The NFL season is winding down and so are our bold predictions what will happen this weekend.

Ed Kleese and I go at it head to head to tell you what we predict will happen in this week's results and also talk about what we did last week and how we scored. It's all coming up in just a moment with Ed.

This is the Pigskin Daily History Dispatch, a podcast that covers the anniversaries of American football events throughout history. Your host, Darren Hayes is podcasting from America's North Shore to bring you the memories of the gridiron one day at a time.

Well, my football friends, this is Darin. He's a pigskind. Dispatch.com welcome once again to the Pig Pen, your portal deposit of football history. And welcome to the big bold predictions.

Week 17 is coming up in a National Football League season and we are here with Ed Kleese once again, as we have been all season, to make those picks and take a look at what we did last week with our selections. Ed, welcome back to the Pig Pen.

Hello, Darin. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas. It's a holiday week. In the holiday bowl games, playoff contention is going on. A lot of things going on in the world of football this week.

Yeah, the holidays are always a very busy time in the football world, for sure.

Yeah. And it's amazing with everything going on this season, you know, we, we post a daily timeline of events that happen each day of the year in football.

But especially this week, there are some major anniversaries of hall of fame legends have been born. You know, Larry Zonka is Christmas Day. Bill Dudley is the 24th, Jack Ham is the 23rd.

You know, it's some really, some, some big names and some big games. Some of the greatest games ever have been played in this week and we might have some of those come up this week in the pro football world.

Again, it's kind of funny when you do look back on some of that is a reminder that the schedule was so different because if you go there, you know, even as, even as recently as the mid to late 80s Christmas area and that that week of Christmas, usually a few days after, a lot of times that's when the wild card games would be being played. So, and then you go back in history, like to the longest game in NFL history, the Chiefs Dolphins playoff game that was played on Christmas Day.

So, you know, in the, in 30, 40 years ago, this time of the year was postseason NFL to go along with the holiday. Of course, that has changed over the years as the season's gotten longer.

But yeah, so it used to be even more intense because this is when things are getting really decided.

The Dolphins, I'm sorry, the Cowboys came back from a 20 point down to start Roger Staubach's captain comeback bid. Same. Same day. So two of the greatest games in NFL history, same day.

I wouldn't have been able to handle it back then if it was playoffs and Christmas. I would not have been able to handle it.

Which is funny because that kind of leads me into what I wanted to talk about first today was I want to go a little farther back. I want to go back to May 14th of this year. So May 14th. I'm thinking, why the heck is he talking about May 14th?

Well, because in addition to being a complete, obvious football nerd, NFL nerd in general, I'm also within the subset of being a football nerd. I am a schedule nerd. Okay?

And I love everything about the NFL schedule, about the history of the NFL schedule and now how it works with, like, the networks when games are slotted, etc. Etc. As a kid, this is probably TMI and embarrassing.

I used to take my little folders during school and when I was daydreaming, I would write out Redskins mock schedules for the upcoming season and I would just doodle them every day. Like it would be like, on September 12th, we're going to play whoever, you know, And I, and I just go through.

And I'd always try to see if I was right when the schedule came out. And as I got older, the release of the schedule is twofold now.

It's, it's the excitement of seeing the schedule, but it's also like my schedule now gets released because as I'm sure you know, as you get older, you have a family, kids, job, all those kind of things. It's not necessarily easy to navigate the NFL schedule to make sure that you're where you need to be to watch the games every week.

It is, it is work you have to put in. You have to plan ahead. You have to do a lot of paying it forward.

And, you know, if you're smart and you can kind of figure it out, but you got it, you got to be ready. So like May 14th of this past year, the schedule come out.

And the one thing I was cringing about and rooting against is I love holiday games, but I do not like when the, my team plays on the holiday because it just, it Throws everything into chaos. And I was like, you know what? The Commanders were good last year.

They're in the championship game, we're gonna get scheduled for Thanksgiving or Christmas or something. And boom, that schedule comes out and you see it right away, it was Cowboys Commanders, Christmas day, noon Central time.

And I was like, that is terrible because for me, because that is.

We go to my in laws and that is basically every year when things start, you know, we get there, we have lunch right around noon and then, you know, the whole afternoon is Christmas, family stuff. And I was like, oh. So back in May I started stressing about it and figuring, you know what? Oh boy, how are we going to handle this?

How are we going to handle this? And my mother in law is fantastic. She is, first of all, another supporter of the podcast, by the way, that I, that I have brought along. That's Nancy.

You can say hello to Nancy. She asks about you all the time.

Thanks for watching Nancy.

