Welcome to NFL Daily, where we never throw the ball on third down near the goal line.

Oh, Greg.

We're presented by Dardass today. I'm here in the Chris Westling podcast studio, and so happy to be joined today by Jordan Rodriegge of The Athletic and Colleen Wolf.

You had to just start that way. I'm in the power chair, by the way, and it feels great. I feel alive right now.

So how are you doing?

Hanging in, hanging on by a thread. What the heck? That game was such a roller coaster. All of the lead changes. And then at the end, I was like, All right, this day has been extremely annoying. There's a lot of things that happened that I I just didn't feel like dealing with. Then it seemed like, Okay, now I'm home. I took my makeup off. I have dinner in front of me. I'm sitting on the couch. The Eagles, they just took the lead again.

It seems like everything now is just settling in. Old-school English football, long drives, touche-push. We were back.

Loved it. Jason Kelsie's in the booth for all of these touche-pushes. Everything's lovely. Nick Foles is getting honored at halftime. I mean, this was A Night for eagles fans. It should have been. It felt that way. Everything was trending in that direction. Saquon Barkley, he looked really great, just like he did in the debut. Then I feel like it all turned around when Saquon had the countdown that then wasn't the TD and was ruled at the half-yard line, and then just things started to fall apart.

Well, they still scored. They got the two there.

They still scored, but it wasn't right. Things were off.

Does it make you feel better or worse to know that with one minute and 56 seconds left, the Falcons had a 0.7% percentage point of a chance of winning that game. I saw that. According to next Gen stats. Just wondering, is it better to rip it all out now or just dwell? I'm just trying to feel you out here on this.

I was so annoyed after that game. I didn't even know what to do with myself. I was just walking around my place talking, talking to myself, and I was like, I... And then I went outside because the wind was banging something against the house, and I'm tripping over things in the dark, so annoyed about the eagles. She yelled at the wind. I was yelling at the wind.

I love it. If you listen to our Monday Night Football recap with me and nick Shook, and yeah, that's a sad image. And yet, I think that's probably going to repeat it more and more as you get older.

You know what, though? I mean, you just gave Kirk Cousins too much time. They marched right down. It took like two Two seconds. That big fan geo defense. I'm so annoyed.

Okay, so if you're listening, you might be like, You guys already hit the Monday Night football game. First of all-Not like this. Yeah. We were doing therapy last week. I want to break something. This feels like a little extension of that therapy. But the more I thought about it, I was like, I feel like the 2024 season started on Monday night. I was pretty disappointed in that game, too. I had the Eagles winning. I'm a closet Eagles guy. I like that team. It was just It was a moment where it was like, Oh, yeah, this is what the NFL season is about. Actually, then I thought back to it, the first two weeks didn't quite have those moments, those games. Like, this is the game we're going to remember all season. And then I just thought about the poetry of it all and how NFL has a long life. I hate this poem. I do, too. But nick Foles is there in the building. Okay, it's nick Foles' Night. Meanwhile, Matt Ryan is on the Manning cast as it's happening, the old Falcon's quarterback and saying, Oh, when you're in a two-minute drill, that's actually the easiest time for a new quarterback because it's the simpler place.

I was like, Great point, Matt Ryan.

And then I'm thinking back to when I was in the link last Last.Not last.It is about you.

It is about me. And that was Matt Ryan versus nick Foles. And at the very end of the game, they're inside the 10-yard line, and Matt Ryan has Julio Jones wide open.Oh, I know exactly what you're talking about.For a shutdown that would have ended nick Foles and his Super Bowl run before it even happened. A couple of plays later, they don't get it on fourth down either. And it's like, Eagles, Falcons, It all was happening.

There would be no statue.

I know, you're right. Everything would be so different. I was thinking about Saquon after playing so many years as a giant against the Eagles in that building, and now this was his first night in primed time in an Eagles uniform, playing in front of his new fan base. And he goes from almost scoring that shutdown. He would have had a shutdown and would have been able to ice the game at the end to having an absolutely horrific drop that then ended up costing the Eagles and many other things played into that. But it was just such a turn of events, specifically for Saquon, too.

On the Falcon side, too, going into a two-minute like that was the best thing that probably could have happened for Kirk Cousins, not just because of what you and Matt Ryan said about you're just not thinking, you're just going-I just thought Matt Ryan.yourself and Matt Ryan on equal standing there in this conversation. But also, you could tell the way that he was dropping back, the way that he was executing, the way that he was getting down the field, he wasn't thinking about his leg. Every other throw he made in that game, he was very clearly thinking about his leg. You were pretty down on Kirk.

You were like, just read between the lines that it was maybe not as encouraging a performance as people were trying to.

No, but you know what? He looked great on that draft. Again, because he was playing instinctually and free. He wasn't thinking, overthinking about his leg every time he dropped back, every time he hands off, finally play action, all of those things that we didn't see in week one. But you could still tell he was moving and thinking and overthinking that entire game, and then 40 seconds left.

The vibes. I can't.

The vibes are troubling.

Then at the end, after the game, you have nick Siriani talking about, Oh, well, on that call, there's a mechanism where if If Jalen doesn't have what he wants, he just takes the sack and falls down. Are you throwing Jalen under the box?

No, he's not. People I saw, why are you even saying that? Because it's obvious, and the question was asked to him. They even said that on the broadcast. Of course, he says, If it's not there, just slide. All right, we'll move on for your sake.

This has set a great tone.

You know she's a judge later, right? That is why-You look really nice today.Coleen.

Is in the power chair. If you're watching on YouTube, we appreciate all the new subscribers, and you can like and check us out there. But yeah, for everyone, it is Judge Connie day, so we wanted to put her in the power chair for later. But first, we're going to do just a little bit of news. Found out on Tuesday afternoon, just before we tape that Tua Tunga-Viloa is indeed going to injured. Reserve our Ian Rappaport had that first. That means that Tua is not eligible to return to the field until week eight at the earliest. The dolphins are prioritizing his health, according to Ian, and there is no timeline being placed on his potential return. But the earliest possible return would be week eight. That's four games, and that's Skyler Thompson trying to keep this season afloat.

Look at the language on this, even in the leak of it or even in what will officially to come the announcement from the team, because sometimes you can place a player with an ankle injury, for example, on injured reserve and immediately have the little forward/designated to return also assigned to them. It's not officially designating them to return, but it puts it in the ether. It puts it in the air that, Hey, this isn't season ending with this. You could tell the language is just a lot more careful. The language of it itself is saying, Okay, he's going on injured reserve, and this, in a way, protects him maybe from himself a little because there were also leaks and reports about how he's not planning on walking away. Mike McDaniel has been very emphatic about how, Hey, he needs to make his decision, take the time with the doctors. But when you are designated to injured reserve, there's nothing you can do about it. You got to get better. You got to rest. You got to get better. You got to figure some stuff out, and then not immediately placing that language around. But then that also sends a very subtle signal that, Hey, give it time.

