Latest / NFL Now / Cowboys in the Playoffs, Tyler Huntley Likely to Start Sunday, & Dolphins - Patriots Matchup

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Cowboys in the Playoffs, Tyler Huntley Likely to Start Sunday, & Dolphins - Patriots Matchup · 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 for the final time here in
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Speaker 1: two Welcome into NFL Now, I'm Ama recent The NFL
0:23
Speaker 1: Network news room will have much more on the Cowboys
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Speaker 1: big Thursday Night football win over the Tennessee Titans. Plus
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Speaker 1: will have all of your injury news heading into week
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Speaker 1: seventeen with a full playoff implications. And that is where
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Speaker 1: we begin with our NFL Network insiders, Ian Rappaport and
0:38
Speaker 1: Tom Pella Sero the Baltimore Ravens front end center here
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Speaker 1: as they still very much control their destiny for the
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Speaker 1: a f C North. But what's the status on Lamar Jackson?
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Speaker 1: Uh Ian John Harbor, the coach, chalk to reporters a
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Speaker 1: couple of minutes ago and said, it is a fair
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Speaker 1: assumption that Lamar Jackson not going to start in tyler
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Speaker 1: snoopuli starting. Once again, the assumptions made on basically the
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Speaker 1: factor Lamar Jackson has really not practice over the last
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Speaker 1: several weeks. I believe twelve practices in a row is
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Speaker 1: what Lamar Jackson has missed. And this was a PCL
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Speaker 1: injury where the original time frame was supposed to be
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Speaker 1: just a couple of weeks, but it has been four
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Speaker 1: weeks now de Lamar Jackson is out. They do have
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Speaker 1: a capable backup and Sue Pundy, he has gone out
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Speaker 1: and acquitted himself well. They do believe that Lamar Jackson
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Speaker 1: will be back for the playoffs. And they're in the playoffs.
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Speaker 1: That's really the only important thing now, much more important
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Speaker 1: than seating. That said, still like to have your quarterback
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Speaker 1: practicing at least before the playoffs begin. Yeah. Either way,
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Speaker 1: where the Ravens win that a f C North or not,
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Speaker 1: they are playing in that first week, so you want
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Speaker 1: to get Lamar Jackson as ready and healthy as possible.
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Speaker 1: As for the Philadelphia Eagles, they are one win away
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Speaker 1: from clinching the NFC East and the number one seed.
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Speaker 1: Will they have Jalen Hurts here this upcoming weekend time?
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Speaker 1: Lamar Nick Serrianni said they're still sorting through who is
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Speaker 1: going to be their starting quarterback this weekend. Jalen Hurts,
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Speaker 1: of course, missed last week's game because of a sprain
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Speaker 1: throwing Show did return to practice on a limited basis
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Speaker 1: on Thursday and was out there during warm ups, which
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Speaker 1: is the only portion media is allowed to view earlier
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Speaker 1: today now with Jalen Hurts, if this were the Super Bowl,
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Speaker 1: if this were playoff game, he would find a way
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Speaker 1: to be out there this week. But the Eagles focus
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Speaker 1: right now is making sure their m v P Candadate
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Speaker 1: gets back to full health before he is back onto
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Speaker 1: the field. Is that this weekend. Nick Sirianni has maintained
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Speaker 1: all along that he if anybody would have a chance
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Speaker 1: to play, it's gonna be Jalen Hurts. Do they feel
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Speaker 1: like he's ready. If not, it's gonna be Gardner Minshew
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Speaker 1: once again. Of course, the Eagles just need one more
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Speaker 1: win in these final two to wrap up the division,
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Speaker 1: and that number would seed in the NFC playoffs. Much
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Speaker 1: more from Tom and ian in just a little bit
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Speaker 1: right now, We're gonna head to Thursday night football in Nashville.
2:51
Speaker 1: Cowboys taken on the Titans. Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott
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Speaker 1: number one offense in the league since Dak returned in
2:58
Speaker 1: Week seven, and there's Ezekiel Elliott scoring a touchdown in
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Speaker 1: his ninth straight game. Cowboys up seven nothing. Josh Dobbs
3:06
Speaker 1: starting for Tennessee keeping things close, but Dac and Dalton
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Speaker 1: Schultz putting the game away twenty seven thirteen. The final
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Speaker 1: score are Jane Slater one on one with te Y
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Speaker 1: Hilton t y second week in a row that we're
3:21
Speaker 1: coming to you. I had to laugh. This week was
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Speaker 1: Ceedee Lamb who said, don't let your size confuse people,
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Speaker 1: because your speed will get them. You are only five ten.
3:31
Speaker 1: Where does this mean come from? I guess my mom
3:34
Speaker 1: and daddy, you know, so you gotta get thanks to
3:37
Speaker 1: know you're averaging twelve and a half yards to carry.
3:40
Speaker 1: Why are you so efficient? Particularly when we saw you
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Speaker 1: on that third and ten. Just my head, you know,
3:45
Speaker 1: was in a photographer deck and once he once he
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Speaker 1: give me the ball. You know, I just let my
3:49
Speaker 1: God give me a gift. Takes over. You know, started
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Speaker 1: down Monday now, so you gotta go get the first down.
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Speaker 1: We're seeing you slowly build that confidence with Dac. Are
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Speaker 1: you gonna be an easier a little bit more this
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Speaker 1: week that you want just a little bit more against Washington? Absolutely,
4:03
Speaker 1: but you know what the coaches need me to do.
