Yankees doubt, transfer portal changes, and a wild weekend in college and NFL football recapped with hard truths and sharper takes

Two blowouts in Toronto set the tone for a brutally honest ride across MLB, college football, and the NFL. We start where the pain is loudest: Yankees pitching craters, late offense arrives too late, and the Aaron Judge-in-October question won’t go away. From there, we map the playoff field—Dodgers as a juggernaut if the starters stretch, Mariners as the clean AL vibe—and wrestle with the fan calculus of wanting a comeback when the road still leads back to heartbreak.

College football brings sharper lines. Ohio State finally opens the throttle for Julian Sayin and proves it can win a track meet, not just a stranglehold. Miami wins where it hurts—at the line of scrimmage—flattening Florida State and staking a real claim in the ACC. Then the trap doors: Penn State trips at UCLA in a loss that screams coaching and identity, and Texas’ passing game stalls in Gainesville with protection and vertical threats missing in action. We also pull apart the NCAA’s new single transfer portal window and why planting it in the heart of the playoff calendar creates split priorities and messy incentives for players and staffs.

Sunday was a mirror for the NFL’s contenders and pretenders. The Broncos’ late eruption says as much about Philly’s missing offensive identity as it does about Denver’s grit. The Texans obliterate a battered Ravens unit and remind everyone what CJ Stroud looks like with time. Arizona unravels again late while Tennessee keeps coming; that’s leadership, not luck. Baker and the Bucs trade fireworks with Seattle in a WR clinic, the Lions keep looking inevitable, and the Bills learn that a dink-and-dunk world can’t survive multi-turnover days. Jacksonville flips the Chiefs with a pick-six and raises a bigger question: can Kansas City’s defense hold up while the offense climbs?

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Chapters

• 0:10 Solo host setup & format
• 1:44 MLB focus: Yankees vs Blue Jays
• 6:11 Judge’s legacy and fan expectation
• 10:44 AL/NL playoff landscape snapshot
• 16:19 Transition to college football
• 16:40 Coach Prime health and Colorado reset
• 20:55 NCAA adopts one transfer window
• 28:23 Ohio State opens the offense
• 34:36 Miami’s muscle vs Florida State
• 38:19 Penn State’s UCLA faceplant
• 46:46 Texas falls at Florida, QB doubts
• 54:04 Around CFB: Bama, Tech, Lions, more
• 1:01:20 Washington’s late rally at Maryland
• 1:07:17 NFL shift: fines, trades, injuries
• 1:10:45 Vikings edge Browns in London
• 1:15:22 Colts throttle Raiders, Geno woes
• 1:19:12 Saints steady, Giants sputter
• 1:22:52 Cowboys roll; Jets unravel
• 1:28:58 Broncos comeback, Eagles identity void
• 1:43:45 Panthers gash Dolphins on the ground
• 1:47:02 Texans torch depleted Ravens
• 1:56:40 Cardinals collapse, Titans steal it
• 2:02:07 Bucs-Seahawks instant classic
• 2:11:17 Lions surge; Bengals sink further
• 2:15:06 Commanders outlast flat Chargers
• 2:18:59 Patriots punish Bills’ turnovers

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:10

Welcome back to the JV Sports Podcast. Today is Tuesday, October 7th, and we're back for another pod. Um, so if you have not been here for if you have been listening for a while, you know this is not you Jace, who usually does the openings. This is just me today doing Joe. Honestly, at some point I'm gonna have to not keep doing the explanation as to why I'm doing the openings rather than Jace. But I don't think we're there yet, because for so long it was me and it was me and my be my me doing it by myself, then it was just me and Jace, and then now with us having different schedules doing stuff like that, me kind of giving Jace an opportunity like to not have to up his life to come to me or me to kind of go to him to kind of get the podcast done, especially when the schedules don't work all the way correctly. So I keep giving opportunities like, hey, go ahead. I can do this, I can do the like the recap pods of my own. As long as we can get you back for the um for the prediction pods and all that, that's the way to go. So it's just me today. I'll be talking about all the stuff that happened this past weekend in the football world, and uh that's about it. So if you look forward to the podcast, both me and Jace, you're more likely gonna get that in the prediction pods, and then a little bit more often than not, at least as of right now, it'll be me kind of doing the recap pods talking about all the games and everything. So with that, I'll go ahead and get off of that and go on to the next thing here. So, college football. Uh no, no, no, let's not do that. So let's let's start because we started talking about baseball in the last pod. Let me go ahead and at least kind of answer for myself on this pod where things are not necessarily going uh swimmingly for me and Jace as fans of the New York Yankees. But listen, if you've been following at all when it comes to what how things are going in the MLB playoffs, I'm only gonna I'm probably gonna stay with the Yankees mostly because that's what I've been really locked into. Have not watched a lot of baseball outside of that because at the end of the day, like I've I'll keep track, I kind of like box score watch, but like really watch the games. I really haven't done so outside the Yankees games, so but let's start with the Yankees and kind of get a like an overarching thought. Yankees currently in the um division series against the Blue Jays have played two games so far since we last recorded a podcast, and in both games it has not gone all that well for the Yankees. Well, not all that not a better way to say it is that we were we're getting our asses kicked by the Toronto Blue Jays. Both of those games were in Toronto, so that is one thing to take into take into account in this thing, but also to a certain extent, even with it being in Toronto, it is not great with it being as slanted as as slanted as it has been throughout this series so far. Like I said, obviously, Blue Jays are up to nothing. Let me get to because I forget the scores. Um the first game we the Yankees lost 10-1. It was an ugly game. Honestly, never was close. And then in the game on Sunday, Blue Jays won 13-7. Again, another game that really wasn't all that close. Uh, until the like, I think the seventh inning where the Yankees kind of like scored, like sixth and seventh inning where the Yankees scored and kind of made it a little bit closer. But to be honest, it never was that close because it felt like after the Blue Jays just kind of pounced on the Yankees and they just couldn't come back once they kind of dug themselves in a hole in a hole. And this is for a variety of reasons. One, our pitching has not gone all that well. It's not like we had our best two starting out. The first game, we had uh uh Peralta as our starting pitcher. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Wrong game. We had Gill as our starting pitcher in that first game, and we honestly did not start well. He kind of jumped on and jumped on him early. And then in that Sunday game, we did have Freed come in and pitch, and even he did not come in looking great. Again, the Blue Jays kind of pounced on him early. It was not pretty. He gave up like six runs. It it was not a good outing, and it wasn't it was not even just that, the fact that our pitching isn't going all that well. We can't score. And again, we did score in the second game, it kinda at little too little too late when with how I'm looking at it, but it's just when for so long you just can't get any offense going, and then you kind of you get kind of get dug into a hole that you can't dig yourself out of because you're not scoring until the very end, it's just it's just it's deflating as a fan to watch, and it it's it sucks, because especially on that Sunday game where I was trying to keep track of it, and I was trying to also do that and watch NFL games. I'm like, the Yankees weren't giving me anything to feel fired up about in comparison to how it how I kind of felt in the first series they had when they were playing against the Red Sox. Again, I know to a certain extent the fact that it was Boston on the other side kind of changed it for me. It's a division rival, it is a longtime heated rival, and I don't think you're kind of gonna get that from any other team that the Yankees would play other than maybe the Astros and then the Dodgers in a World Series if it happened again. So, but still, it's like when you're fate when uh me as a fan of the Yankees that loves watching them and also loves watching football, that I think in a general sense, watching football gives me more joy than watching just generally watching baseball outside of the Yankees. So, like when the Yankees are sitting there getting dicked down from start to finish, and I hate probably shouldn't have said that, if they're gonna if they're getting destroyed from start to finish the way they have these last two games, it takes away all sort of joy in the whole thing, and it kind of just takes the wind out of my sails. And I'm not gonna go too far into the weeds, but Judge hasn't really played all that well. He's hitting, but he's not hitting a bit big spots. There's been times where he's had plenty of guys out there ready to go when it comes to base runners, ready to score, and he just hasn't kind of came through in the big moments. And again, that's been his deal practically his whole career, so I'm not gonna sit here and say that it's all that different this time around. And to be honest, I did not like there's a lot of people that like want to make their assumptions about not assumptions, but their decision on how they feel about Judge just only based off the playoffs, and I think that took a little bit, that's kind of unfair, because there are plenty of people in in his in the history of sports, in the history of a lot of things, that do well when it's when it's the everyday, but then when it comes time for the biggest moments, they don't necessarily show up. And I think if I'm being honest, Judge has not has not shown to be a big game playoff type of player. And here's the thing, when it comes to those moments, you don't necessarily have to play better than what you usually do. Just getting to the level that you usually play at when the game doesn't mean as much to you. And not to you, but as a player, but as the fan base, when the game doesn't mean as much and you play great, they would like you just at least match that when the games matter most. And to and it sucks to say it because you would think that Judge being the player that he is could translate and not necessarily take such a big nosedive when it comes to his play. It has it's gone that way. And I don't carry hatred to him for it because watching him do what he does throughout these throughout the season is great, and it's awesome, and it's it's everything, but I think it's getting to a point now where you really have to start having that conversation like, hey, maybe Judge is just not that type of player to show to like really show up in these in the highest and highest of moments. And I don't know. I I'm I don't I don't feel hatred of form for it, but I I just know that that is a narrative that's going to stick with him until he eventually changes it, or he doesn't change it at all, and he has a nice career as a Yankee, and he's gonna break a bunch of records, hit a bunch of home runs, and just like be the perennial MVP candidate that he is. But I think there's a lot of people out there that I I'm not gonna argue with that if they really do see him keep struggling in these big moments, they're gonna carry some type of hatred, not just hatred, but vitriol as to why they can't why he and it's not even just him, it's a team as well. Why can't they play their best in these big moments when it's absolutely necessary? And I don't think I'm gonna try to convince them to feel any differently about it. I'm not. It's just not how I'm gonna do it because I think that when you are the Yankees and when you are Aaron Judge, who have built yourselves off of winning and doing all this, that, and the other, like it's just it comes to a point where the expectation is going to be winning the big one. And if you don't do that for long enough, I think it'll be it's more than what's the word I'm looking for. It's more than fair for people to start questioning, hey, why couldn't you why couldn't you play better in these big moments when you had your opportunities too? Especially for guys of that caliber, of Judge's caliber, of Giancarlo's caliber. Like these all-time hitters not doing what they do in these big moments, it's it's a big question to be it's a question to be asked. And I'm not I'm not gonna be the one to go and put myself on that stake of trying to fight that out because again, these players is it's again it's a it's a um production business. No, it's producing in the biggest like when it's time to produce, it's time to produce. That's what sports is. And if you don't do it, then people have a right, not necessarily not necessarily a right to like say I hate you or anything like that, but they have a right, they have a right to be disappointed when you don't do what you have to do in the biggest moments, where this is what not only the players are striving for is winning these big games and winning potentially a World Series at some point, but it's the fans too. They buy all the merch, they show up to the games, they you get all of their attention and all of their um their thoughts and their their joy and their pain and like all of that too. So that's to some some degree is owed to the fans as well. So I know I got into a little long with diatribe on that, but the main point is that they have another game, game three, coming on tonight. This game is gonna be in New York, so it's gonna be a home game. My only question about this is that do I even want the Yankees to fight back? It's a three, it's a five best of five, so first or three wins, and these next two games are gonna be in New York. And my big question, I've been talking to people at work and other people in my life, and just saying, hey, do I even want them to fight it out? Do I want them to show some fight and then have to go back to Toronto at some point and then get blown out again? Because that's what's happened the first two games. And I hate to say it because when I watch this game and when I like when I watch them play, I will want them to win. But if I'm kind of being more sober of mind as of right now, I don't think I even want them to fight back right now. Because if I'm gonna sit here, I just don't want to have the Yankees set me up for heartbreak. If they start playing better at home and then have to still have to go back to Toronto, where all season it has been a problem for them to go there and play and win baseball games, I I think it's very fair of me to be able to say, hey, maybe I don't even want them to really fight back just to have my heart ripped out in a few days when they have to go play a game five in Toronto and then we'll lose again. I don't know. But again, I here's what I will here's what I do know. I will be watching, I will be invested, I'll be watching every pitch I possibly can, and if they win, I will be on to game four, and I will be convinced that I'll they can have a chance to really do some things. And then if they win that, I'll be even sh even more surely convinced in games game five, because at the end of the day I'm a Yankees fan, and I want to see them go win the big one because it means that much to me. And they haven't done it since 2020. Am I crazy when I say that? 2010 or 2011? I think it's 2010, 2011. One of those two years is the last time they did it. So I would really like for them to go ahead and go get the job done, but I don't know. I again, if I'm if you want us want to see them take that step forward, you have to take a risk of getting your heart ripped out. And I don't know if I'm ready for that right now. I don't think I am. But uh I'll be there to watch every single step of the way though. But alright, getting off the Yankees, let me the other series is kind of give a quick give a quick uh update to them. So currently Tigers Mariners are in game three of the on this is on the national side. No, sorry, the ain't the American side. I'm crazy. On the other American side, the Yankees, Blue Jays obviously being one, the other one side. Um Tigers Mariners are the 6-2 matchup. The series is currently tied at 1-1. It's currently delayed. Um, we'll see if we have they have it through the rest of that game tonight based off the weather that they're dealing with. And then on the NL side, you have Dodgers Phillies playing each other with the Dodgers with the two run uh 2-0 lead, um, with it being back in LA. So they have a chance to finish it all up, and that's tomorrow. And then also tomorrow you have Cubs, Brewers being the 4-1 matchup on the NL side, and you have Milwaukee with a 2-0 lead against the Cubs. To be honest, it's probably gonna be the Dodgers again, getting all the way to the World Series because you know the Dodgers are just the Dodgers, and as long as they kind of their starting, their starting pitching does well, and they don't have to go through to their bullpen all that often, and their offense keeps producing, then I think they'll be fine because that they're offensively, the Dodgers are just a such an overwhelming force to have to deal with. But I think defensively they make plays too. So as long as their pitching can kind of stay in order, and again, that's mostly based off their starters doing their thing because in the bullpen, like when it comes to relievers and closers, it's really not all that strong. So the longer their starters can go and kind of like make it to where they don't have to the the longer they do not have to play a bullpen game, the better on a game-in-game out basis for the Dodgers. And as long as they can do that, I think offensively, and then some defensive plays that they'll make, I think they'll be plenty of fine to go ahead and probably get all the way to the World Series, if not win at all. And then I think based off what I'm seeing right now, I would probably go for the Mariners on the AL side. I just think they have a good vibe about them. I think they're winning a lot of good baseball games, they're playing good baseball, and as long as they get through the Tigers and kind of do their thing, I don't see the Blue Jays or Yankees beating them, whoever comes out of the Yankee Blue Jays games, the Yankees Blue Jays series. So I don't know. I if the Yankees, if it's aren't the Yankees, I would root for the Mariners because it'd be just a nice little story. It's not something I have to be like, oh, that's like a heated rivalry, anything like that. So, you know, it is what it is, but I just kind of want to get through the MLB stuff because we did kind of introduce