12-1-23 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 3

I'm Snoop Dogg, and I'm giving up smoke.

I know what you're thinking. Snoop, smoke is kind of your whole thing. But I'm done with it.

I'm done with the coffin, and my clothes smelling all funky. I'm going smokeless. Solo Stove Fix 5. They took out the smoke. Now you can have a nice blaze without any clouds ruining your day. Go smokeless.

Go to solostove.com. Tell them big Snoop Dogg sent you. Hahaha. Walk the dogs, school drop off, meetings from 10 to 3, take kids to soccer, then no time left for a jog. When we were asking you on our previous edition of After Hours here on CBS Sports Radio to rate the quality of the football that you have seen this year in the NFL, I will admit we got a bazillion different responses. And they ran the gamut. Everything from minus 10 to 0 to 4, well, to 1 to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, all the way up.

I don't know that anyone said 10, but I think some people responded with off the charts answers similar to that. And a lot of times it was listeners who identified their teams as winners. So for instance, Lions fans are having a blast this season because it's the first time they've had a winning team in years and one that they really felt like they could trust, not a winning team that was going to dump them on their rear.

Or as Dan Campbell likes to tell us, that would be back in the dumpers again. It's not that for Detroit this year. So I appreciate the fact that Lions fans are all in. They are believers and they are sure this Lions franchise has finally turned a corner. I feel wind underneath my freaking wings, man.

To me, Dan Campbell is your fearless leader and you are on that same page with Dan. So I got a lot of Eagles fans and Lions fans telling me that they're thrilled about this season. They think it's highly entertaining. And I did get a few who said, hey, I love what we're seeing because it's competitive. That's not the same thing as quality of football, but it definitely is competitive in many cases.

Now, in some cases it's not, but that happens all the time. I would agree with you that even as the level of play has dropped in large part because of the number of starting quarterbacks, above average, high quality, expensive starting quarterbacks who've been hurt. Because of that, we've seen more and more rookies and we've seen more and more backups. And in some cases we're talking two, three quarterbacks, not just the starter in the backup.

And so it's, it's been hit or miss. We've had a lot of games and it feels like a bunch of prime time games in which field goals take front and center. And that's after a while, if you don't get into the red zone. I'm not saying it's boring again, if it's competitive and it goes down to the wire, but give me a game like the one we saw between the Cowboys and Seahawks that's played at the highest level.

And that doesn't necessarily mean offense. I don't mean it has to be 800 yards and 76 points combined every time out. No, we did see the Dallas defense stand tall in the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter of Thursday night's game, the Seahawks only managed a touchdown and it was actually a touchdown that was scored very early in the fourth quarter, meaning the majority of the drive.

Now it was a short drive. It wasn't even two minutes, but the majority of the drive happened in the third quarter, right? So the touchdown itself is recorded in the fourth, but it wasn't really a drive from the fourth quarter. Every other drive in the fourth quarter, when the Seahawks had the ball, they were stuffed. There was an interception and there were three turnover on downs, meaning the ball was back to the Cowboys with no punt. So yeah, it was a game with zero punt, but meaning the Seahawks went forward on fourth down and they came away with nada. So credit the Dallas defense.

What it had to, it stood up. Now we've got a Cowboys team that finally has a win over a opponent that does not have a losing record. Alright, so the Seahawks are the first team the Cowboys have beaten this year that has a winning record. I shared with you what Dallas has coming up.

It's a gauntlet. Remember how the Jets started the season? Well, this is where the Cowboys are now. They beat the Seahawks only to find themselves staring at the Eagles.

And you remember their last game against the Eagles. Let's see, Dak stepped out of bounds on a, right before it was a touchdown or two point conversion. It was one of those. He stepped out of bounds. They had another, oh no, it was a two point conversion because it was Luke Musgrove, right? That ended up, no, not Luke. Who was it? I am not sure.

Okay. I feel like I'll go back and look with the Eagles, but I feel like they ended up with one guy whose knee was down right before he got to the end line. No, he definitely stepped out. I just can't remember if it was the touchdown or the two point. It might've been Schoonmaker.