All right, so she's, she's wonderful, but it's also her day, you know, so I don't want to, you know, I'm wary of how, you know, I've had to play this pretty tight over the years and you know, this one really was, was making me nervous. So the way it turns out though, Darren is.

And this is the very rare instance now where I truly, in this particular game, I don't care now that they are where they are and we're on QB3 and it's white flag time. There's almost nothing to be gained. And it doesn't mean anything to for Dallas either.

So, so now I'm in the mode of, ooh, this is brownie points time. Because when they, when I go over and somebody mentions the game, I can be like, oh, no, I'm fine.

No, no, no, this is, you know, let's focus on the kids. Let's.

But if, if Nancy and the rest of the family's watching, I think you just divulged your secret.

And now this is the, this is the problem, Darren. This is the problem. So this is because I yap too much. I'm a little afraid that I'm letting it out of that.

What I'm banking on is that this is a very busy week for my mother in law to get everything ready.

And I'm thinking that maybe she'll forget or skip this episode so that on Thursday when I am sitting in the chair in the living room, it's the first quarter of the game, but it's not on.

And we're just Opening presents and talking and having, having a grand time that, you know, all of that praise and maturity that everybody will think I'm displaying will roll all the way to me. And I can carry that over perhaps to next year. If we run into this issue again.

I'm going to make my first bold prediction of this episode. Your family's going to call BS on this when you, when you start doing this and you will be caught.

So that's.

That's my first prediction.

That's your two points. Two points right now. That's your first bold prediction.

Yeah, that's right.

All right, all right. So. But yes, it's funny because, so growing up now it's Christmas Eve in our family is my mom's thing. And that has been since I've been a little kid.

And so my mom can also attest to this, that now this is the first time in my lifetime, I think the first time in their franchise history, at least in the modern history, that Washington has played on Christmas Day. This has never happened before, but they have played on Christmas Eve multiple times.

And I have, especially as a kid and a teenager that was always very, oh boy, what do we do here?

Because like my mom wants to get things going like at 3 or 4 o' clock on Christmas Eve and then we got to go to church and if the game's at 3 o', clock, you know, how am I going to manage this? And when you're a kid, you're a little out of control of it, right? You're just kind of bound to whatever they do.

So my poor mother had to deal with this growing up and then now my mother in law is sucked in as well. But it will not be an issue this year because I have matured, Darren, and I know what Christmas is all about.

And that's where my, that is where, that is where my heart will be on Thursday.

I don't have those, those problems because my family's pretty good. They know I'm a, I'm a football addict and you know, I have to get my, my fix and watch the games. So they're pretty good at the holidays.

But I hope you don't suffer.

What I did went through last year because my team did play on Christmas Day last year and I had high expectations going in the Game only to watch Patrick Mahomes ruin. Ruin my holiday. And just.

I would prefer to not be distracted on Thanksgiving or Christmas or anything. I would. I want to do the family. That's what I want to do. And it's annoying to me if the. If the game is at that time because then.

Then you're like, torn. And so I. I know it. It ruins the holiday. It's almost like win or lose, it's, you know, because you're not. It's. It's just weird.

So I'm always rooting against it and I feel your pain from last year and I guess you don't have to worry about it about it this year.

But then you think about the team like the Cowboys, they had Thanksgiving, Christmas, maybe they'll be playing in the Rose bowl on New Year's Day. Who knows? Yeah. Really gonna happen, you know?

Yeah. That's. That.

Yeah.

So the cat. Yeah. I guess if you're a Cowboys or Lions fan, that's just part of your DNA in your life and everybody just knows, you know, that's kind of the deal.

And I guess you fold it into whatever you do.

But yeah, I'll be rooting against holiday and, you know, with us going to, you know, we're going to win four, maybe five games this year, we may be spared from the holiday schedule for next year, potentially. Hopefully this.

Yeah.

Yeah. So that's the one benefit of stinking is they. They avoid putting you in the primo slots the next year.

Yeah. You might not have to stay up Sunday nights or Monday nights next year. True.

Yeah.

I like Thursday nights. You will.

I like a balance this year. My favorite time slot because I think it's just because it got established this way as a kid, has always been the central time.

Again, the 3:25 Sunday. That's my favorite. That's when I wish we'd play all of our games because that feels big to me and I like that particular time slot.

But the Commanders this year went over two months without playing a noon central Sunday game because, you know, it was all Sunday night, Monday night, and you know, to the detriment of the rest of the league having to watch us because that was literally. That coincided with Their eight game losing streak. It was like those eight weeks were all in a row that we lost them all.

And they were all either 325 or at night or they were. The one game was in the morning in Madrid.

So it was weeks and weeks and weeks between early Sunday starts and next year, I have a feeling we're going to have a lot more of them.

