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00:00It is a hump day Wednesday, but start your NFL action on a Thursday night and a huge
00:05game in the NFC West, Joe.
00:06You got the Rams traveling to Seattle to take on the Seahawks here.
00:09Going to be Darnold versus Stafford.
00:11We look at the line, open up around a minus one and a half point favorite for the Rams,
00:15still sitting in that range, Joe, but the under has been dropping here.
00:18Should I say the total 46 and a half at the opening numbers.
00:21We now see 44 and a half and 43 and a half starting to creep into the marketplace.
00:25You might ask why.
00:26Well, it is Seattle.
00:27Some rain is in the forecast, but not a lot.
00:28But Joe, 50 degree temperatures, sustained winds to start that game around 20 miles per
00:34hour here.
00:34Big game Thursday night.
00:35What's your spread line?
00:37Well, it's so funny, Donnie, right?
00:39Because this was the game we saw Sam Darnold throw what?
00:42Four interceptions in earlier this year.
00:46And boy, the Seahawks still almost won it.
00:49And now, of course, you've got injury concerns here with the Rams.
00:53But this game from the market perspective feels a lot like that Alabama OU game.
00:58You can't figure out who the favorite is.
01:00It keeps going back and forth.
01:01The Rams are a point favorite.
01:03The Seahawks are a point favorite.
01:05The only thing everyone seems to be a consensus on is that the total is way too high.
01:1044 and a half.
01:11It's a key number here, right?
01:1343 is a pretty key number in totals in the NFL.
01:17I agree.
01:17I tend to think, especially with the injuries, maybe less is coming scoring-wise in this one.
01:23Saturday night football in the NFL.
01:25It's going to be Green Bay and Chicago.
01:26The NFL made certainly a marked choice a couple years ago to make sure we got these divisional
01:30games late in the season.
01:31And they're paying dividends.
01:32Thursday night game, Saturday night game.
01:34Love and Williams favorite here.
01:35Green Bay slightly, though, down from three and a half to about one and a half marketplace.
01:39And you see that total at 46 and a half, Joe.
01:41What's your spread line for this game?
01:43Packers and the Bears.
01:45It is all Bears money, Donnie.
01:47All Bears money.
01:49Keep an eye on this one.
01:50Need to know exactly who's playing and not.
01:52But my goodness, nobody is buying.
01:54The Packers here on the road is a favorite, apparently.
01:57They're taking as much Bear stock as possible here.
02:01We'll have to keep an eye on this one.
02:0366% of those tickets coming in on those Chicago Bears.
02:07Nobody wants the Packers after Micah Parsons went down.
02:09We'll find out on Saturday night.
02:11We'll be right back with more NFL Hot Topics next.
02:14Playoffs?
02:15Playoffs?
02:15Yeah, the playoffs are coming up soon here.
02:17We've got three games left in the regular season before we hit those wild card rounds
02:21here.
02:21If we take a quick snapshot, if the season ended today, what that field would look like.
02:25How about the number one seeds in the NFL, starting in the AFC?
02:29The Denver Broncos, starting in the NFC.
02:31The Los Angeles Rams, making the playoffs in the AFC.
02:34Houston, Buffalo, Los Angeles, New England, Jacksonville, and Pittsburgh.
02:39If we flip it over to the NFC, it's the Green Bay Packers.
02:42It is the Chicago Bears, the Niners, the Eagles, the Seahawks, and the Buccaneers.
02:46A lot's going to be changed down the stretch over the next three games, which includes those
02:51Pittsburgh Steelers currently sitting there in the four spot, which would mean that they
02:55would win their division with the four seed and also heading into the playoffs with a home
02:58game here.
02:59Huge game on Monday night football for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they upended the Miami
03:03Dolphins.
03:03The rest of their schedule, Joe, the Detroit Lions and the Browns, both on the road, and
03:08then that pivotal game for the Baltimore Ravens, the final game of the season.
03:12As football fans here, well, maybe not Steeler fans, you hope that that final game of the
03:15season means the winner goes to the playoffs, the loser goes home, and a conference championship
03:20could be on the horizon.
03:22Because why?
03:22They won the division with an automatic spot in the playoffs, Joe.
03:27Yeah.
03:27I mean, listen, Pittsburgh understands what's ahead of them here, right?
03:31Basically, just win, and you're in.
03:34It's that simple here.
03:36You've got a leg up on Baltimore now.
03:38You have those games coming up.
