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Aaron Rodgers To Be Evaluated, Trevon Diggs Expected To Play Against Colts, Bengals - Chiefs Matchup · NFL Now

0:05
Speaker 1: NFL Now is a production of the NFL in partnership
0:08
Speaker 1: with I Heart Radio. It's a blockbuster type of weekend
0:19
Speaker 1: in the NFL, But who are we kidding? When is
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Speaker 1: it not? Ever? Six games heading into week third Team
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Speaker 1: featuring both teams with winning record, including that game last
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Speaker 1: night between the Patriots and Bills. Much more on that.
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Speaker 1: One will also be breaking down the potential Super Bowl
0:33
Speaker 1: preview between the Dolphins and Forts and the a f
0:36
Speaker 1: C Championship rematch between the Bengals and Chiefs. But we
0:39
Speaker 1: start with injury news as we get you ready for
0:42
Speaker 1: the weekend new right Now into NFL Network, we bring
0:44
Speaker 1: in Tom Pella Sero or NFL Network Insider with much
0:48
Speaker 1: more on the biggest name that we're watching on the
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Speaker 1: injury front, and that's Aaron Rodgers. Tom Omar. Aaron Rodgers
0:55
Speaker 1: is on the practice field for a second consecutive day,
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Speaker 1: a good sign for his chances to play against the
1:01
Speaker 1: Bears on Sunday, despite that fracture thumb that he's been
1:05
Speaker 1: playing with for a good chunk of the season here
1:07
Speaker 1: as well as the rib injury that he suffered last week.
1:10
Speaker 1: Now coach Matt Lafleur said he thought that Rogers looked
1:13
Speaker 1: really good in practice on Thursday. They will reevaluate him
1:17
Speaker 1: after today's session, just make sure he can protect himself
1:20
Speaker 1: all those different things. But you've also heard Aaron Rodgers
1:23
Speaker 1: say this week that he fully intends to play in
1:26
Speaker 1: this game, and why not against a team that he
1:28
Speaker 1: has dominated like virtually nobody else over the course of
1:31
Speaker 1: his career. Meanwhile, for the Bears, certainly seems to be
1:34
Speaker 1: trending toward them having their starting quarterback as well. That
1:37
Speaker 1: is Justin Fields, who is listed as a full participant
1:40
Speaker 1: in practice on Thursday for the first time since he
1:43
Speaker 1: suffered a left shoulder injury a couple of weeks ago.
1:46
Speaker 1: He has referred to it as an a c joint injury.
1:49
Speaker 1: It was causing him a lot of pain, especially in
1:51
Speaker 1: the early portion of last week. But that full participation
1:54
Speaker 1: in practice on Thursday a positive sign on Fields. Will
1:57
Speaker 1: see what the ultimate designation is on the injury report
2:00
Speaker 1: here Omar, But he's to be trending towards Aaron Rodgers
2:03
Speaker 1: versus Justin Field on Sunday always fun when those two
2:06
Speaker 1: teams get together. Of course, it was last year when
2:08
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers was caught on Mike saying, I own you
2:11
Speaker 1: to the city of Chicago and certainly the Bears fans there. Meanwhile,
2:15
Speaker 1: Sunday Night Football features the Cowboys and Cold. It's a
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Speaker 1: couple of big named Cowboys. We're keeping an eye on.
2:20
Speaker 1: What more can you tell us about them? Tom Well
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Speaker 1: Omar A couple of key Cowboys have been out, but
2:24
Speaker 1: not because of injury. Rather it has been illness to
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Speaker 1: the sideline Trayvon Digs through the course this week, as
2:30
Speaker 1: well as Michael Gallup. Mike McCarthy, the head coach of
2:32
Speaker 1: the Cowboys, said he still is hopeful that they're going
2:35
Speaker 1: to be back and able to play, but certainly something
2:38
Speaker 1: that we're going to be monitoring here as seemingly everybody
2:41
Speaker 1: has been getting sick in some capacity, and the Cowboys
2:43
Speaker 1: have dealt with quite a bit of it here in
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Speaker 1: recent weeks. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the NFC East, for the Commanders,
2:49
Speaker 1: they are officially listing Chase Young as questionable, the closest
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Speaker 1: that he has been to coming back and playing since
2:56
Speaker 1: he suffered that knee injury over a year ago. Ron
2:59
Speaker 1: Rivera said the Young has looked good in practice. They're
3:01
Speaker 1: gonna make a final determination though on Sunday, So it
3:04
Speaker 1: seems like a game time type of a situation if
3:06
Speaker 1: Chase Young is going to be out there, and based
3:08
Speaker 1: on what Ron riverias over the last couple of weeks,
3:11
Speaker 1: when Chase Young does get back on the field, look
3:13
Speaker 1: for it to be in a limited capacity. Also questionable
3:16
Speaker 1: for the Commanders is running back an Tonio Gibson. He's
3:19
Speaker 1: been dealing with a foot injury through this week. Sounds
3:22
Speaker 1: like it's optimistic that that Gibson's gonna be able to
3:25
Speaker 1: go in some capacity here, but again that's something to
3:27
Speaker 1: monitor leading up to the game. If it's no Gibson,
3:30
Speaker 1: you would certainly expect it's gonna be a whole lot
3:32
Speaker 1: of Brian Robinson, which it probably will be regardless of
3:35
Speaker 1: Washington winners of six of seven or the seventh seed
3:37
Speaker 1: in the NFC playoff picture right now and now potentially
3:40
Speaker 1: get Chase Young back this week, So with games against
3:43
Speaker 1: the Giants there next to certainly controlling a lot of
3:46
Speaker 1: that destiny here in the playoff RaSE Tom Pella, sero,
3:49
Speaker 1: thank you. It was that kind of night for Buffalo,
3:52
Speaker 1: that kind of night through New England. The final score
3:55
Speaker 1: after the game are Mike Giardi caught up with the
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Speaker 1: hero of the game, Josh Allen. All Right, Josh, teams
4:03
Speaker 1: don't come in here three straight years to beat the
4:04
Speaker 1: page me. It's in New England. What does it say
4:06
Speaker 1: about your football team that you've been able to do
4:08
Speaker 1: this well? Again? Our defense, Um, they played great, only
4:11
Speaker 1: letting up ten points, giving us short fields all day. Um,
4:15
Speaker 1: you know, we gotta score more points. That's how we feel.
