Good morning to you. It is a Monday. I don't know if it feels like a Monday.
I don't know if it feels like 2023, but Happy New Year to you. We are back into our regular routine, for better or for worse. And we are sorting through, sifting through the rubble of Week 17, if you will. A handful of teams eliminated, finally and completely, from post-season contention.
A couple of teams who have clinched their playoff births. And others who have put themselves in position to drive that bus into Week 18. Can you believe it?
We are talking about one week and one game remaining in the NFL regular season. I can't believe it. I can't believe that we've turned the page on a new year. I can't believe that the NFL post-season is on the horizon. I know changing the calendar to January doesn't necessarily mean that all of a sudden we get a fresh page, a blank page, we get to start over.
It doesn't necessarily work that way. But I know that sometimes, when the year that was was a tough one, it's nice to be able to look forward and think, okay, this is something new. And so I appreciate all of your New Year and holiday messages and also your congrats on our 10 years. Yeah, Monday marks the start of the second decade of CBS Sports Radio. I'm working on a blog post.
I have a video for you a little bit later on. Actually, my 10-year anniversary with CBS Sports Radio isn't until Tuesday. My very first show with the network was January 3, 2013.
And I remember thinking, this is brilliant. Brilliant by the founders of the network that we would start right as the NFL post-season is kicking off. Now at that point, the NFL playoffs would begin with the new year. Now the schedule has shifted a little bit.
But yeah, I remember thinking, thank God, we don't need to worry about what to talk about and how to keep people entertained. No, the NFL is doing that for us. And if I remember correctly, it was Niners with Colin Kaepernick as their starting quarterback against the Ravens in the Super Bowl in 2013. So following the 2012 season and it was, again, I think I'm remembering this correctly. It was a long time ago. It was in New Orleans at the Superdome and the lights went out in the third quarter and there was a big delay.
And so the game almost didn't finish by the time I went on the air on that Sunday night. But yeah, for 10 years, we've had the privilege of doing the official CBS Sports Radio Super Bowl postgame show. And we will have that honor again to start the second decade, year 11.
So thank you for all of your messages on Twitter, ALawRadio, on our Facebook page too. We've got our Monday mortification poll up that's new in the 2022 NFL season. It's one of our most popular features every week because misery loves company. And the Ravens are in our poll. Now we went back and forth on a few different options.
I didn't feel great about using two teams from the same division, though that was certainly an option. You can check out that poll and let us know who you think wakes up on this Monday morning feeling the most miserable, morose, morbid, moody, melancholy, just downright mad about the way things have played out. So again, on Twitter or Facebook, and again, thank you for all of your New Year and holiday messages. I got a lot of people asking me what I did on New Year's Eve. I watched football. What did you do on New Year's Eve? The Ohio State Miss field goal was taking place at the exact same point that the ball was dropping in Times Square in New York City.
And here's my thought. Football is greater than the Times Square ball on New Year's Eve. But yeah, I was in my sweatpants.
The dog was snoring. We were enjoying just being home in the comfy chair. I know it makes me sound old. I do not care. I hope that you enjoyed your New Year's Eve, whether it was football or with some other ball. The Ravens and the Steelers.
Classic. Ravens Steelers week. This game taking place in Baltimore on Sunday night and still no Lamar Jackson. And obviously that's a major challenge because the Ravens offense is built around Lamar Jackson. We knew they were going into this season with an inexperienced receiving corps. So trying to, a little bit like the Green Bay Packers, though they do have a couple more veterans on their receiving roster, but trying to bring guys up and grow them and train them and mold them and turn them into pros.
Even as they're playing in games that matter. And so we've seen different guys step up for the Ravens, but without Lamar Jackson, the road is a lot tougher. Now the defense has been amazing. Did you know the Ravens defense had not allowed a touchdown at home since before Halloween?
And so we knew it would be tough sledding. And then you think knock down, drag out against the Pittsburgh Steelers. One of the things that the Steelers have done this season, it's a theme. They obviously want it to change moving forward and maybe it will as Kenny Pickett gets more snaps under his belt. They've left points out there on the field. Right? So they've had opportunities.
They don't always capitalize. And that was happening on Sunday Night Football as well. Getting up close and personal with the goal line, but not getting across the goal line. But something that they did do very well, in addition to move the ball and get the field goals, they ran the ball. They stole the play out of the Ravens playbook. They were able to stop the run and keep the Ravens from ramming it down their throats. They loaded up the box, but they rushed for nearly 200 yards.