4:05
Speaker 1: I'm there for him, man. I want I want that
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Speaker 1: slip back because down one to the house. So I
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Speaker 1: told him that's appreciate it and congratulations. Yeah, Ceedee. Lamb
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Speaker 1: became the third Cowboy Enfranchise history to break a hundred
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Speaker 1: catches in a season, joining Jason Witten and Michael Irmin.
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Speaker 1: And you see the Cowboys strength of victory almost fifteen
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Speaker 1: points per game they win by when they do win,
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Speaker 1: second only in the league to the forty niners. So
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Speaker 1: when the Cowboys are on, they are as dominant as
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Speaker 1: anybody in the NFL. Can they make a four game
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Speaker 1: run in the playoffs? That's the big question, and help
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Speaker 1: us partly answer that. We welcome in to Mark Ross
4:41
Speaker 1: and Jim Trotter. Will start with you. Jim, we've seen
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Speaker 1: the Cowboys look great at times, we've seen them make
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Speaker 1: mistakes that time. What do you think about their playoff
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Speaker 1: chances here upcoming? Lord more as you say they can
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Speaker 1: beat any team in the league. Excuse me, but one
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Speaker 1: thing about the playoffs, and I think Mark has speak
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Speaker 1: to this as well as styles make fights, So it's
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Speaker 1: how do they match up against that particular opponent. The
5:03
Speaker 1: one thing we remember from last year is in San
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Speaker 1: Francisco they got dominated physically in that playoff game. So
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Speaker 1: can they match up if they were to meet say
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Speaker 1: San Francisco in the playoffs at some point, I'm not
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Speaker 1: so sure. We'll have to see. Talent wise, they have
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Speaker 1: the talent to beat anyone. But in the playoffs, as
5:20
Speaker 1: you know, the styles make fights and mistakes become more prominent,
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Speaker 1: and the Cowboys have to do a better job of
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Speaker 1: taking care of the football than what we saw last night.
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Speaker 1: And they're gonna have to match the physicality if they're
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Speaker 1: to go against the team such as San Francisco come
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Speaker 1: to playoffs, Mark Mark, We've seen this Cowboys team be
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Speaker 1: as dominant as anybody, and and they win by double digits.
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Speaker 1: But so we harp on their mistakes. You had experience
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Speaker 1: being a part of team that really cleaned itself up
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Speaker 1: in the postseason. Are the Cowboys capable of doing that? Yeah? Definitely,
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Speaker 1: And looked Dak Prescott leaves the NFL in their deceptions
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Speaker 1: with fourteen and that's with missing five games. The Cowboys
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Speaker 1: as a team or a fifth in the NFL. And giveaways,
6:01
Speaker 1: but in two thousand and seven with the Giants, e
6:05
Speaker 1: Manning led the league in giveaways with seven. But then
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Speaker 1: once we got into the playoffs, he just stopped turning
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Speaker 1: the ball over. It was amazing. The one interception that
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Speaker 1: he had was in the Super Bowl and that bounced
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Speaker 1: off the Steve Smith's hands. That really wasn't Eli's fault.
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Speaker 1: So the Cowboys have to be looking He said, well,
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Speaker 1: is this this just who they are and this is
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Speaker 1: in their DNA to get to be to turn the
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Speaker 1: ball over. But I experienced it. I was a part
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Speaker 1: of it, and it really was miraculous, like wow, you know,
6:31
Speaker 1: we're we had other things going for us, to a
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Speaker 1: lot of playmakers on offense, the offensive line of course,
6:36
Speaker 1: our defensive line and what they did, but the main
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Speaker 1: reason was Eli just stopped turning the ball over, mistake
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Speaker 1: free football. We won games. Dallas will have to do
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Speaker 1: the same. They cannot keep turning the ball over at
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Speaker 1: this rate and expect to make a run into playoffs,
6:50
Speaker 1: even with all the talent that they have omar Over
6:52
Speaker 1: the past decade, the Cowboys have had several good teams.
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Speaker 1: They finally put back to back seasons of quality football together.
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Speaker 1: But at this point it's all about the playoffs. They
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Speaker 1: know that they will be judged ultimately if they can
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Speaker 1: make a deep postseason run. Mark, Jim, thank you both
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Speaker 1: very much. Still to come here are NFL Network insiders
7:09
Speaker 1: are back New right now into NFL Network and some
7:12
Speaker 1: follow up from that game last night and the other
7:14
Speaker 1: side of the coin, the Titans now they have a
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Speaker 1: win and in scenario here week eighteen against the Jacksonville
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Speaker 1: Jaguars for the a f C South title. What more
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Speaker 1: can you tell us in about this Josh Dobbs now
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Speaker 1: quarterback situation. Yeah, on his face, it's this game seems
7:29
Speaker 1: like a preseason game, Titans getting some guys a look,
7:31
Speaker 1: making sure their starters were healthy, and Derrick Henry was
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Speaker 1: fully rested for Week eighteen. But there was a little
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Speaker 1: more going on here, especially at the quarterback position. It
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Speaker 1: wasn't just Josh Dobbs playing wha Malik Willis rested. It
7:43
Speaker 1: was Josh Jobs playing and then we'll see and based
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Speaker 1: on the way he played, based on the way he
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Speaker 1: handled himself, he ran the offense, the amount of balls
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Speaker 1: he put on the money and there were plenty bottle drops,
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Speaker 1: and there were plenty um this. I would not be
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Speaker 1: surprised if Josh Dobbs ended up here with the starting job.
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Speaker 1: Mike Vrabel hasn't said it, but it was pretty clear
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Speaker 1: he went into this as a bit of an audition.
