Cowboys Are an EMBARRASSMENT! Another Dallas Disaster

If the Dallas Cowboys don't want to play anymore, just tell us. We'll stop talking about them. Because I can't watch this garbage and slop and keep believing in picking the Dallas Cowboys week after week. Jerry Jones defending Brian Schottenheimer? Get the hell out of here! Yeah, I mean, obviously it was a big game. I mean, I'm not going to hide from that. But now you're kind of in the dogfight for the division. I think it's something that Coach has been saying. I'm like, when we come out here on Sundays, I'm the six seconds to reset up. You know, if I'm not going to throw the ball, I've got to get active somehow. That's the goal, right? To go out there and be the best quarterback that you can be. I'm not very complete. Come to this game, I'll be disappointed in the outcome of this game. I like when he gets emotional like that. This is where I've grown up. You know, this is where I've grown up. We tee it up for those kind of spots to win it. We really do want those situations. Call for it, bring it on. And we got it and didn't get it. A lot of people let Brian down today. What an epic weekend in the National Football League. Another banger, incredible games, unprecedented results, upset specials, and this is a manic Monday here on Shine Time after a legendary, sensational NFL Sunday. We need to start with the Dallas Cowboys, because honestly, that was a gutless, pathetic puke. If the Dallas Cowboys don't want to play anymore, just tell us. We'll stop talking about them. Because I can't watch this garbage and slop and keep believing in picking the Dallas Cowboys week after week. Jerry Jones defending Brian Schottenheimer? Get the hell out of here! Saying it's not Schotty's fault and players let Schotty down? That's nonsense. Brian Schottenheimer. Should not be the coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Should have never been hired in the first place. And listen, I thought the Dallas Cowboys would be a great team this year, despite what I thought of Brian Schottenheimer as a head coach, because, listen, I really respected the talent. And worst case scenario, going into this week against Arizona, I said, all right, great news. The Dallas Cowboys have Arizona. Arizona at home. They'll be able to win that game. They can bank it. They can take care of business. Moving forward, they beat Philadelphia the week before. They'll get another victory. And when they were up by 14 points on Sunday. It was over. Instead, this was a historic, inept, pathetic collapse. You look at the defense. You look at Christian Parker's unit. You take a look at what transpired in this unbelievable comeback by Arizona and Gardner Minshew. You take a look at the Dallas Cowboys and how they collapsed and choked in epic proportion up by 14 points. This is the first time in the history of the Dallas Cowboys at home that they have been up by 14 or more points in the fourth quarter and they choked and they blew it. A historic inept performance. And yeah, you take a look at some of these unfathomable losses. I mean, this is as bad as it gets. First home loss, as we mentioned, a team history up 14 or more points in the fourth quarter. They were 202-0-1. And look at these two losses at home, right? They lost to Jalen Daniels and his first ever road start. He's not even a quarterback in the league anymore. He's a backup to Baker Mayfield. The Baker didn't complete a pass over the weekend. Seriously, there were nine and a half point favorites in Vegas. They were over a touchdown favorites against the Arizona Cardinals. And this was garbage. And before anyone says, well, blame the players, here's all I know. Before we get into specifics when it comes to the players. If Mike McCarthy was still coaching the Dallas Cowboys, they would have six wins. Bare bones minimum. Mike McCarthy would have won in Rio against the Baltimore Ravens. Mike McCarthy would have won against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mike McCarthy would have won on Sunday. And if that sounds like a random name, let's remember Jerry Jones said goodbye to Mike McCarthy to bring in and elevate Brian Schottenheimer. No one in the NFL was interviewing Brian Schottenheimer, wanted him to be a head coach in the National Football League. Mike McCarthy won 12 games, three consecutive years for the Dallas Cowboys. You can talk about the Green Bay playoff game until the cows come home. Look at what McCarthy's doing in Pittsburgh. Look at what he did for all those years, won a Super Bowl. Won a ton of games, won playoff games with the Green Bay Packers. There's a street named after him in Green Bay. Instead, you have this. And listen, to Jerry's point, the players deserve blame, but Shottie clearly did not get them ready. I thought the defense was deplorable. When Gardner Minshew is carving you up, when Tyler Allgeier busts off that incredible run in the fourth quarter, it looks like Earl Campbell in his prime. I mean, it's simply put, can't happen. I thought the offense was inept. I thought Dak did a bad job, and everyone knows I'm a Dak Prescott fan. I thought the wide receivers were terrible. Lamb didn't have the chops. George Pickens was invisible. Offensive line wasn't very good. The run game wasn't very good. Even when they were up by 14, it wasn't an offensive explosion. This was a pathetic performance. And listen, it wasn't even supposed to go into overtime. I mean, Ryland, whose money missed the extra point to take the lead. They go to overtime, you figure, all right, Dallas has a reprieve, there's no way they're going to lose, and they did. Awful. Absolutely unacceptable. And now, this is a problem for the Dallas Cowboys, and without question, one of the biggest winners of Week 8 in the NFL, the New York Football Giants, and they didn't even play. That is unbelievable. If you're a Giants fan, you had an unreal weekend. I mean, you're sitting back, you've got your feet up on the couch, and you're watching the Cowboys commit the cardinal sin of losing to the Arizona Cardinals when they're up by 14 points at home. Trey McBride is talking smack to Caleb Downs saying, you