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Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. We all underachieved earlier on the show. Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. Still to come. Your phone calls, latest news, and more. And now, it's Rich Eisen. That's right.
Hour number three, the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. If you missed the first two hours, don't worry. There's our podcast, all three hours. There's the Disney Plus page that you can check us out live on, as well as click the tile. Once we're done, all three hours, you can watch back whenever you want.
There's also our YouTube channel, youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show, where you can also check out the Overreaction Monday podcast that Chris Brockman and I conducted before this particular program. 844-204-Rich, number to dial. We also had John Elway on in hour number one, Kurt Warner in hour number two. Hopefully, you're a Hall of Famer because you're their guest in hour number three when you call into the program.
So, honestly, if you wish to be enshrined, have a take and don't suck. Is that the way you're supposed to? We'll rack you.
Okay. Epic. Phenomenal. 844-204-Rich is the number to dial on the show. Hey, Chris.
Hey, Rich. My son told you to stop yapping about the Patriots on our text gene yesterday. That's not exactly what he said.
Well, I mean, he said that last time you hopped in during the Bills game saying, hey, when are we going to the Super Bowl together? He's a very, very superstitious young man. He'll grow out of that. I don't know about that. I don't think you have.
Uh no, good point. Because he just wants the Patriots to win, man.
Well, just sit back and relax. It's happening. He's locked in. Yeah, it's fun. And infuriated that he's about to taste the guillotine this evening.
Unfortunate for him. I know he had Trevion Henderson hoping for something. Yeah, he had him at Josh Jacobs as unfortunate. Oh, gosh, yeah.
So, at any rate. The Patriots showed up to Baltimore last night and. Look to be in trouble despite Lamar Jackson taking a knee to the back, being knocked out of the game. And that's because. Um Snoop Huntley came in and kept matriculating.
And then wisely, the Ravens decided to hand things off to 22. Always helps. Came up with his 25th career game with 100 or more rushing yards and two or more rushing touchdowns. Including the playoffs, that is now tied with an individual named Jim Brown for most all-time, one behind Ladanian Tomlinson. And the Ravens are going to need maybe one, if not two more, of those out of.
Derrick Henry in the final two games of the year because, for some reason, the Ravens stopped giving him the football and, in fact, took him off the field. in the next drive. In this game, after. The Ravens Scored that touchdown to go up 24-13. The Patriots scored once.
As Drake May, just. never stops coming at you. Then the Ravens had six plays and out. No Derrick Henry? Then a touchdown.
Put the Patriots on top 28-24. And in that span, when the Ravens were on the field for six plays, Chris Collinsworth was like. Should the Patriots send a thank you note to the Ravens for not putting Derrick Henry in the game? He literally said those words. The answer is yes.
And the Patriots got two touchdowns. Around the three and out, after Derrick Henry made it a. Two score game. And um And then getting the ball back after the Ramondre Stevenson score. Two plays into that, before they could put Derrick Henry on the field, Zay Flowers put it on the ground, and that was all she wrote.
And the Patriots move on. Last week, they had a 21-point lead and blew it in the second half. This time around, they were down 24-13 at the top of the fourth quarter. Let me get the exact time that was remaining when. Derrick Henry creased the end zone $12.50 to go.
And all they did was a seven-play 73-yard drive in which. Man, Drake May's deep ball. Dude, that throw to Kyle Williams, man. Kurt Warner calls it like a handoff. That dime to Williams, who made a great catch for 37 yards.
Then a two-point conversion succeeds to Ramondre. Then the three and six and out. than that nine play eighty nine yard drive. Capped by the 21-yarder by Ramondre. Yeah.
And that's how the Patriots are now back in the mix for the AFC East. That's how the Patriots are back in the mix. For the one seat. And in that regard, Yes. The Patriots beat the Jets, and Buffalo loses to Philadelphia.
That's the AFC East for New England. As they now have 12 or more wins in a season for the first time since the 2019 season, the last year that. Brady went to the playoffs with the team. A season ended by Mike Vrabel's Titans, I might add. Correct.
As for the one seed, Denver still holds that tiebreak. They can't be tied with Denver with the same number of wins. Right.
