The Best Way to Lose a Game (Hour 2)

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Instacart for the win. Yeah, sports radio. We are going to be joined momentarily by Ross Tucker, the former NFL offensive lineman. Played seven years in the NFL for Washington, Dallas, Buffalo, and New England.

Now does a great job. I actually saw Ross yesterday working for Westwood One, and obviously he works for CBS as well. He sidelined yesterday in Baltimore for the AFC championship game for the Kansas City Chiefs up against the Ravens. And we know Kansas City did win the game and they're advancing to another Super Bowl. So we'll chat with Ross Tucker in just a bit.

Guys, let me know when we get him up there and then we'll bring him on the air. But obviously the big stories from yesterday in the AFC and the NFC championship games were in the AFC. Munken and Lamar Jackson not showing up. And then you saw the incredible defense by Steve Spagnuolo, who continues to just have big defensive performance after big defensive performance. And then you take a glance at the NFC side, the Lions had an enormous lead. And then from there they saw it evaporate. And not only did they see it evaporate, you did then also see some questionable decision-making by Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions in the second half of that game. And I understand the Lions have been this incredible story.

They've been so fun. That was just the one gut-wrenching and painful way for this season to end. Let's just do this, Stu, because I know we only have limited time with Ross Tucker. If we can't figure out the Zoom, let's get him on the phone. And let's get Ross Tucker up via phone.

I don't want to keep on just all-in-all until we figure out the Zoom problem that's going on at our end. So hopefully we'll be able to connect with Ross Tucker in just a bit. But I did see Ross in the press box yesterday and they had a really good broadcast. Iron Eagle, Jason and Devin McCourty and Ross Tucker were involved in that Westwood One production of the AFC Championship game that was heard on many of these same stations across the country. So we'll get Ross up momentarily. I see the guys are calling him and we will find out also what the heck Ross Tucker did talk about yesterday with Taylor Swift.

As the Swifties were all across the nation, obviously, that have been invading the football world. And there's been a good crossover. So we have now connected with Ross Tucker. Now joining us, of course, always check out my front page story and does a great job, CBS and Westwood One.

That is Ross Tucker joining us on the Zach Gelb show. Ross, great to have you on. As always, thanks so much. How are you? My pleasure, Zach. Doing great. Awesome to see you yesterday. I love it. Just making sure you're always somewhere in the action.

You know, I'm just a hard working person. I believe that if you're going to say a lot of things about people, you got to go to the big games and you got to see how they play on out. So that's why I elected to go there. And I was talking to Mahomes after the game and he said to me something he's learned this year, right? Because Mahomes is so great. Like what else is there for him to learn?

And it's kind of crazy that he could get better and better with age which is scary for the rest of the league. But his big takeaway this season was he learned how to manage the game this year when they have such a great defense and just trust it and find not a way to throw the game away. And that's what you really saw in the second half.

Correct. Yeah, I mean they didn't score at all in the second half. And we have a very different narrative I feel like today if the Ravens have been able to score themselves, right? If Zay Flowers gets in the end zone, if Lamar Jackson doesn't throw. Honestly, probably one of the worst interceptions I've ever seen given the situation.

Just absolutely awful. If Mahomes doesn't do that then, you know, I don't know man. I think we have a different conversation. But he obviously has learned that he's got a really good defense. And Spags has been fantastic and they deserve a lot of credit for that. Because they totally, Zach, totally took the Ravens out of their game.

Absolutely. And I was shocked. You know, I know Lamar's had some struggles in the postseason.

But now this is going to become a bigger and bigger storyline. But the play calling yesterday I just thought was horrendous by Baltimore. They barely ran the football. I know they were down but it wasn't like the game was out of reach. And they didn't really do that many design runs with Lamar or they didn't run the ball with their running backs.

I didn't get Munkin's approach in that game. I was a little surprised myself. Yeah, I mean even when they did run it, it's like gun runs with Justice Hill. As opposed to some of the downhill stuff with the Gus Bus, Gus Edwards.

Not very many design runs for Lamar Jackson. I was surprised. I was surprised with the tactic that they took. I did think that Spags got the better of Todd Munkin yesterday.

