NFL 2025 Week 5 Preview + TNF Recap

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Nationwide Investment Services Corporation, member Finrick, columbus ohio all right sese we are already at week five and we're gonna get into every single game to be played on sunday and monday but before that we're gonna dig into the latest chapter of the mcvay v shanahan rivalry and if that's not enough of a sell for our program

what are you even doing here yo what are you doing why are you on the internet why did you wake up why are you alive like let's get let's get plugged in and watch this show right now here that's what's happening heed the call begins right now.

Hey, welcome to Heed the Call, an NFL podcast.

Week five, week five already.

How about that?

Dan Hansis, Mark Sessler, Connor Orr,

Justin Graver on the ones and twos.

First bye week, and we'll get to all that.

All the ball games to come on Sunday and Monday, but

let's dive right into it because

as I said, boys, and you agreed because we all know

Thursday night football is weird.

It's funky.

We could talk all we want about all the reasons why one team will destroy another team, but

Then Al Michaels is in the booth with Herb Street, who's already looking ahead to Saturday.

And then weird stuff starts happening.

So let's get into it right now.

Sound good, Mark?

That's exactly what we should do.

Okay, let's go.

Because

this is one of the craziest Thursday night games in some time.

A game that ends with

a stuff inside the red zone

where Sean McVay, I thought, showed tons of onions, obviously, to go for it.

He looked at the clock.

He said, three and a half minutes to go.

If I kick a field goal here, it's tied.

And then at the best, I'm getting out of the building with a tie.

I'm sure that's how he viewed it.

So he decided to win it.

But Robert Saul, the San Francisco defense, was there.

And that was just the final dizzying coda, Connor Orr.

And I know you're a 49ers guy in the power rankings conversation

of what was really one of those gutty efforts that you remember and you will remember.

So 49ers 26-23, they get the stuff at the goal line.

With all their missing pieces, they somehow find a way on the road to steal this one.

26-23-OT.

Yeah, 49ers playing like the seventh best team in the NFL, huh?

But I would say this.

What it really came down to was, yes, a matter of Sean McVay's onions, but also complete and utter terror over the kicking game because the 49ers had an Rams had an extra point blocked against the Titans.

They had two kicks blocked against the Eagles.

They had a missed extra point in this game.

And there's absolutely no faith in anything going on with the special teams unit now.

And that was a major impact on his decision making down the stretch.

And then you have that solid defense that in those short yardage situations, you guess.

And it's basically like a penalty kick.

That's what a lot of defensive line coaches have told me in the past in soccer.

You have to pick a lane.

You have to pick a spot where you think they're they're going to go, and you base it off of historical data, anything that you have, and they guess right, and they shut it down.

I don't know

how

Kyle Shanahan doesn't just deeply, madly, entirely fall in love with Mac Jones after tonight.

Like Thursday night is weird, right?

Like weird heroes rise.

And if you go look at the Niners' box score, which does not, you know, that tells one story.

The game tells a different one.

But

the receiving statistics are people that you didn't even expect to be part of this offense a month and a half and ago.

And like Kendrick Bourne tonight operating like Jerry Rice, 1988.

Like

Mac Jones playing banged up for like the fourth game in a row.

At one point, I thought he was going to throw up.

Like he looked like he had gotten a concussion, was going to throw up on the sideline.

He's being tended to by multiple doctors.

He cannot stop suiting up, getting on the field, making throws.

And it was one of the more resilient Thursday night wins.

One thing I kind of felt like I said, but I couldn't quite enunciate it during the week was like, this was a Kyle Shanahan fever dream challenge.

How do you beat Sean McVay with like half your roster on offense gone?

And here it came, and he did it.

And I just thought it was such an enjoyable game to watch because it was what the Niners in this NFC West against McVay's Rams.

It's what you expect because it's the unexpected.

But this was truly unexpected because of the people involved.

But I thought Mac Jones put on one of the more heroic quarterback performances that I've seen in a long, long time.

And it was rewarding to watch.

I mean,

let's be real.

We talked about it in the preview going into this game.

It was like,

what is the path to victory for the Niners with Brock Purdy out, with George Kittle out, with Pearsall out, with Nick Bose out, with Ayuk out?

It's like, all right, well, I don't know.

Christian McCaffrey finally has a big-time game on the ground.

Christian McCaffrey, 22 carries, 57 yards, 2.6 yards per tote.

After the killer, Kyron Williams fumble at the end of regulation.

And I have to be real, like the, I was down on Kyle Shannon as I'm watching that moment.

I'm like, I know that you have your backup quarterback and this isn't the team that you feel the most comfortable with.

But if you run the ball into the line three times and then punt it away and then give it to Matthew Stafford at midfield, I feel like bad things are going to happen.

But you know what?

The football gods were just with the Niners today, but that's not even my main point.

My main point is, Connor, is if CMC goes 22 for 57 with all these other missing pieces, then Mac Jones is going to get exposed.

Mac Jones, 33 for 49, 342 yards, seven yards per attempt, two touchdowns, no interceptions, all sorts of banged up.

This was a warrior effort from the guy.

And I, you know, I've had my fun with Mac Jones.

I don't think he's much of an athlete.

I don't think he like fits in.

He's kind of like, what if you put Steve DeBerg in 2025 NFL?

But you know what?

But you know what?

Just like that old, that old adage, it's like, but the one thing they couldn't measure, what was in his, in his heart and is in his chest, that he was a warrior for Shanahan.

And you're right, Mark.

Like he is going to be on their QB depth chart for as long as he wants to be.

Connor, that was a big-time effort from a backup quarterback in a big spot in primetime.

So I think it was a perfect convergence of a couple things.

This is the same Rams secondary that fell apart in the fourth quarter against the Eagles when they finally decided to turn on their passing game a couple weeks ago.

You know that that opportunity is there from time to time, and these guys just kind of don't play well in certain spots.

But this was an all-time heater.

I mean, there were throws that Mac Jones is making, like these deep outs, where there's a guy there.

There's a Rams defender there.

And for some reason, it just

floats just a millimeter above his head and into the hands of somebody.

Or, you know, one time he threw a ball to a guy over the middle and like triple coverage and he just happens to catch it.

I don't know if this is a moment where, you know, I was surprised that the broadcast was talking about there being a quarterback controversy.

I don't think that that's necessarily the case.

I think it's just proof that the Shanahan system gives guys answers.

And in the right circumstances, something like this can happen.

But to Mark's point,

especially in an island game, especially against a division rival, especially Shanahan v.

McVay, there's a romance to, I mean, at one point, it looked like that Mac Jones had been shot in the leg at one point.

He was rolling on the field.

He's like, oh, we won't see him until, you know, 2028 if he's lucky.

Like, that is, I wonder if it's a type of game, Mark, that it just will stick in Shanahan's mind if Brock Purdy, you know, he's the, there's no way you're going to bench Brock Purdy, right?

With all the money you're paying him, but like, God, he's an easy quarterback to fall in love with because he is, he's a fighter.

Yeah, I think to Connor's point, like, there can't be a quarterback controversy.

You can't allow that to bubble up right now.

But like,

it's like anything in life.

If you're with something and you've made a commitment to something, which is Brock Purdy, but you had an experience that made you think, like, excuse me, like, we just did the most heroic thing we've done in the Shanahan system in a long time um it's gonna stick there and like mac jones i don't see a lot of difference and i've been a purdy it if that's what you call it but like um i don't see a lot of difference between the two of them right now and like the mac jones we saw tonight was maximized and um you know it took like it he did everything you would mac jones would do everything

no because you had it he was

he was machamized how about that but like he did everything he would do he did everything that shanahan could have asked and like, it's with a bunch of, it's not even with a, it's like, you got eight people out of the lineup.

Like, I don't know.

I love football games like this where it's like this team just found a way to win with people that were not even on the roster four months ago.

So it's, um, and, you know, the Rams, you got to give McVay credit for going for it at the end versus just trying to kick the field goal, right?

Like, that I do admire.

That's from another, that's guts too.

What do you got, Gravey?

Just to the point, like, Woody bench Brock Purdy, Shanahan, that is, after paying him all that money?

I mean, he benched Trey Lance after trading three first-round picks for him.

I mean, it's a little different circumstance there.

Yeah, there's a lot of money.

Lance couldn't play, had no track record of success.

Yeah.

But, yeah.

I mean, it might be, yeah, for all we know, this could be the

last great night of Mac Jones' career.

But if that's what it is, a hell of a night.

Yeah, we should talk about that decision by McVay.

I loved it.

I loved it.

I thought it was gutsy.

I thought it was...

Now we can get on the execution running it into the line and just not getting it.

But after they called the timeout, I was thinking, Mark, like, geez,

this is not a short one.

This is a long one.

So you couldn't sneak it.

And they couldn't run it either.

And you give credit to Robert Saul and that whole defense for just stepping up at a big spot.

I think they knew that if we got two island game ties

within four to five days of each other, most of the country would Harry Carry themselves or whatever it's called.

But like

I love the move.

Like I think that I think in these games, when it's Niners Rams, it's like you go for the throat.

You don't play safe.

And McVay does not play safe in general.

But to Connor's point, like I think there's questions with the kicking game.

It was like, let's just, let's try to win this thing flat out and get out of here.

I loved it.

I want more coaches to do that.

But at the same time, like I'm not a coach, so

I don't know if I would have tried to tie it up there and see what happens.

What pisses me off, though, is you display your onions and then you do the one thing that is annoying me more than anything else right now.

And that it's you defer at the start of overtime.

You take the damn ball.

Why aren't people taking the ball every single time they win the coin toss?

It makes no sense.

Isn't that though?

Because like, I mean, I'm with you, but

what they keep saying is like, you want to see what they put on their notes.

and what do you match?

I don't give a shit what I need.

I want to shorten the second possession, I can take as long as I want because overtime is a fixed period, it's not like college football, right?

So, I want to take as long as I want, I want to score because the goal is to get into the end zone anyway, and then I want the third possession.

You're giving yourself an extra possession that the other team is not necessarily going to have.

It makes no sense to me.

Take the ball.

I mean, yeah, Shanahan McVay, another beautiful chapter in a great rivalry.

And, you know, just full transparency as we head into break and then get into everything to come with the week five preview.

Everything else we recorded was before

this game.

And I don't want to say too much, and I don't, I don't want to, I want everyone else to kind of just piece it together.

But some conversations and some special guests that might pop up on the show, all things that happened before the three and a a half hours that transpired in Inglewood tonight.

So, Connor,

you know, as I will sleep well after the Yankees just slayed the Red Sox in the biggest of all spots, Cam Schlittler, Northeastern University represent, I know you will sleep well tonight.

And maybe Justin, not as much, but I don't want to say too much more.

I just want everyone to enjoy the rest of today's show.

Connor,

last word, though.

What the hell, Connor?

No, I just say crazy stuff, right?

That's it.

It's just f ⁇ ing crazy, right?

I didn't spend the last 15 years figuring out

what all this f ⁇ ing is about, right?

It's just crazy.

Have a good show, everybody.

Ceci, he is the senior writer at Sports Illustrator for a reason.

He is.

As a child, if I thought that I would be speaking with the senior writer at Sports Illustrated, I would have been having a fever.

But like, we all want to go back in time a little bit in our lives.

Here's your chance right now.

I think everybody's, well, maybe not Justin, as you'll see in just a few minutes, but everyone else is on fire because

Connor has been, you know, Connor's been justified.

Zuzzer's flying high because the Yankees.

We hit 25,000 subs in a big spot.

Thank you to everybody.

Heed the call is flying high in year two.

And Justin,

you found the love of your life.

You're getting married next year.

So

that's for 25K.

Is Celebration of 25k.

Yeah, and was that my win that we got 25k?

You mentioned everyone else having a great meeting getting married, also.

Love of my money.

You're a very lucky man.

So anyway.

My money that I have on the 49ers over win total.

That's all I'm saying.

Go ahead.

Yeah, that's what it's all about.

Gambling order on the end.

That's where people can find joy in a lot of different places.

Gambling, the top of the list.

Stay right there.

And then the

week five preview is underway.

Be right back,

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All right, we are back.

Yes, TNF in the rear view, but we got a whole bunch of games to get to.

It is the first bye week.

We have the Falcons, Bears, Packers, and Steelers

open this week.

That's a little inside baseball skid terminology.

Open week.

Nailed it.

We are down, Connor, to two teams undefeated, Eagles, Bills.

Only three winless teams remaining, Jets, Titans, Saints.

