Week 4 NFL Storylines: Joey Porter Jr. to Dallas, Drake Maye’s Rebound & Bold Calls (Ep. 2235)

0:00 What's up friends and welcome in to the tailgate. I'm Chris Welsh. We've got Pat Fitzmaurice, Andrew Erickson, and a chock full of week four and NFL news to get to. We are going to be making some big calls. We're going to be breaking down some big games and there's some big news that's floating around. Thank you guys for hanging out with us as always. If you enjoy the tailgate, make sure you are subscribed on YouTube where we have crossed the threshold. of 2,000 subscribers, which we appreciate. We're going to be doing our giveaway here in just a tiny bit and then announcing the next one. So make sure you guys are locked in with us. We have a ton of fun here. You guys do a fantastic job.

0:37 And you two fine gentlemen, I love seeing your faces. Erickson, I told you before, Erickson's got a very, like, billionaire, maybe villain vibe where he's like, yes, bring, bring me all of it. I don't want just a meal from the restaurant by the restaurant. That's what you have a look for. I love, I love the hair. I love the look, but let's not talk about your billionaire villainy ways.

1:01 Let's talk about a big trade that went down in the NFL just last night. The Joey Porter saga has continued. Apparently all it takes, this is a great thing for the NFL to know. All it takes for your back to heal is a trade. That's it. And Joey Porter Jr. has been traded to the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys are sending a second round pick and a conditional sixth round pick to the Steelers. And I will go through the big crazy trades that these two teams have put together. But Erickson, we'll start with you. Why do the Steelers hate paying their players? Because they just continuously ship up. If you want money... You got to get out of here.

1:44 So why bad organizations stay bad? Not to say the Steelers have been a bad organization. Obviously, a lot of success for Pittsburgh over the years. But more recently, yeah, that has really been the case where you have super talented players like a George Pickens that doesn't necessarily eye to eye with the head coach, has some antics in terms of he's not the greatest teammate, et cetera, effort issues.

2:09 And then he goes to Dallas and absolutely smashes last season. So I think that this is another opportunity where the Dallas Cowboys are thinking, well, last time we traded with the Steelers, it worked out. Let's just keep doing it. Let's just roll the dice one more time and see what happens. So I think it's a good move by the Dallas Cowboys. Obviously, their secondary has been bad and also dealing with a ton of injuries. We knew Joey Porter Jr. was going to get dealt at some point.

2:33 And I think that Dallas was smart because they knew that there was a market for him, the Lions. or potentially in the market for a Joey Porter Jr. based on how their secondary has played this season. So I think it was smart by Dallas to get ahead of this, get a cornerback that they can immediately throw in there, be part of their defense. So yeah, dude, back injuries, man.

2:52 Just got to get traded. It's amazing what a new contract will do to your back.

2:57 I mean, tell me about it. My back's hurting right now. So I'm with you. Fitzy, what does this mean for the Cowboys defense overall? And also, what does this mean for the Cowboys and how they approach this? Because they didn't want to pay Micah Parsons and they shipped him off. And now they've got just a collection of players that want these deals. They've got like 20 something plus unrestricted free agents coming up at the end of the year. So, I mean, I guess it's a little forward thinking, but, you know, where do they go from there? And then what does this actually mean for this defense and them as contenders?

3:29 Yeah, you could question the Cowboys' long-term approach to how they handle the contracts of their players and the renewal, and they put themselves in a lot of bad spots. But I have to respect how they went out and got what they needed. They are not shy about addressing needs in season, and we saw that last year with the Quinn and Williams deal on defense. And now, I mean, they were hurting in the secondary. Kobe Durant with a hamstring injury. I think Savone Revell... second year player not practicing this week. So two cornerbacks potentially out Malik Hooker also, I think not available this week. So their, their secondary was just decimated. And I don't know how quickly Porter is going to be able to get ready. If he

4:13 plays this week, plays a limited number of snaps, but they needed him in a big way.

4:19 And he's going to make this defense better.

4:21 Like he is a quality cover man and like, Bravo to the Cowboys for going and doing this. Compare that to my Packers who are trying to patch up their offensive line by signing three street free agents in one week to try to fix the guard position. I mean, I would rather get a player of Joey Porter Jr. 's caliber than, you know, 36-year-old retired guards.

4:45 Was Joey Porter Jr. the— because he was the 33rd overall pick, so the first pick in the second round, I believe— That was the pick that the Steelers got from the Bears from Chase Claypool, right?

4:58 That was that pick?

4:59 Oh, wow. I think it was.

5:02 Dude, like, I don't know where the connection is to it, but I just think about like Steelers fans and they're inundated with all the Steelers fans right now are just inundated, not with just trades, but just Minecraft worlds and like what their team could have been. And then like, they're all just sitting there and they're just thinking like, you know, How can our team be better? And then the organization is going through new coaching. It's how can we be better?

5:26 And it's like the Tim Robbins. I know you guys don't watch. I think you should leave or whatever. But Tim Robinson wears in the banana suit and he's just like, we got to find who did this. And it's a banana or the hot dog car. It's a hot dog, not the banana that breaks through the building. We got to find who did this. And it's like the Steelers.

5:42 They continuously trade off all the players. And it's like, why are we just mediocre? And it's like, because you do not make an investment into your players. And Ari Mirov, MySportsUpdate, put this tweet out. This is just the Steelers and the Cowboys alone have traded. The Cowboys have received George Pickens, Joey Porter Jr., Broderick Jones, and a 2027 fourth round pick from the Steelers. Here's what the Steelers have received from the Cowboys for all those players. A third, which was Drew Aller this year, a third next year, a five, and a six all in 2027 that that's bad trading like matt madden's not going to accept those trades those are bad trades overall and and all it is is that the cost of saving a few bucks but you're

6:31 going to make a few more of those bucks if you're a highly competitive team so i guess i just i can't understand a team that it's not even like a tiny bit it's a full refusal to pay any stars whatsoever and you're gonna have to probably change that up a little bit you know so It's a crazy week for the Steelers. It's a bad week for Steelers fans.

6:51 Lev Bell is out there being like, we're trying to win a Super Bowl and Mike Tomlin's building the Minecraft world. They're trading off another player for absolutely nothing. It's a bad week for the Steelers. And it's going to be bad for that defense moving forward.

7:01 It's going to be bad after they lose on Thursday night to the Cleveland Browns. That's happening. I don't know when this is being released, but Browns money line, walk.

7:12 Denzel Boston. Denzel Boston over receiving yards.

7:15 Lock of all locks.

7:16 DK Metcalf under all receiving props. Lock, lock, lock.

7:21 Denzel Boston was like 37.5. Dude, that was ludicrous.

7:25 What are we talking about?

