NFL Week 18 Recap!!

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The Heat the Call Podcast

is so ready for the postseason.

Bye-bye, trash bags.

Bye-bye.

Nice knowing you.

See you next September.

Welcome to the flagship program

and the end of the Yellow Brick Road.

That was the 2018.

2018?

Did I just say 2018?

It's been a long time.

Holy God.

The 2025 regular season.

Heed in that call.

Dan Hans is here.

Mark Sessler, Connor Ward, Justin Graver.

I need to check.

Am I having a stroke?

I will check in in a moment on my pulse rate.

Yes,

forgive me and us if we're a little manic.

There's been a lot of football to watch today.

Not all of it good, but it ended with obviously the big corker, Sunday night football,

Vikings, Lions.

And now, as a result, SestDog, the playoffs are set.

Let's take a look at it, Justin.

Right now, in fact.

Here it is.

Super Bowl 24 NFL playoff bracket.

And if you're watching on YouTube, you can see the bracket right in front of us.

Those are the seeds.

Of course, the Chiefs and now the Detroit Lions in the NFC with the top seeds.

And let's take a look at the schedule for next week.

We have Saturday football, of course, in the traditional West of this slot, the Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans.

Then we get Steelers at Ravens.

Sunday, we get Broncos at Bills, Packers at Eagles, Commanders at Bucs, Monday night wildcard football.

Super wild card weekend concludes with Vikings at Rams.

How are you feeling, Susdog?

I'm pretty thrilled with how this turned out.

To the point of the west of this thing, I just saw a couple minutes before we jumped on that someone had chronicled that at 3.30 Central Time, the Texans have played on Saturday their last eight playoff games.

So there is someone somewhere that believes this is a real thing.

But I love that you get the Texans versus the Chargers because in no world do I want both of them advancing.

I want to just see one of these two rather underwhelming options play against each other.

But to me, Bucks Commanders is juicy.

So I'm very thrilled with how this came out.

I think it's like you got to get Ravens, Steelers, have them go play each other again.

It's a bit of a dice roll, and I think the viewer wins.

Con man, I'll I'll see you guys after Eagles and Packers next week which I'm very excited about.

Rooting for the Eagles oddly enough.

You'll be in the building you say?

You're going to it.

Yeah.

Very nice.

And then

right to the hotel after to hang out with you guys, which will be fun.

You know, very fun.

And bring my whole setup, you know.

But I'm rooting for, I always root for the Eagles to go as far as humanly possible in the playoffs because it's a beautiful hour and 20-minute drive.

I have my rest stops along the way, so everything is lining up, Connor, right now.

You can see Connor slowly repairing his relationship with the Eagles fan base.

It got a little bit more.

I'm a little disappointed by it, but at the same time,

I enjoy that trip.

That's all I'll say, Connor.

Of course, as the week comes up, we're going to preview all these fine games.

So, why don't we do this?

And obviously, there's already news with Black Month, excuse me, New Horizons Monday.

We will have a show coming out on Monday with Connor, James Palmer breaking down all the dismissals across the league.

There was already one today with the New England Patriots going into vrabel mode, it appears, by firing Gerod Mayo after they blow the number one pick.

So we'll touch on that, but we'll focus on that stuff for tomorrow's show.

In the here and now, let's get through the final weekend of the regular season, starting with, of course, the game of the year on paper anyway.

This is a stunning defensive performance by the Detroit Lions.

I don't have a good Collinsworth, okay?

But

this is a stunning defensive performance by the Detroit Lions.

That right there is the homespun wisdom of one Chris Collinsworth uttered late in the Sunday night football telecast on NBC.

By that time, we'd witnessed Aaron Glenn's defense batter and confuse Sam Darnold for three hours.

And by the end, Kevin O'Connell's previously bulletproof playbook had been reduced to smoldering ash.

The Detroit Lions, 31.

Minnesota Vikings, 9.

A blowout at Ford Field with the win.

The Lions, as we said, clinched the top seed in the NFC and all the nice things to go with it.

The Vikings, meanwhile, must now regroup ahead of a wild card matchup again on Monday night in Los Angeles against the Rams.

Mark, dominant effort by the Lions defense carries the day in the game of the year.

Go freaking figure.

Yeah, I mean, and Collinsworth's not wrong in the sense that Aaron Glenn, like, if he was not already going to get a job, he's going to get a job somewhere now, I would believe.

And, like, it's what they've done over the last three or four weeks defies what we kind of sort of said.

Like, you know, there's a critical mass of too many injuries and the Lions are going to start to be porous on that side of the ball.

I thought they were just so aggressive tonight, using a ton of man coverage.

We've seen the numbers there that like you take,

my concern for the Vikings is like, if you can show that you can take Justin Jefferson out of the game and make Sam Darnold this uncomfortable, like they're toast.

Like this was the first time in a long time where I thought Darnold, you could see kind of the thousand yard stare.

And they were just so aggressively going after him.

And I think part of the reason that I would say that Aaron Glenn would deserve a chance to be a head coach beyond what he's already done is like we get that they're all banged up, but there's certain players like I'd point to like Amik Robertson who was a slot cornerback who now is playing outside, stuck on to Justin Jefferson all night tonight and shut him down.

Like they're coaching players up.

And I think it's that development and who they are.

And it's like, it's not just the Lions thing, but like Dan Campbell just empowers his coordinators.

And I think what we saw tonight was the absolute belief by the players in their coordinator, which I don't think is true with team to team and case to case.

And like this was a powerful performance.

This thing was over in the second, I thought second or third quarter, really.

And it was because of the ferocity and like just the way that they beat up the Vikings.

It was a very physical game, and the Vikings have to try to prove to someone that they can play that kind of game.

It might be good for the Vikings to have this happen so they can go look themselves in the mirror and say, okay, someone's done it to us.

How do we diagnose and not have that happen again?

I thought two moments in particular that kind of blew me away.

One, just kind of expanding on your defense take here.

It felt like almost all those downs.

It was like an old Seahawks kind of gambit where it was like, we're just going to kind of commit.

some degree of pass interference on every play and understand that it's one of the biggest moments of the year and the league's not going to throw very many flags.

I don't think I just, I looked, searched the box score.

I don't think I found any DPIs.

I think I found an OPI, but you guys can correct me if I'm wrong on that.

There wasn't a ton of penalties called in general.

And I think that was a great gamble because by the time you got.

to Sam Darnold that many times, right?

He was off his rhythm so many times.

You had that fourth down down by the goal line where Kevin O'Connell gave him the green light to go for it.

He had Nailer wide open and he missed him just because he was off his rhythm.

And then you flip it over to the other side.

Ben Johnson makes this call in fourth and two at the goal line where he sees the same thing.

The Vikings are always doing this cover-zero thing.

We're going to flood the line.

We're going to confuse the crap out of everybody at the line of scrimmage.

But he kind of noticed, right, all those outside backers, they're facing forward, right?

They're going to come.

They're going to blitz, right?

So I'm just going to send Jameer Gibbs on a little route over the middle, and he's going to be wide open.

And so, like, the counterplay calling there from both of the coordinators, I thought, was just fantastic.

It was next level.

Yeah, I thought Aaron Glenn had a good chance of getting a job before this game, but with this spotlight on this island, to have the game that he had, any team would be crazy not to think that he would be a good fit to give a chance considering his reputation as Sterling in all other ways.

And you mentioned Amik Robertson, Mark, this is a cornerback who's on the street.

They sign him.

He had some history, like when he was a kid playing football against Justin Jefferson.

And they said, all right, take a shot on him and play man defense.

And he absolutely locked him down.

He locked him down.

Robertson allowed to Justin Jefferson, best wide receiver in the world, three catches for 54 yards on seven targets.

Robertson shadowed Jefferson on 35 of his 43 routes tonight.

I mean,

this is unbelievable.

Like, to be able to do that, and I understand, like, Darnold did not have a good game.

He missed Jefferson.

Jefferson could have a touchdown that he dropped

that he's caught.

I don't think Jefferson had his best game either.

But I thought it was really interesting how in a game where the stats don't really tell the story because Darnold got hit 10 times in this game.

He was sacked just twice, but he was so uncomfortable this entire game.

And you saw that.

And they made him uncomfortable.

And he never found a rhythm.

And you're right to the point, Mark, that now the Vikings saw what the Lions cooked up for him to win the division.

If they get him again, and Dan Campbell seems to think that will happen because he said when he met

KOC at midfield, I'll see you in two weeks,

they probably can't win with the same game plan.

But what a hell of a time to bust it out in this spot to pick up a dominant victory and put a cap on what was like a magical season for the Detroit Lions.

Aren't they such a different defense with Alex Hanzalone back too?

I mean, he was all over the field.

Brian Branch, they're just very vicious.

And

to me, I feel comfortable with the fact that the better team won won this game.

And like the Vikings are an excellent story.

They're both great stories, but this is correctly slotted.

And I think tonight, I'm kind of,

I'm satisfied that it was a very decisive victory because this is what the Lions have been, and they've overcome a lot.

And the guys we're mentioning were not guys we thought we'd be mentioning on the Lions two months ago.

And I like the fact that their backfield still works too.

It's like they just find solutions, and they found another one tonight in the biggest of possible spots.

And let's not sleep on Jim.

Yeah, you mentioned the backfield, Jameer Gibbs.

This guy's a star.

I mean, so obviously you lose his counterpart and David Montgomery, and maybe they get him back by the end of the, late in the playoffs, but it doesn't sound great.

He scores four touchdowns in this game, and the way he moves with the ball in his hands, just absolutely electric.

So that kind of gets covered up, though, because it wasn't Detroit's best day on offense, right, Mark Connor.

It wasn't like the Detroit offense that has lit the league on fire.

We didn't see any like trick plays, and I'm sure we will see them in a couple weeks, but like for the time being, they just went about their business, and it was just, it must have been such a relief

because we're just like one week removed from Aaron Glenn with a thousand-yard stare on the sideline because they can't get a stop against the rundown 49ers.

To have this, I really was, I thought, a shocking way for this game to play out and such a good sign for Detroit going into the playoffs that it's not going to be only the offense and the defense dragging behind, at least in this game, and maybe it's a sign of things to come.

We'll see.

There is some balance here.

And if they have any sense of balance, they're going to win the Super Bowl.

I mean,

what's not to like otherwise?

And I mean, I think offensively, I think it was a good day because this is the best defense you're going to play, period.

Like, you're not going to face a better defense in the playoffs.

Like, you know, maybe if maybe if the Eagles get on a heater, you know, Fangio can come up with something that is somewhat there.

But Brian Flores has run the best defense in the NFL this year.

It's the hardest defense to go against.

They show you basically a different look on every down.

You don't know where you are.

You can't count on anything.

And you're kind of in the wild against this defense.

And I thought Ben Johnson did a really nice job of, you know, he would change things up too.

He would counter so that maybe the Vikings were in weird spots too, and they kept going, okay, we're only going to put one down lineman down.

We're only going to, we're going to crash in all these different ways.

And so I thought it was a nice little chess match.

And to get as much as you did out of it, I think is a huge confidence booster there.

And Jameer Gibbs, to your guys's point, too, really interesting because although you don't have David Montgomery, I think having him on the field more does add a different dynamic to this offense and it does make you fear certain things

on a more regular basis, which I do think is valuable.

And I think also one thing like tonight, because Montgomery added the hammer aspect that would wear defenses down late, but they started to do that.

They scored three straight touchdowns on a combined 26 plays over three drives.

Like, they found solutions against this Vikings' defense and against Brian Flores.

And it seemed to me that Minnesota was tired at the end because of what the Lions were doing on some level.

