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Week 8 Preview & Picks: Will Detroit End Minnesota's Unbeaten Run? · Banter with the Boys

0:01
From the biggest plays to the hottest takes.
0:04
From kickoff to the final whistle. You're listening
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to Banter with the Boys. Gridiron Updates. Whoa,
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my God. Here we are. We're right here. Banter
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with the Boys. Gridiron Updates. If you stumbled
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across us, this is our week eight preview and
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picks. And if you're not stumbling across us
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and you're here every week, God bless you. Anyway,
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to my left, we got Jake the Flock Doc in the
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house. Jake, what's up, buddy? Hi. Hi. Jake's
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bringing me back down to earth here. Roberto,
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hey. I got you, buddy. How's it going? Oh, we're
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back. We're feeling good. Behind the camera,
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of course, as always, Kev. Back there getting
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it done for us. uh excuse me let me catch my
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breath here because that was i don't work out
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and that was a lot right there a lot of energy
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i have just expelled they're so excited the bikes
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are six and just so excited the bikes are six
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and all and will they still be undefeated after
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this week you're gonna have to wait to find out
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but before we get into that let's take a look
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kev at our Banter with the boys standings real
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quick. There they are on the screen if you're
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a YouTube listener. If you are everywhere else
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listener, a non -visual listener, yep, that's
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how listening works, buddy. Yours truly, Smelty,
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went 4 -0 for the first time this season. Congrats.
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Yep, I will take it. Everybody else went 3 -1.
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Roberto, Jake, and Dom. If you want to play with
1:34
Banter with the Boys, just go ahead and submit
1:35
your picks, your weekly picks, before the Sunday
1:38
game start via Facebook, Twitter, or something
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for now. Just put it on the internet. Just put
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it somewhere. We'll find you. That's the hope,
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right? And then Smelty will give it a solid try
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to keep track. But, yeah, again. Dom still leading
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all of us there, I believe. Yes, he is. 20 -9
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overall record. Good for you, Dom. He's had three
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perfect weeks this season. If you haven't listened,
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it's been insane. So obviously you've got to
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be able to. Well, actually, I don't say his picks
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out loud. That's right. That's right. We never
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know what his picks are going to be. Vegas will
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start stealing it. Because he listens to the
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show and then sends in his picks like you should.
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There it is. He can follow those directions.
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Yeah, we all filed a non -compete. Yeah, yeah.
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Well, yeah, yeah. Okay. Let's see. So, anyway,
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Dom's in first. Rob is in second place now. And
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now Smelty has tied Jake. catching up here as
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he was firmly in the caboose last week. Stiff
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on the bottom. Yep. Thank God. Anyway, let's
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just move on. All right, there's that, Kev. Let's
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see, before we move on, if you want to bring
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up the, who do you got first, the AFC standings
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for us, please, real quick before we. Move on,
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Jake. Why don't you tell us about the AFC North?
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Yeah, why don't you tell us about the AFC North?
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The AFC North? We have the Ravens in fourth place
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right now at 4 -3. Firmly. Yeah, firmly. That's
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right. And the Browns, for reasons unbeknownst
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to everybody, probably Black Magic, are in first
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place in the North. Okay, right on, right on.
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Steelers right there, close behind. Bengals very
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competitive as well. AFC North shaping up to
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be a very close, hard -fought division. Down
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in the AFC West, Chiefs and Broncos very close
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there, but Chiefs still leading it currently.
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Again, these standings are before the end of
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the Dallas and Philadelphia game, which is happening
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right now. Usually we record on Tuesdays. We
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are recording on a Monday because of life and
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crap. From all of us. Yeah. And whatever. The
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Cowboys are up 20 -14. They are currently right
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now in the third quarter, yes. Go Eagles. Raiders
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and Chargers follow up, bring up the rear end
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in that. Division Chargers. Poor Chargers. Worst
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team in the freaking league right now. Poor guys.
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First overall pick? Trading that Manning pick?
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Trading Herbert to the Vikings all of a sudden
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real quick. You love that trade. Anyway, I got
4:10
to hop off that train. AFC East, real quick,
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we got to keep going. Bills leading the division
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5 -1, followed by the Patriots at 4 -3, very
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close behind. Jets and Dolphins race to the bottom,
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as always. But we're talking about the Jets this
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episode, so don't forget, don't tune away. We're
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going to let you know, Jets fans, what we think,
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what's going on there, Aaron Glenn, you know,
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all that jazz. Jaguars in the AFC South leading
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the division at 4 -2, followed by the Colts and
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Texans tied at 2 -5. And the Titans bringing
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up the rear. They're still trying out. the Cam
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Ward experiment. Cavalets head right into the
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NFC standings quick. Fellas, we'll get your comments
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after I burn through these. Otherwise, we will
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banter forever. Name of the show. You already
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know. I'm bantering by myself. Jesus. NFC North
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Vikings obviously leading the way there. Undefeated
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6 -0. But Bears are a really, really close second
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right now. 5 -2. And are kind of feeling hot
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right now. Watch out. NFC North is going to be
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close. Contested just like the AFC North. Lions
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4 -2. Packers 4 -3. Definitely not out of it.
