Thanksgiving NFL Preview (Hour 3)

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You're pre-gaming with us or you're listening to us while you pre-game because we're not drinking, obviously. Or you're having a very light meal tonight. Hickey, I believe the night before Thanksgiving because we're about to just eat a disgusting amount of food tomorrow, I hate having a big fattening heavy meal right before Thanksgiving. Like tonight, right before the show, I went to Westville, I had two pieces of grilled chicken, I then had some asparagus and then about five yucca fries, which they served as one of the market vegetable sides at Westville. I wanted to have a light meal, something that was rather on the healthy side because tomorrow is like a 10 pound day. You just eat a disgusting amount of food coming up tomorrow on Thanksgiving. I actually disagree. I think the great Joey Chestnut and many competitive eaters, you don't starve yourself the night before.

You eat normally because you've got to condition your stomach. Time out. You're quoting Joey Chestnut on this network? That's right.

Why is that not good? I'm just saying. Remember how last week when DA joined us, he came on and he goes, oh, Hickey could do no wrong.

He's great in my book. DA has a big feud with Joey Chestnut. Wait, what? Supposedly Joey Chestnut. This can't be real.

No, I'm dead serious. He was going to come in studio and I think he did come in studio and they told him, we want you to like eat some stuff and do this. And he agreed to it. And then he got it. He's like, oh, I'm not eating anything. And they hate him ever since.

And they think he's fraudulent. Now, he did have one of the great performances last year in the hot dog eating contest, I think. Wasn't he hurt? He was hurt. And then the guy, the protester ran on stage. He choked him down as he's guzzling dogs down his mouth.

Could have used another word there, but I'll just stick with dogs. Could we clip that please? And use that for some drops there instead of the hot take Hickey drop.

We could just play that each and every time. Guzzling dogs down his mouth. There's hot take Hickey on the other side of the glass guzzling dogs down his mouth. Yeah, so I'm surprised that you quoted Joey Chestnut.

I've never heard of this feud. That sounds... You know what I realized about you? And I appreciate this. And it's what I would love in a producer because you're so locked in on this show, even though it's not being a good teammate, probably, but selfishly it's good. You don't really know all the other scuttlebutt from the other shows. Because there's a lot of times we go, did you hear what happened on that show? Did you hear what happened here? You hear this person's fighting with this probably, and this person's loving with this person.

And then you're like, why not? I didn't hear any of that. So I appreciate how locked in and how focused you are on this show. But yeah, I think that's a pretty big... I think most people that listen to this network know that about D.A. because they talk about it a lot. Well, I'm sorry for having my head bare in the sand. I take back what I said.

That's now Joey Tresso, known as Voldemort. So you are a big eater the night before Thanksgiving? For example, yesterday, because it's even like an all week mentality up until Thursday. I had some friends, some people that are not from New York, one friend come on the show, one friend come up from Texas, but in the New York area. But he was driving from Connecticut and they've never been to Cats' Deli. So yesterday we went to Cats' Deli before I went to the Temple Owls basketball game. Another wonderful performance by Temple, by the way.

Another big lead that they blow and don't win the game and all that. But I had to go to Cats' Deli because that's where my friends wanted to. And I felt Cats' Deli is unbelievable. But it is one big fat sandwich. And I had pastrami and they have you taste the pastrami before they give it to you.

You got pickles, you got french fries. And I just felt on Tuesday just disgusting because I know what I'm about to eat and embark on tomorrow. But it's about like conditioning as well. Like, I think you do like you can't starve yourself Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then all of a sudden it's Thursday, wake up and I'm ready to eat. I'm not saying starve yourself. I'm just saying making good, healthy decisions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before you eat on Thursday. I just try to help myself out.

That's what I try to do. Also, it sounds like your Thanksgiving spread, it's not exactly the most fattening or unhealthy thing in the world. Oh, we have a lot of stuff, though. A lot of lasagna, which sounds delicious.

Cookie cake, which is a nice box cake traditionally. What else we got? Like, what else is going to be the spread tomorrow? There will definitely be shrimp. There will definitely be all your meats and cheeses in the charcuterie world, maybe some some baked clams like things like that. We've got a lot of food.

Like a lot of stuff is like light, not fattening. You'll stuff yourself. I'm not saying you won't. You have a slice. Put it this way. You have a slice of lasagna and then a slice of cookie cake. And I feel like I am ready to just die.

Well, maybe not eat that much. You know, you're ready to just. But you know what my family does? It's really.

See, here's the thing. So I do Thanksgiving, my grandparents, my grandparents and their elder years. They they love to do Thanksgiving really early.

