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Wild Card Weekend, The Injury Report, & Jared Allen Joins The Show · NFL Now

0:05
Speaker 1: NFL Now is a production of the NFL in partnership
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Speaker 1: with I Heart Radio. Super wild Card Weekend is upon us.
0:20
Speaker 1: Hello and welcome into the NFL Network News Heroo, my Momaurice,
0:22
Speaker 1: and this is NFL Now. We're breaking down all six
0:25
Speaker 1: of the matchups ahead this weekend, also with a little
0:28
Speaker 1: bit of news on the coaching carousels. While there's GM searches.
0:31
Speaker 1: We're also going to get you the latest on the
0:33
Speaker 1: injury front ahead of this weekend's playoff matchups. But we
0:36
Speaker 1: start with news on the two time reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers,
0:40
Speaker 1: as the Packers said that they'll acknowledge whatever time he
0:44
Speaker 1: needs to make his decision on his future usually takes
0:47
Speaker 1: some time. They respect that process. Brian gooden Koot's meeting
0:51
Speaker 1: with the media earlier today and the general managers saying
0:53
Speaker 1: it is possible that both Jordan's Love and Rogers can
0:56
Speaker 1: be on the roster again in three Here's more from
0:59
Speaker 1: guden Koot's a little earlier today. I want all the
1:05
Speaker 1: guys back. That's that's part of that. UM. He's certainly
1:08
Speaker 1: gonna take some time, you know, I think that's you know,
1:10
Speaker 1: that's fair. UM. And as we work through this. I
1:13
Speaker 1: think Umu, as he takes his time, kind of makes
1:15
Speaker 1: his decision just on his playing career in general, then
1:18
Speaker 1: we'll get together and move forward. That way. We made
1:20
Speaker 1: a really big commitment to him, you know last offseason,
1:22
Speaker 1: you know, so I think uh as we did that,
1:24
Speaker 1: it wasn't certainly for just this year. So well, like
1:27
Speaker 1: I said, he's gonna take his time and in the
1:29
Speaker 1: communication will be you know, you know, pretty constant as
1:32
Speaker 1: we move forward to there any concerns. He indicated all
1:35
Speaker 1: that he's just ready to play, whether it's here. I
1:38
Speaker 1: definitely think he's ready to play, you know, I think
1:39
Speaker 1: he feels that way. I think he's chomping at the
1:41
Speaker 1: bit um. But at the same time, we're gonna do
1:44
Speaker 1: what's best for the Green Bay Packers and and what
1:46
Speaker 1: gives us the best chance to win move forward. Could
1:48
Speaker 1: you look him on the id say we're ready to
1:50
Speaker 1: move on if we were sure? Absolutely, I mean, you're
1:53
Speaker 1: gonna be honest with him, that's you know what I mean.
1:55
Speaker 1: I think he deserves that, you know, if we get
1:56
Speaker 1: to that point, I just we're not at that point.
1:59
Speaker 1: So Packers, according to good Count's right there, clearly not
2:02
Speaker 1: ready to move on from Aaron Rodgers at this point.
2:04
Speaker 1: From in this story, we welcome in Ian Rappaport, Tom
2:07
Speaker 1: Pella Sero and Ian, I've seen you shaking your head there.
2:09
Speaker 1: What more can you tell us about this story? So
2:13
Speaker 1: Goodikins kind of said it right. I mean, when the
2:15
Speaker 1: Green Bay Packers made a three year, hundred and fifty
2:19
Speaker 1: million dollar commitment to Aaron Rodgers before the season, as
2:22
Speaker 1: he said, it was not just for this year. That's
2:24
Speaker 1: my understanding too. Was supposed to be a two or
2:26
Speaker 1: maybe three year commitment between the Packers and Aaron Rodgers.
2:29
Speaker 1: So yeah, he's gonna take some time away. It would
2:32
Speaker 1: be a major, major, major surprise if Aaron Rodgers walked away.
2:36
Speaker 1: That said, I don't think Aaron Rodgers doing anything would
2:39
Speaker 1: surprise any of us. He openly mentioned taking some sort
2:42
Speaker 1: of weird hallucivit din and everyone's like, yeah, that's Aaron Rodgers.
2:45
Speaker 1: So anyway, we'll see what he ends up doing. But
2:47
Speaker 1: it is pretty clear that the Green Bay Packers are
2:50
Speaker 1: committed to Aaron Rodgers, want him to be back, and financially,
2:53
Speaker 1: Tom would be very difficult for Aaron Rodgers to retire,
2:57
Speaker 1: not impossible, but he would have to give back some money, uh,
3:00
Speaker 1: and he would have to give up making sixty or
3:02
Speaker 1: so million dollars next season. That also, of course, and
3:06
Speaker 1: raises questions about what happens with Jordan's Love, who now
3:09
Speaker 1: will be entering year four of his career and potentially
3:13
Speaker 1: still backing up Aaron Rodgers. Now, Love, as good Acos
3:17
Speaker 1: mentioned in There, is chomping at the bit to play.
