Wildes' Pats in Mud Room of Destiny, Brou's message to Ravens, Eagles in trouble?

Interactive Transcript

Speaker A Drake May is on the doorstep of destiny.

Speaker B What's the destiny?

Speaker A To take over from Josh Allen and reclaim the AFC east that is rightfully ours. Doorstep of destiny. Also on the doorstep of destiny. Ooh. Stefon Diggs revenge game next week. Next week.

Speaker B Holy cow.

Speaker A We're on the doorstep of destiny. And the Patriots yet again are on the doorstep of destiny. Drake Mays on the quarterback of the team that is on the doorstep of destiny. It's revenge season first stepon Diggs back in Buffalo. I'm just letting everybody know we're on the doorstep of destiny. Oh, yeah. Sorry. Pug Tanay Phillip football is here to say we're back on the doorstep of destiny. Live from New York, it's a show that's currently behind the doorstep of destiny.

Speaker B What is this?

Speaker A I just want to hammer home that I was right about absolutely everything.

Speaker B Come in.

Speaker C Who is it?

Speaker A Oh, it's the team of the 21st century is who it is.

Speaker B We're on the doorstep of destiny.

Speaker A Now we're out. We've entered the foyer or the mudroom of destiny as we are back. Maybe super bowl contenders, maybe the cream of the crop of the AFC East. Whew. I am just on an epic, epic run of being. I feel like you a little bit.

Speaker B The last 96 hours for you have been like, what? Yeah, that's worst.

Speaker A Up on destiny running again twice.

Speaker B We're back through.

Speaker A We're back to the doorstep of destiny.

Speaker B I'm happy to.

Speaker C Oh, well, you take a shot.

Speaker B Cause I'm back to being myself. I'm finally free. Had to be able to play the.

Speaker A Nice guy for years. Now I can be my jerk self. It's a first hour. First things first today. Josh and Jalen, undefeated no more. Should we start to worry about the Bills or the Eagles or both? Meanwhile, last week, Brew came in on a stretcher. How sick did this Ravens blowout make you? Brew? Don't answer now. Wasn't good. And finally, another win for the Cowboys. Are we starting to think about the playoffs in Dallas? Alongside Nick Wright, I'm Kevin Wilds. Brew, how'd you like the doorstep of destiny?

Speaker C Congratulations.

Speaker D Wow.

Speaker C I'm happy for you.

Speaker B Yeah, I am. I'm legit happy.

Speaker A I am happy for you. Thanks. I. I feel like you needed this. W. I know, but I actually, like, prefer to be the underdog. And now I have to carry the show.

Speaker B It's just a lot. Don't worry about aren't good.

Speaker A The Chiefs are mediocre.

Speaker D It's all on me.

Speaker C You had another correct Maybe we'll see tonight about what those 37 points the Chiefs put up. I'm not so sure how impressive it was. Now every. I mean, you gotta get at least 40 against my Ravens. I mean, it'd really be a great offense. My goodness.

Speaker A But we are starting the first hour of First Things first on the doorstep of destiny. Drake May throws for almost 275. Stefan Force. No. Stefon grabbed 10 passes for 146 to 30. Patriots forced three turnovers. Walk out of Buffalo with the W. Here's Stefan on the atmosphere in upstate New York.

Speaker D It was lit like, you know, prime time.

Speaker C I played here before, I've been on the other side. It was just electrifying.

Speaker D And I knew that it was going.

Speaker C To be a test for us, like.

Speaker D Obviously with the guys that we got.

Speaker C And you know, you know, we are.

Speaker D New to each other. I think nine new starters compared to 11 on offense.

Speaker C So going into a hostile environment and the biggest thing is just the fundamentals and being violent, you know what I'm saying? Like be the aggressor. It's going to be a hostile day, you know, that's a great football team.

Speaker D So trying to take the fight to them.

Speaker A Steph, what does it say about the Patriots?

Speaker C We won the game.

Speaker A He's locked in. If anyone wants to go through the doorstep of destiny, feel free.

Speaker B It's like a spot.

Speaker A You come out there feeling great. What did the Patriots prove?

Speaker B They now have to make the playoffs. Oh, that's how like so prove, I guess maybe I'm not, you know, grammatically answering the question, but they prove to me that anything short of finding a way into the playoffs in this year's AFC now would be a disappointment. Their next three games are Saints, Titans, Browns later in the year. They still have three left against the jets and Dolphins. They are a, in my opinion, solid team going into the year. I thought they could make the playoffs, but it was partially because I thought they could be solid and partially because of the schedule.

Speaker A Now the Bengals are no good.

Speaker B Right. So the Bengals are no good. We'll see. Honestly, not poking what the Ravens are. Ravens in week 16 might be the scariest team in the league because they might have to run the table to get in or they also might have. Look at it, packed it in. Yeah, right. So that. So but they. I now if I were you, I would today feel two overwhelming emotions. One is just excitement and vigor because to me that was your guys best win since Tom Brady was your quarterback. Because even the Mac Jones year, you guys made the playoffs, at least for me, maybe not for you. Felt like, okay, this is a cool story, but this team has a pretty hard ceiling. So I would feel that and I would feel the most exciting feeling in. In football, which is now every game really matters now. Like you have the angst of if you were to lose to the Browns in three weeks, you're sick to your stomach for four days. Cuz the stakes really matter. But that's a fun feeling.

Speaker A Yeah.

Speaker B So I'm happy for you in that regard. And I think they're a good team. I think they're a sol.

Speaker A Take it.

Speaker C Ready for me to go?

Speaker A I would love it.

Speaker C Let me reiterate.

Speaker A Here we go.

Speaker C How happy I am for you.

Speaker A Okay.

Speaker C All right. Because you gotta win and you haven't had one in a while.

Speaker A This feels like. When you say you like Geno Smith.

Speaker C What did the Patriots prove yesterday? It pains me to say this.

Speaker B Nothing.

Speaker C Not a darn thing. Why?

Speaker B About the doorstep.

Speaker C You know what? Maybe they proved something.

Speaker A Okay.

Speaker B Okay.

Speaker C That nobody's going 17 and over. The Bills were gonna lose to somebody. Unless you think I'm just trying to purposely rain on your parade. Let me bring some perspective.

Speaker E Okay.

Speaker C Last year you started the season beating Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker B Yeah.

Speaker C That was how that work out.

Speaker E That was week one.

Speaker A Week one is a liar.

Speaker C Okay, Was it week one two years ago when you also beat the Bills and then what did you guys go 4 and 13 that year?

Speaker B Most years they won.

Speaker C The jets beat the Bills that same year on national TV in the standalone game when Aaron Rodgers got hurt. So this will help you just bring it down a notch. Cause all I'm saying is divisional games especially are tough, hard nosed games.

Speaker B Yes.

Speaker C And so I'm just saying like they proved that the future could be bright. Drake may looks like the real deal.

Speaker E Yep.

Speaker C But two years ago when you beat Buffalo, guess what Mac Jones did? 25 for 30272 yards, two touchdowns, 125 passer rating. You look like you got a good coach. All right, so you look like you could do something. But go ahead, you know what? Go beat New Orleans, who actually played pretty well yesterday. Go beat New Orleans. Go beat Tennessee and go beat Cleveland. Win your next three games and then maybe I'll start taking the Patriots.

Speaker B I think, by the way, that's fair. I think that's fair what he said at the end. Yeah, everybody agrees business over the next.

Speaker C I mean it's a good win. Don't get me. I'm not saying it's not a Good win. But y' all did it two years ago.

Speaker A Well, can I go through some stuff, please? I feel like every question has been answered about Drake May.

Speaker B That's maybe a bit a little recent.

Speaker A Bias but it was like I don't know. It's Jaden's obviously number one. Like is he now Caleb's gonna make the run. Bo Nix is gonna be better. Like I don't know. Are we sure Drake May is not the best quarterback in the class?

Speaker B We're not sure of that. We're not sure who the best quarterback is. That's right.

Speaker C I mean right now I think you would still. People would still have Jaden right now. I think it's.

Speaker B But I think right now Drake probably would be too. For most people. I think for most people, go go Jaden Drake. And then you know I would say Caleb, some people like Bo. Right. But the. But yeah but I think it's open and that's positive.

Speaker A I feel like this question. No one believed in this guy except the Patriots front office and me and Cardi and Stefon Diggs. It's the first back to back 100 yard game we had since hall of Fame adjacent Julian Edelman. First three games getting warmed up. Last two games he's gone over 100 yards both times. He had 146 yesterday. The pregame interview.

Speaker B Yeah.

Speaker A The only interview I can compare it to was Dan Lanning after Penn State.

Speaker B I thought the same thing.

Speaker A Covered in sweat, maniacally focused. Yes. Like ready to like be shot out of a cannon.

Speaker B So can I want to let you. I just want to add because I wrote down Diggs. That to me is one of the biggest questions about this game. And I know he had a good game two weeks the week before. But was this, you know a once great player channeling his, you know what you know the last a triple plus game of his career because of who it was against and where it was or was it a once great player who's now healthy and now you have a number one receiver? Because that to me is a question. But if you get 80% of this digs moving forward, it's massive and quickly wise.

Speaker C I know you got a lot of stuff. This is what he did for Josh. Now he was better than of course but he great receiver coming in with the young receiver and taking that or young quarterback and taking him to the next level. And so far he's helping Drake that out.

Speaker A It sounds ridiculous because I was talking upstairs some like Drake had a great game. If, if he doesn't Catch those. Drake doesn't have a great game.

Speaker B Correct? No.

Speaker C Right.

Speaker D We lose the game and we have.

Speaker A Never, we haven't had a guy who can catch the ball, make like great catches and finally brew. What's the ceiling? I'll ask you. Here are our. I'm taking out week one, just lose the Raiders game, call it, you know, the, the extra preseason game that we lost.

Speaker C I mean, it does.

Speaker A What else?

Speaker C It actually counts.

Speaker A It does count. Since we, you know, you can say like since we got, you know, Christian Gonzalez got back, whatever. We're six in points, seventh in defense, Drake pass ratings, fourth. And we're, you know, I think we'll.

Speaker B All agree on what the ceiling is. I think we will all agree. I think the ceiling and I think you would be over the moon. The ceiling is be the highest ranked wild card and go to either Pittsburgh or the AFC south winner. If Indy falls off and win a playoff game, I would take that and make the divisional round and then lose to a grown up contender. You know what I mean? A grown up contender, an experienced team. I think that is.

Speaker C I agree. Do you think that's the ceiling?

Speaker A That's a nice ceiling. I just think there's an element of like vibes on this team. I don't know, I got a lot of recency bias but like in the locker room it was Stefon and our rookie kicker who is like, that thing.

Speaker B Would have been good from 85 yards.

Speaker A Unbelievable.

Speaker B That might have been the greatest pure kick I've ever seen.

Speaker A Vibes are really interesting in New England.

Speaker B Vibes are always great after your best win in a half decade.

Speaker A That's true.

Speaker B And so I just, I don't want to temper enthusiasm, but I think we all agree and I think that would be an amazing year if we are here in January and the Patriots have won a playoff game. That is unbelievable.

Speaker A Again, if you want to walk through.

Speaker B The doorstep at the station, I have no interest whatsoever. I'm here for you today, buddy.

Speaker A Rudy, you want to walk through the doorstep? Maybe later on.

Speaker C I'm trying to be calm and yes, measured.

Speaker B Okay. Meanwhile, Josh Allen go to the Saints.

Speaker A Last undefeated QB until the clock struck midnight. Two touchdowns, but threw a pick. Botched a handoff. Here he was after the game.

Speaker F We just played sloppy. Not going to win a football game. Turning the ball over three times in our red zone. Gave them one in their red zone. That's just bad, bad football.

Speaker B And we just did not play good tonight. We shouldn't have, shouldn't have even been.

Speaker F In it with three Turnovers. So that's again, that's just, that's just.

Speaker A Piss poor offense here. He was last night complete 71% of the passes, over 300 total yards through, but two touchdowns, two turnovers. What do you make of Josh's performance?

Speaker C Well, look, obviously from, from my critique of the Patriots, I'm not putting too much into this game, so I'm not trying to sound any alarms, but last year he has six turnovers total in the whole season. He's had three in the last two games.

Speaker B Correct. He had two yesterday and in critical moments.

Speaker C Yeah, so. And I think, and you mentioned the critical moments, so much is on his shoulders. Like he doesn't have a number one receiver.

Speaker B I mean, despite what the Keon Dawkins.

Speaker C Convinced you guys, I think Khalil Shakir is their best receiver, but he's not as true as the true number one.

Speaker B No, Keon is supposed to be a true.

Speaker C He's supposed to be. But I mean, so. And James Cook is really good. But so much is on Josh's shoulders and I think, you know, it was kind of a throwback game. You know, it was back to 2022 when yes, he's going to be Superman and do some great things, but he's going to be reckless and make some mistakes too.

Speaker B Like. Yes. So that's, this is to me, their. They have. You can. Baker Mayfield last year led the league in picks or second most picks led the league. But I said, and I think most people agreed it was okay because they had right. 41 touchdowns and he's slinging it downfield. The Bills have pivoted from. We're going to, you know, we're going to make one big. We're going to get, if we're a boxer, we're going to get knocked down once in this fight, but we're going to knock you down three times. The third one's going to be a knockout. Two, as you would say, Floyd Mayweather, you know, we're going to throw a bunch of jabs and we're going to beat you on points. If that's the style, you can't make those mistakes because you don't have the quick strike offense to get back at it. And so I'm not going to overreact either. I think right now the entire AFC there is not a perfect team except for the team that by the end of the year will be perfect and wins the conference every year. But I mean, they do. I mean, they win the conference every year, but they're not a perfect team. Yet. But I'm also not going to have a double standard the way seemingly every other show on TV will. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Have you guys seen Josh Allen? Deep ball numbers. What happened to the player we once loved? My goodness, look at the passer rating. Look at the attempts a game. What's happened? Josh Allen for this year. What's happened now, do I think that's because Josh Allen has atrophied as a player? Of course not, because I'm not a moron. However, if it's fair for the best quarterback in the league for these graphics.

Speaker A To pop up, this is five games. When we do Mahomes, we don't do five games. We do 20 something games.

Speaker B We do 20 something games intermixed with super bowl appearances and super bowl victories. This is five games for a player who seemingly needs to be improving every year since he's never actually gotten over the hump again. I think it's more of a stylistic choice. But if you're going to play this style, then the turnovers kill you.

Speaker A Dirty pool.

Speaker B Why is it dirty pool?

Speaker A Because Mahomes himself says he wants to air it out more and he's not doing it. Josh hasn't said that.

Speaker B I don't.

Speaker A We do that graphic because Mahomes says he wants to do it.

Speaker C He wants the light show.

Speaker B Okay. All right, so if that's.

Speaker C But I.

Speaker B Look, Josh, that graphic's unfair. We shouldn't use it. Dirty pool adjacent. I think it's a statistical accuracy.

Speaker A We should put some graphic that's yellow.

Speaker C He also. Now he was a rookie, but he also had, you know, Xavier Worthy last year. Not this year for most part, but last year he had a deep threat. But I agree with your point about. Yeah, I mean, they have purposely said we're going to be dull.