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought when I saw this, that, Okay, they're obviously protecting Tua, but it's almost like when you're in an argument with someone and you give yourself, Let's just cool down.

Let's not make any important decisions right now or rash decisions right now. Let's all just take a time out and come back to this. And this is just a prolonged time out for Tua at this point. And who knows what he's going to decide. But I just have to think being such a competitive player, I don't know if he's going to retire, and that is something that he's going to have to figure out with his family and his teammates and everything else. But I'm glad that they're doing this and putting him on IR, so he can't make any decisions.

It is a little different situation than the last time he had this concussion. He was in the locker room on Monday. He was in the locker room last week. They said he was in good spirits. He's talking to his teammates. Not all concussions are equal, not all concussion histories are equal. It's up to Tua, but it's more up to the doctors. They did do further evaluations, and after those further In other evaluations, it's telling that they put him on injured reserve. But Dirkar had two concussions in pretty quick succession last year. I feel like... And that happens, and then he just returned to the field. So not every situation is the same, but we've obviously followed the two situation very closely in his... You can even just see on the field. It's a very serious situation, and you do wonder if the situation for their team is a factor on whether he returns to the field or not. You would hope not that ultimately it's going to be about health first and foremost. They're at Seattle this week, Tennessee, at the Patriots, then a buy, and then at the Colts. So they will have Skyler Thompson try to pilot a team that, to me, had some We feel concerns over the first two weeks, even if Tua Tuna-Vailoa was healthy.

Yeah, the offensive line is in dire strage. The receivers don't look fully healthy. There's already concerns with this team, and particularly The main concern, the major thing is that Tua figures out what the steps will be for him to be okay. What if?

Ryan Tana Hill is still out there as a free agent. What if Ryan Tana Hill completes the circle, goes back to Miami?

It doesn't seem like they're interested, and maybe he wouldn't be a great fit for what Mike McDaniel does. No. I don't know. That would be up to Mike McDaniel. I could imagine it. He was pretty good in play action and all that.

I think Tana Hill would be a fit.

But he's also not Ryan Tana Hill that you remember. His last handful of games for the Titans, and I was a big Ryan Tana Hill guy overall. He was not the same guy. They signed Tyler Hunt, who's going to back up Skyler Thompson. I don't know if the difference between Tyler Hunt, Skyler Thompson, and Ryan Tannehill was big enough in Miami's mind to bother because he would cost a lot of money.

There's also the matter of what would Ryan Tannehill want? He was public earlier this year about it being if he was going to go somewhere, it would have to be the right deal. It's like, well, if If you're not desperate enough yet to offer him a bump, a little bump in that money, then... I mean, it's speculation, obviously, but it's also two people get to decide on this.

It's a good position to be in. Ryan Tannehill only come for the absolute right situation. I guess Tom braided is not returning. That was the one I was more interested.

Greg held out hope.

This would be spicy. Bryce Young, we talked about it on Monday night's show, but Jordan, I thought you had... Yeah, we were texting about it. … Some good points about the whole Bryce Young fiasco. I'm ready Are you ready to call it a fiasco? Because I have my doubts that he's going to play again for the Panthers.

Yeah, I think two things will happen now. One is really irritating, and the other is super intriguing. I think the irritating thing is you'll start to, particularly this weekend when Andy Dalton returns as a starter, and then through the week, and even frankly, up to the trade deadline, most likely, you'll start to have these reports leak out. Oftentimes, it'll be like the coach is talking to someone, or the assistance, or the GM, or someone in the building is talking to someone about how it was the best situation for the locker room. It certainly is very obvious that Bryce Young was not giving them a better chance of winning than they had already. He was not playing well, so let's hold that as a truth. But he's playing worse than 2023. But also the same head coach who is making this decision two games in, took this job with all that tape that was available in 2023, and took this job knowing that his number one task was to be, A, to either get a fair assessment of Bryce Young in a live-action football, and B, to fix him, there was a huge fanfare. I have not seen- That's why you got hired.

That's how he sold it. I haven't seen any development in Bryce Young. In fact, he looks like he's regressed a little bit. I think there's even less help in that offense, but that doesn't excuse Bryce Young for any of the poor play. But it's like you took the job with the premise of fixing the quarterback, and you can back right out of that situation. So can the owner and the GM who made the decision, enabled the decision enabled the decision in the case of Dan Morgan, who wasn't the GM at the time.

Was there, was in the building, was high up.

That was the assistant GM, wasn't he? Yeah.

You've ripped through multiple coaching staffs, trying to figure this thing out, ripped through multiple pro-scouting Department personnel, ripped And at a certain point, you're basically able to just pull the old switcheroo two games in. And maybe it's for the best for Bryce's confidence. Maybe there's a lot of other reasons involved, but you're going to start seeing this irritating thing where it's like the coach who took the job to fix the player is suddenly completely removed from the situation in which the player was failed to be fixed, if that makes sense. And that's the irritating thing. And it's the intriguing thing in a minute, but I want to hear what you guys think about.

Well, no, it's just that was why... That's why they brought him in. He had this track record with Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith before that. I guess in all of this, the one thing I've learned is that the Panthers are an organization that has patience. I mean, are you kidding me? Two weeks in, this is what you do? I understand this is a bad situation for Bryce Young. He looks like he has lost all of his confidence, and honestly, who wouldn't at this point? But they made all of these, quote, unquote, additions and put in all of these resources in the offseason to help out Bryce Young, traded for Deontay Johnson, drafted Xavier Laguette. They tried to improve the interior of that offensive line. Nothing has helped. Bring in Dave Canales, all of it. And it just feels so reactionary to do this. Eighteen starts into his career, but also two starts into the season.

I think it was two things can be true. I think it was the right decision right now.

I agree.

Right now, and that they deserve a good chunk of the blame, too, for not being being able to deliver on what Dave Canales promised, essentially, when he took the job and not building the right structure around him. Ollie Connolly, who's been on this show a couple of times and does a great job, you should check out his read optional substack. I love it. I'm going to take his point here, which before the season started, he thought this offense made no sense for Bryce Young, because it's like a Russell Wilson, Gino Smith, like county on a guy to be able to throw the ball deep. And that It just wasn't going to be his strength. I don't know what his strengths were, but it would be a point guard type of offense where the ball's coming out quick and you're an empty and all this stuff. And maybe that would have its problems as well, but that he just didn't seem like a fit, and they were trying to fit him into an offense where they need a guy with a skillset that he literally doesn't have.