3:20
Speaker 1: He wants to get out there. Matt Lafleur has said
3:22
Speaker 1: that that's the next step in his development, is actually
3:26
Speaker 1: getting on the field. However, I did not anticipate that
3:30
Speaker 1: the Packers are going to look to trade Jordan's Love
3:32
Speaker 1: even if Aaron Rodgers returns for another season. They draft
3:35
Speaker 1: him in the first round for a reason. They've seen
3:37
Speaker 1: flashes to make them believe that he can be their
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Speaker 1: franchise quarterback moving forward, and they have Jordan's Love under
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Speaker 1: team control for the foreseeable future, not just owing him
3:46
Speaker 1: two point three million dollars in three which is totally
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Speaker 1: reasonable for a backup quarterback, but also they have the
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Speaker 1: option to retain him on a fifth year option for
3:56
Speaker 1: four so they're moving parts here. I would absolutely anticipate
4:00
Speaker 1: that Aaron Rodgers is going to give the Packers a
4:02
Speaker 1: decision prior to free agency beginning in mid March, allowing
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Speaker 1: them to budget, allowing them to plan as he and
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Speaker 1: said he's got about sixty million reasons to return. But Omar,
4:11
Speaker 1: this is Aaron Rodgers were talking about here, and so
4:14
Speaker 1: it is wait and see dominated headlines the past several offseasons, seemingly.
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Speaker 1: And he did answer the question on Sunday night if
4:20
Speaker 1: that was his last game at Lambo. What he'll miss
4:23
Speaker 1: he said, of course the guys in the locker room.
4:24
Speaker 1: The fans then made some jokes about missing members of
4:27
Speaker 1: the media there, so you know, didn't immediately refute that. Meanwhile,
4:31
Speaker 1: the Ravens dealing with their own issues at quarterback with
4:34
Speaker 1: the former m v P Lamar Jackson and that knee injury.
4:37
Speaker 1: We haven't seen him out at practice since he did
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Speaker 1: injured Week thirteen against the Broncos. What more you can
4:41
Speaker 1: tell us about that? He now, Mark Jackson went into
4:45
Speaker 1: some great detail yesterday afternoon about his Grade two PCL
4:49
Speaker 1: Sprain talked about his knee being unstable. That's sure about
4:52
Speaker 1: that characterization, but definitely has swollen, has been bothering him
4:56
Speaker 1: after rehab activities, and that's why when we talked to
4:58
Speaker 1: people who have watched him rehab, they were not so
5:01
Speaker 1: sure that he'd be able to play this week, despite
5:03
Speaker 1: optimism in a lot of different places. So Lamar Jackson
5:06
Speaker 1: officially out. According to Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh talked
5:10
Speaker 1: to reporters today about this and said several important things.
5:13
Speaker 1: Didn't sound like you knew the tweet was coming. Didn't
5:15
Speaker 1: get into details about Lamar Jackson's injury, but did say
5:18
Speaker 1: Lamar has been working very hard to get back. It's
5:21
Speaker 1: just sometimes the injury does doesn't heal as quickly as
5:24
Speaker 1: you'd want. And so one of the best quarterbacks in
5:26
Speaker 1: the NFL, the former MVP, not going to play in
5:29
Speaker 1: at least this playoff game for the Ravens. Yeah and
5:32
Speaker 1: Tom and other quarterback news regarding playoff team, Skyler Thompson
5:35
Speaker 1: named the starter there with Miami. What more can you
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Speaker 1: tell us about that, Lamar, This is not a surprise.
5:41
Speaker 1: The Dolphins have been planning all weeks if Skyler Thompson
5:44
Speaker 1: would be their starting quarterback against the Bills. He's a
5:47
Speaker 1: rookie seventh round pick out of Kansas State, will be
5:49
Speaker 1: making just his third NFL start against one of the
5:52
Speaker 1: NFL's best teams in a really challenging environment in Buffalo.
5:56
Speaker 1: The Dolphins answer tied here to a tongue of iloa.
5:58
Speaker 1: Has not yet progressed through the concussion protocol. It's not
6:01
Speaker 1: even been cleared to do workouts on the field, which
6:04
Speaker 1: is just one of the remaining steps here, which of
6:06
Speaker 1: course also include being cleared by an independent neurologist. Meanwhile,
6:10
Speaker 1: backup Teddy Bridgewater has been active last week despite that
6:14
Speaker 1: dislocated picky finger on his throwing hand, But the fact
6:17
Speaker 1: that they're going with Skyler Thompson is a strong indication
6:20
Speaker 1: they don't feel as if Teddy at this point, based
6:22
Speaker 1: on his health, gives them the best opportunity to win.
6:25
Speaker 1: In another a f C injury situation involving a playoff game,
6:29
Speaker 1: Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams was downgraded today from questionable
6:33
Speaker 1: to out for tomorrow night's game against the Jaguars because
6:37
Speaker 1: of his back injury. I am told that Williams underwent
6:40
Speaker 1: additional scams this morning that really revealed he has a
6:43
Speaker 1: transverse process fracture in his back. Now that's contrary to
6:47
Speaker 1: the test he had early in the week, an extra
6:50
Speaker 1: at the stadium was negative and m R I was negative.
