NFL Week 15 Preview!!

Nationwide is so much more than a great insurance company.

They're one of America's largest financial services companies.

Like how I'm more than just Peyton Manning.

I'm also motivating Manning.

When I say insurance, you say financial services.

Insurance.

Financial services.

Insurance.

Financial services.

Now when I say nationwide, you say is both.

Nationwide.

Nationwide.

For your insurance and financial needs, nationwide is on your side.

Nationwide Investment Services Corporation, Ember Finrick, Columbus, Ohio.

Popsicles, sprinklers, a cool breeze.

Talk about refreshing.

You know what else is refreshing this summer?

A brand new phone with Verizon.

Yep, get a new phone on any plan with Select Phone Trade-In and MyPlan.

And lock down a low price for three years on any plan with MyPlan.

This is a deal for everyone, whether you're a new or existing customer.

Swing by Verizon today for our best phone deals.

Three-year price guarantee applies to then-current base monthly rate only.

Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.

The Heed the Call podcast

likes pizza and accounting crows.

That's it!

I mean, it covers the entire spectrum of life in a lot of ways.

Welcome to Heed the Call.

I am Dan Hansis joining me.

As always, the great Mark Sessler.

Justin Graver.

And

yeah, Mark, I think that covers it.

I remember a trip up to Big Bear where it was me, you, and Wes

did a weekend at Big Bear, and

Wes got wicked hammered, and we had to put him to bed in one of the beds.

And then

you and I spent the rest of that night eating like cold pizza in this little motel kitchen, listening to August and everything after.

Great memory.

Very on-brand for us.

It certainly connects us with the younger segment of our audience.

Let's not doubt that.

My other note about the wesling part of that, I believe he actually fell asleep on a couch,

but he woke up soaking wet because we had tried to give him a large glass of water to drink, and it just spilled over his upper body.

And he just woke up literally

in a pond of tap water.

The good memories, the good memories.

All right.

Speaking of the goodness, here they are.

They are the tastemakers of the NFC West.

Michael Sean Dugar, beat writer for the NFC West leading Seattle Seahawks, and Jordan Rodrigue, beat writer of the Rising, putting a 40 burger on the Bills' ass Los Angeles Rams.

What's up, guys?

Hello.

Yo, what's going on?

Turn this up in my head.

This is Jordan's new theme song.

Where are those crows?

I love that.

I like crows.

That's nice.

That goes down smooth.

Jordan, how you like that?

You know, I like crows.

What ties in neatly with our County Crows ref up top, Jordan?

Dan.

Do you endorse that?

Who wrote that, by the way?

That's a beautiful piece of music.

That was nice.

That was John Altine, who also submitted the new instrumental money mic theme we've been running.

Oh, hell yeah.

John Altine's crushing it.

Hell yeah.

Dan, it's okay.

You're going to make fun of me for the rest of my life for this, but I actually almost cried listening to that.

That's so nice.

Who takes the time to do that?

That's so nice.

Oh, my God.

I love you, Jordan.

Your earnestness sometimes just crumbles your entire internal compass.

It's just like, there's nothing left but to be built up again.

I'm a mess now.

Thank you.

That was really nice.

You're on location.

You're up there to cover the game.

You're in Santa Clara.

Santa Clara.

It's true beat writer.

Yes.

That is where I'm at physically.

Yeah.

Gravy, can you do Jordan a favor?

Because I would do the same thing.

How are we feeling tonight, Santa Clara?

Send her that file, that instrumental so she can, when she's like taking the bus or whatever,

you know, to get to that stadium in the middle of nowhere, she could just like vibe to it and get pumped up for great coverage tonight.

Big game.

Big game tonight.

Huge.

Thursday night football Rams, Niners, and Mark, you and I will be on the coverage of that afterwards.

So check it out live stream tonight.

Heed the call.

So much to get to.

The bye weeks are obviously over now.

This is the stretch run of the regular season.

So we're going to move with efficiency with purpose and we're also gonna hit on well that's that's the plan now if that happens or not we'll see mark right and then we got to hit on a certain uh legendary football coach who we thought was re-entering our lives but instead is doing something different and we'll get to that a little bit later i've been to nine super bowls and i've won six

you would think that that pitch alone would have gotten him back in the nfl but no bill is disgusted with the NFL.

Anyway,

one quick note.

So last night at 10.14 p.m., Justin texted me and said, this is where the rubber meets the road.

So just like, that's why, that's the kind of week we're in.

Like, it matters now.

Wait, what?

It's fiction.

He texted me that, and I was like, I don't,

I don't know

what the mind state was of Justin, but, well, I like to lie a lot, too.

Absolute nonsense.

I like that idea, though.

All right, enough of this nonsense for real.

Let's get to it.

Let's start, as we always do, with the prime time games, starting with Sunday night football.

The Green Bay Packers, number eight in the latest edition of the Heed the Call Power Rankings, traveling to Seattle, the backyard of one Mike Dugar, Money Mike Dugar, for a big showdown, 8v9 in the power rankings.

And Mike, I got to start with you on this one.

I've seen some percolation in different corners of the football coverage sphere saying, man, there might not be any team playing as good as the Seattle Seahawks right now.

It is a reminder of how the NFL season shape shifts and why we can never get too certain about anything because the Seahawks

rounding into form in mid-December, that is what you want.

Yeah, and the sequencing of seasons is always more important than I feel like we realize in real time, sometimes we can reflect and look back at our record and like, oh, a team went 11 and whatever, or 12 and whatever.

But how you get to your record shapes a lot of how people feel about you.

You know, the Seahawks are 8-5, but that's after starting 3-0 and then dropping 3 and then being stinky and yada, yada, yada.

I do think they are playing really well, some very good ball on both sides.

I think if the Rams hadn't dropped a 40 burger, the Seahawks would have that kind of sexy

team no one wants to play label.

You know how we get there in like December, but when Stafford goes nuts like that, that is the team you don't want to play.

But right now, the Seahawks at least have the defense you don't want to play, which is just very encouraging short-term and long-term.

When you hire Mike McDonald, you want his side of the ball to be nails, right?

You hired him, for lack of a better term, to be Baltimore West with the defense.

And right now, since the bye week, Mike McDonald basically lit a fire under them and said, hey guys, don't lose and go be great.

And they've said yes and yes.

And they're a top two defense by points and EPA per play since their week 10 bye week.

They're just nails.

They're forcing turnovers.

They've produced the defensive player of the week twice in this four-week span.

They're killing it right now.

Their offense is coming around, but I feel like that is the thing that has, I think, people most optimistic about the Seahawks.

It's like when you hire an offensive coach and the offense kills it off rip.

You know, like this is the same thing in Seattle.

They hired a defensive coach, and right now no one can score over 18 points on them, which is pretty remarkable considering how bad they've looked, particularly the last time the national audience saw them against the Niners and the Lions.

They looked awful.

They're a completely different unit from their last primetime matchups.

I mean, it's like the,

it's kind of proof of concept with Mike McDonald because you're getting like the season from Leonard Williams.

And like when he was with the Ravens, all of those Ravens players had their best.

campaigns under him.

And yet I love the coaching matchup because I was kind of thinking like around the league, there's different types of coaches, obviously.

And you can look at Dan Campbell and say, I love his aggression and stuff.

But Matt LaFleur, right now, to me, is like one of the best coaches in football in so many different ways.

And it's been week after week.

And so I love to see that the Mike McDonald coaching part of this has come into form.

Like you said, they lead the league in defensive EPA over the past five weeks.

And here you go against Green Bay's offense.

I think

it's the kind of matchup I want to see this time of year between these two teams where they are right now.

And it's a sexy, it's a sexy battle.

I love the trenches in this game, too, because the Seahawks have five players with a pressure rate greater than 10% this season, and some of them far above league average.

Leonard Williams, who is just a dang delight, I think we can all agree,

leading the group right now with that pressure rate, and he's seventh best among interior defensive linemen.

And it's going against the Packers' offensive line that has been this, the picture of continuity.

They're one of two groups that have not had to, or that have played the most, I'm going to mispronounce this

continuous, continuitous, I don't know.

They all have played the most, second most snaps together of any unit in the NFL right now.

And that's really important.

And we know that the Packers are going to try to establish the run and allow Jordan Love the time to heat up.

That's kind of the script that their games have taken, particularly in the second half.

But it all starts up front with these two groups, and I'm fascinated by this.

I think this is going to be really fun.

Two apex

position groups that are really reaching the peak of their powers at the right time.

And Mike, you got Zach Charbonnet coming off, you know, the best game of the season for him.

Kenneth Walker didn't practice on Wednesday, but apparently McDonald's kind of leaving the door open that he could return.

So, you have that.

And then, you know, my last thought on Seattle before we talk a little more about Green Bay and move on is: is Jackson Smith and Jigbo their number one wide receiver now?

Like, has he supplanted DK?

I know the way, you know, DK is the X and all that, but

is he the dude in this offense when they need to make a big play now?

When they need to make a big play, yeah, I think just still structurally, when you watch how teams are playing the Seahawks, they're still so afraid of DK Metcalf, and rightfully so.

He's one play away from ruining your defense, right?

It could be first and 10 from the 30, and he might score.

You know, there's only so many players in the league who are built like that, and teams are very afraid of that.

And Jackson has been the primary beneficiary of that.

I think he's sixth in the league in receiving yards right now,

fifth among receivers, because Brock Bowers is Gronk, apparently.

But I think Jackson is just benefiting from Geno being wise enough to just take what they give you.

If they double-team DK, that means your first-round pick from a year ago is getting one-on-one.

You know, his touchdown against the Cardinals, he was one-on-one against the safety.

He takes that any day of the week.

So I think that's what's really helping Jackson right now as teams are still just so worried about 14 taking the top off their defense that they're not adequately covering number 11, who's just killing them every which way.

And on the Packers side, Mark, what are you looking for here from them?

Oh, more of the same.

I think it's like, you know, Josh Jacobs, who I really felt kind of all over the map about before this season, has become such a huge part of their identity.

And I think they have found a way.

I always felt with their defense, especially, which was a liability, that they were getting beaten up by other teams late in the year.

And they feel like one of the most physical teams in this conference.

They, to me, could go and beat people up.

And so it's more of that.

Like, just keep being who you are.

And you've got so many, like we can ask like who the number one wide out is on the Seahawks.

Like who is it for Green Bay?

They've got so many different young weapons and they can spread the ball in so many different ways that I just think they're very versatile on offense.

They can find a way to compete in any type of football game.

And they're quietly like, I know I'm not going to say it because everyone will get annoyed if I jump on any team's bandwagon at this point, but I really feel like they are peaking and growing and developing at the right time to make a real run, like to make a serious run towards the Super Bowl.

I'm not saying anything more than that to all of you.

By the way, Jaden Reed, to your point about the wide receiver group, this little fun on

Twitter I saw that

Jaden Reed said, wait till I come to Detroit.

He said this in October on the

Amon Ross St.

Brown podcast.

And then he had zero catches for zero yards on one target last week.

And Christian Christian Watson did step up.

And Watson has been much closer to the player we remember in his last year with Aaron Rodgers this year.

It's hard to say who's going to be the dude in that passing game week to week.

And maybe that's not the worst thing in the world.

They can come at you with different angles, but we'll see if they try to get Reed involved in this game after being invisible in week 14.

Okay, let's move on.

Next up,

we are talking the Chicago Bears, number 24 in the power rankings, traveling to Minneapolis to face the number five Vikings, Minnesota, laying seven points a wood, Buck, Aikman, Salters.

Jordan, it's gotten to the point where I just expect these primetime games to be bangers.

But this one, ooh,

I feel like Brian Flores could tie this Bears' offense up in knots potentially, especially the Bears that we saw last week in the first game with Thomas Brown running the show.

Yeah, well,

the Bears have to look at least more prepared to play an NFL football game.

I think that's step number one.