7:26 I know.

7:27 Absolutely ridiculous.

7:29 Ridiculous.

7:29 All right.

7:29 A couple other news and notes, and then we're going to be breaking down some of the big games that are going to matter for this week. I thought this was interesting. I have a couple of questions to get to you guys, but quarterback Drake may said on Wednesday that the physical condition of his right shoulder hasn't affected his throwing ability. Instead, this is like a direct quote from the article. I believe this is on ESPN that he had highlighted. He needs to make better decisions to reverse his early season struggles with the Patriots and their one and two start. So my question is Fitzy is may shoulder to blame for these struggles or is it And did we overhype him? You were the biggest Drake

8:06 May fan. You were celebrating in the streets last year because you were the most right. But he looks so lost. So is he lost or is it the shoulder?

8:17 I would have to.

8:18 Erickson has probably watched Patriots games with a more keen eye than I have this season. But if there has been like a noticeable dip in velocity with Drake May throwing the ball, I haven't really seen it. So I I tend to, when a young quarterback struggles like this, I always tend to look at the ecosystem. And it seems like Patriots haven't really significantly improved along the offensive line, which was a huge problem for them last year in the playoffs, when Drake May also kind of struggled. They were winning games largely thanks to the offensive failings of their opponents in the AFC side of the bracket.

9:00 Obviously, with... No A.J. Brown, the guy they brought in.

9:04 To be the big play guy for Drake May, not having him around has hurt. And you also don't have Keyshawn Booty, who is making big plays for the Patriots. So I feel like it's more about the supporting cast. And obviously, Drake May just hasn't played good football so far. But if there is a shoulder issue, I haven't been able to detect it with the way he's playing.

9:28 This is the villain arc. I've been staring at Erickson on here, and you were so locked into this, and I can just tell. This is where you're going to turn from the good guy in the meeting to the bad guy. The fingers are going to come out, and this is going to be a problem. Is Drake May not good, or is his shoulder not good, Erickson?

9:47 I wish his shoulder was not good, and that could be the excuse that we could use for him.

9:52 Not being good.

9:53 But I agree with Fitz, where I think it's just, he's just not playing good football. And this shoulder thing is, I think, a way that we're trying to make excuses for Drake May and trying to, well, he was so good last year. Like, why is he being so bad? And it goes back to all the things that we talked about in terms of the schedule. Playing much tougher defenses is going to make it a lot harder to play the quarterback position at a high level. Like they haven't had any cupcake matchups to start the year against pretty solid defenses across the board between Seattle and Pittsburgh and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Like watch him play Miami. Okay.

10:25 And then his shoulder is going to look absolutely fantastic because he's facing the Miami Dolphins and when he faces the New York Jets. So he's going to look like the Drake made from 2025 in those particular games. So the supporting cast, they tried to upgrade, but AJ Brown got hurt. Michael Wenu got hurt, one of their offensive guards.

10:42 He was one of their best guys in the interior. So yeah, when you have guys that you expected to step up, Romeo Dobbs has been downgrade so far between players like Akashan Booty and Stefan Diggs. So can that change? I think so. But I don't really know what the point of putting him on the injury report when he practiced in full for this shoulder injury when the entire offseason was I did not hear a single peep or word about anything about his shoulder and that he looks great in practice. It's just a matter of translating those things to the field with his new teammates, his new receivers that he's not necessarily so comfortable throwing to, like a Romeo Dobbs, which is apparent, right? The connection's not there.

11:24 His best connection's with Matt Collins. And unfortunately, Matt Collins is a journeyman special teamer whose upside is capped because he's not this overly talented player, but he has the trust of his quarterback. So... That's why we've seen a lot of the issues. And he's been making poor decisions. Like when you're turning the ball over in the red zone. Again, we can talk about this in the Patriots Bills preview, but they had seven possessions in Jaguars territory last week.

11:49 They scored zero touchdowns on those seven possessions because of turnovers, because of drops, because of penalties. Everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Patriots last week. And that includes Drake May just playing bad. So I don't think that the shoulder thing is an issue. I wish it was.

12:07 And if he gets surgery at some point, then okay, then this obviously is not going to be a take that ages well, but I can at least rest easier and be like, okay, well, his shoulder was just messed up all year. And that's why he was so bad. Like, okay, a healthy shoulder means a good Drake May. So I wish it was true, but I'm smelling some BS here, guys.

12:26 All right, a couple other things. We'll jump into another quarterback talk, at least. Ben Johnson has said that they know the direction that they want to go in week four on the quarterback call, but they didn't want to announce it. Do you think it matters? And who are you going with? And who should be the Bears quarterback, Erickson Keenum or Bajent for week four? Keenum was solid.

12:45 Bajent has been the backup. Where do you think they go? And do you think it's going to be a big, important piece to the offensive weapons around as Loveland started to get back involved? Luther Burden was back.

12:55 I think it's going to be Bajent. And I don't know if that's the consensus take, just considering how good Case Keenum looked. But if Ben Johnson, man, this guy loves him some him, right? He's like, I did it with Keenum. Now watch me do it with Bajan. Like, come on, baby, let's go. And I think that he's playing coy because why should he give any advantage or intel to Aaron Glenn, the head coach of the New York Jets, who is also very familiar with Ben Johnson and his offense from the time that they overlapped in Detroit.

13:24 So I think there's some gamesmanship going here with Ben Johnson where he's like, yeah, we know he's going to be a quarterback, but the Jets don't know. And that's why I'm going to keep it under wraps. So I think Case Keenum ran so pure against Philadelphia Eagles. And I think that betting on him to do that two weeks in a row, I think it's kind of betting on like lightning to strike in the same place twice.

13:45 I wouldn't do that. I think they know that Bajan's the better quarterback. And with a full week of preparation, I think that he gives them the best chance to win. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they want to ride the coattails of a Case Keenum game. But I feel like you should just kind of cash out with Case Keenum.

13:59 Be like, it was sick.

14:00 We got the W.

14:01 He was excellent.

14:02 This is probably not repeatable in any way, shape or form. Let's go with Bajent, who we viewed as the best quarterback option. Some of the Ben Johnson was talking up all offseason as, oh, yeah, he should be a starter in the NFL. He was not saying that about Case Keenum. So that's at least what I think. But I'm interested to see what Fitz thinks and what actually happens.