And I'm going to go out on a limb today, boys.

I'm going to say by the end of this week,

we're going to be down to one undefeated team and one winless team.

That's my prediction for the week.

Bold prediction.

What do you think, big ore boy?

Where is this?

Where are you going with this?

Like,

what winless team?

Like, I could see the Saints ruining my Dardie party down in New Orleans.

I could see.

I don't know.

Where's your head at on this?

You got Jets over Cowboys then, potentially, Daniel.

I guess that's what the preview episode is for.

Let's get into it.

Let's start with the late games

because there's some juice in here.

We'll start with a battle of three and one teams.

The number nine in the HTC power rankings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the number six, Seattle Seahawks.

Harlan and Trent Green on the call, late kickoff on CBS.

And, you know, now we're all in.

I guess Justin is, you know.

Justin hasn't wrote any C poems about the Seahawks, but Connor, you and I were on the Seahawks ship on our Wednesday end around show.

Mark had a

long monologue about it, how much he enjoyed these Seahawks.

So, at home against the Bucs.

What are you thinking?

Connor, get us going on this one.

I mean, this is setting up beautifully for Seattle to make a statement when it's a cross-country trip for Tampa.

We saw them get probed for kind of their exhaustion points last week against Philly.

And I think that their secondary, while tremendous, like Jacob Parrish, I just had to do our quarter season awards for SI.

And right now, I probably have him as my defensive rookie of the year, which is insane to say about a nickelback from the Buccaneers, but I don't think there's a defensive player, a defensive rookie that's playing better for him.

That said, I don't think that they've faced a passing offense that has stressed opponents in exactly the way that Seattle has stressed them before.

We've brought up Jackson, Smith, and Jigba a thousand times, but the movement on that, and we haven't even tapped Cooper Cup in this offense.

I really like Seattle in this game.

I I think this is a big statement-win opportunity.

It's a big ask for Tampa Bay.

I feel like Tampa Bay, while being one of the most visually tantalizing teams to watch on offense, you kind of feel like they're hanging out.

Now, they got Chris Godwin back, and he played 81% of the snaps last week, which I thought was a big sign because he's in his role, and that's big for them.

Tristan Wurfs is back, but Baker Mayfield has been this guy.

And

I got to the point where I really enjoy watching him each week, but he has been been dazzling on third down, but he is not afraid just to basically become like a swashbuckling, seafaring, throw the ball downfield,

whip the ball downfield, and on throwing the throwing deep on looks that you should not be throwing on.

And he's lucky he's not had like five interceptions at this point, but that's the Baker experience.

And I think that if anything, like you're going to get a team in Tampa Bay that's going to keep it tight and close and try to get to that last possession, and it's Baker versus Sam.

So it kind of means something, Dan.

Yeah, it does.

It's interesting because it's kind of the forgotten stop for both of those players.

Because like, for instance, Baker was actually with the Rams, for instance, a shorter amount of time, but he had that very memorable primetime win that kind of, in a lot of ways, kick-started his career

and, you know, led to his Tampa Bay reawakening.

And Darnold actually replaced Mayfield as starter after the Matt Rule experiment went sideways in Carolina.

So now here they are both in much better spots in their career.

I don't know.

They don't seem to me, do you think like Baker and Sam Darnold ever hung out?

They don't seem like they would be buds.

You know what?

Not enemies necessarily, but not buds.

Baker said that

they are friends.

Like they're, it's not the opposite, but they asked him basically, like, do you guys ever reminisce about your time in Carolina?

He's like, no.

No.

Yeah, that checks out.

And also

Mayfield without Mike Evans, Bucky Irving, right?

Yeah, he sent.

Well, he didn't practice on Thursday, so I think he's.

Yeah, so it should be interesting.

And Baker's banged up.

He's got the knee and the bicep injuries, but he's playing.

You know that.

All right.

I like that one.

That's a fun one.

All right.

How about Lions?

Number three in the power rankings.

At number 25, Cincinnati Bengal.

Kugler and the Moose on the call.

The Moose just hanging around.

You know, Mark?

Moose just hanging around.

I think that's what a Moose would be.

If you would have told me, like, and this is interesting because I cover the league and have done so for 15 years.

If you would have told me, oh, yeah, Moose left Fox in 2011, I would have been like, yeah,

that sounds about right.

You're not wrong.

And like, you know, he's part of a Cowboys dynasty that is dotted all over the league broadcasting wise.

And you're right.

He's the one that you kind of keep forgetting.

You kind of forgot he was on that team at the time.

He's the fullback.

He's a moose.

Yeah.

So what do you think about this one?

Well, I've kind of, you know, I think I put the Bengals at 30th in my in my power rankings, and I forcefully believe that they fundamentally can't block anyone.

They're the first team I saw this year that in that game last week, they gave up on their coach.

It just visually, like, they gave up.

And like the idea that you're going to ride your number two quarterback based on what happened a couple of years ago doesn't look like it's happening.

They can't block anyone.

And it doesn't even, you wipe all that away.

Detroit on their three-game win streak is averaging 41 points per game.

They haven't allowed a sack since week one.

So where do you get in on Detroit?

What is Cincinnati possibly going to do when they look like they are arguing with Zach Taylor on the sideline here and there?

There's a lot of frustration.

It's like one team is imploding.

The other is blooming.

I think this is the week where somebody's ass goes in the jackpot for Cincinnati, right?

And where do it's like watching water try to find the ocean, right?

It's like, where does the stream go and how does the performance indicate which way our outrage flows?

And does it direct again towards the quarterback position, which then goes to Duke Tobin's desk and forces pressure on him to make a move before the trade deadline?

Or, I mean, Zach Taylor said this during the week, we're not, we like what we have at quarterback.

That means that the water flows to your doorstep.

This is a schematic issue.

And as much as we've talked about problems on the Bengals offensive line, I think that there's some talent there.

Like Dylan Fairchild, the rookie, is playing really well.

There's some good players on this Bengals offensive line, and they have the best receiving tandem in the NFL.

And I understand that there's a step down, but schematically, you should be able to perform better than you've been performing.

And so I'm very interested to see where the shitstorm arrives.

Do you think they'd ever actually trade for a legit?

I don't know, legit, but a quarterback?

I just don't see the Bengals doing that.

I don't.

And because your options are Russell Wilson and Kirk cousins and one is problematic from a financial standpoint and one player as much as i hate to say it doesn't offer you a market improvement over jake browning and i think you guys know which one is which so

yeah i mean i feel like from the bengals perspective

this is a tough ask to win this game so i'm not going to go that far but they can't get their

doors blown off at home against the lions and maybe that's asking too much maybe this team is so flawed and has once again been laid so bare with the quarterback out of the lineup that that's just not going to happen.

But if they have it in them, if the coaching staff and this team has some pride, you have to put up a fight here because I think what happens potentially here if Detroit jumps out to a 21-3 lead by the beginning of the second quarter and they just boat race Cincinnati.

This could be a Bengals team that just packs up shop.

To your point, Mark, it was embarrassing on Monday night.

It It got Troy Aikman fired up.

And that wasn't all just Cincinnati's poor play, but I think it contributed.

Like, you have to show that you have something.

And I think Browning did show us enough two years ago that he can get into a little bit of a groove.

I think Detroit's defense is hardly

invincible.

I think

I really, I have a hunch that they're going to hang around in this game.

I don't know if it's enough to win, but I think this is like one of those, what is it, the last something, something at the okay chorale.

Like, I think this team team is going to put up a fight.

And if they don't, it's a very bad sign for Zach Taylor.

They need to wipe out, number one, the penalties, because there may be talent on the O-line, but their penalty scenario on Monday night was not pro football level.

So if you look at offensive success rate, like basically how well are you progressing towards a first down, okay?

The Cincinnati Bengals are 29th.

And you could say, well, they have a quarterback issue.

The New Orleans Saints are 20th.

Okay.

And this is a team that is almost almost markedly worse at every position.

And you could say that their offensive line is a little bit better and they're developing.

They have a better running back.

But there's no way that there should be that kind of discrepancy, which is why I think that this needs to be a schematic reawakening.

And again, it's a tough ask against the Lions, but this is kind of how your schedule looks.

Like you have to float with the big boys for at least another month and a half.

You said ass in the jackpot.

It made me think, like, I don't know the origin of that,

but it seems just distinctly American.

You know what I mean?

And I actually had never heard of it at all until former Mets manager Terry Collins had this like famous showdown

with, it was about a decade ago now, umpire Tom Hallion after Noah Syndegarden, the big Mets right-hander, threw at

the

opposing hitter, and it was a retaliation pitch, and it was very clear that it was a retaliation pitch.

So they threw out Syndegarden.

It was in the first inning.

It was against the Dodgers, actually.

And

that led to Terry Collins and this umpire Hallion having one of the great back and forths in the history of baseball.

Let's just check that out real quick.

Then you talk to me.

Okay, you got to give us a shot.

You know what?

You got to give us a shot.

Listen to me.

Let me hear what I'm saying, okay?

You get your shot.

You had your shot right there in the situation.

Why do you know the situation, Donald?

Why do you get a shot, Donnie?

Because that doesn't, that makes it worse.

Terry, that makes it fing hurt.

I know, but MLP did nothing to that guy.

Nothing.

Okay, that I can't control that, Terry.

I can't control that.

You know as well as I do where I

know where I stand on the whole situation.

But that's

better than that, Darryl.

How do you know?

Terry, listen, I'm telling you, our ass is in the jackpot now.

Okay, okay, that's what I'm just telling you.

You know what?

You got it.

You got it.

You got everything out?

Good for you.

I mean, that's the best, the best.

Man, I love baseball.

It's like two drunk uncles from Syaset.

Listen, Terry, you know my ass is in the jackpot.

And if you don't know what that means, that means you're kind of, you're the one that's going to

face consequences.

And the umpire was concerned if he didn't throw that pitcher out of the game, MLB would come down on him for not policing the situation for player safety reasons.

So if you're curious, it just got me thinking about one of the all-time moments.

If this, one minor side note, if this becomes a baseball podcast, I am in hot water.

Listen, you just lean on that summer at Baseball Weekly in 96 when Brady Anderson was pumped full of steroids and you'll be all right.

Yep.

Yankee Graves.

Oh, that's right.

That is, that is Connor Order's ground zero of Orioles fandom.

Brady with a needle out of his heiny, hanging out of the hole heiney.

Wish we could go back.

All right.

You want to grab Mark?

Pick one more game from this late slate, and then we'll take a break.

I'll go Commanders at Chargers.

I want to see the Chargers bounce back after what happened last week.

I guess there's a big question facing the Chargers.

You don't have Rashawn Slater.

You don't have Joe Alt.

And, you know, that New York pass rush is legit and young and different and caused a lot of problems for the Chargers a week ago.

Like, does it carry over against a Washington team that probably does not have anything close to that pass-rush-wise?

And they're 28th in EPA against the pass.

You get Jaden Daniels back, but I think that the Chargers have to reestablish kind of who they are on offense and maybe make some adjustments.

You're going to get Alt back in, it sounds like a number of weeks here.

My only other question about their offense is: I find it surprising, like, from a fantasy angle, that's where people are seeing it.

But Ladd McConkey feels like he's sort of the number three guy right now.

He trails Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston in snaps, which I would never have predicted that before the season.

I'm glad you brought that up because that has really, really stood out to me because he looked like an ascendant star as a rookie.

But it's one of those situations where, and maybe it all kind of

figures itself out as the season progresses, but it's almost like he took the juice and the connection

when Keenan Allen arrived.

Herbert Moore kind of fell in the Keenan lane and now McCaki is not being the dude that he was last year.

And even if you look at some of his plays, had some drops, like he, it doesn't, it seems like he's just out of sync.

But he's such, Connor, he's such a good young player.

I think hopefully he kind of finds his way back into this offense because it makes them that much more dangerous.

Yeah, I remember talking to Brandon Staley about this a couple of years ago, and he's like, people don't understand.

And maybe there's a bit of hyperbole here, but Keenan Allen is one of the best slot receivers of all time.

And, you know, when you work with someone like Justin Herbert for that long, there's such a comfortability to that that it's impossible to replace.

Lad was doing that a year ago when Quentin Johnson was totally unreliable.

And now the dynamics have shifted.

But I think this is like anything else, guys, where Lad McConkey is still a really good wide receiver.

Coverages are going to shift.

Quentin Johnson might start to get double teams.

He might start to get stuff rolled his way.

And that's where Lad McConkey and maybe a more mid-range passing game starts to develop for the Chargers.

