. They're going through it this weekend. They say goodbye to an old friend.

[B]

That's right.

[D]

It's always tough.

[A]

It is. But it might not be goodbye because there is a chance technically that it could have another game. But nonetheless, Bill is taking on the Jags. I think Jags said goodbye to an old friend as well. And that friend was one that was dragging them down. The friend that they are currently friends with is one that is prosperous. Oh, yeah, the Jacksonville Jaguars are a great football team. Yeah, the Jacksonville Jaguars getting off the bus look like a great football team. When you talk about having the speed, the explosive, the power, everything you could possibly need to win a playoff game, Jacksonville Jaguars have it. Then you talk about offense. Do they have enough to be able to keep up with Josh Allen? I don't know if anybody does. Josh Allen is Josh Allen. Trevor Lawrence playing his best ball.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Second play clock thing goes out to the thing. Hey, this guy gonna be wide ass open. Our team could hear him. Didn't matter. First down. Hey, that guy gonna be wide ass open, Trevor. You got it. Thanks. First down, wide ass open. Liam seemingly a super genius. And the way they've been able to rebuild that in such a quick amount of time without the second overall pick, I don't know if as many people have respect for the Jacksonville Jaguars as they should, but I'll tell you, beating a Buffalo super wild card weekend to kick off Sunday would be a great way to say hello to the world.

[D]

D. Bud, this is a great, great matchup. I mean, I love all these matchups. This is a big time matchup. You talk about not having the respect, I guess, league wide from like the casual fans. I think if you've been paying attention to football this season, you have to respect them at this point. But yeah, Trevor Lawrence, we always start with the quarterback. His turnaround since Liam got there is unbelievable. And it'll be a close, close race for coach of the year. Liam will probably get my vote because of what he did with Trevor Lawrence and that team, you know, having camp. Anthony Campanell, defensive side of I believe they're tied with the Bears as far as takeaways, but their numbers up and down defensively are better than the Bears. So they definitely have a chance at home against Josh Allen who everybody's going to look at as if you don't get it done this year. Josh, I don't want to hear it.

[A]

On that note. Patrick Mahomes, not in. Joey Burrow, not in. Lamar Jackson, not in. So is this the year Josh Allen goes on a run? New England obviously back in a big way in the AFC East. Comment? You've been saying the Bills window has been closed for like five years. You were saying it as a New England Patriots fan, but it does feel like this year would be the year. It'd be wide ass open. But they have some things on their roster that the Jacksonville Jaguars can certainly take advantage of.

[C]

Con yeah, no doubt about it. I mean it will be a Josh Allen or bust type of playoffs. You know, it's kind of been that way for the entire season. He's been carrying them. Can he carry them in the playoffs? I think we all believe that he's done it for multiple, multiple massive games. And then for the Jags it's the kind of the opposite. Last time they hosted a playoff game was against the Chargers at home and they ended up squeezing it out. We'll see if they can do it again.

[D]

Yeah, if you look at these quarterbacks that are in the dance right now, I believe Josh Allen is second with all time playoff wins behind obviously Aaron Rodgers. So Yeah, I trust 17 in the playoffs.

[A]

Trevor Lawrence has had one of the craziest playoff appearances of all time. We all watch that live. Think he threw four picks in the first half.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Came back and won in the second half. It's like, will he be able to do that again? I don't know against Josh Allen, but we shall see. San Francisco 49ers taking on the Eagles Interesting move by the Eagles. Coach Sirianni came out and said it's my decision is what I think. Yeah, we can disagree. Obviously there's going to be differing opinions. He said. I like my guys to be healthy and fresh going in the playoffs. They could have got the number two overall seed if they really went for it. Instead they chose to rest. So now the Eagles lock in at three. They're hosting the San Francisco 49ers who lose to the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle Seahawks might be a let's go football team.

[C]

That is good football.

[A]

Hey.

[D]

Mm.

[A]

They're not a part of super wild card. We can still in it. Yeah. Great football team. Congrats to them and to the Denver Broncos, by the way. Number one seeds across the board, but Niners, Eagles. Any quick thoughts on how this one should play out?

[B]

I mean, they kind of had bad blood previously from the last time that the Eagles went to the Super Bowl. Like, so I don't know if this is like a budding rivalry, but it's tough because we were talking about the Niners, you know, being the. One of the hottest teams in the NFL going into this. I think the Eagles are the one team, though, who, like, we've kind of just packed them in. Like, I. I would not be surprised at all if the Eagles start to play their best football when the playoffs start. And I think they're still as likely as any team in the NFC to go to the Super Bowl.

