The Richard Sherman Podcast - NFL Week 7 REACTION: Seahawks stun Chiefs, 49ers upset, Lions beat Packers & Vikings unbeaten

0:05 Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast. Week 7 reaction video. Hit that like and sub button if you're new. This has been an incredible weekend of football. And like you said earlier, Mitchell, there is parody in the National Football League. The San Francisco 49ers fall. There are no longer... three undefeated teams in the National Football League. There's only one.

0:30 And I know the Minnesota Vikings fans will remind us of that in the comments section. But how did you feel like today went? Obviously, your Detroit Lions won. The San Francisco 49ers lost, as you predicted. Mitchell Eisenstein, ball knower.

0:45 Certified ball knower, Richard. Mitchell Eisenstein, I appreciate that certification coming from you, a fellow ball knower. Richard, we had a treat of games, especially in the late hour. The Seattle Seahawks taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. This could be a Super Bowl matchup down the road. Seattle looks like their old selves of last year, dominant defensively, holding Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs just at 213 yards offensively. Wow, what a win for the Seattle Seahawks. Richard, your thoughts on this ballgame?

1:19 Well, what a game for Sam Darnold. And I know Seahawks fans are going to say it wasn't perfect, that interception, what was he thinking? And I'm going to tell you what, as somebody who has quite a bit of trauma of goal line interceptions, like real bad trauma, like, you know, keeps me up at night, I was just as frustrated as you guys were. If that was a chance for them to take a 17-0 lead, the route concepts, Shahid, and Jackson Smith and Jig were running into each other.

1:49 I mean, it was just an entire cluster. Can I say that? It was a bad deal in the interception, the return. Thankfully, the Kansas City Chiefs missed that field goal. The defense deserves a ton of credit. I mean, they were all over the place in this game. They did a great job on Kenneth Walker III. They held him to, I want to say, 26 yards on 14 carries. or 36 yards on 14 carries, never getting a run longer than seven yards. And with the record-setting season he's had, I'm sure John Snyder was really excited about that, Mike McDaniel, and he talked glowingly about Kenneth Walker before this game and how much love and respect for him he had for him. But they knew what he was going to do.

2:37 They clogged the middle. They were sprinting around. They were flying around. Ty Akata picked up an interception off of Nick Emanwuri. Pressure on Patrick Mahomes and Nick Eminwari. Again, you can just, no matter what you do, when you turn on the tape of the Seattle Seahawks, he's going to jump off the tape on that defense. I mean, he's chasing down Patrick Mahomes. He's making tackles in the backfield.

3:01 He's blitzing. He's pressuring. Then you see him in the slot covering Xavier Worthy, a guy who ran 4-2-1 and running step for step with him. This guy does everything. Devin Witherspoon had another great game, flying around, making plays, making big stops. Just consistency. Uchenna Nwosu got an unfortunate call on a horse collar, but he was wrecking havoc.

3:24 Byron Murphy continues. Ernest Jones, but Tyrese Knight. Tyrese Knight did a really great job in this game. He's been filling in. He lost his starting spot to Drake Thomas, and Drake Thomas has been banged up. But Tyrese Knight, Outside of the first play of the game, he had a little bit of a hiccup. He really was laying his helmet on people and laying his pads on people in a big way. This defense just looks outstanding. I mean, the big cat Leonard Williams had a PBU in this ballgame, but it doesn't always show up on the stat sheet outside of them holding the Kansas City Chiefs to 3-4-11 on third down, holding them out of the red zone in totality. Kansas City, I don't know many games where you hear that the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes

4:11 and K-9 and Andy Reid and everything that they bring to the table, and they did not enter the red zone in Seattle. I know that Mike McDonald had taken a ton of pride. He was really frustrated with the way the offense played. was turning the football over, and I think Sam did a great job of getting that fixed today. He was 20-28 for 257, one touchdown, threw some really accurate footballs, a few dimes to Jackson Smith and Jigba in or near the end zone. I thought both of them could have been a touchdown, but just really accurate passes. I know he had the interception that everybody's going to, you know, rightfully so, criticize him about, but I thought he played another great game. Jackson Smith

4:52 and Jigba, I mean, he's on his way to what looks like another offensive player of the year type season with everybody knowing who's getting the ball, everybody knowing what he brings to the table, what he means to this offense. He still has nine receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown, which could have been two. His 600-yard rushing game of the season. There's only been seven games played by the Seattle Seahawks. Mitchell, a heck of a season. Jason Myers made his two kicks. But this team... look like they found themselves again. This game could have been worse than that.

5:26 If they wouldn't have thrown that interception before the half, this could have been a 27-3 ball game. And they look like the reigning Super Bowl champions. And I think, again, when it comes down to it in January, it's going to be a tough out. They are going to be a tough out, whether they are home or on the road. Now, maybe because of the way the season is shaking out, they may not get the home field advantage throughout the playoffs that they have rode to multiple Super Bowls. I've been there. When they get the number one seed and they get home field advantage, usually they walk their way to the Super Bowl. But I think if Sam Darnold can play like this, the run game got going. Emmanuel Wilson,

6:05 100 yards rushing, had the 21-yard touchdown run, one of the biggest runs, best runs of the season. This is the best the run game has lived. After the Broncos game, we had that game, Mitchell, on Thursday night. And I got a chance to talk to Mike McDonald after that game. And he was like, hey, did you kill us? Did you beat us up too bad? And I was like, no, I didn't. I thought the defense played fantastic. And they did.