Yeah, you can't say you're going to fix someone if you're trying to force a square peg into a round hole. You can't come in, fans are blaring, whatever, like sirens going off, celebrating, that you're going to come in and fix somebody if you're fitting I agree with Ollie's point on that, and it's a great sub stack. I read it all the time. I'm a subscriber. But if you're fitting a square peg into a round hole and not figuring out how to reshape the peg or the hole at the foundation point, that's the problem. And I think it's the height of hubris also if you're going to come in and be a first-time head coach and not know that you actually won't get any time to develop the quarterback, those guys have no time to do anything. They have no time to actually sit and coach from the ground up. There are so many other things you have to do as a head coach of a football team. You are running the organization, less so the time that you're taking throughout every piece of the week to game plan and to strategize and to do media and to sit in production meetings and to run other meetings and to do all these things.

The height of hubris.

That's a good band name. I'm saying for any coach, not just this one, for any coach, they need to know this when they're going into it. Exactly how little time you're going to to spend with that quarterback if you think you are going to, quote unquote, fix or develop someone. I think the intriguing thing about all of this, I do applaud if they think that this is not a situation that can continue. I do applaud the fact that they're just making a quick decision and going to try to move on, especially before the trade deadline. I feel like making this decision now, the intriguing thing about this for my second point, is that this sends a signal to other teams. Other teams, by the way, in a league that is filled with people who think, I can fix him, like we did an entire segment on a couple of weeks ago, and people who eyeball the cheap contract. I wouldn't be surprised if benching him is in part a signal that he is open and available for trade. The other The hard is benching him is because he was playing terribly and the offense was not a fit for him and his confidence was shot.

If you do move him, I do applaud the owner and the GM for that, because when you mess up so obviously, and again, you run through all of those staffers to fix this one decision that the organization made, you have to move quickly and you have to move without regret and without looking back, and you have to immediately set a new course and a new path, and that might be what's happening here.

This is going to go down as one of the worst trades in NFL history. The fact that they still have a second round pick that they're sending to Chicago in this year's draft, they're still paying for the trade.

Here's the thing. Almost every team was going to take him. I put this trade in a slightly different bucket than, let's say, the Deshawn-Watzen trade or the Russell Wilson trade. Those, to me, are truly disastrous trades because you knew what you were getting. Most teams have traded this amount of players. Now, the DJ more throwing it in was a little crazy, but the evaluation was the problem. I also think multiple things can be true. I see a lot of the draftnik types getting really mad about how the Panthers have blown this at every turn. That is true. But I think it's also very possible to it's likely that everyone's evaluation of Bryce Young was pretty off, that he should not have been the number one overall pick, that he doesn't have a lot of special skills, and that what you saw in him was wrong, ultimately. There will be enough people out there that still believe in their evaluation to make a trade possible. Now, I looked and I thought, who's been as bad on their first contract as a rookie and then got traded similar to Josh Rosen? It's really the only one, statistically, that's even in the same ballpark.

The Dolphins actually gave late second for Josh Rosen. I forgot that, that it was that good of a pick. I don't think you could get that for Bryce Young. I think he's a mid-round pick, which is crazy, a fourth that could turn into a third. You're not going to get much for Bryce Young.

But you have to try, and that's again why this is, I think, so public right now and happening right now. You have to try because also if you are truly saying, and there's also some chatter circulating about this over there as well, if this is what's best for Bryce as well as what's best for your football team, and it is the right decision for the football team. Let's be clear on that. But you also can't say that and then have him sitting around as the backup or in your locker room as a reminder, and then also continue to kill his confidence by showing up to this place every single day. You have to move him.

I feel like you're going to have to help Panthers fans again, like you did a couple of episodes ago.

I want better for them. They deserve better.

Settle in. It's going to be a long ride.

I want them to have joy. At least they have their first round pick this year.

It might be a I want to call you one. Let's take a quick break, and when we return, it is the return of Judge Connie.

Coming back.

Everyone is talking about the Honorable Coleen Wolf, the go-to voice for everything football. Real cases, real solutions. She's Judge All right, everybody.

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the courtroom. Bayliff, I believe you have some things to say here.

Please rise. Okay.

Yep. We're going to do it. We're going through.

This is the height of hubris.

Let me stand. Well, not you. You're not the height of hubris. It's the height.

All right. Order.

The Court of the Third Judicial Circuit, Civil Division is now in session. The Your Honorable Judge, Connie, presiding.

All right, everyone, but the jury may be seated. As it turns out, I am judge and jury here. Mr. Roberts, please swear in the jury.

Please raise your right-hand. Do you solamente swear or affirm that you will truly listen to this case and render a true verdict and a fair sentence as to this defendant?

I do.

You may be All right.

Here we go. Thank you guys for coming in here. I'd like to wrap things up by four o'clock. I got a detective I got to meet. So listen.

A lot of traffic out there on Prairie.

Oh, my God. Four lanes down to one. Don't even get me started. They have no one directing traffic out there.

Objection. Bating the judge and jury.

All right. Sustained? I see today's case is the passing game versus Jim Harbaugh. Is the prosecution ready? I am. All right. Is the defense ready?

Sure.

All right. Let's begin.

All right. I want to take you back to 2020, a magical time. Justin Herbert's rookie year. There were some issues with 2020, let's be honest.

Not a magical year, Mr. Rosenthal.

I want to point out in that 2020 season, Justin Herbert had the most yards passing per game, per start in NFL history. I want to point out that he had the most passing touch downs for a rookie in NFL history. More than Andrew luck, more than Russell Wilson, more than Peyton Manning. There was a guy back then that I enjoyed watching, that I think all of America enjoyed watching, that threw the ball with a little daring due. There was that 65-yard pass from the Bucks against the Bucks while he's getting absolutely crushed in air to Jalen Guyton down for a countdown. There were all these bombs to Mike Williams. He was the man. Now, I want to take you to today. The Chargers have attempted 46 forward passes in the season. They have run the ball 71 times. Jim Harbaugh came in talking about balance, balance, balance. Where is the balance? It's all running. And I can almost hear the defense talking now. Yes, but they're efficient. And oh, yeah, Harba loves to slap his shoulder pads. No, they're not efficient. He's throwing the ball worse than he's ever thrown the ball. 6 yards per attempt, 20th in the NFL in EPA, 20th in success rate.

There isn't a stat you can find of Justin Herbert throwing the ball that is positive. They have turned him into Justin Fields throwing the ball, but without all the rushing fun. Let's go back to 2020, because we're here in the Chris Wesling podcast courtroom. That season, I had the fortune of driving our friend Chris back from chemo to his house every week. Chris was still writing QB Index at the time. A lot of those conversations were about football. And Justin Herbert was a man, as a rookie, that was making us feel something. We would talk about Justin Herbert saying, This is the quarterback. Since we've been doing this job, that moved us the most. So you can talk about your wins and your losses. But he connected with us on a spiritual football entertainment level. And this is an entertainment product. Now they've made him boring. I want that old Justin back, and Jim Harbaugh is not giving it Okay.

