NFL Week 8 Reaction: 49ers-Texans, Bears-Ravens, Giants-Eagles, Bills-Panthers | Richard Sherman

NFL Week 8 Reaction: 49ers-Texans, Bears-Ravens, Giants-Eagles, Bills-Panthers | Richard Sherman

Welcome back to the Richard Sherman podcast. And h Mitchell, week eight was a tough one for the San Francisco 49ers. They went up against a very stout Houston Texans defense. And I knew it would be tough. I I knew this game would be tough, especially with the injuries uh on the offensive line, but they they’ve played solid. The injuries uh everywhere really. Uh, but the thing I couldn’t predict was was how the San Francisco 49ers defense would play against the Houston Texans offense. And they just were unable to get off the field this game. Uh, it’s not like they were playing horrible, but they just kept, you know, they couldn’t get a stop on third down. They they they allowed CJ Stout to dink and dunk his way, especially in the first half. I mean, 15 play drive, 16 play drive, very long drive, time consuming drives in the first half, uh, before the last drive, the final drive where they got a touchdown after the kick return. San Francisco’s offense had I mean, all of 10 plays maybe in the game. And it’s it’s for a number of reasons. You know, the fk is spread out throughout. Uh, some of it was schematic. I saw plays um where they were play actioning and and the plays have to look legitimate. They’re pulling a center around and and that’s a play they run. Um but you end up with Hennessy on Will Anderson who’s one of the best passers in the National Football League and Houston. Then later on later on in the second quarter, you end up with a play where they’re deep play action and you end up with Jawan Jennings uh blocking Denil Hunter one-on-one. not even just like a chip block or or assisted, a one-on-one block. And I mean, you can never expect a receiver to win those matchups. And obviously, that’s not the way Cal Shanahan drew it up, but that’s the way it ended up. And and those are tough plays. That’s just two out of the 10. Uh, you know, some of those plays were rushes that weren’t successful. Some of them were, you know, incompletions where, uh, receiver ran a bad route or M. Jones scrambled and then Jawan Jennings gets a face mask called. It just was a number of of things that held the San Francisco 49ers back in this game in the first half and you cannot do it. A game that you could have easily won even with all the mistakes with all the issues that that they had going forward. Christian Christian McCaffrey only gets eight carries in this game for 25 yards. There there were some moments where it looked like he had some openings, but you just ran out of time and and they only had the ball San Francisco’s offense only had the ball for 18 minutes and 38 seconds of this game. That’s that that is ridiculous. That is be at one point the time possession uh differential was 30 minutes for Houston and 6 minutes 57 seconds or so for for San Francisco. That that can’t happen in a game. I mean, regardless of the team and and Houston’s offense has struggled throughout the season and they were without Nico Collins and I understand San Francisco is is without two of the best players in the National Football League and Nicholas John Bosa and Fred Warner, but you cannot have it. You got to either be able to play man or zone and they could not in this game. They couldn’t man him without getting beat. They couldn’t play zone. You you run man and and and and Batoon uh Bthoon comes up and and and hug rushes and a running back slips out for a 50 yard game game. That is an unacceptable play. That’s an unacceptable mistake in a game like this. And that was one of the biggest plays of the game and that you can’t have that. That’s not hey scheme something open or they they had made a great play or they drew something up or he broke a tackle. That’s just, hey, I I I just got, you know, aggressive and I made a mistake and I and I thought I had something and you didn’t. Like you never as the outside rusher when it’s threeon two cuz usually it’s threeon two or twoonone with the back with between the linebackers. They they’re splitting them. If he goes one way, one backer is responsible for him. If he goes the other way, the other backer. If the tight end and the back stay in, three on two. Uh the backers and maybe a safety sometimes are responsible for him. So when when when this happens and he goes one way and that’s Mat Bthoon’s coverage, you have to stay with them. Sometimes you could hug rush if he if he if he picks up on the interior and you could hug rush to your coverage. You never hug rush when your coverage is is drifting. You don’t get to hug rush then because your your coverage is drifting. So you have to watch him. But if you drift with them and you say, “Hey, I’m going to go through the running back to the quarterback,” nobody has a problem with it cuz that’s your coverage. and and he has to protect. But that was that was one of the many mistakes on the defense today. And you cannot have them, especially when you’re under man and the way they were. Um they finally broke their streak of uh their lack of interceptions in the game when Dador Lenor got one right before the half. And even that play, even that play, that was right after San Francisco got seven points. If if Yamador somehow, you know, not that this was expected, somehow has the wherewithal. He was right there on the sideline to just get a couple and then step out, that might be another three where you look up and and and Eddie Panero has a chance to get a field goal and you get 10 points in under a minute to go into the half. I mean, you this may be a different ball game down the stretch. And and so those were some of the things that I saw in this game that were issues. Um the offensive line continues to be an issue and there were plays where where Colton McKivvitz was obviously overwhelmed by by Will Anderson, but sometimes it was it was just Will Anderson is is a great passer and you got to give him sometimes great players will be great and sometimes it was like Colton McKivvit’s footwork was off and and he’s standing square where where it looks like it’s an obvious pass passing down the quarterback’s in the gun and your feet are square and I’m not an offensive line expert but there’s no way I’m sitting there feet square with Will Anderson standing in front of me. Mitchell, I’m not I’m not even if I have a chip, even if I have a double chip, I’m I’m I’m prepared to to set. And it just was a hard game to watch from the