So Because of the Raiders lost in week one. Crazy.
So that's the way it works right now. If Buffalo wins and New England wins, And New England wins out. New England would have a better um The vision record. Patriots are 12 and 3 and the Bills are 11 and 4 right now. Mm-hmm.
So There you have it. Stay in front. Win the division. Get a home playoff game. Maybe the one seed.
Yeah, it's kind of been the story all year. Marbaug does you a favor in the final game of the year. Yeah, it's been the story all year. The schedules broke the Patriots' way in final two games against two teams that have seemingly given up on the year.
So that's certainly favorable for New England. Great bounce back, man. Needed it. You've now won at Buffalo and at Baltimore, easily your most impressive wins of the year. Yep, at Tampa, too.
Right.
At Tampa as well. 7-0 on the road this year. But I guess if you look at it in terms of. The way a college football would work at it, that's less of an impressive win years weeks later against the Bucs. But the Bucs, again, are a tough team.
That wasn't a winnable game for New England entirely outright until they started pounding the crap out of Tampa. Yeah. And Drake May's got the gumption, man. He's got the it. He's got the.
You got, I mean, like, this just it. This is it, yeah. As for the Ravens, man, I mean, you had them going to the Super Bowl this year. A lot of people did. They did.
I was not alone there. I mean, a Derrick Henry fumble in Buffalo in week one switched everything up. He fumbled last night, too. That's been an issue all season. It was.
But it led to, I think, another turnover by New England. Right.
that the Ravens wound up cashing in. Um Yeah, Drake May fumbled in the aftermath. And so the Ravens' defense was doing what it needed to do. And without Lamar, Snoop was doing what he had to do. And then it was 20.
As I mentioned, Twenty 4 to 13. It felt kind of over to me watching it. Derrick Henry scored because I'm just like.
Well, they're just gonna I figured they'd pound Derrick Henry the rest of the game. The Patriots have had issues stopping the run the second half of the year with Milton Williams out, and it just seemed like they were going to grind it out. Maybe they could get it to one score, but not enough to come back and take the lead. And For some reason or another, 22 not out there. And they also had the benefit, the Ravens.
In that final touchdown drive of the game for New England. Getting a non-call on pass interference on Keyshawn Booty. That was a booty call by the refs, who apparently told Vrabel after the game that Booty didn't survive the ground. Uh, to catch the ball, it's like, hey, that's not the question about whether he had the ball or not on a catch. And the reason why he didn't survive the ground is he shouldn't have been on the ground at all because.
You know, the defender didn't play the ball. It was the played played the physical receiver. That was insane. He got tackled well before the ball even got there. But I texted you in the group that TJ wasn't being responsive to that, don't worry about it.
The way that May is playing, it's just going to maybe help you by taking more time off the clock, which it did. You did say that. Which it did, but the court. That's a situation where Sky Judge has to be able to throw a flag on the field. It's never going to happen.
The sky judge is never going to put a flag on the field ever. Everyone could see it. The booth, Collinsworth, and Terrico were losing their minds about the sky judge will never put a flag on the field ever. I disagree. I disagree with you.
That's one part of our lives we're never going to see in football. But that's for another day. This is the day where Ravens fans are asking, where was Derrick Henry? And this was the answer John Harbaugh gave after the game. I'm not too happy with the plan.
Called first down pass there. You mentioned Keaton getting a couple carries, but don't you want Derrick Henry in the game at that point? I mean, it's kind of yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean, I look back and I say, yeah, you know. Play call is the play call. If it works, we're thrilled about it.
If it doesn't work, we're not happy about it. Um We tried to first down run the second part of that drive and got nothing.
So, you know, those get stopped too, especially when they're all up there in the line of scrimmage.
So we had an RPO call that ended up being, you know, it could have been thrown actually, and it was given, you know, and they ended up stopping that and got three yards on that one. I don't like to drive at all. Looking backward, I'd rather have Derek starting the drive, yeah. But you know, Derek was kind of ready for Keaton to start that drive. And then he was planning on coming in next, so they were working that rotation.
