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NFL 2025 | Week 7 Preview | Banter with the Boys - Gridiron Updates · Banter with the Boys

0:00
Get laced up! Let's go! It's time for Banter
0:04
with the Boys! Welcome back, football fans and
0:16
Skull Nation! Welcome back, everyone! You don't
0:20
have to be a Vikings fan, but it sure does help.
0:22
That's what Tom Grossi says. Oh. You don't know
0:25
about that, do you? No, I know who he is, and
0:29
I know his catchphrase. It doesn't help? No,
0:32
no. Anyways, Week 7 football, we're back here.
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Oh, boy. I'm super excited for Week 7. It should
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be. We got our Vikings back. Your team's on a
0:41
bye. Much needed bye. So a free win. That's right,
0:44
and we'll take it. A little rest. Your team needs
0:47
a little rest. We need a lot of rest. Our team
0:49
needed a lot of rest, which we got. But we'll
0:53
talk about my team here shortly. But we're going
0:55
to start off with some Thursday night football.
1:00
Thursday, Thursday, Thursday. Is that a car commercial?
1:04
No. Or is that Saturday? Sunday, Sunday, Sunday.
1:07
All right. Yeah, there we go. We got it all.
1:12
Steelers versus the Bengals. A couple old guys,
1:16
Flacco and Rodgers, going head -to -head. Oh,
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man, this is exciting stuff. Battle of 40 -plus.
1:21
That's right. The icy hot bowl. The icy hot bowl.
1:25
Oh, my goodness. One's not playing too bad at
1:30
football. The other one's on a new team. Again.
1:34
Again. How are you feeling about this game? Feeling
1:42
good if the Bengals can get this to end in a
1:44
tie. Okay. Five and a half. Vegas has it. Which
1:49
seems low. What are we not seeing? I don't know.
1:58
Trey Hendricks might be questionable. Out with
2:01
the hip or could be out with the hip. Yeah. I
2:04
don't know. Maybe it should be more. That's what
2:07
I was saying. I think this is like a seven and
2:09
a half, eight and a half. Yeah. But Vegas has
2:12
that five and a half. You have Steelers defense
2:13
that's pretty dominant. Yep. A little banged
2:17
up, but not too bad. They're playing, what, coming
2:22
off two -game winning streak, I think? Three
2:24
-game winning streak, possibly? Two. They won
2:26
last week. They've been under the Vikings. Metcalf
2:31
kind of coming out a little bit now. Him and
2:34
Rodgers are figuring it out. Running game struggling,
2:37
I would still consider. Still, yeah. It's not
2:40
where I would consider the typical Steelers Mike
2:44
Tomlin team. Yep. And Gainwell, who was red hot
2:49
there against the Vikings. Disappeared real quick.
2:53
Yep. On the other side of the ball, Bengals with
2:57
Flacco coming in. This will be game two for him.
3:00
Still have Chase Brown in the background, in
3:04
the backfield. Yeah. Got Higgins and Jamar Chase
3:07
with his TikTok gritty. So the firepower is still
3:14
there. Offense line obviously has been a struggle.
3:17
Last week, they still struggled. Yeah. Defensively,
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they haven't really stopped anybody. Right. So
3:24
why is it five and a half? I don't know what
3:27
they're thinking. Maybe they've got more trust
3:30
in Flacco than the rest of us. So is that why
3:34
you're picking the Bengals this week? No, that's
3:37
not why I'm picking the Bengals. So who are you
3:39
going with? Not the Bengals. No, I'm picking
3:42
the Steelers. And it really is more that Steelers
3:47
front seven, just being able to put pressure
3:51
on Flacco. Flacco has been around the league,
3:54
knows pretty much like every offense. Another
3:56
week in this Bengals offense, I'm sure will do
4:00
him well for Higgins and Chase. But they got
4:04
to get the ball out of his hand real quick. or
4:08
he's going to get hounded by the Steelers. Which
4:14
I think Flacco can do. He's a vet. He's played
4:17
against the Steelers before. So nothing's really
4:23
going to surprise him too badly. Ramsey, interesting
4:27
matches up in the secondary. You got Ramsey.