offensive perspective or the defensive p perspective. You give give kudos to the special teams because they, you know, a lot of times there’s issues on special teams, but they did their jobs today. Brian Robinson had a huge return along with the the the the 15-yd penalty to get them in scoring range to get that touchdown before the half, which was the only reason they had a chance in this game. Um, but there were just too many issues, too many drops, too many mistakes, and and you can’t have that, especially when you already have so many things going against you against a great defense. They they they only allowed 15 points and and 223 yards in this game. The defense gave up 475 yards to to a Houston offense that’s been abysmal all season. Again, there’s there’s not much you can say about that other than you can’t have it. You got to play better than this. Well, Richard, I I I hope I didn’t jinx it. We were together this week and I told you I said I think the Niners got a relatively easy one on the road against Houston and you told me to be patient because this Houston’s defense is a lot better than people realize. Houston got embarrassed on national television Monday Night Football last week in Seattle. I mean, they looked horrendous on offense, uh, you know, but for Derek Stingley and that defense really keeping them in the game and making it more competitive than it probably looked, uh, the Texans would have got run off the map. But, you know, like you said, this team offensively hasn’t done anything all year. You know, how much I guess how much pressure was on them from their coaching staff being two and four entering this game and really a much swit. you see the Colts doing what they’re doing in the division. It looks like they’re going to walk away with this thing and now they come away with a huge win. Um, but as you already stressed on, I mean, the fact that they possess the ball for almost 25 minutes the Houston Texans did in that first half. It was the most time of possession since 2009. I mean, Richard, have you ever been a part of a dominant performance like that? uh whether it’s your offense, you know, toting the load or or you on the other side defensively being on the field for that long. What does it do to you and your me mentality as a corner, as a defensive end, as a defensive tackle, as a linebacker when you’re on the field for that long? Yeah, it’s tough, but but you also get a rhythm. Like it I don’t think we’ve ever been I’m sure I can’t say we’ve never been on the field that long cuz I’m sure we’ve had a game or two. We’ve been on the field that long, but we’ve probably made a play or two. You know, there’s going to be a turnover. We’re going to take the ball away. You give me that many chances. You give the great defenders we had on our defense that many chances at the ball, it’s a lot of plays, we’re going to make a play. We had 108 play game, a game where I played 108 snaps, Mitchell, and we tied the game six to six. So, you it’s not a lot of long games that we’re just giving up a ton of points, but we we’ve given up points at times in games. No question about it. But we’ve also made some plays in those games. But it wears you down and especially with a young defense. You got a young defensive line. You got young linebackers in the game, young secondary, mistakes are bound to happen. And when you have a veteran group, you know that guys are calm and communicating. It it it’s not always perfect perfect. It’s not like, hey, things are going to just be great because you have vets back there, but you know that guys are processing. Guys are seeing the same looks. These receivers aren’t world beating beaters. Uh Braxton Berios, I think, was the only receiver, if I’m not mistaken, with that had over a 100 catches in his career in this game. And you you had you had uh uh Higgins, you had Hutchinson, you had a couple guys, inexperienced guys. We’re pressing them up. We’re making you beat us with them. You if we’re going to blitz, we’re going to press them and you’re going to have to make real tight window throws. You’re going to have to push the ball down the field and we’re likely going to take the ball from you. We can predictable situations. A veteran group is going to talk it through and we’re going to get off the field. And that’s what was the tough part to watch is you knew they didn’t have any veterans. You knew that it was going to be difficult. a defense that hadn’t had an interception in a very long time was going to have a hard time getting an interception in this game. And CJ Stra took advantage of that fact. And he attacked everybody. He attacked the all over the field, whether it was the linebackers, we saw checkdowns and and swing routes go for long games. We saw um whenever they needed a third down, they had it. And and miss tackle, whether it’s double slant. Early on in the game, it was double slant that went for a first down on third and eight. It’s like you cannot have that. and they’ll learn from this. They they have to learn from this, but they these are things that that are easily correctable. This wasn’t a talent issue. This wasn’t a schematic issue. This was a a lack of execution and guys not really be being prepared for the moment, I think. And so, you got to give Houston a lot of credit because like you said, their defense, they had four turnovers last week against the Seattle Seahawks and a touchdown. So, you talked about that defense against the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle Seahawks was a were able to withstand that and that’s a testament to to the their execution and their offense and Sam Darnold and what he’s able to do. But even on the touchdown they had to JSN on the double post. Sam Darnold had a man in his face and JSN had Derrick Stingley on his back. Still touchdown but tight windows. And when you usually when you get four turnovers in a game as a defense you expect to win that game. Now, I’ve been part of games where we’ve had five turnovers and not won the game, but you expect majority of the time you win those games. And so, um, I know CJ Strad and those guys probably took took pride in saying, “Hey, we can’t let our defense down like that again.” He threw for 318 yards, two touchdowns, and the one interception that we talked about, but he was really efficient. He looked like the guy that he’s been the last couple years a in in total command, poised in the pocket. He he used his legs when he needed to. He used his arms when he needed to and they came out with a big win. Uh 49ers