[A]

80% of the bets sitting on the San Francisco 49ers plus three and a half. What's that mean, Tone?

[E]

I think it's just because, like, the talk all season long is how bad the Eagles have looked, even though they are what they are and the offense has not looked great and then they don't look great Yesterday against the Commanders. I think San Francisco obviously didn't look great against the. Against the Seahawks on Saturday night, but they had been on a run with Brock Purdy where the offense had looked really, really good. So I think it's just like a recency bias thing in this situation.

[A]

How about Sam Donald, though? Just quick. I don't want to move past it too much because we need to give him some credit. Some of the biggest moments, he made, the biggest plays, and they were completions to his own team.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

Yep.

[A]

That needs to be talked about.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Congrats, Sam. Congrats, Sam.

[E]

14 wins back to back years.

[A]

These Jalen going to be first guy ever. Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Pretty good on the trouble. Pretty good. I would like to say. Get it. Get the monkey off his back. He did it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To get the number one overall seed in a big moment. Made it. Now. They ran the ball very well and obviously the way they scripted that entire thing was very beneficial to a quarterback, as it should be. Maybe others should have done that in the past, but whenever he needed to make a couple, I mean, he made a couple. Good for Sam Darnold doing his thing. And congrats to the Seattle Seahawks. If Jalen hurts, can play as well as Sam Darnold can play against that Niners defense. The Eagles move on.

[D]

In my eyes, that's a big if. I've seen Jalen Hurts do it on this stage multiple times, multiple years, couple Super Bowls. I've seen Sirianni and I've damn sure seen that defense who have been playing well kind of take it to another level. So I feel very confident about my Philadelphia Eagles in this matchup. Brock Purdy coming off being held to three points after that hot run before running into that Seahawks defense kind of concerns me as well. And Coach Ba sat here a few weeks ago and talked about Brock Purdy in these outdoor kind of late season environments. I don't know what the weather will be in Philly on Sunday, but for all those things, I feel very confident with Eagles.

[A]

Okay. And then Chargers Patriots wrap up Saturday Night Football. I cannot wait for this one. Now the Chargers basically chose to be the number seven seed, rested their players could have stolen and not been this seed take on the Patriots. Now New England can obviously utilize that. I will say this, following this Patriots team for the last three years has been a blast with this guy, okay? Alongside Connor Campbell, Boston Conner is a Patriots die hard. I think there is no faking that. I think that is his life. I think we have experienced it. There was times where we thought maybe his team was going to stink for the rest of his life and that he was just going to have to try to relive the memories of when he was just a boy and the New England Patriots were good. This man was going to parades over the span of his first 20 years of his existence. Then all of a sudden, maybe it never happens again. He's going to have to tell his little baby boy and B girl and maybe even grandbaby and grandbabies. Grandbabies say there was a time when the Patriots ran this whole damn thing. There was a thought that that was going to take place for all Patriots fans everywhere. Connor Campbell more specifically. But instead, somehow the Tennessee Titans. Good luck to whoever gets hired there. I'm sure it's going to go great. Yikes. They kick him out the door. He sits in Cleveland for a year and somehow, lo and behold, the team that he played for, the team that he loves, the team that he's in the hall of Fame for, the team that he' the ring of honor with. He has an opening all of a sudden because they fire a coach after one year, one and done, just like Pete Carroll had. He comes in there, flips the entire thing and oh, yeah, they got an MVP candidate in his second year at the age of 23. And the offensive coordinator. Yeah, he's been a head coach before. It sucks. He doesn't like it. He just wants to be a coordinator. This Patriot seems back in a big way and Saturday night's the chance to really say it for real. Has Drake been able to do it in the playoffs? Has Drake been able to do it in the playoffs? That's the question we find out Saturday night against his. What's that?

[C]

Sunday night.

[A]

Sunday. I'm so sorry. So sorry. I said it multiple times. Sorry, let me get jacked up. Sunday night. I apologize.

[C]

It feel like Saturday.

[A]

Yeah, well, every day feels like Saturday right now. Sunday night, Chargers and Patriots. But the Chargers team, hit or miss. Feels like we've seen them play very good. We've seen them not play so good. Who shows up against the New England Patriots? I guess we find out. You have to feel great to be in the dance with a real shot at this thing.