03:41I don't want to say the Detroit game is not going to make or break them one way or the
03:44other, because it's not like Baltimore is playing a cupcake schedule either.
03:48I mean, they still have to get past the Patriots, who if the Patriots win, they're in.
03:53So there's a lot on the line in Week 16.
03:56But it's simple, Pittsburgh.
03:58Win the games, and you're in.
04:00It's that you don't need help from anybody else.
04:02And I think that's, as you head into Week 16, Donnie, what else could you ask for if
04:06you're Pittsburgh at this point?
04:08You always want to control your own destiny.
04:10You don't want to have to scoreboard.
04:11They say, turn the scoreboards off.
04:12Let's win our game here, and let's move on in the playoffs as we go.
04:15Another big topic, which came out on Monday night, was the Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa.
04:19We headed for a fractured relationship.
04:20The one thing, though, Joe, when you pay quarterbacks a lot of money, they always like to say it's
04:25cheaper to keep, right?
04:26So you look at Tua Tagovailoa.
04:27Yeah, let's trade him and move on, Joe.
04:29You wrecked your entire payroll for 2026.
04:32It's almost better to bench him and keep him on your football team so you don't take
04:35that cap hit and you can still hit the free agent market.
04:38Tua Tagovailoa has not been sensational by any means.
04:40It feels like, Joe, he's just a dome, warm-weather quarterback.
04:44And you get him anywhere outside, you see the flaws.
04:47And the one thing that really hurts Tua is what?
04:49Not a lot of arm strength, but also, Joe.
04:51If you're going to be that short in stature, you better come with some Kyler Murray quicks here,
04:55which says, OK, well, he can move maneuver out of the pocket.
04:57And if you rush him, he can run for yards.
04:59He can't run for yards.
05:00He's too slow.
05:01He has a soft arm.
05:02And he throws way too many interceptions.
05:04This isn't working in Miami.
05:06Now, well, I mean, he's obviously looks like he has regressed this year, right?
05:11With, what, 2,600 yards, I think 20 touchdowns in 14 games.
05:17Not good.
05:18I mean, leading the league in the picks is the big problem there.
05:21But again, I'm just curious here, McD, who are you going to?
05:26Like, I'm sorry, who gives you a better chance to win than Tua?
05:31Are you telling me Zach Wilson is the guy you're going to turn to?
05:35Or Quinn yours, who was the emergency backup for most of the, like, what are you talking about?
05:42Listen, you can say whatever you want.
05:44The reality is one surefire way to lose that locker room is to put a guy under center.
05:49Everyone in that locker room knows can't win the game.
05:52And that would be Zach Wilson.
05:54Who are we kidding here, Donnie?
05:56I mean, I understand this, too, for Miami.
05:58Like, we have what we think is a very good play car and an innovative head coach.
06:02You also have one of the best young running backs in the NFL in Devon A. Chan.
06:06You also had, and again, I understand, you know, injuries do pop into it.
06:08Tyreek Hill on one side and Jalen Waddell on the other, and it never worked out.
06:11Like, that's not an offensive problem.
06:13That's a quarterback problem.
06:15Give any other, like Matthew Stafford, right?
06:17He's got Puket works.
06:18You know, Jalen Hurts has two dominant wide receivers.
06:21Take that skill position and move them around to a competent quarterback.
06:24That's a damn good football team.
06:25More importantly, Joe, a playoff football team.
06:27The one common denominator is Tua Tagovailoa.
06:29Just can't get it done at this point here.
06:32You know, another guy that actually can't get it done is Jaden Daniels.
06:34Not because we don't think he's a good quarterback.
06:36He's just too injured in his sophomore season.
06:39They went to the NFC Championship game last year.
06:41Now they're headed home for the holidays, and they told their quarterback,
06:44enjoy the break.
06:45We don't want to see you again.
06:46And he should be ecstatic about that.
06:49And I get it.
06:50I mean, you were 12-5 a year ago, right?
06:53Offensive Rookie of the Year.
06:54It was great.
06:56You had all, everything to look forward to this season.
06:59But you've already had three injuries this season.
07:02A knee sprain.
07:03You had a hamstring issue.
07:06And now you've got a dislocated elbow.
07:07Now's the time to hang it up and call it a year, all right?
07:10And you start over again next year.
07:12But yeah, injuries were a big problem, not just for him, but for this Washington team.
07:18Hopefully, they get it all straightened out.