6:53
Speaker 1: Brandon Staley referred to it as a bruise. They were
6:56
Speaker 1: hopeful he'd be able to play. He just didn't progress
6:59
Speaker 1: in terms of his recovery. That's why they gave me
7:01
Speaker 1: the additional scans this morning. Williams now looking at a
7:04
Speaker 1: multi week absence. So even if the Chargers beat the
7:07
Speaker 1: Jaguars this week, OMAR, do not expect Mike Williams to
7:10
Speaker 1: be ready for any divisional playoff game either. Yeah, big
7:12
Speaker 1: blow for that Chargers offense, but one tom, as you
7:15
Speaker 1: pointed out earlier, the one that they're accustomed to not
7:18
Speaker 1: playing with that full deck. Meanwhile, Ian, the coaching carousel
7:21
Speaker 1: is alive and well picking up steam. What more can
7:23
Speaker 1: you tell us about Dennis Allen and the New Orleans
7:25
Speaker 1: Saints situation. The Mickey loom Is talking to local reporters
7:30
Speaker 1: just a couple of minutes ago saying that Dennis Allen
7:32
Speaker 1: will be back for three which I feel like we knew.
7:35
Speaker 1: I mean, Dennis Allen basically said it. That was the
7:37
Speaker 1: most important thing to me. It was most important was
7:39
Speaker 1: Mickey Loomis confirming on the record that three teams, UH
7:43
Speaker 1: the Arizona Cardinals, the Denver Broncos, the Houston Texans have
7:46
Speaker 1: received permission to speak with their former coach Sean Payton,
7:50
Speaker 1: and that every team is at least understanding of what
7:52
Speaker 1: the Saints are gonna ask for as far as compensation,
7:55
Speaker 1: which from what I'm told is a first round pick
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Speaker 1: and more. That is pretty significant. That means that all
8:01
Speaker 1: of those teams now they're differing in what they can
8:02
Speaker 1: actually offer because they all the different picks. But it
8:05
Speaker 1: does seem like all those teams are on the same
8:07
Speaker 1: page as far as the compensation for Sean Payton, and
8:10
Speaker 1: if he takes a job, it's probably gonna have some
8:12
Speaker 1: really legitimate and honestly pretty good options. Yeah, pretty good
8:15
Speaker 1: compensation too. Coming back New Orleans, Way and Dennis Allen
8:18
Speaker 1: saying after the season that he'd be ready to prepare
8:21
Speaker 1: for a year two and he can go about his
8:23
Speaker 1: business that way. Mickey loomis certainly confirming that. Ian Tom
8:27
Speaker 1: thank you both very much, Cowboys and Buccaneers putting a
8:32
Speaker 1: bow on the Super wild Card weekend on Monday night
8:35
Speaker 1: there in Tampa, of course, San Francisco in Seattle, that
8:38
Speaker 1: rivalry taking center stage to kick things off tomorrow afternoon
8:43
Speaker 1: in Santa Clara. Of course, on Primetime you have the
8:45
Speaker 1: Jaguars and the Chargers. There on Sunday you have Bills, Dolphins,
8:49
Speaker 1: another divisional showdown, Giants and Vikings, as well as the
8:54
Speaker 1: Ravens and Bengals. Continuing that theme of rematches throughout the season.
8:58
Speaker 1: Of course, Buccaneers and Cowboys met week one. That was
9:01
Speaker 1: a victory for Tampa Bay, Tom Brady saying, it's not
9:05
Speaker 1: necessarily the best team that always wins into in the playoffs,
9:13
Speaker 1: it's not the best team that wins. It's a team
9:15
Speaker 1: that plays the best wins. So it doesn't matter. You know,
9:19
Speaker 1: as a part of the team that won every game
9:21
Speaker 1: until the Super Bowl, and we didn't play the best
9:23
Speaker 1: that day and we lost, and you know, you don't
9:24
Speaker 1: end up reaching your goals. So I've been on the
9:27
Speaker 1: other end of it where I was a big underdog
9:28
Speaker 1: in my first year starting against the Rams and we
9:31
Speaker 1: played better than they did that day. Um, but that's
9:34
Speaker 1: all it matters. That's that's what single elimination is all about.
9:36
Speaker 1: You've got to be at your best in that moment.
9:39
Speaker 1: Could come down to a kick, come back to a
9:41
Speaker 1: Hail Mary could come down to a situational play at
9:44
Speaker 1: the end of third and one. So, you know, hopefully
9:47
Speaker 1: all the preparation has got us to this point and
9:49
Speaker 1: we're you know, prepared for what we're about to face.
9:52
Speaker 1: A very very tough, hard nosed team that plays well.
9:55
Speaker 1: It's been good for a long time, and we're gonna
9:57
Speaker 1: have to go play well. Tom Brady there in the
10:00
Speaker 1: playoffs spotlight once again for much more. In this one,
10:02
Speaker 1: we welcome back in Sarah Walsh and James Later, who
10:05
Speaker 1: both be at Raymond James Stadium on Monday night, and
10:08
Speaker 1: Sarah will start with you and the Buccaneers the only
10:10
Speaker 1: team in this playoff field with a losing record. But
10:13
Speaker 1: what's giving them so much confidence heading into this one. Well,
10:17
Speaker 1: here's one thing that can certainly give them confidence. If
10:20
Speaker 1: the Cowboys keep this close until the very end, they
10:24
Speaker 1: should be concerned because the Bucks have been known to
10:27
Speaker 1: pull off some late game comebacks. In fact, four times
10:31
Speaker 1: this season and four of their eight wins, Brady has
10:33
Speaker 1: engineered to come back in the fourth quarter or in overtime.