You look back on it, I think it's pretty easy to say, hey, he should have been in there or shouldn't have been in there. But we're rotating those guys throughout the game as as two backs, you know, and But yeah, a game-winning drive. Do you want Derrick Henry in the f on the field? Sure, I do want him on the field. I mean, it was At least very honest answer right there.
You know, it's kind of a hallmark of just the head scratchers in late games with the Ravens, where it's just. Why didn't they run the ball? Remember a couple of years ago when the health lost to the Chiefs, right? AFC championship game. Six carries for Henry.
And then the opener, the next Year in Kansas City, I think he got six carries in the first drive. That was, yeah, that was, yeah. Right.
Make a point. And now the Ravens have got to win out, and the Steelers have to lose out. Otherwise, the Ravens don't make the playoffs for the first time since twenty twenty one.
So There's that. Their next up is at Green Bay Saturday night. That is not going to be easy. I I don't know if Lamar's playing. If you just look at Lamar's post-game, did you see him talk in front of his locker?
He's wincing the entire time. That knee to the back knocked him straight out. He got a kidney shot. Three and six at home for the Ravens because their last two are on the road. At Green Bay at Pittsburgh.
So all they got to do is win their last two. And and hope that Pittsburgh loses at Cleveland. They gotta have cleave. How about this? How crazy is this, man?
Rodgers puts the Bears in the playoffs and the 49ers, the team that didn't draft him and left him in the draft room, right? Right.
Because he's a kid from Central, you know, from Chico, California. Right.
Right?
So Rodgers punches the ticket of the Bears and the Niners. Phillip Rivers could punch the ticket by losing, which he doesn't want to do, of the Chargers. The Patriots Do Aaron Rodgers a favor by beating the Ravens.
Okay. And At the end of the day, The team that can help save the Ravens bacon is Cleveland. Cleveland could do the Ravens a favor by beating Rogers. You can't make this stuff up. Let me repeat this.
The Ravens need a favor from Cleveland. That ain't happening. Good luck with that.
Well, I mean, it could happen. You could tell Miles Garrett. Lee down, Miles? That's funny. Did you see that moment also?
Let's hit this. Let's hit the the Browns here for a moment.
So If you don't mind, get that Shador sound bite ready.
So Wild moment in the Cleveland Browns game. against the bills. Miles Garrett needs one sack. in order to break the record single season. Allen retreating to his own goal line.
Loses his balance, goes down.
So whoever touches him gets the sack. Garrett is right there. He leaps for Alan. But Mason Graham touches him first. He has no idea where Where Garrett is.
But he's got to put his hand on Alan because it's possible that it's a safety. It wasn't. But that's how close. Allen was to being the guy that gets sacked for Garrett's record. No quarterback wants to be that, by the way.
Yeah, but Miles Garrett. Because that's going to be shown forever. Did he get a half sack on that point? Nope, he didn't. Do you think Miles Garrett would want that sack?
I mean, I know he wants his own. He wants it over. Yeah, but he wanted it over. Because then you're going to get the Michael Strahan thing where this was different. I'm just saying when he's on the ground, it's different than if he just literally blasts off a reasonable thing.
The reason why Strahan got grief and Favre got grief is it looked like Favre literally gave him a cookie. Chris, you're going to read the comments every day. You know that there would be a large quarterback. He cares about comments. I mean, he's going to get at least one in the next few games.
You don't know that. Yeah, he will. You don't, I'm assuming. Unless something happens to him tonight. No, he'll get it, and it'll be like an AIDS.
I just saw that. I don't know why you're. All you got to do is just get up. In touch. Oh, Garrett did get a half a sack for that.
I think he got a half a sack for that, yeah. At the time, during the game, I mean, J.J. Watt, who was in the booth, was like, Let me explain to you how this works, people, because obviously him as a sack guy going to the Hall of Fame, he knows exactly how the official scores make it work. That was wild. And then just the usual stuff where Shador uh balls out in a way that you're surprised by.
or people are surprised by Making a play here, making a play there, having an opportunity to maybe win the game. The bills were just like Basically. At times Ineffective to the point where they're keeping the Browns in it. Yep. The Browns defense is doing its job.