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NFC West 49ers leading the way at 6 -1. Kind
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of in the race right now with the Vikes for that
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number. Number one seed in the NFC. I can't believe
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I'm saying that, Roberto. Sounds odd. I know.
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Seahawks followed up right there, 4 -3, followed
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by the Rams at 3 -4. And then America's team,
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as Roberto likes to say right now, the Cardinals
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at 2 -5. They're coming. They're on the way.
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Jeremiah Love is going to be back, and it's changing
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the game. Speaking of running backs, the Giants,
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4 -2 -1, using the trio this week to get the
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win. They are atop the NFC East, followed by
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the Eagles. 2 -4, Cowboys 2 -4, Commanders 1
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-4 -1. The Giants right now, two wins up on second
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place in the NFC East. That's wild. Who saw that
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coming? Nobody. Nobody. NFC South, the Panthers.
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currently leading the division at 3 -3, Falcons
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right behind them at 3 -4, Buccaneers 2 -5, Saints
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2 -5. Unbelievable. Buccaneers and Saints are
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100 % still in that NFC South race, so that's
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actually something to watch out for there. So,
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fellas, any quick thoughts here before we dive
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into our preview and picks? I mean, that's exactly
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how I predicted the preseason. All of it. Pretty
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much exactly. I mean, the Lions up one on the
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Bears, but on the Nats, pretty much exact. Right
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on. That's pretty much exact. I think that just
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the NFC South is being a lot more competitive
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than I think we all anticipated them being, even
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though their records don't clearly indicate that.
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Especially with, like, the Saints. I've been
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high on the Saints. since the beginning with
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Tyler Shuck. And they've played in competitive
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games. Yeah, they've been very competitive. It's
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going to click for them eventually. Well, they're
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getting Tyson back, and ETN is coming back, too,
7:04
also this weekend. So I think that offense that
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we originally thought in the beginning of the
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season is going to be fully back, which is going
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to help all that completely. Because they've
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kind of regressed a little bit in the last few
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weeks. It'll take some pressure off that defense,
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too. And they just haven't had a running game
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to help Tyler at all. Yeah. You know, another,
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I mean, in that same division, you know, can
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the Buccaneers get going? Did Baker Mayfield,
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is he back? Yeah, he was back. Through 64 passing
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yards. Well, I picked him up from fantasy, too.
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Did you start him? Did you start him? Oh, I had
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to. Well, because, you know, I thought that the
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flock doc had Lamar starting, so I put him in.
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I didn't say he was starting. Don't put me on
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that. And then, so, flock doc. I told you he
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wasn't going to play. The team didn't listen.
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Lamar started, and I looked at noon, and I had
7:56
shock on my bench. The game already started on
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my bench, so I had to pick somebody else, drop
8:01
a dude. You didn't get the Saturday update that
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he was out? From the Flock Doc? Life got involved
8:08
sometimes. Oh, that's right. You were out hunting
8:10
this weekend. Nope, that's legit. He never gave
8:13
you his email either for the Flock Doc newsflash
8:16
updates right before the game. Damn. If I get
8:20
your cell phone number, I'll send you SMS messages.
8:23
But data and messaging rates apply. That's right.
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Anyway. Stiffly restricted. Let's get into it.
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Damn it. All right, let's get into it here. Game
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one, Ravens at Buffalo. Jake, I'll give you the
8:40
choice. Do you want us to go first or do you
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want to rip apart your team? I mean, do you want
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to talk about this game first? No, you guys can
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go first. Okay. I'm going Bills. I'm a little
8:52
bit concerned about the Ravens passing defense
8:55
last week. I think Josh Allen's going to come
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out, fire in. It's at home, of course. Bills
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Mafia always going nuts. What's Vegas say on
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this one? Three and a half for the Buffalo Bills.
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Circle the wagons. That's it. That's it. Buffalo.
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Buffalo for your boy. Whether Lamar Jackson plays
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or not, because even if he plays at this point,
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I'm assuming he's not even 100%, whatever his
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first game back is. So I got to go Bills here.