I think they're both excellent coaches. And I wonder how much of Munkin's mindset changed watching the Chiefs totally control the action. With those 86 and 75 yard drives for touchdowns to start the game. It's almost like Munkin played the rest of the game after that, Zach. Thinking, hey we really need to score a lot of points because we're not going to be able to.

And they're doing such a good job and it's going to be a high scoring game. That's not what happened at all. I mean the Ravens defense settled in and really stuffed what they were getting from the Chiefs offense after that. But Munkin didn't really adjust. I guess in fairness, the Chiefs held the ball 20 some minutes in the first half. And the Ravens were down by two scores. It was clearly not a situation that the Ravens were accustomed to being in and they didn't handle it very well.

How do you view Lamar Jackson moving forward, Ross Tucker? Yeah, really good quarterback that does not play his best when they need him to. And we see that when we watch Mahomes and the plays that Mahomes makes to Kelsey and some of the throws he made. And I thought Lamar had some good throws, but man, I feel like there were a lot of times. A couple to Odell, one to Rashad Bateman, they had man to man coverage. And by the way, I didn't think that the Ravens receivers did enough to get open against man to man coverage. Again, some of the lesser corners for the Chiefs, not even Legeri's needs.

That's part of the conversation for sure. But a lot of those balls from Lamar Jackson, they weren't even really giving the guys a chance. I mean, they weren't really even having an opportunity to make a play on the ball.

And I do think that that's probably one of the reasons why a couple of those where I thought they could call interference, they didn't call interference. Talking to Ross Tucker right now, what did you say to Taylor Swift after the game? I saw you guys had an interaction on the field.

Yeah, not much. With West with one, I'm able to be next to the stage to interview the head coach and the quarterback after the game. And Taylor Swift is from my hometown, a really small hometown, believe it or not. It's called Wild Missing, Pennsylvania, the now or west of Philly. And so I've met her a couple of times, but it was 2007 and 2015. But I know her dad and I went to her concert in Philly. So I thought, gosh, I got to say something to her.

So I think I came up with something pretty good, Zach. I pulled up the picture on my phone of my daughters with her dad from the concert in May in Philly. And I said, hi, Taylor, I'm good friends with your dad.

I'm Ross Tucker from Wild Missing. And she looks at me and she's like, oh, yeah, I know you. I know you.

Meaning like, I guess that doesn't happen to her a lot. Which is funny because I missed a great all time comeback where I could have been like, yeah, I know you. I know you.

You know, I said, I taught your dad this week. Okay. And then I choose with Donna at Kelsey.

Awesome. And I know Ed Kelsey, too. Then I just said, hey, how are you? Like, I kind of I kind of moved on from Taylor. Like, what else was I going to say? You know what I mean? Like, it seems like, if this does go all the way and there's a wedding, I think you should get an invite.

I think that that's what I was trying to lock up yesterday. That's what that's why I went right from Taylor. I had to go immediately to to the father of the groom and Ed Kelsey, trying to make sure that both sides are OK with me being at the at the wedding.

Ross Tucker here with us. How would you describe the decision making in the second half by Dan Campbell yesterday in the NFC Championship game? I did not like it. I would describe it as overly aggressive.

I'm not a guy in hindsight. So first of all, when enough people, not enough people are saying that running the ball with David Montgomery on third down at the end of the game with less than two minutes remaining. That was inexcusable.

That was horrible. Unacceptable coaching error. You cannot run the ball there because then if you get stuffed and they did, you absolutely have to get the onside kick, which is such a small percentage. Cannot happen.

Cannot do it. I mean, you're honestly better off in that situation, kicking the field goal on third down. Yeah, then you are running it. And if you're going to run it, you got to have two plays ready to go. You got it.

You can't use the time out there. Correct. Correct.

So it was that was awful. I think the field goal or go for a fourth down decisions a little bit more of an interesting discussion. That's certainly who the Lions have been and they've had a lot of success with it. And I will say, you know, a lot to me, like we saw that with the Ravens and Chiefs yesterday. Teams are going for it in fourth down situations that they never had before.