I think that they're going to go after the Commanders.

They have a Marshawn Lattimore problem problem that I think not a lot of people are talking about right now, but it's going to be a lot of people.

I feel like that goes back to last year a little bit.

You're right.

You're absolutely right.

And it's hitting this boiling point where this defense has to show something.

And I'm not really concerned about a lack of Joe Alt because Omarion Hampton ran wild against the Giants without Joe Alt last week.

He can do so again this week.

And even if you just let Herbert run wild like you did in spots against Kansas City in that Brazil game, they're going to be able to make headway against this defense.

And it's going to be a shootout.

Here's what I'm concerned about, though.

I want want Herbert to stay healthy.

I don't want Herbert with busted ribs or a high ankle sprain and things that have haunted him in his past years.

He was pressured.

You can't have both, though.

I know, but he was pressured per PFF on 45.5% of his drops.

They are down three offensive linemen from the start of the season now with Alt out of the lineup.

And, you know, I just...

They have to protect him.

And you saw John Harbaugh or Jim Harbaugh was stressing about that immediately after the game.

It's the one thing that can totally upend their season, right?

And on the Jaden Daniels side of things, where is he at health-wise going into this game?

Are we getting him back for sure?

I mean, he's fully practiced, so I would be surprised if he's not ready to go.

All right.

Marcus Mariota, by the way, and this is like when I'm always a little suspicious of PFF, like their number one quarterback.

Yeah.

I know there's like 14 things happening there, but it's like, what?

I mean, visually, is that what we're talking about?

I mean, they should, like, they should

have some type of distinction in their rankings.

Like,

even just an asterisk, it's like, yeah, but this is Marcus Mariota.

So don't, don't put him at the top, okay?

Just don't.

He is at the top, but don't see him that way.

Don't judge us.

You know, it puts him in a little bit of a predicament there.

Let's see.

The latest from Jaden Daniels, medically cleared to return to practice.

He was expecting that he did log a full practice on Wednesday.

As we record this on Thursday, we're not sure or yet or we don't know yet about his practice status for Thursday, but it's all trending in the right direction.

Okay.

Just getting going.

Kick the other late game into the old, you know what, the other ones.

Don't get mad at us.

It's just a decision.

Stay right there.

We'll be back and we'll dig into a London game and then, yes, the quad box.

That's what you're all waiting for.

Stay right there.

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All right, we are back.

It is time to get into all the games that we have not discussed.

Um, but before that, I think we do have to tie up a loose end.

Mark, we had the um

on Monday night show, the power ranking show.

Um,

we went through it as we do now every week.

I hope everybody's checking it out.

And, and

Connor, you were not on that show, but your rankings were, and some of them were different and coming from maybe a different angle.

And I was surprised.

What's that?

The Connor angle.

The Connor angle is one way to say it.

And then I was surprised by our producer, Justin Graver, got emotional.

Let's play that little exchange or that little rant by Justin on Monday night.

Yeah, because the next team in the power rankings is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who just beat the Niners this past weekend.

And all three of us on this show tonight rightfully have the Jags ranked ahead of the team they just beat.

But Connor fed this whole thing up.

Oh, by putting the Niners at seven.

Now, guess what?

I'm going to tweet out a power rankings graphic tomorrow that doesn't have our individual rankings on them, where the Niners are going to be above the Jags.

And you know what's going to happen?

I'm going to get a hundred responses.

How can you have the Niners over the Jags after the Jags just beat the Niners?

Well, it's Connor's fault.

And if you want to know why, you got to watch the show.

Woo!

Wow.

So

yeah, I forgot how hot he was, Mark.

I did.

I also forgot.

All right.

All right, Connor, I think it's only fair that you have a chance to defend yourself.

That was a savage attack by our producer.

Sassy.

Really was.

Justin, I'm curious if you'd like to play a game.

You're a gambling man, correct?

Yeah, I've been known to gamble from time to time he's a compulsive gambler yes go on

okay

so um in my hands here i have uh the or premium wedding gift uh which is what i always give uh when i go to weddings which is uh well above standard right so standard is you call the venue you get the price per head and then you cover you and the number of guests right so that you

that's what you do in new jersey that's what i that is such you know what's crazy not to get a sidetrack, but I love uh New York and New Jersey because just shit like that.

It's like call over there to the venue, find out the headcount, and then you take that number, and then that's how much we'll give them.

We'll cut them, we'll make them the check, and it'll be nice.

Um, and then my wife, who's from Texas, when we got when my, I think it was when my sister got married, or when we started going to weddings, because we were living in New York at the time and dating, she was blown away that, oh, people just give money at the weddings.

Like, it's good fellas.

Like, yeah, you give money.

You give a check.

Other parts of the country, it's very normal.

Oh, here's the registry.

Get a duck swan or whatever.

Like, do what you want by a dining room table or whatever.

Like, no, like in New York, New Jersey, it's like, find out the headcount and then give them the number.

Okay.

You got to write an envelope.

Which, by the way, is the best way to do it.

Go ahead.

Yeah.

To be clear, we do have a registry with lots of items, but if we could choose from each person what we want, money is preferred.

Go ahead, okay, Justin.

Justin, by the way, two shows away from just putting the registry online and getting our listeners to buy him shit.

I could feel it.

You feel that?

That's like a disturbance in the forest, sesame.

Buy tonight.

All right, go ahead, Coach.

So I'm glad to, I'm glad to see money is preferred.

Here's, again, the or premium wedding gift.

So this is above standard.

That's what I always do for close friend and family.

Just like that, Justin.

Okay.

If we're so sure that the Jacksonville Jaguars are better than the San Francisco 49ers, I have two other options for you.

Okay.

At the end of the year, if the 49ers are above the Jacksonville Jaguars in our power rankings, and I will vote median on this, so I will vote the average of all of your others.

Okay.

If the 49ers finish above the Jaguars, okay,

you get boring Justin wedding gift.

Okay.

Wait, for the audience, the listening audience, Connor has now displayed two envelopes, one that says premium wedding gift, and then one that says boring Justin wedding gift.

Okay, this is the stakes are getting higher and higher.

And

if you would like to back up your bravado and you believe that much in the Jaguars, and the Jaguars finish above the 49ers,

you get the very special put your ass in the jackpot wedding gift, which is a barrio

the or premium wedding gift.

So what you're looking at right now is you have premium in the hole.

Okay.

I love Connor.

This is what you're getting.

Okay.

But if you are actually that sure that the Jaguars are better than the 49ers,

then I challenge you to put your ass in the jackpot

and see what happens.

You know, this is a decision that doesn't just affect me.

It affects my level of life.

You gotta do this.

Don't do that.

This is good practice.

Be the patriarch.

You're gonna give like 600 gifts.

Do this.

I feel pressured because we're on a show right now to

accept this

challenge.

I don't want to accept the challenge because A,

I bet on the Niners over 11 and a half wins.

They're better than the Jaguars.

Why shouldn't they be above the Jaguars in our power rankings?

They're better than the Jesuits.

The Niners have a much easier schedule than the Jags.

See, I hate the Jags as a Titans fan, so I'd love to see them crater and crumble.

Something like a motherfucker for putting them above the Jaguars.

Come on,

I think it was about 7 to 16.

Like, that's such a crazy differential.

The Niners at 7.

7-12.

7-12 is a fancy.

Forget about that.

We need an answer, Justin, because we got to move on with the show.

Yeah.

Fine, let's do it.

Challenge accepted.

Yeah.

Oh, ass in the jackbox envelope

accepted.

Holy god, that's fun.

Whoa,

whoa, that's funny.

Your lovely bride to be does not listen to the show, she'll never know this even happened.

Just yes, she will.

My parents listen to the show, they'll definitely bring it up at some point.

Tell your parents, I'm going to feel compelled to bring this up to Justin.

Well, you were May Jay, you did the manly thing by taking the bet.

I think everyone would appreciate that fit.

Father, mother, and whatever happened to Gary Cooper, he's sitting there in a Super Bowl 57 shirt or 52 shirt.

Listen, 57.

Yeah.

Party J and Party Elise.

If you're listening right now,

just let's keep this in-house.

Put a muzzle on it.

Yeah, just, yeah.

All right, let's get back into the games.

Let's check in on the London game.

Where are they playing this one, Justin?

Hot Toddy, Wembley.

Where are we at?

Hot Toddy, Tottenham, Hot Spurs Stadium.

Toddy.

I believe that Oasis reunion tour is back in England, jolly old England, and I think they're at Wembley right about now.

So at the Hot Toddy, we've been there.

Beautiful facility.

The number 19 Minnesota Vikings at the number 28, Cleveland Browns.

Kenny Albert, Vilma, on the call for NFL Network, huh?

And, you know, some juice here, Mark, for you.

I don't know.

I don't even know if these companies know anymore.

It's like, where is this game airing?

Why is it?

Why are Albert and Vilma on NFL Network?

What are the rules?

I thought there were rules.

It seems to be a new thing for this year's international games.

Joe Davis and Greg Olson called the Dublin game on the NFL Network.

Obviously, Fox announcers.

Two more Fox announcers going to call this London game.

So not sure what's going on.

Thank you for that context.

So Dylan Gabriel starting.

And we kind of called this one that they're, Mark, there was something missing logically with the Browns because they're way too good on defense to continue to play these games when they're that bad on offense.

And it's not all Joe Flacco's fault, but a 40-year-old quarterback has inherent limitations, and they have now made the decision to pivot and try to get out of the muck and mire they've been in.

So Gabriel gets his first start.

Here's the question I'll tee up on, though, Sussy.

Yeah.

Giving a rookie his first start in an international game and all the weirdness and funkiness against Brian Flores a little bit funky.

I'm surprised that they didn't wait until they were at least back in the Estados Yonidos.

You know what I mean?

That was my initial reaction, but then I thought,

well, no matter where this game would have gone in the way they scheduled it, like you're not in a hostile environment in Minnesota and you're not in what could be a hostile environment in Cleveland at this point with the way the team looks in general on offense.

So you go overseas and it's it's a little bit of a neutral scenario.

Maybe it's a little bit easier on that front.

I am surprised this is where he got the start, but not Joe Flacco, who is beloved by everyone.

Everyone has to like, look, we love Joe Flacco, but he truly played himself out of the job.

Like there was nothing to be gained by him in the offense at that point.

Here's my concern for Dylan Gabriel.

I think, number one, on the positive side, A, we got to see him.

B, I think if you're Kevin Stofanski, and Joe Flacco is sort of, we called him a Stone Age pony for years.

He's not a big mobile threat at all.

In In fact, he's the opposite.

Dylan Gabriel can move.

It's not like we're talking about Josh Allen here, but I think he do more rollouts and probably work a little bit better with some of the stuff Stefansky wants to do in theory.

Yet it's your first game.

You're playing Brian Flores, who is

9-1 against rookie QBs, allowing 13 points per game in those.

And the Browns tackle situation.

Right tackle Cornelius Lucas has given up more pressures than any tackle in the league.

Left tackle KT Leveston, who apparently is a human,

is your other tackle.

And so it's like, I don't love the situation with what Dylan Gabriel is dealing with situationally.

Outside of running the ball, they've been kind of a massive hot mess in the past game.

So it's a challenge.

I mean, you go back to what Brian Flores did against Jake Browning, and Jake Browning is not a gold standard right now, but is probably a better quarterback than Dylan Gabriel is at this moment and fried him like an egg a couple of weeks ago.

Harrison Smith and Isaiah Rogers and everybody.

My issue is the longer-term impact of this.

Where if it doesn't go well, I think if you're Cleveland, you are setting yourself up for the Shador Sanders question that you don't want to answer.

And you're putting yourself in a situation where then they're saying, Well, let's see the next guy if this one's not good.

And that's why I thought, because Flacco, yes, was not playing well.

Neither of those interceptions last week were his fault.

The one was a miscommunication, and the other one, DJ Reid just jumps over a guy who trips, right?

Just let him get through the next couple of games and give yourself more of a runway.

Because if Gabriel has two or three big games or bad games, it's like week eight, and everybody wants to see Shador Sanders because he played well that one time in the preseason.

That's the area you can't get to because clearly he's Shador is kind of going through it right now.

I mean, that

silent press conference was a very strange thing.

So, yeah, let's check that out.

What is wrong with this person?

What?

This man should not be in the NFL.

Mark, I'm sorry.

Like, this guy is an unserious person.

And I know he said afterwards, I know he said afterwards.

Wait, do we have to get on the line?

