3 & Out - NFL Week 8 Reaction: Commanders DEFEAT Eagles on SNF, Broncos STUN Chiefs, Lions OUTLAST Vikings + Bears-Seahawks MNF Predictions

0:01 The Volume. What is going on everybody? John Middlecoff, Three and Out Podcast. Hopefully you are doing well. Had a good, happy Halloween. Hopefully everyone enjoyed it. Ate way too much candy, as we all do during this time of year. Uh, the Philadelphia Eagles. Oh, uh, I think we can officially say they are done. Commander survived, live another day. Dan Quinn had the hat on backwards. You know, he's ready to coach when that's the case. Lamar Jackson out for the seat. A lot going on. We'll dive, we'll go through the whole day. Um, we'll get, we got a huge Monday night game. The Chicago bears going to Seattle. That, that is just a fantastic matchup. We will dive into that at the end. And, uh, We also had a

0:57 podcast I did earlier as I do every Sunday with Colin, so you can obviously listen to this podcast on Colin's feed. You can listen to that podcast on Colin's feed. You can subscribe to Three and Out so you never miss an episode. You can find us on Netflix. Hit the alert button so you don't ever miss a show. I did an instant reaction before the Sunday night game of should the Chargers trade Justin Herbert, which I thought they would never do, but maybe now's the time, or at least I've I mean, you've got to have some tough conversations in that building. We threw that thing up on YouTube, so you go check out the YouTube channel. We throw content up there as well. And let's just dive into the night and the day. I think big picture in

1:38 this game... It did feel like the Eagles, who are playing a quarterback that would start for no one else in the NFL, a team that is bruised and battered, whose best offensive weapon is on the sideline in street clothes, playing a bunch of random O-linemen whose defense is falling apart at the seams, kind of must win for my bald brother, Dan Quinn. And the backward hat was back.

2:04 You could tell the urgency. I do think there were some soft rumors and buzz like, you don't win this game at home. Night game. Might get fired in the morning. And Dan Quinn didn't just win the game. They won by multiple scores. So he just kind of quieted everything down. They definitely played much harder. You know, it's funny. When you watch Jaden, you know, it's like Jaden's sitting within the pocket and a guy's open. He can just deliver a strike that Bo Nix couldn't even dream of doing.

2:36 He makes some plays where you go, okay, this guy's ceiling, if he could ever stay healthy, is obviously really high. We saw it as a rookie. The problem is, every time he hits the ground with his Barry Bonds contraption or Gronkowski contraption on his arm, You think it's just going to snap right off at the screws and his arm's going to be pointing in different directions. You kind of hold your breath when the guy hits the ground, but made some beautiful plays tonight, made some big pass plays tonight. I mean, him throwing the ball compared to Tanner McKee is like they're playing a different sport. I mean, the Eagles had no chance. So I think Dan Quinn survives.

3:16 The commanders are 2-4-1. They're not any good, but... If you could ever keep Jaden healthy, you see the physical skills there. Sonny Stiles is flying around crushing people, but obviously the story of Nick Sirianni, I mean, this is a team that's been to the playoffs eight of the last nine years and isn't just not going to the playoffs when right before I hit record, I was going to look for their box score, and I went to ESPN.com, and instead of going to the score, so I had to scroll through, I just went to the standings, and...

3:51 for some reason it popped up conference wise. And when I scrolled to find the Eagles, they were in dead last in the conference below the saints. This Eagles team is going nowhere fast. And, you know, you can see it on people's faces. I remember in the, in the height of Jack's no sleep, you'd come in to record a podcast and, you know, in the business I'm in, I'm just kind of looking at myself or, This is the way it works. You just stare at yourself when you record for the video portion, and you're like, God, I look terrible. I look like I haven't slept in weeks because I haven't. And I do think you can see that on Sirianni's face. I mean, maybe he does the Ryan Day and he dyes his hair, but it

4:39 feels like he has quadrupled in the grays on the beard. He looks awful. And listen, stress is as you get older, you realize the anxiety and stress in your life is something that can kill you. I mean, it's something that can derail you as a human being, which is I've always had a lot of respect. And I get these coaches make a lot of money, but the hours they work when they're not winning, the toll it can take on just your life. And you see it on Sirianni's face.

5:11 I mean, he looks like a guy that knows what inevitably is going to happen here. He's not going to be the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles much longer. And at this point in time, I think you could put the best coaches in the league on this team and they wouldn't have much of a shot. With Tanner McKee, with, you know, I don't want to say a broken down, but definitely a diminished Saquon Barkley. They're like, yeah, his hamstring's fine, but his back's a major problem. All their other running backs are on injured reserve. They're rolling out Elijah Mitchell. This is a team that has no chance.

