The around the NFL podcast thinks they could give Jason Statham a run for his money. From the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's around the NFL. I'm Dan Hansen's got heroes here. Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler, heroes both week 15 preview in bulk. And here's some data points. Boys smell a little data points entering.

Sure. Yeah. I mean, of course, get into this, Dan. I think data, absolutely. Data points.

Here we go. 13 of 30 teams playing Saturday, Sunday, Monday are either seven and six or six and seven. Here's something's going to really blow your mind, Gregy, 43.3% of the league, Aaron Schatz, friend of the show analytics demigod, creator of DVOA and many a hot Saturday nights for the ladies, said on Twitter. Seven different NFL games this week where his projected line is less than three points, including all three Saturday games we have. And you're going to get the recap tonight. A true loser goes home match on TNF. Five and eight raiders, five and eight, chargers. I know they're already dead, but nine losses. Goodbye. And three, seven and six. V seven and six. Both of them. Or two, seven, six and seven and six, both Saturday on NFL Network.

Ding.

And one, six and seven. V six and seven, which should be an elimination game, but it won't be because the NFC wild card race is, quite frankly, uncouth.

I feel like many decades ago, like Pete Roselle, former commissioner, would have a long NFL dream in the middle of the night and it would look like this. Like this is what they've always wanted and we're here.

Do you think Roselle wanted. I know rogue wants it. I think in general, in general, superpowers.

Burt Bell wanted it. Not to get all wrestling on you here, but he would talk about Burt Bell all the time. Sorry, Mark. That was his vision, right? You should just excuse, make it all even.

It's just no reason to do the show. I'm just more saying for as long as we've been watching football, they didn't want four teams to dominate everyone else, and 18 teams are nonexistent right now. Each week we thought about, like, we could speed round through games that don't have a team that matters. And we haven't found one of those games yet.

In the past, we've been able to start picking and choosing late in the season. As it stands right now, that's not really an option for 95% of the games, which is cool. Let's go. Let's figure it out.

No. Yeah. The idea, like the way the NFL draft happened back in the day was to keep everyone competitive. And then the salary cap. It is I think in part the most successful american sport because it's as socialist as possible. They all own the league together and at some point, and they've kind of gotten rid of that a little bit. It was in the best interest of all of the teams to make the league better as a whole in a way that just other businesses aren't. And it happened to work pretty well for this business. That's why we don't have Patrick Mahomes signing for $1 billion. I was thinking like, if Shohei Otani is $700 million, what is Patrick Mahomes's actual value? Like on a ten year contract? I would go like 1.5 billion, something like that.

Otani is kind of an outlier because he's a true global brand.

I get it. That's true.

But Mahomes is becoming that.

I guess my point is that's the goal.

As we know, as we talked about on Wednesday, with the international series expanding, they want Mahomes to become like Messi and like Otani. And I could see it happening.

But a quarterback is more valuable than any baseball player could ever be.

Otani's like in the unicorn world. You literally brought up the one player.

In the history since Babe Ruth that maybe it's different because he's a pitcher.

I mean, you know what? Just look at the Angels record over the last six years. Patrick Mahomes would not be.

Look at their attendance.

Speaking of Chris Wesling, the old lombardism like football is the perfect sport except for one thing. The quarterback's too. Just.

That's what it's all about.

And yet in this weird quarterbacks are telling you that's not true this year.

Yeah, in this weird year, Patrick Mahomes is struggling relative to his brilliant career. All right, let's get into it.

I'm excited.

Let's start.

Mark goes here.

Well, we're going to start with the primetime games. Let's start here.

I like that you're excited though. For what?

Oh, these are the two best games that we're going to talk about today, by the way. Or no, two of the three.

Yeah, we got a banger coming up with our first overall pick in the draft. But let's start with the Sunday Night Football affair. And it is a very good one and it has big ramifications in the AFC. At the top for once, we're going to be talking about the top of the conference, the ten and three Ravens leading the AFC north are they currently the number one? Yes, they are.

Ties. No ties.

And they now travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars, who lead the AFC south. Obviously, Greg, but these are two teams in different places. The Ravens, who have had a very successful season. Obviously the record tells you that. But they also had a big win against the Rams at home on the walk off punt return. The type of game they've lost a few times this year. So just like, okay, three wins in a row. Jacksonville, on the flip side, they looked like when you looked at the schedule a fortnight ago, that's a markism. That means two weeks, it was like, you know, they actually have an inside track to the number one seed, and then they lose to Cincinnati, they lose to Cleveland, and now they kind of need this game to salt away their division and even stay in the hunt for a buy.

And when you look at how the team is trending, they really feel in different. You know, the Ravens aren't so dominant that every game is like a cakewalk. The last two games, they were like, in it tight games against the Chargers and the Rams, who aren't at the top of the league. And yet you look at the Jaguars, and at least right now, I look at them and think, is this team any good? Are they better than those six and seven or seven and six teams? And I think right now, and it could certainly change, they're not. Their offensive line is quite banged up. They haven't played well even when they were healthy. They are 30th in pass block, win rate, I think 20 eigth in run block, win rate. They can't run block. They can't pass block. Lawrence is hurt. He looked fine last week, but he missed a lot of throws. I don't know if that was because he also made a lot of throws so that I'm less worried about, but he threw 27 passes to his two main receivers without Christian Kirk there, Zay Jones and Calvin Ridley, that resulted in 87 yards.

That's a lot of problems for one offense. For a team that can't run the.

Ball, Evan Ingram finding his way has been a big help.

On the flip side, he's been fantastic on the other side of the ball. Their best cornerback hasn't been himself and is out of practice. Tyson Campbell, the secondary has been giving up huge plays. Devin Lloyd's been completely targeted over the last two weeks as a linebacker, and they haven't had a good pass rush all year. That's why I added all up, and I think they're probably better than I'm making it out to be, but right now they don't look like a good team at all. And that's why I'm locking up the. We're just, we're doing it. We're going.

That's how you get a show going.

Yeah.

And Greg has been out of control this season in locks, and I feel like this is not the first, the second or even the third time you've locked up.

Locked them quite Baltimore.

So, yeah, if you're a Jaguars fan, knowing Greg's historic pace right now. Bad news, Mark.

I texted our producing crew that I was also locking up the Ravens, but it's too boring. Not, I just don't want to do it.

It's a shot at you. No, you've been going along.

What are you going to do? Because that would be all three of us doing. And then it's a boat heading off a waterfall at that point.

I'll think about it. Let me think about this.

Okay.

For the show. I'm not doing it. I'm not taking a shot at you. At know your strategy got into Greg's mind last week, and I enjoyed that aspect of it.

It's an interesting place in there.

I'm sure it is.

And crannies in the old Rosenthal mine.

I'm sure it is. To your point about his targets, Trevor Lawrence last week, part of it know it's in Cleveland. It was kind of a gloomy, strange day there. He looked fine to me in terms of his mobility. I mean, he thought he moved around really well. But then it's like, how did it affect everything else about him throwing? Because the one thing I saw over and over was that when he targeted Zay Jones without Christian Kirk in the lineup, disaster occurred every time. He had three interceptions, he had five turnover worthy plays. You're right about Evan Ingram. That's sort of his leading guy right now. But is that how that offense wants to be constructed? I mean, it should be.

Needs to be like a robin to someone's think.

I think the idea was supposed to be Ridley Kirk Ingram and then to a lesser degree, zay. It's like, and it's a spread the wealth because Ridley hasn't. Maybe they thought he'd be more of a number one type and he hasn't been consistent enough for that.

I mean, Kyle Hamilton getting hurt against the Rams would be a huge factor. He's back at practice like the, I guess these injuries that look sort of catastrophic on Sunday, we find out that it's a giggle fest. They're fine by like, Tuesday.

Oh, I'm sure it's probably been a rough week for him. He's probably grinding through it.

I'm not saying he doesn't feel pain, it's just that most of these guys.

He probably hasn't laughed since last Saturday.

Trevor Lawrence has a high ankle sprain. Yeah, and it didn't look like he.

Had the Super bowl on a high ankle sprain. It depends. I think a high ankle sprain is different for a quarterback than for a running back. Like you see Ramandre Stevenson as an example. He has a high ankle sprain. Now, there could be a different variety. It's like see, in a month and we might shut you down a quarterback, it's just a little bit different. But to your point, Greg, it is messing with the lower half of a QB. So some accuracy issues. Even if it looks like he's moving well, maybe it is affecting him. He would never say it. Now here's an interesting stack, Greg, and another reason why just kind of riding the Ravens train this year is wise. Baltimore has trailed. This is from our research notes, an NFL low 1 hour, 16 minutes and 8 seconds this entire season of game time.

A lot of that was against the Rams, right thinking about that game, right.

Season chunk and I don't want to do this because this is not how sports work. But if they just change the ending a couple of those games that they let get away, they could be undefeated right now. That's the type of season the Ravens are having. So yes, it's a big test for the Jaguars. I think they're getting Jacksonville at a time where they're not so sharp. And I do like the Ravens.