My grandma's like, come over tomorrow at noon. We'll be eating by one. So then I'll leave at like four and I'll get home tomorrow and I'll go, I'm hungry because just natural after eating all that food, six, seven hours later, you're hungry. And then I'll have lasagna and cookie cake. The leftovers again. We get a ridiculous amount of leftovers. So it's basically doing Thanksgiving twice in a day because of how early we do it. That sounds like a win. That sounds good. That's a lot of food, man.

I think yours is not conditioned. You know what? That sounds, you know what?

You know when linemen go to training camp and they're 380 pounds, they need to be at 350. That's that's what I feel like right now. I'm not.

Yeah, the reverse. I'm not conditioned for what we're ready to to embark on tomorrow. Another journey. I think you have only yourself to blame next year. I think you should just test it out. Eat normal. Treat this like a normal week. Become fat bastard the week of getting my belly. Go to like five guys, grease it up and then like just see how you react on Thursday.

Is there a reason why you mentioned five guys there? I don't know why, but you're talking about just like eating something super heavy and gross. And then I saw your picture on Twitter of cats is delish. My mind went kind of similar.

It's like a fatty, heavy. I thought you knew me a little bit better. I know you used to work there as well, but that's not the reason.

There you go. That's why I thought you as a line chef, right? I was flipping burgers at five guys.

That was my my job in my junior and senior year of high school. Aren't you moving the grease? So everyone took turns in taking the grease trap out. And the first time I did that, I dropped the entire bucket of grease. I hope everyone after that, by the way, called you grease boy. No, no, no.

Who's working today? Oh, grease boy. All right. No, no, you can't. The greaser.

No, no, no, no, no. Grease lightning. Like you can't you can't just drop the grease on the on the first every time you go grease lighting, go grease.

You can't drop it the first time. Then all of a sudden I have a nickname from it. I've never heard screams louder than that. When I dropped that grease bucket, the cursing, screaming, you would have thought that someone's life was in danger. Seriously.

Well, it's piping on grease. The same. It was bad.

It was it was bad. Anyway, Thanksgiving tomorrow. Food, family, football.

My favorite time of the year. Let's get to the games tomorrow. Bills and the Lions. When you look at this game. The Lions have made it intriguing because they are on a three game winning streak. Aiden Hutchinson is a heck of a player and shown that he's worth the number two overall pick. And that offense has been better than what you thought it would be. Jamal Williams, Swift now back, even though he's in a pitch count last week.

Amman Ross, St. Brown, Goff has been OK. I think the Lions can make this a game for a half like my ask for this game. Can you get me to halftime where I'm not saying oh, it's the Lions on Thanksgiving again when you go up against a great opponent?

And for Buffalo, since they've stumbled a little bit the last three weeks, losing the two games and having the best first half, even though they were in Detroit last week playing the Cleveland Browns. It's a game where now, if you would have told me for the start of the season, I would have said, why the heck are we playing Bills and Lions on Thanksgiving? But now, since the Lions have at least sucked you back in the way that they played the last three weeks, you would think or you would hope that they're going to be able to give you a good half so you could go into halftime and not say, OK, let's turn off the this game. This game stinks. This has to be a game now. This could lead to the opposite of what you're asking for in a blowout. This has to be a game of the Bills establish a run again.

This look, it's been a better defensive effort for sure recently. But also, you played the Packers offense stinks. The Bears, they gave 30 points and the Giants offense not very good outside of single Barkley credit to their credit.

They shut them down. They did a good job against they did. If you're the Bills, you should be one of the best teams, not the best team in the NFL. You got to just pound the Lions into oblivion defensively.

What's up with name Heinz? In terms of he's a good return, like he's done nothing in Buffalo so far. Part of the world he's done, he's more return guy, which I don't understand why they trade him for him in the first place, because that's they need a between the tackles runner. He's a scat back. He's a guy in third down.

You throw him in the flight, how make a move. He's a punt return. He's a kick return, which is on both done both pretty well. But he's another kind of carbon copy of what Devin Singletary is now Devin Singletary. I think Devin Singletary is better than Heinz. You know, Devin Singletary, he hasn't put it together for a full season, but he will so far in his young career coming out of FAU, he goes on these stretches of like, where he's really good for four or five weeks. And it's just, when does those four or five weeks come? I guess the game last week.