So,

that was what I loved about them the most: that both of these running backs really found a way to beguile whatever you brought against them.

And I saw that a little bit tonight.

I was a little concerned early, like, before all the touchdowns came for Gibbs was like, without Montgomery, can they do the same thing?

It's like, they're going to find a way.

But, like,

they solve this very complex, hard-to-deal with defense in the game itself, which says a lot about the coaching staff.

And of course, the Lions cannot get through a game without an injury on their defense.

This time it was defensive back Terry Ann Arnold, who gets rolled up on, it doesn't look good.

He heads straight to the locker room, doesn't return to the game for a team that's been absolutely decimated on every level of their defense.

And they get a couple of guys back, and then Arnold goes out.

The good news is, Dan Campbell said, and we're going to hear from Dan Campbell in a bit,

that the x-rays on Arnold were negative, the ankle's really tender.

And this, again, this is one of the many reasons, Connor, this was a huge victory for the Lions because now they have a two-week break to get right, get healthy, and hopefully for the Lions' sake, Arnold could be in their secondary when they play the Vikings or whomever they get.

My last thought

on this game, Connor, is is there's going to be, I imagine, because it's already happened before this season, perhaps a rush to judgment now to say that the Vikings were exposed or Sam Darnold was exposed.

Like, okay, like, do it again.

Go ahead.

And then see what happens next week with the Minnesota offense because that's a well-coached team with a lot of talent that has been through wars and won a lot of close games this year.

I don't think.

I don't really think less of the Vikings out of this game.

They just got beat by the Lions who really came with a great game plan and they executed.

Um,

so disregard the Vikings at your own peril now.

That's all I'll say.

I totally agree.

And you look at how many little things could have just gone slightly differently.

Like Andrew Van Ginkle holds on to that ball and that he almost picked off at the line and takes that back for a touchdown.

If Jared Goff's wide receiver is just like another foot to the right, he gets called for intentional grounding in the end zone, and that's a safety, right?

You know, and there's all these little things that did really go well secretly under the radar for the Lions.

Not to mention, I mean, just to connect it back to my point at the top, this officiating crew, I think Kevin Siefford said this from ESPN, was the most defensive pass interference heavy officiating crew in the NFL this year and did not hammer the Lions at all today.

If they see them again on a neutral field, you know that Kevin O'Connell is going to be in the league's ear about that all week.

He's going to be like, they beat the crap out of us, you know, beyond five yards.

You have to call that stuff.

I think that's something that's going to come up again.

So I don't think this is going to to be necessarily a guaranteed repeat win for the Lions.

The Detroit Lions, 15-2.

That's incredible.

All right.

Let's keep moving.

We'll cycle back.

Oh, what do we got?

What do we got?

What am I looking at on YouTube right now?

Connor Orr holding up the cover of Sports Illustrated.

What are we looking at?

This is our football preview for 2024.

The resurgent Lions, right team, right town, right time.

Why Detroit's going to win the Super Bowl?

By Connor Orr.

Yeah.

Hell yeah.

Just saying.

I think

it's just cool to know someone that has authored like a sports illustrated cover story.

Like the child me would be like, what, really?

You know someone that did that?

That was a good call by us.

I feel good.

Well done.

Well done.

It's looking good.

It's looking good, but they got three wins to go.

Let us move now to another game with the division on the line.

It was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the New Orleans Saints.

It wasn't as easy as we thought it might be, but the Bucs got it done.

Sess Dog.

What matters most in life?

36 seconds left.

The Bucs have locked up the NFC South.

They're in.

They have the ball back.

You kneel, some would say.

High security.

High metrics.

But don't tell that to Baker Mayfield.

Don't tell that to glorious Mike Evans.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever, wrote John Keats.

And then it happens.

They line up in an obvious passing formation, and Baker unfurls a dart.

Evans pulls in a nine-yarder, and it's been done, tying Jerry Rice's 1,000-yard season record.

Thousands, tens of thousands, chant his name.

They work themselves out of a bad first half.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fun.

They're attractive.

They're slightly erotic.

They're in the playoffs.

This is a team filled with people we root for.

The Commanders come next.

Bucks 27.

Saints 19.

You had me everything but erotic, but that's a mark thing, and I'll let you unpack that privately when the cameras and mics are off.

I'm totally with you.

Like, that was a...

Sex Edition?

You got five sex?

There's a certain energy to them.

Sexual exercise.

Listen,

most of us don't see it as a sexual energy, but that's what makes you, you, and the rest of the world, the rest of the world.

It was a move that if it had backfired, and I know the Falcons then blew it, so it didn't matter ultimately, but let's just say in a parallel universe, the Falcons don't blow it against the Panthers, and Baker throws a pick six in that spot.

It goes down as one of the most crushing

mistakes in the history of an organization.

But that's not what happened.

And there's something to be said

for

repping your dude.

This isn't somebody that was going for their first 1,000-yard season.

And also like, oh, he also got a $3 million incentive.

And that's cool, too.

But this was about a legend of the franchise in Mike Evans tying the GOAT, the greatest, arguably the greatest player who's ever lived in Jerry Rice.

The stakes were higher than your typical situation.

And it did show, I think, Mark, to what you're saying about what is attractive, not to me physically or intimately, but what makes you want to root for the Bucs and like the Bucks is that, of course, the Baker team was going to do that in that spot.

and they got it done.

So you had like such a cool thing because you had this whole situation, Mark, where

they needed to get back on the field and just through sheer luck, they do get this opportunity.

And then you have a timeout that gets called.

So the whole stadium is now aware of what's happening.

They pull it off and then time runs out and it expires and it begins this like incredible celebration.

Do we have some of that celebration, by the way?

1,000 yards.

I love it.

The culture is strong in Tampa, Mark.

It really is.

Like, I think that the thing is, there's this sort of improbable nature of the Bucs because think where we were like three weeks ago with Mike Evans it's like well oh crap he's not going to get this done this year probably like it seems like it's not going to happen because you know he missed games and then you get creep you creep closer and closer to it and I guess the only thing I'd say from the from the fact that like a they climbed out of a tough first half in this game and Mike Evans was not a factor and it looked like it wasn't going to go this way for multiple reasons.

Like Jalen McMillan is a really interesting young wide-out they have that was making big plays and helped them make this victory possible.

So the Mike Evans thing, they cut to him after they had scored and there was like very little time left.

The Saints were going to get the ball.

And then you see, you see Evans on the sideline.

And this is a good dude.

So he wasn't throwing a tantrum.

He was on the bench.

But I just felt like...

You go watch it and tell me, I felt like you could see that he was frustrated.

He and his heart wanted this.

And I think also Baker Mayfield is rumbling up and down the sideway, wanted this.

And if you're Todd Bowles, you want this for this player.

You work with this guy every day.

And so so I think the thing for the Bucs, and the reason I'm so glad it happened, is because you don't want to spend coming out of this game win or lose or all week trying to explain away why it didn't happen.

That if you got the ball back and you kneeled and you kneel down and the game floats away, it's like, what are we doing?

as a team, as an organization?

Who are we?

And it's like, I'm glad it worked, but it was a risk, but I'm glad it worked because it suddenly makes everything feel right.

And the scene of him marching off the field with his teammates when this happened was one of the cooler things I've seen all season.

That's what I'll say.

There was a feeling to it and an energy, and maybe erotic is not the right word, but there was just something where, like, no one can control how they feel when they watch this because it makes you feel good unless you're feeling.

If you're dancing in your pants, it's erotic.

So it is the right word for you.

He was, just to give us a little more clarity, he was sitting on 995 after the Bucs scored the touchdown to kind of put the game away, and the Saints had the ball.

And if things just play out a little bit differently, the game ends with the Saints in some fruitless final drive, but they turn it over on downs, and then that's when the decision gets made.

So like that was, and he was sitting on 995, and that would have been a tough thing to deal with, Connor.

The question now becomes, what will we see from the Bucs in the playoffs?

We've seen some good and some bad the last few weeks.

I can't totally erase what happened in.

in the first half of this game when I'm thinking about how serious we should take the Bucs.

But at the end of the day, they're the team that we wanted to come out of the NFC South, and that's who we're getting.

I'm just grateful that the Bucs have showed us the absolute fine line as to how you can get flagged for pantomiming a handgun celebration.

Like we've now seen,

we've now seen the softest.

Like he was clearly just pointing forward, but even pointing forward like this is apparently, and if you're watching, not watching on YouTube, I'm just pointing.

I got two fingers and a thumb.

He's gentle.

But he, you know, that's, it's.

You'll get a FedEx letter in front of your stool from the Heath the Call board.

But that was like, that was like the dividing line.

It's like, okay, anything funnier than that is not gun hands, and anything more serious than that is actually gun hands.

And what about Kevin Burkhart pointed out, like, well, like, if you're watching this, like, you can't mimic like a weapon or a gun.

And Tom Brady's like, well, that was unacceptable.

It wasn't that unacceptable.

Like, what if we, where's the line, though?

Like, can you use,

I don't know, like a hand grenade?

Is that allowed?

Can you use a long-range rifle?

Like, can you use a flamethrower?

I don't think a long-range rifle works.

So Tom Brady, of all people, used to sprint the length of the field and then throw his fist in the air.

And that's a violent action.

Have you ever seen Rocky IV?

It was supposed to be an exhibition.

Ivan Dragos had deadly fists.

Sure.

Very good point, Connor.

Yeah.

Just saying.

Congratulations to Mike Evans.

11 straight years.

Chris Wesling, who, you know, another season without Wes, but always thinking about him, his brother, Nick, his older brother, Nick,

like five years ago, four years ago, when I was writing for NFL.com, I had my annual Superstar Club column, and I had DK Metcalf in the Superstar Club and Mike Evans just missing the cut.

He never misses a chance to remind me that I fed it up.

And I got multiple texts

from

Nick today about it.

And you know what?

That's okay.

That's okay.

That's about me.

That's a Hall of Fame player, and he deserves his flowers.

And I'm glad the Bucks made sure he got him.

All right, let's take a break.

And when we get back,

more week 18.

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All right, we're back

by the way, it's as we tape this it's 1238 a.m.

in the leafy suburb of New Jersey where Connor lives, but he looks pretty bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

He does fresh.

I did it like 7.30

right.

Well, yeah, 7.30, 7.45.

I tried an ice-cold shower.

Like you just jump in and you just blast yourself with cold water.

So I feel awesome right now.

I don't do that often.

Jesus Christ.

But I feel unbelievable right now.

I'm ready to roll.

That's what they say.

Like, if you are a hopeless drunk or need to record a late-night football podcast, take an ice-cold shower.

Or both at the same time.

All right, before we get into the next game, let's cycle back and check in with Dan Campbell, who is obviously feeling good after his Detroit Lions clinching number one seed in the NFC.

You know, I can't say enough about our defense.

Let me start there, man.

AG and this defense, they really,

you know, controlled that game for us, particularly the first half, first,

you know, two and a half quarters.

The guys on defense, I thought, executed exactly the way that

we had worked and what we had talked about.

We were able to apply a lot of pressure

and it just paid dividends.

You know, that's a good team over there.

They're well coached.

Kevin O'Connell does a great job.

Ton of weapons, and we were able to contain them

and keep them at bay until our offense was able to

find our rhythm.

Yeah.

If you feel good for Dan Campbell, who, you know, a couple years ago, it looked like he might not survive his second year at the team.

And now...

you know, near the top of any list of the best coaches in the league.

And, you know, obviously, good for him.

Good for the Lions.

Let's see where this goes.

Got the job only after Matt Campbell at Iowa State turned it down.

Crazy.