were a first-round pick. It's like he told Mike Evans in terms of trash talk this year, hold my beer. I mean, that's unbelievable. So look at the schedules for the next four weeks when it comes to the Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. The New York football Giants have a golden opportunity. And we're raising the bar on the Giants here to take, at minimum, three of their next four games. I know the Jacksonville game is in New York. And listen, Giants all of a sudden have played well at home. Jacksonville will enter the better team. They're going to have a couple of division rivals in a condensed period. The artist formerly known as the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Then, short week with Washington coming to town. Listen. That game should not have ended in a tie. They should have won. I know how great Jalen Daniels is. I don't care. Jayden Daniels, at the end of the day, it's a one-man band. And the Colts, please. They've just given up on professional football. Dallas, in theory, should be able to beat the Colts, should be able to beat the Tennessee Titans, and on Thanksgiving, should be able to beat the Philadelphia Eagles. But there's no shot they're going to be able to beat the San Francisco 49ers, Which really... Puts the Giants, if you think about it, because I predict both teams will go 3-1 over the next four games, in the driver's seat for December football. So you look at the standings and understand if both teams go 3-1, monster advantage for the Giants when it comes to a December stretch run. So if you're a Cowboys fan, you got to be sick. If you're a Giants fan, this is about as great as it gets. More incentive if you're the Giants to go trade for Jonathan Taylor to cement that you're the team to beat in the NFC East. If your ownership, if you're the Giants, you trade for Jonathan Taylor, cement getting a home playoff game, which would be unbelievable. The Dallas Cowboys. embarrassed themselves. They embarrassed me. I took the cheese on the Cowboys. I said preseason they would win the East. I said they play on Championship Sunday. I mean, this is a joke. And what's been the common theme and denominator over the last 30 years? They haven't played on Championship Sunday in 30 years. Jerry Jones, his cluelessness, his buffoonery, a complete and utter unacceptable disgrace. I mean, on the heels of what happened against Baltimore, what happened Tampa Bay, you had to be able to take care of business. It's not one of those where you tip the cap to the opposition. You're up 14 points in the fourth quarter. Embarrassing. Everyone deserves all sorts of blame. Brian Schottenheimer should not finish the season. The Dallas Cowboys players, they absolutely should be embarrassed and humiliated and humbled. A pathetic display of disgraceful football from the Dallas Cowboys. To the west, where the two LA stories are shaping up to have two very different endings. The Rams beat up on the Chargers, but Puka Nacua knows the squad can't let up. I think it's something that Coach has been saying. I'm like, when we come out here on Sundays, I'm six seconds to reset. I'm like, well, this is something that we've got to be able to continue to build upon, but it's not something that we can exhale from. There's still a lot of improvement. Obviously, not being able to get out there and execute early in that first half, that's something that we can't have alone. If our defense is playing their butts off like that, we've got to be able to go out there and play complimentary football, so we're minimizing their time on the field so that we can get explosive plays and keep us on the field. Love that sound bite from Puka Nakua. Love what Puka Nakua brought to the table. And let me tell you what happened to the Rams yesterday. The Rams showed they're back. And I want to stress this. The Rams are 4-4. Now, obviously, you look at the Rams' schedule, and still have to take advantage of teams they're supposed to beat. And after 10 weeks, they have to be 6-4, no question about it. They have Green Bay, obviously, coming up on Thanksgiving Eve. Have to be able to win that game. And I really think that the L.A. Rams still make the playoffs. Remember, that's not good enough. This team will be judged by whether or not they make a true run to the Super Bowl. But I thought what transpired with the Rams was absolutely terrific. Nakua was unstoppable. Sean McVay did an excellent job establishing balance on offense. Kyron Williams and Blake Corum running the football. These guys were incredible. The defense did not give up a touchdown, played terrific. I thought this was a tremendous win by the Rams. Not just that they won, they looked great. You look at LA, you look where they are in the standings, you look at their upcoming schedule, you look at what has happened. Then you start going into the crystal ball. You can now see the Rams ultimately doing everything that you need them to do to become a team that can live up to their expectations. So I thought this was inspiring for the Rams. Chargers, they're an embarrassment. A complete and utter embarrassment. Once again, they had zero touchdowns. Herbert looked terrible. How Mike McDaniel holds a job, I have no idea. You take a look at the... Offense, it was offensive. The offensive line stinks. The defense got shoved around. And here's what's fascinating, and I feel compelled to really hit this home. Jim Harbaugh had no answer. The press really hit him after the game with amazing questions on what's going on. And Jim kept talking in word salad. And the press focused on, well, how do you fix it? What are the problems? And Jim really said nothing. Not a word. Zero. Zip. Nada. And Jim Harbaugh, if you have followed his career, no matter where he's been as a head coach, we can talk college, San Diego, Stanford, Michigan. We can talk the NFL, where he was sensational, obviously, in San Francisco, and, you know, started off his Charger career phenomenal, winning double-digit games all the time. 11 wins last year, 11 wins the year before. Jim Harbaugh has never faced adversity like this as a head coach. I mean, he battled Jed York when he was