10:37
Speaker 1: His thirteen touchdowns in the fourth quarter, nobody has more
10:40
Speaker 1: than him. That ties him with Kirk Cousins for fourth
10:43
Speaker 1: quarter touchdowns. This team, if they can keep it close,
10:46
Speaker 1: they always feel like they have a way to pull
10:48
Speaker 1: it out. Brady says, they don't want it to be closed,
10:50
Speaker 1: but they have the confidence that they can pull it out.
10:53
Speaker 1: And then when it comes to their defense, they've got
10:55
Speaker 1: twenty takeaways this season. Here's the thing. Seven of those
10:59
Speaker 1: have come in their last three games. So it's a
11:01
Speaker 1: defense that's been very opportunistic as of late. They're very
11:04
Speaker 1: opportunity sick once they get into the postseason, and as
11:07
Speaker 1: Jane can tell you, certainly with the Cowboys, turning the
11:10
Speaker 1: ball over has been a bit of an issue lately. Yeah,
11:13
Speaker 1: that Week one matchup with the Buccaneers and Cowboys one
11:15
Speaker 1: of those of several I think we saw this year
11:17
Speaker 1: with the Buccaneers that was characterized as an ugly game
11:20
Speaker 1: but a win nonetheless, hoping to get a win by
11:23
Speaker 1: any means necessary on Monday Night. As for the Cowboys, Jane,
11:27
Speaker 1: you talk about an offense that has been struggling. We've
11:29
Speaker 1: all focused on Doc's interceptions and the turnovers, but what
11:32
Speaker 1: about the defense heading into this one. Yeah, everyone's talking
11:37
Speaker 1: about those turnovers and the interceptions. He's had fifteen of
11:40
Speaker 1: them league leading, But I would also a mind fans
11:43
Speaker 1: Matthew Stafford went into the postseason with the league leading
11:46
Speaker 1: interception and then one of the Super Bowl. I'm not
11:48
Speaker 1: saying that's what's happening for Dallas, but I am saying that, Yes,
11:51
Speaker 1: offense is something they're focused on this week. But more importantly,
11:54
Speaker 1: I think it's the defensive struggles lately that are kind
11:56
Speaker 1: of giving everyone pause. Defensively, they have to limit the
11:59
Speaker 1: big place. When you look at the last couple of weeks.
12:01
Speaker 1: In their last three they've been playing backup quarterbacks to
12:04
Speaker 1: getting their first starts, and the Cowboys have allowed fifteen
12:07
Speaker 1: passing plays of twenty yards or more. That's their worst
12:09
Speaker 1: stretch of the season. There is some hope internally that
12:13
Speaker 1: this rotation of Darron Bland and Xavier Rhodes might help
12:17
Speaker 1: fortify them. Opposite Trayvon Diggs. The hope is that you've
12:20
Speaker 1: got Trayvon Digs, they're sort of traveling with Mike Evans,
12:23
Speaker 1: and then you've got one of those rotational guys focusing
12:26
Speaker 1: on Chris Godwin. I would submit, though, if you look
12:29
Speaker 1: at Treyvon Diggs and the Mike Evans matchups. He did
12:32
Speaker 1: a lot better against Diggs this season, even found his
12:35
Speaker 1: way to the end zone. And then just a quickly
12:38
Speaker 1: piggyback off of Sarah Walsh because she and I keep
12:40
Speaker 1: going back and forth. Whose team has been struggling more
12:43
Speaker 1: this season? Who has the edge? When she talked about
12:46
Speaker 1: in those fourth quarter comebacks, the Cowboys six of their
12:49
Speaker 1: last seven playoff exits have come down to the final
12:52
Speaker 1: play that they just couldn't get things done. So they've
12:54
Speaker 1: got to come up with something big. I do think
12:57
Speaker 1: that's going to be a close game that ends up
12:58
Speaker 1: late into the fourth quarter. Yeah, Cowboys, of course, trying
13:01
Speaker 1: to win their first road playoff game since nineteen nine,
13:05
Speaker 1: D two, and they'll have to do it against the
13:06
Speaker 1: goat Tom Brady. Looking ahead on NFL Now, Brock Purdy
13:11
Speaker 1: and the forty Niners getting set to host their NFC
13:15
Speaker 1: West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks. Will break that one down
13:18
Speaker 1: with Steve White and Jim Trotter next right here on
13:21
Speaker 1: NFL Now, when the pill kick up the bomb running
13:25
Speaker 1: back home her prey to fa innocent for me, you
13:28
Speaker 1: would scrubble. Brock Purdy and Gino Smith, both making their
13:35
Speaker 1: playoff debuts. Of course, Brock Purdy the first rookie quarterback
13:39
Speaker 1: to start for the forty niners as a rookie in
13:42
Speaker 1: the playoffs in team history. Gino Smith setting the Seahawks
13:46
Speaker 1: franchise record this year from both yards in a season,
13:49
Speaker 1: of course, was named to the Pro Bowl. So much
13:51
Speaker 1: focus on Brock Purdy and his inexperience, but Pete Carroll
13:55
Speaker 1: addressing the Seahawks inexperience in the playoffs too. We've tried
14:00
Speaker 1: to really mentor um our guys through to be comfortable
14:03
Speaker 1: and trust and believing what we're doing and not think
14:06
Speaker 1: that they have to come up with something different for
14:07
Speaker 1: this week. You know. That's that's that's truly what the
14:10
Speaker 1: focus is. And seemingly they've been fine and we've kept
14:13
Speaker 1: him loosening going, and uh, this is a really it's
14:16
Speaker 1: a great opportunity for these guys, a great opportunity to
14:18
Speaker 1: see what this is like and unders come to understand
14:20
Speaker 1: it better. You know, as you go through the experiences.