14:21 Well, a couple of side notes before I jump into Fitz. A, I tried to search this and I couldn't find it. I wanted to see how many or what was the most amount of quarterbacks that got a win in a season with a team. Does that make sense what I'm saying? Like what team has had the most wins with different quarterbacks in a single season? Because then if they can get Bajent and they have, but they need to pick someone else off the street to do that. If it's like four quarterbacks. The other thing I've been thinking about, and Fitz, I'd be curious about this with you, because obviously the question is going to be, who do you think it should be, Bajan or Keenum? But I've been thinking about this. With the quarterback market kind of opened

14:57 up and you've seen teams talking about trying, obviously McCarthy was trying to trade for like a Mac Jones or whatever. I wonder if the Bears, it would behoove them to put Bajan out in the market because they've got a third quarterback that can get them wins if something happens with Caleb. Because Case Keenum doesn't have any like inherent trade value. But Bajent would if a team thought they could bring him in and they could get some really good equity. Because at the end of the day, he doesn't have a future with the team unless he's a backup.

15:20 And if you've got a guy like that, they could probably bring a big haul. So I don't think they'll do it. But when you got three quarterbacks, I feel like you should go and trade from strength. And maybe if there are teams looking, you could move Bajent. What are your thoughts on that? And then who do you think is going to be our week four quarterback, Keenum or Bajent?

15:36 I have wondered what the market might be for Bajent. And I don't have a very good handle on what his perception is around the league. I know he's well-regarded by the Bears organization. I just don't know if there's that same enthusiasm for him as a possible solution to some other team starting.

15:57 Quarterback woes.

15:59 So I kind of feel like it would probably be a day three pick if you're trading for Tyson Bajent. And I don't know if the Bears would be willing to do that. But as for who's going to start, I think 95, With any other team, it would be 95% Case Keenum. And they just roll with the guy who played, for the most part, mistake-free football. I can remember maybe one turnover-worthy throw that Keenum made.

16:26 But for the most part, he played well.

16:29 The Bears' offense looked completely buttoned up in a game where the Eagles were so inept on offense that all you had to do was turn in a credible game.

16:38 And Case Keenum did that and more. But... Erickson is right.

16:44 I could totally see Ben Johnson turning to Tyson Bajan for this one.

16:49 So right now, my guess, if I had to.

16:51 Bet $ 20 on it, I'm going with Case Keenum. Wouldn't feel confident in that bet at all.

16:59 Okay.

17:00 I would say with Bajan, by the way, he's still got another year on a deal. So if a team did trade for him, he's signed through the 2027 season. So even more, I think he's a bit attractive. I think the problem with trading him might be as I don't think it takes a day three pick. I think it's a little bit more as someone you could implant as a starter, but maybe I'm wrong. Last little note, we got the, because I know everybody's been patiently waiting for this, we got the AFC and NFC Players of the Month. Ken Walker, named AFC Player of the Month, and Brock Purdy, named NFC Player of the Month. Ken Walker, absolutely deserved it, has been a beast, and Brock Purdy, Really been the conversation piece for a lot of people

17:38 when you see any of these quarterback struggle going like, we don't appreciate Brock Purdy enough. Erickson, I would just like one quick sentence or two on why we don't appreciate Brock Purdy enough and should we? We should appreciate him more.

17:49 We should. We talked about on the first Tailgate show this week about how he's second in the MVP odds behind only Josh Allen because he's playing at an MVP level. Dating back to week 15 of last year, nobody has more fantasy points at quarterback than Brock Purdy.

18:05 Does.

18:06 So the dude has been absolutely balling. Now the matchups have been good for him. Hungover Rams, Cardinals, Dolphins, that does help boost your numbers. So a little bit taller task this week against the Denver Broncos, but still like we talked about in the rank show, which was great. Fitz, Tara Filden, admirably for you, Welsh. Brock Purdy is still going to be like a top 10 fantasy quarterback this week, even in a tougher matchup against the Denver Broncos, just because he's doing it and he's doing it as the pieces fall around him. I think that's the biggest thing to take away with Purdy is the support system, the receivers, it's a different guy every week, right? One week it's, what's his name? Jordan Watkins is now stepping up because

18:41 he's got to do it. And it's like, it's just everybody except Brandon Ayuk. And I just think it's so funny every time the reporters ask Kyle Shannon, like, hey, so like Ayuk? And he's like, draw seven, right? It's like that meme where it's like, bring Brandon Ayuk back to the team or draw 15 cards. And Kyle Shannon just doesn't, he has every card in his hand.

18:59 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

19:02 I wonder what he's doing right now. I would actually like– if that guy needed to make money, like reality show, like YouTube reality show or something. Just like what are you doing right now watching all these wide receivers go down? Because also doesn't it feel like with how he acted in the offseason, this should be the stuff he should be live reacting to at every moment. It should be like he hasn't reacted to his boy Daniels dislocating his elbow, but they're on the outs. He hasn't reacted to every wide receiver going down. Like, is he okay? Wellness check?

19:30 I have no idea what's going on with him. But Brock Purdy is my boy.

19:33 Do you think if I uke, just like, do you think he could like apologize? And just be like, look, I was.

19:38 Way out of line. I mean, like if it was like from a mental ward, you know what I'm saying? Like, like if he had, if he was like with a psychiatrist or something, because it would feel, and I'm not trying to be like awful about it. It would feel disingenuous. Like he's been crazy. It's not just little stuff. Guy's driving like a hundred miles per hour everywhere. He's like throwing money. He's just, he's going on nonsensical Instagram stories.

20:04 So one thing would feel disingenuous is, But also, and sorry to you, Fitzy, if you have any comment on that, how we got here, it feels weird that we've heard nothing from him whatsoever. So I don't know what the deal with that is, but that definitely has to die down. I understand why reporters are asking that, because they're literally going to be, they might be starting Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins.

20:24 But like, is Christian Kirk actually on the roster?

20:29 Yeah, he's just on the IR. He'll be back next week. Yeah, he'll be back next week. Fitzy, that was a lot of Brandon Ayuk and all that. Do you have any fun takes as we lament?

20:38 Brandon Ayuk's agent might have him tied up and gagged somewhere. You want no fun facts?

20:43 No agent because they dropped him.

20:45 Oh, that's right. I forgot about that. Oh, my goodness.

20:48 Yeah. The story continues on. You know, it's crazy. The only person that can make AB not look as crazy.

20:54 As he is.

20:54 Yeah. I just wanted to muse on Brock Purdy and what a remarkable success story that is from Mr. Irrelevant to this, like now one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

21:06 Just a great.

21:08 To have Kyle Shanahan as his muse and just be Shanahan's point guard. And he does so well at that job. And even though we've got this curse hanging over the 49ers with the wide receivers at this point.

21:24 I mean, we're in October now. I'm thinking of horror movies.

21:27 It's like the Final Destination series with the substation claiming, stalking 49ers wide receivers. I mean, Kaderil Hodge is hurt now. If Evans can't play, and I think there's a chance he will. I thought I heard that he's not on the injury report, but didn't practice Wednesday.

