It's not just the Texans traveling to the Kansas City Chiefs. You've got the Washington Commanders visiting the Detroit Lions; the Los Angeles Rams at the Philadelphia Eagles; and the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Buffalo Bills.
In The Loop discusses which divisional matchup is most exciting outside of Texans-Chiefs.
In The Loop discusses which divisional matchup is most exciting outside of Texans-Chiefs.
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00:00What of the divisional round games outside of Texans chief matchup are you most excited for?
00:06Because I mean this is a solid group of three, I mean four games all the way around,
00:10but the three other games are pretty fun as well entertaining wise. I feel like there's
00:15probably one that stands head and shoulders above the others. If for no other reason,
00:20then I'm sure it's going to be pushed and of course the thing that we sell NFL games
00:24is in high regard when we push quarterback matchups even though they don't ever play
00:29against each other. Lopez for you, which one of these or which of these are catch your attention?
00:34Well you're talking about Ravensbills, but the divisional round year in and year out,
00:40I don't know if I've ever asked you this, but I think it's the best weekend of football
00:45bar none any level and you know how big of a college football fan I am and you are,
00:50but the divisional round in the NFL playoffs is the best weekend of football we get every year.
00:54It's a really good one. Sometimes I go back and forth with this in championship
01:00I go back and forth like you get four games, which is nice. I kind of love like the champion. Well,
01:04I guess you have a better possibility for a good hit rate or whatever. I mean not hit rate,
01:08but you have entertainment value. You know, if you have just the championship games, you got
01:14two and if one of them's a little bit of a stinker, that could be tough, but I think also the stakes
01:17there really elevates it. Divisional round, you have a certain level of stakes, but you give
01:21yourself four games and an opportunity to maybe get one or two bangers and then boom, we've had a
01:27great weekend. Plus, it's a little bit more manageable. The three windows in a day, I love
01:33football. I think a lot of people love football. Maybe this is not a popular take, but it's taxing
01:38to have like three windows in a day, right? Where you're going to fight through it, buddy. When you
01:44go 12 to 11 or whatever, right? Like on a typical NFL Sunday, when you're getting that early
01:50afternoon, late afternoon and the evening slate, man, that's the whole day. And it's a little bit
01:55different when you can get two games, right? And then you get two games on Saturday, two games on
01:59Sunday. You don't have to worry about the Monday where you're getting a little tired. You're like,
02:02I'm a little fatigued on the weekend. It's a nice weekend. I mean, at the very worst,
02:06it's the second best weekend. At the very worst. Yeah, for me, it's top. It's two Saturday, two
02:11Sunday. And this weekend, I mean, it came through again. These are very, very intriguing matchups.
02:17Like you can talk about Ravens bills and we will have, and all people are,
02:22you know, that that's the marquee. That's the headline. Obviously with Lamar Jackson and Josh
02:27Allen and Derrick Henry. It's akin to that one time that that Hakeem Olajuwon want to repossess
02:34the MVP from David Robinson. Like this almost has those vibes. Of course, we don't know who
02:39has ultimately been voted as the MVP yet. It would make it even more fun for this.
02:44One of them votes are in for anybody. No, the votes are in it's a regular season award. And
02:48this game does not actually matter, except we know how this works. We're going to think about
02:51this in the context of whoever actually wins it. And that's kind of what makes it fun. Like again,
02:56just seeing these two guys and their teams, of course, like go at it is going to be massive,
03:01massive amounts. And it stands to reason that they're all going to be really good games.
03:06You know, we, we, we talked about the Texas chief and we will continue.
03:10But Commander's Lions has a lot of intrigue. It really does. I think just the Jaden Daniels factor,
03:15house money, all that stuff. I don't think that's going to be a close game. Me personally.
03:20Yeah. I mean, neither does Vegas. That's the largest line. I think right now it's a nine point.
03:26Yeah. And I would actually lay that number. I think the Lions at home are just a different
03:30animal. They clearly are a team, you know, that they speaking of like the Texans have been here
03:35five times and never won it. And you know, they, they, that's been hammered into their heads this,
03:39this year, the Lions remember last year, all too well, every week they talk about it every week.