Are there any with the defense like to speak now?

Yeah. Aside from the clear emotional manipulation of the previous argument because soup can picture it, right? Incredibly moved by that. It's being weaponized in this case against this argument. 2020, I recall also the time that the Chargers went seven and nine. This argument lawyer, I don't know the right word, but this person arguing things right now, absolutely loves watching Justin Herbert throw the football. But it sounds like the argument on the other side is being made despite the disguise of true feelings and empathy. In actuality, for the sake of his perhaps fantasy football team or one of his few-I didn't draft him.Fantasy.

Football team.Fantasy football team. Wow.

Objection.

Because he doesn't seem-I drafted Kyler Murray, and I'm living right.

Overruled?

Interrupting. Yeah, come on. So some penalty on that.

Order.

Because regardless, he's thinking about it from that perspective, less so a game strategy perspective. You want balance? Let's talk about pin and pull and counter and duo and the gorgeous aerial footage of these tight ends who can block so effectively. They are restoring balance to this offensive line that will need to protect Justin Herbert should they actually play like a real football team and need to come out of a deficit and throw the football. This offensive line, these blockers, this run game will protect the Justin Herbert who recently was missing practice due to plantar fasciitis. Daniel Popper of the Athletic said he told reporters that he would be managing this all season. So I ask you this, why don't you want to protect Justin Herbert? I do. Instead of thinking about the flash of the ball sailing through the air. Look at the aerial shots of this run game.

Look at the beauty of old-school football. Jim Harbault sold this whole idea on building a great offensive line.

I rest my argument. He's already closed.

I've already reached a decision. The court does not need to hear anything further on this after not a lot of deliberating at all. I think here that the passing game versus Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh is not guilty, unfortunately, of making Justin Herbert boring because they are a 2-0 team, and they are fun to watch. And just because Justin Herbert isn't exciting, Jim Harbaugh comes in. He's exciting. He fills that gap for me.

Look. Pun. Run game, pun.

Objection. There is no way your honor has watched these targets game and found them exciting.

I'm so sorry. Are you questioning the court?

I find them exciting.

I find you in content of the court.

They make me feel alive.

The 30th in past block win rate. Jim Harbaugh was selling this whole idea that the offensive line is going to be fixed.

Do you think perhaps that number is skewed a little bit because of the low sample size? Or are we going to really go down this?

Maybe 31st in run block win rate. I'm just saying, has their offensive line even played that? Well, I just want to see an effect. Give me at least an effect of Herb. He hasn't even been effective.

130 passing yards. That was the second lowest in any game ever that Herb has played. It's a different Justin Herb. It's a different year. And there's been a league-wide shift in going towards the running game. So it's not just the chargers that are doing this.

And you're going to have to throw the ball at some point for them to be the team that they want to be. But yeah, you mentioned 274 yards combined passing. He averaged more than that per game in his rookie year.

I'm just saying, I just remember a couple of years ago when people were frothing at the mouth to get Joe Lombardi and Kelen Moore up out of there. And this is a different football. Beauty looks different. That's fair. We are all in football, God's Creatures, and all of our run schemes and passing schemes are beautiful.

Flowers don't compete with each other.

I just need more. Shane Steiken was his offensive coordinator back then, Anthony Lynn, his coach. I was really thinking about those rides with Wes as I'm watching this Panthers Chargers game on Condense, mostly for-That is really nice, by the way. And the and the coaches stuff. I was watching it because of Bryce Young, and then I'm watching it, and I'm just like, What happened to that guy? Because we all thought, me meaning me and Wes, that this is going to be the next great quarterback. He's been very good. He's been unquestionably a top 10 quarterback, maybe top seven or eight, and we've blamed a lot of what's going on around him, and I think he's going to get there with Jim Harbaugh at some point.

They're going to have to throw the ball, and he will. His offense is built to have his back when he does have to start throwing the ball. That's the foundation they're laying right now. It's not that they're never going to run the ball until eternity.

I'm just disappointed.

Can I be disappointed as a fan, as an entertainer?

You can be disappointed. But legally.

If I was telling West, this is how the next five years of Herbert's going to go, I think he'd be like, That was a letdown.

I think we all are like, Man, just throw the ball 100 times a game if you're Justin Herbert. But at the same time, that's not what's happening here.

It's working the way that they're doing it right now.

For now. Now, they play the Stealers this week, which final score prediction, 9-7.Oh, love it.I don't know who wins.

That's beautiful in its own way.Not Greg.

He doesn't win. Okay. Ms. Rodriegue, I believe that you are up next in your case for... Why don't you tell the court? Why don't you enlighten the The case for which 'O' and '2' football team is going to turn things around.

A case, by the way, in which the judge herself and the jury herself has made a significant preseason investment in a certain 'O' and '2' team that we must decide now. So here are the lists of-What team is that?

This is very difficult for the judge to internalize.

The Colts?

Yes.

So here are the list of 'O' and '2 teams. Okay. So the Ravens, the Panthers, the bangles, the broncos, the colts. Pause for effect. The jaguars, the rams, the giants, the Titans. I argue that if any of these own two teams, and because I'm doing this a little for the show as well, that the bangles will be the team to turn this around. But I authorize the judge and the jury in this case, if she so chooses to stick to her guns from the preseason prediction that the Indianapolis Colts would be a superstar team this year. I authorize the judge to overrule both arguments. My argument is that the Bengals will be the team of this group to turn I'm going to turn this around. I need to see more data on Joe Burrow, but he played well against the Chiefs, as we hoped that he would, talked about on this show. But three of their next four games are Washington, Carolina, and the New York Giants. They It could at least be three and three through six games. So I'm going to keep it simple. That's a simple argument.

Okay. Well, Ms. Roderick, I would say here that the bangles are guilty of finding success. I think that that will happen. Unfortunately, the court is a little upset that you are playing on the emotional heartstrings of the judge and jury, and I was already annoyed off the top of the show because of the eagles.

Greg did that. Okay, Greg did that.

Now you both have crossed me.

I am wondering... Oh, go on, please.

I am so upset by what I have watched from the cults. I cannot render any type of decision at this point on the cults because I want to believe in them still, and I can't just say no to them. But what I've seen, the evidence that's out there is really pointing to this season not being a great one.

I will say before Greg makes his argument, and I did note that he started to interrupt you, but then pulled back. He was trying to curry favor, I think, on that one.

