PodcastFrom NFL: The Insiders
NFL Pro Quarterly Report
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
1 hr 37 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Oct 9, 2026
Published
Fri, October 9, 2026
28
Player insights
24
Players mentioned
Topics
Brock PurdyBucky IrvingCeeDee LambBaker MayfieldBijan RobinsonBo NixC.J. StroudChris GodwinChristian WatsonDak PrescottDavante AdamsDenzel BostonDrake MayeJ.K. Dobbins
Player analysis
Player insights
Baker Mayfield
NegativeInjury30:06
Trevor Sykema is selling the Buccaneers, noting that Baker Mayfield is currently injured and has been inconsistent even when healthy, failing to provide the team with a reliable spark.
Insight pageBijan Robinson
PositiveUsage36:06
Robinson is described as 'O-line proof,' leading the NFL in yards after contact (448), outside zone rushing yards (376), and rushing yards over expected (138). He also ranks second in total missed tackles forced (34) and yards after missed tackles forced (220).
Insight pageBo Nix
NegativeProjection69:43
Nix has looked reserved in his field scanning and decision-making, contributing to an offense that feels inexplosive, particularly in the first half of games.
Insight pageBrock Purdy
PositiveProjection12:18
Brett Coleman and Trevor Sykema are buying the 49ers' success primarily due to Brock Purdy playing at an MVP level despite roster injuries. Coleman highlights Purdy's ability to scramble and create under pressure, noting he outpaced skill players in yardage during a previous playoff matchup.
Insight pagePositiveProjection34:28
Purdy is performing at an MVP level, leading the NFL in EPA per drop back and passer rating, while maintaining a top-10 completion percentage over expected. He is identified as the primary driver of the 49ers' offensive success.
Insight pagePositiveProjection65:26
Purdy is playing at an MVP level, showing elite patience and efficiency against zero-blitz looks, where he averaged roughly 20 yards per attempt against Denver.
Insight pageBucky Irving
NegativeUsage31:39
Trevor Sykema notes that Bucky Irving is not forcing missed tackles at the same rate he did during his rookie season, contributing to the Buccaneers' lack of explosive plays.
Insight pageNegativeUsage80:30
Irving is struggling to force missed tackles compared to his rookie season, making him less of a threat out of the backfield.
Insight pageC.J. Stroud
PositiveProjection34:53
Brett Coleman praises C.J. Stroud's performance, noting he looks like a top-10 quarterback who is successfully threading tight-window throws to his receivers despite inconsistent offensive line play.
Insight pageCeeDee Lamb
PositiveUsage35:39
Brett Coleman highlights CeeDee Lamb's dominance against the Texans, noting that Lamb easily recorded 17 catches against their secondary.
Insight pagePositiveUsage82:14
Lamb continues to dominate target volume, evidenced by a 17-catch performance against the Texans where he proved he can win against any coverage.
Insight pageChris Godwin
NegativeProjection80:24
Godwin is no longer viewed as the elite threat he was from 2017-2019, and opposing defenses do not fear him as a primary playmaker.
Insight pageChristian Watson
PositiveProjection77:54
Watson is highlighted as a dynamic playmaker who remains a key element of the Packers' offense despite the team's overall injury struggles.
Insight pageDak Prescott
PositiveProjection79:36
Prescott has looked good since a Week 1 flub, demonstrating the ability to make high-level throws even when the scheme is challenged by the defense.
Insight pageDavante Adams
PositiveUsage27:28
Trevor Sykema notes that having Davante Adams on the field provides the Rams with a necessary playmaker to help Matthew Stafford and the offense succeed.
Insight pageDenzel Boston
PositiveBreakout40:49
Boston is a productive rookie outside receiver for the Browns, lining up outside 86.7% of the time. He ranks 17th among all receivers with 2.3 yards per route run, marking the most productive start for a Browns rookie receiver since Corey Coleman.
Insight pageDrake Maye
NegativeProjection100:00
Drake Maye's performance remains inconsistent and difficult to project, with the source noting a stark contrast between his play in weeks 1-3 versus week 4. While he showed potential against the blitz—throwing three touchdowns and demonstrating poise under pressure—his week-to-week reliability is currently a mystery.
Insight pageJ.K. Dobbins
NegativeUsage74:23
Dobbins has struggled to fight through contact, averaging only 3.7 yards per carry even against light defensive boxes.
Insight pageJaxon Smith-Njigba
NegativeUsage66:36
The Seattle offense is currently described as being too 'JSN-centric,' which raises concerns about the overall efficiency of their drives outside of specific red-zone opportunities.
Insight pageJordan Love
PositiveRole75:38
Love showed necessary growth against the Buccaneers by adapting to a short-passing game (0-10 air yards) to compensate for poor offensive line play, moving away from his preferred backyard-style, long-developing plays.
Insight pageJustin Jefferson
NegativeUsage8:43
Brett Coleman notes the Vikings' offense lacks explosiveness and deep passing ability when Justin Jefferson is sidelined, as evidenced by the team having zero deep pass attempts in their previous game without him.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveUsage38:26
Walker leads the NFL in missed tackles forced (44) and yards after missed tackles (235), providing a massive boost to the Chiefs' ground game and raising the team's offensive ceiling.
Insight pageKirk Cousins
PositiveProjection23:51
Trevor Sykema is buying the Raiders' success, citing Kirk Cousins' resurgence. Cousins has a 48.0% success rate (highest since 2020) and 0.16 EPA per dropback (highest since 2016), attributed to his chemistry with offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak.
Insight pageKyler Murray
NegativeProjection6:46
Trevor Sykema admits his preseason projection for a career year was wrong, noting Murray has a 45.3% win probability added and a 13.4% sack percentage, both among the league's lowest. Sykema expresses doubt that Murray is seeing the field clearly or trusting his reads.
Insight pageMatthew Stafford
PositiveProjection26:32
Brett Coleman expects Matthew Stafford to improve, dismissing his recent interceptions as uncharacteristic and noting that the Rams' offense is beginning to find its rhythm.
Insight pageNico Collins
PositiveUsage35:04
Brett Coleman notes that C.J. Stroud is successfully distributing the ball to all his receivers, not just Nico Collins, in the Texans' passing attack.
Insight pagePuka Nacua
PositiveUsage27:15
Trevor Sykema highlights Puka Nacua's return as a major boost for the Rams, noting his ability to make contested catches and provide the offense with a reliable target.
Insight pageTucker Kraft
PositiveProjection78:04
Craft is identified as one of the best yards-after-catch weapons at the tight end position in the NFL.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00The new NFL season is here, and you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 61.
0:07It is in the name NFL Daily. You'll have fresh content in your feed every day all season long.
0:13That game winning drive. Maybe it's Herbert. Maybe it's Gino.
0:16Maybe it's Mahomes. We'll have the highlights. If Fernando Mendoza or any of the rookies are balling out, we'll break down the tape.
0:23Join me, Greg Rosenthal, and an all-star cast of co-hosts as we preview and recap every game.
0:29Listen to NFL Daily on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:34Hey, it's Drew Franklin from NFL Cover Zero. The 2026 season is underway and we are loving football on TV.
0:40Here's what you can expect from the podcast in our second season.
0:44I would suggest for these preseason games, I think they should do what they do on the NFL draft.
0:50You know when coverage of the NFL draft is basically for moms and they're just like, hey, he has a dog named Spartan.
0:57Listen to NFL Cover Zero on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:03Hey, I'm Mike Yam. And I'm Trevor Sikama. And together, we host the NFL Fantasy Football Show.
1:08Are you ready to dominate your fantasy league this season?
1:11Because if you aren't locked in with us on the NFL Fantasy Football Show, you're already playing from behind.
1:17Whether you're a first-time player or a grizzled vet chasing another championship, we give you the advantage and the confidence you need to make every move count.
1:26Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:32Welcome to the NFL Pro's Q1 Quarterly Report. Thank you for listening on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you guys get your podcasts.
1:39Be sure to follow and subscribe to the show.
1:42Slashing through. Break through. 35, 30. Let's go. C.D.
1:45Lamb, you're on fire. Touchdown! Touchdown! Welcome to the opening bell of NFL Pro here on NFL Media.
1:51I'm Trevor Sykema. That's Brett Coleman. That's a Stock Exchange intro for me.
1:55But the reason why we're doing the Stock Exchange intro is because it's time for the quarterly report around the NFL, baby.
2:02We're doing a little stock watch, a little stock update on how these teams and players have done so far this season.
2:09We're mainly going to be looking at teams that either beat or didn't beat expectations that we had for them early in the season.
2:16We're going to take a look at some takes, Brett, that we had in the preseason episode that we already have to
2:23revisit for good and maybe not so good reasons.
2:26We're kind of going to identify some really good assets and liabilities around the NFL.
2:31We're going to have a lot of fun here.
2:34Just really wrapping up what we've seen through four weeks of the season.
2:38Brett, how you doing, my friend? I got a lot of stuff wrong this summer.
2:43I don't know about you, but it feels like the first four weeks of this season, I have been more wrong than ever.
2:50I'm not afraid to admit that, but this has been a wacky first month.
2:54The people love when we're wrong, of course. I hope that they come to this show and our expertise for when we're
3:01right, but they love for us to remind ourselves of when we were wrong.
3:06You know, I think that I had some good takes going into the preseason, but there's two specifically that I do have
3:13to address here on this show, which, Brett, I think is a great way to intro our first segment, which is the
3:20earnings report here four weeks into the 2026 NFL season.
3:23Let's take a look at some teams that either beat expectations or fell short of the expectations that we had for them.
3:30Let's start with the teams that have beaten expectations.
3:32Let's start on a good note. We've got four teams that we want to take a look at, and the first one
3:39that I want to look at is the Minnesota Vikings.
3:43Now, with all these teams we'll discuss here, we'll talk about and identify why they have beaten expectations, and then we'll give
3:50you a little bit of a buy or sell.
3:52Hey, are we buying them beating or falling short of expectations, or are we selling?
3:57Do we think that it's going to go a different direction?
4:01The Minnesota Vikings are sitting here at 4-0, and this is my first admission of fault.
4:06I said that Kyler Murray was in for a career year.
4:09I said that he was fully healthy. We were going to see some fireworks here for Kyler Murray, and the Vikings are
4:164-0 on the season, but Kyler is not the main catalyst as to why that is the case.
4:22Brett, I just want to ask you, you buying or selling the Vikings beating expectations and being 4-0 here?
4:28I think this is the weirdest one we'll talk about in this section, because in a way, they've met expectations.
4:34Because we knew going into the season, hey, this was a 9-win football team last year with bad quarterback play.
4:40What happens if they get good quarterback play? And we thought Kyler Murray was going to give them good quarterback play, and
4:47they're undefeated, even without Kyler playing for all these games.
4:50And yet it doesn't feel that way, so they met expectations in terms of the win-loss column.
4:56They have not met expectations in terms of just how they look, like using our eyeballs and the eye test.
5:02This is not a good offense. Using the next-gen eyeballs?
5:05I mean, sometimes that's really all it takes. You don't necessarily need a lot of data to look at a Vikings game and be like, they can't score.
5:14Will Reichert might be MVP frontrunner at this point.
5:17Customary 5-for-5 on field goals, 31 straight. Will Reichert!
5:20This is a team that can't stretch the field.
5:23They didn't have a single deep pass attempt last week without Justin Jefferson, because when he's gone, they just don't have any
5:30ability to be explosive in the passing game. They're not good after the catch either.
5:34Fourth fewest yards after catch this year. They're down half their offensive line at this point.
5:39Donovan Jackson's going to miss the year. Darryl saw his in concussion protocol.
5:44You know, the running backs aren't necessarily dynamic either.
5:46The only reason they have, I guess, met expectations is because their defense is incredible.
5:51But the offense can't do anything. So for me, it's an obvious sell, because this is a very one-dimensional team that is hanging on by a thread.
