1-9-23 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

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When you're at your best, you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself, because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. BetterHelp is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month.

That's betterhelp.com slash positive. We made it! We survived! We survived another NFL season. Wow, good to the last drop, even after an atypical, very emotional week. What an exclamation point in week 18.

From western New York and the category of you can't make this stuff up. In fact, it's too good for a movie script. A little bit like dinosaurs roaming the earth when you watch what happened in Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. To the Detroit Lions having the last laugh against what has been their nemesis for years. In Green Bay, in the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, Dan Campbell and his Lions were biting kneecaps on their way down.

On their way to the offseason, they took out a few packers with some kneecap biting, and thus begins another offseason saga of We'll Hear, Won't He with Aaron Rodgers. We've got a schedule, you guys! We've got the playoff schedule for a supersized wildcard weekend.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. I know one more time we get to do this to wrap the NFL regular season. These are my favorite shows of the year.

These 18 weeks. Now I didn't work over the holidays and the Sundays happened to fall on Christmas. So I did miss one this year. However, we're going to make up for it tonight. So we're going to get to all the seeds, all of the playoff matchups with the schedule, as well as the grand finales. For teams that are in, for teams that have already started their offseason business like the Houston Texans. They do not get the overall number one draft pick because they go for a win in the final minute against the Colts and maybe that's not what sealed Lovey Smith's fate.

But for the second time in two years, actually for the third time in three years, the Texans end the season by firing their coach. And so Lovey Smith becomes the first victim of quote unquote Black Monday. No, we're not quite to Monday yet. We're still soaking in Sunday. So we'll get to all the extracurricular stats, all the cool moments from Sunday. But I know you want the playoff schedule. Super size wildcard weekend. So find me on Twitter. A law radio also on our Facebook page after hours with Amy Lawrence. Can't wait to hear what you think about what we saw Sunday as well as what we've got on the schedule for next weekend.

Our phone number is 855-212-4227. Here's what we know about next weekend. It's a lot of rematches, a lot of rematches, including three divisional playoff games, which I've said in the past I don't love. I prefer new matchups where these teams aren't so familiar. But what you get inside division is no intimidation factor.

Also no love loss. The rivalries run deep and you're not going to get a team on the road in an unfamiliar place that isn't prepared for that atmosphere. When it's divisional battles, there's a lot of history, which makes for some fairly tough physical usually, but also strategic matchups because these teams have to figure out how to try something new or different or surprise their opponent. Because generally in divisional games, everything's laid bare.

There are no surprises. So here's what we know. We start with a battle in division. We have Levi's stadium in Santa Clara, the San Francisco 49ers, the hottest team in football. They don't get the number one seed, but they finish their run even with the loss of multiple QBs this season. They finish the season with 10 straight wins. The 49ers are the two seed in the NFC and will host the Seahawks, who get in courtesy of the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football.

We'll get to that game momentarily. But Seattle winning in overtime earlier on Sunday, they have to watch and wait and root for the Lions. It was actually kind of funny because the Seahawks Twitter account was in fact rooting openly for the Lions.

Some pretty funny tweets if you haven't seen them. So it's the Seahawks and the Niners. You've got the two seed versus the seven seed in the NFC. That is followed by a 4-5 matchup in the AFC. The Jacksonville Jaguars, they get in by beating the Titans on Saturday night. Welcome back to the playoffs Jacksonville. First division title in the AFC South since 2017. Remember that was the Blake Bortles year when the Jaguars got to the AFC championship game in New England. In fact, they were a couple of minutes away from the Super Bowl. This version of the Jaguars is led by Doug Peterson. They take advantage of a down year in the South and they survive to win that division title and will host the Chargers, who made some questionable decisions on Sunday in playing their starters for most of the game, even though they could not improve their playoff position.

So we'll hear from Brandon Staley coming up. But that's your Saturday doubleheader. San Francisco hosting Seattle. So an NFC West battle and then Jacksonville against Los Angeles. And that is not a divisional battle.

I am very grateful for that. On Sunday, it's a tripleheader. By the way, you may remember that when the NFL first expanded to the 14 teams and the super-sized wildcard weekend, originally it was a tripleheader Saturday to tripleheader Sunday.