Do we have to get on the line with a certain management?

I'm not taking this one on.

I'm not touching this thing.

I'm not doing that.

I mean, you have to have a real disconnect from reality to think you would ever be viewed as a leader of men on a football field

with this nonsense, this like juvenile nonsense, and then say the reason I did it is because Rex Ryan was mean to me on ESPN.

I mean, this guy is

arrested development at the highest levels.

Forget about this guy.

Forget about him.

Forget about him, Mark.

Don't even bother putting him in.

Put in the little lefty and let him do his thing and get your high draft pick.

And let's go find a real quarterback in 26.

I think

that is what will ultimately happen.

That's why you add

the other first-round pick.

But

I also wish that the media, like the local media, would just leave him alone.

It's a serious thing.

No, but that's so unserious, Mark.

It's so, it's such an immature way to handle criticism from somebody else.

It's mature, by the way.

I didn't say it's mature.

I don't know what's going on.

I'm saying, but don't you see it as a red flag?

Don't you see it as a flapping red flag that this guy is?

It's overt.

So it's overt.

So, how hard do we have to pound him with a hammer?

It's like, this guy is probably not your future on any level unless he comes in and shines.

But like, it's also like you're a third-string quarterback who's not even taking real snaps in practice.

Like, can we just let him go?

I don't mean let him go, like, free him, but like, can we just let the subject go?

It's like, I don't want to hear from him.

Because you did draft him.

This is what I talked about in the summer, Mark.

You brought him into the building and everything that comes with it.

And now, yeah, I wonder why they didn't elevate him to the number two quarterback.

Like, what?

I think he is clearly and overtly.

They're telling us he is not ready.

He's not even a player that's going to see the field this year.

You may all want him to, like media and everyone else, but I think the odds are that Joe Flack, who is number two, comes back in if if anything happens.

Like, I don't think Shador Sanders, unless we're talking like...

Why did you draft him?

I didn't draft him.

Why did I draft him?

I didn't do that.

So why did you draft him if you're the Cleveland Browns?

When you have no quarterback and you have not had a quarterback since outside of Baker Mayfield in like 20 something years, like why not take swings?

Why not take away?

So then play him.

Put him as a backup quarterback.

Because I'm saying if they inherit him and they find out, wait, he's just simply not ready, or maybe he does play later in the the year, but they drafted Dylan Gabriel as number three.

It's not surprising that Gabriel gets the call right here, right?

All right, so let me take this from a different angle then, okay?

If

the understanding here is it's very likely they go and bring in a new quarterback next year with a high draft pick, this is the window where you're going to take a look at him, unless you're developing him as a long-term backup, which I guess maybe that's the other angle.

But I don't know.

I guess it's something the only reason I'm pushing back a little bit hard here, Mark, is like, I hate when a guy does stuff like that, dumb stuff like that, miming answers silently.

Like, actually, it's never happened before.

And then the reflexive move is, oh, the media is being mean to him.

Like, just leave it.

No, I think it's, I think it's, I think, I think the two can dance arm in arm because I do think he's been a target and he's created the reason that he's a target.

It's like chicken or egg a little bit.

He's the son of Deion Sanders, so he came in like as a name.

Point being, in terms of what's happening right now, it's like like you want to find out if Dylan Gabriel could be a quarterback for you.

Now, that's suspicious to me because of his size and height and stuff.

I don't really see that as viable either, but could Shador play late in the year?

Yes.

Is the plan right now to have him come in?

I don't know.

Like, I don't know the answer to that.

Clearly, you inherit players, right?

And find out they're not who you thought they were.

We said late-round draft pick.

It's what like they've made mistakes with players like this that couldn't play in the first and second round.

This is a late-round draft pick.

Like, it's kind of like who cares minus his name.

Right.

Which is also why you invited this into your locker room.

And if it's a

late-round draft pick, why do we even bother with this?

They specialize with that.

The other option, the other world is they have Travis Hunter, and we're asking why the Browns can't figure out Travis Hunter, but every other team probably could.

Well, the Jaguars can't, but all right, on the Vikings side, real quick, because we got to keep moving here, but

they're a mess as well.

This could be a very low-scoring game, Connor.

I think so, too.

With Wentz, you don't want what happened last week to happen again.

You want to limit him to just quick throws, throws where there's an obvious read, and then you want your defense to take control of this game.

You want to reestablish yourself on the ground.

And I think Kevin O'Connell just wants to get out of the business of, hey, I can transform any quarterback on God's green earth into solid gold.

That's not true.

I think we all know that's not true.

And that's not an affront against Kevin O'Connell.

That's us having to readjust all of our rhetoric and expectations for Sean McVay for anybody, right?

And so I think this is, let's get back to normal, let's save everybody, and let's just, let's just pound the rock if we can.

Their line is a hot mess right now, health-wise.

And the Vikings defense, it's going to be, that's a tough ass for a rookie.

They're number one in EPA per play.

the Minnesota Vikings and Brian Flores.

So they're going to go get after Gabriel.

Let's see what happens.

All right.

Let's now pivot to, oh, yes.

You wait for it every week.

We know you do.

It's time for the quad box.

Oh, my God.

That is so tight.

Yes.

Super tight.

Put on your socks and tune in your body.

That is really tight, Dean.

That is art.

That is art.

Is everybody noticing it's getting a little bit longer every week?

So good.

How far can can we take this?

How long can we make it?

No one else, I think we can take it.

There are no limits.

I think we can take it.

Yeah, pretty far.

All right.

These are the rules of the quad box.

We're here to help you, NFL fans.

You got four screens for the early window, and we're going to tell you what to fill with those four screens.

Mark, get us going.

It's an easy choice for me at number one.

It's the Broncos going to Philadelphia.

Juicy game.

Like, I really, I guess, like, when I think about Philadelphia, because I got a bunch of them on my fantasy team, not the number one priority for the show, but like,

am I just like, keep, am I like, uh, like,

trapped in the moment where I'm like, at some point, like, everything's going to change.

And these players that have been like just bottled up, AJ Brown, like Saquon, like, is it going to work?

Is it going to suddenly round down into shape?

And it's like, I'm kind of starting to think not.

This is maybe who they are.

Now, it's a long season, but it's like, what's missing?

It's the explosiveness.

It's the explosive Saquon runs.

And there's been seasons in the past where, and more with the Giants, with the Giants, like we could, like, Saquon

has 12 lower level runs, then he blows the doors off, and he looks great overall in the bop score.

But like, we're just getting the lack of explosive runs, which literally defined the Eagles last year in the playoffs,

not so much in the Super Bowl, but late in games where they became dominant on the ground.

And I think the offensive line is not completely what it was in the past, but it's fair just to say, and it's a bit of a rote question at this point, but you've moved on from offensive coordinator like year after year after year.

And I think this kind of shines a beam of light on our wondrous friend, Ellen Moore.

I think it does.

He leaves and the offense.

Oh, we're not going to go the other route?

We're not going to go with the Dalton line of NFL coaches and how these things are directly related.

Well, that's your part.

I knew, I mean, I don't need to hammer that thing up.

We got Shane Sanders in the show.

We got Siriani.

We're going through the whole thing.

Yeah, I mean, the offense with Petula has been a little up and down, obviously.

This is my upset special of the week.

I think the Eagles are ripe to be picked off.

And I think the Broncos, even though they've had, you know, the Broncos can easily be 4-0 themselves.

Like, the Eagles have had some things fall their way.

They've made some major plays, as I talked about on our Wednesday show in special teams to get to 4-0.

The Eagles got picked off late in 200.

I mean, the Broncos got picked off late in two games

to be a 2-2.

But I think their defense, especially at the secondary, even though it hasn't been maybe up to the levels that we maybe expected going into the season, including reigning defensive player of the year, Patrick Sartan, I think it's all in them.

I think their best performance of the year is in them.

And I kind of like the Bo Knicks, who's played better the last two weeks, going on the road and having something to prove and them getting really hyped up for this spot.

I think the Eagles are vulnerable because I think the best Broncos game could beat the Eagles the way the Eagles are playing right now.

Now, could the Eagles kind of level up and figure some things out?

Because the Eagles, when they are playing at their highest level, could beat pretty much anybody in the league, as we learned last year.

But I'm not ready to say the Eagles are ready to be that team yet.

So, if the Broncos could come in and be their best version, I think they win this game, and I think that they will.

How about that?

That's one of the ones we talked about at the top of the show.

I think we got an upset brewing in Philly.

Okay.

I did take Denver in our Sports Illustrated staff picks as well this week.

Ooh, baby boy.

Part of the reason why is I think that RJ Harvey, the R.J.

Harvey breakout game happened.

Now, again, is it the breakout game or was this just a laugher against the Cincinnati Bengals?

We'll see, but he also had a season high in targets as well.

And you're going to need that element out of the backfield because Jihad Campbell is playing like a rookie of the year candidate in Philly.

And you need to occupy some of these guys and you need to get these guys out of your way so Bo Nicks can go through his progressions and he can hit the receivers that Sean Payton is designing for him.

So I think if R.J.

Harvey can build on that success, I think he's just a chess piece to move around to mess with that defense just enough to get Bo Nicks off the edge and get him playing as good as he can be.

What happens to our power rankings exercise and the Ken Farbuck Institute if the 15 Broncos, 15th ranked Broncos in our power rankings,

knock off the number one Eagles?

It's utter chaos for that Monday action.

The Eagles will not be the number one team, and the Broncos will be in the top 10.

They would have a major, major shift.

By the way, yeah, I'm glad you brought up Harvey there because he really

was another summer darling that everyone was high on.

And sometimes with these rookies, yeah,

they pop in training camps slash preseason, but then they're not quite ready to find a niche in the game plan initially.

But then around this time of year, all of a sudden, these guys do materialize.

Look for Trayvion Henderson in New England, that to continue to happen over there as well.

And pairing him with Dobbins.

J.K.

Dobbins has been a really good addition for this team.

And he had obviously another big game on Monday night, went over 100 yards.

It was the first time a Broncos running back went over 100 yards in the Peyton era, which is pretty crazy.

So that 1-2 punch with Knicks playing a better brand of football and that defense's potential against an Eagles offense that cannot get out of its own way in many respects right now.

They're not favorites.

The Broncos, far from it.

But

actually, I don't know because I don't look.

Blind locks come up later, but I assume the Eagles are favored at home.

I just think the Broncos have a chance.

All right, Connor, quad box.

All right.

I think you guys know where I want to go, but that's not where I'm going to go.

Maybe someone else can do that for me.

I am taking the 23 Texans at the 11 Ravens because continuing on Dan's theme of reputation, amputation, this is a game that effectively...

probably

ends somebody's season.

And what's wild about that is both of these teams are still in very winnable divisions, right?

The Colts are good, but I don't think they're running away with the Texans division.

I don't think the Steelers are running away with the Ravens division.

Both of these teams need wins, but the Ravens are such a mess on their defensive line, on their front seven.

Is this a game where Houston's offensive line, which has been super in battle?

Can they get off the schneide a little bit, give CJ Stroud some time and just get them into a place where they can find a little bit of peace?

I don't know.

We'll see.

I don't really, the Texans aren't the team I'd point to that can take massive advantage of this just because of what we've seen up to now.

But the Ravens are so reduced to salt in terms of health at this point that you can't probably even, not just from like, hey, our best players aren't in there, but from a functional scheme standpoint, like there, you know, Kyle Hamilton is banged up right now.

Whatever version we get of him, it's like, can you do what the Ravens plan to do coming into this year?

And can someone like Nico Collins take advantage of an absolutely shredded secondary?

It's like, this is your spot, Houston, because if you can't hear, this is a terrible defense right now.

If you can't hear, I don't know where it happens.

And like of the two teams, like Houston absorbing another loss, I kind of think like they're just not built to come back from that.

Like I don't see them going out and ripping off six wins.

The Ravens with like the report from Rapsheet that Lamar might be back.

He's more week to week than two to three weeks.

Like in that division, it's like, I want to keep believing in the Ravens, but this this is a bad football team right now.

A bad football team.

The Baltimore Sun had Lamar at two to three weeks with this hamstring.

Like you said,

rap sheet was more like, well, maybe he even plays this week, but I don't think we're going to see Lamar.

I think there's enough tea leaves to read there that this hamstring is something that they're, you're not going to want to mess with it either, because if you try to play him with a bad hamstring, he could either aggravate it, make it worse, and then you're looking at a long-term absence, and then the season's over.