Yes. And even in Minnesota, the first half, it was solid. I know the early fumble in the beginning of the year. He's going to need to be the one that really takes the baton and be that consistent back. Not that he has to be great, but you just have to be good going into the playoffs. Cause you need some resemblance of a run game, which they got last week outside of Josh Allen, because now with Josh Allen dealing with that injury, if you keep on asking to run the ball, you never know what else you open yourself up up to. I agree. Come playoff time, unleash it, let Josh Allen put, put the team on the back. Cause it's three games, four games, depending on where you're seated to go win a Superbowl. I couldn't agree more.

Okay. Giants and Cowboys. Give me your thought on this game first, because I have a vision of the way that this game is going to play out. Like who do you think is going to win the game? How do you think the game plays out? I think the Cowboys. I think Cowboys dominate. If I am Brian Debo, what I'm doing is this.

I'm going to eBay. Maybe you have to go to Elon Musk, get a jet pack, put it on Dan Jones's back and have basically hit the jet pack. Anytime it gets the ball and drops back because that office line is going to be a sieve against the best team in the NFL. That's the issue.

It's like they're bad. They're banged up and you're going against the team with the most sacks. Micah Parsons may just pound down Jones into oblivion. It's going to be, I think rollouts.

It's going to be, I didn't Jones might have 20 carries for the game just because he's going to drop back and have to force to be roll that, you know, roll out and not have any time to throw the ball. Do you remember the creed Thanksgiving halftime? 20 years ago, right? Or 21 years ago.

It was like 2000 2001. Yeah. Can you take me high? You have the guy like holding on to like the, that's what you need. You need Daniel Jones flying like the lead singer of creed was where he was flying around the field that day. That's what they're going to need for Daniel Jones tomorrow to elevate him over Micah Parsons and company on this defense for the Dallas Cowboys.

I I'm with you. I think the Cowboys are going to roll them. This is all about timing. The Cowboys are really starting to hit their, their groove. I know that they, they lost that game to green Bay, but then they bounced back and they annihilated the Minnesota Vikings. The giants starting to show some blunders the last few weeks.

I know you had to buy it, you know, in there as well, but you lose to Seattle. Then you lose to the lions. The giants are going to be a playoff team.

The giants have been better than any, anyone could have expected out of them this, this year. But I just don't see this game being close. Now, this is a game going into the fourth quarter. How many times have we seen Dallas have a disappointing effort on Thanksgiving? If you're big blue, it's like, just get this a one score game going into the fourth quarter. But I could see this being a two or three touchdown game going into the fourth quarter with Pollard and lamb and Zeke and Dak and, and you look at the defense.

I just don't see how Micah Parsons isn't going to have a great game and just embarrassed this giant's offense. He'll be in a Turkey leg after the game. That's for sure. Oh yeah. You do the Turkey or mad in the turducken turducken and all that stuff.

I could see that as well. Now that game's on Fox, right? That game's on Fox. All the networks hand out Turkey after the game.

I know NBC does it. That's a good question. I don't, cause I know also COVID the last two years, cause we were like totally out of it last year when the game is.

So I don't know like how it works. If they're back, this would be the year to see, I hope so. It's a good tradition, but I can't remember like even 2019, how it worked. And then finally Patriots and Vikings, you know me with my football team, you would agree. I've been more pessimistic than optimistic this year, where I said that they're not going to make the playoffs even coming off of a playoff season. Would you say that's a fair analysis of the way that I viewed my football team week in and week out? I wouldn't even say realistic. Yeah. Okay. So you think I've been realistic?

For the most part, yes. I told you they beat the Colts. They did. I told you they beat the Jets. Sam Ellinger's quarterback.

That's a free space on the bingo board right there. I'm just telling you, you know, I think I've been pretty realistic with my football team. I don't know why, cause the Vikings are clearly a better team. The Vikings clearly have more offensive talent. Now their defense is not great.

They've been up and down this year. Z'Darius Smith has been a stud and Patrick Peterson still really, really good. I'm not telling you the Patriots are going to win the game, but I think this is going to be a closer game than what a lot of people think. Cause this Patriot defense, they're not great.

People overuse that word and use it way too freely. I think this is a very good defense and it's, I hate to say it, but it's Kirk Cousins in a prime time spot. Mack did not play well last week. I know the line has not been good and Andrew's probably not going to play. You look at the wide receivers other than Jacoby Meyer, no one, no one that you could really trust on. Roger Stevens has been good.

Damien Harris started to run a little bit better as he gets healthier. I got a feeling this is going to be a closer game than what people think. And it would, it would not surprise me if the Patriots win. This is the first time this year that I've been optimistic about my team when the majority of the world is telling me that they're going to lose. And I'm just curious to see how this one's going to play on that.