But when you're trying to patch that many holes, and I really feel for Thomas Brown in this scenario, and a couple people around the league I've talked to about it, just the chaos of going from pass game coordinator, basically like assistant to the offensive coordinator to down you know, now you're up in the booth calling plays and finally you get like a good view of everything that's going on in an all-22.

Then you're back down on the field over the course of like 18 days.

And by the way, you have to be the savior of this team that just keeps firing people.

And the next firing will do it.

I just know it, right?

And so that's just, it just sucks all around.

But they have to look more prepared.

Thomas Brown was pretty blunt as he is about that in his post-game comments after last week's embarrassing loss.

Minnesota is just, they're just so much fun, guys.

They're a lot of fun.

And I love watching the all-22 every week of Brian Flores' defense, particularly in short-yardage situations, because teams try to move them side to side to get them out of their gaps and out of their assignments and try to counter some of the things that they know that they can do.

And if you go back and watch some of the goal-line plays or some of the red zone plays from last week, they literally,

it's just like these purple jerseys, and they look like water flowing across rocks.

Like, it's beautiful to watch how this defense is playing together on one accord.

Well said, Jordan, I love that.

It reads things as it just there's a there's a unimind happening, and they just they understand, they just get it.

It's it, all of these things are really fun.

Um, I have your Darnold Hive nugget of the week, Dan, if you so choose to receive it.

Nice.

Okay, so Sam Darnold has,

I'll speak extra, extra, extra, no, I'll speak extra loud.

He has a 51.1% success rate on passes of 20 plus yards this season, which means on over half of his plays, which are of the lowest probability threat

this year,

It's loud in here.

I'm the queen bee bitch.

Gather around me.

We are living in golden times.

The hive.

Okay, so you could say it like this.

Sam Darnold, who got another chance.

Wait, can you start over?

We would like to hear the stat.

The hornets got kicked up there,

and we apologize.

But we're so excited here in the hive.

And I could have sworn-you know, that thing like when your great-grandmother dies and then you're at Walgreens and you thought you saw her in the aisle thing?

It's like, wait, and then she's not there.

Something that did happen to me.

I think I saw Money Mike Dugar in the hive

during Sunday.

But, Jordan, what is the stat?

He was wearing those like fake glasses and a fake mustache.

Nobody sees me.

Okay, Sam Darnold has a 51% 0.1% success rate on passes of 20 plus yards a season, which means on over half of his plays of what typically is one of the lowest probability throws you can make in that sort of category, he is successful over half the time.

So you could say it like this, Sam Darnold, who got another chance, will always give you more than half a chance on an explosive play.

I'd love to see it for him.

Mike, come on.

You got to be impressed by Sam right now.

We're trying to to sell it, Mike.

We're trying to sell it.

Come on, baby.

I was, oh, this is good.

I was impressed by about half of the plays.

I was stealing.

Come on, we got to admit that one of those Falcons DVs, whoever number 20 is for the Falcons, like, that might have been his last DVD.

That was Mark Zessler, actually.

Oh, my God.

Mark might have covered those deep balls better than number 20.

He was just, just, he looked like he didn't know anything about football.

I will say that like half of them were very solid, but I enjoyed 100% of what Sam did because it was against Falcons defensive coordinator, Jimmy Lake, who I despise.

Oh, you hate that guy.

You hate him.

I hate that guy.

I don't even know who he is, but you hate him.

He used to be the defensive coordinator of the Washington Huskies.

Right.

He tormented my kooks for the Apple Cup for years and years and years and gloated about it.

Now his defense looks like a bunch of children out there whenever Sam throws the ball further than 20 yards.

You know, so I enjoyed that part.

I'm still not in the hive.

That was not me in the Walgreens.

It wasn't you.

Okay, Mike.

It wasn't you.

I am impressed by the Vikings, though.

They are like a legitimately very good,

very complete team.

Their defense is good.

They can run the ball.

Their quarterback can make plays.

Even like he can get out of trouble.

Justin downplayed in our group text.

He downplayed Mark's ability to do some of the things that Sam did.

I think that's unfair to Mark in his...

past history as a premier athlete, as far as I know.

But yeah, one of those touchdowns where he just eludes a sack and then throws a bomb to a wide-ass open Justin Jefferson.

That was impressive pocket movement.

I'll give him that.

This is probably the team you don't want to play like right now in the NFC, that little label.

Because I do feel like what they do travels really well.

Yeah, and it's like

they didn't play each other that long ago.

And if you go look at that game, it went to overtime.

But Brian Flores scrambled the Bears on offense for the first three quarters or so, and then it turned like games do.

And so I wonder

what they, the Bears, take away from that, but who is they at this point?

Because now we're at the point, and we've talked about Brian Flores a lot on the show, but it's like you've got Kevin O'Connell and Brian Flores versus Thomas Brown.

And if I could watch,

if I could pick like a hard knocks each week, like my own topic, I'd love to know what last week looked like for Thomas Brown, trying to go from not even the offensive coordinator position, but below that, to running the entire show.

And they looked completely unprepared.

And so, what have you learned suddenly six days later, you're back in the same position?

I think it's just, yeah, the coaching matters.

And, like, this seems like an overwhelming challenge for Chicago with a rookie quarterback and a coach who's done this once for three hours as a head coach.

Can you do me a favor and do not give NFL films any more ideas about hard knocks, offshoots?

I mean, can you?

Well, that's, yeah, I'm not asking for more, but replacement.

I mean, taking a beautiful idea and then watering it down with spin-off after spin-off, it's like a CSI situation at this point.

I could say it how it is.

It's like Marx-like subplot that he would like to see studied.

And it's just a six-episode.

I'm not asking for more.

I'm with you.

I'm with you on that.

Less content in general.

I don't even know how to pick stuff at this point.

It was like a classic Shanahan suffocation game, too.

I mean, it really was.

It was a get-right game for the 49ers.

I checked in at some point thinking, oh my God, that can't be real.

And I looked and it was like the Bears had had the ball for only 10 minutes.

I was looking like near the end of the second quarter, and they had run 17 plays.

And it's like, yeah, you can say that this, you know, that this offense has a ways to go.

Obviously, Caleb Williams is a lot of times a bright spot there, but they weren't even getting a shot to even run whatever version of this offense is going to be run for the next couple of weeks.

The Bears series is the right thing.

Let us move on, please.

Wait, Mark, you didn't like CSI Cyber with Lil Bow Wow as the lead?

Well, I think Dan slashed CSI there.

Like,

I'm a tremendous fanatic of the series.

They gave Bow Wow the lead of a CSI series?

You never heard of CSI series?

It's like CSI Cyber or something, I believe, yeah.

And I think Bow Wow was the star.

Yeah, unbelievable.

Check it out.

Also unbelievable that the NBA season is in full swing, and Underdog has tons of fun ways to get in on the action with nightly NBA pick'em slates, plenty of discounts and promos all week long.

And you could even play against other users with daily tournaments and private drafts where Underdog is giving out over $100,000 every single day.

They say the night is darkest before the dawn, but this is something entirely different.

I cannot see what is in front of me.

Behind me, everything they have taken away.

I move forward in pitch black, but this cloak of darkness does not induce fear.

For I am the darkness.

I walk this road alone.

without her.

But she is my light as I move forward.

Her vision is my instinct.

How did I get here?

I don't know.

But I'm coming home.

The hunted is now the hunter.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, hell yeah.

Yeah.

Let's go.

Dark Terry.

Dark Tieri.

Teary.

Teary.

Dark Tieri.

Hell yeah.

Wow.

Listen, like, the only thing I struggle with is that I'm visualizing Justin in the role of like a vigilante, and I have some ups and downs with that, but other than that, it's just what does Justin have to do with any of this?

What do you mean?

Unnecessary shot there, Mark.

I don't know.

What do you mean, Justin?

No, it's talking about Terry.

Terry is a completely separate entity, and

what a turn of events.

He's taken to the streets now.

I want more.

Play that again.

All right.

The game we cannot, games we cannot wait to watch.

Let's start with the game,

potentially the game of the year.

How about this?

The number two Buffalo Bills travel to Ford Field to face the number one Detroit Lions and shout out Sunday daytime football in a big spot, 4.25 p.m.

Eastern on CBS.

Nance Romo Wolfson on the mic and over-under here, Money Mike, 53 and a half.

There will be points.

I feel like we just came off a game where the Bills got shredded, obviously, by the Rams, but Josh Allen scores six touchdowns.

Absurd.

And I think we've learned by now that the Detroit Lions can put up points with anyone in the league.

So, I mean, I'm sure it was a long week with Sean McDermott and his coaching staff trying to figure out what what went wrong in Los Angeles.

And now it's like, oh, now we're going to the machine to face the machine.

That is the Lions offense.

What adjustments can they make?

Is there anything they could do to slow down the Lions?

This one feels like you bang that over all day long, Mikey.

Yeah, man, this over is 53 and a half.

That is nuts.

I didn't watch this game live because I think it was happening while the Seahawks played the Cardinals.

So I actually didn't even really watch it until last night.

It kind of felt like when I had never seen Star Wars until like, I think like 2019 or something.

So I like binge-watched all of them and like live tweeted it and it was cool like to experience this thing everyone loved

much later, but still in like real time anyway

So my main the reason why the over is like this is Vegas probably has the same takeaway I did when I watched that Bills Rams game, which was that was really bad safety play which was actually a theme across the league which inspired my fearless prediction teaser and I do think that is just to focus just on the bills because I do think the Lions actually have very good safeties, actually.

But if I'm the Bills, that does concern me a little bit because it wasn't just like the Rams attack them in one particular way, like bombing it over their head.

They had a really good scheme that just forced Taylor Rapp to be everywhere, and he kind of just wasn't.

It's like the opposite of a good revenge game for him.

And they just exploited that.

And you're seeing more teams do that around the league where if you're going to play a two-high B-zone, whatever, like we're finding ways to get your safety in conflict against the run.

Like on the, I think, the Puka touchdown, and like, we'll get you in coverage as well.

And I do think, as good as Buffalo is, a well-earned, what are they, number two in the power rankings of record, if there is an issue that

good offenses can exploit, I think that's going to be it.

And, you know, their whole unit didn't play well, but you mentioned that it was probably a long week.

The DB room was probably like, they were expletives all over the place, I'm pretty sure.

Whereas on the other side, Ben Johnson and Jared Goff and all those guys are probably like, look, number three,

number nine.

Here's where we're going.

That's how we're going to hit the over.

So I feel like this is probably going to come down to whether those two, the whole DB room, can limit explosives, you know, against the number one team in the power rankings of record.

Yeah,

my concern for Buffalo at this point in time, if you look at the last four or five games, They've been shredded on the ground, their defense.

And, you know, the Rams ran well against them.

The Niners went nuts on them.

The Colts, the Dolphins.

And you are playing what I think is the most diverse, powerful running attack in the entire league in Detroit.

And so it's like, if Detroit gets, if you're going to let Detroit just go play the kind of game that they want to play,

you're going to struggle.

You're going to struggle.

And so it's like, how do you take...

how do you make Jared Goff uncomfortable?

That's a big game for Greg Rousseau against Panay Sewell and company.

But if you're going to allow Detroit to run the ball and kind of control drives, I think it's just almost near impossible to beat this team.

And then suddenly the Bills out of nowhere could be what we think is one of the best teams in the league on a two-game losing streak.

But they have Josh Allen, right?

And that's what's going to be so interesting.

So

it's like

we're sitting up in the press box, right, on Sunday, and I get a message from Joe Busgaglia, our colleague at the athletic, who does great work.

And

he ding.

That's so cool.

And so, and he literally sent me a message and he said, uh, Josh Allen psychopath mode is about to flip.

Watch.

And one play later, Josh Allen breaks off a 30-yard run and it throws like a 50-yard bomb and then like starts scoring all these points and touchdowns and the Rams or just befuddled and have no answer for it.

And it's like, you have that guy who can do that thing and play at a definitively MVP caliber this season and completely change the course of a game.