I mean, you have to, you have to grit it out on Sunday, and you have to give Derrick Henry the ball 25 to 30 times.

And you got to say, big boy, take us to Valhalla today, because I don't see any other way that they win this game without it being just a attack that's driven through Henry.

And then the hope that this defense, which has been completely

turned upside down by injuries at every level of the defense, can be the beneficiary of

limp, impotent Houston attack.

And I know they got a lift from their running back infinite.

I don't know.

Con and I are both smiling at your verbiage, but soft penis, yeah.

Just a tough ED moment there.

Yeah.

Yeah, a tough one.

We're open to any sponsors in that realm, by the way.

It seems like everybody else is making money on it.

Don't need the product, but we're open to sponsors.

No, we don't need a product.

That's fine.

But honestly, like, I don't think Houston's going going to suddenly, even against a bad beat-up defense, just start lighting it up.

Nico Collins isn't even healthy.

So it's just like, I think we're looking at a low-scoring game.

I think obviously the Ravens are going to try to take the air out of the football.

And the Houston should win the game.

They absolutely should, but I just don't trust this team.

There was some progress, though, kind of a little, some baby steps there.

CJ Stroud did play better last week.

Woody Marks.

And

the defense was better.

Did we talk about demico rhines handing over play calling duties um that kind of went under the radar a little bit and they get a shutout win probably demico ryan's like now guys now you give me a shout out win um

i just don't trust the texans as far as i get thrown but even against this version of the ravens

Yeah, and we'll see.

But, you know, Mark brought up Woody Marks.

This offense has always been, regardless of who the coordinator was, when Joe Mixon's in, when there's a functional running game where you have a pass-catching and running running back, it seems to work and it doesn't when you're just trying to piecemeal it together, which is why I'm still kind of befuddled at the lack of this team's investment in that position.

Uh, you know, Nick Chubb wasn't going to be the guy that solved all your problems there.

Okay, uh, next up in the quad box, I'll go next.

Let's go the number 26 Las Vegas Raiders at the number 10 Indianapolis Colts.

Yes, does that look like an incredible matchup?

No, but the early slate, not so hot.

Chris Myers and Sanchez on the call.

Chris Meyers filling in for Sanchez because Adam Amin is calling the MLB playoffs.

You know who else is back?

Our buddy Bonetti in a big spot is calling Cowboys Jets this week.

What happened with Bonetti last week?

Oh, last year we played like a Bonetti clip.

What was the Bonetti clip we played last year?

We had some insane call in a Tigers game that we played

at some point.

How versatile

two weeks later, he was

part of the show because we were like, oh, he's on this game or whatever.

And you guys are like, who, whoa, who's this guy?

And it's like, we just played a clip of him two weeks ago.

Whatever.

It doesn't matter.

It's like announcer covers two sports.

Yeah.

Yeah.

How could it happen?

Anyway,

I think Raiders, the Raiders really need to see some growth in their offense and Geno Smith being smarter with the football.

That's something to keep an eye on.

Ashton Genty finally has his big breakout last week with the three touchdowns.

You need that to continue, and that should make Geno Smith better if you can get a consistent running game there.

The Colts, Mark, I just want to, yeah, I want to see the Colts after absorbing their first loss, a game that really obviously hurt, the A.D.

Mitchell game, as I called it on Sunday night.

Just if you are a real team, and we believe that they are, we didn't lose the faith collectively after their first loss in Los Angeles.

Go take care of business at home, get to 4-1.

Let's see it.

Yeah, if you can keep Max Crosby at bay and run your offense the way that it's looked 85% of the time, and really minus

two wild boneheaded plays by A.D.

Mitchell, like I am at the point where I'm willing to accept that this is who the Colts are.

And they're possibly like a nine or 10 win team, which is not making them giants, but like they...

do things really well.

And like I point to how quickly understiking that they're A, you're developing Daniel Jones Jones into a competent quarterback, right?

That's a big checklist moment right there for the Colts.

It says a lot about their coach.

Tyler Warren does not only lead all rookies in receiving yards, he leads all tight ends.

And the way they're using him again points to me the creativity of this coaching staff.

That's what's been missing in Indianapolis.

And like, they really are kind of littered with a bunch of stars, and their defense has a bunch of tough guys, too.

And you're going up against a Raiders team that is missing Colton Miller tackle, which I think is a death knell for an already bad offensive line.

It's huge.

That's huge.

I mean,

that's a high ankle sprain.

There's also a hairline fracture.

And his replacement on Sunday was non-competitive.

So the Raiders aren't a team that can continue to lose guys and

keep their head above water.

But, you know, at one and three, they need a 25-24 loss.

Really, really hurts.

And that offensive line has has obviously played a role in Geno Smith's struggle and some of his decision making.

His PFF grade, by the way, is 29th in the NFL.

So he needs to be better or else.

All right, one more game in the quad box.

Gravy.

Yikes.

Yeah,

not an easy one.

I mean, go with your heart.

This is maybe a weird...

choice

between a spicy one game go with your dart

i'm gonna do Dolphins at Panthers.

I know.

Cowboys Jets, compelling.

Wait a minute.

Giant Saints, 90%.

Wait, is this a quad box violation?

Juicy.

Is it a quad box violation?

Dolphins, Panthers.

It's a quad box violation.

I mean, Dolphins-Panthers is the most combined wins between the two teams of any game left on this of this.

Yeah, this is a quad box violation, Justin.

We're going to have to dinghy on this one.

This is a classic.

This is a

baby.

Quad box violations!

Yeah,

we're going to have to ding you there.

Ashberry right there.

Yeah.

I mean, we can't.

We got to step in as a group collectively, and let's throw it to the number 24 Giants at the number 31 Saints because at least we got some Jackson dart juice.

All right.

I mean, is that, do you guys feel fair about that?

Was that a quad box violation?

I thought I would have gone.

Yeah, I think you're right.

Justin, nothing on you.

You have your heart, whatever your heart desires, but not.

Part of the segment.

You know, if we're all sitting around watching these games together and we're all quad boxing it up, like I would defer to the group in that setting too.

So take it away.

I agree with you.

I've got a feeling that we're going to get a lot of negative feedback for the quad box violation this week, but you know what?

Just eat it.

Deal with it, society.

Go ahead, Connor.

I agree with Justin that if the Dolphins offense performs well again, and yes, it's Carolina, they're all of a sudden two and three, and you're like, okay, what's going to happen here?

The AFC is just a mess right now, and maybe without Tyreek Hill, I'm not saying the AFC.

Well,

now you're talking Connor.

This is the other one's conversation.

Right, right, right, right.

Okay, so anyway, Jackson Dart.

We covered that.

I'm just saying, I'm just defending Justin a little bit.

I just didn't want him to feel bad.

That's all.

Is it not a quad box violation?

Coming together.

It's a quad box violation because Jackson Dart is going against the team that passed him up, and this guy is full of hot piss and vinegar.

You know, he's pissed off that the Saints didn't take him.

He's going to come down there, bring the thunder.

I love it.

The reason why I think it's a good game, Justin, and why, even though it's a one and three against an 0-4, I think it will be a competitive game.

So you have the dart juice.

You know, this podcast is hot about Dart, some more than others, but like

we want to see what he does for an encore.

And I think putting him on the road against a New Orleans team that was competitive last week against Buffalo.

I'm like selling this game to Justin.

They were competitive last week.

I feel like, you know, Ellen Moore is going to get this W potentially here.

This is another game that I had circled, Connor, as

maybe a winless team getting Ellen Moore, getting off the mat in a big spot.

Because

here's one thing, and I'll now throw it to you, Justin.

This is your quad box selection, of course.

We forgot about that.

Jackson Dart took a bit of a beating.

He was a bit reckless.

I'm a little concerned about Jackson Dart being able to stay healthy.

And he's so full of piss and vinegar that it might all get knocked right out of him, maybe, at the Superdome.

Yeah, you know, he was dealing with, what, a hamstring injury mid-game.

Obviously, he toughed it out.

But when you look at, like, obviously watching the game, he had exciting moments using his legs was awesome.

He also finished with 111 passing yards on 5.6 yards per attempt and took five sacks.

Now, I know the Chargers' defense is really good, but

I think because he plays in a New York market and he came in and got them their first win, everyone sort of overreacted a little bit.

Like, I would like to see him.

play a little more consistent, good football in structure, not take five sacks, complete some more passes.

So it'll be interesting to see how he plays against a totally different opponent.

And that Brandon Staley defense, you know, they gave Josh Allen fits.

And obviously, there's a connection: Brian Dable, Josh Allen.

I don't know if that matters, but I think they could easily give Jackson Dart fits in this game.

And I feel like the Saints of this team that we just assume are like the worst team in the league, if not the third worst team.

And they've played tight in three games.

And I know Spencer Rattler is 0-10 as a starter, but he's committed one turnover and only been sacked nine times like all year.

It's like they're, he's gotten them into position to win games.

And I think if you're Ellen Moore, like it's like you want to see growth.

I don't know if Spencer Rattler is anything more than a patch right now, and I get that.

But like Ellen Moore, this

you can kind of see the formation of a team a little bit, but just one that could probably handle the Giants on some level.

But

it's hard to see, but if you squint, the Saints have grown in each of these games to some degree.

Don't try to sell them.

Yeah, don't scramble Jackson Dart with Demario Davis there because he will put you under, he'll put you in the swamps of the bayou.

You know what I mean?

Just be careful, buddy.

We want you to stay on the field.

Or do you want Russ back on the field, Connor?

Because that would maybe allow through fate you to follow through on your preseason prediction if he got back out.

Greater good, please.

Or have we moved on?

Yeah, no,

yeah, I've moved on.

I've learned that lesson time and time again in my life.

It's time to cut that out.

All right.

Forward.

All right, there you go.

There's the quad box.

Let's

take a break.

And then when we get back, Baldi joins us.

The family that vacations together stays together.

At least, that was the plan.

Except now, the dastardly desk clerk is saying he can't confirm your connecting rooms.

Wait, what?

That's right, ma'am.

You have rooms 201 and 709.

No, we cannot be five floors away from our kids.

The doors have double locks, they'll be fine.

When you want connecting rooms confirmed before you arrive, it matters where you stay.

Welcome to Hilton.

I see your connecting rooms are already confirmed.

Hilton, for this day.

All right.

Favorite part of the show?

We're joined by Odyssey NFL insider Brian Baldinger, host of the Best Football Show podcast.

Insider calls are brought to you by Nationwide for your insurance and financial needs.

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There are very few people, Ceci, who could pull off the V-neck

black tee with the sleeves coming up on the pipes a little bit.

Baldy, and if you're not watching on YouTube, plug in.

What's up, my man?

I think this was the cleanest, dirty shirt that I had, so I threw that one on.

That's how it goes.

I try that look, and the only problem is minus pipes.

So it goes.

You need the pipes.

Yeah.

You need the pipes.

All right, let's get into it.

Let's get right into it, Baldi here.

Dak Prescott.

You know, at the Jets, at my Jets, my sad Jets with the bad secondary and the issues all over the the ball.

I'm very concerned here that New York is going to allow a lot of points in their building with a lot of Cowboys fans in that building.

And part of the reason is Dak Prescott's back to that MVP type guy, right?

And I think the understanding was that, oh, C.D.

Lamb gets hurt.

The offense comes down, but not at all because Dak is leading the charge in a really great way, Baldy.

He played...

About as good a game last week against Green Bay as I've seen him play in a long time because Micah was breathing down his neck repeatedly and he just beat him with the speed of decision.

The offense makes a lot of sense.

He spread it around.

I mean, obviously, Pickens had the big game and picked things up, but you know, Tolbert made his big play and Ferguson and the check downs.

I mean, he just

knew where to go with the ball, and he's been incredibly accurate.

Most accurate he's ever been.

He's up almost 75% of his completion right now and not making a whole lot of mistakes.

It's going to be a tough assignment the way that he is playing right now for the Jets.

The overtime overtime throw to Jalen Tolbert, for instance, with

monsters in his face.

That's the kind of play we're getting from him.

And it's great to see when it comes to Brian Schottenheimer, because I am like, I grew up a Browns fan, like I'm a Schottenheimer person.

And I thought that he was kind of roundly critiqued when he was hired because it was like a little blase.

But what about this Schottenheimer offense is working and helping Dak and the CD Lamb free wide receiver group?

Well, you know, not to, I always thought thought that the one issue that Dak had with prior regimes is when he had Amari Cooper and he had some of these other guys,

he would wait on them either too long to win their route or not long enough.