[C]

Yeah, I feel incredible. I mean, you go from 3 and 14 or, sorry, 4 and 13 to, you know, 14 and 3 over the span of one year, that. That's going to get your flowing. You're going to be bricked up no matter what. What really gets me, you know, going is the fact that last time the Patriots won the Super bowl was 2018. Who did they play in that first round? The LA Chargers. And I believe they were LA. I don't even think they were San Diego yet. Phil Rivers flew all the way over. Well, another kicker there, too, who led the Patriots on that little bit of a run. Sony Michelle, rookie running back. So we kind of have rookie running back right now. Trevion Henderson. There's a lot of parallels between the two. In reality, I think what you mentioned is going to be a huge message. Hey, the Chargers could have easily been the sixth seed. They chose to bench everybody, not play anybody, have a little mini bye week. They chose to kind of move down to that seven seed in order to come and play you guys. Now, maybe they didn't want to go to Jacksonville again because they did blow a 28 nothing lead in Jacksonville. So they said, hey, we can't go there anymore. Not doing that. Let's go to Foxborough, play Vrabels, boys. I feel fantastic. I think the MVP fodder will be awesome this week as well. Up until, you know, basically until the Super Bowl February 5th when it gets announced. But that will be a motivator. Everyone getting healthy for the Patriots this past week. I mean, we just beat the absolute dog shit out of the Miami Dolphins with Milton Williams coming back, highest paid player on the team. Will Campbell coming back, leading the way on multiple rushing touchdowns. Afton Chisholm, the third superstar kind of budding for the New England Patriots. And Stefon Diggs getting a thousand yard receiving again after kind of going through a little bit of an ACL and some other things. But it does feel as though the Patriots are rolling in all directions. It is a great feeling to be back on the biggest stage and hosting playoff games. I mean, we're talking about a chance where they're hosting two, maybe three playoff games on the way to a Super Bowl. I mean, it's remarkable that you can flip a team in a culture like this. And you mentioned it, you know, on a day like today, Black Monday, where coaches and GMs are getting fired. Just keep in mind, look, look to the New England Patriots, look to the Jacksonville Jaguars, look to these teams, Chicago Bears that were absolute shite and in one year flipped it. I mean, we're talking about teams that can legitimately go and win the super bowl because of a few changes.

[A]

And Vrabel, I think we all thought was going to be great. Coach knew he's going to be a great coach. Ben Johnson all knew he was going to be a great coach. Right. It felt like everybody thought he was going to be a great coach. Liam Cohen came out of nowhere. That was a late hire. Nobody really knew. Yeah. Remember, he wasn't even going to be able to put together a staff. They were trying to slander his name pretty good. It was hard not to talk a lot of about that. But then you see what they're able to do. It's like if you find a good leader, there is a chance you can flip an entire culture. These are all NFL players. If you're able to rally an entire building in the same direction, you're able to get into the dance. And obviously Tamiko Ryan's and Casario have been able to do that down in Houston multiple times. C.J. stroud might be playing his best ball. And then they play against Pittsburgh Steelers at home on Monday night. Steelers obviously impossible to beat on Monday Night Football. Okay, is that change whenever it's the playoffs and does that matter? How does that matter? How is that a real thing? I genuinely want to know that.

[D]

I mean, I don't think it would matters. You know, every, every game is its own game. We obviously been in those buildings, we have those stats whether it's, hey, we start Slow as a team or prime time or whatever it is. But the game is going to be the game once again. Another great matchup. I can't wait to see this. Houston Texans defense on prime time. That defense again. And then you mentioned. You mentioned CJ Scott playing some good ball as well. So you know it's going to be another banger. I mean, this whole slate, man. I mean you couldn't really. You could be asking for a better slate.

[A]

That's why Super Wild card weekend has become must watch. Maybe best weekend of ball that there is all year. Obviously. Super bowl weekend. Sweet. There's only one game. Championship weekend. Sweet. Because there's so much on the line. Divisional rounds.

[C]

Cool.

[A]

The fact that we get two, three and one here of all meaningful football with great football teams.

[B]

It's beautiful.

[E]

So beautiful.

[D]

College football playoffs right before. We got to enjoy these boys.

[C]

It's a dream.

[A]

We're here.

[D]

We got to enjoy this time.

[A]

Close our eyes.

[B]

I don't even feel like I deserve it.

[A]

Every once in a while you gotta do that. Oh, yeah. Just kind of take it in. We're here. Let's go. Number four headline coming out of the NFL season. Goodbye to the rough. I guess since 2021 it's been called High Mark Stadium. Blue Cross Blue Shield. The new stadium will be High Mark Stadium right across the way. This has been home of the Buffalo bills since 1973. Wow. All the documentaries and stories that you hear about the Buffalo Bills come from the Ralph. I was very lucky that I got a chance during my career to play a Lambo. I got a chance to play at Candlestick. I got a chance to play at that one place out there in Oakland. What's the name of?

[E]

Coliseum.