I think in some of those games where they got nipped, they were sloppy on offense. I think we felt that way even in London they weren't who they are.

But I way last week at times.

Yeah, but last week also to me showed a bit of a pivot for them where like Isaiah likely in the absence of Mark Andrews, steps up. Odell Beckham, who was just a thought or a theory in London, has completely stepped up and he's part of their.

Offense, an ornament for a while, yeah, but no longer keaton.

Mitchell, who wasn't even part of the offense back then, has been giving them big plays. So it's like I see a team that's kind of like getting more powerful at the right time.

I trust their running game, I trust their defense. I think the passing game can be a little erratic here and there. Even though Lamar is playing well, it's just like they're not always on the same page, but that's their biggest issue. And against this defense, I don't think it's going to matter, although who knows? It's a big game for both of these divisions. If anyone wants any hope of winning the AFC north other than the Ravens, they need the Ravens to lose this game. And if the Jaguars want to let the Colts and Texans back in, they can do it by losing.

If you're the Jaguars and you're looking at your schedule like, not if they fall here, you've just been waxed three weeks in a row by the AFC north.

I'd be very novous if I'm a Jaguars fan heading into this game. Let's see Monday Night Football. The Philadelphia Eagles, team, licking its wounds after back to back humble fests at the losses, at the hands of NSC leaders, now travel to Seattle to get the Seahawks mark. On the surface, a get right game for the Eagles. But a couple things, a couple things playing into effect. Just Philly's not playing well right now, especially their we. If you think about earlier in the season we were talking about, this is just such a complete team. And while the offense has been more or less what we expected, maybe not quite as dynamic, but still more than good enough to get the record they have, it's the defense that's really been killing them. Their last three games. They allowed 34 points to the Bills. Very lucky to escape with a win there, 42 points to the Niners in that blowout. They lose 33, they give up to the Cowboys. So now they get a Seahawks team that quite frankly needs this game at six and seven. They're at home. It's in prime time.

I feel like this is a dangerous.

Spot for the Eagles, too.

Everything feels a little dangerous for them. I would say that this 33 plus points in three straight games came against two of the best offenses in the league and a Buffalo offense that was on its on point that day. So they've been through a gauntlet. I do think that this is the kind of coached team like Siriani said it over and over this week. We're pissed off. We're pissed off. Does that matter? I think it does, because I think this is like a different type of team than 85% of the rest of the league, that they'll respond well. But I will say, like just statistically, their defense is not last year's unit at all. I mean, they're 31st in EPA against the run. If you're Seattle, if you've got a healthy Kenneth walker, if you've got charbonet, you can maybe get some sustain some drives there, keep it out of. Jalen hurts his hand. They're 23rd the Eagles against the pass. It's just not a great defense right now and it's looked like it. They're wanting on that side of the ball, but you are playing. Yes, it's a dangerous situation, but this is a Seattle team that, when they went up against one of the big boys in San Francisco, gave up 527 yards last week, 28 points, and it was like an endless rash of huge plays, explosive plays against a team that looks kind of broken on both sides of the ball to me.

The Seahawks have been struggling and I hate to go all transitive property because usually I don't really believe in that stuff, but this is a unique case where both teams are kind of collapsed, falling apart at the same time, and they both just played the two same teams exactly in a row back to back weeks. And the Seahawks were much more competitive in both of those games. That 49 ers game was a game. It was certainly their best performance against the 49 ers. I thought Drew Locke actually was solid. They weren't embarrassing on either side of the ball, whereas the Eagles were Cowboys game. Seahawks defense has been embarrassing for a while. They were in that game, but the Seahawks offense showed up, made it a shootout that comes out to the end. So it's a little dangerous to do that. But considering how recent the Seahawks and Eagles both just played the 49 Ers and Cowboys in a row, and that the Seahawks are home and that they looked better in both of those games and that they have a chance, I think offensively, we don't know if Gino's back as of this taping.

We're taping on Thursday and they hadn't practiced yet, so we'll see. But I think Locke was good enough that you don't think it's going to be a disaster either way. A quarterback, I expect this to be a total score. Noticed. You said Seth Spice was the only team that's you and Brad Spicer picking games on NFL. I'm the only team that picked the Eagles. They're the only people that picked the Eagles. I mean, the Seahawks to win this game, and I'm kind of with you. I'm picking them on game debut. I think they could keep going badly. This is for the Eagles.

If everyone thinks this is what's going.

To happen, but no one thinks it. Nine out of ten. I don't think three out of three here. Oh, really? You think the Seahawks, I think they.

Are in good position here. Yeah, but here's the thing. If the Eagles well coached, I guess they are very talented, they are well coached. They are pissed off, I imagine, and humbled.

Absolutely.

Would it stun you if they kick butt?

No. They're favored by four and a half for a reason, right.

That can happen. And if they do that, everyone's going to, even though there are tests to come in the playoffs, because we just saw what happened when they faced some juggernauts. But if they get by Seattle and kind of steady the ship, they get the Giants twice sandwiched around Arizona and they're probably the first seed, a very good chance to be. So the sky is not falling and if you get this win, you are in very good shape in Philly.

It's falling right now just because I get know they're panicking and I think they got to just get back to their defense. I don't know if you can fix it all in the back end. I think they can get closer to average instead of being bad, but the offense needs to be elite and it only scored one touchdown last week. And the Seahawks have been by far the worst run defense in the league since week eight, according to EPA. And the Eagles just seem to refuse to run or run effectively. Maybe that's the Hertz isn't totally healthy, but even the Deandre Swift factor. Why aren't they just mashing teams? And this seems like a perfect team to mash against. These have been two of the worst defenses in the league since week eight in general. But I want Philadelphia. It seems like, especially in this matchup, seems like there are options here. And I'm curious, too, what Seattle is going to do. I think one thing they might do is bench Jamal Adams because their defense falling apart has coincided very evenly with Jamal Adams playing a lot and coming back from injury, and he's just a target every time.

You better hide Pete Carroll's wife if that ends up happening.

I think he talked about making some changes and I was like, well, what changes are they going to make because he's their worst player right now.

All right.

Yeah.

When he got toasted last week, watching him doing the sprints, trying to catch up to, I think it was Debo was like, oh my goodness. All right, let's move on. It's time for the first overall pick presented by draftkings. Mark, you got a slam dunk with the first overall pick? Does he?

Oh, it's obvious.

Okay, cowboys at bills.

Come on, Gregy.

Okay, I just didn't know if he would want to his. His interest. This is my interest. I got it. Like it. Let me take a look at what.

That means by Greg.

Hang on.

I know what he's looking at.

It means the Browns have the best early game. We'll get to that later.

Well, first of all, I want this game, but had I go in any, if I go in any other direction, it's an extra eight minutes of discussion about why I went other than this.

You would have ruined the show.

Yeah. Yes.

It has to be the first pick.

Fair enough.

I'm just doing what I already know. Talk about transitive properties and also that's how that works. But I kind of love this game because it's like the Cowboys just did it. Like we were asking them to go win a game against someone and kind of change the way that we feel about them now. I already thought they were that team. We've been saying that for weeks. It's not like suddenly they're legitimate.

But that was a huge victory.

And it's like, how do you respond off of that? Because it's like, we've got a quarterback who is in the thick of the MVP race. You've got a team right now that has won eight games by 20 plus points this season, and it's not just because of offense. It's because they're getting incredible support from their defense. Their special teams is insane. The only other three teams that have done that in the Super bowl era to win by eight games by 20 plus points are these three teams, the 2007 Patriots 18 and one, the 99.

Rams, Super bowl champions, all time offense 96 packers, great Bret Favre championship year.

We just talked about all the problems the Eagles are having. It's like, to me, I don't care where this all ends up. Like, the Cowboys are right now better than the Eagles, and they proved it last week pretty decisively. I think they're far better than the bills. I really do. I don't like that this is in Buffalo. I think Dallas is a really different team. It's on grass. Their losses have come on grass. Does that matter? I think it does.

Just give me the turf. Not the.

Not turf, but, like, actual grass. Well, I don't know about that. I could study that.

But, like, get back to me on.

That one earth graph, post game paint management.

Earth graph.

They're in western New York, not too far from Woodstock.

That's true.

All these things are off.

Woodstock is roughly, that happened 53 years ago, 54 years ago.

But Woodstock 99, 420, bro.

Yeah.

I was talking about.

Yeah, the limp biscuit. Woodstock. That's what I was thinking.

No, I'm thinking of, like, the one that was actually.

No, I'm serious. I'm with you.

Yours was a disaster. That one was a disaster.

Don't say yours.

Well, no, but, like, if you refer.

Does that mean that 69 is yours?

No, you're referring old, are you? No, you're referring to, like, your immediate Woodstock reference is the. I mean, why would you go to seven?

A good time. Greg brought up the 99 one.

That's fair.

There's also 94 when green day ate the mud. That was a sneaky.

Forgot about that.

That one had some pop to it.

All right. Second place. The other one.