Speaker B Yes.

Speaker C Every. Every month, once a month, once every five games, Josh goes Superman and does something incredible. But for the most part, they just play pedestrian.

Speaker A So this is what was flying around. Bills had gone 26 straight games without losing the turnover battle. And they lost it last night and lost the game. It feels like they saw like, hey, we win the game if we don't turn the ball over. And that they prioritized it.

Speaker B But again, sorry, I'll wear the black hat. If we can't get through the tees without saying, and that's you guys, you mostly joking. I think you serious. How impressive, really is the Chief scoring 37 on Baltimore, then we can't get through the Bills segment without saying how impressive is a single thing on their resume?

Speaker A Agreed.

Speaker B I understand they scored 41 on Baltimore instead of 37 while resting starters in the fourth quarter, but that game was a miracle win. The jets, they blew out, owned them from start to finish. The jets are the only winless team in football. Miami, they're tied with eight minutes left. Mike McDaniels walking off the field looking like the saddest man in America. The Saints, they're up two with eight minutes left and they just lost to New England. Yeah, so like if the deflation of impressiveness from beating the Ravens hits no team harder than this team because they were. We were looking at them as juggernaut adjacent because we thought we saw them go toe to toe with another juggernaut. We now know that evidently was not the case.

Speaker A I buy that. Let's head to Philly where the Eagles had yet another weird game and this time it cost them. They blow a 14 point fourth quarter lead and then fight over a Hail Mary that wasn't to be. Here's Jalen hurts.

Speaker D Certain things don't get you until they get you.

Speaker C And we're obviously in pursuit of our.

Speaker D Best self and pursuit of growth. So give a lot of credit to that team. They played an outstanding game, executed situationally.

Speaker C When they needed to and they won that battle.

Speaker D And so we gotta go back and really learn from this. Take ownership for the things that we can control.

Speaker A Brew, are the Eagles in trouble?

Speaker C No, no. And I predicted this. I would have been covered in confetti had your Patriots not won. And you one upped me in the picks, but I picked this because I just felt they're going to lose at some point, the Eagles, and they'll probably lose another game or two or more. And you know, I thought this was a good chance for Denver to do that. But no, I don't think they're in trouble now. Look, most people, when they don't win the super bowl this year, most people will say, you saw it all year, it just wasn't right. I'm not saying that like I'm not picking them to win the Super Bowl. I'm not even picking them to get to the Super Bowl. When I say nothing's wrong, I mean they're still a top flight contender. They will still be right there in the mix in the NFC playoffs with a, you know, viewed as one of the top teams to go to the Super Bowl. So that, that's what I mean by nothing's wrong. One, I don't really, I don't like the coordinator at this point.

Speaker B I'm sorry, I don't know how you could.

Speaker C Right. You weren't. And it seems like Nick and I'll bring up Baltimore quickly. These court. Why can't they get the right balance now? I guess you can say last year the Ravens did with Henry.

Speaker B Yes.

Speaker C Going for almost 2000 and Lamar having a great year. But this year they couldn't so far. And they. They go four. No. With Jalen throwing it 25 times a game. Then out of the blue, you come out and he throws it 38. And you only run Saquon six times. That's the fewest amount of carries he's had as a Eagle, for sure. But I believe in his entire career, in a game in which he didn't get hurt or wasn't coming back from.

Speaker A Injury, literally, probably since he picked up a football.

Speaker C Yes. Yes, actually.

Speaker B Probably.

Speaker C You're absolutely right. And so I don't. And now Nick, maybe. And I think you made a good point last week when you said maybe they're practicing. Maybe they're, you know, seeing. Okay, can. Can we throw it more? And. And I would be fine with that. I don't think that was the case, but I would be fine with that.

Speaker B I don't think that would be a bad strategy.

Speaker C No, they. They just. They have. I think they're fine. Obviously, the offensive line isn't what it used to was last year, but I think they can get it going again. And I still. I do not think Saquon is washed. But I, I would. I, I get it. His numbers aren't great. I would stand behind him and say he's still the same guy.

Speaker B Don't you think there's a difference? There's a big delta, though, between washed and the exact same guy he was last year. And couldn't he be somewhere closer to the guy of last year than washed? But, yeah, that's what I think. I don't think he's washed.

Speaker A The numbers are insane. We wouldn't see this in any other player.

Speaker C Well, we're seeing it with Darren Henry right now.

Speaker B Yeah.

Speaker A Similar. 125 to 53.

Speaker B And so again, wash to me implies wash.

Speaker A It's not.

Speaker B I just think. Do I think he is likely to have a down season? I do.

Speaker A But like this, I, I thought he'd.

Speaker C Get like 1500 yards, which was saying a lot because nobody's ever done that.

Speaker B And I. And 1200, I thought would have been a great year. And right now they'd sign up for it. I. So I want to give you Wilds, some real data and then some fuzzy data.

Speaker E Love it.

Speaker B Okay, the real data is, as I said last week, Philadelphia, play a normal game, challenge impossible. They had, through four games, two of the five worst passing halves any team has had across the NFL this year. They now threw five. So there it was, the Eagles, the worst half and the second worst passing half any team's had all year in any game. They now are on this same list for the worst rushing halves anyone has had in a game all year. And, by the way, added fewest yards rushing. They had the lead most of the half. So in theory, some teams are down a ton and they have no choice. But no.

Speaker C So, and that's.

Speaker F That's the second half, where when you're.

Speaker C Second, you're up 17, 3.

Speaker B Exactly.

Speaker C Heading into the fourth quarter, usually.

Speaker B So, like, the Lions at Green Bay were down the entire second half week one. They're not running the ball and you have a rushing quarterback. So they can't. They. So I. I am not opposed to them saying, let's work on the passing game during the game, but some semblance of normalcy or balance I think would be helpful. So that's the hardcore data. Give me the fuzzy data. Here's the fuzzy data. You know who thinks the Eagles are in trouble? Oh, yeah, show me. Show. Kevin Wilds tweets on The Eagles the 21 days leading up to the Chiefs game. 18 in 21 days. Almost one a day since then.

Speaker A I'm a front runner.

Speaker B What? I am a front. What? What do you want me to say? This guy is worried.

Speaker C He's still four.

Speaker B He's worried.

Speaker A Here's the. So Chris Bumbaka of USA Today had this headline. I'm like, this is exactly how I feel. Loss to Broncos shows Eagles can't or won't run. Saquon Barkley. And I think that's the question about the whole team. Are you not doing stuff or you can't do this stuff? You can't get the ball to A.J.

Speaker B Brown.

Speaker A Are you choosing not to, strategically? And I know they're like, where are the Eagles? We're like water. We take whatever shape that we're in. Or we're like a chameleon. We can, you know, adapt to our environment. No, I'm saying that it's like, we can play any style. It's like. Or you're just identityless that you just come in and you're like, I don't know. What are we going to do this game? Throw the ball, run the ball. It's very Hard to wrap your head around what this team is. I'll tell you what, they don't feel like brew champions. They don't feel like a championship team. Who knows who they are, who has an identity for success and wants to just run the table or just like play consistent football with an identity.

Speaker C No, look, I think you make some good points there. And I think. And you do too. Sirianni is a very good. Like, his record is his record. The dude wins, so you gotta give him credit. Plus, he's got a Super bowl, but he doesn't come off as serious as a Matt LaFleur. And I'm not, you know, LaFleur hadn't won a Super Bowl. But Sean McVay, you know, like, Guy, he's a little silly and he gets into it with the fans and the opponents and he talks. No, what I'm saying is when a coach is like that, it's almost like, like, I think that's why you have the chatter out of the locker room. Some coaches, you're not gonna have that type of chatter. Belichick, you weren't ever gonna have that type of chatter coming outta the locker room.

Speaker B The Chiefs last year, when they were having a similar year to this, there would be none of them. Right.

Speaker C You don't hear like, there's no.

Speaker B No random players gonna say something was internal.

Speaker C Yeah. You know, and so that's all I'm saying. Like that can lead to.

Speaker B Also, it might be kind of all over 40% over his head. It might be that the offensive coordinator overly reacts to the media criticism, which it looks like. And overcrowds.

Speaker A Give the ball to Saquon Barkley.

Speaker C Well, we were saying throw the ball a week ago.

Speaker B Again, they're asking, but can we find a balance of that?

Speaker C Right? Can we get a balance?

Speaker F Oh, wow.

Speaker A What grade will Professor Broussard give the Cowboys the large question. Oh, my goodness, it's obscene. Bro, what are you doing? Man of faith. Doing gross stuff. And the doorstep of destiny after the break exhalated out. If you get a chance, check out our podcast, which some people are saying is the Kansas City Chiefs of podcast not ranked the highest, but might be the best. And our YouTube channel has exclusive content. Brand new episode Gianna edited of. Hey, what's going on?

Speaker B That one's actually doing decent. Hey, by your standards for views, it is. I looked.

Speaker A Meanwhile, Cowboys keep cooking. Greg Jennings is here. Two, two and one. Dak threw four touchdowns while Javante Williams, who Brew has always supported, always privately, privately, had 135 yards, found the end zone. Here's Dakota on MVP chants in New York.

Speaker B Wow.

Speaker C I mean, my ears work.

Speaker B So I.

Speaker C Heard it, but I didn't hear it to your answer. It's week five. I don't care. I don't care if it was week 17. I've told y' all what I want to win. The team goals right now, the success and the continued success is going to happen is just a beneficiary of all.

Speaker B The guys in that locker room.

Speaker A Okay, here's how this season has graded out. Brew B, C, an F game against Ben Johnson and Caleb, but then an A minus for the tie seems to be headed kind of in the right direction. Except the F. What are you giving the Cowboys for yesterday's performance?

Speaker C Let me clear something up first, because a lot of people think I just live to hate on the Cowboys when in actuality I just call it like it is.

Speaker B It's called balls and strikes.

Speaker C If you're a tomato can, I will call you a tomato can. If you play like a bunch of pop lockers, I will say so. If you bring your F game, you will get an F. Yeah. All right. And yesterday the Cowboys were fantastic. Dak was phenomenal. Loved the post game shirt, too. Javante, third in the league in rushing. He has bounced back. I was worried about that ACL because I loved him before that surgery, but he has been great this year. And the defense, which looked like one of the worst in the league, held the Jets.

Speaker B I get it.

Speaker C It's the jets. But still held him to three points in the first half. So the Cowboys. I am showing major love. What? Where's the grade? Where's the grade?

Speaker A Hey, Jerry.

Speaker B Congratulations. I say, Jerry, congratulations. No, Micah, no problem.

Speaker D No cd.

Speaker C No problem. Dak Prescott might be the MVP versus the jets versus the Pacs.

Speaker A A games A games A games A games.

Speaker B They're the best every time.

Speaker C Excellent work, my man. Excellent work, brother, as always. See, Cowboys, I got love for y' all when you deliver. Good job.

Speaker B All right, grab. Follow that up.

Speaker D Yeah, I mean, it's hard to follow that up. I don't have them at a A game yesterday, I think, no, I would give him a B, but I'm not the greater. You are. So it doesn't matter what I give him, does it? Look, offensively, this is a team that we all felt like this was what they were going to have to do anyway. And Dak has been spectacular in obviously the Green Bay game. He was great yesterday. He was great and I think he will continue to be great. What has been awesome. Is that guy right there, Pickens, that guy right there. George Pickens has been great, great for them. And then just utilizing your tight ends. We know they have tight ends that they love in Ferguson, but everyone else, Turpin, Toberg, all these guys are stepping up. And Dak for the really the second time in his career I feel like is making everyone around him better versus earlier in his career when we were questioning is Dak worth it and all these things, it was like, okay, you bring in talent to make him better. He has been the difference maker. And so I love what I'm seeing offensively. I'm not sold on them defensively because they still gave all the time.

Speaker B But going into the year we said they were going to have to try to be the Bengals, the poor man's Bengals of last year. And thus far this year they're not the poor man's Bengals. They are on par, if not better than the Bengals of last year.

Speaker C You think? I mean the Bengals did win 10 games. I mean I think they're pretty much the Bengals.

Speaker B They finished with 10 or nine wins, maybe nine wins and they're two, two and one. So I guess it's maybe almost directly on par. But they're doing it without their version of Jamar Chase the last couple of weeks. And here's Dax 17 game pace and his run game. His MVP case is similar to Joe Burrows. If the record doesn't matter, I'm playing the position as well as anybody. It's not my fault the defense can't get a stop. And this is why sports can be so funny. Because he is kind of on a reputational free roll this year.

Speaker D Yeah.

Speaker B And if the biggest Dak critics have alleged he's a guy that gets tight in the biggest spots, if those people are correct, narratively, it makes sense that he would be playing some of his best ball right now. Yeah. Because unlike the years where they truly were S Bob, they're coming off a six win season. They trade away Micah, it's all glory with very little stakes. And Dak is balling now that feels like a backhanded compliment. I don't mean it to be, but he is, I do think he is playing his position as well as just about any player in the league. And he's playing, in my opinion, the best ball of his career. And he is doing it under less than ideal circumstances. They have a good, not great offensive line. They have a good, not great running back. No offense to Javante. They don't have Ceedee Lam. I thought Without Ceedee Lam, it was going to fall apart. And they're putting up 35 seemingly every week.

Speaker C And if you look throughout Dak's career, when he's had a running game, doesn't have to be the best in the league, but a good run game, he's always been.

Speaker B He's been excellent.

Speaker A Cowboys, Carolina, next week. Rico Dowdle, they've got to buckle up.

Speaker B Dowdle had 200 this week, didn't he? Your guy too.

Speaker A You supported him.

Speaker C I wanted him to bring Rico back.

Speaker A But last week you famously came in in a hospital bed to the show. Well, this game must have made you feel even more sick. The Texans scored six touchdowns all year. Yesterday they scored five in Baltimore. Here's Kyle Van Noy answering a reporter's question about coaching.

Speaker B Do you feel like the messages that.

Speaker F Are coming from John or Zach or.

Speaker C Whomever aren't getting through in some way?

Speaker B You know.

Speaker D That'S probably a question that's.

Speaker C Above my pay grade.

Speaker D Probably. I think that's a Harbaugh question, to be honest. Like, I think their messaging is fine.

Speaker B And we gotta be the group to.

Speaker D Take that and go out and do the simple things. Right.

Speaker A In four losses this year, Brew, they've given up 40 points, 430 yards. And they don't have a takeaway.

Speaker B By the way, in the win. They. Oh, nevermind, go ahead. They gave a ton of.

Speaker C Yeah.

Speaker B Yards too. Yeah, they did.

Speaker A Are you surprised your Ravens have looked this horrible? Oh, no.

Speaker C The Ravens and I have had a great run.

Speaker B No, you, you. We can't do this in the B block of the show.

Speaker A What are we, like, going down memory lane?

Speaker C You watch the run. It's been a great run, bro.

Speaker B You can't give.

Speaker C Boy got rhythm too.

Speaker B You talking about yourself, bro? You can't abandon him.

Speaker D You are not retiring the road.