Yeah, you probably will.

Well, looking back at the past, we won't go back and look at last year, but maybe we should look at last week and some of our results from our predictions last week.

Yeah, well, let's start. Let's start with you. And we'll start also talking about what was just. My goodness, Thursday.

Speaking of the schedule, Thursday nights this year have been off the charts. Good. It's got to be about the best year we've ever had with Thursday night games, which as we all know can sometimes be very lame and ugly.

And sometimes maybe she even questioned whether the package should exist.

I think Jeff Bezos is very happy.

That it's been fancy because these not, not just close games, but like good teams, riveting outcomes, just really fun games. And Sunday nights have been terrible, but Thursday nights have been great. And what a classic on Thursday night.

And we're both going to get two points for getting the Seahawks beating the Rams in that game. That's as close, that is as close to as it gets.

And you would have gotten a bonus point had the Seahawks clinched it with their defense, but they really didn't. I mean, their defense wasn't that great.

If you play fantasy, the kick return team is part of the defense. You know, that's true if you want to get technical, but just, I mean.

The two point conversion thing was wild. I mean, just crazy. And then the fact that it comes down to another two point conversion, final play of the game, just really exciting.

I will say this. We both had the Seahawks. The Rams are better than the Seahawks. And I felt that way watching that entire game.

The better team is the Rams, but it didn't, you know, better team doesn't always win. And now the Seahawks are a couple wins away from winning that division.

Yeah, it's very interesting. It's something to watch these next two weeks because it's a three horse race now in that division and any one of them could take it.

So it's pretty cool.

And then so skipping along to another, the next game on the schedule that was amazing is you're going to get two points and I'm going to get zero because Darren, my goodness, Talk about nailing the Packers Bears outcome. Because not only did you say that the Bears would win, you said that Caleb would lead them to a late win.

And that is, you know, from your lips to God's ears, that's exactly what happened.

I, I, I have to tell you, I was a little bit nervous because what was there like three minutes left and the Bears were down by 10. I'm like going, oh, this is, this is not going well for, for my pick here.

And the, to have the, everything fall in place like it did, that was kind of cool.

They are, they are identical almost in terms of this, you know, these crazy endings all going the Bears way, some of which are self propelled by, you know, making huge plays or taking advantage of good fortune. And a lot of it is sometimes just good for, I mean, obviously covering an onside kick.

Dobbs has to, has to muff the onside kick or none of it happens, right? If he just falls on it like we see, you know, nine out of 10 times in the NF, well then the game is over.

And the, the, the, the tying score never happens, the winning score never happens. But it did. And so massive credit to a guy that I gave some heck to. Early in the year, Caleb has gotten way better.

And talk about money late there, he was great at the end, he was fantastic.

Especially all his stud receivers are on the bench in the blue tent.

You know, he didn't have a particularly good game. But you know what, that almost in some ways makes it more impressive to me because that's what you need in the league, right?

If you've got, if you get, trying to figure out if you got the guy at quarterback, right? We're all, every team's trying to figure it out. You know, is this the guy? Is this the guy?

And if you can kind of struggle and it's not a great night, but when you got to have it, you know, fourth down overtime and he dropped dimes, that, that touchdown pass in overtime.

Is oh my gosh, yeah, spectacular.

I mean that is an incredible throw. So credit.

You know who else deserves a lot of credit because this dude was gassed is DJ Moore, I think is the first name, right? Yeah, that dude like the two minute warning, he was gassed.

I don't know if he had that one play, dropped it and you can just see his tongue's out of his mouth, he's panning, he can't, you know, he can't function, right? And for him to play the way he did the rest of that game too, to take in a couple of those key passes from Caleb was amazing.

Yeah. And it's not college, so rivalries only matter in the NFL when the games matter.

You know, if these two teams haven't played meaningful games in so long that I don't think the rivalry means much, to be perfectly honest.

But when you get this, when this happens and you get two games within a three week span where both teams are really good, fighting for the playoffs, really fighting for the super bowl, of course, fighting for the division on their way, both games go down to the wire, kind of chippy. It's. It's cold. Like this is how a rivalry gets rekindled and really starts to matter again because it doesn't take much.

And so now I feel like Bears, packers really matters again. And that's cool.

It mattered to the fans because there was a lot of back and forth in social media last week before that game. And yeah, it's good to see them both being, playing well and playing competitively.

Yep. So we'll go to another, another game where you're going to get one point.

You get, you came close to getting the full two, but you said the Patriots would beat the Ravens and they would hold them to 21 or fewer points. The Ravens had 24.