And there were some decisions that Sefanski could have made differently, blah, blah, blah, that, you know. I think Browns fans, at least the ones that I know, are done with Stefansky. Yeah. Yeah. Um Well, the only Browns fan that I know that you know would be Prime.
So you're saying that no, that is not. I have not spoken to Deion in a few weeks. Um I've lost track of the number of times that a member of the media asks a question of Shadur that puts him in a position of having to criticize his coach's decision-making or play calling. It's absurd. It's absurd.
But he's so savvy and so smart at this young age that he doesn't fall for the banana and the telepathy. He handles it with grace. And A plus 10 out of 10. Every time. Maybe that's growing up being a Sanders and not falling for the okie-doke, or as you put it, banana in the tailpipe.
But here here was that moment again yesterday. Yeah. I know you can't be asking me that question, man. Come on, man. We can't, we can't see that's like the thing, like.
If we want to change, if we want to change the narrative change the franchise, if we want to help, we got to speak. Life, you can't Tho those type of things is like Separate us. Like a lot of the players get these types of questions, and then we want to be working with y'all. We want to be proactive, but. Like when you ask questions, or when questions are asked to us players, and it's like.
You pinning stuff against each other, it's like, come on now. You know? It's like a. being in a locker room, like, you know, we we're not gonna be able to talk to 'em for real. we're not going to be able to give them what they need.
Like Because that separates the team. They don't. That don't help anything. It don't help anything in any situation. No matter how you answer it.
Now, again, it's not the media's job to stay out of any potential food fights. Exactly. That's not it. But Uh how many times you know are you Who would have the temerity to ask Aaron Rodgers a question about Mike Tomlins play calling? Mike Thomas not calling the offensive point.
Or decision making. Going forward. The question here was talked about going forward on fourth down or something like that. Or not going forward on fourth down. If it's relevant to wins and losses, yeah, I think it would be answered.
I don't know, man. I think this kid's getting more than not. I don't know about that. I've seen a ton of press conferences over the last few weeks. I watch almost every one of him with him.
And It's absurd. And he handles it every time. Oh, yeah, you know what? I thought we should have gone for it. I don't even think we should have gone for it.
And then it's just like, hey, Shadur. is trying to run the team, this, that, the other thing. He doesn't take the cheese ever. Nope. Which is good for him.
Another reason why you want to have a quarterback like that, too. I don't know what their decision is going to be. Deshaun Watson's on the books. He's coming back. They might go with him.
Makes sense too, certainly if you're not going to draft one. 'Cause the draft Class isn't that good as everybody's thinking right now, at least in the current state of affairs. I thought that was interesting, that exchange right there. 844-20, and he's next up. Brian Rodgers, Shadore versus Aaron Rodgers.
To try and do a favor for the Baltimore Ravens. Mm-hmm.
What a world. What a football world. What a time to be alive. 844-204-RICH. Number to dollar.
Your phone calls and so much more from week. 16 setting up Monday night football finale tonight. Big game. We'll talk some college as well. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.
Back here on the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance. 844-204 Rich, number to Donald. I lone wolfed two teams yesterday that hit. I lone wolfed the Jaguars. And I loan wolf the Carolina Panthers.
Look at you. Hey, man, they were my sleeper team coming in. I'm like, they play better at home. I saw what they did against the Rams. I know they hadn't beaten Baker Mayfield yet, and Baker's pissed about being on the scout team defense from years ago, and that guy holds a grudge, as we know.
Um And Bryce Young did it again. The it being a fourth-quarter comeback. I don't know if you know about this particular statistic. Let me give it to you. Number nine of the Carolina Panthers has a knack for this sort of thing.
He led his sixth game-winning drive in the fourth quarter in overtime this year. That's the second most in a season behind Jake Delhomes, seven in their Super Bowl season of 2003 when NFL Network was born. Would you believe it's his twelfth career game-winning drive? I would not. The only individual to have more Prior to turning twenty five, since the middle of last century, Is Justin Herbert?
In terms of your first three seasons in the NFL. Matt Ryan's thirteen along with Herbert. And Dak Prescott 14 are the only ones with more. And Bryce Young. Wow.