Yeah, I can't get there. The Patriots offense is not very good whatsoever. The defense is a little inconsistent. I think the Vikings, despite their horrendous defense that is concerning for sure.

I think they have a bounce back effort overall play a little better on offense. Again, Justin Jefferson scares the living crap out of me and TJ Hockinson this week. Those are the two guys that really scare the ball. Dropped two touchdowns last week.

Jeez. But those are the two guys that scare me this week. I know Dalvin Cook, so unbelievable too, but.

Sprite's close though. Vegas is more on your side in terms of a close game. And you think the Vikings should win, what's the score? I'll say like 27-17. 27-14 actually.

I don't even think I get. I hate to say it, I feel a little bit better. And the fact that the human mush, the hot take hickey artist himself is saying 10 point victory, just spit in the face of Bill Belichick, who just robbed little Johnny of ice cream twice in a season.

I kind of think the Patriots are winning 24-20 over the Vikings. And I like Minnesota. I've been a big advocate for Minnesota. Oh, here we go. Mr. Nice guy.

You left him out of your top five. Minnesota, don't buy it. I'm firing you up. I'm rallying the wagons here. Let's go Vikings.

Do me a favor. Who was the person that picked the Vikings to make the playoffs this year on this show? Before the season, you. And you said there was no way they were gonna make the playoffs this year. That's right. I said that.

Okay. They're not gonna make the playoffs. But I've been anti-Minnesota and you've been. You left them out of your top five this week.

Vikings, let's go. You tell me all the time for take five. It's a week by week evaluation, right? That's right. Did they, when you lose 40-3 to the Cowboys, did they deserve to be in the top five? You left them out of your top five too. I'm not the host of the show. I'm not sitting there as my team of the Patriots saying this is the team that you know. You're trying to hype up Minnesota. Fraud. They are not nice. He's not being nice, Minnesota. Rally the base.

Let's go. Put Zach Gill's face on the scoreboard tomorrow as a little extra motivation. And you know what? The Patriots just get destroyed. I hope I'm in a food coma and I fall asleep.

That's what I kind of hope. Can't talk about the game if you're not awake for the second half. Sorry. It didn't exist. I didn't see it. So therefore it never happened.

They can't trust the internet these days. You never know what's true or not. Have you seen Twitter lately, Hickey? I have.

By the way, did you see the Rangers come back last night? Oh, I see it. I'm the reason for it. No, you're not. Shut up. Don't. Do me a favor.

I missed the first period. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Here's why.

TV folks. Yeah. You were the one that started talking about reserving a spot at the parade last year and then they didn't win another game the rest of the playoffs. Stop. Stop. I missed the first period. They're down to nothing.

I walk in. Boom. Game's tied. Rangers win. You mess up all the teams that you root for that I don't root for. The two teams we share in common, the Mets and the Rangers.

You know, send all the tweets you want about the Colts and all the tweets you want about Penn State. The Mets. Stop. I don't want to hear your motions.

I don't want to hear your hot takes. The Rangers. Same thing. Because I got a little bit nervous last night when I saw your tweet of oh, so what's the game in second period? They're good. Now I'll make a confession to you. I was so tired last night when they came. I saw the first goal in the second period. Then the second and third goal, I fell I fell asleep for about five minutes. Then I woke up and watched the entire third period. But I fell asleep sitting up on my couch last night.

That's how exhausted I was. These these West Coast games are tough, but I'll be watching. And that could be me tomorrow on Thanksgiving with the Patriots and the Vikings. Could be doing a face plant right off my couch.

Stuff with lasagna and cookie cake. Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio. Five questions, five answers on sides, offside next. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show.

Zach's taking on the most polarizing issues in sports. Which side of the line of scrimmage will he end up on? Offside defense number 69. It's onsides, offsides with Zach Gelb on CBS Sports Radio. All right, onsides, offside time on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. We usually do this segment every Monday and Friday. But today, since it is a football Friday and a Wednesday, we will do it today.

Hickey, what do you got for me, pal? Zach, the big news of the day is that the Jets bench former number two overall picked Zach Wilson and instead will start Mike White's Sunday against the Bears. Belichick killed another Jets quarterback. That he did. Mark Sanchez ran into an ass when he was the quarterback of the Jets up against the Patriots. On Thanksgiving. Yes, I was at the game. Sam Darnold saw ghosts up against the Patriots and then Zach Wilson lost another game to the Patriots then acted like a little petulant kid.