07:20You reset the clock.
07:21You start again next year.
07:23Absolutely.
07:23Taking a look at the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe.
07:25We actually see them way over the cap.
07:27But understand this.
07:28An owner brings out a pen, writes a couple checks.
07:31They're $40 million under the cap.
07:32Some of that stuff is a little bit more of a mirage.
07:35More hot topics on the way.
07:36Next.
07:37Big game on Thursday Night Football in the NFL.
07:39And it's the NFC West going to town.
07:42The Los Angeles Rams taking a plane ride up to Seattle, the Pacific Northwest,
07:46to take on those Seahawks.
07:47Sam Darnold versus Matthew Stafford.
07:49But this line, Joe, sits around minus one, minus one and a half,
07:52depending on where he's shopping at.
07:53And the total, as we told you, opened up at that 46 and a half number.
07:55Now down to 43 and a half at a lot of outlets here.
07:58Why?
07:58Because there's wind in the atmosphere in Seattle.
08:02See how that plays into it.
08:03But understand this.
08:04Matthew Stafford is a dome quarterback.
08:06Matthew Stafford's got an absolute cannon.
08:07I don't know how much is going to affect him.
08:09But answer me this, Joe.
08:10You look at these two teams playing.
08:12They're two good teams vying for the top seed in the NFC, which is a huge deal.
08:16The Rams don't want to leave the dome.
08:17Seattle has a great home field advantage in Seattle.
08:20But understand this.
08:21What did we see last year heading down the stretch with everything in their grasp?
08:26It was the Minnesota Vikings.
08:27They had Sam Darnold as a quarterback.
08:30They got beat up by the Detroit Lions.
08:33Then went into the playoffs and got cracked by the same Los Angeles Rams.
08:36I look at this game and say, Sam Darnold, you need this one.
08:40If he plays subpar on Thursday, what are we led to believe?
08:43Ah, Seattle's a nice team, but it's Sam Darnold.
08:46He can't win the big game.
08:47Talk about Sam Darnold in this game and what it means for him and the Seahawks moving forward.
08:53Well, if you can take anything away from that week 11 game, right?
08:57You can say, listen, I was the worst game ever.
09:01Four interceptions.
09:02And yet, we still only lost 21 to 19, right?
09:06It wasn't like he folded, Donnie, after he had that kind of game.
09:09So, and keep in mind, that was in SoFi.
09:13That was nice, cushy, SoFi Stadium.
09:16Now you get him in your building.
09:18You know you have a defense that has allowed 21 or fewer points in 11 of 14 games this season.
09:25If I'm Sam Darnold, I don't have to do anything crazy.
09:29Like, I don't have to go out there and expect to throw for 300-plus yards.
09:33But you just can't give the Rams easy possessions like you did.
09:39If you eliminate the turnovers, if I'm Sam Darnold, I'm going, just don't protect the ball,
09:45and we're going to win this game.
09:46Our defense is going to do what they got to do, and we should be able to run the ball
09:51in these conditions with our own home crowd.
09:53You're right about that, too.
09:54And it's funny because Darnold was awful against the Rams, and yet they still have a chance
09:58to win that game.
09:59We'll see if it changes.
10:00The one thing I do like about this game, too, is these aren't one-trick pony type of teams.
10:04Like, we know Matthew Stafford can do it through the air.
10:06Devontae Adams will not play in this game with that hamstring injury.
10:08I don't even know if he's going to play the rest of the regular season.
10:11Probably look forward to him in the playoffs.
10:12Puka Nakua is dominant.
10:13They have a great play caller in Sean McVay, but they also have a two-headed monster now
10:17in the backfield for the Rams where, if conditions aren't great, they can run the football.
10:20And, oh, yeah, look at Seattle.
10:21They got two quality running backs as well.
10:24So these two teams are probably very equipped to play in some challenging weather conditions
10:28because, also, Joe, both have really good defenses.
10:30So I can see windy conditions, game with so much on the line, it feels like a playoff game
10:35where that line is dipping.
10:36But, also, Joe, value sometimes in the eye of the beholder.
10:39You get a little bit too low in these two teams that you know can kick it up on offense
10:42with big-time weapons.
10:43You might go, wait a second.
10:44How did this game end up 21 to 17 and a half?
10:46I need one touchdown in the second half to get this total.
10:49It could happen.
10:50But if we are looking at the quarterbacks with slightly, let's just say, some weather challenges
10:54here, which way would you like to go?
