Bears beating Bengals, Bo Nix comeback lead Week 9 headlines | Chris Simms Unbuttoned | NFL on NBC

Bears beating Bengals, Bo Nix comeback lead Week 9 headlines | Chris Simms Unbuttoned | NFL on NBC

It’s time for Give Me the Headlines presented by Hyundai. Yes, you’re going to put on the uh the magic hat here, Chris, and really come up with come up with the good stuff. The uh first before we do that, the 2024 first round quarterbacks during week nine was really the story of this week besides the underdogs. I mean, first time they all played on the same day. Isn’t that funny? Insane. Well, cuz McCarthy’s probably been out so much for it, right? And then Yeah, that is interesting. Look at these uh performances. By the way, Drake May has been amazing this year. We know that. But Caleb Williams went off in that wild game. That’s where we’re going to start. Michael Pennix, we’re going to get into Atlanta. It’s just been a rocky road for them or up and down. Yeah, their offense isn’t that great. I thought McCarthy was better than expected definitely going into that game. And he made the big plays in the big moments. That’s that’s the number one thing. That’s Bon Knicks season right now. He’s Johnny Clutch. Oh my god. Three quarters and you’re like, what the hell is going on? It’s the fourth quarter. Oh, Bo Knicks time again. Remarkable. Remarkable. This is a special class and of course we don’t even have Jaden Daniels on there right here. The best of all, right? So it it’s a it’s a rare class of six guys where you go, “Oo, they all have physical talent and you like that, but you all all of them you go they all know how to play quarterback and that’s where to me it separates itself from from some other classes that we’ve seen be very talented.” Our first one, the Bears beat the Bengals 47-42 in a game that just would not die. What’s the headline for this one? Trick and treat. Halloween weekend, Halloween weekend, whatever the hell the kids are calling it this week. My son said one time, he goes, my son goes, it’s Halloween weekend. I was like, what? He’s like, you’ve never heard that before. I was like, no, I haven’t. So, so we called it in college because you’d party for three days in costume, so it was Halloween weekend. after college. I don’t call it that. Yeah. And I definitely don’t call it that at 45, but either way, uh, yes. I mean, one, I mean, we were just talking about a little bit ago, Ben Johnson and their offense and what he does for them, right? Caleb Williams continues to trend in upward direction. Is he running that offense probably perfectly the way Ben Johnson wants it? No, not yet. Not yet. I know that Caleb is still, I think, going through the the, you know, mental gymnastics of playing in the pocket, throwing the ball on rhythm, following the rules of a indepth, right? Lots of rules passing offense where he’s just like, wait, I just been able to scramble and make plays happen my whole career. Wait, you want me to read this guy and throw it on time? How dare you? I don’t have to do that. But he’s getting there. He is. And then not only the other thing with Ben Johnson, four different people throwing the ball with the trick plays, right? It’s also It’s also the run game. Uh he’s a run game specialist. He’s special that way, too. As far as DeAndre Swift’s not in there. Oh, they might not be able to run the well. Oh, Kyle Manungai. Kyle Manung just moving the ball all over the place. So, their offense is going to have to keep the pedal on the metal because as you can see, their defense is not very good. And Joe Flacco at his age can still throw that damn ball. And with those two receivers, they’re scary. That’s for sure. It’s just a shame. Their their defense is absolutely horrible as well. 576 total yards for the Bears offense. That’s the most in a game for them since December 1980 against the Packers. Cincinnati. Oh boy, this is a brutal one. The first team since 1966, the Giants that year uh to lose consecutive games despite scoring 38 plus points in each. This is now three games with 500 plus yards allowed. The rest of the NFL, the league, the entire league has allowed two. That’s incredible. I mean, I think that’s a stat of the year. It It is to this point. I’d agree. I mean, this almost seems impossible. And if you think me and him are disgusted sitting here listening to On the Desk, listen to Chase Brown and Jamar Chase who have nothing left to hold back. I’m going to stay in my lane. I don’t want no defensive player come and chew me out about what the I’m doing. We We know how they can play. They played really well at the start of the season. Like they did and they they like we they were carrying us on their back. So, you know, now that we’re stepping up, I think like I think like, you know, we just got to play complimentary football. Like, we put the ball in the end zone and go up a point at the end, finish the game. Like, just end it. Like, that’s it. Like, that’s that’s like that’s what we need to do. Just end the game. Like, that’s uh as blunt as I’ve seen a player this season, I don’t really think anybody can blame him. No, I I mean, no, definitely probably not what you want to do, right? But but there’s that’s the odd thing. Yeah. Is the