Welcome to NFL Daily, where we love a lead game announced by Joe Davis.

I'm Greg Rosenthal here in.

The Chris Westling podcast studio with my friends Patrick Claybon and Jordan Rodrigu.

Yes, we're starting with Rams and Eagles today.

And I noticed that's like a Joe Davis game.

I feel like it's been a lot of great games for Joe Davis.

I live in Los Angeles, watch Joe Davis almost every night with the Dodgers.

To me, he's now among the best of the very best.

And yes, this is NFL Daily.

Yes, I don't know why.

No, because Joe Davis deserves the love, and we start the show with the appropriate amount of love for Joe Davis.

Also, he's doing the Dublin game next week.

And I may or may not have been invited to a NFL Network slash Fox team dinner in which Joe Davis will be in attendance and Greg Olsen, So I don't know if I'm gonna be cool enough exciting Greg.

Greg Olson's been on our show.

You should be able to go up and talk to him.

There's gonna be a conversation with Greg and g Reg and Joe it's gonna be great.

Triple G and I do have their if not, I do have their emails now, and I could totally break code and like just send him love for his show.

Hey, tiny coss, I'll shut up about that.

No, it's a potential podcast.

Yeah, three g's and three legs.

Let's start here with our very first game.

Yes, it's Joe Davis, g Reg and Pam Oliver the Los Angeles Rams at the Philadelphia Eagles, who are favored by three and a half points.

The over under is forty five and a half.

It was, in my estimation, the best game in the playoffs last season.

The Eagles gave the Rams gave the Eagles every single thing they could possibly have.

How do things go this time?

Greg, I have no idea.

I kind of like the idea of the Rams as a home I mean a road underdog here because I think they're maybe catching the Eagles at the right time of year.

It is a similar time a year where the.

Eagles weren't quite the Eagles, and you think about what they are on offense right now, which is I would say stagnant would be a word I would use.

Constricted would be another word.

Maybe predictable, Kevin Patulo taking a little bit of fire in Philadelphia over the last couple of weeks, they've they've won both their games.

But ultimately this is a big step up I believe in class in terms of the front that they are facing after going up against the Cowboys and going against the Chiefs, to have to deal with this Rams front, I think is going to present more problems for this Eagles offense even that they face so far.

Yeah, and for the YouTube watchers, viewers, fast channel viewers, I'm doing the Jared Verse versus the Philadelphia Eagles fans thumbs down double thumbs down because you can't do a double bird that would be rude.

But doing the double thumbs down because a lot of talk will be about, and rightfully so, Jared Verse in this game after his comments about how much he did despise Philadelphia Eagles fans heading into the playoff game last year.

This is a revenge game, question mark, because there are a lot of layers to this the front.

First of all, to your point, Greg, I know a lot of those guys, Kobe Turner and Braden fist yeared Verse, they are going to get a lot of chatter leading up to this game.

I want to shout out Byron Young, who over the first two weeks of this season is playing like one of the best edge rushers in the NFL.

Often kind of gets under the radar a little bit because of the guys around him and how young they are getting so much pop.

But he's young too.

He's only a third year pass rusher and right now he has contributed the fifth most in defensive EPA of any defensive player in the NFL over the first two games.

That's courtesy of Tage seth Over at sumer Sports.

He is playing two sacks, two sacks and a forced fumble.

Going against the run was a weak spot for him his rookie season, and he's really cleaned that up.

This is going to be a test for Jalen Hurts Saquon Barkley in the Eagles front.

I think what we saw last year, especially in the game, it's so far because Saquan had all those explosive runs last season, he had three seventy yard runs.

All of his seventy yard runs.

We're against the Los Angeles Rams in this great group of pass rushers who kind of got exposed in the run game a little bit against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Regardless of like you know, the crowd and Jared versus particular motivations to try extra hard stop the run.

I think ultimately it comes down to that, because that's that's where you want to test this Rams defense to see if they could do that, because the result results thus far just trying to sit back there and block them up and complete passes has not looked good for anybody.

And I see the Eagles pass game again, as Jalen Hurts will point out to Chris Jones and anybody else, they are winning, they haven't looked as explosive as they did at parts of last season, especially in the postseason.

Yeah, they hope Pooniford and Nate land Man really show up that they have so far against the run and in affecting different layers of the run and even the short passing game.

Nate land Man has kind of been a wild man all over the field, punching out footballs and whatnot.

They hope that makes a difference.

And on the other side of the ball, I don't think people realize like how much that game, that loss in the very final two throws in the snow affected the Rams postseason plan.

Not only was it a catalyst for them to once again seeing how close they were renew their vows as they call it, with Matthew Stafford, then it was also, hey, we got to change the center out.

Bow Limber, the rookie was unfortunately on the wrong end of a savvy veteran move pulled by Jalen Carter in the middle of that Eagles defense, sort of a false step that sent bau Limmer off in one direction and gave him a clean shot at Jalen Carter, a clean shot at Matthew Stafford right up the gut, and that you know, obviously you know hurts the Rams Right at the end there they replaced bo Limber with it a veteran that they are used to Coleman Shelton, who obviously had played with Matthew Stafford before and elsewhere on the interior.

Concerned about this front because Justin Dietitsch, who is about my height but very tenacious, will probably be playing again at left guard because Steve Ovula's status is still in question.

That worries me because Matthew Stafford has actually faced the most quick pressure of any quarterback in the NFL, and my question for the Eagles, do they have enough upfront to continue that trend?

Essentially it should be a mismatch on paper, but Zadaria Smith in like fifteen twenty snaps last week had more quarterback hits in the sack than Jylex Hunt and Nolan Smith have had combined this year.

So so far, they've been playing very well on the back end their overall cohesive, although they did have a coverage bus that I think was on Quinnon Mitchell.

Well, it was very hid.

It may have been making up for somebody else's right.

That one was confusing.

I've heard it talked about who.

Knows lair vic Fangio has had on the opposite of Quinnon Mitchell, who vic Fango's had circled on his whiteboard since the summer.

You know, they have questions in that secondary.

I almost thought that, Yeah, the Rams almost made too much of a thing about that game, and how closely were they, Like they mentioned it in their season ticket renewal letter of like, we were just a couple of plays away in this and and I get that, but it's been a big conversation just that one moment.

I remember the other game too, which is completely one sided.

And that that is what you worry about if you're a Rams fan, is that the Eagles leaning on you and then really getting into overdrive with their running game.

But and this is really a test because the Rams, their defensive numbers are crazy so far this year, but the matchups have been favorable against the Titans and the Texans offensive lines.

Like, I'm excited, I'm also excited to see how Jalen Carter responds to Vic say, and he was not in really good shape.

That was that was a little spicy, a little surprising.

Yeah, it's I'm more concerned about him playing essentially with one arm for the majority of last game than I am about his I think he'll be fine shape wise, you know, although I'll say it every week, playing football is not good for it.

Yeah, I think that's the best thing to be healthy, would not be to play football, but him being able to is probably a better son.

A couple other injury notes on the Rams side of Kello Witherspoon, who was entering the season starting at corner but was kind of getting rotated a lot for Emmanuel Forbes, who was a pickup for them last year.

He's going to ir They want to bring him back.

He's a broken clavical.

Sean McVay also on the injury report this week with a torn planter fascia.

Uh so he's in a walking boot and he tore he tore it in game last week.

Yeah, oh my gosh, I know, breaking news to me.

Getting old sucks, you know.

I mean, he played through it, he coached through it.

That was That was a great job by him.

I also need everyone to just shut up about the tush bush like, stop whining this, stop whinny about Yeah, they were false starts and that because it was in such a notable spot and every like.

I think officials will be more on top of that, but I don't think that's something that's been happening a lot, and that happens a lot all over the league.

You're seeing people like leaving her.

Just stop whining about the tush.

Purp and I will say, and and the whining by the way to the point where they're talking about it in these early week press.

First of all, Sean McVeagh on the Competition Committee let the charge alongside old pal Matt Lafleur to try to get this thing banned because and I quote, he did not like the way it looked.

