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00:00A rivalry renewed on Sunday Night Football. Two beacons of the NFC that battled for conference
00:07championships in the 80s and the 90s with only one team back in the conference championship
00:14since 1995. It's the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys Joe on Sunday Night Football. It's
00:21where we truly begin our Football Friday here on the Early Line. A preview of every single game.
00:28All 14 on this NFL Sunday slate in week number eight with zero NFL teams having a bye during week
00:37eight. So there is the prestige, right? The rivalry renewed. Two huge brands in this sport
00:43and of course in the NFC as a conference. But Joe, this year in 2024 neither living up to its
00:51history. Dallas is just three and three. All three wins on the road. Good news for a road trip to
00:58Santa Clara but a four and a half point underdog. The Niners are a game below 500. They have been
01:05booked as a favorite in all seven. They are three and four both straight up and against the spread.
01:11And of course this week started for San Francisco after suffering another setback in the Super Bowl
01:1758 rematch last week at home against the Chiefs with just more devastating injury news. Brennan
01:24Ayuk is out for this year with a torn ACL and MCL. Debo Samuel was hospitalized due to pneumonia.
01:32George Kittle is listed as day-to-day dealing with a foot sprain. Christian McCaffrey not going to
01:38return until at least after the bye week which comes next weekend. Jawan Jennings missed last
01:44Sunday's game against the Chiefs. The list goes on and on. So Joe where do you even start your breakdown
01:51for Sunday Night Football? Well you have to look about what a different Cowboys team is this year.
01:58And what I mean from that Ben is that usually we've seen the Cowboys at home dominate and on
02:05the road be extremely suspect. That's not the case this year. The Cowboys have been much better on the
02:12road than they have been at home. And you know conversely on the other side here with the 49ers
02:18outside of the early wins at home against who the Jets and the Patriots. Those teams are a combined
02:24three and eleven on the season. How am I supposed to be impressed with what the 49ers are doing
02:29at home in any way shape or form. The problem with the Cowboys is that they're allowing at least 28
02:35points per game. And most of that has been when they played at home. So if I'm the Cowboys there's
02:43got to be a little solace in going on the road here and not having to deal with the pressure
02:48of having to win. And Jerry Worlds here coming off the bye coming off an epic beat down 47 to 9
02:55against Detroit at home. The injuries concern me big time with the 49ers. Their record at home
03:03concerns me. The Cowboys record on the road if I was the 49ers concerns me. I think the Cowboys
03:10are getting points. I think that's that's a pretty good look in this spot here. And it's been
03:16profitable to back all season long when they're on the road like this. Yep certainly so Joe. Right
03:23now the Cowboys allowing 28 points per game with new D.C. Mike Zimmer it's second worst in the
03:30National Football League. Only the Panthers are worse. You never want to be in conversation with
03:35Carolina when comparing statistics throughout an NFL season. In the three years that Dan Quinn
03:41was the defensive coordinator in Dallas by himself 21 through 23 the Cowboys were a top 10 scoring
03:47offense each and every year allowing 21 points per game or less in all three. Joe if the Cowboys
03:55don't figure it out as Jerry Jones has laid out in his own radio show in the way that he has dealt
04:01with his deals with Mike McCarthy this team and his coaching staff they're all getting fired and
04:07it's going to happen rather soon. The good news for the Cowboys as you have shared they are a perfect
04:133-0 on the road this year. Two of those road victories outright as an underdog. And again
04:21there is so many questions about this 49ers offense and what Brock Purdy is going to be
04:26tasked with doing now that Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing are his top targets. Jordan Mason
04:33has been steady but again it is not going to be easy. And Joe the Niners still have the odds
04:39optimism but they are no longer the NFC Championship favorites but still favored to make
04:44the postseason. The one thing we give to Dallas even as they struggle to get back to an NFC
04:49Championship game hoping to see a title game for the first time in nearly three decades. They can
04:55win double-digit regular season games and get to the playoffs. That's a plus money price for the
05:00Cowboys to see the postseason now. Yeah well they they better show us something here Ben. I mean
05:06there's only so much you can do coming out of a bye but it better be better than what we've gotten
05:11thus far I'll tell you that. Yep it must be for Dallas. Will it be? Sunday Night Football is going
05:18to be a big one. Hour two is up next. Welcome to hour number two on a Football Friday live right
05:25here on the Early Line on Sports Grid. He is Joe Ranieri. I am Ben Stevens. We preview and break
05:30down and give you some picks for every single game on a Sunday slate that is our charge here on
05:37Football Fridays across the Spiz Grizz network. And Joe in week number eight that has already begun