5:46 I mean, you're kind of offensively going into these games, you know, a gunfight with a butter knife. And let's face it, defensively they've completely fallen off a cliff. And Collinsworth was mentioning it on the broadcast. I mean, one of their calling cards over the last several years was their limitation of explosive plays. And how many big, I wouldn't exactly call the commanders the 07 Patriots. And they were hitting big play after big play on them in the passing game. And this goes back to last week where you thought you were going to get a more spirited effort because I would imagine Philly radio, the newspapers, the talk of the town was like, did you guys just quit? Have you guys just waved the white flag

6:30 on the season? They definitely played. with much more effort tonight. But for whatever reason, the disconnect with the talent in which they have on the roster, that side of the ball, because they do have talent. They've obviously paid a lot of money for it. And the production and the impact they get out of it are just, if we're doing a chart on the whiteboard, there is a wide gap between the two. And at this point in time, when you've lost this many games, when your quarterback has blood clots, is not coming back, And this isn't a Raven situation where you lose Lamar Jackson, who before he got injured was like an MVP-level player. Obviously, Jalen was struggling. But at least you feel that if he ever gets in

7:12 a rhythm in a given game, he's in a different stratosphere than Tanner McKee. They're just up Schitt's Creek without a paddle. And there's nothing you can do. And sometimes... In football, in all of our businesses, you get into a position where you just don't have answers to fix something. And sometimes you just got to hit rock bottom. And that's really what it feels like for the Philadelphia Eagles.

7:37 That rock bottom is only going to continue because they're just not going to be able to win. And next week they play the Giants who... I think you still have to question, is J.J. just going to play like that continuously? If he does, they will smoke the Eagles. They will destroy them. These rumors that come out on Sunday mornings, it's always the first thing I do when I hear that the young fella cried about somewhere between 5.45 and 6.15 in the morning. seven days a week.

8:07 So on Sunday mornings, you're just like, oh, see what Adam Schefter and Rap Sheet are putting out there. It's like, Saquon Barkley, Max Crosby, start listing all the top players. Untouchable. That's actually the bat signal for, give us a call, but you better make sure your offer's real. And that's, I've been saying this, I don't think Saquon has much value because he makes a ton of money and he's clearly not close to 100%. So, I would take him on my team, but you'd have to eat money and I'm not going to give you a valuable pick. I've worked for Howie Roseman. I've followed his career extremely closely for 15 plus years. That's not really how he does deals.

8:47 He doesn't just give guys away and eats money. So when the story on him, like, yeah, I don't think Saquon's really available because there's not much of a market of any pick probably higher than like 150. And I'm sure people want them to eat some money on. And it just doesn't really make sense. So I think the Eagles are just kind of stuck. The value on their players, given that most of them are banged up or playing at a really, really low level, limits their ability to get any value. Think about when they trade Jeffrey Simmons for two ones. The Titans are terrible. Even the day when they play good, they find a way to blow it.

9:28 But universally, everyone's like bestie tackle right now in the league, playing his ass off, kicking ass and taking names. So it's like his value doesn't just maintain. It actually is more impressive because you're like you're playing with a bunch of losers. You have consistently now for years played around a bunch of coaches that feel like they don't know what they're doing. Your quarterback situation is a disaster. Your team just lose every week. Yet when we throw on the tape, you're kicking ass and taking names. And that's usually how a really good player on a bad team is like, well, just watch this guy play. It's why the value around the league for Max Crosby is so high and has been even over the years where the

10:05 Raiders were terrible. Because even when they're, last year, the number one pick in the league, it's like, well, if you just pick week five or week eight or week 10, no one on the TV is playing harder than Max Crosby. Yet you watch the Eagles over the course of the last month. It's like, yeah, I'm not really seeing it.

10:23 It's like, what is going on with Cooper Dejean? It's like, just maybe put him in the box more. I don't know. It's been a very, very weird, disastrous year. And listen, sometimes disaster strikes. I wrote down... Disaster rankings from the day. Remember Apollo 13, Houston, we have a problem. Today there were some moments where you're like, oh my God. We've had some flood warnings in Arizona. And every once in a while your phone, it's like when a child gets abducted or someone gets kidnapped or something, that Amber Alert thing goes off. We've been getting those flood warnings. I think there are some teams that will just like gigantic beep, beep, beep, beep.