defense isn’t going to be like, “How dare you say that?” Right. They’re they know it. You know, he might have one defensive guy that goes over and just says, “Hey, man. You don’t need to say that like out loud to everybody.” But but yeah, I mean, it’s the worst defense in football, period. And and you know, I think what what’s what’s amazing to me or one of the under the radar amazing things about the football game is okay, there there was some true like mental gymnastics the Bears had to go through. The Bears by all due accounts were we thought were going to be up 48 to 27, right, with the the interception, Terrell Edmonds, right? The fingertip touched him on the way to the ground. Even the ball, even though the catch isn’t completed until he survives the ground, the fact that he’s touching the ball and a finger’s touching him now he’s down on contact right there. The loop hole there in that whole thing. Ridiculous. The games the so I I always say that and Pete Demolitus hears me say it every Sunday. It’s not a catch yet, but they’re going to call him down before it’s a catch and say he was down there even though the catch isn’t completed yet. Okay, but whatever. Either way, that yes, was a big moment because they get the pick six touchdown. You’re like, game over. Instead, the defense, everybody, hey, game’s over. They’re all celebrating. It’s like, no, now you got to go back. Now they score a touchdown and it’s like, oh crap, now it’s now it’s 41, what is it? 4135, right? And then they get the onside kick. Yep. Right. And you get the onside kick and they go right down and score. And for a team that’s young like the Bears and still fight of their way, like man, I feel like that would have crushed a lot of teams. And the fact that they have Caleb Williams who’s borderline cocky that can be on the sidelines and go, “They left us too much time. Don’t try to do too much. They left us too much time.” Right? That I mean that says something about him and it says something about their offensive attitude right now that they just go we can move the ball on anybody. And of course they come up with some big plays and and the clutch moments. And I think one of the louder things in the Chicago media area and amongst the fan base is like when is Coulson Lovelin going to make a play we expect for a top 15 to make a pick to make a play and he had his moment of the season cuz he’s playing for a field goal and they score a touchdown. You’re like oh it’s really over is amazing. Yeah. And then yeah the spotlight’s on him because everybody’s watching Tyler Warren going the guy that got drafted behind you is balling out. You’re not doing that. But yes, the the the clutchness of them and and you know, again, like you heard me say with Caleb Williams, he’s not surgical yet. He’s not perfect. I understand that. But he’s still one of the elite playmakers in the sport. That’s the other thing, too. And here we are. This is the third time we’re talking about you got to make plays, got to have playmakers. And that’s something that Chicago does have on the offensive side of the ball. And of course, he leads the charge in that department. The third and 10 scramble was wowing to cut that back in. Oh my gosh. He had a few runs in the game that were wowing. Like it’s like, wow, is that a third down running back or is that a quarterback? Right. And then of course the throw down the middle, just laser right down the middle, puts it on the money, allows Lovelin to protect himself, and then he can bounce off the hit and run in for a touchdown. Yeah, that was one of the most uh amazing moments of the day yesterday in a game. They were able to run at will with their backup running back, seventhrounder Kyle Manungai, 26 carries, 176 yards. And oh, how the turntables, Chris, check this out. Last season, the Bengals sent a 2025 seventh round draft pick to the Bears in exchange for Khalil Herbert. The Bears used that pick on Kyle Manungai, who had 176 rushing yards on 26 carries against the Bengals today. That is from Sleeper Bengals on Twitter. It’s in the NFL like even the most harmless of trades and better watch out. They find a way to get you. Uh, on the other side of this for the Bengals, I I know it’s a brutal loss again, but Joe Flacco, the most passing yards by any quarterback this season, 470. That’s the He’s the oldest quarterback to throw for 470 plus ever in the history. And everybody goes like, wait, what about, you know, Tom Brady? And it’s like, no, he actually did not at this age. I know he had some games that were in the 400s, but he never threw for 470 or more. So Joe Flacco, we this is what the second time in three weeks we’re going to talk about. He’s one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the history of the sport. He’s way better than people realize in his prime. He was stuck on a team that was about the defense first, so he had to play quarterback. It’s not always easy to play quarterback in that situation, but you see what he can do. I mean, he can still stand in there. And he’s one of those guys that, you’ve heard me talk about this, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, you know, John Elway, Tom Brady, Josh Allen will be like this. it. Matthew Stafford, when