It's noted by the court.

Over the past five seasons, only two teams, the 2023 Texans and the 2022 Bengals, have made the playoffs after 0-2 starts. The Bengals have been here before. Their schedule is a walk through a spring valley over the next few games, and I think they can do this again.

Yeah, a lot of the argument for the bangles coming into the season was this fourth-place schedule that they were going to get with really easy games, like starting out at home against the Patriots. You got to be worried about just chalking up wins on a chalkboard.

I think we all knew because you don't stop talking about it, that the Patriots were going to have a good defense.

There we go. I I don't even think the prosecutor here understands how this segment works. Who is the defendant? I am judge and jury.

That's what I know. You get to decide who is the O2 team.

Attacking the other lawyer in the courtroom.

I think it would be the Raven. Mr. Rosenthal. The Ravens have the 20-The audacity. 2023 MVP. Okay, if you simulated that game, they do this, the former Football Outsiders, now they're on FDN, where it's like probability to win. If you look at what happened in Sunday's game and you simulated it. The Ravens easily outplayed the Raiders for all that game. It was a very fluky game. These things happen when Garner Minchee goes to Baltimore for some reason. It happened a year ago when he was a member of the Colts, one of the craziest games of that season. And more to the point, it's September. These first couple of weeks are often lies, and the Ravens are consistently an organization that improves, especially defensively, as the season wears on.

I'm not worried about the-Data tells us that since 2015, 74 teams have started 0-2, and of those, 74. 8 have made the playoffs, the two to do it recently. I have previously named. It's not that that 0-2 starts are actually not fluky based on-Yeah, it is a pretty gloom and gloom.

I also think that that stat is fluky because it's counting 16 game seasons. To me, that stat is only relevant in the last three years. So throw it out.

It's out of order. So the 2022 bangles still did it. Yeah, that would still work.

The bangles always start slow. They'll figure it out. They'll get it going. I think the Ravens will, too. The cults just really not.

I dangled it as an option because I believe in the empowerment that you have as Ms..

Roderick, I know what you are doing here.

All right? I wouldn't give up on the colts. The defense is more concerning to me than what's going on with Anthony Richardson. The running game has looked pretty good. They've just missed a couple of plays. They were right there with the Texans. I think their offense is going to be fine. The defense is a little weird.

All right, we got to move on to our next case here. Okay, next on the docket, we have the Super Bowl versus the New Orleans Saints.

She didn't even make a ruling because the case was so vague.

I said that the...

She said Jordan.

That was like Connie style, not understanding the rules of the segment.

That the bangles are guilty of finding success.

Oh, okay.

There we go. I'm two and now I just want to let you know.

All right, Super Bowl versus the Saints.

You're not going to win this one. All right, I am going to make a case for the Saints as Super Bowl contenders. I barely need to make a case. I'll just show you the newspaper if those still exist. Just show you the facts. The fourth best DVOA through two weeks ever. That's just total efficiency. Offense, defense. Number one in offense, by far, almost double the rest of the league. Number three on defense. If you look at the rest of the top 10s in terms of the first two weeks of the season of who's been the best through two weeks, the average win total for those 10 teams over the course of a season is 13. So by average, if you start this well, you end up about a 13 and three, 13 and four season. Any team that wins 13 games is a Super Bowl contender. The eye test, it's just there. They're cohesive. You watch the running game, they're just moving. It's fantastic. They've got leaders on the defense with the Mario Davis, Honey Badger, Elante Taylor is playing out of his mind. And then there's something they call in New Orleans, Creole culture, Laniap.

It's just a little extra.

Mr. Rosenthal, can you explain to the court what this is? Okay.

It's like Supreme Justice, Potter Stewart, said what Laniap is, rather. Laniap is just a little extra. It's like a little extra something. It could be like a little extra.

How is that spelled exactly?

L-a-n-g. N-i-a-p-p-e. Pretty good. I don't know if that was right or not, but I tried. Just a little something extra. And this team has that. You can just tell by looking at them. They've just got a certain energy, a certain juice. It's like I was saying, Supreme Justice Potter Stewart, one of your old coworkers, said about porn, actually, in the 1964 Supreme Court case, Jacobellus versus Ohio. You know it when you see it, and we all see it with this Saints team.

What a great reference. Okay, so Ms. Rodriegue?

Oh, actually, Greg's arguing against himself. Oh, wonderful. So he'll win one.

Okay. I don't know. I'm torn about the Saints team. I'm going to argue against this Saints team, too. Okay. I don't know what is happening here. We're an extended preseason. Everyone talks about the preseason matters. Like, am I really going to fall for this Saints team? Two weeks ago, no one liked this Saints team. They were totally forgotten. The fans all wanted the coaches fired. No one was happy with Derek Carr. It's Derek Carr. We do have a 10-year track record here with Derek Carr. Do we really want to believe in it? Trevor Penning, everyone's talking about him as like, Okay, it's this great rejuvenation story. Pff hasn't ranked 58th out of 71 qualifiers in terms of his pass protection. At some point, they are going to have to pass protect and not just win.Hands are flying.Scored 30.All over the place. I mentioned that DVOA stat earlier. Some of the teams ahead of them on that list include the 2019 Patriots. Remember them? Tom Brady's last season there. They started out 7-0. They totally peter it out. The Miami Dolphins over the last few years. You remember how they started a house on fire? These teams were interesting.

They were fun. They weren't real Super Bowl contenders. And again, this is just a fun story. Further anymore, the prosecutor went to Tulane and had season tickets to the Saints back in the '90s, so he's biased.

Can the judge and jury object here? I would like to object to that.

I'm dying to see who wins.I hope it's correct.Okay..

Mr. Rosenthal, what you're saying is Derek Carr will finally get a playoff win in this. Yeah, correct. Okay. I will say that the court did think coming into the season that the Saints seemed to be one of the most boring teams in the NFL in terms of pop and story lines and excitement. Then once the season started, it's been the complete opposite. No offense has looked better. Now, Clint Kubiak is being crowned as the best play caller. Derek Haar is being aggressive. He's taking shots downfield. Their offensive line can cover up some of those liabilities in the pass protection with the ground game that they have in Alvin Kamara has been insane. He's been great. Sure, the defense is older, but they're wiser. And you mentioned so many of these players. Kam Jordan, obviously, is a cornerstone of this defense. But don't forget about Demario Davis. He seems to be one of the most underrated linebackers in the entire league. They're stacked with versatile DBs. I can't decide how winnable this division is because the Bucks and Baker Mayfield They look good again. And then what the Falcons did to the Eagles, can't really talk about it.

What happened? I shudder. I shatter.

It's just Super Bowl contender, though. Just a Super Bowl contender.Super Bowl.That's all we're saying.