For the first time all season, the Ravens give up a 100-yard rusher, Najee Harris, who has had a fantastic second half of the year, I know, because he was one of my top scorers on my championship fantasy football team. I know you don't care. I just wanted to point that out. That's how I know.
For sure. Thank you Alexander Ovechkin for being excited for me. Alright, so Steelers are trailing late in this game in Baltimore.
The Ravens defense does not give up touchdowns. It's Kenny Pickett. It's a rookie. At what point do we no longer think of him as a rookie? He delivers right off the top. And so that rookie quarterback that has so much pressure on his shoulders, trying to help the Steelers stay alive in this playoff race, he steps up and fires one and flips the field right away. Steelers send a tight end to the far sideline, go with that extra wideout. Is this not reminiscent of a week ago, Billy?
I hope it ends up the same way. He too. First and 10, Pickett at his own 30, shotgun snap, five man rush, peels back out of the left, throws it on the run, and Friar Muth with a diving catch at Midfield, a 20-yard gain. Pat Friar Muth coming back in front of Brandon Stevens.
Okay, hold on. Did you hear the Muth cheers in the background? This game was in Baltimore, and there were a lot of terrible towels there. A lot of Steelers fans. It's obviously not a far drive to get from Pittsburgh to Baltimore.
However, I wouldn't have expected them to be making that much noise, and yet you can hear them. And Friar Muth with a diving catch at Midfield, a 20-yard gain. Pat Friar Muth.
Bill Hillgrove on Steelers radio. And so there's the 20-yarder to Pat Friar Muth, and then right after that, Stephen Sims takes a short pass from Pickett, and he rumbles 30 yards. And so with these two big pass plays for the rookie QB, they flipped the field on this final possession.
Still though, to settle for another field goal, it wouldn't get the job done. They needed to punch it in. Pickett in the gun. Empties the set. Third lead at the 10. Gets the snap.
He looks. Chased out of the pocket. Steps out of a tackle. Throws it for the goal line. Touchdown, Najee Harris. Najee, from 10 yards out, and Pickett did a Houdini to make that play possible.
And the Steelers jump ahead of Baltimore. Not only did Najee Harris go over 100 yards rushing, he hauls in the winning touchdown catch, or the go-ahead touchdown catch, with 56 seconds remaining. This is one of those drives that gives the team confidence, but also that your rookie QB looks back on. That the team looks back on and knows, hey, this guy has got the goods. He's got what it takes.
And, well, we know the defense has got what it takes. The ball at the 38. 20 seconds to go. Second and 10 for Baltimore.
Huntley, empty set. Four-man rush. He dances out of there.
He runs to his right. Throws it down the field. Intercepted.
Mika Fitzpatrick, number six on the year, and the Steelers seal the deal in Baltimore. Man, really proud of those guys in that locker room. Another challenging week. Hostile environment.
Primetime television on the road. You know, those guys didn't blink. We obviously fell short of perfection, man, in a lot of areas, the penalties and things. But it's an emotional game. It's an emotional environment. I thought we really kind of got a hold of ourselves at the half.
It's the same every time. I mean, it's just everyone's got to do their job. And, you know, I got to find a way to get the guys the ball and get in the end zone. So, you know, it's a team effort, group effort. You know, Stevie really did a huge job bending in there on that seam. Biggest player to drive besides the touchdown.
So, you know, you never know when your number's going to be called. And Stevie stepped up to my huge force. Just like last game, Mr. Rader, it's like it's just discipline. It comes out of discipline. Everybody execute their plans. You know, catch the ball, get vertical.
And, you know, obviously there's nothing they can do that will stop us. It's just stuff that we got to do to execute. And that's what we did today and last week. So, Najee Harris and Kenny Pickett and Mike Tomlin. And it's been a grind at times for the Steelers. Part of that is having a rookie quarterback. Part of that is just playing in a division like the AFC North where the teams all know each other so well.
Of course, there's always the extracurricular activity. But it was really impressive the way that the Steelers were able to run the ball against the Ravens and dominate time of possession. Nearly 10 more minutes with the football. John Harbaugh says, yeah, actually they took a page out of our books. Now, the Ravens are already in the playoffs, of course. They have put the Bengals firmly in the driver's seat when it comes to the division title. But you can't throw out baby with the bathwater, right? You can't be depressed over what's happened here except they desperately need Lamar.
