Student Section: NFL 11.19.24

Student Section: NFL 11.19.24
The Student Section
Student Section: NFL 11.19.24

Nov 20 2024 | 00:47:06

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Episode November 20, 2024 00:47:06

Show Notes

On this episode, Tanner, Connor, Evan, and Alex talk the latest news in the NFL, playoff predictions, and their favorite matchups for the rest of the year. Listen to this and more on this week’s edition of Student Section: NFL, available on voices.ua.edu, Spotify and broadcasting LIVE on 90.7 FM in Tuscaloosa and on the TuneIn and Live365 apps from 7-8 p.m. CT every Tuesday! Follow WVUA-FM Sports on X @wvuafmsports.
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Episode Transcript

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa. [00:00:10] Speaker B: Welcome back to the student section NFL. We are following a very big week in the NFL with lots of playoff implications, a couple divisional matchups. I'm your co host Evan Cisneros joined by my three co hosts, Alex Brown. How you doing, Alex? [00:00:26] Speaker C: I'm doing great, Evan, I really am. How about yourself? [00:00:29] Speaker B: Good. Connor rolls. [00:00:30] Speaker A: I'm doing quite swell. Quite swell after, you know, the tools. But no, no. Tanner, go ahead. How are you doing today? [00:00:37] Speaker D: I'm pretty good. Panthers had a buy so. [00:00:41] Speaker B: Oh man, that's stay better than. Stay for the average week for you. [00:00:44] Speaker D: Stay level for them. [00:00:45] Speaker A: Honestly? No, I wouldn't even say that. They've been in a. [00:00:48] Speaker B: They've been hitting on, they've been good. [00:00:49] Speaker A: It's time for a Bryce Young legacy game. [00:00:51] Speaker D: This Panthers haven't lost the game in four weeks. [00:00:54] Speaker B: Wow, look at that. [00:00:57] Speaker D: That's, that's, that's something at the end. [00:00:58] Speaker B: Of the day and NFC south is kind of weak. You think you guys make a run? [00:01:02] Speaker D: I think it's records too. [00:01:03] Speaker B: I won't push it that far. But anyways, let's get into some of the biggest games starting this week. Starting on Thursday we had the divisional matchup between the likely rookie of the year in Jayne Daniels and Conner's team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Just take us through that. [00:01:19] Speaker A: So before you even say anything, I think there's someone else that might be making a case for rookie of the year to challenge. Jaden Daniels. [00:01:25] Speaker D: I know exactly who you're going to say and it hurts, but Bo Nicks. [00:01:29] Speaker C: Absolutely right. [00:01:30] Speaker D: Absolutely, absolutely. [00:01:31] Speaker B: What was his stat line this week? Was it 400? [00:01:33] Speaker D: No, it was close to that and very efficient too. [00:01:35] Speaker B: I'll be right back with that. [00:01:37] Speaker C: I think touchdowns on the season for him as well. [00:01:39] Speaker D: I don't want to, I'm not going to like overly victory lap this, but when we were doing our scouting last year and just talking about potential destinations for all the quarterbacks coming into the league, I talked about Bo, Nick's going to the Broncos a lot and how I thought that he was the greatest. [00:01:56] Speaker B: Fit for that team. [00:01:56] Speaker D: Yeah, he's Sean, he's. I think he's Sean Payton's just ideal guy in that he's very, he's accurate in his first three. He's a really good pre snap quarterback when it comes to his reads and overall I think just that's really shown so far. I think Sean Payton's helped him make his job easy and he is executed in all the ways that he needs to and especially with how good that defense is and how good the run game is and they're working off that. [00:02:21] Speaker B: It's in one season they went from one of the worst defensives in the NFL to one of the best, which. [00:02:26] Speaker D: Yeah, I don't know. Payton needed time to build it, man. That's what I really think. It was just a transitional year for them. [00:02:32] Speaker A: I also think it's kind of nuts how going from last year's offense and how bad it was and you know, kind of clearing house in the off season which is getting rid of Jerry Judy and everyone thought they were going to sell Cortland Sutton and yeah. Russell Wilson to. Now we're this far into the season and Bo Nicks looks like a franchise guy and that offense looks like he can actually move the ball. [00:02:51] Speaker B: 307 yards, four touchdowns. And like Tanner was saying, one of his biggest. One of the biggest things he was saying in the pre draft was his efficiency this season. He hasn't been as efficient as he was in college, I think. [00:03:05] Speaker D: I mean he had. [00:03:06] Speaker B: He was just insanely efficient. [00:03:08] Speaker D: Bonkers efficient. [00:03:09] Speaker B: So even historical 14 touchdowns to six interceptions on the season, that's very good for a rookie. [00:03:15] Speaker D: It was like 42 and 2. [00:03:16] Speaker B: It was something like that. It was like over 90%. [00:03:19] Speaker D: Absolutely ridiculous. But. [00:03:22] Speaker B: But anyways. So back to the Commanders Eagles game. Take us a little bit through that. [00:03:27] Speaker A: You know, I do think the Commanders are going to be a really good team in the future, but I thought they were heavily over, like just overrated throughout this entire season. So far they've only beaten teams under.500 and lost to every single team they have played that have been above.500. [00:03:43] Speaker D: I think it's only a matter of time. Sorry, I don't interrupt you. [00:03:45] Speaker A: No, no, you're good. [00:03:45] Speaker D: I think it's only a matter of time until someone was going to figure out the Commanders. I think they were kind of rolling with the fact that they had a rookie quarterback who no one really knew how to play yet. They had Cliff Kings, very bad who can put together a good offense. But I think a lot of their effectiveness came from the fact that it was just so new and it took people a little bit to understand it. [00:04:06] Speaker B: They do have a chance to go on another quick run with a pretty easy schedule. Cowboys, Titans, Saints and then a rematch against the Eagles in four weeks. So it's something to keep an eye on. But I do agree they did get kind of figured out over the past two weeks. 