[B]

Coliseum.

[A]

Coliseum. I got a chance to play in a lot. Yeah, the Black Hole. I got a chance to play in a lot of places that are football movies. Playing in the Ralph. My rookie year in the middle of a blizzard. Felt like I was in the middle of a football movie. Place is obviously very special. I had a lot on the line that game, although all my teammates did not. It was very fascinating. We were attempting to lose that game. Try to. It was the end of our undefeated season that we had. For me, I had to have a couple inside 20, had to average over something to get a million dollar escalator, which is obviously the most amount of money that I could ever fathom in my life. So it was a joy to be there. Obviously thankful for everything the Buffalo Bills people have done for football as a whole. You're Talking about a passionate, loyal. I don't even know if there's any other place that has gone through what fans have gone through to remain the fans, let alone the four falls.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Heartbreak after heartbreak after heartbreak kind of happening with the Ravens right now. Just not at the super bowl level. That was all at the super bowl level for the Ravens. End of season. The last four years is just heartbreak, heartbreak, heartbreak, heartbreak, heartbreak. But whenever you talk about the Bills, the weather, digging out your own seats, having to get to this place in the back of tractors, and then what they do every single time they show up is be the best fan base that you could have. It's like, congrats to Buffalo. Congrats to the Ralph on a hell of a run. And the scenes coming out after the game here, this is from Jason McCourty. He was calling the game where nobody left. And they just relive some of the greatest moments of the Ralph. Now, some people, I assume are very tuned up and blacked out at this moment. Will not remember this other than some of the pictures hopefully people have of them out there. But it's like this is special fan base, special place. And obviously their next stadium is going to be awesome with big ass Bison out front. But I like whenever people get emotional about something, and they certainly did about the Ralph, I think that's a beautiful thing.

[C]

Yeah, it just shows you how much, you know, football means to the people of Buffalo and just fans in general, like in that Sal Carpaccio tweet. I mean, there's a security lady who's been there for 32 years that is so long just to be at one place in general, let alone work at one place like that, that's remarkable. But also to keep in mind, for the people of Buffalo, these new stadiums are remarkable. They are so nice.

[A]

You're going to love it.

[C]

You're going to love it. Okay, after you get over this, after you get over this heartbreak and hopefully the people are there. Got to yank something out of that stadium to keep forever in their base.

[A]

Might have another game in there.

[C]

Yeah, might have another game there. They still host the Chargers in the AFC championship, but you're going to love this new High Mark stadium. It's going to be gorgeous.

[A]

Yeah, it was a perfect night. Cold as hell. Obviously a great way to send off. I wish there was a little bit more snow in there, you know, so you could feel it. And once I read Sal Capaccio's tweet, I completely forgot, like, oh, it is going to be an emotional Day. Especially for Sal Capaccio.

[E]

Yeah, especially for Sal.

[A]

Especially for Sal. There's a lot of sows up there in Buffalo. True Buffalonians, brother.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. There's a lot of good Buffalonians up there. And it reminded me of whenever I was a child and they tore down the igloo. They did this downtown Pittsburgh. They tore down the igloo. And I'll tell you what, I was. I was bummed out alongside everybody else. This is the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they just went ahead and just took that thing down. They showed it across the entire city whenever they started. Now you'll see there's four different winners that came and went while these things were being tearing down. That's not how I remember it in my head at all. I think I had a little Mandela effect in my head. They imploded that thing and we all got out of school for it. That's how my head remembered it. And then we got to send it in there. Turns out they took their sweet ass time. Somebody had a good contract on this thing. And they go ahead and say, we're going to need another 12 months or so. We're going to need another 12 months or so. Whatever the case, the city of Pittsburgh was very emotional whenever this went down. Three Rivers, same exact thing. Very emotional. It's like the. Ralph. I can understand it. I appreciate it. And we had one this weekend, Tone.

[E]

Yeah, we did. And it's like I remember waking up and watching the implosion of Three Rivers Stadium. It was like everyone was down there. It was like. It was. It was something. And I remember when we were growing up, a kid in your grade actually had a stadium seats from Three Rivers in his basement.

[A]

It was shout out, Josh Ronan.

[C]

Thank you.

[E]

Yep. You knew, like, that was like something that happened. I'm sure that was something that happened in Buffalo yesterday. It's just like so many memories in that place. And like, when you think about something, you think about these stadiums, like, it's not just the, like the football, but, like, you go there with family, like it's a family tradition and the tailgates and everything like that. It's an emotional day for sure.