That is right, because guess what? The reason why he acted like a petulant child did not take any accountability is because in the game on Sunday against the Patriots, in which the Jets scored a total of three points, Zach Wilson completed just nine of his 22 passes for 77 yards. Since returning from injury because he missed the first few games of the season as well after suffering a knee injury in the preseason, it's not gone well so far for Zach Wilson. He's completed 55.6% of his passes this year, has thrown four touchdowns in the first three games this year, has thrown four touchdowns to five picks and has a 72 passer rating all either last or close to last among all qualified quarterbacks.

There's 33 of them this season so not very good. Onsides or offside Zach? Zach Wilson will not start another game for the Jets this season.

Offside. He'll start another game for the Jets this season and probably multiple games. I don't think he's going to lose his job for the rest of the way, but if Mike White goes on a tear then I guess it's a possibility, but I just have a tough time seeing Mike White really go on this great run. He made the second overall pick, Zach Wilson.

He'll eventually get his job back so offsides. You go back and redraft that draft class, just quarterbacks. So you had Trevor Lawrence one, Zach Wilson two, three was Trey Lance, Fields was what, 11? 11.

And then Mac Jones was 15. Let's just, for this sake, let's say all these teams are taking quarterbacks. The teams that took quarterbacks, it goes the same way they're taking quarterbacks. Number one overall pick, Jacksonville.

With what you've seen so far and what you think after almost two years, what would you think Jacksonville does? I feel like at this point it has to be Justin Fields. I'm not thrilled that he's just running the ball, mostly getting his yards. Not that Trevor Lawrence has been great. Justin Fields has had a three, four game stretch of being really praised, like heading into the season.

He did not get this praise. A lot of people thought he was overrated. Right.

So I'm just asking. Well, I mean, I hate to say I'm a big Trevor Lawrence, I guess the fan still even after last year, but I would still think Trevor's the number one overall pick because no one has been that much better than the rest. Even in a short sample size of four games, let's say it's still better, higher level than we've really seen from Trevor.

Like I thought he was going to be better, a lot better than what we've seen so far. And even though Urban Meyer was a disaster, it's not as if Justin Fields had the greatest coaching in the world. Right.

I mean, he lost the coach, he lost his best weapon in Allen Robinson. Trevor Lawrence got an upgrade in coach and receiver. Okay. So you will go, Fields would be one.

Yes. The jets then would take Trevor Lawrence. Gotcha. Who are the 49ers then take? I would say Trey Lance.

I'm not a Zach Wilson guy. I'm not high on Mac Jones in terms of a ceiling. But with what you've seen, Mac Jones made the playoffs supposedly cause Shanahan wanted him first when they made that move. Wouldn't Mac Jones have to be three?

Per for me, no. I just, I think he has a limited ceiling. I just would rather take right now the unknown with Trey Lance than the known commodity stuck on the ceiling nonsense of Mac Jones and Zach Wilson. So good. Mac Jack Wilson is five for sure. Okay. Then what's your order then?

I'm not, let's just go through. Oh, you gave me the last 10. Yes. Mac Jones, Zach Wilson. So you had to have Mac Jones going to the bears and then Zach Wilson going to the Patriots. Yes, sir.

Oof. I would say Lawrence still go one. Justin Fields would go two to the jets. 49ers would then take Mac Jones. I would then believe the bears would get Trey Lance. And then yeah, Zach Wilson to the Patriots. Either way, Zach Wilson is last.

All right. Well, not good so far. How about in college football, speaking of good or let's speaking of let's go from not good to good. There's two great teams will face off this weekend in college football. Number two, Ohio state against number three, Michigan. They're playing four o'clock. Oh, Michigan state.

I think it's actually on Fox, I believe. So talk about a great lead in pregame is definitely Ohio state, Michigan. The main event will be Penn state, Penn state, Michigan state.

You know what that game is? That's like tomorrow when you see a bad food item that your family serves for Thanksgiving. And you know, no one's going to eat it. That's Penn state, Michigan state this weekend. Well, I'll be watching. I'll be eating. Yeah.

You like to eat bad food. So I don't know about that. That is definitely not the case, but Ohio state Michigan is one of the biggest games of the year in college football. Both enter though, the game banged up Wolverine star running back Blake Korma hurt his knee last week against Illinois, missed the second half.

His status is uncertain for Saturday. The Buckeyes running back room is also banged up and it does appear that star receiver Jackson Smith and Jaguar, who basically missed most of the season will not suit up for the Buckeyes either. Ohio state at home is currently a seven and a half point favorite over the Wolverines on touch or offsides. Ohio state will win the game and cover the spread. I am leading Ohio state wins the game right now, but I don't think they'll cover the spread. I'm taking Leroy Hord's advice plus the points plus the seven and a half. I think this is a close game.