05:44the Rams resurrect their season last night at home in Los Angeles. No team has a bye. Nobody is
05:51off this weekend. That means 14 games on Sunday. We will preview every single one by the time this
06:00show is done at 11 a.m eastern time. We'll continue to talk the World Series in game number one
06:06tonight in Los Angeles and a great college football weekend and a great Friday night. In fact Joe out
06:13in Sin City. Potentially the game that will dictate which group of five team could stay in
06:19the running for one of those automatic bursts to the college football playoff. Huge huge games this
06:25week. College football week nine. Ben but you mix in a little World Series action. Some great NFL
06:34week eight storylines and we have got ourselves quite a Friday heading into this weekend to go
06:40over. Yes we certainly do. So let's start as we continue to break down every game on the NFL
06:47Sunday slate. All 14. Some changing game times for a couple of these contests. A really good one
06:55in Cincinnati. Impactful for both teams. Both trying to trend in a positive direction. The
07:01Eagles are two games above 500 but don't feel great about where they stand. The Bengals have
07:08won three of their last four after a winless 0 and 3 starts. Cincinnati just trying to get back
07:14to an even 500. Then maybe more winning ways to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth in the AFC.
07:21The Bengals are a two and a half point favorite. Total is 47 and a half. This game time Joe was
07:28swapped to the early window to accommodate what we hoped would have been one versus two.
07:34Kayla Williams and the Bears and Jaden Daniels and the Commanders. We'll talk about that game
07:38in just a moment. With the focus on this one in Cincinnati. The Bengals lay in less than a field
07:44goal at home. How do you feel about it? Yeah well I don't feel great about Philadelphia
07:52offensively here Ben. After I think what Jalen Hurts. I think the Eagles had 78 net passing yards
07:59in that win over the Giants last week. We were at this point a week ago and when we did our
08:05our picks at the end Ben. I had said the under in that Eagles game because I didn't know where the
08:11the offense was coming from. Certainly from the Giants and I and I did not know where it was
08:15coming from. The Eagles who lost their best offensive lineman. The guy who protects their
08:20their tackle gone. They lost Dallas Goddard and now of course we know the numbers with Jalen
08:27Hurts without Dallas Goddard. It's a different ball game. This doesn't look like a very prolific
08:32offense to me from Philadelphia. Cincinnati that's a prolific offense and Joe Burrow is having one of
08:39the better years he has been simply because he's not putting the ball up for grabs. He's not putting
08:46the ball in harm's way. So that is great news for Cincinnati given their weapons. Cincinnati can
08:52score. I'm not there yet with the Philadelphia defense. I have no problem laying less than a
08:58touchdown. Cincinnati at home in a must-win situation. I do not trust this Eagles offense
09:04to put up enough points in order to compete toe-to-toe with Joe Burrow. Under in four or
09:10six games for the birds this year. Since the under into straight and rather comfortably under both of
09:17their pregame totals. Now you could argue is Lou Anarumo figuring things out for this Bengals
09:23defense as they go deeper and deeper into the year as his track record has been proven in Cincinnati
09:30or is it the competition? The Giants in the Browns last week in Cleveland after Deshaun Watson was
09:37injured and you saw Dorian Thompson Robinson the second year pro and Jameis Winston. I think both
09:44are fair, but the Bengals are just playing better football and Joe to your point about Joe Burrow
09:49playing at an MVP caliber level level, excuse me, if the Bengals can get back to having a winning
09:55record and be a playoff team. Nobody's really run away with MVP consideration. Keep an eye
10:02on Joe Burrow for sure. Jamar Chase has been huge this year. Same with T Higgins. I'm laying the
10:09number with the Bengals as well. And on paper, I would love to say, oh yeah, this game, each team's
10:15approaching 30. The Bengals win 3428. I don't really believe so. I didn't. The Bengals can
10:21score to your point. Still wonder about Philadelphia. The Eagles not great in the secondary
10:26look to Joe Burrow's numbers on Sunday. So this game was moved up. It's a really intriguing
10:32interconference matchup to move back another game that wanted to be in that late afternoon
10:39window on Sunday and everything was looking great. The commanders five and two, the bears four and two
10:46winners of three in a row, fresh off the by after a road trip to London. And then early in the opening
10:53half last week for Washington against Carolina in their fifth win of the season, Jaden Daniels
10:59injured a rib injury that of course sidelined him for the remainder of that game. Marcus Mariota,
11:04great by the way for the commanders more than 200 yards and two touchdowns as they cruise
11:09past the Panthers. We have not seen Jaden Daniels at practice yet. There are some reports that
11:15they're trying to get him back for today. So at least he can have a full practice before a walk
11:21through before this game on Sunday outside the nation's Capitol. I don't really remain convinced.