And it certainly feels like it's progress and that they're having success. I would just wonder. Are we are we sure that we're taking into account all the information? Because what I would argue, Zach, is not every fourth down decision is created equal. In other words, let's look at the first one. OK, they're up 14. Twenty four.

Ten. I'll just tell you right now, I was OK with that first one. It was the it was the second one.

When you're down three. I don't understand bypassing that field goal where you could have tied up the game like I was OK with the first one. The second one I was not. Yes.

So the first one bothered me every bit as much as the second one. OK, because let's play it out. OK, let's say you get it, which maybe that's 50 percent of the time you convert. Well, then you're still not guaranteed a touchdown.

Good point. There's still a pretty good chance you're going to kick a field goal. And not only that, even if you get a touchdown, it's still you're up 21, but still a three score game. Whereas if you go to go back up 17, you make it a three score game again. In other words, Zach, the difference between 21 and 17 is not even close to the difference between being up 17 and 14. It's either a two score game or three score game. I thought that was really bad, really bad. And then the second one, I agree. I thought in both instances, because of the score, they should kick the field. Now, it's like they were down six or like there's other scores in the game that it could have been where I'd be like, OK, I get it. It's fine. But if it's the difference between being up two scores and three scores or the difference between tying the game or not, I would have kicked the field goal in those situations and think you should have. I can tell you right now, Dan Campbell and Lamar Jackson both could use of my front page story today.

Tell me a little bit more about my front page story dot com. Well, they absolutely should and could. And although they get enough publicity in life, they're significant others. Right. I mean, it's the best Valentine's Day gift I've ever heard of. I know I've talked to you about it before, Zach. But for the new people listening, my buddy started the company. You literally talk to a writer for 10 minutes. Tell them how great your significant other is.

Way, way better than getting like a gift card to the Isle of Garden or whatever you think. Whatever's in your head right now. I'm giving you something totally unique and different for once that for one. My front page story dot com. Tell them how great your significant other is. They write this amazing story.

Looks like it's on the cover of the newspaper. Framed beautiful pictures of you and then kids if you have them and just being able to say I had a story written about you is incredible. And then make sure that if you do it this year, make sure you say to them, I just never thank her enough for all the little things she does for the family.

Like they cry every time. It's amazing. Then they have it hanging up in the house forever. So it's the gift that keeps on giving. My front page story dot com.

My front page story dot com. Best Valentine's Day gift of all time. He is the love guru. Ross Tucker. Ross, appreciate the time as always. Thank you. Good to see you yesterday. Of course, Zach.

Great talking with you and great seeing you yesterday. There you go. Ross Tucker joining us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Let me squeeze in one more before the break.

855-212-4CBS, 855-212-4227. Let me go to Jacob in Michigan next up on CBS Sports Radio. Jake, go ahead.

Hey, how's it going? I think that I agree that not taking a field ball in the entire game is a huge mistake. I don't disagree with the going on board when you're up 14. I mean, that's not as much as, you know, playing the game. It brings a whole different game.

I mean, it gives you the launch impact or gives you some momentum back into there. Yeah, Jacob, it's kind of hard to hear you. I know you're calling from the Motor City, but there was a lot of motors that were driving right past you. I understand Ross's point. You're making a three score game. You're playing the clock. You're playing the Niners in that second half. I'm just telling you how I genuinely thought in the moment. In the moment when it was a 14 point game, I'm okay with no pun intended here, keeping your foot on the gas.

I'm good with that. But once you lose that lead and you got to just get some little momentum back and you got to get something back in there, you have to have to kick the field goal with about seven and a half to play when it's a 47-48 something yard field goal. And that would have tied up the game. And Ross brings up a good point. Even if you get the first down there, are you going for it in every fourth down? Like it's not a guarantee that you would have got the ball in the end zone anywhere.

All right. This is Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio. Here's a topic that we'll do on the other side. You're a Lions fan or a fan of any team. You get to a big game.

Would you rather just get blown out from the start or would you rather just think for a moment, I'm going to win the game and then you have heartbreak? We'll discuss that when we return it as Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio 855212 for CBS 855212-4227. It's a place where friendships are forged, football is revered, and food is enjoyed. Solo Stove, the perfect flame for the big game.

