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00:00Oh, the NFL sometime is not a reality that the common man lives in, and rightfully so.
00:05They make millions of dollars to play a kid's game, and we cheer them on on a Sunday afternoon.
00:11But understand this, Donnie Wright's out here, Joe Ranieri.
00:13We always like to say, what's going on with that team?
00:16And no surprise.
00:18Oh, you know what?
00:19The Dolphins had a players-only meeting.
00:20That's surprising.
00:21Boy, the expectations were really high for the season.
00:23When did they have that meeting?
00:24Week 13 on a playoff push to say, guys, now's the time that we take control of the AFC East
00:29and win this thing?
00:30No.
00:31In the offseason, we basically talked on a day-to-day basis.
00:34As soon as you heard the word Dolphins, it's like, this isn't going to work this year.
00:38This looks like it's headed for a disaster.
00:41They went on the road against a team of the Colts that nobody really outside of, I don't
00:45know, Indianapolis, had super expectations for.
00:48They made the Colts look like there's a chance they can make it to the Super Bowl of how dominant
00:52they were against the Miami Dolphins.
00:53So the Dolphins called a team meeting.
00:56Joe Ranieri, I'm going to ask you this question.
00:58What the heck was that team meeting even about?
01:02Well, I think they're making plans to figure out where they're going to go as soon as the
01:08season's over.
01:09Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're already making vacation plans because the season, well, it's
01:14pretty much already over.
01:15So there's no point in kidding yourself right now in Miami.
01:18And listen, we knew it.
01:20The stories coming out of Miami all throughout training camp have been hilarious, Donnie.
01:26I know some of the local beat reporters that cover this team and the stuff that they were
01:31telling me is just a total lack.
01:34And it starts right from the top.
01:36Starts with the general manager, Greer, who's a hot mess.
01:39It goes down to the coach with Daniel.
01:42There is zero leadership in that locker room.
01:45Tua is not exactly a leader among men in that locker room.
01:50And oh, yeah, by the way, doesn't necessarily have the support of everybody in there.
01:56A lot of finger pointing before they played Indy.
01:59We're talking about a training camp.
02:01It was a hot mess here.
02:03So it's going to go from bad to worse.
02:05Couple the fact that we all knew you had to win in Miami, right?
02:09Otherwise, there's regime change coming.
02:12There's a whole lot of things coming.
02:13So you add that pressure and you have a coach that, I mean, come on.
02:19He's no Bill Parcells.
02:20He's I mean, he's he's not even Bill Parcells is, you know, Gardner.
02:24Like, you got to be kidding me here.
02:26He's already lost the team.
02:28It's a fade from here on out for the Miami Dolphins for me.
02:31And just about anything to do with Tyreek Hill, I'll be looking to go against as the season
02:36moves along.
02:38It should have been a scenario that worked out.
02:41The nerdy coach goes down the South Beach.
02:43Now he's wearing Rolexes and a lot of, you know, entertainment.
02:46And it looks like he turned into Don Johnson.
02:48He's got a high flying offense.
02:50You're perfect for Miami.
02:51And this is what we're getting out of it.
02:53A complete rebuild on deck for the Miami Dolphins, which is absolutely ridiculous.
02:57But you're meeting after game number one against the Colts who smoked you.
03:00Let me understand this.
03:01You're probably going to get beat this week again.
03:03It's a bad football team.
03:04Let's just say the New England Patriots.
03:06Let's have another meeting.
03:07And sooner than later, the owner calls the meeting and everybody gets their pink slip at
03:11that point.
03:11We'll watch what happens with the Dolphins over the next couple of weeks here.
03:14But you know what knocks going to happen in the NFL?
03:16Lamar Jackson.
03:16It's not going to get fined or suspended.
03:18And he shouldn't there.
03:19When you score a touchdown and run around the side of the stadium, fans aren't supposed
03:22to smack you and your teammates in the head without retribution.
03:27Good on Lamar Jackson for fighting back.
03:29And he's not getting fined.
03:31Well, you know, and good for the NFL for looking at this and saying, listen, fans, we all know.
03:37Any adult in the room understands that, listen, if I put my hands on a player, there is a good
03:45chance that player is going to put his hands back on me.
03:49And to expect anything different is crazy.
03:51And to penalize Lamar and send a message that, so when fans get unruly and smack you, you're
03:58supposed to sit there and do absolutely not.
04:01So kudos to the NFL for actually doing the right thing in this spot.
04:05Yeah, but like if we're hosts on a show and we get like smacked in the head, there's not
04:09really too much we can do as hosts.
04:11You know what I mean?
04:11We're in our 40s, 50s, 60s, whoever's out there.
04:14Like, okay.
04:15Until the break.
04:16Yeah, you don't want to smack NFL football players.
04:18That usually doesn't work out in the actual fans perspective here.