11:28So it's Caleb Williams, the number one overall pick and his Chicago bears more than likely against
11:34Marcus Mariota, a former top five pick, but not necessarily the number two overall selection
11:41from 2024 Jaden Daniels. This line open Joe in favor of Washington after Sunday, it was a point
11:48and a half in favor of Chicago as Daniel status was a little bit more murky throughout this week.
11:54It's now been two and a half, even up to that flat number of three in favor of the bears. So it
12:00might not be one versus two, but will Chicago win comfortably on the road as this line might be
12:05indicating? Yeah, well, I mean, the bears are healthier coming off of the buy. We don't know
12:14what Daniel's status is going to be, but I will say this. I mean, they brought in Marcus Mariota
12:20and yes, it was against the Panthers, but it didn't look like he had any sort of issues running
12:25their offense. Didn't look like they missed a beat at all there. So that's why you get yourself an
12:31experienced veteran backup in situations like this. So the bigger problem for me is the defensive
12:38injuries with Allen out on that defensive line of Washington. You know, they're going to try to run
12:44the ball. Washington is not going to be able to run on this defense of Chicago. It's kind of hard
12:51not to look at Chicago. It's a game that I would wait until, of course, we understand what the
12:57status is with Daniels. But as of right now, if it's Mariota, I would have to look towards Chicago.
13:03And I can tell you this, if it is Mariota, you ain't getting it under a field goal. So you might
13:08as well, if you like Chicago, bet it now. Yeah, I would agree, Joe. And again, I do not believe
13:13that Jaden Daniels is going to play in this game. It's still one versus two. Mariota, the number two
13:19overall pick for the Titans back in 2015. Caleb Williams has been sensational as of late. Of
13:26course, Jaden Daniels, a historic start to his rookie season. Whether it's his injury, his uncertain
13:32timetable to return, or just Caleb playing so much better in this three-game win streak for Chicago.
13:39He is now only backed by 15 cents to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Of course,
13:44it is Caleb Williams as the preseason favorite to win this award. Four touchdown tosses, Joe,
13:51against Jacksonville two Sundays ago in London. The first time a rookie Bears quarterback has
13:58thrown for four touchdowns in a game in franchise history. Caleb Williams has nine touchdowns
14:04this year. He's got seven touchdowns to only one interception in the four Bears victory. His nine
14:11passing touchdowns already more through six games than their previous other two top 15 picks,
14:19Justin Fields and Mitchell Trubisky, in their rookie campaigns. Not saying it's a high bar
14:23to clear, but just saying that Caleb Williams has figured something out. And so to have the
14:28Andre Swift keep it on his numbers for Sunday against this commander's defense. Must win spots
14:35on the Sunday slate. We're looking at you, Aaron Rodgers, next. Live right here on this Football
14:41Friday on the Early Line on Sports Grid. Wouldn't you know it, it's another week and the Jets must
14:48win an NFL football game to keep their season afloat. But this one, Joe, I will just say they
14:56should absolutely win. Even last week, as a slight favorite on the road in the Steel City, did not
15:02feel like a great advantage for the New York Jets, despite Russell Wilson making his first start
15:07in a Pittsburgh uniform. The Steelers are a winning franchise. It is what they do. Two weeks ago in
15:13the monumental Monday night game against Buffalo, the Jets, even in their own home stadium, were a
15:19slight home underdog. So here they are, laying a touchdown on the road in Foxborough against a
15:26one-win Patriots team, who is one and six, has not covered in any of its six losses. Drake May has
15:33provided a spark, sure, but Gerard Mayo's calling out his team for not being tough enough. They're
15:39soft when it comes to defending the run. So this should be the one, right? This is the one the New
15:44York Jets win comfortably, right? Of course, right. We can just play on repeat, Ben, the last three
15:54weeks that we've been talking about the Jets, and we always say the same thing. Well, the Jets should
15:59win, right? I mean, the Jets, right? No, no, not. Yeah, no, the Jets should win. But we have absolutely
16:06zero confidence in actually laying a touchdown with the Jets. Why? Well, because they're averaging
16:13just 305 yards and 15 points a game in their last four, not to mention the defense has taken a step
16:20back since they fired their defensive-minded head coach just a few short weeks ago. So this is a
16:27mess. This is, yes, a game that they should win, Ben. They won this game back in week three, 24-3.