I hope you win this, Greg.

Contender. We, judge and jury, in the case of the Super Bowl versus the New Orleans Saints, find the Saints guilty of being contenders. Yeah. Greg win.

Greg, you won.

There we go. Rosenthal v. Rosenthal. What a joy it was.

What a win for you.

To watch Greg go at Greg to bait himself.

It's the two sides.

It's the two sides. I got to witness that. I feel joy.

This It was that team that's like, I don't know what to do with this two weeks. That's why I was like, when I thought about them, it's like, you could present either side so strongly. But they have been fun. If you wanted to make it negative, maybe you could say Clint Kubiat. First week's Panthers, and then second week is Mike Zimmer, a guy he saw operate in Minnesota when he was his offensive coordinator for three years in the building. But they passed the eye test. I like being so dumb.

I know how much you love the Saints, too. When you talk about New Orleans, it's just a whole separate thing.

I just think it's great to approach this the same you would on Pink Floyd on DVD. Pop a gummy and enjoy the ride. This Saints team is fun leaning into it. It's so fun.

Okay, we have a final case. We're getting right up against it, so we're not going to take a whole lot of time on this one. I'm just going to throw that out there right now. It is the postseason versus the NFC West, I believe, Ms. Roderick?

Correct. I think there's been a shift in hierarchy due to the combination of multi-week injuries suffered by previous favorites, Rams and 49ers, to key players, and a increase in productivity and performance and excitingness, excitability-ness in the Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals. I am arguing today to the judge, the jury, and also against Greg, that the Seahawks and the Cardinals are going to be the premier teams in the NFC West down the stretch. I also wonder, Judge Connie, if Weeks 12 and 14 will even decide the NFC West when these two teams play each other. Again, consideration of multi-week losses to previous favorite star players. Gino Smith is playing lights out. He had probably his best game. Greg and I were texting about it when I was watching Greg. Greg was talking about Gino Smith. It just was like one of us. You set a match in and just light it off and it just goes, right? But he played with... And I even text him. I said, I like to keep an unbiased middle perspective when I'm looking at quarterbacks. And I felt alive watching Gino Smith play this last week. He was pressured so fast, nearly constantly on his dropbacks, but he showed no rattle.

Good decision, mostly sharp, really clean throws. The manipulation and the control he showed over the way that they go tempo, the way that they move around some of the formations in that offense. He's feeding the ball around to multiple receivers, ninth in EPA per play through two weeks, per drop back for two weeks, and fifth, despite that pressure and success rate, 51.3%. Then there's Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense. By the way, the Seahawks defense will keep growing up. The adjustments Mike McDonald made at halftime against New England, I thought were really impressive. They basically took away the only way they were getting gashed and then said, All right, you're going to run the ball against us. We understand that we're going to take away your passing game. Then by moving some different assignments around. Then Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals, I don't know that the defense will sustain what it did against a very depleted Ramstein, but this offense is built not just to win right now, but also to win in November and December and January and February because of all the different ways that they can run the ball and the way that Kyler Murray can create on the run.

I've not seen him play like this in person yet, and he is alive in Drew Petsing's offense. Drew Petsing calls a smart game. He understands how to attack defenses, and they're moving this heavy personnel run game all around the line in terms of their attack points on these defenders. Yes, the Ram's defensive line is terrible, and it showed in this game, but they can do this to opponents. We've seen this down the back half of last season, and they came out swinging. I think that these two teams are taking over as the premier teams in the NFC West part this year alone. Kyler is third in EPA per drop back in the NFL, 0.40. Then success percentage, he's also third, 50 4.7 success rate on passing plays. I mean, that's just outstanding. Through two games, I understand, but the way that these guys play is sustainable. Your Honor, the prosecutor has a case of having too much dip on her chip.

I mean, she said February.

No, no. Let me be clear. She said February for these Arizona Cardles.

Let me be clear. She said it. It's in the court.

All right, order, my God.

Let me be clear. So we're not misleading here. Running the ball in that fashion is what wins you games in February.

The only way you can play in February is if you're going to make the Super Bowl. I can understand saying that the Seahawks are a real proseason threat. I agreed with that before the season even started. But to essentially replace the 49ers with the Cardinals is a step too far. This defense is very shorthanded up front and on the back end, two very important parts of your defense, I would say, among the least talented defenses in the entire NFL. Totally agree that it could be a sneaky playoff contender, but that doesn't mean that the 49ers are going to fall apart. Despite all the injuries for the 49ers, may I present honor some players still on the field for the 49ers. Sure. Brandon Ayuk, second team All-Pro last year. Juan Jennings, sneaky great wide receiver in terms of blocking. Trent Williams, the best tackle on the planet. All these players would be better than just about anyone on the Cardinals except for Kyler Murray. Hey, how about the quarterback who led the number one EPA per play offense in the NFL last year and delivered series after series in the freaking Super Bowl when he needed to try to win the Super Bowl?

That's Brock Purdy. He's still around. George Kittle, nick Bosa, Fred Warner. These are all pros after all pros. This team has had injuries before, Charvaria's word, and they have a great coaching staff, including Kyle Shana Hand. I hear you on the whole Seahawks. I even like Cardinal.

So you'll acquiesce the Seahawks, but not the cardinal. But it even says the real postseason threats.

I would even go with Seahawks Cardinals and 49ers are real postseason threats.I.

Would agree with that.

But wording is important in the courtroom, and I think it was just a little too loose, especially when that February came out.

Okay.

The February word that was misinterpreted by my opponent here, by the way. I'll allow it. I will allow it. They've dealt with injuries, yeah, but they've not dealt with Achilles tendonitis for their star player. That's all I'm saying. That's a sketchy one.

All right. Well, I think the Cardinals and the Seahawks, they are for sure real threats in the division, partially because they are healthy right now. The Rams have just been obliterated with injuries. This is already Sean McVay's, what, first time starting 0-2, probably 0-3 because they're playing the Niners this week. But we'll see. Crazier things have happened. San Francisco feels a little bit off, but I I would like to attribute that to the injuries. Jordan Mason has done an admirable job. Admirable job filling in for Christian McCaffery, but just obviously not the same. The defense will still keep them in games, but maybe they're not the threat that we thought they were. But I'm just saying as where we stand right now after two weeks, the Seahawks, though, that defense looks completely different from last season. They are so aggressive. They're flying to the ball. Like you said, those halftime adjustments were insane. That defensive line is so good when they are healthy. They are absolutely stacked with talent. And then, Gino Smith, he is supremely underrated, Greg.

At this point, it's not even underrated. Everyone starts to know.