Speaker B You can't, bro. No.

Speaker C When are the can brother do his thing?

Speaker B Okay?

Speaker C The robe and the sandwich and the Jordans. It's about being s. Bob. It's about going into another elite team's house.

Speaker A Yeah.

Speaker C And making them feed you.

Speaker B Don't know they fed you, did they? They fed us sandwiches.

Speaker C They fed us sandwiches and chips and soda pop.

Speaker A Oh, I thought you fed your. Okay.

Speaker B I didn't know they fed us.

Speaker C We made them. They didn't want to. We made them. Got it. Now let me see the schedule. Okay. I'm not gonna come up here. And I don't think the Ravens would want me to come up here and gloat. Cause they go to Miami. I don't even Know if that. Yeah, that's at Miami. And make the Rock Steady Crew give them some food. I'm not gonna gloat. Cause they go into Cincinnati and make Jake Browning give him his robe. There is one opportunity left.

Speaker B Oh.

Speaker C For me to gloat, and that is week 17 at Green Bay. That's the only elite team left. Maybe if the Patriots really get rolling. Real talk. That's home, though. But if they really get rolling, maybe I'll, you know, do a little something. But my point is this. Can I get the box?

Speaker A No.

Speaker C I am not abandoning my Ravens. I stay on my super bowl pick, and I am rolling with y'.

Speaker B All.

Speaker A This needs to be a creative decision for the group.

Speaker C But until further notice, the robe.

Speaker A Oh, this is brutal.

Speaker C And the Bit are on life support. Like the Ravens again. I expect them to bounce back when Lamar gets healthy and the defense gets healthy and all that. And maybe There's a new D.C. we'll see. But I expect them to bounce back. But until further notice, the Ravens are on life support, as is the Bit.

Speaker A Holy cow, that felt real.

Speaker C I mean, it was tough.

Speaker B Cause I love something we should have been consulted on.

Speaker A Yeah. Because that's actually a showdown.

Speaker C But real talk, I'm supposed to come up here after they beat Pittsburgh, honestly, and be like, they kept their Pittsburgh when they were getting. We got trampled by other teams. At this point, they're not better than.

Speaker B Pittsburgh at any win.

Speaker C I will take. I will be happy if they beat Pittsburgh. I will be happy as they march toward 10 wins.

Speaker A You just gave up on the Ravens.

Speaker C No, no. What All I'm saying is I'm not gloating. I'm not com. No. That is saved for the big boys. So when they play another big boy, Green Bay. And, you know, see by your painting, what a moment.

Speaker A This was a moment for the show. I thought it was just a regular B block.

Speaker D I mean, the question is surprised that Ravens look this bad. I was gonna say yes to that. I'm more surprised at Brew. I'm, like, broken.

Speaker C Like I said, I keep saying.

Speaker A You don't believe me?

Speaker C No. No. Did not say they steal my Super. Super bowl pick. I am not backing off.

Speaker A There's no possible way that team is super bowl pick.

Speaker C What I'm saying, they were my super bowl pick, and I am riding till the wheels fall off. What I'm saying is I'm not gonna gloat after they beat some mediocre sorry team.

Speaker B And I guess all I would say is, oddly, now is the only moment where you could gloat because of that because they also appear to be a mediocre sorry team. If they were 4 and 1 going into Miami wouldn't be impressive. But here is my larger takeaway.

Speaker C KW Rock them, boys.

Speaker B It's official. Not Bruce thing. Not the Bruce thing isn't official. We know who the team is that we were. We said, oh, you're right, you and I on the show and off the air when we said every year there's last year's Niners, the year before's Bengals, the year before that Rams, the team that we everyone had penciled in as a great team that's going to have a great season going into this year. Those teams were Lions, Eagles, Ravens, Bills, Chiefs. Which of those teams is going to be the fall off a cliff team? It's them.

Speaker C So you're there out of the playoffs as far as you're concerned.

Speaker B Well, I am not 100% writing them out of the post season purely because the Jets, Dolphins, Browns, Titans, Raiders and Bengals, sorry, Raiders are all in the AFC, which means seven of the other 10 teams are making it. But I am absolutely writing them off of anything championship related.

Speaker D So I think my issue with the Raiders, Raiders, the Ravens, is they don't, they just don't have anybody that can cook or carry the team. Like when you look at the Chiefs, if Patrick Mahomes was out, Andy Reid would step up and fill the void. The Niners, they did it Thursday night. Kyle Shanahan, obviously, Robert Salah. What they were able to do. The Ravens have nobody, not player, not coach, to step up and get some of that weight.

Speaker B Surprising Derrick Henry. I'm surprised by that.

Speaker A Hey, what's going on? Weirdest plays of the week.

Speaker C Next.

Speaker A Not even media. Two ALDS game threes tomorrow right here on FS1 3pm Eastern. The Mariners taking on Gregg's Tigers. Then in prime time, the Blue Jays are in the Bronx to take on Aaron Judge. They're up two nothing at eight Eastern. That's all on fs. One wonderful, mostly weird episode of Weird and Wonderful. We'll start with a double weird. We're at the start of the fourth quarter. The Cardinals are up to 21 6. Greg.

Speaker B Hi.

Speaker C Greg's gonna try to excuse this.

Speaker D I'm not excusing it. I've done it before. The first preseason game of my career, I did this exact same thing. Now, it was still called enrolled a touchdown. But in our film study, my coach pointed it out and it's not something that players are showboating. You just relax your body Physically has crossed the line and you, you just, you relax. You're just letting the ball go.

Speaker B I also know that I'm going to come across as a two time apologist on this because I tried to make an excuse for A.D. mitchell. I think he scored. So I, I did. I think it's reckless. Yeah. And it to, you know, have it even be close. But I was shocked they overturned.

Speaker C How is that. What did. What.

Speaker B What.

Speaker C Because you're his foot touch. It looked like the ball was over.

Speaker B I agree with you like right there.

Speaker C But man foot is over so close.

Speaker D So this is one of the closer ones where I. I'm with Nick on this.

Speaker B I couldn't believe they overturned it.

Speaker D You still kind of had possession and he, he was so far across. Like it's. As a player you, you clearly feel like you're in. You literally feel like you're in. It's the oddest feeling. I know when we, when we replay it and we slow it down like.

Speaker A This all the time, it's almost like.

Speaker C They did it out of the.

Speaker A Well, it got worse for the Cardinals. Cam Ward throws an interception here. The Titans are down nine. Then the Cardinals just decide to drop this ball. This gets batted around and ends up as a Titans touchdown. Titans end up winning this game in one of the most bizarre fourth quarters of the season so far.

Speaker C That was incredible.

Speaker B Sorry, I can't talk because the of. Of the amount of money in Survivor that cost me.

Speaker A Sorry.

Speaker B I had the Cardinals in Survivor. Oh, tough Cardinals in Survivor.

Speaker A Justin Fields bounces this pass off of the Fowler's head and then goes straight into the sky. Can should have been replayed. It wasn't so.

Speaker B And there was the. Do you have the kick in?

Speaker A I didn't put it in the kick.

Speaker B In London a kick hit the wire and nobody noticed.

Speaker A That's the kicker's job.

Speaker B Rykert's first miss of the year. Hits a wire. He misses it and nobody picked up on it.

Speaker D This is. I didn't see this.

Speaker A Yeah.

Speaker B Yeah.

Speaker A So it's supposed to be just a redo.

Speaker B Yeah. It's like if you punt into Jerry's Jumbotron final.

Speaker A Wonderful. Undefeated Memphis vs. Tulsa Cortez Bram Jr. Correct catch of the year. That is catch of the year right here.

Speaker B This is catch of the year.

Speaker A Catch of the year. Memphis stays unbeaten, gets ranked number 23. Teams from Tennessee in the top 25.

Speaker B Now also, maybe you will anoint something else actual catch of the year. This is definitively coolest catch of the year. And it won't be dethrone coolest catch of the year. Yeah. Cause it's pretty flux.

Speaker C The way he dragged me of old.

Speaker B USC Mike Williams in the back of the end zone, just plucking it with one hand.

Speaker A Did you see Stepon Diggs last night?

Speaker B Yeah, that's not the coolest catch.

Speaker C I've got to get some of those gloves.

Speaker A Head to Philadelphia where the champs played another head scratching game up in the fourth, but couldn't move the ball and the Broncos could. Saquon caught a deep touchdown, but only.

Speaker B Ran the ball six times.

Speaker A Here's what's the headline here. The Eagles first loss or the Broncos Comeback?

Speaker D Greg so for me, it's the Broncos come comeback. And the reason why I say it's the Broncos comeback is because I don't think any of us thought that the Eagles were going to just rip off 17 wins. They were going to lose at some point. They had been struggling, kind of sputtering offensively, but doing enough to win games. The Broncos, however, your coaches pretty much said that this is one of my, what, seven, One of my seven greatest.

Speaker B Teams I've ever greatest teams.

Speaker D Your quarterback has been struggling all season long and then he finds a way to convert a third and 15 to Sutton and it just all turned around for him. And so if this is who we're going to see Bo Nix continue to be moving forward, then this Broncos defense is real. This Broncos team can be very impactful and can win a lot of games. So I think this was a bigger story for the Broncos specifically because they were doing it against a team that was just finding ways to win, even despite their struggles offensively and sometimes defensively.

Speaker B So listen, I think Greg nailed it. And we can show you Bo Nix within the game was two different players. And if he is anything close to the guy he was for the final three drives, then I'll end up being wrong about this team and they will be a legitimate postseason contender and then some. Because while I might think Sean Payton's a touch overrated, he's obviously an excellent coach and the defense is spectacular.

Speaker D Yes, they are.

Speaker B Nick Benito for two years now has been one of the four or five best players on the defensive side of the ball. We had literally never seen Bo Nix and the Broncos do anything like that. They had never beaten a good team, much less beaten a good team on the road, and done it in comeback fashion.

Speaker C Well, they beat Tampa Bay last year.

Speaker B You know, that's fair. And then they lost eight straight against playoff teams. And that was before we knew how good Tampa Bay was. Was going to be. But that is the. So to put it differently, I guess for the first time since Bo Nick's like third career start, they got a high quality win against a high quality opponent in combat fashion on the road. I think the defense is going to be that defense all year. I think Bo Nix is going to be, as he was in this game, a mixed bag all year. But they have the jets and the Giants coming up next, so they should be five and two and you know, and then we'll see what they are the rest of the way. But this, this made them impossible to disregard, as I have been for most of the year. And so we'll see if this was a fork in the road for Bo Nix or just a hot few drives.

Speaker C Hey, I'm with you guys. Broncos win. Eagles are going to lose. At some point they announced themselves as like a legit playoff team in the afc. They actually absolutely announced themselves because they could be Wilds. And this is not just, oh, you could pick a lot of games and say, oh, they coulda, coulda, coulda. They, they should be 4 and 1. Greg's Colts. And I'm not dissing the Colts, but we know how that game, they missed.

Speaker B A field goal and got a knock.

Speaker C And it was a penalty on the Broncos. So they got a 45 yard field goal and hit that. So they should be 4 1. And then the game against the Chargers, I mean, Herbert makes a great touchdown pass, you know, to, to win that game. So they are, they are playing great football. Their defense is absolutely legit. I know you mad, but they got other good wins.

Speaker B Why do you not just get my pencil down? A 2:2 Broncos team beat an undefeated Eagles team in close, close at home on the road in close but dynamic fashion. And you said they are a legitimate playoff contender. When a 2 and 2 Patriot team went on the road to beat a 40 Bills team, you would not give Wilds that same goal.

Speaker C The Broncos were much better last year. They made the playoffs last year. If your Patriots had made the playoffs last year, I'd be like, oh, okay, they've done something so far. You beat up one good team, all right? I mean, Denver has beaten the team.

Speaker B I understand your frustration, but it's a fair rust.

Speaker C Y' all lost to Knicks Raiders.

Speaker D It's fair frustration, but it's a fair response.

Speaker A And that's what makes the show pretty good, you know, Agree to disagree.

Speaker C Y' all gotta be by the Raiders, man.

Speaker A Also is Drake made the new MVP at the Raiders. Live from New York. It's a show that made some huge creative decisions and retired one of the best things that we do as Brew put all of his Raven stuff in a box.

Speaker B Here's what I realized.

Speaker C It's only on life support. I'm not gonna forget.

Speaker B I think that in order to keep the sandwich bit he was gonna the the flip side of that coin was having to do escalating injuries in law I'm here to tell you I do run into that we can retire the injuries piece of it and keep the sandwich.

Speaker C Can I let you Like I said it's only on life support.

Speaker A I did talk to Hugs. I'm like do they make those casts.

Speaker B Where you have like the come out like this?

Speaker A Can we get one of them Second hour of First Things first today. Is it time to take the Cowboys seriously?

Speaker B That's going to be another seriously take seriously and not the Patriots. Just do this with every team we talk about.

Speaker A Meanwhile, are we expecting an MVP performance from Patrick Mahomes tonight? Can he get into 3 and 2? Can he be right there alongside Dak Baker, Drake May in the MVP conversation but right now. Well, the Bills came into Sunday night's game as the toast of the town. Meanwhile, their 40 record was against the Ravens, Jets, Dolphins and Saints. Four teams that kindly are not good and currently have a total of three wins. Here's Josh Allen. We just played sloppy.

Speaker F Not going to win a football game. Turning the ball over three times in our red zone. Gave them one in their red zone. That's just bad, bad football.

Speaker F In it with three turnovers. So that's again, that's just piss poor offense.

Speaker A Do you still view the Bills as the class of the afc?

Speaker B We are so back how it was a rough September.

Speaker A You gotta get through the Prince.

Speaker B I do. And you're right, Kwame. Big test.

Speaker C That's how much faith he has.

Speaker B Big test tonight for the Chiefs to go down into Duvall and try to get a win. But the reality of the situation is this. Somehow, some way a month into the shakiest start of a season the Chiefs have had, they are so clearly the scariest and most importantly, most well rounded team in the conference. It's not even a discussion.

Speaker A Well rounded?

Speaker B Yeah, they have the best quarterback alive. They finally have an offensive line. They're getting their receiving core back and unlike Buffalo, run the ball. Yeah, I understand that piece of it. I'll deal with that piece of it. Well, they're probably well rounded Team. Well then who is in the afc?

Speaker A Well, I don't know. You're saying the best well rounded.

Speaker B Yeah, because I. Yeah, because the Bills don't have a defense. So I would take a team whose offense is going to be helmed by Mahomes and we'll figure out the running game piece of it rather than. I mean again, who is the most well rounded team in the afc? Tell me.

Speaker C The Chargers. Problem is they're banged up on the Chargers.

Speaker B Problem is they're. They're not good anymore.

Speaker D No, it's.

Speaker B The Ravens are terrible. The Bengals are done. He might say it's the Colts. The Colts. Exactly.

Speaker A It is the cold.

Speaker D Thank you.