I knew it was a Luke. Musgrove plays for a different team. Packers. Yeah, I was going to say not for the Cowboys.

You know me with my names. It might've been Schoonmaker. Either way, I remember that they had one guy whose knee was down right before he got into the end zone and they had Dak Prescott who stepped out of bounds just short of the end line. It was Tolbert? That name doesn't ring a bell.

Are you sure? Just looking back here at the scoring rundown, in the fourth quarter, Tolbert seven yard pass from Dak failed two point rush. Right, but there was another touchdown that they thought was in and they go back and look at replay and it turns out that he was down before they get to the end line.

So anyway, there were a couple, all that, we just got lost in the weeds, all that to say there were a couple of plays that, we're talking inches, could've meant the difference either way. Now the Cowboys get the Eagles at home next Sunday night, so no going to bed early. Maybe string your Christmas lights and remain awake for Sunday night football in its entirety because you've got two of these two teams in AT&T Stadium, two of the top teams in the NFC, AT&T Stadium and the Cowboys haven't lost there in 14 tries. Little bit different when the turf is changed. Little bit different when you've got a crowd that size that makes so much noise.

It really does fuel the defense. And so yeah, the Cowboys now, they look a little better, their resume is a little more beefed up, but still they've got a very difficult stretch ahead of them. The Eagles and then they go on the road and they play both the Bills and the Dolphins before they have the Lions on New Year's Eve, Eve. So December 30th, that one's finally back in Detroit.

So they go Eagles at home, Bills, Dolphins on the road, including Christmas Eve against Miami and then Detroit on New Year's Eve, Eve. The eve of New Year's Eve. Do you say New Year's, Happy New Year's or Happy New Year? I say Happy New Year.

You do? Singular year. Okay, good. Because when people say to me, Happy New Year's, like more than one year.

I just mean this one coming up. Are you wishing me Happy New Year's for the rest of my life? Just cover it. Just get them all out of the way.

All in one fell swoop. I say New Year, Happy New Year. Because it is just one year.

It's one year. I'm wishing you a Happy New Year. Exactly.

It's a Happy New Year. Right? Yeah. Okay, good. Phew.

Otherwise, our friendship was going to be over. I agree. You agree?

If I said Happy New Year's? It's too many years. It's too long. I don't need that much of a projection.

Also, how do you know it's going to be happy? Exactly. Our show question of the night, and this is not TD of the week.

Why do I keep saying that? It's not game of the week. It is that poll separate. It is about support animals, emotional support animals. Because we now have one in the building, not when we're here.

I think he generally leaves around midnight with his person, with his handler, with his dad. But we do know that that's the only way you can get animals into the building. Right? You're not allowed to have animals in any other way. There's no shot that we could ever have a take your dog to work day. I wish I worked at a ballpark.

Okay, not really. But if I worked at a ballpark, we would be able to take our dogs to work. Park at the park. Would you take Moose to a baseball game?

I would. He might be so happy. He loves fish. What if he loves people?

Or you take him to a Marlins game. He loves fish. He would like the tank, yeah. He would be low maintenance. I think he would enjoy it. He would like the people. He likes people. But I don't know if I would take him. Poor Moose. He gets left out of all the fun stuff. It's because you don't want his white behind in your car.

He would be hot. Out there in the sun all day. Go in April.

I don't know when they do it. I mean excuses. Jay wants nothing to do with the dog. He talks about how Moose wakes him up and he lets Moose into his room and then Moose gets on the bed. But really he just always tries to blame the fact that Moose doesn't like him much. No, you try to act like Moose doesn't really want to do this or do that. He doesn't want to go for a walk with me.

He doesn't want to hang out with me. I raised that thing. That thing.

That's so wrong. Okay, coming up this hour we'll do a QB news in advance of week 13 in the NFL and the next hour a defense wins championships. But if you missed my conversation with Josh Pate, he's already in Las Vegas getting ready for Pac-12 championship which is Friday night. Then he'll be at the SEC championship which comes up on Saturday afternoon.