I think you got the right Campbell.

I think they did.

I think they did.

All right, let's move on.

The Denver Broncos.

They were hosting the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.

They needed it.

Did they get it?

Let's go.

Well, yeah, they did.

Spoiler alert.

Third time's the charm for the Denver Broncos, who at long last punched their ticket to the postseason with a 38-nil wipeout of the Kansas.

See, I don't even feel comfortable calling Denver's opponent on Sunday the Kansas City Chiefs, because, you know, and I know, we did not see the Kansas City Chiefs play pro football on Sunday.

But yes, the Broncos shut out their opponent at Mile High on Sunday, getting a huge day from Bo Nicks, their super rookie, to end a Denver postseason dry spell that went all the way back to Super Bowl 50.

As we stated earlier, the Broncos get the Bills in Orchard Park next Sunday at 1 p.m.

Eastern.

And while the Bills boys will be heavy favorites to advance, I think Sean Payton has the right young quarterback to go into that game with the right mindset.

And

I get it.

And I tweeted about it during the game.

I was endlessly impressed with Nix

for most of his rookie season

culminating with this game where in the first half he starts 18 for 18 for 215 yards and three touchdowns.

In a win-in game, it's big boy stuff.

And then I got a bunch of replies like, F you, you're the worst.

You're an idiot.

Like they weren't playing a real team.

I get that, and I understand they were playing the backups, but when you're a rookie quarterback and you've just lost back-to-back games and you have a chance to get the yips or get stressed out by the moment and get tight, and all of a sudden, maybe you're in a 10-9 game in the fourth quarter.

That stuff has happened, and it happens all the time in football.

But if you have the right

coaching staff, if you have the right scheme and the right young quarterback leading the way, you immediately go right down the field and score a touchdown, which the Broncos did in this game.

And then you get a stop, and then you go back down the field again, and you remove any nerves.

And Nick's was at the center of all that.

So I know that was the pedigree of Nick's coming into the league, right?

That

he had so much experience in college.

This wasn't your typical rookie quarterback.

And it played out exactly that way.

So, you know, as we're celebrating Dan Campbell, like, you got to give it up to Sean Payton, the whole Broncos operation for identifying Nick's in a draft where he wasn't even within, what, the first five quarterbacks picked, four or five quarterbacks picked, and absolutely locking themselves in with a franchise type player.

And we'll see what he does in Buffalo.

But in this game, again, backups or not, he was nails and he's just had such an impressive rookie year.

Good for them.

10 wins in a playoff spot.

I mean, like, first of all, it's a, you've never done this before as a rookie.

Like, no matter what, and I think this time of year for a rookie quarterback, your season is elongated and more tiresome and wearisome than any college season that you've ever been through.

And a lot of these quarterbacks, maybe not so much now, but we've seen them hit a wall.

And instead, he's going 26 for 29.

And I get that there were not certain Chiefs players not on the field, but talk about delivering.

Talk about fitting with your head coach.

Talk about the fact that this all happened very quickly.

It's Dan Campbell that just said, like, we needed to go through these four years to get to where we are.

And I don't know how long Sean Payton will be there.

We don't know that, but like for this advanced growth by your quarterback as a rookie in year one, married with this defense, I'm interested in this matchup because I kind of want to see this AFC Denver Broncos defense versus the Bills.

I think it's obvious that's going to be a tall order, but what an interesting team right now compared to where they were a year ago.

It's happened quickly.

What was your perception of the level of effort?

Because I'm looking forward to game passing this, but there was a great deal of hand-wringing about this on

social media.

Were the Chiefs just like on their phones the whole time?

That seems to be kind of the vibe I was getting from that.

You know, I'd love to be one of the people, because I saw it as I was watching the game, they were up in arms and burying the Chiefs for their effort level.

But it's like,

cry about it.

I mean, they are the number one seed.

They had everything locked locked up.

If they win, they allow the Cincinnati Bengals into the playoffs.

And the Cincinnati Bengals once went into Arrowhead in the playoffs and won a damn football game.

And while I didn't see my guess, because it didn't seem like it's not like the effort wasn't there.

I thought the players on the field were trying.

But is it possible that,

and you would know this better than me, Connor, so please let me know when you do check this game out.

Like the scheme that Spaggs put out there, was it very vanilla and basic i would imagine it was i don't think they they went into this game uh with the mindset of cooking up anything elaborate and i i think what what this actually was though is like one of those games where one team needs it they're in front of their home crowd they get up early and then it's just over and it just becomes a boat race as they say so yeah i understand the frustration because how do the chiefs Mahomes or not or whatever lose 38-0?

Well, there's a bunch of events in here.

And if you really want to get on the Chiefs for not hanging in this game more, well, that's what you, when you go 15-1, you have the advantage to make choices either that are obvious or not obvious.

And they made a choice.

And, you know, I can't get that pissed about it.

As a byproduct, I mean, not that you'd, no one's going in with this as a strategy necessarily, but like you've retained the Broncos in the playoffs and knocked out a team we'll talk about later in the Cincinnati Bengals.

I know who I'd rather play two weeks from now if I'm the Chiefs.

Right.

And, you know, they have, we were talking about it going into the game, like Carson Wentz,

if you squint a little bit, you're like, oh, maybe that's a frisky guy to have in the game as your quarterback with Mahomes.

No.

Wentz looked like a guy that has no business playing NFL football.

So, you know, this is the opposite of what we saw in New England.

We'll get to them with Milton today, where you had a perfect guy.

So, where once you fell behind, you had this guy that's basically an XFL quarterback in there.

And it was just like exactly, it kind of played out exactly how Kansas City wanted ultimately.

And I think everyone's going to forget about that in about 24 to 48 hours anyway so you know that the Broncos were very fortunate the way things played out let's face it but they took it they took advantage of it and they were decisive in punching their tickets so that's the way it goes

that's it as we all know decided to really go ahead and start to take command

taking command

at all by the way Carson Wentz let's take a look at this hope you're watching the show on YouTube youtube.com slash

at

the Call Pod.

Wow.

Carson Wentz dressed like a 1920s oil baron.

He looks like he just

heading onto the boat to go to Skull Island to capture King Kong.

Like, I don't know.

Like,

how are we surprised that he played terribly in the game?

I don't know.

The rest of that tweet was Broncos by six scores.

And 38-0, that is six scores so pretty pretty good tweet that is a good tweet he is not dressing himself by the way like if we know it like if we've tracked carson wentz from a clothing fashion he was one of the more basic athletic bro dressers around and proud of it like i don't know if it's a if it's a man or a woman or whatever i think he's being dressed by the ghost of woodrow wilson that would be right well right

yes that's who it is that's who's done this uh by the way i should mention this final stat line.

And again, I know who's against, blah, blah, blah.

But very cool that Bo Nix goes 26 of 29 for 321, four touchdowns,

setting Denver records for completion percentage and most completions to start a game.

He was absolutely locked in.

I can't wait to see what he does in Buffalo.

It's really kind of

a classic.

There's real pressure on Denver.

The season's already successful.

We'll talk about this.

I don't want to get into it.

So let's just, so let's end this by hearing from Bo Nicks and after their blowout win, and we'll talk about Denver more as the week goes on.

What an incredible day.

First time the Broncos are in the playoffs since 2015.

And you're the first rookie quarterback to take them back there since John Elway.

What does that mean to you?

What does it mean to this team and this fan base?

Well, it means everything.

You know, we've worked really hard for this.

You know, quite honestly, opening the season, nobody expected us to do this, but we didn't really listen to that.

We just came out there and put a lot of games together, and we've lost a few tough ones, but we've also won some big ones.

So this team deserves it.

By the way, the Jets picked one spot before the Broncos, but that's not a problem.

They're okay at quarterback.

All right, let's move on up next.

Mark Sessler take us to some Saturday football where the Ravens were looking to lock up their division

telling us exactly how plugged in the 2024 Cleveland Browns are, the team's social media limb, Splash tweeted their final pregame image of the season before kickoff.

A beautiful photo of the Ravens home field.

The team ripped from your womb, stolen from you across landscapes, your mortal enemy.

What are we doing here?

Am I overreacting?

Am I overreacting to a team that finished as the league's lowest scoring unit, leading the league in interceptions?

Or are they level beyond human geniuses?

Heavensgate 2.0 disappearing on field for a month plus and securing the number two pick while dumbass loser teams win stupid games in week 18.

Bigger story though, F the Browns.

Derek Henry looking like he spent a month in Argentina with de-aging scientists.

The Ravens defense rising.

Nate Wiggins shining.

Kyle Van Noy growing younger and more virile by the week.

12-5 division champs.

Cigar smoke wafting in the locker room.

Everyone desired by the hottest lady in town.

All that matters is is what comes next.

Ravens 35, Browns 10.

Well, F me.

I'm glad you brought it around to the Ravens, Mark, because the Browns,

the only conversation around the Browns is where they are in the NFL draft, which we'll get to in a little bit.

The conversation around the Ravens, yeah, they got it done.

And it's crazy to think about it, Mark.

Like, they started the season 0-2,

and there were some hiccups along the way after that, even.

But when it was time to turn it it on, when the Pittsburgh Steelers had three games on them with four weeks to go, they won all their games.

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost all their games.

And we'll get to the Steelers in a second.

And the Ravens are where we kind of thought they would be at the end of this season, atop the AFC North, and obviously dangerous for many reasons going into the playoffs.

They scored 35 points and have

three drives in the first five that end on downs in Cleveland Territory.

One right in the Baltimore Territories.

Like they were, they were kind of, it was a slow start, but what I love about them is that

they're pretty much, you've got to do it for four quarters.

And Derrick Henry started just to plow over Cleveland at one point.

And, you know, we get it.

Cleveland's defense has been put on an island week after week because the offense has simply given up.

They play their fourth quarterback.

They're, you know, they're switching Bailey Zappi.

And like, it was ridiculous.

But I do think it's a pretty good defense in Cleveland.

And Baltimore just is a different team.

When they started 0-2,

you weren't looking at Mark Andrews at that point in the season.

Like, someone like Rashad Bateman was not a factor like he is now.

Lamar Jackson is surrounded by better weaponry, but he's become such a clean and effective pocket passer.

And I kind of felt like Baltimore, even though they had a bunch of unsuccessful drives yesterday, they're still scoring this many points.

There was a pick 6-2,

but it almost like they could go through the motions against a team like this, a lesser team like this.

So I think for me, it's just what's ahead.

It's what's ahead.

And like they're for them to go face the Steelers who have fallen off a cliff entirely.

Like I don't like the idea of having to play a division team for like the third time in the playoffs.

I'm not concerned in this situation.

The big story, Connor, beyond the fact that they locked in the division win and the home game that comes with it is Zay Flowers, the number one wide receiver who gets

rolled up on in this game or fallen on basically did not look pleasant.

And there's a report on Sunday from Ian Rappaport that Flowers is likely to miss the Ravens wildcard round game next week.

And beyond that, we're still kind of waiting out how severe the injury is.

So it sounds like, best case scenario, they miss him for one week.

And if the Ravens advance, then you cross your fingers.

But it's possible he's done for the season.

We don't know.

We don't have that clarity yet.

But obviously, that's going to hurt.

the Baltimore attack.

And it comes right at the time when there's so much on the line for the Ravens and Lamar and everything around the reputations of the players and the coach involved in this game.

And it stinks, too, because Zay Flowers was really, you know, for years, the Ravens kept swinging and missing at that position at the top end of the draft.

And they took a lot of, they spent a lot of capital on it.

And Zay was the first person to come in and really sort of turn the Ravens' offense inside out.