Who didn't get any run game to support him yesterday? The Bucs held. Dowdle to twenty nine and Tuba? To 27 rushing yards. It's the first time both of them played and had fewer than 30 rush yards all season long.
So is Bryce? You're all we got. And he found it Tetaroa Macmillan. I guess he's like, don't call me Ted. Is that what it is?
He doesn't like Ted. T-Mac, I think he's okay with it.
Okay. Um He surpass 900 Receiving yards. The only other rookie to do that in the history of the franchise is Kelvin Benjamin. I remember him. Who had 1,008 yards in his rookie season out of Florida State?
I thought he was going to be the man. Yeah, I mean, him and Cam together, you know, could then went to Buffalo. Could block a shot by Wemby. You know. Put one on top of the other in the shoulders.
And Macmillan, I just went higher register. He's got Five games now with a receiving touchdown. Good. He's now a big favorite for all of us. I was about to say he's tied for most rookies.
Like he could win offensive rookie at the end of the day. I think it's likely that he does. Because Ibuka had only one catch for 40 yards. And And Travion Henderson was kind of up there, too. He hasn't caught a touchdown in the last six games.
So he's cooled off, to say the least. Yeah, Tyler Schuck is second in odds right now. Tyler Schuck, let me give you this stat, too. Remember last week I told you about he's the first. Rookie quarterback.
In Saints history to win a game. Remember, I told you that? Yeah. The Saints start a rookie and win a game with the rookie. It's never happened before.
Wild. He just came up with the first 300-yard passing game. In the History of the Saints by a rookie. He's the greatest rookie ever. Bobby G.
Bear didn't do that? No. Nice. But The real, I mean, and they messed with both Carolina and the Bucs. in the middle of all this.
But didn't knock either one off the horse, if you will. The Bucs lose that game yesterday. The Panthers move on. We got Dave Canalis, former Bucks offensive coordinator. Talking about the Panthers having destiny in their own control now.
Hope, belief, Everything's right in front of us still. And to give ourselves a chance to continue to play meaningful football this time of year, they've earned that. They've earned that because of the work. They've earned that because of being accountable to each other. And, you know, my message to them was: we've been playing playoff football for a really long time, you know, and because of our record early on, every single one of those games, you know, for the last month have been so critical for us to be in this spot.
And so we got another week. We got another opportunity. And we have to be able to make sure we take the lessons from this one and move forward and try to find our best football. Remember, the narrative was that the owner was such a hothead, he couldn't find anybody to take his job that he was offering to people? To be the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, and they had to find some guy named Dave Canalis that few people had ever really heard of outside of the fact that he was helping Baker Mayfield ball out.
after Tom Brady left, and then they hire him. And then just a couple of games in, he benches Bryce Young to the point where everyone's saying, Bryce, you need to leave there. There's no chance you're ever going to be successful there. And now this is happening. Just uh A lesson for everybody to not have such a knee-jerk.
Hot take reaction to things in the world. I remember again, we called the game in Germany last year between the Panthers and the Giants. Turned out to be. Daniel Jones' final start as a giant. And Dave Canalis said, We will know we're succeeding the minute.
That the players show their personality on the field. It comes out in their play, and that's all we've seen, man. And they drafted well? And they're in speaking of earning it, as he said, that they've earned. The Ability to play meaningful football at this time of the year.
If they win the division, they will have earned it. Because the Bucs are in Miami next week, where Quinn Ewers didn't have that terrific a first start. And we'll see if there's any chance that. Zach Wilson gets this start, or they'll try again with Quinn Ewers. Either way, the Dolphins just got boat raced by the Bengals, the Bucs go there to try and snap a losing streak in this fog that they've been in going from six and two to seven and eight.
Um and if the Bucs win that one. Then The Final game in Tampa between the Panthers and the Bucs will be for. The right to win the division because the Bucks have the tiebreak on Carolina, who, while the Bucks are in Atlanta. have a home game against Seattle. The one seeds coming off of the mini buy and the big win against the Rams, and all they do.
Is fly to an Eastern time zone early windows start and beat the team hosting them. That's what they do for a living. Essentially. Uh So Carolina will have earned it if they host a playoff game.