got an opportunity next week against another very strong pass rush in the New York Giants. Um they go to New York to Metife to play that team. They got banged up this week. They’re going to have to make a move for a pass rusher. They’re going to have to make some moves on defense. You cannot go into New York next week with that same pass rush. There were there was I think the quarterback only got hit once in this game and that was 28 minutes into the game I think uh before he got hit by anybody and you can’t have that. You they were blitzing. They were they it it it didn’t seem like there was any answers. Obviously there were times that guys came free. Um uh Upton Stout came free on a blitz but even then CJ Shroud was able to avoid him get the ball out. It was still a loss, but you can’t blitz like that all the time because it makes your defense unsound. There ends up being holes and it’s it it ends up being bigger issues in the back end. So, you got to find a way to get there with four and somebody has to win and you’re hoping that one of these young guys steps it up and and and gets there. But clearly, they need one more piece. They need somebody else to to help get them home. um or or it’s going to be rough because Jackson Dart in the in the New York Giants. They they they had a rough game against the uh Philadelphia Eagles this week, but they’ve shown flashes. They’ve shown that, hey, if he has time, he can do it with his legs. The 49ers have always had issues with mobile quarterbacks. So, you’re hoping they get that solved and they can get some pressure on this young quarterback and they can come out of New York with a win. That’d be huge. But, uh it’s up in the air right now because that pass rush can change everything. No question about that, Richard. This Houston Texans team just outright looked like the more desperate team to me this day. And uh but for the faithful, like you said, I I think a trade can help save this season. There’s no question about it. There’s talent everywhere on this roster. Got to get CMC going. Obviously, the play calling was not in his direction when you’re down so much. But this team, get them back at home, get them on the right side of the football again, or you know, obviously they’re going to have to go on the road against Jackson Dart. We’ll see what happens there. But while we’re talking about the Giants, why don’t we keep talking about the Giants cuz they went on the road today and played Philly and they got beat up pretty good 38 to 20. You know, Philly 6-2 now. Uh the Giants offer obviously suffer a huge loss with Cam Scataboo. Richard, I want to talk about one play in particular. We were talking during the middle of the game. Uh you know, a lot has been up in the air about this tush push and how to officiate it. And we saw a play when the game was seven to seven early on. Uh Jaylen Herz, uh you know, standard fourth and one from about the 12 yd line. It comes up, pushes forward, extending forward, still moving forward, extends the ball forward, and Brian Burns knocks it out. Clear fumble, at least in my eyes. Clear fumble, I’m assuming in your eyes. Clear fumble, I would assume in everyone’s eyes except for the Philadelphia Eagles fan base. Uh Richard, how ridiculous is this officiating becoming in officiating the tush push? I I feel like they’re getting way too much leniency. This was not at the goal line. This was at about the 10 or 12 yard line and they called forward progress stopped when it was clear the ball was dislodged. What are your thoughts on what’s going on with this tush bush? Because to me, it’s just getting absolutely ridiculous. I mean, it’s it’s been a tough play to officiate, you know, just with the the the way the offensive line’s moving and and all that and the pushing and and you it’s hard to see where the ball is at the time, but you can’t give them this play. This play is is one of the worst of of all of it. You know, you can you can argue both sides for the false starts and stuff like that. It’s a bang bang. It’s happening fast. It’s hard for the officials to see it. Eagles are really good at it. You give them all the credit in the world that hey, that’s just going to be tough. That’s part of the game. That’s part of the push and pull of the NFL. Good luck officiating that. But this play, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t say, “Hey, we’re gonna allow them to push the runner forward and let them go as far as they can and go and go and go until we feel like it’s been stopped.” And then say, “Hey, but if he turns the ball over, we’re going to stop the play. If he turns the ball over and then his progress was stopped because his progress wasn’t stopped. He was still being pushed.” And so it can’t work both ways. if he’s still being pushed and you’re saying, “Hey, there there have been times that Jaylen Herz has been stopped on that play and then got an extra push and got the first down.” There’s plays it’s been stagnant. It’s been stalemated. And they didn’t blow it dead and say progress has been stopped because they knew that hey if they keep pushing him you give it an extra you give it an extra tick you give it an extra second or so eventually the Philadelphia Eagles will offensive line or Goddard or whoever is pushing uh um is going to push him across the line and this time as they’re pushing him he tries to stretch the ball out because clearly he didn’t feel like he had it with just the initial push. So he was going to put the ball out. You never put the ball in harm’s way because it’s not the end zone. Coaches for many years have have emphasized that you cannot unless it’s fourth down for the game. You don’t put the ball over the goal line. You don’t. That’s just what they say. And that’s like one of the the the cardinal sins of football. Obviously, Herz felt like he had to do it. He put it out there. Kavon Tibido was the guy who rips it away immediately. It wasn’t like, hey, they wrestled it wrestled with it for a second. He immediately rips it away, balls out, recovers the ball. That was It didn’t even seem like a controversial call to me in real time. It if you’re just watching it as a as a casual observant observer, you see that happen and you’re saying, “Okay, that’s a turnover on downs like Giants ball.” Great football play. Great football play by by Tibido. And and and a learning moment for Jayen Herz. You can’t put the ball out unless you unless it’s the goal. you know, the easy lesson and it gives the commentators an easy thing to talk about like, hey, if you’re Jaylen