in San Francisco, had to clean things up in Michigan. This is a disaster. They are the worst team in the NFL, record-wise, eyeball test. They get shoved around left and right. The LA Chargers are the biggest failure and flop in the National Football League. And I actually don't think there's a chance as we speak that the Chargers would ever fire Jim Harbaugh. And I think for the Chargers and their fans, you know, Mike McDaniel at some point will be the sacrificial lamb. But I think that they believe that they can still win with Herbert and Jim Harbaugh. And I think Harbaugh is an unbelievable coach, but it's pretty clear he has no answers here. And for a guy who's a brilliant tactician, a winner, and he's always been, I mean this I see this as a compliment. Able to turn things around, and ultimately when the train starts rolling, it just stays on the track and is going at 100 miles per hour. You know, Harbaugh can be tough on his players, but he has no answers right now. None. Compare and contrast a Jim Harbaugh press conference to a John Harbaugh press conference. John Harbaugh calls out his players. John Harbaugh cuts Najee Harris. He benches Cam Scatterwood. He says this is ultimately not acceptable, whatever it is at a specific moment. Jim Harbaugh has nothing. It's kind of weird. It's kind of alarming. And if you're a Charger fan, this is officially hell. I thought this was noteworthy for both teams. The way the Rams were able to cook, the belief that the Rams are back. It's actually getting worse by the second when you look at it for the Chargers. I thought the most impressive victory of any team in the league was what the Lions did to the Minnesota Vikings. And the Minnesota Vikings have a problem. Kyler Murray, more like Kyler Murray. The stats are bad. The feel is worse. Kyler Murray can't complete the forward pass. Kyler Murray refuses to throw the ball to Justin Jefferson. Justin Jefferson is always open. If you don't believe me, ask Kirk Cousins. In fact, the California Post did an interview with Kirk Cousins over the weekend, and they asked him who you compare Brock Bowers to, and he said the comparison is Justin Jefferson, because I learned with Justin Jefferson in Minnesota, even when he's covered, he's open, you've got to throw him the ball, and it taught me how to play the position of quarterback. Justin Jefferson went nuts on the sideline yesterday, and I don't blame him. Justin Jefferson, who is as media-friendly and savvy and has such an unbelievable intelligence and personality, one of my favorite guys to interview in all sports, Justin Jefferson did not talk to the press yesterday. You know why? Because he would have said something he regretted. So I'm not even going to criticize him for shirking responsibility. Justin Jefferson could do no wrong in my book when it comes to something like this. Kyler Murray looks awful. He can't hit the broad side of the barn. I mean, there were moments and, you know, I, if I was Kevin O'Connell, I would have kicked a field goal, you know, after the whole awful situation. We're praying for Jack Campbell at this, you know, the very. Scary situation without question. I would have kicked a field goal there. You know, I had no issue when he decided to punt on the fourth and five on the 33 to put it in the hands of his defense. Because Kyler Murray can't execute, can't make a play. I mean, it's crazy. We're at a stage right now. Carson Wentz might have to play quarterback. I mean, that's what we're talking about. J.J. McCarthy, you know, they didn't want him. They ruined him. He didn't want to be there. However you want to frame it, you know, ownership, the old general manager totally messed up the quarterback position. You know, maybe in this case, you've got to bring back Daniel Jones. You know, they're on the phone with the Colts trying to get Jonathan Taylor. I still think that's the perfect destination. You know, maybe you've got to talk about bringing Daniel Jones back to the Knicks. Remember, he had that cup of coffee in Minnesota after the Giants cut him a few years ago. This is a mess, a complete mess now, being fair. I am not going to make this about Minnesota. And I said that I refused to call them frauds. I was dead wrong in the game. I picked Minnesota to win. I think this is about Detroit. Dan Campbell, who's a punching bag for me, I thought the Lions and Dan Campbell did a great job. I thought they were ridiculously efficient and tough on offense. I thought their defense was excellent. Brian Branch, his return, has changed everything. The three and out that they forced on defense. Huge. That was a big deal. And then you saw Jared Goff, who threw his first interception of the season earlier in the game. Jared Goff and Jamison Williams, 435 to go. That was a big deal in that moment. So I really thought that was a huge sequence. Then after that aforementioned punt when O'Connell punted, I thought it was terrific, just amazing job by the offense, the offensive line, the toughness of Campbell, Jameer Gibbs. They ran the ball, they bled the clock. They won the game. Absolutely terrific. I think Detroit's getting a fifth win is a big deal. I still don't think the Lions necessarily are great. This was a terrific, terrific win. I still think Minnesota makes the playoffs, but they need to go get someone like Jonathan Taylor. I think they need to consider bringing in another quarterback. I mean, Kyler Murray has been dreadful. Whether it's bringing back Kirk Cousins, making a trade for Daniel Jones, Going to the bullpen with Carson Wentz. You can't keep functioning with this kind of inept play at the quarterback position. And Kyler Murray needs to realize, even when Justin Jefferson is covered, he's open. It's one thing to lose and you say, okay, tip the cap to the opposition, and that's definitely the case. Detroit's absolutely earned this. This was an eyesore on offense again from the Minnesota Vikings. Yeah, I mean, obviously it was a big game. I mean, I'm not going to hide from that. But now you're kind of in the dogfight for the division. And so you have to take it a week at a time, a day at a time, a play at a time, really. It's just you just try to get better and better. And so at the end of the year, you're playing your best football, and you've put yourself in a position to go out there and make a run for it. Obviously, we've lost these last two games against two really good football teams, but I was proud of how the guys battled. It wasn't perfect, but we battled, and we'll learn from it and have to get better and come up this next. How about that? Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs lose in Denver when they were up 24-13. That game is over. I already figured, all right, Chiefs won. That hits in terms of Shines' lines, picking the games against the spread. Not so fast. I still cannot believe it. The Denver Broncos have won. 15 straight one-score games. Think about that. Patrick Mahomes now in the fourth quarter. Ready for this? Mahomes up by double digits in the fourth quarter. Now 80-3 in his career when he's up double digits in the fourth quarter. This is how improbable that was from a Kansas City perspective. But again, you have to look at it this way. Chiefs down double digits in the fourth quarter. We've seen this in New York, right, with the Knicks in the postseason. Bo Nix, when he's down and he's uncomfortable, all of a sudden, he turns into Joe Montana. It's kind of crazy. That drive that was terrific, that was capped by Bo Nix, fourth and two. Two-yard touchdown pass to Nate Atkins for a touchdown. Then the two-point conversion to Waddle to make it 24-21. Okay, game on, but you still felt like, I know I did, Kansas City was going to win. Harrison Butker missed a 54-yard field goal. And I think Andy Reid is a Mount Rushmore all-time NFL head coach, top four. I made the case he's the second-best coach in the history of the NFL. Why would you trot out Harrison Butker? Made absolutely no sense. Butker stinks. He can't make kicks. He has infuriated everyone in that locker room, everyone in Kansas City. He's not a likable human being in any way, shape, or form. They just, in awful fashion, signed Justin Tucker, and I would not want Justin Tucker anywhere near my football team. He's on the practice squad because Butker can't kick. So why would you think if you're Andy Reid? That this was going to be a spot in a situation where he was going to make that kick. If he misses, you give Bo Nix incredible field position and an opportunity to take the lead. So, Bunker, of course, missed from 54. And then you see Bo Nix hit Jonah Coleman, 51 yards. That was incredible. And on the very next play, bam, Coleman touchdown, five yards. And Coleman, the rookie running back, was phenomenal for the Denver Broncos. So then you see on the final drive, and it's set up with Johnson with the 44-yard kickoff. You're like, okay, here we go again. And it's going to all just turn out to be sunshine and rainbows for Kansas City. Throw to Kelsey, Walker runs. Next thing you know, Kansas City has the ball on the five-yard line. Take a look at these plays to finish the game. And you have to give the Denver Broncos credit. Look at Patrick Sertan making that tackle. That's why we made such a big deal about Patrick Sertan being back. And then take a look at it again. Bang! Walker gets stuffed and the Broncos are able to, you know, have a goal line stand. And they just keep doing an unbelievable job slamming the door shut. Fourth down, it looks like, well, it's going to be a vintage Patrick Mahomes victory and it's going to be a touchdown. He's going to be able to take care of business. Nope, not going to be the case. And you see the... False start penalty that was called, and honestly, just changed everything. You back him up, and then ultimately you see what transpired, where Nick Bonito is able to sack Patrick Mahomes, and that will do it. Absolutely, positively terrific and tremendous. From a Denver Bronco perspective, to be able to win the game like that, where it just seemed like it was going to be that familiar script, and Kansas City would find a way. Anyway, instead... The Broncos behind Bo Nix, and Nix's fourth quarter magic are in first place. Couple of important things here. Number one. If you root for anyone else other than the Chiefs, right, you're thrilled seeing that false start get called. How many times have we watched the Kansas City Chiefs play and they get all the breaks on every single call, every spot, all the garbage, all the nonsense. Taylor Swift wasn't at the game, so hey, of course you're going to call the false start. And I can't listen to Travis Kelce or Patrick Mahomes or anybody else complain after the game. No team has gotten more breaks over the last decade in the NFL than the Kansas City Chiefs. Of course you call the false start. Of course you call it in that kind of spot. Let's be crystal clear about that. That was the right call. That was the only call. And Patrick Mahomes could not execute after that. So I don't want to hear about poor officiating in any way, shape, or form. That's number one. Number two, I expect the Broncos to win the division. I mean, let's be honest here. The Chiefs are not that good. And we said that, and again, you can go to the YouTube page. You're watching it here now. I mean, we have not been taking the cheese on Kansas City all year, even when they were 5-0 and they were undefeated. We said, all right, Jacksonville is better. Buffalo is better. If you're doing an overall compare and contrast with other teams in the NFL and a power ranking, the Vikings are better. The 49ers are better. The Bears are better. The Seahawks, they beat them last week. They're better. Kansas City does not have a good offensive line. Kansas City does not have good special teams, especially the kicker position this year. The defense is getting shoved around. Love Chris Jones, going to the Hall of Fame one day. He doesn't look the same. Receivers are nonexistent. Line's nonexistent. This team is not a true Super Bowl-caliber team in any way, shape, or form. And that's not an overreaction. That's what we said during the five-game winning streak. That's what we said after Seattle. That's what we're saying today. I'm not saying they're going to bottom out and miss