Before they just had guys who were in slots and they were performing tasks.

And Zay was the first one that really helped them break out of that and have a true game-altering wide receiver talent.

Now you're really going to have to put a lot of stress on some of your other, you know, speed-oriented guys to try to get the same effect on a defense.

And it doesn't always necessarily work that way.

Yeah, and this comes, football could be like a messed up thing.

Like Flowers learns.

I think there was video that the Ravens social media team put up of Eric DaCosta, the GM, letting him know that he was a Pro Bowler the first time in the history of the Baltimore Ravens that a wide receiver had been selected for the Pro Bowl.

And then this happened.

So you hope he gets back there.

He is obviously Lamar's favorite target, Mark.

But I also like that you brought up Mark Andrews because he was a total afterthought.

By the first, at the quarter poll of this season, remember week one, they played the opening game against the Chiefs, and Isaiah likely had the big game, and he was the big waiver pickup in fantasy.

And it looked like Andrews, the injuries had just led to him being a non-factor.

Every game, this guy is making big plays.

He ends up with 11 touchdowns, I believe, this season.

And he's he's going to continue to be a key guy for this team as he has been for the last three quarters of the season.

They'll need him to be.

I mean, they ran the ball 35 times yesterday, very productively.

So they can beat you in different ways.

But I really think the big story for Baltimore, I mean, that is a big injury right there.

But the defense, which was a penalty-ridden and really a kind of a shattered secondary early in the year, like they look very different.

Like,

I think that's important because that's how I thought they could get tagged in the playoffs was like, cool, go score 25 on us, but we're going to run over you and you can't get out of your own way if we've got an effective passing game.

That's looked different over the last month.

They're not perfect, but like some of their younger guys have really stepped up.

And I think, you know, this is a team that has like a second-year coordinator on offense, and that's grown up and looks great.

But a first-year young defensive coordinator who never called plays before, like that took time, and it seems to be rounding into shape.

It does.

And I think that's why the Ravens, to me, are much more fearsome than I thought they were a couple months ago when they seem to have an Achilles on that side of the ball.

All right, let's move on to the other Saturday night game.

As Dan Mark and the gravedigger met up with Jordan Rod Rieg and Michael Sean Dugar at Venice Beach,

good vibes, good hang last night.

The Cincinnati Bengals were trying to stay alive.

Yes, let the Cincinnati Bengals stand as the cautionary tale of the dangers of the snooze button.

It sucks,

but you just gotta get out of bed, take a shower, brush your teeth get dressed eat a banana get out the damn door so while saturday's 1917 win over the steelers temporarily kept playoff hopes alive and ended the year on a commendable five-game surge that early season over slumber in the form of an 0-3 start resonates as the latest what if in joe burrows lengthening hero arc as for the steelers

They're the inverse of their rival.

The boomer who got out of bed at 4 a.m.

was done with a workout by 5.30 was braggy, talking about the importance of attacking the day.

But by nightfall, you're slumped in your easy chair, nodding out to reruns of Matlock is a lady now.

These teams need to find a balance within each other.

Yeah, like

obviously the Bengals, they did what they had to do.

They needed help

the next day, and the Broncos gave them no help at all.

And the Steelers, here they go.

They go from 10 and 3, Connor, to 10 and 7.

They get the Ravens now next week.

And

as I'm watching this game, I'm like thinking,

where is the path to the Steelers hanging in a playoff game after what we've seen?

This feels like a team that really has fallen off a cliff and into the Pacific.

And this is not,

you know,

it's crazy because it shouldn't be indicative of a Mike Tomlin team.

But I think now it's every year since like 2019 or 2020 that they've lost a majority of their games in December.

I think at least three games in December, which is crazy.

And so, you know, this is not how

this is not how you would think a Steelers team would go, but I really don't see.

I don't see a path forward for this team.

I mean, they don't major in anything at this point outside of winning the turnover margin and getting one of those explosive plays to get return for a touchdown and then putting the other team on edge.

And you just, you know, we say this forever that you can't rely on it.

And the Steelers do and they do well, but they've had these support games where they've majored in the run.

They've had some good performances, but it seems like the receiving core is melting down.

You know, there's a lot of visible frustration there.

It just, it doesn't seem like there's any there there.

Yeah, this is a team like heading into the playoffs.

And when they slumped on offense,

we pointed, you know, pretty systematically to like George Pickens over and over.

Like, well, he's been out of the lineup and their passing games changed.

He's back.

He has six targets, multiple drops, one catch for zero yards.

And we're heading into the playoffs.

And all there is is, and you're watching on YouTube, you see this, here's the drops, and he's got veteran teammates coming up and walking to him and saying, get your head in the game.

Even Russell Wilson, who is far from perfect in this, obviously, is sitting down with a young player saying, pick it up.

Like, you're important to us, and this isn't about you.

And he was arguing with, like, Steelers fans.

Like, it's the feelings aren't good around here compared to some of these teams we're talking to.

And it's almost like impossible to imagine or conceive how they were so effective on offense for a certain stretch and then look at them now.

Am I crazy or has there been like a knucklehead wide receiver on the Steelers for like 20 straight years?

You're not going to be able to do that.

I think that might not be a total coincidence because they might be a team that takes more chances on guys that are a little checkered off the field and they hope talent wins out and talent does win out sometimes, but then you get stuff like this, not to group everyone in the same bucket, but it does seem like a pattern that must have some type of connection in that world.

Pittsburgh had 193 yards.

Last time these team played, these two teams played five weeks ago, they had 520,

but since then, the Bengals never lost again, and the Steelers went in the tank.

So, you know, seasons change, and they turn on a dime, and the Steelers and the Bengals are proof.

Anything else, guys?

I do wonder if Trey Hendrickson has sealed up maybe Defensive Player of the Year.

I know everyone, it's a strange race, but he had one.

17 and a half sacks will do it.

He had three and a half yesterday, like in a big game.

Like they're a crazy team because they've got like a triple crown wide receiver, the best quarterback in the league right now, and potentially the defensive player of the year.

And they'll be watching these games at home with us.

Don't hit the snooze button.

This is why the seven seed was invented, really.

I mean,

to scoop up a team like that that gets hot at the end of the season, but instead we still get stuck with like, you know, just something something that's not as interesting or, you know, entertaining.

And I thought it was fitting.

We were at

Hanano Cafe ending the night, and

Cincinnati, as they did all season, they always flirted with disaster and left the door open to get beat.

And they did it again in this game.

They have a chance to, you know, convert a first down late and be able to, you know, run out the clock.

This is after, for the first time, Burrow and the Cincinnati offense in a month really looked mortal and had a lot of troubles in the red zone.

And if you want to hang your shingle on something as a Pittsburgh fan, it's that they did really slow down a Cincinnati attack that had been nails.

So there is that positive side of it.

But Pittsburgh gets the ball back and they just, they can't move the football.

And I know the Bengals defense played better down the stretch, but I can't take you seriously if you can't get even within striking distance for a field goal against this Cincinnati team, which gave it up all season long at similar spots.

So, ugly ending to the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and probably only one game left that we'll be watching them.

But you never

know.

Let's keep moving.

A lot of games.

A lot of games.

Week 18.

Can you believe it?

Let's take a break.

And when we get back, we roll back to Sunday.

Heed the call.

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audience only.

Charlie Sheeton is an icon of decadence.

I lit the fuse and my life turns into everything it wasn't supposed to be.

He's going the distance.

He was the highest paid TV star of all time.

When it started to change, it was quick.

He kept saying, no, no, no, I'm in the hospital now, but next week I'll be ready for the show.

Now, Charlie's sober.

He's going to tell you the truth.

How do I present this with any class?

I think we're past that, Charlie.

We're past that, yeah.

Somebody call action.

Yeah.

AKA Charlie Sheen, only on Netflix, September 10th.

All right, we are back.

Let's keep rolling.

Let's welcome in the great Justin Graver, native of the Dallas, Texas area.

And now we're going to talk about his hometown Cowboys.

How about damn cowboy?

Not even his team.

Go ahead.

The Commanders were only playing for seeding.

And in the first half, it looked like they were playing for nothing.

They were barely even playing.

The Cowboys defense was smothering their offense.

Then, Jaden Daniels was pulled just as a precaution.

He had some leg soreness and everything somehow changed.

Marcus Mariota led a massive comeback.

Not a massive, he led a comeback.

He also led a game-winning drive and allowed the commanders to secure the sixth seed with a 23-19 victory.

They would have secured it had they lost because the Packers also lost.

But hey, Mariota finding an open

McLaurin in the back of the end zone to win the game the Commanders will play in the the wild card round next Sunday night against Tampa Bay, which is a rematch of Jaden Daniels' very first NFL game.

Washington lost that 37-20.

There we go.

Good for the Commanders ending the season on a winning note, a season that was, again,

like we were talking about

with the Denver Broncos, already as a success by any measure.

In fact, Dan Quinn became the

set a record for the most wins for a first-year coach in franchise history.

And now, yeah, they have what I think is a winnable game against the Bucs, even if they are the six-seed and the Bucs are the three-seed.

It'll be interesting to see what version of the commanders show up, who still profile to me as the most unknowable entity of the playoffs because I could see them like you blink in there in the NFC title game, or they get run out of Tampa.

I could see either way here.

I mean, or the Bucs

to me also rather unknowable on what you're going to get each week.

So it's kind of a crazy matchup.

The Jaden Daniels thing, like, I hope, health-wise, I hope that doesn't become an issue because that would be a shame.

Mariota played really well, but Jaden Daniels is the reason they're unknowable because it doesn't really matter what happens to them for three quarters.

Like, he can change everything at the end.

So

take care of business.

That was good.

I guess for me, like, one thing on the Cowboys, like, I have been

pretty anti-Cowboys for a long time, and they were 7-10.

That's a big disappointment.

But, like, they played for Mike McCarthy really hard down the stretch over this last month.

And I thought guys like Micah Parsons, who played on fire today, too, it's like, that's a good sign

for that coaching staff that these guys didn't give up.

It feels like the kind of team that maybe that would happen with Cowboys, but it didn't.

It didn't.

Jake Lazer reported later in the day that the Cowboys will meet with McCarthy this week to decide the direction of the franchise.

It does feel like it's trending towards McCarthy coming back, but we won't know for a couple of days, it sounds like.

And you're going to have to do a really weird possible extension with him because Jerry keeps his coach contracts in a weird place where they extend like two weeks beyond the end of the regular season.

So he can give Mike McCarthy like a two-year extension up till like next week, which is ridiculous, but it could happen.

And shout out to Tierry McLaurin, by the way, who

finally has a quarterback to play with, and he responds with a really nice season,

finishing with over nearly 1,100 yards, 82 catches, 13 touchdowns, which is second in the NFL.

So he is now locked in the former third-round pick who played with a lot of garbage over the years.

Not as people, but like lower-level quarterbacks.

You know what I mean.

So good for Tierry.

And that was the Washington franchise record, 13th receiving touchdown most in a season for a Washington player.

The Cowboys played Trey Lance in this game.

There was

some chatter around the Cooper rush.

Like, if he hit a certain number of snaps, he got a big bonus.

And so they sat him so he wouldn't hit that bonus.

They asked Jerry Jones about that after the game, and he was like, I didn't even know about that incentive bonus.

It's like, you are the general manager who signs the contracts.

You want us to believe you don't know about that?

But Trey Lance was kind of vokey in this game.

I know there's been a lot of like

type.

Yeah, who cares?

But he he was, I mean, he meets the head.

He was fun.

Mariota was fun.

Jaden Daniels did say after the game, if this was a winner-go-home situation, they would have had to drag him off the field.