6:27 They held the Denver Broncos to 38 yards in the second half. The turnovers are what doomed them. And even with all the turnovers and all the things that went wrong in that game, they still had a chance. And I said, you just got to give Sam a little more time. I mean, last year you guys were doing a better job of protecting him. You were leaving more guys in. And I think that's what they went in with a concerted effort to protect him, to use the screen game, to play to his comfort zone. And then when risks had to be taken, when shots had to be taken, they took him. But as always, I have to caveat these things with. Rashid Shahid, he goes out of this game with a banged up knee. And this season has been a bit of a disappointment for a

7:08 guy you spent a lot of money on. And I know we don't want to dwell on the negatives with such an incredible win, and I don't. But I just, I'm not understanding why there isn't more of an effort to get him the football down the field. He has a skill set that you can utilize, and they just haven't found a way to utilize that. But this is one of the most complete games the Seattle Seahawks have played this season. I was very happy to see that.

7:34 The Chiefs coming into this game undefeated, dominant on the ground and through the air and spags in this defense and all they bring. I thought the Seattle Seahawks on both sides of the ball were the better team far and away. Patrick Mahomes struggled mightily with this defense. He looked bewildered at times. He looked confused, perplexed, vexed, whatever you want to say. He looked like a guy who did not want to be in Seattle. It would look like one of those sleepless in Seattle ads. Mitchell, he's going to be sleepless tonight on that plane ride. I guarantee you that play where Derek Hall came and got the football out, got Patrick Mahomes on his blind side as he was scrambling outside of the pocket. I thought

8:15 that was one of the most iconic plays of that football game. I don't think he had any answers. I look forward to, again, it could be a potential Super Bowl preview. I'm not sure the Seattle Seahawks ever want to see this. I mean, the Kansas City Chiefs want to see the Seattle Seahawks team again. I don't think they do.

8:31 I wouldn't want to either if I were them.

8:33 I mean, listen, they packed every bit of confidence the Kansas City Chiefs showed up to Seattle with, shoved it on the team plane, and sent it back to Kansas City. This team dominated from start to finish, and it's rare that you see Mahomes frustrated. And like you said, he kind of lost his way. This team was frustrating the living heck out of him from start to finish. Credit to the Seattle Seahawks defense. And then on the offensive side of the football, I don't think there's a more consistent wide receiver in the NFL right now than Jackson Smith and the Jigba. Week in, week out, he's getting it done. And like you said, Sam.

9:08 And Jigba.

9:09 In Jigba. Did I mispronounce that?

9:14 It's okay. I just wanted to make sure it gets corrected because they are very particular about that.

9:18 I hear you.

9:18 Okay, so, you know, and then, like we talked about last podcast, it was going to be tough for me to take this team seriously until they established a run game. We saw that tonight. Emmanuel Wilson toting the rock 24 times for 100 yards and a touchdown. That's a huge improvement for the Seattle Seahawks team, who's also going to be getting another guy back, In the next couple weeks, hopefully next week, Zach Charbonnet. So keep an eye on the Seattle Seahawks team going forward. Huge game on Monday night against the Chicago Bears. I will be rooting heavily for the Seattle Seahawks. Let's talk about another division foe, the NFC West San Francisco 49ers head on the road to Atlanta. to face the falcons richard some of us

10:03 called this an upset others thought it was going to be a cakewalk um are you surprised by this outcome in atlanta the falcons taking down the 49ers 29 to 20.

10:15 Yes i'm very surprised by this outcome uh You give Michael Penix and his offense, but John Robinson, a lot of credit. They controlled this game from start to finish. They dominated at times. And you thought when the San Francisco 49ers went up early in this game, they were in command. It looked like they were just going to cruise through to another victory. You thought, oh, this is going to be an easy day. Then the mistakes started to pile up. You get Brock Purdy, a careless interception on the sideline where it looked like Jacob Cowan kind of stopped running on the play. You get the fumbles by the backs. You get another interception late in the game.

10:54 It's just too many things went wrong for this team. They couldn't get stops on defense. I got to look at the stats because this was a game that I know Kyle Shanahan is going to be kicking himself about some of the things that went wrong in this game, especially on the defensive side. They helped the Falcons to four for 12 on third down, but they were only four for 10 on third down. They managed to get 400 yards in this game. They were running the ball well, but there were too many uncharacteristic mistakes. George Kittle fumbles at the end of the game. Give Jesse Bates and his defense a ton of credit. Jesse Bates was all over the place. He forced a fumble. He had the interception in the game. He made this offense's life a

11:46 living hell. Christian McCaffrey had seven carries for 39 yards in the touchdown, but he had the six receptions for 61 yards, but got that thigh injury. Kalon Black carried the load today, 12 carries for 63 yards. His best game as a San Francisco 49ers had the long 30-yard touchdown, but he lost a fumble in this game. George Kittle lost a fumble in this game. Jordan Watkins showed flashes of what he could be in this game, except Those plays didn't count. You know, he made some almost spectacular plays.

12:18 He made an almost spectacular catch in the end zone where he wasn't able to quite get two feet down. He made an almost spectacular catch on third down, but he lost the ball as he went down to the ground. This just was a tough game to watch. I thought Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw looked really good, but I thought that there was a lack of pass rush. There was a lack of pass rush in this game. They did not get to Michael Penix Jr. in this game at all. And this isn't the best offensive line in the world. I thought they weren't able to get off the field. And that was a huge factor in the game.