Herz, you can’t make that play. You can’t put the ball in harm’s way on a play like this. You just got to keep it tucked and keep pushing and trust your team’s going to get you the first down. But to give them the ball back on that play was that’s going to that’s going to ruffle some feathers on about this play. And it’s less about the tush push honestly than it is about just the officiating the the piss poor officiating on that play. And the Eagles fans are are were up in arms um about a play on on I think Scataboo’s touchdowns where they felt like it was a holding call that went on called that happens almost every play in the National Football League. Are you guys justified? Probably more than likely that that there was probably a holding call. But if you look on just about every play, offensive play in National Football League, me as a defender, I’ll tell you there’s plenty of things we wish were called on the offense and they aren’t called. And there’s plenty of things that probably could be called on the Giants offense, whether it’s hands to the face. There’s probably plays that they miss throughout the game. What rarely happens is that they miss on a change of possession turnover. refs rarely miss on a change of possession turnover, especially when on a play like that where forward progress is so murky, like it’s so ambiguous, like you if they called stop forward progress on a lot of these tush bushes, they wouldn’t the Eagles wouldn’t get a lot of because there are times that defense stagnates them. There’s push from the Dline that initially stagnates them and then the Eagles push over and they get the first down. So if you went by the the letter of the law every single time, then they’d be blowing the whistle a lot earlier and Eagles fans would be very frustrated. So with the rest of the league, cuz that’s not fair. That’s not football. You let them fight for the yardage, which they were doing. That’s what Jaylen Herz was doing. He was fighting for yards and they took the ball from him. So the same thing that that benefits them kind of bit him this time. So you just have to let it happen. You know, you can’t just say, “Hey, this time it was the forward progress was stopped. just didn’t blow the whistle. You didn’t blow the whistle because forward progress wasn’t stopped and he was still pushing and fighting for yards and they were still pushing and there was a chance he was going to get more yards. So, I it’s going to be it’s going to be a tough one to defend. No question about it for the National Football League. And I I’m I’m pretty sure the league is going to come back and say the rest got that one wrong. I I would assume as much because everyone I talked to when that play happened said, “What is going on here?” Uh at some point this has to be corrected because like I said it is getting absurd. You know on the other side away from this play the Eagles look darn good offensively. Saquon Barkley got it going. Big touchdown run 65 y rush for 150 yards. You obviously left the game a little bit early with a as a precautionary measure with a groin injury. But is it safe to say this Eagle teams is back and hum offensively? They’ve had a couple good games in a row. Have you liked what you’ve seen from them offensively? No question about it. No question about it. Especially Jaylen Herz. He didn’t have the the big yardage game uh that he did the week before, but he he had four touchdowns in the game, four passing touchdowns. Uh he was efficient with the football. They didn’t throw a ton. He didn’t put it in harm’s way outside of the the the fumble, non-fumble uh on that play that they end up getting back. Uh but I think I I think they’re playing better. Um, I think they’re playing confident, especially in a tough tough division game against a team who who who showed they could they could get a win against you. Um, he was able to to do his thing and and to be aggressive. Um, Devonte Smith continues his stellar season. Six catches for 84 yards. They were able to execute this way and and Jaylen Herz was able to spread the ball around um in this game. Dallas got her got two touchdowns. Uh Johan Dodson got a touchdown and Saquon Barkley was able to get one through the air. So he was able to spread it out. Um when they when they when they have a game where they’re missing uh AJ Brown, they have to depend on others. They were still able to win double digit win against a division opponent, a team who’s playing with some desperation, some inspiration, a new young quarterback giving them a little juice. Um, obviously they were a little deflated with with the Cams Gatle injury, but yes, that both sides of the football are playing better for the Philadelphia Eagles and and Jay having Jaylen Herz and Jaylen Carter back in the fold and playing well obviously helps. And before we leave this game, we hate to see Cam Scataboo out. Uh, prayers up to him. Brutal injury. I’m assuming he’s going to be out for the long haul. Today’s show is brought to you by our new presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. Week eight wraps up with Washington visiting Kansas City. Listen to these streaks from Hard Rock Bet StatsHub. You can find live odds to bet on all of these streaks in the Hard Rock Bet app. Kansas City is on a 14game home winning streak as favorites. And Terry McLaren has recorded 53 or more yards in seven straight October games. His over is only 47 and a half. That would be nice to see him back in the lineup and achieve that over. Debo Samuel has scored a touchdown in four straight road games. Washington has covered the spread in four consecutive games against the AFC West. They’re 11 and a half point dogs. If you haven’t tried your first bet, there’s still time for you to get $150 in bonus bets. If you win, just place $5 and if it hits, you not only get your winnings, but you get $150 in bonus bets. You also get profit boosts for every day of week eight. If you already missed Thursdays and you haven’t used Sundays, don’t miss Mondays. You can boost your parlay so it pays extra winnings. Download the Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app and make your first deposit today. Richard, let’s talk about these Baltimore Ravens in desperate need of a win facing the the Redot Bears, winners of four straight, four and two. They come in and without Lamar Jackson, you’re thinking, “Okay, this is an opportunity for them to get five.” And they just didn’t look like they could match the Ravens energy at all. Tyler Huntley had a solid game statistically, 