11:08 And I don't think anyone today, when you factor in the hopes of the team, the momentum they had with this guy coming back, going against the Bills, feeling pretty good, I don't think anyone had a worse day than the Ravens today. That's one of the more, I mean, the Ravens now for, I feel like three or four years, have been like the betting favorite to start the season every year to win the Super Bowl. Not to make, to win the Super Bowl, which seems kind of crazy.

11:36 They haven't made a Super Bowl since like Ed Reed and Ray Lewis were around. But I think everyone agreed if Lamar's humming, they're probably going to be pretty good. But the major question mark was like, does Lamar ever hum anymore? And then earlier this season, you're like, God damn, he looks good. And then he gets rolled up on in Tennessee, disappears, comes back today, and immediately shatters his thumb and is potentially out for the season. And then Snoop Huntley, who they've actually functioned with, has turf toe, which could potentially ruin your season. All of a sudden, I'm watching the UConn undrafted free agent sling the pill around.

12:18 I'm like, you went from a Super Bowl contender to now potentially having to start this undrafted free agent the rest of the season? And you have a coach... first-time head coach, a guy, 31-year-old offensive coordinator, you're done. The Ravens season officially ended today. I think every Ravens fans know it. And I think you've got to ask yourself, like, you know, we talk about the Eagles selling people. Could they go, hey, we're open for business. We're not going anywhere.

12:55 Here's the other elephant in the room. Is that the last time Lamar Jackson ever suits up for the Ravens again? The contract situation was weird enough when he was healthy. Now, he doesn't finish last year. I guess he comes back at the end of last year, but he misses games last year. He's banged up. This year, misses game for an ankle injury. Now, it's a thumb injury. Granted, random freak could happen to anybody, but still, if it ends his season, like he's going into next year, which is the last year of his contract, the going rate for a guy like that is worth hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed money. They were uncomfortable doing it before all this. How are they going to be more comfortable

13:35 doing it now? I'm not acting like you get rid of Lamar, he's an easy guy to replace, but anyone with a working brain goes, this is a weird situation. It's going to get way worse because his team's going to lose a ton. They are done. Do you start putting guys, now it's like, I'm not in the business of trading players like Kyle Hamilton, but, and I, listen, the market for safety's even though he's a very unique player. Like, well, Mike McDonald, well, he already has his version, who's on a rookie contract. I just think this Ravens day, I just don't think it gets any worse. Because you'd be like, I'd have number two, the Cowboys. But like, the Cowboys weren't a contender. Cowboys defense couldn't tackle me or you

14:17 in the open field. Cowboys defense just made Gardner Minshew look like Joe freaking Montana. They made Tyler Algier look like Barry Sanders in his prime. Every time I looked up, I had them on a second small TV because I just assumed, stupid of me, Cowboys playing the Cardinals? I mean, this is, I don't care how bad Christian Parker is.

14:39 I don't care how poor their defense played. They're going to win this game by 10 plus points. And then you look up and they're winning by double digits. Then all of a sudden I started peeking and every time I'd see, and then Jeremiah Love gets injured, hurts his other ankle. And then you start looking up and 22, 22, 22.

14:55 Mint you to Wilson. Mint you to McBride. And then all of a sudden, they're losing in overtime. And they got lucky to go overtime because the guy missed the extra point. And Jerry's pissed off. It's like, Jerry, you... And Colin and I talked about this on the podcast. When they had three straight years of going 12-5, for two of those... I guess three of those years, it was Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator. Like, that's a... real NFL tandem at OC and DC, right?

15:25 They're not perfect, but compare Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn to Brian Schottenheimer, Christian Parker, slash Mike Pettin. It's like comparing a UFL team to the Jags. It's not comparable. It's like comparing Fresno State to Alabama or Georgia. And I think the Cowboys, you get what you pay for, and he keeps going cheap on these coaches. You could knock the personnel. Today was, and I'm someone that had picked the Cowboys to win the division at the start of the year. I know technically they're still alive, but I'm just out. I just don't even take them seriously anymore.

16:07 This was, I thought the Titans and the Colts would both do one, two, three, we quit. Titans fought. The Titans actually gave the Bengals everything they could handle. And if it wasn't for Dayball at the end of the game, calling a pass play on third and three from the 45, instead of just being a little more conservative, they probably would have had a pretty good chance for Joey Slide to hit the kick, probably win the game. Instead, they call a pass. Dexter Lawrence throws him down like a ragdoll.

