In this episode of the All 32 NFL Podcast, Boston Sports Journal's Mike Giardi breaks down Week 14 in the NFL. He kicks off with the Chiefs' gritty 19-17 win over the Chargers, highlighting Kansas City's mental toughness, before diving into the high-scoring Rams-Bills showdown. Later, Giardi analyzes the Seahawks' dominant win over the Cardinals and the Dolphins' dramatic overtime victory against the Jets
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Chiefs vs Chargers
3:00 - Mahomes' performance
5:00 - Chiefs' mental toughness
6:44 - Chargers' trajectory
10:55 - DeAndre Hopkins analysis
12:29 - Rams' offensive strategy
14:01 - Josh Allen's historic game
15:54 - Bills' defensive concerns
17:36 - Nine players on field
19:56 - Playoff seeding implications
22:22 - Customize your menu
24:01 - Mike McDonald's impact
25:56 - Geno Smith's performance
27:55 - Wide receiver needs speed
30:01 - Jets' losing gene
32:47 - Dolphins' overtime victory
34:40 - Importance of culture
37:02 - Darnold's impressive performance
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0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Chiefs vs Chargers
3:00 - Mahomes' performance
5:00 - Chiefs' mental toughness
6:44 - Chargers' trajectory
10:55 - DeAndre Hopkins analysis
12:29 - Rams' offensive strategy
14:01 - Josh Allen's historic game
15:54 - Bills' defensive concerns
17:36 - Nine players on field
19:56 - Playoff seeding implications
22:22 - Customize your menu
24:01 - Mike McDonald's impact
25:56 - Geno Smith's performance
27:55 - Wide receiver needs speed
30:01 - Jets' losing gene
32:47 - Dolphins' overtime victory
34:40 - Importance of culture
37:02 - Darnold's impressive performance
************************************************
Patriots Content Brought to you by....
💰 Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS
Download the app today and use Code CLNS at PrizePicks.com/CLNS & Get $50 instantly when you play $5!
🎫 Gametime - https://gametime.co
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SportsTranscript
00:00It is caught! Touchdown!
00:04The New England Patriots collect Drake May.
00:07He's got the ball! And that's the ballgame!
00:11Welcome to the All 32 Pod. Mike Giardi here.
00:14Will Parkinson, my cohort, not here today. On assignment, if you will.
00:19Some would say that perhaps he is still licking his wounds from that brutal Jets loss.
00:24Yet another brutal Jets loss and a season full of them.
00:28Really in the history of full of them.
00:30But we're not here to beat up on Will when he's not here.
00:32We do that when he's here as well.
00:34A reminder to you, this show brought to you by PrizePix,
00:36the exclusive daily fantasy partner of the CLNS Media Network.
00:40And Game Time, best tickets, best prices to get you into any event that you want to see.
00:45And of course, all kinds of stuff coming up as we get closer and closer to the playoffs.
00:49NBA, NHL in full swing as well.
00:52So plenty to spend your money on if you want to.
00:55Good Christmas gift. Just saying, good Christmas gift.
00:57Go to Game Time. They'll deliver.
01:00I wanted to start with what I thought was the game of the week going in
01:04and then get to what was the game of the year a little bit later on.
01:07I'll start, of course, with what I thought was the biggest game.
01:09And that was the Chiefs hosting the Chargers on Sunday Night Football.
01:13Chiefs beat the Chargers 19-17.
01:17Once again, the Chiefs pull it off at the end of the game.
01:21It's the sixth game this season.
01:24It's the sixth game of their 12-1 start that has been decided on the final play of the game.
01:30It's just absolutely insanity.
01:33But that's how they're living and that's how they're winning at this point
01:37as they improve to 12-1 with a 19-17 victory.
01:41Chiefs blew a 13-point lead.
01:44And it's interesting because we've talked a lot about on this podcast in particular
01:48the last year and a half how Kansas City,
01:51despite having Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid and Travis Kelsey,
01:54have become a defensive first football team.
01:57But I would say over the last five or six weeks,
01:59there have been some cracks in the defense.
02:01And they showed up in the second half of this game when that lead went away.
02:05The Chargers, Justin Herbert got going, really cooking it.
02:08Again, without Ladd McConkie, his best target,
02:10who was out for the game with the knee and the shoulder problem,
02:13elevating guys like Quinton Johnson, who was their first-round pick last year,
02:16who's still a hit-or-miss player.
02:18Joshua Palmer, Willis Disley, their tight end,
02:21who's supposed to be more of a blocker.
02:22He gets hurt late in the first half.
02:24They've had no run game to speak of since J.K. Dobbins went down a few weeks ago.
02:29And again, that continued last night, averages 3.9 yards per carry.
02:32But Justin Herbert and this marriage with Harbaugh
02:35has really started to elevate his game.
02:38And I thought in the second half, if you dream of what Justin Herbert is,
02:42and he's obviously put up a very good resume so far
02:45but doesn't have the postseason success,
02:47that's what you wanted to see from Justin Herbert.