So Just a note to whoever feels like, oh, for five seats, we'll just go to Carolina and we'll just roll over them. You know. That may be the path of least resistance if you don't want to go to, say, places like Philadelphia or Chicago. to play your wildcard game. And you probably don't.
To be honest. Pretty cool stuff. Congrats to Carolina fans for having meaningful football playing. We had Derek Brown on the show a couple weeks ago. We were in New York.
Big W. 844-204-Remourich. Number to dial here on the program. Alan Dallas. Let's go down.
Our memory lane with Al. As always, what's up, Al? First and foremost, happy holidays, happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year all to all my boys there and Rich Heisen's show. Thank you. Again, another great year.
Thank you, sir. spectacular and how on the On the worldwide leader, it's only getting better. Thanks, Pal. Appreciate it.
Sound like you mean it next time, if you don't mind, Alan. I mean, my goodness gracious. I mean, good lord. Yeah, and then another thing is that, Richard, if you could believe this, it is my 25-year wedding anniversary today. Oh, happy anniversary, Rick.
Yeah, it's unbelievable. That poor woman. You were blessed to meet her in Dallas one day, and it was great.
So we're experiencing that.
So it's been unbelievable. the officiating, just when you think it can't get any worse, That no call in the in the New England Patriots game. I mean, could have been tremendously impactful. Um That is the worst. I mean, they have to do something about this.
If it They just have to. I mean, Eye in the Sky, like my man Brockman was talking about before, something, that is absurd. I don't even know how they could rationalize it. uh the the lack of the lack of call. I'm with you, Al, but you're never going to see Sky Judge put a flag down.
You're just not. Although I'll be honest, I think they should be able to put flags down if they see a player punch somebody, whether it's somebody on the field or, say, have an altercation with a fan. Like they should be able to do something like that. And I'm wondering if If that's going to be taken on by the competition committee, which is absolutely laid down. The law about taunting and things about, you know, of that nature to remove it out of the game.
But you're never going to see Sky Judge go, you missed pass interference, because You know, that Right there was blatant. It was a terrible miss. There's just no way to put it.
Okay, it was absurd. It was terrible. Whatever adjective you want to use. But if you're going to put it down on the field via Sky Judge or Replay Assist as its official uh moniker is then why why not for anything that is Hand fighting or something that looks close. Yeah.
You know what I mean? Like you can't do it. They'll never do it. It'll do better. Do better.
Do better on the field. I'm with you. I mean, great, great post yesterday, Instagram post yesterday, regarding the I don't even know who this kid is on the Jets. But she should have been cut right away. That was terrible in light of the Metcalf thing.
This guy's cursing and screaming at people. Oh, no, that was Michael. I put that on my Instagram feed. That was Michael Clemens from a couple of years ago. I actually find that funny.
I find that funny. Yeah, I wasn't really kind of paying attention. And last thing I'm going to say, Richard, is regarding your school. I mean, Biff has. Yeah.
Zero Fs given.
So I think he would be the perfect guy to steer this school for a couple of years, get it back right on track because it's gone off the rails there. Obviously, you see the story that came out, all the stuff. He would be a guy that you could just, you know. Have straightened out the program until you could find the perfect guy to take over that program and set them back on their course. I appreciate it, Al.
Thanks so much. I enjoy the gig that I have here. Happy anniversary to you and your wife. Who's this fella on the final line from Connecticut? I don't see a name there.
Ryan in Connecticut. You're here on the Rich Eisen Show. What's up, Ryan? Hey Rich, I'm coming off of a pretty good weekend watching my Chargers get a chance to get back into division race and my JMU Dukes, who I would remind everyone. We're in the SCS four years ago.
Getting a chance to play in the playoff was pretty sweet.
Well, Ryan, first of all, I appreciate you showing us your lightning bolt from the nutmeg state, but I'll be straight up with you, man. JMU acquitted itself nicely. What they covered, they backdoor covered, you know, not to go all California. But seriously, though, man, the problem is JMU and Tulane did no favors. To this college football playoff committee, none.