4:30
You think he follows Chase? What do you think,
4:32
staying aside, and then a Porter Jr. on the other
4:35
side will just stick to his side? If Porter Jr.
4:37
can stay pretty healthy, I think they're going
4:41
to stick to their sides. That's just what they
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normally do. Maybe on key downs, like on a fourth
4:48
down or a third where Bengals are. You see them
4:52
matching up on that? Yeah, you might see a matchup.
4:55
Because they play a lot of man cover, too, I
4:57
believe, the Steelers, and they come with pressure
4:59
periodically. Pittsburgh's won the last three
5:04
trips to Cincinnati. I'm also going with the
5:08
Steelers. I don't think Flacco is going to be
5:12
enough for them, and I think that Steelers defense,
5:15
which I witnessed against the Vikings, can really
5:17
get after a team. Also, Steelers probably one
5:20
of the top five secondaries in the league, which
5:25
I think that's why that five and a half is an
5:27
interesting number for me. But I'm going to roll
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Steelers. What's your final thoughts? I think
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Steelers are going to steamroll. Steamroll? Yeah.
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I don't have a lot of trust in that offensive
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line, and that defense is sketchy at best. So
5:47
I think Aaron Rodgers and Matt Kaff are going
5:51
to continue to figure things out and kind of
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light up the scoreboard. Well, we got the Yinzers
5:57
of Pittsburgh coming through across the board
6:01
here with the Gridiron Updates. I'm assuming
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most of the other guys are going to go with the
6:05
Steelers, but maybe we'll get a Bengals fan sliding
6:08
in there. But we'll move on to game number two
6:12
here in week seven. We have the Los Angeles Rams
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versus the Jacksville Jaguars London game. London
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game. Early in the morning. So get your, what's
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your? biscuits get your pop tarts ready your
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pop tarts warmed up ready to go so jaguar is
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coming off a disappointing game against seattle
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last week yeah um rams um they lost too yeah
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they took an l so two l's coming into the london
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game three and a half vegas has them for the
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rams uh both teams four and two hopeful uh playoff
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hopefuls um puka nakua could be the difference
6:58
maker if he's likely out um devin floyd on the
7:04
other side also sideline um interesting fun vac
7:09
coaching connection liam cohen was once on mcvay's
7:13
staff oh so a little insider information there
7:17
another mcvay Coaching staff. Off the old tree
7:21
of the branch. Which way are you going here?
7:27
I kind of took a little bit of time to think
7:29
about this one. Jags were flat against the Seahawks
7:33
at home. And the Seahawks are an above average
7:39
defense. I think the Rams are as good, if not
7:43
better, on the defensive side of the ball than
7:45
the Seahawks. So I think. Well, you're going
7:48
Rams over Seahawks on defense overall. Okay.
7:50
Yeah. Overall there. I don't think it's a reach,
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but. The Puka injury worries me a little bit,
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but the Rams have enough other weapons where
8:04
they can work through that. They still have Adams
8:07
and Higbee. And Kyron Williams. And maybe Blake
8:12
Corham will get out of the... The old Fomaruski
8:15
doghouse? Yeah, I hope so. And it's Matthew Stafford,
8:20
so he's not... He's been around. He's been around.
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He's the old vet. He knows. He's seen it all.
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So I just... I think I have more confidence in
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the Rams than I do the Jags, even though both
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teams took an L. I don't know if the Jags are
8:37
going to bounce back this week. against a tough
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Rams defense. Yeah, it'll be really interesting
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to see how I think Trevor Lawrence handles a
8:45
bounce -back game like this, especially coming
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off a big emotional win over KC on that primetime
8:52
game. Whether they can establish the running
8:55
game against the Rams and keep this contest,
8:57
I do think the Jaguars' defense is good enough
9:00
to give Stafford some fits. But I think overall
9:05
the Rams are going to sneak one out here. I think
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it's going to be a close competitive game. I
9:12
expect Trevor Lawrence to have a bounce back
9:14
game. They need to get that running game established
9:16
to really affect. So I think Trevor Lawrence
9:19
has kind of a better play action style of play.
