1-1-24 After Hours with Amy Lawrence: Hour 1

Nobody wants a surprise in their jelly donut.

It's toothpaste? That's because the middle is the most important part. At Graybar, we're at the middle of electrical and datacom jobs across the country. Connecting installers, facility managers, and business owners with smart solutions for their most challenging projects. Which means stocking and delivering crucial products on time and on budget with no surprises thanks to our nationwide logistics network.

Yep, Graybar does that. Hello listeners and welcome to the end of the year edition of the Hey Did You Know Podcast. So year end means holidays. Hey, did you know Americans eat 1.4 billion pounds of turkey every Thanksgiving? Well, year end also means the Hyundai getaway sales event. Hey, did you know it's the best deals of the season on Hyundai's most popular vehicles? Well, isn't that interesting?

And since we were talking turkey, hey, did you know only male turkeys gobble? Hey, did you know every new Hyundai comes with America's best warranty and three years or 36,000 miles of complimentary maintenance? Hey, did you know the Statue of Liberty is the largest holiday gift ever given? Hey, did you know when the year ends, so do the deals? December 30th is national bacon day, you know, it's your journey on every mile at the Hyundai getaway sales event. Sign and drive a 2024 Hyundai Palisade with zero down zero first month's payment and zero security deposit. Now during the Hyundai getaway sales event offer ends January 2nd call 562-314-4603 for details.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Hello. Happy New Year.

For those of you who are already into 2024. I know it's not all of you. I haven't forgotten how time zones work. Most of my colleagues do though.

But don't tell them that I outed them. It is the new year. In fact, it's Happy New Year right now. For those of you who are in the mountain time zone, right? So you all are joining us and it's midnight in your time.

Coming up Pacific time zone will usher you into the 2024 year as well. But wherever you are, however you're listening, I'm just glad to celebrate with you guys. It's strange. Actually, a lot of what I say is strange, but it is a little strange to tell you that there's no place I'd rather be.

But that's actually the truth. New Year's Eve into New Year's Day. This is one of my favorite shows of the year generally. Because it's a lot of fun to be in one of my favorite places and starting a new year and to always be grateful for the chance to talk about sports for a living and have a job that I love. But also, in addition to that, the way that the NFL has shifted its schedule now and the way that the college football playoff has taken shape over the last, oh gosh, six, seven years now, this is the place to be if you're a football lover. Right? So to be here in studio at CBS Sports Radio headquarters in lower Manhattan managed to avoid most of the craziness of midtown. Did see a ton of traffic on the way into the city, more so as we got close. But to be here following week 17 in the NFL and to know what we now know, I've got secrets.

I can't wait to share them with you. So yeah, we've got the latest on the playoff picture with one week left in the NFL regular season. And in mere hours, we've got the college football playoff. The national semifinals taking place coming, let's see, from the Rose Bowl, which is really neat having the Rose Bowl involved for the first time.

And of course, looking ahead to the expanded playoff, the Rose Bowl had to get on board and get with the program so they could get that expanded playoff done. So those games, that double header coming up on New Year's Day, which will be awesome. And then come tomorrow night, this time in 24 hours, maybe you'll think the Happy New Year sentiments are old by then. But I'm the person who says Happy New Year, the first two weeks of the new year. I don't know if that's annoying.

I don't know if it's the minority, but I'm used to being alone on my island most of the time. So I don't actually know whether people still say Happy New Year other than me two weeks in, but I do until about the second weekend of the new year and then I'll stop. I'll stop annoying friends and neighbors. Anyway, it is a new year. It will still be a new year on Monday night. We'll be here to talk not just about college football, though primarily about that double header. And then looking ahead to week 18 of the new season is going to be a lot of fun because there's so much on the line.

And I gotta say this, this cracks me up. It's not the biggest headline. It's not even the most important headline for week 18 unless of course you're a Packers fan. But how ironic that the Green Bay Packers, though they will not be flexed to Sunday night because that's already been taken up by the Bills and the Dolphins. And I haven't heard the schedule has changed for week 18 in the NFL.

So we were waiting until, gosh, fourth quarter, I think, of the Packers Vikings game just a few hours ago to find out how the NFL would set up week 18. Right, because they've got the power. This power that the NFL loves. They're a little bit drunk on their power.