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I mean, for me, it's where the Baltimore defense
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can bounce back from that second half of the
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Bengals game. Lamar playing or not, I mean, that's
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the question mark, whether this game is a classic
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45 -41 shootout, which if Lamar plays, that's
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where it says. I said that last week, that Lamar's
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going to play. I picked the Ravens. He didn't
9:40
play. I don't know if he's going to play, so
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I guess I have to pick the Bills on a Monday
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five days away from the game. Again, we're doing
9:48
this on a Monday as well. I'd probably still
9:53
pick the Bills just because it's at home, even
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if Lamar plays. Lamar hasn't played for three
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weeks, so whether he can just jump right back
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on that saddle in Buffalo. which it's just going
10:08
to be tough place to play. So I'm taking the
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bills on this. Great picks. Great picks. I can't
10:15
fault you for any of that. Who is he going to
10:17
pick against his team again? Why would I do that?
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Because you've already done it twice this year.
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And both times I was correct. Yeah. Isn't that
10:25
crazy? Hey, trust me. I took notes. Offensive
10:30
line injuries for the Ravens. That concerns me.
10:33
The secondary, whether or not they're going to.
10:36
be able to hold up again. I do think that going
10:41
into this game, though, that Jesse Minter and
10:43
Anthony Weaver are going to have them prepared,
10:46
and it's going to be a gut check for this defense
10:49
where it's like, hey, we need to be better than
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we were last week, and we have to stop Josh Allen.
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We have to stop James Cook. Nobody circles the
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wagons better than the Buffalo Bills. No. Even
11:06
if there's dead flesh on the ground and you've
11:09
got a whole bunch of ravens circling around.
11:11
A couple tables bouncing off. But anyway, I'm
11:14
picking Bills over Ravens. The question mark
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about Lamar playing or not has me just at this
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point, Lamar's not playing until proven otherwise.
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That's right. Until I see it. Does that pick
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change for you if Lamar plays? i'm gonna say
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yes okay and the reason why i say that is one
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of the other things that that baltimore has to
11:40
figure out or well really what declan doyle has
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to figure out is what is what is our offensive
11:45
identity we have a pretty good idea of what it
11:48
is when uh when lamar's playing but without lamar
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what is the identity and i think it should be
11:56
we're running heavy we're running like six offensive
11:59
linemen we're running dirty And we're just going
12:03
to play ugly physical football games and just
12:07
run the clock and try to play good defense. A
12:13
little RPO. Yeah, just simplify, shorten the
12:16
game. And you've got a really dynamic wide receiver
12:20
to really assist with that, too. If you're playing
12:24
run heavy, you're going to be. You're going to
12:27
open up play action. All of a sudden, you're
12:29
going to have Zay Flowers on the slant over the
12:33
middle that he's going to bust for 50 yards to
12:35
the house or something like that. So Declan Doyle's
12:38
got to figure out what the identity of the offense
12:41
is without Lamar. And I think it's got to be
12:46
soon because I don't know how many more games
12:49
that the Ravens are going to be able to afford
12:51
to lose without losing a chance at making a playoff
12:53
run. Okay. There it is. But Buffalo. Buffalo?
12:57
Buffalo. Right down. Right on. Moving on to game
13:04
two, Vikings at Lions. Actually. The Motor City.
13:09
The Motor City. The Motor City Kitties. You know
13:13
what? We're going to stick with you, Flock. Why
13:14
don't you go ahead and give us our first go here.
13:18
Three and a half. Three and a half? Vegas Lions.
13:23
Lions. I still really like watching this Lions
13:27
offense go. They're starting to figure it out
13:30
more and more. I do worry still about the Lions
13:34
defense, but Deion Branch came back, right? The
13:38
safety. He's finally back, and he's healthy.
13:40
I think he adds a very different dynamic to that
13:43
defense. I totally agree with that. And a different
13:45
sense of attitude. And they play harder, and
13:47
they play faster with him. He plays the run real
13:49
well, too. kyler murray's meh meh as the kids
13:59
say yeah he he has to well he like the vikings
14:05
are relying on their kicker to like win them
14:07
these games they need to score more than 16 points
14:11
a game right now very adam vanity yeah um i trust
14:18
that their defense is going to allow them to
14:20
stay in this game but i think it With the way
14:24
that Dan Campbell plays and the risks that he's
14:27
willing to take against a very aggressive Brian
14:30
Flores defense, Vikings are getting their first
14:34
L this week. So I'm picking Lions over Vikings.
14:37
Picking Lions. You know, big Vikings fan clearly
14:43
for my entire life. All right, he's picking Lions.