0 and 2 in the past. [00:04:21] Speaker A: I also think it hurts the commanders. I feel like Jaden Daniels is still a little banged up from that rib injury that he had. [00:04:28] Speaker D: Kind of seem like some. [00:04:29] Speaker A: He doesn't look like he's moving or just kind of throwing the way he was earlier, earlier on in the season. But still, with that being the case, their receivers, they had no offense going outside to the wide receivers. You know, Noah Brown had one reception for 4 yards. Terry McLaurin one rece reception for 10 yards. Former Eagle Zacchaeus Omade. Yep. Olimide. [00:04:54] Speaker D: Olamide. [00:04:55] Speaker A: I feel like Jalen Brooks right now. Zacchaeus had one catch for 10 yards. Daimy Brown had one catch. I mean, like they're all just one catch. Everybody else, like the. Austin Eckler was their leading receiver with eight catches for 89 yards. And so I think Zach Bond is playing out of his mind. Nakoby Dean has been like a good robin to the Batman with Zach Bond. The way they're playing, the D line looks a lot better than it did before. Jalen Carter just destroys everything in the trenches. And then, I mean, that secondary, it's something that I've dreamed about since the 2017 Eagles run because since then we have not had a official number one corner besides like, I guess Darius Slay. One of. [00:05:35] Speaker B: I was about to say no way. Darius. Darius Slay was a top five corner for a good three seasons. [00:05:40] Speaker A: No, I know. But other than that, there was nobody else. [00:05:43] Speaker B: Bradbury was good his first season, wasn't he? [00:05:45] Speaker A: I mean, yes, he was an all pro. [00:05:47] Speaker D: I mean, that one, that 2022 season, 2021, season 2022 push, that was a pretty good secondary and it was also really well played. [00:05:56] Speaker B: That holding in the super bowl may have killed his career. [00:05:59] Speaker A: I think it wasn't even like he was playing out of his mind that whole season to make that push. I think. I mean, if you do realize the Eagles set the franchise record for sacks that year. And I think once the quarterback doesn't have time because that D line just puts so much pressure on the O line and the quarterb have to get it out quick. And I mean, a lot of people. [00:06:18] Speaker D: Say that like pass coverage numbers are a pass rush stat, which I completely agree. Absolutely fair. And that was such a huge part. They could just sit back and play a pretty standard zone and trust their D line to go get out. [00:06:29] Speaker A: That's why I think our secondary looks so good throughout that entire season, is because they didn't have to worry about a deep shot or a long developing route because they knew their D line was going to get after it. But going on to the offensive side of the ball, the commander's defense played great throughout the, I think the first half or the first three quarters. But I mean, you can't just hold Saquon for much longer than that. [00:06:53] Speaker D: So that's the thing about having like such a good run game with a guy that is a pretty. Is pretty well known that he can get a lot of carries and he can be on the field at all times and be just as dangerous throughout the game. Eventually you're going to get tired, you're going to make mistakes in the run game. Like that's the nice thing about having such a confident run game is that eventually it's, it's going to become explosive over the course of the game, just like we saw against Washington. [00:07:20] Speaker A: Now, one question I do have for y'all, that when Dan Quinn decided to go for it, do you agree with that or. I mean there was, I want to say it was in the fourth quarter with I think it was like six to nine minutes left in the game. The Eagles were up 12 to 10 and the Commanders could have kicked the field goal right there, gone up by one and they didn't. They went forward on fourth and two. They ended up getting stopped and that's when Saquon just took that drive over and the rest of the game over. [00:07:48] Speaker B: I think commanders were playing from behind a lot of that game. Even when it was close, they didn't really all the way seem into it. [00:07:53] Speaker D: Where were they on the field? [00:07:55] Speaker A: They were I think like the 30 yard line. [00:07:58] Speaker D: On the, on your. [00:07:59] Speaker A: On the Eagles 30 yard line. [00:08:00] Speaker C: I'm not the right call. [00:08:02] Speaker D: Yeah, I don't know. I'm not mad at that because like again, it is kind of like it was like Evan said the score was close, but you could kind of feel. [00:08:14] Speaker B: That game was 1826. But that wasn't an eight point game. [00:08:17] Speaker D: It felt like the Eagles were out playing them already. I understand Dan Quinn being like, all right, we need to shift something here. We need to make something happen and just didn't work out. [00:08:26] Speaker A: So the reason I want to say I kind of disagree with it was the commanders. Yes, it looked like the Eagles kind of had control for most of the game, but at the same time the scoreboard didn't reflect that. The Eagles just took the lead for the. They've been in the lead for, I want to say it was 10 minutes or maybe not even that, like five minutes. They just scored to make it 12 to 10. They were the Commanders were up for the rest of the. For the whole first half and then for like halfway through the third and they're already driving down the field. You know, they. They held the Eagles to 10. Well, it was like eight points or something like that. Seven points. And so it was kind of getting to a point where the Eagles couldn't really move the ball efficiently. And there were. Commanders made their little run. They got to the inside field goal position and then it was like second and one. They ran it with Brian Robinson, got stuffed. Third and one. Did it again, got stuffed. Jordan Davis made a heck of a play and you can kick the field goal right there, take the lead and kind of restore the momentum or you could go for it and not get it and see what happens now. So I feel like there's a. There's part of me where like yes, I can see going for it, but at that point in time you got to take your points for the way the game is going. [00:09:43] Speaker D: I think the. Don't the analytics almost always say that if you have fourth and short in opposing territory that you should go for it. [00:09:49] Speaker A: You know who was an analytic guy? Brandon Staley. And so analytics are not always right. [00:09:53] Speaker D: You cannot. Wouldn't name the worst example of an analytics coach in just 10 year. [00:09:58] Speaker C: Right. [00:10:00] Speaker D: Yeah. Like what are we doing? [00:10:02] Speaker A: I was trying to fit my narrative right there. [00:10:05] Speaker D: I don't have too much else to add on the. [00:10:07] Speaker C: I'll give you credit though, Connor, your Eagles look pretty good. [00:10:10] Speaker D: They really do. [00:10:11] Speaker C: They look pretty good. And I think it's. I think you owe an apology to Nick Sirianni for the. You really mean things you said about. [00:10:18] Speaker B: Public on air apology right now. [00:10:20] Speaker C: You said so many mean things. [00:10:21] Speaker D: I can't believe you would say stuff like that. [00:10:23] Speaker A: You know, I would like to say. And in a. I would like to say an apology to Nick Sirianni just because unprompted. [00:10:34] Speaker D: I'm so proud of you. [00:10:35] Speaker A: You know, I'm trying, but I don't. I mean he still hasn't really done much to change the