But now there is a game on Monday, so only two Saturday. Sunday, it's Miami at Buffalo, so the Bills get the two seed in the AFC and Miami ekes into that number seven seed after the Bills pound the Patriots and the Dolphins get a late field goal from Jason Sanders in what was the ugliest game that you might see this season. It's pretty crazy what the Dolphins have been through. We'll talk about it.

We'll hear from Mike McDaniel. A three-game win streak, a three-game losing streak, a five-game win streak, a five-game losing streak. But ultimately they end on a high note, well at least defensively, and they get into the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

I'll see you later. So that's your first game on Sunday. Back to Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. It's followed by another rematch, the three seed in the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings, taking on the New York Giants. Now they're not in division, obviously, but these two teams just kicked off in week 16.

So it was over the holidays, wasn't it? I don't remember if it was Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or what it was, but the Vikings host the Giants. So the Giants are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

We've got a lot of fresh blood here. And the Vikings return as NFC North champs. So that's your 3-6 matchup in the NFC. And then on Sunday night, back to the AFC, a game that we just saw on Sunday. The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Baltimore Ravens yet again. It will be their third battle of the year, similar to Miami and Buffalo.

The Bengals, AFC North champs for back to back seasons, first time in franchise history. Remember they made the run to the Super Bowl a year ago. Now they've got Baltimore in a 3-6 matchup.

Yeah. So you've got a 2-7 and then a pair of 3-6 matchups on Sunday. And finally on Monday, it's actually a rematch of the season opener, the one in which Dak Prescott was hurt, the Dallas Cowboys on the road at the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So the Dallas Cowboys, even though they finish up with 12 wins, they fade to the five seed because the Eagles end up winning the division. So the two teams that are on by next weekend, Kansas City, who takes care of business on Saturday, it blows my mind that Patrick Mahomes still has not played a postseason game on the road his entire career. And he won't have to this year unless the Bills also make the AFC championship. And then it's not technically a road game, but it would be outside Arrowhead because they would do a neutral site for Chiefs Bills. That's the result of the NFL competition committee coming up with a new plan after Bills and Bengals were canceled on Monday night. But we won't see Kansas City next weekend and we will not see Philadelphia next weekend. So Jalen Hurts returns. He plays the entire game on Sunday. The Eagles grab the top seed, they win the NFC Beast, and then they get off next weekend a little more time for Jalen to get comfortable and recover. So that's your schedule for supersize wildcard weekend.

Saturday, Sunday, spilling into Monday. Notice there is no Green Bay in the playoffs. For the first time in four seasons, the Packers are on the outside looking in.

Detroit gets to play the role of spoiler. And if you're watching the game, many of you were of course, you know in the first half it was five field goals. That was your first half. Five field goals at Lambeau Field.

So a lot of points left out there. And the Detroit Lions hanging around hanging around and this to me started to feel real dangerous going into the second half. Of course, Green Bay needing a win for the seven seed leading nine to six at the break, but early in the third is the turning point.

You may laugh at me, but stick with me here. This is where the game started to turn. The punter Pat O'Donnell will hold. There's the snap, hold, kick is away. It is up and it is off the crossbar and no good. Where was that against the Ravens? Off the crossbar and no good.

That's what's supposed to happen. You may remember that Mason Crosby had a field goal. Was it last week or the week before in which the spin was so perfect.

Now he gives it everything he's got. He doesn't have a Justin Tucker leg, but he kicks it. The spin off the crossbar then catapults it forward through the uprights for a made field goal. But in this case, Crosby misses a 53 yarder early in the third quarter.

You hear Dan Miller and company on Lions radio. Why is that the turning point? Because it gives the Lions a short field. They're able to turn around and within seconds Jared Goff heaves a ball 43 yards to Kalief Raymond. That puts them on the one yard line. First and goal from the one.

Goff takes the snap. Handoff Williams running right once into the end zone. Touchdown Lions. A one yard touchdown run for Jamal Williams.

His league leading 16th of the year. It ties a Lions single season record and it gives Detroit a 12-9 lead. That's Ryan Radke on Westwood 1 along with Mike Golick. They were there at Green Bay yet again. Ran into Golick earlier in the season in Green Bay.

They've been there a bunch. So Jamal Williams finishes that short drive and the Lions take the lead. Now that seemingly was going to open up the offenses.

Maybe a lot of fire under the Green Bay Packers. And Green Bay answers right away with an 83 yard drive on the very next possession. Rogers imitates Jared Goff by launching a ball deep.

