Sam and I are back on Till The Whistle Blows to discuss the latest in Football as we get increasingly closer to a Super Bowl matchup. We review the Divisional Round matchups, give our picks and thoughts on this coming weekend’s Championship matchups, and evaluate some of the recent head coaching hires. Specifically:
The Packers roll past the Rams with a smooth passing game and an overlooked running game: How Aaron Rodgers bought into Matt Lafleur’s system to get back to playing in rhythm.
Lamar Jackson gets hurt again and the Bills win a low scoring game in windy Buffalo: What the Ravens need to do to get their passing game on track next year.
Brees and the Saints struggle in what may be the last career game for Drew: How turnovers killed them in this one, how Drew’s late season injury doomed him, and the amazing legacy that he leaves behind in New Orleans and the NFL.
The Browns come up short in the AFC Championship, but they finally have a strong foundation and look to be back in the mix next year.
Patrick Mahomes gets injured on an ill-advised play call, and Chad Henne has the moment of his 12 year NFL career, icing the game with a 13 yard run on 3rd and 14 and a first down strike on 4th and inches from a ballsy play call by Andy Reid.
The Packers and Aaron Rodgers matchup well with the Bucs on paper, but they have some Championship Game demons to exorcise AND will need to avenge their earlier beatdown by the Bucs, their worst loss of the regular season.
Similarly, the Chiefs look to make it 2-0 against the Bills on the year, but Mahomes’s health is key: Currently in concussion protocol, can he be ready to play by Sunday?
The Jets bring in former 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh as their new Head Coach–and as the first ever Muslim-American head coach in the NFL–and Mike Lafleur as their new offensive coordinator: Why we like the hires.
The Jaguars bring in Urban Meyer, former Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes Head Coach, to coach the Jaguars for his first ever NFL coaching gig: Why it’s a huge risk.
The Falcons hire Arthur Smith, former Tennessee Titans Offensive Coordinator, as Head Coach: Why it’s a great move for a quick turnaround for Matt Ryan. The only question: Can he fix the defense?
Lastly, the Chargers hire former Rams Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley as their next Head Coach: The move is a bit of a surprise, but it still could work out.
Sam and I are back to break down what we saw during the first ever Super Wild-Card Weekend, preview next weekend’s Divisional Round games, and discuss some breaking news around the league. On this week’s episode:
Despite falling short against Buffalo, the Colts and Philip Rivers had a good year and have built a good foundation moving forward, especially with Jonathan Taylor at the Running Back position. If Rivers wants to keep playing, he’ll likely be welcomed back.
The Seahawks offense is unable to get it together and looked absolutely lifeless in a bad home loss to the Rams. Who’s to blame, and is it time for coaching staff changes?
Taylor Heinecke and the Washington Football team put up a surprising fight to come up just short against Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As usual, Brady gets some help from bad officiating, and the announcers can’t stop heaping him with annoyingly excessive praise.
The Ravens shut down Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill, AJ Brown, and Corey Davis for one of their worst offensive performances of the year. The weaknesses of being a run-first team, and why the Titans may have hit their peak. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson gets his first playoff win in an emotional revenge game for the Ravens. But despite the win, their passing game issues still persist and likely will cost them against a better offense.
Nickelodeon put on a separate, kids-oriented broadcast of the Bears Saints game. They absolutely nailed it.
The Steelers come out completely unprepared to play and embarrass themselves against a Browns team without their head coach, on the road, making their first playoff debut since 2002. Once again, Mike Tomlin reminds us why he is one of the most overrated coaches in the NFL. Don’t listen to the noise; this is not on Ben Roethlisberger. Tomlin did here what he has been doing to this team for years, and it’s inexcusable.
Josh Allen has likely the biggest test of his career coming up in facing this Ravens defense. Will he continue to have the hot hand?
Tom Brady and Drew Brees face off for the third time this season, and likely for the last time ever. Brees is 2-0 against Brady this year. Can he get the sweep?