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Speaker 1: The offense moved better than it had with Malik Wills. Now,
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Speaker 1: Malik Wills, very very talented, seems to maybe need some
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Speaker 1: more times, some more reps. But this is a win
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Speaker 1: and in game Titan's gotta have it. Would be surprised
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Speaker 1: if it was not Josh Dobbs here going forward. And
8:18
Speaker 1: for the Dolphins, they can clinch a playoff spot with
8:20
Speaker 1: a win in New England this weekend and the Jets
8:22
Speaker 1: loss out in Seattle, but they're not going to have
8:25
Speaker 1: to a tongue of Ioloa Tom. What's the latest on
8:27
Speaker 1: his status? Lotmar Ta is officially out for that game
8:32
Speaker 1: on Sunday against the Patriots. Not a surprise after tw
8:35
Speaker 1: A landed back in concussion protocol on Monday. Might be
8:39
Speaker 1: Daniel said that tour remains day today. The only focused
8:42
Speaker 1: this week for him has been on his health. I
8:45
Speaker 1: would certainly expect the tour like he did when he
8:47
Speaker 1: had that scary concussion back in Week four, was carved
8:50
Speaker 1: off the field in Cincinnati. Would seek additional opinions from
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Speaker 1: concussion experts around the country to figure out what the
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Speaker 1: best path is to move forward here. It is impossible
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Speaker 1: and frankly unwise to speculate on when to could end
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Speaker 1: up back onto the field. The Dolphins nor Toa have
9:06
Speaker 1: ruled out the possibility that he could be back at
9:09
Speaker 1: some point this season, so this is something that will
9:12
Speaker 1: be keeping an eye on as things move forward here. Obviously,
9:15
Speaker 1: the Dolphins are in a spot where they need to
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Speaker 1: get a win in that a f C playoff chase,
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Speaker 1: and they're facing another team that they are staring down
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Speaker 1: in that a f C playoff chase two and the Patriots. Yeah,
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Speaker 1: the Patriots desperate for a win as well. Dolphins have
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Speaker 1: lost four straight, Patriots four of five, so both teams
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Speaker 1: need to turn it around on Sunday, Ian Tom, thank
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Speaker 1: you both very much. Meanwhile, we mentioned the Dolphins playoffs scenarios.
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Speaker 1: Here you go. They can win a spot this weekend
9:39
Speaker 1: if they beat the Patriots and the Jets lose, as
9:41
Speaker 1: we mentioned, but they also control their destiny if they
9:45
Speaker 1: simply went out they don't need any help. They beat
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Speaker 1: the Patriots on the road and the Jets at home.
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Speaker 1: In Week eighteen, they are in. Here's Josh McDaniels talking
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Speaker 1: about this weekend's matchup. Division games will always um hold
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Speaker 1: that common um special place because you you know, fan bases, uh,
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Speaker 1: feel it firsthand. You um play someone twice a year.
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Speaker 1: That added familiarity, Um gives a you know, just just
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Speaker 1: that much extra on top of all the history. Alright,
10:22
Speaker 1: for much more in this matchup, we welcome back Cam
10:24
Speaker 1: Wolfe and Judy Batista. When you talk about the Dolphins
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Speaker 1: and their four game losing street Cam, what do they
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Speaker 1: gotta do to turn that around? Yeah, oh, Mark, this
10:33
Speaker 1: is a Mike McDaniel game. Even with two out in
10:35
Speaker 1: Teddy Bridgewater expected to start, Mike McDaniel has to dial
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Speaker 1: up the right scheme, the right offense to maximize his playmakers.
10:42
Speaker 1: The Dolphins still have the playmaker advantage against the Patriots,
10:46
Speaker 1: who have a good defense, what are very much banged
10:48
Speaker 1: up in the secondary, so much that so that defensive
10:51
Speaker 1: and Matthew jude On said, I might be playing cornerback
10:54
Speaker 1: against Jalen Waddle this week. And look, McDaniel was known
10:57
Speaker 1: by his Diners players as the bastardbind of their running games.
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Speaker 1: So that's where starting his Dolphin We had one game
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Speaker 1: of a hundred plus rushing yards over the last month
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Speaker 1: and a half and they've got to get that right
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Speaker 1: against the Patriots this week to win. And as far
11:12
Speaker 1: as Teddy Bridgewater. They want him to get the ball
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Speaker 1: out of his hands quickly to those playmakers. Mc daniel
11:17
Speaker 1: made a point that Judan and the Patriots pass rushers
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Speaker 1: have had a lot of success when quarterbacks have held
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Speaker 1: it three four, five seconds, and so he wants tell
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Speaker 1: you to get it out to those playmakers they can
11:27
Speaker 1: use their yak ability And look, New Year's is coming up.
11:31
Speaker 1: Judy's from South Florida. She knows Dolphins fans have been
11:33
Speaker 1: asking for a couple of things for years and years.