it in the last pod when me and Jace are potting. So I just wanted to give at least a little bit of an update as to how things are going in my own brain right now, because obviously you can't hear what Jace is talking was thinking because he ain't here. So that's the MLB. Hopefully I'll be able to watch a good portion of that game tonight. Hopefully I don't go too I don't go too long today potting, so I'll have the opportunity to watch that. And then let's get out of baseball, let's go into football. And why not start with college football? Because there are some real things I wanted to talk about there. Give me just a second here. A couple news stories I want to talk about real quick before I get to the um reacting to the games from this past weekend in college football. One, Coach Prime has a procedure on his foot because apparently he's dealing with more blood clots in his leg. Um it kind of came out, uh not really came out, but it kind of like the the story kind of flared up into being a big deal again when during Colorado's game this past weekend, it was seen that he wasn't even wearing a shoe on his left foot. He was just wearing some socks on the ground. And then he was asked about it after the game. He pretty much gave the media a pretty a pretty good insight as to what he's going through right now. He said, Hey, deal more blood clots in my leg. If my foot started throbbing, so I have to take my shoe off. And he was he wasn't like mean about it. He said, Hey, thank you for noticing, and but that um that's what I'm dealing with. And as of I think today he had a procedure on it. He does vow a quick return. Again, he they're dealing with a Colorado team that's kind of on a on a downturn right now. It's not losing a bunch of they're not losing a bunch of games or anything, but like it's not as big as what it was the past couple years, obviously, with the the amazing talent they had on that roster these these last couple years, kind of a little bit of a talent drain with Shador leaving, with Travis Hunter leaving, with some of the guys they had leaving. So hopefully he comes back and gets fully healthy, can come back and coach at a high level. Because let's be honest, as much as I like to talk about how much I don't think Prime is all that, like I don't think he's willing to go all in on college football in a way you probably need to to take a program like Colorado to make it as big as it can be. But I do think he's more than willing to coach up the kids, he's more than willing to get people in there to change young people, and I think and I he's trying and he's good, I think he's good enough at it what he does to go win football games. It's just I don't think he'll ever they'll ever get to like the highest, highest level as I think Prime is talented enough to do. Because I think if he put truly put all the energy he has into being like being at a top ten program and like really try to build that program up, he could be one of those coaches that'll be on the upper echelon of all of college football, but that's not what he wants to do. He wants to do it his way, he wants to be able to sell his not just about selling the things that he does, but he wants to do it in the way he wants to do it, and I think it comes a little bit of um he's you sell a little bit of the potential um long-term growth of the program that you're running because he's kind of doing it his way the way he wants to. And again, all the power to him. I'm never gonna sit here and say I think maybe they got a little too much publicity early on to for what they truly deserved. But I think to this point, I think Prime is like he's totally shown that even when his son left the team to go to go play in the NFL, with Travis Hunter gone, like I think, and with his his other son, uh Shiloh gone. He I think he has shown that he is willing to be there for the long run. And I think he says, like, I think he's made the point abundantly clear that he is in the business of molding young people. Whether that leads to wins or not, will that'll depend based off of what he is able to do on a day-in, day out basis because of his health issues and how like some of the side the um what is the word? Um not mythical, no. No, no, no, no, no. Methodical, no. Some of the ideologies that he has about how to coach up football in in like re in big boy football is like it's a little bit different than the norm. But I just think if he was able to put his all into it, he's healthy enough, I think he'd be very good at it. But it's just as of right now, has not really happened. Who knows if it'll ever happen? Um, but you know, he's he's he's doing his thing, and I have to give him a lot of credit for that. Um, especially when I I truly thought he was just gonna leave once his his boy, his sons and Travis left. I really did think he was going to be out to the first NFL job he can find, but that hasn't been the case. He's sticking around, he's doing his thing at Colorado, and I give him a lot of respect for it. Um, and then the other story I wanted to talk about was the NCAA officially adopting the one transfer portal window for the whole season for the whole year. They're not doing the two anymore because up to this point it has been a winter window and a spring window, and it has been pushed for by a lot of college, a lot of different college football programs where, hey, due to the calendar and all that, we would like for there just to be one window to where we don't have to worry about two opportunities a year of our players leaving the program. Which on its face I totally agree with. But where I have an issue now with them kind of officially adopting the one window is I don't I think the window is in a weird spot for a lot of teams. Again, it's especially for a team that I root for, and then other teams like them. But I also think it's just probably not long enough either. But okay, so let me just give you the thing. They're officially adopting the January 2nd through 16th, January 16th portal window. So they are gonna do uh 14 days, two weeks worth of being in the portal, and that's it. It's and that's only for players being able to enter the portal, because once you enter, you can then like do what you have to do, you get picked up by another school and all that. So usually that two-week window is only for players to then enter themselves into the window, but leaving but leaving the portal can is a totally different thing that can take even after that, and it'll be fine. So here's my issue with because of where they're doing it at that time of the year, there are a good portion of teams, I think January 2nd, so that's the first week of January. It's still a 12-team playoff going on. And you're gonna be asking teams that are that are gonna be in the prime of trying to go win a national championship to not only have to scout the portal for for future players for their squad while they are still kind of battling it out for the season that they're currently in to go try to win a national championship, which means that you're kind of forcing teams to have to kind of not be able to lock into one specific avenue. Like when you go to try to win a championship, it takes all of your effort and everything like that. And I think by doing this, you're putting them in a bad spot to then have to worry about the future too, because no team can kind of just sit here and only worry about the present and not worry about the future based off how recruiting is and everything of the such. But I think it to the players of these teams as well, like those players then have to make a choice while they're still fighting with their teammates, with their brothers, while trying to go for the ultimate prize. They then they have to start making because of outside decisions, now they have to start potentially making a singular, a me decision, which I don't blame them for, because if that's the opportunity that's the only time to do it, that's the only time to do it. But I think it does put these players in a bad spot, like saying, hey, I want to be all in for this team, but I also have to look out for myself because that there's no other there's no new opportunity coming later if if I don't take it now, which I think is a little bit I think that might be a little bit too much by me because technically, whenever these teams end up leaving the portal, well, when they end up leaving the playoff as a loser or winning the national championship, the portal then opens again. So technically for the teams that are still playing, they will there's gonna be another window that'll open once those teams are finished with their season that I think puts them in a bad position to potentially be ransacked by teams that are just sitting there waiting for these teams to kind of end their season, and then you're gonna have boosters and people and coaches alike calling these players, trying to get them to transfer to those schools for big bags of cash and then everything in between. So I just think that when it comes to the competitiveness of it, because I don't think on its face, when you're looking at just one transfer portal window, I totally agree with that's fine. I just think I'd rather do it in the spring because there's only one, and I think it gives every team a fair shot to then have their players enter the portal without worrying about being pressured by the team to stick around with for the playoff and like for all these games they have to play. But I think it also gives them an opportunity to kind of get an idea as to where like where they are on the roster and where they think they can be. And if they don't think they have an opportunity to go play, they will be able to do that in the spring. But in this in the wintertime portal that they're now kind of locking themselves into, they these players now have to make a decision while they're still trying to go fight and win a championship. So now they have to do that. And I just think that it introduces a like it just takes away from the team factor. Like at that time where teams are supposed to be at like playing at their peak and these players are supposed to be all locked in, it just kind of brings in an outside distraction that could potentially ruin a football team if it doesn't go well. Think about it this way: Penn State last year, their backup quarterback Bo Prabula, the guy they ended up transferring over to Mizzou, he had to decide to leave Penn State in the middle of their playoff run because at Mizzou they didn't have another opportunity to get another guy. And if so, if he didn't leave at that point, he there was there wasn't any type of um guarantee to be a spot for him based off of them wanting him there to practice and for them to like when how their um their academic schedule is set up. So like he had to make that decision to leave a team that was in the playoff in the middle of it because he had to make that right decision for himself. And I think it puts bat kids in a bad spot to not be able to make the decision with a sound money, a sound mind and a sound um a sound mindframe is really what the word I'm looking for, with a sound mindframe of knowing I don't have the pressures of having to play with this team right now in a playoff where they're trying to go in a national championship, but it also gives them the time to be able to like make a good decision, talk to people they need to talk to, and then not make a rash decision to go and leave in the portal because a lot of these teams, especially the big boys, if you go try to leave in the portal, we're not necessarily like we don't have to bring you back. Like that once that scholarship is kind of taken away when you decide to go into the portal, there is no guarantee they give it back to you if you just come back knocking on the door if they don't if they can go and find somebody else. So I just think it puts everybody in a bad spot, especially those teams that are still playing at that point, um, in a bad spot. And like on top of that, like I said, the second portal window now that only those teams have to go through when they're in their season, and then the rest of Kyle Triple has an opportunity to just kind of swing haymakers at them trying to take their best players. I just feel like that puts them in a bad spot too. Like it almost like it's almost a downside for these teams to try to go win a national championship because then it might make you behind for years to come because these other schools have descended upon your program trying to take your best players by trying to give them a bunch of NIL money. So I just think that it's just kind of like all-encompassing, like it's just a little bit off the mark, and I wish they would not go with what they're deciding to go with, but I have a feeling that they're probably gonna stick with it, and we're just all gonna have to adapt. But that's all I got on that. Let's talk about the games, and hopefully I don't I'm not that long-winded about everything. I've already gone almost half an hour already, and I haven't even got to a football game yet. Alright, let's go into the Cosfall schedule. This is week six, and I'll just kind of go through the games that really um piqued my interest. Hopefully, I won't go another like another half hour in Ohio State like I did last time when I was doing this by myself, but uh no promises. All right, speaking of Ohio State, let's just go ahead and get that one out of the way first. Minnesota at Ohio State, Ohio State wins 42-3. And this goes back to the last pod where Jace was rightfully asking the question, are they ever going to open up the offense and let Julian Sand do his thing? Because you don't want to have to do that when you when it's absolutely necessary. When that when you're facing a team on the other side that is very explosive, you don't want that like Ohio State that to do that for the first time when it has to happen. You'd you'd rather them do it early on against a team that may not, they don't need to do it against, but at least kind of get working on it at a time where it's like not life or death. And I think Ryan Dable might have been listening to that conversation. I think it wasn't just us, I think it was around the nation. Like that was one of the few questions that people have about Ohio State is can Ohio State, led by Julian Sand offensively as the quarterback, and with all those wide receiver studs they have and all the tight ends, Max Clare and offensive line, can they open up the offense and score a bunch of points quickly when they want to? And Ohio State hadn't shown it yet. They've played very slow. They've made it very clear they're gonna run the football. They're not gonna sit here and throw a bunch of like 35 times every game. They are gonna bring Julian Sand along slowly, give them a little bit at a time every single week, and they are going to play situational football, let our defense rest because guess what? At the end of the day, we don't think you're going to do anything against our defense, so we're going to make sure we help them out as much as possible, let them get their rest so they can come out, be ready to go, firing again, and kind of choke the life out of you that way. And I think that the only, like I said, the only question left was can Ohio State open up the offense and like really score some points if they absolutely need to. If they go against the Miami, go against the Oregon, or go against potentially some of those like scarier offenses than the rest of college football that may not be the top-tier teams, like I just mentioned, with Ohio State, Miami, and Oregon. And Ohio State answered the bell. They did their thing. Julian Sand came out, threw for over 300 yards. Carnell Tate had a monster day. He had like nine catches, 183 yards and a touchdown. Jeremiah Smith, always have to mention that guy. He didn't have as many yards by any means because, again, there's another team putting two guys on his side at all times. I think he had like 67 yards receiving off seven catches, but he also had two touchdowns. Like Ohio State made it made it abundantly clear against his Minnesota team that they're not as good as us. We don't feel necessarily feel threatened. So you know what they did? They said, hey, Julian Sand, we're going to open up the offense for you, and you're going to either sink or swim. And he went out there. And I'm not going to say sink or swim because I do think Ohio State is make is having this plan specifically to make sure that Julian Sand can stay confident from week to week, but then also kind of spoon feed him throughout the year saying, hey, we're going to give you more and more every single week to where by the time it is time for us to start playing our best, you are ready to go at your best. And that's exactly what they did in this game. They showed offensively that they have the explosiveness and the big playability to go and score a bunch of points against a team that may be just as good offensively as them. I still have my questions as to whether there's another team out there that can truly test our defense in that way. And again, I think Miami has an opportunity to do so, and I think Oregon as well as has an opportunity to do so against our defense, but I'm not so confident in that because I just think that Ohio State's defense has been is so multiple and they do so many things well just saying and they can get after the quarterback and they can their secondary is absolutely amazing. I just don't think I have not seen an offense yet that I look at and I'm like totally afraid of. Again, Oregon and Miami are a little bit different animals. They're very physical on the lines of scrimmage and they have some athletes, so I'm not going to sit here and say guaranteed our defense doesn't, the Hasse defense doesn't struggle with anybody, but like I'm starting to feel that way to where I'm like, this could be an all-time defense in college football by Ohio State if they keep going at this pace. But like I said, they showed you. Julian Sang went out there, did his thing 23 of 27, 326 yards, three touchdowns, zero picks. I think he threw balls over 20 yards like eight times in this game. I'm not sure if I have that exactly right, but like they he threw a lot of deep balls, especially if you did Carnel Tate, where Carnel Tate had a monster day, and they pushed it. I think they averaged over like 10 yards per attempt. So like they were really kind of pushing the ball down the field in this game, and they did absolutely that. And Julian Sand passed with flying colors at every point. And I've I've made that case about him this whole season, is that everything that Ryan Day has asked Julian Sane to do, he has passed with flying colors, which is what led to my confidence that, hey, when it's time for Hospital to open up the offense and let Julian Sand go out there and work, I think he'll be ready to do so. And that's exactly what he was on this past Saturday. And I think he'll be ready to do that against