14:22
Speaker 1: If we can get a couple more games, it'll make
14:24
Speaker 1: him that much better. So we'll see if we can
14:26
Speaker 1: get this one. When it's one game, three and a
14:28
Speaker 1: half hours in the playoffs, I look at all games
14:31
Speaker 1: as equal. I mean, I know we're favored stuff like that.
14:33
Speaker 1: I know what people say, but um, this is the
14:36
Speaker 1: NFL and this is the playoffs, and um, last time
14:39
Speaker 1: we played him, came down the last possession expecting to
14:42
Speaker 1: be the same formaring this matchup. We welcome back Steve
14:45
Speaker 1: White and Jim Trotter, who will both be in Santa
14:47
Speaker 1: Clara tomorrow afternoon. And Steve will start with you. Christian
14:51
Speaker 1: McCaffrey getting high praise from Kyle Shanahan. What did he
14:55
Speaker 1: say about his star running back? Well, that's well learned.
14:59
Speaker 1: High praise and he's getting it from around the league,
15:01
Speaker 1: even though he was snubbed for the Pro Bowl, which
15:03
Speaker 1: some people think has ignized did a fire in him? Look?
15:06
Speaker 1: Oh more there met. They may not have been a
15:08
Speaker 1: better in season trade this season or in recent years
15:11
Speaker 1: than the acquisition of McCaffrey and what he has added
15:14
Speaker 1: to this offense and how he has really been an
15:16
Speaker 1: incredible compliment to Brock Purdy. And then a game where
15:19
Speaker 1: rain and elements could really factor in the Russian game
15:22
Speaker 1: for San Francisco could be huge and that's where McCaffrey
15:25
Speaker 1: stands out. When the Niners in mid December beat Seattle
15:29
Speaker 1: a clinch of playoff birth. He had thirty two touches
15:32
Speaker 1: for one hundred thirty eight combined yards and a touchdown,
15:36
Speaker 1: and they're going to continue to lean on him. As
15:38
Speaker 1: his head coach Kyle Shanahan said, he has gotten better
15:41
Speaker 1: week by week, and that doesn't necessarily mean on the
15:44
Speaker 1: stat sheet, which he kind of has in that area
15:46
Speaker 1: as well. In fact, he said McCaffrey's last game against
15:49
Speaker 1: Arizona in the season finale was his best game because
15:53
Speaker 1: of everything he did to fit into the offense. So
15:56
Speaker 1: it's not just his skill set, but the way he
15:58
Speaker 1: has messed with the Niners do which makes him so dangerous.
16:02
Speaker 1: And the fact that Shannahan said he's gotten better week
16:04
Speaker 1: by week leads you to believe that he's got something
16:07
Speaker 1: in store for the Seahawks again when they meet on Saturday.
16:10
Speaker 1: McCaffrey has been dominant against Seattle in his career those
16:12
Speaker 1: three games, averaging a hundred eighty three scrimmage yards. So
16:16
Speaker 1: with that in mind him, what are the keys to
16:18
Speaker 1: slowing him down for the Seahawks. Well, you know, Omar,
16:22
Speaker 1: what's interesting we talked earlier in the show about what
16:24
Speaker 1: Seattle has to do offensively to win, and we said
16:26
Speaker 1: run the ball, and defensively, what they have to do
16:28
Speaker 1: is stop the run. Look, they had the third worst
16:31
Speaker 1: run defense in the league this year. They allowed over
16:33
Speaker 1: a hundred and seventy yards rushing in seven games. On
16:36
Speaker 1: three occasions they allowed two hundred plus. You go back
16:39
Speaker 1: to their meetings against supporting Niners this year, they gave
16:41
Speaker 1: up a hundred and eighty nine and a hundred and seventy.
16:44
Speaker 1: You know, when I spoke to Evans Joseph, the Cardinals
16:46
Speaker 1: defensive coordinator this week, he was the last one, obviously
16:49
Speaker 1: to coach against supporting Niners this season, and he said,
16:52
Speaker 1: you have to stop that stretch run and make them
16:55
Speaker 1: one dimensional because if you don't, their talent is too
16:59
Speaker 1: varied and too good for you to stop them. And
17:02
Speaker 1: what he meant by that is he said Christian m
17:05
Speaker 1: Affrey and Deebo Samuel are basically interchangeable parts, meaning one
17:09
Speaker 1: can go in the backfield or in the slot and
17:11
Speaker 1: be effective or vice versa. He says, so when you
17:14
Speaker 1: don't stop their run game early, what you do is
17:17
Speaker 1: allow Kyle Shanahan to dictate offensively in terms of his
17:20
Speaker 1: play action and his creativity. And that's something Seattle will
17:24
Speaker 1: have a major problem with if they don't stop the run.