No, I would agree. None at all. And I would say my topic of discussion for you is the playoffs, but not the group of five. We do not have 12 teams that deserve to be in contention to play for the title. I would say we never have.
It's such an over-correction, in my opinion. We went from two teams. on a computer system, and that less out a lot, gave us weird rematches with Alabama getting in despite having not won a conference title. Then you go to four, and it always felt like we left one out. This is such an overcorrection to me to go to 12.
never had twelve teams that were good enough to win a title. And now we have all this weird committee stuff. We've made all of the bowls irrelevant, because all the bowls are playoff games now. It just. is how would we not go to six?
And now we can't put the cap back in the bag. We've got this massive system. The money's so big. You can't possibly downsize, so we're just going to add to this Frankenstein.
Well, I think you're going to get 16. Yeah, I think you are. Yeah. And we don't have 16 teams that are working on that.
Well, I don't know that's well. I don't know about that. I mean, again, in order for this to have happened, They had to come up with the rules. To bring group of five teams in, and the intentions are well and good, where you want to have Cinderella, you want to have a team like JMU go on a run for the ages. It's just football is different than basketball, though, man.
It's a totally different creature, a totally different sport. Thanks for the call, Ryan. And you're just, you know, even if JMU had beaten. Oregon somehow, some way. Tulane had come within umpteen touchdowns with Ole Miss.
Would they have done it the next week or anything like that? Right.
I know UMBC didn't last very long either after bouncing Virginia. Right.
But there are in college basketball like a team. Um say like Miami. That could go from an eight seed on a run to the final four. Those are possible. And I think that's what they're looking for.
Um But two years into this expanded playoff, and the first round games have been. I mean, Oklahoma, Alabama was interesting. for a while. I didn't think anybody expected Texas AM and Miami to have no touchdowns until the final seconds. Right?
But everybody could see Tulane and JMU coming. Yeah, the boilouts were easily predictable. You know what I mean? And. College football playoffs first round shouldn't be watching, you know, a group of five team get flattened and just to see how long are they going to last and have first quarter moments of going, hey, this isn't, you know, they're kind of hanging in there.
Like, that's not what the college football playoffs should be for. And I'm sure BYU and Notre Dame were sitting and going, what the hell? But the reason why they were left out is the only reason why this entire format could be created based on what I've been told is the group of five had to be let in. Otherwise, they'd have sued everybody's heads off.
So come on. I think I saw Nick Saban either say on College Game Day or on Pat's show: if you're not top 15, it doesn't matter if you've won your Group of Five conference, you're not in. It's just that simple.
So there's smart enough people to figure this thing out that And and I'm just upset when I say to Greg Sankey, like, let's just figure out. A way to get enough people in the room with the same set of problems on NIL and the same set of problems on the transfer portal front and the same set of problems about revenues and come up with your own World and make your own rules and separate it from the other sports. And he basically said, Yeah, that's just that is that's not a fix. The realities are aren't. Because every other team that you kick out, there's congress people who will...
Okay. Have a problem with it. I don't think you could tell the United States government tough, certainly at times like these. And and and um You know And then today, the news that USC and Notre Dame couldn't figure out how to keep playing each other. That's insane.
And that they're going to be like, well, we'll revisit in 2030. It's like, well, why would they play each other? Why would they? Notre Dame No, under this system you shouldn't play anybody good. That's the problem.
On top of it. Let's hope the quarterfinal games are worth a damn. 844-204 Rich, number to Dow. ESPN Radio is presented by Progressive Insurance. Take the next step forward in your career with great benefits and an award-winning workplace.
Apply Careers.progressive.com. Week 16 was insane. I've got a top five list of the most insane moments of week 16. I wouldn't go anywhere. We're going to finish up strong, as they say, on this Monday show in a sec.
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This Week of football. Good luck to Monday Night Football to live up to the billing. Right?
But Phillip Rivers in his first Monday night football game in Forever and a Day. Against a 49ers team that's got its ticket punched and still has a chance to win the division if they keep winning. And also, maybe the one seed, who the heck knows? It's going to be awesome.