It does not look like a football play quote unquote, but I recognize that I'm being a hater because I can't stop it.

So that's where there's layers to this.

I bet the Eagles are gonna run it special.

They're gonna run it at him like sixteen times in this game if they can get there, So you got to keep them on a long third down.

Also a sneaky revenge game for Emmanuel Forbes, who's having a nice little career resurgence against AJ Brown because AJ Brown all but ended his commander's career by just destroying him a couple times.

And so the layers to this, that'll be a big test.

I'm excited.

I'm gonna make you guys pick this game just because it's the one game I'll do that with on this show.

I think I'm going Rams.

I'm leaning Rams.

I'm making you pick Jordan.

You know I'm going to pick the Rams.

Oh I sent these picks in Yep, I picked the Rams.

Oh no, Now I'm switching it to the Egos Center show.

Strategically, it seems domb all right.

Our next NFC matchup, which we are starting with today on this preview edition of The Daily The Dallas Cowboys, who are favored by one half of a point against the zero to two Chicago Bears, the over under forty nine and a half.

Kevin Burkhart, Tom Brady and Aaron Andrews and Tom Rinaldi on the call, Jordan as we get an opportunity to see Caleb Williams against the defense that get absolutely cooked last week.

Okay, guys, this is going to be a little bit of an interactive opening by me.

Oh wow, through two weeks and you say after this, you say who?

Okay, So through two weeks, guess who ranks third and rushing success rate?

Who?

That's right, it's the Dallas Cowboys.

That Brian Schottenheimer sons is here and that's some respons and he is running the rock.

That's a forty seven point nine success rate.

That's almost ten percent better than last year.

Yes, it is early, but they finished in the middle of the league last year in rushing success right.

Clayton Adams, who is their new offensive corny who came over from the Cardinals and brought a lot of his run game with him, is about that life.

Javonte Williams looks awesome, but this is also scheme.

The twenty twenty four Cowboys were number thirty one in the NFL on yards before contact per rush, meaning they weren't blocking things open well This year so far through two games, and again yes small sample size, already up to number nine in the NFL and yards before contact per rush.

Meanwhile, the Bears are last in the league in rushing success rate, are in the top ten in yards before contact per rush, and middle of the league in yards after contact for rush's Andre Swift.

DeAndre Swift problem there.

I do think that is a problem.

If you take away Klebs rushing, they are just awful on the ground and I think it's ultimately a mismatch.

You mentioned Clayton Adams in terms of when the Cowboys have the ball and what he's done.

Yeah, how about a little love for our guy Brian Schottenheim or calling the plays there?

And I called it the Schottenheimer sounds.

What's not to love?

Oh yeah, I'm just saying, like they they signed Tyler Smith.

That's a contract we didn't mention because it happened on Sunday morning last week.

So they have, you know, not so quietly been like, hey, we didn't pay Micah, but we're we're down to pay all these other guys quickly right after the fact, and they did get them signed long term, so that's good to avoid any problems in Tyler Smith especially seems like a guy that is worth it.

Has been a difference maker and this Bears defense, especially without Jalen Johnson at cornerback.

Now we realize for the rest of the season just seems a little shorthanded in general.

Yeah, Greg, between Tyler Booker and Tyler Smith, I've not seen so many scary ass Tyler since Fight Club, and.

It's a little two telegraphed.

Yeah, it's good.

Not that I knew where it was going.

I just I was like, oh, Jordan is in uh, I'll take the note.

Fine, it's in stand up mode.

I loved it.

In my response, I almost spoilt Fight Club, which I won't because nobody's seen it and I'm a big anti spoilers guy.

I do think there is some reason for optimism with the Bears.

Are they're the first team eff to start a season against two teams that won fourteen games of the previous season.

If you go about win percentage, there's only been four teams who've ever started the season with better with opponents with better previous year win percentages.

None of those teams exist anymore or they have moved.

Those were the Rochester Jefferson the Cincinnati Celts in nineteen twenty one, the Chicago Cardinals in nineteen twenty seven, and the Columbus Panhandles in nineteen the only teams to play opponents in the first two weeks where it's been up and down.

They honestly the Panhandles.

It's like a little misleading, like the teams they faced were like totally different.

The next year the panhandleed what is it the Panhandlers or the panhandles panhandles themselves.

Okay, the actual pandles to the pan and bears offense.

That has been spotty.

But another reason for optimism.

Romo Dunes say, looks really good.

Yeah, he looks really good against the secondary that was absolutely lost last week.

Let Malik Neighbors get behind them more less than thirty seconds to go.

So yeah, I think there could be some numbers here, but it's all on Dennis Allen.

I know we're having a seance for sos or more songs.

Yeah, that one's over.

That one was over almost as soon as it starts.

He's not playing with a full deck, that's for sure, and so I think, yeah, this isn't everybody in the pools pool game in terms of fantasy because Matt Eberflus the lack of adjustments last week to the Giants was mystifying.

They're very static, big holes in the middle of their defense.

So to me, it's gonna be Caleb Johnson, Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson just going after the middle.

These linebackers on the field, whether it's Jack Sanborn or Kenneth Murray, they are just getting flamed all over the place.

Yeah, and I know we all kind of were on the same accord after watching that Caleb Williams game, despite the lopside of score, I did see improvement there.

You know.

It's interesting because he is holding onto the ball a little bit too much still, and that's what Ben Johnson made sure to reiterate in his press conference.

But his offensive line.

Is awful, like it is really really hurting him, especially at left tackle.

Braxton Jones allowed twelve pressures in two sacks in two weeks, with nine pressures coming last week.

So yes, caveat if the quarterback is holding onto the ball a little bit too long.

You definitely want to speed that up to help the tackles.

The tackles aren't really helping him, and Ben Johnson seems more annoyed with other players on the roster than he is with Caleb Williams.

I thought as a whole that that team they were, they played a little bit harder than us, And that's a reflection to me as a coach, that's a reflection of our coaching staff and as a reflection of our players too.

When he played a good team like that on the road, that you got to you gotta be all out and every single snap, and that just was not the case.

So specifically, it was everybody other guys that he did practice better too.

I think our practice habits are are yet to reflect the championship caliber team.

Yeah.

So pretty specific there from Ben Johnson, right, And also a little bit later in that press conference, he was also asked about specific players, especially young players who are not getting a lot of targets, and he I wouldn't even say insinuated.

He was pretty open about it.

He basically said how they show up and practice and what they do away from the ball is going to determine how much they play, and he wants to see who wants to play this week.

So being pretty specific there at oh and two there from that first year head coach in Chicago pretty intense.

And so you think about the younger players like Luther Burden and Colston Levelin haven't been in the mix, you don't, Yeah, last week they weren't too much in the mix.

See, it seemed like more than just those guys.

It seemed like a little bit of a DJ Moore comment as well.

And they also had some issues with DJ Moore a year ago.

They're also not playing their second round picks, who are healthy scratches.

There's definitely some concerns.

And yet you know in this game, like, I just feel like they're going to score plenty and everyone will feel pretty good about the offense after this because.

I think everyone's gonna score.

Yeah.

Like Dak's numbers against pressure is just are just absolutely insane.

He refuses to take a sack or throw the ball away.

He is going for it and for the most part it's working out.

Yeah, And there's reasons to feel good about the Bears offense.

From the Lions game, the problem was Chicago's defense giving up fifty two points and Jared Golf throwing a touchdown to im on Ross Brown and they're both celebrating in the stands, and that touchdown was throwing.

It was forty five to twenty one at the time.

Yeah, and they're both still in the game.

Jared Goff creaked his way up there.

He got there up into the stands.

Bless his heart.

But yeah, the biggest problem with the Bears was not the offense last week against their division arrival.

Let's go to our next game.

It is a matchup we've been looking forward to, and both of the quarterbacks got hurt.

The Cincinnati Bengals are playing at the Minnesota Vikings on CBS.

Jim Knatz, Tony and Tracy Woolson on the call as Greg.