Third place, limp biscuit. Third place. This is the one thing is, I think the bills now are in the same. They beat the Chiefs, but we're all like, everyone's down on the Chiefs, and that came down to controversy at the end. But Buffalo right here kind of announces to us, yes, we're for real. Yes, we still are a Super bowl contender or see you later. I don't care mathematically what happens, but it's kind of see you later for me because I know, Greg, you're going to argue they're going to still be a viable wildcard if you get wiped here. I don't know who the Bills are at this point.

I don't know who they're somewhere in between. It's a good game between two great teams, and like you said, the Cowboys.

Are better if they get wiped, though, if Dallas comes in and drops. But I don't think that's going to happen.

That would surprise me on two parts because the Cowboys, as riding high as they are, this really sets up well, unless Dallas is one of those all time great teams, which I'm not ready to go that far, but they are performing like one of those teams to come down a little bit. The Bills obviously once, almost, even though it doesn't eliminate them, it's going to have the feel of a desperate kind of playoff game type vibe for them. And it's interesting that you're going to get a Bills team that they're two point underdog or two point favorites, actually, despite the Cowboys being as hot as they are. So people feel the similar way that we feel that the Bills are dangerous in this spot. I'm thinking if they do find a way, the rest of the AFC is going to go, oh, no.

Yes, I agree with that.

After all the handwriting, and deservedly so, because Buffalo has stubbed its toe time and time again, as Eric Roberts knows, if the Bills come out of this game with a win, they are the team in the AFC that suddenly scares me more than any other team in an uncertain conference. Near the top and quickly.

I think it's like if you get the version of Josh Allen that we've been getting the last couple of weeks and you get it again and they beat like, that's what makes me think, uh oh.

Yeah, their offense is awesome. I think they're figuring it out. I think the offensive line is playing well. I think Josh Allen, if I was doing QB index like Nick, I'd probably have it. This is tough. Josh Allen would be no lower than three for this entire season and just on a game to game basis, I might take him right now over anyone, I think because his highs are just higher and I think he's had a better season. It's really exciting to have him against Dac, who's right now the MVP favorite. But they're getting variety in their offense, James Cook being used more as a receiver. I think they realize what they have in Kincaid. Like they have enough right now on offense. They're using Allen for the design run game. I think they'll put up points in this game. I think it'll be really exciting. But defense matters, too. And I just look at their defense and I'm like, do they have a personnel to do it? Because it just feels like Sean McDermott's cooking up different things and it can work for a couple quarters at a time, but they're just not that good.

And then Micah Hyde is hurt again. Demar Hamlin is probably coming in this week and they need the Hamlin. It's interesting because Demar Hamlin, the only talk about him has obviously been about what happened last year and okay, he's been inactive this year. They need Demar Hamlin, the football player back from where he was before that injury in this game, I think because been kind of a disaster as a free agent signing. Micah Hyde is out. I think Hamlin's going to be playing in this game and they had a nice safety group before and I think it would really help if he can be the player that he used to be. And we have to imagine they don't see him as that player this year or else he would have been on the field this year. This was a guy who was a fill in every week he was starting last year and making a difference. Epanessa is also hurt, so I worry about that matchup. I'm a little surprised you mentioned the Bills are favored in this game. The money line is -125 for the Bills. That's a little crazy. I've gone back and forth all week just thinking who am I going to pick for game debut?

And I still land on the Cowboys because to me they're just still. I've picked the Bills to win, I think every single week this year. And yet I still think it's such a mismatch. Their offensive line versus the Bills defensive line. Jake Ferguson getting it done versus whatever's happening in the middle of the field. They just have more answers offensively. Cooks, it's all happening for Cowboys. They run the ball better and so I just think they're better equipped to win. 37 33.

I was going to say, because doesn't this feel almost like immortal lock that Josh Allen has at least four touchdowns in this game?

I think it'll be a great game.

I'll tell you about immortal lock.

Oh, is he going to do it?

Against all the logic that was just voiced, it is logical, yes. Buffalo is going to change their season and they're going to take this game. I'm locking the Bills. I don't care about the spreads. I don't care about the money.

They're favorite. Stick it up their favorite.

I just don't care what it is.

They're favorite right up your buttocks. I don't know. That was my favorite.

Does take a little of it, but I like it.

The what?

I mean, they're favorites in the game. So it's not overly out on a limb, but for a lot, that's fine.

I think the general football watching population would be impressed that the Bills pulled this off. It's not just, hey, there's cowboys.

Blow out the Bills.

Yeah.

It's like they enter a different stratosphere.

Yeah, I do think there's a place in between where it's a great game and the Bills fall just short and it's really painful again. But that they're seven and seven, they have three games left that they can win all three of those games and then they'd be in the, they're also seven and seven. Yeah.

And the one thing that this is starting to matter at this point, there's not a billion games left. They lose the tiebreaker to the Bengals, the Broncos, the Texans, the Colts and the Steelers.

Well, they might not need to worry about it if they go win the division, which is very much on the table, even if they lose this game, ten gets in, get to ten. You probably get to you right, the.

One thing on their side here is that ten feels like it's going to be a magic number. We've seen it. We've seen eleven and five teams not make the playoffs. But it feels like the way it's shaping up right now, ten should get there. So you got to win three of four. And if you win this one, the Dolphins are going to start sweating because there's a man. Is this division safe? All right, let's take a break and when we come back, we will get into more of the draft. All right. Welcome back. And yes, the Saturday showdown is back this week with an exclusive triple header live on NFL Network. It's a good one, too. You got the Vikings Bengals at 01:00 p.m., Eastern, followed by Steelers, Colts and Broncos Lions in primetime Saturday, December 16. Only on NFL Network and streaming on NFL plus.

No one told NFL Network Saturday is Rosenthal Christmas because my family, I mean.

What'S a better gift for Greg than three games on a Saturday or Greg?

The NFL was told that and specifically.

Decided to lay out china, ruin Rosenthal Christmas. Not happening. But I'm sure your wife's going to.

Be thrilled with that on the background.

To get ready for next season. Here's what I'm going to do that day. I'm going to rewatch Colts patriots the Europe game at 630 in the morning and then watch all three of these and not leave my house.

Start training your body.

Yeah, it makes sense. The body and mind.

I will do what they tell me.

Greg, you're up. I'm in an interesting spot here, one I feel like I've never had on the show.

Okay. Done like 1500 episodes.

Because the game I want to watch the most, and this is rare, the two games I want to watch the most in the early, both involve your teams. But the Browns, it's been uncertain whether they are available, whether they are Mark's team. That is the game I want to watch the most.

But you should.

And are they allowed? Are they available?

You are allowed. Okay. That's an early Christmas gift to you.

Rosetta Christmas.

I'm taking browns.

Can I just say yes.

My concern in terms of coverage, are you going to be watching the Browns on Sunday now?

Are you going to be watching Bill's cowboys on Sunday?

Well, that's in the late window.

I mean, a little tricky. There's multiple windows, but there's the early.

Window and the late window.

Greg and I also both watch our games on a lesser technology. I actually won't be in the office during the early window for the first time all season.

Gotcha.

So no matter what I do, it won't affect Greg on any level unless I start texting.

Wouldn't affect me or you in the program.

The program.

I mean, I will be doing what know on these Sundays. You got to try to do what you want no matter what.

But he says to take it. I'm taking Bears at Browns because I really want to watch this game and it's a bad early window. Jets Dolphins is also very intriguing, but I don't want to take that from you.

Can't take that from me.

The Browns are favored by three, the money line is 166, and it's another game that's very tough to pick because there's a lot of reasons to like the Bears right now. We've talked about the Browns a lot, and I'm sure we will more in this preview, but the Bears really have put together a great stretch of defensive play. For a long time, I kept saying Matt Ibrahfluz is defensive coach. Are you showing me anything on defense? All these draft picks you took in the second, are you showing me anything on defense? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Since week five, fifth in EPA. Their defensive backs, I thought you saw it in last week's game against Detroit, really are great in terms of their communication. Kyler Gordon's playing well, Jalen Johnson's playing well, they mix up coverages well. Montez sweat has added a little heat. Overall, it really looks like quite a good defense, and they're not great applying pressure, but Placo's really faced no pressure in the last couple of weeks. He's been protected well. There's been a lot of injuries up front for the Browns, and they've done an incredible job surviving them. You wouldn't know it.

Bill Callahan is again the greatest offensive line coach in the league. Stefanski's done a nice job coaching and putting a nice group around him, but I'm really curious about that matchup. This Bears defense has been playing very well. Does Joe Flacco make a few more mistakes? Does the Cinderella story offensively for them come back to earth? I think it does, and I think it's a low scoring game, and I'm interested to see what happens here.

Yeah, I mean, EPA wise, the Browns passing attack, Preflaco was one of the worst in the league, and it's obviously there's an uptick. I'm at the point with the Browns where the Bill Callahan thing is masked over some insane injury situations, like they've lost Jedrick Wills, their left tackle. They lost Jack Conklin, their right tackle, Dwan Jones, their very promising rookie tackle has now been put on IR post surgery.

A lot of injuries.