12:56 They were controlling the clock early in this game. And then it totally flipped in the second half. There were very long drives, methodical drives by the Falcons. Then the missed PAT by Eddie Pinero. I know they're going to have kickers. I would assume. I can't say I know. I would assume if this continues, they're going to have kicker tryouts in San Francisco. And I know they paid Eddie Pinero some money, but it's unacceptable play. If he makes that kick, they have a chance to win this game on that last drive. They have a chance to at least tie the game. There's hope. Instead of it being a two-score game, you can't have those mistakes happen over and over and over. and it's just happened too frequently over this season. There aren't many games you're going

13:44 to lose the turnover battle 0-4 and win those games. And the fact that they were even in this game at the end tells you how talented this team is, but you can't play like that. That's not great football. That's not winning football. A lot of unnecessary penalties. I think Jack Jones got a little exposed in this game.

14:07 the holding, the penalties, and critical, critical moments in this game where the tide was shifting, where it could have went either way. And I think if the defense is able to get off the field in those plays, in those situations, I think they find a way to win this game. But instead, those drives end up leading the points and I thought the safeties would be an issue this season. They have played really well. Jair Brown and Malik Mustafa have played fantastic, outstanding football. But Jack Jones is kind of the mystery. He's the 50-50. You don't know what you're going to get out of him. And that's been the issue. I think they're going to have to look in free agency or look for a trade.

14:56 and find another veteran corner that can go in there outside of Yamador, Lenore, and Renardo Green that can go in there and play some solid football. I think every time they put him in there, and it's really critical situations, it ends up being an issue, and I don't think he's made enough big plays so far for this team to justify it.

15:18 Today was the perfect storm for the San Francisco 49ers, Richard. That's how I look at it. I don't think this team should be defined by today's outcome by any means. I mean, they were down their top four offensive wideouts. You know, without those guys, this offense is a shell of itself. When CMC gets bruised up in that first half and you're relying on the rookie, yeah, he carried the load, but you're already so shorthanded. I don't know how that affects the morale of the team overall. But Brock Purdy, credit to him, 288 yards. Obviously, he had the two picks, but he got George Kittle involved. This team got out to a hot start, and ultimately, I think the Falcons just rose above. This is a team,

15:58 the Falcons, in this division, the NFC South, is wide open. So for them to go and get this win at home, it's so crucial for them, and that's why I saw this coming. I think the 49ers are going to bounce back next week against the Raiders. We shall see. But Richard, this is certainly a surprising outcome nonetheless.

16:18 They're down more than that, Mitchell. They're down. Mike Evans, number one. DeJuan Stribling. Debo Samuel. Ricky Pertusall. Demarcus Robinson.

16:31 There's a lot.

16:31 There's a lot of big names in that that you just retaliated off there.

16:35 That's your top five, Mitchell. You're down. But with all that said, I don't think this team wants to make any excuses. And I don't think they're accepting any excuses. They're going to get healthier after the bye. They get a chance to go into the bye week, but this is a game they had to have. And I know you're like, ah, they're undefeated. They could use this. They had a mulligan to give. But when you get to January, you're going to remember this as a missed opportunity to really just pull away from everybody and put yourself in a comfortable position late in the season. But I still think this is a great team. I still think this is the best team in football. And I think they'll bounce back from this. I do like how the Seattle

17:17 Seahawks play today and how if Sam Darnold plays like this, ooh, that game late in the season is going to be really fun.

17:25 No question.

17:27 I need to tell you about this new prediction market called Polymarket. It's the best new way to trade in sports.

17:34 In the past, if you wanted action on the game, you put some money in. And if your team was doing well, and you wanted to cash out, they'd lock the trade or take a huge fee.

17:46 But Polymarket is a prediction market. It's a stock exchange for sports, buying in and selling out on your terms.

17:54 Richard, I've tried them all, and Polymarket is simply the best prediction market. It's better than DraftKings, it's better than FanDuel, Calchi, you name it.

18:03 And they're so confident that you will never go back to the other guys that they're giving you a free $ 25 on your first trade when you deposit just $ 10.

18:14 And now they've launched a new feature. It's called Squads, a group chat where you can see what everyone is trading on.

18:21 So download the Polymarket app today and use the promo code Sherman when you sign up. That's S-H-E-R-M-A-N to get $ 25 free after you deposit just $ 10.

18:35 Let's take it to Ford Field. I was there, Richard.

18:37 The Detroit Lions took down the Green Bay Packers 20-17. And I will say this, you know, it's great. At the end of the day, all you got to do is win. That's the number one thing that matters is get that W. And the Lions did just that, but it was not pretty by any means. At halftime or going into half, the Lions were up 10-7, were driving the ball similar to what the Seattle Seahawks did. And ultimately, Jameer Gibbs fumbles the ball at the five-yard line and Green Bay gets it. The Lions then get the ball at half and proceed to fumble the ball three plays in.

19:12 I mean, that sequence of events, the Lions could have had an easy stranglehold on this game. And instead it turned into one that is going to be questioned.

19:21 Let's be real.

19:22 The refs were all over the board on this game. A lot of meaningful calls down the stretch on both teams. But ultimately, I got to give credit to the Lions defense in this one. What an outstanding performance by them stepping up. Brian Branch comes back, has a huge interception in this game. And they ultimately held Jordan Love in this Green Bay Packers offense at bay. uh a lot of long drives but not a whole lot of points and credit to the lions for adjusting and coming away with a huge win this uh this sunday richard i gotta hear your thoughts on this because i know you like the packers coming into this game were you surprised by the outcome.

20:02 I was surprised by the outcome for sure but i was surprised happily you know i was i was pleasantly surprised by the way the Detroit Lions defense played. Some of those Dan Campbell fourth downs though, Mitchell. That fourth down, whoa. Like late in the game, in your own territory.

20:23 Crazy.