And I think it also exposed a lot of, like you guys have mentioned, that that game also exposed a lot of the vulnerabilities that do exist within the Bills' defense, but also within their team structure in general.

If we're going to talk about a game that could potentially get close because of the heroics that are possible between either offense, we got to talk about situational management.

And the Lions certainly have an advantage there in winning in the margins in that way.

And certainly that was a disadvantage for the Bills that had an effect on the game this past Sunday.

And I think that, you know, one of the things that Matthew Stafford and the rams were able to do was they were able to um either spread the bills out defensively spread them out wide using a lot of empty sets um and trusting their offensive line and and some of their chipping help and basically get the bills to tell them what they were going to do with their pressure pre-snap and then matthew stafford was basically simulating old play call old play calls at Taylor Rapp and some of the other Bills defenders who knew like the old version of a play and they threw two wrinkles into it and ran a different one and Puka Nakua gets in the end zone.

And that's crazy.

That's the type of stuff that Ben Johnson will want to exploit and try to do against this Bills defense that showed where they're vulnerable.

And I know these are two entirely different sports, but Josh Allen has crossed over, and

at the quarterback position in the NFL, he reminds me a lot of what the great ones in the NBA, where they just say, no, I'm taking the game over.

And I'll, you know, Jordan is obviously an example there, but I think about, remember LeBron, game six, 2012 against the Celtics, and like everything was on the line for him.

And he just put that team on his back.

He went 45 and 15 in that game.

He went on to win the series and the title.

Like, Allen has that ability.

He's like, I'm stopping everything right here.

And it's really so impressive, Mike, that you can actually do that on a football field when there's 22 people on the field, that he has that.

It makes him a one-of-one.

And it's a reason why I think he's going to now, I think, win the MVP if he stays healthy the rest of the way.

And in a spotlight game like this, with everyone saying it's a Super Bowl preview, like Allen going sicko mode in this game, either on a comeback trail or just one of those like LeBron masterpieces front to back, I totally can see it.

And I kind of like the Bills in this game as a result.

Yeah, he is the type of guy who can just, I know we're saying this coming off a loss, but can almost single-handedly win you a game.

And I mean, we talked about Buffalo's defense.

I mean, Detroit's just not like world beaters.

I think we can all agree they didn't fall off as much as we may have thought with all the injuries, you know, with losing, particularly up front.

Their front was constructed really well, like with a good plan going into the year.

And then everyone just got hurt all at once.

It was, it was nuts.

I looked up on either Thanksgiving or last Thursday and I was like, when the Lions get Jamal Adams?

I just had no idea.

He was just on the screen.

I was just like, wait, what?

I was like, yo, how long has he been there?

I think the announcement was like yesterday or something.

But anyway, it just shows what they're, how bad they're banged up.

And I do think that that only will really kill you against really good offenses.

You know, you can get by with patchwork defensive players against kind of a ho-hum offense or something.

But with Josh Allen coming into town,

yeah, I think I got to sit on this a little bit more for my money mic pick, but I might lean with you, Dan, taking the bills in this one.

And that's what we talked about last week, what Belichick said on McAfee.

That's like some of the stats look like Detroit's holding down things despite the injuries, but against big-time teams and offenses and big spots, can you trust this Detroit defense?

This is going to be a major test.

Before we move on, two notes:

Lions 10 and

Bills 10 and 3, Lions 12 and 1.

They enter this matchup with a combined winning percentage of 846.

That is tied for the fourth highest entering a matchup in week 15 or later since the merger in 1970.

And this data point, this will be the fourth time since the merger, again, 1970, that two teams averaging 30 points per game met in

week 15 or later per Elias.

Good to see Elias still in the mix.

in, they're back in the morning.

People have come for their corner, but there's Elias with a data point there.

Hold on.

So, this is going to be a lot of fun.

A lot of fun.

All right.

Let's move on.

That was the game I can't wait to watch.

You guys aren't excited for that game.

I got in the dock and said it's mine.

So now we've got to talk about the other games.

Jordan, you're up.

Yeah, I feel like the system was a little bit rigged because normally we don't get a prod from Justin about getting into the dock and like you guys just let it slip by unnoticed.

And normally that's where I started.

But this time around,

this time around, we did get a verbal cue from Justin.

And then now I was second in the dock.

So you, Dan.

Okay, but I do, I do, I am really excited about this game.

This is number

six, number six, Pittsburgh at number three, Philadelphia.

This is 425 Eastern on Fox.

This is the Burkhart, Brady, Andrews, Rinaldi game.

A brief rundown of some key matchups within this game.

Russell Wilson's Russaissance as a passer in Art Smith's offense versus that old bastard who we love, Vic Fangio, and a stellar revamped Eagles secondary.

Wilson and the Eagles secondary have both done quite a bit of reputational repair this season.

Parenthetical, Russ will probably be without George Pickens, who hurt his hamstring this week, and half of his deep completions have targeted Pickens for over half his total passing yards on deep throws.

So we might see more Mike Williams.

Another matchup, league leader in pressure rate among defensive tackles, Milton Williams, parenthetical, in part because of the attention Jalen Carter has gotten, which Mark has rightfully pointed out every week.

And that Philly interior defensive line versus embattled Steelers guard Isaac Sumalo.

Embattled.

But Zach Frazier, a rookie center, is having a truly outstanding season.

He was born in 2001.

I have a note to myself to ask Mark how he feels about that later.

Safe on the bottom.

2001?

2001.

He was born in 2001.

Mark has some feelings that align with Pete Carroll about steel beams melting.

No, he does not.

No, he does not.

That is

Saquon and Hurts versus the front seven combination of Watt, Heismuth, Queen, and Herbig.

That would be a sick law firm name.

A.J.

Brown and Jalen Hurts versus Their Feelings.

And Sheets versus Wawa, the most epic of all matchups.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

I'm a Sheets girl, by the way.

I love Sheets because you can choose, you can get on the monitors inside and choose exactly what you want on your breakfast sandwich.

Love that.

I don't know either of the, I know Wawa is a big Philly landmark, but I don't really know Sheets at all, personally.

I do like, as someone who might not have an issue with potential Eagles dysfunction, the percolation that's like cooking right now.

Like it does feel a little bit, Mark, just a little bit like we might get

Crossroads Eagles moment coming sooner rather than later.

And maybe it happens this week.

Maybe things go sideways and you get like a pissed off AJ Brown on the sideline and Sirianni says something dumb with his kids on his lap after the game.

And all of a sudden, Eagles in crisis mode possible.

Give it to me.

Well,

I know that that would please you

for various reasons.

I think probably what you will get.

One or two, as I understand.

Yeah, but what you will get is like probably 14 targets to AJ Brown in this game.

You know what I mean?

I think that might be closer to how they function is like, okay, we've got this, I wouldn't call him a diva, but like a true sort of modern 2024 alpha wide out who complains and the next week we kind of fix.

The Eagles don't care about what any of us think.

That's kind of what I like about them.

I think they want to come to your holiday dinner and just blow it up and like kiss your grandmother and have Jalen Carter come sit on you.

Like they don't care.

They don't care at all.

And I think that's what I love.

I would have picked this over Detroit Buffalo if if I'd gotten in the dock first.

I like this better.

I think it's two crazy franchises who are so branded with what they are.

And this, to me, is the game of the week more than Lions Bills.

It just is for me.

And I think it's because the Steelers have to be one of the more surprising developments in the entire league.

I thought they were going to be dull.

and eyesore, tough to watch, and instead they're the opposite.

And the Eagles, who I think we're still feeling about the way that last year ended without realizing, like, wait, they've won like 11 in a row.

They're killing people.

They're one of the most physical bludgeoning teams in the NFC.

And this, to me, no more hot take tax here.

Don't give them two extra wins.

It's a nine-game winning streak.

Okay, well, it could be 10, but like, I'm just saying, like, I think they've quietly rounded into an absolute punch-throwing bully.

And I think there's a feeling that we don't want to see it.

Well, here it is, Mark.

Here it is.

I mean, I'm trying to get ahead of it.

You're saying, I'm saying that they may be a bully, but I think they might be due to get punched in the mouth.

And if they do on Sunday, how does this team and that locker room and that head coach react to it?

This is a little flashpoint focus about the Eagles, that it's not going to be smooth sailing and they're not the greatest team ever, just sticking it to people because they don't care what you think.

Was this the DNA of the team when they...

collapse like a team we've never seen last year.

I'm wondering if that's still deep within them.

A lot of the same principal characters.

I know you disagree.

You love your Eagles, but like, I'm just saying, it's out there.

It's

within them still, I think.

I don't think it is.

But I will say this.

The pass rush that it's not just TJ Watt, and you mentioned those three characters, The Law from Jordan.

That is a huge thing for Pittsburgh to have High Smith and Herbig become what they've become to.

And High Smith was there a year ago, but now they've got three guys.

I am actually legit.

I'm with you, Dan.

I think this is a problem for the Eagles.

I've always thought that the way Jalen kind of moves is kind of weird.

He just doesn't feel like someone I'd problem solve with.

He just seems like to be super stoic in a time when it's like a super emotional game.

And sometimes you got to let that out behind the scenes with your guys.

Like I can just see AJ just having to try to talk with him behind the scenes or at his locker.

And then Jalen just like kind of nodding, nodding, and then dropping a Nicky Giovanni quote.

And then that being it.

And it's just like, no, I'm trying to like talk to you like a person.

Like, stop, you know?

But also, when I watch AJ, and he's not like the how I measure the Eagles in general, but like it is interesting watching his press conferences sometimes if I haven't seen the game because I can't tell whether they won or lost.

Like, sometimes I'm just like, like last week, you would have thought they got blown out hearing from AJ.

They won the game, uh, and like Mark said, they've won a bazillion games in a row, and I think the last time they lost, AJ didn't even play.

So, like, AJ personally, I don't think he's been a part of a loss since like week two or three or something like that.

But sometimes you can just tell he's like, yeah, nah, this, this ain't it.

Like to say passing when acts like what's wrong with the team, like that's just a shot.

There's only one guy who passes the ball, you know, it's the process of elimination there.

And Jalen Hurts is a winner.

He's a winner.

He wins.

I and I went back and watched this game because this wasn't one I watched live.

And I am very worried about the Eagles.

I kind of have been since somehow the Jets always come up.

But since the Jets game they played, I think it was last year where he threw a bunch of picks, including a pick six, when they were rolling, I was like, what's up with Jalen?

You know, and ever since then, I've kind of been watching his drop back game.

Like, he's very easy to game plan for.

He doesn't, he throws it like he's

scared to make a mistake.

And I think that is what AJ is probably upset about.

Like, dude, we're open.

Throw it to us.

Trust us more than you trust.

Michael Jackson or whoever else the Panthers are trotting out there at DB.

And yeah, I think this is going to be the game that they lose

and it's going to be just bad.

Now we're not going to get great AJ quotes, but this seems like a game where we get a tweet from every Eagles beat writer at the same time.

We're like AJ put his sunglasses on and left the locker room without talking to us.

Yeah, Jalen Hurts is holding the ball the longest of his career.

To your point, Mike, I mean,

statistically, what we're seeing on tape is backed up.

And the Eagles have no actual functional drop back, like pure drop back passing game in the sense that if it's not a screen, if it's not a play action pass, then it's not working.

And that's where some of the frustration from the receivers are coming from.

All right.

Let's see what happens.

Let's see what happens.

Quote from Jordan Milata.

We are moving on, Milata said.

It's the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, not the A.J.

Brown and Jalen show.

It's the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That's it.

Let's see.

All right, up next, Sess Dog.

Game you can't wait to watch.

Well, so I, you know, I would, I would market the previous two games as games I'd want to watch more than that.

That's not what the document says.

It says this game we're about to talk about.

You cannot wait to watch.

I actually think this is

it's under, this is an underrated game, the Bucs at Chargers.

It's underrated.

These are two true playoff contenders, and I think it matters a lot what happens.