6:00And maybe it's a hold, I guess you could say, because there's a possibility Kyler gets better.
6:05But are you really confident in that at this point?
6:08It's possible, but I just, I look at the rot at the core of this offense and I don't feel confident in that.
6:15So for now, sell, maybe I'll buy back in later, but I don't feel good about it, especially compared to Chicago in their own division.
6:23Yeah, I'm with you. I'm selling the current version of what the Vikings are, meaning, hey, they're 4-0 in this current state.
6:30Do I think that that sustains? No. I mean, when you look at the quarterback situation in Kyler Murray, yeah, 45.3% win probability added.
6:38That's one of the lowest marks in the league.
6:4113.4 sack percentage for him is also one of the lower marks in the league.
6:45I just don't think he sees what he's trusting.
6:48Now, I love what the defense is doing, but Brett, let's be honest.
6:52I mean, their 32.8% success rate allowed, that's the most in the league by 5%.
6:57And then when you look at their negative 55.7 total EPA allowed, that's the best by almost seven.
7:03So I want to give them their praise for how good they've been playing, but you can't sustain that for an entire season.
7:10So I'm also selling. Let's go to the 49ers next.
7:13You buying or selling where the 49ers are beating expectations.
7:16I think they were the forgotten team in the quote, unquote, best division in football.
7:21I'm buying. I mean, I don't feel great about it just because I'm expecting the injuries to happen for this team.
7:28They've honestly already kind of happened for this team.
7:31They've never really gotten healthier as a season has gone on, but I'm still buying because what I see on the field
7:38is specifically out of Purdy and Shanahan is just impossible to ignore.
7:41He is playing at an MVP level. I guess it's either him or Will Reichert at this point.
7:47That was all Brock Purdy. Even with all of the receiver injuries and his top tight end is coming off an Achilles
7:54injury and somehow already hitting 20 miles per hour.
7:57I mean, God free bill, a white guy has a little bit of motion.
8:01I am buying them for now. I understand this team.
8:04They tend to not get healthier as the year goes on and they've already taken on some injuries, but Purdy and Shanahan
8:11have been so dominant this year that it's impossible to ignore.
8:15And I think if they get over the Mike McDonald hump, really the sky is the limit for this team because I
8:22think Seattle is kind of the main thing that's standing in their way.
8:26If you go back to the division round last year, Purdy ran 833 yards during that game just because of how much
8:33he had to scramble and get away from pressure.
8:36JSN ran 728 yards in that game. CMC ran 712 yards in that game.
8:40You have a quarterback outdoing the two most prominent skill position players on the field by over 100 yards.
8:46That is how much pressure. Are you sure the tracking chip wasn't, you know, like Purdy was on the sideline on the
8:53bike, you know, and they were just like counting that as the yards on the field.
8:58Are you sure? Because that's a crazy number. Again, just using our eyeballs watching that game.
9:03You could have told me it was more. That's how much he was running.
9:07I don't know if he actually had more than five clean pockets that entire game.
9:12It was awful. And even though the Niners are banged up right now, it's still nowhere near how banged up they were at the end of last season.
9:21So they do have a better shot of winning this game.
9:25Hell, we've seen a healthier 49ers team beat the Mike McDonald Seattle Seahawks before.
9:29They did it early last season. Look, if we go back to the preseason again, I said that this team would be missing the playoffs.
9:37A lot of uncertainty with that roster overall. And then you mount the injuries that they were kind of going through as well.
9:44I thought this team in this division were going to miss the playoffs.
9:48And yet here I am there for an O I have to buy how they are for an O because a lot
9:55of what I talked about, some of the run defense inefficiencies, some of the young guys having to get in there and
10:02play the injuries that they are going through. All of that is still true with the Niners.
10:07And yet Brock Purdy is playing like an MVP.
10:10So as long as Brock Purdy plays like this very clearly, even when they go against better opponents, I think it could be all right.
10:18So I'm buying the 49ers and where they are right now, because how do you doubt a quarterback who's playing as good as Brock Purdy?
10:26We love you. Thanks for showing out and having our backs.
10:30Bang, bang on to the next. What about the Cleveland Browns here?
10:33Certainly above what a lot of people had as their expectations a quarter or the way through the season.
10:39You buying or selling the Browns at the top of the division at three and one.
10:44I might regret this, but I'm buying it. All right, baby, let's go.
10:49It's really about the defense. It really is. Not that the offense has been horrible, but the defense, I think, is playing
10:55above expectations in a post-Miles Garrett world, right? They are 50% man coverage rate, which is the highest in the NFL.
11:02Even by Browns standards, that's high. This is a team that likes to play a lot of man coverage.
11:08They're just doing it more than ever right now.
11:11Their pressure rate on defense is 40.4%. That is sixth best.
11:14Even without Miles Garrett, Jared Versus played really well for them.
11:18Mason Graham played really well for them before he got injured, but he'll be back in a couple of weeks.
11:24Their yak per reception on offense, that's really what's kept them afloat on the other side of the ball.
11:306.6 yards after catch per reception. That is sixth best in the NFL.
11:34If you take a top 10 defense in terms of points allowed since week two, the Jacksonville game, they got absolutely shelled,
11:41but since week two, they've been a top 10 defense plus a mostly efficient offense that's really good at getting yards after the catch.
11:49This is a relatively complete team and they played a lot of good football.
11:53I'm going to say, I'll be the hater and I'm going to sell sort of where the Browns are right now.
12:00I don't want to take anything away from a team that hasn't had success in a long time, but Brett, the fact
12:07of the matter is their offense has a 39.9% rookie snap share, which is the highest in the NFL.
12:13I think these young guys are playing well to start, which is great to see, but I think once defenses now have
12:20some tape on a lot of these players, they're going to figure out how to neutralize them a little bit more.
12:26It might not be an instant fix for them to, okay, they changed what they're doing against me.
12:32Now I'm going to change the sort of what's next, this evolution.
12:36Normally it takes a little bit more time than that.
12:39Inside the 40, the 30, the crowd loving it.
12:42I think the rest of the division is going to continue to play really well as well, especially if the rest of the division can't stay healthy.
12:50You know, Lamar's health is sort of an issue short term, but I'm going to sell the Browns, although it is nice
12:57obviously to see them beat expectations to start the year.
13:01The last one that we're talking about, the team that beat expectations at three and one here, almost four and oh, it's Las Vegas Raiders.
13:08We buying or selling the Raiders and how they've beaten expectations this year.
13:13I'm buying it. It's a complete team. If you're looking at offensive EPA per play, they are 11th best in the NFL so far this year.
13:21Defensive EPA per play allowed. They are sixth best in the NFL this year.
13:25Even special teams, their average starting field position, 36 and a half yard line.
13:30That is awesome. They're getting it from all three phases so far this year.
13:34Were it not for the fumble on the kickoff return against Kansas City, I bet their special teams EPA per play would be up there as well.
13:42But you know, one play can swing a lot of things.
13:46So I like this team. The fact that they fought back the way they did after that two touchdown flurry in 19
13:53seconds versus the Chiefs, that to me showed a lot of heart.
13:57I do not see them as a fraudulent three and oh, I see them as a formidable three and one.
14:03Yeah, I'm with you. I would have repeated exactly what you said as reasons to believe in this team.
14:09And we've talked about it over the last couple of weeks.
14:12It feels real. It doesn't feel like fool's gold.
14:15It feels like they've got the right coaches in there.
14:18The players are playing the way that they need to not just in a way that's fluky in a way that's consistent, to be honest with you.
14:27And I think that starts with Kirk Cousins. How Kirk Cousins is playing at the quarterback position is also why I'm buying this for the Las Vegas Raiders.
14:36His 48.0 success rate this season is the highest that he has had since 2020.
14:41He's turning the clock back, baby. 0.16 EPA per drop back.
14:44That's his most in a season since 2016. And Brett, a lot of that confidence that Kirk Cousins is playing with.
14:51Remember, I said that it was his highest success rate since 2020.
14:54Well, guess who one of his coaches, quarterback, coach, and then offensive coordinator was with the Minnesota Vikings was during that season.
15:01Oh, it was Clint Kubiak. So clearly there's a lot of great chemistry there.
15:06And I think that that's going to keep rolling.
15:09Now let's talk about teams that have not met expectations here in our quarterly report.
15:13And we start with the Los Angeles Rams. Now the win over the Eagles puts them at two and two.
15:20So it's not all doom and gloom. The sky is not falling the way that it was the previous two weeks with the Rams.
15:27But are you buying the Rams for where they are right now, given that they did not hit expectations a quarter of the way through the season?
15:36Or are you selling this team? What do you think?
15:39Yeah, I'm buying it. I understand there were hiccups.
15:42The Australia thing, even Sean McVay said that he did not handle it well.
15:46They got Miles Garrett coming back eventually. Aaron Donald's still getting back into the swing of things.
15:52Stafford, I don't believe, is just going to keep throwing the worst pick you've ever seen week after week.
15:58That's just not Matthew Stafford. So they'll be fine.
16:00Their talent is kind of overwhelming, where eventually once it all starts moving in the same direction, you know, it's like a battleship.
16:08It turns slowly, but it's hard to stop once it gets going.
16:12It is still a battleship. And I agree with you.
16:15I'm going to buy this team as well, especially now that they are sitting here at two and two.
16:21If they can get a win over the Buffalo Bills, I think that really changes things going into a very favorable part
16:28of their schedule over the five weeks that follow.
16:30Devontae brings it in over the shoulder. I think the main reason why I'm buying is because, you know, with Puka Nakua
16:37back out there, you saw what he was able to do, even as a contested catch guy, where I've complained that there's
16:44just no easy throws in this offense. When you have a player like that, and when you have Devontae Adams as well,
16:51sometimes that's all the difference that you need when you have a quarterback like Matthew Stafford, he was playing a little bit better.
16:59And I think the way that the Rams came back against the Eagles, that was reminiscent of what it was the previous season.
17:06So I wonder if that really is, you know, the belief for the guys in the locker room, like, okay, it started slow time to lock in.
17:14We got to remember who we are here. And all of a sudden, for the first time, really all day, the Rams offense has life.
17:22The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sitting here at 0-4.
17:25You're buying or selling this team that some people had as the division favorites for the NFC South, myself included.
17:31So I'm selling them. But let's be honest, the people do not care about my opinion on this.
17:37They care about yours. What you doing, Trev? Well, I'm also selling brother.
17:41I, man, I just don't really love anything that I'm seeing out of Tampa right now.
17:46It feels like their star players aren't playing up to their potential.
17:50The role players aren't playing as well as they need to in a complimentary way.
17:55And some of the young guys and new players on the team aren't showing the way that they need to.
18:01You throw in the fact that their starting quarterback and Baker Mayfield is down.
18:06But even beyond that, Brett, I think the big reason why I'm selling right now is not only because of some new
18:12pieces on defense that I think are just going to naturally have it be up and down throughout the entire season, specifically
18:19up front, but also on offense, it just doesn't feel like there's a real threat.
18:24I like Emekibuka. I like Chris Godwin. I like Bucky Irving.
18:28I like these players, but it just doesn't feel like defenses fear them.
18:32And they certainly don't fear the way that the Bucs are playing right now because their 8.4% explosive rate on offense, that's second lowest in the NFL.
18:40Baker is smacked by Joshua Metellus. The game plan that Zach Robinson has had over the last four weeks has been so conservative.
18:48It's basically been, hey, we want to get the ball in our playmakers' hands and let them go make plays.
18:54Sure, really nice in theory, but Tampa doesn't really have those yards after catch type of players.
18:59So Bucky's not forcing the missed tackles at the rate that he was his rookie season, and the receivers, they're just not really, it's not really their game.
19:08They're more of win down the field, be contested catch players, find the soft spots, be good route runners.
19:14So I'm selling this team because even though they've been beat up, I don't know if Mayfield coming back whenever he comes
19:21back is the cavalry riding back in because even Mayfield going back to last year and the beginning of this year, very inconsistent for this team.