A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter.

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Get in the Zone AutoZone restrictions apply. Carlos with a K is with us today. And Carlos, you're usually a very positive person. I think you are a...

Since when? Wait, you're not a negative person. Oh, you've never watched a game with me. I'm the most superstitious dolt you can think of.

But two things. One, I have watched a game with you. And two, I don't remember which game it was, but you've produced me for Ion Football, so there's been a lot of games that I've been there. And you were usually on a football Sunday, a jovial kind of guy, where you're dancing, you're celebrating. You must have had some winning Sundays this year.

Not your personal football team, because the Giants stunk, but your fantasy football teams, your touchdowns in terms of the betting world that you maybe had a few dollars on. You know, I've watched enough football with you where Carlos likes to have a good time. Carlos likes to laugh. Carlos likes to dance.

And Carlos likes to pretty much be a kid. And that's something I really like from you. So, with all this being said, I just want to ask you this. Would you rather have what happened yesterday that happened to the Lions where you're up by 17 and you blow that game in just gut-wrenching fashion? Or would you rather have just got blown out from the start and you see a slow, painful death of 60 minutes where you're just getting dragged up and down the field and just getting annihilated by the 49ers? Give me the blitzkrieg and it's not even close.

Really? You take the blowout? Oh, I do not have the capacity for any more heart-wrenching, just gut-destroying sports moments. Because I'm also a Cubs fan, so I feel for Lions fans. Are you in a World Series recently?

Yeah, but you know what? Go Cubs, go! Go Cubs, go!

Listen, Janet Jackson, what have you done for me lately? But I remember the 0-3 series against the Marlins at Game 6. Obviously, that was the Bartman ball.

And then the Alex Gonzalez bobble-add after that. And then Game 7 didn't even have a chance. So, I feel for Lions fans, I'd rather get blown out. I'd rather come to the realization like a bullet to the head rather than a thousand paper cuts because you can get over it.

Like the water treatment. You can get over it right away. If you know it's over by the first half, alright, let's just put on an episode of The Office in the background and have a couple of beers. I don't know, me? I'll check out.

I'll mentally check out. I'll become detached. And then once the game is over, alright, we didn't hang with these guys, but overall, it was a good season. When you lose like the Lions did in fashion like that yesterday, people right now are still in disbelief. People are still going through every single decision that was made, whether it was offensively or to miss interception and whatever.

People are still not coming to grips with the fact that their season is over. And that's why I'd rather just lose right off the gate. Because it turns into the would've, could've, should've. Exactly. And that's what it turns into. We can't speak in hypotheticals here. Well, we can. And that's what makes it so difficult. But it's not healthy.

No, it isn't. But we do a lot of things that aren't healthy. Heck, I've had food with you on a football Sunday. I've seen you make some unhealthy decisions throughout the years.

Lots of carbs. I'll sit here on a football Sunday. I'll go order a salad or I'll order like a grilled chicken sandwich.

Carlos is like, get me the fried chicken and put extra mayonnaise on chipotle mayo on that. Man, that four o'clock hour is always hard. But I do agree with you because I think the point that you hit the nail on the head, you lose a game and you just know at halftime you have no shot. Like maybe there's one moment where you think you're getting back in the game just because you're delirious enough to kind of trick yourself and kind of make you believe that you could get back into the game. But when you could go into halftime and you know, hey, we just didn't have it today and hey, we don't have a shot in this game. You start to move on during the game and you could accept that the other team was just flat out better and was just flat out more dominant than you were and just owned you in the game. But when you go up by 17 at halftime, and also you have a fan base that has never won a Super Bowl, you know, it's kind of similar to Atlanta. I know for Atlanta that happened in the Super Bowl. But when you're up 28 to three, like in the Super Bowl, you think the game's over. And I'm not saying Lions fans thought the game was over at halftime, but up 17 at the half, it's like, OK, this is an actual thought like this.

Even if you didn't get no shot going into the game, this is now happening. We are here. This is real. This is spectacular.