Speaker B It is the Colts. Which is why I'm right. Because if it's the Colts, it's the Chiefs. Because here's the situation we're going to be staring at. We're going to be staring at an AFC playoff field where there is Patrick and Josh and a bunch of guys who have never won a playoff game or in Daniel's case of one, one playoff game. And the Bills are going to be staring at bringing this defense into that fight. And while the Chiefs potentially can trade for one player and change their running back situation, there's not one player that changes a defense. I mean there might be a Micah Parsons level, but not a player you get at the deadline. So no, I don't view the Bills as a class of the afc. I view the Chiefs as the class of the afc. And somehow after tonight, despite being left for dead, they're going to be a game out of the one seed again with games against the Colts. Every team that has a better record than the Chiefs in the conference, the Chiefs play this year, the Jacks tonight, the Colts later and the Bills later. So in theory control their own path to the one seed as well because they also get the Chargers again. So no, I don't view the Bills of the class of the afc. I view the Chiefs of the class of the AFC first.

Speaker C I think, look, can we all agree whiteout overrated? I mean Penn State, the bill like get rid of the whiteout.

Speaker A It's not intimidating.

Speaker C It looks great.

Speaker D Okay, that's the.

Speaker C But it didn't help you at all.

Speaker D The box, the most important box that needed to be checked, you just checked.

Speaker C No, they gotta win. All right, so that's number one. First of all, Nick, let's see tonight. Cause obviously I was very impressed with the dismantling of my Ravens that the Chiefs did. But again, maybe that wasn't quite as.

Speaker B Impressive as we Thought certainly more impressive than they beat them 41. 40. Like the Bills did. Yeah.

Speaker C And I wonder. And I don't know, I'm just. I threw it out there last week that did that loss to Buffalo really rock the Ravens mentally. Maybe. I don't know.

Speaker B Definitely possible. And then for. And to be fair, and then they had another brutal loss to the Lions. So maybe they were already on shaky mental round. That's fair.

Speaker C Right. But. But look, I would say right now I still think the Bills are in the top class of the AFC with the Chiefs. Right. For the time being. Hopefully they'll get back in there. Baltimore's falling out, obviously. Cincinnati's not there. And the Chargers have fallen out. Injuries. But Herbert's not playing that well. And all the other teams, to your point, Indy, Denver. If the char. The Chargers will be in the playoffs. They're not proven. I will, I have to admit, in one. Yeah. Even if the Patriots get there in one in a big playoff game, there's no way right now that I'm taking anybody over the Chiefs in the afc. Now, unless if the Chiefs go out and lose tonight or don't play well going forward, then you will really feel like, okay, they're not what they have been in the past, but right now, a lot of it's based on the past. And Mahomes, even with Josh as great as Josh is and he is truly great, there's a different feel I have when Mahomes, like, it's just like you just feel like he's gonna get it done. And I don't feel that way with Josh or really any other quarterback in the playoffs for sure.

Speaker D Yeah. Let's not get a little too out of whack here. Like, they are top class of the afc. They might.

Speaker C The Bills.

Speaker D The Bills are the Bills. Yes, of course. They are still the number one. That's not the question.

Speaker C No, that is the question.

Speaker D Still, you build as class of afc.

Speaker B Yeah.

Speaker C Like the top team.

Speaker D Okay, tell me top.

Speaker B All right, go ahead.

Speaker D Because they are the class of the afc. When you find them in the runnings and you talk about them in the regard of where we talk about them and you expect them to be at the end when you. Whether they're facing the Chiefs or whomever. Like, they are the class of the.

Speaker C Afc, but the top the number one. Because I think that's the question, right? Like, not are they a top team?

Speaker D If we say that's the question. I still think they are top the afc.

Speaker B Okay.

Speaker D You have to. You have to put respect on this Team, they just like we talked about the Eagles, they're not going to win every single game. They had a bad game, it's a bad outing. You talk about their defense past, past, past. Defensive wise they're actually really good. The run defense sucks and they give up too many points. However, when you look at the head to head in the quarterback race, yes, everybody's going to say I'll take Patrick Mahomes because he's always proven to beat those guys. But right there you're going to take Josh.

Speaker B I agree with all that. I guess my, my only pushback would be the Bills. I think needed a impressive performance yesterday because the resume looked shaky. It still looks shaky, correct? Well more so now like the week one they have an unbelievable comeback against Baltimore which again has not aged well like nobody's win over Baltimore has. But that's the only, that's the only contender adjacent team that has played Baltimore that Baltimore has handled for large sections of that game. Week two they destroy the Jets. That's great. You get credit for that. The jets also are the only winless team in the league. Week three they're tied midway through the fourth with Miami. Week four it's a two point game midway through the fourth against New Orleans. And then week five the only other team in your division with a pulse comes to your building and wins that. And like we talked about earlier, I think I was legit concerned about how many hits Patrick was taking the first two weeks of the year he has through the two weeks after throttled that down. And I think his history tells us he will continue to. I don't know that Josh can like will throttle down how much he is. They're not doing as many quarterback driven runs but he's still, he's so big and so strong and so imposing and it's such a weapon. But I thought yesterday he took one really bad shot where he landed on his shoulder and Collinsworth. Right, Collinsworth pointed it out. So I just, I think that the Bills, it feels like they should be up more than one game on Kansas City given how we were talking about them, how we were talking about Kansas.

Speaker A City after the Chiefs had such a.

Speaker C Tough schedule to start. That's people weren't factoring that in either.

Speaker A Chiefs in Jacksonville tonight. We got our picks coming up in about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, Drake May entered this game on the doorstep of destiny. Did he leave on the doorstep of the MVP conversation? Wow. Here's Stefon and what he's seeing from his new qb.

Speaker D I seen a young quarterback take A.

Speaker C Step in the right direction?

Speaker D You know, try not.

Speaker C They did a lot of comparisons during the week and I feel like it was a hell of a comparison to be compared to Josh Allen. But as you come into to your own Drake may has to be Drake May, you know, and I was just so proud of him, you know, coming.

Speaker D In here and leading the team.

Speaker C You know, being a young quarterback can be hard sometimes.

Speaker D And you know, that's why you have a supporting cast.

Speaker C You know, running backs making plays, receivers making plays and let him know that you got his back. So I was just super proud of him. You know, he has a good approach during the weekend.

Speaker D You know, attach yourself to the process.

Speaker C And not the results.

Speaker A This guy is unbelievable this season. Here's Drake versus Josh. Better completion percentage, more passing yards, more yards per pass. Touchdown. Interception ratio is still to Josh. Passer rating about the same. And Josh is running the ball almost twice as much. Maybe a little too much. Is anyone ready to talk about Drake May mvp Bru. We do have Brew's ballot coming up at some point this week. Are we ready to have the conversation?

Speaker C He is under consideration.

Speaker A That's almost a.

Speaker C To get on the ballot.

Speaker B That's all I'm saying.

Speaker C To get on the ballot. That's what I want. Now I would look, he's in the mix. Baker's ahead of him. Dax probably ahead of him. Golf, Golf is right up there now. And then Stafford, JLo. I mean but Stafford. Matthew Stafford's numbers are pretty impressive. But I hear you.

Speaker B You know, what's the case against Stafford? That there is for Drake. Is it his records? I'm just like Drake's under consideration.

Speaker C He's under consideration.

Speaker B I mean Josh is still in.

Speaker D I'm waiting on the continuation the list continue.

Speaker A Oh, I hate to say.

Speaker C Oh, Daniel Jones, I mean or John. You don't want to put the numbers up.

Speaker D I'm not going to do the.

Speaker C He don't have a lot of touchdowns, but what's he got? Six.

Speaker B Huh?

Speaker C D.J.

Speaker D What have you been watching?

Speaker C Well, I think he's got six touchdown.

Speaker B Passes but nine total.

Speaker C He's run four.

Speaker B I mean the running does.

Speaker A There is a little bit of reputation.

Speaker C How did Josh.

Speaker D How did Josh win the MVP last year?

Speaker B A lot of running.

Speaker C Josh is falling. Look, there's a lot of changes week to week. Cause we're so early in the season. But he's gotten himself into consideration.

Speaker B That's what we want. Kw what do you want it. You knew this was gonna happen. I knew this was gonna happen. We're definitely, definitely the only show outside of ones on Nessen that is gonna have this on a bar. It's because you wanted it.

Speaker A Yeah. Are we ready to talk about this?

Speaker B Are you ready to talk Drake May, mvp?

Speaker A I am already here.

Speaker B Okay, Go. The mpvp.

Speaker A That's the conversation.

Speaker C See, I knew he was gonna do this.

Speaker B I told you.

Speaker C I told you guys on the call.

Speaker A No, that's the conversation. Are you ready to talk Drake May, mvp? What you say matters. Okay? The question is not, is Drake May the mvp? If the question was, is Drake May the mvp? That's a whole different conversation.

Speaker C What would your answer be?

Speaker A I don't know. I didn't prep for that. Am I ready to talk? Yes. I think we should have the conversation. We can move on.

Speaker C That's the end.

Speaker B Because I was gonna support you, bru.

Speaker C I.

Speaker B You go, Greg.

Speaker C Situation.

Speaker D Look, I love what I'm seeing out of Drake May. What we just heard from Stephon Diggs is a great endorsement. Like, when you see a young guy get compared to a guy like Josh Allen, you're basically saying, look, that's what it can look like. And I honestly feel like when I watch Drake May, at his age, with his lack of experience, he is getting there a little quicker than even the guy that he just played against.

Speaker A A lot of that's Stefon.

Speaker C He has gotten there quicker.

Speaker D Stefan and Josh McCain, he looked really, really good in his decision making. All the things that we saw last year, that was like, man, maybe don't.

Speaker A Throw the ball to the other team.

Speaker D Yeah, don't do that. He's correcting those things.

Speaker A We're seeing them take a sack, keep the clock running.

Speaker D Like, it's been impressive to watch Drake May. So.

Speaker A But the moral of the story, of this, because we gotta get to Cowboys. I have to get to Cowboys.

Speaker B I haven't gone yet. And I'm here to support you.

Speaker A I know, but we all are in agreement, and it's hard for us to agree on anything universally. We all agree the answer is yes. We are ready to talk about it. Brew is a yes. I'm a yes. Greg is a yes, and you're a yes. We're ready. The segment's over.

Speaker B He's in the MVP conversation.

Speaker A The segment's not over, but this part's over.

Speaker B Do you have anything to add? Yeah, I was going to support you even further. You did? Okay. All right, then I won't say anything.

Speaker A Do you have more graphics?

Speaker B I do, but it doesn't matter.

Speaker A Yeah, put them on.

Speaker C I want to see what your graphic.

Speaker B Is yes, but buddy, I'm not being a smart ass here. I'm telling you the truth. That those are guys who are in the thick of, in my opinion right now, the MVP discussion. I didn't mean to exclude Daniel Jones, I swear.

Speaker C Well, why did you?

Speaker B I'll be honest, because he just doesn't come to my mind. It wasn't a conscious decision. I just said to Josh, I was like, hey, put Drake May up against Baker, Zach and Josh Allen. Because in my head I'm like, those are the MVP candidates right now. I didn't include my guy Patrick because he hasn't had the year so far. And I didn't include your guy Daniel Jones because I'll be honest, I have not yet accepted that reality that we're in. He just on merit. He deserves to be there. He's in line with it. They now have a winning record. Also, this was the little addition I was going to give you. The great quarterbacks in our league. Josh was a little bit of a late bloomer in that he popped in year three. Year two, they made the playoffs, by the way. Threw that lateral over the back of his head. Year three, though, they made the first AFC title game. Patrick Mahomes, year two, but his first year as a starter. One league mvp. Lamar, year two, one league mvp. Joe Burrow, year two in the Super Bowl. Trevor, year two, seventh in mvp. So we've seen it. Won a playoff game. And so year two's not too early anymore. And so I think it's legit. I wasn't being a smart ass. I just wanted you. No, I want you. You're my TV coach. I'm your take coach. I want you one day to just like give the take. Right now.

Speaker A We should have the conversation.

Speaker B No, that's not the take. The take is right now. Why isn't he the mvp? You don't even have to.

Speaker A Not good enough. What are you talking about? He's not.

Speaker B I am. It's not good enough right now. Okay, go ahead.

Speaker A But maybe later in the year. Cowboys keep lighting up the scoreboard. Dak had another excellent game. Put up four touchdowns while the defense played the Jets. So they looked better. Whether they are better, we don't know. Is anyone starting to take the Cowboys more seriously? Again, open ended Seriously, meaning what? Super bowl playoffs.

Speaker B I don't know.

Speaker C This is where you're going to applaud me.

Speaker A Oh.

Speaker C Cause you're gonna be like, you know what? I might not like what Bruce said, but he's objective.

Speaker B Oh, that's all right.

Speaker C Much like your Patriots, I'm willing to say maybe they'll be able to make the playoffs. Maybe. Cause there five spots in the NFC are taken up, right? Taken Philly, Green Bay, Detroit, Tampa, and whoever emerges from the NFC West. Right. And then everybody. The other two teams in NFC west are going to bat. Seattle, San Francisco, whoever it is, and maybe Chicago, Washington. I was starting to get a little down on them, but last night, they.

Speaker B Obviously look good, have their quarterback.

Speaker C Yeah. So.

Speaker B But Dallas should be in the mix.

Speaker C Should fight for a playoffs. Here's where I'm going to pour a little cold water. Their two wins, I mean, they're the New York State champs. Cause that's who they beat. I mean, really, their two wins are against teams with a combined one and nine record.

Speaker B Tie against.

Speaker C And they barely beat the Giants.

Speaker B But who'd that tie come against?

Speaker C I mean, again, Green Bay took the week off. We gonna roll there, start them down.

Speaker F They were coming prepared.

Speaker C Didn't even prepare. I know, but they young. They're youngest team in the league. They needed to learn. I know. I don't think you putting anything into that tie either. So I just, just like. I'm not saying the Bills aren't any good because they lost to the Patriots. That tie is out of my mind for Green Bay. But my point is this. Beat somebody good.

Speaker A Okay?

Speaker C Beat somebody good, Dallas.

Speaker D So initially I was thinking. I was saying no, but I want to be fair, too. Last year when we were watching this with the Bengals, because of the guy at quarterback, we were giving them the benefit of the doubt. I'm not going to say we. I was giving them the benefit of the doubt because I knew how good he was. I knew how excellent he could be on that side of the ball. I think Dak can do the same thing. I really do. When you can score, forget the defense right now. When you can score and you can command a team and an offense and you have the running game that they now do have, regardless of how you feel about it, this is a team that you got to start taking serious. When you see the Dallas Cowboys and you see the production of George Pickens and the discipline that he's starting to play with and the consistency that he's playing with because of Dak Prescott, because of all that they're putting around him and the investment that he's making in practice, we didn't hear that when he was in Pittsburgh, all these things. It's because of that guy that's at quarterback. And so I believe in Dak. And so that makes Me take this team a little more serious.

Speaker C Can I ask you this? Because last year, if I'm not mistaken, you thought the Bengals could get to the Super Bowl. Okay, so are you. When you say take the Cowboys serious, are you saying make the playoffs, or are you actually saying maybe get to the right?

Speaker D So now the question is, do I. Am I starting to take them serious? That's the conversation we're having. I'm starting to take them serious.

