This is football night in America,
served by Applebee's.
And welcome to your week 9 recap. Maria Taylor alongside
Tony Dungy, Jason Garrett and Mike Florio and we're going to
run down all the storylines that we saw on Sunday. Starting
with the biggest upset, I would say of the day,
the Jets getting a victory in the Meadowlands against
the bills. Josh Allen throws, two interceptions is sacked five
times. And ultimately your biggest take away is what Mike
Florio from this game.
Well,
I focus more on the Jets because look at what happened?
Last Sunday, the Jets at home lose to the
Zach Wilson has a couple of truly boneheaded mistakes,
he's the pin cushion early in the week There's speculation by
Jets fans about whether or not, he's the guy, his coach
Roberts, Allah came out and defended him his GM. Joe
Douglas came out and said he's our guy
he settled down. You could tell he learn from the experience
last week. Not trying to do too much understanding. He's got
a very good defense. He doesn't have to go try to win the game
by himself
and that difference and that maturity,
you know, we want these young quarterbacks to be
They formed right away. It takes time. It takes wraps, it
takes Lessons Learned. And he learned a great lesson last
week and he put it to you this week and held it together,
just enough for the Jets to beat the bills.
And I'll look at the bill side.
We saw it two weeks ago, it started. They played a great
first half against Green Bay and then the second half
a little bit sloppy. Run defense too bad interceptions by Josh
Allen and that carried over this week
bad interceptions. And That run defense and especially the last
Drive coach. We've been talking about the word burden all year
long. Why do we like the Philadelphia Eagles? They
spread the burden the route.
They're really balanced team
and buffaloes, a balanced team awfully good on offense,
awfully good on defense. When they get in trouble,
they lose to Miami. They lose to the Jets. It feels like
the quarterback has to do everything and the burdens too
big on him. I just think they got to keep trying to spread it
around. Run the football. Make his job a little bit easier.
The Jets made his environment hard. He wasn't the same guy in
this. All gasp. Yeah, it's interesting. Now though if you
look at the AFC East Mike now we got four teams above 500.
I mean
it's looking like a tough road or really just a tough spot to
be in. If you're either one of those four teams looking to
come out of the division.
Yeah, everybody alive to win the division and there are
multiple Wild Card spots. At these teams could grab. I'm
fascinated by the Dolphins. They were three in a row. Then
the
to atong of eylau. A concussion happens on the Thursday night
at sent the team into kind of a tailspin. They lost three in
a row there. Three. And three, they get to a back, they turn
it on, they win three in a row and they seem to be getting
better and better
every week. The defense needs a little work after what happened
in Chicago today, especially against the run, but
the offense is so good and Mike McDaniel, drawing it up getting
different people involved, they got Jeff Wilson who was on
the 49ers a week ago, immediately involved this week.
This is a team that
that can can really win. The
I can't believe I'm saying it because I just assumed it was
going to be the bills wire-to-wire but they can win
the division.
Well I agree with Mike their offense is really good
defensively. We see some things that they've got to clean up
but now let's see
in November December and January up north. If that
offense can function the same way. The thing that impresses
me about the division is the Jets play really good defense,
Buffalo plays really good defense, no England plays
really good defense
obviously Miami is dynamic on offense
but defense travels
and you talked about The bad weather, you get into some of
these tough games down the stretch. I think some of those
defense will stand up and awfully impressed by the AFC
East hard to believe. At this point, they'd all be having as
good. A record as they've had. Watch out for New England.
Yeah, and December that defense and how they play and running
the ball is going to be more important as the weather gets
cold. Yeah. The Patriots had nine sacks against the Colts in
week 9. It was pretty impressive. We also saw a pick
six in that one.
Let's go to the game, we're all watching like it's gonna be
fireworks, right? It's the last two Super Bowl winning. Teams
got the Rams, we got the Bucks, not quite so much. But it did
come down to the final drive of the game and ultimately Tom.
Brady, getting a victory over
the Rams at home.
Yeah, and you know the Bucks, it was a big win for them. They
need, I live in Tampa and all you've heard is - the last
month, so they did need this, but there were still some
things that showed up still
kind of discombobulated on offense. The defense made some plays,
they were better, and they needed, this win.