Actually it was high and it was deep. And it drops down to Christian Watson who is getting his left arm pinned against the body of a defensive back and somehow still holds in the ball. Remember, Watson's a rookie. Still holds in the ball.

Cradles it against his body for a one handed masterpiece. And so again I'm thinking alright the offenses have opened up and the Packers are able to cash in. Rogers under center. Single back offense once again. Dylan the lone setback. Faked to Dylan. Rogers to throw.

Looking around. Throws end zone. Touchdown. Tyler Lazard lifts out of the end zone. And the Packers are back in front. Wayne Larrabee on Packers radio.

Lazard crossing in the back of the end zone. And Rogers is able to connect with him so they get the 16-13 lead. But Detroit has got more. They want to play this role of spoiler and there were just so many missed opportunities for the Packers. You wondered if they could withstand that Lions offense once they found a groove.

And certainly in the second half they do. The next possession is an 8 minute drive. 13 plays. A half dozen first downs including a very bold 4th and 2 conversion to once again get inside the red zone. Third and goal for the Lions from the 6 inch line. Gough out of the gun. Hands to Jamal. This time he's in. Touchdown Detroit Lions.

They are back on top. Second of the night for Jamal Williams. 17th of the year breaking Barry Sanders all time franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a single season. So the Packers had opportunities.

Did not capitalize. Ultimately the Lions are able to do that. Jamal Williams as you hear with Dan Miller breaks the team record for rushing touchdowns in a single season. 17 of them.

Barry Sanders had 16 in 1991. You could feel the buzz. Kind of the anxiety starting to rise there at Lambeau Field. Wondering how much time the Packers would have. What they would be able to do when they finally got the ball back.

And I think because of Aaron Rodgers track record because they're at Lambeau how many times we've seen him engineer late game saving or game. That's better. H e l p dot com slash positive. This show is sponsored by better help when you're at your best. You can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself. Because when you feel empowered you're more ready for life's challenges better help is a great therapy option. It's flexible affordable entirely online and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit better help dot com slash positive to get 10 percent off your first month. That's better.

H e l p dot com slash positive. This show is sponsored by better help when you're at your best you can do great things. you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself.

Because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. BetterHelp is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month.

That's betterhelp.com slash positive. Three receivers left, one right. Rogers has got it.

Back blitz comes. Rogers blows deep down the right sideline. It is intercepted by the Lions. Kirby Joseph's got it. To the 45, to the 50, and into Green Bay territory where he's shoved out of bounds. Fourth interception of the season for Kirby Joseph, and baby, how big was that?

It was big, all right. Kirby Joseph has got some experience this season picking off Aaron Rodgers. In fact, Rodgers has four interceptions against the Lions in 2022.

And I saw one Hall of Famer put it this way. Two losses against the Lions prevents the Packers from getting into the playoffs. They got swept by Dean Campbell's Detroit Lions. I love the boldness of Campbell. Not only does he go for it with a fourth down before Jamal Williams' second touchdown, but he also runs out the clock with a fourth down conversion on that last possession and never gives the ball back to Rodgers.

And they were playing the role of spoiler. They already knew that they weren't into the postseason. But one of the youngest teams in the NFL, we just talked about them last week, Justin Rodgers of the Detroit News, he says they've got all the pieces in place. And certainly with the season that Jared Goff had, I don't believe they need to look anywhere else for a quarterback. So you've got your QB in place.

You can start to fortify other positions on the field. The Lions finish up by winning eight of their last 10 games and they just miss out on the postseason. But man, they get to take the Packers with them into the off season. It was a good win, it was a great win. Our guys, I was proud of our guys. They played their ass off. They were ready for this game and they wanted to prove something and they did that. And this team has just hung in there all year long.

I said it, it's a special group. The hard part of this is that it's over for this season because it is a special group. But hey, if you got to go down that one, if it's the last one for the season, then man, what better way to go out than that for 2022. It's going to be a big off season for us, obviously, to make sure that we all improve. We all got to look inward and figure out what it is that we got to do to get better. Cause I know the expectations here are very high and they should be. And just really disappointed right now.