Speaker B Yeah. I mean, I don't.

Speaker C I'm just like, serious or what? I think they could possibly make the playoffs too. Okay, but I mean, serious. There's differences in serious.

Speaker B Okay.

Speaker D No one said there wasn't.

Speaker C I want to know, are you taking. Are they a serious contender? I got a T. And you know, you with me, you want clarity, too.

Speaker B Hold on. I don't need. I knew exactly what they were saying. I don't need clarity. I. What I do need is to explain to the audience, maybe to Greg, what's happening. Bruce a little on tilt.

Speaker C He's been.

Speaker B He's been a little on tilt.

Speaker C I don't tilt show.

Speaker B The Ravens being in total disarray. It's been hard. Drew needs to get some wins on the board. Fully expected that law to the audio without Lamar.

Speaker C You did not expect Lamar 35. I expect a 44 piece, but without.

Speaker B Lamar, I expected an L. A few weird tells. Like he's saying to the audience, he was like, you're going to respect what I say here. Like, they don't always respect. You have low self esteem right now.

Speaker A It's like w. You're going to like this. You're going to say.

Speaker B You're going to say you're right. For those of you that thought I.

Speaker C Wasn'T objective, it's like, buddy, we all know.

Speaker B We all know.

Speaker C Oh, respect and love you.

Speaker B And then like Greg having answers, he's.

Speaker C Like, well, actually just on tilt.

Speaker B Just in a bad sport.

Speaker E We need the Ravens.

Speaker B They're one and four.

Speaker C Headed to one and five. All right. Golly, one in five supposed to win the Super Bowl.

Speaker A I feel like you would be more.

Speaker F Comfortable with that neck.

Speaker B Just let everybody know. He just keeps attacking Greg's answer to the question like the last.

Speaker C Seriously, we gotta take sincere.

Speaker B Somebody get Bruce Melatonin or something. Oh, my God. Next we're talking about who knows? I don't know. I don't like Greg's answer.

Speaker C Now.

Speaker A Welcome back to First Things First. What are you yelling at me about, Greg?

Speaker B The collar of your jacket. I got it.

Speaker A Oh, my goodness gracious.

Speaker B I got You.

Speaker A Sorry.

Speaker B There you go. Go ahead.

Speaker A Like Brew was yelling at you earlier. Three stories, no huddling. First up, battle of the former Carolina Panthers teammates turned franchise quarterbacks. Baker over Sam Darnold. The Bake show throws for almost 382 touchdowns. Let's take a look at the Bake show when he's targeting the buuka. Holy cow. 89 yards, third best first in touchdowns, interceptions first and passer rating 145. Are the Bucs the best team in the NFC?

Speaker B Have been from the beginning?

Speaker A You've been early on this incorrect.

Speaker B The listen. They unlike. And we're going to talk about the Chargers later and then we're going to hear Chargers excuses in about 45 minutes when Danny joins us. Unlike the Chargers or other, I guess the Ravens. The Ravens to a far worse extent. They suffered a bunch of injuries, too. They find a way to win. They find a way to be in all of these games. And then Bake Show Cooks down three with 2:17 left in week one. Get the ball. Baker delivers a victory, down five. Getting the ball with 2:10 left in week two. Baker delivers a victory down one with a minute 49 left in week three. Baker delivers a victory and yesterday down a full seven with 3:18 left, delivers a victory without having to go to overtime. Now, obviously the interception Baker didn't do, but he then capitalized. I don't. This team is only going to get better. Mike Evans is not there. Godwin is still, you know, getting back in the offensive line is injured. They didn't have Bucky irving and they're 4:1. And I don't know if we can show it. I don't know if we have time. It's the final six weeks of their schedule when they were supposed to really make. Hey, look at that. Look at that right hand column. You want to see some Tampa Bay victories? What about. I don't know what the record's gonna be coming into it, but I know at the end of that they're gonna have at least five, maybe six more wins. So. Yeah. Yes, they're the best team. They are the best team.

Speaker C No, they are not. I mean, look, Baker might be the mvp, not just nfc, but of the whole league, but no, they have a. They have played. They have beaten four teams with a 712 record. Why does it take them heroics from Baker to beat the freaking Jets. Jets. They. They beat the Jets 29, 27. Why heroics to beat Atlanta, which got smashed by.

Speaker B Atlanta's a fine Carolina.

Speaker C Atlanta's a. I don't know they got 30 nothing by Carolina and then they beat and Houston. We'll see. Look Philadelphia which beat them? Detroit. I still say Green Bay and maybe Washington. I'll put them with Washington right now. But Philadelphia, Green Bay and Detroit. I got a head of sandbox but.

Speaker B A couple evidence is there that Green Bay is better than this.

Speaker C They smashed Detroit. That's some pretty good evidence right there. And then they beat handily beat Washington with Jaden Daniels and those are two great wins Tampa don't have. What great wins does Tampa have? San Francisco beat Seattle in Seattle beating.

Speaker B I think beating Seattle yesterday was a really good win. But what Tampa doesn't have is a horrifying loss or tie the way Green Bay does. Like I just don't know. I. I think it's. I don't know how we can.

Speaker C Even if you say Green Bay but Detroit and Philly I'm not. I definitely think are better.

Speaker D Best team in the nfc. I got that. Detroit is in that driver's seat for me. But the Bucks. Everything you said about Baker Mayfield is why the Bucks are right there. And they can beat anybody because they have a quarterback that has been able to rally those guys. And those guys believe in him. He believes in his ability. And if he has the ball last. I'm talking about across the board, Patrick Mahomes included.

Speaker B Well, let's not go too far right now.

Speaker D The way he's playing if he has the ball last. I trust Baker right now more than any great receiver.

Speaker C Even with the injuries still got great results.

Speaker B Buuka's been unreal.

Speaker A Awesome Worldly should guard him.

Speaker B I'm just saying harder than you think. Kw. I think it's hard. I think it's harder than you think.

Speaker A It's like last night. You guys should have guard Stephon Diggs. He used to be on your team. He's good. Flip to the AFC. Colts, Raiders. This one was not close at all. 40 to 6 Indy now 4 1. And let's look at the seeds in the AFC. If the season ended today, it'd be a very short season, but the Colts would be number one. Bill, Steelers, Chargers, the record says they're legit contenders. Greg, do you agree?

Speaker D Of course. Like no hesitation needed. And just for the record, if season ended, can we put that back up? Who typically gets in the runnings for MVPs?

Speaker E That's a good point.

Speaker B The one seed. One seed. Yeah.

Speaker A So I'm Jonathan Taylor.

Speaker C Yeah. Leading the league in rushing.

Speaker D We can say what we wanted to say. Jonathan Taylor has been a staple in that Colts offense. What hasn't and what is now is Daniel Jones. Can we see his numbers please? And why this team is.

Speaker A This is what it's like when I talk about Mac Jones.

Speaker C Yeah.

Speaker D No, no, no, no, no. This is not.

Speaker C Was that the question Jones. I'm just saying. Y' all get mad.

Speaker A 40 to 6.

Speaker D This is one of the reasons why they. They are a legit team because they are getting great play out of their quarterback.

Speaker A Those are wild stats.

Speaker D This is not just fugazy.

Speaker C This is for real.

Speaker D Jonathan Taylor. His productivity has been awesome this year. Like the receiver play awesome the offensive line. But the one thing even defensively. Defensive coordinator. You can give Lou Anarumo a lot of credit but they got a lot of great players on defense. This is a very well constructed team and a lot of it and why they're having the success is on the shoulders of the quarterback and what he's been able to do.

Speaker A I know but a part of me, Greg respectfully feels like apple cider donuts. Go to a little corn pumpkin mode.

Speaker B So I'm on pumpkin watch. Would you admit I'm on pumpkin watch?

Speaker C Not. Not that he'll go. Aren't you?

Speaker B Hold on.

Speaker D Is if they're going to be on really great.

Speaker B Hold on. Let me amend. Let me. Let me amend the take on you. You are right because I had incorrectly watch the Colts. I had the wrong team that they were. Because I was saying that they were going to be last year's saints. 2 and 0 huge victories and then fall off a map. I was wrong. And then I realized today which team they are. Oh, do you know which team they are?

Speaker D I just want to hear.

Speaker B I think you'll like this. I think they have a real chance to be last year's Vikings gaudy regular season record a reclamation project at quarterback. No matter what they do throughout the regular season, people don't fully buy in entirely. And then of course obviously we know what will happen in the playoffs. But that that team could win. I don't think they're gonna win 14 games. But I think that is. I was wrong. I was basically being like at first two games fluke. What they have shown us is because they have. They have played Miami, Tennessee and the Raiders. And I was wrong about the Raiders, it would appear. But they have. Those are bad teams. Obviously.

Speaker F That's the thing.

Speaker B But they have crushed them. They have crushed them.

Speaker A That's what I like.

Speaker B And then they have played. They have played two teams that we think are good to very good in Denver and the Rams and They were both total toss ups. Denver comes down to the field goal. The Rams game comes down to the very end as well.

Speaker A Gave away a touchdown.

Speaker B Correct. And so to me, that last year's Vikings is the feel that I have now. I don't know that they have to deal with a version of last year's Detroit. Like maybe last year's Minnesota, with a divisional, with a division title and a home playoff game, looks a little different in the postseason. But I think that. And I think Darnold and Daniel Jones being in the same bucket of. Honestly, no matter what you do this year, people are going to probably doubt you a bit. Until we see it again next year, I think it's probably the reality.

Speaker C I think that's a good comp. Last year's Vikings, again, I don't think they'll go 14 or 14.

Speaker B 14 and three. Yeah. 14 wins, 4,000 yards. People throw that.

Speaker C Daniel Jones, his one playoff game wasn't great, but, you know, that's your first playoff game, so. Remember they lost to Minnesota when he was with the Giants.

Speaker B No, they beat us.

Speaker C I mean, they beat.

Speaker B It was the next fight. Sorry. No, he was good at the next game.

Speaker C That's right.

Speaker B Yeah. It was the opposite.

Speaker C No, no, the next game he was terrible. Yeah. No, they're not contenders, though. They haven't beaten anybody good yet. That's the thing. I want to see that. They got to be somebody good.

Speaker B I, I think.

Speaker C And Denver, they, they, you know, they, they beat Denver, but that was. I think that was. I think Denver helped them out on that playoff team. That was. They're good, but not, Not a contender like Super Bowl.

Speaker A I agree with Update Dusty, tell this in my ear again so I get it right. Amari and HAMPTON on the I.R. breaking news.

Speaker B Oh, that's why they wouldn't give him the ball late. Okay.

Speaker A Chargers are hurt and enthusiasm around this team has come back to earth. Right guard Makai Beckton and Trey Pimkins both left the game yesterday. Herbert throws for one second, sacked, generally on the move. Here's Herbert this season. First two games, pretty good. Last three games, everything.

Speaker B Less.

Speaker A Do the Chargers need more from Justin Herbert or victim of circumstance?

Speaker B We knew going into the year Slater was out. The real significant injury they've had is Joe Walt getting hurt last week and now missing time. And that is a very significant injury because they had already missed Slater. But this is three weeks in a row where the Chargers offense has looked really good in the first quarter and then gone totally dormant for the next three. Now, the first of those Three weeks. Herbert rallied at the end. That was the Broncos game. Yeah. And it woke back up, so to speak, and made one of the best plays anyone's made all season. And I think he has played better eye test wise than those numbers suggest. But the problem with having put no pelts on the wall of any substance this late into your career is people aren't going to be all that interested in the nuance of the circumstances. And they're going to say through two weeks, your loudest supporters, of which there are many in the media, were like, see, I told you this guy's as talented as anybody in the league. And now it feels like we're back in the very similar cycle of it's not his fault. And I don't really think yesterday was primarily his fault. But they scored 10 points immediately and then didn't score again. That's not great. It's just not great.

Speaker D Yeah, they're going to have to get more from Herbert, period. Stop. Like he's the highest paid and it's not just about that. But you have quarterbacks that you deem elite to erase what you know, what you don't have to make right what you lack. He has to make it right in every offense you have built in, built in hots, built in outlets. So, you know, I don't have my tackles. I don't have them. This is the league. This is National Football League. Guys are going to be playing without guys that they really wish that was out there. How can you overcome it? Can you be a difference maker? Can you be an impact player and still win games if you are that type of a guy? Justin Herbert has to prove that.

Speaker A Can I ask you a question? Last year's Lions hurt defense were winning. And then collectively it felt like the media and maybe even like the NFL themselves, Lions themselves were like, we're too banged up. We are past next man up.

Speaker B But they weren't though.

Speaker D They never.

Speaker A At the very end, they were too hurt. I'm saying at the very, very end.

Speaker B The playoffs got beat.

Speaker D I think they always felt that they would still be at the end.

Speaker B Yeah, because I mean they beat the Vikings in the final game of the year for the one seed.

Speaker A Yeah. But they gave up a ton of points.

Speaker B No, I don't think that this is.

Speaker A Like, are we headed that way?

Speaker B So we might. This is the. I think they might be too banged up to win a championship. I think that's fair and like the. But they are not so banged up that you should score 10 points on Washington. Like you just because you lost like you went into the game without Slater and without Ault and with Becton coming back. I understand they lost their rookie running back during the game. But, but you the Herbert, if they had lost this game, 31, 27, that's one thing. They scored 10 points and then they had 27 straight points scored on them.

Speaker C They haven't scored 30 this year. And what concerns me is last year they didn't throw that much. He only had three interceptions. He's got four in the last three games.

Speaker A Can Mahomes play his way onto Bruce Bow? The big performance tonight against the Prince next. Maybe the Prince can get on the ballot. What about that?

Speaker B No, he hasn't played well.

Speaker C He needs, he needs.

Speaker A Sunday on Fox. Dak and the Cowboys taking on the Panthers Rico Dowdle revenge game. Then a four. Titans, Raiders. That's all Sunday on Fox. Tonight the Chiefs are favored by more than a field goal in Jacksonville against the Prince in a precision stingy defense that has been forcing a lot of turnovers. Brew, are you expecting Mahomes to play his way onto Brew's MVP bout?

Speaker B Because remember, he was right on the cusp.

Speaker C Yeah, yeah. I'm not sure if one, two, I mean maybe. He certainly got a chance. But a great game and he is.

Speaker B In strong consideration right now. Does he have a. Do you think he will pass Drake May on your ballot?

Speaker C Yeah, he's had a tougher schedule.

Speaker A That's okay.

Speaker C But Drake. Yeah, I probably would have him ahead of me.

Speaker A That's okay. I respect you.

Speaker C But Drake is on.

Speaker B I don't think this will be all. I don't think that this is going to be a huge stats game.

Speaker C If he doesn't have a huge stats.

Speaker B Game, then it's going to be hard, which is fine.

Speaker C He's not in consideration for number one, right?

Speaker B No. And he shouldn't be at the moment, by the way because Baker wasn't even on the ballot last week and I assume he's going to be super high on it. I think the Chiefs feel like if they don't turn the ball over, they can't lose tonight. I could see that. And so they're going to have a ball control, very conservative game plan early and see if sadly, if the Prince gives them one.