17 of 22 for 186. He did have the one turnover. Uh Derrick Henry got back to his scoring ways with two touchdowns. What do you make of this Baltimore Ravens team? Two and five. You know, they have to have their eyes on the Pittsburgh Steelers. This division is still up for grabs. Are we counting the Baltimore Ravens out at two and five or do you think they still have a lot of life? You just never know. They they’ve taken it out of the it’s not in their control anymore. All they can do is fight and keep grinding and and hope for some help because they let themselves get pretty far behind the eightball. They’re two and five now with that win. Getting Lamar Jackson back will help the Cincinnati Bengals losing today against a Giant I mean a Jets team that hasn’t won a game all season. It helps them. If if Cincinnati would have won today, I think it makes it even more difficult for for the Baltimore Ravens to come back and and try to mount a comeback because all the other teams are getting ahead of them at this point. Congratations to to Derek Henry. He passed Walter Payeyton uh for fifth all time on the touchdowns list. He had two today. That’s a huge accomplishment for for the future Hall of Fame running back. U Tyler Huntley, like you said, did a did a solid job. his best Lamar Jackson impressive impersonation. Uh he ran the ball when he needed to 17 of 22 through the air at 186 and in an interception. But it was Caleb Williams interception today that really really define this game because it looked like hey even with Baltimore playing the way they were uh with Cal Hamilton back in the f with Roan back they were still going to have a difficult time winning this game. Uh Caleb Williams throws a fourth quarter interception down 1613 on their own 4 yd line. That That was it. That was it. That was the game right there. You if they would have found a way to to drive the ball down the field, you at least tie it, but you turn the ball over right there. Um it made it it made it really difficult. It made it really difficult to win that game. And that’s a that’s a tough mistake uh for a team that’s a young quarterback who’s who’s still getting better, who’s still learning. That’s a backbreaking mistake um for a team like you said that’s been redhot and won four of the last five and could have had had every opportunity to win this game. But give Baltimore a lot of credit. They they fought hard on defense. They executed good enough on offense to win this game. They they’re getting Lamar Jackson back after a lot of controversy. still still yet to see how the league is going to respond to the the late Lamar Jackson scratch in this game, but uh clearly the the the Baltimore Ravens covered either way. So So thank goodness for that, I guess, for Vegas. But um but yeah, they got a short week. We see we’ll see them in Miami this week. Thursday Night Football. Uh se will be on 7 PM Eastern and we’ll see how they they respond to a to a Miami Dolphins team that also got a big win and Tua Tonga Aloa threw for four touchdowns in that game and had had some flashes of the old Tua the two that got paid $53 million. He he he made some really tight window throws, looked confident, and overall the Dolphins looked like a different team. Uh, so I’m looking forward to seeing seeing how that game comes out. It’s going to be a tough game to call with with Lamar Jackson back and Baltimore Ravens defense playing the way they they are. I I would I would assume they’ll be favored in that game, but the Bears go to the Cincinnati Bengals coming off a tough tough game uh against the Jets where the Jets offense found some life, scored 39 points and the Bengals score 38. So clearly they’re not playing no defense. So, if there’s any medicine uh in the future for the the the Chicago Bears, it’s right there in Cincinnati. And we’ll we’ll see how that game turns out. Let’s talk about a team that’s very very much so redot. These New Orleans Patriots, we’ve chatted about them for the last three weeks. We said this schedule sets up beautifully and now it looks like it sets up even better. Atlanta got waxed today by Miami. Everyone thought they were going to take care of business. The Patriots play Atlanta next week, but they welcomed Cleveland uh into town today and they took care of business despite giving up five sacks to Miles Garrett who did everything in his power to try to make this game competitive. Richard Drake May continues his unbelievable start to his second season. Uh 18 of 24, 282, three touchdowns, one interception. He got it done on the ground as well, making huge plays with his legs. Uh, and in very important situations in this game when it was close. This Patriots team is starting to, I think, play with a lot of different energy. They look like they’re having a lot of fun out there. Stfan Diggs is having a reclamation year uh after his injury last year. And he’s certainly giving this wide receiving core a new element, a new weapon. Uh Richard, how dangerous are the New England Patriots? Because they haven’t been playing the best comp competition, but when they win by 19 points today, uh they look dominant in their performance. How I guess how scary is this New England Patriots team to the division and the rest of the AFC? Well, it’s scary for the the division because at the top of this division uh right now is the the Buffalo Bills. Well, actually, it it may be the New England Patriots, depending on how the time breakers, but the New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills uh in their one meeting this season in Buffalo. So, it it’s definitely alarming for the Buffalo Bills and their fans because Buffalo has run off with this division for the last couple years. They’ve been dominant. They have not had to worry about the New England Patriots for some time. I mean, probably since Tom Brady left. Uh, and so to to see them playing well, to see Drake May playing well, efficient, effective, throwing great deep balls, um, the receivers are starting to get off u um booty starting to really show his shine and show why why the Patriots been so high on him. Uh, Stefon Diggs again starting to show some some some real chemistry with with Drake May. Uh, it’s all start starting to come together for him and defensively they’re they’re continuing to strive to to make strides and thrive. Uh Dylan Gabriel had a tough game and it’s crazy because you heard so much this offseason about Shador Sanders and should he be playing should he be QB2 uh behind Joe Flacco should he be the starter and the game that