After Dean Campbell, you hear the voice of Matt Leflore. Now remember, his first three seasons, they won at least 13 games and they made the playoffs each of the last three years. They were the top seed last year, of course. But while they weren't able to get to the Super Bowl again, they still felt like there could be gas left in the tank. Rogers was coming off back to back MVP seasons. Yes, they lost Devante Adams, but they felt like their defense was going to be a strength this year. Even as they relied on their running backs, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, and waited for their young receivers to kind of catch up. Plus they had Allen Lazard, they had the experienced Randall Cobb again. Ultimately, the offense really didn't click except for a couple of stretches here and there.

They did win four in a row to be able to host this game with playoffs on the line. But the number of missed opportunities and miscues, and of course, Aaron Rogers, this was not the Aaron that we saw the last two years. He's already facing questions about the off season. The paint is barely dry and he's already starting to talk about or fielding questions about what he will do.

At 39 years old, he is under contract for 2023, but he could retire or he could ask out like Devante Adams did last year. You will hear from Aaron Rogers as well as Jared Goff, plus the Seahawks get into the playoffs. Is this Pete Carroll's best coaching year ever? We're going to talk Seattle coming up in about 20 minutes. We're just getting started, but we did give you the playoff schedule. You know now that in the NFC, Philadelphia is the one seed, San Francisco, the two seed, Minnesota, the three, Tampa Bay, the four, Dallas five, New York Giants, six, and getting in last but not least, the Seattle Seahawks are the seven seed. In the AFC, it's Kansas City and Buffalo, one, two, Cincinnati and Jacksonville, three, four. Then you've got the Chargers at the five, the Dolphins at the six, and the Ravens.

Oh, I'm sorry, I mean, that was totally, I flipped that, it was my fault. The Chargers at the five, the Ravens at the six, excuse me, and the Dolphins at the seven become the last team in the AFC. On Twitter, ALawRadio, also on our Facebook page, looking forward to talking. Week 18 in playoffs with you, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Here we go, the Lions can end this ballgame right here, fourth and one from the Green Bay 15. These Packers fighting to get into the playoffs. The Lions fighting to get this ballgame right here.

They're gonna go empty. Goff takes the snap back, looks, throws, caught, first down Detroit Lions. DJ Chark down inside the 10-yard line. This game is over, it is over. Execute a couple of snaps, and these Lions are going home with a victory. How big has this football team been tonight? There's valleys and there's peaks, and we hit both of them at different times of the year, and I think, yeah, early on, certainly it's hard.

It's really hard, coming off of three and 13, starting off one and six, you feel like you can't find any answers, and all of a sudden something pops, and you get a little confidence, you start rolling, and things start going in your direction, and people start playing well, and it really all comes together. Off the field, on the money, and after hours, it's time to talk football with Amy Lawrence. The voice of Jared Goff, following the voice of Dan Miller on Lions Radio. Good to hear him in games that have a ton of excitement and electricity, as the Lions finish out with eight wins in their last 10 games, and they are one of the youngest in the NFL, which means that they can keep this crew together.

They could be a force moving forward in these next few years. Now, what would you say is the biggest knock on Jared Goff, generally? He turns the ball over, right? Isn't that the main reason that the Rams felt like they had to upgrade by trading for Matthew Stafford? They just felt like Jared Goff very often turned the ball over in the most critical situations, and yeah, his last season with the Rams, he definitely did. Last year, he also had a turnover problem, but do you know what he didn't have in the last nine games of the season?

An interception. Nine consecutive games without an interception for Jared Goff, and something like, I think it's close to 300 pass attempts without interception. Goff has turned a corner, and I would be stunned if the Lions moved on from him after this season. They've got other needs to address, certainly. Goff has been the right fit for them, one of the top offenses in the league this year.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Aaron Rodgers did not have one of the top seasons this year. In fact, interceptions plagued him specifically against the Lions.

However, they did start the season four and eight and then rattle off four wins in a row to put themselves in position, though they lost on Sunday night at home. It was frustrating at times, but it was ultimately really, some really beautiful moments. It's weird to say, and I actually do really believe that as disappointed as this is, there was a lot of really incredible moments and life lessons. Life and the season is like a big ceremony, and ceremonies can be tough.