the playoffs, but I don't look at them as a team that will eventually win the division. I don't look at Kansas City as a team that can make a legit Super Bowl run. So if that's the expectation for Kansas City, it's just not going to happen. And I'm sorry, I do not want to hear anyone say, well, you can't call that in that spot. Of course you can. And they did. And Kansas City has gotten all sorts of calls and all sorts of breaks and all sorts of favorable spots and all sorts of look the other way when it comes to officiating forever. So how does it feel? Not great, right? Well, it's about damn time. So I loved every single second of the drama, the way Denver was able to hold. What a win for Sean Payton, Bo Nix, Jonah Coleman. Excellent stuff by Patrick Sertan and the defense. That's one of those, if you're a Broncos fan, considering who that was against, you celebrate, you party for 48 hours. That is a big deal. Now. Hold on to it. Hold on to that lead in the division. Have Kansas City try and navigate on the road. That was a monster win and a monster deal when it comes to the Broncos. That they beat Kansas City. How they came back and beat Kansas City. All week long, the hype machine was working overtime with Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson squaring off. But when Lamar went down early, Buffalo rolled. Here's Josh Allen. That's the goal, right? To go out there and... Be the best quarterback that you can be and to go out there and play good football. And, again, we've done that for quite some time now. We've got to continue to do that and find ways to be better and to get better and to break the records and what, like, it's cool. But, like, I understand, like, it's not just me, right? There's a lot of guys that have put a lot of work into this that have helped me get to this spot right here. Listen, Josh Allen now moves ahead of the legendary Hall of Famer, Bills legend, Jim Kelly, when it comes to most career passing touchdowns for the Buffalo Bills, and that's kind of a huge deal. And if you're a Buffalo Bills fan, you've got to love this. And I'm not going to tell you that the Bills, you know, played in the first half this crisp game. I'm not going to tell you, you know, as the Ravens, we'll get to them in a second, we're down to their third quarterback, an undrafted kid from UConn that I've never heard of. I'm not going to tell you the defense is back. You're going to have to throw that out. But Josh Allen was terrific. Two passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown. James Cook was great. Dalton Kincaid was great. And they handled business. Take a look at the playoff seedings if, in fact, the season ended today in the AFC. And we called the league before the show. It doesn't end today. But now it's the job of the Buffalo Bills to make sure they get the one seed. Make sure everyone in the AFC goes through Highmark and lovely Western New York. You see all these teams, including Buffalo, they all have flaws. There is no classically great team when you look at the AFC. Which is why the Bills are absolutely the team to beat. Because their offense is the best of any team in the conference. Their quarterback is the best player on the planet. And if they get home field, they're going to be impossible to beat. And what I need for the Bills, not only to get home field, get a bye, not to go all yogi on you. You can't lose if you don't play. And that would be a huge positive here for the Buffalo Bills. So this, to me, is a monster deal when you look at it from a Buffalo perspective. Now, the Ravens. My goodness. Lamar Jackson, first play, injures his thumb. He needs surgery. He's going to be out for at least the next four weeks. Then Snoop had the turf toe. They're playing some cat from UConn who wasn't even drafted. My goodness. By the way, Baltimore has a Thursday night game this week against Jacksonville. That's, that's a mess. I said last week on Shine Time that if the Ravens lost, I would declare the season over. They not only lost, they lost Lamar Jackson. The season's over. There's no way they're going to beat Jacksonville. I mean, the fact that we have to watch the Chargers and the Ravens without Lamar in primetime on Monday Night Football, yikes. There's no guarantee they can beat Carolina, and I think that at this stage, there's no way you can predict that they will beat the Houston Texans. So I think there's a bigger picture thing when it comes to Baltimore. We talked to Lamar before the season started. This could be it for Jackson and Baltimore. I think that, you know, the Ravens obviously have to look at his health in addition to his contract. Lamar wanted to continue to play great to win another MVP, lead the Ravens to the promised land and make more money. Look, if I'm Baltimore, you got to be careful here because Lamar Jackson is an out-of-this-world incredible talent, two-time MVP. You don't want to suddenly go in the wheel of quarterbacks. There's a financial issue, you got to pay him, and he, you know, acts as his own agent. And there's a health and availability issue that needs to be discussed with Lamar Jackson versus other quarterbacks. So, this is something to pay attention to. It's going to be something to pay attention to after the four weeks on injured reserve. Something to pay attention to in terms of what's being said, what's being leaked from Jackson, from the Ravens. This is a disaster. And you know I liked Baltimore before the season started. I said they'd make the playoffs. I did not think they were a Super Bowl team. I had them third place in the AFC North and thought Cincinnati would win the division and Pittsburgh would finish in second place. This is a mess. Total disaster. League's always a better place when Lamar Jackson is on the field doing his thing. I live for Lamar. He's one of the most electrifying players that we've seen ever in the NFL. He is a special, special cat. That was a nightmare for Jackson and the Ravens on Sunday. It was a fight for first place in Pittsburgh, where Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers came out on top. But the Pittsburgh quarterback says there's still a lot