Right. And you were on the verge of playing 30 more minutes of football and you could you do your job, not even at an exceptional level, just at a decent level. You're playing in a Super Bowl 60 minutes away from from holding up that Lombardi Trophy. And to have that feeling of being on the seesaw and being all the way up like you're a little kid and then the fat guy just comes walking over and pounds the seesaw. And then you go flying and then face planting and having dirt in your eyes and and having your hands cut up, your eyes cut up. That's brutal. And I know that there's no really good way to lose. Like no one wants to lose. No one wants to be a loser.

Right. You do sports to win to have that feeling of you're going to get the victory and we're going to dangle the NFC Championship trophy right in front of your face. And then for it to just get snatched away in the second half, where there were many moments where you thought you still had a chance, even with some of the the incompetence.

That's just brutal. It is absolutely brutal because the part where you knew they were losing the game was when it got to 10, when it got to a 10 point lead. Like I know they got a touchdown at the end of the game. When you burn that time out, no one thinks you're covering the onside kick. And then when you don't, you only have two timeouts. The game was was basically over and it happened on fourth down. They were able to take one final kneel down because there's only a second left.

You snap the ball and then you you fall right down. So it went from being up 17 to then how quickly in the third quarter it just got away. And not only how quickly it just got away, how there were still moments where you could have got back in the game. And you could have recouped the momentum and you could have tied up the game and still the decision makings like like Carlos was talking about. Campbell on fourth down, not taking the field goal to tie back up the game on third and goal, running the football and then burning a time out. And you can't walk away with only having two timeouts. So you needed all three timeouts. You know, a dropped interception.

Not only that, you also had Reynolds who dropped what would have been a first down. There are so many moments where you walk away from that game as a Lions fan and you're in your bed in the middle of the night. And you're all over because you can't sleep and you're just looking up at the ceiling and you go, Was I dreaming? Did I have a nightmare? Was this something that was just like horribly wrong?

Oh, no, this was reality. And I would rather just get punched in the face that knocked out like a UFC fighter. If you're going to get knocked out, don't make me go through all the hard work. Just just hit me with the kick to the face. Let me see stars. Let me hit the pavement. Let me hit the octagon.

Let me fall out. And then eventually you will you'll wake back up and you know that it's over. But to go the distance where it looks like you're kicking the crap, absolutely kicking the crap out of out of the 49ers, and then they start hammering away and not only they start hammering away, then they started dragging you around.

It's like, dude, you did all the work and you didn't get the W. I'd rather just be told you failed from the start. You got no shot. It's over.

It's done. And then I could start the funeral and I could start to eulogize my sports season and look back at it in a positive way. The worst thing you can give a starving fan base is hope.

Yeah, you're not wrong. And Lions fans today, they've not had a lot of hope throughout the years. And now it's wow, we had the game and then we snatched the feet from the jaws of victory.

And that's the moralizing. It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. We will take a time out when we come on back. We'll update you some of the biggest stories in the world of sports with some audio.

That is the news brief. I'll let a few people in behind the scenes. We had we've been having some zoom issues there. So I have the monitor to my right of of Stuart Kovacs zoom camera. Now, no, I don't think I hope people can't see this, but Stu had his zoom camera basically directed towards his jeans. So I just saw way too much of any Stuart Kovacs that I would ever like to see. I'm going to need to go to H.R., honestly, because there were some shots there of Stuart Kovacs. I'm like, what the heck is going on? Well, you'll be happy to know the problem has been solved. So at least it's a good trade off for you, I guess.

I'm trying to run a serious sports talk radio program. And the next thing you know, I'm just getting shots to my right of Stuart Kovacs jeans. And they were close up shots, Stu. I was like I was like, what the hell is going on out there? That's what I was just saying over and over again. I go, could we cut Stu's camera, please? That did not go out on the YouTube stream.

No, it was just you the whole time. I was going to say a little bit of Carlos. I was going to say YouTube dot com slash CBS Sports Radio. If you want to see a different side of Stu that you've never seen before. Rated R. Zach Gelb show. Only fans.