So that's the hard part. Is the defense playing really well? Yes. Are they still in games because of the defense?
Sure. But they need Lamar to be healthy or it's going to be a short run. I don't think it's difficult because we still got everything in front of us. Depending on how tomorrow goes, we still got a chance to play for the AFC North and then we're still in the playoffs at the end of the day. So we still got all our goals in front of us. We're still getting in the playoffs and got a chance to go get a bowl. So we just got to take it one game at a time. We had the best chance if we won both games.
Fell short today. So we're in the playoffs and we're just going from there. We got one more game in the regular season and get ready for the playoffs. The safety Chuck Clark had 10 tackles on Sunday night and then Tyler Huntley had a touchdown and an interception. Again, Ravens were already in but it's really difficult for them to get anything going offensively when they don't have Lamar Jackson.
Puts a lot of pressure on the defense. As for the Pittsburgh Steelers, they need help but what a win for them on the road in Baltimore. So here's how it plays out in the AFC. You've got three teams that are still alive for the final wildcard. The Patriots, the Dolphins, the Steelers.
They're all 8-8. When it comes to the AFC South, yeah it's Jaguars and Titans. But the Jaguars and Titans will compete for the South division crown in week 18.
Funny how that works out. Do you think the NFL flexes that game into Sunday Night Football? Oh my gosh, as bad as the Titans have been lately, they've dropped six in a row. Even though the Jaguars are fun and they've got some young star power and Trevor Lawrence blah blah blah. I can't even imagine that the NFL wants that game in primetime.
Anyway, controlling their own destiny, because you know that's the phrase. The Patriots with their victory over the Dolphins on Sunday, they just need to win in Buffalo in week 18 and they will have the other AFC wildcard. Bill Belichick was, I mean I think he was smiling actually, after they had beaten the Dolphins. He was congratulating players, he was shaking the hands of referees.
I'm going to assume that he was saying, Happy New Year. Oh by the way, funny, I don't know if you guys were watching the game, but Sarah Thomas was working this game, the female down judge, and on the Patriots radio network, Scott Zolack called her Sarah Evans. What's her name? Sarah Evans?
Nope, not that. Anyway, just thought it was funny. So Sarah Thomas, she was there and Belichick was saying Happy New Year to her and to the head referee and everything else. He was in a really good mood actually, because the Patriots are in the driver's seat. Really proud of the team, the staff, the team. Obviously we've had a couple of tough weeks, but I thought those guys really competed well all week in terms of preparation and studying. Obviously had some moving parts that we were dealing with, new guys coming on the team, not sure about the availability of some other players, some played, some didn't, but just the overall resiliency and determination that the team as a group and the staff showed. I thought it was really good this week, so battled all the way through it. It was a great day here just fighting through a lot of different things on offense. I didn't play as good as I want to in the middle of the game and I thought our guys just kept fighting and we made some big plays and some big moments and that's what the NFL is all about. So now here they go into Buffalo in week 18 and there are veterans on this team that certainly remember what it was like when the Pats were the cream of the crop in the AFC.
Matthew Judon, one of the great defenders in the conference and I would expect him to set a tone as well as some of the other Patriots. Hey, we're not going to be afraid. We're not going to be intimidated. It's still Buffalo. We know Buffalo. We won there before, so we can do it. It's a good team.
We know them inside and out and they know us inside and out. We just got to come and be focused and execute. So week 18 for the Patriots, they are in charge. We'll see whether or not they can lock up an AFC wild card. The Bills already have the division title. Now the AFC has two other teams that are alive and I kind of like this actually. There are teams that are lurking in both the AFC and the NFC. The Dolphins can take advantage if the Patriots stumble in Buffalo and so can the Steelers.
Steelers are also still alive as we talked about. And then the AFC South has yet to be clinched. That goes down to a week 18 head to head. In the NFC, it's kind of similar. You've got one team with a win and they're in scenario and then two others who will sit back and wait and hope that if they take care of their business, the Dominoes may drop their way.
So we'll get to that coming up. Week 17. Ooh, and tonight, Bengals and Bills. Right now that is NFL royalty. It's weird to say, right?