14:48
But I kind of have to pick Lions right now, and
14:52
it's because. I'm very concerned about the Vikings'
14:56
offense. I mean, I guess if Aaron Jones or Mason,
15:01
probably not Aaron Jones, probably Mason because
15:02
Jones' knee is kind of banged up right now. But
15:05
if Mason goes off for 150 yards or something
15:07
insane, yeah, then maybe the Vikings are in it.
15:11
But I think Gibbs will do just enough on the
15:13
other side of the ball for the Lions. And unfortunately,
15:16
it's just going to be tough. for that offense
15:21
to truly get anything going. Kyler Murray's afraid
15:24
to throw the ball over the middle of the field.
15:26
He has to get outside the tackles to make anything
15:29
happen. And I just, eventually that's not sustainable.
15:33
The defense has been carrying the load all season,
15:36
and I think that finally cracks. And I think
15:38
finally people accept that, hey, maybe this Kyler
15:40
Murray thing is not working out the way that
15:43
they would have planned. And, of course, everybody's
15:45
going to be like, oh, well, J .J. McCarthy. For
15:49
me, it's got nothing to do with that. Now, we
15:53
voiced our opinion. As soon as that trade went
15:54
down, we were like, dumb, don't like it. We have
15:57
receipts. Go back and look. But we weren't saying
16:01
that Kyler Murray was going to do bad, but we
16:03
just had concerns. And we're still seeing those
16:05
concerns. But this is week eight, man. So, yes,
16:08
they're undefeated. Are they truly a contender
16:10
with the way the offense is going right now?
16:12
No, no way the offense is going to win a Super
16:15
Bowl. So I don't know what they've got to do
16:16
to figure that out, but unfortunately this week
16:18
I agree with you. The Vikings get their first
16:20
ally. Obviously, as you've said in picks past
16:23
against your team, I hope I am wrong. I'd much
16:26
rather see the Vikings win the game, but it's
16:29
going to be a close. All right, so you kind of
16:33
set up. Instead of me getting into my pick right
16:34
now, I'm going to ask more of a question right
16:36
here. All right. if J .J. McCarthy was still
16:41
on the Vikings right now and Kyler Murray's performance
16:44
through four games, I will say for him that he's
16:49
played three and a half probably technically,
16:52
would you have made the move to J .J. McCarthy
16:56
starting this week even at 6 -0? They wouldn't
17:00
have made it. No, of course not. They wouldn't
17:02
have made that move. Correct. They would not
17:04
have because the record dictates or indicates
17:10
that they're still able to win with kyler or
17:13
in spite of kyler right now so i don't i don't
17:17
think that koc would make the switch and you
17:21
for you too you still be kyler i kind of think
17:24
you need a loss maybe even two losses with the
17:28
offense performing poorly for that to be the
17:31
hook okay so he's playing still well enough to
17:35
have the starting job Yes, I think so. He took
17:39
care of the football. He's playing pretty clean.
17:41
And so something I was looking at while we were
17:44
talking, I think it was during tent talk, is
17:47
I think about this Vikings defense being really
17:51
great. Like probably like 2000s Ravens, 2012
17:58
Ravens, 85 Bears. I think you can maybe see.
18:04
They're all Super Bowl teams. I hear you. Very
18:08
stiff. So those defenses were really great. And
18:16
the offenses didn't have to be that spectacular,
18:18
but they were all scoring at least 20 points
18:22
per game. And I think that that's the threshold.
18:25
And they're barely eclipsing that, by the way.
18:27
Right. 20 .8. So they need to get a little bit
18:31
better at that. So I think they're close, and
18:34
hopefully... Are you changing your pick now?
18:37
Hopefully, the Vikings fans... we'll see that
18:42
kyler improves over continues to improve over
18:44
the course of the season but no i'm not changing
18:47
my pick i'm still taking lions all right so this
18:49
is you gotta get to yeah yeah because we got
18:50
two not great games so this is i mean this is
18:53
the setup of the thing so lions are gonna play
18:55
a lot of man -to -man defenses which they typically
18:57
do and which usually frustrates and it's that's
19:00
gonna be the matchups i think um on hutch with
19:03
o 'neill is gonna be i'm gonna Take a lot of
19:06
peeking into that because O 'Neal struggled the
19:08
last two games against Chop Robinson back in
19:10
Miami in this last week, too. I don't even know
19:13
who the guy was. I mean, just in general, that
19:15
whole right side of that line was kind of giving
19:18
up some penetration. We've got to get the running
19:20
game going against the Lions. Their secondary,
19:24
yes, it's a little improved, but there's still
19:26
opportunities to get in there. What are you guys
19:29
giggling about so stiffly about? They were laughing
19:32
about the stiff penetration. Oh, quickly. But,
19:38
yeah, I think an opportunity here for the Vikings
19:41
to get a win, and I'm going to pick the Vikings.