4:17
Speaker 1: But we did enough to get it done tonight. It
4:19
Speaker 1: was a good situational football game win. Uh. You know,
4:22
Speaker 1: we worked in unison with defense and special teams, found
4:25
Speaker 1: a way to get it done. Runney games seems to
4:27
Speaker 1: be going pretty well. James Cook seems to be giving
4:29
Speaker 1: you a nice dose here. Yeah. Absolutely, he's He's a
4:30
Speaker 1: difference maker for us. Him and motor running extremely hard.
4:33
Speaker 1: Thrown in hines to he he's a little bitter bug
4:36
Speaker 1: back there. So the more touches we can get them,
4:38
Speaker 1: the better we're gonna be as an offense. So I
4:40
Speaker 1: gotta continue to find way that last month for me.
4:45
Speaker 1: Stefon Diggs doesn't seem like anybody can cover that guy
4:48
Speaker 1: one on one. I don't think so. I don't think so.
4:50
Speaker 1: I I trust him you know with my life. He
4:53
Speaker 1: goes out every single game. He competes very hard. Man
4:55
Speaker 1: and left phone too. Yeah, that's the fine Diggs Josh
4:59
Speaker 1: Allen connection. Certainly phenomenal. For more on that game, Mark
5:02
Speaker 1: Ross Jim trotted back with us now and Jim. We
5:04
Speaker 1: saw the Bills run through a gauntlet three straight wins
5:07
Speaker 1: after losing those two in a row. What was your
5:09
Speaker 1: big takeaway from last night? You know, Omar, it would
5:12
Speaker 1: be easy to focus on their offensive efficiency in the
5:15
Speaker 1: red zone, or their defensive performance there, or even the
5:18
Speaker 1: way that they played complementary football, But for me, my
5:21
Speaker 1: takeaway was just the maturity of this Buffalo Bills team
5:24
Speaker 1: to go through what they've gone through over the past
5:26
Speaker 1: twelve days, where you had one game move because of
5:29
Speaker 1: whether you're worried about the conditions for your family and
5:32
Speaker 1: not just what's going on on the football field. Play
5:34
Speaker 1: three straight role games, two of those are decided by
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Speaker 1: one possession, and you went all three when you easily
5:40
Speaker 1: could have fallen back on an excuse of all the
5:42
Speaker 1: things that have gone on to lose one of those,
5:44
Speaker 1: and they didn't, And to me, that just shows a
5:46
Speaker 1: character about this team and a maturity about this team
5:49
Speaker 1: that should bo well for them going forward. Mark, we
5:53
Speaker 1: talked about a couple of teams going in different directions.
5:55
Speaker 1: After the Bills won three in a row, New England
5:57
Speaker 1: has now lost two in a row, and it seems
6:00
Speaker 1: like frustration has sat in. We saw Mac Jones express
6:03
Speaker 1: that frustration when the cameras pot him on the sideline
6:06
Speaker 1: shouting that the quick game wasn't going very good. They
6:09
Speaker 1: want to push the ball down the field. But here's
6:12
Speaker 1: Bill Belichick's reaction this morning. Look, the bottom line is
6:19
Speaker 1: we need to just keep working to improve it every week.
6:23
Speaker 1: You know this week will be different. Arizona's a different defense,
6:26
Speaker 1: and Buffalo Buffaloes different defense. In Minnesota, Minisotas different defense,
6:30
Speaker 1: and the Jets UM. So it's just not as simple
6:33
Speaker 1: as you know, working against UM. You know, improving your
6:37
Speaker 1: time in a mile run. I mean, that's not what
6:40
Speaker 1: this is. This is about competing against another team. Just
6:43
Speaker 1: keep working through it. This is a remarkable statistic here.
6:47
Speaker 1: The Patriots have no touchdown passes in the fourth quarter
6:52
Speaker 1: of this season. Highlights certainly a lot of those struggles
6:55
Speaker 1: they've had on offense to find that consistency mark. When
6:59
Speaker 1: you look at the Patriots last night, what were your impressions? Well,
7:03
Speaker 1: as Bill Belichick said, it's about the matchups. And last
7:06
Speaker 1: week the Patriots offense looked the best they had it,
7:08
Speaker 1: but that was against the Vikings d that was last
7:10
Speaker 1: in the league for passing. So you looked at this
7:13
Speaker 1: game and said, Okay, now they're playing a legitimate Buffalo
7:15
Speaker 1: Bills defense. How will they look? Well, they looked in
7:18
Speaker 1: that and this goes to a lot of different levels
7:21
Speaker 1: of this. The offensive coordinator, Matt Patrician seems like there's
7:24
Speaker 1: no true game playing going on there. I don't think
7:27
Speaker 1: they have a lot of talent at their skill position.