It's true though, both those teams with Super Bowl aspirations to wrap up week 17. Thanks so much for hanging out with us. If you're still not back into your regular routine, well, we'll be waiting for you when you are. On Twitter, ALawRadio, on our Facebook page, take our Monday mortification poll because there's plenty of moody, mad, miserable teams and fan bases when you get to this point in the season. And the E shows up next to your team's name in the standings. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio.
You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Here's the snap rush on Rogers buying time looking if you are leading change, building a team or implementing new procedures, Gonzaga University's online masters in organizational leadership gives you the tools for success with concentrations in change, global and servant leadership, you'll get the most relevant training and education to help you tackle any challenge. Visit Gonzaga dot edu slash leader and find out how Gonzaga's organizational leadership degree can affect positive change in your life and career.
That's Gonzaga dot edu slash leader. Touchdown, touchdown, Robert Tanyan, right side of the end zone. It's 23 to three. They beat Josh Metellus. Rogers under center. And he takes gives to Dylan to the left side of the line fighting motoring for the goal line. The end zone for the touchdown in motion Davis to the left side straight eye formation behind Rogers under center. He takes fakes the handoff bootlegs right looks the end zone pumps once now to the end zone.
Rogers for the touchdown. So like it just takes one sometimes. Strange but when we were sitting at three and six. And we looked at the next three at the time Tennessee was playing really well.
Obviously Cowboys playing well in Philly was number one league. And I just felt like we get one of those. We can win the last five and nine and eight was going to get in. I don't didn't really go around saying that because you don't really want to say we just get one of these next three you know, we can make the playoffs but in my head that's what I was thinking.
This is after hours with Amy Lawrence. Rogers was pointing to faith in his postgame press conference as the Packers bludgeoned the Vikings. So two things. Number one, the Packers have in fact, put themselves in position to finish nine and eight, and grab the last remaining wild card in the NFC. You are the team, like the Patriots, who control their own path. Win in week 18 and you are in.
It is that simple. No tie breaks required. The call is there with Wayne Larrabee on the Packers radio network. They got touchdowns from their defense their special teams, and then their offense. So the Packers have won four in a row. And Rogers pointed to faith.
It's that the hard work was going to at some point produce results. And now look where they are. They beat the Lions in week 18. They're in. Just before the break I was asking the rhetorical question because I hadn't looked at the schedule of whether or not the NFL would put Tennessee and Jacksonville in primetime on Sunday. No, but they are in primetime on Saturday night. So the game taking place in Jacksonville is primetime on Saturday night. So there's a double header on Saturday. And the second half is the Titans and the Jags with the AFC South crown and a playoff spot on the line. The rest of the matchups, the ones that are listed for Sunday, don't have times. So at some point on Monday, I expect the NFL would reveal that. And I am wondering if we're finally going to see the Lions get flexed. And that's because they would be taking on the Packers at Lambeau and Green Bay is a win and you're in scenario.
And here's the thing. The NFL doesn't want any of these games to be unnecessary or the NFL doesn't want any of these games to be with nothing on the table. Right. So because Green Bay is in a situation where they control their own path, if they play early, the other NFC teams and they win would then be eliminated. And so that would kind of make their games a moot point. So I'm wondering if they go Packers-Lions at Lambeau on Sunday night. We'll see if that's the last game on the regular season schedule.
It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Keyshawn Nixon, 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. First time in over a decade the Packers have returned a kickoff for a score. Meanwhile for the Vikings, this is just bad optics.
It's bad all around, which is why they're in our Monday mortification poll. I heard Tony Romo on the CBS broadcast indicate, hey, it's not as though this never happens. Plenty of teams get blown out. You generally do have a stinker or two on your schedule.
Even the best of the best do. But the fact that it's this late in the season against a division rival when you're supposed to be tuning up for the playoffs, that's a problem. So the Vikings have more yards, but they end up with four turnovers.
Kirk Cousins, he was harassed and he was a mess. You can't come up here and turn the ball over, directly lead to points, give up 100-yard kick return. And even when we did get some defensive stops and or that block punt early on, we weren't able to do enough with those opportunities. Yeah, with the turnovers alone, they gave up 21 points. And so Kevin O'Connell kind of points to that. It's fairly simple.
We're not talking about rocket science here. But this one felt a lot like that game against the Cowboys a few weeks ago when I can remember it was CBS or Fox. Cut away from the broadcast.