19:44
I think that we match up decently well. I was
19:48
just kind of looking at the carries so far for
19:51
Gibbs this year. At what point are they starting
19:53
to overuse Emmy? So right now, he's at 134 carries.
19:58
The second most carrier on the team right now
20:01
has 16 carries. You know, so, like, at what point,
20:06
you know, because he even fell weird at the finish
20:10
of that game. Oh, yeah, when he was taking that
20:12
slide. And it just kind of reminded me of, like.
20:13
It was an awkward slide. Yeah. Like, how long
20:17
can you ride him for? Were you thinking, like,
20:20
Todd Gurley -esque? Kind of. Something goofy
20:23
just made me go, I don't know. And just now looking
20:26
at the numbers, how long can the Lions ride him
20:29
to be most of that offense? And with the Vikings
20:33
defense, they've got to contain him on the outside
20:36
and flush him back, and that's where Cashman
20:38
and Wilson have been cleaning up all year long.
20:41
The Vikings are just vibing right now. I think
20:44
there's an opportunity. It's a divisional game.
20:46
I think the Vikings are going to sneak one out,
20:48
and Will's going to hit one at the buzzer. Sneak
20:51
one out 21 -20. Will the thrill. We already know.
20:56
Say that about a kicker. Dak Prescott just threw
20:59
a dot to C .D. Lamb for a touchdown, by the way,
21:02
if any of you guys are fantasy folks. I got it,
21:05
Dak. They just took the lead over the Eagles,
21:07
the Sheagles. Okay. Game. We'll talk about it
21:12
right now. Talk about it. No. Oh. Oh, okay. The
21:17
game, right? No, not the game. Who, me? Not that
21:20
game. Game three? The next game. Game three.
21:22
Yes. Raiders at Jets. Kind of a toss -up right
21:27
now, the way it's looking. What does Vegas have
21:29
it at? Probably the Jets, huh? Just a smidgen.
21:36
One and a half for the Jets. The home team gets
21:39
the one and a half. One and a half for the old
21:41
Jets. Jets kind of. Get in news for all the wrong
21:46
reasons, of course, with Garrett Wilson kind
21:49
of blowing up on the sideline on Geno Smith.
21:51
Passion. We call it passion. Yeah, passion. That's
21:55
right. The Jets could see Reese Hall back this
21:59
week. Not 100 % guaranteed, but he's 50 -50 on
22:05
that. But the way that the Raiders have been
22:08
playing lately, what have you done for me lately?
22:11
Well, you've lost four in a row. That's not great.
22:15
That's a slide, but at some point you've got
22:16
to be able to break that slide. I remember Raider
22:19
Nation were just barking on me on the internet
22:21
after week three. Were you dogging on the Raiders?
22:24
No, no, no. We were just like, there was the
22:29
prove -it game against KC. That's when we were
22:31
talking about them. Which they were competitive
22:32
in. That was a good game. We weren't hating on
22:35
them. We were just like, we don't know. And now
22:38
they've lost four in a row. So that streak breaks
22:41
when they travel to the New York Jets, whether
22:44
the Jets would have Brees Hall or not. I do think
22:46
that helps their cause if they did. But I don't
22:50
know. I think it's going to be that Jets, or
22:51
I'm sorry, the Vegas D -line that's going to
22:55
kind of eat up the Jets O -line a little bit
22:58
this game. Yeah, I'm expecting that. The Raiders
23:02
defense. Yeah, I agree. But this is the time,
23:05
this is the game for them to kind of turn that
23:07
thing around, kind of get back into it and get
23:10
back to what they were doing. Get back to their
23:14
3 -0 vibe, the way that they were playing. So
23:20
Raiders for me. Raiders, Raiders, Raiders. I
23:27
think they lost their mojo. 100%. That Raiders
23:31
defense has really been struggling. The Jets
23:33
have also kind of been struggling, but they've
23:35
been kind of in games, too. I'm just going to
23:40
go Jets. I don't have a really rhyming reason.
23:44
Yeah, we pick these games, like, I guess, because
23:46
we're not going to talk about these games, these
23:48
teams later in the season. Well, just because
23:49
they're kind of about the same, both teams. I
23:52
can sit there and make an argument. Jets are
23:54
on a two -game losing streak. I do like Brees
23:56
Hall possibly coming back. for them, which is
24:00
really an element that they've been kind of missing.