Garen Christian, their new left tackle, is ranked 75th out of 84 tackles per PFF. Their right tackle, James Hudson, is 84 out of 84. So at some point, unless you can continue to mass this over, you got a problem. They also, on defense, not to do.

The injury thing, but we haven't covered this.

We've talked about a lot of other teams as being extremely banged up. Like the Browns already lost. We get it. Maybe the most necessary running back in the league for the team that he's on. They've lost three quarterbacks. They've worked their way through that. Their entire backfield is actually banged up right now. Kareem Hunt is in and out of practice. Jerome Ford is in and out of practice. They signed Grant Telpet, a really promising starry ish safety, to an extension last weekend. And then he just immediately goes on IR during the game.

Ogbo Okaram during the game, they made the transaction.

Well, it just, I mean, you could tell he was done.

He's out for the year. We hadn't mentioned that he might make the Pro bowl and he did.

They announced him his questionable return and then put him on IR. That would be a move.

You could tell right away he was. See you later. Agbo Garanco has been a really productive pass rusher behind Garrett and the rest of that crew and is used really creatively. He's gone. It's like there's been really good year.

They lost three new defensive players last week.

So I give them like Stefanski and the Browns in general a lot of credit because just again, like in that locker room after that game last, like, there aren't that many Browns teams, like anything that just stuck through together through so many stormy situations. But I think you could have looked at this schedule down two months ago and thought, the Bears will be that game that we get back on track if we had a tough week against these previous opponents. And it's like they're a totally different team right now.

They're a berserker.

Right. And so I think it's a real weird situation for the Browns.

This gives me no pleasure to say it, but I think the Browns are ripe to be the team in clear playoff positioning that falls out.

I like the Bears to win this game. It's a coin flip, but I would take the do.

I also believe the Bears are in good position here. They're just playing really well on both sides. Of the ball right now. And that's a credit just like credits to fancy to Ibrahflus is finally finding some type of semblance of an identity with this team. And the thing about Flacco, and it's been a good story, this is his third start, right?

Yes.

But yeah. If the offensive line continues to crumble with injuries and the defense is not what it once was earlier in the season, I do feel like there's some smoke and mirrors going on with the Browns right now. And eight and five, I think could easily be eight and seven going into week 18. And I just got kind of a bad feeling about how their season is going to come.

I mean, maybe, but I would say you could get a Texans team minus CJ Stroud. They play the jets after that, then they play the Bengals. So it's not, those games are winnable.

Including this one, because for all the injuries that happened, and a lot of those happened during the game, so they were already without them last week. They were outstanding. They were peak brown. I know the final score doesn't make you look at it, but then once I watch that game, I realize, oh, wow, they dominated the Jaguars offense and they could absolutely flummox fields, who hits a couple of unscripted plays and is running well. But if you told me they win this game, 1714, that would not surprise me at all either.

Okay, let's move on. The Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they're frisky, they try their best. I think they're scraping the ceiling of their ability this season. And now they have a big test because I think, Mark, you and I both believe the Bucs will be the team that comes out of the NFC south. Well, if you go to Lambeau and beat the packers, I'm loving it. I'm loving your chances of doing that. It's going to be tough because it's packers by three and a half here. And I think with Green Bay, we talked about it. That Giants game, disappointing. Yes, because it really slowed down what looked like a freight train that was building up. But I also looked at that Giants game as they were in a weird spot on the road in prime time with Tommy Cutlet Mania going off and get off to a little bit of a slow start on the road and then they were able to recorrect and then they just didn't take care of business at the end of the game and they get beat. I don't think that didn't feel like the type of loss to me and I could be wrong because they can now revert back to their early season form.

And that's happens a lot in this league this year, where you think you figure out a team and then something else happens. I think it's more likely that that was a bump in the road rather than this hot streak's over. So I feel really good about the packers.

Is he going to do it?

In fact, Greg.

Yes.

I must thank you. You were there for me in my great time of need. You. When I was a fragile baby bird who had fallen from the nest, you lifted me up.

Oh, boy.

Healed my broken wing, provided me shelter in a time of great anguish. But now, with my body healed and mind clear, I must go on my own. Just know, Chief Mighty honk, I will not forget what you did for me on this long journey into the great unknown. I lock the cheeseheads of Wisconsin at home. We flew so high together.

In every mentor's life, the greatest wish you can have is to see that little hatchling grow up and fly away. Chief Mighty honk, be a man picker. Thank you. And yet it's painful. It's painful because you missed those times. Glorious two weeks, that three nothing win.

Watching that field goal split the uprights, watching Greg. Joseph.

Joseph, get us over the top. That fist bump we had as Mark looked on disgustedly. I'll always remember it.

Speaking of the lock competition, let's check out the standings.

Oh, yes.

There's a reason why I rode with Chief Mighty Honk. Because he's 13 and one this season. The west brothers bad loss last week. Nick got a little too high into his character study and laughed at the jets, so they had to humble him. Ten and four. And now me and the cess dog locked at the bottom at seven and seven.

This is the peak. I need to take a picture of this because it's going to get.

I.

Chief Mighty Hawk.

I'll throw one thing out there, Chief Mighty honk, and this is not part of that monolog, because this would be great disrespect to the mighty chief. That Lions game was a little dicey against the Saints late, and then it was a three nothing game with the team of ATN, and I'm wondering if maybe you're due for a stumble.

Well, no kidding. It's mostly luck, like a lot. Half these games come down to the end.

13 and one. I don't know if that's luck, Mark. 13 and one.

I don't think it's luck at all. It's just. It's pure skill.

I think it's quite a bit of luck.

Do you guys agree with me about love, though, and the packers? Yes. Did you come out of that loss, Greg, like concerned about them coming back down to earth?

I'm always concerned about their defense. I never trust it. I'm not going to be concerned in this game because they're playing the bucks. They're only favored by three and a half. A little surprising actually, that it's that low. The money line is 175. I just think, like, how are you letting Tommy DeVito run on you with these read options and Saquon? They collapsed defensively. They were really disappointing. You can't expect love to be elite every week, but they miss Christian Watson and Aaron Jones when they're not out there. I mean, Aaron Jones is back at practice. He's been at practice though, so that doesn't guarantee anything. Watson is out of practice still with that hamstring from a few weeks ago that he had. And AJ Dylan's out of practice. I assume he'll be fine because he finished that game. Dantavian Wicks is out of practice. I don't know. There's not anything about this team that's special enough that I'm just like, chalk it up. You got to wake up. Defense. Who knows? The Bucks have been running the ball surprisingly well with Rashad White for about a month and like, I'm always worried about any team that can run the ball a little bit against.

Got me a little nervous.

No, no. I think it's a very good luck, actually. Packers would have been defensive. It's been a mess.

But I did find interesting that this was the week that, and I know it's because the way that game ended, but every time I go on to x or anywhere, it's like everyone suddenly this week is ready to throw Joe Berry off the side of a building in.

Greenbell.

Everyone's talking about it like this week and it's like they've kind of just been this defense outside of there were a couple of games where the pass rush was spicy with Rashaun Gary. They've been this. But on the love thing, this is a young, super young player surrounded by a bunch of young wide receivers and a young tight end. It's like I don't have a problem with a little bit of ebb and flow. It wasn't like what we saw in those really well coached games previously was just that to the end of. But so I guess I think they'll bounce back. I mean, I think this is a good giant.

I do, too. But the Giants did a good job, making him hold the ball a little longer, confusing him with all those blitzes nonstop. The Bucks Tod Bowles loves to blitz, too. So when one plan works against you, you're going to keep seeing it again. And that's a real test for him, even though they have.

Don't let any, I don't care who it is, any NFC Sal team come into your building.

One thing, though, especially a banged up.

One, Mayfield and the Bucks have been awesome on the road. They've been a better team on the road than at home.

Come on, they're the Bucks.

Here's what the Bucks are. At one point last week, Mike Evans was held to eight yards. They were outgame by the Falcons by 144. And then Baker Mayfield leads them on a wacky game winning drive on one.

Of his worst games of the year, too.

But they've been doing this.

They're hard to figure all year and they're very banged up. Carlton Davis, Vivea, Chris Godwin, William Golston, Devin White, Ryan Neal, all those guys are starters, all out of practice.

All right, let's move on. Snakes to me and yes, I will grab the jets at Dolphins. Dolphins.

Fun game.

Getting eight and a half here. It's in Miami. And guess what else? It is ridiculous. It's the Nance Roma Wolfson game. That's interesting.

Well, was that set a long time ago?

No, it's just that Cowboys Bills is on Fox. Yeah, that's the best early game. I kind of agree.

This is really interesting from both sides.

Not a great week.