17:27
Speaker 1: Go ahead, Steve Hey, Jimmy. Yeah. And to that point,
17:31
Speaker 1: Kyle Shanahan said, by interchanging Deebo Samuel Christian McCaffrey, you
17:36
Speaker 1: can get defenses to try to get a safety or
17:39
Speaker 1: a linebacker on either one of them, depending on where
17:43
Speaker 1: they line up, and then you know you got him
17:44
Speaker 1: in the past game or something tricky. So interchanging those
17:48
Speaker 1: two are very dangerous pieces. And again that's what the
17:51
Speaker 1: mind of Kyle Shanahan loves having those very parts. Yeah,
17:54
Speaker 1: he can scheme guys open, and even if he don't,
17:56
Speaker 1: even when he doesn't, those guys with those yards after
17:59
Speaker 1: catch can get them a handful of yards by themselves.
18:04
Speaker 1: Look at the times that the Jacksonville Jaguars have won
18:07
Speaker 1: their division in team history, they won at least one
18:10
Speaker 1: playoff game in those seasons. The last two times they've
18:13
Speaker 1: gotten all the way to the a f C Championship Game.
18:16
Speaker 1: Of course, that memorable one in Blake Bortles and company
18:20
Speaker 1: were about five minutes away from making it to the
18:24
Speaker 1: Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Chargers had a bunch of fans
18:27
Speaker 1: greeting them at their facility as they headed for the
18:31
Speaker 1: buses to flyt to Jacksonville. Derwin James and Joey Bosa.
18:35
Speaker 1: They're set to roll. We know Mike Williams is not
18:38
Speaker 1: going to be there, but we do know that those
18:40
Speaker 1: defensive stars will be there for the Chargers. For much
18:44
Speaker 1: more on the matchup, we welcome in Cam Wolfe and
18:46
Speaker 1: Mark Ross. Cam will start with you. How did the
18:48
Speaker 1: Jaguars slow down Justin Herbert and what could potentially be
18:51
Speaker 1: an explosive offense even without Mike Williams. Yeah, Marian, the
18:56
Speaker 1: Jaguars locker room yesterday I talked with safety ray Sean
18:59
Speaker 1: Jenkins who told me they have an all star offense.
19:02
Speaker 1: The Chargers do that force you to play a lot
19:04
Speaker 1: of one on one coverage because of all those playmakers.
19:07
Speaker 1: And he said that quarterback tim Justin Herbert, there's not
19:10
Speaker 1: many quarterbacks I pick in the league over him. I
19:12
Speaker 1: take ours Trevor Lawrence, but not many others. And you
19:15
Speaker 1: talk about that Jaguars defense, they have some dudes too.
19:19
Speaker 1: The reason they've been successful over the last few weeks
19:21
Speaker 1: is their quarterback pressure. They had the third best quarterback
19:25
Speaker 1: pressure rate in the NFL this season per Next Game Stats,
19:28
Speaker 1: and look Justin Herbert's ability to identify that blitz and
19:31
Speaker 1: get the ball out to Austin Neckler and Keenan Allen
19:34
Speaker 1: will be huge. We know how the Jaguars got here
19:37
Speaker 1: Saturday night, third down late in the fourth quarter. It
19:39
Speaker 1: was ray Sean Jenkins coming on a blitz that sacked
19:42
Speaker 1: Josh Dobbs, forced that fumble that Josh Allen picked up
19:46
Speaker 1: for a touchdown. That's why the Jaguars are hosting a
19:48
Speaker 1: playoff game and they hope to get a lot of
19:50
Speaker 1: pressure on Justin Herbert on Saturday once again. And one
19:54
Speaker 1: more player for you to watch, cornerback Tyson Campbell. Talking
19:57
Speaker 1: with people here in Jacksonville. They've raved about how he's
20:00
Speaker 1: blossom into a top corner who can cover top receivers.
20:04
Speaker 1: When they played in Week three, Campbell shadow Williams Mike
20:07
Speaker 1: Williams of the snaps held in the one catch for
20:10
Speaker 1: fifteen yards. Williams won't play this week, so expect Campbell
20:14
Speaker 1: to see a lot of Keenan Allen when he's on
20:16
Speaker 1: the outside. But Herbert versus that Jack's d must see
20:19
Speaker 1: TV damn no, but no, doubt. He talked about Must
20:23
Speaker 1: see TV. You talk about pressure and pressure either bus
20:26
Speaker 1: pipes or makes diamonds. And the pressure is on Trevor
20:30
Speaker 1: Lawrence first to say that game last week was an admiration.
20:34
Speaker 1: He missed a bunch of throws in that game with
20:36
Speaker 1: his wide open receivers, was on a really good streak
20:39
Speaker 1: where it was Trevor Lawrence. This is a guy we've
20:41
Speaker 1: been waiting for so ken Trevor Lawrence rebound. But also
20:45
Speaker 1: the pressure on Justin Herbert to say I can take
20:48
Speaker 1: this next step and ascend to the level of Patrick Mahomes,
20:52
Speaker 1: of Josh Allen, of Joe Burrow, the Big Three as
20:55
Speaker 1: I like to call them. Can he put himself in
20:58
Speaker 1: that group with a stellar performance in the playoff. Pressure
21:02
Speaker 1: was on him anyway. Now without Mike Will, We'll see
21:05
Speaker 1: if Justin Herbert can even extend his ability even more,
21:09
Speaker 1: make even more plays without his big go to guy. There.