24:04
Jets defense has been playing pretty well against
24:07
lately. And I think the Raiders are just on a
24:12
super slide right now. Their offense has really
24:14
struggled to get anything. They've been struggling
24:16
to get Brock Bowers the ball. I think defense
24:19
has just been eliminating him. I have him in
24:22
fantasy football, so I can see that they're just
24:25
taking him out. I mean, so Tucker's been getting
24:28
a lot more looks. So if he's available in fantasy
24:30
football, I'd definitely pick him up. And that
24:33
running game just hasn't been consistent enough
24:35
to get that play action going, which Kurt really
24:37
excels in. And I just think that New York team,
24:41
I think it's A .A. Ron Glenn's possibly way out.
24:46
So I think that he's going to have the boys fired
24:48
up for this week, and I think they're going to
24:49
get the dub. Jets? J -E -T -S. Jets, Jets, Jets.
24:58
Yeah, the Raiders' offense continues to struggle.
25:01
Brock Bowers is their best offensive weapon.
25:05
Kirko Chains has really only been excelling stat
25:09
-wise in garbage time, it feels like, playing
25:11
from behind. I mean, benefit to my fantasy team
25:15
at the end of the day. But that's not what ultimately
25:22
you want to see out of your starting quarterback.
25:25
It doesn't. I'm disappointed, and I think that
25:32
we may see some kind of offensive scheme changes
25:35
by Clint Kubiak. He's very much a let's run the
25:38
football, let's do play action. That's what they
25:41
did in Seattle. That's what his father ran in
25:46
Houston, in Denver, and they're not doing that.
25:50
Kirk Cousins is throwing 44 passes last week,
25:53
so continuing to be a high -volume passer. And
25:57
that's that's not the kind of offense that Clint
26:01
wants to run. That's not the kind of offense
26:03
that Kirk Cousins excels in. It's play action.
26:06
So they have to figure out how do they more effectively
26:09
run the ball. It was what I was looking at at
26:14
Washington. It was a more effective rusher than
26:17
Ashton Gentry. We have to start questioning is
26:22
Ashton Gentry like. What like what's wrong with
26:26
Ashton? Yeah. When are we going to see that flash?
26:29
Yeah. Everyone was expecting, you know, like
26:32
we'll see that top first round draft pick. Yeah.
26:35
You know, it's hard for him to get through the
26:37
hole, to be honest with you. It's from what I've
26:40
seen. He sees it. He gets into it and then he
26:42
just can't really burst through the through the
26:45
hole. You know what I mean? So just get stuck
26:47
in there and gain a two. Yeah. Yeah. And the
26:50
Jets defense continues to play stellar. Brees
26:54
Hall coming back or not, I think, is kind of
26:56
a wash. Braylon Allen can be effective at times
26:59
and is a pretty tough rusher. I love Omar Cooper
27:04
Jr. Again, fantasy perspective and being selfish
27:07
there. He's been hot the last two games since
27:10
coming back from injury. I'm picking Raiders,
27:14
though. Are you going to ride with Geno? No,
27:18
I'm not going to ride with Geno. Let's hear Geno.
27:20
I just think Clint Kubiak is going to figure
27:23
out a way to at least make their passing attack
27:29
more effective by running the ball more somehow.
27:33
He's going to just figure it out. Whether it's
27:36
changing their blocking schemes, changing their
27:39
personnel, something along those lines. And that's
27:41
where they're going to start. By changing and
27:44
being more effective running the ball and then
27:46
going over the top and play action. All right.
27:47
Flock Doc's prescription has changed up the whole
27:50
thing. That's right. I like it. Flock Doc's prescription.
27:53
I love that. Oh, my God. All right. Let's go
27:57
to our final game of week eight that we're picking
28:01
here. The Arizona Cardinals traveling to the
28:03
Dallas Cowboys. Again, the Cowboys play in the
28:05
Eagles right this second. Right meow. Right meow.
28:08
Yep. Cowboys are up 28 -21 currently. In the
28:13
third quarter. Eagles driving. Well, they're
28:17
currently within their own 10 -yard line right
28:19
now on a first and 17, and McKee just got sacked.
28:22
Yeah. Anyway. Driving. Driving. Driving. Backwards.
28:26
Both nearly in last place in their divisions.
28:29
Arizona is in last place in a tough division.
28:32
Dallas towards the bottom of theirs. I guess,
28:37
like, at least in this game right now it's been
28:40
going on because we've been able to see some
28:42
of it. Dallas is finally starting to try to get
28:45
that offensive going, but still so many little
28:47
miscues. Dak sometimes doesn't have touch on
28:53
the little screen passes or things like that.
28:56
I just don't quite understand it. The rush game
28:59
still feels not correct there in Dallas. I'm
29:04
still very concerned about what they have going
29:08
on. They've been on a slide as well. Haven't
29:10
had a great season. Cardinals, on the other side
29:13
of things, have also had a very rough go of it
29:16
this year. Jacoby Brissett doing the best he
29:19
can with that new contract, but he really wanted
29:23
to get paid to be the guy, and it just hasn't
29:25
really panned out there now. They've been without
29:28
Jeremiah Love for a minute, so I guess that will
29:30
affect them there. You know what? Do it. You
29:39
know what? Don't be afraid. I'm not afraid anymore.
