The Ryen Russillo Podcast

Episode: The Packers' Worst Loss, the Chiefs' Best Win, and a Tough Jalen Hurts Convo With Sheil Kapadia. Plus, Same Old Penn State?
Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Ryen Russillo | Guest: Sheil Kapadia (The Ringer Philly Special, The Ringer NFL Show)

Episode Overview

This jam-packed football episode spans NFL Week 4’s biggest talking points—including Kansas City’s statement win, Baltimore’s current skid, Philly’s confusing dominance, and the Green Bay Packers’ meltdown—before pivoting into an extended look at college football’s dramatic weekend. Ryen is joined by Sheil Kapadia for a candid breakdown of what’s real and what’s fake with the Eagles, Packers, and NFL elites. The show wraps with in-depth college football analysis and closes, as always, with "Life Advice," offering both serious and comedic takes on listener dilemmas. The episode is engaging, stats heavy, and leans into the "football obsessive" tone fans expect.

NFL Week 4: Best Win, Worst Loss, and Eye-Opening Stats

Kansas City Chiefs – Best Win of the Week

[~02:00]

• Mahomes' Excellence:
  • “Mahomes playing basketball out there... His first four-touchdown passing game in almost two years.” (Russillo, 02:40)
  • 17-of-22 for 142 yds, 3 TDs (throws in under 2.5 sec); got 4 TDs overall.
• Team Contributions:
  • Worthy (back from injury): 5 catches, 83 yds, 35-yd run.
  • Four different players caught touchdowns.
  • “It looked a lot like Mahomes figuring everything out... Even when he was rushed, he kinda knew exactly what he was going to do.” (Russillo, 03:32)
• Why This Matters:
  • KC “got off to a bad start by their standards,” but this puts them firmly back in the AFC picture.

Baltimore Ravens – Trouble Brewing?

[~07:00]

• Injury Carnage & Brutal Schedule:
  • “Baltimore finished the game without their top five highest-paid players. Not great, Bob.” (Russillo, 08:48)
  • 1-3 record chalked up to injuries and a brutal early schedule.
• Defensive Collapse:
  • “They’re last in the NFL right now, allowing 33.3 points per game.” (Russillo, 12:17)
• Outlook:
  • Upcoming schedule eases; if healthy, they “should still be in the AFC mix.”

Los Angeles Rams – Quietly Dangerous

[~15:00]

• Matthew Stafford:
  • Leads NFL with 311 deep passing yards; Rams 3rd in yards/play.
• Puka Nacua’s Emergence:
  • “He’s leading the league in receiving yards right now… 13 catches for 170 yards yesterday… hands are so incredible.” (Russillo, 16:40)
• Big Picture:
  • Taking an early lead over Philly still “means something” even in a loss.

Philadelphia Eagles – A Perplexing 4-0

[~18:30]

• Questionable Offense, Undeniable Results:
  • Toughest schedule behind only Baltimore, and they’re 4-0.
  • “I can’t figure out if it’s like the ‘23 team… or if you just go, hey, look what this team did last year, look at the roster.” (Russillo, 20:45)
• Game Against Tampa:
  • Stats look ugly (only 200 yds, rough 4th quarter), but context (block punt for TD, short field, etc.) matters.
• Theme:
  • “Do we care that Philly’s offense struggles on third downs? …It doesn’t seem to matter.” (Russillo, 21:37)

Green Bay Packers – Worst Loss of the Week

[~23:00]

• Meltdown vs Cowboys:
  • Up 13-0, then unravel; allowed huge comeback by Dallas.
• Defensive Identity Crisis:
  • “This Green Bay defense that looked so dominant… didn’t happen for ‘em last night.” (Russillo, 23:55)
• Numbers:
  • Dak Prescott: 31-40, 319 yds, 3 TDs; “staying in the fight” summed up Dallas.

Nuggets, Stats, and Other Notes

[~30:00]

• Spencer Rattler 18th in QBR, Saints fastest pace in NFL, Bears' third-down defense elite (29% conv. rate allowed).
• Jacksonville Jaguars: “I don’t know that we should get excited about it… plus-2.3 turnover margin per game… that’s why they’re 3-1.” (Russillo, 32:33)
• Quick thoughts on Jackson Dart (“win in his NFL debut”), Bears’ offense, and challenges of evaluating rookie QB play in context.

Packers Panic and the State of September Football

Segment: Ryen Russillo with Sheil Kapadia
[24:34 – 63:04]

Packers’ Fraud Alert

[24:34]

• Are Packers Exposed?
  • Kapadia: “That was a pretty disappointing game… especially when we look at where we were two weeks ago with this team—it was like juggernaut, can’t be stopped, favorites in NFC. Changed how I felt.” (24:34)
  • Russillo: “What’s the issue with the Packers D? This group is supposed to be elite.”
• Atlanta and Turnover Dependency:
  • Kapadia: “They’re turnover-reliant. When you’re not getting takeaways, can you still be sound? …You just needed one stop [vs Cowboys], and they couldn’t get it.” (25:50)

Sunday Night's Offensive Explosion

[26:58]

• Historic EPA per Drive:
  • Kapadia: “Best and second-best offensive performances by any team this season in terms of EPA per drive: Cowboys first, Packers second. Means no defenses were worse in any game this year than Packers and Cowboys Sunday night.” (26:58)

Game Management, Coaching Flaws

[28:53]

• Kapadia: “Game management… that stuff’s crept up with LaFleur in the past. To get the ball at the start of OT with 4:40 left… you should never be in a scenario where the most critical play of the game you’re rushing...”
• Trust Issues:
  • Russillo: “If anything, maybe this loss is the wakeup call—a bit of a mental reset of like, ‘hey, maybe we’re not the world beaters everybody thought we were.’” (29:54)

Are the Eagles... Good?