they’re 60, they’re going to be able to still throw the ball and you’re going to go, “Oh my gosh, you throw the ball like an NFL starting quarterback. They’re never going to lose it the way their arm is and the way their mechanics are. So, yeah. Uh, awesome for for Joe Flacco.” And damn. I mean, why wouldn’t you play another year if you’re still playing like this? Did you know that was the first time in his career he’s thrown for 400 yards? I did not. I believe it was his 199th start he’d never done it. I’m surprised by that. Me, too. He’s had some games where he’s thrown it around the yard. Definitely. I mean, even the last dink and dunker guy, so I’m shocked. So, he must have like a ton of games in the high 300s. Has to. He has to. Uh, Zlick 701. Read this. This is good. If everyone’s saying, “Why did the Niners pay Brock Pury when M. Jones is doing the same thing?” Can’t the same be said for Joe Burrow and Uncle Flacko? I know Joey B is the man, just generally speaking. Yeah. No. First off, I I love this question. I love it. First off, I want to go, wait, who’s been saying why did they play Brock Party? Because all I’ve done is deal with mentions and hate and everything on in and on social media for the last two years when I’ve been going, don’t play Brock Party too much. Everybody telling me I’m an idiot. Now everybody’s like, “Oh, they shouldn’t have paid him too much.” That’s what I freaking hate. I wanted to swear for real there about the I know. Thank you. That’s what I hate about sports media right now. It’s just like we fight for one thing forever and then it changes the other way and we act like we never said that and we just flip over the conversation like we never even said this other part. How could they pay Brock Pery, right? Chris Sims is an idiot. He’s saying don’t pay Brock Pury. Hey, they they paid Brock Pury. Don’t give Chris Sims any credit. Let’s just crap on the 49ers and everything there. I mean, what it’s it’s all over the place. All right. First off, yeah, the point was all along the 49ers are awesome. Shanahan makes every quarterback look good. Every quarterback. Every quarterback. As you brought up, Nick Mans is my favorite one. Never let it go. His first nine starts were like Curt Warner and Payton Manning. They were up there with that, right? It was incredible. So, yes. Now, Flacco is amazing. No doubt. He’s in he’s in a spot here where yeah, he can capitalize. My my fight back to you, Zlick 701, would be that if Joe Flacco I mean if Joe Burrow played yesterday, he would have thrown for 520 and he would have thrown for five touchdowns and no interceptions and they would have won the game, right? That that’s what I would argue. So Flaco can make the highlight plays, but Flaco’s also going to make the low light plays that Joe Burrow doesn’t make. And that’s what’s amazing about Joe is yeah, he doesn’t turn the ball over. He doesn’t do any of that, let alone off of that. Joe will make a few more backyard plays. Joe’s ability to move, as you know, is very much underrated and makes I always call him a slippery son of a That’s what I call him, slippery Joe. He moves around and does that all that. So, I I hear your point, but um yeah, I still think the results will be a little better with Joe Burrow. I think the combo is you pay the guys that are the upper echelons of the quarterback of the NFL. Yeah. So like, you know, he’s been hurt, but Burrow’s pretty close there to Josh Allen, Mahomes, Lamar, like we we talk about them together. That’s what we do in sports media. That’s right. They’re on Mount Rushmore. With Brock Birdie Birdie was not that. No. And this is why Dak Prescott’s been criticized a lot before this season. Exactly. Right. Dak Prescott was not playing up to what he was paid. Dak’s been amazing this year and making a lot of people eat it. Credit to him. But the problem is, do you pay the middle class quarterbacks because they get paid like the upper echel that’s what we’re trying to fight here, right? We’re trying to fight that. The Dolphins hate Tua’s contract right now because they just did this, right? Right. That that’s so this is the like you need to make sure your quarterback is not a middle class quarterback being paid like a top five quarterback. Exactly right. That’s is the problem with a lot of football teams and this is what we’ve tried to fight back and this is why I was saying this about Brock Perie and all that and yes Tua and even as good as Jared G is again I don’t think he should be paid like Mahomes or Josh Allen Lamar Jackson no we’ve gotten into like we’ve talked about a million times next guy up he gets paid as much and it’s like what it can’t be that easy Dak Prescott yes he’s having the great year this year but the last few years before that have not warranted him being the highest paid quarterback in the sport and yes we’re watching watching teams ruin their ruin themselves by just paying the quarterback cuz he’s the next guy up. And as you’ve heard me say a million times like you like with Chua especially, you can’t pay this guy and go, “Hey, he’s the highest paid guy on our team.” And then he’s the biggest question mark in every big game. That doesn’t make sense. Like you’ve heard me say, the