19:29So 0-4 I think is obviously worst case scenario for them, but clearly this team is just not what we thought that
19:36they were going to be with the whole makings of it.
19:40The roster, the coaching staff, the execution, everything. So I'm selling this team.
19:44And they can't get away with the bad start they normally would because Carolina looks good and Atlanta looks good and the
19:51Saints, I don't really know what the Saints are right now, I'm not going to lie.
19:56You can't say it like that because if you were talking about the Falcons after the first two weeks, you'd say that
20:03they were like the worst team in the NFL.
20:05And if you were talking about the Saints after the first two weeks, you'd be like, oh, this team's easily winning the division.
20:13And now two weeks later, that's the story of the NFC South.
20:17Just wait a couple of weeks and you could totally be talking about a different team at the top of the division.
20:23Four weeks from now, the Bucs are going to be 4-4 and somehow at the top of the NFC South that it's going to look completely different.
20:32Everybody's a year! I got to flip the script on you now, my friend, because we had to talk about the Buccaneers being short of expectations.
20:40The Houston Texans are next at that same 0-4.
20:43So are you buying or selling where the Texans are sitting here in 0-4 on the season?
20:48The worst part is how they're bad. It's everything that we wished for this offseason.
20:53We wanted C.J. Stroud to look like a top 10 quarterback.
20:57We wanted this passing game to be explosive. We wanted him to look like he did, honestly, as a rookie, threading those
21:04needles and hitting tight window throws, not just to Nico Collins, but to everybody.
21:08And he's done that, even with an offensive line that, while not as bad as the worst Texans offensive line that he's
21:15had, I wouldn't say they've been amazing so far this year.
21:18And he just looks like that guy at quarterback.
21:21It is everything that Houston fans wanted. But for some reason, that monkey paw curled and we got one of the worst
21:28defenses that we've had in recent history in Houston as well.
21:32If you're looking at explosive play rate allowed, if you're looking at tight window throw allowed, like this secondary has gotten absolutely
21:39shelled I never would have imagined C.D. Lamb even could get 17 catches on the Texans and he did it and made it look easy.
21:47Like Dak Prescott was just getting explosive after explosive.
21:49Josh Allen was getting explosive after explosive. Like they couldn't handle T.
21:53Higgins in the fourth quarter a couple weeks ago.
21:56It's just they can't stop anybody through the air.
21:59And even though you have Will Anderson who is playing on an entirely different planet right now, like defensive player of the
22:06year is not close because of how well Will Anderson's playing.
22:09It doesn't matter if the back end is just getting torn to pieces and I don't know how to fix it.
22:16Oh, you're going to upgrade corner from Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter?
22:20You're going to get better safeties than Petrie and Bullock?
22:23Like, I don't know what you're going to do to suddenly fix this unit other than just hope they play better.
22:29So it's such an odd position to be in because they're losing in the exact opposite way that they lost last year.
22:36And it just feels like this team can't get both units to play well at the same time.
22:42It's been that way my entire life, whether it's 2016 having a great defense, but a terrible offense, whether it's the late
22:492000s Texans having a great offense with Schaub and Andre and Kevin Walter, you bring in Aaron Foster a couple of years after that.
22:57I don't know how to say they bounce. I don't either, man.
23:00I had an out of body experience. Angels in the end zone.
23:04They kept me in. They've always had great offenses then, but couldn't get a stop.
23:09Like this team just can't be complete. It drives me insane.
23:12And it's yet another year of only being half great.
23:16And I, I don't, I don't know what to do.
23:19So I guess I'm buying it. Like, I don't want to.
23:22Like, I don't want to, but I'm doing it again.
23:25Well, if it makes you feel better, I'm also buying this team.
23:29Early and often, baby. Early and often. Early and often, baby.
23:33Let's go. I think that beauty is in the eye of the beholder with this, right?
23:38It can't be this bad forever for a Texans defense.
23:41That was one of the best in the NFL last year that has a defensive player of the year candidate that has
23:48a lot of the same players that they had the year before.
23:52I mean, the Texans are giving up the highest explosive play rate in the NFL right now.
23:57It's at 21.4%. That's, it's just, it's just not going to sustain like that.
24:01They're forcing like zero turnovers right now. That's just not, I can't imagine that's going to sustain.
24:07So I think the defense will naturally get closer to at least middle of the pack in the NFL.
24:13And even if the offense gets a little quieter, to me, I still see a world where they can play complimentary with each other.
24:20And I'm going to buy the Houston Texans. The last team here is the Los Angeles Chargers.
24:26Also 0-4 on the season. I'm selling this team.
24:28Not that I don't think it could get a little bit better, but Brett, it's the same issues that they had last
24:35year, just as much more of an Achilles heel because of what is going on around them.
24:41They have had seven different offensive line combinations this season, which is the most in the NFL.
24:46And when I say offensive line combinations, our researcher Callie basically put the minimum of, you have to play at least 10 snaps here together.
24:54You've got to have at least one or two drives where you're playing together as a unit.
24:59Seven of those already. There's only been four weeks this season.
25:03And Brett, if you go back to last year, it's crazy because they also led the NFL with 18 different O-line combinations.
25:10The new NFL season is here and you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 61.
25:17Last year, we had Mike McDonald, Sam Darnold on the field after the game, but that was last year.
25:23If you're a football sicko like me, NFL Daily is your kind of show.
25:27It is in the name. NFL Daily, fresh content in your feed every day, all season long.
25:33Matthew Stafford coming off his MVP season. On a dazzling dart from Matthew Stafford.
25:37Big time trades that shake up the NFL. A.J.
25:40Brown is loose. And of course, those Seahawks trying to run it back and win another Lombardi trophy.
25:46The Seahawks win Super Bowl 60. They are bringing the Lombardi back to the Northwest.
25:50If it's happening on a football field, NFL Daily will cover it.
25:54Listen to NFL Daily on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
25:59Football's back. Hey, it's Drew Franklin from NFL Cover Zero.
26:02Enjoy the NFL season while listening to NFL Cover Zero.
26:05We have storylines, predictions, and lots of silliness. Here's what you can expect from the podcast in our second season.
26:12When you meet people and you say your job's a sports announcer, it's always interesting to see what the first thing they say is.
26:19I did have one of the more difficult questions, though.
26:22He sits next to me and he sees I'm on my computer and he goes, big sports fan.
26:28And I was like, yeah, actually. And he goes, what do you think about my Jaguars this year?
26:34I realized like no one's ever asked me that question ever about anything.
26:38And I was like, listen to NFL Cover Zero on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
26:45Hey, everyone. I'm Mike Yam. And I'm Trevor Sykema.
26:47And together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Show.
26:50Fantasy season is upon us. Are you ready to dominate your league?
26:54Because if you aren't locked in with us on the NFL Fantasy Football Show, you're already playing from behind.
27:00Every episode, we're going to dive into the biggest fantasy headlines.
27:04Injury updates that you'll need before kickoff. The best starts and sits across every position.
27:08And matchups you can exploit to destroy your league mates.
27:11Now we're talking sleepers, breakout stars, and the guys you cannot afford to bench.
27:16From rookies on the rise to longtime stars still at it, we cover it all.
27:21Whether you're a first-time player or a grizzled vet chasing another championship, we give you the advantage and the confidence you need to make every move count.
27:29Weekly analysis, hot takes, and unique insider knowledge all in one place.
27:33Does fantasy dominance sound appealing to you? Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
27:41Brett, there's only 17 regular season games. Now, they did make the playoffs, so they had the extra game.
27:47They had a different O-line combination for every single game they played last season.
27:52Now, it didn't add up exactly to that, obviously.
27:54But that's crazy. It's crazy how bad the luck is there for the Chargers.
27:59So we can sit here and we can talk about the inconsistencies in the run game and some of the struggles with
28:06the receivers downfield and what in the hell Justin Herbert's even looking at.
28:10But when you have changes and inconsistencies on the offensive line like that, how do you realistically think that it's going to get better?
28:17It's going to get a little bit better with the Chargers, but I'm selling this team.
28:22I think this ship has sailed this season for them because how do you win with that much change and uncertainty in the trenches?
28:30I don't think you can. Yeah, I'm selling as well.
28:33Highest pressure rate allowed in the NFL. One of the worst turnover rates in the NFL.
28:38I think it's two and a half per game.
28:41I can't buy that. I just can't. I can't do it.
28:45So, yeah, put me down for sale. All right, that's all for the earnings report.
28:49We'll talk about some other teams in similar ways in a little bit.
28:53But I want to talk about the hottest buy four weeks into this season here, Brett.
28:58And there's nothing fancy about this one. There's no, oh, let me recognize maybe we're a team is winning in the margins here or there.
29:06No, no, no, no. What's been the best stock?
29:09Who's been the best team? Four weeks into the season, if you were doing a power ranking of who's been the best, who you got?
29:17I'm going to say Chicago. I mean, they've just been playing with their food, honestly.
29:22Last two weeks, not even with Caleb on the field.
29:25Like their best defense has been their offense. They didn't let the Jets have the ball.
29:30Case Keenum was consistently getting them out of trouble two weeks ago on Monday Night Football.
29:35Like, Bajent was great. Keenum was great. Caleb, before the injury, I thought was playing really well.
29:40You have three quarterbacks on this team that can start and win you games, plus a dominant run game.
29:46They're getting 100 yards rushing per game just to the right side, let alone the runs to the left side, too.
29:53Their ball control offense is the best in the NFL.
29:56They're just unbelievable at it. And the defense has played better than I thought they would, especially after, you know, they got
30:03lit up by Bryce in the opening week. Their fourth fewest EPA per play allowed so far this year, and their fifth
30:10fewest in terms of total EPA allowed. So if the defense is reasonably good and the offense looks like that, I feel
30:17like there's nothing left to complain about at that point.
30:20Like, this looks like arguably the best team in the NFC.
30:24I'm glad that you brought up that Carolina game because I think that's exactly how I would talk about and maybe even
30:31defend your take for the Bears being one of maybe the best team in the NFL.
30:36Because, yeah, okay, the defense probably had their worst game against the Carolina Panthers in week one so far this season, right?
30:43Who won that game? Chicago. Chicago. Yeah. Why'd they win it?
30:46Because they scored 59 points. Yeah. And the point of the game of football is to simply score more points than the other team.
30:54And I'm not sure I believe in anybody more than I believe in Chicago to be able to do that.
31:00But they are not my hottest buy to start the season.
31:03They're one of them for sure. So I think it's a good call out.
31:08But to me, the hottest buy is the Jacksonville Jaguars.
31:11Because when you want to talk about complete football teams, I'd argue there is not a more complete football team in the
31:18NFL than what the Jags have right now. Offense, Trevor Lawrence has been fantastic.
31:22If you're playing heavy zone against him, he has been tearing it up all season long.
31:27And on those games where, okay, maybe it's not a light it up through the air type of a game, they've got
31:34explosiveness in the ground game that they can go to.
31:38And Tootin's been able to showcase that in flashes.
31:40When they have gotten in the red zone, Lawrence has been excellent when space is at a premium.
31:46The defense is playing really well as well. They are forcing tight window throws on a regular basis with how they are playing.
31:53Also, 11.4 missed tackle rate. That's 10th lowest in the NFL.
31:57Fundamentally sound. Then you throw in the fact that they're good on special teams.
32:01They've got Cam Little as an ultimate weapon, as a kicker as well.
32:05Brett, to me, this is the most complete team in the NFL.
32:09If I was doing a power ranking in the league right now, this would be my top team.
32:15I can't really argue against it as long as you put Chicago number two.
32:19I think it still puts Seattle number two, but...
32:22But Chicago, I think, is in that next category there.
32:25Hell of a job, fellas! Man, we talked about this week, man, being a big week to find out who we were.