And the reason I didn't give you the two there was because it wasn't like, oh, it was a garbage touchdown late or something, you know, the Ravens sort of earned their 24 and wait, they probably should have scored more, to be perfectly honest. But you're going to get one for that because you got the Patriots part. Correct. And again, similar to Caleb.

Goodness may, my gosh, it's just really impressive. You know, he threw in, he threw a pick early. He had a fumble in the middle part of the game. That was a bad play.

But then when they needed it, you know, just that fourth down conversion was huge. And then the touchdown pass was just beautiful spot on. Leading them down the field. You know, special stuff from a second year guy. And the page.

That was a good, that was a good call by you because I kind of thought the Ravens were gonna, we're gonna beat them and bounce back. And that was a good, good bounce back for the Patriots off their loss to the Bills.

It might have been a different story. If Lamar doesn't run that, that quarterback draw that he ran and tweak his back.

I think that's the play he tweaked his back on, but he looked like he was wincing. In some major pain, even walking in the locker room when they showed him.

And honestly, I didn't think that they looked much different with Snoop Huntley out there. Lamar's not right. Something's not right.

And I don't know if it's injury or maybe it's because he's been injured so much and he's been in and out so much that there's not, you know, a synchronicity there between him and his receivers or some. Something's not right with Lamar because they don't look normal when. Even when he's in.

And then when Huntley came in, I didn't think they looked worse. The offense just kind of did what it had been doing. So it's been a very, very weird year for. For the Ravens, and it's probably going to end poorly.

I would think it was kind of bizarre.

Coach Harbaugh was asked, you know, why didn't he run Derek Henry a little bit more in the fourth quarter, you know, to take some clock off, get some yardage. You know, Patriots were getting banged up a little bit, you know, from him just punishing them. And his answer was, he was, yeah, you know what?

I probably should have, you know, or something to that effect. I'm like. I'm like going, really? And I get.

And I guess from some Ravens fans that I've been talking to, this is like the second or third time this year that that same situation has come up and people have asked, you know, why didn't you run Henry? So, you know, Coach Harbaugh maybe keep Henry running the ball.

Yeah, especially, you know, because their offense has struggled to move it through the air this year and they were having success with Henry. Yeah, it seems a little silly to get away from it that you're gonna get a zero. You had.

You thought the Todd Bowles profanity laced tirade last week after the game would fuel his team to a rebound win in Carolina. And he might want to try it again because it didn't, you know, it didn't work last week and that is like the eighth game in the row, I think.

I think it was seventh or eighth. I'll have to look it up that the Bucks have not covered the spread.

And again, that doesn't necessarily matter, but it kind of does because it means that you're consistently, you know, coming up short of even where the mean is, you know, on. On what people think. And so they just date after their really, really good start.

And it's funny because their offense is healthy now, healthier than they were early in the year. But they don't look very good. They don't look very good. Their defense really can't stop anybody.

That wasn't an overly impressive game from the Panthers. They just kind of showed up, made a couple plays. Bucks kind of couldn't get out of their own way. So you get, you get a zero on that one.

Yeah, I took that one on the chin.

And then another zero you're going to get. That kind of made me mad because I was rooting for you. I told you this last week was you had Rivers and the colts upsetting the 49ers.

And it's very rare that I get upset at watching a game that doesn't involve Washington. But I was getting mad at the Colts defense because they were robbing us all of this amazing story because Rivers was great. That was so fun to watch.

They're moving the ball.

He's, you know, they're doing a good job on the broadcast of explaining why, how he's moving the ball with his checks and all the pre snap stuff that he does and you know, sort of beating the 49ers almost exclusively with his brain because the dude can't throw the football. I mean, it's awful. It looks like, it looks like it takes four and a half minutes to get to the receiver every time he throws it. It's unbelievable.

And he can't move at all, like at all. I mean, he never really could, but now he really can.

So you have this quarterback who can't move and can't throw and he's moving the ball easily in an NFL game. So it's just like this amazing, crazy like Disney story.

I saw a picture of Purdy next to Rivers and somebody said this looks like a cheesy, cringy Disney plus movie where a father and son play each other in the Super Bowl. And it really was so. It was this fun moment. Rivers is kind of doing this Disney thing and the Colts defense just would not help at all.

Well, at one point was at the end of the third quarter, it was 27, 34 or something like that. Yeah, I thought maybe, okay, play some defense now. You know, Rivers will get you. Yeah, get that. Stop.

And you know, Colts get back in the game and yeah, they, they do not look like they play the way they play defense. The beginning of the year, the first eight games or so much better.

Oh, and, and yeah, that. So that was, that was disappointing because that they robbed us all of a cool story.