[A]

Yeah. I'll tell you what, the reason why I knew is Josh Walnuts, he had a couple ping pong tournaments in that baseball. Boom. Get a game winner. Pretty exhausted. I'm going to sit down in three rooms right next to the.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

The amount of shit being talked to at that entire thing. Josh Rowan, a great dude, great family, and also his dad Loved collecting that Dutch.

[E]

Shout out Stu.

[A]

Yeah, shout out Stu. It wasn't just that. I mean he had. I think you probably find a piece of Mary Lemieux hair down here if you really had to. Good people, good times. Nothing stops Ram Boom. Best truck. Dang the line. Let's go to the number three headline. Miles Garrett Morlas. Congrats. Miles thought he was gonna get this a couple weeks earlier. Obviously he was on a wrecking path to kind of make this happen. He's been all over the field and we know of Myles Garrett's greatness strictly because we've gotten a chance to witness it. It is a shame though. Much like Joe Thomas, the teams he has played on for the Cleveland Browns have been ass whenever you're a goat now they paid him 40 million a year, reset the entire market because they understand his greatness. He at one point was worried that he didn't win enough games and he wanted to win more games. He's not worried about getting into the hall of Fame. Now he signs on to be a Cleveland Brown pillar in his first year post brand new contract in which he resets the entire market. He breaks the sack record now. It did take 17 games as opposed to 16 games. Heard Michael Strahan talk about that. I think that's a very real argument that's going to happen as football continues to go. Adam Vinatieri, all time leader in points, 16 game season. I think at some point somebody's going to come with these extra games and potentially catch him. Nonetheless, very impressive, very pumped. And Strahan might come up to Joe Burrow someday. No, he say screwed me.

[C]

Oh yeah.

[A]

I think he was gonna get him regardless. I think Joe knew that. But people are saying Joey laid down for him.

[D]

I mean, yeah, I understand it, Joe. We've all seen what Joe has been through health wise and getting to the last game of the season. He probably saw 95 getting off the ball from his peripheral and knew he probably had no chance of getting out of the. But this was awesome. This was cool. His dad been in the crowd, you know, with this camera and he looked like he got emotional. I don't even know if he had a chance to get a picture because he was so jacked up one. He finally got the sack in 17 games. That'll be a conversation but then there will be other people that say this amount of snaps and all the stats that we have now around it. But we all watch mobs Garrett and he has been one of, if not the most dominant defender in his generation. You know, from wide to wide, from coming into the league as the number one overall pick. He's lived up to all the stuff, man. He's just an unbelievable player. Great person for that city. Hopefully they can build a winner around him, but he's a great pillar to build around.

[A]

Hopefully they're able to. Honestly, there's a lot of change happening in Cleveland as we speak. Who knows what the next iteration looks like. Like, Mark Gasano had a hell of a run. Okay, The New York sack exchange. Doug Martin did his thing, obviously, Strahan comes in and T.J. watt, and then Myles Garrett. Congratulations to all these dudes for being incredible on a football field. Gasno, you're ahead of your time, dude. Yeah, it was back to Bass here.

[C]

She one of the goats.

[A]

Ahead of your time, dude. Let's go to the number two headline coming out of the NFL season, shall we?

[C]

Yeah. The only thing with that Myles Garrett thing, okay, Just. Just for Zach Taylor to go up there after. No one's watching this game unless you're watching it.

[A]

What are you talking about?

[C]

Well, the whole entire thing. You know, he was pretty upset. And Jamar Chase mentioned as well. I don't think he was upset as Zach Taylor was. You know, they kind of stopped the game for Miles Garrett to celebrate and enjoy this and this historic moment that may never happen again. Now, granted, like you said, 17 games, eventually, maybe the season goes 18.

[A]

Still got it. Not his fault.

[C]

Yeah, not his fault.

[A]

It's certainly a conversation.

[C]

Certainly a conversation. And Once it goes 18 games and someone breaks this record, guess what's going to happen? They're going to stop the game because it's history in the NFL. The only thing anybody will ever remember from the Bengals season, probably, or the Brown season in the 2025 NFL season was Myles Garrett got the sack record in Cincinnati against the. Against the Bengals. So for. For some of the people to be upset about, you know, them stopping the game or everything, like, that's ridiculous. May we remind you, when Drew Brees broke the NFL passing record, this is what happened. Okay?

[A]

Monday Night Football.

[C]

Yeah. Only game on. And also this record got broken maybe a year later. Look what they did. They. The refs, I think, took off their hats and took knees to shake his hand. I think the coach of the other team walked over and said, hey, Drew, congratulations. Now, whether that was Ron Rivera or not, who knows? But still, look at what happens for Drew Brees. They did a. He basically won the Super Bowl.