You know what? I'm going to text you after the first Michigan drive. I'll give myself two Michigan drives on if I'm going to change my prediction on this right now. The reason I think Michigan's a better team, but it's the unknown of who's going to be actually healthy at the running back spot, which makes me think Ohio state now is going to win.

I think I'll plus the seven and a half. And then I'll re not that I'm going to then get on the air Monday and go, Oh, that was right. A change of prediction, Michigan wins, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

But I just think the first two drives for Michigan, you'll have an answer of how good Coram's going to be. I texted him today, Coram, and I thought we developed a little bit of a relationship and, you know, Barry Sanders treating about him. He's come on the show now twice. I asked him, you playing this week? Now, how are you feeling? Good. Just check it in on my guy, Blake Coram. Did you offer your knee? Nothing.

Crickets, crickets, crickets. So Ohio state will win in cover. I think Ohio state wins the game.

I don't think they cover. So offside. One of the best games in the NFL of week 12 is Bengals Titans in Nashville on Sunday. It's expected that Jamar Chase will make his return for the Bengals after missing the last three games. You know, I give you credit. The fact that you're asking me about this game, wonderful. The fact that you said it's one of the best games of week 12 is true. I feel like this game has barely even been touched on this week.

So, so good job by you. Fair. It is also Wednesday to take us a break to the rest of the nation, if you will, even though it does feel like a Friday Cincinnati in the last five games, really starting to click an offense, 31 points per game. The Titans are coming off an impressive Thursday night victory over the Packers last week, and they've won seven out of the last eight games. They are streaking on sides or offsides. The winner of this game should be considered a Superbowl contender in the AFC offside.

And here's why I look at the bangles. I know they got to a Superbowl last year and I love Joe burrow and Jamar chase the way that offensive line is playing to get to a Superbowl two years in a row with that bad of an offensive line. I don't feel great about that. And for the Titans, we know variables top five coach. We know Derek Henry is a great running back. We know their defense plays good. I just, I cannot, I know 10 Hill played well against the Packers. I can't believe that Ryan Tannehill is going to go on a three game run to get to the Superbowl this year and play great. Like they were the number one overall seed last year.

And he threw three interceptions against the bangles. So I'm still thinking about these teams are good teams. I don't think they're great teams right now. In the latest iteration of the college role play, I'll plant rankings released on Tuesday, the top four of Georgia, Ohio state, Michigan, and TCU. They're made the same while LSU sits at number five, USC six, Alabama, seventh and Clemson eighth. Those four teams did round out the top eight, the Trojans of USC currently against six in the country faced number 15 Notre Dame on Saturday. And most likely Oregon can get past Oregon state in a civil war will face number nine Oregon in the PAC 12 title game on sides or off side. Zach USC controls their own destiny to the college football.

Yeah, absolutely. If they went out, they are in because you had Tennessee go down last week. That was the one thing I was fearing. They went out, but Tennessee won loss. I thought Tennessee would get in because the resume was better. Now Tennessee's out of the playoff picture.

USC needs two more wins to get in. They control their own destiny on sides. Do you disagree with that? Just wondering.

I do. Yeah. I think LSU gets in if they win over USC really to loss LSU and they're ahead of them already.

And they're going to get jumped. If you beat number one, Georgia, I don't think so. Yeah. These rankings though. I think sometimes they try to make it look like it's an uphill climb for one program or for some programs to create narratives and conversations.

And you kind of could look through that. And that's what I just feel like with USC. I know where USC was and I know the ranking was a little bit lower than what people thought.

I think if they went out there easily on, but hey, what can you do? All right, next one. And finally, Thanksgiving will provide three interesting matchups. Do you think LSU is going to win out?

No, I don't. I think they're going to get smoked by Georgia, but I'm just saying if the inevitable happens, like I don't see how you can justify having right now LSU ahead of USC. LSU beats the number one team in the country and then they still make the college football playoff and get jumped by a team that would beat a number nine Oregon. There's never any logic with these rankings. But that's a fortunate part then like so subjective, so stupid. I agree with you. We are a hundred percent in agreement on that, but I never trust what the rankings say.

And I think you could sometimes, since we've now seen this for the last few years, navigate through what's the BS and the rankings or not just to kind of drum up conversation. Anyway, what do you got? Last one. Thanksgiving. Again, we'll have three interesting matchups. Bill's Lions is the opener as Detroit does come in a three-game winning streak. Well, in that game, Buffalo on the road in a place they just played in four days ago is a 10-point favorite. The midday classic pits the Giants and Cowboys against each other in Big D as New York's offensive line.