20:24 Could have been a defining moment. And you appreciate the aggression, but I also appreciate live by the sword, die by the sword. Like, People can criticize you all you want, but if that's what we came into this game doing, if that's what my players know, that's our philosophy, that's what we live by, I can respect a coach that says, hey, I'm not dictated. Circumstance isn't going to dictate who we are and our culture and what we do, what our comfort level. If we go for force in these situations with this down and distance and we believe in our players, we believe in our philosophy, then we go for it on fourth. And I think there is some strength to that.

21:11 And I think there's a Super Bowl and a championship mentality in that. And I think we'd have had an extra Super Bowl if we would have lived by the mentality that we had. Hey, we're a run-first team, and we play great defense. If we'd have lived by that, Mitchell, I'd have two Super Bowl, at least two Super Bowl rings.

21:28 But then when you get in a critical situation and you say, hey, we're going away from the philosophy that we have built this team on Then you start to lose the locker room and you lose your players. I don't think you ever lose your players, whether you're right or you're wrong. Doing what you told them you believe to be true, to be factual, you gave them an opportunity. Now, whether it goes right or goes wrong, I know people are going to criticize it, but that's the way they live.

21:55 That's who they are as a team. And I think players will always respect us living by our words and backing up our words with actions. And I think there's going to be, I know it's, you know, it worked out today and it doesn't always work out, but I really respect Dan Campbell for sticking to his guns.

22:17 I'm with you, Richard. This is who this team has been under Dan Campbell. They're, they're risk takers and they talked about it coming into this game. They're going to take every opportunity that they can. They're going to play four downs of offensive football. And they did just that today. Um, They snuck out, and frankly, they got lucky. I mean, let's not overlook the two-miss field goals, layup field goals from Smack with Green Bay that he failed on. So this Lions team, desperate need of a win, especially with Minnesota coming to town next weekend. Kudos to them. Kudos to Jameis and Williams. Two big plays opened the game up with a touchdown. Jameer Gibbs obviously had 116 yards rushing, but I would have to think that he looked at

22:59 this game as one of his. I guess the lower on his totem pole with two fumbles in this game, and one of which was a very crucial one. And then Sam Laporta. I mean, we got to talk a little bit about him before we leave this game, Richard. He's the next guy on the pecking order to get paid in the tight end market.

23:18 And he went viral this week with his podcast with PMT, part of my take. And it was a conversation in the locker room. He basically said that if Detroit's not going to pay him, then it is what it is. Somebody else is going to pay me, whatever.

23:32 I know you've been in.

23:33 These locker rooms where premier guys need to be paid. Is this a distraction with this team? No, Mitchell, it's not a distraction at all. And I think guys are pros. These are locker room talks. These are locker room conversations all the time.

23:48 Mitchell, I was wanting to get paid since my rookie year. After my first start and I got an interception, I said, they better pay me. But, Mitchell, they couldn't pay me for a couple years.

23:57 It is what it is.

23:58 You can ask anybody in that building. It happens. These conversations happen. It only becomes a distraction if a guy starts to make it about himself, starts to be something other than a team player. He starts to put less effort in, starts to show up less, starts missing games for undisclosed injury. Then it starts to be an issue.

24:18 Sam Laporta is going out there and putting his heart and his body on the line for this team each and every week, playing as hard as he can. It is not a distraction at all.

24:27 Well, let's hope the winning ways continue for the Lions. They'll be welcoming the Vikings, who are 6-0 now. Let's talk about them next. They took on the Indianapolis Colts, and they won 16-10. It wasn't the prettiest game. The Colts had a lead late in this game, and then Kyler Murray had a huge scramble that enabled the Minnesota Vikings to get in the scoring position, and they took the lead and never looked back. But Richard, the story of this team, is this defense. They blitzed on 85.2% of dropbacks today. You had Harrison Smith on last week for an interview. He had his 40th interception today. Congratulations to him. What do we have to say about this Vikings defense? Is there a point where you would call

25:13 this reckless?

25:16 No, no. Mitchell, I think we as a society are risk-averse. Like, our baseline as a society is be careful. They're not. This is a defense, and Brian Flores and a coordinator that says this aggression is our baseline. Like, when they don't bring a blitz, you're like, everything okay? You guys all right over there? You guys didn't get the call?

25:43 Somebody missed something? But we had Harrison on, and he said, I don't know who made it so that bringing four is the baseline. That told me everything I needed to know. They think that bringing five should be the base. That should be standard in this industry, and that's the way they're treating it. I don't know if they're seeing all these blitzes. They think sending five is the baseline. So if they send more than five, sure, those are blitzes, but they don't always send more than five. I really respect this because, again, just like I said about Dan Campbell, when you believe in your philosophy and believe in the culture and your players circumstance doesn't dictate your play calling you call it how you call it and you don't

26:33 change it for opponent you don't change it for time of the year oh man the time of the game they're aggressive all the time and I think there's a confidence a security that that they feel in their scheme where aggression, they are making the other team blink. They are making the other team react to their aggression. On the football field, Mitchell, this is always the way it is.

27:01 Somebody's the aggressor. Somebody's the person reacting to the aggression. Usually you're playing corner. The receiver's dictating the pace, and you react to it. But great corners, the really good ones, they dictate the pace. I dictate where you're going to go, where I'm going to allow you space, where I'm going to cut you off of, And how we're going to play this game. And I think at every position on the field you have this. But this Minnesota Vikings defense is that. They think offensively as a defense. They think, hey, we're going to force you away from the things you like to do. And we're going to force you into the things we want you to do. And we want to see if you can beat us that way. And

27:39 there hasn't been a team yet that has beaten them. I Kyler Murray, you know, did it with his legs. He's playing solid football, not turning the football over, not playing out of this world. He was only 14 to 24 for 150 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked three times, but not turning the ball over using his legs when he has to Jordan Mason, the former San Francisco 49 or 15 carries for 68 yards, you know, just grinding away Aaron Jones, eight for 26, but left with that knee injury. Justin Jefferson, 4 for 44. You know, very low numbers for these receivers. But when you're winning, it's fine. I'm sure these guys are like, man, I love more yards. But I do love winning quite a bit.