7:30
Speaker 1: When Marcus Jones, the corner returned specialist, is your leading
7:33
Speaker 1: receiver last night on his first play on offense, the
7:37
Speaker 1: forty eight yards slip screen, that's a bad indictment. And
7:40
Speaker 1: then you're running back Romandre Stevens had the most targets
7:43
Speaker 1: and the most receptions in the past game. Yes, Mac
7:45
Speaker 1: Jones is frustrated with the quick game, but he's at
7:49
Speaker 1: fault for that too. And a Italian quote after the
7:51
Speaker 1: game was Jordan Poyer that Bill Safety said, we wanted
7:54
Speaker 1: to make Mac Jones beat us with with his arm,
7:57
Speaker 1: a lot of concerns and mac Jones was drafted if
7:59
Speaker 1: he was really worth that first round pick. I think
8:01
Speaker 1: you're kind of seeing what mac Jones is in his offense.
8:03
Speaker 1: Omar Patriot have that mini by to try to get
8:06
Speaker 1: things right. They don't play again until the following Monday
8:09
Speaker 1: against the Arizona Cardinals, so certainly time to figure it out,
8:13
Speaker 1: but they need to figure it out fast if they're
8:15
Speaker 1: to stay in the a f C playoff contention. Mark, Jim,
8:18
Speaker 1: thank you both very much. Meanwhile, another one of those
8:20
Speaker 1: matchup where we have a couple of winning teams going
8:22
Speaker 1: against each other be Mike White and the Jets taking
8:25
Speaker 1: on Kirk Cousins and the Vikings. Robert Sala announcing earlier
8:29
Speaker 1: this week that Mike White will indeed start, and it
8:32
Speaker 1: will be Joe Flacco his backup once again. Zach Wilson
8:35
Speaker 1: will be inactive. Here's solid talking about defending her Cousins. Decisive, accurate, um,
8:45
Speaker 1: great presence in the pocket, gets the ball ward and
8:47
Speaker 1: it's two pretty quick. Um. Uh. They do a really
8:50
Speaker 1: good jobs. He's played in this league a long time.
8:53
Speaker 1: He has, He's got a lot of years under his
8:55
Speaker 1: belt and um, you know we've played him before. He's
8:58
Speaker 1: he's he's very good. Um. They speak the world of
9:01
Speaker 1: his mindset, his his football like you, the way he
9:04
Speaker 1: can absorb information. And you know Kyle, Kyle is um
9:09
Speaker 1: is very complex with his with his schemes. He's one
9:11
Speaker 1: of the best in football. And and um, you've got
9:14
Speaker 1: to be able to handle it. And so if you're
9:16
Speaker 1: one thing I know about Kyle, if he's if he
9:18
Speaker 1: loves yet, you've done You've done something right. The Vikings
9:23
Speaker 1: essentially can clinch the NFC North if they win in
9:26
Speaker 1: Detroit loses, So a lot on the line here this
9:29
Speaker 1: weekend in Minneapolis. Tom Pellisero and Judi Batista back with
9:32
Speaker 1: us and Tom will start with you. Still dealing. The
9:35
Speaker 1: Vikings are without Christian Dery saw their big star left tackle.
9:38
Speaker 1: What more can you tell us about him? And how
9:40
Speaker 1: they're adjusting Walmar. According to reporters on the scene, Christian
9:43
Speaker 1: derrisaw is at practice today but wearing a red no
9:46
Speaker 1: contact jersey. That's usually an indicator that you're still several
9:49
Speaker 1: steps away from being cleared out of the concussion protocol,
9:53
Speaker 1: which means that Blake Brando will be in line for
9:55
Speaker 1: his second NFL start on Sunday against the Jets. Vikens
9:59
Speaker 1: only gave up one sack last week against the Patriots,
10:02
Speaker 1: but they did use some more extra man protections than
10:06
Speaker 1: they would if they had Christian Derrissaw able to play
10:08
Speaker 1: over on an island there. Teams are actually blitzing less
10:11
Speaker 1: with Therri Saw out and getting more pressure on Kirk Cousins,
10:15
Speaker 1: so there is going to be an adjustment. We saw
10:18
Speaker 1: more help in terms of tight ends and others being
10:20
Speaker 1: able to help out the tackles and specifically the left
10:23
Speaker 1: tackle position the last week. But when you're facing the
10:25
Speaker 1: Jets pass rush that certainly has gotten after people all year,
10:28
Speaker 1: that's gonna be something to watch because, of course, Kirk
10:31
Speaker 1: Cousins very good at playing within rhythm. The one time
10:34
Speaker 1: we've really seen them shut down offensively, it was when
10:36
Speaker 1: the Cowboys and Michael Parsons got after him on that
10:39
Speaker 1: opening drive and everything in the game plan kind of
10:41
Speaker 1: changed from there, and that certainly was a beat down.
10:43
Speaker 1: As far as the Jets go, Judy Mike White back
10:47
Speaker 1: in the starting lineup, how does he possibly follow up
10:50
Speaker 1: the great game he had last week? Well that is
10:53
Speaker 1: the question. Of course. He tore apart the Chicago Bears.
10:56
Speaker 1: But as Mark Ross was just talking about in the
10:58
Speaker 1: Patriots segment of the Minnesota Vikings do not have a
11:01
Speaker 1: stellar past defense. They give up a whole lot of yards.