I would assume he would have got some play as QB2 in this game he he he suffers an injury in practice and and isn’t able to to be the quarterback number two. You just talk about just bad luck happening for for a guy. You you hope he gets healthy soon because Browns fans were really excited. The America was really excited to to potentially see him play. And I think, you know, as this game got out of hand, you might have seen him get get a couple reps, especially after the two interceptions for Dylan Gabriel. It just kind of a neck offense. Uh 21 to 35, 156. He did have the two touchdown passes, but it it it you know, you you could see the frustration for this defense. Miles Garrett breaks the the the franchise record for sacks in a game with five and they lose by 19. So, so you’re again, we we talked about this earlier in the season. You’re you you want the guy to be able to be on a competitive team. Could you just imagine any of the contenders, any contenders or any fringe contender with Miles Garrett in the fold like would the San Francisco 49ers give everything they can for Miles Garrett? Probably they should. Would that would that save their season? I maybe said definitely a maybe. Um he’s that kind of player and he’s that that kind of game record. But I think he has to be open to the possibility of leaving Cleveland if he ever wants that opportunity. I don’t see a world where they’re going to be competitive contenders in his career in his prime especially. And so I I I can understand the frustration for him. But if if I’m Miles Garrett, I’m having a conversation with my agent. I’m having a conversation with the front office and I’m looking for an opportunity to to win to play meaningful games. The same with Max Crosby. These guys guys are incredible talents and they’re just being wasted in the places they they’re at and it’s no fault of their own. Nobody can ever say Miles Garrett has given up or he’s not playing with uh ferocious tenacity each and every play each and every week this man is giving it his all and he deserves to play competitive football. he deserves to be in January with the potential to play for for the trophy and instead he’s playing for potential defensive player of the year every year on a team that hopefully wins four or five games and they’re picking early in the draft. So, that’s the unfortunate part, but uh again, this is about the Patriots and their defense and their offense. They’re playing good football. Um like you said, they they have the Falcons coming into town. We’ll see if they get their starting quarterback back this week. it it doesn’t appear likely they will. So, they’ll likely face uh Cousins who who who didn’t necessarily struggle, but just played way too conservative in this game. And you could tell he just doesn’t want to turn the ball over. He he’s playing risk averse football and that’s it’s tough to win playing that way. So, everybody’s stacking the box against Bjan Robinson and they’re going to make you beat him with the pass. You know, unless Pennix comes back, I think there’s very little chance that the Falcons go into to New England and win that game. And New England being 7-2 at that point is a great season. And you got to give Braves a lot of credit coming in there with a team that that isn’t high on talent. Uh making a number of moves and finding a way to win week in and week out. I mean, you would a team like the Tennessee Titan sure would be sure could use a coach like that, you know, just a hardnose coach, just a guy who just gets it done regardless of talent. But unfortunately, they just fired their coach um after less than two years following Frabel’s departure. Yeah. You know, you you wonder how bad teams stay bad. That’s how that’s how. No question. Yeah. I mean, back to the Miles Garrett conversation. He was the talk of the offseason when he did request the trade and ultimately he got the big payday and chose to stay in town. Richard, we’ve talked about it a number of times, but there is got to come a time where you have he’s in the prime of his career. He’s about to be 30 years old. At some point, he’s got to put his foot down and say, “Hey, I want to go pay play for a competitor.” We saw the Dallas Cowboys do it with Michael Parsons. We see what kind of return, you know, the Cleveland Browns could get for him. quite frankly, they’re not winning with him. You might as well go out and get two first, three first round picks and a and a good player with him to try to help, you know, offset some of the bad moves this franchise has made in the last couple years, namely to Shawn Watson and help free up some cap space a little bit. If I’m Brown’s ownership, I’m strongly considering trading Miles Garrett for one to give this guy one of the most that dominant, if not the most dominant defender in this sport, an opportunity to go win, but I’m also doing it for the team and saying, “Hey, we need a factory reset right here. We need to stockpile as many assets as humanly possible. Obviously, we’re on on track for another losing season.” Um, that’s what I would do. The Patriots, Richard, I I’m going to stand with them here and say they deserve to be in your top five of your power ranks because the way they’ve been playing football, the way Drake May’s been playing in his second year, this team looks like a true uh a true team to be scared of in the AFC. I’m not going to call them a Super Bowl contender because I don’t think they’re that yet. But they’re a team I would definitely have my eyes on because I think they’ve already shown it. They can go to Buffalo and get a win. Who knows what could happen uh come two months from now when we’re talking playoff time. Richard, we got to give our hats a little tip to Aaron Glenn, the first year coach for the New York J New York Jets. They go on the road in Cincy, uh, right against Joe Flacco and the Bengals who had ultimate control this game, up two scores throughout the the vast majority of this game. And then Bree Hall got going both on the ground and through the air. He threw the game-winning touchdown to Mason Taylor. And as much negativity was spoken on Justin Fields, especially by ownership, right, uh about him not completing passes and really not giving this offense a true opportunity, he goes out there and guns for 244 yards and a touchdown and looks like a totally different quarterback, especially in that second half. The Jets, kudos to them, 39-38. Um I know it’s it’s really meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but when you’re an 0 and7 team, how