29:43
Like he says, you know, America's team. I'm going
29:45
to go with the Cardinals. Yeah. To kind of, I
29:48
don't know, maybe upset the Cowboys. I think
29:49
the Cowboys are going to be heavily favored in
29:52
this game, to be completely honest with you.
29:54
But I'm hoping Jeremiah Love does play, and that's
29:58
finally able to open up a little extra for Jacoby
30:01
Brissett. Maybe, you know, get Trey McBride a
30:05
little bit more open, especially in the middle
30:06
of the field. Yeah. With them hopefully focusing
30:09
on Love a little bit more. What do you got? What
30:13
I got is I don't love that Dak has been trying
30:16
to force feed CeeDee Lamb for the past two weeks.
30:19
Oh, my gosh. I mean, if you're going to. It's
30:21
the same thing tonight. Yeah. If you want a game
30:23
plan against the Cowboys right now, you just
30:25
like. Triple team Lamb. Yeah. And just be like.
30:27
Make them throw them somewhere else. Yeah. And
30:30
then just like take your W. Thank him for the
30:33
W. I think that's the biggest thing to me right
30:37
now is just. Dak is trying to get CeeDee Lamb
30:41
the ball. I don't understand why. You've got
30:43
a really great deep threat in pick -ins. Like,
30:46
throw it up. Does he not trust him? It's so goofy.
30:49
They kind of had a nice connection last year.
30:52
Yeah. When Lamb was out. Right. True. So, is
30:55
Dak feeling pressured to have to get, like, CeeDee
30:58
Lamb X number of, like, touches or targets or
31:01
something like that? Because, what, right now
31:03
in the game, he's got 12 targets. in five catches
31:06
or CD lamb. And then Pickens has been targeted
31:09
five times. So I just, I don't, it just feels
31:14
weird. And I think it's easy to scheme that scheme
31:17
against CD lamb and just be like, all right,
31:19
Dak, who else are you going to be able to throw
31:21
it to right now? And, uh, the, the Cardinals
31:26
are, have been competitive. Their record doesn't
31:28
suggest it based on the, the number of wins that
31:31
they have. They beat the Rams in LA that, I mean,
31:35
we, The Rams record kind of suggests that maybe
31:38
they're not a great team. A lot of survivor pools
31:40
lost heavily on that pick. But the Rams are still
31:45
a really good team. And if the Cardinals are
31:47
able to beat the Rams, I think the Cardinals
31:49
can beat the Cowboys. The Cowboys, I think right
31:52
now, the score of the Cowboys -Eagles game right
31:55
now shouldn't be what it is. Agreed. I think
31:59
the Cowboys are playing down, and I think that
32:01
that plays to the advantage of the Cardinals.
32:03
I'm going to pick Cardinals. Oh, another pick
32:06
for Cardinals. Now I got to know where Dom's
32:08
going once he sends in his picks. He's going
32:10
to pick Cowboys. I mean, for me, the Cowboys
32:15
have to win this game tonight that's currently
32:16
going on right now because the Giants are getting
32:20
warm right now and so many injuries in that thing.
32:24
And Dallas is the only team that is completely
32:25
healthy on the offensive side other than maybe
32:27
some linemen. But everyone else is banged up
32:30
too. I was just kind of looking at the Cardinals
32:35
and their schedule. I mean, obviously they play
32:37
in the NFC West, which is playing the AFC West
32:40
this year. So, I mean, the rest of their schedule
32:43
is still a gauntlet. And I was like, all right,
32:45
when do they take a peek at Carson Beck? You
32:48
know, their third -round draft pick out of Miami.
32:51
You know, he's inactive right now, back spasms.
32:54
I was just trying to kind of look at it. I was
32:55
like, oh, you know, maybe with them. And looking
32:57
at their schedule, you know, like. After a couple
33:01
more games that the Cardinals are not in it,
33:03
that's probably the best opportunity to kind
33:06
of get an opportunity to see what you see with
33:07
him. Their defense is better than most people
33:12
think, and that's why in the Rams game that they
33:16
snuck around. I think they can match up pretty
33:18
well with the Cowboys. It's whether the Cardinals
33:21
offense. can put enough on and stay on the field
33:25
enough where that Cardinals defense ain't. That's
33:28
when they get blown out is when the Cardinals
33:30
defense is on the field all day long. I'm going
33:33
to go with whoever else wanted the Cardinals
33:35
here. I think the Cardinals are going to sneak
33:37
this one out. That defense is playing good, and
33:40
I just got this weird vibe that the Cardinals
33:43
are going to do this. That's kind of my thing.