We get a chance to see if Carson Wentz can follow the formula you throw the ball to number eighteen and somebody will give you fifty five million dollars guarantee.

We'll see if that happens.

I am amazed looking at this line because it had three point line now like it started off I think at four and a half five, and it's just been creeping back back back to Cincinnati, and I wonder, like, which coach do you trust more to come up with a good plan, because I think Zach Taylor did his best work that he's ever done as a pro with Jake Browning completely different offense, maybe the offense he kind of wants to run, but that it doesn't make sense for Joe Burrow when he had Jake Browning who came in last week and had some big time throws.

Jake Browning on the season, more big time throws according to PFF than Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff, Trevor Petting, and Michael Pennox.

I mean, just just because he came in there.

Literally the first throw he made to Jamar Chase was incredible, like an incredible layered deep out twenty six yards.

Like to think of the quarterbacks in this game.

Carson Wentz is not making that throw and jaj McCarthy's not making that throw because he does not have the touch on it this point, at this point, and yet he has to go up against the Vikings defense, which feels like that's gonna make the answer.

Kevin O'Connell, who has done great work with surprising quarterbacks before.

I think it kind of makes the answer Brian Flores as well, because when you're playing what I would call a little bit more of a regulated scheme, it kind of looks a little bit more out of the older versions of the MCFAIH Shanahan offense when you have Jake Browning, and that's great.

They've created explosive plays, they've been efficient.

Jake Browning has played great within the structures of that system, and Zach Taylor has schemed him and the rest of the offense up well.

It is what Zach Taylor knows, it's what he came up in as a coach, and so I think that that on that side of it, that gives him an advantage because Kevin O'Connor will be building a game plan for the first time ever with Carson Wentz.

But this is where Brian Flores comes in because when you are playing more regulated what they call rules ball out of that offense, Brian Flores can then mess with your rules and he can affect the spacing that you're trying to scheme open, and he can change the look several times pre snap to the point where the point and shoot where you're telling the quarterback to go with the ball isn't actually available to you, and that's where I think this becomes really tricky.

Yeah, and this is not going to be again as up and down as things have been for Carson Wentz.

It's not a player that's making his first couple of starts in the NFL.

And the Vikings have had one of the lowest pass rates in the entire league with JJ McCarthy as a starter, and probably him getting hurt in that game may have influenced that as well, but they'll be able to air it out more against the defense that albeit had Trevor Lawrence play a categorically bad game and still have a lot of statistical success in that game.

Yeah, I think it's hard to lean away from as much success as the Bengals have had With Jake browning quarterback.

I think he's a quarterback that the backup quarterback that comes in and takes chances, which I think is what you need to have a guy running there and try to play it safe and be no.

Jake Brown is going to get buckets.

He may throw three picks, He maybe have four touchdowns.

He is very Ryan Fitzpatrick and I've heard dan Orlowski talk about this.

He regrets not playing more like Ryan Fitzpatrick when you're ripping it at practice and then you get into the real game and you just try to play it safe.

And Jake Browning, who doesn't have a massive arm or anything, knows he has the best weapons.

I think when you're including Chase brown And I think he's really important for this game of just about any quarterback in the league.

I mean, he's just thrown it up there to Mitchell Tinsley, and Mitchell Tinsley's making him look smart like he did in the preseason.

And this Vikings defense is a lot to prepare for.

And this offensive line I don't think is up for the challenge.

They're twenty fifth or worse in pass block win rate and pass run block or rather a run block win rate.

I don't think they are going to be up for the challenge, but I don't think it will be from him not like trying to use all his weapons and being aggressive.

Yeah, it's interesting because they have to try to run the ball and they have to try to settle things in If you're the Bengals, Minnesota invested a great deal into their front and their defensive front, and they kind of need a bounce back game as well.

They kind of need to be dynamic and aggressive on the other side.

Minnesota's an offensive line also concerns me.

This is somewhere that they really really invested in and it's one of the reasons why I think that Kevin O'Connell and West Phillip should give old pal Mike Lafleur a call because of the run, the RPO and the design run game that they built for Carson Wentz back in the last game of the season.

That was Mike Lafluur's game plan.

Sean McVay kind of he was up in the booth during that game and michaela Floor kind of built that out.

For Carson Wentz.

It was really successful using him as a run threat, building out different layers that really were unscouted previously from what they did and this will have this will be the same.

You're not really looking at the quarterback as a running threat, but previously.

You need to build in as many unscouted looks as you can against this Vikings or against the Bengals defense, but the line and mitigate some of the risk on your line.

Ryan Kelly is in the concussion protocol.

They're starting center backup tackle justin school.

Also in the concussion protocol, this is getting a little bit frightening.

There's the second most sacks allowed through the first two games.

I think the question is like, how much does getting J.

J.

McCarthy out of the lineup help out everyone else?

Yeah, I think it's fair to wonder if krit Carson Wentz is an upgrade at least in terms of the offensive line structure and getting the plays called out on time.

It did seem like there was a lot of confusion and he was moving in slow motion.

We hit that a lot on Tuesday show.

They might get Christian Darisa back, who practice fully for the first time on Wednesday.

They might also get Harrison Smith back who's been out with an illness.

So those are two positives there for the Vikings get away.

I'm rooting for them because I'm going to see them in Dublin next week and.

It can be and I'm always rooting for them.

For J.

J.

McCarthy, you know, the schedule works out sometimes and you play against the Minnesota Vikings defense, I mean, excuse me, Cincinnati Bengals defense where Carson Wentz comes in and the Bengals are giving up fifty one percent of their third downs, like they're number thirty in the NFL.

And so Carson Wentz is going to come in, He's going to have success, and people would be like, ah jaj McCarthy, it's the Bengals, Like it's the Bengals.

It's fair just getting quarterbacks paid over there.

So if it's if he struggles, expect a lot of heat.

Rightfully, so I think I'm quescia dopamenta and the plan.

Yeah, for this offense in general, but especially for the backup quarterback position.

I guess Kevin O'Connell is a huge say in that.

So he would take the into like hit.

Their two quarterbacks were Sam Howell and Brett Rippon all off season and Sam Howell that didn't work out, like they traded for him.

Brett Rippon is now the backup on the Bengals.

Ben's game.

I don't know Brett Rippon revenge game?

Why not?

Well knock on wood.

Hopefully, hopefully all the quarterbacks finish this game.

We're running out of backup quarterbacks.

Everyone stay up.

Right, We're running out of like revenge games.

There's a revenge everywhere we look.

Let's take one quick break and we'll probably take another in the show because we like to honk a little bit.

When we come back, we'll talk a little Todd Bowle's revenge game.

That's a real they did him dirty back on NFL Daily where twenty minutes later, I've, you know, finally got Jordan's Tyler Dirden joke.

I'm just kidding.

It was a great joke.

Greg watched Fight Club in the Burg.

I'm condensed all twenty two fight Club.

I was thinking, like the defining gen X movie, what do you think about that?

That take it might be it.

Yeah, I would prefer that be it instead of one of those like other like any of those events of on movies that seems.

Yeah, weirdly like America.

I think of like American Psycho, just a mean of like just really right there in.

The wheel, Swinger's number one target and Vincelon movies that second and then there's like wow, the cop Ones.

Either way.

The New York Jets at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the Bucks are favored by seven after the calamity.

No Justin Fields this week ruled out with the concussion from last week.

The over under forty four and a half Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, and Megan o'levy on the call.

Jordan, how do we expect things to go in this one?

You guys, I'm raising a gavel.

There's a gavel props order order order in the studio.

All rise, This meeting of the.

Amecca Aboo Club will now come to order.

Buka's three touchdowns lead all rookie receivers and receiving EPA and touchdowns, and he's tied for first among all receivers, and he did it in just thirteen targets, the lowest among other receivers with at least three touchdowns.

You may be.

Seated, Okay, thank you.

That was a cell phone standing up because Patrick, who's already skying above me, is in the foreground and it really is accentuated stood up.

I did.

Oh oh oh wow.

Tough one.

It was tough to see Booka go through injuries last week like that.