Okay, I'm not quite with him there on his philosophical reaction to life as a ceremony, and ceremonies can be tough. No, life just sucks sometimes. Sometimes you fail and you fall flat on your face. Sometimes no matter what you do, you can't get it right, especially when it's not just you and you're relying on a team. And so there were issues and challenges for the entire Packer squad. This is not just on Aaron Rodgers, though he definitely bears a lot of the responsibility. But do you remember earlier in the season, I was befuddled by the Packers play calling. Why are you continuing to chuck and duck, even if it is Aaron Rodgers, when you've got one of the best running back tandems in the NFL? Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon were the best that they had to offer until the young receiving corps came along. Now, Christian Watson turned into a major weapon for Rodgers over the course of the season, second half of the season. But when Allen Lazard was injured and other guys were on and off the field, it seemed to me they got away from the run game a bunch. Also the defense was supposed to be one of the more veteran experienced elements of this team, and it didn't turn out that way in the first half.

So there were a lot of questions, a lot of issues. Ultimately though, three consecutive seasons of at least 13 wins, they don't make the playoffs this year. I don't know that they need drastic changes. I think it is revealing though, what Aaron Rodgers said about not having Devante Adams along with him this season. We didn't fill that void. I mean, nobody can, he's superhuman, he's phenomenal, but there was hope in certain things that was going to fill that void. And ultimately that just didn't happen. The things that we were able to do, I think, may have been taken for granted at times because we were able to create so many different things in the moment. Yeah, definitely miss a Devante Adams, who is one of the best receivers in the NFL. That was definitely a challenge. Again, why weren't you running the ball more often?

Going back to the start where they were four and eight. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Aaron Rodgers is under contract for 2023.

Doesn't mean a whole lot. He says he understands that time is of the essence. And because of the Packers situation, just in general, the way the off season works, that he'll need to make a decision soon. If you were watching the end of Sunday night football, you know that he was emotional walking off the field. Remember his last pass was intercepted. Wasn't his last pass wearing a Packers uniform. His last pass with Lambeau Field as his home stadium, or maybe his last pass in the NFL.

Just as a total side note, Tom Brady's last pass with the Patriots was intercepted. But anyway, so Rodgers has talked about retirement. He's flirted with the idea of playing elsewhere. The Packers have continued to court him and say, we want you back. Of course, that was after two MVP seasons.

They bent over backward to give him contract extensions and extra money. Ultimately, he'll have to decide if he's interested in playing again. That's a normal thought, but at some point the carousel comes to a stop and it's time to get off. And I think you kind of know when that is, and that's what needs to be contemplated.

You know, is it time? Also, what's the organization doing? You know, it's part of it as well. I don't know why that makes me roll my eyes right there. And I know he's being honest.

He's answering the question. I didn't hear that entire exchange, but yeah, let's go ahead and throw the organization part under the bus too. Okay, it'll be different without Green Bay. It'll be different without Tennessee.

How about this? Last year's two top seeds are not in the playoffs this year. No Titans and no Packers. And I've gone back to this stat over and over, over the course of this particular regular season. There were only four teams that had made the playoffs each of the last three seasons. That was the longest streak. And there are only four of them. Now there's only two that have made the playoffs four years in a row, with the Packers and the Titans falling by the wayside this year. The Chiefs and the Bills, the only two teams in the NFL to make four consecutive playoff runs.

Infinite possibilities moving forward. And it does include the Seattle Seahawks. Is this Pete Carroll's best coaching job?

We'll spend some time in the Pacific Northwest as the Seahawks became the Lions biggest fan. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. When you're at your best, you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself. Because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. BetterHelp is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash positive. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

When you're at your best, you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself. Because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. BetterHelp is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash positive. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

When you're at your best, you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself. Because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. BetterHelp is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month.

That's betterhelp.com slash positive. On Sunday night, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. The After Hours Podcast is brought to you in part by... Second and 15, Akers in the backfield. Baker Mayfield throws us one.

From 32. Can Myers win this one in overtime for the Seahawks? There's the snap. There's the spot. The kick is away.

And the kick is good! The Seahawks win the game! The final regular-season game of the year. They win it at home against the Rams, and now the playoff chances still live for the Seahawks.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Steve Rabel on Seahawks radio. The way the NFL straddled these games, the Seahawks played in that second-afternoon window only to then become the Lions' biggest fans, and when the Lions prevailed at Lambeau Field and knocked out Green Bay, the Seahawks could exult.