And I never felt like the timing, I'm just not picking on Amari, but I've seen it with in the playoffs with CD where do you wait long enough for him to win, to beat the coverage?

Or do you get off it and go some and I felt like the timing was off a little bit.

The timing, and maybe i'm simplifying this i don't know but the timing looks better under shoddy right now and it it feels like dak knows exactly where the answer is no matter what the defense is doing and green bay does a lot but like that opening touchdown to pickens in the middle of the field that's what Green Bay tries to take away from him.

Xavier McKinney is right in the middle of the field.

Like that's where he lives.

And he just layered that ball to Pickens perfectly.

And, you know, he was under pressure, too, on that throw, but it was just a perfect throw.

So I feel like he's, he's comfortable and he knows where to go.

And if they're, if your receiver falls, if they take number one away, like he knows exactly where to go.

And that's with a backup center, backup right guard.

The left tackle was, you know, down on his face a few times last week.

Didn't seem to matter.

You know, one last thing with Dak, and it's kind of a cliche, but it really does feel that way with him right now.

They say, you know, a player is at his apex when the mental side of it catches up when he's physically at his highest level as well.

And it feels like this is peak Dak at 32 years old, a quarterback right now.

And I'm just curious, like, when you talk about how he was able to beat Parsons, his own old teammate,

how does a quarterback do that in terms of winning both physically and mentally, knowing there's a playmaker at that level firing off the edge over and over?

First thing, Daniel, you got to do is you can't read the rush.

Because if you're like, okay, where's number one?

Where is the, you know, the,

you know, the hungry line, where's he at?

I mean, you're not going to win.

But I just felt like he never paid any attention to him.

And he got hit, you know, at the end of some of these throws.

I mean, Micah was right there.

I mean, he won a lot of one-on-ones.

But like I said, like the ball was out in two seconds, you know, maybe two and a half seconds at the most.

The throw you're talking to at the end against Tolbert.

I mean, Micah's doing what Micah does when a quarterback gets out of the pocket.

He's hunting him up fast.

I don't know how he got 40 yards of arm on that ball the way that he threw it because he got plastered and he was thrown off balance whole thing.

But he, and he was the one that was telling Tolper to come back to the ball.

That was obviously a huge play in the game at the right moment of the game.

How about that Tyler Smith play, by the way, picking up Parsons at the last second to avoid that strip sack as well?

It was just a great effort by the Cowboys.

Go ahead, Mark.

Yeah, like let's move to Monday night.

We've got Kansas City going to Jacksonville.

I know that you took a look at the Jacksonville defense.

I guess, like, under the new DC, Anthony Campanella, like how does a team go from being like a desert when it comes to takeaways to what we're seeing right now, which is four games in a row that are waterfalls?

It's been incredible.

And I point to someone like Devin Lloyd who came in with four takeaways in his tiring career and he has three interceptions already at linebacker.

How does this work?

Like is it just coaching and practice?

How do you transform a defense like this?

Well, you know, I always think turnovers start with pressure.

So if you watch Trayvon and Josh Hines-Howland, like those guys are getting their job done.

They're getting to the quarterback, and it doesn't matter who they're going up against.

They've been really good as a tandem.

And then Eric Armstead looks a lot different.

He got the force fumble at the end last week,

you know, at the end of the game, but he looks a lot different than what he has looked maybe in the last two or three years.

So I think it starts up front.

And then

Jordan Lewis has made a huge difference.

Like they've got a real nickel.

He was a good nickel in Dallas.

They found the right guy.

Like he really understands that position.

so he's created a couple of those takeaways you know 13 in the month of september i mean i texted uh

i texted uh baselli the other day when i was watching her game i'm like well you want to turn a culture around get 13 takeaways in one month like that that's the best way to do it and so you know they're not giving it up that much either so you know they're way way up there in the turnover ratio and that that allows to win a lot of games but i'm sure andy reed you know in preparation for this has shown him that you know takeaway real and you know if you're not, and he's a big guy, you know, five points of pressure, strap the ball to your body.

I'm sure he's like basically reviewing this with everybody, anybody that's going to touch the ball, that this is what Jacksonville is doing, and this is how they've kind of turned things around.

They should be 4-0.

They should have beaten Cincinnati.

They couldn't catch the ball in key spots in that game, but they should be undefeated right now.

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All right.

Another object of fascination on Heed the Call right now is Jackson Dart.

And Giants fans obviously feel the same way.

They have the Saints in the Superdome on Sunday, a pretty nice

second week assignment for a young quarterback after having to deal with that Chargers defense in week one.

What was your level of kind of

how impressed you were with Dart?

And what was your level of concern about how he played?

Do you think he was overly reckless?

And do you think there are some changes he needs to make going into this matchup?

Well, I mean, you know, you can't run the way he ran against the Chargers and survive.

He almost didn't survive in that game.

So that'd be the caution.

But

I wasn't really impressed.

But I was a big fan of his to start from the very beginning of the season.

I just was.

And I think they would have had at least one more win if he had been.

But regardless, I mean, you lose Malik neighbors, you lose a a lot, and that's unfortunate.

But I just thought it helped that

Andrew Thomas was back and played a whole game for the first time in almost a year.

That helped.

That really shut down that side pretty good.

They didn't have the usual breakdowns over there that they've been having for years with him not in those.

That helped.

But, you know, the opening drive, to go 89 yards against that defense right down the field and, you know, and then take the quarterback draw behind Scatterboo for the touchdown, I just felt like not only did it energize MetLife Stadium, but the entire team looked different.

Everybody was buzzing and they played with the lead for the first time really all year and the defense got after it.

And I just felt like they kind of like fed each other.

And so I'm a big Jackson Dart fan.

He didn't make a lot of throws, but he extended some drives.

He hit Slayton on a third and 11.

He hit Theo Johnson on a third and 13, and they got the first down in the middle of the field.

He hit neighbors by stepping up and, you know, and really getting good vision to hit neighbors.

He hit a couple really key throws in that game that allowed them to stay on point.

I think they were 7 of 15 on third downs, something like that.

So they converted some third downs to maintain possession.

They ran it 42 times.

And

that's a very, very talented Chargers defense.

You saw Tuitt Peloti with the Sacks and all that.

But I mean, they don't really have a weakness.

And he didn't turn the ball over against a team that other teams have been turning the ball over against.

Like a quick one for you, because it was almost, it felt like pro football Kismet that Dart is out there and Scataboo is like blocking for him on a touchdown.

Then you got Scataboo flipping in the end zone.

And this has been a moribund fan experience and I think probably a moribund locker room for a number of years.

And Dayball's going wild.

He wears his heart on his sleeve.

What does it do for a locker room when all that happened on one Sunday and the team just seemed to transform before our eyes?

Well, I mean, if you just take, take a look, take, say, Brian Burns.

You know, I mean, he came from a Moribund franchise.

He got paid a lot of money last year, and it was the most disappointing season in 100 years for the Giants last year.

And, you know, he wasn't fully healthy, but he played through it.

And now,

okay, it was a rough start.

But, like, those guys up, Dexter Lawrence hadn't done anything till last week, and he does a lot.

All of a sudden, you know, I mean, they've had problems at corner.

Like, everybody play up.

it seemed like i felt like the energy of those and really that's if you get a great rookie class,

that can help everybody.

It can help the veterans that have been around and just losing.

And, you know,

they're on their sofa at 4.30 after another loss, you know, and you go home and you're just like, long face, you don't want to go to the store or see anybody.

Like, it can change people's attitudes real fast.

And I feel like both those guys have helped a great deal.

And obviously what Abdul did, like, that's a good rookie class.

And

they could do that a lot of Sundays against a lot of teams.

You played 11 years in the league.

Did you ever have a situation like that in Dallas or Indy or Philly where there was a veteran guy and then there was the upstart young QB who kind of shook things up?

We turned things around in Philly, but we had Reggie, you know, like he made everybody better, you know.

But I can't really think even when I was in Dallas or Indy, if we had,

you know, I guess maybe Jeff Chandler came in as a rookie and played really, really well as a rookie.

And,

you know, and we won a lot of games.

We were right there in the cusp of a playoff team that year, and Dickerson ran good.

And so I think, you know, Chandler came in and gave us some good quarterback play that rookie year and, you know, got us to nine wins and right on the cusp of a playoff spot.

So that can happen for sure.

All right.

One last thing.

You did a bald.

I'm a big Yankees fan, Baldi.

You did a Baldi's breakdown in the Jazz Chisholm game two against the Red Sox slider.

Are you like one of those sports fans?

You watch everything?

You're like an everything guy?

I always thought you're such a football guy that.

I turned the TV on.

I'm kind of forgetting who's playing.

I turned the TV on last night.

There was Yankees, Boston.

I couldn't get away from the TV.

My girlfriend wanted to watch something on Netflix.

I'm like, nope, no, we're watching this again.

I'm not

no way.

I mean, the Yankees are going to get eliminated if they don't.

And, you know, Aaron Judge has been doing what Aaron Judge has been doing in the playoffs, but like that slide by Chisholm away from the throw was awesome.

You know, I mean, it's just, there's nothing like October baseball.

Like, I'll be in front of every one of these games for the next month.

I don't know.

I don't know.

By the time people hear this, the Yankees will either be facing, preparing for the Blue Jays or their season will be over.

But yeah, the stress and the anxiety of it all, it's just different.

It's different.

That was Odyssey NFL Insider Brian Baldi.

You're a host of the best football show podcast.

Insider Calls are brought to you by Nationwide for your insurance and financial needs.

Nationwide is on your side.

Thank you, Baldi.

Have a great weekend.

Yep.

You got it, guys.

I'll see you next week.

Take care.

All right.

There goes Baldi as we continue to roll through the week five preview.

All right, what's up next?

Let's see.

Uh, before we get to the next thing, Dan, I've just checked, and there's somebody that's been on hold since before we started taping.

They've just been waiting on the line on hold.

I didn't realize until now.

An old WFN caller sitting and waiting to get on there.

Yeah, well,

they're claiming to be

Ken Farbuck back for a

second.

Ken, the deputy commissioner of the

Power Rankings Alliance, International Power Rankings Alliance.

Mr.

Farbuck, you are on with the show.

Ken, you there?

Yes.

Hello.

Can you hear me?

Yeah, we got you, Ken.

It's Dan Hanses of Lead the Call.

Yes.

Oh, good.

Good.

Hello.

Hello, Dom.

Hi.

Yes.

Dan, trying to do it.

We know each other.

Dom Hanses.

I send you a Christmas card every day.

Yes.

How are you, Ken?

Good afternoon.

Yes, this is Ken Farbuck, newly elected co-deputy chairman of the International Power Ranking Alliance, a sovereign and independent body.

How are you today, sir?

Very good, Mr.

Farbuck.

And

I just want to say

thank you again for everything you do.

Great.

For the record and in accordance with Article 4, Section 7, Subclause 12B of the Alliance Charter, which I did not write, but am nonetheless legally compelled to read, we have opened comprehensive investigation into the ethics, methodology, and frankly, basic common sense of your weekly power rankings.

I regret to inform you.

Again, I was a little worried about this because I know we had the, I believe it was a threat level orange activation on your end a few weeks back, but I thought we had studied the ship.

I I guess I'll ask what what has triggered this and what threat level are we talking?

Uh there were a number of anomalies by a one con man

that just did not cut the mustard.

They are got a lot of us scratching our head over here.

I'll tell you that right now.

If you'd like, I'd go ahead and read them off for you.

If that's okay.

Yeah, just so you know,

yeah, I have Mark and Connor on the line with us, so anything you need to say, it's not just you and I on this call together, Mr.

Farbach.

Great.

So I would like to let you just sit back, Dom, and let me just read these for you.

Dan.

Putting the Niners at 7.

Packers all the way down to 11.

Bengals all the way up to 17.

I just wonder, Dom, does Connor have a small child or perhaps a marmot of some kind in his household that has digits that can maybe steal his phone and do some kind of nonsensical typing?

Do you think perhaps that might have occurred?

Again, I mean, Connor does have children, including a newborn, but I know marmots.

First of all,

I don't even know what that is.

I couldn't tell you for sure one way or the other, but I've always found Connor to be a professional.

He's a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, and he's on the line.

Connor, if you want to say hello to Ken, I mean

hi, Ken.

Hi, Tom.

So, okay, I'll just continue.

Let's see.

Not having the Titans last, Panthers last, despite having a 30-0 win against a tier 3 team under their belts.

I don't.

Sorry.

Sorry.