32:32And you guys answered that call, man. Now let's take a look at players that are paying dividends for you.
32:39So let's talk about these safe investments. These players that you absolutely want to pour most of your resources into because you
32:45know they're going to deliver week in and week out in a big way for these teams.
32:51We've each got a couple of these guys that we want to go to.
32:55So I'll let you go. Let's go rapid fire here.
32:58You sort of list off your three guys, kind of talk about them a little bit.
33:03I'll give my thoughts, and then I'll move on to my three.
33:07Yeah, I'll start with Jacob Rodriguez, a linebacker out of Miami, which a lot of people might think, what do you mean
33:14that's a thing that everybody was investing in? Everybody knew he was going to be good.
33:19I promise you, if you watch Texas Tech last year, the tackle numbers that he's putting up are not surprising.
33:26This was an incredibly safe investment before the season.
33:28A, because he was going to get snaps on this Miami team.
33:32Let's be realistic. And if he was on the field, he was going to get tackles.
33:37He has 46 in four games, second most in the NFL.
33:41He has 18 run stops, also second most. 27 total defensive stops.
33:45Again, this is in four games, most in the NFL.
33:48His missed tackle percentage is just 8%. That's four missed tackles on the year, averaging one per game.
33:53So if you're only missing one tackle a game and you're getting, what, on average 11 and a half, almost 12 tackles per game, that's pretty good.
34:0216th best missed tackle percentage there. He's been everything that we thought he would be.
34:07Again, anybody that watched the Texas Tech Raider defense last year, you go there and you look at David Bailey and you
34:14look at Romello Height and all the pass rushers, but you couldn't watch that without seeing Jacob Rodriguez be arguably the most
34:21impactful defensive player on that unit, and he's been that way in the pros.
34:25As for number two, talked about him already, Brock Purdy.
34:28Best EPA per drop back in the NFL. 10th highest completion percentage over expected.
34:33It was even higher than that going into last week.
34:36Highest passer rating in the NFL. He's been incredible.
34:39MVP frontrunner for me, or minimum top three on the ballot.
34:42I have no complaints about Brock Purdy so far this season.
34:45He is the reason why this Niners offense has been so good.
34:49And then, of course, JSN, reigning offensive player of the year.
34:53He's been everything that he was last year, but maybe even more, as impossible as that sounds.
34:584.3 yards per route run, which, if that held the entire year, by the way, would be the most ever.
35:04In terms of receptions and yards, he has 32 catches, which is fourth in the NFL, 481 yards, third in the NFL, six touchdowns, most in the NFL.
35:13Six touchdowns in four weeks is just insane. He could give Randy's record a run for his money if they really, really
35:20pressed that JSN button in the red zone more often.
35:23He could get there. He's just spectacular, and everybody knew it going into this year, and he's been exactly the same, if not better.
35:31Cut! Guess who! J-S-N! I think that's also what's most impressive about JSN is that teams go into it every single week
35:38going, without Kenneth Walker there, like, he's the guy.
35:41Like, he's who they're going to run the offense through every single week.
35:45Let's make sure that we stop him. And then you can't.
35:48And I think that that showcases how bright of a star he truly is.
35:53Okay, I'm going to get to my three here.
35:56To me, these are the safest dividends that we have had this season and just guys who just mean so much to their team.
36:03The first one is Bijan Robinson, because, Brett, he is, dare I say it, almost O-line proof.
36:08Because when the O-line is blocking well, oh, we see some special plays from Bijan Robinson.
36:14But when the O-line isn't blocking well, it's almost like he gets more special, and the powers show up even more from him.
36:21Listen to these numbers for Bijan so far four weeks into the season.
36:2534 total missed tackles forced. That's second in the NFL.
36:28220 yards after missed tackles forced. Second in the NFL.
36:31448 yards after contact, which is sort of that individual ability beyond the offensive line.
36:36That's the most in the NFL. 376 yards on outside zone.
36:39138 rushing yards over expected. Both of those most in the NFL.
36:43And his success rate on outside zone has just been unbelievable as a whole.
36:48Bijan is phenomenal. And I know that I'm not breaking any glass, breaking any news, however you want to say it, about
36:55saying that to people here on this show. But he is one of the safest bets that we have, because he is
37:02one of the best players in this sport. Will Anderson.
37:05You talked about him earlier when we were talking about the Texans, and being a pillar of why it's hard to give up on this team.
37:13We're four weeks into the season. Defensive player of the year is almost wrapped up with this dude.
37:19He's got 26 pressures, third most in the NFL.
37:2110 quick pressures, fourth most. He's been chipped 29 times, because obviously he's Will Anderson.
37:26That's fourth most in the NFL. So he's got all this production while having all this extra attention on him.
37:32He's got 12 solo run stops as well. That's tied for most amongst edge rushers.
37:37He's not just a pass rusher. He's a total package as an edge rusher.
37:42And dude, they play him everywhere. They'll play him on the right side, on the left side.
37:47There was a play against the Cowboys where their defensive line was Danil Hunter at left end, Will Anderson at defensive tackle,
37:54and then Jadavian Clowney at right defensive end. That is so much power to deal with.
37:59And when you have the versatility of Anderson to be able to win at any alignment on the defensive line and win
38:06at this level, well, that's what I would call the player who's going to pay dividends for you and a pretty safe pick there.
38:14I mentioned some of those Bijon Robinson numbers and him being number two in the NFL in these categories.
38:20It's because this next guy and this last guy, Kenneth Walker, is number one in some of these categories above him.
38:2644 missed tackles forced most in the NFL. That was right above Bijon Robinson.
38:31235 yards after missed tackles. Again, you heard me say that Bijon's number two.
38:35It's because this guy is number one. The value that Kenneth Walker brings to this Chiefs offense and how it doesn't have to be all on Patrick Mahomes.
38:44We already thought the Chiefs had one of the highest ceilings of any team in the NFL.
38:49And then we've watched what this guy is able to do.
38:53And now you've got to call up the builder and say, hey, buddy, we need a couple of extra stories here on
39:00the house because the ceiling's got to go a lot higher given what they've been able to do on the ground.
39:06By the way, side note, the entire Chiefs running back room last year had 87 missed tackles for us.
39:12So he's already halfway there. We've only played for a month.
39:16So he's been that impactful. 60-yard ride! Welcome to the kingdom!
39:19It's like you've been here all along! Now let's take a look at some penny stocks we're calling.
39:25These guys that you could probably get on the cheap right now because the hype train's not too much, but you better
39:32get in on it now because the hype train's about to leave the station here.
39:37Who are some guys that you've seen play well early on who you think could explode and maybe turn into household and
39:44headline names over the next couple of weeks and for the rest of the season?
39:48How about another young Dolphins defender? Just because I know a lot of people haven't got to watch Dolphins games so far this year.
39:56I would just for the defense. These guys are really entertaining.
39:59So I'm going to go with Chop Robinson, a year three edge over in Miami.
40:04He hasn't played every game so far this season.
40:07He's only got 65 pass rush snaps. And yet, he has the highest quarterback pressure percentage per next-gen stats of any edge.
40:14Even over Will Anderson, believe it or not. I won't believe it, actually.
40:18No, I'm choosing not to. No, won't do it.
40:2113.8% quick pressure rate. That's crazy. That's also incredible.
40:24He has a sack and four quarterback hits. 0.78 average getoff.
40:27His first step was his calling card in college.
40:30It is just as good now. He is incredibly explosive.
40:33He's very productive. Got 10 pressures last week against Minnesota.
40:36They just could not handle him at all. He is an edge rusher on the rise right now and really deserves attention.
40:43My next pick here, Denzel Boston, which if you play fantasy football, obviously you know who Denzel Boston is.
40:49But a lot of people that maybe haven't watched the Browns so far this year don't know about Denzel Boston.
40:55Rookie receiver, ex-receiver, lines up 86.7% of the time outside.
40:59He is not a slot. He is purely an outside receiver that goes and boxes with corners every single step.
41:05And he is really good at it. 2.3 yards per route run, which is 17th among all receivers.
41:11That gives some context to JSN being over four.
41:13He's kind of in his own stratosphere where 2.3 is top 17.
41:17In terms of receptions and yards, the numbers aren't necessarily crazy.
41:21But if you're looking at the last Browns rookie wide receiver to be this productive in their first four games, it's Corey Coleman.
41:28Which was a while ago. Trevor. That was a while ago.
41:31Corey Coleman. So it's like, I don't know, a decade or so.
41:35And as far as just any Browns receiver to be this productive in their first four games, we're talking about Jarvis Landry, which also was a while ago.
41:44A while ago, yeah. Go ahead and bless him there.
41:47Go ahead and bless him there. Bless him. Bless him.
41:50God gave us this for a reason. Bless him.
41:53I'll stay on the rookie train for my first guy because, Brett, this is the player.
41:58That if I had a vote for Offensive Rookie of the Year right now, he'd get it.
42:04I would vote for this player. And that is Ravens interior offensive lineman, Vega Ioane.
42:08I'm giving love to the offensive lineman here, and I would genuinely give this guy Offensive Rookie of the Year.
42:15He has been that impactful to me. He started off as the right guard for this team, but he even had to play center last week.
42:23Went up against Jeffrey Simmons, and of course, Jeffrey Simmons got a little bit of his.
42:28I mean, Jeffrey Simmons is one of the best defensive tackles in the game, but Vega held up way better than you
42:35would expect for a rookie player who is moving from guard to center for the first time in a long time because
42:42he played guard when he was at Penn State.
42:45Specifically, what Vega Ioane has done for them in the outside zone run game has been so impactful.
42:50Baltimore has gained 266 yards on outside zone plays.
42:53That's fourth most in the NFL. And specifically to his right side, 149 yards on those plays.
42:59Again, top five, fourth most in the NFL. 375 yards to the right side in general, even just not outside zone plays.
43:06Second most in the NFL. And a 51.5% success rate running to that side of the ball.
43:11That, to me, is a Vega Ioane stat because when you put a rookie offensive lineman on the line of scrimmage, you
43:18don't get that kind of success, but you do if you are this good.
43:22So he would win Offensive Rookie of the Year, in my opinion.
43:26And then the last guy that I want to shout out, dude, Evan Williams.
43:31The safety from Green Bay. Not enough people are talking about this, dude.
43:35To me, he is such an all-around playmaker to me.
43:38They put him in the slot. He is a box safety.
43:41He is a linebacker. He is a blitzer. He is a coverage player.
43:45He is everything for this team. He does so much for them.
43:49And I think he is super underrated. Seven run stops, tied for fifth most among safeties.
43:5419 tackles in run defense. Second most among safeties.
43:57Four passes defended. Second most among safeties. He's got the whole buffet.
44:01He's diversifying the portfolio. Get in on the Evan Williams train.
44:04Before it leaves the station. Because I think it is only a matter of time.
44:09Before he is recognized as one of the versatile, most impactful safeties in the NFL.
44:14So get in on it. And those are some players that we think that you should keep an eye on four weeks into the season.
44:22That you should buy right now. Because we think they're taking off.
44:25Here's the snap. Blitz on. And it is Evan Williams again.
44:29Fires it over the middle. And there is your dagger.
44:32And they will close this one here today on the road in Tampa.
44:36Let's get to the hot seat index, Brett. Four weeks into the year.
44:40No coach had been fired yet. But the seat's heating up.
44:44It's getting a little hot for some of these coaches.
44:47Who is one of them around the NFL that you think that we should point out here on the hot seat index?
44:54Not to beat a dead horse, but I'm going to go with Nick Sirianni here.
44:59I've had this take for a while. And I have had lively discussions with Eagles fans about it over the years.
45:05I'm not really sure what he brings to the building.
45:08Other than, I guess, vibes. But he's not somebody who's going to fix the offense.
45:13He's never been a great, purely offensive coach. Like the Wonder Kids.
45:17Like the Sean McVeighs and the Ben Johnsons. You know, what we think maybe Grant Edinski, Nate Shieldhouse will be whenever they get a job.