11:04
Speaker 1: Mike White, he was saying today facing them is a
11:06
Speaker 1: test of patience. He says, you've got to take what
11:09
Speaker 1: they give you. And this is what he said. Most
11:10
Speaker 1: of the time quarterbacks want to make splash plays and
11:13
Speaker 1: push the ball down the field. You can't do that.
11:16
Speaker 1: You've got to take what they give you. That is
11:18
Speaker 1: a particularly noteworthy thought because last year when Mike White
11:22
Speaker 1: had to step in for Zach Wilson when Zach got hurt.
11:26
Speaker 1: He was great in his first start against the Bengals,
11:29
Speaker 1: three touchdowns, four d five yards. They beat the Cincinnati Bengals,
11:32
Speaker 1: who went on to the Super Bowl. But in the
11:35
Speaker 1: second full game, he played Mike White through four interceptions,
11:39
Speaker 1: no touchdowns. He says he has learned from that. They
11:42
Speaker 1: went back and looked at the film and what they
11:44
Speaker 1: saw was that he was hurrying. He was making the
11:46
Speaker 1: right decisions mentally, but he was just going too fast.
11:50
Speaker 1: He says he's learned more from that game than any
11:53
Speaker 1: game he's ever won. He can remember every play. It's
11:55
Speaker 1: going to be important for the Jets playoff. Hopes to
11:58
Speaker 1: keep going, for Mike White to stay contained and take
12:02
Speaker 1: what defenses are giving him. Yea, Mike White half of
12:05
Speaker 1: his career interceptions coming in that performance, obviously, hoping to
12:08
Speaker 1: avoid that. On Sunday in Minnesota, Tom, Judy, thank you
12:12
Speaker 1: both very much. Still to come here on NFL Now.
12:14
Speaker 1: We're getting you set for Monday Night football. Tom Brady
12:18
Speaker 1: and the New Orleans Saints gonna face off against one
12:20
Speaker 1: another year. He'll from Tom when NFL Now continues New
12:30
Speaker 1: Right Now and to NFL Network. According to Rams head
12:32
Speaker 1: coach Sean McVeigh, Matthew Stafford is once again out this
12:36
Speaker 1: Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. He has cleared concussion protocol,
12:40
Speaker 1: but he is out with a neck injury. So once
12:42
Speaker 1: again Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald will not play for
12:45
Speaker 1: the Rams. They have an NFC West showdown against the
12:47
Speaker 1: Seahawks right here at Sophi Stadium. It is the Chiefs
12:54
Speaker 1: and the Bengals. Yes, it is history. Now. He fires
13:00
Speaker 1: late for the right side touchdown and gets it back
13:05
Speaker 1: into his body, touched down five seconds left and a half,
13:09
Speaker 1: Hill gets tackled and the clock runs out. Will this
13:13
Speaker 1: be volume two of Charles Dickens tailor two halves? We
13:16
Speaker 1: saw how the first one end govern he leaps, he's
13:20
Speaker 1: got touched and the Bengals have climbed back and we
13:25
Speaker 1: are going to overtime. It's deflected. It intercepted by bog
13:28
Speaker 1: Bell home. Wow, what a game that was. What a
13:40
Speaker 1: game we are expecting in Cincinnati on Sunday as the
13:43
Speaker 1: nine and two Chiefs face off against the seven and
13:46
Speaker 1: four Bengals. Bengals are on a winning streak, They've surged
13:49
Speaker 1: in the a f C standings. Of course, Joe Burrow
13:52
Speaker 1: has been Patrick's homes both times they faced each other
13:55
Speaker 1: in the regular season last year and in that a
13:58
Speaker 1: f C Championship game, and they could be on another
14:00
Speaker 1: collision course the way we look at the standings here.
14:03
Speaker 1: Of course, Buffalo in the number two seed thanks that
14:06
Speaker 1: win last night. But if the Dolphins can beat the
14:08
Speaker 1: forty niners on Sunday, they'd go back there as that
14:11
Speaker 1: to seed. Things are coming into focus just a little
14:15
Speaker 1: bit closer as we hit this playoff drive. It is December.
14:19
Speaker 1: You have to earn the right to play meaningful games
14:21
Speaker 1: in December. This is certainly one of them. Jeff g D.
14:24
Speaker 1: Steve Whitebeck with us now and we look at all
14:26
Speaker 1: the weapons there, Jeff, for that Cincinnati offense, how is
14:29
Speaker 1: the Chiefs defense preparing to handle that? Well, they're talking
14:33
Speaker 1: about revenge in Kansas City, Omar, and it's a it's
14:35
Speaker 1: a big deal for this team to play the Bengals
14:37
Speaker 1: again because they've lost both game, as you mentioned, and
14:40
Speaker 1: the defense does not looked great, especially in the second half.
14:44
Speaker 1: Now that coaches have talked about the fact that the
14:46
Speaker 1: Bengals offense is not uh no surprises here. They're gonna
14:50
Speaker 1: come at you with the run game, They're gonna come
14:52
Speaker 1: out you with the explosive plays, and the Chiefs have
14:54
Speaker 1: to be really good at stopping those explosive plays and
14:57
Speaker 1: getting to the quarterback. Defensive tackle Chris Jones said he
15:00
Speaker 1: was really upset about not getting a couple of sacks
15:03
Speaker 1: in an ANC Championship game last year. I thought if
15:06
Speaker 1: you could have gotten Burrow on the ground, things might
15:08
Speaker 1: have been different. But a lot of chirping going back
15:10
Speaker 1: and forth justin reads but on Twitter, going at Jamar
15:13
Speaker 1: Chase and Hayden Hurst. So she's want this game bad
15:16
Speaker 1: defense once this game bad. Yeah, it's Steve as far
15:20
Speaker 1: as the chief scope, they have to prepare now for
15:24
Speaker 1: Jamaar Chase. As good as the Bengals have been of late,
15:26
Speaker 1: they've been doing it without their superstar receiver. What's the
15:29
Speaker 1: story now, Well, Jamar Chase coming back just change things drastically.