21:43 So that's kind of strange.

21:44 46% on the are they playing tool on fantasy pros. A nice little plug for that. If you guys go check it out under 50% right now, but that, you know, there's still a line that he could go.

21:54 Are they again?

21:55 Yeah.

21:55 Jordan Watkins, Jacob cowing.

21:57 We are down to the bottom of the depth chart for the 49ers. I don't know what else they have on the practice squad. And yet Purdy is somehow going to make it work because he always does. Yeah, they signed Pettis.

22:11 That's right. But like Purdy is the most resourceful quarterback in the league.

22:15 They got to trade for Brian Thomas Jr. They got to reunite him with Matt Jones.

22:20 I completely agree with that.

22:21 It makes too much sense. Day three pick, get a day three pick or something like that. Go trade for him. But I will say this is the last thing. As a 49er fan, I had thought for years it was so weird when this team was sitting on George Kittle and Deebo and Brandon Ayuk, and then they just kept acquiring wide receivers in the draft. And I think everyone was like, what is Shanahan doing? Like, okay, Ricky Pearsall.

22:42 And then last year, they're getting DeJuan Stripling. What is it that they knew? Is it truly, all jokes aside, the station? They have just kept acquiring and acquiring wide receivers, and they just keep all getting hurt. So they're just either... really bad at picking them, or, you know, there is something in that water or in the air because they just, they draft them, they get hurt, they can never have enough of them. But yeah, go trade for Brian Thomas, please.

23:06 All right, enough 49er talk. That's the news. We got to talk about the big games that are going to matter. But first, I need to tell you about Polymarket. It's a stock exchange for sports, buying in and selling out on your terms. When your team goes down to 20%, you can buy in and sell it off at 40% when they come back to double your money. They're so confident you're never going to go back to the other guys.

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24:11 got to get right. Erickson, can New England get right against Buffalo? Buffalo's offense is obviously a powerhouse. But are they going to be able to make some strides and make this one of those big offensive output games? Or is this going to be another like 0 for 9 in scoring opportunities or whatever you said, 0 for 12 it was? What do you think is the breakdown for this game, New England at Buffalo?

24:34 Well, this is a place in Buffalo where the Patriots have had success and they have well exceeded expectations. You look at the last two times that Drake May and the Patriots have gone to Buffalo. Last year, they were nine point underdogs, one outright. upset the Buffalo Bills two years ago. They were 14-point underdogs in the Gerard Mayo-led Patriots, which was an even worse disaster than what we're seeing the last couple weeks. And they almost won that game outright too. So the Patriots are 2-0 against the spread when they've gone to Buffalo. They've actually covered against the Bills in five of the last six matchups. So... This is the first division game for both of these teams so far this season. We know that divisional games are

25:14 a different animal. It's a different type of beast. And Mike Vrabel has that kind of Mike Tomlin voodoo magic to him where it's like the guy wins games when he's counted out the most and his team shows up and bounces back after terrible losses. Last week's loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars falls into that category. Just getting your the doors blown off.

25:35 Entirely.

25:35 I mean, they got totally destroyed. Your what?

25:37 Doors blown off. Say it again?

25:38 Doors blown off?

25:39 What did I say?

25:40 The roof blown off? No, no, no. You look like you wanted to go. Fitz knows what I'm talking about. You definitely wanted to say something else here. But hey, it's a family-friendly show. You keep going. Try to be family-friendly. Doors blown off. Gotta respect the kids. Yeah, you're doing a great job.

25:51 Kids, I listen.

25:52 You're doing good. So I do think that this is a- Kids love Patriots as Paul's breakdown.

25:56 I think that this is an interesting bounce back spot for the Patriots just because The negativity around the team, the Drake May shoulder injury. Now Gonzalez is on the injury report. It's all gloom and doom for this team. And it feels similar to how we were talking about the Steelers. And then what do they do the next week?

26:12 They have a good matchup in a divisional game against Cincinnati Bengals. And they put up a 30 burger on that defense. So given that the Patriots were able to at least move the ball against Jacksonville, if they just find a easier way to take care of the football a little bit better than they did against the Jacksonville Jaguars, then I do think they can keep this much closer.

26:28 And I think I actually like them to cover. the touchdown spread, to be totally honest, because that's just what's happened when these teams have faced off against each other. So it's going to require them to use their best players like Travion Henderson. Remember that they have him on the roster. He blew up the last time they played the Buffalo Bills at Gillette. And I think if they're going to have a chance of winning this game and keeping it close, they need to feature their best players like Henderson and trying to get some of these wide receivers more involved. So just less mistakes. And look, last week, Buffalo, they turned the ball over five times and still were able to cover. which is just crazy. And just I

27:02 think more about just the L.A. Chargers just not being able to get out of the wrong way and take advantage. I don't think the Bills will be that lucky two weeks in a row if they also turn the ball over like the Patriots did in week three.

27:14 Yeah, Fitzy, this is a really big divisional matchup here that we kind of got to lock into. And I think it's a critical, critical game for the Patriots and Drake May. So what are your thoughts on this breakdown here?

27:26 It is, and I've heard people wonder how the Patriots can be favored, or how the Bills could be favored by only a touchdown, like it should be more. That's not giving a lot of credit to the reigning AFC champions. And I feel like this could be, as Erickson is kind of alluding to, a circle-the-wagons game for the Patriots.

27:47 They need it.

27:49 And Drake May, one of these weeks we're going to be reminded of how good a quarterback Drake May is.

27:54 And, you know, I know.

27:56 Fantasy managers who have Drake May on their teams are probably sick of hearing that, but it's going to happen. I'd feel better about the Patriots' spot if they had a healthy Christian Gonzalez, because that's going to be a problem. And I think Christian Barmore is banged up, too. I don't know if he's going to play. So just two key defensive pieces missing. Not the easiest thing to have going when you're trying to stop Josh Allen.

28:20 But.

28:22 I think we probably will get.

28:24 A better effort from the Patriots this week than we've seen over the first three weeks.

28:28 More on Drake May later. Second game, I mean, on paper looks bigger. The Eagles have been odd, but you've got the Rams that are going to be traveling to Philly. Fitzy, why don't you break this one down for us? Obviously, I don't know, defensively, I think we've had higher expectations of the Rams. Puka Nakua does look like I guess that's part of the update range. We could have talked about it from earlier this week, though. But Puka Nakua looks like he's lining up that he might be able to play in this one, I think, which is good for the Rams. On the Eagles side, we want to see that offense kind of just get rolling again. Obviously, Devonta Smith, what's your breakdown? How do you think this is going to play out with Rams and Eagles?