I cannot wait. The potential surprise party on Saturday evening is apparently 6 o'clock. So I'm just going to have to tell my friends that I cannot make it. So my one friend who has volunteered out of the goodness of her heart to pick me up. She wants to ride together. She wants to take me. I thought we were going to dinner.

Here's the problem though. If she picks me up, if she picks me up at 6 o'clock or she picks me up in advance of a 6 o'clock dinner, Eastern time, what if, well, Georgia, Alabama will still be going on if it's 6 o'clock. Do you think it's possible for me to tell her I can't go that early?

Just tell her to come in for a minute. But if it's a party, they'd be sitting around waiting for me at the party if it's a surprise. You're the guest of honor so they're not going anywhere. They can't. I can't make them wait an extra hour. You can and you might.

No, no, no, no. If we have a dinner reservation. By the way, all I'm saying is 6 o'clock is like prime surprise party time, by the way.

Why? Why is 6 o'clock so prime? It's just scream surprise party time. Like 7 would be like more friendly, 5 a little early.

6 o'clock, perfect for surprise party time. You just made that up. That's just what I feel.

Well, tell us how you really feel. I have no idea if it's a party or just a dinner out somewhere. If we start, so if she does pick me up, which. Also scream surprise party.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. If she does pick me up and she starts to drive me toward our other friend's house, the one who originally set up what I thought was just a friendly Saturday evening dinner. And it was going to be a nice celebration of the fact that that will be 2 weeks out from the blessed nuptials.

But she never said anything about party. It was just dinner. And originally it was going to be just 3 of us. Now I know there's 4 of us.

I don't know if there's more of us. But if we start to head toward her house, then I'll know it's not just dinner. Oh, yeah, of course. If you're not going towards a restaurant, then who knows at that point. There's a bazillion restaurants in my area, but I'm saying if we get off the beaten path because she lives out in the country and we head toward her house, then I don't know, that's a little suspicious. That would be an instant, like that might be a raging party at that point. Right, there's no way she can say to me, hey, we're just going to have dinner at Deb's because that would be weird. Why would you?

Yeah, I would do DVA at that point. Yeah. Huh.

Huh. The problem is I'm going to have to record the end of Georgia, Alabama, because if she comes to get me for a 6 o'clock dinner, that means the game will probably be at halftime. Oh, no, this is a bad idea. I don't want to miss the rest of the SEC Championship. Any chance it would be on at the place you go to?

Which I know isn't the same. Again, how rude is that, though? To say, hey, can we put the game on over there? It's the SEC Championship.

It's true, but these might potentially be all women, none of whom are big into sports. But also, how could I possibly say, hey, thanks for the party. Yay, surprise. Do you mind turning on the game? That's just rude. No, I can't do that. Jay, I can't do that. You just go to the bathroom and you go to the bar and be like, hey, by the way, that's you over there.

No, no, no. They know what I do for a living, and I just think that would be a dead giveaway. That would be rude. When it comes on, just be like, oh, look, the game's on. And then, you know, you don't even have to say that you're watching it. Just eyeball it.

How do you have it? No, no, I can't do that. That's rude.

Side-eye. No, if they're actually throwing me a party and it's a surprise and there's more people there and they've put effort into it, even if they haven't put effort into it, that's what DVRs are for. So it's unfortunate. No one tell me what happens. That's the tough part.

Don't you dare text me. I won't, but I get spoiled with that every day, so it's the worst. But I would agree that probably is the best way to watch the game is to DVR if you can go that time and not do it. But if you don't think you can, you can just always get it on the bar and just watch it.

No, I'm going to DVR it. That's what's going to happen. Now, I think Nick Saban is attempting to persuade the committee. He's very good at doing this in a subtle way. He's already thrown it out there into the universe.

Jay loves it when I throw things out there. Don't even put it out there in the universe, he says, when I talk about potentially bad things that could happen. So here's what I'm saying. Nick Saban wants everybody to know the SEC is qualified. No matter what, there should be an SEC team in the College Football playoff, and he's doing it before the SEC championship.