of work to be done on offense. Not very complete. Defense played excellent. Special teams did fine. But offense should have been a lot more points. Listen, I love the fact that Aaron Rodgers is pissed. Because... That's Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers is a Hall of Famer, unbelievable player, one of my all-time favorites, greatest thrower of the football that we've ever seen. And I really think at the end of the day, Aaron Rodgers is a main reason why the Steelers are in first place. And the Pittsburgh Steelers, when you look at it, this team's got it going on. And you look at the fact that they won against Cleveland, how they won against Cleveland. This is terrific. And let me tell you what they are. They are a well-coached, incredible winning team that can absolutely, will absolutely win in the playoffs for the first time since the Steelers beat Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2015. They play incredible defense, they sacked. Deshaun Watson, eight times, that was incredible, pressured him throughout the game, TJ Watt and company, unbelievable. Jalen Warren is an absolute stud, he is terrific, he is tremendous, I can't get enough of watching him play. Rico Dowdle, he was effective as well. The offensive line is awesome, Aaron Rodgers makes a ton of plays, Mike McCarthy, all he does is win, and you have the Pittsburgh Steelers right now, all alone in first. And I'm telling you, when you look at Pittsburgh. This team is not going anywhere. You look at the schedule for the next four. They should be able to, at least after the bye, go two and two. I'm telling you, I said this preseason, I'm staying very consistent. The Pittsburgh Steelers will win a minimum of 11. This is the year they finally win a playoff game. And if you look at it, in this AFC, which does not have classically great teams, The Steelers run the ball with authority, have a terrific offensive line. T.J. Watt anchors an incredible, terrific, tremendous defense. They have a coach who knows how to win, a quarterback who's going to the Hall of Fame who knows how to win. Sure, the receiver core is weak. The tight ends are great. This team has the elements to not only hold on to first, but they are one of the most trustworthy teams in the entire league. I think people are kind of underrating the Pittsburgh Steelers, undervaluing the Pittsburgh Steelers. And listen, I think the Browns are solid, and they beat the hell out of them. I still think Cleveland's going to win 10 games this year. You know, you look at their schedule, you watch them play, they're well coached, they still have a lot of good players. Jared Verse, foolishly, we talked about this last week, poked the bear, and honestly... They literally, figuratively, all of it, they took him, they threw him, and they beat the hell out of him. Jared Verse did nothing. I mean, that's what happens when you talk smack in an NFL game. So I think the Steelers were one of the big winners in the NFL in week number eight. Not only that they won, how they won, and the signs are there, big picture, that the Steelers are going to be a pain in the ass in the AFC come playoff time. Listen. The Cincinnati Bengals, this was a wild ride. When you look at the ballgame against the Tennessee Titans, never in a million years did I think this one was going to go to overtime. Joe Burrow, six total touchdowns, and he did an amazing job feeding his stud wide receiver. He is an emotional guy. You've obviously been teammates for a long time. How do you make sure that that's channeled the right way? I don't think I need to make sure about that. You know, he's a pro, and guys get emotional sometimes. That's how it is. I like when he gets emotional like that. That usually means that I need to do a better job of throwing the ball. Joe Burrow, six touchdowns. Five in the air, one on the ground. The one that he ran in proved to be the go-ahead score in overtime. And you look at Burrow, the stats are amazing. And this includes, by the way, the fact that he threw three interceptions in this game. You give Joe Burrow credit because this was legit NFL history. The numbers he was able to put up. Then you have Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, unequivocally the best one-two punch, and we have said that forever, at the wide receiver position in the NFL. I'm not just a pretty face with great hair, I'm also a voter when it comes to all the awards and first-team All-Pro, second-team All-Pro in the NFL. But I'm not saying that for any other reason to explain, I think Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins Both are two of the top six wide receivers in the NFL, and both would get my vote right now, one first team, one second team, for all-pro wide receiver this season. So this is pretty remarkable when you look at the maintained, sustained excellence of this combination, and what Higgins did was incredible, and it was noteworthy, and what Ja'Marr Chase did was out of this world. Also, it was needed. And this is where we kind of have the conversation about the Bengals in the small scheme of their team, the bigger picture in the division, and the broader picture in the AFC. Before the season started, I picked the Bengals to play on Championship Sunday and lose against the Buffalo Bills. I don't think that's going to be the case right now. They need to play better on defense. And Dexter Lawrence did an excellent job in crunch time. But when you're giving up chunks of yards to Cam Ward, when Tony Pollard is scoring touchdowns and getting chunk plays left and right, and this is a Titans team that just traded stunningly, especially in the building, their best player in Jeffrey Simmons. And they take you to overtime? That's not acceptable. They also could not run the ball, and the line needs to do a better job. So, Burrow, Chase, Higgins, phenomenal in reality and great for your fantasy team. But if you're a Bengals fan, or if you bet the Bengals preseason to do special things in the AFC, you need to be better. I get what the record says. I understand that they're in the playoffs right now. But I'm still waiting for this team to look like a