28:20 And the Colts, on the other hand, Daniel Jones struggles. 13 for 22 for 108 yards. Sacked four times. Intercepted by Harrison Smith, who said he was going to try to get his 40th this week. And he got it. He said it right here on the Richard Sherman podcast, so you love to see it. But Jonathan Taylor continues to be Jonathan Taylor. All these guys are auditioning. These Indianapolis Colts, they're auditioning. And if you watch the San Francisco 49ers game, he sure did look like, man, they could use DeForest Buckner, Mitchell. Ooh, they could use DeForest Buckner, both in the run game and the pass game. Ooh, they could use DeForest Buckner. Are they going to do it?

29:07 Is John Lynch going to pull that trigger? I know Ed Dodds, who's now in command of the personnel at the Indianapolis Colts, and I know John Lynch. And I think there has to be conversations going on. I don't know what the price is going to be because– Defoe's a free agent after this year, but I think the way San Francisco has brought home their favorite sons this year, and if they could bring Defoe back for a year, go on a Super Bowl run, potentially, and potentially win one with DeForest Buckner, coming back to finish the job with the organization that he came into this league with, that could be really special. Now, this is all speculation and all me, you know, formulating, but there are rumors

29:57 that the San Francisco 49ers are interested in him. And if the Colts continue to lose and they lost again today, there's going to be a fire sale. And I guarantee you, Jonathan Taylor is going to be a guy that people are looking at. And DeForest Buckner.

30:13 Well, and there should be a fire sale. This team, without a first-round pick going into next year, the New York Jets, keep an eye out, guys. Three first-round picks next year. This team is in desperate need to get better, and they do not have the assets to get better. So I would not be surprised one bit if Defoe got traded, if Jonathan Taylor got traded. The list goes on and on in Indy. But this Vikings team, Richard, obviously their defense is championship caliber. But is their offense good enough in your eyes to carry them to a Super Bowl?

30:48 No. No, they aren't. They're one of the half-truths. There are a lot of half-truths in this league, half-teams. I think the Minnesota Vikings are one. I think the Buffalo Bills are one. The Seattle Seahawks at times are one. Can their offense keep up with that defense? So I think this is another example of a team that is flawed, fatally flawed on one side of the football, and the Minnesota Vikings are an incredible defense. And if you put a top half offense with them. Then you have a legit championship contender. I'm not sure this is a top half offense. They, they weren't great on third down today.

31:31 They're not great this season. And I just, they have talent. They have the weapons. They have the, the, the weapons on offense, but can Kyler Murray get with this Kevin O'Connell system and start to maximize his potential. Now, right now they're just, you know, kind of treading water, surviving. Like, hey, survive in advance. Hey, don't ruin the game for our defense.

31:56 Just stick around, and our defense will make a play to turn this around and give us great field position, and we can win the game. But if the defense isn't playing up to the level that they have played over these first six games, they don't win any of these games because of the level that their offense is not playing to. So I don't think this is a championship offense, but there's defense, no question, it's championship level.

32:18 Getting dressed for fall shouldn't require a whole game plan. Give me a few quality pieces I can wear on repeat.

32:26 That's quince, Richard. Premium materials like organic cotton, merino wool, and 100% Mongolian cashmere, with cashmere sweaters starting at just $ 60.

32:40 Mitchell, you know I love that 100% Mongolian. I got that cashmere sweater, Mitchell. It keeps me warm.

32:45 It's cozy.

32:46 Quality material. Quality, Mitchell. I got a lot of compliments on it. No question about that.

32:52 I know you're a stylish guy, Richard. They also have down jackets and classic wool outerwear. Everything at Quince is priced 50% to 80% less than similar brands.

33:04 Find your next fall favorites at Quince. Download the Quince app. For app exclusive offers or go to quints.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365 day returns.

33:17 Now available in Canada and in the UK too. And when Quints asks, were you heard about them? Let them know it was the Richard Sherman podcast. It's the best way to show support to the show. Let's take it to the fourth quarter here on the Richard Sherman Podcast. Let's talk about a game overseas in France. The Pittsburgh Steelers took down the New Orleans Saints 16-10. And I know you don't like the brand of football that Pittsburgh plays.

33:49 It's kind of sloppy, grinded out. But they're getting wins, and they're 5-2 thus far in the season. Are you taking Pittsburgh for real here, Richard?

34:01 I guess. I mean, I felt bad for the French having to watch this product, but the Steelers are 5-2. And what's crazy is 5-2 in this AFC North, you'd be sitting there like, man, they're sitting pretty. They're really doing a great job, but so are the Browns. These are surprising teams to be on top of this division.

34:21 The Baltimore Ravens just lost to the Bengals today. Another game without Lamar Jackson. They are going to be really excited to get him back potentially next week. But Pittsburgh is finding ways to win. They're doing it on the ground. Jalen Warren is having an incredible season. I think he's having a Pro Bowl caliber type season. And he's a big reason why they're in the position they're in. Rico Daudo's done a great job spelling him when he could.