That's how bad it was. And so the Vikings have suffered a couple of these, though they are still the division champions of the NFC North. Now, if the Lions are able to take out the Packers next week, well, then you've got the Seahawks who are poised and ready. Seahawks manhandle the Jets on Sunday.
And so here they are after ending a three game losing skid, they're back to 500. We had a good football day. We had a really good football day. Across the board, everybody played like we were hoping. We were able to play like the complimentary football where we made the turnovers. We had field position when we could have done better in the red zone, but we did a lot of really positive things all day long.
Offense did not turn the football over. Plus three for the day is huge, huge day for us in that regard. So you had multiple teams set themselves up in a good position. You also had two teams who took care of their business on Sunday, and they have, in fact, locked up the playoffs. Giants are back in for the first time since 2016 and the Monday boat escapade.
There's no way that happens again. Also, the Buccaneers. It wasn't pretty. In fact, it's been downright ugly for the offensive times. And yet they have won the NFC South.
So we'll get to the reaction there. Plus the Raiders. They send Derek Carr home.
They intend to part ways with them. Jarrett Stidham starts instead. And against the Niners, they push into OT.
Man, there's a lot going on. I think we're gonna have to save college football for our Monday night. Which is okay, because a week from Monday night is the national championship. So we have some time.
You can find us on Twitter after our CBS or on our Facebook page. Happy New Year to you. It may be a new year. What's happening over there? What are you playing on your phone, Greg Caserta?
Right before you're about to start an update. You're playing a game on your phone over there? No, I opened Twitter.
YouTube videos? I opened Twitter and there was one of those ads that popped up. So your phone is not on mute? No, it's always on silent. But I had it on loud for my alarm this morning. So that's what you heard. Well, just feel free to come on in and disrupt the show. I'm sorry.
It's no big deal. We roll with the punches here, whether it's 22 or 23. But yes, here we are, starting in 2023. And the NFL still drives the bus.
That's not gonna change either. We are, oh, also, plenty of fan bases are gonna be mortified. The Eagles fans were booing their team. I get that the Eagles lost at home on Sunday.
But they had a chance to get a franchise record 14th win. And the fans are roundly booing. Come on, Billy, come on! Kind of like that.
You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Is it Mike Evans time, Dave, from the Carolina 30s? First down 10. Brady takes the snap and looks toward his way. Throws toward Evans, toward the end zone. And under him, and he makes the catch! Touchdown, Tampa Bay! Evans has three. Fire the cannons.
Fire them. Evans with a remarkable catch. Tom was just dropping dimes.
Like, those are some really, really good balls. Like, one of the best I've seen Tom. This is one of the best games I've seen Tom play.
This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. It helps when your offensive line gives you a little time to allow your receiver, your top receiver, to get downfield. Mike Evans said to multiple reporters after the game, when he was doing one-on-ones with the likes of Josina Anderson, Jeff Darlington, that Tom repeatedly told him over the course of this game he was going to keep coming to him, and keep coming to him, and keep coming to him. And when the O-line gives Tom Brady a little time, and he doesn't have to get rid of the ball in 1.7 seconds, well, then you allow Mike Evans to get past his defender and down the field and deep, and he did that. More than 200 yards receiving on 10 catches, 3 touchdowns.
You hear the third one when Gene Deckerhoff on the Bucs radio network certainly did help that the Bucs defense was able to get to Sam Darnold for 3 turnovers, so he had 3 touchdowns, but he also had 3 turnovers. And even though it's been ugly and a struggle most of the time this year, even though they spent the majority of this season below.500, the Bucs are now NFC South Division champions, and they will host a playoff game in 2 weeks. Nice to qualify, still got one tough game to go. We'll try to finish strong, and we know that we got a few extra, at least one extra bonus game, and we'll try to prepare as hard as we can this week and see how things go. We won the division. Doesn't matter how you win the division.
My heart ain't got much left in it, but I feel great. We're at one spot we need to be. We can't get to where we want to be unless we win the division. We won the division. Get the sense that for Todd Bowles for the Buccaneers, a lot will look different in 23, and that's months down the road, but there's already rumblings about where Tom Brady is going to play next year. There's rumblings about just the team in general feeling like they had the group together for one last run. They've got major questions to address, number one being the offensive line and maybe number two being the quarterback, or maybe if the quarterback isn't Tom Brady, it becomes question number one, but for now, they've managed to win the NFC South for a second straight year. Do you know it's the first time in their franchise history they've ever won back-to-back division titles, and they'll be in the playoffs for all three years with Brady.