15:34
Speaker 1: You know, who are you gonna double? Because see Higgins
15:36
Speaker 1: has been doing his thing and so that to me
15:38
Speaker 1: sets up one of the great conversations we've had leading
15:42
Speaker 1: up to a game where Justin Reids and We're gonna
15:44
Speaker 1: lock everybody down, Jamar Chase sing like okay, and then
15:48
Speaker 1: Hayden Hurst, the tight end who Justin Reid got confused,
15:52
Speaker 1: you know, players called Jersey numbers. But then Hayden Hurst
15:55
Speaker 1: who came out and said, uh, I might be the
15:57
Speaker 1: last person you want to talk Dookie emoji too, because
16:01
Speaker 1: I have a long memory. Look at Hayden Hurst's best
16:04
Speaker 1: game this year. Six catches in the touchdown against the Ravens,
16:08
Speaker 1: the team that drafted him and let him go. Six
16:11
Speaker 1: catches against the Atlanta Falcon, the team that let him
16:13
Speaker 1: go after the season because they drafted Kyle Pitts then
16:17
Speaker 1: he had two catches last week and get the Tennessee Titans.
16:19
Speaker 1: So with Chason Higgins out wide what they do in
16:22
Speaker 1: the running game, Hayden Hurst could be the player for
16:24
Speaker 1: the Cincinnati Bengals who could really be the guy who
16:27
Speaker 1: gets off this week. And we'll see if that long
16:30
Speaker 1: memory also child Blakes maybe just a touchdowns in big plays. Well,
16:34
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow can become the second quarterback to beat Patrick
16:38
Speaker 1: Mahomes three times, first one to ever do it three
16:40
Speaker 1: straight if the Bengals can beat the Chiefs this weekend.
16:44
Speaker 1: Thank you Jeff, Thank you Steve. Of course, that other
16:46
Speaker 1: quarterback he could join is Tom Brady, who's beaten Patrick
16:50
Speaker 1: Mahomes three times in his career, looking to beat the
16:53
Speaker 1: Saints for the second time this season, after of course,
16:56
Speaker 1: losing every regular season game to the Saints as a
16:59
Speaker 1: Buccaneer heading into this year. Here is Tom Brady talking
17:02
Speaker 1: about that New Orleans d They're very good defense. I
17:07
Speaker 1: think they very good at the d line. They I
17:10
Speaker 1: think have one of the best linebackers playing in football,
17:13
Speaker 1: and Demerio Um very good in the secondary. I think
17:16
Speaker 1: they've invested a lot in their defense. Um just very
17:20
Speaker 1: talented and I think they make it a very physical
17:24
Speaker 1: game and um tough to run the ball. They challenge you.
17:27
Speaker 1: In the past game, UM, turnovers have been a big
17:31
Speaker 1: story against us and the times we've won and the
17:34
Speaker 1: times we've lost. So we're gonna have to take care
17:37
Speaker 1: of the ball. We have to make the plays when
17:39
Speaker 1: they're there. UM, gotta stay balanced. We've got to play
17:41
Speaker 1: a great game in all three phases against a good
17:43
Speaker 1: football team that's you know, been a been a tough
17:46
Speaker 1: team for us, no doubt. So certainly at home we
17:48
Speaker 1: have not We're not winning scoring zero points. We're certainly
17:51
Speaker 1: not winning uh you know, probably scoring three points. Um,
17:55
Speaker 1: so we're gonna have to do a good job and um,
17:57
Speaker 1: you know, hit the ones that are there. As Brady
18:00
Speaker 1: described on his Let's Go podcast earlierly the week, they're
18:02
Speaker 1: like a vander Holly Field getting their ear bid A
18:05
Speaker 1: couple of times. Would still want the fight against Mike Tyson.
18:08
Speaker 1: That's what the Buccaneers here are. They have a losing record,
18:10
Speaker 1: but they are in first in the NFC South and
18:13
Speaker 1: currently in the playoff picture. With that five and six record,
18:16
Speaker 1: they are a half game in front of the Atlanta Falcons,
18:18
Speaker 1: who trailed him with a five and seven record. For
18:21
Speaker 1: much more on this matchup, we welcome in Sarah Walsh,
18:24
Speaker 1: and when you talk about the Buccaneers offense, Sarah, seems
18:27
Speaker 1: like a broken record. We're asking, yet again, how do
18:30
Speaker 1: they get that offense back on track. That's a great point, Omar,
18:34
Speaker 1: and one that I certainly can't argue with you. So
18:37
Speaker 1: I did ask Tom Brady today, what gives you hope
18:40
Speaker 1: that we can get this offense on track? And he said, well,
18:44
Speaker 1: hope is not a strategy. What I thought was really interesting,
18:47
Speaker 1: So hope, it's not a strategy. The only thing that
18:49
Speaker 1: is going to get this offense back on track is executing,
18:52
Speaker 1: something that we have heard them say repeatedly. Now, it's
18:55
Speaker 1: also interesting that this defense got together this week and
18:58
Speaker 1: had a dinner out to talk about some of their issues.