Now, we just talked to Josh Pate and I asked him what happens if Georgia loses to Bama in Atlanta on Saturday. And he said, if you're truly looking for the four best teams in the country and you're not playing politics over conference champions or blah, blah, blah. Well, then Georgia has to be there. Alabama would have to be there and Georgia would have to be there, and there's no way you could leave one of those teams out if Bama beats Georgia. When it comes to Nick Saban, though, we have to take everything with a grain of salt because obviously he's subtly stumping for Alabama just in case something might go horribly wrong. So, yeah, he's already thrown it out there to the committee that the SEC must be part of the equation. The SEC is one of the best conferences in the country. I think Georgia is one of the best teams in the country, and I think that they're one of the best four teams in the country. I think if we beat them, we'd be one of the best four teams in the country because, you know, teams do.

There's a transformation that goes through the season. So how are you playing now? Where is your team now?

How good are you now? I think all those things, you know, come into play, but I think it would be a disrespect to the SEC if there is an SEC representation in the Final Four. I do believe that. It would be a disrespect to the SEC if there is not representation in the college football playoff. Well, are you attempting to persuade the college football playoff committee, coach?

I'm not concerned about any of those things. I mean, we've got a big challenge here in terms of trying to play the best football that we can play and prepare our team to play the best that they can play. I want our team to focus on the game because that's what we can control. We really can't control anything externally, but we can try to control how we play.

And I think that's the most important thing for us to be focused on right now. There's been a lot of talk about an Alabama-Georgia rivalry because they played twice in the playoff championship. 2017-2021, they each have one against the other, so at the expense of the other. And the SEC now has a running tally, four consecutive national championships. So coming out of the college football playoff, four in a row and six of nine overall. Can you believe it's been nine years now for the college football playoff?

Whoa, it feels like it just started. But yeah, six of the nine titles. This will be year number 10 for the college football playoff, right about the time that we're going to chuck it and change to an expanded playoff. I would agree with him that it seems impossible to leave the SEC out of it. But let's just say for the sake of argument, just for fun, for kicks and giggles, if you will, that you take a Pac-12 winner. OK, so you have Oregon and Washington who are in the Pac-12 on Friday night. OK, so if Washington wins, you can't leave Washington out.

They're number three. They're already into the top four. If Michigan wins, they're in.

They're a lock. If Florida State wins, I don't know how... Now, I know the victory over Louisville wouldn't be as weighted based on Louisville's loss a week ago. Remember, the Cardinals have dropped in the poll all the way down to 14th. But they are a 10-2 team and Florida State would be the ACC champ. So would you see a scenario where it would be Michigan, Washington, Florida State all beating their opponents and taking care of their business, and then Alabama beating Georgia so that the dogs don't get in, but Alabama doesn't climb high enough from number eight.

Could the committee look at that game? If Alabama beats Georgia, let's say it's a close game. Well, Georgia has a loss then, and they lost to a team that's number eight in the country.

All right, so just kind of going by the ratings. Would you then just push Michigan, Washington, Florida State up? I don't know about Oregon. I don't know about Ohio State, maybe Texas, if they end up winning the Big 12. Ohio State would just have the one loss against Michigan, who would then be the number one team in the country. Or would you put Oregon in there because they lost to the number three team?

I don't think you're going 2-pack-12. I think that's absurd. But could it be possible that it's Michigan, Washington, Florida State, and either Ohio State or Texas? Because they're already ahead of Alabama.

Depending upon how the committee looks at this, if it's an eye test, I agree. You can't leave Alabama and or Georgia out, and I'm not even sure you can leave Georgia out if they lose to Alabama. If it's a really close game, maybe they drop out of the number one spot, but I don't know if you can leave them out, excuse me. So it'll be interesting. I do hope there's some drama.