way I feel about how he affects a team. I know he's a great like I guess players coach and wants to get his players involved. Not really big X's and O's. But there's one thing you can't, you know, just say he's not and that's a winner. He's been. He made the playoffs. Well, it's going to be his fourth season and the fourth time he's made the playoffs. So yeah, it's impressive. This is probably the worst season he's had in the last three years to start off, like, just starting off the game. The first 10 games and their worst record has been eight. Two. [00:11:11] Speaker B: Wow. Is that a real station? [00:11:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:11:14] Speaker B: Wow. [00:11:15] Speaker A: In the first three seasons. So, yeah, I was. [00:11:17] Speaker D: I think someone that at least the person I think is more deserving of an apology in the Eagles organization is. We've been somewhat positive with Howie Roseman, but, like, that's not a super widely held opinion and it hasn't been historically, but that guy had a near perfect. [00:11:35] Speaker A: Offseason A plus off season. [00:11:37] Speaker D: Such a good. [00:11:37] Speaker B: We'll talk about another GM later in this draft. [00:11:40] Speaker D: Yeah, fair enough. We will. [00:11:42] Speaker B: But moving on from the NFC east, the two top teams in the NFC east to the two top teams in the AFC North, Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Alex, give us your thoughts on that one. [00:11:52] Speaker C: I will gladly do that. That was a. It was a boring game for the most part. At the same time, by conventional standards, you don't have a lot of points going down. The Steelers didn't get a touchdown in a win for the second time this season. They did that in Week one against the Falcons. But at the same time, the Steelers look pretty good again. The defense is showing up in big moments. Lamar Jackson is obviously has it in his head now that they can't beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers have won eight of the last nine matchups against the Ravens, and in the last eight matchups between the two teams, neither team has scored more than 20 points. So it all comes down to the defense. And this year, the Steelers have the better defense. And if you look at the Steelers offense, though, in this game, it was certainly lackluster. I mean, the amount of trips they had in the red zone where they didn't get any points was incredible. Four trips to the red zone by not getting points, getting touchdowns, four trips to the red zone without getting a touchdown in this game with Russell Wilson, who's supposed to be a pretty surgical operator when you get on the plus side of the 20s. So it's. It's a little bit difficult for me to wrap my brain around people saying that the Steelers are not a Super bowl contender. Here's why we're a contender. We have a top five defense in the NFL. I think that's unquestionable. [00:13:18] Speaker B: Held Lamar Jackson to sub 50%. [00:13:21] Speaker C: Yeah, exactly. [00:13:22] Speaker D: Absolutely. [00:13:23] Speaker C: Exactly. And we held Derek Henry, and you. [00:13:26] Speaker B: Guys just added five yards. Former Dolphin Eric Rowe, he was given good analysis. [00:13:31] Speaker D: Why did you have to. [00:13:32] Speaker B: I'm sorry. [00:13:32] Speaker A: You just ruined everything. [00:13:33] Speaker D: Please continue. [00:13:34] Speaker C: He's just trying to help me. He's trying to help me. I appreciate that, Evan. [00:13:37] Speaker B: They added a great secondary, secondary safety this week today. I think so. Defense only getting better. [00:13:43] Speaker A: Eric Rowe is also in the Eagles, by the way, so. [00:13:45] Speaker C: That's right. [00:13:46] Speaker B: Patriots. [00:13:47] Speaker C: We have a very veteran. We have a very veteran group in the secondary. We have a lot of people that the Steelers did not draft because we're not good at drafting people. [00:13:54] Speaker B: The secondary, y'all might want to get that. Jets gm, he's been surgical in the draft the past couple years. [00:14:01] Speaker C: That got him fired. [00:14:03] Speaker B: I don't know. [00:14:03] Speaker D: I think there are a lot of things that got him fired, but, I. [00:14:06] Speaker C: Mean, he could never figure out that offensive line. But nevertheless, the Steelers, eight and two now and we have five more division games to go. Of our last seven, we do. The only game that scares me down the stretch, quite honestly, are two non divisional games are against the Chiefs and against the Eagles. The only game that scares me is the Eagles. I feel like the Steelers right now have all the things working for them. We can win games without scoring touchdowns against some of the best teams in the NFL. And we have five of our eight wins are against teams that are currently in the playoffs. Five of our eight, both of our losses are against teams that I believe are not in the playoffs right now. So it's in the Cowboys and the Colts. Yeah, they're definitely not in the playoffs. So the Steelers right now are in an excellent spot moving forward to continue their success. And not only continue their success, but to be contenders. And guys, do you think we're contenders? [00:15:01] Speaker A: So for me, I do definitely say the defense is top tier. It's one of the best defenses in the league. [00:15:07] Speaker C: But I hear a buck coming just. [00:15:08] Speaker A: Looking at the way the offense just plays the game throughout the entire, you know, 60 minutes. It's. You can't rely on Justin Tucker missing three field goals to win a game against the Ravens, whose defense looked pretty bad all season. I think Mike Williams will be a huge. Ben will be a huge beneficiary to that entire offense and Russell Wilson and all that kind of stuff. But that offense, it's. There's. If you can't really score points while also holding the other team to, you know, having 16 points with one of the best offenses in the league, but you also need them to miss two or three kicks. I don't know how deep you can go into the playoffs, but I do think once Mike Williams does get more involved, then that team can be very scary. I just want to See the offense pick up, you know, be able to win them games instead of having their defense always come up and hoping for a break. [00:16:07] Speaker B: Especially because I think we've established that the Ravens, that's a divisional game, they're going to have trouble. Like you've said, they're 11 for nine in the past nine. You're not holding the bills to 16 points. The Ravens can get punched in the mouth. Josh Allen, he'll get punched in the mouth and come back down and stomp all over you like he's. I'm just saying, I'm not counting out. [00:16:30] Speaker A: Evan has PTSD from Josh Allen and watching them against the Dolphins. [00:16:34] Speaker B: I have PTSD from watching that Chiefs game. He went for 40 yards, just completely swarmed. Yeah, I'm not counting out number one and two