We'll start with Miami because just a devastating Monday night loss, as devastating as a loss can be for a team that's doing as well as they are this season, what are they? They're nine and four right now. But to blow that game in historic fashion at home to the Titans, I mean, it's not like you got picked off by a superpower late. It really leads to questions both about their defense, which had been improving as the season went along. I'm not overly concerned about the defense, but yes, plenty of questions about this offense, which, again, listen, it's fun. Yeah, put up 50 points and 600 yards against the Washington commanders, but then he couldn't do anything against Tennessee. And now you got a Jets team that defensively, they've really, as the season's gone on, gotten better and better. And I think while earlier in the season they weren't playing totally up to expectations, I think the jets, especially against the pass, are going to be very tough for Tua to handle. He wasn't very good on Black Friday against the jets. They had that crazy fail mary that kind of put that game away more than anything.

And now they are going to be tested. The Miami offense to once again say we're not just somebody that beats up on the poor kids like we can go and beat up this jets defense and embarrass them. And on the New York side, it's right there now, by the way, not the playoffs because they're five and eight, but in terms of intrigue around this team, if they went to Miami and upset the Dolphins, which I think they have a chance here, Aaron Rodgers could come back Christmas Eve and I know that still doesn't matter, uh, in terms.

Of talking Lombardi teams, they updated that at all, though, because I do wonder if it happened at practice. He hasn't really been at practice and they might have got over there, had a setback and not said it.

We haven't heard anything. Yeah, they have been saying all along that he can be medically cleared to play on Christmas Eve if they are six and eight and mathematically alive. I think you see Rogers because knowing the way that team operates and the way he operates next week, yeah, we'll.

Get past this first, but I like.

The spot, but that's what makes this game otherwise interesting.

I think this is a great week for this game to happen.

I mean, I think the offense is not going to be the same and they weren't the same. Losing Connor Williams at center matters a lot. There were already some issues between Tua and the center quarterback, know, earlier in the year, but losing your center matters on an offensive line where he's calling them the protections and everything else. He's never been the same Tua. When Tron Armstead's not in the lineup and those two guys are gone right now, it's like, we'll see what happens with Tron Armstead. There's a slight chance he could play. Apparently Tyree kill is banged up. Devon a chain did not practice as of Wednesday. So it's like they're missing guys right now. And I think the two upper is precise and productive as he's been like you start taking pieces away around him, I get concerned. But I will say in that Black Friday game, they ran for 167 on the jets and Hill and Waddle combined for 17 catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns. So it's like what they do well worked against the jets on Black Friday when they won 34 to 13.

I'm just saying that game was mission accomplished. I think that was a three point game at halftime before the fail Mary. It wasn't a total bloodletting like they've done to other teams. I don't think it's going to happen here.

I'd be surprised. I am shocked by an eight and a half point spread in this game. The money lines minus 425. I'm with you. If I'm a Dolphins fan, I'm just hoping to get out of here with a win. Forget about winning by eight and a half. This is a great time for this game, for the jets because of the injury. You mentioned Connor Williams because of their offense showing some cracks. They need to run the ball. They ran the ball really well against the Titans. That was the thing that kind of got lost in that game the whole game against one of the best run defenses in the league on paper, and they got away from it a few times inside the ten and Tua made some big mistakes and they just don't operate the same without Tyreek. So him being Tyreek is as important as any player status this week. I kind of expect him to play because he finished out the game and that usually is a great indication. But man, their line without Williams, like it's kind of caving in. And we haven't even mentioned Zach Wilson is easily coming off the best game of his career.

I know he said that was on.

Purpose by me because I've seen too much of Zach Wilson. I get it, to get to buy in off that game, but it's better than him coming off another wretched game.

Different, though it felt different even than the Bengals now, he absolutely could come back. I hear what you're saying, but you have heard quarterbacks say it before, Trent Dilfer, all these others, like, man, after you get benched, sometimes you do come back and you feel like the weight of the world's off your shoulders because the worst things already happened. And Zach literally said that to one of his teammates, the bench, three times before the game. I guess you're right, it didn't work the other times. Maybe I'm just saying there's been a.

Lot of, he's been so inconsistent in his career that any jet fan that's looking at that and saying, okay, now we're going to get that version is overly optimistic.

I hear you protect yourself. The reason I liked it was it was more about the decisions were quicker and he just looked more like a real quarterback versus just hitting some schemes up plays and hitting some trick shots, which he also did and he can do. I think the matchup is tough, the Dolphins defense, despite last week, I think is still very good. But I'm impressed. Briece Hall. I noticed at 1060 yards for the season, yards from scrimmage, Garrett Wilson is actually on pace for more yards this year than last year. So I do feel good. And the jets defense, after saying, wow, they were a little closer to just good earlier in the year, is up to third in DVOA defensively, which passes the test. The things you thought you had that were going to be around are now. I still feel good about that for.

The jets, handsome Hank and Dolphins fans out there because you know my feelings about the Dolphins. I'm going to let you know right now that if you beat up on the jets on Sunday, you will hurt me. Because I do.

You're back in this.

As much as I think it's a bad idea. Listen, you're only alive once. Let's get Aaron Rodgers on the field Christmas Eve. Let's just do it. Screw it. Screw it. Just put him on the field, see what happens. Maybe magic, but you got to win this game first. And Dolphins fans, it's your chance to hurt me.

I really think.

I know you want to.

I'm almost tempted to bring out the rainmaker for the jets, but I'm not going to do that with Zach Wilson.

This close to Dolph.

I guess if I'm forced to take it, I'd take the Dolphins to win, but, man, I don't feel good about it. Short week, too.

All right, here we go. Here we go. Greg, you're up.

Okay. I will take the Giants at Saints early. Saints are favored by five and a half. The money lines, 250 for the Saints. Again, another one where I'm like, really? They're favored by that much against a team that's been playing better than them lately. Defensively, the Giants really have turned it around. Tommy DeVito gets all the attention, understandably, but this was statistically the worst defense in the league through about seven or eight weeks, which is really surprising with Dexter Lawrence and Cave on, and they've been playing much better. They're 10th in EPA since week eleven.

He's the highest graded Dexter Lawrence defensive player in the league right now.

Yeah, I mean, it makes sense.

Come on.

To me, the two all pro defensive tackles are pretty clearly Donald and Dexter Lawrence. They are the two, but Donald's having a great run right now, too. But Ojalari, all them Deontay bakes their pick, they're playing well, and a defense that's playing well and can throw some blitzes at this offensive line, which is getting confused. Like the reason, the best theory, I think, was for Derek Carr and Eric McCoy getting into it, their center was that, and I heard it on the Saints block party podcast and I think it's right after I watched it was that. I think Derek Carr just called out the wrong middle linebacker. He's been doing that all year where he audibles to the wrong play and I think he called out the wrong middle linebacker before the play and I think know got on him for that because sometimes that's a center's job. Sometimes he's like, you keep switching into plays. Why did they read their lips not knowing what? No, but he pointed and saw it and it makes sense. And then that exact player, the mic that he thought was it goes right up the middle because basically he's changing the line protection.

This has been an issue for a car, I think. Change it correctly, right? And changes it incorrectly. And then if that indeed is what happened.

Sure.

Yeah, it's all good middle of December.

Why else would the center get so mad?

There's a lot of reasons.

Well, there could be a lot of reasons because I think it's an extremely frustrating, I think the players, I don't really remember an offense where the players are so visibly frustrated when they should be so much better and they've had injuries and stuff like that. But I mean, it's just a bad vibe. I think to what Dan said last.

Week, it's a vibes off because the Giants have the best vibes in the league.

I would have taken this game simply because of Tommy DeVito, because I wanted it saved the season for Brian Dable.

Oh yeah, Tommy cutlets.

Yeah.

On the road.

We'll see what happens.

Listen, and the Saints have been pretty topsy turvy as the defense this year. If Tommy Cutlets goes down and balls out at the Superdome, we got a sensation and we got the six and eight giants with a pulse.

I'd take them in a second over the Saints in the playoffs.

Who would you take in this game? I'm having a hard time with this one.

This is a hard 01:00 a.m..

I checking out and take the Saints, but I don't know.

I'm taking Giants 20.

I think I would take the Giants.

Well, there's been so much negativity, not just, I guess, within the Saints, but around the Saints, the discourse around them, that you would think they're one in twelve right now, but they're not. The idea that the Saints and they just come off a 27 six win. Like the idea that the Saints can't beat the Giants at home.

They're getting Rashid Shahid back, sounds like, and Taysom Hill, and I think that's Taysom Hill has quietly, we've talked about it, been having a pretty monster important season for them when they've needed someone and they really missed them last week. I mean, one of the reasons that they're annoyed, and it's not just a car thing, but their passing game in general has been such a mess. He's had four games where he's finished the contest with less than 130 yards. This isn't even the car from the past.

I think it's a tough matchup, though, for the Saints defense, who is just bleeding yardage against the run. And right now, last week, I mean, Tommy DeVito is running like the Colin Kaepernick 49 ers offense. Just like a bunch of read option where he runs for ten yards every play. And Sequan looks great. So a great. I think they're a pretty good running team. They found something on offense, and it's mostly the run game that matches up well.

Saquon's had such a good year.

Yes.

I mean, that terrible fumble at the end kind of marred another productive game for him.

But what makes Tommy DeVito more popular? Primarily with Saquon, but the rest of the guys that everyone forgot about that fumble because of what happened, it's like he essentially rescued what would have been a terrible goat scenario for.