[E]

They brought a podium out, as they.

[A]

Should, gave a speech.

[B]

He did the one for me, two for you. He did that whole thing.

[A]

Three for us. Yeah.

[D]

This is doing a break.

[A]

No, no show.

[C]

No break.

[A]

This is on the game.

[D]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

It's like whenever legendary NFL records get broken, you know, passing, sacking, right. I would assume rushing.

[C]

I bet Emmett Smith had some.

[D]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[A]

These big ones, the huge one. There's going to be a moment of holy hell. This league's been around a long time. There's been a lot of great players and obviously this impact. Family. Family's about to walk on the field. It's second quarter, so I think a lot of people probably judge this moment as well. And then NFL came out and was like, hey, this is a huge deal, man. Like, we would like our players to know that if you become. What?

[D]

I don't remember.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This whole. All of it. This happened. Yes, this did happen. I mean, look at the jumbo truck. All time pass yard leader. Congratulations. I mean, they stopped. This is second quarter.

[D]

As you should.

[C]

Game at one.

[A]

Yes, they should. The game happened. This game has been going on a long time. And for you to break one of those. David Baker.

[B]

Hell yeah.

[C]

Put in the hall with the white glove gloves.

[A]

I put my finger prints on it. Shout out to David Baker. All right.

[E]

Anyways, he played left tackle actually right after this.

[A]

Yeah, well, they needed a guy. Obviously they had somebody get hurt, they end up winning the game. David Baker, obviously playing tackle for you is a good place to be. But nonetheless, whenever these big records happen, there has been precedent already set that we are going to celebrate it in the moment. And yeah, I didn't like Miles catching a little hell there for getting Rudy.

[B]

Yeah, I was going to say if you would have been like, you know, listen, stopping the game is one thing and for them to, you know, put them on their shoulders and take them off the goddamn field like Rudy, that's. That's another thing.

[A]

All right, let's go to the second headline coming out of the NFL season. A most valuable momentum shift. Matthew Stafford is now the MVP favorite. I appreciate that we put Matt on the graphic. You know, even though he is a Matthew Stafford, mad respect for what Matthew has been able to accomplish this late into his career. He is now 180. We had conversation last week with Dan Orlovsky. Dan Orlofsky said, Matthew staff, what are we? Yeah, right. Hard players, hard competition. Everything he's done, this is Matthew Staffords. We said, you're just kind of throwing Drake May out because he played against bad teams is what you're Saying, yeah, strength of schedule has to matter. Then he throws four touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals and the conversation is it's.

[C]

A good football team.

[A]

Arizona Cardinals, good football team. You know, so you can obviously cat, dog, chase tail situation in its entirety. What we know is if you're in the MVP conversation, you've had a fantastic year. And Matthew Stafford I think did put a stamp on it this past weekend throwing for four touchdowns. Now when you look at the stats, it's absurd what Matthew Stafford's been able to do. When you look at what the Rams are able to do offensively, it's crazy. And tone, you're a voter. One of these votes have to go in and you've been saying this entire time, I want to look at the entire 17 game picture.

[E]

Yeah, they have to be in by 3pm today. Obviously the award will be announced Thursday before the Super bowl. Going into week 17, Stafford was the favorite and then he had that bad game against the Falcons and Drake May had a all time game against the jets. And then this weekend obviously it flips again. So it's like these last two weeks have been monumental towards this race. I just didn't, I didn't like, like the, the. Oh, it has to be this guy or it has to be this guy. Both these guys have had unbelievable years. 46 to 8 is absurd for Stafford. And then Drake may 35 and 8 with his, with his rushing yards and with his rushing touchdowns too. Like they're both absurd. Drake May leads the league in completion percentage and then average distance per target. Like to have those two things.

[C]

Yeah, exactly.

[E]

Drake May's the best on third down too. Like both of these quarterbacks are very, very deserving. Just like last year, both the quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen were very, very deserving. I don't like people putting down either to make the case for their guys, but that's just how it is these days. But like either I don't wouldn't be surprised if either of them won.

[C]

Well and that's the other thing. Like as a Patriots fan I feel like if you just do take a step back and realize like Matthew Stafford has never really been in the MVP conversation. He's never really been. I don't know if he's ever been all pro like Drake Mays 23. Hopefully he will be back here no matter what the schedule is. But Matt Stafford does deserve it in his own right. Especially when what's the most important thing? Scoring touchdowns. And you know, people have been throwing shade on the 151 yard touchdown passes but that doesn't matter, you know, like, just because they're one yard doesn't mean, you know, that's not an unbelievable ball. How many times have we shown Devonte Adams, you know, him throwing it in the perfect spot where only devonte can get it, like that should help his case in many sense. I mean, in this case, Pukinakua, great play, but still, it is just. It feels as though Stafford should win it this year.