04:21You know what else doesn't work out in your perspective?
04:24Derek Henry, who is probably going to run wild because they lost week number one, telling
04:29him, man, you're easy to tackle.
04:32Take a look at this little clip from Delpit here.
04:33Come on now, stop.
04:34Stop.
04:35Maybe we don't have it.
04:39Not hard.
04:40Graham, I mean, we, going back to that, we saw it last year.
04:43You obviously were afraid in that first matchup to take him on.
04:46Yeah.
04:46So wait, where does that come from?
04:48Is that a mindset?
04:49I mean, we're playing football, man.
04:50It's tackle football.
04:52Somebody got the ball, you got to bring him down.
04:55Joe, not hard to tackle Derek Henry.
04:57News to me.
04:58Well, I mean, in theory, it's not hard to tackle.
05:03So maybe that, maybe, right.
05:07Maybe what he's saying is, you know what?
05:09We're football players.
05:10Like, you see the guy at the ball, you tackle him.
05:12Yeah.
05:13Very great in theory.
05:15And then you have the train.
05:17That is Derek Henry.
05:18Good luck.
05:18Yeah, let's talk Browns and Ravens next.
05:20Let's see how hard it is to tackle Derek Henry.
05:22Uh-huh.
05:23Yeah.
05:24Tackling Derek Henry.
05:25Yes, it is hard.
05:26Otherwise, everybody would be in the NFL, and everybody could be Derek Henry, or everybody
05:29could be a defensive back to bring him down.
05:31Looked like the Buffalo Bills were struggling bringing Derek Henry down.
05:34But the question this weekend is going to be, will the Cleveland Browns be able to bring
05:37him down, but also be able to stay inside the spread and or win in this AFC battle.
05:43Cleveland and Baltimore, both teams 0-1 right now.
05:462-55, 2-56 in rotation, a 1 o'clock game on Sunday, which opened, Joe, at a 12.5-point
05:52spread.
05:52It's actually down to 11.5 at some outlets, but still bet MGM sitting at a 12.5.
05:57Answer me this question.
05:59You're not as good as what you are in week number one.
06:01You're not as bad as what you are in week number one.
06:03Cleveland should have won that game against the Bengals.
06:05Baltimore should have won that game against the Bills.
06:08They both didn't here.
06:10Are we overreacting where we're saying like Baltimore should have beat a good Bills team?
06:14They should just wipe out Cleveland.
06:15But I didn't see anything from Cleveland that showed they're going to roll over and just
06:19play dead in this football game like the odds makers are saying.
06:22If this whole game in week two is like six degrees of separation when you think about
06:28it, Donnie.
06:29Correct me if I'm wrong here.
06:31Aren't the Ravens the Browns?
06:33They used to beat the Browns.
06:37Oh, that's right.
06:38Yes.
06:39The midnight, we're out of here, Art Modell to Baltimore.
06:43And then all of a sudden the Browns get back.
06:45And just like this, you've got the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns who is, if I'm not
06:51mistaken, Donnie, in Baltimore history, he is the, I don't know, the all-time leader
06:57in passing yards for that organization.
07:01He's now playing for the Browns who used to be with the Ravens and want to, I mean, you
07:05go down the list of how ridiculously intertwined these two teams are.
07:09And you're right.
07:10Here we go.
07:11Flacco, the MVP of a Super Bowl with the Ravens one is now tasked with not only trying
07:18to win this game, but trying to go in and do something that nobody thinks he can do.
07:23I didn't think he was going to play as well as he did against Cincinnati.
07:26Can he repeat that with Baltimore against Baltimore?
07:31I don't think, I think a lot of things have to happen well for Cleveland to even stay within
07:35this number.
07:36And to me, it all starts on the defensive side.
07:39Can the defense of the Browns keep this game within one score heading into the fourth quarter?
07:45If they can, I give them a good shot.
07:47If they can't, the game's over before you get to the fourth quarter.
07:50Yeah, I'm also interested to see, like, we like the way, like, the offense for Baltimore
07:53looked last week.
07:54The defense was the most surprising thing.
07:56They just couldn't get any stops in the fourth quarter.
07:58Granted, you had a miracle comeback and you got to get bad breaks for that to happen.
08:01And it did.
08:01But you're probably looking for an angry Baltimore team.
08:04But also, Cleveland wasn't that bad opening day.
08:06And they should have won if they just brought a kicker into the 2025 season.
08:10That's the way it goes.
08:11We'll find that game out at one o'clock.
08:12Another one o'clock game, the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys.
08:15We saw the Dallas Cowboys on opening night take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
08:18Close game, a lot of key drops by CeeDee Lamb, which he promised would not happen again.
08:23But now the question's come up with the Giants.
08:25Hey, feel-good team in the preseason.
08:27They got smoked by Washington, who then got smoked by Green Bay.