And speaking of underrated, I think that underrated is Liam Cohen, who, you know, got to me sort of like hot and cold press in the past, but the Bucs, when they had Brady and even last season, They were dysfunctional to me on offense because they could not run the ball.

And we keep talking about the Chargers as this team that wants to pound you with like 200 yards on the ground.

And they're not really doing it right now.

They're just not.

They've not been that team.

And it's been quietly like a really solid season for Justin Herbert and, like, like in terms of his efficiency.

But the Bucs can run the ball right now.

And I want to see the matchup between Liam Cohen and how he attacks Jesse Minter, who thinks he's a very good defensive coordinator for the Chargers.

And so this feels like, you know, like underrated also are pirates in general, like seafaring pirates.

Like we villainize them.

We act like they are typically bad, bad-mannered.

But like, we don't know.

They're also sending money back to their families.

Well, nobody ever, you're right, Mark.

Nobody ever like says, okay, why does the pirate do what the pirate does?

Is it to put food on the table for his kids?

And like, what's wrong with that?

Ultimately.

We don't look deeper at the pirate, and I feel like the Bucs are kind of feel, like, they must feel nationally treated the same way to some degree.

Who is more of like a seafaring pirate at quarterback than Baker Mayfield?

He's a good match for this entire operation.

They're fun to watch.

These are physical teams, And so I have no problem with this being my game.

Our organization feels very good about this pick.

You know what I'm going to need?

I guess I cannot, I struggle to watch the Chargers.

I've been open about this.

I have a lot of respect for what Jim Harbaugh has done and added a level of professionalism that, quite frankly, felt lacking on that coaching staff and around that organization.

So they're winning games that they've been losing in the past.

But man, are they a tough watch

on offense, especially now with the injuries injuries and against the Chiefs, a game that, God, I think a lot of people wanted to see them win and just to like stick it to the Chargers fans that are out there that have been bullied by the Chiefs forever for it to hit the upright and then go through as time expired.

Just cruel.

But without Lad McConkey on the field, without Will Disley on the field, it's like

what you're asking Justin Herbert to do when they do pass the ball, it's like there are no

receivers and the level of throw he needs to make to complete passes is it's such a, it's such a, he has got to like thread the needle every time.

I just, and you get Quentin Johnson on LSD every other game and like so it's like doing crazy things.

Until they rectify the personnel issues, I think that's going to be what we're going to see.

And it's going to like, do you, can you grind out wins?

So big game here, Jordan, for

both teams, but I don't see it being a shootout.

I just don't see that's where this ends up going.

Justin Herbert's also dealing with, I believe, a knee and an ankle injury.

Yeah, he's got a double lower body issue, which, you know, when he was, when he got healthy earlier in the season, because he started up, banged up, and you saw what he was at full flight as an athlete, it was really fun to watch.

But now I'm a little worried we're going to get a lessened version of him on top of it.

Yeah, and there were some interesting comments from the offensive lineman out of the LA Chargers market earlier this week

talking about, okay, well, you know, yes, there's a lack, a clear, I mean, just this is me paraphrasing, but there's a clear lack of ability to get the ball to receivers because they just, they're limited with personnel when McConkey is not on the field.

And so, okay, so you run the ball.

Okay, but you're missing your top running back who's on injured reserve.

But then also, the offensive linemen are like, well, we have to make sure that Greg Roman is convinced that we can run the ball.

You know, like some of the movement and the push they got last week didn't really come until the second half.

And that's the sad reality of it.

And I know fans don't want to hear this, and I know players hate this part too, but there are coaches and their coordinators where you have to show them that you are capable of doing the thing that you quite obviously should be doing before he's going to actually call the plays to do it.

Because everything else is your best shot on offense: have the ball in Justin Herbert's hands.

So you have to make almost a convincing case for yourself if you're that offensive line in that running backs room.

Dan, I'm actually on the opposite side of you on this one.

This is a bullet.

This is from my notes on this game.

I guess I'm quoting myself, whatever.

I love this.

I actually think this game could have lots of firework because both QBs have guns.

And so, yeah, I actually do like points in this one, mostly because the Bucks secondary is just, it's Antoine Winfield and the gang.

But also, like, both of these teams, like when the guys catch the ball, which as Mark talked about is like,

really dangerous proposition when throwing a Quentin Johnston.

They're just really good.

Like, both of them are just really comfortable being like, all right, I'm back in college or high school, whatever.

Let's throw it a bazillion times or whatever.

You know, Greg Roman doesn't have Herbert throwing a lot, but it does feel like a phrase of mine that I've used multiple times in this show.

He throws a lot of passes of consequence,

particularly to guys that we don't know.

Like in this game, he threw a couple to someone named Stone Smart, I think.

Yeah, no idea.

I had no idea who that guy was.

He was created with a 3D printer.

And he was catching like meaningful passes in the second half of the game.

You know, I was just like, who is this guy?

You know, so I actually enjoy that about the Chargers.

They're one of my, they're not my pet team because I think I got bad luck like Mark does with that.

So I won't call them that.

But I actually do enjoy watching them play.

I hope I think Lightning Lad should play in this game.

Looks like he practiced earlier this week.

I do like the Chargers for that reason.

But both of these teams are kind of fun because push comes to shove, their quarterback is just so comfortable saying, it's on my right arm.

I'll I'll throw it to whoever.

You know, Baker has good guys to throw it to.

But yeah, I like this one.

I think this is actually, I'm with Mark as a game that I cannot wait to, I have my own, but me and Mark are online.

I can't wait to watch this as well.

Pivot.

Michael Sean Dugar.

The game you cannot wait to watch.

All right.

The game I cannot wait to watch is the Miami Dolphins at the Houston Texans, like the number 16 team Dolphins, and the power rankings of record at the number 15 team, which I think is what, the the third or fourth instance of two teams who are right next to each other

in the power rankings playing, including the Seahawks game as well and Lions Bills.

You know, quietly or not so quietly, Tua is on a heater since he's come back.

Like since week eight, he is just smoked, which is when he came back.

He's just smoking it.

Number one in drop back EPA, number one at passing yards, completing 76% of his passes, which is like just cash.

15 touchdowns in that span.

I don't think that's the the most, but he's only thrown one pick in that span.

So 15 to 1 in the touchdown interception ratio.

I don't love that stat, but people understand it.

So I use it.

Like he is smoking it.

And him and John New Smith, I looked up John New Smith's stats the other day.

Like, yo,

it's like a Pro Bowl tight end.

You know, in the AFC, it's basically like him and Brock Bowers.

You know, who would have thought that?

And Travis Kelsey, you know, before the season.

So, I mean, I love watching this Dolphins offense.

Another game I went back and watched last night.

Like, Tua is just so comfortable.

And, like, we were talking about

how Jalen Hurts in their drop back game is like, whatever.

The Miami Dolphins drop back game by comparison.

Oh, man.

It's just Tua dropped back and diced the game.

I don't think the Jets had a hit on Tua, let alone a sack in week 40.

Jalon's part of it.

Yeah.

He gets the ball out on time.

You know, he's accurate, obviously, by the completion percentage.

So this Dolphins offense, like, their defense is kind of just whatever right now.

But

I love watching the Dolphins.

I really hope that, so the Dolphins had Jalen Ramsey speaking their defense, like following Garrett Wilson.

I'm not sure how that got green lit in the meeting room.

Oh, that was a, that sounds terrible.

And then it looked terrible.

It was like just a double whammy.

So, like, you know, pray to whoever you believe in, if you care about the Dolphins, that they don't have him following Nico Collins because that will just go poorly.

Very, very, yeah, that might have been a wake-up call to their staff that that's not how you use Jalen Ramsey in 2024.

Bingo.

It is, it it is not and then just a quick note on the texans you know i've mentioned they've been my game i can't wait to watch a few times this year because i legitimately do enjoy watching cj uh and their defense i thought their defense i don't like it when i watch it like numbers aside and then i looked up some numbers last night like a top 10 defense somehow and i just feel like speaking of bad safety play that i mentioned earlier their safeties are awful and yet they like don't give up a lot of points uh they pressure the quarterback really well uh but i just think in general offense and defense this really is a it's a must-win game for the Dolphins because they're pretty much cooked if they lose anymore for the playoffs.

And then for the Texans, they just need to win a certain way.

The offense kind of went into the bye week out of whack.

They almost lost to the Jags.

They did lose to the Titans.

I feel like this needs to be their get-right game at the crib where they really just kicked the snot out of

another competent opponent because they just kind of been

winning like in the L-biter fashion, so to speak, against not good teams.

And they want to be a force in the AFC, and they just haven't looked like it lately.

will, um, I really agree with what you just said about the Texans, and I'll quote my own notebook right here.

Wow, look at this.

Yeah, well, this is, this is how we do it.

Like, I'm not sure.

I'm a lot of table gazing here.

Yeah, it is.

Like, I need to see Houston drop a bomb on someone to deflect my feelings that this is a failed mission.

I just, I, I came into this season, like so many of us, with extremely high hopes around the quarterback, around the offense, around the coaching, around the whole thing.

And I'm not loving watching them play of late.

They, they, to me, feel like 45% of what I was hoping for.

And if I had to pick one team that can just go off at any moment, it feels more like the Dolphins to me.

Because you're right, he's about to break Drew Brees's season, single season completion percentage record.

Like he is exactly what a Shanahan-esque offense wants.

And when he's on and when the wide receivers are on,

do I trust the Houston Texans defense and their secondary, which you've mentioned so many times, Mike, correctly?

Like, do I trust them against this wide receiver group?

I don't know.

The Texans, to me, are floating away a little bit, and I find it slightly annoying.

Here's some other things.

This could be, maybe we need, because we all want C.J.

Stroud to look like the dude he was last year.

Like, maybe he needs to get Lord into a shootout himself to kind of get his swagger back and give them a chance down the stretch.

So, the Texans will be without Jalen Petrie, their safety, who will undergo a season-ending surgery on his shoulder.

That came out on Wednesday.

They're also going to be without starting linebacker Aziz Al Shair, who is suspended for the late hit on Trevor Lawrence.

I wonder if that's a good thing.

And in general,

if C.J.

Stroud is ever going to get out of this

17 for 31 for 204 yards, one touchdown and a pick,

maybe this is it because I know Tua, the way he's playing and the way that offense is playing, I think they're going to score some points in Houston, and maybe we get a double 30 Berger in here.

And that would be fun.

So kind of a good pick here, Mike, for the late game.

We cannot wait to watch.

Congratulations, buddy.

Thank you.

I feel like I did all right for getting in there last.

Very good.

Well done.

All right, let's take a break.

And when we come back, we dive into the gravy boat.

Get your skibbies on.

After a long day of work, the last thing I want to do is cook dinner.

Come on, man.

With Factor, I don't have to, but I also don't have to compromise.

I can eat a nutritious, delicious meal with no prep and no mess.

From breakfast to dinner and anything in between, between, Factor has easy, nutritious options to keep you fueled and feeling your best.

Whether you like a routine or you enjoy mixing things up,

Factor has you covered with 35 different delicious meals every week and over 60.

Additional convenience options you can add to your box, like keto cookies, pressed juices, and smoothies.

Don't let shorter days slow you down.

Stay energized with America's number one ready-to-eat meal delivery service.

Find guilt-free comfort foods like home-style chicken and gravy, maron, and loaded mashed mashed potato pork chops, yes.

Feel-good vegan options like sweet potato and chickpea curry, and globally inspired flavors like Peruvian shrimp and red pepper cowlie grits.

Yeah,

there's no sacrificing quality for convenience with factor.

Weekly menus offer ways to treat yourself to a restaurant-like meal experience with gourmet plus dishes that feature premium proteins and seasonal sides like broccolini, leeks, and asparagus.

How does truffle butter filet mignon or garlic herb roasted baramunde sound?

Mouth watering, right?

Stay on your A game with quality ingredients you can trust and quality you can taste in every one of Factor's fresh, never-frozen meals.

Use your time more efficiently, so important during these dark months.