So, best of luck. And here are the top five wildest moments of week 16 to live up to. Presented by Hyundai Hitler. Richest Top Five. It's unfortunate to start this list this way, but I've never seen anything like what DK Metcalf did with the fan in Detroit.
And it's tough to comment on, not to go fold Mike Tomlin on you, but we haven't heard from DK yet. I'm sure the league is looking into it. I have no idea what was said between the fan and DK Metcalf. The fan who was interviewed by the Detroit News saying he called DK by his full birth name, and that's what got him upset. Full government.
Chad Ocho Sinko went on Shannon Sharp's pod and said what apparently Tom Pellisero is referring to here in his tweet, saying a source close to Metcalf said the fan who identified himself to the free press, pardon me, as Ryan Kennedy called Metcalf's mom a derogatory word and called Metcalf, quote, something we both know you don't call a black man, end quote. And apparently, Metcalf had already reported this fan. To security last time he was in previous times in Ford Field.
So, my question would be: why even going up to the guy? Yeah. But the whole thing is terribly unfortunate. And I think, regardless of what's happening, the league's going to look into it. And, you know.
My goodness, certainly in Detroit. you know, fans and players you make in contact. That was wild. And by the way, kudos to CBS to show the video. That's news.
You know, like, they're like, that's news. We're showing it. Like, we're covering this as a news event, which the news division should take some cues from. The sports division. Number four on the list.
Seattle winning its week 16 kickoff on Thursday night on the first ever successful. Two-point conversion attempt in the history of overtime in the National Football League. And Eric Saubert being the one to grab it. in his only third target of the season. Wow.
And as you can see, he's getting cupped on his bicep. I don't know what the hell's going on here. It was a wild finish to a wild game. And by the way, Al Michaels was on it. I'm calling a game this Saturday.
I hope I'm lucky enough or have a spotter good enough to. Helped me identify the player in two seconds flat. He was on it. And that was an incredible win for the Seattle Seahawks. Incredible.
Number three of the top five wildest moments of week sixteen. I mean, it's three in itself, but I'm just saying the entire Last two minutes. of the Packers at Bears Game. They recover an onside kick. Romeo Dobbs had it.
Couldn't corral it. Then the Bears get it. March down the field, score a touchdown. The kid who caught the touchdown had only eight snaps on the season prior to this game, and he was wide ass open. By the way, I used that on Saturday, uh Sunday morning, game day morning.
9 in the morning, Eastern time. Maybe a little earlier. Yeah, you know what? But it's the truth. And then forces overtime.
The Packers get the ball first. Whatever the odds are of recovering an onside kick, it's 8%. Way less on having a quarterback fumble a snap from center on a must-have fourth down play. Willis fumbles that, then gives the ball back to the Bears. Who just a couple snaps later say, screw it, we're going for it.
Let's just end this thing and get to our cars. And Caleb Williams and DJ Moore just connect. And the pass to DJ Moore is over the defensive back, Keyshawn Nixon, that intercepted. Caleb. to beat the Bears in Lambeau Field two weeks before.
Number two on the list is the final play of the Steelers at Lions, where an offensive pass interference happens and no forward progress is. Called and Amon Ra flips the ball to Jared Goffman, scores. And then the officials, after sorting it out, after a two-minute conversation, start the announcement saying the ruling on the field's a touchdown. But. The game is over.
And then the number the wildest moment of week 16 is for sure. The Seahawks two-point conversion that wasn't until it was when replay from New York buzzes in and says, we think it's a backwards pass, let's take a look at it. And even though there was truly, in my estimation, no clear down-the line or over-the-head down-the-line replay. They call it a uh a successful two-point conversion. And that was the end of.
Bat. And the comeback was on. That is the wildest play. Of week 16. You have one more.
I did not know. Sure, just one quick one more. It was Kennis Gainwell's touchdown catch that was sort of like a he did what moment. And by the way, that led to a 45-yard touchdown score at the end of the half for Aaron Rodgers. And the Steelers to make it a 10-10 game instead of a 10-3 game.
And by the way, All three touchdowns of the Steelers, that one and both Jalen Warren touchdowns were all 45 yards in length. That's wild as well. Yeah. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show Podcast. You can watch and listen to The Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app, The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