16:35 Go to overtime. The rest is history. They lose. No team blows it in a game in which they probably should win, quite like the Titans. But I give them credit. They trade their best player and they fought their ass off. Sala was into the game. Cam Ward was playing well. They tried. I give them an A for effort. The Colts all-time 1-2-3 quit. At least the Chargers off the bye had an early lead. Showed up to play a football game just over the course of the game. Herbert's melting down. Their defense just sucks. They're in shambles. But the Colts, you looked up, it's like, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown.

17:17 And these touchdowns were like, guys running around, guys. Guys breaking tackles. Guys running through three guys. Making a guy miss. Walking the end. It's like, what is going on right now? And the Jags, I think historically, over the Ballard era, I know it technically is over, but if you continue this year, have been owned in Jacksonville. But today was, as Barkley always said, the 1-2-3 Cancun. The Colts are done.

17:45 And I said earlier in the week that I'm sorry, but when you have no picks, when your quarterback situation is a complete disaster, and the owner is just standing looking over your shoulder, right? Like, Jerry's a pain in the ass, but during the game, at least he's out of the way. Woody Johnson is a disastrous owner, but at least he's not standing right next to you during the game. The Colts, man, I think the sad part is it could get uglier, kind of like the Chargers.

18:21 They hired Mike McDaniel, and I don't know if I necessarily believed it, but I thought their roster was good. I thought they would just be what they've been, a team winning double-digit games, And just be, if Herbert could ever have a good playoff game, be like a real squad. They are the complete, the Chargers are much closer to the Colts than they are to what we witnessed out of the Broncos or the Chiefs. And speaking of those two teams, I do think Veach, they got to get really aggressive. And another guy like the Crosby bat signal went out. The Saquon bat signal went out. I can't even remember. It's kind of late. about if the Garrett-Wilson bat signal truly went out, or they were just subtle

19:10 leaks that some of the media guys have talked over the last three or four days. I heard Palosaro talking about this. They have just been, hell no, hell no. Don't ask. I do think if you're Veach, you can get pretty aggressive with him. The Jets have three first-round picks this year. Right now, I haven't checked the latest after today. There's a chance those three first-round picks, they were, I think, 6, 9, and 11 picks. all the teams lost, they might now be like three, six, and eight. I mean, when the dust settles, those picks could be like one, two, and three. Definitely two of them could be in the top five. You're not going to need three first-round picks.

19:50 So what if I'm Veach and I go, hey, listen, we'll give you a second this year. So you got three first round picks, a couple twos, and we'll give you our first in a year like some of these other moves like A.J. Brown. So you will have back-to-back years of having insane amount of ammo. Is someone offering you a better pick than that? Because it's pretty clear like Kenneth Walker's a really good player. He's been neutralized a little bit these last couple weeks, right? Today, it didn't impact him as much because their fifth-round rookie from Nebraska, Emmitt Johnson, was incredible. He was, through three quarters, the best player. Really, the whole game. Even their last drive, he took the kickoff out to midfield. He was unreal.

20:36 So you have two running backs who are clearly really good. Kelsey's already banged up. Your wide receiver room is a nightmare. Listen, you've invested there. It's Rice you just can't trust. Worthy, like you picked him at the end of the first round. He's just, for whatever reason, him and Mahomes, it just doesn't work. And sometimes that happens. It just, when you have these all-time great quarterbacks, sometimes for whatever reason, a specific wide receiver just doesn't work with the guy. I'm going to give Mahomes the benefit of the doubt and say it's Worthy's problem. To me, for a guy with his insane amount of speed, a little stiff. You know, I like my speed demons to kind of have a little bit more change of direction, to be a little

21:17 bit more of a fluid athlete. If we're going to get like nerdy scouting terms. To me, Xavier Worthy is a straight line player. And he's not dynamic enough to make up for that. So like, I'm out on him. They just need to get a real wide receiver that I can just funnel the rock to. Like you watch, and again, the Chargers are a joke. But they basically do this every single game. Throw it to Puka every single play. And at least Garrett Wilson would give you the ability to be like, we're just going to target this guy like 12 times a game with our two running backs and our tight end group, and that'll kind of balance out the offense a little bit. But that's...

21:56 Chiefs up 24-3 in the fourth quarter to lose that game. I did think, like, I'm not trying to be some Chiefs homer because I know these guys, but I did think that offsides... There are some that are pretty blatant. And remember we had that stretch where I think it was the Chiefs where I almost said Jawan Jennings. Jawan something would always jump. And I thought that. Again, I had it on mute. We were about to start recording.