08:31So I don't know how much stock you can put in.
08:33Oh, we sort of hung around and lost by double digits against Washington.
08:38Now you take on Dallas.
08:39That line, though, Joe, opened up at three.
08:41It's on the move.
08:42Some outlets are as high as five and a half today for the Dallas Cowboys.
08:46So I think there's only one bet to make in this game, Donnie.
08:52And I think it should be a bet among friends, okay?
08:56What do you think the chances are?
08:58And it's yes or no, right?
09:00Will the backup quarterback for the Giants play in this game at some particular point?
09:08Will Russell Wilson finish this game?
09:12Or does the new era for Giants football start in this game?
09:17And I tend to think we're going to see a different quarterback under center for the Giants in the second half.
09:23You know, it's funny you say that, too, because, you know, even the best laid plans get interrupted at times.
09:28You weren't happy with number one with Russell Wilson and that offense not finding pay dirt.
09:31And sometimes that hook doesn't come quick.
09:33If you are, let's just say the Giants, if you score a touchdown in the first half, it probably starts to quell that.
09:39But you're 14-3 half.
09:41Like, you're already like, all right, my job is on the line as a head coach.
09:43The GM's getting pressured here.
09:45We look terrible.
09:46What's the worst thing that can happen?
09:47We put in Jackson Dart, and he throws a couple interceptions.
09:50You go, ah, it was worth a try.
09:51Or he actually leads you into a competitive game in the second half.
09:54I think Joe's on to something there.
09:55Watch that first half and see how it turns out, because maybe a change does come by the second half.
10:00259-260 on the rotation.
10:02The Tennessee Titans are home, and Cam Ward's going to make his home debut.
10:06Who are they going up against?
10:07The Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford with a week one victory over the Texans.
10:11Low spread in this game, Joe.
10:1344-and-a-halves at the opening number.
10:15Now down to 41-and-a-half across the board.
10:18Road favorite for the Rams at five-and-a-half.
10:20Are we catching lightning in a bottle with Tennessee?
10:22Or is this going to be just another impressive defensive performance by the Rams where they pull out that victory?
10:27But enough to cover the five-and-a-half point spread.
10:30Well, kudos to Stafford for proving all the doubters wrong against Houston at home, right?
10:36He looked healthy.
10:38He was the reason why offensively they were able to not only win that game but close it out
10:43and not give the Texans a chance to get back into it.
10:47But Cam Ward, I mean, could you have had a tougher place to go play your first NFL game
10:52in Denver on the road against that defense?
10:55And you know what, Donnie?
10:56I covered that game on in-game live.
10:58He had receivers dropping passes that were hitting him in the hands.
11:02I mean, he was under duress.
11:04But you know what?
11:05Didn't turn the ball over.
11:07Looked apart.
11:08And I don't know.
11:09Next week, the Rams have a pretty interesting game.
11:12Revenge game against your Eagles.
11:14Could there be a little look ahead here in this spot?
11:17Yeah, it could be.
11:20Titans at home are an interesting dog this weekend.
11:23By the way, I liked what Cam Ward said in his press conference this week, too.
11:26It's like, hey, man, do you get mad when your wide receivers drop balls?
11:28He's like, no.
11:29Like, I'm going to throw interceptions.
11:30They're going to get pissed at me for that, too.
11:31It's just a game of football.
11:32We'll get it together.
11:33So, like the young kid there, the maturity that he has, maybe sneaky at home as a dog
11:37this weekend.
11:38We'll check that out.
11:38The Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets a battle in the AFC East.
11:42Josh Allen and Justin Fields' favorite here opened up at 7 1ā2, Joe.
11:47Jets taking on some money down to 6 1ā2 and 6s now at some outlets.
11:51And a total on the rise, 44 1ā2, now up to 46 1ā2.
11:56Buffalo with that exciting victory and, I guess, a moral victory for the Jets
11:59because they played well but just made some mistakes
12:02and they looked like they're going to be competitive.
12:03How does this play out in the Meadowlands this weekend, Joe?
12:06Well, I think we're going to learn whether or not Justin Fields
12:09actually has turned that corner.
12:12Has he made that leap finally, Donnie?
12:14Have they figured him out?
12:15Has this coaching staff actually put him now in a spot where he can grow
12:20and become a starting quarterback in the NFL?
12:22Because if he can't take advantage of that banged-up Bills secondary,
12:27then the answer is no, it's still Justin Fields,
12:30and we're just playing out the string here.
12:32But I think this is a huge game for Justin Fields and the Jets.
12:36I don't know that they win it,
12:37but the idea that Buffalo won't maybe exhale a little bit
12:41after that ridiculous win against Baltimore,
12:44and yeah, I would take the points here.
12:47I'm telling you, this weekend is so tough when we look at these games,
12:50and this next one just might be the toughest.