10:55Because it looks now that we have a little bit of movement.
10:58You see on the graphic, 231 and a half is the passing prop for both of these quarterbacks.
11:02Matthew Stafford is actually up two yards currently to 233 and a half.
11:06They are decent passing numbers for a windy game that could be possibly expected.
11:10Who are we playing in this game, Darnold or Stafford?
11:13I think we're playing them under in both, if we're being completely honest.
11:17And, again, we got to keep an eye on exactly who is available here to Stafford.
11:22But this doesn't feel as much about the quarterbacks as it's going to be about both sets of running
11:27backs, right, Donnie, in this game.
11:29Because if I had to guess, I would think McVay is going to give Stafford more of an opportunity
11:37maybe to throw the ball in the red zone than what McDonald will give Sam Donald.
11:43Like, you can't have Sam Donald throwing the ball in the red zone.
11:45Like, you better be able to run it.
11:46So, if I was looking for maybe over one and a half touchdowns, I think I would look towards
11:51Stafford because I think there's going to be more trust there.
11:55Just don't put Sam Donald in a position in a windy game there in the elements to try and
12:01make big time passes in big moments.
12:04I'll tell you the one interesting thing, too, Joe, is when you look at wide receivers that
12:07are absolutely surefire home runs in the red zone, it's Devontae Adams.
12:11He won't be there.
12:12So, maybe Puka opens up a little bit more for a touchdown proper.
12:14You get some of those tight ends that will be involved.
12:17But we all know, Joe, first and goal from the three, that's not a run for the Rams.
12:20That's a quick slant to Devontae Adams, and he won't be there, as we said.
12:23So, there's some of those anytime touchdown props.
12:25We look at Puka Nakua at a plus 100 price.
12:27Kyron Williams, 115.
12:28Jackson, Smith, and Jigba, fantastic wideout, plus 110.
12:31Then Walker and Charbonnet.
12:33If I had to do my double down in this game, Joe, like, I'd take a look and say, all right,
12:36well, give me Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet, 165 and 175, and say, I'm going to get
12:40one rushing touchdown.
12:41That's the way I would play it.
12:43Who do you think finds pay dirt in this game Thursday night?
12:46Well, if you like Seattle, they're going to have to find pay dirt, Donnie.
12:50It's going to have to be done on the ground here in this game.
12:54But, you know, you mentioned it there.
12:56Parkinson, if you guys didn't see the game last week, the minute Devontae Adams went
13:00down, he all of a sudden became the favorite target of Matt Stafford here, both down the
13:06seam and in the red zone.
13:08So it would not shock me if the Rams tight end gets a lot more love in this game.
13:14Take a look here at those rushing props.
13:17And again, pretty evenly spread it out.
13:18Kyron Williams for the Rams, 55 and a half.
13:20His backfield mate, Blake Corum, 38 and a half.
13:23You take a look at the Seattle Seahawks.
13:25Kenneth Walker, the third, 45 and a half.
13:26And close behind, Charbonnet at 35 and a half.
13:29Any running backs that pique your attention in this game?
13:31We talked about the touchdown props.
13:33Who's going to get the bulk of the backfield work here?
13:35Yeah, that's that's going to be the it seems like it's a 60 40 split right now is kind
13:43of what we're starting to see there.
13:45And I think maybe just a hot hand, Donnie.
13:47I mean, I don't know that you can zone in on one guy or the other because it does feel
13:52like we've seen Kyron Williams get some red zone opportunities.
13:56We've seen Blake Corum get them as well.
13:58So it feels like both coaches like going with whoever has the hot hand at the time.
14:04But, you know, Charbonnet feels like the guy on the goal line that is most likely to
14:08get the carries.
14:10Now, you're not getting any discounts here at that wide receiver position because we got
14:13two flat out superstars.
14:15It's Puka Nakua and it's Jackson Smith and Jigba.
14:17You look at Puka Nakua.
14:18He's at 94 and a half.
14:20Jackson Smith and Jigba, 91 and a half.
14:22Both of those guys will be around that number.
14:24So the value might be, again, a little bit down the list in those number two options.
14:28Cooper Cup, 33 and a half.
14:30Rashid Shaheed, 35 and a half.
14:31Because the one thing we do know is defenses aren't stupid.
14:34They're going to come into the game and say, we got to slow down Puka.
14:36We're going to double him.
14:37We're going to roll coverage over.