Let Factor take shopping, prepping, cooking, and cleaning up off your daily list of things to do.

Head to factormeals.com/slash 50 Heed and use code 50 Heed to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping.

That's code 50Heed as in 50HEED at factormeals.com slash 50Heed to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping while your subscription is active.

Football season is winding down.

Oh, but there's still plenty of time to get into the action on underdog.

With higher-lower pick'em entries, daily drafts, streaks, and more, there's never been a better time to start playing.

And it's not just the NFL, the NBA is back.

You've got NHL, college sports, so many options.

So don't miss out.

Just scan the QR code on your screen to download and play on the Underdog app.

Or if you're not watching on YouTube, sign up with the code HTC and you can receive up to $1,000 in bonus cash when you deposit.

Make the most of this NFL season before it's gone by playing along on Underdog for our U.S.

audience

only.

Listen.

That's the sound of the fully electric Audi Q6 e-tron.

The sound of captivating electric performance,

dynamic drive, and the quiet confidence of ultra-smooth handling.

The elevated interior reminds you this is more than an EV.

This is electric performance redefined.

The fully electric Audi Q6 e-tron.

CRM was supposed to improve customer relationships.

Instead, it's shorthand for customer rage machine.

Your CRM can't explain why a customer's package took five detours?

Reboot your inner piece and scream into a pillow.

It's okay.

On the ServiceNow AI platform, CRM stands for something better.

AI agents don't just track issues, they resolve them, transforming the entire customer experience.

So breathe in and breathe out.

That CRM CRM was then.

This is service now.

I've been beating this drum all season long and it's starting to become

it's coming into fruition.

I'm buying the Cardinals.

Such a mouth.

Any team you've done this with historically seems to always go immediately in the tank.

Mark, we talked about it on Thursday.

There was a concern that you might put a voodoo curse on the Cardinals.

And there goes Kobe Bryant with a house call for Seattle.

This is a troubling start to your post-prediction of Cardinals' greatness.

47,

and it's a moot point.

It's no good.

You know that Arizona's been my pet team.

There's no doubt about that.

Don't talk about them.

They had a chance to beat the Seahawks.

They lost.

They lost fair and square.

Of course, they had a chance.

Well, we act like they were taken out by 14 touchdowns.

Kyr Murray looking to make magic.

He's one Murphy picks it off.

The Cardinals are my, we get it.

They're my fetish.

Let them come under the radar.

The other way to pull the plug in the Arizona Cardinals is some say,

some throw it out there, Mark, that

you get Mark Zessler behind them.

Murray lets it fly.

Harrison Jr.

can't get it picked off.

Yeah, no, no, listen.

I don't believe in jeans.

Rilet's kick.

The Cardinals should know that me and Cesi are behind them all the way.

I can't think of a quarterback that scares me less than Geno Smith.

Smith deals.

End zone.

Open.

Touchdown.

Marie.

He's sacked.

And that's it.

They sweep the Cardinals with a 30-18 victory.

Yeah.

And that sets the table, Ceci, for a trip to the Gravy Boat.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Can I respond at all?

Yes, as we get into New England at Arizona,

yes, go ahead.

Well, I'd say this.

Number one, the production value off the charts,

Justin.

But the idea that

one of the show's main motivations is to put like four man hours into making me look slightly idiotic.

Like, I do take note of that.

But I have to agree that I do feel now that I'm hesitant to back any sports team or any human endeavor.

I think what makes this one different, Mark, and I was talking with Justin about this during all the man hours we were putting into this.

Man hours.

Is that in this case,

we're working over at the manhole, putting in some man hours.

Were you working at the manhole there, Dan?

Always.

Double shifts.

In this case, what made it different, Mark, is that from the jump, we kind of were like, hey, man, be careful here

and and then it happened and that makes it really feel extra voodoo level curse you you are not incorrect both of you all of all because i could even see jordan and mike's displeasure on some of those replays when i would pump up the cardinals you could sell you could tell that they weren't buying it either and so it's it's been a comprehensive um a disaster it is a comprehensive failure

All right, get us into the game, Justin.

This is a chance.

This is one of the worst teams in football they're playing this week.

And

if it continues onward, then we might need to get like a priest and

form an exorcist or something.

I don't know.

Exorcism.

All right, go ahead, Justin.

There are some theories that Mark didn't cause this.

He just foresaw it and channeled it into the world so that we knew it was happening versus him actually like theories by who?

Who's

theoretically saying that?

Just, you know, listening.

Manifested it.

We have a Reddit board.

Okay.

Well, Well, trust them.

Yeah, the Reddit board.

They've got a lot of theories about

it.

I've read it.

I don't need to read a whole lot more of it.

All right.

Patriots at Cardinals.

Yes, we all know about the voodoo curse.

We just saw some Chad Ryland misses in that little compilation.

Way to go.

Chad says that.

He was originally drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round, for God's sake.

The matchup I'm watching here, though, the one that interests me the most is Christian Gonzalez versus Marvin Harrison Jr.

And I have a feeling Christian Gonzalez is going to win the majority of the day.

Well, Marvin Harrison has had a very strange rookie season where if you look at his stats, they look fine.

Has he made big-time impact plays?

Yes.

But he's just so hot and cold in this offense, and it's been that way.

So, Mark, it's only right you get to talk about your team now here against the number 27 Patriots.

This is a game, it's a must-win game for the Cardinals.

It's at home, and they've fallen flat at home on the road during this losing streak.

But for Christ's sake,

find a way to make best use of your best players.

And if, yeah, Christian Gonzalez is one of the best young corners in the league, if Harrison is going to be erased, well, then the other aspects of your offense need to step up.

I mean, it's put up or shut up time for Gannon and company.

I'd point to Mike Seahawks as a team that...

really affected the way people should think about the Cardinals because what they want to do is run the ball and be physical and be one of the tougher teams.

And that's not been what they are.

They were from weeks

one through like seven, they were the second best team in terms of EPA per play, and they have tumbled to 27th.

So my concern, very basically, with Arizona is that either they've been figured out or they just aren't who we thought they were.

They aren't the team they were earlier in the year.

And like, you know, like you get later on, it's like certain teams survive.

And they right now are not surviving.

And I think you can point all over the map and say players that were playing consistently are not operating that way right now and marvin harrison's a good diagram into that um i am genuinely concerned i feel like like i mentioned on the other show i feel like if if russia were to like to bomb the eastern seaboard that's how the cardinals get into the playoffs right now i don't feel like this is a real option this is not a playoff team right now all right well you know bomb out a terrible Patriots team and get back on your feet because that division is wide open.

Anybody could take it.

The Patriots, all we really need to talk about with New England right now is their former coach.

So let's take a brief little Bill interlude here.

Kind of a stunning move by Bill Belichick

and the six-time Super Bowl winning coach was named the new head coach at North Carolina on Wednesday night.

It's a five-year deal.

Belichick is 72, so do the math.

It was approved stunner by the Board of Trustees during an emergency meeting on Thursday, college.

What are they going to do?

Not approve it.

Hear ye, hear ye.

Anyway, news conference coming up

starting in about 45 minutes as we record this.

Anyway, so Belchek worked in the NFL from in some capacity from 1975 until he was let go or parted ways with the Patriots in January.

And he had no real

action or interest from the league when he was on the market before this season started.

And according to like a big piece from Seth Wickersham that landed this morning on ESBN,

he was reading the tea leaves and looking at jobs that were coming up, coming free in the NFL, and he didn't have a good feeling about the situation.

In fact, as one confidant, as it was put in the Wickersham piece, put it, this is a big F you to the NFL.

Okay.

All right, Jordan, it's a big FU to the NFL, but why does this feel like to me, it's like I'm going to break up with the NFL before the NFL breaks up with me.

And he was like, I got to pivot before I'm left out in the cold again in January.

It just seems like that's the league had moved on from this guy and this was his move to get out of that rejection once more.

Yeah, and he wants to coach no matter what, it seems like, you know, like he did 17 different jobs in media over the last years.

I don't know what's going to happen now with all of that because he's got to hit the ground right away because, hey, college football, the cycle never stops.

And it's recruiting season, as far as I'm aware.

Mike would probably know a lot more about that and Justin than I do.

But, you know, you gotta, you're always, it's like, you're all, it's, what is it?

Always be cruoting ABCs of college football.

You're always recruiting, right?

Now, this is also,

people have painted a very specific picture of what, how exactly it is that he basically told UNC, this is what I'm going to do as the leader of this football program, and was basically waiting on their response, sending them, according to Ollie Connolly of the Read Optional, you you know, a 400-page Bible, like the Belichick Bible, which you should copyright that, Bill, if you're listening.

And really sending a very detailed manifesto of what and how and why and salary, like salary, the salary numbers at every position, a succession plan for his son to eventually take over as the coach.

That's what's being reported right now.

And he might come out in the media and say, no, that's not true or whatever, but that's what's being reported by people who have seen that 400-page document.

And it's just, it's a fascinating thing.

It does very much, Dan, exactly the right way to put it.

I think I'm not, you don't get to break up with me because I'm going to do it first.

And that's exactly what this seems like.

But it also is the exact picture painted of a guy whose life is this, whose life is coaching, whose life is football, who doesn't like to exist within a world that is not of that particular lane that he likes to be in.

And this is his avenue to do it.

One note, and I know I'm rambling now and I'm sorry, but the Board of Trustees at UNC, there's been some reporting by Mike and I's colleagues at the athletic for the entire last six months or so since the dismissal of Mac Brown about how much infighting and dysfunction is happening amongst that group between the athletic director and the chancellor and the 13-member board.

Okay, yeah, hey, great idea.

Drop Bill freaking Belichick in the middle of that boiling pot of water and see what happens six months from now.

It's going to get real crazy and maybe a little weird over there at Chapel Hill.

Shout out to Bill Belichick with a nice case of, yeah, you can't fire me.

I quit.

He's already been fired by the league.

They already broke up with him.

He couldn't get an interview with anyone other than the Falcons, you know?

So, yeah, he was in the Wickersham report, just to add to that, Mike.

The Falcons, the only team that really took him seriously and even their top like cadre of decision makers, he wasn't in their top three finalists through that process.

Yeah, he's already been left out in the cold.

That Wicker Champ piece was hilarious.

I actually read that this morning, not knowing we were doing the interlude, because I was just so intrigued by why Bill is doing this.

And also in that piece, I kind of came off thinking Bill views college football as less.

politicky and chaotic in the NFL.

Boy, Bill, I got some news for you, buddy.

Wait till you see the egos on these kids now making six and seven figures at 19 years old, buddy.

You are in for a nightmare.

I think there is no in-between on this.

This either goes super well and he's the greatest coach ever, or

this is a freaking disaster.

Kids transferring all over the place, quitting mid-season, maybe quitting mid-game.

Shout out Devontae Davis.

Like, I just think this is...

This is probably a super polarizing move.

And as someone who has no attachment to Bill or North Carolina, I can't wait to just watch what happens here.

But yeah, I think the Wickersham piece in particular, plus what Bill said on the McAfee show, just leads me to believe he just doesn't really know how college football works right now.

Like today, man, it is stressful.

You see, you know how you can tell college football is so stressful right now and college basketball too?

The guys at the top who are winning and have the most resources are walking out of this thing.

They're retiring.

They're walking away.

It ain't just the guys at the small town schools or whatever who are like, this is too much.

We can't compete.

It's Nick Sabins.

It's

Kraski's.

Yeah, it's Chris Peterson's.

It's like the guys who are winning and have all the resources in theory to handle all this are like, nah, I'm good.

I'm out.

You know, like that's, that's a, that's a red flag to me because North Carolina is pouring a bunch of money into this with his contract, NIL.

And this is college football, you can't throw money at the problem.

It's going to stress you out no matter what because it's the wild, wild west.

And yeah, Bill is in for, I think, a pretty rude awakening when he gets there.

Yeah, I think to your point, like, like Jeff Hafley verbalized exactly what you said.

Like, this isn't the college football that I entered when I started this.