It would have been awesome had the game come down to, like, Rivers has one last drive or something. And, you know, that would have. That would have been really cool, but the. The Colts defense just wasn't going to allow it to happen, Unfortunately.

Credit the 49ers and Purdy. They were fantastic. Kyle Shanahan.

Goodness, man, the Shanahans, he and his dad, I think you can definitely argue, are the greatest minds in the history of the sport of football in terms of game planning. The run game, specifically, it is.

It's an.

It's. It's remarkable. It's unstoppable when they get going. And credit the Niners.

But that was very frustrating for the Colts to watch that and rob this hall of what would have been a cool story and robbed you of two points. So you're gonna get. You're gonna get zero there. That gives you five for the week and put you up at 72. So let's see how I did.

Well, we already know I got two zeros because I was opposite you. I'm sorry, one zero. I was opposite you with the packers, so we knew that was a zero. And I got the two for the Seahawks game that we mentioned.

So my other three picks. I said that the. The Eagles would beat the commanders by getting a stop late in the fourth quarter.

And if Mariota doesn't get hurt, I think there's a chance that we get there because we were winning that game 10 to 7 with four minutes left to go in the third quarter. So we were definitely hanging tough and hanging in there.

And then Mariota got hurt and it was wheels off from there and just, you know, so I get a zero on that. I'm also going to get a zero. I missed badly on this one. I really thought that Dak and the Cowboys would.

I thought they were going to beat the Chargers, and I kind of thought the fact that they got eliminated from the playoffs the day before would almost help because now it's like, oh, well, you know, there's no pressure, but they got smoked. They got. They got. They got smoked. Chargers are just way better. I should have seen that come in. That was a. That was a miss by me.

Chargers are just way, way better than Dallas. And they. And they. They ran up and down the field on them all day long.

I thought you might have a chance, though, because of the. The game that the Chargers just came off of the week before. You know, that was. That was. Took a lot out of you.

Them because that was an exciting game and, you know, maybe just a little bit of a downer, you know, coming into this game against Dallas. But you know they, they look pretty good.

That was my reasoning and you think it my age and all the years I've watched football that I would be smarter than to always rely on these weird anecdotal reasons for making my picks like oh, they traveled or they came off a hard fought win and or the coach went on a tirade, you know what I mean? Like all these different things. Sometimes maybe you just need to look at well who's better? Like, you know what I mean? It's, you know what?

The Herbert's, the Dallas defense isn't that good. Herbert's awesome. Harbaugh's career, they, his teams generally get better late in the year.

So maybe I should just look at things that actually matter when making my picks. Maybe that would help.

So that was a zero for me and I also got a zero for your boys because, and this is a good one to end on because oh my gosh, now I was rooting for the Lions because I made, I made the pick. And I also had some other picks and contests where I had the Lions. I have a bet that they're going to make the playoffs with someone.

So you know I had a lot of things going on, the reasons through for the Lions.

But goodness gracious, that offensive pass interference call on St. Brown, which I think was probably legitimate, boy, that robbed us of what would have been the most amazing final play in history.

Maybe I don't think it would have though. Okay, and hear me out of this.

First of all, Lions fans that are complaining that they called Opi, well they called it against Darnell Washington and took a Steelers touchdown off earlier in the game too. So they were calling pretty consistently all game.

But that last play, if there's no pass interference on St. Brown, if he catches that ball at the one yard line, he's driven back to the five before he flips it up. I would argue that the progress was stopped and he should have been stopped at the 1 yard line. Game would have been over anyway.

There's no argument. Darren, he was stopped. But that's what would have made it amazing is because the controversy that would, they didn't, they didn't blow the whistle.

So if they don't call Opi there, that's going to be a touchdown. Okay, they didn't blow the whistle so. And they even said it's a touchdown on the field but it's eliminated by the opi.

So that's what would have made it amazing is that would have been a touchdown and it would have Been crazy. And the Steelers fans would have been completely up in arms and rightfully so, because he is completely stopped. It is not a gray area.

That is, they always blow the whistle dead there. Okay. I almost wonder in that situation if one ref kind of thought the other ref blew the whistle, but that ref didn't blow the whistle.

It's almost like the rest thought the play was over, but nobody actually blew the whistle. Next thing you know, golf's flying into the end zone because the Steelers stopped too. So I, it's, it's a shame that the flags came out.

Not for you, of course, but it would have been such. It would have been lore. It would have been the play where the lateral and the no progress and it would have been.

It would have been like the Immaculate Reception. It would have been crazy, like the, the ending there. So. But I was wrong.

But, but I think that that pass interference on st. Brown was, there's no doubt about it, was offensive pass interference on that one. The one before that, a couple plays earlier, that one was a little, A little questionable.