12:53We just talked about and laughed at the Miami Dolphins having a team meeting here.
12:57New England Patriots are coming to town.
12:58They're not world beaters by any stretch.
13:00They lost at home to the Vegas Raiders.
13:01But the Miami Dolphins opened up as two-and-a-half-point favorites here, Joe.
13:04It's now down to one-and-a-half with some outlets in a 43-and-a-half.
13:08Sometimes in the NFL, you look at games and say,
13:10well, they're just not that good of a football team.
13:12I honestly think if the Dolphins lose this game,
13:15major changes to the roster and coaching staff could be on the way.
13:19How do you approach a game like this knowing, Joe,
13:22it's not a regular season game and the fact that,
13:24oh, they're just going to play and see what happens.
13:26It feels like that powder keg is ready to explode.
13:29How do you cap the Dolphins and the Patriots?
13:32Well, it's funny, too.
13:33Remember how many people we heard over the summer, Don?
13:36Oh, Patriots, wind tunnel.
13:38Oh, this team is going to be amazing.
13:40They are, oh, yeah, dark horse.
13:42No, stop it.
13:43They're not a dark horse.
13:44They're a mess.
13:45But what Miami is also at home in September is a great bet,
13:51especially we just watched the Patriots watch Geno Smith complete
13:56four of six throws for over 20 yards.
13:59What do you think Tyreek Hill and Tua in the second half in 90 degrees
14:04is going to do against this Patriots secondary?
14:07Miami wins this game.
14:08They'll probably win it easily because that's how they roll.
14:11They either blow you out or they look absolutely awful at a loss.
14:15And this is why I love talking about these games in week number two.
14:19Like, you see what Ranieri is saying?
14:20We might come back here on Monday and be like, I can't even believe I took the
14:23Miami Dolphins.
14:23Like, 33 to 6.
14:24New England blew them out.
14:26This season is over.
14:26Or the exact opposite.
14:28Like, yeah, what was all this hype for the New England Patriots in a
14:31variable defense that got shredded by a Miami team that didn't even have a
14:34pulse in week number one?
14:37This is so good to talk about.
14:38And again, we're going to get to New Orleans next.
14:40How about this one?
14:41Who's even playing for the 49ers at this point?
14:44We got it all covered, people.
14:46Oh, yeah.
14:46It's a Friday.
14:47It's a football Friday right here on the Sports Grid Network.
14:50And we are rolling along.
14:51It's Donnie Wright's out.
14:52It's Joe Ranieri.
14:52And we welcome in Tom Vecchio to the program this morning.
14:56So many interesting spots to take a look at this weekend, Tom.
15:00And week number two, always devious.
15:02Always tough to get down with.
15:04How are we feeling about this week's card?
15:08Yeah.
15:09No.
15:11One.
15:12Completely dismissed those things that we saw in week one.
15:14Like, we have to take them with a grain of salt.
15:16We have to mix them into our normal handicapping process.
15:19And there are a ton of great games on this week's slate.
15:23No, there certainly is.
15:24By the way, just taking a look at that game last night, just to wrap that up.
15:27Joe and I have been talking about it so far all morning long.
15:30Like, sometimes you don't know which teams you're going to get from weeks one to week two.
15:33And I got to tell you, those are two very impressive victories off the bat for the Green Bay Packers, Tom.
15:39Coming into the season, does your mindset change on them?
15:42Or is that about what you expected?
15:43Because they were dominant in both of those games on the scoreboard.
15:46Yeah.
15:46As we talked about last night, like, I was optimistic about the Packers' defense.
15:51And I was only going to be more optimistic.
15:53Because if Parsons was going to play on a higher percentage of the snaps in week two compared to what he did in week one,
15:58like, their defense is only going to get better at a certain point once they get everything in the rhythm.
16:02So, I think the Packers are legit.
16:04And I wouldn't be betting their number at this point.
16:06Like, if you have them pre-flop from, you know, before Parsons and before the trade, that's a great number to have.
16:11I wouldn't be betting into them right now because you already missed the vote.
16:14But they are awesome.
16:17All right.
16:17So, week two, overreactions continue.
16:20You nailed a great prop last night there, Tom.
16:23And we got a lot of different spots, I think.
16:26We can either look to fade some teams and some players or look to maybe think they're a little undervalued.
16:32What did you circle this weekend for us?
16:34Let's jump into a TD prop and let's go to DK Metcalf.
16:38And, you know, I always like buying into players that have high usage rates.
16:43And he is going up against his former team, which, you know, is never a bad thing.
16:46It's a team that didn't want to extend him.
16:48That was willing to trade him and get back some draft picks.
16:50So, I like the fact that he's going up against his former team.
16:53But in reality, DK is the number one option in the Steelers passing offense.
16:57The game doesn't have a super high total.
16:59You know, we didn't see DK with any red zone targets last week.