14:38Somebody else has to win.
14:40And also, Joe, the correlated markets that you look at.
14:42Okay, well, Puka gets his.
14:43Jackson Smith and Jigba gets his.
14:45Let's just say both of those guys go for 100 yards.
14:47Well, we just saw the quarterback props, Joe.
14:49230, let's call it.
14:50There's still 130 yards passing on both of these quarterback sides that somebody else has to
14:55pick up.
14:56So outside of Puka and JSN, are we looking at Rashid Shaheed finally starting to get back
15:00into rhythm there with Sam Darnold?
15:02Here's a deep shot.
15:03Cooper Cup reliable in the slot.
15:05Or take a look at some of those other opportunities here, which aren't up yet because we're waiting
15:09to see once Devontae Adams is ruled out, who pops in to that secondary slot at the wide
15:13receiver spot.
15:14Well, you're right about Rashid Shaheed, right?
15:18Because his number is extremely low.
15:20And it took him a little while, obviously, to get on the same page and get up to speed.
15:25But the way I see it is he's gotten, what, 67 and 74 receiving yards the last two weeks.
15:30Yeah.
15:31On 12 total targets in those games.
15:34So no reason for me to think that they're going to go away from him now.
15:38And listen, teams have the guy that they want to stop, right, on Seattle.
15:43And that leaves, you know, Shaheed in a pretty good opportunity to catch some passes.
15:48What was the number?
15:4932 and a half, 33 and a half total receiving yards?
15:52I'll go over.
15:53I got no problem with that.
15:54All right.
15:55Let's take a look here, Joe, at the NFC West winner.
15:58Because there are three teams vying for it.
16:00Two teams with 11 wins, one team with 10 wins here.
16:02The Rams, the Seahawks, and the 49ers.
16:04The Rams are the favorite at minus 165, followed by the Seahawks at plus 220.
16:08And then there's the Niners at a plus 650 price with an easy schedule down the stretch.
16:13Any biting there for the 49ers at plus 650?
16:16Or do you just feel the winner of this football game will win that division?
16:20It feels like, well, you know, Seattle does themselves a huge favor.
16:25They'll notch a playoff appearance, right, with a win against the Rams.
16:29I think the Rams have already guaranteed themselves a playoff spot here.
16:34So, you know, it's not do or die for the Rams.
16:37I think Seattle like to get it done.
16:39But why are we sleeping with that schedule on the 49ers?
16:43You know, the 49ers at that price could very well these two teams slip up.
16:49Oh, boy.
16:50Big week 16 in the NFL.
16:52A lot to be decided, which includes a monster game on Thursday night.
16:56Two games on Saturday.
16:57Full slate on Sunday.
16:58And then a Monday night football game.
16:59Then we head into Christmas week, which, again, gets us some of those midweek games that we absolutely love to see.
17:04But let's start and talk about a game here that's going to be played on Sunday afternoon, Joe, at 1 p.m.
17:09It's a game between the Los Angeles Chargers in the thick of the playoff race in the AFC with maybe a chance to win the division if things go right for them.
17:16And maybe not so well for the Denver Broncos.
17:18But understand this.
17:19The Dallas Cowboys are fighting for their playoff lives.
17:21But, Joe, there is a caveat here.
17:23You see the graphic on the screen.
17:25Cowboys are favored by minus 2.5, a total of 49.5.
17:28The Philadelphia Eagles play the Washington Commanders on Saturday at 5 o'clock.
17:32Should the Philadelphia Eagles, Joe, win that game, Dallas is officially out of the playoffs.
17:37So how do we play this moving in?
17:39Now, also, it's not as if that if Dallas is not eligible for the playoffs on Sunday afternoon,
17:45Dak Prescott doesn't play, CeeDee Lamb hits the IR, and they don't play George Pickens.
17:49We're still too early in the season for that final game of the season to not get guys hurt.
17:53Does that come into your psyche at all?
17:55Do you want to watch Saturday play out before?
17:57Because, also, the added incentive is if Washington pulls the upset on Philadelphia,
18:03you might get an extra motivated Dallas Cowboys squad.
18:07Yeah, well, a lot depends on that.
18:09But either way, I just don't know whether or not we can trust Dallas in this spot here.
18:15And give the Chargers credit.
18:17My goodness.