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Speaker 1: Can we get a playoff run? And second, can we
11:39
Speaker 1: find our franchise quarterback? Both of those things we're looking
11:41
Speaker 1: a lot more promising a month ago. Now. The Dolphins
11:45
Speaker 1: have to figure out a way to get a win
11:47
Speaker 1: this week is really simple for Dolphins fans. A win
11:50
Speaker 1: versus the Patriots this week, plus the Jets lost in
11:53
Speaker 1: Seattle and they clinched their first playoff berth since any
11:57
Speaker 1: other scenario, They're back here week a team versus the
11:59
Speaker 1: Jets fighting for their playoff luck. It's crazy how things
12:02
Speaker 1: can turn in the NFL so quickly, Uh, Judy. When
12:06
Speaker 1: you talk about the Patriots, they are living proof. If
12:09
Speaker 1: you have a defense, you have a chance. The Patriots
12:11
Speaker 1: defense have given them a chance to play their way
12:13
Speaker 1: into the playoffs. What more can you tell us about
12:15
Speaker 1: that unit? No question, it is the defense that has
12:19
Speaker 1: kept the Patriots in the mixed era, because certainly it
12:21
Speaker 1: has not been the offense. Consider what the what the
12:24
Speaker 1: defense has done. Takeaways that third in the league. Fifty
12:28
Speaker 1: quarterback sex that second in the league. The only team
12:32
Speaker 1: that has a similar stat line is the Philadelphia Eagles,
12:35
Speaker 1: and of course they are the best team in the NFC,
12:37
Speaker 1: maybe the best team in the entire league. Worth remembering
12:41
Speaker 1: that the Patriots on takeaways that has accounted for thirty
12:46
Speaker 1: three percent of all the points they have scored. Our
12:49
Speaker 1: points that have come as a result of their takeaways
12:51
Speaker 1: on defense, that leads the league. That's how important the
12:55
Speaker 1: defense is. And remember we've talked about this before. The
12:58
Speaker 1: Dolphins offense had been slumping in the last month. The
13:01
Speaker 1: Patriots are allowing only nineteen points per game, and it's
13:06
Speaker 1: only seventeen points um when they are at home, so
13:09
Speaker 1: they are especially effective at home. This is a challenge though,
13:14
Speaker 1: as Cam mentioned, they are banked up in the secondary,
13:17
Speaker 1: down three cornerbacks. On the injury report yesterday, that's very difficult.
13:22
Speaker 1: They certainly don't want Matthew tre Don to have to
13:24
Speaker 1: go out and cover Jalen Waddle. Uh. It's a difficult
13:27
Speaker 1: matchup for them. But the defense is what has kept
13:30
Speaker 1: the Patriots alive and they're gonna need a big time
13:31
Speaker 1: performance if they're going to get through this one. As
13:34
Speaker 1: you mentioned last hour, Judy, they've certainly put their offense
13:37
Speaker 1: in good position a hundred five points off takeaways in
13:41
Speaker 1: certainly playing a role offensively. That defense has been so
13:45
Speaker 1: dynamite this year for New England, Cam, Judy, thank you
13:48
Speaker 1: both very much. Running back for a huge game in
13:54
Speaker 1: the a f C standings here, Bills can clinch the
13:58
Speaker 1: first round by and home field advantage if they win
14:01
Speaker 1: on Monday and Kansas City loses. But if Kansas City loses,
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Speaker 1: then all of a sudden, the Bengals control their destiny
14:08
Speaker 1: for not only the a f C North, but the
14:10
Speaker 1: number one seed in the a f C. Of course,
14:13
Speaker 1: they can clinch the division if they win in Baltimore
14:15
Speaker 1: loses on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But first
14:18
Speaker 1: thing first, this epic Monday Night showdown Cam wolf Mark
14:22
Speaker 1: Ross joining us now Cam will be at the game
14:25
Speaker 1: on Monday night. What's your breakdown here, Cam? What are
14:27
Speaker 1: we looking forward to on Monday night? Yeah? Oh mare First,
14:30
Speaker 1: I can't wait to be there. This has Game of
14:33
Speaker 1: the year vibes. And for the Bills, they've got to
14:35
Speaker 1: figure out if they can keep up with that Bengals offense.
14:38
Speaker 1: And the one thing I am watching is which secondary
14:41
Speaker 1: weapon other than Stefon dig steps up for Josh Allen. Look,
14:45
Speaker 1: my most likely candidate is the running back room. They're
14:48
Speaker 1: coming off a two and fifty four yard performance, the
14:51
Speaker 1: most in the Josh Allen era, not this season, the
14:54
Speaker 1: Josh Allen era, And so you look at Devin Singletary
14:57
Speaker 1: and James Cook. We've been waiting for a running game
15:00
Speaker 1: to supplement Josh Allen for a long time. They finally
15:03
Speaker 1: are showing spurts of it at the right time. And
15:06
Speaker 1: we talked about Stefon Diggs. He's actually had his worst
15:08
Speaker 1: three performance stat lines of the seasons, under sixty yards
15:12
Speaker 1: and no touchdowns in each the last three games. And
15:15
Speaker 1: we know how Steff can be an emotional at times
15:17
Speaker 1: asking for the ball. Well, Josh said, Look, our priority
15:20
Speaker 1: every week is getting fourteen Stefan Digs the ball, but
15:23
Speaker 1: I Am not going to force it. I've got to
15:25
Speaker 1: take what the defense has given us. So that's a
15:27
Speaker 1: thin line based on forcing it and getting him the ball.
15:30
Speaker 1: And I think he's the best receiver in the league,
15:32
Speaker 1: and based on defenses covering him, they think he's the
15:36
Speaker 1: best receiver in the league too. So the Bills need
15:38
Speaker 1: to take pressure off of Digs. Showing a lot of
15:40
Speaker 1: double coverages where defense is facing them lately, and they're
15:43
Speaker 1: playing a Bengals defense that is definitely gonna be focused
15:46
Speaker 1: on taking on Diggs. One way for them to get
15:48
Speaker 1: that pressure away is to run the football. They're facing
15:50
Speaker 1: a Bengals defense that is up the seventh fewest rushing
15:53
Speaker 1: yards in the league. So that's the battle that I
15:55
Speaker 1: think will tide this game. Oh, Mark Mark, It's an
15:58
Speaker 1: interesting matchup there and Mark on the other side of
16:00
Speaker 1: the ball. When you talk about the Bengals offense, they're
16:03
Speaker 1: as explosive as any in the NFL, that three headed
16:06
Speaker 1: monster out wide. How might the Bills try to slow
16:09
Speaker 1: them down on Monday Night? Yes? Can I mentioned the
16:12
Speaker 1: Bills gotta keep pace with that bangas offense, who I
16:15
Speaker 1: think has the best collection of when you're talking about
16:18
Speaker 1: a Pro Bowl quarterback, m VP candidate quarterback, and then
16:21
Speaker 1: all the playmakers he has at his disposal. We know
16:24
Speaker 1: Chase can take over games. When Chase was hurt, Tee
16:27
Speaker 1: Higgins and boy took over the game. Joe mixing five games.