I did not mean to laugh there for a moment.

I'm not laughing at you.

As we say, I'm laughing with you.

And then finally, the Cowboys all the way down at 22.

Dom, could you do me a favor and just check in on the con man's well-being?

Because this has reached a teal threat level, and we don't want to go to Maroon, if you know what I mean.

I kind of, with everything with you, Mr.

Farwick, just to be completely transparent, I'm not always sure what you're talking about, but

I'm putting together some context clues that teal

is not where we want to be.

And while I, and again, Connor's on the line as well,

I just want to say that we believe in Connor,

even though he's a little eccentric sometimes with his choices,

he's highly qualified, and that's just the way I come down on it.

So I stand behind our rankings as a collective.

I'm sensing a lot of loyalty from you, Dom.

That's a good tribute to your friend there that does the show with you.

There's three of you on the show, as I understand it.

There's yourself, Dom.

There's the con man, and there's Gravy.

And I think you just need to stick together and you need to just work through this.

And I think

we can get these rankings.

Go F yourself.

How about that?

Well, Doc.

That's an interesting way to go.

Let me just make that note.

No, no, no.

Don't make a note.

I don't want.

No.

All right.

Listen, there are four of us.

Mark Sessler is also on the power rankings for our show, and he's one of the founding members of the show.

His name is in the title of the show.

So, of course, Mark is involved

prominently with the power rankings.

Mr.

Farmer.

Mark.

Mark it down.

I did.

Okay.

F myself.

Marked down.

Just as you requested.

Okay.

Let's see here.

Look, at this point, there's not a whole lot I can do.

If you could just perhaps keep the marmots away from the con man's phone and perhaps strap the children down and, you know, make sure they don't get a hold of it and, you know, play around on daddy's

little computer.

Right.

That'd be great.

There's something that makes me uncomfortable about you, Ken.

I don't know what it is, but thank you, Mr.

Farbeck.

I appreciate it.

Uncomfortable.

That's great.

That's wonderful.

Well, you have a nice day there, Dom, and the rest of the fellas, Gravy and the Con Man.

Okay, take care now.

Ken Farbeck.

I'm still here.

I'm still here.

All right.

Thank you, Mr.

Farbeck.

Still here.

Okay.

Hang on.

Can you cut it?

Yeah, just.

That's unfortunate.

It's unfortunate.

I'm sorry for everyone.

I feel like we all kind of got dinged there a little bit.

But the man seems a little unhinged.

I'll say it again.

It's almost like he doesn't have all of his faculties, and he has a prominent position within this committee.

And yet, I don't know.

Well, he's swallowing up about 14 minutes of airtime, so he has enough faculties to do to be disruptive on our show.

I mean, encouraging me to strap my children down was a tough moment.

Yeah, that's a tough.

It's just a troubling visual.

Yeah.

A marmot is a rodent?

I'm just looking this up now.

Okay.

It's more of an outdoor.

Marmots are large ground squirrels, 15 species in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Okay.

All right, let's try to get back on track.

That guy just takes, he just, the show just goes flying off the rails, you know, like stock footage of a car going off a cliff.

But we'll get it back.

We'll get back on track.

Let's do some prime time games.

We'll start with Sunday night football.

I love this game.

I'm going to tell you something.

I love the number 22 Patriots at 2-2.

Number 2-2.

22 got it.

At the number 2 Bills.

Ooh, twos are wild here.

4-0.

Of course, Terico and Collinsworth.

Mark, I like

the Patriots.

I like this Patriots team.

And I know they've been a little schizo at times times this year, but I do think that

they could put a fight up against just about anyone.

Now, just about anyone might not be a category where up in Western New York against the Bills in prime time.

Now, if the Patriots can go up there and do some damage and hang in that game or steal that game,

that would be a major statement win early in Vrabel's tenure there.

And I know the Patriots know that and Vrabel knows it.

So buckle up for a really good AFC East team.

There's a game.

There's only two good, there's only two interesting teams in the AFC East and they're playing in primetime.

Yeah, it's coming at the right time.

I feel like it's

like Tom Wolf wrote the Electra Kool-Aid Acid test.

And it's like, this is the moment where we either kind of float the Patriots down the river a little bit in terms of like expectations, or they could change everything that we think about them.

And it really does boil down to me for Drake May

against Josh Allen, two glorious whites clashing at night.

Like,

can Drake May have that game?

Because he hasn't had a chance in primetime to do something that kind of everyone in the country sees.

And it's like, oh, Drake May is legit and for real.

My confidence level is very low.

It's very low.

I mean, because I don't take a whole lot from the Panthers game, but I do think it's a team that's forming and growing.

And they're some of my most interesting projects to watch as a team like the Patriots that's developing before our eyes.

The Drake May thing is very real in terms of, yes, every week we can say Drake May, Drake May, but there's a couple fascinating little subplots to this.

Okay, he's completed more than 75% of his passes and thrown at least two TDs in each of his first three games,

or each of his first four games.

I'm sorry.

Only Tom Brady has a longer streak.

than that.

He's also the best third down quarterback of all time if you put quarterbacks into the range of quarterbacks, of games that Drake May has started.

This could be that primetime game where he elevates to the rest of the world.

I mean, I'm not saying that people are doubting him at this point, but the underlying stats, like the undercurrent of information that we know about him is way more phenomenal than I think that the general public realizes.

I love that.

I think that's exactly kind of what I had in my mind, but wasn't articulating that I see this as a potential major statement game for the re-arrival of the New England Patriots.

I think that's the opportunity they have.

And if it doesn't happen this week, it doesn't mean I'm down or out on the Patriots because maybe they're just not ready for this type of spot yet.

Because I think the Bills are obviously one of the very best teams in football.

And beating Josh Allen in prime time in his building, it kind of reminds me of the old, remember you can never beat Peyton Manning in prime time, especially in his building.

Like I see Josh Allen as being one of those guys, like no matter what it takes.

Asked the Ravens up back in week one.

But if they can go up there and Drake May can continue to just stack good drives, which he's been doing,

I think they could really give the Bills a run for it.

I think this is going to be a close game.

And one guy who's really surprised me,

and I wasn't as high on the Patriots as other people were this summer, but they have,

despite some of their imperfections, impressed me.

Stephon Diggs has been way better than I thought he would be.

I thought he was a real difference maker,

obviously, in their week four win against the Panthers, six for 101.

But he seemed like a guy, like, if you would have, if I would have asked, if you would have asked me, where will he be by week six and the range of outcomes not on the Patriots anymore was one that I would have said, yeah, I feel like there's like a 25% chance.

Instead, he's been like a rock for a young quarterback and a guy that they can trust in a big spot.

And that's a pleasant surprise for Patriots fans that probably felt similar to me.

And like the revenge game concept is utter nonsense 98% of the time because all you're doing is facing an employer that paid you more than the four of us will get paid times 200 to go out and probably not play as well as you should have.

But this kind of feels like it a little bit because there was legit weird stuff going on between Josh Allen and Stefan Diggs.

And so nothing would make Diggs happier than to have his new quarterback create some sort of unlikely scenario at the end.

I will say the Bills because I covered that Bills Saints game a week ago.

And like this, the Bills played, I think, their worst game of the year.

They just couldn't really get unhooked in various ways, and they still put up 31 points.

So it's, you're going to have to do a lot to, you're going to, you're going to need turnovers.

You're going to have to get one of those Josh Allen games where it's like red zone errors.

And he's not done that two seasons in a row at this point.

James Cook has been one of the best players in football this year.

And that's not an exaggeration in terms of his production.

He's rushed for 100 yards in three straight games.

You know, his pop the hood numbers are excellent.

So

Cook and Allen and the versatility, despite having, not having a true number one receiver, what the Bills can do with their multiple tight ends and all their receivers seem to be useful players.

They're just a handful.

But yeah, I just want to give one more, just cycle back for Diggs for a second, just to give a little more.

perspective.

This via the athletic.

Among wide receivers with at least 60 routes run, Diggs ranks first in the NFL in receptions receptions per target, nabbing 87% of the balls thrown his way without any drops.

He also ranks eighth in the league in expected points added per target, 11th in yards per route run, and 17 in yards per target.

And this is a guy, you know, Kayshawn Boute and Matt Collins are kind of ahead of him in the pecking order, but I don't know how much longer that stays.

I think there's something happening there between the young quarterback and the veteran receiver.

Any other thoughts on this one, guys?

I just love that it's the rivalry uniform game, and i think buffalo's is like snow and ice inspired and the game is going to be like 80 degrees which is really funny

a couple months from now what does that mean exactly that so they're wearing a uniform for the rivalry game they're wearing what the like the xfl type dolphins thing is that what's happening yeah but

each of the each of the uniforms was inspired by the locale like the the cardinals one was sandblasted uh because of the desert and the jets one is is gradient uh based on a manhole cover but just oh my god funny but the ball the the the bills is like ice storm uh but it's legit gonna peak at like 80 degrees that time

put them in storage bring them back when it gets cold out all right monday night football

the number five chiefs two and two

at the number 14 Jaguars, three and one, Buck and Aikman on the call.

I mean, you know, after the Buck and Aikman, or really Aikman specifically, meltdown, I hope this is a cleaner operation, but you know,

because I enjoy, I love hearing him get cranky.

So, yeah, I do too.

I do, too.

I just don't want him to get like so cranky he quits.

He's like, what am I doing?

I'm just going to sell my America's Great Beer and sit on my millions at this point.

Yeah, the product just not very good.

I'm going to be honest.

It's just not very good.

I mean, it's ridiculous.

So, yeah, we're all, everyone, not just us, is like, oh, the Chiefs are figuring it out now.

And they certainly were.

Xavier Worthy really unlocked things for that offense.

Mahomes looked like Mahomes again.

Everything was good against the Ravens.

And now, Connor, they get a Jaguars team that, I don't know, any team that's living and dying on turnover differential is always on my radar a little bit.

So the fact that they've had at least three turnovers in every game forced, that's not sustainable.

And what happens when you play a game against a team that's not going to just just gift you, gift wrap you short fields and points, and that's the Kansas City Chiefs.

I like the Chiefs a lot in this game, but if the Jaguars win this, they would announce themselves as a top 10 team in the NFL.

What do you think?

We're seeing a lot of that defying whether it's one-score games, whether it's turnover games.

The Vikings defied that, right?

Where a season, two seasons ago, right, they won a historic number of one-score games, and then the season after that continued a strong performance in one season games, and that just became, or one-score games, and that kind of just became part of their identity.

When you bring Campanale over from Green Bay, he was able to replicate the turnover stuff when he coached with the Packers.

They were a turnover-heavy team.

The Jaguars, that just might be part of their identity, just like strip-sacking is part of Pittsburgh's identity, even though it's something that you don't normally count on.

And so, I'm curious if the Chiefs, who have been playing small ball better than any team in the NFL right now, if they even allow the Jaguars an opportunity to do that.

And what I'm really waiting for is Liam Cohen just continue to lean on that run.

Like, I don't care about Travis Hunter.

He's not helping you right now.

I don't care about Brian Thomas.

Travis Etienne was an animal a week ago.

Like, just run for 200 yards, and I know it's not that easy.

Awesome.

Let me see him take it.

He looks so good.

I mean, let's go.

What are we waiting for?

I mean, that long touchdown run, just the quick cut and the agility and then the breakaway speed, like that wasn't him last year.

That was the guy they thought they were getting a few years ago.

Was he a first-round pick?

I feel like he was.

Like,

he is absolutely uh providing big lift to that offense uh and it's helped them immeasurably and you know i i think if you go back to liam cohen in tampa and it's like oh baker mayfield baker mayfield baker it's like he got that ground game going that was an inept ground game for years and they started to become a force on that front a year ago so yeah you're seeing it now um i think the other everyone with the chiefs it's like oh the offense they're faster they're starting to put it together they're adding wideouts but I go back and watch what Spaggs did against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens a week ago.

And they are putting,

they're using pressure with seven, eight guys at times.

They're moving people around.

There's disguise pressure.

So it's a big test for Trevor Lawrence, I think, in this and Liam Cohen, because I think Trevor Lawrence has gotten to this point in the season.

You mentioned Travis Hunter.

Brian Thomas has had a weird opening of the year without a star wideout, without that guy that you can really lean on.

And it's like, you're going to be in a situation where you are playing a defensive coordinator that's going to look at the tape that you put on film and find a way to scramble you up.

And this is a huge moment for Trevor Lawrence to show, like, because remember, he almost beat the Chiefs, was it last year?