45:25Like he's never been that kind of guy that you think, like, okay, it's fine if they lose an offensive coordinator because Nick Sirianni is still there.
45:33Their offenses have been up and down year over year, depending on who the offensive coordinator is, because Nick Sirianni is not
45:40going to fix it if their offensive coordinator situation is bad.
45:44So what does he actually bring to the table?
45:47Like, does the culture seem great to you? It doesn't necessarily seem great to me.
45:51And even when it has been good, I feel like that's been more because of player leadership than Nick's leadership.
45:58I just, I feel like when the team is so coordinator dependent, and it has been coordinator dependent for so long.
46:04They're great when they have great coordinators. They're bad when they have bad coordinators.
46:09At that point, the pattern is the head coach isn't bringing a lot to the table.
46:14So what does he do? And I know I'm sounding very mean here.
46:18Believe me, this is the nicest way to put it compared to how Eagles fans are talking about him.
46:24And you cannot blow a game where you have a 96% chance to win and you're on the two-yard line.
46:30You cannot blow that game. And he blew that game.
46:33And the Eagles squander a golden opportunity after a great drive.
46:37Fourth down incomplete. Rams take over and they're still alive.
46:40Down by 10. So I would say his seat, with the exception of maybe two other guys in the league, is probably
46:47the hottest of any coach right now. Because Philly, historically, is not a franchise that is going to give you a bunch
46:54of grace just because you won a Super Bowl.
46:57Like, Doug Peterson was gone in under three years after he won a Super Bowl.
47:01So I don't think he's safe here. In fact, I'd say it's more the opposite.
47:06He is on the hot seat. And also, side note, here's a stat for you, since this is a stat-based show.
47:13There have been three head coaches fired on their way home from London in the last 12 years.
47:18I'm not saying Nick Sirianni is going to become the fourth.
47:22But London tends to be a trip where if you get embarrassed on the road, it really pisses off owners if you're doing it.
47:30Like, on the international stage, you're the only game on TV.
47:33Like, everybody's watching that game. If you get embarrassed in that game, either you get fired on the way home or you get fired after the season.
47:42Like, owners hate looking non-competitive in an international game.
47:44I wouldn't have thought there were that many. It's a lot.
47:48It's a pattern. I guess that does make sense.
47:51Yeah, like you're getting embarrassed on not just national TV, quite literally international TV.
47:55Yeah, I guess so. It's never just, hey, it's this.
47:58I wouldn't say never. Sometimes it is. My hot seat index coach is Todd Bowles.
48:03And I think that there's a lot of things that go into this.
48:07Very obviously, starting 0-4 when you were division favorites, I think is certainly reason enough to be on this list.
48:13But also, you just, I think, look at the full context with Bowles.
48:18Yes, they did win a lot of division titles in a row with Todd Bowles.
48:22But there's only one season where they won double-digit games, and it was 10.
48:27The rest of the years, they're winning 8. They're winning 9.
48:30They win 8 again. This has been a mediocre football team.
48:34They've won divisions because the rest of the NFC South, like, hasn't been great.
48:38But let's be honest. I mean, they floated around 500 basically the entire time that Todd Bowles have been head coach.
48:45So it's not like, oh, they won all these divisions in a row.
48:49Look at these 12, 13-win seasons. Look at these, you know, NFC Championship runs.
48:53Like, they've had a couple of playoff wins here and there.
48:57Like, this is very true. But for the most part, especially in the regular season, it's been right around 500.
49:03And I don't think that it helps that Dave Canales is looking really good with Bryce Young right now.
49:09Liam Cohen certainly looks great with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
49:12It has over the last year and a half.
49:15Both of those guys were in the building and amidst the success, you obviously chose to keep Todd Bowles over potentially elevating one of those guys.
49:23And I'm not saying it was an easy situation or an easy decision to make.
49:28But we sit here and I think, unfortunately for Bowles, you have to go, hey man, we picked you over making a change.
49:35You go back to last year and how disappointing last year was after their start to the season and how it absolutely
49:42fell apart in like every way possible for this team last year.
49:46And the Buccaneers said, nope, we're still going to ride with him.
49:49And now they're 0-4. So, to me, Bowles' seat was already a little warm going into the season because there was at
49:56least a conversation about replacing him after how last season ended.
50:00Now you have yet to get a win four weeks into the season.
50:04You better believe that seat's really hot. I don't know if Bowles gets fired during the season.
50:09Brett, I'm going to be honest with you. Probably not because who would you replace him with?
50:15That's the issue is that a lot of their struggles on the team come from the offensive side of the ball anyways.
50:22You're not going to elevate Zach Robinson to the interim head coach position.
50:26So, I don't know if it's coming soon. But it certainly doesn't look like things are going to end well for Bowles after this season.
50:34It feels like we're getting to the point where if they don't turn things around in a major way, Tampa's going to be making a coaching change.
50:42The new NFL season is here and you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 61.
50:49Last year, we had Mike McDonald, Sam Darnold on the field after the game.
50:54But that was last year. If you're a football sicko like me, NFL Daily is your kind of show.
51:00It is in the name. NFL Daily. Fresh content in your feed every day, all season long.
51:05Matthew Stafford coming off his MVP season. Big time trades that shake up the NFL.
51:10AJ Brown is loose. And of course, those Seahawks trying to run it back and win another Lombardi trophy.
51:16The Seahawks win Super Bowl 60. They are bringing the Lombardi back to the Northwest.
51:20If it's happening on a football field, NFL Daily will cover it.
51:24Listen to NFL Daily on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
51:29Football's back. Hey, it's Drew Franklin from NFL Cover Zero.
51:32Enjoy the NFL season while listening to NFL Cover Zero.
51:35We have storylines, predictions, and lots of silliness. Here's what you can expect from the podcast in our second season.
51:42When you meet people and you say your job's a sports announcer, it's always interesting to see what the first thing they say is.
51:49I did have one of the more difficult questions, though.
51:53He sits next to me and he sees I'm on my computer and he goes, big sports fan.
51:58And I was like, yeah, actually. And he goes, what are you thinking about my Jaguars this year?
52:04I realized, like, no one's ever asked me that question ever about anything.
52:08And I was like, Duval. Listen to NFL Cover Zero on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
52:15Hey, everyone. I'm Mike Yam. And I'm Trevor Sykema.
52:18And together, we host the NFL Fantasy Football Show.
52:21Fantasy season is upon us. Are you ready to dominate your league?
52:24Because if you aren't locked in with us on the NFL Fantasy Football Show, you're already playing from behind.
52:30Every episode, we're going to dive into the biggest fantasy headlines.
52:34Injury updates that you'll need before kickoff. The best starts and sits across every position.
52:39And matchups you can exploit to destroy your league mates.
52:42Now, we're talking sleepers, breakout stars, and the guys you cannot afford to bench.
52:46From rookies on the rise to longtime stars still at it, we cover it all.
52:51Whether you're a first-time player or a grizzled vet chasing another championship, we give you the advantage and the confidence you need to make every move count.
52:59Weekly analysis, hot takes, and unique insider knowledge all in one place.
53:03Does fantasy dominance sound appealing to you? Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
53:11It just feels like it's yet another example of teams that are really afraid to fire an on-paper, very successful head coach
53:18who's winning a bunch of division titles and everything like that.
53:22Even when they know one of their coordinators is the guy.
53:25Like, he's going to be the guy for some other team.
53:29They know they're going to lose him. They know he's going to be great wherever he goes.
53:34Because it's eerily reminiscent of when the Ravens let Mike McDonald walk out the door.
53:39And every Ravens fan knew that might have been a mistake.
53:42Not even might have. It was a mistake. He won a Super Bowl two years in Seattle.
53:48And I think a lot of Ravens fans were like, Hey, we love John Harbaugh.
53:53Respect John Harbaugh. Gave us a lot of good years.
53:56Mike McDonald's the guy. Like, do not let him walk out the building.
54:00And they did. And I think when they brought in Jesse Minter, it was an acknowledgement of like, Hey, we had some really good homegrown talent here.
54:08And we let it go. We're not going to make that mistake again.
54:12We're going to get Jesse Minter before somebody else does.
54:16And so far, the Ravens are looking pretty good.
54:18Now, ironically, they have another one coming up in Declan Doyle who they're going to lose.
54:23But I think the Bucs are similar. And they did it twice where, okay, Dave Canales, he looked like the guy.
54:30Like, you have somebody who's young and coming up, you know, within your ecosystem.
54:35We had previously seen him work miracles with Chino Smith.
54:38Then he worked miracles with Baker Mayfield. He let him walk out the door, goes to Carolina, working miracles with Bryce Young.
54:45And then Liam Cohen, maybe even more. Like, everybody knew Liam Cohen could take whatever job he wanted to.
54:51That was the big one. Cohen's the big one.
54:53And there was that ugliness on the exit, right?
54:56It was really, really ugly. And I think that might have been the sign that they should have just hired Liam Cohen.
55:03And, like, whether you do the thing of, okay, we're going to promote Todd Bowles to, like, president of whatever.
55:10Or you just flat out move on. I think if they went back in time, they would have avoided the ugliness with Liam.
55:17And just made Liam the head coach. And probably been a better football team.
55:21All right. Game picks for week five. We have ten games, as always.
55:25And we are instituting a new rule this week.
55:28Because you guys have bloodlust. I have missed two straight games in the ten spot.
55:33And you guys wanted punishment. So we're instituting punishment.
55:36From now on, starting this week, if we choose a game for our ten spot, and we get it correct, obviously we get ten points.
55:44If we lose, we get minus ten for the week.
55:47So, luckily, I avoided punishment the last couple weeks.
55:50Ideally, I don't miss another ten spot game. But they don't call it the Coleman curse for nothing.
55:55Trevor, are you ready for your punishment? They're, uh, no, no, not me.
55:59Not me. I'm not getting punished out here. I'm not missing any games in the ten spot.
56:05That's you, my friend. So, look, I, uh, I haven't done that since week one.
56:10We're a long way removed from that. We've improved.
56:12Just like a lot of teams have improved in the NFL since week one, so have my game picks.
56:18But before we get into it, of course, we have to talk about what our results were last week.
56:24You mentioned that you missed your most confident game that you picked.
56:28You picked the Buffalo Bills over the New England Patriots.
56:31Ultimately, you got 36 points last week. I don't know how many I got.
56:36So, we were tied. We were tied going into last week.
56:39So, you got 36. How many did I get from my picks?
56:43I mean, getting 36 while missing the ten spot isn't terrible.
56:46I'll just say, I mean, it is, because I missed the ten spot.
56:51But other than that, not bad. You did hit your ten spot last week.
56:55You took the Seahawks over the Chargers. Never in doubt.
56:58Never in doubt. Never in doubt. No, no, no, no, no.
57:02From the first throw of that game, never in doubt, baby.
57:05Never in doubt. Buddy, the second throw was also a pick.
57:09Well, we're not going to talk about that. That part?
57:12The cigar's already lit, my friend. We're already off in the patio in the next room.
57:17We're celebrating. You got your ten spot. However, it was a lot closer than you think.
57:22You got 37 points on the week, bringing your season total 148.
57:26So, you were up by one. Let's go. Let's go, baby.
57:29They're barely hanging in there. That's what you want to see there.
57:33By the way, we got to shout out some people who are getting in on the game with us.
57:39You guys can go through all of the ten games that we pick here on the show and put them in order of confidence in the comments.
57:47Because if you do and you have a really good week, we'll shout you out on the show like we are right here.
57:55Girls Say had 51 points. 51 points last week.
57:58That was the top score that we had from anybody in the comments.
58:02Trey, 46 points. So, dude, if you would have gotten your ten spot game, you would have tied for second place of anybody here.
58:09Dutch had 45 points as well. For some fun trends here, 23 of the 106 fans that submitted your confidence picks out
58:16there, 23 of you beat me, 32 of you beat Brett.