02:50Precise, some big plays, both with his legs and, of course, with the arm.
02:55Dealing with a knee, dealing with a bad ankle over the course of the game,
02:58and still staying in and putting the Chargers in a position
03:02to win the football game up 17-16.
03:06Chiefs get the ball back with 4.32 and don't surrender.
03:09Take it right down to the wire.
03:11Matthew Wright, their third place kicker this season because of injuries,
03:14clangs it off the upright, it goes in, the doink, and yet the victory.
03:19This is just how the Chiefs have played all year long.
03:22A lot of close games, and they've managed to pull it out in the end.
03:25Sometimes maybe it's sort of like if you follow me around from New England,
03:30the Patriots all those years would let the other team make mistakes
03:33or just find themselves in position late in games
03:36and then figure out a way to get it done even when it wasn't their best game.
03:39Clearly, once again, not the Chiefs' best game on either side of the ball.
03:43Like I said, especially defensively where they kind of collapsed in the second half,
03:46but they get it done.
03:49Patrick Mahomes, talk about elevating guys around him,
03:54just like Herbert doesn't have a lot of guys to play with.
03:57Yeah, Mahomes might have the pedigree of someone like Kelsey,
04:01but if you watch Kelsey, he's just not the same player.
04:03I know he's had some good moments this year, but to me, Noah Gray,
04:07who's their backup tight end, has become sort of the explosive version of Kelsey
04:12where Kelsey used to be, still doesn't have the same feel that Kelsey did.
04:15Very few guys do, but he's been someone who's been important to them in the past game.
04:19They got Xavier Worthy involved late, a big catch from him,
04:22but again, continues to be more of a bit player rather than a starring role
04:26for their first rounder this season, their skinny first rounder,
04:29which, by the way, I'm starting to get back to right where I was,
04:31where I'm still going to rule those guys out.
04:33I don't necessarily love the skinny, fast guy overall,
04:38but that last drive, very efficient, effective.
04:41Mahomes, apparently, before the last play, considered maybe run the ball.
04:45I said, I'll make something happen, Andy, and he gets them in better position,
04:49and they needed it because right damn near blew the field goal.
04:53I was kind of thinking to myself, who do we learn more about?
04:56And I think we now know what Kansas City is,
04:58and they've just sort of been reinforcing it all year long.
05:00They are incredibly mentally tough, and they're a team that you don't want to be
05:04in those one-score games, but there is a limit to what they can do offensively.
05:09That's the second time the Chargers have held them to under 20 points.
05:12Patrick Mahomes has been sacked now 13 times in the last three games,
05:16and sometimes Patrick is trying to make a little bit something happen,
05:19but also their tackles are a problem.
05:22They finally started DJ Humphries after signing him off the scrap heap
05:25with the torn ACL that caused him to miss most of the year.
05:29He goes down with a bad hamstring in the game,
05:31so they have to go back to Morris.
05:33Morris is on the field for that final drive, but he's nobody's idea of the answer,
05:37at least not the way he's played this season.
05:39So they've still got problems at tackle.
05:42They still have problems generating explosive plays.
05:45Isaiah Pacheco worked more into the action yesterday
05:47but doesn't look like the same guy just yet, and you wouldn't expect he broke his leg.
05:52It might take a little time.
05:53It might not even be until next year until he's that.
05:55And Kareem Hunt has sort of come back to earth and reminded us
05:58why he's kind of bouncing around the league
06:00from a production standpoint over the last few years.
06:04So to me, we know what the Chiefs are.
06:07To me, the Chargers are showing you this is happening a year before it should.
06:12I think there's still a lot they're going to have to do with the roster,
06:15but that Midtjore has done such a nice job defensively
06:19presenting problems for opposing teams,
06:21and while they've benefited a little bit from their schedule being softer
06:26than maybe it gets credit for,
06:28and you've seen sort of recently some cracks against better offensive teams.
06:32That was back to sort of the way they played this year
06:35and made life difficult until the very end.
06:37So even Harbaugh can't quite influence the Chargers to beat the Chiefs.
06:40They've now lost seven in a row against the Chiefs,
06:43but you have to like the trajectory that that program is on.
06:47We all expected when Harbaugh took over that he would sort of inject that life.
06:51It's what he's done everywhere he's gone, and he's doing it there with the Chargers,
06:55and they become a fascinating team to watch this offseason.
06:58But I'm not getting there just yet
07:00because I still think they're going to be a tough out in the postseason.
07:03You tell me the way Herbert's playing, if he's healthy and they can get McConkie back
07:07and they continue to play this way defensively,
07:10that they could cause somebody some serious problems in the postseason
07:13and look, I wouldn't be, based on the way the AFC is,
07:17I wouldn't necessarily be surprised if you told me,
07:19huh, they're in the AFC championship game.
07:22It's possible. I'm not saying it will happen.
07:24I'm just saying there's enough there to lead you to believe
07:26that they're going to be a team that's really hard to beat
07:29and has done a very good job generally this season of not beating themselves.