true title contender. That's the goal for the Cincinnati Bengals. Burrow, unbelievable. But I want to see more here. Zach Taylor's first half was atrocious. I don't believe he's a big-time head coach. Game plan was baddie. You know, some people think Dane could be a sleeper for Jonathan Taylor. I personally don't see that. I don't trust the Cincinnati Bengals now as a team that can represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Ah, yes. It was a Sunday. Ugly Sunday for some teams and coaches and players. Even a win. Let's kick things off with the head coach. We can't believe he hasn't been kicked to the curb yet. When it comes to this game, I'll be disappointed in the outcome of this game. I'll be a high-scoring game. I thought our offense did an outstanding job of moving the ball. I thought they did an outstanding job of creating explosive plays. We scored touchdowns, which were good. The one thing that I would say that's a negative is, man, we were still 2-6 when it comes to the red zone. The one thing is identifying an issue and then having the challenge of being able to make sure we fix those issues. Look, the league is all about one-score games. I mean, it's been a record this year in terms of one-score games, eight points or fewer, through eight weeks, most in the history of the NFL. The Jets can't function in one-score games because Aaron Glenn doesn't know what the hell he's doing. Jets did a lot of things well yesterday. They're coached by Aaron Glenn, and that's why they can't function. Why? Why is Aaron Glenn still here? If they had a different head coach. They would have at least three more wins. Think about that. They would have beat Green Bay. Would have beat the Raiders yesterday. Would have beat Miami. And don't tell anyone this. They could have beat the New England Patriots too. If they had a real head coach. The good news is, if you watch the Jets and you're being honest, there's a lot of talent on the field. There's also a lot in terms of draft capital. So if you're a fan of the Jets, or if you're looking around, If you're a coach in college or. If you're an assistant coach, or if you're thinking about, you know, coming out of retirement if you're a head coach, or leaving TV if you're a head coach, any way you want to slice it, this is the draft capital at your disposal right now. And Indianapolis, this pick, could get even better. I mean, the Jets pick could get even better. The Dallas pick could go either way, but it just doesn't even matter at this stage. This is an absolute haul. So look, I thought the Jets did a lot of great things on offense. They obviously poured on the points. And I think if I'm a coach, you know, the owner is the absolute worst. And that's a detriment because, you know, it's all relatable to all of us. You want to like the people you work for and your boss matters, right? I mean, that's, you know, a life thing, no matter what you do for a living. Woody Johnson's the worst. You might be able to forget about that if you keep seeing the Jets perform on offense and you see key players on defense. You might say, they're not that far away, especially with that kind of draft capital. But my goodness, I can't look at Aaron Glenn. I can't watch an Aaron Glenn coach team. He is completely clueless. In-game is terrible. Post-game is terrible. The feel is terrible. Frank Reich is terrible. The way he handles the red zone is terrible. The disparity in terms of points scored at the end of the first half is terrible. The inability to beat the AFC East, he's never done it before, it's terrible. To lose at home in back-to-back weeks to the Dolphins and the Raiders, terrible. He's supposed to be a defensive guru. The defense can't make a stop, terrible. Aaron Glenn in a word. Good news, Bucs fans. Your team won. Bad news, if you watch that game, there's no way on earth you're going to get those hours back after you watch Baker Mayfield not complete a pass. You know, if I'm not going to throw the ball, I've got to get active somehow. So, me and Jesse were out there playing in the mud. Yeah, he was in the mud puddle over there. He's a great blocker. He took Bates all the way to the, he almost took him back to his locker room. Yeah, but it was like a puddle over there. I thought someone was going to drown. But, yeah, he throws some great blocks, too. Just guys get on space, and he's running down the field, and Bucky makes a guy miss, and Bake throws a block. I mean, it's just a testament to the selflessness that we have on this team. Listen, 16-0 was the final, and I've never seen anything like that. Baker Mayfield literally did not complete a pass. Did not. Zero. Zero completions for Baker Mayfield. Frankly, it's even uglier for the Atlanta Falcons. I mean, they lost to a quarterback that didn't complete a pass. Michael Penix Jr., I mean, I spent how many hours here on Shine Time saying I feel like he's the answer for the Atlanta Falcons, and he just threw up all over himself, had four interceptions in the game. What a disgrace. If you watch that game, if you were at that game, my deepest condolences. I feel terrible. That felt like one of the worst sporting events you'll ever see. Great job by the Bucs. They're able to win. They run to victory. Defense played great. But my goodness, that is, there's nothing in the oven. Literally, zero. Baker Mayfield didn't complete the forward pass. Not one pass. And they won. The Colts got rocked. Honestly. Who cares who's going to play quarterback the rest of the way? Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, what are we even? That's not Montana the Young. What are we even talking about here? All eyes now are on their superstar running back, Jonathan Taylor. It means a lot. This is where I've grown up. You know, this is where I've grown up. Thank Originally going to school in Wisconsin, you know, you become like a young man there. You know, you get into your 20s a little bit, but then from here on out, now I'm 27. It's just a place where you've grown, you've evolved, It just sucks that, you know, this year, too, that we haven't been putting on the performances that, you. you know, the city of Indianapolis deserves. Yeah, and that was pretty brutal. The Jacksonville Jaguars absolutely beat the hell out of the Indianapolis. There was never a reason, we've talked about this at length on Shine Time, for the Colts to keep Jonathan Taylor. They've got to trade him now. And it's interesting, over the weekend, our friend Adam Schefter, our friend Ian Rappaport, they said that now the Colts are open to listening. And I'm not surprised by that. We've talked about it. They have to trade him. There are two schools of thoughts on the compensation. Number one, first-round pick. I think Minnesota could, would, should give up a first-round pick for Jonathan Taylor. Schefter reported that the Colts are looking for the Christian McCaffrey package, which was a 2, 3, 4, and 5. And I think the Giants should absolutely make that trade. We've talked about this, okay? I think the Vikings and the Giants, and we talked about it last week, they're the two teams that should be all over the Colts for Jonathan Taylor. I also think Green Bay should be in the mix. You know, I think it's a much lesser scale, but I think that the Seahawks will be in the conversation, the Bengals will be in the conversation. But, if I'm the Giants, and we talked about it earlier in the show, they're one of the big winners in week number eight. You know, I see what happened with the Cowboys, and it's all there for the Giants. Would I give up multiple draft picks, a couple of twos, a two, three, and a four for Jonathan Taylor? In a heartbeat. I wouldn't even think twice about that. Jonathan Taylor has had a Hall of Fame career. He's still got, I believe, four more years to run like he has during this decorated running back career that we've seen with the Indianapolis Colts. I think Jonathan Taylor is perfect for the Giants, perfect for the Minnesota Vikings. And I think they need, one of these teams need to get them now. I mean, trade deadline's a week from Tuesday. But you want to kind of get these guys in your house. Log more games for you to win this year sooner than later. That's why you see, you know, the Bears trade for Simmons before week eight. You see the Seahawks trade for Nelson. You see the Niners trade for Buckner. Do it early. You want more games. Justify the trade. Justify the compensation. Justify the contract you're going to pay them. So. I mean, Taylor was wondering aloud about the culture in Indianapolis. I mean, they don't have a real GM. They fired Chris Ballard. I really think that it's over for Jonathan Taylor and the Giants and Vikings remain, I've been very consistent on this, the best two fits for JT. Oh wait, there's more. How about it? USC, got to give them credit. We talked about this at length on Shine Time on Friday, that this was a massive game for both USC and for Ohio State. And we went through the how and the why if Lincoln Riley and company were going to get a win. First of all, game ball if your USC goes to Ryan Day. He screwed this whole thing up, and that was the first guess here on Shine Time. The fact that Ryan Day messed around and found out by not naming a quarterback during the week, with Julian Sane done for the year, you know, just let Luke Fahey have some confidence. He's not pressing. USC might have been struggling all year. It's still going on the road. Coliseum, Saturday Night Football, NBC, big game. First game as a starter. You have to ease the pressure if you're Ryan Day who called a terrible game. The whole thing is just terrible, right? I know Arthur Smith calls the plays. Still Ryan Day in charge. The way he did not give Fahey any kind of confidence in the week leading up. Disgrace. Lincoln Riley's team came to play. Listen, kind of what we expected from USC all year. Defense was flying around. Quarterbacks making plays. The young receivers were getting it done. That's the point when it comes to USC football. They have talent. The issue is whether or not they have a coach. So I think Lincoln Riley campaigning for his job, look, that was rich at the end of that football game. That press conference was wild. I want Lincoln Riley to be successful. He needed that win. If Fahey walked in to USC and won that game and that defense got shredded, I don't even know if Lincoln Riley would have lasted in today's shine time. Let's be crystal clear about that. So I give Lincoln Riley a ton of credit, but he is not remotely out of the woods in any way, shape, or form. It does go to show, again, how incredible this season's been in college football. So Ohio State, we said they were toast when Sane got hurt. I don't think Ryan Day has any idea what the hell he's doing. So it's just a topsy-turvy, amazing season in college football. The whole day was incredible on Saturday. That game was wild. I watched every single second. And how about the crazy Indiana finish? I mean, back-to-back 60-yard field goals with Indiana and Minnesota. That was wild. That was crazy. That was incredible. And honestly, the whole thing was just... Nuts. And then you see Becker making catches. I mean, it's the backup quarterback. I thought Cignetti completely boxed the clock at the end. And somehow Indiana found a way to win. Listen, I don't think Indiana's going anywhere. I don't think they have a quarterback. When I say anywhere, they'll make the college football playoffs. I do not think they have a run in them. I'm going to be crystal clear on that. I do not trust this quarterback, the offense at all. Becker's out of it. Out of this world. He is just absolutely terrific. He's a great college player. He's going to be a terrific pro. Indiana survives, but I don't leave that game feeling any different here about Indiana football. That's the show. If you miss any portion of the show, do what I do. Rewatch it over and over again. Go to our YouTube page. It's Shine Time. Make sure you subscribe to our page. You get every piece of Shine Time content. It goes straight to your device. What a treat. Here you are. Just randomly scroll on your phone. Oh! Whoa! New Shine Time episode just dropped. Oh! A new piece of content. How great is this? Subscribe. You're welcome in advance. We'll see you tomorrow on Shine Time.