17:02But that's just because they didn't happen to have them.
17:03But still a 25% or 24% target share for DK is something that I love.
17:07So, his TD prop at plus 160, love it this week.
17:11Let's go to some more wide receivers, Tommy.
17:13Let's head down to Tennessee.
17:14Cam Ward's going to get his first start at home in front of the Titans faithful.
17:18But the Rams are coming in 1-0 here.
17:20And Devontae Adams is in town with Puka Nakua.
17:23Yeah, I really like Devontae.
17:25And I like what I saw from him last week.
17:27You know, when we see four catches in 51 yards, you're like, okay, it is what it is.
17:31He had eight targets last week.
17:33But, you know, he was shattered by Derek Stingley Jr. on the Texans last week.
17:36So, if you told me he had eight targets in an extremely tough matchup, he still came in with four of them.
17:40And he had 50 yards.
17:41Like, if you tell me he had six catches last week against a different quarter, he would have gotten over 58 yards.
17:47So, again, I'm buying into the usage.
17:48That is really strong.
17:49And this is going to be a terrible, terrible Titans secondary.
17:54So, when we ever can get a low number on it, I will buy into a player like, you know, Devontae or another wide receiver that has this high of usage that's somewhat underperformed last week just due to the defensive matchup.
18:04He's going to explode this week.
18:05I wouldn't be surprised if he gets in the end zone.
18:07But you give me 58 yards, I'll take it.
18:09I like it.
18:10So, they are saying, Tom, that this weekend we might get maybe the most watched NFL game outside of the Super Bowl in a long ā maybe ever.
18:25And that, of course, is a repeat of the Super Bowl as Philadelphia is taking on Kansas City.
18:30What are you thinking here?
18:32So, big news, obviously, is that Jalen Carter is going to play.
18:37They are ruling his week one ejection as the suspension because it happened before it took place officially.
18:45So, you know, we look back to last week against the Cowboys.
18:48Miles Sanders broke off that one long run, which was 49 yards.
18:51Outside of that, he had three other carries for four or five 12 yards.
18:55I forget what it was.
18:56When we look to Devontae Williams, Devontae Williams had 15 carries for just over 50 yards.
19:01He was averaging under four yards per carry, which is terrible.
19:04So, the Eagles defense, which didn't have Jalen Carter, was actually really solid against the run last week.
19:10And now he's coming back.
19:12Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, at the end of the day, like, these are fine running backs.
19:16I do think Pacheco is a good running back.
19:18But giving the ball to him 20-plus times is just not the game script for the Chiefs.
19:22So, what does that mean?
19:23Like, you want to go down swinging with the guy that you trusted, and that's Patrick Mahomes.
19:27So, despite the fact that we have this worthy news, we're not sure if he's going to play with his collarbone, his back, his shoulder, whatever it is.
19:33Just give the ball to Patrick Mahomes.
19:35When we look at a high volume of passing attempts, that's what we should be seeing from Mahomes.
19:39Doesn't matter who he's throwing to, because I don't know who it's going to be.
19:41But we're not going to be seeing them run the ball.
19:43So, Mahomes over passing attempts is what I like the most this week.
19:46It is a big game.
19:48It's a 425.
19:49Let me ask you on the opposite side, because I always love the back and forth, right, of week one, the week number two.
19:55But also, the most crazy position you can have are superstar wide receivers that don't get the football.
20:01Now, they'll be happy as long as you win.
20:02You know where I'm going.
20:04A.J. Brown, Devontae Smith, insignificant in week number one against the Cowboys.
20:08They're saying all the right things.
20:09Like, yeah, we won, and it's okay.
20:11Are we force-feeding the football?
20:12And also understand this.
20:13Dallas Goddard might not play in this game.
20:15He had a head-to-target share in game number one.
20:17How do you feel about the Eagles' wide receivers?
20:19More importantly, Tom, how do you play them?
20:21I would play either of them, if they're both at plus money, to have a catch on the first drive.
20:28You know, we do have to realize that Philly does have a new offensive coordinator this year.
20:31So, you know, weird game, the delay on opening night.
20:35So, I'm not worried about them.
20:36They are obviously super talented.
20:38You know, A.J. Brown is on my most important dynasty team, so I want to see him do amazing.
20:42But I would play them both to have a catch on the first drive.
20:45And as long as they're both at plus money, them will come through, get the ball to them.
20:49Goddard being out is only a boost for them overall.
20:52You know, Saquon doesn't play the largest role in the passing game, but then Dotson's not going to have that big of a role.
20:57Maybe Grant Calcaterra steps in to the pass-catching role that we saw from Goddard, but I don't expect it to be a massive letdown at all.
21:04I'm not worried about one game.
21:05Ah, Coach Bowden was lighting it up with us there.
21:07So much fun to watch and listen there to Coach talk about the action that's going to take place tomorrow in Saturday's slate of college football.