07:35For the Chiefs, when I talked about the defense and sort of struggling,
07:37I would just go back on that real quick.
07:39Yeah, they won their AFC West title again.
07:42But right now, second corner, you could argue even the third corner
07:46has been a problem for them.
07:48No pass rush, what to speak of really.
07:52Even Chris Jones is not having the kind of year that we're accustomed to Chris Jones having.
07:57They've got to find it.
07:58Spagnola's done a great job still sort of piecing it together
08:01and still, again, enabled them to be a defense first team,
08:04even if maybe their talent isn't playing to that
08:06or because of some of the injuries, they are not what we thought they were.
08:11Before we get to what I thought was the game of the year so far,
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08:53You don't even have to win.
08:55It's just about vibes, man.
08:56You can do it with basketball.
08:57You can do it with hockey, whatever.
08:58Do you think the next time the Bruins play, David Pasternak,
09:02he's going to score more than a half goal?
09:04You go that route.
09:05If you think Anthony Edwards for the Minnesota Timberwolves,
09:09what's the number, 28 points, 28.5 points?
09:12More? Less?
09:13Who's he playing?
09:14Are you vibing it?
09:15And then you just put those picks together and it's fun.
09:20It's interesting.
09:21It's an opportunity.
09:22As always, prize picks runs your game.
09:25Let's go to the game of the year.
09:28An absolutely phenomenal football game.
09:31Two offenses operating at the highest of levels.
09:34Two quarterbacks operating at the highest of levels.
09:37The Rams beat the Bills 44-42.
09:41Big win for the Rams, who are now 7-6,
09:44just a game out of first place in the NFC West.
09:47And talk about dangerous.
09:49They're incredibly dangerous right now.
09:51As always with them, can their offensive pieces, Stafford, Cooper Cup,
09:55Pukanukuwa, stay healthy, Kyron Williams?
09:57Because if they can, now that offensive line is starting to gel
10:01after all the injuries they dealt with earlier in the year.
10:03And we know they've got a young, improving defense
10:07that has posed a lot of problems for people,
10:09although not the Bills yesterday, although enough to get the victory.
10:14I mentioned Stafford.
10:15Just absolutely tearing apart the Bills' approach.
10:18And when Will and I sat here and talked about this game, previewed it,
10:21at the end of last week, one of the things I said was,
10:24based on how the Bills had played the Chiefs earlier in the year,
10:28where they looked at the Chiefs and said,
10:29yeah, we're a big zone team, the Bills are, right?
10:31They don't like to play man.
10:32That's a Sean McDermott, now his new D.C. Brian Babbage.
10:35Like, we're going to sit back.
10:37Bobby Babbage, excuse me.
10:38We're going to sit back.
10:39We're going to play zone.
10:40We're going to make you go 10, 12 plays, matriculate down the field.
10:42We think you're going to make a mistake.
10:44By and large, that's been the case.
10:45But they looked at Kansas City and said, well, Worthy's a fast guy,
10:48but then you're putting out Juju Smith-Schuster.
10:51You're putting out Kelsey who doesn't run like he used to.
10:53Justin Watson's a deep threat.
10:55Come on.
10:56DeAndre Hopkins, terrific player, doesn't run the way he did.
10:58And they said, we're going to play a lot more man.
11:00And they played a ton of man in that game.
11:02It was a bit of a wrench in Kansas City's plans,
11:05because you played them all these years, and that's just how they play it.
11:08And then they go with a different approach, and it benefited.
11:10And they stayed in that game.
11:13Stayed in the game.
11:14They won the game, but they were very competitive defense.
11:16They made life very difficult for Patrick Mahomes
11:18because of how they played and the looks that they showed him.
11:21So I figured going into this game, when it really runs through Nakua
11:25and it runs through Cooper Cupp to a lesser degree,
11:27because Nakua's now the better player,
11:29Cupp with all the injuries over the years,
11:31just sort of slowing down a little bit, still terrific player.
11:35Bill sat back in defense.
11:37I mean, he sat back in the zone and saffron over 300 yards
11:41and just picked them apart.
11:42Nakua had a massive day.
11:44And even when he was played well,
11:47and you've probably seen the highlights by now,
11:49there were two catches where not only the body control
11:53to twist and make the catch, but then to get the feet in,
11:56like over-the-shoulder stuff, the kid, fifth-round pick,
12:01should get everyone to reconsider how they evaluate that position
12:05because he's not a burner.
12:07He knew how to play football at BYU.
12:09He did have the injury history.
12:10He's incredibly physical.
12:12He's got great hands.
12:14They give him a ball in the ground game at times.
12:17And again, he's not the fastest guy.
12:19You normally think jet sweep, you're giving it to the speedy guy.
12:21No, they give it to Nakua because he's a tough runner, smart runner,
12:24understands how to set up his blockers.
12:26Like, just he's a phenomenal player.
12:28And, you know, when he's been healthy this year,
12:31having a phenomenal season.