29:08 Yeah, has there been a more disappointing team than the Eagles so far? I mean, we talk about the Patriots being disappointing, but the Eagles, I mean, with their personnel to just barely scrape by and wins over the Commanders and Titans and then go into Chicago and get your doors blown off by a team that's being quarterbacked by a third stringer that is thought to have a bottom five defense and you score seven points on that bottom five defense.

29:38 It's the same stuff that we've had. the last couple years like that was what we the bill of goods we were sold coming into this year by the way is like that offense is not innovative and It's stinky. It's boring. And they play it safe and they don't have any innovation whatsoever. And then they're just like, well, guess what? We'll get rid of AJ Brown and we're going to fix it. No, they're back to the same boring, dumb stuff where it's, do they not trust Jalen Hurts?

30:04 I didn't mean to like go into that, but it's like, I can't, I don't know what to do with that because this is the same thing that we bitch about with the Eagles all the time. It's their offense.

30:15 It's stale.

30:17 And it's continuously stale. And it seems like this is the time it can't be stale.

30:22 Which we thought was going to be better this year after Eagles fans went with their torches and pitchforks to Kevin Petillo's house. And now it's Sean Mannion and the offense looks no better. And I know, I think a big part of it is this Eagles offensive line is just not what it used to be. Back in the Jason Kelsey days and when some of these guys were younger.

30:43 And it just.

30:45 They don't have the sort of bully ball offensive line they used to have. And that seems like it's a major problem. And the defense isn't really playing up to expectations either.

30:56 Erickson, I got a little naughty there for the children. What say you about this one? I complain. We complain about this team in that the thing they continuously tell us they need to be better at, they're not. And it seems like they've got the personnel right. where you could be. Taequann Barkley is pretty good. Jalen Hurts, in theory, should be pretty good. Devontae Smith, pretty good. Why are they as stale as any offense in the NFL continuously?

31:21 I think having a new offensive coordinator, these things always take time to gel into place. I think we've seen that in a lot of different offenses. The Chargers are also one that comes to mind, a new offensive coordinator that you're looking for optimism from and it's just been bleh to start the season and you're hoping that okay with more reps with more time with more games that you can finally start to hit the ground running the eagles obviously after two weeks where they let the commanders hang around they do they win the game they let the titans hang around but they end up winning the game like this is such a telltale sign when teams win but don't cover that okay like they are approaching

31:57 danger territory and they got curb stomped against a third string quarterback and against a bad Bears defense. So I like to think that that's what just would continue here. And they would just continue to get curb stomped, especially when you look at a team like the Rams coming off a pretty sour loss to the Denver Broncos, where they're blowing out the Broncos in the first half and then Denver gets back into it and they end up losing that game. I mean, through the last two weeks or just the entire season, if you kind of throw out that Rams first game where they just took totally out of sorts, I mean, the Rams have looked so much better. than the Philadelphia Eagles. Even in a loss last week against the Denver Broncos, they still put way

32:32 more out there that you're excited about this Rams team. So they are short favorites here on the road. They're playing at the link. I mean, how many three and outs is it going to take for the link to just completely turn on the Eagles and be rooting for the Rams to win this game? So, I mean, I like the Rams here. I think the Rams are going to win bounce back after a big loss to the Denver Broncos in prime time. And I don't know why the Eagles would change. The only way I can see it is Saquon Sabus, right? Because he was the only guy that looked like he had any type of juice.

33:03 It was in the first half, mostly against the Chicago Bears. Like he can still rip off big plays, but the supporting cast, talking about this on the rank show, the supporting cast, the offensive line is not creating as many holes as it's done in the past years because it's just not as good. Guys are getting older, guys are getting banged up and that's having a trickle down effect on the entire offense.

33:23 There's only one thing that at least one team is guaranteed to go into week five undefeated. And that is going to come out of the Chiefs and Raiders game. One of those teams will be, which is insane to say, by the way, think about my grandfather. My grandfather, rest in peace, many years ago was the biggest Raiders fan on the planet. And he passed away a long, long time ago, like in the Jamarcus Russell era. So it's like that was the Raiders he had. And now you look at this Raiders team and you're like, wow, they're 3-0.

33:55 They could potentially go in 4-0. But that is the only guarantee. One of these teams, or at least be one undefeated team, the Chiefs and the Raiders into next week. And that has made this a locked-in game for us, Erickson. We've got to pay attention to it. Ken Walker, Player of the Month. They found a rhythm, even though the passing game still seems a little bit odd. And Rasheed Rice hasn't got going. And the Raiders are just inevitable.

34:19 Doug Cousins, he just makes it happen right now. We aren't on the precipice of seeing Mendoza. So what do you think? Do the Raiders stand a chance to be able to walk into week five as an undefeated team?

34:33 I'd like to say no, especially as a Kirk Cousins fader. And he's making me eat it every single week as he throws another three touchdowns because that's what he's on pace for. 51 passing touchdowns for Kirk Cousins through three weeks. That's his pace over a 17-game season. So definitely taking the L on Kirk Cousins being washed. Now, I'd like to think that the Chiefs can just take care of business, be 4-0. I get another team I was wrong about being on the Chargers, and the AFC West was not a good take for me in the offseason. And I can already see the headlines, though, where you like that, Raiders 4-0.

35:09 On the newspaper. In the, what is it? The Las Vegas Inquirer.

35:13 What is it? Do they have news?

35:15 Oh, they're trying to be like the New York Post or whatever the one is with all the headlines.

35:18 Las Vegas Review.

35:19 Las Vegas Review, yeah.

35:20 How do you know the main paper in Vegas? I think it's Las Vegas Review. I'm an old school newspaper guy.

35:25 Yeah, you are.

35:26 But I can already see the headlines. Monday morning, it's, you've liked that. And it's Kirk Cousins, 4-0.

35:32 Review Journal, sorry.

35:34 Hey.

35:34 No one's perfect.

35:35 Get it right.

35:35 No one's perfect.

35:37 Get it right.

35:37 Get off the screen.

35:38 What are you doing?

35:39 Come on. You don't know the Las Vegas Journal, everybody. Review Journal. Everybody knows that. All right, go ahead.

35:44 These divisional games, it's never as easy as it is on paper. When you look at the Chiefs, hey, yeah, they're the better team. They should win. But, I mean, Raiders offense has been humming. They got Brock Bowers back last week. He is such a tough cover. Maybe if the Chiefs can find a way to take him away, make it a scenario where Ash and Jenty and these other pieces of the Raiders offense have to beat their defense. But, Well, the guys have stepped up and eventually Jenty's going to pop one of these big ones. I don't think that he's going to average under three yards per carry every single week. Like it's been a struggle over the last two games. So the system, Clint Kubiak, the guys are buying into it. And Kubiak is showing how effective and

36:20 how much of an impact he makes as an offensive play caller and so far as a head coach. So the team is buying in. So it's not just as easy as, well, the Raiders, we thought were going to be bad. Chiefs, we thought maybe would be slow out of the gates. Both of those end up not being correct. these are divisional games and the Raiders don't look at the chiefs as, Oh, we're massive underdog. I mean, obviously they're embracing like the underdog mentality because got mad. Max Crosby did like that guy's absolutely balling out. And the Raiders must be like thanking their lucky stars. I like, thank God the break, the Ravens didn't check this guy.