Yeah. They're not where they need to be by any stretch of
the imagination, but you have Somehow
cash in on a couple of women opportunities when you're not
playing well that's what the best pictures, do it on my
right stuff, but I still win the game and that's what they
did against the Rams.
They're lucky because they're playing in the NFC South. It's
not a real good division. They haven't been good in there on
top of that division with a lot of ball to be played. I love
the emotion of Brady.
This guy puts a lot into it, you could see it after they won
the game. How is hugging the left? Which how it was in
the press conference afterwards. He just looked like a different
guy, maybe. Be this gets them started
Mike.
The Knight that they lost to the Ravens, the Thursday night
game week 8.
They had a close-up of Tom. Brady
late in the game down 11 points or so. And when you see that
face, it's still the same guy. He's got the same resolve. He's
got the same determination. He's got the same calm
Under Pressure. He lives for the moments
where the game is in his hands,
and they're currently four and five tied with the Falcons,
atop the NFC South, technically, they're in first
place because they beat the Falcons earlier this year,
they win that division.
They're going to be the foresee
two years ago. They got to the postseason. And
as the five seat
and they want it all
and you think about Tom Brady in
January in, single-elimination setting, which would be
game number 48 in the postseason. The first time, he
plays a playoff game this year, they have the ability
guys. If they can get these issues,
not completely ironed out,
but just a little bit.
Brady can do the rest and lift everyone when it's time to play
playoff football if they get there. I'd be scared to death
of the Buccaneers. If I was any of these other Playoff teams in
the NFC,
I would hope like hell that they don't make it to the top
of the NFC South. Yeah. Tom Brady's. Definitely, the tide
that raises all boats. So if he starts to get going or get that
confidence, or like you
said, we're seeing the body language even changing, you
never know what can happen in the postseason. But the flip
side of that coach Dungy, the Rams sitting at three and five
this season and not playing good football not running
the ball. Well, they had seven
three and outs today.
Huson and that's not what we're used to seeing from a Sean
McVeigh offense. Yeah, the Sean McVeigh offense is all about
running the football first. That's what it is and it's play
action shots off of that and they do a great job using
different formations and motions to create that but
they're not winning the line of
scrimmage at all.
They've been a tough team, sometimes people think they're
kind of a gadgety team. They're not there an old-school, tough
Zone team, they come off the ball, may hit you and
everything else comes from that. If you don't have
the base
if you don't have the running game everything else.
Comes really hard
Mike, what's your takeaway from? What ails the Rams right now?
Just too many changes from last year to this year, too much
time in the offseason spent worrying about, what Aaron
Donald was going to do. He didn't make a final decision
until June when he got his new contract. And when you have so
much money devoted to. So few players, you really have to
hope
the rest of the guys can step up. And we haven't seen guys
step up in the spots where they need it. The most, and now,
they're just in this funk. And that's the biggest danger for
a team that wins. Super Bowl,
it's easy to become content.
It's easy to not be hungry.
You're the team that everyone else is coming after every
single week and we're seeing it play out for the LA Rams. And
and this really hurts them because to catch the Seahawks
they've got to jump the 49ers who've already swept the Rams.
This is not going to be easy for the
Rams to get to the playoffs.
All right? Let's kind of stay with the teams that are ailing
right now and talk about the Green Bay Packers, who lose to
the Detroit, Lions on the road, their 5th straight loss.
Mike,
how would you assess baby? What we've been seeing from
the Packers over the last five games?
Well, a ton of frustration and Aaron Rodgers is actually asked
today, whether he regrets
playing this year and he pushed back because what else is he
going to say? But this is a team that you take away one,
great player, like Davante Adams, and it feels like
the whole thing
fell apart, and now they are stuck there.
They're not far out of it
for a wild card berth, the problem is as a practical
matter, there's Only one left after the Cowboys and
the Giants. Take the first two,
you're going to have
a bunch of potential quality teams that are trying to get
one playoff berth and you can't even call it Packers of quality
team right now when you lose five in a row. Yeah
forget all that wild card stuff. My
use Jim Moore has line
layoffs
way this team is playing, they better start concentrating on
doing some things, right? Winning games execute and
they're not doing that coach. You took the words right out of
my mouth?
And that's all I was thinking and there's we're still two
months out. Yeah, from the playoff. So, all these games
have implications, I get that but they just got to get their
team right? Sure. Yeah, they're not playing the right way
on offense. A guy who I think has
made the playing quarterback, look easier than anybody
throughout his career. Looks like they can't do anything.