Giants never went into a big game back in the day and we’re like, you know, we’re worried about Lawrence Taylor today. We’re not sure he can handle this, right? Right? Then then he’s not your best player on your team. That that’s what I would say. So why are you betting him like that? That’s not the way that conversation should go down. And that goes down a little bit. Jordan Love, awesome. You know, I like Jordan Love. Does he be deserve to be paid like those guys? I would say no. I’m sorry. Not quite there, right? Still awesome. I get you, but not in that class. And I think yes, there’s just a little too much of that for our liking in the NFL. Our next game, the Broncos beat the Texans 18-5. Chris, what’s the headline? Woo! Bow nose comeback. He certainly does. Are you old enough to know the B knows commercials? Yeah, I know it really from circling back. Okay. Yeah. It wasn’t a big part of my childhood. Okay. It was a big part of my childhood, but but yeah, I mean, the Broncos a reflection of their coach, which is just tough. We don’t ever give up. We keep fighting. I don’t think Shawn Peyton’s ever gotten the credit he deserves for his physical nature his teams usually play with. This was tough sledding yesterday. I mean, you know what I think of this Texans defense? This Texans defense, I say it every week, they can almost win games by themselves. They try. They do. They try. I, you know, I feel bad about CJ Strad. It felt like a game where the Texans, in all honesty, I felt like they were going to win the game if CJ Strad stays in the game. That I I do. I That’s what I felt. Now, again, I know that’s, you know, hindsight or 2020 or whatever else, but Davis Mills certainly takes something away from their offense. He didn’t do a a bad job. don’t get me wrong, but he’s not capable of making some of the plays that CJ Strat is making. That’s unfortunate. But the Broncos just hang around, hang around, stay within one score. And then there Bo Knicks who’s just got no fear coming down the stretch of a football game. He makes a few plays with his arms and his legs and all of a sudden they’re right back in this thing. They win the game on a 34y by Will Lutz as the clock hits zero. The Broncos outscored Houston 11 to nothing in the fourth quarter, which is kind of how they’ve been doing it this year. It’s the Broncos sixth straight win. That’s tied for the Patriots right now for the longest active win streak in the NFL. Of course, like you said, Chris CJ Strad leaving with that concussion was a big factor in this one. Houston, zero touchdowns on three red zone possessions. They pumped it on their final six. The first drive of the game, I mean, the Texans also missed a field goal, right? the the the Texans on the first drive or one of the first drives of the game got in there, got down inside the five yardd line and had to settle for a field goal. Certainly had that. The Broncos dropped a punt at the end of the first half. They had the ball inside the red zone there to score a touchdown. They have to settle for a field goal, right? They had another what a really good punt return when they were up 12-7 that set them up with a good field position and they had to settle for a field goal again that way. So, yeah, Houston’s offense continues to be a problem. I have no their run game’s not they need CJ Strad. They need CJ Strad and they need to do what they we talked about last week which is I think what they were going to do yesterday short passes be surgical and do that but you know him getting hurt disrupted that and yeah they’re just not good enough on the offensive side of the ball to to overcome it. Bo Nicks 10 of 17 for 78 yards and a touchdown. No turnovers in the fourth quarter. So he he really flipped the switch in the fourth quarter. played efficient football, took care of the ball as the Broncos continue their winning ways as do the New England Patriots who beat the Falcons 24-23 off that missed extra point. What’s the headline for this one, Chris? It’s Halloween. It’s the ghost of Patriots past. Boy, it felt like it. I mean, weird just Yes. like roaming the house. I think the Patriots like in the Brady Bichc era would have like one of these games every year where you were like, “Hey, wait, they’re playing good. They’re controlling the game. Wait, the other team made a few plays or whatever. Whoa, they might be able to steal the game up here in New England and beat Brady and Bellich in New England. Oh, they missed what? They dropped the ball. They missed the chip shot field goal. They missed the extra point.” I mean, that’s what it felt like. It’s like Patriot Mystique is back. Watch out. that that that’s what you really and and listen, I don’t think there’s any doubt in my mind. The Patriots are the better football team yesterday. The Patriots did some things we haven’t seen the Patriots do a little bit. I felt like the Patriots way to attack this game was a little bit like we talked about with Cleveland last week. Just don’t let the other team’s defense win the game, right? Atlanta’s dangerous enough on that side of the ball to where you just go. If you have to air on conservatism, do that because they can make some freaking plays that can screw everything up. And they’re up 21-7. They’re playing really good in the first half. And I think they got greedy. And this is where the whole game changed. 