We clearly wasn't one hundred percent in that game and have to.

Fight through it because you do worry about this offense if he was hurt or if they had even one more injury.

They're a little thin, they've sneaky, not been great on offense compared to a year ago.

I think the running game is awesome.

I think Baker's made do with what he has.

But right now it's a group that's missing two tackles and missing Chris Godwin and missing Jalen McMillan, and you can kind of see it.

They're gonna they're having to be resourceful.

And the thing that helps them be resourceful is the two guys in the backfield were making defenders miss, yes, like they were on that final drive, which was essentially a Bucky Irving display.

Because you had a defense in the Houston Texan that can do all this man coverage, they can rush the passer, but when everybody's looking different ways, like Baker can go charging down the field and then you've got thirty feet of space around Bucky Irving for a defender to make a tackle.

And he was making guys miss in phone boosts the entire game.

And that's the type of pressure that having these explosive players can go for.

And so it's the Jets are in a tough situation just in general, and the Bucks, having the schedule that they do, are coming in a little bit banged up.

Maybe they're only hurt but hope.

But the Jets are hurt as well.

Oh, I'm strongly considering taking the Jets again on our Friday pick show, at least to cover the seven, maybe not to win out right.

I think the Bucks have been doing well, but it's a short week for them, and I do think the Jets are going to be an inconsistent team that's better than they looked a week ago, and that you're going to get a better game out of them.

The problem matchup wise is that Tod Bowles is doing that thing again where he has one of the best run defenses in the league, like he has throughout a lot of his coaching tender even in New York, they had some of the best run defenses literally in NFL history, have been coached by Todd Bowles.

And that's how the Jets want to win.

Whether it's Tyrod back there, which it will be, you know, or Justin Fields, they want to win on the ground.

Yeah, Justin Fields has been ruled out already this week, and he's in the concussion protocol, so that's significant.

And then on and the Jets are giving up, you know, in technical term, a crapload of the yards in the run game, and pretty much.

All over they did to the Bills last week.

But they you can run the ball on them and against one of the better, if not one of the best defenses overall pound for pound in the NFL sixty three percent rushing success rate between the two backs, Bucky Irving obviously leading the charge.

This is going to be a game where you're probably where you're going to be missing Luke Gadecki because he aggregated a foot and aggravated a foot injury, and Todd Bowles was saying he's probably gonna miss multiple weeks.

They're still waiting on tre And Wurfs to come back, and they expect him back in October.

So if you hold it down and run the ball really well, especially when teams aren't quite built to defend the run just yet, that's winter ball, right.

So if you can run the ball really well and then you play a little razzle dazzle Baker ball at the end of the games, there, I think they're gonna be.

Well, that's what I mean.

That's why I think it'll be like a close game.

We didn't mention on Tuesday's show that Klijah Canty is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, and I thought the Bucks finally had found a really good four man pass rush and Kancey it was five quarters, but was playing lights out in those five quarters.

So that's a big hurt, you know, hit for them.

I do want to see Aaron Glenn just show a little more like adjustment.

It's a lot of man coverage, it's a lot of confusion, I think for a defense that shouldn't be that complicated.

And he also just needs some of his kiyak, you know, key free agent pickups by Darren Mugi and him to play better.

Jamie and Sherwood at linebacker has been like benchable, like he's killing them.

You've been through it before.

The Brandon Stevens era in Baltimore was not, you know, fondly looked upon one of the most surprising contracts.

And then Michael Clemens is a guy who gets a crazy penalty every week.

Before we do move on for this game, I do just want to read a quote to you guys on Tyrod Taylor, like shout out to Tyrod Taylor starting games.

Yeah, in the year twenty twenty five, I still remember him as Joe Flacco's backup back in the day there was a brief moment where he was the best running quarterback in the entire NFL.

And now he's still slanging it.

And here's Sas Gardner on Tyrod Taylor.

He says, cool guy, cool cat.

He can dress, confident in himself.

I think he can get girls.

I think he do.

I don't really know.

I ain't trying to get him in trouble.

I don't know.

But he's cool.

He's cool for real on and off the field.

He stays so calm on the field, too calm or a farming a bit.

I just love all of it.

He does dress well.

That went in so many different directions.

I saw that and I was like, I need to share this with as many people as I can.

Full summary of the experience.

Who was actually the starting quarterback when Baker Mayfield was drafted.

Baker Mayfield's first game was on Thursday Night Football against the Jets, who fired Todd Bowles.

Multiple revenge aspects in play for this one.

Let's go to Santa Clara the Arizona Cardinals at the San Francisco forty nine.

Ers were favored by one and a half.

The over under is forty three and a half.

We have a mutual Greg who says that Kyle Shanahan is prone to say things that may be untrue.

He did say that there is a chance that Brock Perdy plays in this game, whether or not he does.

How do you feel about the opportunity here in the division?

Both teams are to and up.

Not expected to play, but there's a chance.

I feel like gives him some cover.

Just for the new listener, I feel like you're referring to Cynthia Fuelan, who often refers him as the lion liar who lies when it comes to injury.

You may think it's redundant, but the phrase is out there.

I think it hammers at home.

I love that the winner of this game is going to be three and oh, and it'll either be like Mac Jones or this Cardinals team who's had a very favorable schedule to start the season.

Saints and Panthers has some concerns, but all they gotta do is play well this week and beat a team led by Mac Jones and force him into some turnovers, and suddenly they could be three and oh.

I'm gonna have a hard time picking this game.

I've not decided.

I am actually pretty worried about the Cardinals secondary because Garrett Williams is going to go on injured reserve.

Also, by the way, kind of went under the radar because they lost so many corners, but also defensive lineman LJ.

Collier is also going to go on serf.

Both of those guys are expected to be back, but not obviously right away.

Max Melton's gun of practice, which is great.

Will Johnson will not.

He's dealing with a groin injury.

So this is a huge problem because Jonathan Gannon loves to play a lot of dime, but he likes to mix up his nickel and dime looks and rotate coverages and shift things around quite a bit on the back end, which then sets up his pressure plan on the front.

It's a rare team that plays sort of back to front like that you see it sometimes with these Fangio system coaches.

This is tough because regardless of who the quarterback is, and I assume it will be Mac Jones because we've been through this Kyle Shanahan experience before Ricky Piersall emerged as a bona fide deep ball threat.

And yes, the forty nine ers are banged up and they have been banged up and they're missing their starting quarterback.

But Ricky Pearsol right now is averaging twenty and a half yards per catch, which is leading the league among receivers with ten or more catches.

So he's actually Alex Pierce Raser there, you know with that last little part of that.

Yeah, yeah, or Alec you know, get you know, couple more targets.

Is Alec cove more target.

We'll get to him a bit, cover more targets, got to set clean parameters, you know.

But I think that that's where I actually, I really worry about this Cardinal secondary and I think the forty nine ers do keep it very close because the Cardinals have also been playing with their food too much.

Even if when they have been at full strength and been clearly the more dominant team on the field, the last two weeks, they have let teams crawl back in it and almost lost in the final moments of the games.

The reason because I do think, especially with Mac Jones playing, because I know there's this idea out there that there's not a significant drop off, I think the significant drop off between these two quarterbacks is when their pressure arrives.

Brock Purty is people don't give him credit for how elusive and how maneuverable he is in the pocket when things do breakdown.

And Mac Jones had two touchdowns and seven picks against zone coverage last season and the Cardinals are playing zone about it like north of eighty two percent, Yeah.

And a zone you can't diagnose, like it's real cloudy, regardless of the injuries.

And so like, I think that's where the separation is, because I do think it's very close, and not that Mac is going to go out there and just melt down and have a bad performance, but I do have somebody have to attribute the backup quarterback being the backup for a reason.

Brock got his money for a reason.

He's not just some dude.

I think Brock matter.

Yeah, And to your point, Patrick, I would actually, I would say Mac Jones I will have to see it to believe it.

But Rock Party would be the guy who takes the shots at the perimeter to Ricky pearsall downfield right, like he would be the player.

Well, Max gonna take his shot.