Well, not in this room. Starting to know. Not in this courtroom. The Cardinals are absolutely electric with Kyler Murray at this point, and I haven't seen him play this well in years and years. Watching that game on Sunday, he looked so good. The offense was insane the way it moved so well. It reminded me of some of those games where Kyler Murray would pull out a Haile Mary right at the end. I feel like it was like, how many years ago?

It was before- Against the Bills, who he also looked good against in week one. Yes.

The defense is a potential weak spot, though, for the Cardinals. That's where I start to worry. But they are all over the place in week two making plays against the Rams when you go back and watch the film. So maybe Gannon has them cooking and can elevate the ceiling on them. But we, the jury and the judge, in the case of the postseason versus the NFC West, we find the Cardinals and Seahawks not guilty of rising to the top of the division division, and it is because I am split with the Cardinals and the Seahawks. I think the Seahawks will rise up in the division, but I still believe in the Niners. I think it'll end up being somewhere between the Seahawks and the Niners up top, and then Cardinals and Rams.

Can't truly argue with the honorable judge and respected jury. That is correct in this courtroom. Yeah, the 49ers are always dangerous, even when you think they're not. They are always dangerous. I 100% agree with that. I just think they're in a bit of uncharded territory with the amount of time that some of these players, some of the situation, particularly with stars, might be able to just hinder their season delay their progress a little bit. You catch momentum at the right time in this league. That's important.

And by the way, the Cardinals-Just take that out.

The Cardinals, the way that they were taught. I technically still won this because you argued against yourself.

It's a fair point.

So the Cardinals, the way that they're able to run the ball, the multiplicity with the way they're able to run the ball, that's going to just smother people. That's reminiscent of the Kyle Shanahan suffocation 49ers. That's just darkness right there. That's going to take this team to the postseason regardless of what their... It does not matter how your defense is. If you could play keep away from the other side, which is what they almost did to the bills and what they will continue to try to to opponents down the stretch.

I do remember that 49ers team from a couple of years ago, 2021, that started three and five, and they were a dropped interception in the NFC Championship game against the Rams from making the Super Bowl that year and having a real chance to win it. I think of their team last year that lost a couple of games in the middle of the season in a row. Granted, they had a little cushion in terms of their record at that point, but they lost a couple of games in a row when they had injuries.

Their offensive line is also struggling outside I love Trent. I'm wondering if we're going to see more of these bad games from Brock Purdy, too.

Yeah, it might have been a Brian Flores thing. They'll have a much better matchup this week against the Rams. Other the Rams always find a way to play them close. This will be a challenge. All right, Judge Connie. Great work. I respect you. I admire you.

I got to get out of here. It's 401.

I'm looking forward to Season 3. Get that syndication deal going. We will be back after this with a little quick break, and we're going to do a TNF preview, Jets and Patriots. Time now for your Door to More presented by DoorDash. It's our TNF preview. It's the Patriots heading to the Meadowlands to face the New Jersey Jets. Almost said nets. I'm thankful to the Patriots for showing up these first couple of weeks and being a representative. Interesting football team and making this Thursday night football rivalry game interesting. I know they wanted to put the Patriots early. They don't have any other primetimes before the bottom fell out, and they look like a real team to me. I am concerned, Coleen, that their passing game is as bad as expected, actually. I know they got Hunter Henry over 100 yards last week, but any measurement you want to look at or any eyeball test that I've been looking at in terms of the pass protection, it is that big of a problem that when your left tackle gets benched and then thinks about retiring and leaves the team, that's usually a bad-Dante Skarnecke would never. Yeah, it's usually a bad sign.

They're 28th in yards per play. They are dead last in pass block win rate, second worst pressure rate allowed, and their average separation is 28th. When I watched this film, Jacobi Braset, I think, has played well enough. He hasn't been the issue. There aren't a lot of open receiver here, and it's a tough matchup against a Jets secondary where they've got the player. Soss Garner and DJ Reid and C. J. Moseley, by the way, are all considered day to day and might be game time decisions. So that's a big factor here. But if they're healthy, this is a Jets team that I think can feel with confidence. We can just man up against your receiver.

What about Ramondre Stevenson? Okay, there we go.

That's the strength.

That's the strength. This is the strength of the team. They are run heavy now. He's the entire offense, Ramondre Stevenson. This is the second straight week. He had 20 plus carries, and that's where the Jets are susceptible on the ground, allowing an average of 115 yards per game through these two. So like 4.5 yards per carry. Also, the six most receiving yards to opposing runners, which not Ramondre's wheelhouse, but that could mean that Antonio Gibson gets involved too. So if they're going to have success, it's going to be on the ground. I don't know how viable that will continue to be because defenses will obviously be keying, but it's like right now it's been working for them and they're exciting. And obviously, Jacob So to be %, he's limited in what he can do.

I don't know that the Jets have shown a capability of keying in against to stop the run. They've just been really porous in terms of allowing that significant volume. It's something like 130 yards allowed in week two, 180 yards allowed in week one. I mean, that's just enormous amounts of holes found by these running backs. And I think that if you are trying to keep the ball out of Aaron Rodgers' hands, which you should be, because even though he's clearly still getting back to his physical form, looked better last week. They also helped him out a lot with the quick game, helped mitigate some of their own offensive line issues with the quick game. We'll get to that in a minute. But if you're trying to play keep away from Aaron Rodgers, your game plan has to be to load up and run the ball if you're the Patriots. And there really is not another game plan. To add to the list to Michael Carter with the ankle, also, to me, one of the best inside corners in the NFL. He's dealing with the ankle, and he's limited this week, and he's also been managing it, so he might not play a full snap count.

So again, if you are, again, shorthanded, even on the inside and the linebacker situation, you're really going to have to smash the ball into this Jets front because they haven't proved that they can stop it.

And they're without Jermaine Johnson, who tore his Achilles there. Obviously, without Hassan Redik. That was so sad. Yeah, that's really sad. Moseley, to me, is so important for what they do. I misspoke earlier. I'm glad you corrected when I said Sass Gardner as Michael Carter, who would be a game-time decision potentially for this. That's really important. But again, Vermondrie is playing so well. Antonio Gibson had one of the best games of his career. I've always been an Antonio Gibson fan from his days in Washington, and it got worse and worse. And breaking tackles is not exactly an offense, but that's basically what they've been doing. It hasn't been that the run blockings been great. It's been up and down, but they do have some plays where they look like they know what they're doing. And I do love that they'll break out seven offensive linemen at once. They'll just go crazy jumbo. They'll go six offensive linemen at once. That's who they are. They're trying to keep it close. And you can win that way if you don't make mental mistakes, which they did in the fourth quarter and over time of that game. Before that, they played three really clean quarters, and were this close to being 2-0.

