The Bill Simmons Podcast
Detroit’s Grit, Drake vs. Caleb, a Giannis Trade Idea, and Guess the Lines With Cousin Sal
Mon, 11 Nov 2024
The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss the Lions' comeback win vs. the Texans, the early AFC playoff picture, and the Chiefs sneaking by the Broncos to earn a 9-0 record (2:09). They have a Cowboys reassessment and discuss Commanders-Steelers, a rookie QB ranking, and Bears-Patriots (23:39). Then they talk about the latest "season from hell" candidates; whether to take the Eagles, Cardinals, and/or Chargers seriously; the Saints supporting the "new coach theory" by beating the Falcons; 49ers-Bucs; and Colts-Bills (47:02). Finally, they discuss some Week 10 gambling trends before guessing the lines for NFL Week 11 (1:08:18) and closing the show with Parent Corner (1:30:35). Host: Bill Simmons Guest: Cousin Sal Producers: Kyle Crichton and Steve Ceruti Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What did the Lions achieve in their comeback win against the Texans?
What's happening? It's Todd McShay, and I'm back with a new home and a new show at The Ringer and Spotify, The McShay Show. It's a video and audio podcast coming to you year-round with all my NFL draft information, big boards, mock drafts, and player movement. Plus, I'll be chatting with some of my best friends in football, including some of your favorite football analysts.
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YouTube channel and cousins house coming up in one second to break down everything we saw in a really, really fun action packed week 10 of the NFL season. We did this live on YouTube as we do every Sunday night. I have to do subscribe to the bill Simmons channel and you can watch us do this podcast live, or you could just listen to it the next day.
You do whatever you want to do, but I'm going to bring in Pearl jam right now. Cause that's what I want to do. Pearl jam. All right, it is 8.43 p.m. Sunday night. Just watched Texans-Lions. I'm here with the 47th president of the United States, Cousin Sal.
How are you? There's no way I won. I know who my family voted for, and it wasn't me. It never is.
we just watched an incredible game and I thought Collinsworth made the key point and he sniffed it out in the third quarter and said, he did that. How I'm just telling you, if the lions could figure this out, this is the kind of game that tells you what kind of, you know, he just did that whole thing. And he was right. Cause I was thinking the same thing.
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Chapter 2: How are the Cowboys reassessed after their recent performance?
Well, it wasn't Tony Romo, who was one of two guys who threw five interceptions and won the game. Yeah. Was it 1970 Colts or something?
No. So the two I found, and maybe there are more than this, but Terry Bradshaw did it in the 79 Steelers. And then, uh, Jim Plunkett in 1980 Raiders. Wow.
So back to back years in general, I was looking up, I went on this interception deep dive because, uh, when we were growing up quarterbacks through interceptions, like Steve Grogan had three, five interception games before I turned 10 years old, you know? And I was looking at like, uh,
the 19, I think 77 season brand targets and led the league with 32 picks, 1978 stable was second with 30 and eight other guys had at least 20. This is just what we grew up with. The ball would sail around like a That's bizarre because they definitely didn't pass as much, right? No. They weren't dropping back as much. But think about it. Receivers going over the middle, you could decapitate them.
Quarterbacks, you could dive at their legs. You could clothesline them. So they're just flinging the ball up trying to get rid of it. Joe Pasarczyk was 12 TDs, 23 picks. Kenny Anderson was 10 TDs, 22 picks. Steve DeBerg was 8 TDs, 22 picks. On and on and on. To throw five picks now, you really have to put some thought and time and some shitty energy into it. So there was like, how many picks?
The record seven, like Ty Detmer did it only like two other. So, you know, there was a moment there where it was like, whoa, what happens if he gets to six?
It's going to get there. Do they pull him?
But he righted the ship. He kind of persevered through it.
Yeah, he had plenty of opportunities. And yeah, he had more than he had all of last year, right? So I'm not sure. That takes him a little bit out of the MVP running. But... We were making fun of PFF because they had him 22 out of 32 for quarterbacks. This guy never throws an incomplete pass. Who are the 21 ahead of him? And that's like, oh boy, interception after interception.
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Chapter 3: What are the latest candidates for the 'season from hell'?
Yeah.
I mean, that's like absurd. I've never seen somebody lead by half as many games as the actual games played. Your team might have done it a couple of times, right?
By November, by the middle of November. You don't think the Patriots had like a five game lead?
Well, you mentioned Kansas City. I don't know what to make of this season anymore. They're 9-0. Five of the wins was week one, the Ravens game, where likely his foot's on the line. They beat the Bengals. Burrow had the fumble TD. The Bengals had a chance to ice the game. Didn't get a first down punted. Chiefs hit a field goal at the end.