Speaker A Okay, so that will bring us to our picks with our new graphic. Greg, do you have a pick for tonight's game?

Speaker D I do.

Speaker A Jags, Chiefs.

Speaker D I do. Give me the Jaguars. Liam Cohen. I love what he's doing right now. That defense is playing some great ball and Brian Thomas Jr.

Speaker B Try me to wait. Put that seatbelt on.

Speaker D You're gonna wake up tonight, okay? He needs you to show up.

Speaker B Craig, do you have a pick? Yeah, I picked a Chief. Very often when you pick against the Chiefs, it's on a Friday, and then you don't have to deal with the fallout of your erroneous prediction. I know we're not on tomorrow because of baseball, but we are on again this week. Are you sure that's the direction you want to go? Yeah. I've never heard you be a big jag, Zach.

Speaker D Are you sure?

Speaker B Yes, I.

Speaker D Because you got the Prince.

Speaker B You got my. Listen, some would say I can't lose tonight. However, I can lose, because as much as I love the Prince, the Chiefs need to win this game. Chiefs win this game. They're 3:2 with a house money game against Detroit before Rasheed gets back. I mean, like, so. Yeah, but they two and three going into that Detroit game. Feels very different.

Speaker A Do you want to run the anchor leg? Do you want me to go?

Speaker C I'll go. Look, it wouldn't pain me to see.

Speaker B The Chiefs lose, but Drew wants to be right. Bruce. Gotta put some wins on a win.

Speaker C I think the Chiefs are going to win.

Speaker A I'm also taking the Chiefs. I'll tell you what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a Travis Hunter moment that we haven't gotten on, like, the national stage. Is he on the doorstep of destiny? Not necessarily. But if we were gonna. When are we gonna have our breakout?

Speaker E Oh, wow.

Speaker F Travis Hunter moment.

Speaker A We were having, like, every week when we were at Colorado.

Speaker C Now we're just a little different competition.

Speaker A I know. But I'm waiting. We've had. We've had big moments from other rookies.

Speaker B Yeah.

Speaker A And I'm just waiting for this Travis Hunter moment.

Speaker B Yeah. Travis Hunter lined up on Xavier for some of the games.

Speaker A He was flirting with the. Was it an ankle?

Speaker B Oh, Xavier's fine. He's fine, but it was like he was bouncing off. He showed up on the injury report because his ankle. Swole. Swole. Swelled up on a plane ride. Sup? Shaking my ankle, but no, he'll be fine. He's gonna play.

Speaker F Okay.

Speaker A Coming up next, all of the weird and wonderfuls that we didn't run, including the catch of the year from.

Speaker B Catch of the year.

Speaker E Yeah.

Speaker A From Stefon Diggs.

Speaker B That's not catch. And weren't you so sp. Promote. Hey, what's going on? Hey, what's.

Speaker A No, he just keeps putting. Hey, what's going on? Welcome back to First Things First. Wonderful. Episode of Weird and Wonderful. Start with the weird brew. I'm sorry about this one. Ravens, Texans. Jalen Noel scores to make it 41:10. It's his first touchdown in the NFL. He hits the Ray Lewis stance, and.

Speaker B The only Raven who cares is the one who's never been there. It's his second game with the team.

Speaker C Yeah, the disrespect.

Speaker A I thought it was a little bit of an homage. No, no, no, no.

Speaker B By the way, he did get the ball back somehow. He tweeted that he has the ball. Jair was like, we don't allow that around here. This is. He's played like 30 snaps with the Ravens.

Speaker A It does seem weird that there's. I don't know. I think it's always a fun conversation. Slash, somewhat odd conversation. Like, did not enough Ravens come to just do like a beat him up shoving that?

Speaker B No. Should. Yeah. Of course you got to jump him. It's the. Yeah. This is the rules. Yeah. But you know what I'm feeling, bro ten man mode. Oh, no.

Speaker A Tin man mode.

Speaker C Look right now. Every. You can say there's no defending. What's going on right now?

Speaker B This was a great, wonderful.

Speaker C That was great.

Speaker A Scores 20, 20 Patriots in Buffalo 2 and break. Is basically tackled by three. 320 pound Daquan Jones. He finds Stefon for the catch of the year.

Speaker B Kw, this is catch of the year. It's also kind of a full circle moment. This is the 180 degree opposite of the Mac Jones, Chandler Jones moment where Chandler stiff the double lateral. Least athletic quarterback ever gets stiff armed. This is your guy getting pulled to the ground, being strong enough and athletic enough to make that play. That's why that game had to be so exciting. Cause for the first time since Josh Allen's been in the league, you looked at it and you were like, at least for a night. That's a fair fight. Josh versus Drake is a fair fight.

Speaker A Josh is better, but it's not obvious.

Speaker B Right? Correct. But it's. It. Yeah.

Speaker F Wonderful.

Speaker A Blue Jays up five. Nothing on the Yankees. Base is loaded, courtesy of Laddie. Bases unloaded. Yankees lose game one, 10 to one. They lose game two 13 to seven. Game three is tomorrow night right here on FS1. We'll be off watching the Yankees. I gotta pull for the Yankees at this point.

Speaker B The rare 137 playoff baseball game. That was not as close as it sounds. That game was over immediately. It's the fourth inning. They just kept giving up bombs. Yep. God.

Speaker A You know what the question is? Are the Yankees maximizing Aaron Judge's prime right thus far.

Speaker B No, they better win tomorrow.

Speaker A First things first. Overtime coming up now, live from New York show that's welcoming Drake May into the MVP conversation. Not the mvp, not on the ballot, but in the mix and in the conversation.

Speaker B Wiles just wants us. Just wants this to happen. Hey, Drake May seeing the MVP conversation.

Speaker A And even by asking it.

Speaker F Exactly.

Speaker B That's why I said you don't even need a response. Yeah, you can say no. You can say no. But by saying no, there's the conversation.

Speaker C He's more in the mix than. I hate to say it, but let's revisit that.

Speaker B Wow. Right now part is true. That's objectively true.

Speaker A Today. Are we buying stock in Baker's MVP case? A fresh edition of Stock up, stock down with a very clever lead in.

Speaker B Really? Yeah. You. Who wrote the lead?

Speaker A I wrote it. You'll love it. Meanwhile, it was last night's loss for Josh Allen just a bad game, or actually a bad sign for the Bills and Josh Allen. But right now we're talking about the once undefeated Eagles. Broncos hand Philly their first loss this season. 21:17. Jalen Hurts was asked about the fourth quarter collapse, and he had this to say about Philly moving forward.

Speaker C We gotta go back and really learn from this.

Speaker D Take ownership for the things that we can control. Look into our process and our system and.

Speaker C And see what needs to be reset.

Speaker D And what doesn't need to be reset and continue to press forward.

Speaker A Okay, Danny, how concerning is this loss for Philadelphia?

Speaker B Pretty.

Speaker F Pretty concerning. Like, it's. It's not panic time yet. Obviously they're 4 and 1 and they're the champs, but this is just objectively weird. And I remember last year when Nick Sirianni was catching heat, a lot of us were asking like, what exactly do you do here? It feels like he has to call Kevin Petullo, the new offensive coordinator, into his office and maybe exert a little bit more control over his offense. Because I watched every snap of that game and I know Denver's defense is excellent, but I don't understand why they are so bad offensively if they've got a top five line and a top two running back and a top two wide receiver duo. And Eagles fans will tell you a top five quarter quarterback and they're all relatively healthy. Why are they this inconsistent and that? Just add it to the pile of weird Eagles games and specifically offensive performances. Like, we can just show you five games. It's not hard to remember because they're the champs. Three points in the second half against Dallas. Dallas, bottom three defense in the NFL. Five pass attempts in the second half against Kansas City. Where did it go? One negative net passing yard in the first half of that Rams game when you thought there was a typo on the scoreboard. Then they get outgained by 278 yards in the second half against Tampa. And then they're winning by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter against Denver and they run the ball two times. Like I don't understand any of it.

Speaker B Yeah.

Speaker F So I don't get any of it.

Speaker B I think your point about. Because we haven't. We talk about a lot of teams that are injured, about what's happened to them because they're injured. Yeah. We don't. And this is not us. It's just sports media in general. We don't very often be like, hey, one reason to be concerned. This team has been exceptionally healthy and they don't look, you know, totally right. Your point that Philly. I understand Landon Dickerson been dealing with stuff. Lane Johnson. Right. But that's not an injury. He left the team and Lane Johnson left the game but came back. But their stars for the most part have been there the whole time and they just don't have an offensive identity. I have no idea what the Eagles are going to look like. And it's. They are. And this. Barnwell pointed this out. He's right. It's, you know, adjust for inflation, I suppose. They're the most expensive offense in the history of the NFL. They are widely regarded as Danny put out, you know, top five at basically every spot with the question being quarterback, is he top eight instead of top five? But whatever. And they can't brew have a normal game. And so I find the fact that they went from why can't you pass, why can't you pass, why can't you pass? To pretending they don't have Saquon Barkley. That type of correction oddly more concerning than the loss. I don't really care that they're 41 versus 5. 0. The only reason I think the loss is noteworthy is it allows us more fairly, if you will, to focus on the fact that this team has only looked right offensively for a couple quarters at a time this year. And then they've looked like the second half and the comeback against the Rams. The first half against Tampa and the first half of the season are the only times where it's like, oh, that's Phillies offense humming. And so I don't get it. And I, I feel badly just being like, it's the lowest paid guys on the, you know, involved fault. The offensive coordinator, it's not that coach, not the quarterback, not the stars. But he is what's different. Everyone else has been there and we don't think those players all got markedly worse. Unless the argument is the offense last year was elevated massively by Saquon's historic season and now that Saquon's having a down year, everything's falling apart with it. But that undermines Jalen hurts as to like that brings into question how good is Jalen hurts.

Speaker C If that's the case, I'm not concerned and I agree with a lot of what you said. They don't have an identity. Clearly I do have issues with the offensive coordinator. I think he's been darn near terrible this year. And yet they're still 4:1. I mean that schedule was.

Speaker B Schedule's been brutal.

Speaker C Five really strong teams. And because Saquon is so good, because their two receivers are so good and Jalen has done it long enough, even though he gets questioned, the dude is really good. I mean and he shows it too. Even some of the throws he made yesterday, like the long winded Devontae Smith and stuff. So I they do have to work out like the balance between the run and the pass. But as far as like thinking they won't be a contender, a top tier contender in the nfc, I see nothing to feel that way at all.

Speaker F Yeah, I think it's the opposite. I think it's why they're so scary. Like I, I was reading our buddy Zach Berman who does great reporting for them for the Athletic out of Philadelphia and it's like they gotta get the play in a little bit quicker. They gotta be more detail oriented. The penalties hurt them in that game. There was a very questionable like like they're talking about that game. Like it was just the margins and little execution. Fine tune the details and they'd be five and oh like that's actually why I think the Eagles are so scary. I still think it's all in there for them.

Speaker B So I would agree with that entirely. And I said last week that I thought they could take a page out of the Chiefs from a couple years ago playbook which is if you are having trouble passing the ball, have a game where you work on passing. I didn't think to the extent of having a two touchdown lead in the second half and stop running Saquon.

Speaker F That was weird.

Speaker B But here's the reason that I can't fully be on board with this. It also feels a Lot like how the team felt two years ago where the record was great, where they had played a tough schedule, and yet every week it was another. What? Huh? What was it? Kalat, what's going on?

Speaker A Oh, hey, what's going on?

Speaker B Hey, what's.

Speaker C Hey.

Speaker B Yeah.

Speaker A It almost was more shocking than hey, what's going on. It almost deserves the rare. What exactly is happening now?

Speaker B Yeah. Oh, is that. Is that a spin off? Yeah, it's a spin off. Yeah, that one doesn't. Crazy. What exactly is happening now? I don't know.

Speaker C But regardless, like a lot of that's the media though.

Speaker B But. But the media is not going away as much.

Speaker C Except I think they should not buy into that.

Speaker B Well, but A.J. a.J. Is going to be like voice his displeasure if it's there. And like, that's the other thing we haven't talked about here. AJ after asking for the ball those times. Listen, I don't know that he quit on that route. I don't know if it was overthrown. Like people I respect are in both camps of that, but that doesn't help. Like, it's just. It's a lot. It's very angsty for a 41 defending Super bowl champion. That's all I'm saying.

Speaker A Saquon down from 125 yards to 53 yards a game. They've got the Giants on Thursday night, so it's not a ton of time to game plan.

Speaker B I think it's good that they get a game Thursday because they can't.

Speaker C Do you know what's.

Speaker B No, I just think it's because this game or bounce back. Yeah.

Speaker C You just have to, you know what's even better is the Giants. That's.

Speaker F That'll help.

Speaker A Meanwhile, we'll head out to see what the Chargers are up to. Justin Herbert's MVP case may have peaked too early. Chargers lose again while Herbert and a banged up offense only put up 10 points 166 yards while getting sacked four times. Here's Danny's guy, Justin Herbert. Take a listen.

Speaker E That's just, you know, things that we.

Speaker F Have to be better at and stuff.

Speaker A That we have to take a hard.

Speaker B Long look at and you know, have.

Speaker E To address that and, you know, it's tough. The game is tough enough already and.

Speaker F We'Re making it tougher on ourselves when we do that.

Speaker B So it's stuff that we have to.

Speaker F Fix and stuff, like we said earlier, is out of character and so it's.

Speaker B On us to watch the film get.

Speaker F Better from it and continue to harp.

Speaker A On those little details earlier. In the show we saw Brew take out a cardboard box and put all of his Raven stuff in it and basically give up on the Baltimore Ravens.

Speaker C That was a sad moment. No, I did not. I didn't.

Speaker F It was a sad moment.

Speaker C Life support stuff's on life support.

Speaker B You cannot. Well, go ahead. I don't even know what the question is.

Speaker A I don't. I just made it up.

Speaker B Yeah, go ahead.

Speaker F Listen, I think there's. I pray at the altar of logic and reason, but there we go. There's only one logical conclusion to come to and that is that Justin Herbert is cursed.

Speaker B Okay?

Speaker F It's the only. It is the only thing that makes.

Speaker B Uses it is the only excuses.

Speaker F Logical explanation for. I mean, I thought he was cursed when I watched the game with you yesterday. And since then, Omarion Hampton, he's out for four weeks. It's another injury to pile on top of this. But listen, anybody could show you Quinton Johnston dropping the ball. Anyone could show you a deflected interception or a touchdown being taken off the board for running into the punter flipping the game. It would have been 17, 7, then it ends up 10, 10 at half. That's rudimentary. 101, 201, level analysis. I'm going to take you guys inside. A little play I like to call second and 19. It's not an advantageous down. They get sacked on first down, brings up second and 19. Let's roll the tape. Second 19, tough spot. Here's Justin Herbert hanging in the pocket. Pressure. He converts it. What a great play. That's a Peyton Manning 2.0 play.

Speaker B Unbelievable conversion.