12:33So he and Stafford just went to work on the bills.
12:36He had a couple touchdowns, including the wide receiver screen
12:39that turns out to be the game-winning touchdown,
12:41caught them in a zero blitz.
12:43You know, we'll move here, shakes one guy.
12:45He's into the end zone from 20 yards out.
12:48So the Rams are dangerous.
12:50And I think this, I'll speak for Will.
12:52I'm going to give him credit here.
12:53Will was on them being the winner of that division
12:56and making a deep run in the postseason.
12:58He might have even had them go at least Tennessee championship game,
13:00maybe even the Super Bowl.
13:02Now that they're getting healthy, you can sort of see his vision there.
13:06It's a well-coached football team from Sean McVay.
13:10And, yeah, they're incredibly, incredibly dangerous.
13:13Meanwhile, for the Buffalo Bills, so much to get into here.
13:18I mentioned the zone defense and how that was exposed,
13:21and I was really surprised that they didn't adjust.
13:24Criticized the Patriots for not adjusting.
13:26Sometimes these teams, they just get locked in.
13:28McDermott should know better than that, and he should have had a –
13:31he and Babbage should have had a better plan B, if you will,
13:34in that football game.
13:35Although, like I said, there were some blitzes.
13:37They just would dial them up at the absolute wrong time
13:39or to the point where Stafford either read the tell,
13:42got the ball out to the right player, made a big play.
13:46But in this game, Josh Allen becomes the first player in NFL history
13:50in the regular season to throw for three or more touchdowns – he had three –
13:54and run for three touchdowns in a single game.
13:56Again, the first time in NFL history.
13:59On top of that, as you just saw, six touchdowns overall
14:03for the Bills in the game.
14:04They didn't turn the ball over once, and they still lost the football game.
14:09That has never happened in the history of the NFL.
14:13So think on that for a little bit.
14:15Josh Allen, the offense, absolutely cooking.
14:18If you're into fantasy football, one of the biggest days
14:21in fantasy football history.
14:23He probably just made himself – if he wasn't already going to be the MVP,
14:27that probably cemented it in the loss that he will be the MVP this season,
14:31his first MVP award.
14:33The Bills still managed to lose the game, and much like we talked about
14:37over the last week when I said they're still not super talented
14:41on defense, the Bills, and if they were to be derailed this season
14:46at some point before the AFC Championship game,
14:49the defense would be what does them in.
14:53I guess it was a bit of a perfect storm because the Rams were clicking,
14:56and Stafford is obviously seeing everything.
14:59But there's just not enough talent on that side of the ball,
15:03and some of the talent that they do have is younger,
15:06and you're trying to sort of have them learn on the fly.
15:10Once again, their defense might be a year away from being
15:13what McDermott and Babich envisioned it to be,
15:16but in this moment they got picked apart.
15:19It is, for me, if I'm a Bills fan, this would be the thing
15:23that I'm worrying about.
15:25This could be the thing that ends my Super Bowl dreams
15:28a little bit earlier than I would have hoped is that the defense
15:31just not enough pressure on the quarterback, a little light on the run.
15:35We've talked about how interior-wise, defensively,
15:38they're not a big team, and teams have been able to pound the ball,
15:41and then outside they prefer to play zone.
15:43They don't match well in man, and this was an occasion
15:46where you should have tried to match in man,
15:48and he just didn't feel like they had the horses to do it,
15:51and they gave up 44 points.
15:54One other point about this, and this pops up.
15:57This would be the other reason if I'm a Bills fan for as much as I appreciate.
16:02Sean McDermott's a really good coach.
16:04They built a great program.
16:06They're in the mix.
16:07They've been in the mix now for, what, four years running?
16:10His game management sometimes in big moments has left people
16:15scratching their head.
16:16We obviously know the 13 seconds in the AFC playoffs a couple years ago.
16:21This was not that, but it was not good.
16:25Late in the game, down nine.
16:30I believe I have the nine points.
16:33On the goal line, he calls a quarterback sneak.
16:37The problem with calling the quarterback sneak is if you don't get it
16:41under two minutes to go, you need to call the timeout.
16:45They don't get it.
16:46They have to call the timeout.
16:47Tom Brady's best moment as a broadcaster, by the way,
16:50is he was like, what are you doing?
16:52If you have to waste the timeout, now you put yourself in a situation
16:57where you're dependent upon an onside kick to save your day
17:00because you can't stop them on three plays, call timeouts,
17:03get the ball back, and then have a chance for a completion
17:05and a long field goal.
17:06No, this is now you have to go to a play that pretty much doesn't work,
17:10and it's designed not to work.
17:12You didn't deserve to get the onside kick.
17:15It shouldn't be just like a given.
17:16You're going to get that.
17:18So that happens, and he wastes the timeout.
17:21Then they do force the Rams to punt.
17:24In the closing seconds of the game, they don't return the ball.
17:28So you're watching going, what in the hell just happened?
17:33What happened was they had nine guys on the field.
