- 3 hours ago
JP and BMitch preview what Washington's schedule could look like for next season with the NFL Schedule Release just days away.
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00:00Alright, I want to switch to the NFL schedule release, because we know it's coming next week.
00:04Eh, we don't know if it's coming next week. We know it's coming this month.
00:07They said it's coming in May, and the NFL schedule is interesting because there are so many games now.
00:14If you think about Thanksgiving week, there used to be two on Thanksgiving,
00:19then you'd have Sunday night and Monday night, so you still had plenty for Sunday afternoon.
00:24Now on Thanksgiving, you've got three on Thanksgiving Day, you've got one on Black Friday,
00:29then you still have Sunday night, Monday night.
00:31I think, I don't know if they are, if it officially happened, Dubby, maybe you can look this up,
00:36they were talking about adding a Wednesday, that Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, adding a game,
00:42which I can understand, because that's a national television window.
00:44Everybody's off, that's the biggest party night of the year, right?
00:48The game in Australia, isn't that going to be on Wednesday?
00:52That's the opener.
00:54So, I mean, yeah, like opening week in the NFL, you've now got a game Wednesday, Thursday,
00:59Sunday, Monday, right?
01:01So, what happens inevitably, and now they're going to play every Christmas and maybe Christmas Eve,
01:07I don't know what day of the year Christmas falls on this year,
01:10but like they're opening more windows to create national windows,
01:15largely to sell those to streaming services because they have more money than the whole world, right?
01:21So, when you do that, you create opportunities where Christmas is on a Friday.
01:28So, they'll have two games on Christmas on that Friday, which means fewer games that Sunday
01:32and then the following Monday, fewer options, right?
01:36When you create more and more national television windows, it means the traditional primetime games,
01:42which now is Thursday also.
01:44So, you're talking Thursday night, Sunday night, Monday night.
01:47You've just got fewer teams to fill it because you've got to fill all these other windows.
01:52Nah, the NFL can make it happen.
01:56I'm not saying they won't make it happen, but you end up with teams you don't really want to watch
02:01on Monday night football.
02:03I'm not saying people won't watch it.
02:05But you don't know that when the seasons start.
02:09And until they begin to flex Monday night, they've got to deal with what they've got to deal with.
02:14Well, and what's funny is I was talking with somebody about this last night,
02:17as we get closer and closer to the commander's schedule coming out.
02:21The commanders last year weren't good.
02:23Like, we knew they were pretty much cooked by Thanksgiving.
02:26Like, the thing was – the thing had gone bad.
02:28You had injuries all over the place.
02:30Defense was terrible.
02:31And yet, NBC did not – NBC had the opportunity.
02:35The November 30th game, week 13, Washington went into that game 3-8.
02:43Like, that was a flexible game, and they didn't.
02:47Now, is that a byproduct of having so many other games?
02:49Because that was Thanksgiving week?
02:51Or is that a byproduct of, yo, Jaden Daniels still moves the needle?
02:55Yeah.
02:55Who knows?
02:56It's about the quarterbacks.
02:57Do you think we see less commanders primetime games this year?
03:02Last year –
03:02How many of you had it last year?
03:04They had a Thursday night.
03:06They had a Monday night.
03:08Everybody had a Thursday night.
03:09So, they had a Thursday, two Mondays, two Sundays.
03:12And then they also played on Christmas, which was a national window.
03:14So, five – there were six, five or six.
03:17Five true primetimes, but they were national in Madrid, national on Christmas Day.
03:22They'll still have four.
03:23Yeah.
03:24That honestly sounds about right to me.
03:27I think – well, they definitely got a national with the London game.
03:32That's a national audience.
03:33Are you thinking the same as me?
03:35I feel like that's an early October, and I feel like if you look at Washington's home and away opponents,
03:42so that's going to be a home game is what we know, I think one of the AFC South teams
03:48that are headed to Washington to play.
03:52So, the commanders play both the NFC South – I'm sorry, the NFC West and the AFC South.
04:02And of the home teams they're hosting, the Texans and the Colts, those feel like the most let's send this
04:09game to Europe-y of me – for me.
04:11Now, I don't think it'll be a division game.
04:13I don't think it'll be the Seahawks, the Rams, who both are scheduled to come to Landover.
04:19They did play the Bengals once in London, so they could re-rack commanders.
04:23They could do.
04:23You know, Burgundy and Gold versus Tigers.
04:25So, you don't think it's going to be in Jacksonville?
04:28Jacksonville's in Jacksonville.
04:30So, that would – like, when we hear the talk of the commanders maybe playing a back-to-back in
04:34London,
04:34that's how that would happen, is they would host a game in London,
04:38and then they'd be the road team against Jacksonville, whether it's the week before or after.
04:43Yeah.
04:43So, I have a – I'm just thinking that may happen.
04:47You think the back-to-back in London is a real thing?