16:31
Speaker 1: You don't even hear from them both he explodes for
16:33
Speaker 1: two for four touchdowns in the game. He's still there lurking.
16:36
Speaker 1: So that all collection of talent, how does Buffalo slow them?
16:41
Speaker 1: The main way they try to was the von Miller's signing.
16:44
Speaker 1: This was these were the games while the Bills signed
16:46
Speaker 1: bon Miller, particularly because he terrorized Joe Burrow and that
16:49
Speaker 1: offensive line in the Super Bowl last year. Well, no
16:52
Speaker 1: von Miller, where is the pass rush gonna come from
16:54
Speaker 1: from the Bills? And then the secondary for the Bills
16:57
Speaker 1: has been compromised for Dabs White is not back to form.
17:00
Speaker 1: The young guys have been inconsistent. We saw a couple
17:03
Speaker 1: of weeks ago against Miami, those guys really struggle against
17:06
Speaker 1: the dynamic duel of Hill and Waddle. And here comes
17:08
Speaker 1: the Bengals with all those guys, those playmakers coming at
17:11
Speaker 1: that Bill secondary. So can the Bills generated pass rush
17:14
Speaker 1: without Vold. These are the type of games Vold was
17:16
Speaker 1: there for, and can they cover these guys one on one?
17:18
Speaker 1: I'm taking those bangles receivers against anybody. So look for
17:22
Speaker 1: this to see what happens. Who day pulling off the
17:24
Speaker 1: victory Monday night, Omar and both of those teams go
17:26
Speaker 1: into that matchup on Monday knowing if Kansas City would
17:29
Speaker 1: have beaten Denver on Sunday or night. So even higher
17:32
Speaker 1: stakes potentially for this game that already has all kinds
17:35
Speaker 1: of playoff implications, Mark Cam, thank you both very much. Meanwhile,
17:39
Speaker 1: how about Joe Burrow. What a sensational season. He's already
17:43
Speaker 1: had set a career high with thirty nine offensive touchdowns.
17:47
Speaker 1: In fact, he leaves the league since Week three in
17:50
Speaker 1: that regard. For much more on his success, here's Brian
17:53
Speaker 1: Baldinger with his latest Baldy breakdown. Visit to the Jungle
17:58
Speaker 1: and the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night this week, They're
18:01
Speaker 1: gonna see Joe Burrow, and Joe Burrow right now is
18:03
Speaker 1: an assassin. This offense goes through him, and almost every
18:07
Speaker 1: past is on rhythm, timing, and anticipation. No better looked
18:11
Speaker 1: in last week against the England Patriots. Right here, Te
18:14
Speaker 1: Higgins like he just throwing the ball. His feet they set,
18:18
Speaker 1: they hitch and he throws and he just trust his
18:20
Speaker 1: receiver to go get the ball. Watch his foot like
18:23
Speaker 1: hitch throw, hitch throw, timing, and he just trust his
18:26
Speaker 1: receivers to go up and get it. T Higgins against
18:29
Speaker 1: the rookie Marcus Jones, play after play after play, even
18:32
Speaker 1: this one right here on the touchdown to Trent Irwin.
18:35
Speaker 1: Watched his feet hitch and throw even though he's thrown
18:38
Speaker 1: into bracket coverage. The Patriots have an answer for this.
18:41
Speaker 1: The throw is just better than the bracket covers right
18:44
Speaker 1: in front of the safety. Trent Norrowin comes down with it,
18:47
Speaker 1: three yard touchdown past you know, and then Jamar Chase
18:50
Speaker 1: it's really no different here. You're gonna run this seven
18:53
Speaker 1: cut right here against the Patriots. It's the same thing.
18:56
Speaker 1: It's a rhythm. There's a rhythm to set throw. The
18:59
Speaker 1: ball comes out hot, He's thrown it to a spot.
19:02
Speaker 1: He trusts that Jamaar Chase is gonna be there, and
19:04
Speaker 1: he is. It's feet down, toe tap drag, first down
19:07
Speaker 1: inside the five. You need the first down. Jamaar Chase
19:10
Speaker 1: is gonna find it for you. You're gonna have this
19:12
Speaker 1: situation right here. It's just a simple slam, takes him
19:15
Speaker 1: out and then comes back inside and there's the ball
19:17
Speaker 1: being delivered like there's no hesitation to this offense. You
19:23
Speaker 1: go like here, Tee Higgins again. Watch when Joe Burrow
19:26
Speaker 1: releases this ball. The quarter is actually in great shape.