22:24 I didn't think he jumped. And they obviously scored a touchdown. And then it gets pushed back. And then they don't. But listen, they put themselves in that position. Because Bo Nix, here's who Bo Nix is. He is a physically gifted player who can make plays when he's moving. But if you keep him within the pocket, where all the best quarterbacks can function at a high level, right? Look at the top quarterbacks. Mahomes can function in the pocket. Josh Allen, function in the pocket. Lamar, where he became a dominant player is when he stopped kind of just being the runner-only, run-around guy to like, I can do both. Joe Burrow, dominate within the pocket. Jared Goff can dominate within the pocket.

23:07 And when I say dominate, just complete fucking passes. You don't have to hit the most miraculous. Can you just hit a pass? Bo Nix cannot. And it's like, we all crushed the Davis Webb situation. What if it wasn't his fault? Like, you're just calling basic plays and the guy can't complete them. But when you get him on the move, that's where he does all his damage. That's why typically late in these games, the last couple years, why they've had all these comebacks, because it kind of becomes a scramble drill. When it becomes him sitting in the pocket, hit Jalen Waddell, who's wide open on a throw that if you're a good NFL player, you're hitting that, you're definitely hitting him in a radius. He like skipped

23:46 the ball outside of his shoulder. It was terrible. But they still figured it out and somehow got the win. I'm still kind of shell-shocked. I need to tell you about this new sports trading app called Polymarket. It's the best way to trade in sports. In the past, if you wanted some action on the game, you'd put some money in. And if your team was doing well and you wanted to cash out, they'd lock the trade and take a huge fee. But Polymarket is a prediction market.

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25:08 just 10 bucks. 18 plus only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading is risky. 100% loss can occur. See polymarket.com slash TOS for more information. The Polymarket US app serves as an independent software provider and affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing. The CFTC regulated exchange and clearing organization. Mike McCarthy's pretty good. And he has the exact same resume as Mike Tomlin, as John Harbaugh, as Sean Payton. He just doesn't have the PR campaign.

25:56 And I've been beating this drum for a while. If Mike McCarthy was 50 pounds lighter, I think we would talk about him a lot differently. In a day and age where definitely all these college coaches, Liam Cohen, they're pumping the don't eat the food shot through their veins. Mike's just eating more hamburgers. It feels like he gets bigger every year. But I think he's doing a fucking phenomenal job. He is scheming a 300-pound tight end wide open.

26:29 Some of the plays they ran for him weren't freak plays. They were scheme plays. Because, I mean, DK Metcalf is terrible. He is... The ball he dropped today, he's had some bad drops. That's probably the worst drop of his career. Especially when you factor in that it led to an interception. And it was an awesome throw by Rodgers. Like, stepped up in the pocket, threw an absolute rope, hit him in the numbers. They are paying DK a ton of money, and he is a zero. But it doesn't matter. Because...

27:01 I think the Steelers are playing really well. Now, their ceiling, because of their offensive weapons right now, has got to be a little limited, but they are playing. Listen, they have not lost to this team in two and a half decades at home, and today, to me, that was my favorite pick on the board. They kicked their ass.

27:20 They kicked their ass with basically no wide receivers. Mike McCarthy deserves some credit. The other thing is, in that division, Joe Burrow, 462 yards, five touchdowns, he had a rushing touchdown, and three interceptions. The 450 plus yards, five touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown, it's the first time anyone's had that stat line since 1951. Because I saw those numbers, I'm like, that can't happen very often. But definitely it's the only time anyone had that stat line with three interceptions. He made some throws today that were the one chase touchdown over the middle of the field. It's like, that is football porn. Like, stepped up, like, ran up in the pocket.

28:07 Your boy somehow had him on the bench for fantasy. I mean, I fucking hate fantasy. I can't stand fantasy. It's like the Thursday night game. If you got other stuff going on, if you're working, if you got a life, and the game kicks off, and all of a sudden you got Bryce Young in your lineup, and you're like, I don't want Bryce Young. I want Joe Burrow. And then Joe Burrow has today... Makes you want to quit playing fantasy for life. But I also don't understand. I mean, another time that you just think that the Titans are going to have a little quit in them and you look up and they're up 13-0. How do the Bengals, this is multiple games in recent memory where they end up winning, where they're down 13-0. Like if you're not

28:46 super dialed into the game in the first quarter, you're watching other games. And you look over and you're like, wait, the Bengals are down to the Titans by two scores? What is going on? And they even asked Jamar Chase after the game, he's like, yeah, you got to ask Zach. I was like, I don't know what Zach does in terms of for years, like they always started slow in the season. Now they figured out a way to just start slow in these games. Something at practice, something with the first 15 plays, something with the pregame message. I don't know, but they are way too talented to, To just start this slow, it shouldn't be this difficult. But you've got a Joe Burrow who's currently on pace for 48 touchdowns, 4,700 yards, and 72% completion percentage. Underrated. I