seeds, but I will say the Steelers, they have a chance to be in the conference championship. [00:16:47] Speaker D: I think they're. I think they're definitely a contender. I think the only thing I'd like to see out of the Steelers, which I think would probably help their red zone numbers, as Alex was talking about, is some set. Is some success in the intermediate passing game because, you know, a lot of that offense is built off of just the power runs and the, you know, really, you know, heavy personnel runs and short plays, getting yards after the catch and then those big play action bombs we see from Williams and Pickens. But again, I think red zone effectiveness would really help you if you could get some intermediate stuff going. [00:17:18] Speaker C: And we'll get that. [00:17:19] Speaker D: Russell Wilson. [00:17:19] Speaker C: We'll get that eventually. We'll get that eventually. But there's the thing. We have eight wins right now. Eight wins without that. [00:17:24] Speaker D: Exactly. [00:17:25] Speaker C: It's not like we're beating scrub teams. [00:17:27] Speaker D: Absolutely. [00:17:28] Speaker C: We are beating playoff opponents. And we just, you know, the only team to hold Josh allen to under 20 points this season, the Baltimore Ravens. And we just beat the Baltimore Ravens without scoring a touchdown. [00:17:40] Speaker B: And I think look at that. [00:17:41] Speaker C: And now you. And now the point about the field goals against Justin Tucker, that's a, That's a fair point. But you know what? We also should have had at least two touchdowns in that game. Two touchdowns in that game gives us another eight points. Eight points. And that game's not even close. So I feel like the Steelers right now, it's a lot of good things happening and we're winning. Here's the thing. Good teams find a way to win close games. Bad teams find a way to lose close games. Look at the Bears, look at some of these teams. Bengals, you're Losing really close games and one score ones in particular. The Steelers win a lot of one score games and it's because they come up in the big moments. [00:18:22] Speaker A: The thing that worries me is we said the same thing about the Eagles last year when they were 10. One could win the big, could win the close games and win all those kind of games, but sooner or later you're going to get caught. [00:18:33] Speaker D: I think it's defense. [00:18:33] Speaker B: The Steelers do have a plus 71. [00:18:35] Speaker A: Oh no. [00:18:35] Speaker D: The defense is definitely much better than the Eagles were last year. [00:18:39] Speaker A: But I still stand because like we look I think the same way about the Chiefs as well. You can't play from behind each and every week and expect to win those games all the time. [00:18:48] Speaker C: Yeah, we're not playing from behind every week. [00:18:49] Speaker A: No, I was talking about the Chiefs right there. But you can't rely on other teams to. You can only kick four field goals and rely they don't get a few more touchdowns. [00:19:04] Speaker C: We'll see you in a couple weeks, Connor. [00:19:05] Speaker A: I am, I am super excited. [00:19:07] Speaker B: We will see. We will see. [00:19:08] Speaker A: That game's gonna be fun. [00:19:09] Speaker B: And we will see how the rest of the AFC and NFC playoff shakedown is looking. Make a couple predictions. Talk about the recent Jets GM firing after this break. [00:19:31] Speaker D: This show is a Sports production of WVUAFM 90.7 the Capstone, a division of. [00:19:37] Speaker B: Student media at the University of Alabama. [00:19:39] Speaker D: Support us by leaving a review rating or following us on X at WVUAFM Sports. [00:19:53] Speaker B: Welcome back to the student section NFL. We were just about to get into our playoff and playoff winner predictions but before we get into that, let's talk about the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills this past week. [00:20:07] Speaker A: Great game as always. Obviously that run by Josh Allen to close out the game with like two minutes left on that fourth down ptsd. Absolutely insane. [00:20:16] Speaker B: I saw visions. [00:20:19] Speaker A: I feel like that game in general was just a long time due for Josh Allen and just Buffalo in general just finally getting over the hump of beating Kansas City in a game like that. So I think it was great to. [00:20:31] Speaker D: See Amari Cooper making a big impact. Was really good to see. He would really. They had some huge plays that came from a. That really. I mean it was pretty good defense but just a great throw and a. [00:20:41] Speaker A: Great like I think the one on the first drive or so the. [00:20:45] Speaker D: Like that outside. [00:20:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:20:46] Speaker D: Go ball. That thing was. That was a sick throw and a unbelievable catch from. [00:20:50] Speaker A: It was. Yeah. [00:20:52] Speaker D: That duo has such high potential, man. [00:20:54] Speaker A: And they did it without Keon Coleman and Dawson Knox as well, which Was huge. [00:20:58] Speaker D: So without Dalton Kincaid. [00:21:00] Speaker A: Oh, Dalton Kincaid. [00:21:01] Speaker D: It was their starting tight end. [00:21:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:21:03] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:21:04] Speaker B: But take a little bit of a victory lap on that one. I said they would win by at least one score. They won by nine points. So close game. [00:21:13] Speaker A: Right. [00:21:13] Speaker B: But they won convincingly. Ish. One thing I've been seeing is Patrick Mahomes. I mean, he's obviously still the best quarterback in the NFL. His numbers this season have not been good. And he's been leading the MVP race for a long time. In the first quarter, he's thrown. I don't think he's thrown a touchdown yet. And he's thrown, I want to say, five interceptions in the first quarter. And his stats right now, 15 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. I think Josh Allen easily overtook him in the MVP race with this game. [00:21:44] Speaker D: Really? [00:21:45] Speaker B: Even though Mahomes did have a good game. Three touchdowns, two interceptions on about a 67% clip. But Josh Allen is just. He is the Buffalo Bills, and he's leading them to a 92 record at this point. I think they're likely the super bowl favorites. Josh Allen's just. I hate him, but that's superman. [00:22:05] Speaker C: I agree with you. [00:22:07] Speaker D: The guy's just. I mean, he's. What liked. Remember we talked about Anthony Richardson and we said like, you know, imagine benching Josh Allen this early. Like that is. Don't be wrong. It's such a false comparison. But like, seeing what Josh Allen can do, being arguably the second most talented, like just physically talented quarterback in the NFL and the fact that he's also an incredible passer and has really developed into just an elite, I don't know, just game by game quarterback is unbelievable. [00:22:39] Speaker