Speaker F Only problem is the backup right tackle commits a hold. So they gotta wipe out. Second and 19. All right. You know, we're not gonna panic though, brew. Cause it's 2nd and 28. Justin Herbert, he's got him right where he wants them. Second and 28, inside the 10, hangs in the pocket. A beautiful throw over the defender to Keenan Allen and center for a conversion. The only problem is that was taken off the board by a five yard pound. There was no play in the playbook for second and 33.

Speaker B That was the problem.

Speaker F So he converts second in 19. He converts second and 28.

Speaker C He's the only player in the league. 10 penalties, injuries and pills.

Speaker B Look at all of this stuff.

Speaker F Where is Justin Herbert on that list of Chargers miscues? The guy is a victim of everyone around.

Speaker B The bottom one is where he is when they had a chance to be right back in the game. And he throws an interception in the end zone.

Speaker F The Ball was tipped.

Speaker B Yeah. That happened to another guy. That is bad luck. Okay.

Speaker C Objectively bad luck that doesn't happen to any other quarterback.

Speaker B Again if the ball gets. If by tipped it is off your own receivers hand.

Speaker F Like what happened in the playoff game to Justin Herbert twice.

Speaker B Okay, sure you can go that bad luck. I don't know that the defender getting his hand up. That's a great defensive play. But here is, here's the problem is you all in the Herbert cabal. And again I'm going to take a page out of brews book. I like Justin Herbert. Yeah. I think he's obviously a good player.

Speaker F He's a great player.

Speaker B But the folks, we have no evidence of that other than ice, other than eyes. Again we have had to listen to folks say I swear to you he's a great player.

Speaker F He is.

Speaker B And then. And again I think he's a good player. We had folks say this was going to be the year he proved it all. And you said that knowing Slater was out. So they've had one substantial injury prior to yesterday. Joe Alt. It's a big injury. Guys get hurt. Guys get hurt. But you knew Slater was out going into it and you were fine with it. Yeah. It shouldn't all hinge on one tackle. Whether or not he's going to become Peyton Manning 2.0 which luckily we can update the graphic. Let's see how Peyton Manning, Peyton Manning three year six. They were five and oh.32 points a game, 11 touchdowns, a 103 rating and he won league MVP. I don't think Justin Herbert's getting there.

Speaker F I didn't sanction this draft. I'm not for me destroy what happened.

Speaker B I know Danny, you're tongue in cheek. Justin Herbert is cursed. The problem is that's kind of like the smart football opinion. No, the guy's just obvious. Obviously he is 90% as talented as Alan or Mahomes. He's just the unlucky guy in football and it's. And I just think it's bananas. He's. We're still, we are still in a spot where the chargers can score 10 points in a game against a defense no one thinks is great. And, and the smart opinion is the quarterback played awesome. Actually if you watch the film, we watched it together.

Speaker C He was good.

Speaker B Okay, then what is great then. Then I guess great would have been 14 points.

Speaker F That would have been. That would have been amazing.

Speaker B Yeah. I mean I think that at some point you are who you are and Herbert's a nice player. That's who he is. He's a nice player.

Speaker C Look, I agree with you, Danny, on the eye test, like he throws a mean ball. I mean, he looks great. He looks the part and he is very good. Like Nick said, we agree with that. But he doesn't look like he's going to be Peyton Manning 2.

Speaker B No, he's sure not.

Speaker C And if he is, now is the time you step up and carry your team. You know, and he's got. Last year they took the ball out of his hands. He only had three interceptions. This year they put the ball back in his hands and he's got four interceptions in his last three games. And you begged them to do it.

Speaker B You were mad at them last year for running the ball too much. That was why they didn't achieve higher. They didn't give them ball enough. Now their rookie running back's out a month and it's like, oh, what can the guy do? He's not gonna have a running back.

Speaker A Well, we gotta get the stock up. Stock down. Okay, it's time now to act like brew in the commercial break and check the stock market.

Speaker B This time it's football.

Speaker A Storyline Danny, who's stock is up.

Speaker F That's amazing. Portfolio strong to quite strong. Bruce, congratulations on all your success.

Speaker D Drake VAY stock.

Speaker F Your guy Doorstep and destiny.

Speaker B He is.

Speaker F Listen, that is his fourth quarter passer rating over the course of the five weeks of the season. He was basically perfect in the entire second half yesterday. I think the only quibble I would have with Nick and Brew over how this show started today, you guys were both falling. I'm so happy for Wilds. I'm so happy for you. Leader of the show, handsome, charming.

Speaker A I'm not happy for why?

Speaker F Okay, it's been what, four years since Tom Brady? You had to go through Cam Newton and Mac Jones and now you've got a guy who's clearly awesome. And if I was gonna buy stock in a quarterback, he would be one of the eight most valuable stocks in the entire world.

Speaker B 17 years old, you're the kid at the Patriots parade.

Speaker F It's like, oh my God, we've had it so hard in Boston.

Speaker C That's a good point. That's you. I don't feel bad.

Speaker B Talk to me.

Speaker F When you're a Jetster fan, a Browns.

Speaker A Fan or a Bears fan, that is a fair take. But it does feel like as we walk through the doorstep of destiny, that we actually just belong on the top of the afc.

Speaker B It's just like things get back to how they smuggle. I think that you guys, there's A big, big step between where you are now and being the top of the the afc.

Speaker A Sure. I just want to be. How about this? I want to be out of the wilderness, right?

Speaker B And four years and I. And this is and brew and I think you'll agree with me here, I know Danny does. This is why, particularly in the afc, you have to swing on traitsy quarterbacks. You can't, in my opinion. It's why I. I will never like the Bonick pick. We'll see how it works out. I didn't like the Mac Jones pick. You need to have a guy who can be toe to toe in a game against Josh Allen and for the night be like, I'm gonna do all this Josh Allen stuff as well as Josh Allen because you're going to run into Patrick or Lamar or Josh or Joe, who's not the trate c guy, but just so accurate, you know what I mean? Herbert, right? Well, that's the bet on Herbert. Honestly, like the bet on Herbert is his talent is high enough. Like I think May's talent is high enough. But I just think you guys probably have a. That last step's the biggest one.

Speaker A All right, stock down.

Speaker F Yeah, yeah, okay, I got you. Stock down. Common sense, it happened again. Imari DeMarcado, what are you doing? You had eight carries on the season before this. This is the longest run in your career by far. It happened to get week to week to week. Common sense, no one had dropped the ball. We got through three weeks in the NFL. Then in week four, AD Mitchell on the Colts did it. And you know, you guys talked to coach Mangini. We all do. Every team in the league put that Adonai Mitchell play up and said, hey, if you're going to score a touchdown, be sure before you celebrate, you cross the goal line. And then DeMarcusato did it again.

Speaker B It's an epidemic.

Speaker F Deshaun Jackson, Leon Lett. It happens in college football. It happened to Malachi Corley on the jets last year. What's going on?

Speaker C I don't get it.

Speaker D Greg.

Speaker C I was talking with Greg earlier and he said it even on the show. He said. I said, I think it's showboating. He said, it's not showboating. It's you get in the end zone and you feel like you're done. And I'm like, well, wait, you can't wait two more yards to drop the ball or whatever. Look, I don't necessarily want this to happen. If I was the head coach, I might cut him.

Speaker B Well, Jonathan Gannon didn't cut him, but it did appear he punched him.

Speaker A What did he do?

Speaker B He did. I don't. Maybe what I said there. I. Maybe I shouldn't have said that on tv. The video that we have seen from the sideline, it looks to me like he hit like smacked him in the chest. I don't know what the. We don't have a reverse angle of it. But Gannon was incensed. Understandably. Now they had plenty of chances after that. Also. I am. I agree with you Danny, that it was ridiculous what he did. I also am shocked. They overturned that. I. I thought he scored that one. That one. All the other ones have been obvious. You like the guy is setting the ball down and they have the very clear shot. Ad Mitchell. You can see it fumbling out of his hands. It to me looks like he actually when he is moving it forward to flip it, it crosses and we know the goal line. It's. You know, it's like a short field. It just pass it and the plays over. So I was. I was stunned. They over.

Speaker C The thing is that cost. That could be tens of thousands of dollars his job.

Speaker B Oh yeah.

Speaker C Ultimately, like ultimately. I mean they not gonna do it. You know what I mean? If they. Cause they. They got what two games they've given away this year.

Speaker F They easily could miss the playoffs on that loss.

Speaker C Yes, of course. And that's. That's where that and.

Speaker F And Nick, I'm with you. I thought there was an argument that that should not have been overturned. But he's slowing down and I have.

Speaker C Why are you even slowing down?

Speaker A Right.

Speaker F Like in baseball. Like Ty goes to the. The runner like in Little League, wherever. I have no problem with Tai goes to reward the defense. That's such a boneheaded player.

Speaker C I just hope guys stop doing this because it does.

Speaker F It's embarrassing.

Speaker A It doesn't make stock up. The final stock up in the stock market.

Speaker C The Bake Show.

Speaker F His MVP stock is way up. I wish I had a Baker Mayfield MVP ticket from before the year. Because you could have BAKER Mayfield at 27 to 1 right now. Which is where his odds began before the season and then as he has gone on with each and every fourth quarter comeback. All of their wins on the last.

Speaker B I think 12 to 1 is still good value.

Speaker F That's what I was going to ask. You can get him right now 12 to 1, 15 to 1. You know, I love line shopping. Feels to me like they can. They've got a path to the one seed. Dak is probably the favorite to lead the League in passing. But Baker's a top three option there. Baker Mayfield, mvp.

Speaker B It's really live. Yeah. I mean, it feels like Lamar's out of it, so.

Speaker F I mean, Allen, Mahomes and Herbert are the only guys in front of him.

Speaker B Herbert's in front of him.

Speaker C I don't know how Herbert is.

Speaker F I can't wait to see Bruce Ballot.

Speaker B I understand why Josh is where he is and Patrick. It basically is just a bet that Patrick's gonna hit a hot streak. And like Mahomes, MVP odds have a floor. Essentially, no matter how he's playing, they're. The market's afraid of putting him at 20 to 1 and then he hits a hot streak. But I think because of when we showed you guys their schedule earlier, that they. And one of the reasons I picked them to go to the super bowl was because I thought they had a great path to the one seed. That right hand column. Baker could, over the final six weeks of the year, have 20 touchdowns. Yeah. Have 20 touchdowns in one pick. And the team go fight. Like, the only game that wouldn't be a shocking loss is home against Atlanta, an Atlanta team they already beat on the road. So I. Yeah, I agree with you, Danny. I think he legitimately could win mvp.

Speaker A What a story.

Speaker B Which Brew would. That's what I was gonna say, would make his football story from walk on to Heisman the number one pick to cut around, bouncing around. One of the most unique NFL stories ever. Yeah.

Speaker C Question it every day.

Speaker A Excellent episode of Stock up, Stock Down. Coming up next on overtime, is it officially panic time for the Ravens, who are giving up 40 points in their.

Speaker B Losses, who are still the favorites to win that division?

Speaker F I'm shocked by that. Welcome back. First things first, we got Greg Jennings and Willie Colon out here. We go to Baltimore, where the very injured Baltimore Ravens. You see Lamar Jackson there? You'd rather see him in shoulder pads and a helmet. He's an exciting player. Brutal loss to C.J. stroud and the Texans. 10 points, three turnovers, a very unfamiliar 14 record. Here's head coach John Harbaugh in the state of the Ravens.

Speaker C All right. Obviously got beaten every way you get beat.

Speaker B Very disappointed with that.

Speaker C Did not expect to see that.

Speaker D Just a complete disappointment. And we're going to have to find a way to turn it around.

Speaker C Figure out who we are this next.

Speaker B Week and then into the bye.

Speaker C And after the bye, we're going to.

Speaker D Have more than half the season left, and we're going to have to find ourselves.

Speaker B So that's what our aim will be going forward.

Speaker F So in terms of panic for the Ravens, this is a weird spot because I think we all know they're better than their record if they're healthy, but they're not healthy. And so as I see it, the only argument you can make that it's not time to panic for the Ravens is schedule based because it's not about their play, it's not about what they've actually put. We can show you the schedule because it's not ridiculous to say they lose to the Rams and they're a 7.5-point underdog in that game and they go to 1 and 5 and then when are you picking them to have their next loss? But that's the only playing that schedule game is the only argument to make that the Ravens are going to be okay. You panicking, Willie?

Speaker E Listen, as a former Steeler, I spent most of my pro career despising the Baltimore Ravens. Couldn't stand, couldn't want nothing to do with them, can't stand them. Yesterday, I'm gonna be honest, I was a little sad because with that disdain, there's a love and appreciation, respect in the Baltimore DNA. There's bully ball, right? We couldn't find that. That didn't exist, right? And so now we watch the Houston Texans who came into this, came into Baltimore and I thought it was going to be a scrap match, but I expected, because I expected Baltimore just have the better roster to come out on top. They put, they hit the mute button on Derrick Henry. Mark Andrews only had two catches for 22 yards. You couldn't find Isaiah likely. Rashad Bateman couldn't get open. The offensive line continues to struggle. Defensively, they stink, period. So I'm looking at this team right now and I'm saying to myself, who are you? Like, where's the edge? You know what I mean? Like, I understand. Listen, we can give them the out injuries, right? But this is a team we talked about in the start of the season. They already had a place at the table, right? It was Buffalo, Baltimore, ok, Chargers, Chiefs, right? But Baltimore was always in the conversation. When you have that much respect and you garner that much attention, even with your B game, your C game, you win games like that, they got punched in the mouth and didn't respond. So for me, it's not about the schedule, it's not about the injuries. I don't recognize who the Baltimore Ravens are like. And that's what's heartbreaking. I'm like, I still, I may hate my enemy, but I still love you because you make me better. They're not even like the AFC north is weaker because they weak.

Speaker F You get what I'm saying?

Speaker E Like as a group.

Speaker D Look, I'm with you, Willie. I didn't like the way that they lost. I'm not panicking because you have a two time MVP still on your roster and he's not available right now. And if that were not the case, yes, I would be panicking. But the problem that I see with the Baltimore Ravens is a lot revolving around what you said. But this team with players in and out of the lineup, you still feel like the personnel, the construct of who we are, we are still a competitive outfit. Seven starters out within and that just, it doesn't matter.

Speaker E Yes, go.

Speaker D But it still shows up on tape. Some form of who we are should show up. And that's what Willie's talking about. And it's not showing up. And if this were the Chiefs, if this were the Niners, which we saw up against the Rams, it's supplemented by coaching, Kyle Shanahan, Robert Sala, that defense, getting teams, getting the other guys to elevate their game by putting them in position. John Harbaugh isn't doing that right now. When I listen to him, I'm hearing, I heard the same thing after the Chiefs lost. Facts like, I'm hearing the same things like we gotta figure out who we are.

Speaker E Well, you're listening to a coach that's out of answers. And you watch yesterday's tape. I didn't realize so much was revolved or leaned on number eight. Right. He's the Jesus in cleats. You don't have Jesus in cleats right now, but you still have Derrick Henry, you still have Mark Andrew, you still have Batemans, you still have all these things that could work for you. And all those things got muted. That's coaching. So that's what Greg's talking about right now.