17:37Think about that for a second.
17:39In the biggest moment of the game, the final moment of the game,
17:42a chance still.
17:44Again, the odds were long, but you want to either attempt the block
17:48or you want to run it back.
17:50And they had nine players, not 10, not 12, nine on the field.
17:57So they didn't even get a return.
17:59Game ends that way.
18:00McDermott said there's some communication issues on the sidelines.
18:05Look, when the 13-second thing happened,
18:10the special teams coach got run over and lost his job.
18:17When the defense has failed in big moments,
18:20Leslie Frazier and they parted ways with Leslie.
18:25And Sean took over the defense last year
18:27and then promoted Babich to be the DC this year.
18:31They've also changed offensive coordinators.
18:33So this is the team that's really close, that hasn't gotten over the hump.
18:37Had they won that 13-seconds game, there's no doubt in my mind
18:40they were going to win the Super Bowl, but they didn't.
18:43And so they don't have that on their resume.
18:47Look, Sean's a great coach.
18:49If Sean were to be out there, every team that had an opening would line up
18:53and some that didn't would line up because of the kind of coach he is
18:56and the program builder that he is.
18:58But they've got to wonder, are you going to do this?
19:00You're going to have a brain freeze again in January?
19:04Or do you get to February and that happens?
19:07It's something that I would be concerned about
19:10because we've seen it a few times with Sean McDermott over the years.
19:14It pains me to say it because, again, I really believe he's an outstanding coach,
19:17but it is what it is.
19:22The Bills have a game, by the way, against Detroit.
19:24So now they're two back of the Chiefs.
19:28So the chance for the one seed probably went by the wayside as well with that loss,
19:31which, again, is just as big.
19:33You're a good enough team to go into Kansas City and win,
19:35but you'd rather have them come to you.
19:37And now Kansas City, maybe their run of good luck would have to end
19:44and the Bills will have to beat someone like Detroit
19:46and have a couple tough games here to finish the season off to get that number one seed.
19:50But it feels like that is probably now an incredibly long shot,
19:53and that should also bother them.
19:57Let's hear from game time.
19:59You know how much I love to watch football live,
20:01but normally I get paid to go to these games.
20:03It's my job, right?
20:05I just got his season tickets, so he's been set up for a long time.
20:08But if you want to go to other games, Will did it.
20:10He went to a World Series game, saw the Yankees.
20:13I went to the Celtics opener when they raised the banner.
20:19The easiest thing to do, the best way to do it is to use game time
20:22because unlike some of these other sites, it's just so much easier to operate.
20:28And the tickets, the way it's filtered, they call it game time picks,
20:34takes out the fluff, shows you all the incredible deals on great seats,
20:37so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets.
20:40I know I'm going to definitely hit another Celtics game probably soon.
20:44My son comes home from college, do that sort of thing,
20:46and we'll be looking for tickets.
20:48And the only place I'll be looking for is on game time.
20:50So just download the game time account, app rather.
20:55Download the game time app.
20:57Easy for me to say.
20:58Create an account.
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21:12Download game time today.
21:14What time is it?
21:15Oh, it's game time.
21:16And quickly, because they were so kind, sent me an incredible box of food.
21:25You know, we were all busy.
21:26Like, we were all running around, especially the holiday season,
21:28or Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, whatever.
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23:10Like, what are you doing?
23:11I'm telling you.
23:12It came in handy this past week.
23:14Your boy's been busy even on the buy week.
23:17Final game that we talked about being a big game coming into this weekend,
23:21this past weekend, was Seahawks at the Cardinals.
23:24Cardinals had lost two in a row since the buy
23:27and had choked away their lead in the NFC West.
23:30The Seahawks moved a game ahead heading into the weekend.
23:33But this game was in Arizona.
23:34You figured that Arizona would be the more desperate team.
23:37Instead, the Seahawks get it done 30-18.
23:40The Seahawks have now won four straight games, eight and five,
23:45a game ahead of the Rams in the division.
23:47Rams actually kind of control their own destiny
23:49because they do play if they can win out here
23:51because they do play Seattle in Week 18,
23:54and that would shift the tide if they run the table.
23:56But right now, Seahawks in first place,
23:59and the job that Mike McDonald, their head coach, is doing.
24:02And if you go back to when we started this pod
24:05and we were doing season previews,
24:07I thought Seattle was going to make the playoffs.
24:09I thought he was the best offseason hire not named Harbaugh
24:14because there's a clear vision of how he wants to play,
24:17and his defense has become the rage the last few years,
24:21and they're splintered off.
24:22I think there's 10 different teams now that use some version
24:25of the Ravens' Mike McDonald way here, if you will, in his tree.
24:30Miami's been using some of it.
24:32Tennessee, which his defense has been much better, has been using it.
24:35Miami's defense actually has been much better
24:37than the years past as well.
24:39And the thing about McDonald is, to me,
24:41he doesn't even have his guys just yet.
24:44But they took a big risk by the trade deadline.