important is it to get a win in the win column? It’s huge. It’s huge. It’s huge for morale in the building and and what what you could really see in that game is that the team didn’t give up on him. They didn’t give up on his coach on their coach and Aaron Glenn and they didn’t give up on their quarterback. They kept believing and CJ I mean uh Justin Fields rewarded them with his best and not his best game of the season because he played good early. you know, he’s had streaky games where he could get hot and and be efficient and be effective. And he it definitely was when the New York Jets needed it in this game, especially down the stretch. Uh Bree Hall was the real MVP of this game. His his DD throw to Mason Taylor to win the game. He double clutched it a few times and was almost falling out of bounds where it looked like he was like, “Uh, well, why not give him a chance?” And he put it up and and and uh and Mason Taylor made an incredible catch to to to give them the win. But um this this this game is more of a a a shot at the Cincinnati Bengals and and and their collapse late in this game. Joe Flacco I thought played good enough to win this game. Two touchdowns. They scored 38 points in the game. But the the Achilles heel of the Cincinnati Bengals and it’s always been and I’m sure Lu Anarumo is so excited to be out of there because the he has the Indianapolis Colts defense as a top five unit in the National Football League and he’s no longer taking the blame for a team that just will not invest in their their defense. If you if you look at the way their cap hits are dispersed, the the amount of money they’re paying to to T Higgins, to Jamar Chase, and to Joe Burrow, is around 92 million, plus or minus depending on the year. Their entire hit for their defense, if I’m not mistaken, is 82 million. So, you talk about not investing in a defense, this is the result you’re going to get. And that’s not including the offensive line, the skilled players, except the other guys that they got to pay on offense. That’s just those three. And so you have to and and then you look at Trey Hendrickson is getting what 25 or 30 of that. And so you look at that and and obviously pay isn’t everything and these are still NFL players and and DJ Turner’s playing great football although he was play uh the the touchdown the game-winning touchdown at the end of the game. But you got to invest in your defense eventually. You got to give them some talent. you you you got Shamar Stewart this year and even that was a was pulling teeth to get him in the training camp and to get him in because you didn’t want to you know bend on the language and so you got to do something else in Cincinnati obviously you got tremendous talent on offense you can score it’s always been the case but you can’t stop anybody and without that no matter if Joe Burrow comes back or who the quarterback is you won’t be able to win but again shout out to Aaron Glenn and everything they were able to do today a big big scoring output for for the Jets and a huge win. It seems like everything Woody Johnson says the opposite is true. All you need is Woody Johnson start rooting against you Jets and start saying you’re bad for you to win. It just, you know, he he seems like he’s doing I I can go on for a long time about Woody Johnson, but good for the Jets and good for Aaron Glenn. I’m happy they got that win. The Buffalo Bills took on the the Carolina Panthers and the Panthers were four and three coming into this game and thought it was hey maybe an opportunity for them to show they can compete with the big boys and take down the Buffalo Bills, but not not today. Uh James Cook got going over 150 yards rushing in the first half. He achieved a careerhigh 216 rushing yards, two touchdowns. Uh you know, obviously they didn’t need much else other than that. Once you get the running game established like that, Josh Allen can put up a measly 163 yards and one touchdown. And this team can coast to a win. Demoralizing defeat for the Carolina Panthers who were relying on Andy Dalton who was just getting crushed back there. Only threw for 175 yards and a touchdown. The Buffalo Bills are now 5-2. They look like they’re back to their old selves. Uh is this the best team in the AFC? I don’t know. I I I don’t know. They’re up there. You know, there there’s a conversation. Are the Kansas City Chiefs back? I mean, they they they they want to throw their hat in the ring. Obviously, they got three losses, so we’re not going to put them against put them up above the two lost Buffalo Bills, but we know the trauma that the s I mean, the Kansas City Chiefs have given the Buffalo Bills in the postseason. So, that’s something to keep keep an eye on. And and again, we talked about the Buffalo Bills lost back-to-back games. They lost the Atlanta Falcons in a game nobody expected. They lost to the to the New England Patriots at home. So, a 40-9 loss, I mean win against the Carolina Panthers, who have been rolling, who have been playing better looks good. It looks good. We’ll give them credit. We’re not going to take that away from them, but we have to keep an eye on the big picture and and and really keep a full scope of what what’s been happening for the Buffalo Bills. Clearly, they looked incredible in this g game. James, when James Cook’s able to to run the ball 19 times for 216 yards and two touchdowns, it’s going to be a great day for you. and they score 40 points and and huge win. They’re 5-2, but the 6-2 New England Patriots have a case. The the the Kansas City Chiefs now that they’re becoming more whole, uh bring Rashi Rice back, their defense playing better, all the pieces starting to come back together for them, have a have a case. Uh the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Jones and Jonathan Taylor, two MVP candidates in a top five defense, definitely have a case. So, I’m not going to just put the Buffalo Bills, hey, they they beat the Carolina Panthers by by 31 points. They’re they’re the best team in the AFC. Not so fast, my friend. Well, we’ll see who truly is. I mean, next week we got a huge game. Sun football. The Bills are hosting the Kansas City Chiefs. That might be the game of the year. That’s certainly mustsee TV. But the Bills back to their winning ways. Richard, we talked about it last week. this Miami Dolphins team looked they were like they were left for dead. Tua, as you said, did not handle himself the best. Uh, in his postgame remarks about team teammates not showing up for meetings, you thought that that was uh not the right time to do it. Certainly, uh, you know, questioning his leadership. Do you how do you look at them now? They go on the road and they dominate. They were up 31 points at one points against this Falcons team that desperately needed a win as well to stay competitive in their division. Kurt Cousins comes back and and it looks like the reason that Kurt Cousins hasn’t been playing in a while. 