Not the kind of drunk that a lot of people are right now, but other kind of drunk. So they're drunk on their power and the Bills and Dolphins will be in that Sunday night game because the winner claims the AFC East championship. Now there is a chance, depending on how the dominoes fall on week 18, well Saturday and Sunday, but depending on how the dominoes fall, the Bills could actually miss the playoffs entirely. Or they could end up as the champs of the AFC East.

Try that one on for size. That's a little bit nutso, but that's the NFL, right? So Buffalo at Miami is the final game of the NFL regular season. Next Sunday night, it's game 272. Every year. Well, now that we've got the expanded to week 18, 272 games. And so we're down to the last handful. So Green Bay will not be on the Sunday night game.

That actually would be not just ironic, but perfection. Because do you remember where we were this time just about a year ago? It would have been 51 weeks ago. Green Bay, Minnesota. No, Green Bay, Detroit. It was Green Bay, Detroit. Packers with Aaron Rodgers were hosting the Lions at Lambeau Field. Sunday night, Packers needed the win to get in. So it was game 272 of the 2022 season. Packers needed a win with Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field under the lights to get into the playoffs. They didn't. The Lions beat them and really serve notice that this new Lions team, which we've obviously seen win the NFC North now, but this new Lions team was a force to be reckoned with.

Right? So now here we are, nearly a year later, and after everything the Packers went through with Aaron Rodgers, after transitioning to Jordan Love, not only does he play probably his best game as the Packers QB just a few hours ago, but he's now over 30 passing touchdowns for the season. And the Packers will host the Bears next week for a chance to make the playoffs. So a year after they couldn't do it with the soon to be exiting Aaron Rodgers, they'll have a chance yet again at Lambeau next weekend to win and get in.

But the win would be with Jordan Love at quarterback. I guess it's not at Lambeau. The game is, oh yeah, it is at Lambeau. I'm looking at the wrong week, sorry.

They were on the road at Minnesota just a couple of hours ago, but are hosting next weekend at Lambeau. That's just one piece of Intel I've got for you on this New Year's Eve into New Year's Day. Again, Happy New Year to you.

Happy 2024. Here's to many blessings and new breakthroughs in the new year. I know it's just the next day on the calendar, but of course for many of us it signifies a fresh start. And so as you morph out of the holidays and get ready to get back into your familiar routines, especially for those of us who've been out of our familiar routines, it can sometimes be a load. It is nice to know we've got clean slate.

Not that our problems and challenges and sometimes pain and grief don't follow us into the new year, but I always appreciate the fact that we can turn the page and begin again. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. You can find me on Twitter, ALawRadio, though I haven't had a chance to log in yet, but I will. Little bit of tweeting about football on Sunday just to kind of get back into the flow. The last time I spoke to you was from an office with pillows all around the walls at a home just outside of Houston. That would be my hubby's home. Hi hubby. Hubby is here in studio.

He's real, although some of you on Twitter insist that is still just made up. Producer Andrew, will you crack your mic and let the peeps know that there is actually a man in studio about three feet from me? He is visible.

I can see him through the glass. I met him before. Super nice guy. Oh, thank you, Andrew. That's nice. He said, babe, that you are a super nice guy.

So hubby is not wearing headphones. So whatever we say about him, Andrew, well, whatever I say, he can hear whatever you say he can't hear. So go ahead.

You can say what you like. But anyway, Andrew met him earlier. And so he's real and he's here.

And he is not that you can see it on radio, but is wearing a wedding ring. So, yes, all of those things make this not a figment of my imagination. But the last time that I spoke to you was, well, was it Wednesday night into Thursday morning? It was so Wednesday night into Thursday morning from the after hours super secret home base that had landed in Houston.

The eagle had landed in Houston. And so since that time, we took a road trip. Actually, we moved, packed up most of a house into two vehicles. One trailer drove in 48 hours.

Seventeen hundred miles. We're insane. I tell you, life is about finding people who are your kind of crazy.

And I have. So seventeen hundred miles in 48 hours to get back to New Jersey with two dogs and now a cat who is insane. She's so mad. Well, she's not so much mad about the fact that we brought another dog home.

Well, and another person. But she she likes Bob. Bob is already her favorite family member. And so the cat's not mad that we brought another dog home because she's the queen.

And it's fine. She's already hissed a few times and we've had a few low rumbling growls to indicate to the dog that it's her kingdom and not Daisy's. But the funny part is that she's angry and will not stop howling over the fact that we left her for 18 days. That's why she's mad. Oh, that and Daisy keeps eating her food.