And it came down to like those drops in the end zone.

And so here you are again, and you're a team better coached.

What can you do?

I think it's, it's like, Jacksonville is the kind of team that we don't believe in, really.

Apparently, one of us really doesn't.

But be honest, like, this is the moment.

You do it on Monday football.

It's like, okay, we think about you differently.

Yeah.

I like these primetime games because they do, there's statement opportunities for some of the teams that are going to be the underdogs.

I was wondering, like, on the Travis Hunter thing, not to get bogged down by it all, but I know he had a couple impact moments offensively against the Niners.

But I wondered at a certain point if there are conversations in that building.

Like, right now, we are,

what is it, betwixt and between?

Is that what it is?

We're like, we are, we've, we've created like a half measure.

Like, we haven't really bought in full, we haven't figured out exactly how to use this kid.

So, he's not really making an impact on either side of the ball.

So, maybe we should just lean into one side or the other and try to get what is a premium talent player to help this team.

And then we could figure out maybe in the offseason, we could maybe take a different angle on this.

Because the way it is right now, Connor, I feel like it's not helping them and it's not helping him.

He's just kind of languishing in no man's land on this roster.

That third and 15 catch that he made against the Niners last week to get them out of like a goal line hole was unbelievable.

But then in that game,

it was 38, like half of their offensive snaps, right?

And then nine defensive snaps.

And I think at this point, it's just a

it's it's a gimmick because he's he's not helping you.

And if you're Gladstone or if you're anybody else in this organization, I think it's like, let's major at wide receiver because he's fantastic at it, because it helps bail our offense out of some situations like this.

Our defense is already a turnover machine.

We don't need help over there right now.

I mean, Devin Lloyd is playing like a defensive MVP candidate, and I know he's a linebacker, but

we're good over there.

We're fine on that side of the ball.

I just think give him a chance to major and then we sprinkle it in when he's comfortable because this is wasting everybody's time.

Simplify.

Simplify.

Get some bang for your buck.

You know?

All right.

primetime games in the can.

Now let's move to, yes, the other ones.

These are the games from the early and late windows that we have not hit yet.

And if you want your team out of this category, well, make your team better at football.

Get off our ass.

Just getting increasingly more angry every week as the setup for this segment.

All right, let's start with the 0-4, the very 0-4 Tennessee Titans, number 32 in the power rankings, at the number 21 Arizona Cardinals, 2-2, Didas and Archoletta on the call.

Trey Benson has been placed on IR.

So, I mean, James Connor is out for the season.

Now, Benson, who's going to be the bell cow, he is out at least four weeks.

That is a messy situation for the Cardinals, Connor Orr.

Yeah.

Where is this offense going to go from here?

I don't know.

I think that the challenge has been, DiMarcado played good down the stretch when they were going fast, and he was just specifically, you know a third down back and they were moving.

And I'm wondering if maybe that's the direction that the Cardinals go at this point is in the absence of everything, in the absence of a table setting run game, they're just moving with tempo at this point.

I'm sure Kyler Murray would be more comfortable with it, bring back some of the more Cliff Kingsbury, no huddle kind of concepts from when he was there.

Try something.

But I think the one thing that's been good about Arizona is the fact that Marvin Harrison Jr.

seems to have had that weight taken off of his shoulders.

I think he can play a little bit freer, which is what the team was hoping for after last week.

I'd like to get a full game out of Kyler Murray.

Like, can we talk?

Can we look at this sound, Justin, about him talking about the future stadium and all this stuff?

And

I don't know if this guy would be.

Kyler on the new Cardinals practice facility set to open in 2028.

Here are his comments.

What do you mean?

What was my reaction?

Yeah, it's beautiful.

It's beautiful.

Beautiful.

Yeah.

Hopefully.

I don't know what's coming out, but I hope I'm here to see it.

Oh, no.

That's never good.

I don't know.

That's never good.

Justin, say one nice thing about the Titans so far.

One positive thing.

Is that possible?

They are looking to simplify things this week because they've been so bad.

Never a good sign.

That's a positive thing?

I don't know.

No, I can't.

There's nothing.

There's nothing on the offensive or defensive side of the ball that's been even remotely promising.

I'm sorry.

sorry if this, if the answer is no, I'm really sorry.

Cam Ward's turnover-worthy play rate is only 1.8%, and a lot of people had concerns it would be higher, so that's cool.

Okay,

all right.

Number 18, Dallas Cowboys, 1-2-1.

Annoying.

We're going to have a tie for two teams at least for the rest of the season, fouling up the standings.

Yeah, but then you could be 8-8-1, which is my dream.

Okay.

It is your dream.

I understand that.

Here we go.

18 Cowboys at 29 New York Jets.

0-4.

Yes, I don't.

Bonetti.

Yeah.

Bonetti with the call with Greg Olson.

I love it.

I love it.

Braylon Allen, the Jets other running back, placed an injured reserve after that goal-line thumble.

The next drive, he got his knee hurt.

Khalil Herbert signed.

So I think the Jets

are not going to win this game, Connor Orr, but I think they can move the ball.

They've actually had success on offense moving the ball.

It's just the turnovers have kind of killed him and the Cowboys stink.

These are the two worst secondaries arguably in the league.

I think Dak Prescott is going to have a ball out there even without CeeDee Lamb.

Can the Jets kind of control the ball and keep Dak off the field?

It's the only path to an upset for New York, I think.

I disagree.

I mean, I think it's time to throw caution to the wind.

I mean, they're best when Justin Fields is unpredictable.

Garrett Wilson, I mean, his long-term happiness to me, I think, is more important than trying to play a specific way that, you know, you showed you couldn't play against the Miami Dolphins with that fumble and clutch.

And now you lose that running back for a long period of time anyway.

And so I think you allow him to be both the table setter in the run in the past.

I think you take a lot of deep shots on this Matt Eberflew secondary, which has been atrocious against deep balls.

And you just free yourself.

from this pseudo-identity that Aaron Glenn doesn't seem to be able to create.

Well, you might not have a choice.

If you get Dak Prescott on the offense playing like they have of late, like you're in a shootout.

Yeah, I don't know if we're going to get 40-40 again.

It's only happened once in NFL history.

It's going to be.

But I think it could be a high-scoring game.

It could be a high-scoring game.

All right.

Up next.

The Miami Dolphins.

Oh, yeah, they're buys.

So this is the only other one.

Miami Dolphins, number 27 in the power rankings, 1-3 at number 30, Carolina Panthers.

There was a quad box violation, so it comes down down here.

I will throw it to you, Justin.

Oh, yeah, this game was the last, I didn't expect that.

This game was the last game there where both teams at least had one win.

So let's see if they can, I mean, the Panthers have been like super up and down.

We boomeranged them from 32 to 24, back to 30 in the power rankings.

Can they prove which side they belong?

Are they a tier four team or a tier three team?

I think the Dolphins are a good measuring stick for that because we're pretty sure the Dolphins are a tier four team.

Without Tyreek Hill, what does their offense look like?

Jalen Waddle stepped up in the second half last week.

Can he keep that going?

Is Darren Waller going to be a part of this offense?

I picked him up in fantasy, so I hope so.

Let's see if they can, let's see if they can keep it rolling against the Panthers this week.

I think Connor nailed it.

It's like, do we, was that the rise of the Dolphins offense?

Tyreek Hill or not, like, can you impose your will and still fry people with Waddle through the air?

It's a huge, like, you got to keep going.

This is kind of Miami season a little bit.

And my only other question is, like, how close are we to the end of the Bryce Young experience if it continues to fizzle?

I just, I wonder at this point if this team is like, you know, you inherited this quarterback.

We're ready to move on.

They're so inconsistent, and that has not changed in three years with Bryce.

Yeah, unless he can finish.

And he did finish strong last year, remember?

So maybe he has his best football in him, but they need it.

I wouldn't ever take too much out of a team's performance against this Jets defense where it is right now.

The Dolphins looked really good on Monday night, but yeah, no Tyreek Hill.

Waddle's going to be more involved.

Maybe Darren Waller is now a great tight end again, but it's probably more likely

he's situational.

Yeah, back in back to his hip-hop career next year.

I'm leaning more in that direction, but nice Monday night.

All right.

Okay, that takes us to the final portion of the preview here.

Week five, our blind locks.

First of of all,

let us check the standings.

Where are we at?

Where are we at through four weeks?

Quarter poll.

And if you're watching this on YouTube,

I believe we've had a changing photo every week.

Is that a chastity belt?

Is that

me?

There's little hearts on it.

That's okay.

Hello.

There's little heart openings where the privates would be.

This is...

I think so.

This is going to get us a strike on YouTube, I think.

It's a picture of a lock.

I don't know what you're seeing, Dan.

I'm seeing metal underpants with

carve-outs for the hearts where the private parts would be.

I'm with Dan on this.

Yeah, like

a private lock.

Like, this isn't like one of those paintings where you see what you want to see or whatever, a Rorschach.

This is very clearly metal underpants

with cut-out hearts where the private part, where the balls or the other stuff would be.

Hey, if you say so, metal underpant.

I don't think it's for a man.

That's right.

But what do I know?

Yeah, it could be a man.

Hey, Mark, it could be a man.

Men or women could wear a chastity belt.

They're equal.

They are.

We did it.

All right.

Thank you for joining us on Heed the Car.

We got all our bases covered in 2025.

All right, here we go.

Let's check out the standing.

Zuzzer

at 3-1.

Sessler at 3-1.

Gravy at 3-1.

Orman at 2-2, hitting the skids a little bit here.

How are you feeling going into week five, Connor?

Not confident,

and I think that's going to continue for a while.

Why don't we start with you?

Let's see the games now.

Now, again, per the rules of the blind lock competition, we do not know the spreads of these games.

If you go, if you pick a team that is minus five or more, you have to cover that spread times two.

So

if you're picking for uh cherry picking, as they say, looking for a heavy favorite, buyer beware, Connor, get us going.

Oh, boy.

Okay.

I am

not feeling good about any of this,

but I will

lock the Vikings over Dylan Gabriel in jolly old.

Nice.

All right, Mark.

I thought heavily about that one, too.

I will say the seven to five over-under, or the not over-under, but like the spread is a game changer, and it was a good for the show.

I'm going to go, this is thorny.

I'm going, I'm going to put my money where my mouth has been this week.

I'm going Seattle over Tampa Bay

against a quarterback that always has his team ready to win in the final 12 seconds.

So that should go very well.

All right.

How about you, Justin?

I thinking I'm worried about what I did last week.

I feel like I got lucky covering that 21-point spread,

but

I don't know.

Ooh, I'm torn across the board, man.

I don't know where I'm going with this one.

I guess I will like, can I just put off my suffering until Monday night and take the Chiefs over the Jags?

I wonder if you're going to get doubled up on that one.

Interesting.

Not if they're on the road.

All right.

I'm going to do the thing where you protect yourself.

As you know, I'm pretty emotional about the state of the Jets right now.

I think the Dallas Cowboys are going to

Dak Prescott is going to throw for probably close to 400 yards in this game.

And now I could get dinged on the spread here, and I might have to make it a double-digit win for Dallas, but I'm not afraid of that.

I will lock up the Cowboys at the Meadowlands, the Meadowlands, which will be filled with Dallas fans.

Filled.

All right.

Let's see.

Let's see what the spreads are.

Let's see if anybody's got to double up.

Oh, wow.

Dallas just two and a half.

So I'm good there.

Just need the Cowboys to win that.

Minnesota, four and a half.

You guys, who had that one?

Connor, you just, just barely missed having a double that up.

Good job by you.

Mark, you are also

3.5.

You three and a half.

And then Justin, nice job, Justin.

KC is laying three and a half a wood.

So we all fall under the five-point double up there.

Yes.

Can I draw the attention to the New Orleans New York Giants spread just because it's interesting?

Saints favored by a point and a half, the winless Saints.

And by the way, that's why, and again, we value you tremendously, Justin.

But the quad box violation had to be enacted because that is going to be a game with a little bit of intrigue, even if the combined records are what they are, one and seven.

Fair.

You dig?

You know what I mean?

You dig.

Yeah.

Miami, Carolina, also a one and a half point spread.

So in terms of like how close Vegas expects the game to be, even.

I mean, that's fair.

That's fair.

Is there any punishment to violate the

quad box

multiple times?

What's the comeuppance for that?

Might have to cook up a rule change.

Thank you for the challenge.

All right.

Rule change change.

Reminder, patreon.com/slash heed the call.

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