Yeah, I think you got to call it because he extends his arm and it was Ramsey, right?

Yeah.

Okay. And Ramsey, whether he meant or not, does a good job of selling it because he kind of falls back.

So Ramsey going back coincides with St. Brown extending his arm, which, whether it is or not, certainly makes it look like it's opi. And so I think you kind of got to throw the flag there if you're the referee. I don't think that was a bad call. I think that was pretty good. I think.

I think it was, it was a fair ending that the, the, the Steelers played good defense on the play. All right? So they got the stop they, they earned. Because even if they don't call the opi, like you said, they actually did stop them short.

They should have called it for progress up. So there was, there was justice in the outcome.

But it stinks that it had to end with the yellow flag and you know, four and a half hour zebra conference before they figured out what the heck was going on. But that was. But, but, but, but it's funny though, because good, bad or indifferent moments like that are why people watch the NFL.

Okay, that, and that's what, you know, my whole family was sitting around and we're all kind of what's going on, you know, you know, everybody's sort of engaged at that moment and those kind of moments and calls and there's refs involved. Lateral. It's a flag. You know, that's that, that's cool. And it kind of keeps the NFL machine a churning with results like that.

That and a guy with blue tinsel hair.

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. So much. So much happening. So much happening. But that. That could wind up being problematic for the Steelers potentially. Maybe, maybe not.

They might be in the clear. We'll talk about that in a minute. But that gives me. I only scored two points for the week. Only earned two points for the week, which gives me 73.

Which again. So we're right back where we were, man. You've made up some ground again. So I've got one point difference, one point lead, 73 to 72.

And so now on to this holiday week of games. And I think it's your turn, right?

No, no, it's your. Your. Yeah. All right. Pick first.

Well, like I've mentioned many times, I'm also a big NBA fan and this is one week where it's going to be. And we're Thunder fans and they play on Christmas as well. And this is going to be one instance where I think the NBA might gain a few more viewers.

The NFL is still going to win the day, of course, but because these Christmas games are bad, all three of them are bad. You've got three third string quarterbacks starting on Christmas day in different games.

So all three games highlight at least one third string quarterback. You got Josh Johnson for the Commanders. You're gonna get Brosmer for the Vikings.

And I thought Mark, Mark Rippin was starting for the.

Oh, maybe he is. I. I don't know.

I thought they called him out of retirement.

Yeah.

Really?

Yeah, you might as well. He might as well.

So I think him and Johnson are the same age, aren't they?

Yeah. Really? Yeah. So you got Johnson at 39, starting for Washington, who can't play.

And then you've got Brosmer who's, you know, 19 or however how old he is and he can't play. And then, you know, Kim Olajuwon or Ludicron or whatever the kid's name is for the Chiefs is starting that night. And I don't know if he can.

Play or not, but you know, that's Olakum. He's a former Steeler Olakum.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay. So he's starting for the Chiefs. So my. I'm gonna make. So nothing is bold about picking any of the winners in those games.

But what I'm gonna do is I'm a package and I'm gonna say that it's gonna be chalk on Christmas Day. All three favorites Win. And all three favorites have handle their business fairly easily. That would be the Cowboys, the Lions and the Broncos.

So okay, all three got a hit in order for me to. To earn the points.

But okay, I'm packaging so how can you even earn a point?

No, probably not because. Because I'm. I'm making individuals.

You're all in on these three games for your two.

Yeah. Because individually none of these games are. They're the opposite of bold obviously picking against these quarterbacks.

So I figured all three got to go my way. Yeah.

That's all right. Interesting that that is bold. Definitely all three Y. It's hard to tell what's going to.

Happen once you see these guys play. You might not think it's so bold anymore.

Well, I stayed away from the Christmas games because I. I didn't like them and I. Like you said, I. I don't know that I'm even interested in them at all because there is nothing interesting going on with them. Right.

Unless you have a family member playing or something. But I did like a Saturday game in particular and I like the Texans and the Chargers game.

I think this one is even though they're not in the same division, they are playing for. For something that means something and matters and it, you know, whoever loses that, you know, they suffer a little bit.

Maybe they're not out of the playoffs but maybe it changes their pole position in the playoff brackets. And I like the Texans in this game because I think the Chargers. I'm going to probably go against everything you just said. Don't go by Fuel.

And Harbaugh has great. Think teams play well at the end of the season. But I think I believe in the Texans.

I love their pass rush, I love their defense and I think their offense is coming into its own a little bit. And the Chargers are still banged up a little bit. I take the Texans by 10 or more over the Chargers on Saturday.

That is crazy bold, Darren, because that's an under. You're picking the underdog to win the game by 10 or more. Wow. Okay. That's very. That's big. Okay. I would. I'm just totally flip a coin on that one. So.