58:20New England and Buffalo, that was the top trap game.
58:23106 out of 106 entries picked the Buffalo Bills.
58:26Not a single entry took the New England Patriots there.
58:29That single game cost fans a total of 915 points.
58:32So, we're having fun. This is a lot of fun.
58:35I'm enjoying this. It's a fun way to go through some of these big games every single week and get to pick them here with you.
58:43That game just single-handedly ruined my week in more ways than one.
58:47I'll say that. Are you ready for the week five slate?
58:51Let's do it. What game we start with? We're going to start with, well, we might as well start with the Patriots again, to be honest.
58:59Patriots, Raiders, who you got? I'm going to take the Raiders.
59:02I'm going to take the Raiders in this game.
59:05And I'm going to put it in my sixth spot when it comes to confidence here.
59:10Obviously, the New England Patriots a lot better last week.
59:13Drake May looked a lot better. The defense looked pretty good.
59:17Trying to rattle Josh Allen, but then also mitigating what the Buffalo Bills were able to counter with on the ground as well.
59:24And so, it was a much better looking Patriots team, but man, I've got so much faith in what this Las Vegas Raiders team is doing.
59:32Maybe one special teams blunder away from perhaps beating the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
59:37And so, I think the Raiders are on a roll.
59:40And with that coaching staff and with some of the new veteran leadership on that team, I'm not saying that this is a letdown that's bound to happen.
59:49Give me the Raiders in this one and give me them at the sixth spot when it comes to my confidence.
59:56See, I took the Patriots here, but I put it at the one spot.
60:00Okay. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what these teams are.
60:04Like, I know the Raiders are good. I know the Raiders are very well balanced, but this one spot is really more,
60:11I have no clue how to read the Patriots at this point.
60:15More specifically, I don't really know which Drake may we're going to get from week to week.
60:20Is it weeks one through three? Drake may is it week four?
60:24Drake may two very different quarterbacks, two very different teams as a 2025.
60:28Drake may is 2023. Drake may. We don't know.
60:31We have no idea. Yeah. Is it sophomore year, North Carolina, Drake may they might not lose a game.
60:37If it was, it's his sophomore year of high school, Drake may, you know, it's just, it's a mystery every single week.
60:44But man, when he is on, he is on, he was exceptional against the blitz.
60:48He had three touchdowns against the blitz last week.
60:51They, they blitzed him 14 times. He was awesome.
60:54You know, that last touchdown to Efton Chisholm. Was it a great catch by Efton?
60:59Obviously yes, but you know, Drake may kind of feeling that pressure, moving away from it, identifying the one-on-one, throwing a seed.
61:06When he's at his best, it's a very tough team to beat.
61:10So I took the Patriots, but very narrowly, because I think this is a true toss up to me.
61:16Honestly, the fact that they're at the sixth spot talks about how close, I feel like some of these games could be this week.
61:23So obviously we'll get to some that are lower on my list than number six, where I have the Raiders winning.
61:30Next one, Minnesota, New Orleans. Who do you got?
61:33So I'm going to take the saints here, and this is going to be a little bit of a trend that I
61:40have with some of my picks, where I'm looking at teams who are sort of down on their luck, backs against the wall, have to come out swinging.
61:48And when you look at Minnesota, we've talked about how, yes, elite defensive performance through four weeks, from Brian Flores and the
61:55fellas, but on the offensive side of things, I mean, they're not playing complimentary football at all whatsoever.
62:01And even though I think that they are certainly a good team with how great their defense is, that offense really has
62:08to take, not just a step, multiple steps forward for me to have a lot of confidence in them week in and
62:15week out to beat some of the better teams.
62:18Now, New Orleans, they're licking their wounds coming off of an absolute shellacking.
62:22I don't know if that's a word, but I'm using it here on this show, at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons.
62:29And it was at home nonetheless. But I think that was very much a game where, Kellen Moore even said it afterwards,
62:36they were kind of unprepared for that game. And I just don't see that happening again this week.
62:41I think that they're going to be ready. I think this is going to be a close game.
62:47But given the potential of New Orleans offense, give me the Saints to be able to win this game, especially because through
62:54two weeks of the season, the early weeks, Tyler Shuck had the most passing yards under pressure of any quarterback in the NFL.
63:01So we know he's going to get pressured and blitzed, but he's actually been pretty decent at it, or at least was at the beginning of the year.
63:10So give me New Orleans. I'm going to take this one in the four spot here.
63:15So they said they weren't prepared for that game, but how prepared can you be for Brian Flores one less day?
63:22Right? Because it was a Monday game, and you've got to come back in six days and play Brian Flores.
63:28I am really worried about the Saints in this one.
63:31And I know Saints fans are upset with me because I just showed the passing chart of Tyler Shuck and was like,
63:38hey, we should probably work the middle of the field more.
63:42Like, he's been very effective when he did it.
63:45We should probably do that more. And the response was, well, they didn't have a run game, so there's no play action.
63:51Historically speaking, you actually don't have to have a good run game to do play action.
63:57You just do it, right? You have to commit to it.
64:00But this team has been reluctant to go under center, reluctant to use play action.
64:05And when the run game doesn't work, their answer has been, okay, we're going to throw quick and outside the numbers and
64:12basically just turn our quick passing game into our running game.
64:15And against this specific defense from Minnesota where they love to eat quarterbacks alive who work or at least try to work
64:22that area of the field, I'm really worried about it, right?
64:26The Minnesota defense is structured in a way where they force you to be good at working the intermediate middle.
64:32And while Tyler Shuck has been good at doing it, at least from an analytics perspective, they haven't done it a lot,
64:39at least to the degree that I think they're going to have to do it in this game.
64:45So there's a little bit of an unknown here.
64:47It's kind of a chicken or the egg. Have they not been doing it because they're just not doing it?
64:54Or are they not doing it because they aren't sure if Shuck can do it seven, eight times in a game?
65:00I guess we'll find out, but we're going to have to find out in this game.
65:05So give me Minnesota. I put them at the two spot.
65:09I think it's very close either way. But I am worried about the Saints matchup here.
65:14All right. So you're getting your one and two least confident games out of the way here to start.
65:20What's the next game? Just rip the bandaid off.
65:23Seattle, San Francisco. I struggle in this one, man.
65:26I know San Francisco is banged up, but they're always banged up.
65:29And I know McDonald has had Brock Purdy's number in the past.
65:33But just the way that he's playing right now, I mean, it's really, really hard to pick against the Niners.
65:39Denver threw everything they could at them. They held them down for a long time.
65:44It was three to three deep into the third quarter.
65:47And eventually they got frustrated. They called zero a few times.
65:51And Purdy, he ate it up. They had a perfect passer rating and getting zero.
65:56And they only called it three times. He averaged like 20 yards per attempt against zero.
66:01Yeah. And that's the thing against the Niners. Like it's a battle of patience.
66:05And the second you get frustrated and try to get more aggressive against them, Purdy and Shanahan just gut you.
66:11And I worry about Seattle trying to get a little bit too aggressive here just to make something happen and opening the
66:18door for San Francisco to do that. Seattle's red zone defense this year weirdly has been really bad compared to their defense in between the 20s.
66:27And if the Niners can just get down to the red zone, I think they can score on them.
66:33And I still have some reservations about the Seattle offense.
66:36Are they too JSN centric? Sure. Right. You know, they had a bunch of drives against the Chargers.
66:41Two of them started inside the Charger 25 yard line.
66:45If you're looking at like drive to drive efficiency outside of that, it wasn't a very good performance by them.
66:51So I'm reluctantly taking Seattle here. I'm putting it at the five spot.
66:55Wait, so you are taking Seattle. I know. And I just do all of that.
67:00I know. I know. I don't feel good about it.
67:03I'm not saying I feel good about it. Look, but I am doing it.
67:07I'm going to regret it, but I'm doing it.
67:10Where were they on the list for you? Five.
67:13Okay. Like dead in the middle. They're three for me.
67:16So I've got Seattle winning as well at the three spot.
67:20But I think that being so low on the confidence meter sort of gives respect to what I think about the 49ers
67:27and how good they are this season. I think there's only two teams in the NFL that I would take to beat the 49ers right now.
67:35And they happen to be playing one of them.
67:38Seattle and then Jacksonville is the other one. Those two teams are the one and two teams, in my opinion, in the NFL.
67:45And then I put the Niners at number three.
67:48Brock Purdy is truly playing at an MVP level.
67:50However, if you look at the last couple of years, the two worst passing performances for Brock Purdy have come against the Seattle Seahawks and Mike McDonald's defense.
67:59And I think if you go back even further, if you go back to when Mike McDonald was on the Baltimore Ravens
68:06as well, that was also one of Brock Purdy's worst quarterback rating performances as well.
68:11Like Mike McDonald just has Brock Purdy's number, or at least he has in the past.
68:16Doesn't mean he will for 100% this upcoming game.
68:19But I got to go with the history here.
68:22And I just got to go with one of the few coaches that seems to get the better of Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan.
68:29And give me Seattle here. I got them in the three spot.
68:33It's very much picking with your head over picking with your heart.
68:37My heart is telling me this is a wonky one for Seattle.
68:41My head is telling me the history is the history.
68:44So I think it's going to be very close either way.
68:47I thought we were going to be different for the first three games there.
68:52That would have made this pretty exciting. Well, I mean, I think this week is already exciting because we're starting off with picking different games already.
69:00And we're only three games in. We've got two different ones.
69:03Let's go with one that I think maybe will be the same on Chargers-Broncos.
69:08I have the Chargers over the Broncos. Okay, I did too.
69:11So we're actually kind of on the stage here.
69:14Really? Come on, man. I'm trying to get one up on you.
69:18So this is, again, going back to the theme that I was talking about a couple of minutes ago where I'm looking
69:25at some of these teams, especially some of these teams that maybe we had higher hopes for going into the season.
69:32And I look at them as this is a back-against-the-wall type of a moment.
69:36I understand that Denver's a good football team. Bo Nix hasn't been great for good stretches of the early part of this season.
69:43And last week, just simply, he did not play quarterback well enough for them to win that game.
69:49All of that to say, Denver's still the really good and talented football team.
69:53However, if the Chargers go 0-5, brother, we're—I mean, if you're 0-4, you're on the cusp of just packing it in mentally.
70:00You go 0-5, the wheels are going to fall off.
70:03And I just, again, going back to sort of what I was talking about a little bit with the New Orleans Saints,
70:10you've basically got to punch back here or you won't at all for the rest of the season.
70:16So I'll take the more desperate team. There's not a lot that I can say analysis-wise that would actually point me to
70:23the Chargers winning this game other than Bo Nix continuing to look reserved in how he is scanning the field, where he
70:30is choosing to get rid of the football, and how inexplosive it feels like that offense is overall right now, especially in the early parts of the game.
70:39First half, and then somehow—sometimes it even bleeds into the second half and that third quarter as well with how conservative they are.
70:46You could look at that and then you could say, hey, if this is the game where Justin Herbert's deep completion percentage
70:53and deep passes turns around, yeah, then I could see a path for the Chargers to win this one.
70:59But I don't know how it's exactly going to happen, but I do think that the Chargers are an extremely desperate football
71:06team, and whatever the best version of this team is, given the injuries that they have, I think we see it on Sunday against Denver.
71:14And if we don't, oh boy, this season's going to get ugly when it comes to win-loss record for the Chargers.
71:20The new NFL season is here, and you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 61.
71:27Last year, we had Mike McDonald, Sam Darnold on the field after the game, but that was last year.
71:33If you're a football sicko like me, NFL Daily is your kind of show.
71:38It is in the name. NFL Daily, fresh content in your feed every day, all season long.
71:43Matthew Stafford coming off his MVP season. Big time trades that shake up the NFL.
71:48And of course, those Seahawks trying to run it back and win another Lombardi trophy.