Can you do something about that, please? Can you control your dog whenever we end up as parents? I know I'm going to say that to you. I'm going to be like, can you control your daughter?

Can you control your child? Anyway, so Daisy's already eating cat food. The cat's mad. It's a total zoo.

We've got essentially boxes and furniture just in every spare corner of the house that we can make them fit. And how to drop all of that to watch football on Sunday, of course, because nothing this time of the year trumps football. Sorry. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Facebook, as well as on our Twitter, as I say, haven't logged in yet. But I will love to hear from you. Here's the question of the night.

It's really super easy. Where are you and where are you listening or how are you listening? Where are you and how are you listening?

Because on holidays like this one, a lot of people are out of their regular routines. And so I dig it because we get people who don't hear the show maybe on a regular basis or have never heard the show before and have no idea who I am, which is awesome. I say, give me two weeks and you'll be hooked. Either you'll absolutely love the show and want to hang out with us or you'll hate the show and hate me.

But you'll keep listening because it fuels your anger and your obsession. Either way, thrilled to have you. So our phone number is 855-212-4227.

855-212-4CBS. And then again on Twitter, either our show Twitter After Hours, CBS, our Facebook page, you can find me on Twitter. Something super cool. And I always mention this whenever I do get the chance to work New Year's Eve into New Year's Day. This is our birthday as a network.

CBS Sports Radio went on the air January 1st, midnight Eastern Time or 1201 Eastern Time, 2013. And so we have just wrapped up year number 11 as a network. Trust me when I tell you there are a lot of people who said it won't work. A lot of people who told us, well, not me specifically, but that's never going to find a home. It's never going to last, never going to survive too much competition.

And as a matter of fact, not only are we surviving, but we are thriving with our 300 plus affiliates around the country. Sirius XM channel something something that I think it's 158 now. Shoot, I have to look it up again.

We've changed a couple times. I know I'm a terrible host. You don't need to tell me. So Sirius XM plus the app there. You can listen on CBS Sports Radio dot com. Or what is the Odyssey app?

A U D A C Y because our company made up a name. Don't know why, but it's it's an app where you can find a variety of podcasts, too. But just get on there and search for CBS Sports Radio dot com.

It's also a free app, which is nice. And then many of you listen on a variety of other apps, which is awesome. So however you listen, I would love to hear from you on this New Year's Eve into New Year's Day.

The start of 2024. Glad to hang out with you. So, yeah, send your tweets or Facebook posts. I'll put up a spot and you can let me know in response where you're listening. And we'll try to work in some of your calls, too. I don't know if Jordan from Portland, our seventh grader, is listening. Producer Andrew missed this last week. We had a call from a seventh grader who was listening in Portland, Oregon, and he had to be quiet when he called because his mom was sleeping across the hall. So he called us two nights in a row.

It was fantastic. So, Jordan, specifically to you, Happy New Year. If you are staying up to see the beginning of 2024, of course, you're welcome to call the show anytime. All right. Here's what we know.

And then we'll get to our first break and we'll start to dive in more specifically. Ravens, Niners, come on down, baby. You are the top seed for the 2023 NFL postseason. So Ravens shall lack the Dolphins, which is why the Dolphins still have work to do to win the AFC East. But the Ravens, they are the big bad.

They are the juggernaut. And right now they've got the best record in the NFL. They've won six games in a row. They've clinched the North Division title, which we knew, but now they have the top seed and the bye.

And that's humongous. The Niners also have the top seed and the bye for the NFC with a record of 12-4. They're not only clear of the Cowboys and Eagles and Lions, but they beat the Cowboys and Eagles this season, which means they would have the tie break anyway. So the Niners and the Ravens are the teams to beat and the home field advantage that comes with them after the bye.

Here's what else we know. The Rams are back in the playoffs from that same AFC, oh sorry, NFC West. The Rams get in by virtue of their third straight win and then the Seahawks loss to the Steelers. Now the Seahawks are still alive at 8-8. But the Green Bay Packers, who are also 8-8, have the nose in front, essentially with all the different tie breakers. If the Packers win, they are in in Week 18. Vikings are still alive, Seahawks are still alive, and then the Saints and Falcons are still alive, but there's a lot of different dominoes that have to drop for those teams to get in. The win and get in scenarios are Tampa Bay in Week 18 against the Panthers, oh heavens.