I didn't, I didn't. I don't have it on my list. I. It's a great. It's a fun game and I think if I'm understanding correctly and I think it's really the only way to work.

The Texans are not out of the woods at all because. Because if they lose and the Colts beat the jags, then week 18 I think is Texans Colts for the playoff spot. So they are not.

They're only two results away from being on the edge. So like you said, I think both teams will be in. The Chargers win the division. So I think they're absolutely both going to go full throttle.

I still have a feel for it. I really don't. I don't. I don't. I'd probably flip a coin and say Chargers, but I don't really have a good feel for that game at all. So we'll see.

If you're right, I will move on to. Let's see here.

I'm going to Sunday and I think that Seattle coming off their win and they get the nice benefit of the extra rest and they, you know, sometimes that west to east travel, they're going to Carolina. People talk about that as being a negative, especially the early start. I don't think it's going to matter much.

I think Seattle goes into Carolina and rolls the Panthers by 10 or more because Seattle's nowhere close to even clinching the division yet. They've got to have it still. So I'm picking them to beat up on the Panthers, who I think are playing admirably, but also a little bit above their.

Above their heads.

All right. I like that pick. I also chose to look at that game real close and I also have the Seahawks winning the game.

But here's where I'm going to get my one point back on you because I think we're both going to win that game. But I'm saying the Seahawks are going to hold the Panthers to 20 points or less in this game.

Okay, Seahawks, 20 or less.

Okay. All right.

Well, we'll see which one of us is more right. Well, what happens if they win by 10 or more and hold them to 20 or less? Then I guess we both.

Both. Yeah, I guess we both have two.

All right.

If it's a 20 to 10 game or something, then, yeah, we both win.

Perfect. So this is one of those that I may or may not actually believe in, but I think it's fun and I think the Brown.

The Steelers are going to Ms. Mr. Metcalf on Sunday and they are going to lose in Cleveland to the Browns, who will always play the Steelers stuff. As you've mentioned many times, Steelers have been teetering a little bit, you know, on the edge a little bit. But I think the Browns get it done.

Now, what's interesting about that is it may or may not matter for the Steelers by the time the game kicks off, which is a little bit of a benefit to me because, you know, maybe it won't even matter by then and picking the Browns to win won't be that bold. But I'm saying that the Browns beat the Steelers on Sunday.

Okay, that's an interesting.

With no attachment, no caveats, no caveat.

Just straight up the underdog runs at home. All right, well, I'm going to talk about that in a second.

I didn't pick that game, but I'm going to comment on that in a second because what you talked about, you alluded to is the other Saturday game, which I did pick because this game may affect that Steelers Browns game I have the packers are going to put the Ravens out of playoff contention on Saturday. And, and I don't care which quarterback plays. It could be Jordan Love could be back. You know, he's in concussion protocol.

Malik Willis, you know, he's got a shoulder ACL sprain or something. You know, he could or could not play or they could have their third string guy that I don't even know if he's even on the roster right now.

Maybe he's pulling somebody out of the bleachers to play. But I think it doesn't matter. I think you, you've got called that a bunch of times. Something's wrong with the Ravens.

I don't think, I don't even know if Lamar is going to play or Huntley. You know, he's played well. But I think the packers are just a better team and that means more to them.

Right now, even though the Ravens are hanging by their, their toenails, I think they have a 7% chance of making a playoffs or some crazy number like that. It still could happen because they do play the Steelers in week week 18. But I think the packers win that game without any caveats.

But to comment on your game, I don't.

I'm not so sure that even after the packers eliminate the Ravens and it doesn't matter to the Steelers and Rogers doesn't play, I have a feeling Steelers are going to start. Will Howard, Ohio State's national champion quarterback from last year who did not play at all in a preseason, was injured most of the season.

During the preseason the Steelers haven't seen him except in practice. And I think they're going to get two opportunities against Cleveland and against Baltimore in games that don't matter to see what this guy can do.

I don't think Rudolph will start. I don't think.

I think they're going to mothball Rodgers till the playoff time and get him healthy and get some other guys healthy and they don't need dk. They got some other wide receivers. And I think Will Howard guides the Steelers to beat the Browns, but it's not one of my picks.

That's just my gut feel.

Gotcha. I would be surprised if they wind up starting Howard because they have to plan to start Rogers.

So as of Saturday afternoon, they have to still be planning to start Rodgers. And I think it'll be a little odd to then just be like, oh, sorry, Aaron, you're not playing tomorrow.

Now, that doesn't matter, you know, So I think, and I think there's a thing, you know, coaches always talk about, you know, reps versus rest and rust, rust versus rest.