And it's not Nick Sabin's college environment either.

And I wonder if Nick Sabin had any effort in this.

I do think the one thing about Bill is that he is very tied to the journey of his father, who was a college court, like a college coach for years and wrote the scouting book that we've all taken a look at.

And like, I think there's a meaning for Bill Belichick to go to college.

I am surprised by one thing is that he seems so driven about his own legacy that he didn't try to mine his way back into the NFL to beat the Don Schuler record.

But I think teams are like, we're not doing this thing where you're a king running the front office and everything else.

And you're bringing, you know, Joe Judge and a bunch of names that we've lost

fascination with at this point.

So it was this point where I think Bill is smart to realize like two things.

He doesn't like doing media.

I don't, I don't, we, that is clear.

And he doesn't want to go back into an NFL that doesn't want him.

And so this is your other move.

And it's also, there's a nepotism angle here.

It's like, you're going to do it for a couple of years, make a ton of money, and then in comes Steve Part 2, because that's his father.

It's like that's Steve 2.0 comes in and takes over the program.

So part of it is looking down the road for his own family.

Maybe.

I don't know.

Like, I think it's,

this whole story seems sad to me.

I don't think this is what Bill Billy.

I don't think Bill Belichick ever wanted to go back to college, you know, to connect with his departed old man.

I think the plan was always to get right back into the NFL and stick it to Robert Kraft.

And then nobody wanted him last year.

And then this year, it was increasingly sensing that he might not get back in at all.

So this seems like a pivot.

And let's give Connor the last word on this because he wrote a really good piece in SI

about this.

And I'm just going to read a portion of it.

The fact that this deal was consummated, one would assume, has something to do with an NFL job not being promised upon the opening of the carousel.

On its face, that seems absurd, but wholly reflective of the NFL as is it right right now.

To say that Belichick is not one of the best available head coaching candidates is ridiculous.

However, Belichick is difficult to control and does not fit into the increasingly homogenous archetype preferred by the increasingly homogenous ownership circle in the NFL.

This is a group of people who do not like to be told no, who don't like the boat rocked, and who enjoy their fun little plaything, which provides them an entire little bustling village of replaceable townspeople to torture when life isn't going well at the top of the mountain.

Well said.

I love it, and I think it's perfectly said.

I think the NFL is a

it becomes groupthink, and Bill Belichick not being part of a solution for anyone seems absurd, but that's what it was, and now he has the pivot, and now he's coaching the tar heels.

I think it's sad.

Interlude concludes

back to the gravy boat, Bill Belichick.

All right, next UNC.

Please absurd.

Wake up.

Next game.

Colts at Broncos.

Now, this game could be pivotal in the playoff race.

The Colts are currently two games back of the Broncos for that seventh and final playoff spot.

Here's a fun fact.

The Colts' playoff chances, if they lose this game, drop to 6%.

If they win this game, jump to 51%.

Meanwhile, the Broncos bump all the way up to 91% chance to make the playoffs if they win this game.

Okay, this is the game that I think we've all or many of us have said, oh, look at the AFC.

There's no juice in the AFC playoff picture.

We already know everyone that's going.

However,

however, the Denver Broncos are more vulnerable than we realize.

If they do not win this game, they then go at Chargers, at Bengals, home Chiefs.

And

that could be a road to doom for that team.

So you have a chance to A, rubber stamp this playoff berth by knocking out the Colts and really put yourself in the driver's seat.

But if you lose, Mike, doubt could creep in very quickly.

So the stakes are very high for both teams here.

Yeah, I actually have a lot more faith in the Broncos than the Colts.

I think the Colts are still just trying to figure out what the hell they have in their quarterback, which, I mean, the Broncos,

strange to say, because they have a rookie.

It's like they know.

You just look at

how their offense looks.

They look very comfortable with like, all right, here's what Bell does well.

Here's what he doesn't do well.

Here's when we should take deep shots.

Here's when we shouldn't.

Their run game is kind of just meh, but I love their defense.

They're going to win me a fantasy football championship, I think.

And yeah, I think I'm among the people who believe the AFC field is set.

This is a cool game to look at.

But

if I had to pick a winner, I'm going with the Broncos.

I'm not even sure it should be very close.

I just think that they have an identity, whereas the Colts don't.

And in December,

if I had to pick between two teams, I'm almost always going to lean with the team that has an identity and knows who it is, because that's when in December football is tough and you really got to know who you are and establish that and be able to lean on that.

And I think Denver is going to be able to do that more than Indianapolis.

And just to be clear, I agree with you.

I'm just saying if they were to stub their toe in this game,

it could get interesting very quickly in the back end of the AFC Plus.

Let's see if it happens.

I kind of want it to happen.

Not Not anything against the Broncos or their fans or anything, but give me a little juice down the stretch here.

You want them to stub their toe.

Yeah, stub your toe, lose the game, keep the Colts in the mix, keep the Dolphins in the mix, you know,

just give us a little something.

Bengals, somewhat almost in the middle.

Please

keep that now.

Interesting.

How about that, Mark?

All right.

Next.

Next game, Chiefs at Browns.

All right, we've talked about it ad nauseum on this show, on every football show.

The Chiefs keep on just scraping by.

They don't look great, but they win every game they play, except for one.

Their defense has been elite at stopping the run this year, and I think that's going to put a lot of pressure on Jameis Winston in this particular game, and that could go one of two ways: either a bunch of ill-advised throws and turnovers and horribleness, or some jaw-dropping missiles.

I cannot wait to see which one we get.

Mark, what do you think?

Well, I'd agree.

I mean, it's, you know, no, he said either or.

Like, which one?

Which one do you see?

Missiles or Melchior?

Here's what I find problematic for the Browns fan:

I could see someone like Miles Garrett dominating like a DJ Humphreys character that's shoved into this line that's had issues.

And Mahomes has been hit a lot.

And you're in Cleveland.

I think the defense will shine.

You get a good game from Jameis Winson.

It's the kind of game that Cleveland will win in a very tight kind of end of game situation that makes the entire season more frustrating for Browns fans.

When Kansas City gets clipped, it's not going to be by the team you think.

And I just think

this is a situation where you get the good version of Jameis and Cleveland.

It's not that I'm saying that they're worth much right now, but this is where I see a win coming because it's annoying.

You don't have to agree with that.

So you got the Browns beating the Chiefs this week.

That's what I took out of that.

I do.

I think it's going to be like 19 to 18 or something.

Look at you.

Maybe the ball hits off the post the other way.

Also, programming note, like we did not forget about the fact that DJ Humphreys was signed to this team.

I got mean messages.

Come on, guys, about forgetting about

the fact that they signed a left tackle a few weeks ago to eventually patch the situation.

We did not forget about that.

Pat Mahomes was still hit 13 times last week, y'all.

So if that's the thing that you're going to be mad about to the point where you're crafting a mean message to me, a puppy, like,

let's touch grass, man.

They still have issues.

That offensive line still has issues.

Kiss ass, touch grass.

Jimmy Haslam, the owner of the Browns, by the way,

a pure person.

He's a pure person.

Athens and a few owners.

He's a pure individual.

Expressing support for Kevin Stefansky and Andrew Berry, and said, but added, we went from 11-6 in making the playoffs to 3-10, so it's a little perplexing what happened, but at least right now, publicly supporting the front office and the head coach.

All right, next.

Next game, Commanders at Panthers.

Nope, let me do that again.

Next game, Commanders at Saints.

Derek Carr did not practice on Wednesday, which is going to make his return from a concussion and a fractured left hand quite challenging this week.

Meanwhile, Marshawn Lattimore, who was traded from the Saints to the Commanders at the deadline, has yet to make his debut for Washington.

He was a full practice participant on Wednesday, so it could finally happen this week against his old team.

That's a how long has it been out?

So long.

I'm so excited about that move, too.

All right.

Okay.

What do you think about this one, Jordan?

Yeah, I mean, Washington, like, they hit their little, you know, cliff cliff, right?

It ended up being a little bit more of like a speed bump or a divot in the road or something.

Maybe they stubbed their toe, Dan, if you really wanted someone to be injured in that way.

Someone must stub their toe in Luke 15-Hansas.

But I still, I can't, I will not quit this commanders team.

I'm not going to be the person that curses a team.

I'm just not going to be like that guy.

But the Commanders, I have loved watching them all year.

They remain so much fun.

I love how hard they play on defense, despite the fact that you can see where some of their deficiencies are.

Eventually, Marshawn Lattimore is supposed to help with that at some point, right?

And I just think, you know, I don't know who we might see, if it's Hainer or Rattler.

That I think has yet to be sort of talked about publicly by the time of recording.

I think Spencer Rattler's got some juice to him, but certainly not enough to make a dent in a very exciting and still very, very fun, in my opinion, Washington Commanders team.

Well, you've heard that locker room in New Orleans, the excitement in northern New Jersey after their win in week 14.

They're playing hard for that interim coach.

And I could only imagine that they'll continue in week 15.

So they do the strobe, right?

They do the strobe lights, right?

They bring that everywhere.

I was talking to one.

It's one strobe light.

It's one super sad strobe light.

The problem is also they had like a really harsh light in the back of whatever that strobe was.

And it made it look like an insane asylum.

And not just like,

and the tone of voice, like it just was like, when I watched that clip a couple of times last week, and I'm like, maybe you don't do the strobe for this one.

Like, let's check the balance of you get a warm tone behind, you know, so you can really see the strobe pop so it's exciting instead of like

epilepsy-inducing, you know, like just the Barbara Walters soft focus cam.

Like, but you know,

I don't know.

We'll see what happens in that game.

Barbara Walters, that is the zeitgeist.

Up next,

this thing sounds like a random crowd reaction downloaded off YouTube.

No, this is the Saints' response to Darren Rizzy on

something.

I'm just picturing Alvin Kamara during this speech being like, man,

get me out.

What a wasted year for him, too.

I hate that for him.

He's just, he's an outstanding team.

I was hoping they were going to trade him to Denver

before this season and reunite him with Peyton.

And now, like, imagine he was on that team.

That'd be so much more fun.

All right.

Next.

Next game.

Cowboys at Panthers.

The Panthers.

Give me the groan for this game.

The Panthers are three-point favorites, marking the first time they've been favored in a game since December 18th, 2022, nearly two full years ago, when they were a three-point favorite against Pittsburgh at home.

They lost that game 24-16 with Sam Darnold as their quarterback.

Oh, hell yeah.

Give me the Sky Rizzy groan.

Cowboys.

Do we have anything else in this game?

Does anybody have anything to add on Dallas at Carolina?

Go ahead, Jordan.

You see me.

Bryce Young, Bryce Young, Bryce Young.

And shout out to underdog colleague Josh Norris, who every single week over the last year has clipped out and put videos on whatever social feed he's using at the time, timeline of Bryce Young either making correct decisions or pointing out the ways in which an offense could help this young quarterback out.

Josh stayed faithful and stayed true to the process, and he was right the entire time, and I wanted to shout him out for that.

You know what?

I had a.

Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, okay, ever.

I had a conversation, a phone conversation with Josh Norris, and the man speaks with clarity and confidence, and I would follow him.

Like, if.

If we were a generation that went to war, like Josh would be a guy that would be like, all right, now, now, get down, get down.

All right, let's go.

Let's go.

And you'd be like, okay, Josh, take me there.

My only thing is I would like him to apply.

I would like him to be a little bit more thoughtful about the levels of SPF he applies.

I worry about him sometimes.

I've known him for years.

Why?

Because he's very fair-skinned, you're saying.

Just want him to just be a little more conscious about, you know,

the sun.

You've shared this with him?

That's caring.

Yes, I have.

I've talked to him about it before.

Yeah.

Josh and I go way back.

Yeah, he's the best, man.

I'm so happy for him.

He was a he worked in an analytics/slash draft process before,

and he was kind of like the OG of figuring out how things work before the public actually figured out how things work.

So, pretty cool stuff.

Very nice.