9:22
It really opens up Thomas Jr. on the outside.
9:26
But I think the Rams have just enough to get
9:28
it done. Puka's injury worries me a little bit,
9:33
where I think the game's going to be a little
9:35
bit closer, especially if he's sidelined. So
9:37
I'm going with the Rams. So is Jacob. We'll get
9:43
the rest of those picks somewhere out to you
9:46
guys to see whatever else done. We'll move on
9:49
to the next game, the hometown heroes versus
9:54
the evil. Philadelphia Eagles. Minnesota Vikings
10:00
at home. Ooh. Skull Nation, baby. We're coming
10:04
off a bye. Vegas got the Eagles by two and a
10:07
half. Eagles coming off two surprisingly losses.
10:13
Yeah. Trying to avoid a three -game losing streak,
10:17
which most people would laugh at me at the beginning
10:22
of the season that that was even a possibility.
10:25
Let me give you your takes of this before I spew
10:28
my Viking information. All right. Well, so you're
10:32
going to keep me in the dark. I don't know whether
10:34
or not Minnesota is going to be starting J .J.
10:37
McCarthy or Carson Wentz. Both are banged up.
10:40
We don't know which quarterback Minnesota is
10:43
going to put on the field. Strategy. Oh, so that's
10:46
what that is? No. Strategy. Strategery. And I
10:52
question whether or not Minnesota is going to
10:53
be able to successfully run the ball against
10:55
the Eagles front four. Who's a little banged
11:01
up? I think Carter was a Carter out last game.
11:05
He was out last week. He, I believe, is expected
11:09
to be back this week. He's a significant difference
11:14
maker for that. defensive line we saw that against
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the cowboys i think we saw that uh we saw that
11:20
against the giants when the giants like scatabooed
11:23
all over them yes sir um yeah we should turn
11:28
that into a noun scataboo i think so all right
11:30
officially mark that down put it in the book
11:33
um but uh so i have those questions and i think
11:40
both teams have really good pair of wide receivers
11:44
AJ Brown, Slim Reaper, and then you got... The
11:48
Slim Reaper. I don't think I've ever heard that
11:49
one. I like that. Really? Yeah. Oh, it's been
11:52
around for a bit. I don't watch football, so...
11:55
And then, of course, you've got Justin Jefferson,
12:01
Jordan Addison. So you've got really good wideouts
12:04
on both sides. It'll be interesting to see which
12:07
secondary is going to be able to keep them under
12:09
wraps. But I... I'm going to take the Eagles
12:14
because I know we're getting Jalen Hurts and
12:17
Saquon Barkley, and I think those are the two,
12:20
and I think you're going to get Tush pushed out
12:23
of that, what, two and a half. I hate to hear
12:26
you saying that, even though I'm going completely
12:31
the opposite way. I'm taking my Vikings. Yes,
12:35
I think probably it's obviously the starting
12:38
quarterback scenario is the thing. I feel like
12:42
they're going to end up going with Wentz. I just
12:44
feel like JJ hasn't shown enough in practice
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or really full practice where I think they're
12:50
going to push him along. I don't really want
12:54
him to actually play against the Eagles the first
12:56
week. Carter being out, if Carter's out, that
12:59
definitely helps the offense and for the Vikings
13:02
banged up offense line. It's kind of questions
13:05
who we're fully, what line we're going to get.
13:10
Barkley scares the living crap out of me. I feel
13:14
like he's the type of running back that just
13:16
slaughters the Vikings. Will we be able to slow
13:22
him down enough? Also, I'm really interested
13:26
in where the Eagles are at right now. Why are
13:28
they struggling so bad? They were such a dominant
13:30
team. They haven't really lost anybody to injury
13:33
that's really changed anything. It's just they're
13:35
consistently, some of their play calling has
13:37
been really weird. I think I watched a little
13:40
video on just their third down plays. They kind
13:43
of ran the same curl, deep routes consistently
13:46
over and over. So maybe their creative abilities
13:50
on the offensive side has gotten a little skewed.