24:47They traded for Ernest Jones who started with the Rams,
24:49got traded before the season started because he wanted more money to Tennessee.
24:52Tennessee realized this season's over.
24:54They punt on him, and Jones has done a phenomenal job for them
24:59in the middle of defense.
25:00He's actually talking about how he communicates with McDonald.
25:02McDonald is the only head coach I've ever had that's in my ear
25:05because he's the green dot guy, and it's like having another linebacker
25:08right next to you.
25:10Two huge turnovers, back-to-back picks of Kyler Murray in that game,
25:14one by a linebacker, one by a defensive back,
25:17sort of changed the tenor of the game.
25:20And the Seahawks just sort of smothered the Cardinals
25:24in this football game.
25:27McDonald's got that going on.
25:28I'm just telling you, man.
25:29Like Leonard Williams is playing at an all-pro level.
25:32He's been phenomenal this year.
25:33Their secondary, Devin Witherspoon, who along with Christian Gonzalez,
25:38came out of the draft last year and were like,
25:40if you give me five guys, he'd be one of the five guys
25:43that I'd want on my football team if I was picking early.
25:46He's having a great year, and that defense is becoming, once again,
25:51maybe a little bit sooner than expected,
25:53is becoming a real foundation for that football team.
25:56I think they're going to be fascinating with how they add to it
25:59in the offseason and continue to build his vision.
26:02The other thing about this game is Seattle actually ran the ball,
26:06and they've struggled averaging under 100 yards rushing per game this year,
26:09which really made no sense with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet,
26:13who's a pretty good backup running back.
26:15But Charbonnet in this one was the beast, 134 yards rushing,
26:18two touchdowns, ripped off a run of 51 yards, big play as well.
26:22So it gets some explosive plays in the run game.
26:24And then Geno Smith, who we said we talked about this game coming in,
26:27we're like, well, what are you going to get?
26:29Because you know the interceptions are part of Geno's game,
26:32but he also makes throws that, I don't know,
26:34five or six quarterbacks in the league actually attempt and complete.
26:37That's how good the arm talent is with Geno.
26:40And Geno was just calm, in control, no turnovers, 24 of 30, I believe,
26:46over 200 yards passing and just made a lot of the right decisions.
26:50His relationship now with Jackson Smith and Najigba has gone to the next level.
26:55Those two guys, that's clearly actually Jackson Smith and Najigba
26:58has become their best wide receiver and their go-to wide receiver.
27:01Great feel for the game.
27:02The kid out of Ohio State has really come into his own this season.
27:05So great combination there.
27:07They're just playing really good football.
27:09And I'd love to see them and the Rams in a winner take all in week 18,
27:15but I don't think whatever happens with Seattle the rest of the way,
27:18that it really should dampen sort of what they're building there
27:20in their first year without Pete Carroll.
27:22Mike McDonald is the real deal.
27:24Meanwhile, Arizona, hey, look, I haven't liked their defense all year.
27:29That hasn't changed.
27:30They haven't had a blitz a ton as the year's gone on
27:32because they just can't create consistent pressure.
27:36Kyler has had a very good year.
27:39Sometimes puts a little bit too much on himself.
27:41And I would say the other thing about them is they drafted Marvin Harrison,
27:46and he's a terrific player.
27:49He's not put up the ridiculous numbers we thought he was going to.
27:52Malik Nabors has got bigger numbers than the Giants,
27:55even though he's playing with a crap-fast quarterback.
27:59But Harrison isn't enough to turn around that room.
28:02Just like Nabors, quite frankly,
28:04hasn't been enough to turn around the Giants' room.
28:06There's another level that they need to get to in that wide receiver room.
28:09And I think, quite frankly, it needs to be more speed
28:12because Harrison can separate.
28:16He's obviously incredibly physical, but he's not a straight-line burner.
28:19Feels like he might work in conjunction with someone who can stretch the field,
28:22work some of the underneath stuff, some of the crossing stuff,
28:25to get the best out of him.
28:27And so they're just a team that's building under Monty Austin Fort,
28:31a former Patriots and Titans executive who's now the GM there.
28:35And the roster has gotten better every year,
28:37and Jonathan Gannon looks like he knows what he's doing.
28:39Drew Petzig, I've talked about a lot here.
28:42Bobby Slowick's been the hot name as the OC.
28:44We've seen what's happened to Houston this year,
28:46and I think a fair amount of that falls on Slowick.
28:49Petzig just keeps getting them better.
28:51Again, working with less talent than the Texans have.
28:54If I'm a team who wants an offensive-minded head coach in this cycle,
28:59I'm calling him, and I'm bringing him in, and I'm picking his brain
29:02because he's showed me a lot in the two years that he's been the OC.
29:05He's been pretty creative and gotten a lot out of maybe not as much
29:09as you would think on the outside.
29:11So Seahawks get the job done, 8-5, Cardinals fall to 6-7.
29:16Big one for the Seahawks this weekend, Sunday Night Football against Green Bay,
29:19so that'll be fun.