B: To your point. I remember his rookie season and his second season. I used to love playing the Bills because it was basically free wins. The Dolphins used to go 4 0. They used to go about 51 in the AFC east every year because they'd split with the Patriots and just mop the jets and Bills. [00:22:55] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:22:56] Speaker B: Once Josh Allen came, it started to be one and one against the Bills. But even still, he'd throw a lot of picks. It was like, this guy's a gunslinger, but he's not going to win them too many games. [00:23:05] Speaker D: Right. [00:23:05] Speaker B: Since that second season, I think we've won one game against him. He's just owned us. It's a nightmare. And like you're saying, if they had benched him when he wasn't having a great season, he wouldn't have. I mean, he wouldn't be where he is now, obviously, but. [00:23:21] Speaker D: Right. [00:23:23] Speaker B: Not something I Love. [00:23:25] Speaker C: As a Steelers fan, I do still think that the Bills are the team to beat in the afc. I think they're the best team. I think the Ravens, I think even so, are a better team than the Steelers at this point, despite us beating them. And that's, that's a humble take for me on the Steelers. I think as Steelers fans, we do tend to get arrogant. We definitely take ownership of that team. Especially because over the last six, seven, eight years, going back to 2016, when we last won a playoff game, we've been so tantalized by success that we become so when we get it, it just feels so good. Feels so good. And like last year when we lost to the Bills in the playoffs, Josh Allen just dominated us. We had Mason Rudolph as our starting quarterback, so that's a minus already from the get go. But Josh Allen, he really has developed himself into being a star in the league. He should be the MVP this season. As it stands right now, if the season ended today, I'd give Josh Allen the MVP and I'd probably put Jared Goff as second. But can the Bills sustain this momentum through the rest of the season? Can they once again get a home playoff game? And can they? Do they have to face the Chiefs this year? That's another question. The Chiefs have a couple more divisional games to go against the Chargers, the Broncos. I mean, do the Chiefs fall down to the four seed in the AFC by the time we get to the end of the season? And then you're in a tough, you're in a much difficult, much more difficult position than they were last season. Even as three seed, I think the. [00:25:03] Speaker B: Chiefs have a good chance to go 161 or 15 2. They have. You're saying they have a couple divisional games. They've got the Panthers, Raiders, Chargers. Chargers are a good team, but Chargers. [00:25:12] Speaker D: Are a really good team, man. [00:25:14] Speaker B: I like, I do like Chargers. As much as I dislike their fans, the Chargers have kind of made me a fan this year. [00:25:19] Speaker A: They're quote, unquote fans. [00:25:21] Speaker D: I'll say. [00:25:22] Speaker A: Who do we have seven of those? [00:25:23] Speaker D: Who do we have to hate of the LA Chargers? [00:25:26] Speaker B: They are loud. They are just loud. [00:25:28] Speaker D: And you're just talking about Justin Herbert into a tag of aloha because of the narrative. [00:25:33] Speaker B: I sure am. They are in every single Dolphins comment section. It's this one guy, his name is Toons. Chargers. It's got like a gorilla head with Chargers decals everywhere. [00:25:44] Speaker A: Okay, so we're just doing a shout out right now. [00:25:47] Speaker D: Free clout, man. This is the guy you Hate everyone. [00:25:50] Speaker B: Go go to his Twitter and just actually never know. What are you talking about? [00:25:54] Speaker D: Let's cut that off. [00:25:56] Speaker B: Block him. But Chargers, they could win that game. I definitely think they're a good team. They did lose earlier in the season in a close game 17:10. Maybe they step it back up. Maybe the Chiefs hit a little bit of a slump after this but I don't really see them with the Panthers Raiders coming up. [00:26:14] Speaker C: Hey, hey. But look at the rest. [00:26:16] Speaker A: Give that. Let's do that. Bryce Young. [00:26:18] Speaker B: Will that be five weeks in a row? No loss that Bryce Young legacy game. It's possible. [00:26:24] Speaker D: There's a non zero chance. That's all I'm saying. The run game is good. [00:26:29] Speaker C: The way Patrick Mahomes has been playing. They're very vulnerable. 13 touchdowns this season through the air. 11 interceptions. I don't feel confident at all in Patrick Mahomes ability this season. [00:26:39] Speaker D: Wow. The path to victory on Sunday is three touchdowns from Chuba Hubbard three two picks from J.C. horn and May honestly maybe a Jonathan Brooks touchdown who is activated officially by the way. Just a quick side note. [00:26:53] Speaker A: He was Old Tech is running back. He tore his acl. [00:26:55] Speaker B: Okay. I was thinking Jonathan Brooks running back in the draft. Cornerback. [00:26:59] Speaker D: I think he was. [00:27:01] Speaker A: He might. No, I don't. [00:27:03] Speaker D: I. We'll figure that out later. But regardless, that's what this game would take. It has to be a dominant running game for the whole day. Defense has to get some turnovers. That's the only path to success. But. [00:27:15] Speaker C: But you guys see the Chiefs as a legitimate threat this season. They're not. They don't seem that scary to me. [00:27:21] Speaker B: I never won. [00:27:21] Speaker D: You know what? That defense is still so good. [00:27:23] Speaker A: I can. [00:27:24] Speaker D: That's such an obstacle. [00:27:25] Speaker A: I can never fall into this trap again. [00:27:27] Speaker D: And I can never doubt we've been down this. [00:27:29] Speaker A: I cannot doubt Patrick Mahomes no matter how bad he's playing or how bad that offense looks. No matter what you like when the playoffs come around or it's like okay, we need to, you know, actually lock in and win some of these games to secure the AFC West. [00:27:42] Speaker D: Yeah. That's what like Alex, what you were saying earlier about how good teams find ways to win games. That is the definition of the Kansas City Chiefs. Over the course of these, especially these past. This past undefeated streak they had. It was just them finding ways to win from. Even if it's a block field goal man, that stuff like that counts. Like that really does matter. [00:28:00] Speaker C: We are now 10 games into the season and we keep on saying Patrick Mahomes will show up eventually. [00:28:06] Speaker A: He was said last year. Eventually, the year before. [00:28:09] Speaker C: But I've seen this movie. Not. We're not halfway through the season. We're not five games in. This is 10 games into the season. [00:28:16] Speaker B: And they're nine one. [00:28:17] Speaker C: And he's not even a top five quarterback in the league this year. [00:28:20] Speaker D: But that's not. I think