Like an Ed Burns and saving private Ryan type.

Like, it's like, okay, Ed, where are we going?

Help me out.

That's a good, that's a good comp.

All right, next.

Next,

Ravens at Giants.

I am issuing a challenge to the Ravens.

Ravens,

you lost to the Raiders a two-win team.

You lost to the Browns, a three-win team.

You are fresh off a buy.

The 16.5 points you are favored by this week is the largest spread of the 2024 season.

Can you please take care of business and enforce your will on a two-win Giants team?

Okay.

I actually, I vaguely vaguely remember two weeks ago asking for this Lamar Jackson sound that I see in the file I don't even remember what it is anymore but let's play it and react

I feel like there were some opportunities to run today for you that you may have passed out oh yeah it's good my mama just told me that

she just she just cussed me out so like I'm I'm I'm mad so like

We gonna get after it, bro.

I ain't gonna lie to you.

We gonna get after it.

I can't wait to this body get on.

We got the Giants coming up.

I'm ready to go.

Like,

I'm just ready to go.

go so what did she cut you out about

she said it was lanes i should have took i ran but you know i was just trying to let guys develop routes we had developing routes i was just trying to go through my progression but yeah she right i'm gonna do my like

i'm sorry i i'm sorry for this i'm just mad because we i feel like we should win these games and we we not get them done he's the best yeah so the bye week hit here mike um so that maybe that frustration dissipates or maybe it's just building and the poor giants are going to be victims of it if his mom said you got to start running more, maybe this is a

maybe this is a 100-yard ground effort just to appease mama.

You could see it happening.

I love when parents get involved, man, whether it's something like that or whose dad was it?

Was it Odell's dad that posted the clips all the time?

That was pleasant.

The Odell Beckham Browns era.

What a time to be alive.

Yeah, yeah.

Sometimes

follow the parents on social media, too, and it's like, my kid's open, or like, this ain't my my kid's fault.

It's great.

Shout out to parents getting involved when they should or shouldn't, doesn't matter.

I'm just kind of torn.

This was going to be one of my money mic picks.

16 and a half is nuts.

I'd be curious to know.

I know it's the largest of this year.

I'd be curious to know when we just had one larger than that.

That's a huge, huge, huge spread.

And the Ravens are probably the team I trust the least to cover that.

Like, this seems like an easy backdoor situation for the Giants, perhaps the most dysfunctional team in the NFL right now.

I'm not sure.

But I do think if Lamar is going to try to fight back into this MVP race, we'll know what his odds are right now.

This would be the time.

Go Josh Allen against the Giants, score like six touchdowns or something like that.

Do it for your mom.

Yeah, I like that.

I actually, I'm so cooked in my fantasy playoffs this week because I'm the three seed, but I pulled the six seed that had more points than anyone and then snuck in the back door at the end of the season.

I'm going against Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson in a two-quarterback league.

My only hope, yeah, and the only hope of anyone here that is facing Lamar Jackson and or Josh Allen is that the Giants are so far behind the Ravens by the third quarter that they just pull the reins back on Lamar.

He's going to eat in this game.

He is absolutely going to feast and make his mom proud.

Next.

Oh, by the way, Tommy Meatballs is starting again for the Giants, as I understand.

That's good.

Pinch me.

Yeah.

Next.

Next, Bengals at Titans.

Brian Callahan taking on the team where he spent five years as the offensive coordinator.

Also, Tyler Boyd and Cheeto Awousier playing their former team.

Now, the Titans' offense has stunk, but they've been especially bad against bad defenses, which makes no sense.

So I kind of think this is just going to be a strange game.

Very familiar, the head coaches here.

It's going to be weird.

Pretty messed up that

Joe Burrow's house got broken into.

I feel like you're hearing about this all the time.

I'm surprised that it hasn't happened more in the past because like

you know where the guy is, like, exactly.

You're literally playing on TV right now.

Right, like a burglar/slash a robber-type figure.

Like, right, you have it, you're assured that he's out of the house, and you know, that that that's a clear pathway to robbery.

So, I don't know why this doesn't happen, like, all the time, right?

I don't know.

Anything else on this game, guys?

I think Jamar Chase might get the

triple crown on a team that doesn't have a winning record.

That's pretty nuts.

Uh, yeah, I don't, I don't know if that's ever happened, but I'd be curious to see like some deep dive.

Elias stat on when the last time we got a receiver to do it on a team that just didn't have a winning record.

Elias, holding it down.

Mark,

you seem very vocal about

protesting said crime scenarios.

Still can't get a hold of you Wednesdays.

So kind of wondering, are you protesting because you're involved somehow?

Or what?

I don't engage in,

I don't, I don't engage in crime or rob people's apartments or homes for the most part.

All right, Luigi Mangioni.

Let me look at the Cincinnati Bengals playoff hopes.

Okay, they're five and eight.

They're 10th in the AFC.

Okay.

No, we're not there yet.

I can't even do the in-the-hunt conversation right now.

That is asking an eight-year-old to get married, drive a car, and work at IBM.

Like, they're not going to the playoffs, okay?

I'm saying I can't go there yet.

First, we got to take care of business against Justin's Titans, and then we're going to take another peek at the tie bracket.

Right now, for their tie, for like, if you go on ESPN and then the playoff standings, Bengals, 10th place, and then next to reason column, which gives you like all the permutations, just a double dash.

Right now, it's a double dash.

The next step is beat the Titans.

The next step after that is to go from double dash to some type of factual notation about what they need.

Okay?

So Bengals fans out there, the Nick Westlings of the world, that's where we're at right now.

Next.

Next.

Jets at Jaguars.

Two teams playing out the string.

Both most likely looking at new head coaches next year.

Hey, here's something.

The winner of this game ends up with a worse draft pick.

So maybe don't.

Hmm.

Yeah.

And again, Mike, this is another right next to each other in the power rankings.

It's 28 V, 29.

Yeah, do I want the Jets to lose?

Like, I feel like I've kind of moved past that as a fan.

Like, I like to see my team win every once in a while.

So I don't know if I could root for the tank, but it certainly makes meltdowns like happened against Miami last week go down easier because you're like, ah, that's fine.

Like, what does it matter anyway?

We got Mac Jones again.

Lawrence is done for the year.

Yeah, I like the idea of trashing Mac Jones.

Like the idea of just pummeling Mac Jones.

Like that is what I have to look forward to in this game, Mike, and that's it.

I do have something that's kind of been interesting with the Jets and now applies, I think, to the Bears is that the way their defenses have performed, smaller sample with Chicago, but the way their defenses have performed after firing the head coach, who was a defensive mind, is an advertisement for those guys to be DCs in this next cycle.

Like the Jets' defense just fell off a cliff as soon as Robert left the building.

And I mean, Iber Flues, Flues, he wasn't a good head coach, but if you watch the Bears, their defensive schemes were really good.

In particular, last time they played the Vikings, actually.

And then they just looked like they had never practiced together when they went to Santa Clara.

So

that, I mean, that has really not much to do with this particular game, but I think this game

stinks.

So there's something in there.

The intrigue of this game is that it's actually a preface to the real competition that will happen between these two teams starting basically now onward when they are probably talking to some of the same head coaching candidates.

Ooh, hit me with a groan, Justin.

That's going to get people excited.

She's right though.

She is correct.

All right, and the final game, and this is symbolic because he, the call, has taken a stand.

The fake Monday night football game, Justin.

Yes, last game is Falcons at Raiders.

Take that, Roger.

This is, as you said, the fake Monday night game, but it is actually on ESPN.

It's not on ESPN Plus, so it's available to watch at least.

That's nice.

Falcons, it's time to to shape up.

He cannot keep losing.

Raheem Morris, you're continuing to defend Kirk Cousins, but for how long can you do that?

You know, like maybe the change is on the way, especially if they lose to the Raiders.

For the Raiders, I like this sincere McCormick guy.

He runs pretty hard, and he's apparently going to start this game, even with Alexander Madison expected to return.

Yeah.

Do you think there's any way, and Jordan, I know you got to know

this man during your coverage of the Rams.

Is there any way that we have

Morris coaching for a second season down the stretch here?

Have we heard anything along those lines?

I mean, I think for sure.

I mean, I had not heard anything about him potentially being in trouble here.

I think when your quarterback falls off a cliff, I mean, what are you going to do?

That's kind of like they're in a weird spot.

And I wanted to touch on this last week, but I won't go into too much detail this week because it's just, this is a pointless game, kind of.

But, you know, they're at the point in the season where if your quarterback hits a wall earlier in the season, you can logistically make that switch in a much more reasonable manner.

Because every single week, like from Tuesday to Saturday, you are game planning and installing a game plan.

You're not onboarding a quarterback into your system.

That's week over week over week over week over week over week.

And so getting a schematic shift or changing and altering significant parts of your call sheet, of your calls of what the quarterback is not going to do for you, that's not related to actual game planning at all.

That's offensive installation that happens in the spring and in training camp.

And then you recall those things and put them on your play cards and all of those things as you're game planning for opponents.

That's just how it works.

So this late in the season, that reason why I've argued against the change, it's not because Kirk is showing that he should keep the job.

He's not.

But what are you going to do?

It's too late.

You have only a few games left where any major significant shift, you're weighing the risk of, will this actually be a boost considering the strain that it will put on the rest of the entire offense who has to learn something new now with a new person and get

the rhythm with a new person.

But

like,

I know, but what are you going to, what are you going to do?

I think they're just, they put themselves in a really tough spot.

And you, you didn't think maybe early in the season that Kirk was going to hit this wall.

And he, and he did.

But that's, he's been streaky his entire career.

Now he's streaky coming back from an Achilles.

Like, yes, they've dug this hole, Dan.

I'm not excusing them at all, but I don't know what you're so late.

But it's not just Kirk either, by the way.

The Falcons' failures have not just been the quarterback position.

No, but they're also, they're watching Pennex in practice.

Like, they, you know,

he's not really getting reps.

He's running the scout.

You know, the backup quarterback is getting maybe 20 reps per week with the actual offense.

That's just not how it works.

Like, that's part of the problem is if you were going to make a decision or have a contingency plan that you potentially were going to pull from, you had to build that in the spring and the summer.

You can't logistically, feasibly, sanely do it now.

And if they do, that shows more to me about how desperate they are and what they think of Kirk, even more so than what that move would look like on the face.

You're saying makes sense, but if this offense is stuck in the mud at halftime against the Raiders, and this is a part of like a six-week, like, God,

how do you, if you're not putting in the kid kid to play and then just giving him the rest of the season and then figure out what the hell you're going to do with Kirk in the offseason, I just, it makes me feel like organizationally, they just don't have their shit together.

Like, especially if the Bucs win, too.

That's going to be important.

It's tougher on a first-year coach to make the switch than, say, like when Jim Harbaugh did it from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick.

And it's like, it's Jim Harbaugh.

This is a defensive-minded coach.

But to your first question, Dan, like, Arthur Blank is not a knee-jerk owner.

Like, there's no, I think there's a 0% chance that Raheem Morris is gone after this year because I wouldn't put it all on him, but they have lost four in a row.

You've got to go cover your butt here.

The one thing I'd say, I think double Monday Night Football, and I'm not going to speak on this, I'm not going to speak on this topic again.

I'm going to get to the real stuff.

I think

it is the dumbest human invention that I can think of.

I'm annoyed now.

Double Monday Night Football is literally to me the dumbest invention created by a human.

And I cannot believe we're doing this again now.

Even dumber than those balance bracelets?

It's like a Chia pet times six.

Like, I don't, it's just an absurdity.

And I'm not, I'm never going to speak on it ever again.

Hit me with the groom.

Hit me, Justin.

All right, let's take a break and then

fearless predictions, and we say goodbye.

You may have heard by now that Heed the Call Call with Dan Hanses and Mark Sessler is on Underdog.

So, why not start playing on Underdog today?

There are NFL and college football discounts dropping every week, so don't miss out.

Download and play on the Underdog app, sign up with the code HTC, and receive up to $1,000 in bonus cash.