Stuart Kovacs about to get an endorsement. All right. We will take a break.

The wheels are falling off. We're like the Lions. We started out strong today. And now it's going to be a slow, painful death.

My goal is still to come 30 minutes from now. We'll get to News Brief on the other side. Standing by first, though, with the latest CBS Sports Radio update, the great Erica Herskowitz. Time for your daily news brief. We get you caught up on the rumors, reports and reconnaissance from the day in sports.

All right. Here's the poll question today. You can find it at Zach Gelb at CBS Sports Radio. Were you more disappointed in Lamar Jackson? No showing or Dan Campbell's decision making yesterday. Early returns.

Once again, you can find it at Zach Gelb at CBS Sports Radio. Sixty three percent were more disappointed with Lamar Jackson. No showing yesterday than some of the poor decisions that Dan Campbell did make. Sixty three percent. Lamar Jackson.

Thirty seven percent. Dan Campbell. Let's start things off with Dan Campbell on his aggressive decision making. I just felt really good about us converting and getting our momentum and not letting them play long ball. You know, they were bleeding the clock out.

That's what they do. And I wanted to get the upper hand back, you know, and it's easy hindsight. And I get it. You know, I get that.

But I don't regret those decisions. And that's hard. You know, it's hard because they only didn't we didn't come through. It wasn't able to to work out. But I just I don't I don't. And I understand the scrutiny I'll get. That's part of the gig, man.

But, you know, we just didn't work out. So let's go through the two decisions for now. Forget about the third and goal where he runs the ball and calls a time out, because clearly he's talking about the two decisions to go for it. So San Francisco opens up the first half. They're down 17. They hit a field goal, makes it a 14 point game. You get the ball back. You after San Francisco took four minutes off the clock, you were taking off four minutes off the clock as well. It's fourth and two at your 28 yard line at San Francisco's 20 yard line.

He elects to go for it. So in that spot, you could say, dumb, go back up 17. And there was seven minutes left in the third quarter. And I could understand that. I was OK with being 28 yards away from scoring and you have a 14 point lead to go for it there. I was OK with it.

But I understand the other side of the argument. With that being said, once you stub your toe the first time and then the second time around, you saw San Francisco get a touchdown and a touchdown and make it a 24-24 game. And then your offense is stalling because from that stretch of the turnover on downs, you had the Jameer Gibbs fumble. Then you had the three and out you punted. And then San Francisco gets a field goal. They take a three point lead.

And they took that three point lead with 952 to go in the fourth quarter. You were starting in a small stretch to move the football and you stall at the 30 yard line. You've got to give your team a chance because he said there you're trying to get the upper hand back. Well, sometimes to get the upper hand back, you don't just get it in one drive in one play. You've got to continue to have a hand on the football. And when you go for it there and you don't get it when you could have tied up the game with seven and a half to play. And your defense has not been great.

The defense was turning. You've got to just have yourself in a spot where you have a pulse. You make that field goal.

You have a pulse. Then it could be a shootout and it just goes touchdown, touchdown, touchdown. Maybe the game goes into overtime.

But what you did was you elected to go for it. You didn't get it. Then they scored a touchdown. And then when they go up by 10, the game's over. When they're up by 10 with 302 to go with the experience San Francisco has. I know Kyle Shanahan has been a little bit of a choke artist in his career. In the Super Bowl, seven and a half to play where they were up by 10.

28 to 3 when he's the OC of the Falcons. He's not choking a 10 point lead with 302 to go. So just that idea of trying to get the upper hand back. Well, you allowed them to get the upper hand back based off multiple sequences. So that should have been enough for you to know you don't get the upper hand back just in one grab and one pull. You needed to just kick that field goal there. And that's why I thought the biggest point of the game. Was when it's 27-24. After they just seen the lead.

Come and go. How he didn't take that field goal there. Here is Jared Goff, the quarterback of the Lions and just falling short. I think running through my head this whole post season and certainly this week was how rare these opportunities are.

I've been so fortunate to have two of them. But a lot of guys go along careers without being in these spots. So I was very aware of how hard it is and didn't take it for granted. And that's a tough part that the emotions that they elicit from this performance. Cause like I tell Lions fans before the year that your team is going to go to the NFC Championship game.