36:49 Like, like we are.

36:51 We are reaping the benefits of, of them not wanting to, to sign him and be worried about his knee in the longterm, which is still, you know, a possibility about what he looks like in 2027, 2028. But right now, He just looks like one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.

37:06 You know, I think about the Raiders in the trade market. I don't know if they, I mean, everybody has a dream of being, you know, three and O going into week four and stuff. I don't know if they really have that expectation or an expectation that they would be this high of contenders. And you look at the trade market and all I can sit here is think about is the low hanging fruit. They've done this obviously with Bowers, even missing time and a subpar wide receiver core of guys like Naylor and Tucker that, they could do the low hanging fruit of trying to go and acquire a Brian Thomas who we've talked about that could help that wide receiver core Marvin Harrison, or, I mean, I'll just throw this out here. I don't know how substantiated any

37:41 of it is, but there are those rumors that were floating around Fitzy that Justin Jefferson is quietly asking to be traded. That feels like a Tom Brady Raiders type of move to splash and go and trade your first round pick after you got your franchise quarterback to go and get a big receiver. I don't think that happens or anything like that, but, Obviously, I want you to break down this game, but just wanted to throw out that it's like this 3-0 team that could go into 4-0.

38:04 You'd love to see them go all in. Just go all in with this team. and this core and maybe make some big moves because it seems like the trade market in the NFL is a little bit more vibrant than it's been in some years. So I threw a lot at you. Obviously, you got your breakdown and any thoughts you want to throw on the maybe making a move for some more pieces.

38:22 Boy, that would be fun for them to get Justin Jefferson and give their eventual franchise quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, a weapon because he doesn't really have one, a wide receiver at least. Brock Bauer is obviously an incredible pass-catching weapon. And quickly the Raiders are playing themselves out of position to be able to think about drafting Jeremiah Smith next year.

38:44 So it's just, it's fun that the Raiders are 3-0. Like the NFL is more interesting when the Raiders are credible. And I know Raiders fans, you know, like your grandpa, like they take pride in being menacing and fearsome and having the Raiders mean something and kind of stinks when they're a doormat. And it's, This year, could they make the playoffs? Could they sneak in as a wild card?

39:10 Could they even make a run at the AFC West? Probably not. This year, I think for the Raiders, it's always been more about making the transition to Fernando Mendoza, starting that era, which will eventually happen. I love that Erickson is trying to outflank me as the primary Kirk Cousins fader because I don't know how many times... i have talked about uh kirk cousins and his penchant for throwing short of the chains on third and long on fantasy pros and betting pro shows eventually it's going to be fernando mendoza and it This season is about Mendoza and about just a cultural reset for the Raiders after the debacle of the Pete Carroll-Chip Kelly year. And so far, so good on that front, man. Like, they look like

39:57 a real football team here. And how nice would it be for Raiders fans if they punched the Chiefs in the mouth this week?

40:03 I was about to say, it sounds a little, though, like you're kind of like, this is very cute what they're doing. But, you know... let, you know, let dad step in. Like, it seems like, are you prepared that the Chiefs are going to put a smack down on the Raiders? Because it seems a little bit like what, I think it would be fun, but you don't, I don't know if you believe that the Raiders are going to be competitive in this one.

40:22 I think I know Matt Peralt, our prime betting pros host, thinks the Chiefs are going to drill the Raiders.

40:29 I wouldn't put a penny on this game. Okay. Ooh.

40:32 Okay.

40:32 I like that. Final one here, the Denver Broncos and my San Francisco 49ers. Big matchup. 49ers have a chance to walk into Week 5 undefeated. They have no wide receivers whatsoever. They'd love to probably take one of those Denver Broncos on. Broncos haven't quite found their footing, especially in the wide receiver core. Jaylen Waddell was a little bit banged up this week. And this is, like Erickson, you had alluded to, this is like the test. This is like a real big test here for the 49ers in this season. I mean, we shouldn't discount the Rams being a big test in Australia. But to your point, the last two weeks after have been... you know, a little bit more cakewalk fitzy. Are the 49ers going to

41:12 be able to bounce off of all of these injuries and be able to get, McCaffrey's been kind of weird too this season. Kalon Black disappeared last week. Like, how does the 40, how do the 49ers offense continue to be efficient? Because I think they're a little bit still overrated defensively, but how do they match up against the Denver Broncos and how do you see this one playing out?

41:32 Match up pretty well because I think they win the quarterback battle by a wide margin. Like, Brock Purdy has been fantastic, and Bo Nix has not been fantastic. And I think the Broncos, I want to say they're 29th in yardage right now, and they are averaging fewer yards per play than the Patriots, Dolphins, and Jets. Those three AFC teams, which Jets offense hasn't been, maybe that wouldn't shock people, but I think it would shock people to realize the Dolphins have averaged more yards per play than the Denver Broncos. This year, this offense that we were supposed to be getting excited about once they signed Jalen Waddell, like, oh, this is going to be great. And Sean Payton's offenses do sometimes take time to find their footing, get it

42:18 together in October. Man, they have not gotten it together yet. And in fairness, they have not faced a bad defense yet. And the 49ers are not a bad defense. They do have their problems up front. It'll be interesting to see if the Broncos running game, which has been pretty comatose so far, can get it going against the 49ers.

42:37 But I don't know.

42:39 I mean, this could be, this feels like a game that could be a 17-13 rock fight. I don't know how you guys feel about that.

42:46 Yeah, Erickson, what do you think about this? I mean, the 49ers don't really have a pass rush. You can run on them. But at the same time, if Denver Broncos defense doesn't get stable, the problem with the 49ers, regardless of not having maybe the big core of wide receivers, is Kittle is a matchup discrepancy. Christian McCaffrey is a problem.

43:04 Kalon Black is a problem. And Brock Purdy just makes stuff happen. They've got these guys. So to me, this is really solely about the 49ers offense against the Denver Broncos defense. And if the Denver Broncos bend a little bit, the 49ers are going to break them.