the moral of it should be that The Chiefs are 9:1 right now. And it hasn't necessarily been. And it hasn't been due to the offense. But what is indefinitely scary and always will be, no matter what, is when you have an elite quarterback, and in this case, elite playmaking quarterback, and in this case, the historic over the past many years of the NFL. Many sounds like a lot, but Patrick Mahomes has been the best quarterback in the NFL for many consecutive years at this point. And you have him and then one of the best defenses in the league, probably top three. That is always a scary duo, no matter what. That is always a Super bowl contender, in my opinion. [00:29:00] Speaker B: If it's a tight game in the fourth quarter, say you say you're up 3, 16, 13. Patrick Mahomes comes starting out. I don't care if he has five picks in the game. I'm hearing music. I've seen this movie. [00:29:12] Speaker D: That's what I'm saying. [00:29:12] Speaker B: Team's gone. It's over. Just pack it up. Turn the TV off. [00:29:15] Speaker D: Yeah, I just can't count them out yet. [00:29:18] Speaker B: I can't count them out until they're out. Like Tony Romo was saying, the Bills were kneeling it down. Down, up nine. And he was still saying, I'm not counting that man out yet. That's. That's ridiculous. [00:29:30] Speaker C: Because he loves the guy he loves. [00:29:31] Speaker A: That's true. That is. [00:29:32] Speaker D: That is true. But. [00:29:34] Speaker B: But. All right, so this game obviously had very big playoff implications. The Bills are now, I guess, half a game behind the Chiefs because they have one extra game, but also one extra loss. [00:29:47] Speaker D: Right? [00:29:48] Speaker B: So half a game back as it stands, Chiefs are number one in the East. I mean, not east afc. Bills are number two, Steelers three, Chargers or Texans four Chargers five, Ravens, six, Broncos, seven. And then in the hunt, we have the Colts, Dolphins and technically Bengals. But their chances are looking slim to none at this point. [00:30:12] Speaker D: The Texans are technically the best. The fourth best team in football. No, there's no one that can convince. Or in the afc. Excuse me, there's no one that can convince me. This is the fourth best team in the AFC in the slightest. But they've played in a pretty bad division Being the AFC south over the course this year. And that's just a benefit that you get from it. But yeah, I mean, are we going into predictions? Should I just give mine? Okay, so for the afc, obviously, I'm going to roll with the. With the division winners being the Chiefs in the west, the Bills in the east, the Steelers in the north and the Texans in the South. Those guys, I think, are all going to win their divisions, in my opinion. I just think the Texans have too good of a lead right now and I haven't seen enough improvement from the Colts for them to be able to overtake them before the season ends. And with that being said, my two teams, or excuse me, my three teams, it would be that make the cut first. I think the Chargers are going to make it. I think that the Ravens are going to make it. And then. Which I think are probably the more likely scenarios. And then I think the Broncos will. Will make the playoffs, which is three AFC west teams. But they're. [00:31:23] Speaker B: Which you would not have expected at the beginning of this year. [00:31:25] Speaker D: No, not at all. [00:31:26] Speaker A: So, I mean, the same time, I, I agree. I think that's what it's going to be. Yeah. I don't know if it. I think the Chargers are going to make it like a late push. I think they're going to beat the Chiefs. [00:31:37] Speaker D: That seems right now, man. [00:31:38] Speaker B: Yeah, that team could overtake the Chiefs for sure. [00:31:41] Speaker A: I still think the Chiefs are going to be. I don't think the Chiefs are going to be the number one seed. I think it's going to. I think it's going to be the Buffalo Bills. I think it's going to go Bills, Chiefs, Steelers, Texans and then Chargers, Ravens, Broncos. I think that's what it's going to be. [00:31:57] Speaker D: Yeah, I like that. [00:31:59] Speaker B: I think the Bills, they have a tendency to lose stupid games. They got kind of blown out by the Ravens. I think they lose one to the 49ers or Rams. They have a big potential to lose to the Lions. I think they lose maybe two games the rest of the season. I don't see them getting the first seed. I think the Chiefs will end up with the first seed. Steelers probably stay at 3. I think the Texans, I don't have them losing that spot just because I have them losing about three games the rest of the season because they do play some pretty tough opponent opponents. But at the same time, the Colts would have to win, basically win out just to tie them. And at that point they have the. The Texans have the tiebreaker. [00:32:44] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:32:45] Speaker B: So with that being said, Chiefs 1, bills 2, Steelers 3, Texans 4, technically. And then Chargers, Ravens, and I'm sticking with the Dolphins. They're going to win out. Let's go. Fins up. [00:33:04] Speaker D: I don't think there's any way they're a better team. [00:33:05] Speaker C: That's ambitious. That's an ambition. Rankings. I'm going to go with Bills, Steelers, Chiefs, Texans, then Ravens, Chargers, Colts. I like the Colts. End of the season schedule. They do play the Broncos, I believe. Four weeks. That's going to be a pivotal game. I think the winner of that game will go on to get that remaining playoff spot. And I think the Colts win that game and the Colts round out the season very, very easily. So the last games after the Broncos are Titans, Giants, jags, I think 3, 0 there. And then they're in the playoffs. [00:33:40] Speaker D: I like that. [00:33:41] Speaker B: All right. [00:33:42] Speaker D: I'm okay with that. [00:33:43] Speaker B: And then going into the nfc, my computer is actually not loading, so. Tanner, do you have all that written down? [00:33:49] Speaker D: I can go first. Excuse me. So for my division leaders, I've got Detroit. I think they're the best team in the NFC still, as it stands right now, I think they are going to get the NFC north, and I think the Eagles are somewhat clearly going to come out of the NFC East. I don't think. I think they're heading in a good direction or. Excuse me. I think they're training up and I think the commander is training down. So I think they come out of the NFC East. I like the Cardinals out of the NFC West. They've been a really good surprise team, and I don't see them slowing down. I just like all that they have going for them offensively. Yeah. So I'm gonna have the Cardinals coming out of the West. I'm gonna stick with the Falcons coming out of the South. I just think they have a little too good of a head start. And I just think their rosters, they have two back. They have two wins against the Bucs this year. I mean, I have to. I just have to stick with the Falcons