[32:09]

• Russillo: “I have a Philly theory: last year when the Eagles were 10-1, we said, ‘yeah, but…’ Now they’re 4-0 against the second-toughest schedule… yet there’s stuff I don’t like, but they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt.”
• Stat from Sheil:
  • “They didn’t complete a pass in the second half. They’re the only team in the last two years to not complete a pass in the second half—and somehow still win.” (Kapadia, 33:09)
• The Hurts Debate:
  • Russillo: “I think Jalen Hurts is just average. That’s going to be the mystery: is he Dak with more success?”
  • Kapadia: “I think he’s better than average, especially with what he does in the run game—but he doesn’t always get credit for his accuracy.” (38:19)

Memorable Quote:

“Last 20 times [Jalen Hurts] started and finished a game, they have won 20 straight games. And yet… the fanbase is still like: is this team good?” – Sheil Kapadia, (33:09)

NFC Rankings, Receiver Talk, and the Rams as a Threat

[42:00+]

• Russillo’s Hot Take:
  • “At this point, you can’t have [Puka Nacua] lower than third among receivers.”
  • Kapadia: “He’s incredible… so physical… makes that offense go in a way few other receivers do.” (43:05)
• Who’s Next in the NFC?:
  • Eagles, Lions, Packers, Rams: “That’s probably my four right now in the NFC that can get to the Super Bowl.” (Kapadia, 45:47)

NFL: Stats, Trends, and Quarterback Musings

Jaguars, Turnover Luck, and Trust Issues

[47:41+]

• “The turnover margin number right now in the league screams teams you don’t like with good records… Jacksonville’s 3-1 and I do not care.”
• Kapadia: “I don’t trust [Jaguars] at all; defense has overachieved, but offensively, still don’t trust them… Trevor Lawrence—more likely to be a very disappointing number one pick.” (50:47)

Brief Pittsburgh/Cleveland and Chargers/Giants analysis

[51:26+]

• Pittsburgh: “I don’t trust the Steelers. Highest EPA on turnovers in the NFL. They haven’t faced top QBs. Second hardest schedule remaining.”
• Cleveland D: “Top five defense… offense may be worst or bottom three in the NFL.” (Kapadia, 54:49)
• Chargers: “Herbert’s been hit 26 times in the last two games… if you get so many injuries at one position group, it’s almost impossible to overcome.” (Kapadia, 58:56)

College Football: Saturday’s Wildest Storylines

[63:04+]

Penn State’s Familiar Pain

[64:30]

• “Penn State loses another marquee game... Aller INT in 2OT. Franklin is now 4-21 against top 10 teams at Penn State—21 of those 25 as underdogs. Is this just ‘same old Penn State?’”
  • “It just sucks… you think the law of averages, you’ll get one of these at some point…” (Russillo, 66:23)

Oregon, Bama, and Other National Shakeups

• Oregon’s Statement: “Oregon up 17-3 at Happy Valley; Lanning gives you the throat slash after a 4th and 18 TD run.” (66:15)
• Bama Out-toughs Georgia:
  • “Bama, since that FSU loss, has cranked up the offense… Kirby Smart now 1-7 vs Bama, 99-8 vs everyone else.”
• Ole Miss, LSU:
  • “We saw the better QB win… Ole Miss’s Chambliss with the big 3rd and 14 dime. LSU’s inability to run the ball is catching up.”

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the Peculiar Greatness of the Eagles:

  “They can’t complete a pass in the second half and still win. Hilarious team that apparently never loses.” (Kapadia, 33:09)

• On Jalen Hurts' Reputation:

  “Is he average? …I think that’s going to be the mystery—is he Dak with more success?” (Russillo, 38:19)

• On Puka Nacua:

  “He is so physical... just an awesome, awesome player that makes that offense go in a way that few other wide receivers are that responsible for.” (Kapadia, 43:05)

• On Life Advice Segment:

  “Sometimes, you’re just someone who can get f***ed with—and there’s nothing you can do about it.” (Russillo, 105:31)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00–24:30] — NFL Week 4 best/worst, teams in focus (KC, Baltimore, LA Rams, Philly, Green Bay)
• [24:34–63:04] — Sheil Kapadia joins: Packers reality check, Eagles/Jalen Hurts debate, Puka Nacua, NFC outlook, advanced stat nerd-outs
• [63:04–82:00] — College Football: Penn State, Oregon, Bama, Ole Miss, LSU, weekend recap
• [83:40–112:53] — Life Advice Mailbag: Roommate bed update, living alone, relationship venting, and comical digressions

Life Advice & Aftershow Highlights

• Roommate Bed Update:
  • Comedic dissection of a listener living with a roommate sleeping without a bed.
• Living Alone in College:
  • Sincere breakdown of the anxieties and upsides in transitioning to solo living after roommates graduate.
• Relationship Venting Crisis:
  • Advice for listener overwhelmed by fiancée’s endless job complaints: “Your job is to sit there, and you take it. You eat it up... If you can’t, you have to be real about it.”
• Memorable Lines:
  • “Sometimes, you’re just someone who they are allowed to fuck with, and that’s it.” (Russillo, 105:31)

Tone & Style Notes

• The episode is dense with stats, advanced metrics, and dry, sardonic humor.
• Both Russillo and Kapadia keep the tone conversational, candid, and a touch world-weary (“best win…worst loss…what does it even mean?”).
• The show balances genuine insider analysis (“I went back and watched every Jackson Dart third down this morning…”) with meta commentary on NFL/CFB content culture.

If you want all-22 football nerdery, confidence-probing stats, and honest college football therapy—without the hype—this is your show.