29:35 don't even know if it's a sleeper, but like, you know, I wouldn't, you know, his name could... enter the MVP discussion. Baker Mayfield went 0-3 today. He didn't get benched. He did not complete a pass. And they blew out the Atlanta Falcons. What I don't understand, the Bucs ran for like 700 yards. Bucky Irving had a couple runs today that legitimately looked like Barry Sanders. He looked like one of the best players in the league. Him, Gibbs, Tyler Algier.

30:10 There were some running backs today where you're like, Jesus, this guy's good. How could Kevin Stefanski be watching what they were doing and be like, let's call another pass for Michael Penix, who looked like someone you'd be playing on the playground with you know, in like junior high, when it would be raining, and he's like, I'm the all-time quarterback, and he's a terrible quarterback, and he can't grip the ball, and balls are flying all over the place.

30:36 Michael Penix, I don't know if anyone had a worse game than him today. Maybe Daniel Jones. I mean, he threw four picks, three picks in the first half. He was just horrendous. I just don't know why Stefanski kept calling plays. This goes back to like Sarka, Texas. I remember one time he lost a game. Was it to Kansas State? He lost to somebody, I remember, with B.

30:56 John Robinson, where B. John had like two touches in the second half. I was like, Sark, you have the best running back in the country, and probably a guy who is like 20 years old would start for like 90% of the NFL teams right now. Just give him the ball. Just hand him the ball. Why didn't Stefanski just hand his, like, hey, we're just going to do exactly what the Bucs are doing.

31:16 We're just going to run it. We're just not going to throw it. Because when we do throw it, our quarterback is throwing it to the other team. And I'm not mad at him. I hammered the Bucs today. But it just didn't quite make sense. It made absolutely no sense. Like, I just, that game was, the Bucs are, they were dead.

31:35 They're definitely not dead now. Their defense is flying around. They're running game. Whew. I don't even know if Baker can throw. I mean, we don't even know. I mean, they've won back-to-back games where it's like, Was his thumb work? Who knows? It could just be broken. He could be like Lamar Jackson and no one knows it. The Lions and the Vikings. Minnesota, actually, I came away even more impressed with Flores. In the first half, it was basically Brian Flores versus the Lions. It's like, can Brian Flores single-handedly win this game? It's like, is he going to do it? A couple times, he hit Goff with some blitzes that kind of made it look like Daniel Jones from a week ago. where he just golfed them from

32:17 all angles. I think the Lions are in a little trouble. And then the problem is, when you cannot score, and the Minnesota Vikings cannot, Kyler Murray just is not a functional quarterback. He's so bad that Justin Jefferson, who is like one of the nicest, easiest going guys in the league, just like storms out of the locker room. Won't talk to anybody. No media after. That's like stuff Jalen Carter does.

32:44 Not Justin Jefferson. But it's like, it's just not going to work. It is not working. It's why anyone that watched them play went like Flores is doing. This is not sustainable. You can't score 15 points a game and have a chance to beat the better teams. And they gave the Lions all they could handle. And the Lions scored 19 points and they lost by four. And the Lions lost during the game four defensive players. Obviously the scariest one by far was the Jack Campbell moment, who is currently, as of recording this, typically I feel in these situations that the team will put out a statement like, listen, he's got all his feeling back, he's doing well, he's resting with his family. They never mention feeling in his body,

33:34 it's just he's resting, he's doing well in the hospital. And then you watch some of the, when Aiden Hutchinson's crying on the field, it's just, It was pretty jarring. I feel like that's one of the longer, I would say, injury breaks. It's not quite the same as a primetime game where it's on a four box, you see another action going. But they came back. Then they would wait there for a minute. Everyone huddled up. Then they go back to commercial. They went back and forth to commercial like three different times. I'm like, is he alive? And then you start seeing players cry. Like, do we have a DeMar Hamblin situation going on? And clearly it was not good. So hopefully by the time we're all waking

34:20 up that everything, news comes out that we have avoided disaster. But it's definitely a scary situation. Brian Branch, who is back off injury, knocked out a defensive lineman. He knocked out his own teammate. They had to like help the teammate get to the cart because he couldn't walk straight. Branch, who you thought was going to shake it off and be fine, he gets KO'd. I mean, the Lions lost.