for the NFC south. Then as my final three. I like the hold that the Vikings and Packers have specifically over those final spots. And the one that is the least certain, in my opinion, I think the Seahawks are going to make a push and I think they're going to be the ones that end up with that final spot. [00:35:08] Speaker A: So for me, I think it's going to be the Eagles as a 1 seed. And I'm saying this because you look at the line schedule and how they've played. So Far this season, they blow out the really bad teams or the team that's worse than them because they keep their starters in the game for the entire game and I guess don't take their foot off the gas, which, I mean, you beat the team, the games are supposed to win. It's amazing. But when you play like the Vikings or even the packers, it's always like a close game or they play top of the line opponents. You can see kind of not having Aiden Hutchinson could be a. Kind of a problem. And so I think with the Lions playing the packers still, the Vikings still, and the Bears, I think twice, and they also have to play the Bills, I think there's a lot more room for. I mean, there's a lot less room for air for the Lions. When you look at the Eagles schedule, you know, you got the Cowboys again, the Giants, the Commanders again. I mean, you got the Steelers, which is like really the only tough game. I mean, you also have the Ravens, but other than that, the schedule is a lot easier. And so I think. I think the Eagles either went out or dropped one, and I think the Lions have a chance for dropping two or three. But I'm going to say Eagles, I'm going to say Lions, I'm going to say Cardinals as a number three one as well. And number four, I'm going to go Falcons, I think. I mean, like Tanner said, I guess already had the. The head start. And there's really no one else in that division that can really rival them unless the Buccaneers somehow get fully healthy. [00:36:43] Speaker D: And two wins. They already played both games. I know, both division games. It's so hard to imagine it is. [00:36:51] Speaker A: And so number for number five, I'm going to say the Vikings. Number six, I'm going to say Washington. And for that last and final seven spot, I'm going to say the Los Angeles Ramsay. [00:37:02] Speaker D: Oh, wow. [00:37:02] Speaker B: We've got different predictions, I think. [00:37:05] Speaker A: I think with Puka and Cooper cup back, they're going to get back to how they were last season. [00:37:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm going to hit y'all with an even bolder prediction. [00:37:12] Speaker A: Oh, no. [00:37:13] Speaker D: All right. Dear God. [00:37:13] Speaker B: I'm going to stick with the Lions at 1, Eagles at 2, Cardinals at 3. I've liked the Cardinals this whole season since they had that really tight game against the Bills, which the Bills ended up pulling away. But you just wouldn't have expected that coming into this season. [00:37:28] Speaker D: Absolutely. [00:37:29] Speaker B: They've definitely showed their resilience. Four seed, maybe one of the worst four seeds of all time, the Carolina Panthers, come back on A storm kick the Atlanta Falcons out. Falcons have looked not great. The oh my goodness, are we games back. Hey, we're being bold. And then five spot, I think confidently the Vikings eight and two. Even if they haven't been where they were at the beginning of the season, they're still a very good team. I'm going to stick with Washington and I think Atlanta still makes it probably as the seventh seed. [00:38:05] Speaker D: If, if Carolina wins the NFC South, I'm going to do something on the show that will get me fired. I don't know what yet, but it's almost a guarantee. But that's all. [00:38:16] Speaker B: Well, we're going to hate to see you go when it happens. [00:38:19] Speaker C: This is very difficult to pick the NFC because there's probably 12 teams that are in contention for a playoff spot much different than the afc and I'm going to go with the Lions still at number one. The Lions do have a tough remaining schedule, as Connor pointed out, but I do think that they are the toughest team in the NFL and I think they'll come out as the one seed in the nfc. Probably three losses. Eagles, I think they will be the two seed and then I'm going to go. I'm going to go Tampa Bay Buccaneers as my three and then I'm going to go Cardinals as my four and then five, six and seven. I'm going to keep them as they are right now in the NFL and that being the Vikings, packers and Commanders. [00:39:01] Speaker D: All right. [00:39:02] Speaker C: I think the Falcons do miss the playoffs. [00:39:04] Speaker D: Wow. Fair enough. [00:39:06] Speaker B: They have not been looking very good. [00:39:07] Speaker C: Can I tell you why, though? I'll do it briefly, please. The Buccaneers, they're on a buy. They were on a buy last week. They come back this week and right now they're sitting at 4 and 6. So they have seven games remaining this season. I think they go 7, 0, Giants, Panthers, Raiders, Chargers, Cowboys, Panthers, Saints, Panthers twice. [00:39:31] Speaker D: I do think. I'm not going to say all that. I do think I don't like them against the Chargers. I don't. But that's real. I will say, though, every other game I would feel pretty good about Tampa Bay and that's significant for that being seven total games. But I just can't see him beating the Chargers. That's my only take on it. [00:39:51] Speaker B: All right, so those were our AFC NFC playoff predictions. When we come back, we will be looking at our favorites coming out of each conference and looking forward to a couple games. We will be right back after this break. [00:40:15] Speaker C: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa. [00:40:25] Speaker B: Welcome back. We're gonna kind of quickfire this section. So we just gave our AFC NFC playoff predictions. Now I just want to get everyone's who's coming out of the AFC in NFC for you and then one wild card or like just surprise team that you think could make a decent push. Not. It doesn't have to be out of the AFC or nfc, just any team. [00:40:46] Speaker D: Yeah, I'll be quick because mine's gonna be pretty similar to my playoff predictions. I'm gonna stick with Chiefs out of the west in the afc, Bills out of the East, Chargers out of Earth. [00:40:53] Speaker B: I'm saying, like, who's making the super at me? [00:40:57] Speaker D: Oh, that makes more sense. I'm gonna have to go. God, I'm so scared to not pick the Chiefs right now. Man, I'm gonna. [00:41:05] Speaker C: Don't do it. [00:41:07] Speaker B: I hear the music playing. [00:41:08] Speaker D: I'm gonna go Bills. I'm gonna make that decision. [00:41:12] Speaker B: Is this gonna be the fifth fall of Buffalo? [00:41:14] Speaker D: I like the direction they're headed. I think they're also. I think they're still moving in such a good direction with the partnership of Josh Allen and Mar Cooper's getting better. I'm going to go with the Bills out