Make the most of this NFL season by playing along on Underdog for our U.S.

audience only.

I get so many headaches headaches every month.

It could be chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more.

Botox, autobotulinum toxin A, prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine.

It's not for those who have 14 or fewer headache days a month.

Prescription Botox is injected by your doctor.

Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms.

Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition.

Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk.

Side effects effects may include allergic reactions, neck, and injection side pain, fatigue, and headache.

Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms, and dizziness.

Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection.

Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, including ALS Lou Gehrig's disease, myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eaton syndrome, and medications including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects.

Why wait?

Ask your doctor.

Visit BotoxChronicMigraine.com or call 1-800-44-Botox to learn more.

At blinds.com, it's not just about window treatments, it's about you, your style, your space, your way.

Whether you DIY or want the pros to handle it all, you'll have the confidence of knowing it's done right.

From free expert design help to our 100% satisfaction guarantee, everything we do is made to fit your life and your windows.

Because at blinds.com, the only thing we treat better than windows is you.

Visit blinds.com now for up to 50% off with minimum purchase plus a professional measure at no cost.

Rules and restrictions apply.

All right, we are back.

All right, before we get to Fearless Predictions, let's check in with our Desert Consingliary.

He is the great Money Mike Dugar.

Justin, how did Money Mike do in week 14?

So, week 14, Money Mike had a three-leg Olsen parlay.

Saquon Barkley over 110 scrimmage yards.

He did it just on the ground.

Baker Mayfield over 245 and a half passing yards.

He crushed that number.

It wasn't even close.

Two for two, Barry.

Amon Ross St.

Brown over 71 and a half receiving yards.

He only had 43.

That hurt, too.

That hurt because I was going to pick Tuas over instead, which I think was 245 and a half.

And he crushed that.

And I trusted the sun god.

I should not have done that.

Will not do it again.

The king of Josh Norris.

Instead, here we go.

I love staining.

I love stinging.

I wish Stan.

yeah,

that that stung that stung this week.

Uh, yeah, trust me.

I definitely hold grudges when players don't come come uh come through for me like that.

I never forget the sting, sting, stung this week for Mike Dugar.

Yes, it always does.

All right, well, we'll try to keep it simple this week.

There's a few games that are real tight spreads, two and a half or three or two and a half, and some real close ones.

Uh, let's just pick some winners in those.

We're going Panthers money line.

Shout out to the fighting Dave Kanalz.

Bills money line, the Packers money line.

All those lines, I think, are two and a half kind of coin flips.

We're taking two road teams in that instance, too.

So Panthers, Bills, Packers.

Go win some money, folks.

Okay.

There we go.

And now, without further ado, our fearless predictions for week 15.

Let's check in on week 14.

This is getting bad, guys.

We have,

I cannot, I cannot buy a win.

And in fact, let me tell you something.

My initial prediction, this is how lost I am right now, was that the Giant Saints would hit 10 points lower than the under.

And then I swapped it out at the last second for this Fakakta TJ Watt, multiple sacks and at least one force turnover.

And like Watt did jack shit in that game

despite it being against the Browns and his enemy Miles Garrett.

So I fall to 2-12 and I think I'm in an 11-game skid.

Yeah, and like, so the show is, you know, for some reason, the show has our name attached to it, you and and myself.

And like, if you add our wins together,

we still don't have a better record than anyone else on the show.

I mean, it is abysmal.

It's the Jets and Giants

tandem of terror in the predictions game.

Mark Sessler, two games go into OT.

Big X, Family Feud.

All right, Jordan Rodrigue.

I got some, I'm going to read this.

I don't remember what your prediction was, Jordan, but I did get a couple comments like, how did you let Jordan get away with her fearless prediction this this week?

So now I'm going to read it after the fact.

At least one upset of a single digit ranked team by a double digit ranked team.

One.

Yeah.

And did you get this?

Yeah, right?

Did you?

Yeah.

But to be fair, so I went back and I listened.

I went back and I listened.

And respectfully, I think that it was a more dramatic prediction than it was characterized as because what was presented first was like the middle.

No, Justin, it's not a shot.

It's not at all.

But you basically went through what we had talked about in our chat, which, which was what are the single and single-digit potential upsets.

And framing that first made my actual prediction, which would have been massive.

Like, and wouldn't have been a little bit different.

This is the spin, folks.

Right.

Well, also, you did the smart thing where you're like, I have to go report now, and you jumped off the show.

And so the conversation around it ceased, and we couldn't.

No, no, I earnestly think because nobody was saying

the chances were going to be like the Panthers upsetting the Eagles Eagles or the Rams upsetting the Bills, which almost didn't happen by two points.

And none of us were taking that game or either of those games.

So those were the two options that would have happened because of a single digit.

So inside the top 10 Power Rank team upset by and outside the top 10 Power Rank team.

And those were the options.

She's so annoyed by that.

I know.

No, no, I'm not annoyed.

I just don't want anyone to think that anything on Tor does.

No, no.

No, but I should add that I did run into, because remember we were told that Jordan had to go get to a less need interview.

And then I ran into Les at Manhattan Beach the next day, and I was like, oh, how'd it go with Jordan?

She's like, Jordan, I haven't seen her in weeks.

Shut up.

That didn't happen.

Absolute fiction.

All right.

Well, you got your W and your five and I.

Absolute fiction.

Gravedigger.

At least one player has three or more sacks in week 14.

What a pull.

Shout out Yiter Gross Matos, baby.

That's definitely who I had in mind when I made this prediction.

Okay.

Michael Sean Dugar, the five QBs from the 2020 draft will combine for 1225 plus passing yards.

1227.

What?

Get the hell out of here.

We got it on the Jamar Chase game winner on Monday night football.

That got Burrow over.

Yes.

Whoa.

By two yards.

He needed a bazillion yards because somehow Jalen Hurst threw for f ⁇ ing 108.

Kidding me?

Yeah, I'm with A.J.

Brown, dog.

See, Dan, that's how we're getting housed here.

Let's look at that precision by.

I mean, I feel even worse.

All right, let's do our predictions for week 15 and say goodbye.

Jordan in shambles after

the board and the committee scrutinized her.

What has she got this week?

I know.

Okay, but actually, I did say last night to Justin that if you guys need to talk me up on this, then feel free to because I don't know what the spread is or the points.

the points predictions.

Okay, so my fearless prediction is teams with non-human animals as their mascot will combine for at least 180 points this week.

And I also have written down can increase if necessary as I don't understand the spread.

Did you say non-human animals?

Non-human animals as their mascot.

So how many teams and animals?

Okay, so it's the Rams, the Falcons, the Cardinals, the Colts, the Broncos, the Jaguars, the Bengals, the Ravens, the Panthers, the Dolphins, the Eagles, the Lions, and I think the Bills, right?

So how many teams is that?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve.

Thirteen, but thirteen.

And how many points?

So I said 180, and so it was

it might be low.

I don't know, guys.

It might be

under 14 points per game per team there.

So 84 points.

Half of those teams, that's right at or above the average of like half of those teams that I said.

But I digress.

Let's go up to 220.

Is 220 okay?

Are the bills not an animal?

Isn't it a are we?

I think, I mean, right,

it's a small, but it's a small buffalo, is it not?

Like,

yeah, well, oh, you're saying so they are animal teams versus not.

You said non-human animals, and I don't, I can't wrap my head around what that means.

What is a non-human animal?

But

why can't,

wait, what's confusing?

What is a human animal versus a non-human animal?

Us, the five of us are human animals.

We are animals, Mark.

I mean, okay, okay, now I'm

220 puts us at 16.9 points per team.

Are we comfortable with that?

How are we feeling?

Sure.

I mean,

Mike doesn't like it.

Mikey doesn't like it, baby.

I feel like we have a bunch of high-scoring teams in the non-human animals.

See, I actually, I mean, I feel like we have a bunch of low-scoring teams in the non-human animals.

Can I hear the teams again?

Yeah.

Teams with non-human animals as their mascot.

The Rams, the Falcons, the Cardinals, the Colts, the Broncos, the Jaguars, the Bengals, the Ravens, the Panthers, the Dolphins, Eagles, Lions, Bills.

So, those last four, like those last four could combine for 120 by themselves, pretty much.

Yeah, yeah, that's where, yeah, we got like the Ravens, Bengals, yeah, Dolphin, or excuse me, Ravens, Bengals, Bills, and Lions.

Yeah, that could be easily 120 between.

So what do you guys want?

I am legitimately asking, what do you guys want me to increase this to?

Like, within reason?

I think the average should be at least 20 points by the teams.

20 feels like a nice round number.

260.

That'd be 260.

Okay.

That's fine.

There we go.

And

I genuinely mean that because I had no idea what the f ⁇ to do.

All right.

My fearless prediction.

Very straightforward.

No smokescreen here.

Meant to confuse

the public.

Bills Lions features over 800 yards of total offense and a margin of victory, three points or less.

Come on.

Breakfast.

That works for me.

Yeah.

Next.

Mike?

My prediction.

I'm going to text Justin.

All right.

So I was mentioning how the league

has really bad safety play outside of like three teams.

So I think we get a little bit of a bounce back week from the safety spot.

So safeties will account for at least five interceptions and at least one touchdown of any kind.

Pick six, fumble, return, touchdown.

I don't know if a guy runs a punt back.

I don't know if any safeties are on punt.

But yeah, five interceptions at least by safeties.

We'll exclude nickels from this.

So, like,

that would exclude a guy like Johnson from the Bills, number seven.

I think he's like a nickel.

So, we'll just pure safety guys, and then they'll at least get one touchdown of

some kind.

Mike always does quietly, quietly ones that they're always well thought out, but then they all always like something is super, super possible.

So, like

month blitz teams, for example, always have safeties on them or corners.

Oh, I didn't even think about that.

It's brilliant.

And so, you really have a shot of that hitting on special teams.

It is a low-probability play, but it's very, I just, I like how you do those.

How can I do that?

I think the sucker trap, Mark, you and I keep falling into is we'll just go like specifically on one game or one player.

Uh, but what Mike does, he'll do a wide basically have the league to work with as a palette.

Right.

Well, I'm about to get there.

I'm just just not there yet.

I'm about to prove your point

right now.

Like, I have a non-quarterback,

a non-quarterback scores four touchdowns.

Yeah.

Well, not because a quarterback.

A human animal of some nature.

A non-quarterback, human animal scores four touchdowns.

Okay.

Well, no, but that actually is in the money, Mike.

That gives you the entire

league as well.

It is not going to happen.

All right.

Justin.

Truly a fearless prediction.

You are a gem.

Close it, Justin.

All right.

Mine is Jamar Chase.

This is pretty random, but Jamar Chase and Derrick Henry combine for 350 or more scrimmage yards.

Henry against the Giants, Chase against the Titans.

Fair enough.

And so I think

we're getting close.

This goes through the Super Bowl.

So while Mark and I are not mathematically eliminated, we got to get very hot.

And Mike, Justin

have to get very cold with Jordan also in the mix, in the middle, but much closer to the top than the bottom.

So it's time to move, Mark.

We need this.

We're like the Colts.

We're bad, we're shitty, but we need to win, and it's got to happen now.

Yeah, I feel the urgency.

I don't trust us at all.

No.

No.

Doomed.

Doomed.

All right.

Thank you to everybody.

Great, great, great time today.

Like I said, Mark and I will be be back tonight with Justin recapping the great Thursday night football game.

So make sure you're there for that.

Friday morning on the Patreon, we'll have our draft of all the week 15 games.

And then Sunday night, it is the flagship program.

Be there.

Be square.

Till then, heed the call.

So, what do this animal

and this animal

and this animal

have in common?

They all live on an organic valley farm.

Organic Valley dairy comes from small organic family farms that protect the land and the plants and animals that live on it from toxic pesticides, which leads to a thriving ecosystem and delicious, nutritious milk and cheese.

Learn more at OV.coop and taste the difference.