21:12
Speaker 1: So really a fascinating thing. You see this every year.
21:15
Speaker 1: Justin Herbert reminds me that Joe Burrow chargers Herbert Burrow
21:19
Speaker 1: Bengals last year kind of the run there on where
21:21
Speaker 1: Burrow took that leap, can Justin Herbert do the same
21:24
Speaker 1: this year. Omar Yeah, charges a lot of people's dark
21:26
Speaker 1: horse for a Super Bowl contender heading into this season.
21:29
Speaker 1: Obviously they've been banged up, perhaps haven't played their best,
21:32
Speaker 1: but if they can do it in this four game stretch,
21:34
Speaker 1: it seems like they have the talent to do so
21:37
Speaker 1: has to start by getting by Jacksonville tomorrow night, Cam
21:40
Speaker 1: Mart thank you both very much. Meanwhile, still to come
21:45
Speaker 1: here on NFL Now, we are welcoming in Hall of
21:48
Speaker 1: Fame finalist Jared Allen, Vikings legend who made a Super
21:53
Speaker 1: Bowl with the Panthers, joins us next on NFL Now season.
22:00
Speaker 1: People view everything there he is. He is a Vikings
22:09
Speaker 1: legend and once again Hall of Fame finalists. Jared Allen,
22:14
Speaker 1: four time All Pro selection, five time Pro Bowl selection twice,
22:19
Speaker 1: led the league in sacks in two thousand and seven
22:22
Speaker 1: and two thousand eleven, helped the Panthers get to a
22:25
Speaker 1: Super Bowl and Super Bowl fifty in his final season
22:27
Speaker 1: in the NFL, and now for the third year in
22:30
Speaker 1: a row, he is a Hall of Fame finalist and
22:32
Speaker 1: we are proud to welcome in Jared Allen to NFL Now. Jared,
22:37
Speaker 1: when you hear the news that you're a finalist once again.
22:40
Speaker 1: What's going through your mind? You nervous, You're anxious? How
22:43
Speaker 1: do you approach that here as we head towards February. Honestly,
22:48
Speaker 1: it's one of those hopefully the third times charm for
22:51
Speaker 1: those those thoughts here we go again, uh type scenarios. Um,
22:56
Speaker 1: it's it's always an honor um. You know, it doesn't
23:00
Speaker 1: get old to get become a finalist. Um. Unfortunately, it's
23:04
Speaker 1: not one of those you know awards that it's like,
23:06
Speaker 1: you know, ten time finalists, like more of the finalists
23:09
Speaker 1: that our accolades goes. So you gotta get you gotta
23:13
Speaker 1: get that final push. So hopefully this year the voters
23:16
Speaker 1: will decide that I'm worthy enough to wear that gold jacket,
23:19
Speaker 1: and uh I can represent it well hopefully, Jared, how
23:22
Speaker 1: closely are you looking at the list of other finalists determinating, Hey,
23:25
Speaker 1: maybe I have an edge over this guy or that
23:28
Speaker 1: I figured maybe a couple of years ago. You're looking
23:30
Speaker 1: Peyton Manning. You know he's gonna get in for sure.
23:32
Speaker 1: So now you're competing against maybe four other guys in
23:35
Speaker 1: that particular class. How do you closely do you examine
23:38
Speaker 1: stuff like that so truthfully hard present honest, it's you know,
23:43
Speaker 1: you don't really look at it. But you know, I
23:45
Speaker 1: haven't done this year. I would say. You know, my
23:47
Speaker 1: first year, there was a lot of expectation, you know,
23:49
Speaker 1: being a first ballot finalist with you know, Argubly one
23:51
Speaker 1: of the greatest classes with Peyton and Woodson and you
23:54
Speaker 1: know Mega try and getting in uh what was pretty awesome,
23:57
Speaker 1: pretty special. Last year, I had some expectation. I figured out, well,
24:01
Speaker 1: if I made the finals with that group, I gotta
24:02
Speaker 1: be getting in here pretty soon. So uh, you know,
24:05
Speaker 1: after after last year's you know experience, you kind of
24:09
Speaker 1: realize you don't know what the criteria is. You really
24:11
Speaker 1: don't know what anybody's looking for that particular year. Um,
24:15
Speaker 1: So I just try to I try to be in
24:16
Speaker 1: the moment. I try to enjoy it as it comes. Um.
24:19
Speaker 1: But yeah, you do. You know, you can't really look
24:22
Speaker 1: at a list and can start comparing just because there's
24:25
Speaker 1: so many different types of players, you guys, and everybody
24:27
Speaker 1: on that list is for everybody on that list made
24:29
Speaker 1: an impact in this game. Um. You know, you can
24:32
Speaker 1: start comparing stats if if you've got people in the
24:34
Speaker 1: same position. That's about all you can do. But at
24:37
Speaker 1: the end of the day, like I said, I mean
24:39
Speaker 1: from a from a player's standpoint, Um, you know, it's
24:42
Speaker 1: humbling to be mentioned with with a lot of those
24:44
Speaker 1: names that better on that list. And you know each
24:47
Speaker 1: time I've been on that list. So but yeah, it's
24:50
Speaker 1: things like I said, the first year not so much.