03:44They've talked about it. They've mentioned it. They've remembered it. It's been their driving
03:47force. I think at least in this round, they're going to take care of business, but there is
03:52intrigue there. Rams Eagles to me is going to be a hell of a good game. Well, before we move on,
03:56yeah. You know, I think, you know, the thing that is like fascinating for me with the Commander's
04:01Lions with, cause I've, I've mentioned it a few times in the break this week. It's just,
04:06how was this line? It's defense still good. Yeah. Like not only are they still good. There's a stat
04:11that I think it was yesterday. It might've been two days ago that has just been gnawing at my
04:15brain. Um, and I heard pain and Pendergast talking about it earlier and they were talking about how,
04:18you know, they, the lines have blitzed more as they have, uh, you know, lost a lot of injuries
04:23on defense and they're oddly enough getting guys back as well with all the injuries, but
04:28on defense in particular, like you lose Aiden Hutchinson, who it felt like the entire defense
04:31was built around his level of pressure. You have not lost the ability to get pressure. In fact,
04:36it's oddly gotten better as since what was it? Week 13, I believe was the, the mark that they
04:42had. Um, the Lions are number one in applying, like generating pressure with four down line.
04:49Yeah. Like not even blitzing still only sending four or less and they get pressure at the highest.
04:55And I'm just like, how Aaron Glenn is going to get whatever he wants this off season. And when
05:00it comes to the coaches, just because they're still able to do that. So like the, it really
05:05feels like, and I don't necessarily buy into this, but I will lean into this just for the imagery,
05:10like team of destiny type stuff for the lines and the ways that they have had, they have come up
05:15against quite a bit of quite a few obstacles and they've just leapt over it. The level of
05:19grit and tenacity that of course belies and would come from a, uh, Dan Campbell team.
05:24That's Aaron Glenn. That's culture. And I know that word gets thrown around a lot, but that
05:29the Lions have a culture and we know it, it starts with, with Dan. Commanders are probably
05:32just a little early. Yeah. And then commanders are early. The Lions are the template that you
05:36hope the Texans follow. Uh, but they, but they did, they just get their intrigue in this game.
05:42I think they, they get it done again, but Rams Eagles, man, something about the Rams just seems
05:47to, it kind of mirrors a little bit of the Texans. Like where'd that come from? You know,
05:54how did that happen? Uh, nine sacks, you know, you know, receivers making plays all of a sudden
05:58again, which they haven't been this season consistently. Uh, and the Eagles as much as
06:03they've been winning and winning and winning, there still seems to be some level of, uh,
06:08I guess doubt, you know, you know, about them. That was exactly where I was thinking. I feel
06:11bad for the Rams because as much as yes, you're right. There's so many things that they've done.
06:15Well, this feels like the last hurrah hurrah. Is that the way you would say it for Matt Stafford?
06:20Like, is the, is the, can you get something done while he is still a useful starting quarterback
06:25in this league? At least useful in the terms of like trying to contend and compete. Um,
06:29but this is all just going to be an indictment of the Eagles. Like, are they able to get,
06:32do things well, because it just feels like they should be in a place where their head
06:36and shoulders above the Rams. Maybe that's unfair. Like it's quite possible. That's unfair,
06:39but it just feels like that's the, that is the way that the Eagles are going to be perceived
06:43because of the massive amount of talent that they have. And because, you know, they've had issues
06:47generate like taking that massive amount of talent and being maximum efficient with it.
06:51Like you talked about the passing game and the ways in which they're just like, Hey, we're running
06:54the football. Is that passing game electric? Or is it, does it have the possibility to sure? Is it
06:58always not necessarily. Uh, and then, and then the marquee game, you know, the, the, the Sunday
07:03evening, 5 30 PM, uh, big time divisional game, Ravens and bills. A lot of times on these Reggie,
07:10they, they end up being sort of a letdown. This one isn't, this one will not be a letdown.
07:16You know, Derek Henry, uh, going into Buffalo, you know, real chance to control the entire game.