They are just absolutely depleted. They lose four players already from the offensive line, already ruled out for the game tomorrow. Dallas is right now the league leader in sacks. They are also a 10-point favorite at home. The night cap features your Patriots traveling to Minnesota, take on the Vikings home team is two and a half point favorites on sides or off sides. The bills, the Cowboys, the Vikings will win and cover the spread.

Let me ask you this. Seems like Vegas is begging you to take the Vikings in this one line two and a half points. Is that the way that you read that line? Cause that's the way I read it. I would say that they have concerns about Minnesota and they give them respect to your Patriots.

Yeah. I think they're begging a lot of people to look at this with knowing how much Patriot hate there is. Minnesota is the better team spreads two and a half lay the points and Vegas thinks the Patriots are winning.

I'll take the patch plus two and a half. I think that Dallas, that 10 point favorite against the giants and then may climb too. They're begging you to take the giants. The giants are just banged up on the offensive line. I'll take Dallas lay in the 10 and Buffalo Detroit's probably a no play for me, but you just asked me the bills, Cowboys, and Vikings wall win and cover. I just told you the Vikings aren't going to cover. So I'm going to go off sides on that one. That is on side off sides of the Zach Gelb show on CBS sports radio.

We'll come out on back and we'll do a little, this QB or that QB for a week 12 edition of the national football league. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show. You can think of Riley auto parts, right? Your car care needs get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly auto parts, O O O O Riley auto parts. So Hickey real quickly, how I do the read like that, singing the O'Reilly auto parts, I guess has caught on with some people.

I got a few tweets last night. I don't I don't know where this is from. It looked like it was at a wedding, and I don't know if it was with the original people that sang the O'Reilly auto parts. It was the original, yes sir.

So that wasn't just something I was reading on Social Media that turned out to be false. And they were singing the song there. Oh, so you saw that.

You're plugged in, look at that. That was pretty viral. Was it really? Yeah.

It was not on my timeline until I got tagged in it a few times. Yeah, it's, I'll say this. Thank God for Auto-Tune. I thought they sounded pretty good.

Okay. If I was at a wedding, I'd be fist pumping to that. Oh, oh, oh, O'Reilly auto parts. I've watched it a few times. It still is this, it cracks you up when they do the actual read itself.

Check out O'Reilly auto parts. Throw your card, give it like that. The fact that that guy just reading the actual description is funny. They weren't the ones getting married, right? I don't know. I don't know how many details outside of the cast reunion was back together.

Okay. It looked like it was at a wedding though, right? Yes, I believe in the description for one of the tweets was wedding. So when you and Lolly get married, can we get the O'Reilly auto parts people to serenade you guys at your wedding? We're gonna need a lot of nos in the DJ and bands for that to happen. No disrespect, but. Hickey not a company guy, that's what I just learned. All right, let's get to a little this QB or that QB week 12.

Give you a disclaimer. Remember, this is for quarterbacks. This game and this game only health is taken into consideration. How they're playing recently is consideration.

So we don't care about next year, the rest of the career. This game, this week, would you have this quarterback or that quarterback? Let's start with a game that is close to your home and close to your heart. Vikings, Patriots, Matt Jones or Kirk Cousins?

I think the Patriots are winning the game, but the better quarterback is Kirk Cousins. Now, is an eight something o'clock game? What, like eight 20? Eight 20 Eastern. It's primetime Kirk Cousins. Uh-oh. I'll still slightly go Kirk.

If it's that one o'clock, I feel a lot better. Kirk Cousins it is. How about brand new starter, Mike White, who the first time last year explored for 400 yards passing and three touchdowns against the Bengals. He's going up against Justin Fields. What is Justin Fields right now this week? Banged up. Let's assume he's playing. Is he gonna play?

50-50. Let's assume he's obviously playing because it makes it a little easier, but left shoulder separation and be playing with that. Is that official though that's a left shoulder separation? Because I saw some people say, oh no, that's not the case. So then Rappaport added that it was a left shoulder separation.

I have not seen anything contrary to say that it's not a left shoulder separation. There's no way they play him, right? I know it's the Bears and you always expect them to mess it up, but he's shown you enough this year that makes you think you have the guy. Now you gotta go get more talent around him. I would not play him.