19:02
Speaker 1: And the defense has played pretty well. They gave up
19:04
Speaker 1: a touchdown on late and lost that game and overtime
19:06
Speaker 1: to Cleveland. So Todd Bowles was asked, maybe, does the
19:09
Speaker 1: offense need to go do that? And he said, no,
19:11
Speaker 1: this is not a matter of closeness. This is a
19:13
Speaker 1: matter of executing. So again we hear the same things
19:15
Speaker 1: over and over again. And when I talked to Carlton Davis,
19:18
Speaker 1: one of their defensive stars, about that dinner and what
19:20
Speaker 1: they expected to get out of that, he said that
19:22
Speaker 1: they have a repetitive message here in Tampa, and that
19:24
Speaker 1: message is right now to do the small things and
19:27
Speaker 1: to no matter what any cost, come out of this
19:29
Speaker 1: Monday night game with a win. Carlton was asked does
19:32
Speaker 1: this team still believe it can win a Super Bowl?
19:35
Speaker 1: And he did not blink. He said, of course, always
19:39
Speaker 1: don't count us out. Omar, well, I think when they
19:41
Speaker 1: want the Super Bowl a couple years ago, there are
19:43
Speaker 1: seven and five in December, and then of course went
19:45
Speaker 1: on to not lose the game, so there is hope
19:47
Speaker 1: for them. They have to do it soon. Meanwhile, whenever
19:50
Speaker 1: these two teams get together, whether it's Lattimore and Evans,
19:52
Speaker 1: there's some seems to be flags or seems to be piles.
19:55
Speaker 1: How are the Buccaneers playing and keeping their emotions in
19:57
Speaker 1: check here on Monday night? Yeah, if you do nothing
20:00
Speaker 1: else but watch Marshawn Lattimore and Mike Evans, well you
20:03
Speaker 1: got yourself some entertainment on Monday night, because these two
20:07
Speaker 1: never disappoint. So let me set the scene for you
20:09
Speaker 1: because the last time, and this is a long running
20:11
Speaker 1: history between the two, but let's just go back to
20:13
Speaker 1: the last time they played each other. It was Week
20:15
Speaker 1: two and this one ended with Lattimore and Evans both
20:18
Speaker 1: being ejected. Evans gave him a shove that wound up
20:21
Speaker 1: getting Evans suspended for a game. It was a total
20:24
Speaker 1: melee there. The buck came out on top and that
20:26
Speaker 1: one it was a twenty to ten Buccaneers win. But
20:28
Speaker 1: Evans said this week, look, we're two of the best
20:31
Speaker 1: in the business. Were competitive, We're physical, but Evan said,
20:34
Speaker 1: I understand I have to keep my emotions in check.
20:37
Speaker 1: He said, I can't go shove someone out of the air.
20:39
Speaker 1: Todd Bowl said the same thing, that they're competitive, but
20:42
Speaker 1: we have to find a way to keep it clean.
20:45
Speaker 1: There is no question we expect to see some fireworks
20:48
Speaker 1: between these two. Obviously, nobody wants to get ejected. Evans
20:52
Speaker 1: went through that earlier this year and Tom talked about
20:55
Speaker 1: it too. He said, look, Mike doesn't want to get
20:57
Speaker 1: thrown out of this game, but we expect Mike to
20:59
Speaker 1: be Mike and Mike admitted they did come out of
21:02
Speaker 1: that game with a win, but he said. Since I've
21:03
Speaker 1: come into this league and Mike been around now for
21:05
Speaker 1: a while, he said, the Saints have had our number.
21:07
Speaker 1: It is important for the Bucks for a litany of
21:09
Speaker 1: reasons to come out with a win on Monday, but
21:12
Speaker 1: it would be huge against a team that has really
21:14
Speaker 1: been a thorn in their side for a while now
21:16
Speaker 1: here in Tampa. Yeah, we've largely ignored the NFC South
21:19
Speaker 1: because of how poorly they've played in the bigger picture.
21:22
Speaker 1: But this might be one of the more fascinating races
21:24
Speaker 1: to watch down the stretch because every team is still
21:27
Speaker 1: in it with a bunch of games remaining with one another,
21:30
Speaker 1: so certainly will be fascinating to watch. Sarah Walsh will
21:32
Speaker 1: be all over it as always. Thank you very much, Sarah. Meanwhile,
21:37
Speaker 1: the Pro Bowl set to return to Vegas in twenty
21:40
Speaker 1: three for the reimagined Pro Bowl Games with new skills
21:44
Speaker 1: challenges and an a f C NFC flag football Showdown.
21:47
Speaker 1: It's an all new format, but the same way to
21:49
Speaker 1: vote for the league's best at each position to play
21:52
Speaker 1: your part in the Pro Bowl Games. Vote presented by
21:55
Speaker 1: Castro Text vote to six three five six three five
22:01
Speaker 1: Still to come here on NFL now much more on
22:04
Speaker 1: games around on the league. A lot of good ones,
22:06
Speaker 1: of course, the blockbuster ones we've talked about, and some
22:08
Speaker 1: others that are flying under the radar. We'll have much
22:11
Speaker 1: more undane man there thrown out the teams. Hey, that's
22:20
Speaker 1: a heck of a team win man, great complimentary football.