04:49I heard something through the grapevine that that could be from a fan who received an email that was quickly
04:58rescinded.
04:59Interesting.
04:59So, I don't know.
05:01I could – that would not shock me in the slightest, dude, if there was a back-to-back in
05:05London.
05:08I don't know how it's all going to happen, but I think Washington, as much as last year was bad,
05:15you still have a very, very marketable star in Jaden Daniels.
05:20But USA Today did this, of teams we need to see less of in primetime.
05:26The Atlanta Falcons last year had five primetime games and a Germany game.
05:33People were really fired up about Michael Penix, and it never really worked.
05:37Would you like to see more or less of Atlanta in primetime?
05:40Less.
05:41Agreed.
05:42Agreed.
05:43I mean, they have some talent on that team that I love, but I'm at a point where you got
05:50enough talent that I don't like to see.
05:52Do you know the first flexed game last season?
05:57No.
05:57So, they made it all the way to week 16 before the Dolphins and the Bengals got booted out of,
06:04I believe, a Sunday night game.
06:07There are two teams that should have been.
06:08I want to see way less Dolphins.
06:11The Dolphins and the Jets should play Sunday at 1 o'clock.
06:15Like, show me the highlights on red zone.
06:17That's all I need.
06:19I think the Dolphins are going to be terrible.
06:21Did you see Malik Willis' first pitch?
06:24The pitch is different than throwing the football.
06:26I know.
06:27Unless you're an athlete like B. Mitch.
06:29I'm just saying.
06:30The Dolphins are – I am not excited to see that.
06:34They also have –
06:35It was horrible, Jay.
06:36The Commanders are on this list.
06:38They wrote,
06:38In 2025, the league's schedule makers embraced a Washington team coming off an unexpected run to the NFC Championship game,
06:46giving the franchise five primetime games along with a Christmas slot and a standalone international window.
06:52The Commanders went on to lose all seven of those contests, though three of those defeats were only sealed on
06:58the last play.
06:59Is that a sign of a rapid reemergence?
07:01With Jaden Daniels getting a fresh slate after a spate of injuries spoiled his sophomore campaign,
07:06there's reason to believe Washington should be far more formidable in 2026.
07:10Yet the Commanders will be working in two first-time coordinators,
07:13with David Blau instituting what likely will be a more methodical offense that emphasizes more under-center work.
07:19That's not exactly a scintillating setup for a team that didn't do much from a personnel standpoint to support Daniels,
07:26who still lacks a viable number two target alongside Terry McLaurin.
07:30The Commanders should find a more stable resting point between the high of 24 and last season's Nader,
07:36but Washington remains decidedly outside of the NFC's prime classic contenders,
07:40and its schedule should reflect that reality.
07:43Does that seem fair to you?
07:45Yeah.
07:46Who would you say are the NFC's prime classic contenders?
07:49Seahawks, obviously.
07:50They just won it.
07:52The Rams, I would say.
07:53Seahawks, Rams.
07:54Eagles?
07:55Eagles are going to always be there,
07:56and then Dallas, for some mysterious reason, people just like to see.
07:59Niners?
08:01I think the Niners are losing there, Lester.
08:04What do you think of—
08:05They have to come out early and show something and show that they're going to be healthy.
08:11Because people are not going to keep believing,
08:13oh, if you get healthy, you're going to be good.
08:15Well, if you're always not healthy, you're not going to get healthy.
08:17They were in the divisional round last year, man.
08:19Yeah, cool.
08:19Last year was a hell of a job by that team.
08:21I think Purdy has to start doing more because just him being stable is not good enough.
08:30Quarterback play pushes the needle.
08:33It certainly does.
08:34Yeah.
08:34What do you make of the NFC North this year?
08:36You had the Bears, the Packers last season, Lions, who fell back to earth a bit last season,
08:44the Vikings, who may or may not have made a terrible decision letting Sam Darnold walk.
08:49Who do you like coming out of the NFC North currently?
08:53Do you believe in the Bears?
08:55I believe in Detroit coming back.
08:57Really?
08:57Yeah.
08:59The Bears are so—
09:00Detroit dealt with injuries for two years straight.
09:03And they still were causing problems.
09:05I think this year they can't have as many injuries.
09:08You lose David Montgomery.
09:10Yeah.
09:11He didn't—well, not having him on the roster—
09:15Might help.
09:16Might help because people don't have to be forced to use it.
09:19Gibbs is far better.
09:21What do you think of the Bears specifically?
09:25The Bears are going to be all over primetime.
09:26Get ready for that.
09:29They—a lot of people have said this.
09:31I'm not the first to say this.
09:32But Washington's season in 24 where you had a stud young quarterback and everything seemed to go their way.
09:39Right?
09:40Like the Bears got burned on the Hail Mary to Noah Brown in 24.
09:43Yeah, totally.
09:44Last year was like the opposite.
09:45Jaden Daniels fumbles late in the fourth quarter with what looked like a win in hand.