They're in field goal range with four minutes left to go, up three with a chance to maybe go up 10. So they've done a lot of good things. Their defense, let's talk about that matchup against the Jets offense. And Rodgers, can they get any pressure on Rodgers? Rodgers is 4 for 10 for 26 yards against pressure. And you might be saying, Well, that's not very good. That's obviously at the bottom of any metrics you want to look at. But the thing that stands out to me is 10. That he's only been pressured on 10 plays. He also has zero passes this year outside the tackle box. So no creation. So a lot of the things we said about Kirk Cousins coming out of week one are true to the other guy coming off a torn Achilles. It's just not quite as dramatic, but when you guys watch him, does he look like Aaron Rodgers? No, because the old Aaron Rodgers created. Now, Aaron Rodgers, I think, has been better than Kirk in terms of he's getting rid of the ball. I do have more faith in the Jets winning this game because of the second half of that game, though they did lock down defensively in terms of their run stopping.

Rodgers made three or four just fantastic one-on-one throws to his receivers. I came out of that game thinking like, Okay, the second half of that game, he got his mojo back. We'll see if that continues, but I felt a lot better about him after watching that.

I'm sorry. I'm just writing down, Okay for Patriots to load up and run ball, not okay for Chargers to load up.

Yeah, well, because one team has Justin freaking Herbert in the other as Jacobi %.

You lost your mind there for a second. I had to do that. You lost your mind there. It worked. I do think to your Roger's point, Greg.

One's got like my-Put the quarter in and see what happens. My grandfather's '91 Subaru Excel.

Do you want to take a lap? You're going to be all right?

The other's got like a Ferrari.

Okay. To your That's a good point. Yes, they are helping him, too. Maybe Aaron is helping himself if he's calling these games, right?

But-he probably is.

Yeah, exactly. But the quick game that they're using, it's helping him. It's not just helping avoid that pressure. It's obviously keeping his air yardage pretty short, which is strange to see from Aaron Rodgers. It's only five passes over 10 air yards, which is the third lowest for him since 2016.

In the whole season, only five?

Yeah, per next 10.Oh, my God. But they're going quick game.

Now, three of them were dimes That huge play. The Brees Hall touch down the Garrett Wilson.

He can still do it, but they're clearly trying to protect him and get him into a rhythm as he gets his literal legs back under him. This was interesting. Again, per next Gen, 18 passes under two and a half seconds, getting the ball out super fast, went 13 of 18 for 125 yards and two touch downs in this last game. It's interesting because that mitigates pressure on the offensive line. I'm not confident that the Jets can amass. Excuse me. I'm not confident that that's going to make such a difference in this game, the state of the Jets offensive line. But I think that getting him into a rhythm like that and getting him feeling good, feeling moving, feeling like things are clicking, I think you'll start to see him open up a little bit more. I don't know if this is the game to do it, though, because you're trying to just get a clean win out of this one.

I do think that Brees Hall and maybe even Braille and Allen are the focal point. It's a ball control offense, and they're saving Rodgers for those big third downs and the end of half plays. And Garrett Wilson, he still hasn't scored a countdown yet. There's different things, I think, that you can point to with both of these teams, how the Jets defense can just blow things up, and it's something that they should be able to do against the Patriots this week with that offensive line. That defront going up against the Pats O'Line, which the Pats O'Line for so was their strong suit in Foxborough. And so now I'm just looking at both run games because both teams are shifting to a run first approach. So it's going to be which one has the ball longer.

The Patriots, I think, will play them similarly to the Titans, which is the Titans didn't stack the box. Like, Brees Hall is love in life with Aaron Rodgers. That is the difference between this year and last year in terms of what their running game is facing I've seen the Patriots lost Juan Bentley, who's a good run stopper for them, and they will count on their guys to just do it. But if I had to pick a defense in this game, which defense do I trust more? It's close. They're both veteran groups that have played together a while. I think Geron Mayo has done some really good disguises in terms of how they change before the snap and after the snap. Kean White. Kean White has four sacs this season. A lot of really quick pressures last week, too. They play like a veteran group that's in sync. I think the Jets do, too, on the back-end, but I think the Patriots are actually a little better up front. I brought up the line here while we were talking because I was like, I'm curious what it is. Because I'm confident the Patriots are just going to ugly this thing up and keep it close.

At this point, I think these two teams have looked pretty average. If you look at the DVOA through two weeks, I know it's only two weeks, they're both just right in the middle of the NFL. That's how they've played. And so I would think they'd keep it close. So 6.5, to me, is way too much for the Jets. I like the Patriots to keep it close, but the Jets to ultimately win in a matchup where, man, even at the very end of the Belichick era, the Jets were struggling to ever find wins against the Patriots. I do think they get one here at home, but I like the Patriots to cover, at least. Yeah, I think that-Not that you have to pick that. I just found that interesting. Six and a half. I feel pretty strong about that.

Yeah, I think that's too much, or I don't really know how to describe this type of thing. You explain this to me all the time. I don't know anything about this stuff. I could see the Patriots. If you can easily see the-The lines, the lines in the cup. That's my huge weak spot. But I do I don't think that they're going to keep it closer than what that says. I think because I think-I think they could win. Because I think the Patriots are going to try to play keep away from Aaron Rodgers, like I said at the very top. But I do think the Jets are going to win this game. Jets, too.

So we're sweeping?

Yeah. I'm own, too, by the way. I am the curse.

Last week was a bad week for everyone.

I do think, yeah, there are some matchup issues. Christian Gonzales is playing well in the secondary, but one-on-one, some of these Patriots cornerbacks, I think, can be a little more vulnerable.

But if the Patriots do win because things have been so good for them unexpectedly, do we end up seeing Drake May a little sooner than expected?

Not with that line. No way.

I wouldn't do it. No. I think this is the best of both worlds for them. They're confirming why they're not playing him in a way, and they're setting the foundation, and they're winning some games.

They're literally like, Why is everyone yelling? We're right.

That is awesome. Jordan and Coleen, what a day. Judge Connie.

Are we going to let- Are we going to let Coleen pick?Oh, I said the judge.Oh, okay. You know what? I'm trying to curry points.

I know, but we're done in the courtroom.

Yeah, Judge Connie will be returning at some point. We'll see if it's a regular season thing, postseason. Who knows? Anything could happen. I know I'm doing court for jury duty in a month. That's not happening. I got to figure out how to get out of that because I've already delayed it a couple of times. Thanks for watching NFL Daily presented by DoorDab. Will be back on Thursday for our preview show. Excited about that. Steve Weiss, Patrick Claybon, every single week, going through every single team and game, except for these TNF teams. So looking forward to that, and we will see you guys next time. When Judge Connie is in session, you know that football is back.

Thanks, Balef.