21 and 31 for 173. Really didn’t do much with this offense. But Tua Tong of Aloa uh delivers four touchdowns over 200 passing yards. How big of a statement game was this for Tua? It it was a big time statement game. it. They had to have a game like this and it was great for Tua’s confidence. He looked good. It’s great for the Miami Dolphins confidence going into a short week against another team that’s struggling in the Baltimore Ravens. Uh he he made some passes this game that that reminded people, including myself, of of how great he can be when he has time and he trusts his eyes and he and he puts his arm into it. Uh made some tight window throws for touchdowns that that you love to see. Uh but can he can he sustain it? Can he sustain it? He had four touchdowns in his game. He was 20 of 26 for for 205 yards. Fantastic game. No interceptions. Um I I think he had one that got kind of got tipped up. Looked like it was going to be intercepted, but it wasn’t. And against a against an Atlanta Falcon team like we just talked about that beat the Buffalo Bills coming off a tough loss to the San Francisco 49ers. But this they’ve been battling. Obviously, they’re without Michael Penn. um their starting quarterback, but again that he doesn’t play defense and and Miami Dolphins were 34 points. They they looked good and we’ll see if they can keep this going. We’ll see if this can catapult them um back into to to feeling better and and maybe to a few wins in a row, but the Baltimore Ravens are getting healthier, got some of their superstars back, and they’re going to make it tough. All odds and lines come from our partners at Hard Rock Bet. We’ve got Commanders versus Chiefs tomorrow on Monday Night Football. What are the lines looking like for this one, Mitch? Well, Richard, the Chiefs are favored by a lot. Uh, how about 11 12 point favorites against the Washington Commanders? And one might think, hey, how the heck did they get to 11 and a half points? But one might forget that Jaden Daniels is not playing this game. So, the Chiefs are going to be taking on the Commanders led by Marcus Mariota. Richard, do you think the Chiefs cover the 11 12 point spread? 11 and a half in the National Football League is tough. That’s that’s enormous. That’s a huge gap. But if if if the Commanders are without all their starters again, and I and I haven’t heard a lot about, you know, what what the status for Debo Samuels and Scary Terry and all those guys is, but if they’re without those guys, then they the Chiefs might have a chance to pull that off. But if if Debo Samuels playing and Scary Terry’s playing, 11 and a half left. Hey, it’s looking like the Colts are the class of the AFC. Their biggest issue going forward, I mean, is going to be who’s going to be the MVP candidate. Is it going to be Indiana Jones or is it going to be Jonathan Taylor? Both of them had terrific games today and they dismantled the the Tennessee Titans expected. Um, what wasn’t expected was the the Indianapolis Colts to be 7-1. Shane Stiken is the the runaway favorite for coach of the year. I know, you know, we want Kyle Shanahan to be in it. You know, there’s other coaches that that could have a case, but nobody’s case is better than Shane Stikkins and what he’s done with not only Indiana Jones, but then Luan Rumo hiring him away from the the Cincinnati Bengals after they let him go and what he’s done with this defense. They’re a top five unit in the National Football League and it looks like they have no plans on stopping. They have some tough games later on this season. You know, you you can see on the schedule they’re going to have to deal with the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. Those will be games that’ll be a litmus test, especially late late in the season. But right now, I I I don’t see anything stopping them. I mean, they have a sustainable way of winning. They run the ball really well. Uh Jonathan Taylor had an 80 yard run today and then it just seems like they’re keeping everything right within Indiana Jones’s wheelhouse. And I just won’t call him anything other than Indiana Jones because it’s a different guy than he’s been uh in the past. This guy is changing his entire reputation is in his image and the way the league should see him. Uh and and a lot of it has to do with Shane Stiken and their belief in him. And obviously he gives some credit to Kevin O’Connell and what he was able to do in Minnesota when in his short stint there. But this team is for real and and and Mitchell I know I know he said earlier, hey, you know, are the Buffalo the class of the AFC? No. No. It’s It’s the Indianapolis Colts and it’s far and away. And they’ve done nothing but in reinforce that belief this week. As always, I appreciate you guys joining me. You could be anywhere in the world, but you’re here with me and I sure do appreciate it. Please, please, please, if you get a chance, hit that sub button if you’re new. See you next week.

Richard Sherman reacts to Week 8 from the NFL season beginning with Mac Jones, Christian McCaffrey, and the San Francisco 49ers loss to CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans. How high should the panic meter be for Kyle Shanahan and company? Next, Richard breaks down Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and the Philadelphia Eagles’ big win over Jaxson Dart’s New York Giants, Tyler Huntley leading the Ravens to a win over Caleb Williams’ Chicago Bears without Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills blowing out the Carolina Panthers. The show closes with Richard looking ahead to Monday Night Football between the Washington Commanders and Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs as well as Richard answering whether Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor, and the Indianapolis Colts run the AFC!

All lines provided by @hardrockbet

Timeline:
00:00 – 49ers-Texans
14:14 – Giants-Eagles
24:16 – Bears-Ravens
28:30 – Browns-Patriots
36:30 – Jets-Bengals
40:42 – Bills-Panthers
43:26 – Dolphins-Falcons
45:40 – Commanders-Chiefs
46:46 – Titans-Colts

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