07:22You know, he, he, he really does. Uh, you know, you can talk about the quarterbacks all you want,
07:26and they are absolutely, you know, the, you know, the, the, the, the headliners here,
07:31but you know what he can do shortening the game, you know, obviously weather conditions,
07:36uh, with the bills, this is going to be a one possession game at the end.
07:41Maybe I, and I, I'm feeling a little, uh, a doubt there. Well, here's the thing. And I,
07:46I've probably built them up too high. In fact, I have a penchant for building up the Ram or Ravens,
07:51rather too, too high in my mind, just because you watch that team play, especially offensively.
07:55And you go, what are you supposed to do with Lamar Jackson? What the hell are you supposed
07:58to do with this? Right. That is a dude who the fascinating thing from Lamar Jackson has always
08:02been for me. I try and always keep front of mind when you're talking about professional athletes.
08:07And in this instance, NFL players, that this is the creme de la creme and like the dudes that we
08:12talk about as, Oh man, I do this slow. No, it's relative. All of those dudes are ungodly fast.
08:17We're talking about monsters. And then this is a dude who comes out there and makes them dudes.
08:21Like he jukes them out of their, out of their jobs. Like he runs past them. He makes them look
08:26like children. And so think about that relatively, we're talking about the aliens of the world
08:30playing in the NFL. And that dude is making the aliens look downright mortal. Like, what are you
08:34supposed to do with him? Right. But I think that's kind of the question here that still pops
08:38up for the bills. What are you supposed to do with him? Especially with the added benefit of
08:42you have to find some attention to keep, keep on Derrick Henry, because if there's an option,
08:47you are screwed. Like there's not a right answer in there. And then on top of that,
08:50it feels like Lamar Jackson is the best passer that he's ever been. And he's always been pretty
08:53good. Right. Not just like capable of doing it, but also confidence wise and a willingness to
08:58just be like, yeah, I, I can do in a way that is a problematic. Yeah. I just, I can't get past
09:04that. Especially also the Ravens defense has gotten better over the course of this year.
09:07My counter to that would be what are you supposed to do with Josh Allen? Because in a different way,
09:11he does the exact same thing in a different way with size and, and, and really, you know,
09:18escapability, you know, elusiveness is probably a better word. He he's, he, he gets it done. Like,
09:23what are they supposed to do with that guy? When he drops back, he's six foot nine or, I don't know.
09:29I know that's an exaggeration. He's 785 pounds and runs a four or five. I think, I don't remember
09:35who was saying this, but I thought this point was very apt. Somebody was like, oh, it was somebody
09:39had called Bo Nix and mini Josh Allen. And it's like Bo Nix or sorry, Josh Allen being the size
09:44that he is, is the point. Like that is the point. That is part of what makes this Josh Allen. You
09:49call him a mini Josh Allen. You're just like, Hey, that's a dude that runs around. Yeah. That
09:51means he's not Josh Allen. Right. So yeah, I think that's fair. I think the distinction is,
09:56Hey man it feels like there's a lot less support there, right? That was the conversation coming
10:01into this year. It's like, what can Josh Allen do in a situation where there's less support
10:05than there has been for him in the past? And the answer is be really good and caliber.
10:08And that is fair. It just feels like once you immediately put them up against MVB caliber with
10:13a incredible running back and an offensive system, that's very well tailored and a defense
10:18that's playing better at this time. I think that gets a little bit tougher. Plus the bills are not
10:22particularly a speed defense and just a lot of speed over there. There is a lot of speed over
10:27there. I'm super excited about that game, but it should be, I mean, it should be a fantastic
10:32weekend of football all the way around. And no Joseph on the YouTube. I don't think that
10:38you are petty or what have you enjoying looking at MVPs that get, they get caught because I feel
10:44like we are, we are a society that enjoys schadenfreude, right? Like that's just kind
10:47of how we go. But either way, like if you, if it's schadenfreude or just seeing incredible,
10:52like incredible people do incredible things, I think this weekend is going to turn out very,
10:57very well for those of us that enjoy football, which I imagine is everybody listening right
11:01here on sports radio 16.