any team he faces because I just think he's poised, calm under pressure, doesn't have NC feet, and when he like he can process the game so well is that if he does have to end up having to leave the pocket or extend plays, he knows where to go with the football and he's not gonna make a stupid decision. And on top of all that, he's not throwing interceptions. Again, he threw those two of that one day against Ohio, but I think one of those wasn't even on him, and the other one, he was just trying to did a little too much going to the ground, thinking he was going to make a play and throw it while falling. Didn't work out. I think Ryan Day has more than put that through his brain, you can't do it. And I think other than that, Julian Sand is an absolutely perfect this year, and I think that he is deserving of the respect that everybody thought they would have to give Arch at the beginning of the season, where everybody was looking at Arch as a potential Heisman guy and number one overall pick. And I think you have to start you to start transferring that a little bit to Julian Sand because I think he's starting to deserve it. And again, there's other quarterbacks out there to talk about, but I think Julian Sand has probably been the most surprising of what anybody thought coming into the season because it is thought, oh, it's going to be a young quarterback nobody really knows about, so things are not going to go well. But guess what? Ohio State is really figuring things out. They're playing complimentary football with their defense, and I think they're just making a bunch of plays, both offensively and defensively. And I think Minnesota really didn't have anything to stop that. Again, Minnesota had that one drive to start the game where they had got the three points, but then after that, they were left scoreless, man. They just couldn't do what they had to do. And it was a little sad to watch at times. But, you know, I'm very happy with having an opportunity for Ohio State just to have an easy win. And that game against Minnesota seemed like an easy win to me. And it was a very nice watch. Next game, Miami, Florida State. Again, these are not necessarily in order. I'm just kind of going through them as I think about them. Number three, Miami at number 18, Florida State. Miami took care of business. They won the game 28-22. And honestly, the game wasn't all that close because Miami kind of built up a nice big lead like throughout the first three quarters. Florida State did kind of turn it on at the end to kind of try to make it close. But I can just tell Miami's just a little bit different of an animal in comparison to any team they have to face over in the ACC. They're very physical at the point of attack. Their offensive and defensive lines are very good. Carson Beck is playing very good football. He's not putting the football in harm's way, which he I think he has a couple times. So that's still in him, but for the most part, he's doing what he has to do with the football. And they have like Malachi Tony, I believe, is the young freshman wide receiver that they have. He's balling out. He's doing his thing. And I just think that, especially, and then defensively for Miami, it's just they I think Miami might have the best defense not named Ohio State. Like Ohio State's defense, I think, is a one-on-one thing going right now. But I think right below, like there's a gap, there's a nice gap, but I think at the top of that list, under the gap of Ohio State, defensively, Miami's right there. Um Bain Jr., I think Ruben Bain Jr., I believe, is the linebacker they have. He's getting after the passer and doing all the big things necessary because he's just that type of athlete. And he's out there looking crazy out. He's looking out there like doing some very big things on the football field. And then just when it comes to the defense and offensive lines, they just push Florida State around, man. They had no opportunity. The same Florida State that pushed Alabama around at the in game one of this season, Miami had none of it. They were like, hey, we're to come out here. We're gonna play very physical, and we're gonna make sure you don't push us around. We push you around. That's exactly what Miami did. And I think Miami deserves a lot of credit. And so why they're the number two team in the A. Is it number two? I think recently they moved up to number two in the AP poll. But like, I think they are a top three squad. Again, does this keep them from ever becoming a team like the me, what is uh Mario Cristobal is known to build these teams up to where they're looking very good and doing what they have to do, and then they have the big fuck up, and that changes their season, they get a loss where they didn't need it, and then it messes up the rest of their year. But at up to this point, they have not fallen victim to that. They run the football well, they throw it well, they're playing very good defense, their offensive line and defensive lines are all good. So I just think that as long as Miami stays on this run, they should be a team with a bye in the playoff, winning their obviously winning their uh ACC championship. And I think I think they have the path, they have the pathway. I really think they really think they do. To be a very good team and then be in the playoff, and who knows what happens there, but they will I think they have the opportunity to really be that type of team. Um let's see. Mississippi State Tech SM. Tech San M won 31-9. The game was very close um through especially through the first half, but then getting into like the third quarter, the game was close, but Tech Sana, sorry, Mississippi State made a few mistakes, let Tech San M open it up, and then I think Marcel Reed isn't he's not the most accurate of quarterbacks. I know I've talked about this before, but it's very inconsistent. But I just think that with all the other weapons that this Tech San M offense has, I think they'll let Mississippi State do his do their thing. No, sorry. I think they'll be able to beat Mississippi State without but they did beat Mississippi State without much of an issue, even though that game was a lot closer than it probably should have been. But all the crowd Tech San M. Even though I don't think they're probably a top five team, I do think they'll lose a game they probably shouldn't here in the future be based off of the SEC being a little bit tougher from top to bottom, and then on top of that, you have a Texan team that has shown some holes. Their defense is not necessarily all awesome all the time, like some of the top defenses in all of college football. Um, so that you can they can get gashed, and I think offensively, Marcel Reid can kind of be slowed down a bit, if not by the actual defense he's playing, but by himself, because if he starts off slow, it just tends to not really heat up. So I don't know. I I'm I can't say good win. Mississippi State isn't necessarily the like on top of the SECO or anything, but Tech St M handle business, and I'll I'll give them that. Next game, number seven, Penn State at UCLA. Honestly, before this game even started, I didn't think it was gonna be a big game. I had no plans of watching this game whatsoever. And I was watching other games on that Saturday, and then I looked and saw on the bottom ticker what popped up was Penn State at UCLA. I think it was a UCLA had a 10-0 lead, and I had to be like, is that real? And then I had to go check my phone and I'm like, oh, it's real. And then by the time I kind of like tried to go see what was going on, UCLA ended up having a big lead. I think they were up 28-7 at halftime. Am I crazy on that? Hold on. Now I gotta check the play-by-play scoring plays. Yeah, at halftime, like UCLA was up 27 to 7. This was not a fluke. UCLA was bullying Penn State around. And I'm not gonna sit here and say it was the it was the offense for Penn State's fault. They were scoring points. Drew Allo played okay. It wasn't an awesome day. He went 19 to 26 for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Like he didn't have like the craziest day all time of all time thrown, but he wasn't necessarily the problem. Also, Drew Aller also was the leading rusher for this team. He had 78 yards rushing off 11 carries. But here's my issue. UCLA is a team in this coming into this game that had never led in not for have not led for one second in any of the football games they had played to this point in the season. Let me make sure I kind of put that out there correctly for anybody that didn't understand me saying it the first time. UCLA had played four games, lost all four of them, and never led in any of the football games. And Penn State traveled all the way to UCLA coming off of the loss they already had to Oregon, and they traveled to UCLA to go take that loss to that team. That that got blew out by North the by New Mexico. That's the team that Penn State lost to. Let me get to UCLA real quick. Nico played very good. He didn't really wasn't great throwing the football, but he did run the football very well. He had 128 yards off 16 carries, but he also had three touchdowns. So like that, like the fact that Penn State wasn't adjusting enough subtle dig at um at Jim Knowles to not being as quick to adjust as to what other teams are doing against him, but like they let Nico just run all over them. He had like I said, 16 carries, 128 yards, and three touchdowns. So this was a thing with Jim Knowles the first with like when he had a send us Ohio st at Ohio State, and it wasn't until Ryan Day kind of like got involved and like really like changed things up the way they were going last year at the later part latter parts of the year, and they kind of that defense kind of morphed into being what it ended up being to end the year last year. But now Jim Knowles is in charge at Penn State, really nothing nobody's gonna really tell him to do anything differently. And he has that brain fart of a game where they just he doesn't have a team that's set up to go and spy Nico while Nico's running all over them. I think there's one time they decided to do the spy, and it was like one of the slower players on their team, and he just couldn't keep up. And I'm just sitting here like I just this it just reminds me of some of the gaffes that like Jim Knowles had as a DC at Ohio State, and it just doesn't make me feel good. And just get on a more overarching thing about Penn State. But do you want to know how what the going thing about James Franklin is that what it was coming into this game was that especially coming off the game against Oregon where they keep losing these big games the thing that people always say is that he may not lose you the he may not win you the big game, but he definitely is not gonna lose you the small game that they should win by a hundred Not hundreds, probably more of like, you know, me exaggerating it, but like they should win by a lot. And he's never the he's never the guy that's gonna lose, like win you those big ones, but he's definitely never gonna lose you the the small games. The games they should win. And against this UCLA team, after they had lost to Oregon, this this was not one of those spots like I guess you can maybe say they were sleeping on UCLA, didn't think they were gonna fight, and just thought they were gonna be a dead body sitting there and not like fight off Penn State at all. But UCLA came out swinging, they got up to a lead and just never really gave it back. And I think that that is something that James Record's gonna have to learn from. But I also think that there's some things that don't change when it comes to these coaches, and then like so I don't know. I I just think that this was one of those inflection points for the for the next 10-15 years of what Penn State's gonna be is because are they gonna keep like again, it's gonna be hard for them to kind of fire him right now because of how much how much money they'd owe him in a buyout. But like, like at some point you have to draw a line somewhere in the sand. And I just think that using losing to a UCLA team that was 0-4 at the time, that had never had a lead in any of the games that they had uh played in those first four games, I just think that's a very embarrassing loss. And Penn State needs to answer for that. And James Franklin needs to answer for that. Players too, but I just think to a certain extent, the players aren't being accentuated in a way that fits what their styles are based off of the offense they're playing. I think defensively, Jim Knowles will get the Penn State lines lines there, but like he always says, it takes up to three years for the defense to really figure out what he does best and for them to be able to kind of like speak the language with him to be able to get plays out and do what they what he needs them to do and everything. And I just think that there's a there's a lack of match when it comes to that coaching style and what team that they have. But I don't know. It's just it's a very funny thing. I just didn't again they were they were down 27 to 7 at halftime, and they managed to come back and make it a little bit closer. But it was UCLA at the end, the team that just fired their head coach that just had a new offensive coordinator that admitted that there was times where he was trying to call a play, but didn't realize the headset, the um the microphone was turned off to where it wasn't gonna work, so he had to turn it on, but didn't but had to realize he wasn't calling a play at all. So, like that's a team that Penn State lost to, that's a team at Jim Knowles let score 42 on them. Like that it's just it's a very weird spot. Um but credit to UCLA though. They played played tough, played hard. Nico, I thought he was gonna red shirt and like not do anything this season and just transfer. But he's going out there playing games and playing well, and I just I have to give him credit for that. Next game, Texas at Florida. Florida wins 29-21. This Texas offense is still anemic, it's still bad. Uh you do have a little bit more plays from Arch Manning, but it's nothing close to what it should be. And it's still leaving people with more questions as to what they're doing with Arch and why haven't they sat him yet? And like, can he turn it around? And I'm sitting here like, at some point we have to just accept this might just be who Arch is. This might just be who their their that offense is because they don't have the burners on the outside to help that offense kind of like be able to stretch the field vertically. And they run the football decently, but it's not enough if you're gonna have a quarterback that struggles this mightily. I just think that when you're playing a Florida team that had been playing pretty badly up to this point, and their offense hadn't looked good, and like their defense was probably the best part of their team, but I think offensively it was not something that like was like a game changer. Texas, with Sark as the play caller for that offense, had a real opportunity to go out there and make a statement. And it may I get it, Florida's not a ranked team, but like Texas is in that you want to prove that your ranking is worth where you're at, and I just think that they just lost an opportunity to. Lost an opportunity to prove like what he is in the Texas uniform, and I just think that it is it just wasn't pretty. It wasn't pretty by any means. Alabama did win. Nope, not Alabama, sorry, Florida was it just wasn't a great performance by by Texas whatsoever. Florida ended up winning, and I think DJ Lagway has to get a lot of credit here because he had played like trash up to this point, up until this game, where he came out and played some better ball. And they ran the football effectively, they did what they had to do, played very good defense, and Texas just could not get out of the hole that they kind of were dug like was dug for them, and they just didn't do they just like they couldn't get out of it. And Florida just kind of hung on to win the game, and I have to give them a lot of credit for that. And Sark after the game talking about how, hey, I let like all the other teams in college football, if you had to go play Ohio Ohio State in Columbus and then Florida at the swamp, like tell me how that goes for you and how thing and how you guys would fare. And I'm just sitting here like, you're coaching at the University of Texas. It is a team with money like no other, with money like there's people that are asking money from them. Not asking for money from them, but like it there was teams that would wish to have the money that Texas has to be able to go get players. And then you have a very good coaching staff, you have a great offensive mind at the head of coaching position, but you made a bad decision at quarterback, and you made a few misses at wide receiver that it's not working out for you right now. And then guess what? The offensive line that they decided not to not go out and take somebody in the transfer portal to kind of help their team out. They decided not to because they felt like, hey, we can build from within and get a guy to come in and start play well. Didn't happen, so their offensive line isn't even good to help out Arch to be able to feel comfortable back there in the pocket to make a throw he definitely should make, even though he's not making it missing and all that. So it was a bad showing by Texas. I think Texas has zero wins in with against power five teams to this point, power four teams, and that's the same with Penn State, man. And I think coming out of this, I think both of those teams fell out of the top 25 in the AP poll. Because on but again, who cares? But I'll definitely take a victory lap for that because it was a very hot topic. I mean, a very hot pick for people to pick Penn State and Texas playing each other in the national title game. And guess what's not gonna happen? Maybe Texas can dig themselves out of this hole, but I just really don't think it's gonna happen. But Penn State, like, because they have lost both of their biggest games that they have, like the other big game they have is against Ohio State. You think Penn State's gonna at where they are right now is gonna be able to go into Columbus and beat Ohio State? It's not gonna happen. Not with the way that offense is. And heck their defense is getting getting like getting like sliced up like Swiss cheese, man. So I don't know if Penn State can kind of run the rest of the table, go 10 and 2, and make the playoff again like James Franklin has made it a a yearly thing to do. I think they're gonna lose three or four games this year, and it's it's not gonna be pretty. So it makes sense that per um Penn State's out of the top 25. Along with Texas, too. I think Texas is in the same boat. Like they have not beat win one against the big teams they've played, and then against the smaller, like against the smaller guys, like they go out there and like they flex on everybody and do what they gotta do.