As for the Carolina Panthers, Steve Wilks' job status, certainly up in the air. They hung on and hung on, and they made it competitive, and he wants them to finish strong, even though they are now eliminated from postseason contention. We didn't do what we wanted to do. They made more plays than what we did today, so we got to give those guys all the credit. We didn't play according to our DNA, which is physicality and effort, which I thought for the most part you saw that.
We didn't play smart, not at all. But the one thing I stated to those guys, the last element, that's what we're going to do this week. We're going to finish.
That's what men do. That's what good football teams do, regardless of the record, regardless of the circumstances. We're going to come in tomorrow, put this game to bed, and have a great week of practice, with that leading to game day execution. We're going to finish next week, and that's our mindset. I like that from Steve Wilks.
That's what men do. And I've heard some of the Panthers say, he brings respect, he brings credibility, he played in the league, he's been a coach in the league, but he treats them like men, and he expects them to be professional. He expects them to be disciplined and take care of their business. And that goes for Week 18, even though they are eliminated. I don't know if David Tepper will keep him as the head coach. It's clear that this Panthers locker room has played hard for him, though, even though they were set up to fail. And what about Sam Darnold? He's not under contract for next year. Baker Mayfield's already gone. They've got, well, Matt Corral won't be a rookie, but he's got no playing time under his belt.
Once he gets healthy, what do they do at QB? But, oh, we've tried to answer that question before for the Panthers. Bucks are in, the rest of the NFC South playing out the string.
It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. The other team that played maybe one of the best games of the season was the Giants. The Giants knew that if they won against the Colts on Sunday, they were in. So congratulations to Brian Deball, first-year head coach, as the Giants get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
I mean, I wouldn't say he was as giddy as Bill Belichick, ha ha, but still a man of few words. Good team win? Uh-huh, yeah.
So we're in the playoffs, right? Yeah, uh-huh. So it feels good. All right. It feels good.
I'm never really happy. It feels great. Daniel Jones got so much love from the crowd. My, what a difference a year can make. And the report came out late last week that the Giants do intend to keep Daniel Jones. Now, whether they give him the free agent, not free agent contract, whether they give him a contract extension, whether they sign him to what is the going rate for QBs now, roughly $40 million, that remains to be seen. There is a lot of talk that they'll put the franchise tag on him. They'll pay the big salary in 23 to give them one more year development with Daniel to figure out for sure that this is the guy that they want to pay.
But the reports are yes on Daniel Jones and yes on Saquon Barkley. They have earned more time. And Brian Daybell has certainly made a huge difference. Now, it helps when your guys are healthy. It certainly helps when you can run the ball for 200 yards.
All of that is critical. But this has been a turnaround for the Giants from the start. I think it kind of started week one when we scored a touchdown, and then you go for a two. I think it starts there, shows the trust that he has in us, the belief that he has in us.
When a guy like that and when it's your head coach showing that as a player, you don't want to go out there and let him down. Giants make it three teams from the NFC Beast that get into the playoffs. So Giants and Buccaneers were the latest to clinch in the NFC. And as I say, we've got a couple of win-and-get-in scenarios for week 18, actually three of them if you count the Patriots in Buffalo, the Packers hosting the Lions, and then of course the winner of the NFC South, excuse me, it's Jaguars and it's Titans for the South Division title. So those are your cut-and-dried scenarios. There are others that get a little more complicated in week 18, but you know that the show is busy enough. I don't have time to read you all the tie breaks.
They're out there, I promise. Just really quickly, we're not doing eulogies yet because the season isn't over, but since that initial victory for the Colts under Jeff Saturday, they've now lost six in a row. They had to go back to Sam Ellinger on Sunday because Nick Foles got hurt and he's writhing in pain while Kayvon Thibodeau is making snow angels.
There was no snow. That whole scene was completely bizarre. Jay was at MetLife Stadium. What was the crowd doing while he was doing snow angels next to Nick Foles, who was lying there writhing in pain? Yeah, it was a little weird. So I was there with my dad and at the time we were kind of like, okay, Kayvon, get up.
The guy's writhing in pain on the field. And not only did he do the celebration longer than I thought he should have anyway, even if Foles wasn't hurt, the fact that he was lying there injured and Kayvon was, I don't know, how many snow angels did he make, like 20? So I didn't think that was great. Definitely the Colts noticed because they had some pretty sharp words for him afterwards.