To have the Atlanta game where they got the fourth down stop when it seemed like Atlanta was going to drive and get them and they got a stop. Last week, the Bucs and OT felt like if the Bucs went for two, they were probably going to win. And then this week, where it seems like it's done, they blocked the field goal.
And they beat the Broncos by two in a game that was dead even statistically when you're watching it. It felt like the Broncos were going to win. I thought the Broncos slightly outplayed them. And now they're 9-0. And I don't feel like everybody's like, Oh, yeah. Chiefs, look out. I think people are like, holy shit, how can they keep doing this?
I think you're right. And it's one thing to do it like the Vikings did it. Like, oh, what did they have in 2022? They had like 11 one-score wins or something. But when you went through the one after the other, toe in the end zone, barely, like this is just a spectacular way to be undefeated in the second week in November. I mean, that kick...
Like if there were nobody, there were no blockers, it would have looked exactly the same. What the hell? Denver did everything right. You're right. They bled the clock. They had the Chiefs use their timeouts. And you almost think there's just no beating this team.
I was driving home from the airport last night, like about midnight, and I was listening to Fox Sports Radio, and there was some show, and they had that guy Fezzik, the handicapper, was on. And I was like, this is great. I'm going like 95 miles an hour on the 10, and I'm listening to Fezzik break down the schedule. And he was really bullish on the Broncos in this game.
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Chapter 4: What Week 10 gambling trends should you know?
I thought that was the best Knicks has looked. And even though I know they didn't put up like 30 points or anything, but he had some good plays. He had typical couple overthrows, but I know you're invested in him because he's an Oregon guy.
That's right.
One thing on the Chiefs. So I was trying to think because I mentioned this to House on Thursday. I was like, I'm going to go back and actually look at this. The teams that Start off undefeated for a while. And all of us are kind of looking at them kind of side-eyed like, eh, I don't know. So the three that really jumped out, 2010 Colts were 14 and 0.
And remember that was the whole argument of should they go for it? And I think they ended up resting guys, but they lost the Superbowl to New Orleans up that year. But that whole year we were kind of like, ah, what is this? Like, is this, is this a schedule thing? Like what's going on there? Defense isn't that good. So they didn't win the Superbowl. The next year, the Packers went 13 and 0.
go to the playoffs, get a buy, and then they get killed by the Giants at home in round two in the second Eli Super Bowl season. And then the third one was the Panthers in 2015. 14-0 start. And then they end up losing the Super Bowl to Denver.
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Chapter 5: How do the Eagles, Cardinals, and Chargers stack up?
So I guess my question is, is Kansas City just better losing now and getting this over with versus like just going, I know it sounds stupid, but them going 14 and then you're basically not playing for anything for a month and you go to bye week and then you just kind of have to flip the switch on. We have real evidence that that's kind of a bad thing for a team.
Yeah, and listen, I think we've got to give them the benefit of the doubt in terms of how to approach this. Like, Andy Reid, this isn't his first rodeo. By the way, his first rodeo, he killed a cow. It was too much weight, and they knew it was a bad idea from the start. All tapes have been destroyed. Right, but... So work Hopkins in, right? Don't get injured.
Pacheco comes back theoretically in a couple of weeks. I think that would probably be the plan. And if you could beat up on these teams, keep it going, I guess. I think it's I know what you're saying. Like, it's good to have a loss in there and then you can you could deal with it. But I feel like they've been down. They've made comebacks before. Right. So they know how to be resilient.
Well, this Buffalo game, it's at Buffalo. I can't wait to guess the line for that. And I don't know it. And I would have guessed Buffalo as a favorite, but now I'm wondering with the way Buffalo looked a little shaky, maybe it's going to flip. But Casey... I think would want to go into Buffalo and beat them again and just keep that over them. Like kind of, you can't beat us.
We're on this, but then they're at Carolina the next week. And that just likes like the classic chiefs favored by nine and a half in Carolina punt block. Tipped interception, pick six, like just nine things go wrong. Everyone gets killed in their tees. It's like the biggest upset of the year. I have that one flag. They play Vegas at home on a Friday night. That seems fishy. Chargers on a Sunday.
They're at Cleveland, home Houston at Pittsburgh. and then home for Denver in week 18. So maybe they have that stretch where it's week 16, Houston on a Saturday, week 17, Christmas night, Pittsburgh, and they're going to have everything clinched. And there's just no way they're going to be playing their guys in both of those games, right? That's no way. They're going to put on one of those games.
Do you know what the odds are? I have them here. Don't look to run the slate.
Oh, House and I, it's like five to one, right? Higher than that? Plus 750.