of the super bowl just for something fun. Then out of the nfc. I honestly think that the Lions can still do it. I know Connor's probably going to say Philadelphia, and I'm honestly. That is. I'm tempted. But I got to roll with Detroit. I just think I like their brand of football so much. [00:41:41] Speaker A: I'm going Eagles. Then I'm also going to go Bills. It's simple as that. [00:41:46] Speaker D: There you go. [00:41:47] Speaker B: Bills. I've been saying best team in the NFL to me, Bills, Lions. And then my wild card team, give me the Dolphins. [00:41:55] Speaker D: Oh, man. [00:41:56] Speaker A: Wild card team for me is Chargers. [00:41:58] Speaker B: Chargers, yeah, for sure. [00:42:00] Speaker D: I'm gonna roll with the Broncos as my wild card. [00:42:02] Speaker B: Oh, wow. [00:42:02] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:42:03] Speaker C: I'm gonna stick with the Bills as my team coming out of the afc. And they were my team preseason as well. [00:42:07] Speaker B: I know that hurts you. [00:42:08] Speaker C: They were my team preseason, too, and it does hurt me because I think the Steelers have a shot. Steelers would be my team to at least get a win. Chiefs will not win a game in the playoffs. It'll be Baltimore and the Bills in the AFC Championship. Bills will take it. And then coming out of the nfc, I'm going to go with the Lions. [00:42:25] Speaker B: And then do you have a surprise. [00:42:26] Speaker C: Team in the nfc? I'm going to say Cardinals. [00:42:30] Speaker B: Oh, I like that one. [00:42:31] Speaker C: They're not Cardinals. Give me the Packers. [00:42:33] Speaker B: I Like that one a lot less. [00:42:34] Speaker C: Give me the packers instead. [00:42:36] Speaker B: All right. And over the past couple of weeks, we've been keeping a tally of game picks. So, Connor, you want to recap that real quick? [00:42:43] Speaker A: Yep. So Alex and I both went 3 and 4 last week, and then Evan and Tanner went 4 for 5. So it was a good week. And now that the scoring through these past few weeks is, Connor met myself with 33, Tanner with 31, Alex with 27, and Evan with 25. [00:43:04] Speaker B: No way. I was. I was that far behind. Alex. [00:43:07] Speaker A: You were. [00:43:08] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. [00:43:09] Speaker D: Yes, you were. [00:43:10] Speaker A: So now, moving on to this week, we have a few games picked out. And to start things off, do we want to start with Lions vs. Colts? [00:43:19] Speaker B: Lions and Colts, Evan. I don't think the Colts are that good of a team. I think they've got a decently easy schedule besides this game, but I think they lose this one by a lot. [00:43:29] Speaker D: I'm going to go Lions as well. [00:43:32] Speaker A: I'm also going to go Lions. [00:43:33] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:43:33] Speaker C: Give me the Colts. Beat the Jets. So beat the Jets. Cause them to fire their gm. I feel good about the Colts. Back in the lighthouse. [00:43:41] Speaker B: He just wants me to catch up. That's all. [00:43:44] Speaker D: I'm sure. [00:43:45] Speaker A: All right. Cardinals. Seahawks. [00:43:49] Speaker B: Cardinals. [00:43:50] Speaker D: I'm also going Cardinals. [00:43:52] Speaker A: I think. Give me the Seahawks. [00:43:57] Speaker B: Alex. [00:43:57] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh. [00:43:59] Speaker D: This is a tough one, man. This is a really tough one. [00:44:00] Speaker C: I'm gonna go with the Seahawks. [00:44:03] Speaker D: I like it. [00:44:04] Speaker A: All right, now, Eagles versus Rams, and I'm going to go Eagles. [00:44:08] Speaker B: Yeah. I think the Rams are. They can beat teams worse than them, but I think the Eagles put a foot on that. [00:44:14] Speaker A: Eagles. [00:44:15] Speaker D: I'm going to go Rams. That is my pick. I like the direction the Rams are headed. I like the coaching matchup. I'm sticking with it. [00:44:22] Speaker B: I don't like the DB receiver matchup for them. [00:44:24] Speaker C: I love that coaching matchup. As much as I like pick against the Eagles, I'm not going to. [00:44:30] Speaker A: All right, I just want to say there's going to be two new victims for Quinon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. So Ravens versus Chargers. [00:44:38] Speaker B: Give me the Ravens. I mean, no, no. Excuse me. The Chargers. [00:44:41] Speaker D: Oh, wow. [00:44:42] Speaker B: I like that defense a lot. And he's going to get his revenge for the super bowl back in 2012. 12 years in the making. [00:44:50] Speaker D: I'm going to go Ravens here. I know they're. They've skated a little bit, but I've got to stick with what I think, what I believe in with that team. [00:44:57] Speaker A: I'm also going to go Ravens. [00:45:00] Speaker C: I'M going to go with Ravens, too. [00:45:02] Speaker B: Fair enough. [00:45:03] Speaker D: Back against the wall. [00:45:04] Speaker A: And for the final game, Niners, Packers. [00:45:09] Speaker D: I am. I'm going to go Niners here. I think. I think they're two very similar teams. I think the Niners are still kind of ramping up into what they were supposed to be this season and. Yeah, stick with that. [00:45:20] Speaker A: I'm going to go Packers. I don't think the Niners have been very good this season and Jordan Love hasn't been really good. But Brandon Staley on the Niners coaching staff is just ruining them and I think that loss might break them that they had last week. So give me the Packers. [00:45:37] Speaker B: I don't think the packers are that good. I think 49ers definitely aren't what they should have been, but I think they're going to take this one. [00:45:44] Speaker C: I love the packers this week. Give me the Packers. [00:45:47] Speaker D: Fair enough. [00:45:47] Speaker C: I agree with Connor again, again on a pick me. [00:45:51] Speaker D: And that's a lot of disagreement between me and you. [00:45:54] Speaker A: This is going to be an exciting. [00:45:56] Speaker D: I'm down two to Connor as it stands. And we have made three different picks this week, maybe four. I picked Rams, Lions, Cardinals, Ravens, Niners. [00:46:07] Speaker A: One, two. Yeah, three. [00:46:12] Speaker D: Three picks. All right. [00:46:13] Speaker B: So unfortunately, as the end of season tightens up, we will not be able to update you guys because this will be our last show until the playoffs. But we will cut. We will keep a tally of games per week, come back with updated playoff rankings and finish out the show declaring a winner. It'll be me coming from behind. [00:46:32] Speaker A: Right. That's almost as good as your Miami Dolphins to the playoffs. [00:46:37] Speaker D: Almost. [00:46:38] Speaker B: Almost as guaranteed. Wait, wait, wait. That sounds bad. But that being said, we will see you guys in about a month and a half. Thank you for tuning in. This has been the NFL student check. Excuse me, the student section. NFL on 90.7 capstone.

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