David Tepper's in hot water again, we'll get to that. So the Buccaneers win next week and they are the champs of the NFC South. So look at you, Baker Mayfield, following in Tom Brady's footsteps. Though still a mediocre team. If the Buccaneers lose to the Panthers, who are already assured of the number one draft spot, which automatically goes to Chicago, but I digress. If the Buccaneers lose next weekend, the Saints and Falcons, who are playing each other, will then do battle with that NFC South title on the line. But here's the funny part, Atlanta and New Orleans play early.

The NFL has decided that Tampa Bay, who is on the road at Carolina, will play at that same time. So all those NFC South games are happening, those two of them are happening early next weekend, and you'll have to be watching back and forth. So Tampa Bay wins and gets in as the NFC South division champ. Packers win and get in as a wild card.

Anything else will require help. And the AFC Dolphins and Bills will play for the AFC East championship next weekend. That's the last game of the regular season. We know Ravens and Browns are already in. Steelers are still alive, though they need a bunch of help. Jaguars win next week and they are the repeat champions of the AFC South. If not, the Colts and Texans, who right now have the same record, have a chance to get in as the division champions.

Otherwise, there's wild cards waiting. The Chiefs win their eighth straight AFC West title with a rally past the Bengals, who are eliminated from the playoffs. So it will not be the Bengals facing the Chiefs again in the AFC title tilt. Broncos are eliminated after the Chiefs won. Raiders lost earlier today and they are officially eliminated.

So there are still a bunch of different ways this can play out. Again, the crazy thing is that Dolphins and Bills will play for the AFC East title next weekend. But if a bunch of different dominoes fall, the Bills could actually be out of the playoffs. Could you have imagined at the beginning of the year that neither Bills nor Bengals would make the playoffs? Or that the Browns, without Deshaun Watson as their steady starter, in fact they've used four different quarterbacks now with Joe Flacco, but the Browns would be sitting on 11 wins. Crazy stuff, but that's why we love the NFL.

It's nutso. There's a lot of other different things that could happen. Dallas Cowboys could end up winning the NFC East, having leapfrogged a backpedaling Eagles team that we'll talk about. Stunner against Arizona on Sunday. So it's a lot to sift through as the dust is settling on week 17.

No Monday Night Football game, that's just for college football on New Year's Day. A lot to do. There's always a lot to do.

And there's calls. Because you all are chatty these days. That's good. I like it. I'm chatty. Chatty recognizes chatty. On Twitter, ALawRadio, and then our Facebook page too. Happy New Year to you. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Join the thousands of professionals who rely on Graybar to help keep them up and running.

Yeah, Graybar does that. and three years or 36,000 miles of complimentary maintenance. Hey, did you know the Statue of Liberty is the largest holiday gift ever given? Hey, did you know when the year ends, so do the deals? December 30th is National Bacon Day, you know.

It's your journey. Own every mile at the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event. Sign and drive a 2024 Hyundai Palisade with zero down, zero first month's payment, and zero security deposit. Now during the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event. Offer ends January 2nd.

Call 562-314-4603 for details. The holidays aren't over. Celebrate big savings at Blinds.com's Biggest Year in Blowout. They invented a better way to buy custom window treatments 100% online. With upfront pricing, no showroom mockups, or misleading quotes from pushy salespeople. Go right down to Blinds.com and satisfaction guaranteed. Satisfaction guaranteed. Hurry to Blinds.com's Biggest Year in Blowout and save 40% site wide. Get 40% off right now at Blinds.com.

Rules and restrictions may apply. Ew, gotta get rid of this old Backstreet Boys t-shirt. Tell me why. Because it stinks, boys. Tell me why. I've washed it so many times but the odor won't come out.

Tell me why. No, you tell me why I can't get rid of this odor. Have you tried Downy Rinse & Refresh? It doesn't just cover up odors. It helps remove them. Wow, it worked, guys. Downy Rinse & Refresh removes more odor in one wash than the leading value detergent in three washes.

Find it wherever you buy laundry products. Zay Flowers comes in motion. Lamar, with time, coming deep, looking for Flowers. He's got him open.

It's a Miami 30. Makes the catch. He's to the 20.