At 9 and 8, Seattle is the last team to get into the NFL playoffs, and we'll have a rematch of a rematch with the Niners coming up to kick off Wild Card Weekend. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We're pleased to welcome Greg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, covers the Seahawks and this wild ride of a season.

Greg, just today, how would you describe the emotions of what the Seahawks went through? Well, hi, Amy. Hey. This is the first midnight Pacific Time interview I think I've ever done in my life. Boom! Thank you for that.

You keep long hours. The night was, the whole day really was, well, the Seahawks two or three times could have lost their season. I mean, the clip you heard, Steve Rabel's call of the interception by Quandre Diggs, Van Jefferson was 10 yards behind anybody before Baker Mayfield threw that pass halfway through overtime. There was nobody near Jefferson, and as Mayfield had thrown the ball out, further, anywhere further, that was a game-ending touchdown for the Rams, and the Seahawks would be home right now, and the Detroit Lions would be in the playoffs. Diggs, a former Lions captain, took advantage of Mayfield, lofting the ball too high and underthrowing Jefferson, and that allowed him to make up the difference sliding over.

That wasn't his man in coverage. The Rams totally beat the Seahawks on that play, but Diggs gets the interception, taunts Bobby Wagner, and they go down and kick the field goal, and the Seahawks win. Two or three times today, it felt like the Seahawks' season was over. They were down 13-6 in the second half. They weren't stopping Cam Akers in the run, and then Sean McVay, I thought, stopped running the ball. He ended up running 28 times in all, passed to 26. The Seahawks' defense has had problems, Amy, all year stopping the run.

Eight teams have run for 160-plus on them. They were on pace for most of this season to give up the most rushing yards ever by a Seahawks team, and the Rams quit running, and even with a 13-6 lead, they could have run a lot more, and I thought salted the game away. So then the game ends, and there's this three- or four-hour window of just limbo. Right? I mean, Tino Smith said he was going out on a date with his girl, and he said he couldn't stand to even watch the game. He just wanted to go out to dinner, and Andre Diggs said he was gonna have steak and lobster, and Tyler Locket said he might watch Netflix.

There was nothing they could do. They were prisoner to fate because of the games they had won earlier in the season, Carolina and Las Vegas, chief among those, and so it was just weird. We were asking Tino Smith questions. I was asking him questions about his contract and his future, not knowing for sure whether there would be a playoff game, obviously, and in the line to do something they've only done four times since 1992, and they beat the Packers in Lambeau, and then all of a sudden, it was a party. We were still in the press box in Lumen Field, and there were Seahawks staffers that were screaming in the back watching you, and the Seahawks had a team group text that blew up, Pete Carroll said, and they had a great time with it, and now there's some work to do.

Short week at San Francisco, who has dominated them twice, and that's on Saturday. So you had a chance to talk to Pete after the win by the Lions? He talked on a Zoom call. He had talked to a local television affiliate, so we didn't need to ask him questions, but we heard quotes from him, and he talked about how excited they were and how this was great for this team to experience this, and while they still wish that they could have controlled their own fate by winning some of those games they gave away earlier this season.

Mammoth Challenge, they intend to make the best of it. Team's confident, playing really well right now. You know, Pete Carroll's system works, Amy. A lot of people knock him, being 71 years old, they trade Russell Wilson and cut Bobby Wagner on the same day, and here they are still in the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years. Greg Bell is with us from Seattle, where the Seahawks get in, whether they back to order or not, the fact that they get in after trading Russell Wilson and the Broncos are nowhere to be found is one of the best stories, or one of the unique stories of this 2022 season.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. You've covered the Seahawks. You know what Pete Carroll's all about. This particular coaching job, how did it come together?

How did he make it work? Well, Amy, first of all, from the very start, from April and many camps in May, he picked Geno Smith. Once they decided to trade Russell Wilson, the plan was, we're gonna go with Geno Smith.

We trust him. He's been here three previous years as Wilson's backup. He had to play three games when Wilson got hurt and had the finger surgery. So we know him, we trust him, and let's build an offense around him. And a lot of people around here, myself included, thought Drulock would have more of a competition, at least get a better shot in preseason.

He really didn't. It was Geno Smith's job from the start, and Walk rarely had even first-team reps in practice, let alone a full opportunity to start. So Carroll went in all in on Geno Smith from the start. Now, the grand plan when they traded Wilson, Amy, was, okay, by the end of the 2023 draft, we're gonna have our quarterback. We've got four picks in the first two rounds. We're gonna have Denver's first and second round picks. And that draft, of course, coming up in May is chock full of what people think are NFL-ready quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young and so on. So we'll have our quarterback by then.