Plus 750. But yeah, you go through that. There's still tough ones. Could they be looking ahead to the Panthers and blow this Bills game? I didn't realize that.
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Chapter 6: What insights do we have on the AFC playoff picture?
Yeah, really. Tyreek does this, though. Remember that game last year when he was just coming in out of the game and then his helmet was off, then it was on, then he's playing, then he's not playing? He does it all the time still.
Very strange. If he runs a long route on second down, forget it. You won't see him for the rest of that drive.
Hey, we're going to do Who's Delivering? Presented by Uber Eats, where we break down the NFL players who have delivered so far this season, from household names to out-of-nowhere surprises.
So you have Bo Nix would be in this as it seemed crazy that they were counting on him the way they are, but now it actually seems pretty smart, especially when they're paying Russell Wilson to play for the Steelers and he's doing well. Bryce Young... not being like a disaster. Who's going to get traded for a seventh round pick. Not that he was awesome today, but at least he wasn't a disaster.
I was surprised by that. Right. Like, Whoa, sure. Yeah. Bryce young. I can't believe you have the city. Who else would you have as like a surprise?
You look at that and like, just why it's a surprise is the Panthers are just destined to lose by double digits. If you just look at their this year, right? Like if it doesn't happen one week, you could bounce back. If it wasn't new Orleans. Um, let's see. Kyle Pitts is really good. No, let me see. Kyle Pitts. Give me a minute. I wish you would tell me about these. How about Cade Otten?
Oh, Otten, yeah. Yeah, he's good. He's solid. Let me find someone like this in here.
Was there a fantasy... I probably should have given you a heads up.
Yeah, why not?
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of the Chiefs' 9-0 record?
Look, here's what I'll say. The thing about them is... I didn't expect them to win. I really thought they would suck me back in. I thought they were done, but I didn't think they were done sucking me in. I thought Cooper Rush would be competitive. But this game killed me because... Besides a kicking game, you get to see the Cowboys incompetence on every level, right?
Like tackling, the quarterback play was atrocious. Rush had like 24 yards at halftime, and then they put Trey Lance, and he comes in for like negative six yards with a penalty. Ezekiel Elliott back with a big fumble, which, you know... Huge fumble in the other end zone. Oh, Jesus. It's like just that, and that's more ineptitude in the front office. And then, like, and C.D.
Lamb, like, yucking it up with the Eagles as the gun sounds to end the game. And then we have the owner. It's like every little aspect of it. The owner who blames the mysterious construction of his billion-dollar stadium. That he built. He built it where half the players are going blind.
It's like he bought the stadium from someone else.
He built it and was in charge of every aspect of the construction. Disgusting. He's pointing at it. He's like, they know where the sun is. Like, good, Jerry. You go to the sun. Go to the light. See the sun. It's right there. It's right in the crack in the roof where you wouldn't, you know, everyone wants to put curtains.
Jerry, stare at the sun until you go blind. Oh, man. It drives me nuts. And now the big thing tomorrow is going to be like, should we put curtains up there? It's like this thing. You and I went to the stadium 15 years ago. Like, they couldn't figure out the fucking sunlight after daylight savings?
Remember Dallas, the TV show? That was like in the opening. The light going through the stadium. Like, oh, wow, that's kind of cool. It's like, no, it's not that cool. I hate this team. I'm really mad. And I feel like I get doubled
F'd here because like they don't even change the cadence like Cooper Rush is like here we go and that gets me angry and then I have to see the play and that gets me angry so I'm getting angry like 160 times a game are Dak my next Cowboys question are Dak Lamb and Parsons all on next year's team
Yeah, I think so. There's too much money. What are they going to do? Is Lawrence also on next year's team? Those four. Those four guys next year.
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Chapter 8: What are the main takeaways from Parent Corner?
First thing I'm thinking about is coach, quarterback. Shit, Tampa Bay. I think you'd rather have Baker Mayfield. See him today?
He's a fucking hero today. I know, I know. It's amazing. I think you'd rather be a hero. You'd rather be Dallas than New Orleans. That's easy. New Orleans is salary cap, pal. Yeah, that's fine. And the Panthers. I'd be rather than the Panthers, yeah. All right, so there's three. You got the Giants, New Orleans, and Carolina. Yeah. And I don't think anyone in the NFC West.
I don't think anyone in the West.
So there's three teams you'd rather be. That's good.
Congratulations. What a jerk you are.
Yeah.
Because should I do that with you? Should I do that for you with the AFC? Do you have more than three?
All right. I'll play. Go ahead. Buffalo, I'd rather be. I'd rather be us than the Jets. I mean, hands down. Hands down?
You'd rather be us than the Jets with Drake Bay.
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