29:21Cardinals will host the New England Patriots, the 3-10 Patriots,
29:27but Patriots, I think they have a couple games
29:30that they could potentially win here at the end of the season.
29:33Buffalo in Week 18 has their seating set up.
29:36McDermott's like to play the guys for half, but not a full game,
29:39so you might have a weakened Bills team in Week 18,
29:42and I think this is a potentially, this is a game coming off a bye.
29:48If Gerard Mayo, who believes he's got this thing going in the right direction,
29:51whether you agree with it or not, this is a game you come out
29:54and you show us something after the bye.
29:56They were pretty beat up going into it, had some time to rest,
29:59and are playing a team that's really struggling,
30:01that's playoff hopes are, I wouldn't say completely extinguished,
30:04but they're pretty well snuffed out.
30:07Will's not here.
30:09We were going to include this game anyway,
30:12but the Miami Dolphins keep their playoff hopes alive
30:15with an overtime victory over the Jets, 32-26,
30:20but this is more about the Jets, again, than it is about the Dolphins,
30:25and Will's not here to talk about it.
30:27I will talk about it from my perspective,
30:31and I think that Gerard Wilson said it best after the game
30:34when he basically said, and I'm sort of paraphrasing,
30:39that they have a losing gene in New York,
30:41and when you look at their roster and the way they built their roster
30:44the last two years, but particularly the way their defense was trending
30:47and has been, I think, in the last two years, in my opinion,
30:50a top five defense, they're like, okay,
30:53they can even sustain something close to that level.
30:55It doesn't have to be top five, but if they're top ten
30:57and you get competent quarterback play, that they're a playoff team,
31:01and we obviously thought coming into the year
31:03they had a chance to win 13 games or so.
31:07It hasn't obviously gone that way at all.
31:10They have just three wins this season, which is as many as the Patriots do,
31:13as they both sit at the bottom of the AFC East,
31:18but they had this game won, or they should have had it won.
31:21It's 23-23.
31:24They drive down the field in the closing minutes of the game
31:29in field goal range on first down, under two minutes to play.
31:36Pitched Isaiah Davis loses five yards.
31:39Okay, that's not great.
31:40You're pushing yourself back for a field goal.
31:42You're inside the 30.
31:45Then Aaron Rodgers takes a sack, another minus six yards.
31:48Rodgers does complete a back shoulder throw to Devontae Adams
31:51that gets him back around the 25-yard line.
31:54Carlson kicks the field goal.
31:56Adams, by the way, forced out of bounds on the play,
31:59so the clock stopped, which is also a bit of a killer.
32:02So instead of running the clock down further,
32:06they kick off with 52 seconds left, up 26-23.
32:12Carlson's directive is to kick the ball out of the end zone.
32:16Carlson kicks it to the one-yard line.
32:20Malik Washington, the explosive young rookie from Virginia, six-rounder,
32:27another speed element that the Dolphins love to add,
32:30proceeds to run the kick back to the 45-yard line.
32:33As soon as the kick didn't even get into the end zone,
32:36I'm like, he just had all the makings,
32:39and then he busts this big return, 45 yards.
32:41So now you're already at midfield.
32:43Of course, they get into field goal range, kick the field goal.
32:46You go into overtime, and what do you expect?
32:48You get to overtime.
32:50The losing gene shows up.
32:51They lose the game.
32:53Touchdown pass to Johnnie Smith, who had been relatively quiet
32:55for much of the day after having the last month or so
32:58being the most productive tight end in the National Football League.
33:02But it just, to me, credit to Miami, obviously, for pulling this thing out.
33:07The kick return was a terrific run back by Washington.
33:10Tua does what Tua does.
33:12Obviously, his recognition and his release are –
33:17that's the elite part of his game, the anticipation, the release, the accuracy.
33:21He puts it where he needs to put it.
33:22He doesn't have the hugest arm, obviously not the biggest guy,
33:24not the greatest athlete.
33:26But if those are his superpowers, they all came into play late in the game
33:30and then again in overtime.
33:32But to me, once again, it's about the Jets.
33:34This is what happens with the Jets.
33:37They're hiring a new GM.
33:39They're going to hire a new head coach.
33:41But it just feels like – and we've talked about it here on the program
33:44from time to time – they don't have an identity.
33:48They're sort of raritalists.
33:50Woody Johnson obviously puts his fingers in the pie a little too often,
33:54which is his right to do as an owner.
33:56But I think the meddling owners generally get what they deserve.
34:00I mean, Jerry Jones is front and center, right?
34:02He's in the Hall of Fame.
34:03They haven't won a title in, what, 30 years, 25 years, whatever it's been.
34:08And he thinks that he's the reason why they're competitive every year.
34:12When he doesn't make decisions, I think Woody's done some bad things
34:16for the football team.
34:19And if they're smart – and you remember they hired the 33rd team
34:23to be their sort of advisor for this process
34:26and hiring a coach general manager.