19:29
Speaker 1: He's sitting on top of Tea Higgins, but she's gonna
19:31
Speaker 1: trust right here that Higgins is gonna put the corner
19:34
Speaker 1: on his back here low post basketball, use his big
19:37
Speaker 1: body to come down with it. This offense right now,
19:40
Speaker 1: it's on rhythm, it's on timing, and Joe Burrow is
19:43
Speaker 1: playing the position as well as anybody in this league,
19:45
Speaker 1: and it helps that everything is on timing. Thank you, Baldi. Meanwhile,
19:50
Speaker 1: in the NFC South, we have a huge showdown between
19:53
Speaker 1: the Panthers and Buccaneers. Buccaneers and Tom Brady. If they win,
19:57
Speaker 1: they wrap up the division and that fourth playoff spot
20:00
Speaker 1: in the NFC. Meanwhile, the Panthers need to win to
20:03
Speaker 1: keep their playoff hope alive. For much more on this,
20:06
Speaker 1: let's check out the NFC playoff picture where you see
20:10
Speaker 1: right now the Buccaneers are in that fourth spot, but
20:13
Speaker 1: of course Panthers again trying to keep their playoff hopes alive.
20:17
Speaker 1: You see their six and nine record, and the Saints
20:19
Speaker 1: are still in the hunt there. If they went out
20:21
Speaker 1: and they get some help, they can win the NFC South.
20:24
Speaker 1: So should be a great game in Tampa this weekend,
20:27
Speaker 1: one that Jim Trotter will be at and for much
20:29
Speaker 1: more on this matchup, we welcome in our Jim Trotter
20:32
Speaker 1: and Jim. When you look at this offensively for Tampa,
20:35
Speaker 1: it seems like they can't get anything going. But when
20:37
Speaker 1: Tom Brady needs to win the game in the final drive, somehow,
20:40
Speaker 1: some way, they get the job done. How can they
20:43
Speaker 1: find more consistency in that offense. That's a great question, Omar,
20:48
Speaker 1: and they still don't have the answer for that. When
20:49
Speaker 1: you look at the Bucks overall this year's you say
20:52
Speaker 1: that offense has been a work in progress. They have
20:54
Speaker 1: had eight games this year where offensively they've been held
20:57
Speaker 1: to one touchdown or none. And we know their worst
21:00
Speaker 1: offensive performance of the year was back in October when
21:02
Speaker 1: they lost to Carolina twenty one three. That's the only
21:06
Speaker 1: game this year where that offense did not score an
21:08
Speaker 1: off a touchdown. So in talking to the Panthers this week,
21:12
Speaker 1: they are not believing that this offense is struggling on
21:15
Speaker 1: the other side of the ball. Their focus is on
21:17
Speaker 1: getting up on the bucks early because they know that
21:21
Speaker 1: three of Tampa's last five wins have come with scores
21:25
Speaker 1: in the final ten seconds of regulation or in overtime. So,
21:29
Speaker 1: as they have told me, they want to make sure
21:31
Speaker 1: that they're not in that position this week, So look
21:33
Speaker 1: for them to try and get up and have more
21:35
Speaker 1: than a one possession lead going to that final man
21:38
Speaker 1: at Omar. As for the Panthers, we know that they
21:41
Speaker 1: control their own destiny. If they can win out, they
21:44
Speaker 1: would be the NFC South champions. How do they get
21:46
Speaker 1: their offense continuing to ground in pound, especially with Jante
21:50
Speaker 1: Form in there. Yeah, it's no secret that that's what
21:52
Speaker 1: they're going to do. When look, when Steve Wilkes took
21:55
Speaker 1: over as the interim coach, one of the things he
21:57
Speaker 1: said is that he's going to go against the grain
21:58
Speaker 1: of the NFL. What do I mean by that? We
22:00
Speaker 1: know that it's a past centric league, but he said, no,
22:03
Speaker 1: our strength is running the ball. When you look at
22:05
Speaker 1: Deonta Foreman in the first six games, and all of
22:09
Speaker 1: them he never had more than five carries in a game.
22:11
Speaker 1: Since Wilkes took over, he has had double digit carries
22:14
Speaker 1: in every game but one. They're coming off their best
22:17
Speaker 1: rushing performance of a year or the franchise history, three
22:20
Speaker 1: fifty five yards last week against Detroit. So Carolina is
22:24
Speaker 1: going to continue to try and run the ball. Why
22:26
Speaker 1: because that is their identity. And two, they know that
22:28
Speaker 1: if they can keep the ball out of Tom Brady's hands,
22:32
Speaker 1: particularly at the end of games, They've got a much
22:34
Speaker 1: better opportunity at winning. So nothing's going to change for them.
22:37
Speaker 1: The focus is going to be controlling the game on
22:40
Speaker 1: the ground. Omar Yeah, forum has been a tremendous story
22:43
Speaker 1: since most one hundred yard rushing games in the NFL.
22:47
Speaker 1: He is fifth, remarkable considering that he's been a backup
22:50
Speaker 1: much of that time. The four others on that list,
22:52
Speaker 1: Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb, and Josh Jacob's all
22:57
Speaker 1: household names, and then there is Deonta Foreman. So a
23:00
Speaker 1: great story for the Carolina Panthers. They hope to keep
23:02
Speaker 1: it up. On Sunday, Jim try to enjoy that game,
23:05
Speaker 1: Thank you very much. Even showdown in Seattle, Mike White
23:13
Speaker 1: returns to the lineup as quarterback of the Jets. Jets
23:17
Speaker 1: have to win to stay alive in the a f
23:19
Speaker 1: C playoff picture. A win for Seattle would keep them
23:22
Speaker 1: guaranteed in the race heading into Week eight. Team in
23:26
Speaker 1: the NFC side for much more on a breakdown here.
23:29
Speaker 1: Let's welcome in co hosts analysts, reporter It's just football
23:33
Speaker 1: and the NFL Stock exchange from Pro Football Focus, Trevor Sikama. Trevor, Welcome,
23:37
Speaker 1: Happy New Year, and let's start with that big one
23:40
Speaker 1: in Seattle here. This is a matchup we're all looking
23:43
Speaker 1: forward to because we've been talking about how did the
23:45
Speaker 1: Seahawks and Gino Smith get back on track and they're
23:48
Speaker 1: going against one of the toughest defenses in the NFL.