On Twitter, what's the after hours game of the week? Some of you are writing back with duh. And your emotional support animals. I am pleasantly surprised that not all of you are reverting to dog. Though clearly dog is the most common, the most prolific. Some of you are very creative. And some of you are weird.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS. Let's face it, most people aren't making massive turkey feasts on the regular. And after 364 days of not thinking about it, it can be hard to get that bird just right. That's where Instacart, the holiday rescue app comes in. From getting all the ingredients to prep a full seasonal spread to getting last minute swaps in a turkey emergency, Instacart has everything a holiday host needs to save face and save dinner. And right now, if you download Instacart, you'll get free delivery on your first three orders and delivery in as fast as one hour.

Offer valid for a limited time, $10 minimum per order, additional term supply. Did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult life skill to teach? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app for families. With Greenlight, you send instant money transfers, set up chores, automate allowance, and keep an eye on your kids' spending with real-time notifications. Kids learn to earn, save, spend wisely, and invest.

And parents can rest easy knowing their kids are learning about money with guardrails in place. Get your first month free at greenlight.com slash odyssey. Well, well, well, shopping for a car? Yep, Carvana made financing a car as smooth as can be.

Oh yeah? I got pre-qualified instantly and had real terms personalized just for me. Doesn't get much smoother than that. Well, I got to browse thousands of car options on Carvana, all within my budget. Doesn't get much smoother than that.

It does. I actually wanted a car that seemed out of my range, but I was able to add a co-signer and found my dream car. It doesn't get much- Oh, it gets smoother. It's getting delivered tomorrow.

Visit Carvana.com or download the app to get pre-qualified today. When you use Bounce Dryer sheets and your clothes look amazing, it's the sheet. Less static in your life? Yeah, it's the sheet. Smelling fresher than ever? It's the sheet. Oh so soft fabric?

Ooh la la. It's the sheet. Less wrinkles on your clothes? You know it's the sheet.

Bounce Dryer sheets. More freshness. More softness. Less static.

Less wrinkles. It's the sheet. Tristan Jarry has scored in the N.A.T.I.L.

It's Penguin history. The goalie goal. Tristan Jarry all the way down splits the uprights. First Penguin goalie ever to do it. And the Penguins have the put away. And it's from Tristan Jarry, their goaltender. I think it was just kind of a perfect scenario. They dumped it right on net and I didn't even have to sock it. I just shot it right on the fly and it just ended up going in.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. He's so nonchalant about it. Tristan Jarry just made Penguins history. You hear the call there on Penguins radio and it just kind of went in. I just got lucky. Good angle. I suppose. It was an empty netter.

What's the big deal-o-yo? It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. 39 saves. I don't know if you got excited about that or not but yes. Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry in a come from behind win against the Lightning. This is in Tampa so unfortunately not in Pittsburgh where the hometown fans would have been over the top.

But he was able to send this puck end to end. It's kind of fun actually. It's one of those games that you might play. You see people, pre-chosen probably, but you see people who get the opportunity to try to slap a puck from one end to the other. Just to see if they can get lucky enough to win some cash.

But a minute to go. Jarry has just the 17th goal by a goalie in NHL history. Can I tell you, I would have actually thought there were more than that for this very reason. Because a lot of times you'll get a man that's obviously, well we know, it's a man advantage when a goalie's been pulled at the other end. And so theoretically you would have more shots generated by the team that has the extra man on the ice. So when a goalie stops a puck and then quick slaps it toward the other end, I would think that there would be a lot more than 17 of them. But I suppose maybe in most cases the goalie's trying to be more careful and is directing it to one of his own teammates so that it's not a free puck. And therefore potentially turned right around and fired at him again. Yeah, it's the position.

You need a lot of room to stand up, actually look up, get the shot off, clear it over their heads, then still stay in position. That's a good point. So Jarry's just the 4th goalie to score in the past decade actually. And yeah, he looked at the boards first, I guess he thought about clearing the puck, but then decided nah, this will be more fun. First time in Penguins history, so what was going through his mind?

Was he thinking about this? Honestly, I kind of looked for the boards first just to see what's open and what's around. It was kind of the perfect scenario.

It was coming in kind of slow and I was able just to get around it and shoot as hard as I could. Pretty neat honestly. It's something that doesn't happen very often.