He would have played the whole game if this was next week.

And Dan Quinn said, based on the way the Cowboys were defending Washington's offense, he knew they were going to have to start using the quarterback legs a little bit more.

And he didn't want to put Daniels in harm's way in this circumstance where it didn't really matter if they won or lost.

So I think for next week, everything should be fine as far as Daniels' health is concerned.

I hope so.

All right, let's

continue to move up next.

The

Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, who are playing for something on this Sunday.

So nothing has been storybooked about this disappointing season for the Chicago Bears, but for one afternoon at Lambeau Field, their script got flipped.

Caleb Williams, who has suffered through a maddening rookie voyage, drove his team into scoring range in the final minutes.

And Cairo Santos kicked a 51-yard field goal.

His time expired to secure a 24-22 win over the Packers.

Though the Bears ending their 11-game losing streak against their division rival wasn't really the story here.

It's the Packers who are playing for next week.

And it wasn't a great day for the Packers who ceded playoff positioning and then saw their quarterback, Jordan Love, and their wide receiver, Christian Watson, leave the game with with injuries.

Now, I think Jordan Love is under the category of the Jaden Daniels side of things, given the setup of the game and that while it did have meaning for the Packers, it wasn't, you know, do or die.

He gets his, he kind of hits his elbow funny and it...

It looked like the way it was being described and the way it looked, that it was like, he basically hit his funny bone and he lost a little feeling in his hand.

Malik Willis went into the game and basically finished out the game.

But at one point, Willis takes a nasty shot and you actually see Jordan Love warming up on the sideline in the fourth quarter of a game that means nothing, which to me was the

obvious tell that this is an injury to worry about, which LaFleur kind of backed up.

Watson's different.

He had a non-contact knee injury, carted off, and he had the dreaded Connor towel over the head being taken off on the cart, which almost always means, not that I've ever been down on the field, but that's probably the trainer has told you something about what he felt in the knee as you're getting carted off that and the throbbing pain, I would imagine.

So don't look to see Christian Watson in the lineup next week and maybe not until next September.

So that's a tough one.

So you lose the game.

You lose a wide receiver that's, you know, who's popped for you this year.

And the quarterback doesn't finish the game.

So, you know, a day to forget for the Packers.

And just schematically, you lose so much versatility because their strength outside of the running game has been their ability to spread out opponents.

And any of those guys can go off at a moment's notice.

And even if one of them goes down, they're all cross-trained at different positions.

You're going to lose a little bit of that.

And that's going to hurt going into the Eagles game for sure.

Yeah, it makes you think, like, it is such a tough situation.

This was not a good week 18, matchups-wise.

It was pretty sleepy,

obviously, to the point where we've mentioned incentives a couple of times.

Like,

this feels like the year that I heard too much about incentives.

Absolutely.

I don't mean that in a way like

F them incentives.

I hope it players, they all get every incentive because the contracts, you know, this is not Major League Baseball or the NBA.

These are not guaranteed contracts.

Max out whatever you can get on the deal, but I don't need to know about it all.

Jerry Jones, he kind of needs to know.

He should know.

But when Fox, and I understand part of this was a product of like the games were kind of dog-ass games.

I'm getting now, you know, full-screen graphics of which players have incentives they're trying.

I don't give a shit.

Like, what?

Go find somebody to explain this to.

I'm sure there are agents that were plugged in on this.

I was not.

So let's come down with the incentives in 26.

Why did it pop up this year in this way?

Because I feel like in the last 10 days, this became a thing where, like, I know about 14 different players,

wealth management, and money earning.

I don't know that that's all my concern.

My theory, Mark, is that this was a weird year.

Like, for instance, and we'll circle back on the fourth committee on our

Monday or Wednesday show.

This is the first year where you could have forked a bunch of teams in October and gotten it right.

Not a lot of juice on that front.

A lot of games with a lack of meaning in this week 18.

A lot of guys, you know, players resting and everything.

So these producers are scrambling.

It's like, what are we going to talk about for three and a half hours?

So we get incentive bowl after incentive bowl.

I think that agents leak a lot of this stuff because it reflects positively, but also does it?

Because you're forcing your client to perform perform at a very high level on the 60th minute of the final game of the year to earn like a large chunk of his salary, and you should have earned that for him already.

Like, you should have negotiated that so you didn't have to do this.

Yeah.

Yeah, very fair.

And Green Bay finishes 11-6.

They are the number seven seed

in the NFC playoffs.

They will play at Philadelphia in the wild card round.

That's a good matchup.

I feel like a good one, good, good on Connor Orr for that's going to be the game he's at.

Because that feels like a coin flip game.

Not in Brazil this time.

That's helpful.

Yes.

That does help.

Hopefully never again.

All right.

Let's keep moving.

Up next in the rundown, we head to MetLife Stadium where the Dolphins began play with a chance to win the division, but you wouldn't get that feeling based on the performance

of the fish.

Connor?

Yeah.

Four Aaron Rodgers touchdowns.

Four Jets defensive takeaways.

Cool interceptions with flipping laterals.

Field-long sprints to make gutsy tackles.

No, this was not a copy of Madden 25 being played in the toilet room of some trust fund babies gold-plated helicopter.

This was an actual Jets game in the season finale against a Dolphins team that went into the afternoon with legitimate playoff aspirations.

Finally, fantasy and reality met for the Johnson family.

The 32-20 win comes amid rampant speculation as to what Aaron Rodgers will do next.

Throw six more touchdowns to topple Brett Favre and move into fourth all-time, lick toads, and solve a water crisis.

Half-insinuate that he may return to play for the 49ers during a meaningless April episode of the ESPN Punter Show, only to do a podcast about absolutely fing nothing.

It's all on the table, baby.

I, Connor, I

watch this game wistfully for what could have been for the 5-12 Jets who, if they just executed in a very basic way and the owner got out of the way and

let the head coach alone and let the DC be the DC, they're probably in the Dolphins position in this game, and they're probably the team that's entering 8-8 or so and have a chance.

But they blew so many games that it led to where they are now, which is just a team with a top 10 pick.

And we know from all the reporting out there, there's no chance in hell Aaron Rodgers comes back to the Jets.

So the question is, where does he play, if anywhere?

And I just, what made me kind of sad was what might have been, it's almost like, I was thinking about this,

if the Jets acquisition of Aaron Rodgers was like an eight-lane highway, right?

And then there was one off-exit that was like a dirt road that takes you to your death, right?

The major highway, all different opportunities, all different outcomes, whether it's just being competitive, maybe making the playoffs, maybe having a couple playoff wins, winning some primetime games, or you take

the one exit that takes you into the darkest realm possible.

And somehow the Jets took that exit, and it just sucks.

And now I think to myself, as Aaron Rodgers goes off into the sunset of this deeply disappointing Jets tenure, he is still a guy who could play.

He could sling it.

All four of his touchdown passes came off-platform, getting away from pass rushers and making things happen.

He throws a beautiful ball still.

He's always going to be a guy that you worry about his health.

But guess what?

Aaron Rodgers started 18 games this year.

So to me, it's not whether or not, like, Aaron Rodgers didn't ruin the Jets.

The Jets ruined the Jets.

And now Rodgers is going to move on.

And I think if he chooses to play, he can find success.

And I'm really fascinated.

I know people hate Rodgers and and they're sick of Rodgers, and I get all that, but I still find him to be a compelling figure, and I'm looking forward to seeing if this story continues.

I can't get a vibe on where he's at, Headspace-wise.

It's, I mean, you know,

how many NFL teams would sign up for, okay, the guy's like a little weird,

and you have to probably bring in one of his favorite players, but you get 27 touchdowns and 11 picks.

Like, I'll take that, right?

I mean, the ball's going to kind of be where you think it's going to be on most of the plays.

The escape ability is not necessarily there, but I mean, I would take that over, you know, Russell Wilson at this point.

I mean, he looks like Peak Randall Cunningham compared to Kirk Cousins this year.

I mean, you know, it's,

yeah, he actually had 28 touchdowns, nearly 4,000 yards passing.

He still can play, and I just wonder if there's a team out there.

And I think we both on Twitter, we both kind of connected.

to the Niners.

I don't know if you were joking or not, but I just wonder if there is more football ahead for him because I think he has football still in his body.

Here's Rogers post-game with Pam Oliver.

We all know what time it is, so give us a sense of your process.

What will you do in the coming days and coming months before you decide what it is you want to do for your next path?

I'm going to get home and relax.

I'm going to clear out my head and get healthy from the bumps and bruises from the season.

And just,

you know, I got a lot of gratitude right now.

I'm going to enjoy this tonight.

Once I get back out west, I'm going to take my time.

And I'm not going to hold anybody up.

I'm going to have conversations tomorrow with everybody here with the Jets and see what they're thinking and then make a decision

before it gets too late in the offseason.

There you go.

And you know who's not coming back, by the way?

You want to put a button on that one, Connor?

I was just going to say, I think that

it deserves mentioning that this was a total team effort from the Jets.

Just an incredible defensive performance.

Guys were Ashton Davis with two picks.

DJ Reid ran down Han and stopped him before a massive touchdown.

Like

to your point, Dan, like, my God, if you just let Robert Saul coach this team, they probably win nine or ten games.

It's crazy.

It's such a frustrating, frustrating year for the fan base.

Tyreek Hill has played his final game for the Miami Dolphins.

Yes.

He made that very clear after the game.

The only thing more apparent than is Aaron Rodgers done with his current team.

Tyreek Hill is is done with his current team, and he bottled it up all season during what was a downseason for him statistically, and then let it out with reporters afterwards.

Here are some of that.

You know,

this is my first time I haven't been in the playoffs, man.

So,

I mean, for me, like I said, man,

I just got to do what's best for me and my family, dog.

If that's here, if that's wherever the case may be, man, I'm finna open that door for myself, dog.

As I'm opening the door, like,

I'm out, bro.

You know, so it was great playing here, but

you know, I, at the end of the day, bro, I got to do what's best for, you know, for my career and, you know, what's best

because I'm too much of a competitor to be, you know, just

out there.

Does that mean you're thinking about leaving here?

If it is, hey, if

that gets

Mark, you know, this is, I like how he started the answer, like, I'm going to do the athlete coded speak to start.

And then he was like, ah, f ⁇ it.

I'm out of here.

Yeah.

I mean, like, I understand answering questions sometimes, like, on a show like this, where, like, I'm still talking and I'm saying more and more and revealing more and more when I would try not to.

And he's doing that.

And, like, the whole, like...

The way that we're talking about what could have been with the Jets, I feel that way with the Dolphins at this point in time in many respects.

It feels very combustible because

what wide receiver is more of the identity of that offense and why it was unstoppable than Tyreek Hill?

You take him out and there are other changes.

I don't know what they are at this point.

And it does feel to me that Mike McDaniel, that the experience with the locker room, the players, that

he seemed to have lost them on some level.

And Tyreek Hill, I think, had a tweet a couple weeks ago where it was like, wait, is he saying he doesn't want to do this anymore?

But then he like, it went away and he explained it a different way.

Well, now we know.

Like, and I think that he he can't be alone in this and i know that the you know the owner said like stephen ross said i believe said that mike mcdaniel's safe correct but like yes i mean okay but this experience has not been good and i i think he said it's time to go or something tyreek and we were saying how there was like multiple meanings i think now well could it be like now it's time to really get going like that's not what's literally time to go so right out of here that's i think it's a concerning colonel and i don't i wonder who else because like players campbell's like like, get me out of here, too, if we go, if we aren't going to make this thing happen.

Well, Connor, we're talking culture.

Culture is the buzzword lately.