Good point for Saquon.

I saw cave on, by the way, like right after the game ended and everybody was like celebrating big time with DeVito going up to him. Cave on kind of brushed him off.

Really?

Yeah. Go check out the footage. Go check out the all 22 on cave on after the game.

Maybe they had a one on one moment later on that wasn't.

Maybe tommy d missed the mic pickup and cave on was on the sideline and he was angry about it. I don't know.

That's mysterious.

All right, let's keep moving. And I mean move. Mark, you're up.

All right, picking an early. There's not a lot to pick from here. I'm going to go. Chiefs at Patriots. An interesting inflection point for the Chiefs, right?

Going. Going after the Pats this early. I like it.

Well, there's only. Yeah, I have limited selections, unless you want me to take one of the two other late.

No, I'm happy.

I think I found out what the shook game is and my main strategy was to avoid the Panthers and I can't in this draft.

You know what it is? Obviously nobody could watch a Patriots, including Patriots fans right now. I can't watch the Chiefs anymore. They're so frustrating. They're very frustrating.

They're very frustrating and it's like they actually lead the league with 52 offensive penalties. So I know everything came down to this conversation about what happened at the end of that game against the Bills, but they've been hurting themselves all season. At this point. I'm not like looking at a team that's going to go figure it out. I especially don't like that. Isaiah Pacheco did not practice again on Thursday with a shoulder injury. Donovan Smith did not practice. There are some issues here. The best part about this is you're playing a Patriots offense that is the worst in the league. You are showed a pulse at least.

In the first half last.

But I think that the Chiefs defense, you can count on them. I do. I mean, I think the Patriots defense has been good. So it may be a close game, but there are a lot of issues swirling in New England. We learned this week from our friend Tom Curran. It wasn't like a report, but he mentioned on a show that Robert Kraft, the owner, has already decided to fire Bill Belichick after the season. And then it came after that Colts Patriots game in Germany overseas, which is.

Funny because we had talked about a lot of the reporting and the vibes around the Patriots at the time was like crap. Really wanted that game. So for them to lay an egg there, that's interesting. We actually have Belichick again. He's being asked all the time now, like what's your future with the team? And he's taking on, true to form, a belichickian type demeanor and press conference in the AFC with this game that the stakes are that we're playing Kansas City. Does it seem like a higher stakes game than normal playing Kansas City?

I mean, he was also asked directly, did you have an agreement with Robert Kraft that there will be a party ways at the end of the season directly? And that he also said, we're on to Kansas City for that. So they are not afraid to ask tough questions to Bill Belichick right now. It's a little depressing. And look, Kraft could always change his mind, but that makes sense that that was their thinking at that point, that they had already kind of made their decision and that they're just going to play out the string here and they're not going to fire him in the middle of the season. That makes sense.

Crazy really crazy. And you know what else is crazy? And I know Patrick Holmes. These guys get asked questions and then they respond and then you have to be able to.

Right.

Is this an actual feeling he has or he's know the media is turning into a bigger story. He's talking about Cadarius Tony, about what he needs to do after his latest major foul up, lining up off sides and everything. And the headline out there, know message to Kadarius, Tony, just be you. Basically, the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs have a wide receiver that is this ineffective and mistake prone, they have no choice but to kind of keep him in the mix because they don't have anybody. And I know his role has lessened. But the desperation around the Chiefs, I think it's notable. They kind of need Tony and everyone else to contribute to somehow get this thing back on track.

Right. They were featuring him early in that game. He made a couple of plays. He had a big drop. He's talented.

He won the Super bowl. Basically.

It's not like there's magic answers. They have the players that they have and some of them need to step like especially when Pacheco's out. I think this matchup is a little tricky for them because the Patriots have an elite run defense. They're the best run defense in the league for about three months. They're not very good stopping the pass, which is so bizarre that that would match up well with the Chiefs. I tend to think that Mahomes will find a way to pick them apart. It's not a great secondary and that they'll do enough, but the Patriots defense will generally make you throw the ball because they're going to stop you running and they generally give up big plays. So maybe this is a chance for Patrick Mahomes to pass Bailey Zappi in touchdowns of over 20 yards this season because right now they're tied.

They each won, right?

They each have one. I mean, they each have one.

The Mahomes's deep ball stats are ridiculous.

They cannot throw the ball deep. The Chiefs are favored by seven half. It's interesting, I saw that number was bigger earlier in the week. So people are actually going towards the Patriots. The money lines minus 375 for the Chiefs. I don't know. It wouldn't surprise me if the Patriots cover here, at least I don't think they'll win. But it wouldn't surprise me if it's.

A little dicey if the Chiefs do not move heaven and earth this march, in April and May to help Patrick Mahomes. That is malpractice by Veech and company.

I mean, his, his cap number becomes like they're, they're becoming one of those teams with some top heavy.

Well, they should just do their Otani thing where it's like paying $400 a year and then just push it back into the 2070s.

They will.

Maybe there's a loop.

They will renegotiate his.

That's kind of the NFL equivalent of it. All right, Mark, hit another one.

Houston at Tennessee. This matchup for Houston, it's not the team they were. CJ Stroud is still in concussion protocol.

I would be at this point Thursday.

Very surprised if he plays. Nico Collins is hurt.

Tank Dell is out for the Collins's status.

Been out of practice, so possible, but.

He'S not going to be 100%. Dalton Schultz is banged up. Their tackle. Titus Howard is banged up. Laramie Tunzel did not practice. Will Anderson did not practice on Wednesday.

So they're all their best players.

This is your team and you're playing a Tennessee squad. In Tennessee. They've been very good at home. Will Levis is totally know. Derek Henry is still Derek Henry. And so I don't like the spot for Houston that's sitting there in that seven and six world trying to hang on and get by life without their star young quarterback. I think one little note to this game, this feels absurd to me. By the Titans. It's delicious. It's delicious. But it's kind of like I'm surprised the NFL greenlit this. Of course, the Tennessee Titans were the Houston Oilers and moved in the mid ninety s. Yes. I think we're at the age where some younger people don't know that with some of these moves that happened in the 90s, they just don't know. But the classic Houston Oilers uniforms, the Titans were greenlit to wear them a couple of times this year and they did earlier in the season. And they're now going to go into, they're going to host Houston, who are the Texans, and start it as their own franchise. I get that. But like, wearing their Oilers uniforms, that's a disgrace. Houston, remember, asked the University of Houston to not wear those essentially same.

So they do care, no matter what they say, they do care about those uniforms being worn by someone else and your opponent is wearing them against you on the road.

I kind of think that's who loses. The fans, the fans that have been around and been following Houston professional football from the love you blue days that fell in love with football, with those teams. Now they have to be against the team wearing it. That's like, imagine that happened with the Browns, Mark, how disgusted and furious you'd be, and I am totally with you. That is absolutely. You don't do anything to antagonize fans that lost their team because of business decisions by ownership. That's disgraceful.

Yeah, but it's the same ownership. I know, but Adams is dead. But his daughter, Amy Adams trunk, who's very well respected around the league and certainly had a different tone than her father, who I think people had more mixed feelings about. But she did this. It's ultimately, this is.

What do you mean?

Yeah, but here's what I'm getting to it's like this is ultimately an ownership decision. She knows how much.

It's disgraceful.

Yes, that's what I'm saying.

Who cares? She may be respected, but I'm just.

Prefacing it to getting to that. She knows how much Houston hates her father and she's sticking it to them. Ultimately. There is part of.

That's the truth, Greg. That is as petty as it gets.

So the NFL just, you think they said, hey, great idea, full uniform.

I think the bigger thing is they want to wear the uniform and all that and stuff, but they know what they're doing, doing it against the Texans. So it's a little bit of sticking it to them, don't you think?

But that's the thing. You're not sticking it to the players or the coaching staff of the Texans. You're sticking it to the fans, to the fans who've been loyal to the brand of the. Can't happen.

It's quite a, is it is quite a move.

I hate this game for the Texans, for everything you just said, mark, I think the Texans are in a lot of trouble. They were without a pulse against the jets, and I know they were in the rain, and they know dealing with injuries happening during the game, including to Stroud and Collins going out in the first drive. But I don't see them scoring points.

I don't like Davis Mills, but he's got a lot of experience. You're not throwing in one of these.

Backups we've never heard of as backups.

Who's he throwing to? Even CJ Stroud couldn't move the ball with the cast of characters that they had last week.

Well, he's going up against one of the worst past defenses in the league, although they're coming off a game where they didn't. Well, against. But yes, he's throwing to Noah Brown, Xavier Hudson, Noah Chance, John Metchi, maybe Robert woods. It's tough. And the Texans linebackers, the word is out how much you can just pick on them in coverage. I did like how much they're using Taj. Spears and Henry together. I mean, Spears, they have like three players on offense, Spears, Henry and Hopkins. And they're leaning into it. Like Spears now leads all rookies in yards from scrimmage. He is a really good player. They can be a good running team. I give the Texans a chance here, but the Titans are favored by three. That's not surprising to me. And the money lines minus 142. I do like the Titans, like you guys.