23:51
Speaker 1: How do you see this matchup playing out? I'm so
23:54
Speaker 1: excited about this one because there's so many different potential
23:57
Speaker 1: X factors for this. Let's first give kudos to the
23:59
Speaker 1: Jets cornerbacks right Sauce Corner and DJ Read the number
24:02
Speaker 1: one grade corner cornerback duo that we have our system
24:05
Speaker 1: in Elite nine one point one grade between those two
24:08
Speaker 1: extremely impressive. But we know that styles make fights, right,
24:11
Speaker 1: So Sauce Garner almost six ft three as a corner
24:14
Speaker 1: going up against DK Metcalf, a little taller than the
24:16
Speaker 1: six ft three Tyler Locket. If we think he's gonna
24:18
Speaker 1: go around five ft ten shorter shift here going up
24:21
Speaker 1: against DJ Read, that's his style of play. So strength
24:24
Speaker 1: on strength. It feels like big on big, as they say.
24:27
Speaker 1: But then you gotta look out for is Sauce Garner
24:30
Speaker 1: plays on the left side over seven snaps this season
24:32
Speaker 1: on the left side of the line of scrimmage read
24:34
Speaker 1: over seven snaps on the right, so almost exclusively left
24:37
Speaker 1: and right. Where they go there is Seattle gonna get
24:40
Speaker 1: creative with where they line up Dk Metcalf, Entire Lockett
24:43
Speaker 1: to try to get those managers there. And there's also
24:45
Speaker 1: familiarity to right Kobe Bryant, the rookie corner from Seattle,
24:48
Speaker 1: who is his teammate last year. Sauce Garner, he knows
24:51
Speaker 1: him well, and the same thing for dj Read Right
24:53
Speaker 1: where do you play last year Seattle? He knows these
24:55
Speaker 1: guys well. So many different X factors in this one.
24:58
Speaker 1: I'm excited to watch and see how it plays out,
24:59
Speaker 1: and because of those connections, not just the stakes in
25:02
Speaker 1: the game, but those connections, you know, they want to
25:03
Speaker 1: bring it and l of eight their games here in
25:05
Speaker 1: this week's seventeen Showdown. Meanwhile, there is an NFC South
25:09
Speaker 1: Showdown with playoff stakes on the line for Tampa Bay.
25:12
Speaker 1: If they win, they are the NFC South champions and
25:15
Speaker 1: they clinch a playoff spot. However, Carolina, if they win
25:19
Speaker 1: their final two games, they are in. How do you
25:21
Speaker 1: see this one playing out? I can feel Tom Brady's
25:25
Speaker 1: whole body just get excited hearing the words playoff implications
25:28
Speaker 1: on the line, because that's what he's all about, right
25:29
Speaker 1: something I'm looking forward to seeing. If there's any difference
25:32
Speaker 1: though with this kind of a game is Tom Brady
25:34
Speaker 1: is not like to take hits. He just has not
25:36
Speaker 1: wanted to take hits this year. He is the fastest
25:38
Speaker 1: time to throw in the NFL two point three seconds.
25:41
Speaker 1: That's by far the fastest that we have hecked. Last
25:43
Speaker 1: week against the Arizona Cardinals it was one point eight eight.
25:46
Speaker 1: That is unthinkably fast that he is getting rid of
25:49
Speaker 1: the football. The Bucks offense though not built that way.
25:52
Speaker 1: Think of how this roster was constructed. It was for
25:54
Speaker 1: an arian's offense and much more vertical offense. Hold onto
25:58
Speaker 1: the ball a little bit more, let those routes develop,
26:00
Speaker 1: attack deeper down the field. Tom Brady doesn't want seem
26:03
Speaker 1: to want to play that game, or at least he
26:05
Speaker 1: has not wanted to this season. Is this going to
26:08
Speaker 1: be different because it's playoff implications. Is he going to
26:11
Speaker 1: hang in there, take some more hits, pass the ball
26:13
Speaker 1: deeper down the field, let those routes developed. I'm looking
26:15
Speaker 1: forward to that. But I want to give a shout
26:16
Speaker 1: out to Carolina to last four weeks there number two
26:19
Speaker 1: in the NFL in EPA per rush. But the Bucks
26:22
Speaker 1: when they have had Vita Via and Keen Hicks out
26:24
Speaker 1: there at the same time, they're a top ten run
26:27
Speaker 1: defense team. When they haven't been out there at the
26:29
Speaker 1: same time, bottom ten. So major difference there, I can go.
26:33
Speaker 1: That's the next factor that you gotta watch out for.
26:35
Speaker 1: Two Another one Leonard for net If he rushes for
26:38
Speaker 1: forty five yards or more, the Bucks are six and one.
26:41
Speaker 1: When he rushes for fewer than forty five yards one
26:43
Speaker 1: in six. So certainly the way the Panthers want to
26:45
Speaker 1: run the ball with the Bucks can hopefully run the ball.
26:48
Speaker 1: Should be a fun matchup there in weeks seventeen. As
26:51
Speaker 1: for our final matchup here in weeks seventeen, we know
26:55
Speaker 1: that the Packers have spoiled so many hopes of other
26:58
Speaker 1: NFC North teams in Aaron Rodgers career and even going
27:01
Speaker 1: back to the Brett five years, you know the Vikings
27:04
Speaker 1: would love to play spoiler and knocked the Packers out.