13:53
or just trying to see what they're going to do.
13:55
But I think the Vikings are going to stay in
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this one. It's going to be at home. We're going
13:59
to be rocking. We've got to keep it close and
14:01
maybe squeak a little field goal, a little 17
14:04
-19 style of game. But if it gets into a track
14:07
meet, the Eagles definitely would probably be
14:10
favored in this scenario. But I'm still going
14:12
to my hometown Vikings on a close W win. So Viking
14:16
Nation, there you got it, baby. Anything else
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you want to add to my takes? Anything you want
14:23
to vomit up, chew up, spit at me? Tell me I'm
14:26
an idiot? No, I wouldn't say that to you. Get
14:29
your own podcast? no i like your takes they're
14:35
good they're solid i just choose to disagree
14:37
on who's gonna take the w on that and that's
14:40
okay we can disagree on stuff and still sit in
14:42
the same room that's right i love it so moving
14:45
on that was game three of week seven uh preview
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here on gridiron updates again jacob filling
14:52
in for coach smelty again i'm rob we got a packer
14:55
fan hanging out in the corner i think he's gonna
14:57
join us next week so we can get some insights
14:59
on the uh Team across the border. We got a battle
15:05
with them coming up. Is it next week or when
15:08
is it? A couple of weeks? Week 10 or now. Okay.
15:12
That's all right. Well, you guys will probably
15:14
be out of the playoffs by then. Fast approaching.
15:15
So we should be good to go. Moving on to week
15:18
four. We have the Hotlanta Falcons coming off
15:22
a big win on Monday Night Football against the
15:26
banged up 49ers, but are still 4 -2. Key pieces
15:33
missing out of them. Vegas, three and a half.
15:37
For the 49ers, which is surprising. That's impressive.
15:41
They have that much? Yeah. Do you think it's
15:45
just the coach in this scenario, why they get
15:48
so much? I think so. They're kind of a plug -and
15:51
-play kind of guy. It's not about who they are
15:52
in there. Like Mack. Mack Jones is playing pretty
15:56
solid for a backup this year. I think it is,
15:58
but that's all. I think the past couple of years,
16:01
it's always been about who's that quarterback
16:05
coming from that stay in San Francisco. Minnesota,
16:12
you're all too familiar with it. Darnold was
16:14
a backup in San Francisco two years ago. Goes
16:17
to Minnesota last year, lights it up. We're like
16:19
the farm team of the NFL for quarterbacks. Yeah,
16:22
so if you're a quarterback and needed some work,
16:24
or at least revamping your game. So who are we
16:28
bringing in? We got Anthony Richardson. Who else
16:30
right now could use a little QB whisper? Trying
16:35
to think of quarterbacks of the last couple years
16:37
that have fell off. There's probably too many
16:42
to name, so we're moving on real quick. Too many.
16:45
So who you got? Oh, I'm so surprised that it's
16:52
three and a half. I'm really interested in that,
16:54
especially with Atlanta coming off such a hot
16:56
game. I'm actually going to go with 49ers. I
16:59
think McCaffrey's still that game -changing difference
17:01
player, and I think that's why Vegas has him
17:04
in that scenario. That's interesting. Max has
17:07
been playing good enough. I think they're, you
17:09
know, Pearsall probably should be in. Jennings
17:11
will be back a little bit. the warner's gonna
17:16
be a tough loss especially on that young defense
17:17
um so that's the one thing that does worry me
17:21
about who's gonna be that field journal in the
17:24
middle of the field for that team he kind of
17:26
kept that team together especially all those
17:27
young players that's such a note stealer um but
17:30
i also i also i think robert sala is the the
17:33
the goat when it comes to that you know not the
17:36
goat maybe it's maybe a little too much but he's
17:39
pretty solid yeah um calling defensive plays
17:43
and they get that team humming so and it'll be
17:46
interesting so i think it'll be a good game i
17:48
think it's gonna be high 20s yeah i'm going 49ers
17:51
interesting um i i do love robert sala i think
17:55
he pours a mean kool -aid for that 49ers defense
17:57
lots of sugar yeah And with the Falcons, I alluded
18:05
to this. You don't know which team you're going
18:07
to get. They're really a Jekyll and Hyde. They
18:08
got blown out by Carolina. And then they come
18:12
back and beat Buffalo. And you're just like,
18:14
so which team are we going to get here? They
18:16
look like an NFC Championship contending team
18:18
last night. Yeah. And then are they going to
18:21
continue to give Bijan the ball? If they do that,
18:24
I think they see a lot more success when Bijan
18:28
gets more touches. But I also do still have the
18:33
concerns of how many other weapons Michael Penix
18:36
have besides Bijan, Drake London. Pitts is...