All right, let's take a break and then we'll finish out the draft. Welcome back. It is the week 15 preview show in bulk. If you're just joining us, be weird. It's a podcast, but we are wrapping up the draft. And up next is Greg Rosenthal.

I need a late game here. Okay. And what did I say? I'm taking, I guess I'll take commanders. Rams. Rams favorite yolk commandos by six and a half. I kind of am regretting this choice just because of strategy purposes, but it's too late. The money lines minus three or five. How about the Rams being like, heavy favorites here in week 15?

I mean, Matt Stafford could throw for 400 yards against the secondary.

Yeah, that is the thought. I don't know. I know they've played really well lately, but I still think they're a team that's overachieving defensively. Washington has the extra rest. They have talent on the rest beat. Yeah, they're capable, I think, of making this a good game. I certainly would. Still, it'll be good to Rams rest.

Stop with Greg Rosenthal.

Would it, you know, to know who's got the rest?

It's got extra rest.

I mean, we're going to get it anyways.

Yeah.

Might as well brand it, make some money.

Put it into little.

I need some analytics on the little window this year, how they're doing versus the spread and all.

Save it for the next episode of rest stop. Yeah, there you go.

Maybe I'll ask Sam Schwartzein tonight on the Thursday night recap. Perfect. You know the guy who pops up in the corner if you're watching prime vision, which is on in my house. That's Sam, and he's going to be maybe a good person. He'll be at the game. The Rams defense, though, has been as good a coaching job to me as the offense. And the offense has got, just because of the guys they're doing with. They play with their hair on fire. Michael Hoyt playing well lately, but Kobe Turner and Aaron Donald, I noticed this this week really surprised me. Are top two in the league in terms of pass rush, win rate from defensive tackles. Yeah, Aaron Donald, you would expect that. And Aaron Donald's on a heater, by the way. He is back to being good player like defensive player of the year type Aaron Donald the last five or six weeks. I mean he was good all year, but he's back to on fire. And Kobe Turner's a mid round rookie who hasn't gotten a lot of heat here and so they're getting good contributions. Ernest Jones at linebacker who had that big Super bowl performance a couple years ago, is playing really well for them and they should have enough, you would think, to force a few commanders mistakes and do well.

Offense well and it's been a little bit better. On the Howell gets sacked eight times a game front, but he still has been taken down more than any quarterback in the league. Leads the league in pass attempts, too. I mean, they're kind of just putting a lot on him and so their offense has been like, I mean, you think about the way they lined up the eight sacks.

So he's 18 away from David Carr, by the way, for the all time.

Record, by the way, that's a stretch. He's got a four game because they haven't. Some of the worst games have been.

Pace has slowed down.

Yeah, but it's butterknifeing it a little bit, but sneaky. Total collapse by the commanders. They've won one game in the past two months.

Well, they trade away two of their defensive centerpieces like they fire their defensive coordinator. Everyone knows the coaching staff's getting fired. Like there's a human element where people have been in the building for a month listening to these coaches who are walking dead, man at this point in.

The defense before trading them. Whatever they were trying to do on defense, and this was a team that envisioned being defense first. It clearly wasn't working. It's not going to work. So this is a bad matchup and it's why I told a friend who lost their both their quarterbacks for fantasy and Stafford was somehow available. Are you kidding me? I was like, I'd start Stafford in fantasy over almost any quarterback in the league this week.

What's going on in that single QB league?

I get out of my life?

Come on, it's bad.

Stafford does not get left on a bench or in the free agency.

Yeah, it's a little weird.

30 points in three straight games. He's been whipping touchdown passes left and right.

I mean, what is that guy in.

A league with like, a bunch of toddlers?

What a disgrace.

Yeah. Dan has been running his son's team and has had no choice. Is happy to be on a win streak and sneak into the playoffs backdoor.

To poor little my. Like, forget about the Browns. I'm on my fifth quarterback in that league. It's just been a heroic effort. Heroic?

You're the general manager.

Essentially, yeah. It's fallen to me. The kids weren't ready for fantasy football yet. No, we brought them in to give them a shot. They check in, they ask, did we win?

Yeah.

Protect them from the bad news.

But when four QB is going ir, they're not combing through the waiver wire. So dad has to come in to save the league. I mean, it's magnatic.

It is integrity. Yeah, I agree. I don't like it when there's dead teams.

All right. Did we talk about Kyron Williams? Because we should. Because he's averaging 110 yards from scrimmage this season. That's the third most in the NFL. That's in the Chris McCaffrey Tyree kill zone.

That's a fantasy league winner. Anyone that got Tyron Williams should be doing well.

Did you know that back in 2018, Todd Gurley averaged 130 yards per scrimmage for an entire season? Tod Gurley was so effing good, and then it just disappeared. But I'll remember Todd Gurley as, like, sneaky. One of the best running backs of the last 20 years for what, three years?

One of those quarterbacks, one of those running backs with, like, the brilliance window was just short because of injury. Like Terrell Davis had that he got.

In the hall, I think Terrell.

But an outlier he should have been because of who he was, but an outlier type.

He's a TD hall of famer, but he will not go to the hall of fame anyway.

He didn't have quite the stretch either, by any good. Terrell Davis did. TD was in terms of like a five year stretch. Yeah. Anything else got paid, too. Got that big contract. Yeah.

The Rams were like, what? We shouldn't have done that. All right, I'll close it out now. Let's start with I actually like this game, so I'm happy to get it here. The Niners at Arizona, that was where my regret was.

I would have rather have that.

Yeah. This one was a game that I was circling, maybe earlier, but it all kind of worked out. So I just think the Niners are the opposite. Of the Chiefs right now. They are a team I love to watch. They're just so fun, especially on offense. Obviously Debo Samuels on one of. He's had heaters throughout his career that is starting to flirt with a Hall of Fame career at this point. A few more years of this, I.

Feel like all these Niners players, if.

He, he scored three touchdowns two weeks ago, he added two more and nearly a third last week. And when he is humming and doing his thing, they are absolutely impossible because you have McCaffrey and you have Ayuk doing his thing and kittle pepper in kittle with a big play every now and then and it's just like purdy seeing it all and in complete command of the offense. It's very bad news, obviously, for the Arizona Cardinals. I would say the only thing, if I'm speaking of fantasy, 49 ers might be so far ahead of this game at halftime that they pull the reins back now.

Wow.

The reason why I like the game is because at least now Kyler's in the mix and you have a chance here. Are we heading to rest stop, Greg? Should we head to rest stop? Head to rest stop.

The Cardinals do have extra week off here coming up.

You think that makes a difference?

Here they are at home. They're twelve and a half point underdogs at home. The 49 ers are minus 850 to win the game.

That feels fair.

The first time these teams played it was a weird game. I remember it was close going into the fourth quarter, but it never really felt close because the 49 ers had a huge lead. It's a Kyler heat check. I don't. That was a good ep of rust. I don't think it'll be close, but it is a Kyler heat check because I really felt like he was coming into his own before the buy, really impressing in a way that was a little different than he had been under Cliff Kingsbury. And this is an ultimate heat check. If he can just play well in this game, you're like, okay, again, another reason that he will be around there next year. Not traded.

I mean.

And yet the Niners defense is allowing fewer points than any team in the league. And it looks like I, it's almost like they're so good all over the place that it's like we talk about Purdy, we talk about Christian McCaffrey has more yards against NFC, his own division against NFC west teams than any player against their own division going back to 1950. So it's like it starts right there and then you just dole it out. Purdy's 9.9 passing yards per attempt are the most in a single season all time. The next closest player right now is 1.38 yards per attempt. And it's like this is not even when it's like you take away the yards after the catch. He's not who people thought he was a month ago. We already all understand that, and he is right where he should be in the MVP race. But he's been nearly perfect. And this is not a team that, under Shanahan has like letdown games. I feel like other teams you worry about a trap. I'm not worried about going to Arizona where half that fan base sold their tickets to Niners fans anyways.

Yeah, they're at a level, I think, right now offensively, and we saw it last week where they don't even have to bring their a game because their b game is enough to blow out to be. It's a show every week. And the only question is can they stay healthy down the stretch and can Kyle Shanahan exercise demons? It's a great subplot.

Shanahan, he wouldn't choose. He was put in a tough spot having to choose between McCaffrey and of.

Course you don't say it.

Yeah, of course you don't say it. I think Purdy stuff. Purdy is different than he, I think has been the first 2025 games in his career because he knows better when to take chances. I think here he got very lucky. I think with turnover luck for a while and then it started hitting him and I think he's been much more careful with the ball. That improv play he had to iuke. He's known exactly when to take a chance and he's hit it, but he's been much safer and that's really helped the final game.