71:53The Seahawks win Super Bowl 60. They are bringing the Lombardi back to the Northwest.
71:57If it's happening on a football field, NFL Daily will cover it.
72:01Listen to NFL Daily on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
72:06Football's back. Hey, it's Drew Franklin from NFL Cover Zero.
72:09Enjoy the NFL season while listening to NFL Cover Zero.
72:13We have storylines, predictions, and lots of silliness. Here's what you can expect from the podcast in our second season.
72:19When you meet people and you say your job's a sports announcer, it's always interesting to see what the first thing they say is.
72:26I did have one of the more difficult questions, though.
72:30He sits next to me and he sees I'm on my computer and he goes, big sports fan.
72:35And I was like, yeah, actually. And he goes, what do you think about my Jaguars this year?
72:41I realized, like, no one's ever asked me that question ever about anything.
72:45And I was like, do you fall? Listen to NFL Cover Zero on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
72:53Hey, everyone. I'm Mike Yam. And I'm Trevor Sykema.
72:56And together, we host the NFL Fantasy Football Show.
72:58Fantasy season is upon us. Are you ready to dominate your league?
73:02Because if you aren't locked in with us on the NFL Fantasy Football Show, you're already playing from behind.
73:08Every episode, we're going to dive into the biggest fantasy headlines.
73:12Injury updates that you'll need before kickoff. The best starts and sits across every position.
73:16And matchups you can exploit to destroy your league mates.
73:19Now, we're talking sleepers, breakout stars, and the guys you cannot afford to bench.
73:24From rookies on the rise to longtime stars still at it, we cover it all.
73:29Whether you're a first-time player or a grizzled vet chasing another championship, we give you the advantage and the confidence you need to make every move count.
73:37Weekly analysis, hot takes, and unique insider knowledge all in one place.
73:41Does fantasy dominance sound appealing to you? Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
73:49What spot did you put it in? Oh, five.
73:52I got this in the five spot right in the middle.
73:55I put it at seven. I'm actually pretty confident in this one.
73:59You madman. So, before we started recording this, it came out Patrick Sertan, Pat Bright, obviously both injured, potential IR candidates.
74:06So, it could get laid early in Denver if things keep going this way.
74:10Not to mention their running backs. Like, their backfield sans Jonah Coleman is just bad.
74:15Hey, respect R.J. Harvey. Getting 10 targets and 10 catches last week.
74:19Respect R.J. Harvey. But he's a receiver out of the backfield.
74:22As far as just having a consistent... I said respect him.
74:26I said respect him. I'm respecting. I'm respecting the role.
74:29But as a team, they were negative 19 rushing yards over expected.
74:33They only averaged 3.7 per carry, and even that was, like, generous.
74:37J.K. Dobbins specifically struggled to fight through contact, averaging 3.7, I believe, just against light boxes, let alone heavier boxes.
74:43Plus the Bo Nix stuff, plus the injuries. I just...
74:46I don't... If the Chargers could stop turning it over 2.5 times per game on average.
74:51Last week it was 4. The week before that they fumbled...
74:55Or two weeks before that they fumbled 6 times in one game.
74:58If they could just hold onto the ball, this team could not even just beat Denver.
75:03I think capably beat Denver because of everything going on with the Broncos.
75:07But that is the great equalizer here, is just the Chargers turnover issue.
75:12So we'll see what happens, but I think the Chargers win, and I put it in the 7th spot.
75:18Ooh, the 7th spot. Alright, which one's next? Chicago Green Bay.
75:21I imagine you're going Bears here. This one is in the 7th spot for me, and I am indeed going to Chicago Bears over the Green Bay Packers.
75:30I will say that it was nice to see Jordan Love play well in the area where I think he really needs to moving forward.
75:38And that is in the short passing game. Remember, we've talked over the last couple of weeks of if the offensive line
75:45is going to be this bad, Jordan Love has to be a lot better in the air yards of 0-10 yards.
75:51Right? The quick game. Getting it out of your hand pretty quickly because that's not the brand of ball Jordan Love wants to play.
75:59Jordan Love wants to play backyard football. He wants to snap the football.
76:03He wants to hold onto it. He wants to scan the field, and he wants to make the big play.
76:09Now, obviously that has its pros and cons, but I genuinely think that a lot of times that's a good thing.
76:16I like the way that Jordan Love plays. He plays a brand of football that attacks the field, and he's not afraid
76:23to attempt the passes that you need to to win games in this league.
76:27But this year, with that offensive line the way that it is, you've got to adapt.
76:32And through the first couple of weeks of the season, he wasn't ready to adapt.
76:37Against the Buccaneers, he was. Now, the Bucs, not a great football team.
76:41We'll talk a little bit more about that when we get to another game that's a little bit higher on my confidence meter here.
76:49A little? Yeah. But, but can't give it away, Brett.
76:52The people got to continue to watch. You can't give it away quite yet.
76:56But I think that it was nice to at least see him really succeed in that short area type of passing game
77:03because that's what you're going to need. Now, all of that to say, is it going to be enough to keep up with the Bears?
77:11Sure doesn't feel like it. So, I got Chicago in this one at the seven spot.
77:16We had mentioned in the show earlier this week that the Bears had more first downs than the Jets had plays.
77:23Yes. They were basically toying with them in a respectful kind of way because I don't think Ben Johnson wanted to embarrass Aaron Glenn.
77:31Obviously, they're close. They have a history together. But they were doing everything they can to show that this was a very
77:37easy football game for them just without running up the score.
77:41Yeah. Yeah. I don't expect them to do the same thing against Green Bay, but Chicago looks like a true juggernaut.
77:48And Green Bay is just banged up in all the worst ways.
77:51I think they still have great elements to them.
77:54I think Jordan Love is a very good quarterback.
77:57You know, obviously, Christian Watson is dynamic. Tucker Craft, one of the best yards after catch weapons at the tight end position.
78:04Evan Williams, we've talked about a couple times. Like, he's playing out of his mind.
78:09I mean, like, the cupboard isn't completely bare, but when you compare it to what the Bears have, I just don't think it's close.
78:16I really don't. So I put them at the eight spot, Bears over Packers.
78:21Okay. All right. About the same. About the same for that one, then.
78:25It's close. It's close. I do want you to talk about Dallas-Tampa, though.
78:29Let's just do that now. Ten spot. Not even close.
78:32Barely even thought about it. Barely even thought about it.
78:35Yeah. Yeah. Obviously, I'm taking the Bucs to beat the Cowboys in the 10 spot.
78:40No, I'm kidding. I'm taking the Cowboys to beat the Buccaneers in the 10 spot on Thursday night football.
78:46There's just nothing about this Buccaneers offense that tells me it's going to keep pace with Dallas.
78:51Like, even if you tell me, hey, we're going to get the best game that the Bucs defense has played yet this
78:58season, which I think would be a stretch in and of itself, this Cowboys offense has so many answers to so many different problems.
79:06Whether it's in the passing game, running game, okay, it hasn't always been there, but there have been moments where they've been good with the ground game.
79:14So we know it's possible for them. Some of their offensive linemen, man.
79:18I mean, like Tyler Guyton's really kicking ass. I mean, like a lot of their offensive linemen are playing really well as
79:25a unit, even with some guys in and out of the lineup.
79:29I feel really confident about the offense on Dallas' side of things, and specifically their quarterback and how they're handling things post-week one.
79:36Week one was a flub for sure for this entire team, but they've looked good and Dak has looked good since.
79:43So I've got a lot of confidence in the points that the Cowboys are going to be able to put up.
79:50And for the Buccaneers, I just don't have that faith in Zach Robinson's offense right now for them.
79:55And I don't even think that's mainly a Jalen Daniels problem.
79:59Jalen Daniels looked okay for an undrafted free agent making his first start, but even when Baker Mayfield is out there.
80:06Brett, who do you fear on this Bucs team?
80:08I mean, I like him at Igbuka a lot.
80:11I think Igbuka's a really nice player. Do you fear him?
80:15This team uses motion all the time, and Igbuka's the motion man, and they're going to him all the time.
80:21Teams don't fear him right now. Chris Godwin, love him.
80:24He's not the Chris Godwin from 2017, 2018, 2019.
80:27Teams don't fear Chris Godwin. They don't fear Kate Odden.
80:30They certainly don't fear Bucky Irving right now, who is just not forcing the missed tackles that he did in his rookie
80:37season that made him such a dangerous runner out of the backfield.
80:41There's just not a threat. There's no threats that can really strike fear in defenses.
80:46And I think that's why you're seeing teams, that's why you're seeing the Bucs struggle to move the ball against teams.
80:52It's not just an execution thing. I think defenses believe they can be pretty aggressive in how they play the Bucs because they don't fear they're getting beat.
81:01They fear that, okay, maybe you'll give up a one or two decent chunk plays here and there, but it's not going to be catastrophic stuff.
81:09That's the way that I feel like they're playing right now.
81:13And so I just, I feel the total opposite about the Cowboys offense.
81:17And the game is about who has the most points when the clock hits zero.
81:22Well, I have a lot of faith that that's going to be Dallas.
81:26So I got them in the 10 spot here this week.
81:29It's hard to have more points than the Dallas Cowboys every single week.
81:33And I would say the key difference, to your point, about the Bucs' talent, they have good players.
81:39Mm-hmm. Right? Mecca Buka is good. Bucky Irving is good.
81:42I think Baker Mayfield, when he was healthy, sacks notwithstanding.
81:45I don't even really think that was entirely his fault.
81:48But we've seen Baker be good before. He's not even in this game.
81:53On defense, they have good players. They don't necessarily have the star power that Dallas does, no pun intended, that can make
82:00your offense right even when the play call is wrong.
82:03Right. Right. Yes. Dak Prescott could just look at your defense and say, you got us schematically, but I'm going to make this throw anyway.
82:11Mm-hmm. And CD can look at whatever corner's out there.
82:14He looked at the Texans secondary last week. It was like, Derek Stingley, Kamari Lassiter, I don't care, 17 catches.
82:20George Pickens, he didn't catch that many balls last week, but one of the catches he made deep down the field was just inconscionable.
82:28Yeah. I cannot believe he's able to make some of those tight window catches.
82:32Not to mention, the Cowboys' offensive line was beating up the Texans' front.
82:36Like, Javante Williams looks like North Carolina Javante Williams this year.
82:40Yeah. In terms of speed and acceleration. There are shades of it, for sure.
82:44They just have dudes that tilt the field. Mm-hmm.
82:47And even if I would say the Bucs have more good talent on the roster over the Cowboys, the Cowboys have more great talent than the Bucs do.
82:56Yep. And in a league that kind of, you get wins and losses based on how much great talent you have, it's hard to have more than Dallas.
83:05So I'm taking them as well. But I did put them in the ninth spot.
83:09They were not my tenner for the week. Okay, now I got to know, just who's the ten?
83:15Now I got to, what's the ten? How about we just go to that game?
83:20Yeah, yeah. I got to hear it. It's the first one of Sunday, overseas, Jacksonville over the Eagles.
83:25That is my ten spot for the week. I have them at the nine.
83:30So there we go. Okay, so we're just flip-flopped on both of those.
83:34We're just flip-flopping it. Yep, yep. I have more self-deprecation in my number ten overall team this week.
83:40And you have the team who I would believe.
83:42I would take the Jags, if I was doing a power ranking, we don't do power rankings, but if I was doing
83:49them, I'd have the Jags as my number one team in the NFL.
83:53So I totally get it here with you. They're at worst third.
83:57Like, at worst. And even that's like a hard...
84:00I don't even think they're three. I agree with you there.
84:04And the Eagles right now are a mess. You know, who's their...
84:07Is it Shipley? Is RB1 this week against a very good Jags front?
84:11I think it is Shipley. The better question is, Brett, who's RB2?
84:15Do they have one at this point? That's what I'm saying.
84:19That somebody's got to be RB2. Who is it?