Cuts back to the 15. Slipped out of a tackle. Zay Flowers. Touchdown Ravens. Lamar drops the throw. Blitz pressure coming. Lamar's pass is caught. One hit by Zay likely. He's to the 15. 10-5.

Leaped for the pylon. Touchdown Ravens. It's a football feeding frenzy. After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Jerry Sandusky on Ravens radio and, oh yeah, the Ravens are playing their best football of the year.

Perfect timing. It's After Hours here on CBS Sports Radio. And this game against Miami billed as a battle of playoff teams as well as a battle of division leaders. As the Ravens had the top seed on the line, the Dolphins had the AFC East title riding on this one. And they are still a game up. If you look at the standings over the Bills, they're a game up. However, because they fell to Baltimore on Sunday, now the Dolphins and Bills actually will do battle for the division crown coming up in Week 18.

And we'll get to that. Now the Dolphins did not have Jalen Waddle. They did not have Rahim Mostert. But Devon Achan.

Brilliant. Tyreek Hill was on and off the field in the second half. But still typical. And early on, it looked like the Dolphins would have plenty of room to operate. Baltimore actually trailed 7-0 and then 10-7 before finding that extra gear. So touchdowns on three consecutive drives before halftime.

Zay Flowers with a 75-yard TD catch. Also, Roquan Smith has an interception off Tua. And that leads to a deep touchdown for Isaiah Lightley. So it was already 28-13 at the half. But then the Ravens pile on 28 more points in the second half.

Talk about flexing their muscles. This is how they started the second half. And if you missed this, maybe you were still out of the room getting a snack, preparing for your New Year's Eve festivities, you missed Justice Hill taking the second half kickoff 78 yards.

Oh hello. Coming out of the locker room just as powerfully and loudly as they had gone into the locker room at halftime. And so Lamar goes back to Isaiah Lightley. In fact, he only has two catches in this game. They're both touchdowns. Bless you.

Manny Rodriguez is going to be doing updates here in a second and he sneezed so I just felt like it was only right. Thank you. Gus Edwards has a fumble and the Ravens did have a single three and out in the second half, but that was it. Otherwise, it was near perfection. Lamar, five touchdown passes and he does have a perfect passer rating in this one. Over 320 yards, 18 for 21. But in addition to his five touchdowns, the Ravens rushed for 160 yards. They made the Dolphins look like they're not a playoff team, shouldn't be a playoff team. And really feeding into that what we call old or maybe current conception about the Dolphins. I know they beat the Cowboys last weekend on a last second field goal, but the prevailing sentiment around the Dolphins is they're not ready. I mean, they're a lot of dazzle and sizzle on offense, even without the two guys that they were missing, but they're just not ready to compete with the big bads of the NFL. And once again, they get their stuff handed to them against a much better team. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio that Baltimore defense.

Now, here's the fun part. It was something's got to give because the the Dolphins top scoring offense in the NFL coming into this one, though, they finish up with they have just the I even don't even know the final score they finish up with. Was it 13? No, it wasn't 13.

What was it? What was the final score? 56 to the Ravens game? 56-19. Oh, 19. OK, they finished with 19 points. So the top scoring offense gets limited to 19 points, but the top scoring defense for the Ravens. Fantastic. Three sacks, three takeaways.

Zay Flowers was dynamic. He's had a great season. And so, again, the Dolphins and Bills will compete for the AFC East title next Sunday night. Ravens have clinched the top seed in the AFC. And Lamar, who right now, if you follow this type of thing, is the betting favorite for MVP. Lamar goes out there and has his best performance of the season.

And of course, his coach adores him. I mean, his performance was even better than last week, you know, and he played he played really a great football game. I mean, he played a perfect football game in terms of the passing game.

This is on point. The pass protection was fantastic. I mean, that's a really good pass rush. Knowing that we still have a lot to get going on, you know, we got to finish this season the right way. We had one obstacle.

We finished that obstacle. We got to steal it next week. So that's that's snap focus this season. Just taking one game at a time like I've been preaching to you guys all season. I do love when Lamar preaches to us. So Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, what an exclamation point. They don't need to go hard in week 18, but they do have a bye.