18:39
But he hasn't really been enough to consider
18:42
him a threat. Right. You know what I mean? Yeah,
18:44
and there's... Like the Vikings game when he
18:46
played against those was the best game of the
18:47
year. Mm -hmm. Yeah. So it's like, I mean, he's
18:51
a serviceable tight end, but he's not like...
18:54
like game breaking or game wrecking, where it's
18:57
like, you have to account for them more like
18:59
Sam Laporta with the lions. Um, I think Hawkinson
19:02
too, to some extent. Um, it's, but so they, I
19:07
don't feel like they have the weapons. Um, but
19:10
I do love that Pennix is continuing to build
19:12
chemistry with, with London getting long. Future
19:17
thinking, getting Penix a second wide receiver
19:19
to go alongside Drake London will be mission
19:23
critical for him. I think the Fred Warner loss
19:29
for that defense is really significant. And we
19:33
saw it against the Buccaneers with shifts in
19:40
motions. Justing the defense on the fly, the
19:44
field general aspect of it. Yep. Absolutely,
19:47
and they got burned. I think Sala will be able
19:50
to address some of that, but I don't think you're
19:56
going to get somebody to step in and turn all
19:58
of that around real quick right away. I'm taking
20:01
the Falcons, questionably. God, I knew you would.
20:06
Smell it, Ollie, from over here. It reeks of
20:08
sadness. Either way. But finally, we're picking
20:14
against different teams on the pick. Actually,
20:18
we did last game, too. But, yeah, I can see where
20:20
the Falcons are coming out the hot week. But
20:22
like you said, which Falcons team are you going
20:25
to get? 49ers, I think we kind of already know.
20:28
They're just a scrap -style team, like I was
20:31
saying, with McCaffrey being the focus point
20:34
for the 49ers to get it done. So moving on to
20:37
our last game. This one's kind of a fun little
20:41
one of two inspiring NFC playoff teams. We have
20:46
the Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Detroit.
20:51
The roar has been restored. Lions Monday night
20:54
football in the Motor City. Lions four and a
20:59
half favorites in Vegas. Which way you smell
21:04
in there? I smell lions. Lots of lions. No. No.
21:11
I think they're going to squeak it out. Maybe
21:18
a two -point game, 1 .2 -point game. Baker Mayfield
21:21
is hot and is a lot to handle. Their wide receiver
21:29
core is still banged up. Does that not scare
21:32
you enough? You're just thinking, Baker's in
21:34
there. I don't care if I have. Troy Williamson
21:39
running street grouts. Baker is going to throw
21:42
the ball to whoever's open. He's your modern
21:46
-day gunslinger right now, and he's got some
21:49
swagger or attitude about him where he's just
21:51
like, doesn't give two rips, he's going to let
21:54
it go. And he's going to play hard. Real hard.
21:58
Yeah. The Lions secondary being banged up, I
22:02
think, helps that. to some extent, for Baker
22:05
and that young wide receiver group. It does in
22:06
that matchup scenario, yes. But I think it boils
22:10
down to Dan Campbell and that Lions team in general
22:13
getting punched in the mouth at Kansas City.
22:17
No, like, I mean, Brian Branch. Wake him up a
22:20
little bit, get embarrassed, you know, a little
22:22
more focused at practice. They're going to come
22:24
back and they're going to play their brand of
22:28
football again. And they're going to. Push the
22:31
line. Gibbs and Montgomery are going to get going.