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But you know.

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Next one, Vanderbilt, Alabama. Alabama won 30 to 14. Vanderbilt was in this game for the longest time, up until the very end where Alabama kind of got to pull away. There was a point where Texas, I mean, sorry, not Texas Tech, but Vanderbilt had an opportunity to go out there and had a 14-0 lead. But Diego Pavia fumbled the football. Was it a fumble or a pick? No, he threw a bad pick that Vanderbilt that Alabama was able to pounce on, and then it stopped them from being able to take a 14-point lead that they had an opportunity to take. Didn't happen, and then Bam just kind of made it to where they just kind of got a lead, took Vanderbilt out of being wanting to throw to run the football, like they usually usually do, to be able to have all of those weird concepts where they kind of get out and uh be able to run or throw the RPOs and everything. So I think it showed that Vanderbilt's a better team, but I also think that Alabama took did not take Vanderbilt lightly. They came out, played some good ball, and again, Alabama has their warts, like they but they are a very talented squad when they're motivated in the right way. And I think against the team that beat them last year was a very motivating factor in this game. And credit to Ty Simpson as well. He's played great, honestly, this whole season. And the only loss that Bama has had against FSU, I don't think he was the issue. So he continues to play well, he's making good decisions with the football. Um, even though he did have his first interception in this game against Vanderbilt. But outside of that, he had a very, very good game and he's been on a very big run this season so far. So Vanderbilt, the magical season ends, but even still, like if you can go win most of your games and like make a good bowl, and they're not they're not gonna be in the playoff by any means. But I think that Vanderbilt just show has started to show since last year that they're making some real strides. And again, it's gonna be a long time before you can get up to the point where you're like on flicking out at Alabama face to face or with some of the like the top echelon teams in the SEC. It's gonna be a while before you get there, but they are making moves and they're trying, and I think they're they're progressing as of right now. Texas Tech Houston, Texas Tech won the game, wasn't close, 35 to 11. Texas Tech, I think, is one of those teams that I don't think they're in the top three, but I think they're right outside of that with a few other teams that they have a good defense that offensively they can score. But the question is, are they going to be able to kind of keep this momentum up throughout the whole season and not lose a game they shouldn't? And then what happens when they go and face a team in the playoffs that are is just as talented as them, if not more, and then has a little bit more size, and like what what happens when they get to that point? And that's what I'm hoping for from Texas Tech. But against Houston, they did what they had to do, they won the game and got out of there, which I think is very good credit to them. Um, Kentucky at Georgia, Georgia won 35-14. I think Kentucky might be one of the worst teams in the SEC. Uh, and it's probably not all that close. But Georgia went out there, took care of business, uh, won the game. But again, it's against Kentucky. Kentucky really doesn't have a lot of life in them when it comes to being a competitive football team. Uh next games, Kentucky uh Iowa State, Cincinnati. Cincinnati won that game. It was a big game in the um ACC. Was it ACC? Big 12. Big game in the Big 12 race. I think gives Cincinnati a real chance to potentially have that opportunity to go. If they win the rest of their games, go and win uh in the Big 12 championship game. It was a it was a big win for them. Have to get them all the credit. They won the game 38-30. Uh like they have good quarterback, they have some good offensive pieces. The defense is a little uh, but like as long as you can score, you have an opportunity on any given Saturday. I'll give them that. Uh next game, Wisconsin, Michigan, at Wisconsin at Michigan. Michigan won 24-10. This game was a little bit closer than I would have liked it to look throughout most of the game. Michigan did start to pull away at the end, but which is Wisconsin doesn't have the horses to hold up with a team like Michigan. And I think it would have been a colossal failure if Michigan had lost this game, which they didn't. They won the game. Uh again, it was a little closer than most people would have liked, but it's just showing where Michigan is really growing. They have the young quarterback, and I think as he gets more and more comfortable, that offense will only continue to flourish. Um, the my question is what what Michigan's team will look like when they're going and facing like the best teams in the Big Ten. That is where my question comes in about them because I do think they're feasting on some of like the lower tier competition that they've had to face so far in this season. And heck, the only team they faced so far that was like equal or better competition than them is Oklahoma, and they lost that game pretty convincingly, even if it didn't look doesn't look that it looked that convincing um while watching it. What am I saying? If it doesn't look that impressive based off the scoreboard, that's probably the word I wanted to say. Scoreboard was not all that impressive, but I think if you watch the game, you get a better sense of like Oklahoma really did dominate that game against Michigan, which is why they lost. Um, but that's it for that. Did I have anything else I really want to talk about? Washington, Maryland. Washington ended up winning the game 24-20, but Maryland had a nice little lead going into the fourth quarter. Um, play by play. Scoring. Let's see here. Like going through the fourth, like the third quarter, Maryland was up big. They were up 20 to nothing at one point with like 11 minutes left in the third quarter, and then Washington got the last field goal there with like three minutes of 44 seconds left. And then in the fourth quarter, they scored three touchdowns unanswered, and they kind of came back and woke up and just won the game. Because coming into this game, Washington is definitely a better team than Maryland is, but it's the it's kind of like a growing stat that people like to kind of point out, is that these teams are traveling so far to the other side of the country to come play these games that it just you're just not getting your best when you come out and have to do that. But I I just think that Maryland did have to wake up. There was a point where they really had to like kind of lock in and say that, hey, we're not losing this game. And that's exactly what happened. When it did happen, they scored 21 unanswered against Maryland. And I think the Maryland fans have to be very mad because like they felt like they got kind of got like hoodwinked based off how. This game was going, they thought it was gonna be a blowout and it wasn't gonna be close, and then they go ahead and lose. So, you know. It's a tough one there, a tough one. Let's see here. I got nothing when it comes to the rest of the games. Let me make sure I'm not missing anything. Mississippi, Mississippi. Washington, Maryland just talked about that. Whatcha thing? I'm not seeing anything else. Oh, Michigan State, Nebraska. Do have to talk about that real quick. The game was close. Um Nebraska did end up kind of like pulling away at the end. They did have a little bit of a um Michigan State had a little bit of an issue with Aiden Childs not being healthy by the end of the game. But both these teams struggled offensively, didn't really get a lot going until the very end where they kind of like the fireworks started happening, but it was just a little bit too little too late at that point in that um in that fourth quarter. So Michigan wasn't able to hold on, but they did kind of have a very good showing. They're three and two. I did bet them the over on the five and a half wins for them, so hopefully they'll be able to kind of figure some wins out here, um, here soon, so I can kind of feel better about it, but you know, it is what it is on that. And then I don't think I really want to talk about anything else. Um make sure I have it right. Yeah, I got nothing. Okay. That's it for all the college football games I wanted to talk about here. Let's go ahead and go on to the NFL stuff. And hopefully I don't go another Actually, I think I've made pretty decent time. Talk about everything I've talked about when it comes to college football, only being at an hour, it's not too bad. So hopefully I don't go another hour and a half talk about the NFL stuff, but uh cannot cannot guarantee anything. Again, I've made that very clear, but you know, I'm not gonna sit here and rush through it if I don't, if I won't have something I want to talk about. Story wise, um source uh just real quick before I get to the games, stories. Cardinals are finding uh their coach, Gannon, for 100k for the little issue that he had with the running back after a play where you had why am I I think De Mercado when he was getting a touchdown run, like it was about to be a touchdown, and then he kind of dropped it right before the end zone. Um, and then the ball ended up going to the outside of the ended up rolling through the through the end zone and to the back of the end zone, which made it a safety, took the points off the board for Arizona, and then led to another two points for um which team they were playing. Was that the Panthers or am I crazy? The Titans, sorry, the Titans. Um, so it was a very bad one, but he got, but then after that, he kind of came over while DeMarcado was like standing on the sideline, got in his face, yelled at him, hit him a few times on the chest. It has kind of looked like he punched him, but I'm not gonna go that route because we don't really know what happened there. But he did hit De Mercado on the chest. It was a little bit physical. Um, the way I thought about it was is that you would like for that to not be done in public. I get again, I get it. It was a very bad mistake, but these dudes are paid handsomely to do what they do. And if you don't like what happens in the moment in the game day, you can go and fire him the next day. And like De Mercado is not like one of the best players in your team that you feel like you have to have and you can't get rid of. So if you really didn't like it, you could just get rid of him the next day. But he goes and he did what he he did what he did to that player in public where cameras are around. And it's like even if it was in private, you don't need to hit your player to kind of get get the point across. But again, I understand the upsetness. I'm not gonna sit here and say he had no reason to be upset. It's a bad thing. Like you don't like if you're a professional, going to the end zone, make sure you get through the end zone before you start trying to do all any type of celebrations. It's very easy. It's happened way too many times in NFL history for it to be a new thing that nobody's heard about. It just happened a couple weeks ago with A.D. Mitchell for the Colts. It happened to him, and I don't think he was trying to celebrate. It just kind of slipped out of his hand as he's going to reach for the end zone, it just slipped right through his fingers. But like, it's I understand the upsetness about by it, but I just wish he didn't do that in public to the player, and that was a problem. Um but yeah, I'll talk about that game in a minute, but it was it was a weird one. It was a weird little moment there. Sorry, I gotta drink here. Other stories to talk about. Bengals trade for Joe Flacco with the Browns. I think they gave up a fifth round pick in exchange for Joe Flacco and a sixth round pick. It was a weird moment, a weird trade that happened today. Again, I get it. The the Bengals with how bad Browning has been so far this season since Joe Burrow's injury, they had to have another option on the table to kind of go out there and try to play some better ball. And he here's my question about it. Joe Flacco is a statue. And with how bad the offensive line has been for the Bengals, I just don't know what Flacco is going to be able to do much better than Browning in this situation. I think he'll be able to throw a prettier deep ball. I think, but his game is being predicated on being able to have a run game and then be able to have play action and then be able to hit deep balls to your players, like that's where he is at his best. But again, that offensive line is not gonna be able to protect him. He's over he's 40 years old. He's not able to run away from any type of pressure, and not to mention, he's as he's like he's very good at throwing interceptions as well, just like Jake Browning. So I just don't know if that's necessarily a huge upgrade. And here's and here's my other big thing is that if even if this goes perfectly and you get an upgrade a little bit at the quarterback position, why in the hell are you trying to get an upgrade at the quarterback position? Joe Burrow's gone for the year. Like that, he is your golden ticket for the season. Like that is it. If you without him, you are nothing. Your defense isn't all that good. You don't have an offensive line, you have very good offensive pieces, the weapons, you have very good offensive skill guys, but like outside of that, you really don't like Joe Burrow is the straw that stirs the drink of the Bengals football season. Without him, you should be trying, again, I get it, you're gonna have to go to Chase and go to T and tell them, hey, you're gonna have just like go try to get your stats, but go work again. It's hard to tell players to go play, to go, don't give 100%. You can't you can't fake it. But I think to a certain extent, you have to realize, like, hey, we're just trying to like, it's bad luck. We couldn't get through this season healthy. Well, we couldn't get this well, Joe Burrow couldn't get through the season healthy. And now we're that without him for the year, it's kind of ended our season. Let's let the bottom fall it out fall out for this season. Go get a great draft pick that'll help us for years to come. Go get an offensive lineman that'll help. Go get a great defensive player that'll be a top ten pick. Like, that'll help. Like, I just don't know. I just I just don't know what the rationale is behind this whole thing. I just don't. I don't get it. If you're gonna suck anyway, Joe Burrow, I mean, sorry, Joe Flacco is not gonna be the difference of you winning or losing a bunch of games. He's not, it's just not gonna be it's not gonna happen. And I get and I get it, the fact that they thought Jake Browning would be better coming into this whole ordeal with Burrow getting hurt, hurt, but it hasn't worked out that way. And I think to a certain extent, it is on him a little bit for regressing, but I think also you have to worry about the think about the idea that the offensive line is much worse than the last time he had some extended playing time as the quarterback for the Bengals. And I think the defense just as bad, I'm not gonna blame the defense on him, but like, and he's on a lot of picks. Like that is something we already knew about, but it it got even worse. So I just think even in your wildest streams of Joe, if Joe Flacco really does make this whole situation better, why would you want to? Go get a draft pick that'll help you out for years to come and help Joe Burrow kind of build this thing out from the bottom up because the way it's going, it has not been good. And like I said, I know this that's a hard conversation to have because you want your players to kind of go out there and play at their hardest and not be thinking about those things. But it is what it is. I just don't I again I just don't think I just don't think Joe Flacco's gonna get you where you want to