09:49And the Bears are able to sneak a win.
09:52What do you make of the Bears repeating their success when they just had a really opportunistic defense?
09:58They had a top-ten offense.
10:00It was well-balanced.
10:01They ran the hell out of the football.
10:02The kid, the none guy, was good.
10:04I just—when you thrive on turnovers like that, it gives me some pause.
10:11The Bears had a lot of luck like Washington did the year before.
10:17That is not going to work this year.
10:20Caleb has to get better or they're not going to be anywhere close to what they were.
10:25It's not about play horrible throughout the game, be 50% or sub-50%, and then have these magnificent passes
10:34at the end.
10:35You're going to have to be a 60% or higher guy and then at the end have some of
10:41that or it's not going to work for you.
10:43So he has to improve drastically for them to continue on what they've been doing.
10:47Dude, I also think Kyler Murray with the Vikings is going to be really intriguing to watch.
10:55I don't know how that shakes out.
10:57I mean, Murray, one, he's got to stay healthy.
11:01Kevin O'Connell is a coach I trust and believe in.
11:05I don't know whose decision it was to go get J.J. McCarthy, but clearly that didn't go so great.
11:10Well, you loved him, Jay, coming out.
11:12I did.
11:13I did.
11:16He never made that transition.
11:20I also loved him in the way after the top three.
11:26I loved him in a, I would take Jaden Drake-Caleb ahead of him.
11:30Yeah, but I'm just saying he was a guy where you got to look at what Jim Harbaugh ran in
11:38college.
11:39They ran the football.
11:42And they allowed him to throw it when teams tried to stop the run, which means that all the receivers
11:46had one-on-one.
11:47Or they were wide-ass open.
11:49He was never, he never carried his team.
11:52It's a reason I never had faith in him.
11:55He was never asked to.
11:56The guy that carried their team was the little running back.
11:59What was that dude, Nate?
12:01Blake Corum.
12:01Yeah.
12:02Local kid.
12:03Virginia kid.
12:03That's who carried him.
12:05Threw for fewer than 3,000 yards in 15 games.
12:09His completion percentage was through the roof.
12:11He completed 72% of his passes coming out of Michigan.
12:14But, yeah, the J.J. stuff, you think Kyler's their week one quarterback?
12:19Because all they're saying up there is straight competition, competition, competition.
12:23Who else is up there?
12:24Kyler and J.J.
12:26Kyler.
12:27I didn't see enough from J.J. to believe that he's that guy.
12:31Over under two and a half NFC North teams make the playoffs.
12:36We know one, Will.
12:38Over under two and a half, I'd go with under.
12:42So, you got the Packers and the Lions?
12:46About it, but it's not going to be more than two.
12:48Two years ago, they had three.
12:50They didn't want to be down this year.
12:52Over under two.
12:53They're going to beat each other's ass this year.
12:54It ain't going to happen.
12:55Over under two and a half for the NFC East.
12:59Hmm.
13:01The way it's set up now, one division's going to send three.
13:04Yeah.
13:05And I don't think it's the damn NFC South.
13:09I still go with under on that, too.
13:11So, then you think the NFC West again gets three in?
13:14Possibly.
13:15And that, it's not going to be the Cardinals.
13:17So, it'd be Niners, Rams, Seahawks again.
13:20Because all three of those teams seem to be fit for it.
13:23Well, you know what?
13:24NFC East is going to get three.
13:26NFC West is going to get two.
13:28One of those teams is going to fall off this year.
13:31It'll be.
13:33All right.
13:34Circling back to this.
13:34The two teams, the two other teams that USA Today says should have a lot less primetime games.
13:41And I agree with this.
13:42The Arizona Cardinals.
13:45We can use less of Arizona.
13:48Yeah.
13:48Yeah.
13:49Because they did nothing.
13:50I mean, I'm not impressed with them at all.
13:53Do you think Jeremiah Love...
13:54I feel like he's going into a bad situation.
13:57I feel like it's kind of similar to Ashton Jensen.
13:59It's a bad situation, but if they cater it around him and give him enough support, where
14:06Brissette is serviceable enough to take a little pressure off him, get the ball out of his hands, and then
14:15Love has the talent to change up some stuff there.
14:18For sure.
14:19Yeah.
14:19And then the last team that the entire world can agree we need less primetime of.
14:24You want to guess?
14:25Dallas?
14:26The Jets.
14:27Oh.
14:28Why would the Jets get any primetime, though?
14:30Because New York's the biggest media market in the world.
14:32Yeah, but they suck forever.
14:34Dude, I don't want to see any Jets games.
14:36Yeah, dude.
14:37I don't care if they're playing the Bills or the Patriots.
14:39They get one, at least.
14:40Everybody get one.
14:41They get a Thursday-nighter.
14:42Fine.
14:43Yeah, absolutely.
14:43That's all I need from the New York Jets.
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