16:34Right. They put up 400 yards of offense. They held New England to just 139 yards of offense.
16:40You got a rookie quarterback there, Drake May, now under center. All signs point to the Jets
16:45winning this game rather easily, but it's the Jets, people. In no way, shape, or form am I
16:51laying a touchdown with the New York Jets in this game. They actively find ways to lose football
16:58games. It is what this Jets organization has done consistently. It's why they are riding a 13-year
17:04playoff drought. It is what Aaron Rodgers and the Jets have done throughout this season. Joe,
17:09I was really going to be interested in how many more times the New York Jets were booked as an
17:14underdog this year after the season opener. Of course, a slight underdog in San Francisco.
17:20They've been a dog just 13, or a favorite rather, just 13 times since the start of 2021 when former
17:27now head coach Robert Sala and Packers advisor became the head man of this New York Jets
17:34franchise. They've been booked as a favorite four times this year. They won in covered in their
17:38first two against the Titans, against these Patriots on a short week Thursday night football
17:44game. In their last two, including as more than a touchdown home favorite against Denver, they have
17:50lost outright. It has not ever been smooth sailing for New York. Perhaps this week is slightly
17:57different. And listen, the Patriots pulled off an upset nobody saw coming in week number one
18:02against the Bengals winning outright as a seven and a half point underdog. They forced OT in the
18:07home opener week two against Seattle to earn a push as a three point closing dog against the
18:14Seahawks. From there, they have not covered now in five consecutive games. The Patriots are who
18:19we thought they would be one of, if not the worst team in the National Football League.
18:25And Joe, this, if you remember the pick six is why I was so adamant about the New York Jets.
18:30Devante Adams doesn't block. He's not responsible for keeping Aaron Rodgers upright. It has been
18:35sacked 11 times in these last three games was sacked only five times in their first three games
18:41of the year. He doesn't kick field goals, which has been a huge issue for the New York Jets. And
18:46with all the burden and responsibility on the defensive side of the football, because the
18:51offense has struggled, Devante Adams isn't out there stopping the run or playing in the secondary.
18:56He can only make a positive impact to the overall offensive production. So go out there and score
19:01points. Don't get blanked in the second half by the Steelers. I'll be at Pittsburgh, the second
19:06best scoring defense in the National Football League. So here are the props for Sunday against
19:12the Patriots defense that again was called out for being soft by rookie head coach Gerard Mayo.
19:19The number that I care about more, Joe, not Aaron Rodgers, who has the second most pass attempts of
19:24all quarterbacks in the NFL, only behind Gino Smith. It's not even Devante Adams and Garrett
19:29Wilson so much. Todd Downing, feed Brees Hall the football. Just do it. Give him the football.
19:35Give him touches. Have him go over 109 and a half scrimmage yards on Sunday.
19:41You should have mentioned this also, just to keep in mind. Whether or not this moves
19:47the needle, I don't know because nothing the Jets seem to do moves the needle here. But
19:52they will have Hasan Reddick reporting this week and in all likely. Also their starting
19:58cornerback DJ Reed also likely returning this week for the Jets. So defensively, I believe also
20:07their Michael Carter in the defensive backfield will also be there. So hopefully the Jets will
20:13get a little healthier on defense, making life very miserable for anybody on New England. Now,
20:19having said that, you're not winning if Hall does not go off. I'm sorry. If you haven't
20:24figured it out yet, you need the Brees Hall to have himself a game. You've got to get him going.