Everyone would have signed about it and asked no questions. But when you get there, you never know if you're going to be back. And I know the Lions have a bright future. But things change rather quickly in this league. And when you get spotted a 17 point lead, which you earned, got to take advantage of it.

And I know that you were happy to be there. I know Goff said he didn't take anything for granted. He's an experienced player. He's been to a Super Bowl before. But when you were there with the 17 point lead, I don't care if no one thought you should have been there before the start of the season. You have to win that game and the Lions failed to do so. Here is Kyle Shanahan.

He credits his quarterback Brock Purdy despite the criticism he gets nationally. I thought it was the difference between winning and losing. He made some big plays with his legs. Getting out of the pocket. Moving the chains and some first downs.

Getting some explosives. He competed his ass off today and it wasn't easy for any of us. But he kept grinding and it was unbelievable there in the second half. Yeah, I think it's an underrated part with Brock Purdy is his mobility. And all these great quarterbacks now, you got to have some mobility. The days of being a pocket passing statue quarterback, they don't exist anymore.

Where that doesn't mean you have to run, run, run. But the way he escaped and then completed that pass to use check was just phenomenal. And then obviously had a few runs where he started going down the field and made some big plays. Brock Purdy in the game yesterday. Here is Christian McCaffrey running CMC. But if you had the Niners winning the Super Bowl, don't you got to kind of go McCaffrey winning the Super Bowl MVP?

I know that the Purdy people, they won't like that comment. They think I'm dissing their quarterback. I said this the entire year. Christian McCaffrey to me is the most valuable offensive weapon for the San Francisco 49ers.

After that it's Debo. After that it's Trent Williams. Then I'll give you Brock Purdy. That's not a knock on Brock Purdy.

Brock Purdy is a good quarterback. But it just shows you how great this team is and I don't care how you win just as long as you win. That's why I said the Niners fans all year. Like why should you care if someone gets called the game manager?

Why should you care if someone doubts your quarterback? Just keep on winning. You win the Lombardi Trophy.

You give the middle finger to everyone for the next 12 months. Here is Christian McCaffrey saying Brock Purdy needs more credit. I don't have enough good things to say about Brock. All he's done since he's been here is play at an elite level and everything starts with him. We're lucky he's our quarterback. He takes a lot of heat for absolutely no reason. All he's done is been a great leader, been a great player and I'm so proud of him and pumped up that I get another one with him this year. And all this guy has done is win since he's got into the league. So I understand that locker room being outspoken about their quarterback and you know what? It actually could be the best thing for them. Because when you are that much of a machine and everyone knows it's Super Bowl or bust for the 49ers, it's tough to find motivation.

It's tough to find something that rallies everyone together. But that team believes in Brock Purdy. Those players believe in Brock Purdy. That locker room believes in Brock Purdy.

And that's all that matters. And I'm not saying they need the extra motivation, but to be able to provide that to a team that knows it's Super Bowl or bust. And you can kind of crap on all the haters when you go to a Super Bowl now and you're 60 minutes away from a championship.

I do think there is some importance to that. I got a chance yesterday after the AFC Championship game to ask Patrick Mahomes a question. And I know how much we talked about game manager with Brock Purdy. I thought it was very compelling that Patrick Mahomes talked about how much he's learned to manage the game this year.

Here you go. Patrick, I know how much respect you have for Lamar and what his unit's been able to do. Your defense has been pretty special throughout the season to see what they did today.

Just how do you kind of put it into words? Yeah, it's special because that's a great team and a great quarterback. And it seems like when the games get bigger, when the challenges get higher, he performs even better. And the guys executed game plan well. They got timely turnovers that played down at the goal line, punching the ball out.

I think it was Snead and recovering it. That was a timely turnover, obviously. And whenever they're rolling like that, I have to kind of manage my game. That's stuff that I've learned throughout the season is even if we're not having the success that I want to have, the defense is rolling and getting stops.

Take the safe choice. Get the ball out of my hand. Don't turn the ball over and let's go win a football game.