So maybe they go out there with what they're generally used to. They play the way they can play, maybe try to extend that win streak just so they keep their momentum. But they've got the bye and the top seed and the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC theoretically will have to go through Baltimore if they take care of their business. The Dolphins. Have been fighting this battle to get where, say, the bills are, which sounds funny, I know, because the bills are behind them in the standings, but hear me out. The Dolphins want to be where the Chiefs are and the Ravens are and even the Bills as an established team with a winning culture that's balanced on both sides of the ball. Now, the Bills have been decimated by injuries, but they put together a nice win streak now and are in position to defend their division title.

The Mike McDaniel Dolphins are getting there. I love how well coached they are. They are very prepared offensively.

Right? And they are very prepared to play a team game. Mostly disciplined. The issue, of course, is that the defensive side of the ball, and it sounds like they may have lost Bradley Chubb to a torn ACL, which stinks. But the defensive side of the ball, when it comes up against better offenses, tends to get run over. Though they made the playoffs last year, McDaniel's first year with, what was it, seven different quarterbacks? Not quite that many, but you know, two was out for most of the second half of the year. They've had two every game this season, which to me is a victory. And they're 11-5, so they're a better record than last year. They're already assured of the playoffs, and they could host a postseason game because they're up on the Bills. And if they win next week, they're still AFC East champions. We'll hear from Mike McDaniel and Tua just a little bit later.

I know they were disappointed, but everything they want is still in front of them. Alright, on Twitter, ALawRadio, a lot of you weighing in already. Where are you and how are you listening?

Thank you for your Happy New Year sentiments. Steven says he's listening in Houston on Sirius XM. John, North Providence, Rhode Island, on the radio.

Chris, the CBS Sports Radio option on his Amazon Echo. Those things spy on you. Did you know that? They spy on you. I mean... Siri spies on you. Everybody spies. You carry this thing around. I grab my phone, people on radio, I grab my phone out of my pocket. They know where you are. They're listening. It's fun. Is it? To always have someone know where you are at all times?

Live on the edge a little. No. As a public figure, when you've had multiple stalkers, having people know where you are at all times is not optimal. Oh, really?

Right. Would you like some of my stalkers? I'm happy to gift them to you for 2024.

I'll re-gift them for 2024. I'll take one. Will you?

Yeah, just to see what it's like. The one that required me to call the police? Oh, nah, I'm good on that one. The one that made death threats?

No, less loony ones. The one that Googled me and said, I've looked you up online, is this your current address? That one? Oh, wow. That's... that's aggressive.

That's aggressive. Welcome to my world, matey. This is why I don't need everyone knowing me all the time. Got any less crazy ones?

Less crazy stalkers? Yeah. Oh, like the one who said, I know where you park your car.

I'll be waiting for you in the parking garage. Yeah, that one? That one may seem a little less crazy than the other ones. Andrew's smiling. Andrew agrees. Yeah, you all can have them. Have them all. Kyle's listening in Grand Junction, Colorado on the radio. And then Edgar, Happy New Year to you and your listeners from L.A. listening on the iHeart app.

So these are some of the options. So again, find me on Twitter, ALawRadio, our Facebook page. I'll put that post up now. Haven't done it yet.

Give me a second! Just kidding. Am I yelling? It's so early in the new year. Why am I yelling? It's just what I do. I mean, you got to yell a little bit if you're up at these hours, I feel like. I do. I yell. It's the caffeine.

I don't have an indoor voice and that will not change in 2024. Got to be the caffeine. No, it's just me. Looking from my peripheral right now, I see a little nodding coming. A lot of yelling, apparently.

Must be the caffeine. All right. Stop trying to communicate non-verbally with the hubs, OK?

Don't give him any secrets. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. We'll get to your calls next. Plus, the Niners win the top seed in the NFC as Brock Purdy bounces back.

Available now for free on the Odyssey app and everywhere you get your podcasts. Yeah, it was sweet. I mean, I love Scramble Drill, especially the BA. He does a great job with just sort of feeling where I'm at and where he needs to be. And he always does a great job of finding space and coming down with the ball. So it's always fun doing it with him. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence.

Amy's taking your calls at 855-212-4CBS. Brock Purdy is back, baby. After a bit of a hiatus, it may be his worst game as a pro. His worst game as the Niners quarterback.

He bounces back in a big way. And you hear Greg Papa on Niners Radio. Just one of the highlight moments for these 49ers. Certainly, they're a team that has earned their spot now as the top seed in the NFC. And it's not just about what they did on Sunday against the Commandos.