20:30You got to get him going on the ground. He's got great hands and is very catchable out of
20:36the backfield. He can gain you yards that way. The offense needs to center around Brees Hall.
20:41How many times do we have to say it? And until you do that, nothing matters. So if they're going
20:46to win and win big, it's going to be because Brees Hall is going to go over that number this week.
20:5164 rushing yards or less in three of these four consecutive L's for New York. The Patriots,
20:59they're allowing 131 rushing yards per game, but a buck 85 in their last three on average.
21:04Tank Bigsby put up more than 100 last week in London against this very Patriots defense. Again,
21:10called out for being soft by Gerard Mayo. A couple of divisional duels that we will further discuss
21:16on the other side, Joe, but let's start here in Houston. The Texans, a home favorite against
21:22the Indianapolis Colts, lay in five and a half. Houston has not been a great favorite with C.J.
21:28Stroud. How do you see this game playing out? Yeah, no, he's not been a great favorite and
21:34Stroud is coming off of what? His worst game of the season so far. So he usually lights up
21:41indie and has a lot of success. I don't see why he won't be able to do that in this game either.
21:4786 yards last week in Green Bay and the Texans did take the Packers in Lambeau to the brink.
21:53Houston as a favorite with Stroud, 5-8-1 against the spread. That's really the only blemish. More
22:00around the NFL Sunday slate next. A couple of really big divisional games this weekend and
22:05of course one of the sad realities at any stage of an NFL season, but especially as we go deeper
22:11into the year, it's injuries starting to add up. We talked about San Francisco. Joe, if there's
22:17another spot that key offensive contributors are missing in a large way, it's in Tampa. The Bucks
22:23of course without Chris Godwin for the remainder of this year. He leads the NFL currently in the
22:28most receptions with 50 throughout this season. Mike Evans is going to be on the sideline for a
22:35few weeks as well. So here are the Bucks now at a 4-3 record tied alongside Atlanta for the top
22:44spot in the NFC South, but a couple of weeks ago in a short week Thursday night game, the Falcons
22:49taking advantage of miscues from the Buccaneers late to win in overtime 36-30. They have that
22:56direct tiebreaker. Can the Bucks get the Dirty Birds back as a two and a half point home favorite
23:01this week in Tampa? Yeah, man, I was at this Tampa Baltimore game Monday night in Tampa and
23:09if I didn't see it with my own eyes, this defense of Tampa is horrific, especially in the secondary
23:18and they lost both of their starting cornerbacks too. Jameel Dean and Tyreek Smith are out.
23:25The backups were terrible. They made Lamar Jackson look like Joe Montana. It was absolutely
23:32out of control, not to mention that when you lose Godwin and Evans, whatever you think you saw
23:40in the first meeting between these two teams, that is not the same Bucks team that you are going to
23:45get in this game without Godwin and Evans. The minute Evans went down, you could see the shift
23:52in the Buccaneers offense. When Godwin went down in that game when it was already out of way,
23:57it was completely over the top. They can still run the ball a little bit, the Bucks, but you cannot
24:04overcome Godwin and Evans in a game where you're in all likelihood going to have to score a ton
24:10of points to keep up with Atlanta. Why? Because your secondary is trash. If he threw for 509
24:16cousins the first time against you, I shudder to think what they're going to be able to throw
24:21against him in this one. Tampa's in rough shape right now. 45 and a half the total. The highest
24:27receiving yards prop for this depleted Buccaneers core is the tight end, Kate Otten at 45 and a half.