Yeah, I'm not worried about I don't think he would be afraid to do.

I'm saying, in a perfect world, he's kind of the like, I don't know, upper middle class man's Jake Browning, you know what I mean.

It is like trying to like not knock Browning too much, so upper middle class, but it's similar vibes.

Let me wrap my head around that.

Head around.

That was very complimentary.

It's upper middle class.

Someone compared him to me, he said, of the.

Rich man's, you know, the poor man's, you know, Jake Browning, the rich man's he's like the upper middle class Jake Browning in relation to he's a little above Jake Browning.

Jake Browning's middle class in this scenario.

Someone compared him to me to the character in The Good The Good Place who wears the Jacksonville Jaguars jersey and throws Mulotov cocktails everywhere.

So that's where that's where I kind of go with it.

But you know, and is from Jacksonville.

That's fair.

And you heard Nick Ralis, the Cardinals coordinator this week, just being like, there's I love the love.

He's just like, there's no one like Kyle.

Nobody does it like Kyle.

And I think Kyle's starting to remind some people and he's going up against them.

And of course ominous respect saying it's a little hominous.

They actually beat him both times last year.

They were close games.

Perty didn't play in one of them.

CMC didn't play in either of them, so very different.

Although the forty nine Ers just lost another starting offensive lineman by the way, like just add it to the till.

The reason I like the forty nine Ers though, is because of the defense and the Robert salasans.

It's happening.

He's changing, he's doing some of the new school like disguises and stuff.

It's not all static.

And more importantly, he's got a great linebacker duo, Fred Warner, just like a year ago.

I remember on this show saying at the end of September he might be my defensive player of the year, and then he got hurt and it fell off a cliff around him.

He might be my defensive player of the year again through two weeks and de Winters has been incredible next to him.

And I will get on my soapbox again to make this case.

Since there is such a vast difference between Fred Warner and the rest of the linebackers in the NFL, he should be an MVP candidate.

Like if there is that I like it.

Difference between you and the other people who do the thing that you do.

Fred Warner should be an MVP.

Can I like it?

Fred Warner?

I posit.

This is a little taky, but I posit.

He is the reason why young Kubiak could not do the things that they wanted to do that we saw in week two.

In week one, because Fred Warner was diagnosing a lot of where they were moving the full back around and Fred Warner was moving with him.

He was like, I am not fooled by you changing gaps on me.

I am not fooled by your emotions.

I'm not fooled by your run game.

He was all over it.

It was magical to watch and I think he affected the game plan more than most.

And the Cardinals like to play that.

Drew Petsing is right out of that system as well.

Fred Warner will be a factor in this game.

To that point I made earlier about Kyle where I thought he was so good getting mismatches and putting Mac in good situations last week.

This is from our research department.

I'll do a little quiz.

The highest points per game average for any coach coaching up a backup quarterback In the top four are two Shanahans, Kyle and Mike.

So I think that tells me something.

You know, with the backup quarterback, it's Don Shula number one.

I mean, hell, he went like undefeated.

With the backup quarterback, it's Mike and Kyle are three and four.

The question is who is number two on this list?

And I'm going to give you a big time hint.

It is a former Arizona Cardinals.

Coach Ken Wizon Hunt.

Wrong, it's Dennis Green.

They are who he thought they were and we lot them off the hook.

Okay, Dennis Green.

What's an excuse to do all that?

Resident's Green Eer was kind of fun.

Rest and Pete's coach.

It's time for the Sunday Drive presented by Toyota.

Let's go places the Kansas Chiefs a six point favorite in a game at the New York Giants that met life.

The over under is forty four and a half at Sunday Night Football.

So it's Mike and Chris on the call with Melissa Stark, the whole crew.

You get Florio and Chris Sims before they get Everything's great as we get a chance to see Kansas City try to get their very first win of the year.

Wow, they get it.

I'm whoa, Nope, I'm worried about the Chiefs.

Who I think they win this game?

Oh?

Okay, but I I am anxious.

We did an we buy more than six.

We did an anxiety panel earlier this week.

First time I've done that out of a therapist room.

So that was nice.

Hey, And it was.

The more we talked about the Chiefs, the more worried I got about the Chiefs.

Yes, Russell Wilson is coming off his best game in recent memory.

I mean it was other than at the very end.

They're absolutely awesome game.

Yes, this defense, this this Giant's defense, will be a challenge, despite the fact they're missing some personnel at line.

I think that they're going to move Abdul Carter inside a little bit more so they can keep the three top linebackers, whether outside or inside, all of them obviously Brian Burns and cave On Thibodeau.

They're going to be maybe the stand up rushers full time, and then you drop Abdu Carter maybe into inside linebacker because Mike McFadden is injured.

That way you keep him on the field the whole time and try to get as much pressure as you possibly can on Patrick Mahomes and an offensive line that I think is still question marks and coming together a little bit.

Yeah, I was shocked how low the Chiefs are ranked in terms of like pass block when rate and run block when They're in the bottom five of the league in both.

It's been bad.

I'm looking at the running game and seeing Isaiah Pacheco with forty seven yards this year, and you know Mahomes is leading the team with a one hundred and twenty three.

That's a problem.

I think against this front.

Keve On Thibodeau is playing really well this year.

His runs because he has to stops are are excellent.

Carter's getting a little lost in the in the mix being inside I think, but ultimately like there's a lot of talent and that could be a little bit of a mismatch for the Giants up front.

Now, if Mahomes is any time at all, then he gets to expose what's just a mess in the Giants back end in terms of their linebackers.

This should be a Travis Kelce type of game.

Well, that's what I'm saying.

Like they haven't quite committed to Abdul Carter at ILB yet, but they are he doesn't have a lot of snap counts, Like he's not on the field as much as he needs to be a player who can make splash plays the way that he can and certainly be a factor.

I mean he can cover.

You, I've seen him do it.

You know he can cover.

So I would imagine if they're trying to get their best defense on the field, you find a way to get that guy on the field.

Shane Bowen like linebackers, background, Like you find a way to get your best player.

Show me something to saye Bowen.

By the way, just you.

Talking about like considering the talent that's available, Like.

The way that the end of that game ended, the way they were structured last year, just seeing Deontay Banks out there, Bill's struggling, the safety struggling.

Maybe it's a personnel thing, but they're quite a vanilla defense.

And the way that they just let the Cowboys set up that Brandon Aubrey field goal bothered me.

Yeah, just like do something.

It's kind of a damned if you do type situation because sometimes you know, with the installs, with new players coming in, maybe these things take time and to have to play at Dak Prescott, you know where we talked about just the level that Dak is playing at, just functioning and operating the offense.

Maybe a little bit tougher to do that in week two in thet We'll see how the Giants do the next time around.

I'm interested to see where Chris Jones is utilized, yes, because like we're used to, like the Chiefs needed it's the moment and then Jones is at edge, but that hasn't been going.

He's only been aligned on the edge on nine of his fifty seven pass rushes this season.

I think a lot of that may have to do with the Chiefs trailing for a lot of time and they haven't been able to be in these situations where it's very past ivy.

But the Chargers through against the Chiefs almost more than any other game in the Greg Roman era.

And then we come out where an Eagles team didn't really need to throw the ball a lot.

They've managed to lose both ways this season to the extent that where we've seen all of these departures time over time with the Spags defense, and I think it's finally starting to catch up in terms of the talent that's available to them.

They'll well coach enough, though, not to let everyone just run by them on the same exact play call like that, like the Wandelle play and the Malik Neighbors play back to back, back to back drives with the exact same play different like personnel usage.

But that's not going to happen.

I wonder if we see Russell Wilson run a little bit more.

I know he's not, he doesn't prefer to do that, but justin Herbert had so much success against undesigned or non designed scrambles and rushes against this Chiefs defense, and I just I wonder if that's part of the game plan that they.

Deploy Tiva close.

I can't fathom a world where Kansas City starts zero to three.

I can very much fathom a world where the New York Giants lose this football game.

But I will say all of that being in a truth, I'm worried about the Chiefs for the long haul.