34:47 Aaron Rodgers has been solid. I think he moved up to third all time in touchdown passes thrown. So congratulations to Aaron Rodgers, a legendary career, a Hall of Fame career, four MVPs. A guy's going to get a gold jacket the first time, first chance he's eligible. He continues to play at a high level. The connection between him and DK Metcalf continues to be good. I mean, at least in short spurts, they did connect for a 51-yard bomb in this game. But outside of that, they didn't do a ton more. He connected with Darnell Washington for that four-yard touchdown. I don't think I've ever seen a fade route to a guy over 300 pounds, and they say he's not 300 pounds. They say he's not, but sure looks like 300 pounds to me. But defensively, they're doing

35:36 a great job putting pressure on guys. They got after Tyler Shuck in this game. I mean, he still was 30 of 38 for 278. He's having a quietly really good season for the New Orleans Saints, whether they're winning or not. he's shown that he belongs in this league and he can play this game at a high level. But, you know, the turnover, the interception really cost him in this game. And it's a big win for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

36:02 And the Saints continue to struggle.

36:04 They do.

36:04 And Aaron Rodgers down the stretch, you know, this guy's still a winner at heart. And he was bottled up in the pocket, third and long, scrambles out of it, picks up the first down on his 42-year-old legs. Very impressive showing by Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who continue to win. Let's talk about the Cleveland Browns, who you already said. They just improved to 5-2, 27-24 win over the Tennessee Titans. And I know they were playing Tennessee, but they got out to a bad start early in this game. Weren't a 14-0 hole, thanks to Tony Pollard, who had three touchdowns on the day. But they were led back, and they fought back to Sean Watson, 308 passing yards at a rushing TD in this game. Quinshawn

36:47 Judkins had a big game, two touchdowns, 96 yards on the ground. The Browns, 5-2, are you taking them seriously right now, Richard?

36:55 Well, I'm starting to want to take them more seriously for sure. Deshaun Watson, this is one of his better games as a Cleveland Brown. He threw for 300 yards, did have that interception, but ran one in. Quinshawn Judkins seems like he's regaining his previous form. that he had before the injury, 17 carries for 96 yards, had that long 30-yarder in the game. Casey Conception got involved on the ground. His best game as a receiver, though, in this game, eight catches for 129 yards. Harold Fanning had that huge catch late in the game to help set up the game-winning field goal. But, yeah, I mean, I'm starting to believe this is a game where their defense, which has been the strength of their team for a

37:42 number of years, struggled, and their offense picked them up. And I think that's what you want to see. If you want to see a team that's really playing well, when their strength fails them, can the rest of their team respond? And this Browns offense responded in a big way, and I think that's given me confidence in this team.

37:58 They're a legit 5-2.

38:00 Yeah, I got to start taking them more seriously myself. The Cleveland Browns getting a win, 5-2, very impressive stuff. Next game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. We'll see who the true good team is in this AFC North. Let's talk about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Holy cow. The difference it makes having Baker Mayfield back under center. And they only threw the ball 11 times today. They ran the ball over 46, 47 times. And absolutely decimated the Carolina Panthers on the road here.

38:32 43-13 today.

38:34 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a hole here in the NFC South. I know you like them coming out of the gates at the beginning of the season. Do you think they have what it takes to get back and claw back into things in this NFC South?

38:49 Well, I mean, it just seems like Todd Bowles is getting back to his old ways. He's getting back to his ways. And it started with the Dallas Cowboys game where he started blitzing Dak Prescott relentlessly. And they've just continued that. They blitzed. The Carolina Panthers relentlessly, they sacked Bryce Young five times in this game, intercepted him twice.

39:11 It forced a forced fumble that ended up being a scoop and score touchdown. I mean, the defense really dominated this game, and then they ran the football well. I know you're saying this is what happens when you get Baker Mayfield back, but, I mean, he threw for 64 yards. I mean, Baker Mayfield had very little to do with this win, but he didn't turn the ball over. he did throw for a touchdown but Bucky Irvin on the ground I mean their ground game was dominant they were dominant in every phase they had four takeaways five sacks three sacks for Yaya Diaby his best game as a pro held Bryce Young in to 163 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions. And this is a guy who's been playing outstanding football. I think they've won like seven of the

39:58 last eight against the Carolina Panthers, something crazy like that. There's a crazy statistic. They just cannot seem to figure out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Great game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I think it's, you know, I'd never know with the South. It's hard to bet. Look, all bets are off with the NFC South until end of December.

40:19 Let's talk about the Cincinnati Bengals who took down the Baltimore Ravens in convincing fashion, 35-13. Listen, Baltimore got out to a hot start. Zay Flowers got on the board early for them, and the Baltimore Ravens looked like they might win this game. Then the Bengals turned things around. Joe Burrow, four passing touchdowns. We've been hot and cold on Cincy. I was very hot on them at the beginning of the season. Then they lost two in a row.

40:45 Now they're back to winning two in a row. Is it time to start taking them more seriously, Richard?

40:52 I don't know. I really don't know. I really don't know. You know, this is, like you said earlier, there's great parity in the National Football League. Everything is week to week. The Bengals look really good on offense this week. What would they look like? What would they look like? At least for a half of football. Joe Burrow, 22 of 30, 292, four touchdowns. T. Higgins had one of his better games, six catch for 148 yards, a touchdown. Jamar Chase, very explosive, breaking tackles, had five receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown.

41:23 This offense has all the makings to be an incredibly elite unit. Their defense, after that big play from Baltimore and Zay Flowers, they shut this offense down in the second half. They showed the promise that they've shown all season. They did a great job on Derrick Henry throughout this game. The AFC North is looking really strong. I mean, the Bengals are 4-2, Pittsburgh is 5-2, the Browns are 5-2, and Baltimore is 4-3. I mean, record-wise, this is one of the better divisions in the National Football League. We'll see if that continues.