The Eagles make the surprising decision to fire Doug Pederson just three years removed from coaching Philly to their only Super Bowl win ever. We discuss the reasons this move was made and the unpleasant road ahead for what has become a bit of a dysfunctional organization.
Dallas, already facing big time issues on defense, makes the worst possible defensive coordinator hire in Dan Quinn. Why, despite his early involvement with the legion of boom, Quinn’s cover 3 scheme has been exposed and no longer works.
And lastly, the Texans have managed to piss off their multimillion dollar franchise QB in Deshaun Watson, who reportedly may want out of Houston. How the Texans’ culture issues led to them alienating and angering their franchise QB.
We made it through the regular season! The fun is just getting started though, as this weekend we have our first ever Super Wild Card Weekend, as the new expanded playoff format will give us 3 games on both Saturday and Sunday. For this episode of Til The Whistle Blows, Sam and I do a complete analysis of every team out of the playoff, what to take away from their season, and what to expect from them in the draft. We also briefly recap the Week 17 games and preview the upcoming playoff matchups. As always, there’s a ton to cover, so be sure to tune in! I first come on at the 8:38 mark. Featured on this episode:
The Doug Pederson tank job: Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson benches QB Jalen Hurts to play backup Nate Sudfeld in a primetime season finale against division rival Washington, therefore ensuring the loss. Why this was a sad, pathetic, disrespectful, and awful move on top of an already awful season by a coach who is officially a loser.
The Dolphins defense collapses in a blowout loss to the Bills, and the Dolphins miss the playoffs. Calls to draft another QB are way too premature, but how will the Dolphins handle Fitz and Tua heading into the offseason and next year?
Can the Falcons shed their choking reputation and give Matt Ryan some team to work with before he retires?
How are things looking for Trevor Lawrence on the Jaguars?
How the hiring of Adam Gase ruined the Jets and Sam Darnold.
The Patriots finish at a respectable 7-9 for a rebuild year. What’s next for them, and is this it for Cam Newton?
The 49ers competed hard despite their record, and they should be back on track next year with a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo and co.
Another late season defense collapse sees Jon Gruden’s Raiders finish 8-8 and outside of the playoffs.
It’s rebuild time for the Lions. Will Stafford stick around?
The Cowboys look to bounce back next year with a healthy Dak, hopefully on a long term contract. But the same organizational problems remain.
What will Matt Rhule do at QB next year for the Panthers?
The Browns just slip past the Steelers without Ben Roethlisberger, but they now have to face them again, this time without their own head coach.
Zac Taylor is sticking around. Fingers crossed for Joe Burrow.
The Seahawks win due to some late Russell Wilson magic, but what on earth has happened to this offense?
Which teams are in the mix for Justin Fields?
Deshaun Watson just had a phenomenal year on an awful team and leads the league in passing.
The Packers wrap up the 1 seed in the NFC, but Mahomes is still more deserving of MVP honors, and the Packers need to prove they can get it done in the playoffs.
The Eagles head into an incredibly long and complicated offseason. What on Earth are they going to do with their QBs?
Why is there a playoff game on Nickelodeon?
All that and much more, so be sure to tune in!
Til The Whistle Blows is available wherever you listen to podcasts, including on Apple. Have fun watching the games this weekend, and be sure to check back next week for more in depth analysis!
Sam and I are back to discuss an eventful Week 16 in the NFL! On this episode:
Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray have a lot of work to do this offseason.
Fitzmagic makes an insane throw downfield to win it while getting his facemask yanked backwards. But is Brian Flores making a mistake with his handling of Tua?
Gruden deserves criticism for another year where late season defensive struggles cost the Raiders a playoff opportunity.
How the Steelers came back against the Colts, who could be looking at missing the playoffs despite likely finishing with 11 wins.