Same and this is a Spags revenge game.

I don't know why he needs to get revenge for the organization that you know, really helped make his name initially, but he's returning home beloved in New Jersey.

Before we go, we're gonna listen to a question asked at a press conference of Patrick Mahomes And this was suggested by our great producer, Eric Roberts.

And sometimes when they suggest something, you should just do it because then it'll give them like a little carrot, they'll like you more.

But then you ruin it by talking about it ahead of time.

So that's really my lesson to the audience.

Don't be like me.

If you're gonna do the thing anyways, just do it and get the credit for it.

This happens to me at home all the time.

Let's listen to Patrick.

He wants to have the chance to make the place happen, and he's made the place happen for years, and so I don't I don't feel like we asked for too much from him.

I mean, we asked for him to be out there and be himself and just be who he is.

And I think that that in itself is enough for us.

Okay, cool on.

Sorry, you know, Greg, now you're telling me how to do my job over here.

Usually you know this is going to be a Travis Kelsey game.

Yes, the Simons perfect time to throw that video and quote that I so, you know, graciously gave you before it, but you know, yeah.

I could have set that up better.

It was a question about whether Kelsey is doing too much note whether.

He's my job, you're doing your just I like, I like a little note taking.

Give me some honest feedback.

I want it, I need it.

Clearly, the setup there about Greg critiquing his choice to criticize the thing could be construed as more criticism of the thing before we did the thing.

Yeah, which is.

Which will be my coachable point if we're you know, saying do your job and summoning Bill Belichick for some reason.

So I don't like I don't like that question.

I actually think Kelsey has moved well this year.

He dropped the pass, but I don't think he's looked as.

The first player ever to drop a pass by right by the way.

I don't think he's quite as sluggish as he looked to start the last two seasons.

And yeah, this could be a Travis Kelsey.

That was the Sunday Drive presented by Toyota Let's Go Places.

Toyota is all in all season, with another year of Toyota Game Day giveaways coming up.

During this week's Sunday Night game Kansas City Chiefs versus New York Giants.

If there's a forty plus yardfield goal in the second half or a missed extra point in the second half, one hundred fans will win a two hundred dollars Lowe's gift card for all their tailgate needs.

Terms and conditions apply.

Enter for a chance to win at Toyota's Game Day Giveaways dot com.

And the day we're recording this, Happy birthday, thirtieth birthday to Patrick Mahomes.

Yes, Happy birthday Patrick.

We had to celebrate Brady's birthday every single year, and also after he retired, we've had to announce everything he's invested in.

I don't know why people do that, but yeah, happy birthday, Patrick.

Deep sinus what you're told to and there's lots of money behind it.

But this is one that makes me feel old.

Patrick Mahomes turning thirty.

I'm kind of annoyed that every time there's like a junior like Antoine Winfield junior when he first came out, But any junior that had a professional, you know, athlete father is in college or comes to the pros, everyone just says I feel old.

I would just like just get used to it at this point.

But Patrick Mahomes being thirty, I know, because I don't think of him starting his career that long ago.

It's not old, but it's a do you want to know?

It's a it's a halfway mark for a normal career.

Now, Patrick Mahomes seems like he might be someone that might not have a normal career, but it's it's a point where careers, you know, you're you're like halfway through at the very least.

You know who turns thirty next season, which blew my mind and I could not it's another quarter.

Jordan Rodrigue, that was nice of you, Tyler Durton.

Joe Burrow turns thirty next season, which also blew my mind.

I couldn't.

I was like, I can't process that.

I can't process that, which also means Sam Darnold still won't be thirty next season.

Wait, really that really applies.

Yes, the passage of time comes for us all.

It's been a theme on this show.

Let's take one last break on our NFC portion of the program.

No purchase necessary, void where prohibited ends two eight twenty six, Open to legal residents of the fifty US States and DC eighteen and over.

For complete details, how to enter prizes and official rules, visit Toyota's Game Day Giveaways dot com.

Back on NFL Daily, a little bit of a.

Crossroads in the early season of the Raiders and the Commanders.

I know, I know it's early.

I'm just saying, you lose Jayden Daniels, you lose decisively on a Thursday night, you lose a couple of veterans and dys and Austin Eckler.

And we don't know for sure that Jayden Daniels is out for this game, but he's not going to practice until.

Friday at the earth earliest.

And just reading between the lines of like the tone of the Insiders, it does feel like it's a Marcus Mariot that type of game.

Yeah, dan Quinn says he needs to see Jayden Daniels on the field if he's going to play this week.

In that game where the Commanders are at home taking on the Las Vegas Raiders, where the Washington at the moment that we're reading this favored by three and a half points, the over unders forty seven and a half.

Chris Myers, Mark Slith, and Jen Hale on the call as well.

We've got both teams dealing with injuries because Jordan, it was difficult to watch the Raiders offense with rock Bauers wearing a big brace on his knee.

There was a notable difference in the way that they executed and how they moved up and down the field.

How do you see this one going?

Yeah, I was at the game and it was an entire week of Pete Carroll talking, pulling at Kyle Shanahan and talking about how great Rock Bauers was moving around.

But then after a postgame and he clearly wasn't He all but disappeared after one target in the first half, and then he kind of came alive just a little in the second half, a couple of crucial third downs, but it looked painful for him.

And yes, that brace, it was one of those.

With like the solid sides to it that the wheels that are on the side, which is not a great sign.

Another really ominous sign was Pete Carroll postgame, when asked about brock Bauers, talking about, well, he survived the first half, so we went to him a little bit more in the second.

Yeah, that's not great.

As positive as he sounds when he says it.

If you read the words, it's not really great.

And not having brock Bauers affected that entire game plan because it's pretty clear that Chip Kelly doesn't quite trust Ashton Jantiet and there were a couple of mistakes in protection, and there are a couple of mistakes on throws behind the line of scrimmage where he could not shake a single matchup.

There are a couple of mistakes in the handoffs, so it's pretty clear that they're not trusting that math changing player.

So your other math changing player is brock Bowers, who creates short, intermediate, and middle to deep layers or runs after the catch plays in that offense that they were absolutely missing.

They were out of rhythm and off time and behind the down every single drive, and even when they were when Gino Smith was trying to make plays happen that you know, forcing throws into really tight windows, which usually he can make, but there was nothing that he was taking underneath.

Brock Bauers is the trustworthy.

Guy who makes those things happen, who creates more layers in your offense.

The Raiders badly, badly need that, and they need to design it and they need.

To call it much easier matchup this week, I believe against the Commanders.

Yeah, Jesse Minter, he puts that cap on an offense, you know, he stops him from going deep.

And I love dan Quinn as a head coach, but they're going to be aggressive.

They're going to play man coverage.

There are concepts to beat their man coverage.

Rewatching that Packers game, I was just thinking like their cornerbacks had no chance on some of those plays.

That criticizing Marshawn Lattimore and he didn't have a good game, but there are about three of those plays that they lost before the snap happened.

And there are certain rules that dan Quinn's defenses play with and it'll be interesting, you know, to see if Chip Kelly is the guy to be able to take advantage of that.

Yeah, I'm willing to disregard the game against a really good Green Bay team where multiple like Dietrich Wise gets carted off the field with emotional moment like Jaden's playing hurt.

I'm willing to look past a lot of that.

I'm not ready to place the blame over on the other side on Ashton Jenty, like he's averaging point one yards before contact in the backfield where he's getting point one yards immediate contact.

He's had plenty of positive rush plays despite the way things have looked when he got the ball.

If you can't trust him in certain situations, you have to be able to design a round.

And I bought into the excitement around Chip Kelly.

But when you've got such a dynamic player, we can see it when the ball's in his hands, especially when it wasn't there on the outside to frustrating watch as a geno supporter to see the Raiders offense operate the way it did on mine.

But he played poorly paying I don't know.

Yeah, and he admitted it too, And it was a lot of what they were trying to do and him pressing to try to make a play happen.

Because this drove me crazy.

Patrick, to your exact point, I think they should open Ashton giant up.