42:01 Yeah, I'm going to keep an eye out for Chase Brown, Richard. He's had a Very cold the last three weeks. 39, 39, and 10 yards rushing respectfully. If Cincy really wants to improve, it's got to start with establishing a ground game here. Keep an eye out for Chase Brown in future weeks. Let's talk about the New York Giants.

42:21 J.J.

42:22 McCarthy under center on the road against the Houston Texans. Double-digit underdog, and no one heard any of that. The New York Giants come out victorious.

42:31 J.J. McCarthy throws for 252 yards. Cam Scadaboo.

42:36 I guess he took that benching from John Harbaugh last week to heart, 124 yards rushing, a touchdown. This Giants team, four 2-1 leaders in the NFC East, I got to believe they have it. I got to believe they should be favorites in this division. Your thoughts on that, Richard?

42:57 Yeah, I mean, it looks to be that way. I mean, I don't know if it's just the aura of John Harbaugh or what it is, but This Giants team, every time you think they're dead in the water, they find a way to put out a really, really strong performance. And this was one of those performances. J.J. McCarthy looked as good as he's looked throughout his time in the National Football League. Looked good in the pocket. He moved around well. Hit the passes that were there. Was accurate with the football. Didn't turn the football over in this game.

43:28 Had a great passer rating. Cam Scadable ran the ball well. A great running game always helps unlock these young quarterbacks and create some voids in the defense, and he found them. Defensively, I really want to– give me a second because I want to speak positively about this team in the right way. Deontay Banks. Deontay Banks, it didn't show up on the stat sheet, But he was doing a good job. Yeah, a great job. And he's been having a great season.

44:05 And they've used him in kind of the Patrick Sertain and Christian Gonzalez role of like, hey, follow their best receiver and you're going to play man and we're going to play zone around you. And they highlighted it a number of times in this game. And he did a great job in this game. I know it doesn't– when you have a corner doing that and he only has two tackles in the game, it's because he's playing great football.

44:28 They're not targeting him. or he's not making tackles because they're not catching the football. But I think, I mean, we're in such a microwave society that people are starting to have the conversation that, oh, my God, is there a quarterback controversy in New York because J.J. McCarthy threw for 252 yards and no touchdowns and no interceptions and it's Jackson Darts. No, Jackson Darts' job isn't in jeopardy.

44:51 But this is good for the Giants and keeping their season hopes alive, keeping their hopes for the NFC East crown alive. Obviously, other teams have been struggling. Jalen Hurts is out for potentially the season with the blood clots. The Dallas Cowboys have been as inconsistent as anybody. The Washington Commanders continue to be inconsistent. You don't know what you're going to get. I think they've only won one game this season. So, yes, I think the Giants look like they could pull off this division.

45:21 And then, like you said, I mean, this team, they couldn't have landed on their feet any better after the Jackson Dart injury.

45:27 And J.J.

45:28 McCarthy, they go grab him from the Vikings, give him a second shot here in this league, and he's taken full advantage of it.

45:36 Kudos to him.

45:37 It looks like they struck one in the draft as well. Malachi Fields, big reception down the right sideline in this game, was absolutely bodying guys, carried them for an extra 15, 20 yards. You like what you see out of the rookie. I like this Giants team. We'll see if they can keep it together in the weeks to come with the bye week next week.

45:55 Let's take it to the New York Jets.

45:57 Here we thought, hey, maybe they can get to 3-4 and actually look like an intriguing team.

46:02 Not so fast.

46:03 They lose to the Miami Dolphins, who got ahead early and never relinquished the lead, 28-25. Garrett Wilson was seen chewing out Geno Smith on the sidelines during this game. Who is to blame when you lose to a team that hasn't won a game, Richard?

46:23 I think that blame spreads out pretty evenly in this one, Mitchell. I think you've got to spread the blame out pretty evenly. I thought Geno Smith played solid football, tried to bring him back, threw three touchdowns in his game, 23 of 30 for 287. I thought he played good enough football to win it. Omar Cooper became the first Jets rookie since, I want to say 1985 or something like that, to record back-to-back 100-yard games. So they're really happy with him.

46:52 But obviously, Garrett Wilson, you know, two for 26, two catch for 26 yards on only three targets. There's frustration growing there. He's getting paid a lot of money. The expectations for himself are very high. And right now, they're finding a rookie. I think they're going to have to figure that out. but this is a head-scratching loss and doesn't help their chances going forward. Obviously, there's going to be some question marks about the coach and what he did in this game, but give Malik Willis and his offense a lot of credit. He was 14-21, 208 yards, two touchdowns, got sacked twice, but he made plays with his legs, and they got the win, so I'm always happy for For Jeff Halfley and his success, you know,

47:38 people thought this Dolphins team wouldn't win a game this season, and they did.

47:43 There they are, and that leaves, is that the lone, unwinless team?

47:47 Is that the L.A. Chargers now?

47:51 Who would have thunk that, Richard? Who would have thunk that? Let's talk about the Denver Broncos. Solid win today, 30-16 over the Cardinals. They continue their win streak here. Bonex seemed to have a turnaround game here. Highly criticized in the media last week, which we talked about on last week's podcast. They get a big game win here. Your thoughts about this Denver Broncos team, Richard? We've talked about their defense ad nauseum. Another defense that is championship worthy.

48:24 This is another one of these half-baked teams. Do you think their offense has enough with Bo Nix under center to reach that promised land?

48:35 If he plays as competitively as he did in this game, he ran, he used his legs when they were there, won opportunities. He didn't play hesitant. He didn't second guess himself. I think if he plays that way, they definitely have a chance. They're going to be, have a chance to go as far as they did last year. And they had a, you know, he gets injured in a divisional and didn't get to play in a AFC championship game, but they were there. And he was the big reason why they were there, but he was playing fearless football.