Speaker F Well, I'll just say this for whatever faith you put in the odds makers. The favorites to win the AFC north right now are the one in four Baltimore Ravens. So they still think they're going to be hosting a playoff game.

Speaker D I mean, you got to look who's in front of them.

Speaker C Bengals.

Speaker D And those, the Steelers.

Speaker F That's the argument to not hit the panic button. Lamar will come back and there are not good teams in front of them. That is the entirety of the argument. Let's go to Detroit here. The Lions, they kept doing Lions things. Put up 37 on the Bengals. Goff had three touchdowns. You know, Sonic and Knuckles Montgomery. And Gibbs had three themselves. Defense stifled. Cincy had three takeaways. Here's Dan Campbell speaking proudly on the Lions defense. This is the first time I've been here that we've really that I feel like we're, we're getting them in bunches early in the year. Normally it becomes, it comes a little later.

Speaker B So, man, I feel like it's, there's blood in the water, man.

Speaker F Our guys are starting to feel it, man.

Speaker B They want to be the next guy who gets the punch out of the.

Speaker F Strip or the interception. And we're hunting with the balls in the air, we're going after it.

Speaker B And that's a tenacious defense, you know.

Speaker F So obviously they're more known for their offense than their defense, but if their defense is gonna get takeaways like that, they are the most complete team in the NFL. And when I hear people talk about the Lions, there still is this like 90s tinge to it. Like that they're just like this sorry franchise or something. Like they have been dominant.

Speaker E Who feels like that? I don't feel like that.

Speaker F I just feel like in the commentary and maybe I'm projecting, But they win 15 games last year, but they lose in the divisional round of Washington, they get blown out by Green Bay in the opener. Like if you just look at their body of work since day one of the 2023 season when they walked into Arrowhead and upset the Chiefs. These are the things they are the best at. Winning, blowing your opponent out, scoring yards, touchdowns through the air, touchdowns on the ground. And because they boat race so many teams, you stop running on them. And no one has run for fewer yards against than the Detroit Lions. Like, yeah, Greg, they are the most complete team in the NFL.

Speaker D Yeah. This is a no brainer when you, the eye test just tells you that they're the most complete team. And what Dan Campbell was alluding to is a team that is challenging one another, that is competing with one another. And once you start competing, competing with the guys that you're lining up against of who's not going, I'm not going to get a pressure today. I'm not going to allow a pressure today or I'm going to get the first interception or I'm going to get at the quarterback before you get at the like, great things happen. I'm talking great things happen. And this is a team that's not worried about their opponent. They're concerned about one another. And am I going to outperform my teammate? Am I going to be able to sit in that film room and be like, I got you on this one. Like when you talk about Sonic and Knuckles, obviously Montgomery and Gibbs, like, you make a play, I'm about to make a play too. I gotta get me one. That's what you want to have. That's when teams have fun having the type of success that they are having. And when you do that on both sides of the ball, I mean, it's going to be hard to beat this team if they keep this up.

Speaker E Yeah, well, I mean, we're all alluding to the same thing. The reason why Dan Campbell's so confident and can stick his chest out because he knows his brand of football can travel. It's hard to win in the NFL, especially on the road. You know that, Greg. And from a defensive line standpoint, they play with an organized chaos. There is a level of discipline in which they play and stay in their rush lanes. They're going to slant, they're going to twist te ets sometimes they're going to walk that Sam down. Sam linebacker down on the line, slant the line. They do so many things with their front four that they not a heavy blitz team because that four can eat. On top of that, when you talk about Aiden Hutchinson, he's the lead dog, you know what I mean? A guy coming off his acl, his motor you thought would take a tilt. Know what? You turn on tape, he's still humming. So when you have those bell cows and you have that level of violence and you play with that level of chaos as a coach, you say, press play, let us go. You know what I mean? That's where he's at. I don't have to worry about the nuances or the intangibles. I press play, let the tapes, you know, let my guys go eat.

Speaker F They were so injured on defense last year. I said it last year, I'll say it again. We were robbed of an Eagles Lions, NFC championship.

Speaker E I agree with you on that.

Speaker F Those were the two best teams in the NFC last year. And I root for the Lions as just a fan of football, right? As a Bears guy, they're a rival, whatever. But just like you were talking about earlier, you respect the Ravens. I respect what the Lions have built. I want to see them healthy in January. They're a great team.

Speaker E It goes to your point. They gotta finish.

Speaker B They gotta finish.

Speaker E They are believers, but you gotta finish.

Speaker F Gotta finish. Last night it was Drake May's coming out party, but a weird one for Buffalo. Bad game or bad sign of things to come? We'll get into the Buffalo side of it. Next Buffalo. Josh Allen and the Bills lost their first game of the season. Drake May's coming out party put up two touchdowns. Josh Allen had an interception, lost a fumble. It was a very uncharacteristically sloppy game for the Bills. Here is a. We'll call him displeased Josh Allen. Take a listen.

Speaker A We just played sloppy.

Speaker B Not going to.

Speaker F Win a football game. Turning the ball over three times in our red zone. Gave them one in their red zone. That's just bad, bad football.

Speaker F In it with three turnovers. So that's again, that's just piss poor offense. So you guys could tell me if I'm being an apologist here. The Bills were my super bowl pick. Josh Allen my MVP pick. I think that game was clearly an outlier. Just a bad game. You watch the tape. Bad taste in your mouth for 24 hours and then you move on. Like I do not think that is like a sign of things to come for the Buffalo Bills. And went through it and we put together some of the, like. It's been this long since the things that happened last night. First time they lost the turnover battle since 2023. That is an NFL record. It was 26 straight games of winning the turnover battle, having three turnovers. Same thing last week of 2023, scoring less than 21 points. You have to go back a full calendar year. No rushing touchdowns. Nearly a full calendar year. We took out the game where Josh Allen only played one snap in week 18. Like I just don't believe that that is the Buffalo Bills.

Speaker E I agree with you. I thought it was just a bad day for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. But we have to pay homage and respect to the Patriots. That was Drake Mays first game on prime time. He had to prove if he's the franchise quarterback. I thought the first half he was okay. Second half he got hot. He went 13 for 14 for 184 yards. And what I loved about it because they leaned on the run game, forced the linebackers of the Bills to get closer to the line of scrimmage. And then he started hitting intermediate throws, started seeing start being able to play outside the numbers. What I loved about Mike Vrabel right now this team is matching his identity. We talk about being able to compete with Dan Campbell in the Lions. He's getting these guys able to compete. Christian Gonzalez is back on the defense. They're playing like how Vrabel played when he was in the Patriots uniform, no nonsense, competitive, scrappy. And so when you turn on a tape, I don't know if it was much about Josh Allen not being on his game other than I think the Buffalo Bills slept on the Patriots. I thought they was little brother. They tried to little brother. And the Patriots, like, nah, we're not having it today.

Speaker D Yeah, this is. This is. Every coach doesn't want to suffer this type of loss, but when it happened, it's like, I needed. We needed this. We needed this. When you listen to Josh Allen in the vibrato that he's kind of discussed with, like, I mean, it was sloppy. We basically gave him one. Another turnover here, another turnover there. It was just sloppy.

Speaker F I thought the ball was greased.

Speaker D They just kept dropping it. And when you. The reason why I say this is one of those games where coaches, they don't want to. They don't want to take the loss, but it's like, we need this because I need to be able to pull this card and get you guys back to what we were. Because somewhere along the line, you start feeling yourself, I don't care who you are, title man kind of sets in. You talked about the big brother mentality. Like, no one's going to lay down just because we're the Buffalo Bills and you're Josh Allen and you're always going to be able to pull out this cape and put it on and make this big play. So I think for a team like that, it's just a bad game and they will be able to reset because they understand that that's not the goal. The goal isn't just winning every regular season game. We've been really good in the regular season. The goal is to not allow these things to creep up in our play so that when it matters, we are all buttoned up.

Speaker E I want to say side note, dp, I thought his body language was the worst I've ever seen.

Speaker F He was clearly very frustrated.

Speaker E Frustrated. But it seemed at times like he was, like, not only using unchristian, like, words to guys, but there was a level where, like, he was like, let's just start the whole thing over. Like, he was surprised they were playing that bad and himself couldn't correct it. You know what I mean?

Speaker F But it had been years since they played that bad.

Speaker E But there's a sense where you're a star. Like, man, just give me the ball. Get out the way. He felt like he tried to do that at times. And then the turnover started to play peekaboo with him. And he was just like, not in the all whites, you know, not on Sunday night.

Speaker D You know, this is. This is supposed to be the Bills.

Speaker F I will say, just as a fan of football, the Patriots owned that division for two decades. The Bills have owned it for five straight years. It would be nice if there was, like, another team that could be, like, somewhat competitive with Buffalo. Seriously, because we gave Buffalo the division on week one. Oh. Pencil them into a home playoff game and division title. So Drake may. Josh Allen doing battle for the next eight to 10 years. That would be a good thing.

Speaker E I would appreciate it.

Speaker F Rough game for Josh Allen and the Bills last night, but pretty incredible performance between these two teams. A wildly entertaining game. 38, 35. The Bake Show. With another win in the fourth quarter, they are 4:1 on the year. Here's Baker Mayfield on his season in the Bucs going forward.

Speaker B Obviously, I mean, the games we've had so far this year, as long as we have time on the clock, we got a chance. And our guys truly, truly believe that from the bottom of their hearts. So it's. That's a good feeling to have. And just guys executing, doing all the little things.

Speaker A Right.

Speaker F I. I don't think you can be too over the top in your praise of Baker Mayfield.

Speaker B That's fair.

Speaker A Like, fair.

Speaker F Two starting offensive linemen out. Mike Evans out. Bucky Irving out. Flying from Tampa to Seattle. Seattle's defense was top 10 in the NFL coming into that spot. Like, I know that, and I'm the type of guy who would do this analysis. Like, they're 4 and 1, but all four of their wins are within the last minute of regulation in the fourth quarter. First time in NFL history a team has started with their first four wins being like that. So they easily could be two and three. Right. If some of those games go differently. But I just have so much respect for what that man is able to do on the offensive side of the ball. 38 points on Seattle's.

Speaker B Incredible.

Speaker F That is a hell of a statement.

Speaker D Baker has been impressive, yes. Not just as. Not just with his performance, but just with how he conducts himself now. Like, he is the alpha. He is the guy that sets the tone. And when you. When you hear him talk about, you know, everybody believes that at the bottom of their hearts. Yes, because you believe it, because you show it, because you have given us the confidence that if I get the ball, will you give me a chance? We're going to make something special happen. And he understands he can't just do it himself. And I love to see that because there's no excuses because they've had you.

Speaker C Talked about the guys that were out.

Speaker D And so what I'm seeing Baker do is really cement himself as not just an elite quarterback in this league, but one of the best quarterbacks in this league, period. Stop. This is what he's been doing all season long without a full roster of what they are going to be moving forward. I love everything that I'm seeing out of Baker Mayfield.

Speaker E Yeah, when you turn on tape, man, especially with Bacon Mayfield, they, they. The Bucks as a whole, especially led by him, has become much watched tv. You're watching a football player play quarterback, not a quarterback play football. And that's awesome. I play with a guy like that. And Ben Waffenberger, when in crucial situations, they throw the playbook out the window and they say, hey, give me the ball. I got this. And they get busy, sandlot style. On top of that, we've also watched Baker win in different fashions. Come from behind, either up, closer. If there's guys down, he knows how to scramble. Get the first down, he's doing it with a level of passion. To your point, Greg, where Guy is starting, it starts to become contagious. Because when you see a guy play on fire, you want to touch him just so you can wake yourself up and get some of that. And I always knew one thing about Baker Mayfield, especially once he left the Rams and he went through his whole ordeal. Once he left, once he landed in Tampa, he was going to have a prove it mentality. I'm going to prove you guys wrong because of what he displayed in college. When you watch the Bucks right now, because of the offensive line led by Trishan Warfs, they look complete. We talked about the Lions being complete. They're learning how to play complete football, especially with that defense on top of that. They could blitz you to death, but they also could run the ball. They beat you in multiple ways. But Baker, man, there's something about them. When I think before, oh, the Bucks, okay. Now when they're on, you're like, nah, I gotta watch this. I gotta see them go.

Speaker F For years now, I mean, they've just been consistent, like a top 10 offense the last three years. And Evans goes down and there's Emeka Buka, rookie out of Ohio State, rookie.

Speaker D Of the year right now, easily.

Speaker F Him and JSN going back and forth.

Speaker D It literally was like Buka, JSN and Sam Donald, by the way, played a heck of a game.

Speaker E Oh, he got busy, too.

Speaker F They were both great. It felt like a divisional round of the playoff and it was just last man standing with the ball. But yeah, like pick your favorite throw from Baker. There were 10 of them that you could choose from. He was incredible. Got a good one tonight. I think Nick might secretly be rooting.

Speaker C For the Prince to have a good game.

Speaker B I don't know.

Speaker F He's probably rooting for the Chiefs. But how badly do the Chiefs need another big game from Mahomes for preview Monday Night Football? Coming up, Mahomes decided to show up for work looking fresh. Willie, you could pull that off.

Speaker E You damn right.

Speaker F Yeah.

Speaker B Okay.

Speaker F I expected maybe an ounce of humility. I don't know why I thought that pretty much.

Speaker E I'm gonna bet on Willie now.

Speaker F You think I can pull that off? I don't know if I could. Just a couple hours. We'll see if the Chiefs can get another monster game from Mahomes. I feel like they need one guys, maybe more Xavier Worthy than Mahomes. But yeah, I do think the Chiefs need a monster from him.

Speaker E We just need to put a complete game together. Right. Let their first 15 look like the light show, not a clunky show. And I think right now enough of the pieces are on the field where you should start seeing some of the old Chiefs come alive. But we'll see. It's going to be interesting game.

Speaker D Yeah. I don't know if we need to see another monster game from Mahomes, but offensively we need to see it look similar to what we last saw the last time we saw them on the field, which was great.

Speaker F I'm on alert for Xavier Worthy just being awesome. Like he might just be awesome.

Speaker E What about the ankle? Not worried about the ankle.

Speaker F Well, I mean, just.

Speaker D We going to see.

Speaker F We're going to see. Let's get a quick pick.

Speaker E I got Jags, you got the Jags.

Speaker F Willie Colon, that was a very quick pick. You got the Jags. And the upset. They're three and a half point dogs. Greg.

Speaker D I got the Jags too.

Speaker F I get to be alone on an island with the Holmes.

Speaker A Wake up.

Speaker F I will take the Chiefs as a favorite at home. You're betting on Trevor Lawrence not to do something dumb.

Speaker A No, come on.

Speaker E Listen.

Speaker C Come on.

Speaker E If their first team is. They come out hot. They set the tone. Travis Hunter, defense shows up.

Speaker B Travis Hunter.

Speaker F I would love to see Travis Hunter do something.

Speaker D Ryan Thomas, Chiefs Duvall.

Speaker E Hit the dance.

Speaker F We'll be back soon. On first things first.

Speaker D Hit the dance.

Speaker E Duvall.

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