And, and I, I, I wouldn't expect them to play him in week 18 if they're clinched, but sometimes sitting here for two weeks, especially because I think Rogers would probably ask them not to do that.

So my guess is that Rogers would at least start on Saturday, on Sunday, even if the game doesn't matter, then maybe they yank him, maybe they take him out early or something. But I'd be a little surprised if they just pulled the hook on it.

Even if the things go their way in Lambeau, which I tend to, by the way, I tend to, I tend to agree with you on that. I think the packers are gonna put Baltimore out of their misery, but I'm staying on Sunday.

I'm going to Sunday night, and I am going to say, God, let's just keep this going.

So Bears fans stand up and cheer because here comes another, Another pick of where me, I'm pigging against your team where I've been wrong literally pretty much all year long. So I am picking the Niners to beat the Bears by seven or more. I think the Bears, having clinched now, can relax a little bit.

It's not a massive game for them, obviously. They're still chasing the division.

They can still, you know, seating, but it's real, you know, in a lot of ways, the Bears have probably accomplished their goal. And it looks like the Niners are rolling now. I know they're kind of banged up. Kittle got hurt again.

But I think, you know, I've seen this Shanahan story before, right? When the 49ers kind of get moving. They got the division in their sights. They got Seattle in the last week of the season.

They can absolutely still win the division. So I think they're going to be all in Sunday night, and they're going to win that game relatively easily.

I, I also chose that game And I picked very similar to you. I said the Niners, they're going to roll the Bears because it means more to the Niners than it does to the Bears.

Even though they both would love to win it and you know, for they may meet in the playoffs and you know, a week or two after that game, you know, who knows. Or I guess more, more than a week.

But I, I but I do think the caveat I am going to put on this game is that the Niners are going to win it with some defense as they're going to produce three turnovers against the Bears offense who doesn't turn the ball over a whole lot. That's why it's a bold prediction.

Got it. Got it. All right. So my last pick of the week I'm going to Monday night.

This is maybe not crazy bold but I think the Rams are just going to completely take care of the Falcons. They're going to win that game by double digits. They're so much better than Atlanta and that's going to be a no brainer.

It's going to be over at halftime. McVeigh is going to have them ready and they will stay in the NFC west race with an easy Monday night victory.

All right. That definitely if our predictions hold up you have Seattle, the Rams and 49ers all winning.

That takes it down to week 18 and boy is that going to be some fireworks on that week. A lot of fun that happens. So that might be fun just for that effect.

As a fan I did not pick that game because it's a to me it's another yawner and I, I don't know it's I don't see an upset in there but I did go to another big boy pants game here. The Bills and the Eagles. This game means something to both these teams.

The Bills will host the Eagles in high mark one of the last regular season game. I think maybe in high marks team.

I'm not sure if they'll have any next year in that that one would be in the new high mark but it's going to be a defensive battle.

These teams are their offenses of been suspect at times but their defenses have really risen to the occasion when they had to and I think that's going to be really true this week as this might even be some say this may be a preview of the Super Bowl. The Bills and Eagles who knows you know they both, they both are capable of doing it but I think the Bills are going to win this game.

But I would bet the under on this game because there's going to be less than 44 points scored in this game. I think the, the under is the over. Under is like 40, 43 and a half to 45 and a half.

I safely think they will be under 44 points because of playing some strong.

D. Yep, I could see that. And again with the Eagles, they are very, they are very close to being locked into that three seed already. So I, I, I don't know.

Like, like I said, I don't know how much that matters. Meaning I don't think that they're necessarily going to give a worse effort because they're kind of locked into their spot.

So I don't think that's that big of a deal. But yeah, I think, I think you're about right. The Eagles offense has been so, well, I wouldn't even say inconsistent.

It's just been bad, you know, so. And the Bills defense has not been particularly good. They struggled to slow the Browns down for a lot of the game last week.

So that's, you know, if the Bills, if the Eagles are not able to move the ball on Sunday in Buffalo, then it really starts to illustrate their problems on offense and, but I would tend to agree. I think it's probably going to be a lower scoring game. The Philly defense is really good and I kind of had a small lean to Buffalo winning as well.

So I don't oppose you on that one.

All right.

Well, it should be interesting not only for, for our picks and our, our interpersonal battle here for supremacy of bold predictions but, but for the NFL and what's going to happen in the playoffs and those last few lingering spots in the playoffs or pole position in the playoffs on both the AFC and NFC will definitely be helped to be determined this weekend and might shape up for a great week.

18 should be merry Christmas to you Darren.

Merry Christmas to you Ed and have a good one and we will talk to you next week.

See you.

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