18:18You know, there were some doubts here of what they'd be able to do on the road against Kansas City,
18:23and they put those to bed, and, you know, a lot of injuries coming out of that last week's Dallas game,
18:30Donnie, including Quinton Williams, who left with a concussion late in that game.
18:34So there are a lot of question marks I have regarding this Dallas team.
18:39The one thing I can tell you is it appears the Chargers have rallied around, figured some things out.
18:45They got their running game going again.
18:48A very dangerous team indoors.
18:50Yes, I know Dak's been great at home, but you know what?
18:53Justin Herbert's an indoor quarterback as well.
18:56Man, this feels like, if anything, maybe we're getting a few more points than people think in this game.
19:02Yeah, Noah, it's a dome game, and you get ready to go and also take a look at Herbert.
19:06As we said again, that hand, that extra couple weeks here to get ready.
19:09You saw that with on Monday Night Football.
19:10Say, hey, man, broken wrist here for Aaron Rodgers.
19:12Looks pretty good with that broken wrist here a couple weeks after that injury.
19:16Buffalo and Cleveland, they'll tee it up on Sunday afternoon at 1 o'clock.
19:19Windy conditions in Cleveland and colder conditions.
19:21If we look at the estimated temperature at kickoff, Joe, 25 degrees.
19:26You say, ooh, that's really cold.
19:27How about 20-mile-an-hour sustained winds on top of that?
19:30It's going to be frigid.
19:32Shador Sanders played last week in Chicago, freezing cold temperatures.
19:36He's going back to Cleveland, freezing cold temperatures.
19:38Boy, I wish there was one quarterback in the NFL that you could just print out of a 3-D printer and say,
19:43he's perfect for weather.
19:44That's Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills.
19:46They're 10-and-a-half point favorites over Cleveland and a total, Joe, at 42-and-a-half.
19:53The question is, is Buffalo going to win this game?
19:55What's that offense going to look like with Shador Sanders in freezing cold and super windy conditions?
20:00Yeah, well, I mean, listen, I think the Bills have played the Browns, I think, five times over the last couple of years here.
20:08They're 5-and-0 straight up and against the number.
20:11And Josh Allen always plays better against elite defenses, good defensive teams, as opposed to the bad ones, Donnie.
20:21Teams that allow 20 points or less on defense a game, he's 28-9-1 against the number in his career.
20:27It's the teams that are terrible defensively that he seems to struggle covering spreads against.
20:33I would expect this to be right up Josh Allen's alley.
20:37I think the running game will get going.
20:39They will just wear down this defense of the Browns.
20:42And that'll be evident.
20:43I think the bigger question is, does Miles Garrett get a sack of Josh Allen?
20:47And if he does, how many is he getting?
20:50And does he break the record here doing it by sacking Josh Allen a couple of times?
20:55How about this next game, Joe?
20:57Talking about T.J. Watt, is he going to be able to sack anybody?
21:00Is he coming back this week?
21:01Because they're going to need him.
21:01They're going to play the Detroit Lions, who right now are on fire on offense.
21:05But their defense is actually on fire as well.
21:08Yeah, no order to put out that bad defense here.
21:11Aaron Rodgers is going to go on the road and play in a dome.
21:13That's one thing here.
21:14But Detroit is at home.
21:15We know they play better in domes, at least offensively they do.
21:18They were in a dome last week, couldn't defend anything.
21:19But yet again, who's defending the Rams right now anyway?
21:22This line opened up at six and a half, Joe.
21:24A lot of outlets now are sitting at seven in a total of 51 and a half, which is up from
21:2849 and a half with multiple marketplaces, Joe, sitting at 52 points.
21:34Contrarian, yes.
21:3585% of the tickets on the over.
21:36I get it here.
21:37But Pittsburgh, what's their MO and their game plan?
21:39Can they keep it within seven?
21:40Or are they saying to themselves, ah, next week we got Cleveland.
21:44We'll be just fine to get back on track.
21:46I mean, this Lions team is crazy.
21:48I think it's the last 10 games, Donnie, they've alternated wins and losses.
21:53I mean, we all know Lions off a loss, right?
21:56It's always been like, oh, hurry up and run to the window and getting it.
22:00It's going to be interesting.
22:02I will say this.
22:03Steelers been very good early in games.
22:06Them and the Patriots, it's the second half that maybe sometimes you got to scratch your
22:11head with.
22:12But Detroit also been very good early in games.
22:15Call me crazy, but I'm thinking a first half over, Donnie, in this game with these two
22:21offenses that like to come out.