go. If anything, I think he could be worse than what they've already seen from Browning. And again, I it probably won't be that way to start, but it could end up being worse because Joe Flacco, so he likes stone picks too. And again, like I said, he can't get away from pressure, and if they can't protect him, like he's just gonna get sacked all the time. And I just I don't know. I don't know. It's a wee it's a weird move by the Bengals to make. I just thought they were gonna let the bottom fall out on this on this season and go get a draft pick that'll help, or heck, if they have a high enough draft pick and a team falls in love with a quarterback, guess what you guess what you have an opportunity to do? Trade back, get picks that'll help you out for your future, and still get a player that'll help your team out. Like that is what you should be looking at. But, you know, apparently the Bengals uh that make a lot the people in the higher up in the Bengals organization know a lot more than the fans that normal football fans do. So, you know, maybe maybe they know something we don't. Who knows? Let's see. Ravens make a trade, they trade their defensive end, uh, Odafe Owe to the Chargers uh for a safety and then a draft pick. They're making a little money on the back end by not having, I think they're saving$8 million in their cap by trading him away. I think he's on the last year of his deal anyway, so there's no chance they were going to kind of keep him for long term. So they're like, hey, let's just cut bait now, get a player that we might that might be able to help us depthwise for the rest of the season because the the uh the Ravens are so very hurt right now with all the players being out. So being able to add a player to help out with their depth, potentially even start now based on how some of the injuries are, um, is a good move for them. And not to they got cheaper as well. So I feel like it was an all-encompassing type of move for the Ravens team that's one and four right now, and then like they're hoping on a prayer that they can get Lamar at some point, and he could just be Superman again and just power them to wins at the end of the season to win the division or make the playoffs. I again it's a very hard ask for where they're at right now in their in their schedule, but you know, uh it's the Ravens are I'm I am a steel as a Steelers fan and am not used to the Ravens sucking this bad. The Ravens are always good. They're always good. But the idea that they're gonna suck this bad right now with the team that everybody thought was talented enough to go win the Super Bowl, again, I get it, there's injuries, but like, come on, man. It's like the bottom is really started falling out early. And I just don't know how I don't know how to react, man. Because I again, as a Steelers fan, I thought that the Steelers are not gonna be able to do well this year. It's the Ravens division, but things are starting to set up set up too well towards the Steelers' way, and it's making me nervous. That that's where I'm feel that's where I'm feeling it right now. Um let's see, is there anything else I want to talk about story-wise? No, I got nothing else story-wise. So let's go ahead and get into the NFL games, give my thoughts on how those games went, and get on our way. So let's go ahead and start with the Sunday morning game in England that happened. So Vikings, Browns, Vikings won the game 21-17. The game was decently close for what I thought was going to be, because again, the Vikings were uh are a much better football team. And then the Browns were coming in starting uh Dylan Gabriel as their starter for the first time because they had benched Joe Flacco, the guy they just traded to the Bengals. And I just thought that with the young quarterback that the Vikings defense will be able to kind of take advantage, and then Carson Wentz wouldn't necessarily have to do a lot to go win the football game. It was a lot closer than that. Dylan Gabriel, he did okay. He wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. It was definitely bad. It was better than what Joe Flacco was giving them. Uh Dylan Gabriel went 19 of 33, 190 yards, two touchdowns, zero picks. The Browns ran the football well. Quinson Judkins ran the football very effectively, 23 carries for 110 yards. Uh he averaged like 4.8 yards a carry. Again, that's something that is a going trend against this Minnesota Vikings team, is that you can run the football against them. That is the one weakness for a very good Vikings team is that you can definitely run on them if you want to. If you if you stick to it, it may not go well at first, but the more you stick to it, the more you'll get on the back end where you're like, they're starting to get like it's starting to get some big chunks there in the second half. Um, but Minnesota did enough to win the football game. Carson Wentz made out go out there and made some plays, especially the game-winning touchdown to Jordan Addison to go get the touchdown there. Jordan Addison didn't even play in the first quarter because he had missed curfew while they were there in England, so they had to give him a punishment for that. But like they went out there and did what they had to do in the end. Justin Jefferson played great, seven receptions, 123 yards. Like I said, Jordan Addison had his touchdown with 41 yards off five catches. Hawkinson made some plays, and Jordan Mason was everywhere. He ran the football well, he caught the football and made some plays as as uh as well. It was just you'd think the Minnesota defense would be better against a very bad Cleveland Browns offense, and it just didn't happen that way. And I don't know if this means that like I don't think this means that Dylan Gabriel is like for sure the guy. But I also think that I also think that he may he did enough to kind of give the Browns some hope that they can just at least have at least have some better quarterback play. And if not with him, maybe you should door. They decide to go down that route. But I'm not gonna I'm not gonna wish for that by by any means, because that'll just start the whole thing up again about how he should be playing or he shouldn't be playing. He's a Nepo baby or he's not, and this, that, and the other not going down that route. So um Vikings win that game 21-17. Uh good game, good win by the Vikings, especially coming off of the loss the week before against the Steelers. Next game, Colts Raiders. Colts won the game 40-6. This game was not close. Jace called me on Monday because he wanted to he wanted to make sure I apologized for talking up Geno Smith the way that I did, and he's been playing absolutely awfully this practically this this whole season. Geno Smith has not been good. He's been bad, he's been throwing a ton of picks. Again, he's getting yards, but it's just he's just making the bad plays in the in the worst of moments, and I just I have to take accountability for that because I really I kind of accounted, I kind of took myself as more of like a Gino apologist coming into the year, and I was really fighting for him. I thought the Raiders are gonna be very good with Gino at the helm, and it has not worked out that way, and I have to take responsibility for a very bad take that hasn't gone well for me. But I will say this Indianapolis Colts team is very good. Like they're good. Like I've been giving my credit to Daniel Jones every week because he he he keeps playing good, very good football. Daniel Jones, 20 of 29, 212 yards, two touchdowns, zero picks. Jonathan Taylor had an awesome day. He had three touchdowns accounted for rushing the football. He had 17 carries, 66 yards. And then you had like the Colts, like Ashton Doolin had a had a very good day. 55 yards off, two carries, like Michael Pittman had five catches, Tyler Warren had four catches, Josh Downs had six catches. Like it they were spreading the football around in this Colts' offense, and they were doing exactly what they had to do. And then defensively, they were taking advantage of the opportunities that were given to them. The Colts sacked Geno Smith four times, they caught a couple of interceptions from him, and the Colts just kind of ran away with it, and the Raiders really don't have anything to kind of keep up. The Raiders' defense isn't all that great. They only really have one player on that defense that really makes a huge difference, and that being Max Crosby. And then offensively, like they have dudes. Ashton Genty's the last couple games has made some huge strides and starting to play better. But outside of that, like they did not have um why am I free in the tight end's name? They did not have Brock Bowers in this game. He wasn't able to play because he had an injury, and and then they didn't have both their starting tight ends. Uh Myers as well, he got hurt. So they didn't have their starting two tight ends that are like a very big dynamic piece piece for them offensively, but like again, it didn't matter. It's like they had opportunities, but they just keep making mistakes, especially with Gino. So the Colts is they just there's winning football games right now. All the credit to them, all the credit to Daniel Jones, who just keeps playing good football, and I have to give keep giving him his credit because of how little I thought of him before the season started. Next game, Saints, Giants, Saints win the game at home 26 to 14. Again, I was really thinking that it would be a long time before the Saints won a game, but the Saints came out and played a very good ball. Spencer Rattler, 21-31, 225 yards and a touchdown. Uh they didn't run the football all that effectively, but Rasheed Shaheed had an amazing game. I think he had a big 80 87-yard touchdown catch that really opened the game up for their offense. Um, Chris Olave came to play at seven seven catches, 59 yards. Alma Kamara came to play. I think offensively, the New Orleans Saints kind of opened up the offense a bit. And it's really just because they were just making plays, like just in general. I'm not going to sit here and say the Saints are just going to be a lot better football team from here, but it's just they're playing against a bad New York Giants team that made some mistakes. Jackson Dart had a couple interceptions. That was probably the biggest difference in this game that led to the Saints winning. But and this and it's just the Saints were just able to win. They just played a very good game at home, won the football game. And when Jackson Dart, as much as I think that he is a better op, like he's a better player right now than Russell Wilson, even though I don't like think that's really throwing the football. But I think his combination of both running and throwing for Jackson Dart, I think, gives him the edge over a guy like Russell Wilson. But this is where you kind of like take your lumps, is that as a young quarterback, he's gonna make his mistakes throwing the football, give it to the other team, and then he did that twice last game against the Saints. And I think he went 26 of 40 otherwise for 202 yards, around a five yards per catch average, two touchdowns, and then there's two picks. That's gonna happen when you have a young quarterback. So, like, that's where you're but here's the thing: Jackson Dark did also give you 55 yards rushing off seven carries, so like he's giving you that as well. So there's gonna be some mistakes, but I just think in the long run they'll be better for letting Jackson Dark go out there and take his lumps now. And then if he's gonna end up being the dude for them long term, these starts will help him get there, even if it doesn't mean they're gonna end up winning right away. So I don't know. I I think the Saints are gonna be one of those teams that might will have a top five pick in the draft for sure. But it was nice to see them get this win against a Giants team that I think I like I expect their defense to be good, but their offense to be awful. But it seems like their their defense is a little bit like, especially on the secondary, is not all that great. So, you know, it is what it is on that. Cowboys, Jets, Cowboys won the game 37-22. This game was not that close. Um, not as close as what it looks like on this on the scoreboard. The Jets did score 16 of their 22 points there in the fourth quarter when the pretty much the game was already over. The Jets made it a little closer. I don't think Justin Fields played bad. He went 32 of 46, 283, and two touchdowns. I think he also ran. Did he No, he he didn't run all that much, but he so he ran he threw the football effectively. He did get sacked a lot. Um I think that offensive line is absolutely putrid, and they're not gonna be able to keep Justin Fields upright, but he did make enough plays. They ran the football well, 14 carries, 113 yards from Brees Hall. Um, but it's just the self-inflicted penalties the Jets have just all the freaking time is just a huge deal for that offense, especially offensively. And then defensively, they they really can't stop a nosebleed right now. Like Sauce Gardner is nowhere near the same corner that he was a few years ago, and it's it's just that it's just a lot of like those like names, but they're not like and they're just so undisciplined and they make so many mistakes, and it's just hard for them to go and do anything when their team is perpetually being sent back or being held back by their own issues. And that that includes Justin Fields, like like taking him down with them. Like, I think he's played a decent season so far. And again, people can kind of like laser focus in on a couple plays where it doesn't look great, but I think overall he's played a good good game. He's not giving the football up to the other team a lot. He's making good decisions, he's throwing when he can, he's running the football, and he's taking a beating while doing so. That offensive line is letting he got sacked five times for 49 yards like like taken away from them. It's like he's taking a beating back there and he's playing, he's a beat, he's a champ. And then Garrett Wilson's still playing well, had his touchdown, six receptions, 71 yards. Mason Taylor making plays, Brees Hall also catching the football out of the backfield. So like they offensively they had dudes making plays again against a Dallas defense, it really isn't all that good. But it's the defense for the Jets that's the biggest issue. Like, they let Dak Prescott, even though it wasn't the most prolific day, he went 18 of 29, 237 yards, four touchdowns here picks. They let Dallas run the football well. They had a like 180 yards total rushing in this game, led by Javante Williams with 16 carries, 135 yards and a touchdown. And then, like, again, it it's not like Dallas has both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens and the rest of the dudes. CeeDee Lamb's gone. It's just George Pickens and the rest. Do you know the leading receiver for this Dallas Cowboys offense? It was Ryan Florney. Florinoy. Flowernoy? I don't know that last name's a little weird, but like he was the leading receiver for them this game. It was not George Pickens. George Pickens did have a touchdown catch. But outside of that, George Pickens, two receptions, 57 yards. Brian Florinoy was leading receiver. He had six receptions, 114 yards. You had Jake Ferguson that had seven catches, 49 yards, and two touchdowns. And then Javante Williams also had a touchdown receiving as well. So I just think that, and here's my credit to Dak. I think Dak has coming into this season without Micah Parsons, I think all the pressure is off of him when it comes to having real title expectations coming into this year, especially with how bad the defense is. I think there's a lot of people that are willing to say the Cowboys aren't going to be worth anything and they're not going to be able to play enough good football, and they're probably not going to like make the playoffs or do anything like that. Let alone win playoff games and like all that. So I do think Dak is getting a little bit of a bump by the idea that he doesn't have the pressure