27:07
Speaker 1: How do you see this one playing out? Oh man,
27:09
Speaker 1: There's just gonna be so many emotions, so much pride
27:13
Speaker 1: in this game for so many different reasons. And for
27:15
Speaker 1: that I'm gonna go to another playoff or play your matchup.
27:18
Speaker 1: I cannot wait to see Justin Jefferson versus Gya Alexander
27:22
Speaker 1: and the reason why beyond the obvious. Against single coverage,
27:25
Speaker 1: Justin Jefferson has been simply the best. The most receptions,
27:28
Speaker 1: the most yards, the most first down, the most explosive
27:31
Speaker 1: plays versus single coverage of this year, and the cornerback
27:34
Speaker 1: that is the highest coverage grade and single coverage in
27:36
Speaker 1: our grading system this year. Yep, you guessed it, Ji Alexander.
27:39
Speaker 1: So it's one versus one there. I'm so excited to
27:42
Speaker 1: see how this plays out. Because you go back to
27:44
Speaker 1: that Week one matchup, Justin Jefferson had four yards receiver.
27:47
Speaker 1: It looks it looked like nobody even wanted to cover him.
27:49
Speaker 1: You know, Ji years ready for it. Gave Jefferson a
27:52
Speaker 1: little bit of Baltimore material earlier this week, saying that
27:55
Speaker 1: Week one was a fluke about a fluke flute might
27:57
Speaker 1: not have been the right word for it, but you
28:00
Speaker 1: can best believe that the Packers are gonna be a
28:01
Speaker 1: lot more ready for Justin Jefferson this time around. I
28:04
Speaker 1: think the Packers still win it. Man, this is gonna
28:07
Speaker 1: be a fun game to watch. Yeah, you mentioned that
28:08
Speaker 1: bulletin board material, as if Justin Jefferson needed any more motivation.
28:12
Speaker 1: With the records he has in sight, potentially the all
28:15
Speaker 1: time receiving record. He already wrapped up the Vikings franchise records,
28:19
Speaker 1: So certainly a matchup to look out for. We can't
28:21
Speaker 1: wait to watch it. Trevor Sikhama, thank you very much
28:23
Speaker 1: for much more on his analysts. Make sure you tune
28:26
Speaker 1: into PF dot com and download the PFF app. Trevor,
28:29
Speaker 1: thank you very much. Happy to your man. Appreciate it. Guys,
28:32
Speaker 1: thank you still to come here. This weekend, we have
28:35
Speaker 1: Russell Wilson and the Broncos trying to snap that fourteen
28:39
Speaker 1: game losing streak against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. That's
28:43
Speaker 1: a losing streak that pre dates Patrick mahomes time as
28:46
Speaker 1: a starter in Kansas City. Of course, Patrick Holmes has
28:49
Speaker 1: never lost to the Broncos in his already legendary career.
28:53
Speaker 1: For much more on this matchup, we welcome in our
28:55
Speaker 1: James Palmer and James, there's something here about his reset ability.
29:00
Speaker 1: I know you want to talk about. Explain that and
29:02
Speaker 1: what is that for Patrick Mahomes. Yea something that really
29:05
Speaker 1: stands out to Matt Naggi, who remember was on this
29:08
Speaker 1: Chief's coaching staff omar for Patrick mahomes rookie season when
29:11
Speaker 1: he didn't really play and then when became the Bears
29:13
Speaker 1: head coach and now is back as the quarterbacks coach,
29:16
Speaker 1: and said, when he resets, it's almost after every single play,
29:19
Speaker 1: every single game, going back to the fundamentals, and he said,
29:22
Speaker 1: we know, Patrick Mahomes has this unbelievable arm talent, the
29:24
Speaker 1: ability to throw all these angles, make all these crazy plays,
29:28
Speaker 1: see things before they happen. But when he stays on
29:30
Speaker 1: time with his footwork and his fundamentals and resets that
29:33
Speaker 1: each and every week. That's what's the growth that has
29:36
Speaker 1: stood out to Matt Naggie in the time that he's
29:38
Speaker 1: been away from Patrick Mahomes and some of the Mahomes
29:41
Speaker 1: stresses to the coaching staff repeatedly stresses to them within games.
29:45
Speaker 1: He'll come over to the sideline after a series and say,
29:47
Speaker 1: I'm not playing on time. And that's important now that
29:50
Speaker 1: they don't have Tyree Hill, because Mahomes said it this week.
29:52
Speaker 1: He said a lot of times in the past, I
29:54
Speaker 1: would just look for Travis Kelsey, look for Tyreek Hill,
29:56
Speaker 1: then look for the other one again. Now he has
29:59
Speaker 1: to go with all these weapons through more reads, deeper
30:02
Speaker 1: into his progressions, and that's why we're seeing so much
30:04
Speaker 1: success with all these different players around Patrick Mahomes because
30:07
Speaker 1: he's trying to stay on time. We know he creates somar,
30:10
Speaker 1: but when he stays on time and get deeper through
30:12
Speaker 1: his progressions, and that's why there's twelve players on this
30:15
Speaker 1: team with multiple touchdowns and we're seeing Mahomes have another
30:18
Speaker 1: m v P season and it's his first without Tyreko Yeah,
30:21
Speaker 1: certainly a favorite for that m v P Award. Patrick
30:24
Speaker 1: Mahomes le Broncos, meanwhile, had those three interceptions the last
30:27
Speaker 1: time they met. Hoping to repeat that performance on Sunday,
30:30
Speaker 1: James Palmer, thank you very much. Down Back a Penness City,
30:35
Speaker 1: A NFL Now is a production of the NFL in
30:41
Speaker 1: partnership with I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my
30:44
Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
30:48
Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.