And like, I, you could call me like a crank or whatever, but like, I don't, I, to a, I think a big problem is they have a quarterback who can't stay on the field, and he missed the final two games when the season was on the line after Mitch missing a bunch of games because of head injuries.

And then you just see him with a coat on on the sideline with like stunner shades on at nighttime in New Jersey.

And it's just like, what is this guy's deal?

Like, why isn't he on the field right now?

I never question a player's toughness like that.

But the whole vibe of it, the energy of it, just looking at him the way he seemed to be totally disconnected from the product, even though they were hypothetically playing for a playoff spot.

Vibes aren't good in Miami.

Don't feel good in Miami right now.

It's funny because last week, my buddy Tyler Dunn, who runs Go Long, it's a great independent football site.

He interviewed DJ Reid from the Jets.

And I remember covering the team during the last weeks of a season.

And you'd be like, Do you want to come back next year?

And

no matter what team it was, it could be like the, whatever, the four in 13 Giants.

They would be like, yeah, you know, I love it here.

You know, like, and DJ Reed, Tyler asked him, like, do you want to come back next year?

And he just goes, oh, no, I'm definitely going to free agency.

Yeah.

I don't.

Yeah, I'm not.

And this was, and this was not the last game of the season.

It was two weeks before the season ended.

But now players are just like, yeah, I don't give a f.

I'm definitely not coming back here.

Yeah, it's time.

All right.

Love it.

Let's move on.

Another AFCE showdown.

Strong.

Feels strong.

Showdown strong.

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots.

The Pats, a chance to lock in the number one pick, but man, the Pats don't seem to get things right.

Nope.

Not these days.

Gerard Mayo's final chess move as coach of the Patriots.

A meaningless January 5th victory that drops New England to third in the draft.

91 minutes later, Mayo fired, released of his duties after one campaign.

The crafts are learning what everyone else knows.

Life grows tricky.

A juicy note for the next guy, though.

The Patriots apparently have two quarterbacks.

Not one.

Joe Milton, the third, calm, cool, alpha hypnus, six foot five, whipping darts, rumbling with fire.

To the annoyance of the general public, are the Patriots loaded at the most important position in sports, paging Mike Rabel, Patriots 23, Bills 16.

I have a missive statement from New England, Patriot Way.

Robert Kraft, for me personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.

I have known Gerard for 17 years.

He earned my respect and admiration as a rookie.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Winning our season opener on the road at Cincinnati only strengthened my convictions.

Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team's performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.

You know what that reminds me of?

At the end of this long road, Mark Sessler, of a regular season, a clip that we played from the locker room after the Patriots beat the Bengals in week one, and Kraft literally said in the middle of the locker room, wow, this just changed my

expectations of the season.

And then cut four months later, he's firing the head coach, and then in the statement cites that that game almost played a role in his decision.

I just, I don't know about the crafts anymore, man.

And I understand like Rabel played the Jets as he needed to to get the interview as a one last reminder.

Go fire Mayo and put me in, you dummy, to craft, Rabel did.

And I think that's what's going to end up happening here.

But I think the Patriots do not deserve the benefit of the doubt that they're going to get things right anymore because it ain't ain't Belichick and it ain't Brady anymore.

So we are very much, it's very much a possibility.

We're back to the old days of the Patriots, so let's not just assume they're going to get it right.

I have to assume that they know they can get Vrabel, and that's the only reason he was.

Because here, first of all,

Mayo was Kraft's guy.

Because going back to before Belichick's final season, there were more than whispers that the whole concept was that we like Gerard Mayo so much that we're willing to move on from Belichick.

And so this was very much your decision, Kraft family.

And so it makes you look impatient and impestuous and that you don't know what decisions you're making at this point.

If it's Rabel, I kind of get it.

I think Patriots fans will get it.

But what position was Gerard Mayo put into?

It was a, he took over, I think, a four-win team.

They do very little to up the roster.

They draft a quarterback with very little around him.

The quarterback is one of the biggest bright spots on the roster, and there's a lot to like there.

And you correctly don't win a lot of games because you are not an NFL roster at this point.

And then you're firing the coach.

I'm not saying that Mayo was like, wow, this guy's like everything you'd look for in a modern-day coach, but like, what kind of position did you put him in?

And what different results did you expect?

It just seems like it unfair to me.

It's unfair.

Most injured offensive line in the NFL, most combinations of any offensive line in the NFL.

And

Mayo had some bad public moments, right?

Throwing Alex Van Pelt under the bus I thought was unprofessional.

And so is calling your team soft when you spent the whole offseason billing yourself as the anti-Belichick and that we're not hard asses anymore.

And then you're mad that the team isn't playing like a bunch of hard asses.

That said,

my thought here is that what really lost it for Mayo were like blowouts the last couple of weeks.

I think there were the fire Mayo chants that were, you know, you could hear through the stadium stadium and, you know, not winning the close ones or not appearing like you were kind of, you know, in it on the close ones and whatever.

I mean,

the only reason you do this tonight, you know, on Sunday is because

you're worried now about the timing of Rayball.

There's no other reason to do it if you're just conducting a normal search.

And you know what?

As someone who roots for a team that has gotten itself in trouble time and time again by listening to the outside and listening to the fans in the back page of the Herald or the latest Shaughnessy column, whatever.

It does have a whiff of that, like that the Patriots are now making decisions in part based on an impatient fan base.

And I know this as a Yankee fan, like when you have a, when your fan base gets a taste of a dynasty, they become ravenous for it.

They expect it.

And when you have a down period like this, the pressure mounts in a much faster manner than in a typical situation.

And my last thought on this, because we have a whole, you know, New Horizons Monday show coming up, is, Mark, another example that you never want to be the guy who replaces the guy.

No.

You want to be the guy who replaces the guy who replaced the guy.

And Bill Belichick is laughing somewhere about this right now.

And Mayo got caught up in a bad situation.

And if it is Rabel, good luck to him.

But it ain't no slam dunk up there anymore because it's not the same as it used to be on the Patriot Way.

Well, the only thing that feels unjust if you've waited for their demise is that

they really do have a great young quarterback.

And so it's like no matter, even with their own mistakes, they have more hope than teams that seem to do things well.

And they kind of just walked into it.

So I'm sorry for you, Jets fans and Dolphins fans.

Like the Patriots are not going to be down for very long.

Yeah, see, that's exactly what I'm saying, though.

You're working under the assumption of a land of the Patriots where Tom Brady and Bill Belichick work for the team.

This is a different operation in a different world.

And you know what?

If they were a smart organization, they would have the number one pick in the NFL draft right now.

But they go and they win this stupid game, and now they lose out on the number one or the number two pick.

So they, you know, that was a big mistake, too.

Not a fixed thing.

That's why they call the Browns geniuses because they correctly found a way to completely flatline.

That takes a little bit of organizational savvy.

Yes.

Anything else on this game, Sesd?

Well, not really, because the Bills, Josh Allen

came in for like two snaps to keep his consecutive starting streak alive.

In comes Mitch Trubisky.

It was Joe Milton, though.

I mean, I really thought he looked great.

He was 12 for 13 in the first half.

He can throw the ball.

He can throw it all over the place.

He's got great arm talent.

He ran really well.

He's big.

Like, I mean, I kind of think he's a trade candidate.

At some point, because teams are going to be like, wait a minute, we want some of that or we want to take a chance on that because it's the the kind of guy, it's hard to keep that guy down as your backup if the quarterback ahead of starts to struggle.

So I just wonder what will happen.

It's kind of a glorified preseason game.

That's the only thing I'll say to that.

He did look impressive, but I don't think he's going to have a lot of trade value off this game.

Maybe.

Maybe he can do it.

I don't mean so much

a month from now or at the combine, but just like if he goes and has a really good preseason and he keeps showing this, it's like he's going to be a juicy, tantalizing option for someone out there.

Or make him back.

Well, I don't think he's ready to make him a starting quarterback because he beat the Bills backups.

I don't know.

Well, this is how this happens, though.

I mean, this is how this happens with certain players.

I mean, I'm not saying off of this, right?

I'm not saying off of this one game, but like

he looked the part.

I mean, he really is.

I think he is an interesting, interesting prospect.

All right, let's take a break, and when we get back, we'll get through the rest of the

chum now that we're going to have to

work our way through a lot of sludge stay right there well yeah hang hang around please

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audience only.

All right, we're back.

Gravedigger, take us to the Desert Chargers Raiders.

Oh yeah.

Hey, Justin, when we start going

into the playoffs, there's almost a playoff in its own right with the songs, the bed music for the recaps.

We get rid of a lot of trash bags.

This stays.

This song, the Terminator song, stays.

Go ahead.

After Pittsburgh lost to the Bengals on Saturday night, the Chargers had an opportunity to secure the fifth seed with a win.

And they went out and seized that opportunity.

Justin Herbert connected time and time again with Quentin Johnston, once left for dead, who posted a career-high 13 receptions for a career-high 186 receiving yards.

The turning point in this game happened just before halftime when LA picked off Aiden O'Connell, setting up a Chargers touchdown and two-point conversion to turn what could have been a 10-9 halftime deficit into a 17-10 halftime lead.

The Chargers never looked back.

They did lock up that fifth fifth seed with a 34-20 win.

That for the Chargers.

That's all I got on this game.

Two fast notes.

Brock Bowers lost.

He set the rookie receptions record last week.

He lost it earlier in the day to Malik Neighbors, and then he got it back from Malik Neighbors in this game.

And number two, Lad McConkey had five catches for 95 yards in this game.

That is his 10th consecutive game with at least 50 receiving yards.

It breaks a record for rookie receivers, consecutive games of 50 receiving yards that was originally set by Odell Beckham.

I literally have nothing else on this game.

I wouldn't want to play Justin Herbert in the playoffs, but I'm curious.

Yeah, let Justin sling it in the playoffs.

I'm curious if Malik Neighbours for a period of an hour, 20 minutes, whatever it was, was the all-time rookie leader in catches, does he make the record book?

Or because it happened within the space of not just the same season, but the same afternoon, is it like it never existed?

Like, you should get a ball from the team that says it,

and then it doesn't matter how soon it's broken.

You did set the record.

Yeah.

Right.

I agree, but I think neither one should count because it's a 17-game season now.

What are we doing?

It's not fair.

How do we compare this?

I'm not doing that, this argument with any record that's broken.

We don't count because it's not their fault that the NFL's adding it to the front.

I agree.

We're a Tiffany franchise.

We'll give you a ball.

That was a

Giants.

Facetious comment there.

I don't actually know.

You're getting Mark upset.

Don't do that again, Justin.

Sorry, Mark.

I'm still upset about Saquon Barkley not playing.

Me too.

I am upset about that.

Justin Herbert is just the type of quarterback where he's going to pick you apart with his arm, and if you have man coverage down the field and all the defenders' backs are turned, he is going to make you pay with his legs.

And that's just such a dangerous threat in the playoffs where you can scheme up everything you want to scheme up.

But a quarterback like Justin Herbert or like Jaden Daniels or like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, these most dangerous, Patrick Mahomes, the most dangerous QBs in the league, they kill you with their legs too.

And that's just so hard to stop.

So this is going to be a

great playoff matchup.

And then the only thing left, Antonio Pierce.

Does he survive?

And we'll talk more about that on Monday after

a pretty dispiriting 4-13 where he at times looked like he was overmatched in the head coaching chair.

We'll see if he gets a second year on the job.

All right, Justin, we're going to stick with you as we head to Atlanta where the Falcons entered the day thinking they could win the NFC South.

They didn't.

This was the game of the day.

This was the best game of football that was played on Sunday.