21:14Once again, we'll have Coach Bowden on college football today and tomorrow.
21:17Make sure you tune in right here on the Sports Grid Network, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., right up to kickoff.
21:22Donnie Wright's at end, Joe Lisi.
21:23But right now, it's Donnie Wright's at end.
21:25And another Joe.
21:26It's Joe Ranieri.
21:27We've got to get back to the NFL because this weekend is cooking.
21:30I love football Fridays, Joe, in the NFL when we don't have any bye weeks.
21:33We talk about every single team in the league, which starts on Sunday night, Atlanta and Minnesota.
21:39Didn't we see Michael Penix?
21:40Didn't we see J.J. McCarthy in a high-stakes environment just a few short years ago in a national championship game, which J.J. McCarthy won?
21:47They'll do battle in Minnesota for, I guess, game number two for them?
21:52Three-and-a-half-point favorite for Minnesota.
21:54They already won.
21:55Atlanta, 0-1 on the season.
21:57Make some field goals, kids.
21:58Maybe win some football games down at Atlanta, a 44-and-a-half total.
22:01What are the expectations for these two young quarterbacks in prime-time Sunday night football?
22:07Yeah, I like the dog.
22:10And the market seems to like the dog as well because this has been pushed down here a little bit, Donnie.
22:17It was as high as four, four-and-a-half.
22:19And now we're down to threes and three-and-a-halves.
22:22And listen, I mean, McCarthy, still a rookie as far as I'm concerned.
22:27Quick turnaround after a Monday night game.
22:29And this defense of Minnesota, they were good in that Monday night game.
22:34But let's be realistic.
22:35They've lost Van Ginkle now.
22:37Their top cornerback, Jeff Okuda, both of those guys in the concussion protocol.
22:43Doesn't look like they have been cleared yet.
22:46Their other linebacker, Cashman, out.
22:49A lot of injuries on this defense for the Vikings heading into this week.
22:53And listen, Michael Penix Jr. did everything he could do on Sunday to beat Tampa Bay.
23:00And unfortunately, they could not get it done because Tampa had a couple of things go their way.
23:06I think this is close.
23:08I think it's a field goal game, Donnie.
23:09So the fact that you want to give me the hook, I'll take it.
23:12I'll take the three-and-a-half.
23:14Yeah, we'll see what happens.
23:15Tough environment to play.
23:16And that's a dome here.
23:17But a dome team playing in a dome, they're used to playing in a dome.
23:20And we'll see how that one works out.
23:21But also, prime time for this segment.
23:23Monday night, Joe.
23:25Doubleheader action.
23:26First game at 7 o'clock.
23:27Tampa Bay, who is 1-0 after playing in a dome last week against the Falcons.
23:31They're going to play in another dome this week against the Houston Texans,
23:34who lost in a dome last week and now coming back to a dome to play here.
23:38Two-and-a-half point favorites here over Tampa Bay.
23:40I've got to tell you, the 42-and-a-half is enticing to me.
23:42I think this is a good spot for the Texans to pick up a victory, Joe.
23:46What are you thinking on this one?
23:47Well, you know, they got ā Houston goes out to the Rams, right?
23:52They don't score a touchdown, and they lost their starting center.
23:55Final score of that game, 14-9 on the road against a pretty good Rams offense.
24:01This is a much more manageable matchup against the Bucs, who we just said,
24:06lucky to have beaten Atlanta.
24:08And you're talking about a Tampa Bay defense that gave up 191 yards after the catch.
24:14I think it's a big Nico Collins game.
24:16I think this is ā this elite defense of the Texans gets it done,
24:20and I think the offense has some success.
24:23I'll take the home team at that price.
24:25Yeah, where's Nico been?
24:26Come on, man.
24:27Time to step up in this environment.
24:28A fun game here and again.
24:30You do not want to go 0-2 if you're the Texans,
24:32but maybe you can if that division that they play in.
24:34Maybe they can certainly survive that here.
24:37Chargers, Raiders.
24:38How about the AFC West?
24:40Who would have thought coming into this?
24:42Oh, no, you're going to play the Chiefs opening day, Chargers.
24:44You can't win that football game.
24:45Check, they won.
24:46Oh, no, the upstart New England Patriots.
24:48Everybody's love going with Vrabel.
24:50And that's ā no, check mark here.
24:52Vegas wins.
24:53Two 1-0 football teams.
24:54Are they baiting us, though?
24:55Like, I thought the Chargers looked great.
24:56Threes to 3.5s across the board.
24:58They're a road favorite in this one and a total of 46.5.
25:02Second game of the doubleheader on Monday night.
25:04A 10 o'clock start.
25:05What is this, the NBA staying up this late here?
25:07What gives in this one for you, Joe?
25:10Well, I'll tell you what,
25:11because obviously the Chargers are the better team.