22:34
They're going to play action, and that offense
22:38
is going to keep them in the game, and hopefully
22:41
they're going to hope that their front four can
22:43
do enough to keep Baker contained, that he's
22:46
not gunning it all over the place to a bunch
22:49
of 3 -4s and 5s. All right, we getting in the
22:52
30s in this matchup? Yeah. 30 -27 style game?
22:57
Maybe 35 -32. Okay. 35 -33. Give me Lions, though.
23:03
Lions across the board. I'm also going with the
23:06
Lions, too. I think, like you're saying, at that
23:08
receiver core, yes, they got it done last week.
23:13
Baker did kind of willed himself. It'll be really
23:17
interesting, the matchup with Hutchinson versus
23:20
the O -line, which they have a pretty good O
23:24
-line in Tampa Bay. Bucky Irvin's still out.
23:29
Is White going to be able to establish a run
23:31
game against that Lion? So you've got Campbell
23:34
and what's the other linebacker? There's the
23:38
A. Anzalone. Anzalone. So that'll be another
23:42
really interesting matchup. I think they'll kind
23:44
of determine the game there too. But I think
23:47
the Lions are just, after last week you said,
23:49
they're at home. They're going to get fired up.
23:51
Buccaneers do have Baker. He's hot right now.
23:54
But I just don't think they have enough gunpower.
23:56
to stay with the Lions this week. So I'm going
23:59
with the Lions' highest projected scoring game
24:02
of the week, according to Vegas. So, like, we're
24:05
talking up into the 30s. 52 .5 is where we're
24:09
at. I'll take that over. You will. So any other
24:14
fun games we saw? We've got Packers versus the
24:17
Cardinals. We were talking off air a little bit.
24:19
We were talking about whether Kyler Murray is
24:22
going to play. Jacoby Baker, not Bob. Bursette.
24:26
Bursette. Threw over 300, had a nice game. So
24:29
we got a little maybe quarterback controversy
24:32
down there. Maybe. Maybe. I mean, at some point,
24:36
you're talking about do you give up on Kyler
24:39
Murray? Is he the guy? I think you get, well,
24:45
yeah. I have. Because that offense has been kind
24:48
of struggling this year. I kind of gave up on
24:50
them last year. You did? Okay. Yeah. And then
24:52
on the other side for the Packers, you know,
24:56
they're still contending to the playoffs. Whether
24:59
Love in that receiving core continues up. Golden
25:02
looks like he's starting to come into his own,
25:04
getting a lot more targets. Josh Jacobs had an
25:07
excellent last week. Are the Packers ever going
25:09
to trade Dobbs? It seems like it's a topic of
25:12
conversation the past couple of years is that
25:14
they're going to trade Romeo Dobbs, and they
25:16
just never do. I mean, they have enough guys.
25:18
I mean, when does Watson come back? Watson, I
25:23
think he's coming back week eight. Yeah, so,
25:28
I mean, that could possibly, you know, that receiver
25:31
room is getting awfully full with a lot of talent,
25:33
and there's only so much ball to go around, especially
25:35
when you've got an all -pro running back and
25:38
a beast of a tight end. Oh, that was another
25:41
clip I was going to drop. I don't know if you
25:42
saw Tucker Craft's touchdown. I know Coach Smelty
25:47
is a big fan of him, so I was going to drop that
25:49
in, too. It should be a good, fun week, good
25:53
matchups all the way. So thanks for joining us.
25:57
here tonight. Thanks, Sippy. Thanks, Kevin, back
26:00
there for running all the stuff. We got a bunch
26:02
of video and a bunch of graphics rolling, so
26:05
I try to add to the show. So like, subscribe,
26:08
say what up on YouTube, on X, listen to us on
26:12
Spotify. Apple Podcast thing, YouTube. Yep. Even
26:17
if you're trying to go to sleep and this voice
26:19
puts you to bed real quick, hit the 15 -minute
26:22
sleeper marker and you'll be out. So until next
26:26
week, we'll be back. Thanks. for joining us skull
26:29
don't forget to follow like and subscribe tune
26:36
in next time for more banter with the boys