Oh, sorry, the Commanders. It's really about the body of work. And so as the top seed in the NFC by, they are in that catbird seat for the first time since 2019, which is the last time they went to the Super Bowl. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Kyle Shanahan has seen the ups. The downs. The highs. The lows. He's seen the magnificent wins. The painful losses. And here are the Niners on top of the NFC for this next playoff run.

It's huge. These last couple weeks, we've been a little banged up. There's been a couple positions that we've been getting real thin at. Guys had to push through at a number of spots and some of those guys are doing it.

Hopefully, this will help them out. As for Brock Purdy, had the four interceptions last week, but comes back with a couple of touchdowns through the air. Only misses on six pass attempts, 230 yards. And the team really buoyed him with the 184 rushing yards. It's so helpful when you get that type of real estate from your run game. Though Christian McCaffrey left in the third quarter with a calf injury, according to Kyle Shanahan postgame, not expected to be serious, but there's always a chance when you're talking about muscle pulls or strains.

As for the defense, against the commanders, making quick work. So commanders fall to four and 12, while the Niners are best record in the NFC at 12 and four. As for Purdy, here is his year-long odyssey to come back from the torn UCL ligament, the surgery. Remember, he did that in the NFC championship game last year in Philadelphia.

So he has the chance now to complete this unfinished business. Felt good. You know, be able to come back and get the ball moving, you know, throw it around to the guys, and then be able to obviously just get the offense, the flow again, feeling it. So, felt good.

He's relatively low-key most of the time. But to finish up the regular season, or at least most of the regular season, they don't, again, don't need to play anybody next week. Maybe they decide they want to since they have the bye. Maybe they decide they want to go in completely healthy and take the extra week off and not play their guys all the way through week 18. Either way, if you think about where they were last year when they bowed out of the NFC championship, if you remember Brock Purdy was so upset about his injury and not being able to throw. He went back on the field because, I forgot who their backup quarterback was that got hurt, but he went back on the field, all he could do was hand off.

They couldn't do anything else. He couldn't throw. But it was captured on NFL films around the Eagles' run to the Super Bowl that Greg Kittle, there I did it again, I do this every time.

That's how you know it's the new year. I've already called him Greg. George Kittle goes up to Purdy on the sidelines in Philly after he got hurt and he was pulled from the game. And Purdy's still wearing his helmet. He refuses to take it off. He's pacing. He won't sit down. He's wandering up and down the sidelines like a lost puppy. And George walks up to him and says, hey, are you ambidextrous? Any chance you can throw left? And Purdy couldn't even speak.

He was so upset he couldn't even smile. So now here they are on the cusp again. They've done all the work. They've stayed relatively healthy. Purdy played a really solid game. Everything the Niners wanted ahead of them.

And now they've got the top seed as well as the bye. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. You can find me on Twitter, ALawRadio. Where are you and how are you listening? Steve says I'm listening while I drive an Uber. Making tons of money tonight. Probably going to be, well, he says 500 bucks.

I don't have any perspective on that, but I hope that's a huge night for you, Steve. He says in Newport, Rhode Island. Loves hanging out with us. Jules is in Southeast Houston listening on our affiliate AM 610 Sports Radio 610.

And then Curtis listening to 1260 AM The Score while playing Call of Duty. Of course you are. It's After Hours on our Facebook page as well. I put a post up there, I think. Maybe I didn't finish it. I will if I haven't yet.

It's just a lot to manage, you know. All right, let's talk to Mike who's listening. And what part of Canada, Mike?

Vancouver, British Columbia. Awesome. Happy New Year to you. I guess it's not Happy New Year yet, but it will be soon.

Not yet. And I'm stuck working. And the other guys sound like they're having more exciting night than I am as a paramedic. Oh, gosh. I hope it's not exciting, I got to tell you. I just want to say congratulations to you and Hubby on your wedding. Thank you. And you're the only person that gets me through these god-awful night shifts. Not that I'm a stalker or anything.

No, you sound relatively normal. One last thing, go Packers. Oh, as a Packers fan, huh?

Uh-huh. Now, do you remember last year week 18 where they lost to the Lions and missed the playoffs? Yeah, I got a buddy of mine here who's a diehard Lions fan and he's still ribbing me about it.

Well, it is kind of ironic, is it not? That a year after Aaron, well, the year that Aaron Rodgers departs, they're in the exact same freaking spot. I know. Win and they get in.