33:46
It was like a weird vibe, you know. Or we just
33:49
all super hate the Cowboys. Well, I mean, there's
33:51
that, too. Well, I mean, because the Cardinals
33:53
and the Cowboys, just like every other week,
33:56
they're a different team, you know? And some
33:58
weeks, they're the same crappy team twice in
34:01
a row. And you're right. The Giants are getting
34:03
hot. And with the games that the Giants have
34:05
next, I mean, they're all winnable competitive
34:07
games for the Giants. So the Jaguars are sprinkled
34:10
in there. That's going to be tough, right? If
34:13
you are the Cowboys, you 100 % need to win this
34:15
game, and you 100 % need to beat the Cardinals
34:18
next weekend as well to have a shot to kind of
34:20
keep pace, it seems like, against the Giants
34:22
right now. So, no, I think you hit that right
34:24
on the head. Because that Giants defense is good
34:26
enough. Oh, for sure. For sure. We're seeing
34:29
it. Burns is not even playing right now, so whenever
34:33
he comes back, too, that's only going to help.
34:36
Yeah. I wonder what his update is. My brain's
34:40
real quick, real quick. I think he was on a four
34:43
-week IR after, like, week two -ish. Yeah. It's
34:49
still an ankle sprain, it looks like, and it
34:53
could be something with a knee, too. Oh, what?
34:57
He had torn ACL. No, he's out? I thought it was
35:02
just the – I thought he was coming back. No,
35:05
I guess he's not. I guess we're not seeing Burns
35:08
back. Yeah, the week after Jackson Dart was done
35:12
for the season. Maybe he was injured the week
35:15
before, and then that's what I was thinking.
35:18
Yeah, it could have been. Could have been. Either
35:19
way. Then he tore the next game. Either way,
35:22
like you said, they're playing just fine without
35:24
him right now. Yeah. And they're going to be
35:26
very competitive in these next stretch of games
35:30
here, probably the rest of the season here with
35:32
the Giants, if they can stay healthy. And that
35:33
rest of it, it sucks. Yeah. And you were talking
35:36
in our chat that Jay Harbaugh. Oh, coach of the
35:41
year? Well, you were saying that Jay Harbaugh.
35:43
I mean. If they win that division with their
35:46
starting quarterback out. There's a strong case
35:49
to be made for it, absolutely. Yeah. Versus a
35:52
coordinator winning coach of the year. I mean,
35:54
maybe there is a separate award for coordinators.
35:59
I think it probably is, Kevin. I don't know.
36:03
Kevin, GTS it. Yeah, Jay Harbaugh in L .A., coach
36:06
of the year. If he gets that team back from 0
36:10
-6 to the playoffs. That would be an argument.
36:13
Yeah. But I do not foresee that. I don't, unfortunately.
36:17
Anyway, let's. Yeah, it looks like there's totally
36:19
a coach of the year. 25 was Josh McDaniel. Assistant
36:24
coach of the year. Oh, assistant coach. Yeah.
36:27
Assistant coach of the year awards. It does exist.
36:30
Okay. We'll give it to him right now. All right.
36:33
Stamp it. Approval. Banter at the boys. Stamp
36:36
it. There it is. That is what it is. Ceremony's
36:38
next week. It's done. Yep. Find your spot on
36:41
the parade route. That's right. That's right.
36:44
Rob will be there. Out of the stiff wind. That's
36:46
right. On Nicollet Avenue. Trail magic. Kev,
36:51
thanks for being here. Jake. Yo, thanks for having
36:56
me. I guess it doesn't feel like a choice anymore.
37:00
It feels forced upon me. Mandatory fun. I just
37:03
show up. We tell them, like, hey, man, we don't
37:06
need you. Josh. What are you doing Tuesday? That's
37:10
why it's Monday today. We try to throw him off.
37:11
Here he is. Still here. This case in the joint.
37:15
Roberto. Yeah. Roberto. Yep. There it is. Let's
37:18
go to the bowl. Yep. That's right. Of course,
37:20
I'm Smelzy. Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe
37:22
wherever you listen to the banter, whether that's
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YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio,
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TikTok. Find us on X, Facebook, wherever. Give
37:30
us your picks. You know what it is. Talk some
37:32
shh. Talk some shh. You know what I mean? Nothing.
37:37
I got nothing. Bye. Peace. Don't forget to follow,
37:42
like, and subscribe. Tune in next time for more
37:46
banter with the boys.