How the Falcons almost beat the Chiefs but managed to blow it yet again. Meanwhile, the Chiefs, knowing they can score at any time, just seem uninterested in playing unexciting, play by play football.
The Jets have now won 2 in a row and are officially out of the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. Will they stick with Sam Darnold next year? Should they?
The Dwayne Haskins debacle: Why was he released, and what does he need to do to turn things around?
Which NFC East team would have the best shot at keeping things close in the playoffs?
Josh Allen has a huge arm, has improved his accuracy, and is playing with tremendous confidence. That’s a dangerous combination. Meanwhile, both Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham struggle as the changing of the guard in the AFC East has finally arrived.
The Titans have major problems on defense.
Barring anything crazy happening, Trevor Lawrence is going to Jacksonville. It could be a good fit for him.
Deshaun Watson’s career year on an awful team continues.
Interim coaches manage to put Stafford and Watson in harm’s way for no good reason, and both of them get hurt.
The Buccaneers dominate the Lions, but that doesn’t tell us much.
After starting the year phenomenally on offense and terrible on defense, the Seahawks have now switched. Their defense is good, but can they get their offense going again?
The Rams are moving in the wrong direction.
The Vikings will miss the playoffs after a slow season start doomed them, and Zimmer needs to figure out their issues on defense.
Unfortunately, meaningless late season wins for the Bears, Bengals, and Chargers may convince owners to hold onto coaches and players that they shouldn’t (Matt Nagy, Mitch Trubisky, Zac Taylor, Anthony Lynn).
Taylor Heinicke, Chris Strevelor and John Wolford will be starting games at QB next week, all for teams that need to win. Remember that next time someone tells you that Colin Kaepernick isn’t good enough to have an NFL job.
Lastly, don’t buy into the hype. Why, despite what you are hearing, Patrick Mahomes is more deserving of the MVP award than Aaron Rodgers. (Note: When I said on this ep that Rodgers struggled against Tampa, going 16/35 for 160 yards and 2 TDs, I meant to say 2 interceptions. He did not throw a TD in that game.)
Sam and I also discuss the playoff picture and give our Week 17 picks but unfortunately, we had some audio troubles during the last 15 minutes or so (and sporadically throughout as well). It was my first time appearing on video for the pod and there seem to have been some issues. We’ll do our best to work this out moving forward.
The playoffs are just around the corner, but as we learned this past week, the matchups are in no way settled. Sam and I discuss the the big storylines around the NFL for all the teams and matchups as we get another week in the books during this 2020 NFL season. On this episode:
Why it’s time to panic for the Pittsburgh offense, which can’t move the ball unless Ben Roethlisberger plays perfectly.
Mike McCarthy isn’t working out, Jerry Jones is to blame, and Dak deserves better.
A stunning upset by Jalen Hurts and the Eagles knocks the Saints out of the No 1 seed, and this Eagles team just seems to play better when Wentz isn’t starting.
Josh Allen continues to impress with his wild improvement over where he was the last few years.
If it weren’t a QB award by necessity, Derrick Henry would be an MVP candidate.
Coaching situations for the Texans, Bears, Broncos, Bengals, Cowboys, and Falcons.
Aaron Rodgers is back to early career form after a late career slump.
Why Cam Newton isn’t a great fit for New England, and what their future at QB looks like.
The Colts continue to roll behind Philip Rivers, Jonathan Taylor, and Rodrigo Blankenship, while the Raiders are going in the wrong direction.
The Buccaneers passing game is not getting better, and replacing Scotty Miller with Antonio Brown was a downgrade.
Imagine how good the Chiefs would be if they played their A-game for a full 60 minutes.
The fatal flaws of Daniel Jones.
Justin Tucker is so good that the Ravens didn’t even try to get closer than 55 yards for the game winner.
Plus, we look at the playoff picture as things stand right now, Sarah Fuller makes history again, we give our picks for next week, and a brief preview of College Football Championship Weekend.
Cary Krongard's Football Blog 