22:23
Speaker 1: Way to go on the road and get it done, man,
22:25
Speaker 1: and in a tough, tough place to win right here, right,
22:28
Speaker 1: Great character and leadership in this room. And I'll tell
22:30
Speaker 1: you what great character and leadership that goes a long way, man,
22:33
Speaker 1: long way. You got three days off now, in three
22:36
Speaker 1: days off and just be smart, right, need this is
22:43
Speaker 1: a little mini by for you. I'm right at the
22:46
Speaker 1: right time here. So we're fresh down the stress. That's
22:48
Speaker 1: important to take care of yourself. Stay humble and stay hungry, right,
22:52
Speaker 1: humble and hungry. Be smart this next weekend, man, keep
22:55
Speaker 1: the most important thing, the most important thing. We got
22:57
Speaker 1: a job to do. What do they showed him with
23:02
Speaker 1: the Jets next weekend for those Buffalo bills. Now for
23:05
Speaker 1: our weekend, whip around with Judy, Steve and Mark and
23:08
Speaker 1: Judy will start with you. I don't think there is
23:10
Speaker 1: any doubt that Aaron Rodgers would try to will himself
23:13
Speaker 1: to play in this game. Back in Chicago, what's your
23:16
Speaker 1: take on Bears Packers this weekend? Well, that's what I'm watching.
23:20
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields. Will he get on the fields?
23:23
Speaker 1: It looks like maybe we'll see him too. But I'm
23:25
Speaker 1: really intrigued by Aaron Rodgers saying we referenced it earlier
23:29
Speaker 1: in the show that he'd be open to if things
23:32
Speaker 1: get out of their hands, sitting down and letting them
23:35
Speaker 1: see a younger player, meaning Jordan's love. So I am
23:38
Speaker 1: watching for this game to see if that happens, if
23:41
Speaker 1: we see Jordan's love, and frankly, to see what kind
23:43
Speaker 1: of condition Aaron Rodgers is him. A fascinating comment, to
23:47
Speaker 1: be sure. Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Steve, we get a
23:49
Speaker 1: rematch of that Week eight teen classic last year, and
23:52
Speaker 1: I would have sent both teams to the playoffs instead,
23:55
Speaker 1: it was the Raiders that took that postseason birth. What
23:58
Speaker 1: are you looking forward to in this one? We'll judging
24:00
Speaker 1: on the records. If the Chargers want to have any
24:02
Speaker 1: chance of making the playoffs, they have to win this game.
24:05
Speaker 1: That comes down to stopping Raiders running back Josh Jacobs
24:08
Speaker 1: because after this game, After this game, the Chargers face
24:11
Speaker 1: the Dolphins and Titans, two top ones, but then they
24:14
Speaker 1: finished with three winnable games down the stretch. But you
24:17
Speaker 1: got to get the ten wins if they do it.
24:19
Speaker 1: But they won't get to ten they don't beat the
24:21
Speaker 1: Raiders this week. Yeah, Las Vegas was the site of
24:24
Speaker 1: Jeff Saturday's first win in his first game as interim
24:27
Speaker 1: head coach. And things don't get any easier now is
24:30
Speaker 1: they prepare to go to Dallas on Sunday night Football, Mark,
24:33
Speaker 1: what's your take on this game? Yeah, things keep getting
24:36
Speaker 1: real for Jeff Saturday here and this could be blowout
24:38
Speaker 1: city for the Cowboys, who I just see is a
24:40
Speaker 1: much more superior team on both sides of the ball.
24:43
Speaker 1: The only way I see the Colts hanging around this
24:45
Speaker 1: if if Jonathan Taylor just goes crazy against that Cowboys
24:48
Speaker 1: rush defense that we've seen give up some big plays
24:51
Speaker 1: at big games throughout the season. Jacks Lions, Judy. Meanwhile,
24:55
Speaker 1: both these teams seem like they're a little winning streak
24:58
Speaker 1: away from getting back into that playoff picture. What are
25:00
Speaker 1: you looking forward to about that matchup? Really, what I'm
25:02
Speaker 1: looking for is to see Trevor Lawrence building off his
25:05
Speaker 1: performance last week. That felt like the coming out party
25:08
Speaker 1: for Trevor Lawrence that we have been waiting for. He
25:11
Speaker 1: has had three games in a row now with a
25:13
Speaker 1: quarterback rating of a hundred or more. So I want
25:16
Speaker 1: to see if he continues this upward trajectory. We know
25:19
Speaker 1: that the Lions defense struggles, we will see how he does. Steve,
25:23
Speaker 1: I think we've all circled those of us that have
25:24
Speaker 1: covered Bobby Wagner, the Seahawks, the Rams over the years
25:27
Speaker 1: on this one at Sophie Stadium on Sunday, Bobby Wagner
25:30
Speaker 1: versus the Seahawks for the first time. What say you
25:33
Speaker 1: about this one? Bobby Wagner might have fifty two tackles
25:36
Speaker 1: because Aaron Donald and a Jean Robbins and the two
25:39
Speaker 1: defensive tackles and fun of him are out. And even
25:41
Speaker 1: though this is a game with the Seahawks, quarterback Gino
25:43
Speaker 1: Smith might be able to do some stuff without having
25:45
Speaker 1: to run from Aaron Donald. Kill is gonna take the
25:48
Speaker 1: ball out of his hands to run it because that
25:50
Speaker 1: depleted Rams front. Okay, Mark and finally Steelers Falcons, what
25:54
Speaker 1: are you looking forward to about that matchup, Let's see
25:57
Speaker 1: the continue maturation of Kenny pick At the quarterback. Rookie
26:00
Speaker 1: quarterback there for the Steelers. Looked the last three games
26:03
Speaker 1: no interceptions, but only has one touchdown pass. So let's
26:06
Speaker 1: see if he can have a big signature game. Much
26:09
Speaker 1: like Judy reference about Trevor Lawrence. If Kenny Pickett can
26:12
Speaker 1: get one against that rank Falcons past defense. Yeah, Steelers
26:17
Speaker 1: have to close out winning five of six I believe
26:20
Speaker 1: to avoid Mike Tomlins first losing season as head coach
26:24
Speaker 1: and the Falcons. Meanwhile, five and seven still right there
26:27
Speaker 1: in that NFC South playoff picture, just a half game
26:30
Speaker 1: back of those Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A lot to look
26:32
Speaker 1: forward to in that one as well. Judy, Steve Mark,
26:35
Speaker 1: thank you all very much. Still to come here on NFL.