49:03 And today he had the big, big long run for a touchdown. He made plays with his arm. He was a difference maker in this game. And I think when he plays like this, they're a very tough team to beat. And if they can get Jonathan Cooper back at some point, I don't know if the league is going to allow allow him to come back and play but they get him back they get Sertan and then Talanoa Hufanga they get a team that's whole out there with Bo Nix playing like this watch out AFC.

49:34 Let's talk about the LA Rams. This is a team that was in desperate need of a win, a slow and sluggish start to the season for them. They take down the Las Vegas Raiders, 35-21, and they do so with their two-headed monster in the backfield, Kyron Williams and Blake Corum, rushing for 99 and 93 yards, respectfully, both scoring touchdowns. This Rams team, obviously, is battling adversity. They're A number of guys on IR, a number of big names going down with injury early this season. Do you think they can turn this thing around and go on a run here, Richard?

50:12 Yeah, I definitely think they can. They're an incredibly talented team with an incredibly talented coach in Sean McVay. Really great players. They've got to get healthy. They've got to get some of these guys, big-time players off of IR. They've got so many guys on IR, Puna Ford, Uh, uh, McDuffie, uh, isn't playing right now. Um, and these are big miles.

50:34 Garrett obviously hasn't played. He's, he's, he's approaching the most games that he's missed in his career for injury and Devante Adams. Uh, you know, the list goes on and on poking the cool was banged up coming into this game, but he decided he was able to play. Uh, they have to get healthy. And I think they're talented enough that if they can get healthy, uh, They can play with the best of them. They can go on a run.

50:57 They will be dangerous as whatever seed if they get in these playoffs.

51:01 Well, it's time.

51:01 It's time for the Fresh from the Oven takes brought to you by DiGiorno. Just like pizza fresh out of the oven, these takes are hot, they're fresh, and they're ready for Monday night. Let's break down the matchup between the Cowboys and the Eagles. Richard, what is your hottest take about this Monday night football matchup between Dallas and Philly?

51:27 My hottest take, I don't know if I have a hottest take because I don't know if I feel hot about the NFC East right now and whatever they have going. You know, which Dak Prescott are you going to get? Which C.D. Lamb are you going to get? Which George Pickens are you going to get? That's going to determine this game. Are you going to get the C.D. Lamb that had 21 targets and 17 catches for 189 yards?

51:49 Are you going to get the guy who had one catch for four yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Which one are you going to get? And which– Which Eagles defense are you going to get? Is Jalen Carter and those guys going to be able to put some pressure on Dak Prescott? Or Quinion Mitchell and Tariq Woolen and Cooper DeJean in that secondary going to be able to contain these guys and create turnovers? Is Vic Fangio going to come up with a plan to confuse Dak Prescott?

52:17 We shall see. I think Tanner McKee is going to be solid, has this offense going in a solid direction. I think he's a competent NFL quarterback and he's good enough to win him this game. That's why I picked him.

52:28 My biggest hot take of this game is neither one of these teams are going to win their division. I got eyes on the Giants or the Commanders over either of these teams. That being said, which player do you think is going to be the deciding factor in this one?

52:43 I think it's going to be Dak Prescott. Dak Prescott is going to be the deciding factor in this game. If he plays well, Dallas is going to be incredibly tough to beat. If he doesn't, Congratulations to the Eagles.

52:54 Score prediction?

52:58 Score prediction, I got the Eagles winning 24-14.

53:00 I know last week you said your go-to pizza is always pepperoni, but did I convince you at all to throw a little pineapple on there or something to spice it up a little bit, Rich? What are you going to be popping in the oven for this game when you sit down?

53:21 No, Mitchell, I'm not putting fruit on pizza. I'm sorry you're not getting me there. Jalapenos, you might get me to put some jalapenos on my pizza, maybe an onion or two, but not any fruit. So we'll call it jalapenos to spice it up, and then maybe I'll put some hot honey on there myself, Mitchell, just to get you.

53:40 Could you imagine the sweetness with the little pineapple in there too?

53:46 Warm pineapple just makes it delicious, Richard.

53:48 Those were fresh from the oven takes brought to you by DiGiorno. Make Monday night pizza night with fresh from the oven taste. It's not delivery.

53:59 It's DiGiorno.

53:59 All right, Richard, before we get out of here, this next segment is called NFL Rule Breakers brought to you by Sling. What's a game-changing play made by a DB in NFL history that you absolutely loved?

54:14 Mitchell, it has to be Tracy Porter's interception of Peyton Manning in that Super Bowl, the Indianapolis Colts versus the New Orleans Saints, and New Orleans had dealt with all the Katrina, everything that came with that season, all the despair, the energy, the hopes of so many people that were displaced during that storm. The value that he brought to that Super Bowl etched his name in the history of the national football and the history of that franchise forever.

54:46 You want to talk about value, Richard, let's talk about sling TV. NFL rules breakers is brought to you by sling. Watch football on your terms, starting at just 1999 a month at sling.com. Richard, here we are at week seven. We're almost at the halfway point of the season. The season is flying by. I think the word of the day in the NFL is parody. And we've seen that today.

55:13 Sam Fran goes on the road. I know the faithful is heartbroken, but it's a long season ahead. It is always a pleasure sitting down with you every Sunday night. I will let you sign us off, my friend.

55:24 The pleasure is all mine, and I appreciate every single one of you sticking through and staying with us to listen and hear our thoughts on this season. weeks, football games. You could be anywhere in the world, but you're here with us and we sincerely appreciate it. We will see you next time. Hit that like and sub button if you're new.