84:22I literally have no idea because we're down to our fourth running back.
84:26I only see Will Shipley on the depth chart.
84:29So they're going to have to call somebody in from the practice squad, I guess.
84:33You know, we should get notice of that within...
84:36I mean, they have to travel in a couple days, so they have to call somebody in.
84:41I think they have Jaden Blue. Okay, so I think on the practice squad, they have Jaden Blue, Damian Pierce, and Carson Steele.
84:49Okay. One of these young men is going to be taking spell carries behind Will Shipley in that backfield for this game.
84:56They'll be telling stories about them and Delco for generations if they win this game.
85:00My God. Yeah. I'm with you. Not to mention, like, the offensive line hasn't exactly been opening holes for Saquon as it is.
85:08And that's Saquon. Right. To me, there's too many issues for Philly's offense.
85:12And there's just too many things going the Jags' way.
85:15Like, even in a game like last week where Trevor Lawrence isn't spectacular.
85:19He's not lighting the world on fire. But he was doing what he needed to do against that Bengals team to continue
85:26to move the ball, score more than 20 points.
85:29The reason why I have the Jags at number one is because pass game on offense, rush game on offense, and then
85:36overall defensive performance, I think they're the most complimentary team in the NFL with what they're able to do.
85:42So, yeah, I got full faith in them to take down a team like Philadelphia who is inefficient, to say the least.
85:49All right, next game here, the other side of Pennsylvania.
85:52Pittsburgh, Indy. What you got? Steelers. Steelers. So you're just as reluctant about it.
85:56I mean, at the one spot. Dude, the Steelers and the Colts are, to me, the most we play to this level of football every single week.
86:05If you happen to play at this level, guess what?
86:08Congrats on the dub. If you happen to play at this level, we got the better of you.
86:14They both play right here. If this game ends in a tie, I would be not surprised at all whatsoever.
86:20Do we get points if they tie? That's how I feel.
86:23I get points because I'm calling it out here if they tie.
86:27Okay. I'm saying I get points if they tie this game.
86:31But, yeah, I'll take the Steelers. I think that I've seen at moments, right, like the Steelers' passing attack at times has
86:38been a little bit more explosive, certainly without Alec Pierce, than the Colts' passing attack has been.
86:43They struggled with play action. They struggled just with passing yards that were beyond five yards down the field last week, honestly.
86:50The ground game can always be a decent factor for them.
86:53But these are two teams, Brett, that just honestly, the reason why I have it at the one spot is because I see these teams so similarly.
87:02They just play their same brand of football every single week, but I also have more faith in the Steelers' defensive side
87:09of the ball, especially from those guys up front that they have.
87:13So give me the Steelers in this one, but I only have it at the one spot.
87:18I feel like the way the Colts can win right now, just based on how they looked, is to win an irrationally chaotic slop fest.
87:26And they're getting into an irrationally chaotic slop fest with the kings of the irrationally chaotic slop fest.
87:32So I'm going to go Pittsburgh here because they love that kind of game.
87:36And I put it at the sixth spot. Whoa!
87:39Yeah. Wow! Yeah, because this is the exact kind of game where it's like, oh, welcome to hell, buddy.
87:45This is our apartment. You're staying here. We're leasing it out to you.
87:49But this is our building. Welcome. The landlords of slop games.
87:53That's what you just called the Pittsburgh Steelers. The slumlords of slop town.
87:57That's what the Steelers are. They are so good at winning those kind of games.
88:01And I don't think the Colts... It's like an amateur going up against a professional.
88:06Okay. All right. Can't do it. Can't do it.
88:09Baltimore-Atlanta. This game was super fascinating to me before the Lamar ankle injury in the second half.
88:14Because based on what we saw from Atlanta in week four, and then obviously in week five, I kind of had this
88:21one circled on the calendar for this coming week.
88:24And then Lamar got injured. Atlanta still looked like what Atlanta did a week ago.
88:29And so there's like a little bit of shine off this game because I was so fascinated to see one of the
88:36four best offenses in the NFL go up against a very...
88:39Very plucky isn't the right word. Underrated? Unheralded? Falcons?
88:42Like even for what we've seen in the last couple weeks in primetime, I still feel like people aren't realizing how good this Falcons defense has been.
88:51Um, so go, you know, as far as strength on strength, I thought that was a fascinating matchup.
88:56Not to mention Bijan and Penix and Drake London against, you know, this Jesse Minner defense.
89:01I, there were so many elements of this matchup that I was really excited for and then Lamar got injured.
89:08So there's a little bit of shine off of it.
89:11I still think it'll be an entertaining game, but overall, because it's Snoop and not Lamar, give me the Falcons.
89:17And I put that at the four spot. Okay.
89:20Um, full transparency. I filled out these games before I really saw that Lamar, you know, is going to have an outside chance to start in this game.
89:29Um, and because you've chosen to mention this game at near the end of the episode here, I don't have a lot
89:36of flexibility to change it up or down. So give me the Baltimore Ravens.
89:40Oh God. Give me Snoop Huntley. Pro Bowl quarterback.
89:43Over the Atlanta Falcons. At the eight spot, baby.
89:46Oh God. Give me the Baltimore Ravens at the eight spot.
89:49Oh no. I'm taking it. Look, look, look, listen, listen.
89:52The Baltimore Ravens, one of the better outside zone rushing teams in the NFL, even with the injuries that they have on their offensive line.
90:00King Henry's been fantastic at it. They got Zay Flowers back.
90:04He's a yards after catch monster. Snoop Huntley. May I say again, a pro ball quarterback.
90:09Respect the name. Thank you. Oh my God. And I'm just having to believe that everything we saw from the Falcons over
90:16the last two weeks has been utter fabricated garbage and a fugazi at the highest level.
90:21So give me the Ravens. Give me the Ravens at the eight spot.
90:25Oh, I don't have any more money. Here's my car keys on the table.
90:29See, I thought it was going to be the other scene from Casino Royale where you're dying and suffocating to death in
90:36the car, grasping for the defibrillator, hoping somebody can come save you.
90:40Oh my Lord, Trevor. Well, where do you have them?
90:43We are not going to be tied next week.
90:46Wait, what do you have? Will you have the Falcons where?
90:50The four? I have the Falcons at the four spot.
90:53The four spot. Okay. So that's a 12 point swing.
90:56We have a lot of swings in this. This is where the game is getting for real because we have, I don't even know, like five different games.
91:05We're just picking different opponents, but then we also are sort of all over the place.
91:10Zero shot. We're anywhere near each other after this one.
91:13Zero shot. That's what this game's all about, baby.
91:16Let's go. Well, the last game I thought was fairly close.
91:19But after today so far, maybe it's not. Buffalo, LA?
91:22I have this at the two spot. And I suppose I could have switched this with the eight spot if I wanted to.
91:30But I have the Rams winning this game over Buffalo.
91:33But to be honest, it's just a coin flip type of a game.
91:37And to me, the answer is very simple on who wins this game.
91:41Does Josh Allen turn the ball over? If he does, Rams probably win.
91:45Very high chance. If Josh Allen doesn't have turnovers, Bills win.
91:49And that's basically my oversimplified Bills script every single time.
91:52Because I think the Bills have the ability to play really well up front.
91:56I think they have a good run game. Keon Coleman's coming alive in that offense.
92:01And it's just do they turn the ball over?
92:04And if they don't, I think they've got a lot on both sides of the ball to beat you.
92:10And I'm still worried about the Rams. I am.
92:13I know that, hey, it's a comeback win against the Eagles.
92:16They're sitting here at 2-2. It looks a lot better than 1-3.
92:20But, Brett, it took a team botching a goal line series and going 0-12 on third down for you to just win at the end?
92:28I still don't love that. It's the turnovers, man.
92:31It's the turnovers. I still don't love that. So, anyway, I'm taking the Rams, but I got to hit my two spot this week.
92:38So, I took Buffalo. Okay. We are so different.
92:41We are so different. One of us is getting 40 points and the other is getting 10.
92:46Yeah, 100%. Yes, yes, yeah, yeah. Especially if one of us misses the game.
92:51Or both of us are getting, like, 18. Here's my reasoning for that, though.
92:55And I accept all of your points. It's kind of the same thing for Buffalo.
93:00It comes down to turnovers. I guarantee the people watching this game at home are going to see four of the most
93:07ridiculous throws of the entire season in this game.
93:10No question. No question. It's going to be unbelievable cinema watching these guys go toe-to-toe.
93:15You're also going to see, at minimum, one of the dumbest turnovers you've ever seen.
93:19Because they just can't stop doing it. That's also true.
93:22The fact that Josh Allen got away with that, like, flip to save the safety, which I'm still not sure why that wasn't intentional grounding.
93:30That was classic Josh Allen of, like, oh, the devil on his shoulder is still there and he's getting louder.
93:37And Matthew Stafford also throwing, like, two bad picks in the first half of that Eagles game.
93:42One of them is going to have a really bad turnover.
93:46And that's probably going to determine who wins and who loses.
93:49I just don't know which one is going to do it.
93:52Or maybe they're both going to do it. Which one's going to do it twice?
93:57But it's going to happen. I chose Buffalo. Honestly, I flipped a coin if I'm being real about it.
94:03I literally flipped a coin for this one. I don't have a great reason because both these teams are very similar in
94:10terms of their strengths and of their weaknesses. I put it at a three spot just because I felt even less confident about New England and Minnesota.
94:19But it's about as close to a toss-up as it gets.
94:22There we go. Ten games in very different orders with very different winners, it feels like, at least compared to the last couple of weeks.
94:30So this is going to be a fun one to monitor.
94:34I hope you guys enjoy all of these games and some of the ones that we didn't mention as well.
94:40As we said at the top of the show, get in on the action as well.
94:45Give us your ten game picks here. Give us the confidence in which you have with these games.
94:51We'll keep score and we'll shout you out. If you have a really good week, we'll shout you out at the top of the show.
94:58We went through a ton of stuff here on NFL Pro.
95:02We went through the entire quarterly report. We took a look at some players that are under the radar, some teams that
95:09have been shining, and obviously brought it to some game picks as well.
95:13We appreciate you guys watching. We know this was a beast of a show.
95:17Shout out to everybody behind the scenes who puts it on for us.
95:21Everybody at NextGenStats, who powers everything that we talk about here.
95:25Total team effort every single week, but man, for all the information that we threw at you guys, certainly this week as well.
95:32So we appreciate all the help on this one.
95:35Appreciate you guys watching. We'll see you guys next time.
95:38Thank you for listening to our Q1 quarterly report.
95:41Listen to NFL Pro on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
95:46The new NFL season is here, and you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 61.
95:53It is in the name NFL Daily. You'll have fresh content in your feed every day, all season long.
95:59That game-winning drive. Maybe it's Herbert. Maybe it's Gino.
96:02Maybe it's Mahomes. We'll have the highlights. If Fernando Mendoza or any of the rookies are balling out, we'll break down the tape.
96:09Join me, Greg Rosenthal, and an all-star cast of co-hosts as we preview and recap every game.
96:15Listen to NFL Daily on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
96:20Hey, it's Drew Franklin from NFL Cover Zero. The 2026 season is underway, and we are loving football on TV.
96:26Here's what you can expect from the podcast in our second season.
96:30I would suggest for these preseason games, I think they should do what they do on the NFL draft.
96:36You know when coverage of the NFL draft is basically for moms, and they're just like, hey, he has a dog named Spark.
96:43Listen to NFL Cover Zero on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
96:48Hey, I'm Mike Yam. And I'm Trevor Sykema. And together, we host the NFL Fantasy Football Show.
96:54Are you ready to dominate your fantasy league this season?
96:57Because if you aren't locked in with us on the NFL Fantasy Football Show, you're already playing from behind.
97:03Whether you're a first-time player or a grizzled vet chasing another championship, we give you the advantage and the confidence you need to make every move count.
97:11Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
97:17Let's go.