34:30They find someone who can establish a culture there
34:32because they don't have one.
34:34If Aaron Rodgers is your – it all revolves around him
34:37and he's your culture own setter, you've got a problem.
34:41And I think I talked about this with Will in the past.
34:44Like, now you have to be careful with someone like Garrett Wilson
34:48or even Sauce Gardner who's not played to the same level
34:51and did not play in yesterday's game because of the hamstring.
34:54That those guys, will they want to stick around?
34:56Or will they be the types that say, like, no, not unless you pay me
35:00every last dollar.
35:02And you say, well, like a lot of guys want the most money.
35:04Yeah, absolutely, and they should go for that.
35:06But I'm just saying Garrett seems pretty frustrated with what's going on.
35:11If you read the full length of his comments yesterday,
35:13but also just even last year.
35:15Like, this is sort of building for him.
35:17He does not want to lose.
35:18Most guys don't, but it seems to really affect him.
35:21And I don't know.
35:22Like, what's your plan?
35:23How are you going to make sure that Garrett is, you know,
35:27who's one of the top whatever, top ten receivers in the league
35:30and is still really young in this league?
35:32Like, how do you make sure you keep him satisfied?
35:35But obviously not like building the whole program around him,
35:37but like he seems like a cornerstone piece because it really –
35:40he cares about the success, the wins and losses.
35:43And Sauce has had this kind of different year,
35:45but obviously we know his talent is high
35:47and you'd want to make sure that going forward,
35:50would he be someone that you want to be?
35:52Okay, well, we have our star wide receiver.
35:54We have our star corner.
35:55We've got some other pieces.
35:56Quinn Williams on the inside.
35:57Like, we've got pieces that if we can just find a competent level quarterback
36:02that we should be a playoff team if we have a good head coach.
36:06I think getting a good head coach starts with someone who can build the program
36:11and create a culture there that they haven't had.
36:13And maybe Woody and sort of the circus that is around them makes that harder to do.
36:19But I don't know.
36:20We've talked about Mike Vrabel being from a fit in terms of what I'm talking about here.
36:26He would be the perfect guy and he would be the guy that I would circle if I were them.
36:29Like, I'm not looking for the offensive genius.
36:33I'm looking for someone who has won in the league before,
36:36is not going to take any BS, could handle the New York media,
36:39all the things that go into it.
36:40Like, I don't think Salah was awesome with that.
36:43I don't think Brian D'Abel, who I'm a fan of as a coach and as a human being,
36:49I don't think he's done an awesome job with that either.
36:51So that's my words of wisdom for the New York Jets.
36:57Otherwise, you're going to keep sucking and that's not where anybody wants to be.
37:02That's it.
37:03That's all I got.
37:04Will will be back with me later in the week.
37:07We'll get into week 15 and some of the scenarios.
37:10Again, the NFC is far more wide open than well,
37:15certain spots in the NSA that are open at that NFC West continues to be crazy.
37:19And who knows what's going to happen at the bottom of the AFC.
37:23Quickly, shout out to Sam Darnold.
37:25Five touchdown passes, delivering the goods.
37:28The one touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson when he ran around.
37:31And I know the defensive back was, I don't know what the hell happened to him.
37:34He fell down or got lost and then he fell down again, but like phenomenal play.
37:38He's having a great year.
37:40Someone locally suggested that he should be in the MVP conversation.
37:43No, that's a bit much, but he's, he's really had a nice year
37:47and he's going to make himself a lot of money in free agency,
37:49either through Minnesota, obviously drafted JJ McCarthy,
37:52but he's hurt or somewhere else this year.
37:55Wouldn't it be funny if Sam Darnold ends up being the quarterback
37:58in New York all over again?
37:59If I was Sam, I would not go back there, but he's done a great job.
38:03And Russell Wilson, second half Pittsburgh put on a clinic.
38:07He's playing really good football.
38:09I just keep saying it like I throw my hands up.
38:11I didn't think he was capable of doing this,
38:13but it's been the perfect marriage with some of the pieces that they have.
38:16They even got it done yesterday against, I know it's Cleveland,
38:18but Cleveland's been frisky.
38:20Got it done without George Pickens, their best receiver,
38:23as he was dealing with a hamstring.
38:25So he's also, speaking of making money, he, not that he needs it
38:30because he's getting paid by Denver for, they owe him a lot.
38:33They vote him a lot of money.
38:34But this one year, $1.9 million veteran minimum contract
38:37that he signed with Pittsburgh.
38:39Pittsburgh wants to keep him around.
38:40That number's going to have to go up probably 10 times that, 15?
38:46Depends. Depends on how greedy he wants to get.
38:49But a couple quarterbacks getting it done in big spots.
38:52All right, that's this edition for the All 32.
38:56Remember to like, subscribe, listen, rate, review, do the whole nine yards.
39:00We appreciate you.
39:02Like I said, we'll be back with me at the end of the week.
39:05Peace.
39:07He's caught. Touchdown.
39:10The New England Patriots select Drake May.