A little along the lines of what goes around comes around. So Kayvon is a rookie. I know it was a big deal. Petty about the playoffs, but yeah, that was a bad look. And it's been tough sledding since they made the change and Frank Reich was fired. I don't know about Jeff Saturday moving forward, but once again, they have a quarterback question to answer. We still have optimism. I mean, we have one game left and we got a chance to put together a good offensive performance. It's really hard with everything that's happened this year. Obviously, this is not how we had it scripted.
And yeah, I think you always have to remain optimistic that things are going to turn around and that's not going to change. So Sam Ellinger, the second year QB, got a taste of starting this year. The whole mess with Matt Ryan, that's likely a quick end to the experiment. There are going to be quarterbacks available like Derek Carr if the Raiders follow through now.
It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. As much as this was a tumultuous week for the Raiders and Josh McDaniels and making this decision to move on from Derek Carr and actually separating him from the team, which I don't love, but the Raiders did play hard. Jarret Sytham got his first career start. Davante Adams was absolutely amazing.
And even though they lost in overtime, they were able to put together some real quality drives and there was a spark on offense. And yet again, with Davante Adams, this guy can make any quarterback, any stiff, look like a better quarterback because of what he can do with the football but also before he ever gets the football. There was one touchdown that he had where he was toe-tapping on the sideline, another catch that he had, and actually we can let you hear it, but another catch that he had in which he wrestles it away from the DB so that it's not an interception and then he manages to keep it and possess the football to the ground. Shotgun snap.
He's got time. Fires down the near sideline. Davante Adams makes an adjustment and holds it in at the 20. Unbelievable grab by Davante. He got around Lenore and somehow brought it in on his right shoulder while he was falling to the turf.
Oh yeah, that's Davante. All in a day's work, Jason Horowitz on Raiders radio. It leads to a Josh Jacobs touchdown that ties the game late in the fourth quarter. Now the Niners were in position for a game-winning field goal.
Robbie Gould misses it at the end of regulation, but when Stidham throws an interception on the first possession of overtime, well, it's an easy, even chippier shot. It's a chip shot for Gould, and my mom sends me a text, I'm so glad Robbie Gould, she actually spelled it right, I'm so glad Robbie Gould had some redemption. What?
Who are you? And what did you do with my mother? I love that.
That's amazing. I said, Mom, I'm really impressed that you know his name. She goes, I also know the rookie quarterback, Brock Purdy, and spelled his name right too. I was like, okay, Mom. Apparently you need to go back to the classroom. You're spending too much time watching football. You need to get back in class.
Go back to teaching math, Mom. Anyway, for the Niners, they end up winning it overtime, because yes, there was redemption for Robbie Gould. That's now nine straight for the Niners, and four in a row with Brock Purdy as their quarterback.
Try to stay as poised as possible. Those games are so fun. You know, that's kind of the games you dream about as a kid, those ones where it's so back and forth, and you have to fight and claw your way back, and good for us to have that game. So, you know, every win is a team win, and we'll just keep growing and building off of the mistakes and capitalizing on the things that we did well. The Niners have now won nine in a row, and because of that, they are still alive for the top seed in the NFC, because the Eagles have dropped back-to-back games, so they've not been able to sew that up. So, yeah, you actually have Eagles, Cowboys, and Niners all in position potentially to win the top seed and the bye in the NFC. By the way, Christian McCaffrey, another 200 yards from scrimmage.
He was phenomenal again, and while we're talking about running backs who are killing it on Sunday, Austin Eckler, 122 yards rushing and two touchdowns, but also hauls in his 100th catch of the season, and only a handful of running backs have ever had seasons in which they've also caught 100 balls. And so with the Chargers warming up against the Rams, you've got two teams there in the AFC West. Chiefs win, I think it was their 15th straight against the Denver Broncos. We didn't have a chance to talk about that game much. But, yeah, you've got two teams now with double-figure wins in the AFC West. Didn't turn out the way the Raiders wanted it, obviously.
They've got some changes coming in the offseason. If you missed my conversation with Hondo Carpenter from Las Vegas, he joined us earlier in the show. Check that out on the podcast, After Hours, AmyLawrence.com. I know we didn't get to college football. We will on this Monday night. Plus, Bills and Bengals to wrap week 17. Have a great Monday. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. Boom!
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