I think they should say, hey, stuff is going to happen.

You're a rookie running back.

Stuff is going to happen.

Go play ball.

But it was it felt very constricted and tight and like the things that and that's where I have such an issue with it, and setting up the offense in general in really adverse situations.

The thing that they did that I liked was they played more pistol this game, so you're giving him better vision.

You're giving Geno vision on the defense, and you're also giving the running back better vision on the defense so he can set.

Up his holes.

It's the problem is they aren't there right, They're not there for him to actually take advantage of right, and then they're you know, they cannot stretch the defense out at all because brock Bauers is not a mathematic mismatch.

The other issue that I had though, was don't call shot plays on second and one out of the pistol and then set and then have either a neutral or a negative play and make your quarterback press the ball, run the dang ball.

And Pete Carroll said postgame it was really interesting if you guys go back and listen to his entire postgame presscartcause, like I said, all of it sounded very positive and optimistic and upbeat, but some of it if you go back and you read some of the things that he said, it was like, yeah, he also wants to run the ball more.

I've got to talk to Chip about that.

Like, yes, he wants to put more on Ashton Janty's plate.

And I think that again, a rookie running back, you're gonna have a handoff miscommunication that also might have been a little bit of the quarterback as well.

You're gonna have those types of things happen.

But you gotta let this guy go and you got a block for him, and you got to just turn him loose and scheme open things for him to do where he can be successful and get on time and get advantageous and efficient downs and then your offense gets back on track.

And oh, by the way, then you can play fast like you want to if you're Chip Kelly.

Do they want to play fast though?

Because they're not.

They are They're not, They're not.

He's on the field a ton, to be fair.

They're just not running the ball like he's on the field.

Eleven ifty snaps.

A game, eleven carries, that's it, and he's on the field the whole time.

And when I say they want to play fast, it's very clear by the way they're pressing the ball that somebody is telling them they need to push the ball.

And that end the way it is?

Is it?

Tom Brady, No, that's one option.

It's the ghost about Davis, just like how the Raiders play ball.

It's just in the in the building, in the ether.

I mean, Genas Smith would totally make sense as the nineteen eighties, like LA Raiders quarterback, really, any any Raiders quarterback.

He just fits.

I know he plays the way that their quarterbacks always play.

I know he had a bad game, but man, for a minute there, I thought he was going to go just shut the lights off of that building because it was so cool watching him come out of the tunnel with with Max Crosby and warm up on the logo in the silver and black, and like he was so ready to go.

And then it was an Omen interception the first play of the game.

It was a bad Omen Greg, you know.

On the other side of it, I trust Marcus Mariota if he has to go in h Is this a revenge game?

A little bit interesting?

Did the Raiders help Marcus Mariota rehab his career a little bit?

I'm not sure, but yes we could.

We could call this a revenge game.

I'm with you.

I trust the commanders.

This is a tough game to pick, but I trust the Commanders a little more overall, it's a tough one.

I like would take.

I would take the points, but I would take the Commanders most likely.

Something just came to me thinking about Marcus Maroota, particularly revenge against the Raiders.

Yeah, did a Mark Cooper say he was going to sign with the Raiders and then quickly retire just to give it back to the Raiders after all the things they said about him after the trade?

Hmmm?

That would that would be amazing.

Marcus Mariota, by the way, did not start a game with the Raiders.

He came in as a backup a couple of times.

I remember, never got a shot, and I believe got benj got a shot.

I could be wrong, but I feel like John Gruden got really excited when he came in during a Monday night football game as an announcer, pumped up Mario.

I might really be mixing up there.

Never never got never got a fair shot, guys, now redemption.

I like the Raiders defense.

Actually, if people go watch the last couple of weeks, no touchdowns in the second half against two, you know, pretty solid attacks, and I think that this group they're very there's a talent deficit there.

We all know this but they're out playing it right now, and that's Patrick Graham who's out coaching the lack of talent on the roster.

Looking forward to see that.

Always fun to talk about our old friend John Gruden out there.

Send an email still, hopefully the content is a little bit better now.

The Atlanta Falcons our next game, favored by five and a half across the division against the Carolina Panthers.

The over under is forty three the house.

Speaking enough John Grue, Tim Brando is on the call, Matt Millan and Sarah Coustak as well Greg As we get to see if this Carolina Panthers team, which didn't have an opponent run for billion yards against them last week, could go up against this Atlanta Falcons team that did run all over the Minnesota Vikings a week ago.

Yeah, seeing the Falcons as that big of a favorite going into a week three game and imagining a world, very realistic world where the Falcons defense is number one in DVOA and EPA per play after three weeks this season.

They are number one in EPA right now, and the fact that they have the Panthers who are missing two starting offensive linemen for the first time this season putting him on injured Deserve.

What a what a wild world to live in.

This this Raheem Moster, Jeff Ulbrick, Raheem Morris marriage.

Yeah sorry, I had Raheem Moster on the brain.

Guys.

We're not doing a Jeff Aissance.

It's the era of Jeff.

Okay, the era of Jeff.

So this is Jeff Olbrick who's scheming up pressure, which Raheem Morris admitted and knew they needed more of.

They're blitzing a little bit more than Raheem Morris ever wanted to do.

Guess who is suddenly third in pressure rate and tied for third in sacks in the NFL after we couldn't find a pass rush if our lives dependent on it in Atlanta over the last several season.

That's right.

The Atlanta Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich and Raheem Morris are a great team.

It's part of the reason why a lot of teams wanted to hire Jeff Ulbrich this offseason.

I told you, guys, this Falcons.

Team would be frisky, and that is also why they are My survivor picked this.

Ya ooh good joy good those drums.

She turns her back on her beloved Carolina Panthers.

Hard to blame the way it's looked in the offensive line, which they hadn't been getting as much going in the running game so far this season anyways, and so to lose Robert Hunt for the season is absolutely brutal.

I think Michael Pennox is quietly having his second year leap, but you don't really know it because they had to play the Bucks and everything that Todd Bowles was sending out him in Week one, and then last week obviously Brian Flores and the Vikings.

But I'm really impressed with how slow the game seems for him, how he makes a lot of smart checks at the line of scrimmage.

How just these first couple of games, he's just dinging and dungan, which is the opposite of the Michael Pennock Show.

But I think it's because it's winning football in these Pacific matchups where they knew their offensive line couldn't hold up, and he he just seems like a very mature quarterback this early in his career.

Yeah, And it points me back to just what a great draft pick it was for a maligned GM like Terry Verry Tho you're in a quarterback one hundred million dollars guaranteed on a move that was directed by his owner to take Michael Pennock Junior in the first round of the NFL.

You know who was on an island defending that pick the day it happened.

From all the haters right here?

Oh so now, okay, Eric favorite host, All right, right.

You know, I'm reminded of another take earlier this summer GM rankings and whatnot.

And somebody in this room right now, Brave Soul in fact, complimented and lotted the fact that Terry Fonto's draft picks tend to work out pretty good and have pretty.

Good Kyle Pitsasance is definitely happy.

And I will also say that their pass rushers, which they traded for, I personally would not have given up a first round pick, but they're both popping off the screen.

This is a factor early on.

Like I'm not ready to fully say for the entire season, the Atlanta Falcons defense is back, but they look really nang good so far, and going against this version of the Carolina Panthers, it bodes well for them.

Only eight players in the last thirty seasons have had ten total tackles, an interception in half a sack through two games.

One of them Billy Bowman Jr.

Another young Atlanta Falcon, Davi Er Watts, has looked great draft about Terry font.

It's a little TV to me with Pearson Walker in terms of how much they'll have an impact this season.

But Divine Diablo, who they picked up from the Raiders, like, has looked awesome.

There's a lot of good players there.

And then on the other side, like Bryce right now has the second lowest completion percentage on targets over ten yards, and it just feels like it's it's Hope balls to Tetuah McMillan, who comes down with him a lot of the times, and that's about it.

Like the drop off, I think it's the worst group of weapons to throw to in the NFL.