There's very few that have done it. So it's something definitely pretty cool, but honestly the win means more. Of course it does, and a come from behind win for the Lightning, but that's still a neat moment. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

Before we take a break for the update, Marco and then we get into QB news, some of your answers. We've thrown this question out there. If you want to know how we generated it or how we stumbled on it, you'd have to go back to the beginning of the show because honestly half the time I don't know how I stumble upon some of these topics or questions. My mind works like a plate of spaghetti. I start out talking about one thing. I twirl the spaghetti on my fork and then as I pull it off the plate, all these other thoughts come tumbling and jumbling out. And so for that reason, I start in one place and end up somewhere off the plate.

They're all jumbled up together and one thought leads me to another, leads me to another. I might be a far, well, Mike McDaniel is pretty entertaining. I might be a more, hmm, how do I want to say this? Well, think of the right word, but Mike McDaniel and I both speak with stream of consciousness. I just don't happen to have as many gaps in my thinking and my speaking that he does.

So maybe I'm a more condensed version of Mike McDaniel. And so we stumbled on this question. If you could pick any animal to be your emotional support companion, what would the animal be? Our friend Matthew sends us a gif of a very large and scary kangaroo. Those things are mean actually. Kangaroos, they may look sweet and cuddly, especially the small ones, the babies, but they're not. They can be really mean.

I had a buddy who lived in Australia for like two years. He said they're like a real problem. They're like squirrels are in the Northeast, like how abundant they are. They're just all over the place and they're vicious. Like if you want to walk with your dog, they'll attack your dog. Like they're mean animals. One of the coolest things ever, though, when I went to a zoo, where was this?

Houston, maybe. I can't remember exactly where I was. There was a petting zoo portion where there were young kangaroos all over the place. And we got to go not only take pictures of them, but we also got to get up close with them. You weren't supposed to touch them, but they were calm enough because they were younger that you were allowed to get close enough. You were walking around in the petting area with them and you could actually take their photos. It was pretty cool. That's pretty amazing.

Yeah. So Matthew goes with kangaroo. I don't know if he's joking. David says yellow lab or golden retriever. I like that he gives us the breed. Yes, goldens are supposed to be great companions. Penny is half golden.

I've never had an actual golden, but I know a lot of people who have golden doodles or golden retrievers themselves. Randy says a sea otter. That sounds fun. Their whole goal in life is to make everything a game.

That's true. Let's see. Tom says morning Amy and Jay. My animal would be an orangutan.

I love them. I actually have a really neat story where I shared a very special time with an orangutan in the Birmingham Zoo over 40 years ago. He's still there and his name is Oliver.

So Tom would like to adopt Oliver the orangutan. Our crazy granny friend. We don't actually know her name.

I suppose that's not her given name, but she goes by crazy granny on social. An eagle. That sounds amazing. Because you could fly like an eagle.

You could soar. I think eagles are incredible animals. They're among the best.

You know their eyesight is so sharp that from a mile up in the air they can see an animal on the ground. I cannot relate to that. That's amazing. I know. That's true.

I can't either. Jason says he goes with dog for sure, but Christy says prairie dog. Interesting. Another one, sloth or red panda. I like it. I like it.

They might teach you how to be lazy. Jim says Pippa, our cat. Oh my gosh. And he sends us a photo of Pippa dressed in a packer's jersey. Do you know what would happen if I tried to dress my cat in anything? I don't think she would like it much.

No. She would howl at me. Then she would scratch me. And then she would hide from me for a week.

Sugar would never tolerate being dressed in a jersey or any type of clothing. Penny, well, she'll deal for a couple of minutes until she can shake it off. Ha ha, Taylor Swift. My stomach's already growling, so if you hear it, please just nod and smile. Ignore me.

Those are some interesting emotional support animals, you goofballs. Alright, cue- Deck your home with Blinds.com. DIY or let us install. Free design consultation. Plus free samples and free shipping. Ho ho ho, Blinds.com invented a better way to buy custom high-quality window treatments with no showroom markups or waiting around for quotes from pushy salespeople. Saving you time and money for the holidays with upfront pricing right on our website. Go right down to Blinds.com and satisfaction guaranteed. Deck your home this holiday season with Blinds.com. Shop Blinds.com and save 40% site-wide.