on him that normal Cowboys teams would have over the lifespan of a season. But I do think in this in this moment, he's playing very good ball. He's playing probably the best ball he's ever played as a pro. And I think that he's he's at least flourishing in the moment that he has right now. And he's playing good ball. And does that change if people start really following him? Does that change when like the the stakes are higher when they potentially make the playoffs or like have to do some real like some real stuff? Yeah, it could definitely take a toll. But I do think that Dak, as of right now, is playing his best ball, and I have to do have to give him his credit for that. Because I'm the first person to talk about how bad Dak Prescott is coming out of a game, so I have to give him his credit and see how good he was playing, um, even in a game that they lost. Oh sorry, how well he was playing, even in a game where I'm like, do I not necessarily in the game, but in a situation where I think, do I think this lasts a full season? I don't think so. Especially when the game, the good game that he had was against a bad very bad Jets team. The Jets is the only un the only winless team in the NFL right now. So like, you know, take over the grain of salt. Um next game, Broncos Eagles. Broncos win the game 21-17. This might be the game I have the most thoughts on. Stick with the Broncos, Broncos side first. For the first three quarters, this team did absolutely nothing. They did nothing. They were down three to 17 after the third quarter. The Broncos got up off the mat. Um they started playing better in the fourth quarter. They scored 18 unanswered points to then take the lead and win the game. And they started run, they ran the football better, especially in that second half. They kind of got some plays going in the passing game a little bit more in that fourth quarter, and Bo Nick started playing better because he was playing so bad for the first three quarters, and he finally started waking up and making some big throws there in the fourth. So all the credits to the Broncos, and their defense too. I think their the Broncos defense is disgusting, like, and I mean that in a good way, uh how good they are, especially on the back end. But their offense, I I'm again, I've never been the biggest Bonex believer, and I think to a certain extent, I think it's shown you throughout this year, is that Bonex could be very hot and cold. Very hot and cold. And I feel like it was cold for the first three quarters, and then he was able to turn it around. And I think if it wasn't for a generational fumble, not even probably not generational, generational is probably a strong word. But if it wasn't for such a big fumble, like a big gaff by the Philadelphia Eagles team in that second half, then this win wouldn't have even happened. But uh the Eagles are one of the weirder teams in the NFL right now when it comes to how they're running their team and what's going on, that I think that it just gave the opportunity for the Broncos to win, even though they probably I don't want to say didn't deserve it because they did earn it by scoring those 18 points in the fourth quarter. But the opportunity wouldn't have wrote wouldn't have arisen if the Philly didn't give it to them. I don't know. I feel like I'm taking credit away from the Broncos, but I mean to like say that they took advantage of the opportunity that was given. Sometimes you just have to do that if it's not your day. So to the Eagles, the team that fumbled the bag so hard. Um first half, everything was going great. Jalen Hurts thrown the football well. They were getting it to their guys, they threw the football over the place. Devontae Smith in this game had eight receptions, 114 yards, and zero touchdowns. Saquon had three receptions, 58 yards, and a touchdown. AJ Brown got the ball five times, not for a lot of yards, but he got the ball a decent amount. He got five receptions off of eight targets. Everything was going so I'm not gonna say swimmingly, but it was just it was going well, and it felt like it was gonna be a route, and things were going the Eagles' way. But in that second half, things started kind of like turning a little bit. They had a lead. Let me make sure I'm not crazy here. Then the third quarter, they got that touchdown to start the third quarter, went down the field, four plays, 74 yards, got the touchdown to go up 17-3. And then from there, the Eagles just could not get anything going offensively whatsoever. The the defense for the Cowboys, I mean for the Broncos really starting to show up, and they made some plays. And but here's the thing the splits for this game, the Eagles threw the football thirty-eight times, but then they ran the ball six times total. Sorry, rushing attempts the Eagles had eleven, but Saquon only had only six. So, like actual runs for Saquon Barkley, they only gave him the ball six times in this game to run the football. And especially in a game where you're winning, it was again, it was a point where it was 17-3 going through three quarters. I get it, there was one point in that in this game where it was a deep ball that's that Jalen Hurts could have hit to AJ Brown if they would have hit it. Eagles would have up 24-3 at that point. The game would have practically been over there in the fourth quarter. Even with the Broncos trying to come back and like make some plays to get back into it. But if they would have hit that play, it didn't happen again. I think Jalen overthrew it. AJ Brown also slowed down, so it was kind of like a double effect where both of them kind of did something wrong. But here's the thing is that I it's not a lack of talent. I think the I think to a certain extent you have to get maybe get your wrap your mind around the idea that maybe Saquon has hit a wall. I'm not saying has fallen off the cliff. I feel like after running as much as he did last year, getting the 2,000 yards and all of that en route to a Super Bowl, I do feel like Saquon is not he doesn't have the same oomph that he had last year. And again, that's only natural. You can you can only take so much beating and then come back ready to go, raring to go again. But and then offensively, people have been asking for the for the Eagles to throw the football more all season so far. And then you come into this game and they throw the football 38 times with Jalen Hurts. Again, 11 times they ran the football. I feel like those six were to Saquon, and then I think the other few times they ran was with Jalen Hurts running the football. But outside of that, they really didn't run. So and then defensively, I've like here's defensively, you all knew coming into the season that the Eagles were not going to be as dominant defensively as they were at the end of last year, with all the rules obviously going for the up towards the offense. It's impossible to play lights out defense at all times. It doesn't happen in the NFL anymore. But even with all like the guys they started miss, they started getting like are that are not there anymore. It was very easy to see that the Eagles' defense was going to take a step back. So it was going to be on the offense to take more of a step forward to kind of keep the championship pace up that the Eagles were trying to set up for themselves. And offensively, they have some real issues. And I know me and Jason talked about AJ Brown like a multitude of times, talking about the fact that he wants the ball and he's making comments to the media and on social media, to the actual media, and then on social media, and he's doing this, that, and the other. And we're not gonna we don't blame him necessarily because I think he's right to want to be a part of the offense that he's on. But then we also we also take into effect that we all we also take what's the word? No, sorry. We also take into account that maybe the way that AJ Brown does things maybe permeates throughout the locker room or the wrong way, and that maybe it kind of makes tightens up the offense in a bit they probably shouldn't be. But I think all this might come around to is that I think they need an actual adult calling the plays for them. And the offensive coordinator they had was the guy, he used to be the off the quarterback's coach last year for the Eagles. They just promoted him from within to become the new offensive coordinator for the Eagles, and it has not gone well this year. And I feel like it all shows based off they have no offensive identity whatsoever. Last year, I feel even with AJ Brown's complaining last year and rightful complaints, they had an they had a team that was going to run the football at you and then make hit you with the big plays on the outside. That was their offense. Like that was what they did. Tush push, running with Saquon, doing all of that. It was perfect, right? But then this year they have no identity. They have the first few games of the year where they're not throwing the football at all, and then they're like, and then heck, it's half to half, or they're like, they'll play a half football where it's great, and the other half football where they can't get anything going offensively, and then they'll throw the football a lot and then not never run, or they'll run the football a lot and never throw, and then you have fans like saying, Oh, you need to get throwing the football more, and then you come into this game, you throw the football 38 times. Like, where is the balance? And I feel like I think as much as I am not the biggest Jalen Hurts, I give him his respect, I think he's a top 10 quarterback. I don't think this is disrespectful to say, but I think he is a streaky thrower of the football. He is not a natural thrower, he is not gonna go out there and just sling the football around whenever you ask him to. There's gonna be days where he's gonna be great a la the Super Bowl this past season where he was great from the start, he threw the football over the place and he's awesome. And then you're gonna have times where he's not throwing the football all that well and he's missing guys and doing all that. So I just feel like with it having a streaky thrower, again, there's gonna be days where it's gonna be it's gonna work out well and he's gonna be throwing the ball great. But there's also gonna be times it's not. And I feel like you have to have a sense of balance to be able to do both. You have to be able to run the football. You're not gonna sit here and just not run the football all day, and then like like you just have to have balance. And I feel like it's it's almost like they don't just they have they lack an adult in the room at the offensive coordinator position to be like, hey, I don't care about the outside noise. We're gonna run this team how we need to run it offensively to go out there and win football games. And they don't have that, and I feel like he's listening to the media so much, and I feel like he's giving in to maybe a little bit of the AJ Brown factor and Devontae Smith, because even though he doesn't talk, I feel like he also is very big on how he wants the ball too. They don't have an adult in the room to say, hey, this is the way we're gonna run our team, we're gonna get you the ball, but we are gonna have a sense of balance and identity to kind of help us out for the long term. And they don't have that right now in Philadelphia. They don't, and that's why you have these, they can't play, they can't put a full four-quarter football game together where they're playing good offensive football and defensive football. Defense is the one thing because I feel like they are struggling a bit because they have or missing guys, but offensively, they have all the people they need. Their offensive line is maybe a tidge worse, but it's still very good. Maybe Saquon may not be as good as he once was, but again, like nobody can expect him to be after he ran the football so much last year. And I feel like to alleviate that, you just need balance. Hey, we're gonna throw the football 20 something times and then run the football like 10, 15 times. Like they you can you can have balance and be able to alleviate everything. You just can't like decide, hey, we're just gonna throw the football only this half and then run only the next half, or like it's just they just have I just think that there's a lack of an adult in the offensive coaching staff. And I feel like it's a real issue because then you have the dudes that like you then these these dudes that are very um proud and have a lot of ego, and all of them have too much say, and there's like just it's just kind of running wild. I think AJ and the AJ Brown effect, like there's times where AJ Brown was complaining last year, they got him the ball. And again, it's this is like a multi-year thing. This is not just new to this year, but at least they had an identity to say, hey, this is what we're doing, we're gonna win football games either way. But if you're gonna be playing like this and then still not getting AJ Brown and Devontae Smith the ball, they're gonna complain. And if you don't have an adult in the room in the offensive for the offensive coordinator, then it's gonna look like this all year long. It's not gonna change. I don't know. It's weird. And again, I think the Eagles are in a weird spot because they've replaced their offensive coordinator each of the last four or five years now. Like they have not had a repeat offensive coordinator in a minute. So I get I get the idea that maybe it's hard to kind of keep having these dudes come in and then you just keep leaving. But I just feel like maybe this, the guy they had as the original quarterback coach, now being the offensive coordinator, he's over in over a skis. He's not ready for the moment. And I I think for Eagles team that is as talented as they are and as has the expectation that they have, you need a dude that's an adult and that knows what he wants to do, and he's not gonna be impacted by the media. He's gonna go out there and play play balanced football and help out everybody and try to get the ball to every all the weapons they can to win football games. And it's not happening right now. I feel like it's a real issue. And again, it's only one loss, but I feel like one loss can turn into two, it can turn into three. And it's the offense needs to do more in carrying this football team. The defense is not gonna turn into the defense they had in the playoffs last year. It's not gonna happen. It may happen at some point, but it's not gonna you can't rely on that consistently. So you have to have an offense that can carry more of the workload, unlike what it did last year. I'm not gonna say unlike what they did last year, because the offense did a lot of work last year, but like like you're really gonna have to carry the load, like you're the you have a lot of talent on the offense side of the ball that needs to get things going. The Eagles just a weird football team. I just had to talk about it because it was just weird. And apparently there was like news that they had like it was AJ Brown, um uh Jalen Hurts, Devontae Smith, like they all had like a like a very long meeting where they were just sitting there talking with each other for hours. I don't know. I just feel like they've been teammates so long, like I don't know if there's new grievances that have to be dealt with because I feel like their issues have been going for on for a minute, but maybe it helps. Maybe it helps fix their relationship to where they can be a little closer and not necessarily be as fractured, but you know. Again, these are grown men. You're not gonna that's not gonna be always kumbaya in a locker room. That's again, that's why you need a a real grown-up at the offensive coordinator position to kind of get everybody in line. But guess what? They don't have that. So now the onus is more on the players, even if they don't really have I'm not gonna say the capacity to, but maybe if they don't they can't put their pride aside a little bit away to be able to do so.

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I don't know.