43:19 Yeah, I think that the game script for this game kind of plays favorably to the Denver Broncos, where Denver is at its best when they're down in the second half. right? Because they cut things loose and Bo Nix plays significantly better when he's trailing in games. Like you look at his passer rating when they're leading in the first half, it's terrible. Like he plays tight. He does not play well at all. But then the minute that they're like, all right, got to start making off-script plays. Bo Nix starts like balling out a lot more. And when you look at how the 49ers operate, they are a front runner.

43:49 They are a team that operates. We want the lead.

43:51 That's how we operate.

43:52 We don't want to be playing with a negative game strip. We want to dictate the pace and flow of this game. So It kind of works favorably for Denver in that capacity. They do have, I think, the best defense that the 49ers have faced thus far. So I think that does work into their favor. And Bo Nix is a lot different too when he's not under pressure. So if the 49ers really aren't putting a lot of heat on Bo Nix...

44:14 he has shown that, okay, I can operate from a clean pocket. It's when he gets rattled when you get the bad version of Bo Nix. I mean, he's a rollercoaster type of quarterback. It's really hard to bank on, okay, what kind of performance are you going to get from Bo Nix this week? And it changes in game where it looks like this guy's never played quarterback before in his life. And then the next half comes and, oh, he looks like, why is this guy not talking about an MVP type of player? So one thing that's always fun when it talks to Sean Payton, And his career in week four specifically is one of the betting trends like really fun. He is 13 and four against the spread in week four all time because the Fitz's point,

44:54 it takes time for his teams to gel at the beginning of the season. Like in week two, he's like an auto fade. Week three gets a little bit better than week four. It's like Sean Payton's lights out because that's when the team finally starts to buy into the new offense or whatever is kind of Sean Payton's selling point for his team. So I think Denver's kind of sneaky here, especially with the 49ers tending to be a little bit overrated at home. They failed to cover the spread at 18 in the last 24 home games. They didn't cover last week against the Arizona Cardinals. Cardinals kind of came back, got the backdoor cover. So, but a game that I'm definitely really interested to watch for sure.

45:30 All right.

45:30 Those are big four games that we're breaking down. You guys can drop in the comments below. What games are you locked into? If there isn't one, which one should we have? We got a couple more things here to jump into, but I told you guys about the giveaway. It is time that we crown a winner for the Todd Gurley autographed jersey. And then we tell you about the next thing. The winner of the Todd Gurley autographed jersey giveaway is Mr. Sean I.O.

45:54 Mr.

45:54 Sean I.O., please get in touch with our customer support agents at mailbagatfantasypros.com with your mailing address and a screenshot of your YouTube page, account page, while you're logged in. And then once we confirm, we're going to take care of you. You're going to be locked in. So again, congrats to Mr. Sean Io for winning that Todd Gurley autographed jersey. But we ain't done. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your chance because next up, we are going to be giving one of the more unique pieces away for NFL fans, fan gear out there. We're giving away the large NFL PA wall smack, courtesy of our good friends over at Trophy Smack, the number one destination for epic fantasy football hardware. They're oversized pieces. Officially licensed NFLPA wall smack.

46:38 They're bold statement pieces, and they're perfect for your fan cave, office, or living room wall, or put in your bedroom, whatever you want to do. It's not just decor. It's a way to rep your favorite players in style. To enter, all you got to do is subscribe to the Tailgate YouTube channel. Do it right now. Drop a comment below on any of the videos, and that's it. And you're entered in. We'll be announcing a winner right here on the channel, so turn on notifications so you don't miss your chance to claim a prize or one of these great videos. All right, let's make a call here. Each one of us are going to make a call for this coming week. Fitzy, you get to jump in here.

47:13 I don't think my call was very good last week. I think you might have been locked in here. But what is your big call for week four?

47:20 I will say that on Sunday night, the Lions and Panthers combined for 60 or more points in a game that I think is going to be a thriller. And I'll say the Panthers win a close one. These two teams have been much better offensively than defensively early in the season, and I don't know why that would change.

47:38 The Lions have given up almost 1,000 passing yards through the first three weeks. They're really hurting without Brian Branch and Kirby Joseph, their two starting safeties. I guess the only thing that would concern me, at least from the Panthers' end of things, would be their offensive line did not look very good against the Browns in Week 3. And I do worry about Aidan Hutchinson being able to disrupt what Bryce Young wants to do, especially with the Panthers kind of banged up their rookie first round right tackle.

48:08 Monroe Freeling, he's got a concussion. Don't know if he's going to play. Damian Lewis, one of their starting guards, I believe is out for this week. So that would be the only issue. But man, if that Lions pass rush can't get to Bryce Young, they have been just completely defenseless in the secondary.

48:25 That would have been, if this was like a year or so ago, we would have been like, oh, cool, 60 points. Is it 50 of them coming from the Lions? But Not with how the Panthers have played or the Lions defense has played. So it's totally in. So 60 plus points Sunday night. Love that. Erickson, big call for week four.

48:42 I do want to add one thing to Fitz because I love Fitz's call here about this being a shootout. This is from NextGenStats. Five of the Panthers' seven most targeted players are six foot three or taller. T-Mac, 6'5, Jalen Coker, 6'3, Darren Waller, 6'6. The Lions do not have a single defensive back taller than six feet. Their top quarterback, DJ Reed, is 5'9. And I don't know how this is a stat that's even tracked. I don't know how this is a stat that's even tracked. So apparently the average height discrepancy between the Panthers receivers and tight ends, events, the Lions, defensive backs, 5.2 inches. They somehow have this track third largest in a game in the last decade.

49:21 Go figure.

49:21 Wow.

49:22 I don't know who's... Incredible.

49:25 Panthers GM Dan Morgan loves these giant pass catchers. It is going to be like, what was it? Lord of the Ring with the ants, the big trees. That's what it's going to be like, deploying the ants against the lions.

49:39 The Panthers are like modern dating. It's just like hinge. They're just like six, three and above, swipe anything under.

49:44 And then you have the fact that Bryce Dungy is like the smallest quarterback. And he's just throwing to these frigging trees on the outside.

49:50 Love it. I love it. That's actually the best stat I've ever heard. All right.

49:57 I was just co-signing on Fitz's make the call. My make the call.

50:01 We got distracted in the short kings and the big guys. Short kings, October, etc. My is not as fun.

50:09 Mine is about the Dolphins and Vikings and the Dolphins are going to get shut out on the road this week in a Brian Flores revenge game against his old team that he used to coach for. I'm sure there's no blood. There's no bad blood between Brian Flores and the Miami Dolphins. So I'm sure he's not going to want to pummel them as humanly possible. I'm actually going to extend this prediction because the Dolphins aren't going to score any points. The Vikings defense is going to score more points than the Dolphins offense and week four.

50:35 OK, I like that. That's fun.

50:37 Does feel like an Andrew Van Ginkle touchdown week.