Hosting a game at Lambos as an NFC North opponent, all you got to do is win and get in. And if they get in where they didn't last year, what does that say about Jordan Love? Right?

I'm hoping I'm going to feel the love from Jordan Love. There you go. I love it. All right, well, be safe. Thank you for your service and thank you for listening. Happy New Year. Happy New Year to you. Let's talk to Eric. Eric, happy New Year. Welcome to the show. Eric. Yeah. Hi. How are you doing, Amy? I'm good, thank you.

Happy New Year. Look, I found it interesting, given everything going on with the football results from yesterday, the Ravens played so well the last couple of games. I mean, they're obviously the number one seed now, if I'm correct on that. Yes. Right?

So they get the buy. You got to wonder now, given how they played, especially after San Fran and yesterday with Miami, I'm wondering if that weak love is actually going to end up hurting them. I mean, because football is the one game, you wouldn't think so because it's once a week, but I mean, there is momentum from one week to the next in football to a certain extent, because of how well they played, the field, good field during the week, the game planning and everything.

Either you said it or it was during the update, this is the best football they've been playing probably all season so far. It kind of made me pause for a second. I mean, I don't have a rooting interest in them. I mean, my team was out four plays into the season. So, you know, yes, but but I do like the parody, you know, among football. So I don't I don't mind seeing, you know, Baltimore in the playoffs, but I would hate to think that, you know, after the last number of weeks that, you know, they go in, you know, you get the wildcard week, they go in and then, you know, whoever they end up playing and I'm not going to morph. And it's like, oh, man, what a what a way to finish. I mean, I'm not saying that's going to happen, but, you know, you got to think it's got to be a little nerve wracking for them. So I don't know what you thought.

Yeah, I do think that it's an inexact science. Right. So you never know how a team is going to respond after a bye. And I think a lot of teams, because when they have the bye, you don't want to take two weeks off. They end up playing their guys in week 18.

There's some risk there involved. But here's what I love about the Ravens. And here's why I don't think you have to worry, because a great coach. Well, that, too, and he's been there a long time because they're a run first defense, first team. And the run game and the defensive game doesn't necessarily require rhythm and timing. And so whether they're out of sync, they're a little rusty, it's it's not a timing thing to be able to take the ball and run like heck behind your offensive line or to bust through a hole or on defense to hit somebody that doesn't require any momentum, so to speak.

So I do think that because it's defense and run game that sets the tone for them, that they are more equipped to handle a buy and handle a layoff than other teams. Eric, I have to let you go. Well, I have to let you go. I'm sorry. We're at the top of the hour, but thank you so much for your call.

Happy New Year. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Sorry, any other break I can control. But when you hear the music, yeah, they even cut me off if I talk for too long.

Which would never happen. On Twitter, A-LOL Radio, also on our Facebook page. That was a quick freaking hour.

The Ravens and the Niners, they are top seeds in the AFC and the NFC, and they are locked in as the home field advantage. That's sweet. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. Hey, did you know it's the best deals of the season on Hyundai's most popular vehicles? Well, isn't that interesting?

Since we were talking turkey, hey, did you know only male turkeys gobble? Hey, did you know every new Hyundai comes with America's best warranty and three years or 36,000 miles of complimentary maintenance? Hey, did you know the Statue of Liberty is the largest holiday gift ever given? Hey, did you know when the year ends, so do the deals? December 30th is National Bacon Day, you know.

It's your journey. Own every mile at the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event. Sign and drive a 2024 Hyundai Palisade with zero down, zero first month's payment, and zero security deposit. Now, during the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event.

Offer ends January 2nd. Call 562-314-4603 for details. Deck your home with clients.com. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, the clients.com.

DIY or let us install. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, the clients.com. Free design consultation. Free, free, free, free, free, free, free. Free, free, free, free, free, free, free. Plus free samples and free shipping. Free, free, free, free, free, free.

Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. The holidays aren't over. Celebrate big savings at Blinds.com's Biggest Year in Blowout. They invented a better way to buy custom window treatments 100% online. With upfront pricing, no showroom markups, or misleading quotes from pushy salespeople. Go right now to Blinds.com. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Satisfaction guaranteed. Hurry to Blinds.com's Biggest Year in Blowout and stay 40% site wide. Get 40% off right now at Blinds.com. La, la, la, la, la, the Blinds.com. Rules and restrictions may apply.