25:13Let's make no mistake about it.
25:15The Raiders will be more consistent,
25:18consistently average this year with Pete Carroll.
25:21So, what I did, Donnie, is I looked at Ashton Gentty.
25:24He is a guy that struggled last week on the road
25:27against a poor Patriots run defense,
25:31and he can only muster 19 carries for 38 yards.
25:34His number, Donnie, was 70.5 for this game.
25:37You are not getting more than 70.5 yards rushing against this front of the Chargers here.
25:44I think they take Ashton Gentty out of the game, the defense of the Chargers.
25:48I'm looking to fade his rushing yards and go under.
25:51How about that?
25:52Can the Chargers win, go up 2-0?
25:53And also understand this.
25:55Like, you talk about the West.
25:56Like, oh, it's always the Chiefs.
25:58The Chiefs are staring down 0-2.
25:59You get up 2-0 right there.
26:01Now this is your division to go out and win and see what happens.
26:05So, huge stakes, and also, I know I'm a little poo-pooing the Vegas Raiders,
26:08but the Vegas Raiders win this game, and they're 2-0, and the Chiefs are 0-2.
26:12Watch out now.
26:14Crosby and the boys starting to come to town?
26:16Could it be the revival in Sin City for the Vegas Raiders?
26:20Let's go down to the Dome.
26:21Notoriously one of the best places to play if you are a home team
26:25is down in the Dome in New Orleans at the Superdome.
26:28The team isn't very good this year.
26:29They fought hard last week and had a chance to try to tie it up late,
26:32but weren't able to do so.
26:33Maybe they do it this weekend against the San Francisco 49ers,
26:36but they know they're not going to do that.
26:37The 49ers, notorious for making the playoffs and making deep playoff runs.
26:41Who's actually playing for the 49ers?
26:43I'll give you a hint.
26:44It's not Brock Purdy.
26:44It's going to be Mack Jones this weekend.
26:46Maybe the extended version of Mack Jones over the next several weeks
26:49as Brock Purdy tries to work out those toe injuries and those shoulder injuries.
26:53A 7.5-point favorite for the 49ers has shrunken down to a minus 3-point favorite
27:00as the road team going up against New Orleans.
27:02I want to buy in on the Saints, but it's hard to understand this.
27:07You did get some competent football out of the Saints, but it's not just,
27:10oh, it's opening day and everybody's ready to play,
27:12and what do we see in week number two?
27:13I really feel like, Joe, I do want to take the Saints.
27:17I just don't know if I want to take the Saints at only getting three now.
27:21Yeah, it's kind of crazy, right?
27:23I mean, the 49ers, we all know, have been dealing with injuries for now,
27:27two straight seasons here.
27:28So you lose Kittle, your quarterback is out, but unlike that last time you had a problem
27:35with Brock Purdy, you brought in a more than competent quarterback in Mack Jones.
27:40And you've got to believe, aside from that, Shanahan is an offensive head coach
27:46and one of the better ones in the NFL.
27:48So you're not going to have Brock Purdy, right?
27:52But you're going to have a guy that they can absolutely execute the game plan with Christian
27:58McCaffrey, Brian Robbins Jr.
28:00They still are going to have success against this Saints defense, which, by the way,
28:05give up over five yards of carry to Cardinals running backs here.
28:10I don't know.
28:10Spencer Radler is going to be under duress with Robert Sala's defense.
28:14The 49ers still have way more talent and way more ways to beat this Saints team than
28:20the Saints have of beating the 49ers.
28:23Yeah, I'm interested in this game.
28:24Like, this is one of those where it's so hard to bet, where you're like, I knew I should have
28:28done that, no matter which way you actually talked about it, because you could see it
28:31going both ways.
28:32We'll see how that plays out.
28:33Another one o'clock game.
28:34This is a good one here.
28:35Chicago opened up the season, should have beat the Minnesota Vikings, but didn't.
28:39A fourth quarter collapse.
28:40You take a look at Detroit.
28:41Detroit, non-competitive for what we usually see Detroit teams here going up and playing
28:45in week number one on the road at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers.
28:49This is a big win.
28:49As we always talk about, should I say big game?
28:51You can't go 0-2 in the NFL, and particularly 0-2 in your own division.
28:56Caleb Williams goes on the road, and if I look at and say, maybe the Packers are the
29:00best team in the NFC, and we're just only two weeks in.
29:02We're just, you know, having fun talking about where these teams can wind up.
29:05I think Detroit has a chance to lay the smack down this weekend.
29:08Am I wrong about that, Joe?
29:09Is this going to be a close game, and maybe the real Detroit did show up last week, and
29:13that's the best that we get, but I just think a talent, home field advantage here, and also
29:18understanding Detroit can't lose this game.
29:20Not yet, Donnie.
29:21You said Chicago can't go into it.