21-7 late in the first half. Gets strip sacked by the two rookies, right? Jaylen Walker and then Pierce picks it up, the two first round picks. And that sets them up for a short field to go into the half at 21 to4 and feeling pretty good even though they were pretty much dominated in the first half of the football game. It didn’t feel close at all, but it was. And you had the interception in the third quarter where it’s 24 to 14. Like the Atlanta just kind of hung around off of careless giveaways. I think I think so. Drake May throws the ball high, right? I don’t know. You looking at that play the play open right now. Did he have the guy open over the middle here? Kind of like I understood where he was going, but he just he airmeiled. He airiled this. He airiled this pass. This is one little flaw sometimes with his Yeah, it was a tight window. He tried to rip it. It looks like he lost control of it and it went high on him. Jesse Bates, Mr. Velcro hands, catches it as usual. High right there. Like he feels a punt. He’s amazing. He’s amazing that way. Um but yeah, even there that was a moment of, you know, again, you’re controlling the football game. Do you make that type of decision in that moment? He’ll figure that out today. He’s been spoton with aggressive decision and aggressive throws. He hasn’t missed many of those throws there. But yes, it felt like those two mistakes kind of led or helped Atlanta jump back into the football game because there even in that interception, right? They’re past midfield. They’re kind of moving the ball and you’re going, “Huh, they’re going to kick a field goal here and you know, they’re going to go up even more at least a field goal.” 2714, right? Could have been 2714 and you felt like that would have been enough. But either way, Atlanta gets the field goal. They make it 24-17 and then as we know Michael Penn finally puts a drive together. You look at Atlanta and you go I mean they had two drives the whole game maybe their first touchdown drive which again was only a 53 yard drive and then the drive at the end of the football game. Their offense is still frustrating. London just goes nuclear spectacular play after spectacular play. Yeah. What was it? I mean I think there was four one-hand catches. Yeah. Pan would have been one like the Drake London was just going airborne every single time. It felt like spectacular play. So that that that like didn’t run the ball. No. Very good. No. Bean was all through the air. I know Michael Penn is going to look at it and we’re going to go, “Oh, he threw for three touchdowns.” But it was they were like three one-yard touchdown passes or one of them was six yards. Okay. Or eight yards. All right. But still that that offense didn’t look the way I want it to look. Clunky. Clunky. Yeah. No doubt about it. There’s never a flow or a rhythm. We haven’t really seen it since the Buffalo game. It’s just it feels like a little bit of a collection of plays. And again, what I’m interested too is like I didn’t feel like they did play action again yesterday. We’ll definitely pull that out. Yeah. So that that would be interesting to me, too. But man, Atlanta’s got more talent than a three and five football team to go one and 10 on third down with Michael Penn as your quarterback and those guys that they got, Bejon, Drake London, and and and Pitts. Like I just that that’s inexcusable. That really is. So this makes it it more strange. You’re bringing up a great point with the play action. They had eight drop backs of play action. He was five of eight for 85 yards. He averaged almost 11 yards per play action at I I don’t know like why just call play action every play. Why not? How do you not have like 14? Exactly. Right. That would be like just doesn’t make any sense to me. Just do it all the time and have the drop back be the change up. I I don’t understand that either. There is no I think your word was right. There’s no flow. There’s no rhythm. There’s nothing. You don’t feel like they’re tying anything together in Atlanta at times. And uh yeah, that’s a a disappointing loss. One of a loss that I look at and go, man, in the NFC that might be like you might be disqualified. Yeah, you might be. I mean, it’s the NFC is going to be tough. So, they’re they got a lot of work in front of them right now. That was going to be the headlines presented by Hyundai. Yo yo yo. Thanks for watching, homies. We are now in the NFL season here on Chris Sims Unbutton. Hit subscribe to get our weekly picks, game recaps, film deep dives, and much, much more. Thanks again for watching. Subscribe, rate, review. Peace out. You know where to find us.

Chris Simms goes through his top Week 9 headlines with Connor Rogers, including the Bears stealing a Halloween weekend win over the Bengals in Cincinnati and Bo Nix leading the Broncos to a comeback victory on the road. #NBCSports #NFL #ChrisSimmsUnbuttoned
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Bears beating Bengals, Bo Nix comeback lead Week 9 headlines | Chris Simms Unbuttoned | NFL on NBC
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