Doesn't matter if it's pretty this time of the year. You just got to win. That's all you have to do. As Al Davis once said, just win, baby. You just got to win the game. It doesn't matter if you win 13-3.

It doesn't matter if you win 45-41, just as long as you win. And Mahomes understood the assignment yesterday. Don't get risky. Don't turn over the football. Don't make mistakes. You protect the football.

You protect field position. They didn't score a single point in the second half. They still won the game. Because their defense led by Steve Spagnuolo was that great. Jackson had turnovers.

Lamar didn't. And that was a big part in this game, too. Mahomes managed the game. And I've seen a lot of playoff performances where your quarterback doesn't play the best. But the quarterback that doesn't make the mistakes nine times out of ten usually wins in these postseason games. Here is Travis Kelce on passing Jerry Rice for most receptions in the postseason ever. Shout out to Jerry Rice, baby. The Chiefs will steal the Chiefs and believe it. You got to fight for your right to party! Believe it, baby.

We're going to Las Vegas, Nevada, to go get us another one. He's actually a great interview, especially after the game. We all know what he does with new heights. But a lot of times those trophy presentations can get very boring. And players say nothing. At least he plays the role that he's a WWE character in Travis Kelce. And now you get the Chiefs and the 49ers going up in the big game once again.

Coming up two Sundays from now. Once again, we thank our friends at CBS for that audio. Here is Lamar Jackson. His thoughts right after a tough loss with their season is now over. I'm not frustrated at all. I'm angry about losing. We're a game away from the Super Bowl. We've been waiting all this time, all these moments for an opportunity like this, and we fell short. But I feel like our team, we're going to build.

It's all going to get right, get better, grind, and try to be in this position again, but on the other side of victory. All right, I'll just roll my eyes with him saying that he's not frustrated. Because he was clearly frustrated throughout the game. You're not human if you aren't frustrated when your offense did nothing. Todd Monken had a bad game. Lamar Jackson had a bad game. But clearly, Lamar Jackson was frustrated yesterday, regardless of what he said. But those words are empty now. And I've been one of the bigger Lamar defenders there could be.

There is now a big enough sample size. And you had the number one overall seed. You were the best team in football. You had the Chiefs in your building.

You lose a high-scoring affair, all right, it happens, it sucks. But to basically only put up one touchdown in the entirety of the game, the criticism that Lamar's received for years that used to be unfair, it's now valid. Great regular season quarterback. But come postseason time, he's MIA. Todd Monken was MIA yesterday.

Lamar Jackson was MIA yesterday. And it's a really, really bad look for the Baltimore Ravens, because this was the year. This was the year for the Bills. This was the year for the Ravens.

It was right there for the taking. The Chiefs were vulnerable. And this is what happens when you get a little life and you leave a little hope for the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and Travis Kelce. They find a way to get it done, because they know how to win. They know how to win a championship. Right now, Lamar Jackson just quite frankly doesn't look like a quarterback that knows how to win a Super Bowl. He knows how to win regular season games. He knows how to win MVPs.

But right now, he just doesn't look like he knows how to win a Super Bowl. And that's what's so frustrating, is that that team had no pulse. And that team in their own building on offense, outside of the big play to Zay Flowers to get a touchdown, had no life in that game. It was an insipid offense yesterday. All righty, Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio.

That's a news brief. We will take a time out. We will come on back. Mike Golick has been entertaining you for many years now, does a great job with DraftKings. He will join us, and we'll get his opinions on the AFC and NFC championship games. We'll also get an early thought on the Super Bowl.

Will it be Kansas City again, or will Kyle Shanahan finally get a Super Bowl ring? And also, you can check out our poll question at Zach Gelb at CBS Sports Radio. Who are you more disappointed in yesterday? Lamar Jackson's No Show or Dan Campbell's decision making? Right now, 60% say Lamar Jackson, 40% say Dan Campbell. Mike Golick joins us next, Zach Gelb Show, CBS Sports Radio.

A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns... That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. That's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter, but you're on a roll. The Ring of Comfort, coming soon to a Super Bowl new you. Okay, picture this.

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