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I'm I'm gonna get off of that before I go too far too much farther into things I can't get out of. Next game, Panthers, Dolphins. Panthers win the game 27-24. Dolphins, like, they should not have lost this football game. If well, I'm not gonna say that because the Dolphins are bad. They're not trustworthy at all. Like, Tua played fine. 27-36, 256, three touchdowns. Um, but Rico Dowdle had an awesome day for the Panthers. They ran the football down the throats of Miami, of that Miami defense. Rico Dowdle had 23 carries, 206 yards, averaged over, like, averaged nine yards a carry, and had a touchdown. He played great. Bryce Young was fine, 19 of 30, 198 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Like, but that obviously the Miami defense is the biggest, like, the bigger problem for that team. But like, again, it was just they the Panthers ran the football so well that it was just it, it was it was astounding to see them run the football as well as they did. And Tet McMillan had a great day, six recepts, 73 yards. Xavier Leggett had a touchdown catch. He looked like he was coming alive in this game. But like, it was really the running game with Rico Dowdle that really superpowered them and be able to win this football game. And again, it's it's a Miami defense that everybody knew was going to be bad this season. But even still, Miami kind of they played well offensively, to a 27-36, 256, three touchdowns. Devon A-chan played very well. He had a touchdown catch. Darren Waller, a blast and a blast, a blast from the past. Five receptions, 78 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Waddell played great. He had six receptions, 110 yards and a touchdown. Um, Achan, like I already said, had a touchdown catch, 30 yards off six, six receptions. Like, the Miami offense played fine. And again, if you they didn't let the Panthers run for over 200 yards on their head, they probably would have won this game. But guess what didn't happen? They did not stop the Panthers from being able to run the football. Because if you make Bryce Young throw the football on you and like have to win you the game that way, they're not going to win. Bryce Young has not been good this year whatsoever. So, but again, they let the Panthers run the football and be able to do it that way, and that's what allowed the Panthers to win this football game. Credit to the Panthers. Like they're again the fact they have two wins already this season is kind of crazy with how bad that uh Bryce Young has played thus far. But again, they have to win. They're they're finding ways. And again, against bad teams, of course. But you know, the Panthers give the credit there, they're getting wins. Um, next game, Texans, Ravens, Texas won the game 44-10. This game was a route. CJ Stroud found a groove in this game against a very bad and injured Ravens defense. I think I think the stat was that I heard during this game was that uh$160 million worth of the salary cap that the Ravens have were all injured or not playing in this game. Especially defensively. They were losing a book, they did not have a bunch of dudes coming into this game. And then offensively, on top of that, like they didn't have Lamar Jackson. They didn't have like that was probably the biggest one. They were off the offensive line, had a couple guys missing as well. But even with all that, I did pick Houston to win this game, but I didn't think it was going to be this bad. CJ, 23 of 27, 244 and four touchdowns. Nick Chubb had a 61-yard running uh rushing day and had a touchdown. CJ Stroud, he was able to get some running in because you know the funny joke, the joke that he made um in the game before, he was talking about being old, everybody ran with it, but it was obviously a joke from CJ. Um like, and he they just spread the football around, man. It was a beatdown of epic proportions. Nico Collins had a touchdown, four receptions, 52 yards. Christian Kirk had four receptions, 64 yards. Dalton Schultz, five receptions, 60 yards. Like I said, Nico. Jaden Higgins got into the fray. Um, Xavier Hutchinson had two touchdowns. Jalen Noel had a touchdown with two catches. Like it was a beatdown I did not think Houston had in them with how bad their offensive line has been this year. And again, as bad as their offensive line has been, they only gave up two sacks in this game against a Ravens defense. Again, a very hurt Ravens defense, but they only gave up two sacks. With how bad that offensive line has been, it was an absolute like treat to see that they got to see CJ Stroud actually play comfortable and be able to go out there and sling the football around. It was great. It just gives you a hint of like what happens when they actually get an offensive line again that can protect. Like what CJ Stroud can really do. Like, people started really forgetting that like CJ really is that dude when he had feels feels comfortable in the pocket. And it's because of how bad that offensive line been, it's really taken away a lot of that. But against this Ravens team that again was very hurt, but again, even with when they're fully healthy, the defense was not all that good this year. Um, but still, it was just a very good game to see from Houston's uh end. Um and then defensively for Houston, they were obviously monsters. And I think this game proved for the Ravens that Lamar they really are so Lamar heavy that Cooper Rush came in. Cooper Rush is a NFL vet, like he's been around the league for a while. He's won games. Again, he's not a starter, he's not one of those dudes, but like he can come in and play some good football for them for a team if he has a chance to play. But Cooper Rush went 14-20 for 179 yards and zero touchdowns and three picks. Again, this Houston defense is awesome. Like their Houston defense might be the like one of the best defenses in the NFL. So it's a very, very good defense, but still, like the fact that it was this bad was kind of crazy. And on top of that, they couldn't get Derrick Henry going whatsoever. Derrick Henry had 15 carries, 33 yards, and a touchdown. He averaged 2.2 yards a carry. Like the fact that the Baltimore Ravens were so again, Baltimore, I'm used to just a certain level of a not a level, but like a certain standard of play, no matter who's hurt, who's not playing. But again, I get it, once you have one of those quarterbacks and you start like that's where your money goes. And then again, all the other players that they had hurt, like once you have so many players being injured all at one time, I get it, you're gonna take a hit. But the fact that at home Baltimore just got beat up on like this is like a weird thing to see. And I'm not gonna sit here and say that's that's gonna be them for the rest of the season. They're gonna get Lamar Jackson back at some point, they're gonna get all those hurt defensive players back at some point, but like it's bad. Like, the fact that they are now one and four, and I think they still they're not gonna have Lamar for next week either, and they're gonna have to go play that the Rams are coming to town. Like, that's probably another L looking at them. They're gonna going, they're gonna be one and five going into their bye in week seven. And then they're gonna have to come back hopefully with Lamar and like tell them, hey, you're just gonna have to come and win most of the games you have left to try to win the AFC North, because I just don't think they have enough games to go and have one of the best records to get a wildcard spot. So like they're gonna have to hope that the Steelers just go ahead and just keep losing. They're gonna have to hope the Steelers stumble in order to win the division because they're just not gonna have enough runway to go win enough football games to get a wildcard spot if they don't win the division. So it's just it's just weird for them to be one in four, potentially looking at one and five against a very good Rams team. I'm just not feeling good about the Ravens and where they sit right now. It's a it's a bad spot. And that does open it up for the Steelers real quick. Just they didn't play this last week, so I really have not much to talk about. But it sucks the way I was looking at it, because now that obviously Cincinnati is dead ever since Joe Barrow is got hurt, and then you have the Browns that have been bad for a while, they'll always be bad, but they'll especially be bad this year, and now they're gonna have rookie quarterbacks playing, so that's pretty much a done deal for them. And then the only thing I had to look forward to was the fact that we never beat the Ravens, the Ravens are gonna win the division, and then all I had to worry about was like, hey, maybe they just they don't win enough games to hit the to hit the wild card to make the playoffs, so we just have a better draft pick. Because I'm like, at the end of the day, I don't see the Steelers team winning a Super Bowl. So with that being the case, with a one-year rental in Aaron Rodgers, I'm like, what is the point of maybe winning a playoff game if we get to the playoffs if we're just gonna end up losing again and being in the same spot and then picking in the teens, the late teens, and then not being able to get a quarterback or a player that are like a really top-tier player that'll help you for the future past not having a quarterback once again coming in next year. So I was really holding out some hope that the Steelers would have a chance to have the bottom fall out a little bit, lose some more games, get a better draft pick, and kind of start really rebuilding this thing from the ground up. But guess what? Because the highway has opened up so clear for them right now, the Steelers now being three and one. Yeah, them being three and one only have one loss in the year, and then the rest of the AFC North looking so bad is that now there's no reason to not feel like, oh, we gotta go for it here. And that's gonna only set them up for long-term failure because they're gonna go for it this year, they're gonna get into the playoffs, maybe win a division, maybe get a wild card spot, and then they're gonna go win a playoff game, maybe, but probably lose, and then not be set up for the future because they just they don't know how to let the bottom fall out and get a great draft pick. Because again, I hate to say it, but if you're not gonna be able to sign people, and if you're gonna try to get a quarterback, you need a great draft pick to go do that. It's not gonna happen when you're picking in the teens all the time. Unless you go and trade a bunch of picks to go trade up for somebody. But like, I I don't know. It's just um and again when I watch these games for the Steelers play, like I get excited and I want to see them win, but I know in the back of my brain long term that they have to take a step back at some point to take steps forward. They can't just keep putting band-aids on the issue. They finally have to let the wound let the wound take over so they can just try to heal it up again and try to start from start fresh. And it's not gonna happen because everybody else in the AFC North sucks right now. Alright, that's enough of me being my soapbox about it, but you know, it is what it is. When I see the Steelers play again on game day, I'll be more than excited to watch them win again. But, you know, back in my brain, I just know like how are they gonna get out of this trouble if they don't just take their medicine and lose for a little bit to try to build their team back up from scratch. I don't know, I don't know. Next game, Titans, Cardinals, Titans win the game 22-21. The Cardinals are just such an up and down football team from start to finish. Like in the first half, they looked so good. They were up 21-6 at halftime. It was like looking like, hey, the Titans are one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Titans just came off a week where Cam um Cam Ward talked about their team being ass to the media in public on the on the podium, like said it flat out, we're ass. Titans were winless on the season up to this point, and then the Cardinals went out there and played some, like in the first half they played great. Second half, nothing. Couldn't do anything. And again, one of those is the fact that they had a touchdown that was taken away due to the fact that DeMarcado fumbled the football because he was trying to do a celebration right before he hit the end zone, which I will say I thought he got. I thought the football crossed the plane. It was very close. But somebody did say this is that the idea that you might just have like if it's a tie, if it's too close to call, you have to pay the stupor tax because you put yourself in a situation like that, I don't necessarily disagree. But I did think in the moment that he did get across the line, but it didn't go their way. And that's again, if you get across if you if you get if you just wait until you get into the end zone to celebrate, you wouldn't have this issue. But you know, that's fine. But even with that play, there were still many opportunities the Cardinals had to go and win this football game, and they didn't. Kyler is the most up and down court, he's so talented, and he but he plays so nonchalant, and he doesn't play with a lot of urgency, and it's just like it's so up and down, it's such a crazy roller coaster. Again, the first half they were rolling, they were playing great. The offense was moving, and then the second half, nothing. They let Tennessee score 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win this football game. I think this is the third game in a row where they've lost the game on a game-winning field goal. Do you know what that tells me? That tells me they don't have grown-ups on that team that can lead. That tells me they don't have a leader that can command excellence from quarter one to quarter four. That tells me that Kyler Murray is an up and down quarterback that doesn't know how to finish the job. It also tells me their defense is iffy because the Tennessee Titans' offense has been ass this whole season. And the fact they let Tennessee scored 16 on answer in the fourth quarter is an absolute problem. And it also deals to the leadership of the coach, like again, that same coach that was punching his his punching or hitting his his running backs, his running back in the chest during a football game, being mad at him instead of worrying about winning the football game. Maybe that tends to show like maybe the coach isn't necessarily the best leader either either in leading men to go out there and go and do what they have to do on the football field. It's just too up and down, man. And I think Kyler is too talented to be as up and down as he is, but it is that way. Um I have to credit to Marvin Harrison, though. Marvin Harrison played great, four receptions, 98 yards. Like, I think he's past the drops at this point. He's playing, he's not dropping the football anymore. I think he's worked out those demons, but anything outside of that, him and Trey McBride, I think this is a problem with the offense that they're in. It's a too many short throws and only throwing to the outside, not using the middle of the field, that's kind of hurting both Marv and Trey McBride, where they're I think they're very talented players, but it's just it takes away so much from their game that their small quarterback can't see the middle of the field well, and that's like part of the field you probably could use that could help these guys out. And then on top of that, I just think the leadership of not only Kyler Murray, but of the coaching staff and of the organization isn't good either. Because they have talented dudes that can go out there and play well. They just it's just so up and down as a team. It just sucks. Um, but to the Tennessee side, Cam Ward played fine, 21 of 39, 265, and an interception. He didn't play great, but he did enough to score those 16 points in the fourth quarter to come back and win. Tony Powell played fine, 14 carries, 67 yards, almost averaged five yards a carry. Calvin Ridley played great, five receptions, 131 yards. But it's just, again, this the Cardinals should have won this game. Losing this game should not have been nearly. They were a seven-point favorite coming into this game because of how bad Tennessee has been this season, and the Cardinals found a way to lose. That's a referendum on the Cardinals organization and their team and their quarterback and their coach. Um, it's just a it's a problem. Um, Buccaneers Seahawks, this was probably the game of the day, to be totally honest with you. Game of the whole weekend. Um Buccaneers won the game 38-35. This game was a back and forth a fair all game. Um if if Brian Hartline needs to, like any wide receiver recruit wants to ask Brian Hartline why they should go be coached by him, he just needs to show them the tape of this game and says, hey, those two dudes, those two leading wide receivers for their teams in this game, that's the reason why you come play for me. I can turn you into that. And again, the these two guys, Amecha Gbuka and Jackson Smith and Jigba, they are not they are not Jeremiah Smith. They are not Marvin Harrison. These are not physical Marvels. Like these are not those dudes. But guess what? They are awesome football players that know how to get the fuck open. And they know how to make plays, and they're very good people doing it, and they they're dogs, man. This is why, this is what this is the tape that they need to put on that this turn of this game and say, hey, this is why you come to Ohio State as a wide receiver. Amek Gbuka, seven receptions, 163 yards and a touchdown. Can't be stopped. Jackson Smith and Jigba, eight receptions, 132 yards and a touchdown. Can't be stopped. That's why. That's why you go to Ohio State because you end up being a wide receiver that can play like this in the NFL. Even without the elite alien-like traits of a Jeremiah or Marf. That's why. But let me get off that fact. Um, this was not a defensive battle whatsoever. Um, this was an offensively led performance by both teams. I would know because I watched every little bit of this game, because I had a bet going. I made a six-leg touchdown parlay, and my last two touchdowns I need was for Omeka to get a touchdown, which I got, and I needed Kenneth Walker to get a touchdown, which I only got a couple opportunities of him actually running the football in the red zone to try to get a touchdown, but it didn't happen. I was very upset. It was like a$2 bet to win 0 for 300. Very upset it didn't happen. But it was it was thrilling. I was very happy I I got the got the thrill of chasing for that. But uh I watched the game, it was a very good game. It was great. Baker Mayfield might be an MVP candidate based on how the season has gone so far and how many like behind like end of the game wins that he's powering them to. Um they're gonna win a lot of football games, and I think that Baker is like the one of the main reasons for him and him and Mec are just absolute monsters. Like together, like they're just a great tandem. Um, Baker, 29 of 33, 379 yards, two touchdowns, zero picks. Awesome game. Got the football to his guys, didn't make the crazy bad mistake, and he played. Very good football. Because it's not like they're running the football that well. Rashad White was their leading because they don't have Bucky Irving for the next couple weeks because he has an ankle injury. So, and I think a shoulder injury as well. So, like they won't have him. So they didn't really run the football that effectively, but Rashad White