They're struggling on the basic fundamental things offensively
and
they've got two great backs and they are not using their, not
one of the line of scrimmage and it looks ugly up there. And
some
They got to get their mind right to say. Okay,
doesn't matter what's happened up to this point?
Today's a new day and start moving forward.
Okay, let's talk about someone that it looks not ugly, it's
beautiful. It's pretty if you're a Vikings fan, Mike
Florio sitting at 7 and 14 and a half games ahead in
the division. It's pretty impressive. What we've seen so
far?
Do we believe what we're seeing? Where do they rank in the NFC?
At some point this ability to pull a rabbit out of their hats
late in every game isn't just a fluke. It's amazing. How they
stay focused. They stay determined Dalvin cook. You
could see it come over him when
the Commander's gave the Vikings an opportunity
to tie the game and then take the game. He he just kind of
transformed into a guy, who's going to do everything. It took
to win that game and that all flows from coach Kevin
O'Connell. It just can't be a fluke at this point.
Something is going on and
As I say that, I know that it's just one week away
from it all crumbling like with the bills
coming up, then the Cowboys and the Patriots on a short week.
I keep thinking it's coming
but it doesn't but a tough stretch in the schedule is
definitely coming starting this week we have the full of
quarterback in the league right now.
What we see that picture there. Okay, it wasn't I can tell you.
It was not like that in Minnesota last year.
A lot of these players of the same,
it was a different atmosphere.
And they could feel that from many Camp on Kevin O'Connell
has brought a spirit to that team. That is different from
what they had. He sure has. There's nothing like those,
those Road wins and you're heading home. Best player in my
world. It's the great.
It's the greatest thing there is,
there's some great shots of Coach Dungy, with of all
the Tina, Bonnie just going around town,
but I agree with Coach, there's an atmosphere there. They have
a quiet confidence about themselves. The NFL is all
about how you do in one score games. I mean, 67 percent of
the games are one
Games, how do you play in the fourth quarter?
Do you win it? You have a cam about you to make the plays and
execute and they've demonstrated that. And I'm not
quite as Extreme as Florio is, for those. Like it's all going
to come crashing down. You know,
either taking Spanish,
he's there just getting there. Just gonna get used to it, he's
got 50 years of scars on my soul coach. They're gonna keep
banging away and
and I think they're going to be there at the end because
I think they have a good foundation on their team. There
are fairly balanced team. Their quarterbacks plan awfully well.
Okay, what about the Seahawks? They're sitting at six and
three
can They win the NFC West for you.
Well, I think they can, I think they will because they're
getting better every week, they got to worry about the 49ers
but the 49ers for as good as they seem to be, it seems like
injuries. Always
trip them up. At some point, the Seahawks find a way to just
keep going Geno. Smith is it possible? This is a question
maybe for later in the year but he be MVP and comeback Player
of the Year in the second
season. He has been incredible. Ken Walker. Rookie the year
offensively. He's incredible.
The This is getting it done and
it's just amazing. When the schedule came out Seahawks,
Buccaneers it looked like a cakewalk for the Buccaneers in
Germany. Now, the Seahawks are going to be the team that's
feeling pretty good about their chances when they go across
the ocean to play
their next week.
When you think about Seattle, when they were really, really
good in the Super Bowl, they ran the ball. Well, they
punished you with a big back. They played defense, they made
it hard for you to get big place, that's what they're
doing now. And Geno, Smith is playing the
Russell Wilson Road when they need a big throw.
Or a scramble or something.
He's making it happen. Yeah, they've built the team
the right way. And again talking about the environment created
by the head coach Geno has been a guy who's been beaten down
throughout his career and he goes out to Seattle
and he's built back up by Pete, Carroll. He's given this
opportunity. He your only opportunity and he's earning
every week with his play. He's playing with the great spirit
leading that team but again, they're a balanced team.
They're taking pressure off him.
He doesn't have to do it all every week. It's been a good
formula for those guys. Yeah, they wrote him off a Hasn't
written back six and three late in the NFC West.
That's all we have for wrapping up week 9 we will see week 10
we got the Chargers on the road, taking on the 49ers and
we've got football night in America to get you all started
off at 7:00 eastern. We hope you join us. Enjoy your week.