It wasn't totally meaningless because, as you said, the Falcons did have a shot to win the division.

But by the time the overtime kickoff was in the air, the Bucs had already clinched that division.

This game was tons of fun, though.

Career highs for the Falcons big three, 312 passing yards for Michael Pennix.

He's only played three games, but still, 300-yard game, career high, 170 rushing yards career high, and two scores for Bijan Robinson, 187 receiving yards, career high, and two scores for Drake London.

The Falcons' offense was so good, but their defense was so bad.

They allowed Bryce Young to play what was probably his best game of his career.

He scored five total touchdowns.

He had one throw where he was celebrating like Steph Curry before the ball was even caught, turning around and throwing his arms in the air.

It was so cool.

Had so much aura, as the kids say.

He marched Carolina down the field to walk the game off in overtime.

Final score, Panthers 44,

Falcons 38.

So basically, the score that we thought we were getting with Lions Vikings, we get with Panthers.

Falcons, go figure.

This game, Justin, is,

you know,

we heard, I think there's a Tepper-related tweet.

Can you fly that up?

Bryce Young, after he goes, 25-34, 251, three touchdowns.

Cam Wolf, our old colleague at NFL Media, good dude.

Caught up with Panthers owners, David and Nicole.

See, Nicole Tepper doesn't get the pop she deserves, Mark.

She's an owner, too.

I didn't even know that she existed.

Nor did I, but now we know.

David and Nicole Tepper, owners, briefly after their team's win over the Falcons, both had wide smiles.

David Tepper told me a real good win.

I think we've got our QB here.

So they go all the way a 180 here from benching.

Bryce Young and there just being a general thought that he was going to be someone they move on from or even trade at the deadline to, again, the value, Justin, of patience and give the kid some time to develop because he had a really strong second half of the season and this was a nice way to end it.

Yeah, he was dealing all day.

I mean, again, making plays with his legs and his arm.

We just talked about, like, with Justin Herbert, so hard to defend, but it was like every time they needed a conversion or a big play or a big throw, he would make, he would deliver.

came down the field and took the lead multiple times in the fourth quarter.

And the Falcons, to their credit and to Michael Pennix's credit, kept answering.

But Bryce Young just kept coming back.

And he was so fun to watch in this game.

And I thought Canalis schemed up some really nice stuff too.

There was a fourth and two play that was really

just resulted in a wide open touchdown for the Panthers.

And

just, I just, I really enjoyed watching this game.

And Bryce Young, to me, is a guy who's fun to watch.

And Dave Canalis also called him their guy in the post-game presser, if we want to hear that.

You said that's fine.

I'll say on the Falcons side of things that Pennex, as you said, played well in this game.

They did make the right decision to bench Cousins because now you gave Penix a little runway here against, not for nothing, two of the worst teams and worst defenses in the league with the Giants and the Panthers.

So you got a chance to get your feet wet, have some success.

Just a really crazy year for the Falcons when you look at it.

This is a team that signed Kirk Cousins to a like $90 million guaranteed contract, then took a quarterback in the top 10, and also hired Raheem Morris over Bill Belichick.

So

a lot of ups, downs, lefts, rights.

What happened?

They were 6-3 at one point this year and then just collapsed down the channel.

I don't think I have no, I still am looking for evidence that Raheem Morris can actually be a head coach in the NFL.

They'll go with him for another year, but I don't know.

I feel like Bill Belichick would have been a better choice there, but he's happy in UNC, smoking a giant blunt and laughing at the Patriots.

Think about this division next year.

Like, I mean, this is a different division with these two quarterbacks playing this way.

And maybe if the Panthers don't allow 534 points,

things will be a little bit different for them.

I mean, that defense is a

lot of assets into the defense.

One last note.

The Panthers in this game became the team to allow the most points in a single season in NFL history.

Really?

Yeah.

I didn't realize they were historically bad at that level.

I didn't either.

Like, I saw that same thing and was like, oh, that happened?

Josh Norris.

Yeah, good job, Josh Norris.

He's the man.

And shout out to Bijan Robinson, who finally realized his potential in, well, it's only his second year, I believe, but he ran for almost 1,500 yards this season.

He had 14 rushing touchdowns.

It was a threat out of the backfield.

There's reasons to be excited with the Falcons.

They just need to kind of get some things straightened out.

8-9.

Another.

I feel like they've gone 8-9 every year.

Seven straight losing seasons for the Falcons.

Unbelievable.

And, oh, this is also the same year that the owner put himself into the ring of honor.

Freaking weird team, man.

Falcons are a weird freaking team, man.

All right.

Speaking of weird teams with weird agendas, the Tennessee Titans hosted the Houston Texans.

Let's cut to that.

Oh, Jaunty.

The Texans were locked into the fourth spot in the AFC playoff picture.

An absurdly obvious West of this early matchup on Saturday against the Chargers incoming.

That made the week 18 game a little more than a nuisance, a game to simply survive before turning full attention to the game that mattered next weekend.

And D'Amico Ryans' team was successful on that front.

CJ Stroud completed all six of his passes for 50 yards and a touch before exiting the game.

And Houston ends their season with a win, snapping a two-game skid, 23-14 over the Titoons.

Who, good for you, Justin, the loss combined with New England's unfortunate win over the Bills, the Titans end this awful season with the number one overall pick in the draft in April.

3-14 got them that, Justin.

Let me move out of the way and let you address that.

Brian Callahan said, by the way, it's not a position I ever want to be in again.

Congratulations, bud.

Thanks.

Brown's number two, by the way.

Unbelievable.

Good job, guys.

Look at our playouts.

We're soaring.

I had a great season.

I'm picking seventh.

I'm pretty sure they were trying to lose.

Like, you don't rotate your quarterbacks if you're trying to, like, go win the game.

They would never say that publicly.

But I'm pretty sure they were trying to lose.

And just when it looked like they might go down the field and like score or do something to put that in jeopardy, Will Levis tries to pitch the ball to a receiver on a reverse and it just bounces on the turf for the Texans to pick up and run back to the end zone.

And everyone on Titans fandom was celebrating their heads off.

There were Titans fans in the stands at this game with bags on their heads with pictures of Shadur Sanders on the back.

They're on the clock if they want him.

Unless Deion decides he doesn't want to go there.

But yeah, I love Will Levis' reckless confidence after just a total, like,

I mean, apocalypse of a year, two.

He has the gall in his post-game presser to say, you know, I think I'm the right guy for this team, but, you know, it's not up for me to decide.

Are you serious, bro?

Just don't say anything.

There's so many better ways to say it the way, as opposed to the way you said it.

What else?

Anything else on this game?

I guess I was the one that watched it ostensibly, but

I watched it.

I will say this.

I will say this.

The confluence here of events with there being a really weak slate and everyone, CBS and Fox, like, what are we going to talk about?

Let's throw up full boards about incentives.

At one point, J.J.

Watt, who is on the right side of the conversation, when

talking about the disgrace and gravedigger, shame on gravedigger.

He tried to send all his minions for me on Twitter.

Justin did a bad job this entire

take, of course, the correct take that

after

they ripped the Houston Oilers out of Texas and then went to Tennessee to be using the throwbacks of the Oilers

against the Houston team that was established after the abandonment of the Adams family.

J.J.

Watt is on the right side of this.

They allowed him to break into a Titans-Texans game with a Titans-Texans update so he can get some shots in at Graver and and all the other billionaire lovers.

Let's check this out.

Time to go to New York for an update.

Guys, this must be a mistake, but I'm going to do it anyway.

We have got a Houston Oilers fumble picked up by the Houston Texans in Mad Hack for a touchdown.

And yes, that does appear to be two times in a row that the Houston Oilers uniforms have been worn against the Houston Texans, and the Texans happen to be 2-0 while wearing them.

How about that?

JJ, for that history lesson.

Gravedigger, digger, take it.

Take the heat from the great Justin James Watt.

Let me just say one thing.

I am not a billionaire supporter.

I don't think that teams, that cities should always have to pay for team stadiums or they should be just allowed to leave or whatever.

My argument is if Houston wanted these uniforms back when Tennessee left,

when the Oilers left Houston to go to Tennessee, they wanted their team, Justin.

They didn't.

They didn't even care.

They didn't even put up a fight.

This is not a Browns-Ravens situation where

the city of Cleveland put up a fight and

made the NFL give them back their rights.

This is not that situation.

If Roger Goodell announced an expansion franchise in the city of St.

Louis, would the Rams have to give back the logo?

If the Tennessee Oilers, if that was their name, Houston wouldn't be trying to claim the Oiler.

No one would even give a crap.

It's because the Titans became the Titans is the only reason anyone even cares.

Or Justin, hold on, hold on.

Like one thing I'll say.

Okay, like you are right about one thing because when Cleveland, when that move was announced, that city was set on fire and it was a civic battle until they got their way.

And the Houston move that happened soon after did come and go as sort of a wet fart in terms of like the reaction to it.

But I think what bothers me is that it's a snarky decision by this

like lost Titans team to wear Oilers uniforms against Houston.

It's snarky.

it's unnecessary, and they

to me it feels like that's what I don't need about it.

It's like Titans, don't be bad.

Mark, I just have to say, like, it might not carry the gravitas or the narrative that's associated with what happened in Cleveland.

I'm sure if you talk to it, there's a lot of people in Houston that didn't view it as a wet fart in that city that were heartbroken and would love the team to stay, but they got caught up in what was a matter between a city and an organization that led to a lot of bad blood.

And my whole take on this, Justin, is just that nobody cares about the actual fans who are the ones that truly got screwed.

The fans that were loyal and paid money to support the Adams franchise in Houston, and now he pulls, now it's his daughter, but pulls this act of like rubbing their noses, like they're trying to rub it in the nose of the city of Houston.

But like, what about the fans?

And it's my last feeling on this, Justin, is like, I'll cite the great Dr.

Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park.

You're so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you never stop to think if you should, just let it go.

Let it go.

You don't need to use them, but you do, but you don't have to.

So why do you?

Quick 30-second rebuttal, and then we'll move on from this subject.

Okay.

Notice the helmet's not spinning, by the way, at all.

Oh, wow.

Oh!

Telling.

Think about that.

That is telling.

That is some sort of sign of something.

Not to mention that I put a curse on the Titans four days ago, and now that the helmet's not spinning inches

you cursed them into the number one pick oh no no not a single titans fan i know was rooting for them to win that today's game um last point there are plenty good luck with your quarterback that would have been like the 27th pick in the 2024 draft yeah i hope we don't go quarterback um there are plenty of former houston oilers fans that loyally follow the team and root for the tennessee titans now i know because they're always in my twitter mentions there's tons of those people so for those fans yeah i agree that that is shitty thing to happen, but a lot of them are also Titans fans now, and therefore they are rooting for the team that gets to wear the Oilers uniforms.

And the last thing is the whole thing about wearing them against Houston specifically.

Like, can we just have a little fun with some sports rivalry?

I feel like rivalries, especially in the NFL, like, aren't the same as what they used to be.

That's not fun, dude.

And this is like a way to create some bad blood in a fun, good way between these two.

Not fun.

I see.

A city losing its team isn't fun.

It's fun to one side, but not the other.

And it's not in a fun way of like the like the Saints fans building a parade 28-3 parade float when the Falcons blow the Super Bowl.

That's different.

This is something that, to me, goes up a level that shouldn't be used in that way.

But that's just my opinion.

You differ.

And apparently, a lot of Titans fans are, you know.

mother effing me in my mentions.

So a lot of people, apparently this is a touchy issue with Titans fans, and I'm now going to step out of the conversation, but my opinion stands as it did a couple of years ago when this happened the first time, that it seems, you know, it seems little league.