50:41 OK, I'm with that one. And maybe, by the way, this curbs some of this, like whatever this nonsense is about Justin Jefferson quietly asking for trades and stuff like that. If he if Kyler Murray just is like throwing backwards to, you know, Jefferson and he just two touchdown, two touchdown game for Jefferson. Or if it's not the majority Addison making big plays, then that fire is still even bigger.

51:02 So I like that one for mine. LOL, just kidding about last week. Remember last week I said that was the Drake May get-right situation? Just joshing, yeah. It's this week that it's the Drake May get-right situation. Yeah, this'll be the game where it's 200-plus, two, three touchdowns. It's interesting.

51:26 I was looking over at PFF. Match grading, this doesn't look good on paper, but that's built around Drake May also being bad. The Bills rank 25th out of 32 in wide receiver coverage grade and 27 out of 32 in running back coverage grade. And this is for running back receiving. Travion Henderson and Ramondre getting more involved. Romeo Dobbs being competent. And if anything, this is that spot where Drake Bay has to let it fly. And I think they're going to be playing from behind. They've got to be more efficient. And I think this is the spot where we get a more vintage Drake May. I mean, you were even playing in, Erickson, that this is an opportunity.

52:09 If the Patriots are going to cover, if this is a spot where they play well, it will almost solely be because of Drake May. So just kidding about last week. It's this week where Drake May is going to get right. And what could go wrong? What's going to go wrong? He'll be good. And we're totally not going to do this dance again next week. If you guys enjoy the tailgate, like we mentioned before, make sure that you are subscribed on YouTube. Leave your favorite calls in the comments. Hit the like button. Subscribe. YouTube.com slash tailgate NFL really helps to find and get more NFL fans coming and hanging with us. And we want to continue to grow this channel big and you guys can help us. And that

52:49 leaves us to one final thing to watch for week four. Pat Fitzmaurice, please give us your big one big thing to watch.

52:58 I am fascinated to see what rookie undrafted rookie free agent quarterback Jalen Daniels is going to do in his first NFL start against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Jalen Daniels actually becomes the first quarterback from this rookie class to start a game. ahead of Fernando Mendoza and the rest. So yeah, I mean, I thought it was interesting when two weeks before the start of the season, the Buccaneers made the decision to go into the year with Jalen Daniels as the lone backup to Baker Mayfield.

53:29 Now here it is in week four, and he's trying to get them in the win column for the first time all year. And like, is this going to be a total disaster where he is just completely overmatched? Or does he get that first win for the Buccaneers and play well And have Buccaneers fans wondering why the team gave all that money to Baker Mayfield. So this is going to be really interesting to watch. Packers have their own problems. So I can't wait to see what's going to happen.

53:58 I think you meant, will he be the thermostat and not the... What was it now?

54:04 I forgot.

54:04 The thermostat, not the thermometer. That's what it was. Didn't you hear that line? All-time line. And I was staring at it and I was like, oh, because he means turn it up. I want to turn it up. Don't be the thermostat. Be the thermostat. Fool me once, shame on. Thank you, Jalen. I don't know which way it's going to go. Erickson, what are you watching for this week? Bengals-Jaguars.

54:26 I think that this is going to be the most fun game in the early slate one o'clock window Eastern time. We saw these teams play last year and we got a shootout and Joe Burrow got hurt in that game. Usually when Joe Burrow goes down in a game, it ruins all the fun that you get watching the Cincinnati Bengals.

54:41 But Jake Browning against Trevor Lawrence brought fireworks last year. We have Joe Burrow coming off a game where the offense looked significantly better. They're starting to heat up. Trevor Lawrence has not been pushed. The Jaguars have not been pushed at all this season. They played in two blowout games and then in a weird Denver game where they basically stopped scoring points in the second half, 20 to 13.

55:02 So I think that this total 51 points, I don't think it's high enough. I think we're going to see a shootout here in Cincinnati between two teams that are AFC front runners, two teams that have MVP caliber quarterbacks. And I think the defenses are just going to be praying to get some turnovers because I think the offenses are going to rule the day. So this game I'm really excited about.

55:23 I'm watching the Chargers as kind of I've had multiple weeks, but the reason is they're the 0-3 Chargers are going into Seattle. A little bit of a tough place to play. Thought this was interesting, though, and you guys can tell me what you think. But the Chargers going 0-4, the last time this happened to them was in 2017, if they are to lose. Last time was 2017. Did you know that they ended up, that 0-4 team rallied and made the playoffs? And as long as this wasn't fooled by me from this data collection... Apparently the only team in NFL history to start 0-4 and then make the playoffs remains the 1992 San Diego Chargers, who started 0-4 and then they finished 11-5 to win the AFC West.

56:09 That didn't sound correct to me, but that's what was outputted to me. Do you think the Chargers, if they go 0-4, can make a bounce back like some of their previous iterations, Erickson?

56:22 No.

56:23 Because.

56:24 This is just the beginning of the end when it comes to their schedule. It's just a murderer's row of matchups. When you can't hit the layups, man, I just, yeah. I like your Patriots one. I like the Patriots bounce back more.

56:39 Fitzy, how's Jeremiah Smith going to look in the Chargers uniform next year?

56:43 Oh, Jeremiah Smith and Ladd McConkie. That'd be a nice twosome for Justin Herbert to throw to.

56:48 By the way, doesn't that stat not feel correct? The only 0-4 team to make the playoffs is the 1992 Chargers. Well, see, that doesn't sound correct because the other one, the 2017 one, so I don't know what it was trying to tell me there because 2017 they did it. Data collection is such a problem. It was very thermometer and not thermostat for me.

57:07 I mean, of course it's the Chargers though because anything that's like one in 500 teams have not been able to do this, and the one exception was the Chargers. It's always the Chargers. Like, any team that gets five turnovers wins, except the Chargers.

57:21 I got to go back and look like maybe I just read that wrong, but I'll turn up the thermostat and I'll get going with it.

57:26 But there you go.

57:27 That is going to do it for us. We're breaking through everything week four. Make sure you guys are subscribed to the channel so you don't miss any of this stuff. And you want to make sure that you guys are hanging with us because we've got some of those live offerings right here on the channel. And we want you guys to be able to check out the betting pros podcast where we've got some of our best bets for the week. Erickson and I are going to be doing the prop show as well. You're going to want to check that out. And we've got some of the singular game breakdowns that Bogman and I do on betting pros.

57:55 So make sure to go check out our other psych betting pros on the YouTube side and get all your bets in. That's going to do it for us for Andrew Erickson and Pat Fitzmaurice. I'm Chris Welsh. Thank you for hanging out. We'll talk to you next time on the tailgate. Get out of here.

58:10 Thank you.