Would you? I mean, where they are, I wouldn't, but I mean, he finished the game. He threw a pick. He's playing well. Now he took accountability afterwards. Has his left shoulder. But he didn't need to. It's not his throwing shoulder.

I mean, I would agree, but I mean. I'm gonna go Mike White because I don't think Justin Fields is gonna play. I would be surprised if he plays. All right, how about brand new quarterback one, Taylor Heinecke, or surprisingly good or better than expected, Marcus Mariota? Taylor Ham Heinecke. That group really does believe in him.

I know that Arthur Smith pooh-poohed it when the conversation about Desmond Ritter did come about. If it comes down to you have to have Mariota throw in the football more than 20 times, I have no confidence in him. Here's a duel of quarterback duels.

I feel like this is sarcastic. Russell Wilson or Sam Darnold, back once again for the Panthers. Which quarterback would you rather have for this week? This may be the one time this season during this segment that I am picking Russell Wilson. Oh, I was gonna say. It's gotta be Russell Wilson.

You gotta retire. If Russell Wilson can't beat out Sam Darnold for which quarterback to have, hang it up. Also, it is Thanksgiving.

I don't know how many out of town guests maybe Sam Darnold will be having. Do they go out afterwards? Little smoochy smoochy time gets mono again with someone at a bar.

That's a concern of mine for this week. Can I ask you a dumb question? Can you get mono twice? I thought it was like the chicken pox. Good, I have no clue. You think I'm a doctor? I could be wrong now. Here, I am throwing around medical jargon.

I don't know. I think you can get it once. It's all right. People just throw around things all the time in the medical world that isn't true that people accept. I'm not a doctor. I'm not an expert. I'll caveat with that. But I don't think you can get it more than once. I think it's like you get it once and you're good. Okay. I don't know about maybe you're good, but. There, so there you go.

There's the advantage for Sam Darnold. Most people, this is the first. This is from the Mayo Clinic. So it sounds legit.

Most people who have mono will have it only once, but rarely, mono symptoms may reoccur months or even years later. So there you go. So you're saying there's a chance.

All right, how about let's go down to the desert. Kyla Murray, a full participant in practice today after missing the last two games of the hamstring injury. Would you rather have Kyla Murray for this week or Justin Herbert?

Justin Herbert, not even close. Derek Carr? If you ask Emmanuel Acho though, he's just a social media quarterback.

I don't know what that means. Like he's just like highlights? Yeah, he's just highlight play that everyone raised about on social media. Then doesn't watch the actual games or misses his other throws? Yeah, seems like a Fox Sports analyst with the criteria that you just said. Oh, that's Emmanuel Acho for you.

That's for sure. Hot takes. I used to love Emmanuel Acho. I put him on when he was playing with the Eagles.

No one knew who he was when I was doing college radio. Very good interview, but now it's just become too hot takey. More hot takey than you. Damn, I thought I was the hot take. Yeah, take that man, you don't have a nickname. Derek Carr or Geno Smith for this week, who would you rather have?

Oh, that's a good one. I'll slightly lean Derek Carr. I'll slightly lean Derek Carr. Yeah, I expect bigger plays with Derek Carr than Geno Smith. Bryce Perkins making his first career start for the Rams or Patrick Holmes? Should I be like Emmanuel Acho? Aaron Rodgers. I'm the Perkins. I like what the kid's got. I got to get some clicks on social media, so let me just say something crazy. Not yet, Mahomes, clearly.

All right, let's try to squeeze two in here if we can. Aaron Rodgers or Jalen Hurts? Right now this year? Right now and this week only. Jalen Hurts, especially with that broken thumb that Rodgers has, yeah. Jalen Hurts. And a big game on Monday night to wrap up the week.

Steelers, Colts. Would you rather have Kenny Pickett for this week or Matt Ryan? Kenny Pickett. Do you disagree with that? I actually do. I would take Matt Ryan for this game.

Okay, I now feel even better about it. I don't think Kenny Pickett has been awful. I'm not telling you he's been great. That line's not been good. Najee Harris has been up and down. Him and Pickens are starting to develop a good little bit of a relationship. Now, no more Chase Claypool on that team. I like the mobility of Kenny Pickett and I think both of these quarterbacks are gonna have a lot of defensive players in their face, so I'm gonna say that Kenny Pickett's mobility is what wins out for me there instead of that statue, Matt Ryan.

Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio. When we come on back, we'll give you one thought on each and every NFL game for this upcoming week and Thursday as well in the National Football League. Feels like it's two different weeks. Yeah, the three games on Thursday, that feels like a week and then you have all the slate on Sunday. We'll give you a thought on all of them when we return.