And that's a lot considering they were in such a good position they felt before the season that they're they're making trades and sending you know, we saw the late game performance from Hunter Renfro.

The plan was never like Hunter Renfro.

Was like was supposed to be there at the.

Start of the season, and I think that also speaks to how difficult things have been for Xavier lyget Yeah, at the start of the season, he's really struggling.

Like the route depth has been weird, cut up where it's like going through like the way teeds.

Excuse me, his mom astill call him tetroh call him tetro Max.

Fine.

Yeah, Team Mac is acceptable as well.

The comparison between the way that they run their outs and like Ligets was not lazy, but he's drifting back and the defenders able to get there wasn't crisp and once he gets the ball in his hands, he seems indecisive.

Maybe some better play will will lift up everything for the Panthers.

Yeah, there's questions about Ajhrell this week.

He is week to week not expected to play, which is a massive loss for the Falcons.

Good catch, Thanks Greg, You're doing great as hosts.

I think Eric would agree.

No, But I mean I would have done better if I had brought up the week to week Ajterrell injury before that.

But we got it.

You saved me.

I do.

I just I really like this Falcons team.

I came in the year obnoxiously high on this Atlanta Falcons team, and I just like everything they're putting together.

Let's not forget too.

We haven't seen actual improvement from the Carolina Panthers defense.

Jace Horn has made a couple big plays, which is awesome.

You haven't really seen a ton from them yet.

And last season, Jean Robinson said his career high in rush yards and Drake London said his career high in receiving yards in that Week eighteen game.

Yeah, pretty crazy numbers.

From them both.

But it's in that vision anything can happen.

It's true.

Bryce was incredible in that game too.

Yeah, that's a good it was.

A good game, good memory for always.

It's always fun when these two teams play.

We've had a couple of long distance revenge games where things can kind of mellow and go around.

Now we have Clint Kubiak and the Seattle Seahawks at home against the New Orleans Saints.

The Seahawks favored by seven and a half, the over under forty one and a half points.

And Andrew Catalog are good friend, Charles Davis, Jase mccordy, and aj Ross on the call.

It's been a little up and down.

Do you think it's be all up with the big favorite Seahawks at home?

Jordan Seattle looked a little messy at the beginning of last week's game against Pittsburgh.

Sam Darnold turned it over.

That was actually more courtesy of a really great play by Jalen Ramsey undercutting route on a ball intended for Cooper Cup.

If Sam Donald would have led Cooper Cup, that's a touchdown, easy money because Cooper had Jalen Ramsey beat on the play.

So I think this is as time passed and this team, the Seattle offense, started to run the ball, get the full back Robbie Oots.

I've apologized to I think probably a family member of his reached out to me last week that I mispronounced it and please forgive me.

But he he.

Tried tried something there.

I liked it.

I thought it was good.

Keep cooking Greg.

He getting him involved.

His snap count has increased week over week.

Getting him more involved is a true game changer for this offense because they can play bully ball, run the ball behind your lead blocker with the full back behind Gray's abel.

I don't I still don't trust these tackles to pass pro super well.

They've had some issues pass with pass pro against with Sam Donald, but they're running the ball well.

They are physical.

They are like bullyball offense once they get kind of opened up in that phase, and I expect that to be the same against this defense.

And they need to pass protect well because that's their franchise left tackle in Charles Cross.

And they just gave Abe Lucas a lot of money.

I always understand why the player does take maybe like ninety percent of the dollar of what he could get if he has a healthy season before the season coming off an injury.

I always think there's a risk coming off of a major injury that Abe Lucas had to give that money.

And he struggled a little bit.

But these are two teams that want to run the ball.

They have run the ball pretty well.

It's a mismatch when the Saints have the ball on offense in this game.

Because Spencer Ratler has been surviving despite facing the second most amount of quick pressures in the NFL.

Fuaga, the Saints right tackle just hasn't looked right and he admitted to a reporter that he's playing through like a some sort of patella tendon like diagnosis.

And that's really scary because you're you're worried maybe a bigger injury could happen.

He gave up that big sack that ended last week's game.

Their offense has been better than expected, for sure.

It's why I thought about making this my Survivor pick too, but I think it's too much.

I want to give the Saints just enough respect that you just never know, and I didn't feel quite comfortable.

The defense, unfortunately for the Saints, has been a little worse than expected.

I would say the learning and adjustment process.

You could see it going on with coach Moore and this Saints team, who ran play action at the lowest rate in the NFL in Week one.

They came back week two and thirty three percent of the time we used play action and Rattler had seven completions for seventy three yards and two touchdowns using play action, which is something considering the way that the run game has gone.

Like Alvin Kamara when given the ball has seen more light boxes than anybody.

He's still getting contact behind the line of scrim so bad considering and you know the context if Laga's playing through some things as well, like they're having some trouble up there, and so it does have to be all on Spencer Ratler like as limited and shorthanded as things could be, and he's delivered and Juwan Johnson has made plays.

He did have some drops in both games, but you know, get the snake emoji's going.

The Rattler supporters, we are many and we were growing.

If Tyler Shuck had two weeks like that, everyone, I think the conversation would be, Wow, is Tyler Shuck gonna play well enough that the Saints considered not using a quarterback assuming they have like a top five pick.

I think that's how well Spencer Ratler has played.

I think people just view him differently because of where he went in the draft and because he's a second year player.

I just think when you combine the way that the Seahawks defense is playing, how aggressive they are, how they already look like one of the best defenses in the NFL this early in the season.

Like I would put them and the Chargers and the Eagles, depending on who's at corner at corner number two, maybe the Broncos, although they've been a little shaky.

I would put those guys all in the top tier right now of defenses.

The Rams as well, in Seattle's right up there at the very top and they're aggressive, and especially if your offensive line is banged up, as you mentioned, Patrick, like this could this could go get ugly quickly, and especially at home.

I mean, I really expect Seattle to open up a can here.

I couldn't believe this stat.

But Mike McDonald, I think, has only lost one game on the road and he's barely won any games at home since he took over.

I was shocked by that.

Last week they brought it up on the broadcast.

It's more impressive.

The home thing is fluky everything.

I think home road splits over a short enough timeline.

It's just loud for a young quarterback, That's what I'm saying.

It's pretty fluky.

I just feel like more should be made out of that that he is like nine to one on the road.

Somehow as a head coach, it's it's kind of wild.

Just got to look at the schedule makers.

But to Jordan's point about the defense, especially the pass rush, nine of dropbacks, they're getting pressured.

They're getting pressure.

It's it's the highest mark in the NFL.

Uh and they have blitzed at the second lowest rates.

Yeah, Like it's it's getting and everybody's and somebody like DeMarcus Lawrence, like his his sack and pressure numbers aren't up there, but everybody's doing their job.

And again to summon Bill's memory, nobody's chasing sacks, but they're still they're still getting pressure.

I mean, Bill's still with us.

He's coaching a team with a two game winning streak.

Here, just blew out the Richmond Spiders.

Okay to him, there's a Bill Belichick up there.

Bill A Belichick still with us.

Yeah.

The Seahawks three and seven at home under Mike McDonald.

They're so good on defense that like Nuosu is not even playing much.

I know he's coming off an injury, but they just have so many guys.

Boy, Mafe is on my list of the top twenty five free agents going into twenty twenty six.

He was already pretty high up there, and I mean he might be.

He might get to the top just about because there's not any good free agents.

Ultimately they get there.

If they don't, if they don't sign him long term, he will be like in the top five, I would guess.

To actually get to the market, that's a long way away.

I mean, I like the off season and all, but it feels good so much.

I think three.

I mean, I think it's fun to look ahead to free agency.

Make it a year round event, the NFL Draft, that's the vision.

Conspiracy theory.

Greg wants boy in the New England Patriots.

I understand layers that would be.

That would be a lot of fun.

You know what, else will be fun listening to our preview of the a f C.

So if you if you've noticed last week we divided up the preview shows into a f C and NFC.

We're giving every team just a little more tender, loving care and attention each and every week.

So that is it for the NFC.

We got six games in the a f C.

We'll see you there.