That's all.

All right.

It's small.

Yep.

I love you, Justin, and I hope the number one pick leads to excitement for you and Titans fans.

Thanks.

I'm glad we can have these heated, spirited debates in good-natured fun, and we come out of it still respecting and loving each other.

Absolutely.

Next,

Mark Sessler.

Good burn by J.J.

Watt, by the way.

You gotta say.

Hate that guy.

Just as a Titans fan, because he tormented my team for so many years.

Niners, Cardinals.

Mark, let's roll through these.

The Arizona Cardinals, scissored out of the playoffs by endless gaffes and peccadillos.

Today they cutely enact a meaningless 40 burger on the wanting 49ers.

It's late in the game when Marvin Harrison Jr.

in takes his eighth touchdown of the season, tying a rookie franchise record with Anquan Bolden and Larry Fitzgerald.

This is vaguely surprising because Harrison has felt wholly invisible for quarters at a time, not unlike the Cardinals.

Two teams flooded with offseason questions.

Two teams authoring hyper-depressing autumns into winter.

Kyle Shanahan aged like Obama this season.

We're all going to leave the earth before we wish to.

Cardinals 47, Niners 24.

Get me out of here.

We'll unpack these teams in the offseason.

Anything to add on this game, Mark?

Well, the only that was depressing that Isaac Garendu, I think Garendo is an interesting player for them, got injured and it didn't look good at all.

They got up injured three times in a month.

Yeah, so

I got you someone to come out of this with anything crazy happening, but no, this was Brock Purdy watching from the sideline, Josh Dobbs in there.

Cardinals play well when it doesn't matter.

Like, that's sort of my an that's my thesis on them, and it didn't matter today.

Um, tough watch, tough season, two teams that need to go away.

And they have,

they are gone now,

they're out of our lives.

I am not responsible for anything else that happens to the Cardinals from here on out.

Yes, you've done your work.

Welfare, but yeah.

All right, let's move on.

Connor

to Indianapolis, where the Jaguars and Colts played football.

I just realized that it's now 2 a.m.

in New Jersey, in the Leechester suburbs.

There was a moment where I'm watching Connor on screen, and

it's about like 1.44 in New Jersey, and we're on minute 14 of the Titans we cap.

Oh,

it's a good time.

You know how at the end of the school year, your teachers used to have a little bit of fun and get laxed with the rules, ask if you want to watch the sand lot instead of algebra, or make out a little in their Camry during lunch break if they had a brief period?

Such was the tone of a genuinely fun and innocent tilt of Sunday's 26-23 overtime Colts victory over the Chargers.

Just boys out there having a good time scoring touchdowns, kicking field goals, mismanaging the clock and tongue-kissing their AP English teachers in a gray sedan towards the back corner of the staff parking lot near the small field where the shot putters practice.

177 rushing yards for Jonathan Taylor, 264 passing yards in a tutty for Joe Flacco, 103 receiving yards for Jags Rookie Sensation Brian Thomas.

It is the 10th one-score loss for the Jaguars, which is a modern NFL record.

Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen are back for 2025.

Doug Peterson and Trent Balky, probably

not.

I would think so.

They'll just let Doug run out the score.

Did you happen to catch the Doug Peterson halftime interview?

It might be the last one ever.

I saw the post game where

someone was just like, and like when you're a beat reporter, you just have to be the guy to ask the question.

And I know it's the worst position to be in.

And like, you don't want to be the person to do it.

But it's just like, do you think you're going to be working here tomorrow?

You know?

and

just like, man, I hope so.

And he's just like, and then, and then he tried to pivot into the part where he's like making his case, and it's just like, just think we

played a lot of good ball.

And, I mean, but

10 one-score losses is kind of crazy.

Yeah,

for a guy who treated the entire last month of the season as one big like inside joke,

good for him that he survived.

Just like

Ryan, who was the old Colts coach, Chuck Strong.

Oh, Chuck Pagano.

Yeah, they can't eat you.

They can fire you, but they can't eat you.

So, Doug, wherever this takes you, wherever you end up next, good luck to you, buddy.

There is, well, you know, this sounds like where Ben Johnson maybe wants to go.

I think that we could talk about it more in the Monday show.

I expect the Jaguars to

put in, get in the arms race for Ben Johnson.

I think they want it.

Whether Ben wants it or not, it remains to be seen.

The only nugget I have on this game is that hilariously, right, tie ball game, Colts get the ball with 144 left, all three timeouts.

They just don't use any of them.

They just get to midfield, and they're just like letting 30 to 40 seconds at a time just elapse between snaps.

And then they just don't get a game-winning field goal off or even get into a position where they can attempt it.

And then they just, you know, they win in overtime.

So it's fine.

And then immediately after the game, the owner says the coach is coming back.

I feel like Steichen got a free pass this year.

All right.

One more, Connor.

One more for you.

When we get to this song, you know we're like pretty deep in the weed, right?

Christ.

Okay, smartass.

Gun to your head.

Life on the line.

Is Tanner McKee?

A, the name of your mortgage broker.

B, one of the dads in Full House.

C, a pledge director, Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Slippery Rock University, or D, the quarterback who somehow sliced up the Giants with absolutely nothing on the line Sunday in a 20-13 victory over one of the worst teams in football.

He put up a 100 quarterback rating, got 94 receiving yards out of Jahan Dotson.

Jahan Dotson!

We've talked a lot about this Giants offense this season, how underwhelming it is.

But how the hell does a defense with Kayvon Thibodeau and Brian Burns and Deontay Banks let this happen?

Well,

I guess this would be a good time, Connor, to check in on the draft order.

The Tennessee Titans, as we stated, on the strength of a six-game losing streak to end the season, finish 3-14.

They have the number one pick.

The Browns, who also ended the season on a six-game losing season, also 3-14, they get the second pick.

The Giants, the other 14-lost team, but they, on strength of schedule, are locked into the third pick.

The Pats fall, as we talk, from 1 to 4.

Man,

stupid.

The Jaguars pick five.

Vegas picks six.

The Jets at seven.

The Panthers at eight.

The Saints at nine.

And the Bears at 10, with the San Francisco 49ers picking 11th.

That's they haven't picked up there in a while.

So that is the draft order.

Any other thoughts on this game itself?

I mean, Dabo was kind of in fucking mode, which is cool.

Like, they had a fourth and seven on the first drive, and he's just like, yeah, I'm just going to go for it.

Drew Locke threw like a 40-yard pass on a fourth and two,

two drives later.

And then the Giants were in it.

Two minutes to go, fourth and three.

They have to stop Philly near midfield, and Boogie Basham jumps off sides, and then the Eagles just get the first down.

So, game over.

That sounds very Giantsy

in general.

All right.

Take us to our final game.

It was the Orphan.

We just didn't have enough bodies to cover this one, and apologies to everyone involved.

The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams.

In our defense, we did have cocktails and beers with the two beat writers for the athletic.

Right, very plugged in.

That's great.

Yeah, so that I feel like by getting drinks with Jordan and Mike and getting a Hanano burger,

I think that checks the box for us.

Anyway, Matt Stafford

and nearly all of his offensive starters watched from street closes.

The Rams got clipped by the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium, 30 to 25.

They both, the Rams and the Seahawks, end with identical 10-7 records, but the Rams live to play another day.

They will host the

Rams will host the Vikings on Monday night next week, and the Seattle Seahawks will go home.

But they get to go home with Geno Smith throwing a career high for a touchdown.

So, Mark, on a week where we talked to Michael Sean Dugar, beat reporter for the Seahawks, and asked him what he thought about Geno's percentage chance of returning as QB1, and he put it at a 65%.

Well, Geno said, you know.

Disregard me at your own will.

They try to write me off.

I didn't write back.

Four Four touchdowns.

I mean, I think it's like the Geno Smith feels kind of like, well, we probably could or want or should do better at some point if you want to really become like a contender, but it's a terrible offseason for picking up like a

free agent veteran.

There's like one or two names out there that make any sense.

And Geno Smith plays like this.

And like, I think when talking to Mike Dugar, it's like, you got to go find something better than this.

And

I wonder if he won over the coaching staff because Mike McDonald, I thought last offseason, was pretty hot and cold on Geno and was open to change.

But eight teams want to change quarterbacks, but then for who?

Like, it doesn't look like a great draft.

They're not in draft position.

And who are you going to go get?

Kirk Cousins?

That doesn't sound fun to me.

And on the Rams side,

the game did have meaning to them.

They had a chance to avoid the loser of the Lions Vikings game, but obviously it didn't matter enough to play their veterans.

So now they will get the Vikings,

a Vikings team that is going to be difficult to defeat, a Vikings team that, you know, played very well on the road this year.

So we'll see if they regret that this time next week.

I didn't love seeing Blake Corham, the running back,

go out with a broken forearm and he's out for the playoffs.

Oh, bummer.

Bummer.

DK Metcalf, Jake Bobo, and A.J.

Barner

were among the players who caught caught touchdown passes.

In the game, Jackson Smith and Jigba had four catches, tying Tyler Lockett's single-season franchise record of 100 catches.

So, yes, the Seahawks went six of eight to close their first season under Mike McDonald.

I don't get really why Gino is the problem here.

I'd like to see this team with another year under McDonald and getting the defense locked in.

And,

yeah, I think the Seahawks are in a pretty good spot.

They went 10 and 7, and they've had winning seasons in 12 of 13 years.

They're organizations that would kill to be where the Seahawks are, even if they're going home.

All right.

There you go.

That's everything, right, Justin?

That's everything.

How many games are played in a regular season?

272, is it now?

272.

That's what you said, yeah.

Yeah, and we covered every single one.

That's right.

We previewed everyone.

We recapped everyone.

And Mark, while it's not coal town work, because I've been on both sides of this, you're not underground.

You're not covered in soot.

You're not with your only friend, your only real pet, which is that canary down there that lets you know whether you're still alive, you know.

Yeah.

So I'm not here to say that we're doing that type of work, the work that I grew up around.

But I am going to tell you.

My mom hates that bit so much, brother.

I am going to tell you that.

It's been a lot of fun covering this regular season, but I am ready to move on to what comes next.

I'm with you.

And then I think that, you know, we all at this point understand that there's no tactile evidence that you've ever been anywhere near a coal mine.

But

well, I'm just saying we don't have evidence looking for that.

But I do think if you're a coal miner, there's got to be coal miners out there that are, you know, they're taking the group truck.

They're on the back of the flatbed, you know, to and from town out to the mine.

Like, they might be listening to this show.

So in that case, we are linked to their work and their industry.

And, Connor, there has to be at least one coal miner out there that says, man, 272 game recaps on a podcast from like the garage.

That is, that's a lot of work.

So that's cool for us, maybe.

Yeah, no, for sure.

Having grown up adjacent to a coal town,

I don't know.

I might challenge that a little bit, but

it's 2.05 a.m.

So,

you know.

Yeah, you know what?

You know where the coal miners are right now?

Sleeping in their bed.

You know where Connor is?

Talking into a microphone.

Working on the railroad.

There you go.

That's right.

That could have been a guest bedroom Connor's in.

But no, there's a microphone in there and a bunch of photos and stuff.

There is a bed like right there.

Right there.

Yeah.

Is that where daddy sleeps when he's been a bad boy?

All right, this is ridiculous.

All right, remember, we're coming back on Monday with our New Horizons Monday podcast, breaking down all the dismissals to come and the reaction to.

So make sure you're there for that.

And thank you for sincerely following along with us all season because I know many, many of you have.

We're very lucky to do what we do.

Until Monday, do what you must.

Heed the call.