29:22I get that, but it just feels like Detroit can't lose this game.
29:26I think they win it by seven.
29:27I do, Joe.
29:28Yeah.
29:29I mean, listen.
29:30Listen, the Lions against Green Bay averaged under four yards per play last week.
29:36That is the worst offense we've seen from the Lions since the COVID years in 2020, right?
29:43David Montgomery couldn't go anywhere.
29:45They could not run the ball, but the Bears, well, defensively, well, the Vikings were running
29:51between the tackles with no problem in that game there.
29:54They were actually gashing them, which is what allowed them to get back into that game
29:58to eventually win it in the fourth.
30:01To me, you don't need Ben Johnson as an offensive coordinator, Lions, to know.
30:05Run the ball up right out the gut.
30:09Run it into him there.
30:10Force them to crowd the line, and then you can take shots.
30:14I'm with you.
30:15At home, Lions, yeah, facing their old offensive coordinator, going to put on a show in this
30:21one.
30:22I love Ben Johnson.
30:23I just didn't like what I saw out of the offense last week.
30:25I don't think it was his fault.
30:26It was Caleb Williams snapping the football and just running out of the pocket and playing
30:28street football.
30:29You can't do that.
30:30Aiden Hutchinson is going to hunt you down this weekend.
30:33How about this game?
30:34Detroit and Indianapolis.
30:36You might have felt like, hey, well, Detroit got that, excuse me, Denver got that week
30:39number one victory.
30:40Now you take a look at Indianapolis, 1-0 and at home again.
30:43A three-point line that has shrunken at a lot of outlets to minus one and a halves and
30:47minus ones now with a total 43 and a half.
30:49Am I wrong for buying into the Colts this weekend and beating the Denver Broncos on their home
30:56soil again?
30:58You are absolutely wrong.
31:00And not that Peyton Manning Jr., not that Peyton Manning Jr. can't be the savior for the
31:07Indianapolis Colts.
31:09But yeah, no.
31:11Listen, Peyton Manning Jr. there, aka Danny Dimes, okay, was only rushed and pressured when
31:19he dropped back against Miami 24% of the time.
31:22That's the third lowest time that has happened to him in his career.
31:27Do we think the Denver Broncos defense is not going to be in the face of Danny Dimes this
31:34entire game?
31:35The answer is yes.
31:36The Broncos defense alone will end up handling the Indianapolis Colts here.
31:42I do like the under, but I like Denver to handle business.
31:46That defense is no joke.
31:48Buy in.
31:49We're talking about buying in on the Colts.
31:51Didn't you know their new ownership group here, the daughters of the late Jim Ursae,
31:54like to sit in on meetings here and work out with the team?
31:56That's the extra advantage.
31:58That's why they beat Miami.
31:59More ownership working out with players here.
32:02Love to see it here.
32:03Colts going to get that victory.
32:04Carolina and Arizona.
32:06Didn't like what we saw about Carolina and Dave Canales.
32:08What are you doing, man?
32:09What do you spend your off seasons?
32:10Arizona is at home, minus six and a half point favorites here.
32:14And sevens are starting to show up.
32:16Do we believe the Cardinals should be favored by a touchdown owner?
32:18Anybody?
32:19It's headed in that direction, Joe.
32:21Well, I mean, Carolina, A, offensively, Bryce Young was a hot mess.
32:27I mean, again, managed four yards, a pass attempt.
32:30That is not going to get it done.
32:33He, too, was under duress against Shatton.
32:36Jacksonville's defense is not that good.
32:38And, oh, yeah, by the way, the Arizona Cardinals defense is much improved here,
32:41especially with Gannon as your head coach there.
32:45So this would not shock me that Arizona just basically runs over Carolina, pulls away in the end and covers this number.
32:54We got some questions to be answered about Bryce Young and Dave Canales here, I think, in a couple of weeks.
33:00We do.
33:00And a lot of these questions get answered when these teams play on the field.
33:03Like, of course they do, Donny.
33:05But, no, you have to understand, we watch week number one.
33:07Hey, this team stinks.
33:08Hey, this team's really good.
33:09Or, wow, I can't believe the Colts actually had a pulse.
33:12Now we start to get that, you know, backdraft, if you will, week number two.
33:16Like, ooh, I don't know if they were as good as they showed in week number one.
33:18After this week, Joe, we'll have a much clearer path to say, yeah, they played two good teams and won two games.
33:23Or this team was supposed to win their first two games that we thought of the schedule, and they lost both of those games.
33:27You will know so much more about the NFL once you get to next Tuesday morning.
33:31But before you get there, we've got to play the games.
33:33And that's what we love.
33:35It's a football Friday on the Sports Grid Network.
33:37It's the early line.
33:38We're coming back with bye, bye, bye, and the Fade to Public Hall next right here on The Grid.
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