Blinds.com. Rules and restrictions may apply. The most unique NBA podcast is out on Odyssey. Heat Check with Trista Crick. NBA fans, listen up.

I'm Trista Crick, host of the Heat Check podcast, and if you love this league, the storylines and want a funny digestible way to get all the news from around the association and someone to break down what's really going on straight up, no chaser, and make you laugh at the same time, follow the Heat Check on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. He's got it. Touchdown. Joe Burrow and the Bengals. The Holmes fires for the end zone, caught. Touchdown Kansas City.

And off to Ekler again, no. Herbert keeps it in zone. Touchdown Chargers. Herbert with his second of the day.

Here's the snap. Josh going to keep it himself and run it again inside the five into the end zone. Touchdown Buffalo. Josh Allen, nine-yard touchdown run. The Bills respond and then some. It's time for QB News on After Hours. We are getting set for week 13, the bulk of week 13 in the NFL, and if what we started out Thursday Night Football is any indication, this could be a really entertaining weekend, first weekend in December, believe it or not. Dak Prescott, nearly 300 yards passing, three touchdowns, no turnovers.

He is on some kind of trip right now. Lots of success for the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. It's about just believing and committing to it, and that's what I did, and not only just committing to my call and the plays but the changes that were asked and the way that I play the game, my full work, whatever it may be, and then most importantly the guys around me really committed to it, and that's the receivers and that's them getting to their breaking points, getting to their depths, winning at the top of their routes, consistently knowing and understanding where I expect them to be.

That's the reason that I'm playing this way. We know we can count on him, just trusting on us, giving us the deep balls, the one-on-one matchups, believing in us, and the guys up front, they did a hell of a job, excuse my language, for protecting. Not many guys got back there if we just had the time we needed outside to win. I love that C.D.

Lamb on Amazon Prime, which isn't even television, that he apologizes for using the hell of a job phrase. Yeah, C.D., another hundred-plus yards receiving with the touchdown himself, and right now you've got Dak and C.D. as one of the most productive quarterback wide receiver combos in the NFL. As Virgino Smith, he gets nearly 335 passing yards in three scores, does have a fourth-quarter interception, but the offense looked a lot better on Thursday night. I thought we got into a rhythm early, and then I thought we came out in the second half and kind of started out strong in the second half, but I wish we would have finished the game a lot better in those situations when we have the ball at the end of the game, a chance to win it.

We usually thrive in those situations, and we just fell short of the goal today. That could have been one of the game of the week candidates, but it was played on Thursday night and sets us up for what I think many of you are salivating over, Niners at the Eagles. So let's start with Brock Purdy. Remember, last time we saw Brock against the Eagles, he got hurt in the NFC Championship, had to go back on the field late in the game but couldn't throw anything. It was really tough. So what's the biggest difference between this guy right now in year two versus the guy who was unable to help the Niners close the deal and get to the Super Bowl? Yeah, I've grown just mentally with this playbook, with the system, with just the guys that I'm playing with in terms of them knowing what they're going to get from me. And I feel like at the time I was still trying to find my way in the NFL and play consistent and prove to the guys that I can play. So now it's all about how can I be consistent every single drive, every game, and sort of being able to handle all the factors that come with playing quarterback, the noises, the keeping guys under calm, cool, collected, that kind of stuff. So I feel like in that game or at that time, I don't know if I was that guy yet.

So I feel like that's the difference. Nineteen touchdowns, only six interceptions. His passer rating for the season is over 112, and his completion rate is 70%. He is steady Eddie, and the Niners are back on track with three wins in a row. Of course, the Eagles have five wins in a row. They're hosting this game, and they are unflappable.

They've trailed in all five of those games that have rallied to win. So how does Jalen Hurts maintain that confidence level when things aren't exactly going their way? Just trying to go out there and play, play hard and enjoy the moment.