34:48 Their defense is already in question. Jack Campbell is like the team captain. Aiden Hutchinson is the best player. I would say Branch is clearly, when healthy, one of their best players. And the D-lineman that he knocked out I think was a rookie who's been playing really well. I mean, guys are just getting KO'd left and right. And they still found a way to win because you're playing Kyler Murray.

35:09 And he's just simply not good enough. And he hasn't been good in a while, but he's... It's pretty bad. And this is going to be something to monitor. J.J. doesn't need to play like that every week. But if he could just play like a serviceable starter and make big passes to Malik Nabors, Isaiah Likely, Malachi Fields, like they're an explosive offense down the field, you'd be like, well, Kevin...

35:35 How could you not figure this out? And listen, I supported it. I was like, hey, personalities, you give up on a person. We've all worked, especially when you work in a building. You spend a lot of time around other people. There comes a point where we've all had, I think it's very relatable, where you just, you might not like hate the person. Like there's something about them though that rubs you the wrong way. You're like, I can't, I can't work with this guy. And you try not to be a drama queen and be able to stand out in the office setting, but you're just like, this is not going to work. This is not a productive relationship.

36:12 And that clearly happens a lot with quarterbacks and offensive coordinators where they just turn on each other. It doesn't work personalities. But it's not a good look if you go down the ship with Kyler and you start losing. You play the Bills, you play the Packers, you play the Niners, you start losing all these games. And the Giants just make the playoffs, even if it's nine wins, nine, seven, and one. And J.J. just looks good and saved their season.

36:37 It helped John Harbaugh kind of resurrect the franchise. It'll be tough because there is no guarantee the better teams they play, just because you go 6-0, that you just are a lock to make the playoffs. If you can't beat any team with a pulse at quarterback... Because your offense is so terrible. Especially when you have this incredible, all-time great defensive performance so far. But that's the way it's trending. I guess we could just end with the Monday Night Football game. On paper, this is about as good as it gets. This is actually a great start to the week. Because it's some great college football games on Saturday. Kind of sets the tone. We go Monday night.

37:21 See who's playing Thursday night. We have a good Thursday night game. Jacksonville at the Ravens. That would have been good if Lamar was playing, but that's a tough spot for an undrafted free agent. So this has to set the tone. Jacksonville might kill them in that game. This place, Monday Night Football, I vividly remember a game a long time ago. where Drew Brees, this was like maybe the early LOB or like the peak of LOB, played a Monday Night Football game. I don't even think they gave the ball past the 50. They couldn't hear themselves. This place is, and this is like in the peak of like Drew Brees, Sean Payton, and they got humiliated. This is a really, really tough place to play. There just

38:10 aren't that many places like this in the NFL. There just really aren't. You know, most venues you play in, even if it is loud, You're kind of numb to it. These guys have all played, a lot of them, in big college environments. This is as loud as it gets in all of football. When you have a great defense, which Seattle does, what a great test. We have two of the best at what they do. Mike McDonald calling the defense with elite defensive personnel. You have Ben Johnson calling the offense with pretty elite offense. I mean, they're missing a couple players, especially Menonjai. But, I mean, Caleb Williams.

38:54 What a great, just nerdy football matchup. How will this look? Because you know that one thing he wants to do is he wants to run the ball. Well, one thing Seattle doesn't let you do is run the ball. No one's rushed for 100 yards on him. Going back until week 8, 2024. So something's got to give. And then when you factor in that John Schneider just traded for Quentin Nelson, who I saw walking out to practice, was that Wednesday or Thursday? Looks just like a complete badass.

39:27 Jeffrey Simmons is a legitimate badass. They're going to go up against each other. Regardless who else gets traded, it's hard to get bigger trades than two all-pro level guys. I mean, in the peak of their powers. So you add this kind of juice to the game and It really is fantastic. This type game, if Chicago goes on the road and wins, especially if Simmons is causing havoc, I think one headline and feel that will come out of the game is this team can win the Super Bowl.