[A]

Pukinakua is up for an award or two as well. You could have a couple awards heading to the Los Angeles Rams this season. And the crazy part about it all is it's been a rebuild after rebuild after rebuild out there for LA and seemingly still have their pillars, still have their studs, and obviously still have a chance to win.

[D]

To Lombardi, yeah, Mr. Stafford has just been unbelievable. And he, what is he, 37, 36 this year, however old and him being with Sean McVay, obviously they're on the same page and just coming into each and every game damn near seems like he was always in full control and throwing those touchdown passes, leading yards, all the different things. Like you said, Tone, either one of these guys could win. But Matt Stafford, with the questions that we had about his health coming into this year, the rebuild kind of around him, bringing in devontae, like people can talk about those, you know, one yard touchdowns, that's hard to get on the same page with a receiver like that. Especially down there. Everyone would do it, you know, the same way people look at Tush Push. Like everyone could do it. Everyone would do it if everyone could do it. So that's a tough, tough spot to be in. But Matt Stafford has been phenomenal wide. So is Drake May. But this, I mean, I'm not surprised that Matt Stafford is the, I guess.

[A]

Slight favorite at this point as drew 2009 draft classes.

[D]

Yep.

[A]

Me and Darius, we'd like to say hell yeah, man.

[D]

Hell yeah.

[C]

Hell yeah.

[A]

That's damn good, dog. Damn good dog there.

[C]

Matthew Stafford now valuable. And we talked about it last week and then J.J. watt, you know, went again yesterday. Drake May is definitely more valuable to his team than Matt Stafford.

[D]

Why would you say that?

[C]

I mean, you just mentioned one of the guys Devonte Adams Scott brought in. You mentioned Puka Nakua maybe winning offensive player of the year.

[A]

Two running backs right now. Balling over there.

[D]

They got pretty good.

[E]

That was the argument.

[D]

Henry.

[A]

Okay, go ahead.

[D]

Travion, Josh McDaniel, like they got good coaches.

[C]

Okay, Hunter, Hunter, Puka Naku or Stefan.

[D]

But weapons.

[C]

Yeah. Who Would you take Puka or Stefan Diggs?

[D]

I would take Puka.

[C]

Would you take Devonte or Stefan Diggs?

[A]

I don't know.

[C]

There you go.

[A]

What is Pukup for offensive player of the year? And I think he's got pretty good odds. I think.

[E]

Yeah, he's second behind JSN, who's had a historic season.

[A]

Okay, so in Christian McCaffrey, also in this entire conversation, I mean, there's a lot of great players. A lot of great players. And Matthew Stafford hops into that trailer during training camp, comes out spinning it. $140,000 bed. Is that what they said?

[E]

Holy.

[A]

It doesn't look comfortable.

[E]

It doesn't look comfortable either.

[A]

What's that?

[E]

The bed doesn't look comfortable either.

[A]

What?

[D]

So we had eyes on the bed.

[A]

Yeah.

[E]

It looks hard. There's no cushion. There's no padding.

[A]

I don't think your whole body. I don't think we've seen the.

[B]

Sorry, what?

[A]

Actual bed. We've seen a 3D graphic, I think.

[C]

Of what the bed is.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, right?

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't think they've shown us what the actual bed looks like. I think we have a. In theory, this is what the bed.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And it's Matthew Stafford laying down, and there's this red light therapy everywhere. And then he's laying on a thing, and then they say it vibrates you to the proper medium or whatever the hell you're supposed to get. Then there's a red light thing that you're supposed to get. Then there's a temperature thing, a sound thing. It's basically just shows your entire body. Yeah, 140,000. Don't. Don't you worry about it. I have thought about purchasing a few of these things.

[C]

It looks cool.

[A]

It looks very cool. And if you have a hurt back, then you go in that thing and then you become an MVP at 37. I'm thinking about maybe we need to lay our asses out.

[C]

Yeah. Sold.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. They've had a hell of a run, that ammortal group. And then let's get to the number one headline for this particular overreaction. Monday. It's Black Monday. Folks are getting fired and folks are staying nice.

[D]

Sure are.