No surprise here. The Atlanta Falcons are giving three points to the Carolina Panthers, an over under of 34. Who's on this one? Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Christina pink on the sideline. I'd rather not really focus on the Panthers at all because it just makes me sad. And they are looking to restart the brain trust and hope to get Bryce Young on track for next year. And hopefully Bryce Young makes it through the season healthy and has a clear path in the offseason. The Falcons are coming off another disappointing loss. They just cannot sustain any momentum. I think it should be noted, mark, that Desmond Ritter has been better since returning from the bench. It was the right move in retrospect, to Arthur Smith's credit and I've been as hard on Arthur Smith as anybody to go back to Ritter because he does have the ability to make plays. He also has the ability and the incredible consistency to make a bad play that either disallows the team from putting a team away or outright costs them games. So you kind of know in some ways he is consistent because you know what you're going to get.

You're going to get some impact plays with his legs and with his arm and he's going to kill you with a mistake or two by the end of the four quarters.

I think one thing though that is really promising about last week is, and in general like Drake London, who a lot of people arguing that he vanished for periods of time, that all their star players are vanishing through the year. London's coming off a game where he had ten receptions for 172 yards. To your point, Ritter had back 350. And so yes, it's kind of like you see it at times. I feel like they just come and go as an offense, but you are playing a Panthers run defense that is literally last in the league in EPA. I think you could just go do your thing. You can go do your thing and these guys played in week one and you don't have any concern about Falcons on defense against this offense that is a non starter. Jesse Bates had two picks in the opener and I guess it's kind of like a litmus test of like, will you see Jesse Bates differently this time? If you're Bryce Young, are you going to see anything? Because I just feel like it's getting worse and so it can't end fast enough for the Panthers. If you're the Falcons and you don't take care of business here, it's like, I think we're all allowed to not believe in you one iota.

Well, yeah, the moneyline is -162 which feels like value because if the team that loses to Carolina loses the division, your season is over. I declare it. I do declare if any of those NFC south teams lose to Carolina, they're just not going to win the division. I don't think the Falcons would do such a thing, but it is Arthur Smith, year three, the end of year three and it's like we should be seeing what the vision is all come together and I kind of see it.

Speaking of a vision, I see a vision. A vision of beauty and grace. Into the studio comes Lakeisha Wesley.

This is perfect. You want to be the person that comes on after the Panthers Falcons preview? Yes. Everything seems amazing.

What's up girl.

Hey, girl. Not girl.

I think grace tripping.

It's okay. What's up? How are you?

Good.

It's always so funny to be back in the office and seeing everybody. It's like taking a grand tour.

Yes. I got you.

Thank you.

Lakeisha is staying with the Hans's family this week.

Nice.

And that's always a treat.

And, like, what part of that? I've been to your house a few times. What part of there?

She has privacy.

Yeah, down by the pool area. Okay.

That's beautiful.

It's like a bachelorete is.

It is. And we have a nice gathering planned for tomorrow to celebrate both the holidays and Lakeisha.

I love it.

We love when Keisha's here.

I still can't believe I missed you all. Like, man, I'm just running around crazy. I'm like, I look in here and it's like a ghost town. I'm like, wait a minute.

Where'd everybody go?

I missed Colleen. Like, what's going on?

But I'm with you, Dan. Like, birth of Jesus, Christmas. That's all fine. Keesha coming to town. Yeah. Proper order of celebration. This is a family right here.

Lincoln's not happy, though. He's been talking about coming out to California again. And then when I had to break it down to him, that had to.

Come out here for work, wasn't happy.

Lakeisha showed my son the picture of Link and Harrison's. Like, he's so much bigger now.

He is he really following on instagram? But does he still have a Spider man like obsession?

I don't know when that's going to end.

And I'm all for it.

I love it.

It's a good one.

I'm bringing him out in February, though. I'm going to bring him out around for Chris's birthday so you guys can see how big he is. There's actually even this picture that I wanted to show you guys that we took. And look how much he looks like him.

Oh, my God. And we'll put this up on YouTube, maybe on social channels. That is adorable.

The little, like, vans and stuff.

I love it.

Link is the miracle after we lost Chris that Chris is in our life forever, because Link is in our life forever. And, of course, Lakeisha and Keesh, you are someone who takes Link to Cincinnati.

Yes.

To keep Link and yourself connected to the westling family.

Yes.

We do have a lock. That was a Saturday game lock, so didn't fit into this show, but we need to get it in the show.

We have our Saturday previews on our Wednesday show. If you missed it, check that.

So here is the zookeeper, also known as Nick Wessel.

Hey, heroes. I guess I got what was coming to me last week. I was arrogant and making fun of the jets and then they went and blew out the Texans. Didn't really see that one coming. I don't know that anyone really did. Sometimes that's the way it the most disappointing part is now Greg has a three game lead with, what, eight to play? No way anyone's going to come back and beat him. He's got it sewn up. And I know that's disappointing for the listeners because they all hate when he wins, because he's boring and doesn't have any fun. And that's what this show should be all about.

This is fun.

This week I think the Bengals over the Moravon team of ATN, three to nothing on a last minute field goal.

Last hey, Dubs.

A dub against a terrible team. What is going on with them? I don't know. The Bengals, they look good the last couple of weeks. We'll see if the offense can keep it rolling, but the key is going to be can this Lou Anoromo defense.

Come extend the music this week at.

The end of the year and carry them into the playoffs. They got a tough road, but I think they can win three out of four. Lock it up this week and see what happens next.

I'm happy to see him crack a smile about two and a half minutes into that because can we remind Nick.

Of the time limits next time? I was having so much fun listening to that fun lock. I fell asleep there for a minute.

I think. You know what I think happened with the zookeeper? That was a jarring lock reversal on him and I think it took some of his swagger out. So he needs Cincinnati and the Bengals to lift him.

When I made the video, I actually had to check. I was like 121.

Did I double it up? I had to make sure that I didn't. He's in a place. He's obviously in a place. Nick, who is obviously a charismatic man and always loved seeing Nick and Chris together because they would chop it up and argue and have a good time. One of my favorite moments from the wedding weekend in Tybee was being there at, I think it was Wayne and Rosie's and they're tossing cornhole, they're tossing bags on the morning of the wedding and both of them not a care in the world, kind of looking more or less exactly like each other.

Same body language, sounding the same when they're sounding when they're laughing and just.

Talking, like, merciless to each other during the entire game. And so having Nick part of the show, another way to keep Chris.

All of the brothers are like that, too. It's so crazy. It's like, I don't know how their parents dealt with that, but none of.

Them look and sound as much.

And there are actual twins.

Spilled water for the second time on my.

They each have, like, a little, like, anytime I look at them, there's, like. It's either I see Chris in the eyes or I see Chris in the smile. Like, anytime I'm around any of them, I look, and there's, like, I always see something. It's just like, okay.

I see Chris in, you know, lakeisha.

Like, streamlined Chris turned him into essentially a ball male model.

Right.

When I say that him and Nick were similar, imagine Nick. Yeah. Gone through a wes.

What you did with Wes, the fashion makeover, just the look.

He was bod.

He was humming.

It's just putting a little effort, that's all.

Just putting a little. I mean, it's hard.

Greg's acknowledged that his significant other bought 98% of his wardrobe, too, so it's not that unusual.

I think it's a pretty common thing that happens with very common significant others.

Nice.

He took over on his own. Like, I was just. He, like, flew like a butterfly into his own fashion world. I was like, go off.

Keesha. Anything else you want to add?

I got to do something cool. Last weekend, I got to be a key speaker for the American Cancer society in St. Louis. There was an event called the coaches versus cancer, and so I got to share my story, and it was good, especially some people that didn't listen to the podcast. I got to reminisce on the past and stuff, and it was pretty powerful. Just making sure people listen to their bodies and go to the doctor and get things checked out, because it's a huge difference if you catch cancer early.

Great. That's great. Important advice. And also because you've been working on it. In my home, Lakeisha works for the NFL as well. What are you working on? Where can people see the stuff that.

You'Re working on right now?

I produced the series NFL generation, so basically, it's like an NFL legend with the current player. They'll sit down and go over each other like highlights and talk about how they different back in the day versus now. And that has been so much fun this season. I just finished a piece with John Randall and Miles Garrett. It's on NFL plus. And it's just been a lot of fun.

Nice.

What's the.

That's, like a good plug. You dropped a, uh. We look forward to the Bernie Kozar Josh Allen episode.

And you had the great Keesh. That because I heard, John Randall, you were sitting at the dining room table working, and you made the point that this job connects to Wes, too, because he's such an NFL historian. And he would have gotten a kick out of you working on projects like that.

Yeah, I thought about that one time. It's like learning all this history and it's just like, man, somehow it feels like Wes is kind of like, talking through me through work and stuff.

Awesome.

John Randall is basically my uncle now, just FYI.

Yeah.

You have to become friends with these guys.

Didn't he give you, like, a ride from the airport or something? I mean, that's next level. Johnny Randall. All right, Keesh. Can't wait for this weekend. And great times. And always better when you're around.

Love you guys.

Love you, too.

All right.

And that is it for around the NFL. The week 15 preview TNF recap tonight. Check that out. NFL plus, both Lakeisha's project and our show also there. And then we'll see a flagship show Sunday night.

Heed the call.