40:06 And you'll feel, because a buddy of mine, the biggest Bears fan I know, I ran into him two days ago. He's like, God, I like the move, but it was a lot. Because anytime you see two first-round picks, For a guy, it's pretty jolting, right? But I understand why they did it. Ryan Poles was– I think he did a press conference this week. I just saw the clip where he's like, we did a study, and every team since like 2018 has had an all-pro defensive tackle. And let's face it, the just basic math and basic geometry, it's quicker to get to the quarterback when you're lined up over the center or the guard than it is, you know, the– The nine technique over the outside shoulder of the tight end or the tackle. So you have

40:58 a quicker route to create chaos. And when you're such a dominant interior pass rusher, which he is, and he is. He's a fantastic elite player. And I think he's the type of guy that if he had been on a more prominent team, he would probably be discussed like some of the star defensive linemen in the league. And typically, if you're on a shittier team, but you're an end, you get more hype. And I think this guy will be jolted in immediately as just kind of like one of the top dogs. I mean, he technically is in terms of production, but when you play on a god-awful franchise that no one watches, you get to fly under the radar a little bit. So, I'm geeked. I mean, this is just the physicality of this game. Like, Can

41:44 the Bears and their receivers like Luther Burden and Rome going into that environment against that defense? I mean, those guys, they hit you and they hit you hard. The other thing that, you know, since Caleb came back from this, he's been so good throwing the ball. Like these guys are going to create some pressure. He's going to have to move a little bit. And a couple weeks ago, it's like you could tell, you know, the ham's a little tight. Like is he a 100% movement wise? Because last year, in the peak of his powers, and even earlier this year before he got injured, he was hauling ass.

42:18 And I get it. Carolina's god-awful on defense. They just fired their defensive coordinator. But just his speed in that game. You're like, geez, Luis. This guy's closer to Lamar Jackson as a runner than I think people realize. So if he's got that back, it could be some fireworks tomorrow. Just physicality, big plays. I mean, JSN, Sam Darnold. One thing the Bears, I mean, last year they led the league in turnovers. I mean, does he turn the ball over?

42:46 Because he definitely has had a problem doing that of late. And if you turn the ball over, whether it's a red zone, middle of the field, and you give Caleb and Ben Johnson extra shots, that's how you blow a game. This is a big game. This is a big game for Chicago to just kind of be like, we're truly, if not the best team, we're as good as anybody in the conference. And for Seattle, all of a sudden you go back-to-back wins against the Chiefs in Chicago. Like, You kind of gained all your momentum right back. Okay, let me tell you about my friends at SeatGeek. Do you want to go to a concert? Do you want to go to a game? You want to go to a football game, college or pro? I've always wanted to go to an SEC game. I guess technically a couple

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44:25 Make sure you click the link in the description, download the app, and the code automatically added to your account so you can use it later. Thanks, SeatGeek. Okay, really quick, let's do some predictions brought to you by my friends at Pauly Market. I personally, I don't feel great about this, but I just think you got to do it. I'm going to take Seattle to not cover the three and a half. And $ 100 pays $ 179. Again, I... I could see, like, it wouldn't stun me if Seattle wins by, like, 8 or 10 points just because that environment. I'm a big believer in the Bears. I just have so much respect for this venue, so much respect for kind of this defense, this iteration of this defense, back to the L.O.B. defense

45:16 in these primetime games. I just think they get so amped up for them in Seattle that it's a mother. But I'm leaning on Ben here, leaning on the Caleb magic. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I would love just tie game five minutes to go and just let's see what happens. The other thing is this guy just fucking makes big plays every single game. I mean, you could argue he's the best wide receiver in the league. There would be a couple other guys up for the argument, but there's no one better right now than JSN. Anytime touchdown on Pauley Market, $ 100 pays $ 199. I don't think you'd go wrong taking JSN to score every single game he plays.

45:56 So let's hope this game lives up to the hype. Jeffrey Simmons, Quentin Nelson, there's something special about Seattle. We just don't get that much in the NFL, right? You get it a lot in college. LSU, Bama this week, Notre Dame, Miami, BYU, Utah, these just passionate rivalry night games, the craziness, the pageantry. Seattle's one of the lone venues at night that feels just pretty unique. And you feel it in the opponent with how hard it is for them to communicate, how hard it is for them to operate.

46:30 It's really been like that for a long time now. I think tomorrow night's going to be, I guess if you listen to this on Monday, just absolutely nuts. So can't wait. You can find me on the couch while I'm on Mountain Time now at 6.15. Well, I might open up at 6 because that article on Troy Aikman that Seems like not the easiest guy to work with.

46:50 I always hate just taking the view of an article that's posted that's clearly all coming from one side. But I would say if anyone is a subscription holder to The Athletic and read that article about Aikman, maybe it's part of the reason I like him on air because he's kind of grouchy and edgy. Seems like he also carries that into working with his producers and maybe not the most well-liked guy in the operation. and maybe that's why they're not giving him a contract extension. So I might actually turn it on right when they come to air because I'm fascinated by this duo just hating each other.

47:24 But we'll end on that, and let's hope for a good Monday night game. The Volume.