It's actually cute. I don't really think about anything else. One snap, one series, one possession at a time. And the best athletes can, in fact, narrow their focus to exactly that. And they've got so much confidence, not only because they went to the Super Bowl last year, because they're never out of it. We've seen that week in and week out again with the Eagles, who have the best record in the NFL. What is the game of the week? You can find it on Twitter, After Hours, CBS or on our Facebook page.

It's After Hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Another candidate in addition to Niners Eagles is Chiefs, Packers and Jordan Love. Their offense is looking a lot better. So what's the change for him now mid-season? Just comfort, being comfortable in the pocket. Obviously getting more reps, more reps is being comfortable with my reads, understanding what the defense is doing, where I need to go with the ball, and just growing and learning every rep I get.

And obviously learning from mistakes, learning from the good plays, but I think it's just comfort. Back-to-back wins for Green Bay as the Chiefs invade. First time ever for Patrick Mahomes at Lambeau Field.

Let's go! The games that I've been there were the fourth preseason games. So I wasn't playing in the games and so I'm extremely excited for it.

I mean I've watched it my whole entire life. And I know it's going to be a hostile environment and the fans are going to be loud. It's going to be a lot like Arrowhead is to other teams like you're saying. But I'm excited. If you love football, you love Lambeau Field and I'm excited to get the opportunity to play there. Two of the best stadium atmospheres in all of football. I've experienced them both. It's awesome.

No clue if Taylor Swift will be there, but I do know Jordan Love is not a Swiftie. Just useless information, but whatevs. Jared Goff and the Lions. They've got four of their next five games on the road.

How do you attack it? Just come together. It's that time of year. We're hitting the home stretch here. It starts this week with New Orleans and how do we come together and find a way to get a W in whatever way that may be. Yeah, it's fun being on the road in hostile environments and trying to find a way to win. First place in the NFC North at 8 and 3.

And yes, they are in the Superdome to take on the Saints who have fallen below.500 with Derek Carr. I see us getting better. I was in the same building for nine years and I can promise you at the beginning I was answering the same questions. That's why when I'm older I may be a little bit more frustrated with it. When you're younger you're like, I've still got all that time. And now you're just like, you get more frustrated.

I promised you guys and I promised my team that I was going to be super positive about everything and keep going in the right direction because I know feeling sorry about it and not working at it is going to lead to the same results. Derek Carr is an all-in guy. It's one of the things I love about him.

He also wears his heart on his sleeve similar to your host, Amy Lawrence. And he's shown a little bit of frustration. However, everything is still available in the NFC South because right now the Saints and Falcons are tied for the division lead at 5 and 6. Another game of the week candidate, never thought we'd say this, but C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans above.500 hosting Denver with its five wins in a row. So you've got C.J.

and Russ together forever. I believe like there's only a wall if you allow there to be in your mind. So I don't allow myself to take a shortcut or have a day off or have an off day. That doesn't fly with me. I think you're uncommitted or unmotivated if that kind of happens.

This is what I asked for. It's what I signed up for. I don't feel bad for myself. I'm blessed to be in the position I am. And like I said before, it's not easy, but anything great in life isn't going to be easy. I still got a little speed.

I still got quickness. I think the biggest thing is just when you have a plan, you set out to it. I set out to it a long time ago. I think that it's a lifestyle. It's a 365-day mentality. There are no off days.

There are no you don't have optionality on trying to be great every day. I think that's just got to be your mentality. Do you know that Russell Wilson has 20 touchdowns and only four interceptions?

Did you know that? And I know that in these five consecutive wins, the Broncos' defense with all the takeaways has really been the major focal point, but he is playing so much better and just more efficient football than he did last year under Nathaniel Hackett, who obviously is now with the New York Jets, and Aaron Rodgers slash Zach Wilson slash Tim Boyle. But Ross is playing really strong football. He's nearly 2,200 yards passing, and if you look at his passer rating, it's over 100. I mean, everything is better this year under Sean Payton. He's obviously got a really strong receiving core. Offensive line is better, and the defense has figured it out. So Broncos are back to 500. It's after hours, CBS Sports Radio.