We'll take these picks. We'll avoid the $59 million a year price tag Russell Wilson would probably wanna sign for after 2023. We have Geno Smith and Drulock under contract for 2022, and both their contracts are ending. And we'll get our guy, we'll have, whether we re-sign Smith or Lock or draft a top guy, we'll have our guy by the end of the 2023 draft.

And what's happened with Smith playing is, I mean, look what Geno Smith's done. He was on the bench, I don't often tell New Yorkers this, he was on the bench for four different teams for seven years. He's never had more than a one-year contract, Amy, since his rookie deal. He's 32 years old and his 10th year in the league. He's never had a multi-year deal beyond his rookie contract.

Scrappy. He's made $3.5 million this year with incentives and bonuses. He made the Pro Bowl for the first time. Today, he set four Seahawks single-season records, three of those Russell Wilson's and one from Matt Hasselbeck's for passing. He takes the Seahawks that everyone thought would win five or fewer games to the playoffs. And he's about to make 25, $30 million a year in the open market.

It's an incredible story. And what the Seahawks now have to think about is, we really need to draft a quarterback with that fifth overall pick we had from Denver. Maybe not. If they re-sign Smith, they can get the help on the defensive line to stop the run or offensive line pass protection that they need. Or they can draft a quarterback and not have him start right away and sign Smith to a two or three-year deal. The calculus Smith has really changed the calculus's team. But in the big, great picture of all this, Amy, they went to the playoffs and had the fifth overall pick. That's been 20 years since the playoff team has picked that high in the draft.

Wow. Of the Tacoma News Tribune, Greg Bell with us after what was a dramatic day for the Seahawks. And really, it's been that way all season.

One of the great stories and surprises of 2022. It's after hours, CBS Sports Radio. Also Kenneth Walker, the rookie, running back over 1,000 yards. So he's become their bell cow.

I just have a couple minutes before we hit the hard out and the computer cuts us off. So let's talk about the Niners. What stands out about the two games between Seattle and San Francisco this year? Physically dominated. The Seahawks were physically dominated on both the offensive and defensive lines.

San Francisco does that to a lot of teams, but especially Seattle. They ran for 170-plus yards in both meetings. And they are gonna run right downhill like bowling balls. Kishon McCaffrey and everybody else is gonna be coming right at Seattle.

They've gotta figure that out. They have Kenneth Walker to try to offset that. They really need Walker to run offensively to keep the 49ers from field position and getting the ball back and having their running game run wild.

But that's why this is such a tall test. If you could pick, Amy, all the teams in pro football the Seahawks don't match up well against them rather than not facing the first round at San Francisco because of how they play. And that's the biggest weakness Seattle's essentially stopping the run. But they do have at least some experience with Brock Purdy, because they just faced him what, like three weeks ago, four weeks ago? Correct, and Purdy was brilliant. He carved him up on third downs and in big red zone situations. He looked like a five, 10-year veteran. Really impressed Pete Carroll in the Seahawks defense. It wasn't all running for San Francisco that game when they clinched the NFC West title up here a few weeks ago. Purdy was great.

It was his first road win. This is the top 10 offense, the number one defense in the league. Yeah. 10 straight wins. Welcome to the playoffs, Pete Carroll.

Yeah, exactly. You're not gonna, you're not, 17's not gonna get any pushovers if Seattle doesn't have one. The magic carpet ride. If Pete Carroll pulls this off and she just pulls this off Saturday, Amy, that would be unbelievable.

It would be. All right, we gotta let you go because we're at the top of the hour. But at G Bell Seattle covers the Seahawks for the News Tribune, Tacoma News Tribune. Greg Bell, you are a total cool guy to be able to hang out with us live. Thank you so much after a long day. Yeah, you're a cool guy for being up at 3 a.m. Enjoy your day. Boom, thank you. I appreciate that. So the Seattle Seahawks get in and waiting for them.

The hottest team in the NFL, but hey, you're in. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. That's betterhelp.com slash positive. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

When you're at your best, you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. BetterHelp is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash positive. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

When you're at your best, you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. BetterHelp is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash positive.