24:52
Speaker 1: Second year stunned a little bit because you're kind of like, Wow,
24:55
Speaker 1: if if I'm a finalist, then why are they gonna
24:57
Speaker 1: hold me over this long? And now year three, I'm like,
25:00
Speaker 1: surely they didn't make me a first ballot finals to
25:02
Speaker 1: hold me over for three years. So who know those
25:05
Speaker 1: But we'll take it all with a smile. And uh,
25:08
Speaker 1: you know, only crying private, Jared, have you ever been
25:11
Speaker 1: to Kenton? Have you he walked the halls of the
25:13
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame before? I have not? Uh, you know
25:16
Speaker 1: what it's in This sounds arrogant, but you know, I
25:21
Speaker 1: remember I never went to Hawaii, and I told myself
25:23
Speaker 1: when I got in the league, I was just never
25:24
Speaker 1: gonna go to Hawaii until I made the Pro Bowl. Um,
25:27
Speaker 1: and I was able to make the Pro Bowl my
25:29
Speaker 1: fourth year. Um, I had no you know, not that
25:32
Speaker 1: I do much traveling through Canton, Ohio. But as I
25:35
Speaker 1: got further in my career, and I got into my career,
25:37
Speaker 1: and you know, I thought there might be a chance
25:39
Speaker 1: where I could end up, you know, on the on
25:41
Speaker 1: the ballot. One day, I kind of told myself, well, uh,
25:44
Speaker 1: you know, maybe maybe I'll go if I get invited there.
25:46
Speaker 1: I had a couple UH daughter's birthday is right smack
25:51
Speaker 1: dab during UH induction weekend. So I've been invited a
25:54
Speaker 1: couple of times for some friends that you know, been
25:56
Speaker 1: in the Hall with former teammates, and I haven't been
25:58
Speaker 1: able to go. So now it's kind of one of
25:59
Speaker 1: those things where now I'm not gonna go until I
26:02
Speaker 1: get when that's awesome. You made the Hawaii thing happen
26:07
Speaker 1: with the Pro Bowl. Now hopefully you can get the
26:09
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame and that can'ton visit taking care of
26:12
Speaker 1: her relatively so. Of course, your former team in the
26:14
Speaker 1: Minnesota Vikings getting ready for a big Super wild Card
26:17
Speaker 1: showdown with the New York Giants on Sunday. How do
26:20
Speaker 1: you view the Viking season? It seems like there's two camps.
26:23
Speaker 1: There's either you know, those close games prepared them for
26:26
Speaker 1: a playoff runt or they're a game away from being exposed.
26:29
Speaker 1: How do you make of what they accomplished in I
26:33
Speaker 1: think it's a combination to both be honest with you.
26:35
Speaker 1: UM So, I think, you know, being able to win
26:38
Speaker 1: close games is a great characteristic of a football team
26:42
Speaker 1: finding ways to win because everybody's going to be in
26:43
Speaker 1: a game that you really shouldn't win, and you just
26:45
Speaker 1: gotta find the game a way to win. UM. And
26:47
Speaker 1: they've been able to do that this year. At the
26:50
Speaker 1: same time, they've gotten their butts kicked a few times unfortunately,
26:53
Speaker 1: but a couple of times at home UM where they've
26:56
Speaker 1: been absolutely exposed. I guess they came back and won
26:59
Speaker 1: the uh the Colds game. And so I think, you know,
27:02
Speaker 1: the mark of a true, true good team is gonna
27:05
Speaker 1: be how did they take those butt weapons and those
27:08
Speaker 1: exposures and how do you how do you fix you
27:11
Speaker 1: know self, scout and go in and fix right. I
27:13
Speaker 1: think you have to understand you have the capability to
27:15
Speaker 1: win close games. They can come back. I mean they've
27:17
Speaker 1: come back from obviously thirty three down they wanted Buffalo,
27:21
Speaker 1: which was insane. Uh. So they have that grit, which
27:24
Speaker 1: is a great characteristics. Now, do you have the humility
27:27
Speaker 1: to fix what, you know, what you got exposed on
27:30
Speaker 1: and and and use that, you know, use that moment
27:33
Speaker 1: or as momentum to uh, you know right, you know,
27:36
Speaker 1: not necessarily right the ship, but you know to really
27:38
Speaker 1: buckle down and get back on the grind. And and
27:42
Speaker 1: you know what, you got three games to the Super Bowl, um,
27:45
Speaker 1: and go get it. Yeah, try to win four games
27:47
Speaker 1: here on a four game winning streak. Jared Allen, thank
27:50
Speaker 1: you so much for joining us here on NFL Now.
27:52
Speaker 1: Good luck, you know, watching your vikings this weekend, and
27:55
Speaker 1: good luck with your Hall of Fame candidacy. We'll be
27:58
Speaker 1: watching in February to be sure. Thank you very much,
28:01
Speaker 1: thanks for having me appreciate it. NFL Now is a
28:09
Speaker 1: production of the NFL in partnership with I Heart Radio.
28:13
Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the i
28:16
Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.