did his thing. He had 14 carries, 41 yards, and two touchdowns. But it was throwing the football around. Like I said, Mecca had all Mec had all those yards. Kate Otten got involved. Tez Johnson had a good game. Rashad White as well. It was a back and forth affair. It really was up until the very end, where at the end of the game, Tampa Bay had a chance to go. They got the the touchdown, and then they had an opportunity to either go for the extra point to tie the game or go for two. Baker was trying to go for two. Coach was like, nah, we're going to go ahead and tie the game and then just give the ball back to Seattle and just see where it goes. Hopefully go to overtime. Hopefully our defense can make a stop finally and be able to get us a chance. Which is what happened. Sam Darnold as great as he played throughout this whole game. Sam Darnold, 28 of 34, 341 yards, four touchdowns, and one pick. That one pick was the absolute difference because Seattle was they were going down the field pretty easily. They were going to get the opportunity to go hit that field goal, and then he just threw the one bad pick at the worst time. Was that a tipped pick? Was that a tip? I think it was a tip. I think it was a tip pick. Or something like that. But it was just the one mistake that happened at the worst time that gave the Tampay Buccaneers a chance to win the game, which is exactly what they did. Seattle did run the football a little more effectively, though. Kenneth Walker, 10 carries, 86 yards. Zach Charbonnet, 9 carries, 36 yards, and a touchdown. The touchdown that I hope Kenneth Walker would have gotten so I can win the money, but you know, not feeling too better about it. And like I said, JSN did great, got his catches. He was unstoppable. Cooper Cup got involved. AJ Barner, their tight end, had seven receptions, 53 yards, two touchdowns. Tory Horton was a wide receiver that got involved, got a touchdown as well. This was like this is a game that I could like could easily see being like an NFC championship type rematch. Again, I do think the Lions would have something to say about that. I do think the Lions are probably playing the best football in all of the NFL right now. But like Seattle, the way they this game could easily be like a rematch in the playoffs. And I think it'll be a very fun matchup when it happens. But again, I think both these teams defensively have their issues. They don't really stop the pass all that well. And that could be a the downfall for both of these teams. But again, who do the Buccaneers have to face in their own cop in their own division? Really, nobody have to worry about. And then even though the Seahawks do have to worry about other teams, I do think they'll have a I do think they'll be a good enough team to win some football games in order to get into the playoffs. But you know, it was a very good game from two very good teams, two very great, two awesome receivers that both went to Ohio State. Have to mention it. Um but yeah, Brian Hartline, that's what you tell those players, any recruit that wants to come to Ohio State. That's why you want to go there. That's why you want to go there is to go be those dudes. Because not only are they model citizens, but they're model players that make very great plays and that like they just know how to win. But yeah, that's all I got on that. Um, a few more games here. Only just two hours, not too bad. Um, Lions, Bengals, Lions win the game 37-24. Jake Browning's still bad, but you know, the Bengals made some plays in the fourth quarter to be able to kind of get back in the game, make it look a little bit closer. But Jake Browning did throw a few more interceptions, obviously. He threw three interceptions in this game on top of the three touchdowns and the 251 yards and going 26 of 40. Um, the Bengals are just bad. They can't run the football all that well. Jamar Chase was great, had six receptions, 110 yards, and two touchdowns. T. Higgins had a touchdown in this game. But the Detroit Lions are just playing awesome football right now. And again, they kind of let the Bengals kind of get back into it in the fourth quarter to believe they have a chance, but again, it was just to make the game a little bit closer. The game was pretty well in hand at that point. Um, Jared Goff was awesome, 19-23, 258, three touchdowns, zero picks. They ran the football well, had a 118 total yards rushing. Umar St. Brown, eight receptions, 100 yards. Sam Laporta was great, had 92 yards and a touchdown. Jameer Gibbs had a touchdown reception. Isaac Tesla had a touchdown reception. Brock Wright, a tight end for them, had a touchdown. This now that their offensive line has kind of gotten things together, and I just feel like their offensive, their offense is like really coming into form. And they like right now, they look like the class of the all of the NFL with the way they're playing right now. Like, really, seriously. And as long as they don't have their defensive side of the ball get stupid injured for no apparent reason, like it did last year, I think the Lions are probably the team to beat, especially in the playoffs with the way they're playing right now. Um next game, Commanders Chargers. Commanders won the game 27-10. The Chargers had a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but they did not score another point after that. They really struggled to kind of get their get a lot of points. Um Jaden Jalen Daniels, Jaden Daniels, uh had a decent game. Wasn't awesome, but he did enough to go ahead and win. Um they went he went 15 to 26, 231 yards, a touchdown, zero picks. Um, they were really superpowered by their their running their running back room. Um what his name when they people would call him Bob. Krosky Merritt, um, 14 carries, 111 yards, two touchdowns. Like they just kind of like dominated in the th quarters two through four. And especially with, and here's the problem, what makes it a problem for the Chargers is that Washington's defense is not all that great. It wasn't because Washington like locked it down defensively, it was because of a lack of execution for the Chargers. Herbert, 22 of 29, 166 yards, a touchdown, and a pick. Wasn't a great crazy efficient, had a pick, very bad one, and they just couldn't get the offense going, especially in especially when they needed to. Obviously, when Washington was really starting to score in that game. Um, Herbert was the leading rusher, four carries, 60 yards. Omarion Hampton got hurt in this game. He's gonna end up missing like the next month or so with an ankle injury. Um, but it's just they just it was just really weird offensively for the Chargers. Like they should have been able to do a lot more, but it didn't happen again. Not you can't play your best in every single day, but against Washington, the team defensively, that's not all that great. It was just a weird sighting. But Washington took advantage, they won the game, all the credit to them. Last couple games here, Sunday night game, Patriots, Bills, Patriots won the game 23 to 20. Um the Bills just had like, I think they it was like 20-something games in a row since they had had a multi-turnover game. That's exactly what happened in this game. Josh Allen, 22 of 31, 253, two touchdowns, and a pick. It was it just it was a pick you couldn't need, you couldn't have in that game. I think I heard this from somebody when I was like listening to Pod. Is that the way that the Bills play offense right now, that's not very explosive. They are a very dink and dunk offense with Josh Allen kind of being the superpowered, he's superman for that team, not only throwing the football but running the football. But if you're not going to be a team that can like hit quick strikes and you're just kind of like dinking and dunking down the field, you have to be very efficient and you can't turn the football over. Which they have been very good at doing over the last couple seasons until this game, where they didn't do so. They had a fumble in this game from Josh Allen, they had a fumble from Keon Coleman, their wide receiver, and then on top of the interception that Josh Allen took, that's three interceptions in this game that could have, if they didn't have, they probably would have won this game. But it didn't happen. And the Patriots took advantage of that. I think they only had they had one fumble that was lost from Ramondre Stevenson, but outside of that, they played very clean. Drake May, 22 of 30, 273, zero touchdowns, zero picks. But again, he just played efficient, got outside the pocket when needed to, um, made the plays on the outside, ran the football um a few times, but he just Drake May just played a very efficient, not just nothing. He didn't do anything to hurt the team. Um Patriots didn't really run the football that effectively, but they just threw the football over the field, did what they had to do to win, especially with the um the mistakes that Buffalo made. Stephon Diggs had a revenge game that he definitely went home proud of. He had 10 receptions, 146 yards. He definitely had a vintage Stefan Diggs performance. Hunter Henry got involved. Kishon Boutet, boot Kayshawn Boutet, Booty. Kyshawn Booty also got involved. It's weird to say booty. I don't know. I'm a child. Um but yeah, it was just it was this game was really lost on the fact that Buffalo, Josh Allen, had all those turnovers, and it just that was the reason. Because outside of that, I think Buffalo played a pretty decent game, and it's just with those turnovers and the bad spots they were in, I think a couple of them were in the red zone. No, I think one of them was in the red zone, and then the other two were just in bad spots. That's what gave the Patriots an opportunity to score the points they needed to to win this football game. That's exactly what happened. Um, and then the Monday night game last night, Chiefs, Jags, um, Jags were at home. Jags also won the football game 31 to 28. Um let me think. I don't want to go too far as to say that the Jags are a good team. I think I have to give them the credit for that. They're 4-1, they're playing good football, they're playing decent offensively. I think defensively they've been playing a lot better this season. But my only problem is with giving the idea of giving the Jags too much credit for playing good football, is I just know offensively they just they're so up and down because I know Trevor Lawrence is so up and down. Yesterday, he had a very awesome day. He 18 to 25, 221 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and then he also had a pick uh uh a one fumble when he was trying to get reach the ball over the um over through the end zone to score another touchdown on a quarterback sneak. But like I just know that like they can be so up and down offensively that I'm not I don't want to hitch my wag into them to like really start believing in them to like go and win a lot of football games and be one of the best teams in the NFL. Um but defensively they made a lot of plays to go ahead and win the win the football game. And Trevor Lawrence made some big passes when he when he had to. He had a couple big runs because he had 10 carries, 54 yards, and two touchdowns. Um he it was the day, it was a day that if you were a Trevor Lawrence believer, it gives you the like that's why Trevor Lawrence can be that dude in the NFL. That's why. But also in that same game, he made some mistakes that make you think, oh, this is why Trevor Lawrence, this is what Trevor Lawrence has been throughout his NFL career so far. And why would I think any different? I don't know. It just it I just don't want to like get too far into Jacksonville and just like make them like really think they're they can be that team, and I just know it can change on a dime for them. Um, but I will give them credit. Their defense is playing a lot better. Um, they do have a lot of pieces to throw the football to. Brian Thomas Jr. had a great day, four receptions, 80 yards, especially that one deep ball down the right side of the field. Trevor Lawrence threw a perfect deep ball to him, and it was a perfect, literally the only spot, and Brian Thomas Jr. got the catch. Um Travis Hunter made a few big plays, three receptions, 64 yards. Um they have a lot of dudes to throw the football to, and they like like when they're moving, they they can move. Seriously. They ran the football decently. But again, it was with Trevor Lawrence running the football for 54 yards, but ETN didn't do too bad. Um, but it really this game was really about Kansas City making some bad mistakes in this in some bad spots. Mahomes, 29 of 41, um, 318 yards. They threw the football well. He had a touchdown, then he also had a pick, a very bad pick. He they were in the red zone. Um it was a linebacker. Um, I forget his name. Let me see here. Do I got let me see Devin Lloyd? Um, linebacker, he faked like he was going to uh blitz, and then he dropped back, dropped right into the passing lane. Mahomes trying to throw a quick quick slant to, and then he took it all the way back for like a 99-yard pick six, and I think that was really the difference in this game. Um that was really the that was it, because if they if that play didn't happen, I think the Chiefs would have like gone up twenty-one to seven. I think. Hold on, let me see here. Play by play, scoring plays. Yeah, they would have gone up twenty-one to fourteen. But instead, Jacksonville was then up twenty-one to fourteen, and then it was on Candace A to try to come back, which they did, but then it was just Carolina doing a little bit more at the end to go ahead and win. But like that pick six was probably the big reason as to why the Jags got that win. And they were able to make a few plays here or there to kind of uh go ahead and win that football game, but let's see, box score. But yeah, it was that. Like that was that was the big thing. Usually it's not the Chiefs making the big mistakes and the big spots to win to lose football games, but it was that it was last night. And the Jacksonville Jaguars took advantage, they won. Trevor Lawrence had an awesome game, but it's just but I will say that for the Chiefs, it is very apparent their defense is not what it has been over the last few years. And it is also very apparent that if they want to get back to the Super Bowl this year, it is going to be more predicated on the offense, playing better football and having to carry a little bit more of the load than what they have been over the last few years. So I think with that being the case, and I do think over the last couple of games, I am starting to feel like they got um Xavier Worthy back. That was a big weapon for them. Taquan Thornton is really coming into his own as like the big play threat for this team, along with Xavier Worthy, and then they because they have those big play threats, it opens up the field for guys like Travis Kelsey, Hollywood Brown, and Juju Smith Schuster to make plays um in the middle of the field. And I feel like with that, their offense really is coming together, and not to mention they're gonna get Rasheed Rice back here in the next few weeks after his six-game suspension. So I think with all of that, I really do think their offense will get back to a good point where like they're able to carry the little bit more, and I think they will become a more explosive offense closer to what they were in the first few years that we're starting to win Super Bowls with Tyreek Hill. But my problem with what this Chiefs team can be for this year is that I think their defense is has really taken a step back. And can the defense for the Chiefs make enough plays, stops to win them football games when the Chiefs' offense is really starting to take off? Like that's because there's a lot of good offenses. There's the Bills, and they're again all teams that have issues with beating the Chiefs in the playoffs. I'm not gonna sit here and act like the Chiefs, when it comes to the playoffs, are the big dog. But it's just can't the defense is just is just looking very leaky right now, and that's that's probably the biggest issue that I see for this team. But I do think offensively they are starting to take off. But it's just can they because Mahomes had gotten so good at not making the mistakes that'll lose them football games, like will this start to become an issue where they're starting to uh like need Mahomes to do a lot more offensively, and then it leads to them making more mistakes when it comes to not protecting the football? Like, is that a question? Like, again, when he was doing his thing, he wasn't necessarily he wasn't giving the football away all the time. So I'm not gonna say Aaron act like it's gonna be like a a newly developing problem for him, but it but it's something that has to be answered. Especially with Kansas City now being two and three, and they have to go face the Lions next week. It's like, and then with their schedule, it's not they're they're in a precarious position with where they're at win-loss-wise, with what they have the rest of their schedule. That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying they won't make the playoffs, but like winning the division could be a little bit harder. And if they don't, if they do have to be a like a wild card team or something like that, if they don't win the division, what how does that muddy their um their chances to go? And you know, what the Chiefs always want to do is go reach the Super Bowl and potentially have a chance to win it. I don't know. I'm I'm just saying I came to the realization last week that maybe the Chiefs might just like get all the way back to the Super Bowl again and win it and make me feel sad. But then after watching this game against the Jags, I'm like, hey, maybe there's a chance that like there are a few more flaws in this Chiefs team team than I would like to think, and that like maybe it might keep them from maybe it might give us non-Chefs fans an opportunity to see somebody else in the Super Bowl for the AFC side. That's all I'm saying. And I'm not bit as bitter about it as some AFC Chiefs haters, but I would like to see somebody else have an opportunity at the at the bite of the apple, you know? That's it. Um but yeah, that's uh that's all I got on all the NFL games. Um We're not gonna pot until probably Friday with our prediction pots. We do have to do the prediction for the Thursday night game, which is Philly going to the New York Giants. I just think the Giants are bad enough to where I think Philly probably can win this game, even with their offensive issues that they've had. Um Jace also picked Philly as well. But that's a Thursday night game. Hopefully that'll be a good game to watch. Or it'll just be the Philly doing the same stupid stuff again offensively that'll give them a chance to lose. But I just think defensively, I think Philly, even with I think Jackson Dark will make make some mistakes that'll give Philly the opportunity to kind of run it up a little bit in this game and get ahead. And I don't think the Giants necessarily have the team that can come back from a from a from a deficit like the um like who just did. Why am I forgetting who the Philly just played? Oh no. I don't think the Giants have a team that can come back from a deficit like who did they just play? Oh no. Schedule. Like Denver just did. That's what I'm trying to say. Alright, but that's it. Um that's about it for me. So I'm gonna end the pod here. That's about everything I wanted to talk about. So yeah, that's it. If you've been listening for to the podcast for a while, we appreciate you. 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