26:38
Speaker 1: Now we are talking about Aiden Hutchinson. What special things
26:42
Speaker 1: is he doing that we're focusing on? Next? Right here
26:45
Speaker 1: on one more thing gets your game Day started Sunday
26:54
Speaker 1: at nanting m Eastern with NFL Game Day morning. Good
26:57
Speaker 1: morning you, good looking fellow. It's a potential Super Bowl
27:01
Speaker 1: preview people when Miami travels to San Francisco. Let you
27:05
Speaker 1: know why to and the Dolphins could be in for
27:07
Speaker 1: a long night against the Niners. Dominant d It's an
27:11
Speaker 1: a FC championship rematch between the Chiefs and Bengals is
27:16
Speaker 1: heading to the Super Bowl. Kurt breaks down why Casey
27:20
Speaker 1: should be on upset alert again Sunday, and since and
27:23
Speaker 1: the Giants host the red hot Commanders with playoff positioning
27:27
Speaker 1: on the line, Boch will explain what New York needs
27:30
Speaker 1: to do to stop It's two games skin, all that
27:32
Speaker 1: and much more Sunday at nin m Eastern. Can't wait
27:38
Speaker 1: for that. I'll be at Santa Clara Levi Stadium for
27:40
Speaker 1: the Dolphins forty Niners matchup. Time for one more thing
27:43
Speaker 1: and that is where we begin with Jim Trotter. Jim,
27:45
Speaker 1: what's your one more thing? Well, I want to give
27:48
Speaker 1: a shout out to the forty Niners who are going
27:49
Speaker 1: to honor former Dolphins executive Jason Jenkins with a moment
27:53
Speaker 1: of silence before kickoff on Sunday. Jenkins was a long
27:57
Speaker 1: time Dolphins executive who passed away this summer at the
27:59
Speaker 1: age of forty seven from thrombosis when a blood clot
28:03
Speaker 1: traveled up his leg to his heart. He was a
28:05
Speaker 1: beloved figure in the NFL community in the forty Niners
28:08
Speaker 1: of bringing back members of the PR staff who were
28:11
Speaker 1: with the organization when Jason cut his teeth there. They're
28:14
Speaker 1: also bringing in his family for this honor, and I
28:18
Speaker 1: just want to say, what a great thing that the
28:19
Speaker 1: forty Niners are doing. Yeah, great, great man. Jason was
28:22
Speaker 1: the first PR man I ever met in covering those
28:24
Speaker 1: forts back in the mid two thousand's Judy, what's your
28:28
Speaker 1: one more thing? Well, this weekend is my cause, my
28:31
Speaker 1: my cleats. We've talked a lot about it, and I
28:33
Speaker 1: want to give special recognition to the players who are
28:36
Speaker 1: using this occasion to support charities that support women. Last night,
28:41
Speaker 1: Jonathan Jones war cleats uh that's hit, played like a girl.
28:44
Speaker 1: They were inspired by his daughter to support better opportunities
28:47
Speaker 1: for women. His teammate Damian Harris wore cleats that supported
28:50
Speaker 1: Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts. The thanks guys duty as it
28:54
Speaker 1: added three girls. You know I love that one. Good
28:56
Speaker 1: on Jones there, Mark, What's your one more thing? Omar
29:00
Speaker 1: has been running a part of about twenty plus drafts.
29:03
Speaker 1: No matter where you draft the player on or that,
29:05
Speaker 1: they're never happy where they get drafted. This week, the
29:08
Speaker 1: eight notch in quote, I love this guy was a
29:10
Speaker 1: second pick of the draft, still wasn't happy, said that
29:13
Speaker 1: it's going to stick with him forever. And he guess,
29:15
Speaker 1: he said, I guess my arms weren't long enough. A
29:18
Speaker 1: little shot at GM Trent Baulky and Trayvon Walker who
29:21
Speaker 1: had those notoriously arms whatever it was. So let's look
29:25
Speaker 1: for aiden to get after Trevor Lawrence as we could.
29:27
Speaker 1: That chip on the shoulder, that boulder stays with them forever. Meanwhile,
29:31
Speaker 1: if the Packers were to beat the Bears on Sunday,
29:34
Speaker 1: they would surpass Chicago as the winningest franchise of all
29:39
Speaker 1: times seven hundred and eighties six. They are currently tied.
29:43
Speaker 1: One little note about that game, we just found out,
29:45
Speaker 1: according to Matt eber Fluce, that Justin Fields will start
29:48
Speaker 1: for Chicago in that when everybody have a great weekend,
29:51
Speaker 1: enjoy the games. NFL Now is a production of the
29:56
Speaker 1: NFL in partnership with my Heart Radio. For more podcasts
30:00
Speaker 1: from my Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app,
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