22:23They are both very good early in games.
22:26The adjustments are going to have to come and then figure it out.
22:29But Detroit, 33 and 13 in the first half against the number when they play indoors.
22:36Kind of hard to look at anything but Detroit in this one.
22:39Yeah, I'm interested to see it because Pittsburgh is really, you know, their game is, yes, they
22:43can put up points when they need to.
22:44But they really want to play good defense and have that short passing game work and see
22:47how it figures out.
22:48With Detroit, it's the opposite.
22:49They're just trying to break home runs on every play.
22:51We'll see how that holds up where it's now really good weather conditions and Aaron Rodgers
22:54in a dome.
22:55We'll see how that one turns out.
22:56Kenneth Gainwell has turned into a really nice backup option for Jalen Warren and now
23:00also playing on even terms here moving forward.
23:03We'll see how that game plays out.
23:04Huge game in the AFC.
23:06Baltimore needs a win, no doubt about it.
23:08But so do the New England Patriots.
23:09So, well, Donnie, they're one of the best teams in the AFC.
23:11We want to see why they need a win because we want to see them against competition where
23:14we see light competition.
23:15New England's got a lot of wins under the belt against inferior competition.
23:18Let's not take that away.
23:19You can only play who's on your schedule.
23:21But it will mean a lot if New England goes on the road and meets the Baltimore Ravens
23:25in their own with Lamar Jackson.
23:27Here's the interesting caveat in this game.
23:29Line opened up at FanDuel 2.5.
23:31Still sits today at 2.5.
23:33Eight out of every 10 tickets, though, Joe, still coming in on the New England Patriots.
23:37Do the Patriots bounce back and beat a quality football team?
23:40Technically, because this isn't the Ravens team that we've seen over the past couple
23:43years with great records here.
23:45New England on the road against Baltimore.
23:46What happens here?
23:48Yeah, I mean, they blew a 21-0 lead last week, the Patriots.
23:53But the good news is this year, awful loss, Donnie.
23:57I believe they're 2-0 straight up and against the number here.
24:01But that 21-point loss is kind of historic because that didn't happen very often, even
24:06when Vrabel was a player in there.
24:08I think Lamar Jackson's getting a little healthier right now.
24:13I think that offense might be getting a little bit healthier.
24:16And Lamar is another guy that has been very good at night in the prime time under the lights
24:23in his career.
24:25I think Baltimore has been playing do-or-die football for a while now.
24:29I think if Lamar is healthier like he looks, I think this could be back-to-back losses for
24:35the New England Patriots.
24:37We take a look at Baltimore, Joe, and it just seems like, you know, some teams we just can't
24:41quit.
24:41Like, we can't quit the Kansas City Chiefs until the quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, blows
24:44his knee out and they're actually out of the playoffs to say, OK, we can't put money
24:47on them.
24:47But Baltimore always seems like that team we're used to making into the playoffs, used to
24:51not going deep, but you can't quit them because it's Lamar Jackson.
24:54It's Derrick Henry.
24:55It's a defense that usually shows up here, right?
24:57And I still feel like Baltimore is the one team, and almost the way I think about the
25:01Philadelphia Eagles, but the Eagles a little bit better than Baltimore right now, the team
25:04that can catch lightning in a bottle at a really good price and make you some money.
25:07It still feels like it's Baltimore until it's not.
25:11And this game moving forward, Joe, the New England game, if they beat New England, that
25:15bus is going to start filling up once again on the Baltimore Ravens.
25:18I'm telling you, it is.
25:20Yeah, yeah, it is.
25:21But again, this is experience matters.
25:23We saw experience, the lack of it, bite New England last week against Buffalo.
25:29Now they're going to an even more experienced team against Baltimore, who again, their season's
25:34been on the line for a while.
25:36And not a lot of adversity with the New England Patriots team here this season there, Donnie.
25:41So experience matters this time of year in December.
25:45Also, we're starting to get to that point, Joe, where the NFL coaches are going to start
25:49to tip their hand, which is something they don't like to do.
25:52Like right now, Sean McVay is still telling you he doesn't know if Devontae Adams is going
25:55to play Thursday night.
25:56He's out.
25:56Don't worry about it.
25:57Don't listen to Sean McVay.
25:58He's out.
25:59But wait till you see weeks 17 and 18, where they tell you, we're going with the backups in
26:03this game.
26:04Use that information accordingly, people.
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