[A]

There's always a yin to a yin. There's always a zig to a zag. You know, some teams see what happened in New England and Chicago and Jacksonville and think to themselves, well, if we just make a little bit of a shift here, we can go on a potential Lombardi run. And then other places say, we like our guys. The Bengals have said we like our guys. Zach Taylor and Duke Tobin sticking around for the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, it was reported late into the season that these two have contracts for at least another year. And that made everybody think to themselves, Bengals aren't paying multiple contracts, so they are going to stay. Indianapolis Colts Shane Steichen, head coach, and Chris Ballard, general manager, will be sticking around. That announcement came 35 seconds after losing our eighth straight football game here in Indianapolis, which means a decision was already made before the game even started. The outcome against the Houston Texans, who obviously have an incredible football team, really didn't matter to what was going to happen in the future. Now, I will say this about the Indianapolis Colts. I am a Chris Ballard fan. I love the human Chris Ballard. He has been nothing but good to us, to the city of Indianapolis, I think the organization at the time, whenever he got in there, kind of piecing everything back together after all the hell that have been taking place and the mistrust and everything that happens, okay, now this is going to be 10 years, no AFC south championships, and nobody really talks about the AFC south being, you know, like a juggernaut. Okay, no offense to Houston over the years, they're back, which even more so. No offense to Jacksonville, over the years, they're back even more so. Part of the conversation. And Tennessee Titans stink. Stink. But they had Fable there for a while, so they were good for a bit. But it's like the lack of success for the Indianapolis Colts is alarming. I think, for Colts fans, for them to decide just that quickly after the last game of the season to stick with the same people that have done this entire time. Now, every single season, there is valid excuses. Valid. I mean, Danny Dimes had us as the number one team in the league. We were 8 and 1. And then all of a sudden, he comes back after Bayou, has a fractured fibula, he can't move. It's like, well, moving was a massive piece of his offense. So once we lose him, though, everybody else just kind of says, yeah, we're done. We stink. Offensive line can't really move people anymore. Jonathan Taylor not really able to do what he was able to do. Because when Danny Dimes was playing, I think there was more eyes on him than it was on Jonathan Taylor. The defense couldn't get a stop. People got hurt. We traded away two ones for Sauce Gardner. Haven't really seen him on the field. So everything kind of just collapses in on itself this year. And it's like, were they waiting for a reason to make an excuse or is there actual excuses every year? I think there is actual excuses every single year, but boy, are we just going to continue to do that. Feels like the Colts are saying yes. Carly speaks at 2:30 officially to break it all down.

[D]

Okay, so give us some more definite answers. But I was surprised, just like you were to hear that they were coming back right after the season was in. And I would thought there would be some sit down, some conversations, maybe some interviews. But yeah, I thought Chris Ballard did some great things this offseason. I was very excited. Didn't see what Danny Dimes did this year. Obviously you got banged up, you can't control injuries, but every team deals with injuries. To have that seven game slide at the end of the season, that was very, very tough. And then when you do take that chance to go and trade too for Sauce Gardner, if he comes in balls and he's the reason you go and win the super bowl, it looks great. But if it goes how it goes, it looks terrible, man. So bring it. Bringing them back, bringing them both back, it's definitely a decision. I know a lot of people get excited when you just clean house and start over, but we've seen teams kind of just be in that MO every two or three years. So the big three kind of, I guess, taking their time to see how it all plays out. I guess I get that side of it too. And here we are, we got another year, see if we can figure it out.

[A]

Hey, if you were to run back what I said on this day last year, just go ahead and do it again. We found a couple of the same good pieces to bring a culture like, I think Danny Dimes up the culture like I think whenever he got in here, I think he changed some things. I think Cam Bynum, whenever he came in, his energy changed some things. I think there was some accountability, I think there was some professionalism that got brought into the building because we had heard what had been happening in the past. It's almost like guys gave up, up and they stopped being pros late to meetings, missing this, missing that. It's like that's not what winning teams do. Like that's not how it goes this year. Everything was great. Everything was great. Then an injury at a quarterback slows us down. But then just losing every single game, it's like, oh, is there any fight? Like what? How does that happen? We'll see next year.

[D]

That's when everything else supposed to step up defense, the run game, offensive line, like, you got to figure out a.

[A]

Way we don't have any ones this year or next year as we rebuild.

[B]

That's great.

[A]

I think we got some pieces that could potentially move. Good moves. Good pieces.

[B]

You just got to think that, like, with you look at Ballard's resume, 31 other teams probably would have fired him after, like, his fifth or sixth year, and he's going into year 10, which.

[C]

Is crazy to think.

[A]

Well, there's six coaches who have been fired already. We assume there will be more. Good luck to all these men as they try to find new homes and their families. Obviously, that's a whole piece of it, but organizations are trying to get to the Lombardi. Who will make it, who won't. We will continue on the other side. Be a friend. Tell a friend something nice might change their life.