24:35Another divisional duel on Sunday in that afternoon window. The Chiefs, the only undefeated
24:41team left in the NFL, a perfect six and oh, a nine and a half point favorite against the Raiders. Of
24:47course, Antonio Pierce has circled this game often. He has said it is pet. Who is that? Is that
24:55Aiden O'Connell? Is that Derek Carr on the graphic? Just needed to see. That's a good question. Aiden
24:59O'Connell, who's not of course going to play in this game. Gardner Minshew is going to be the
25:03starting quarterback for Las Vegas. Antonio Pierce has made a lot about the Jordan rules,
25:10like the Pistons beating up the Bulls back in the day. That's what they're going to try to do
25:15to Mahomes. Good luck. The Raiders are a train wreck this year. And although the Chiefs haven't
25:20been overly impressive offensively and Mahomes has six touchdowns to eight interceptions,
25:26still somehow, someway Joe Casey is a perfect six and oh, a favorite in all six. They've covered in
25:32five. Yeah. Uh, but this is, this just is not, it's this flat spot central here for the Kansas
25:40City, uh, Chiefs. And quite honestly, let's be realistic. Uh, they get, you have a much better
25:46chance of winning anything with Gardner Minshew than you do with Aiden O'Connell who ended up
25:51breaking his thumb. So he'll be out. Uh, I do think it's a slight upgrade to get Minshew back
25:56under center. That's not saying much, but this is not a great spot historically for Mahomes and
26:02Kansas City. They are just one 10 and one against the number in their last 12 when they're a road
26:08favorite of more than four, Ben following a, a win. And that's exactly what Kansas City is in
26:15this particular spot. It's a super flat spot, not to mention, uh, you're coming off of the game
26:21against the 49ers, the rematch of the Superbowl. Uh, no way do I trust Kansas City I to, to win
26:29and cover in this game. This is the kind of game. The Raiders will give them all they can handle.
26:35Uh, of course it was Antonio Pierce leading Las Vegas to arrowhead on Christmas day and pulling
26:40off a huge upset with interim head coach, Antonio Pierce. The Raiders will seven, one and one
26:46against the spread winning five of those nine games with permanent head coach, Antonio Pierce.
26:52They are just two and five, both outright wins as a dog, only one cover in their five losses.
27:00We shall see, but again, not a great spot for Kansas City. Not sure how many points we get
27:05either as the chief defense is leading the way 41 and a half is that total plenty of football Friday
27:13remains. We'll hit them all with Mike fluid who joins us here on the other side of the break
27:19on the early line on sports. It would not be a football Friday without the one,
27:25the only Mike Bluett live right here on the early line on sports grid. He and Joe
27:30host NFL football in game live game day, starting Sunday at 1. P.m. Eastern time up until 4 25
27:38PM Eastern that early window into the very start of the late afternoon as well. So Mike
27:44blew it. We appreciate the time. Always appreciate the insight on this football Friday. Good to be
27:50here with you. Excited to have Joe back in the saddle with me this week after a week off,
27:55but it is going to be obviously a week in which we have a lot of funky interconference matchups.
28:02You guys were already talking about the number of quarterbacks that will be out. One quarterback
28:08obviously returning, which will be a big part of the news this week, but excited to get into it.
28:14Yeah, let's go into the one blew it in Seattle. The Seahawks at four and three, the only team
28:20with a winning record right now in the NFC West at the top, but all three other teams,
28:26the Niners, now the Rams and the Cardinals trail by just a game at three and four. The Seahawks
28:32started three, you know, lost three straight pull off the upset last week in Atlanta. The Buffalo
28:37bills looking pretty good here as of late a five and two football team and a three point road
28:44favorite in the Northwest. Mike blew it. How do you break it down? We talked about this a few
28:49weeks ago when the bills were three, you know, we said this next month will really have prove a lot
28:56as to who the bills might be. Now they've got through the next four games at two and two and
29:00Seattle. If they get through those five games going three and two and they end up at six and
29:05two, that's a hell of a start to the season for the bills. Now it's obviously a lot of travel
29:11for them, but what I keep landing on is the Seahawks have hit the game total over in eight
29:18of the last 10 games. I think we have all watched Seattle struggle at times defensively, Gino and
29:26the Seattle passing offense first in the league, still not comfortable with them being up there,
29:31even though they're taking a hit with DK Metcalf being out this week. Maybe they finally turn to
29:36the run more than they have been in previous weeks. These teams ranked 20th and 21st in the
29:42league and yards allowed in the bills have scored last in their four or five away games. The reason
29:49I bring that up is because even last week you had an opportunity with the Titans down up, excuse me,
29:5610, nothing for you to get the bills at a shorter number. I like this game a lot for the bills to
30:02bet it live, but if you're going to bet it right now, I think you go with the over. I don't think
30:07these teams are going to be able to stop each other enough. I don't love the ball. I mean,
30:13you got to hate the spot for Jacksonville here picking up their second win across the pond last
30:19week. Now they spent two weeks there, a better part of two and a half weeks there really. And
30:24now they've got to come home and take on a green Bay Packers team that in all likelihood might
30:28should be able to name their score here. But we got to keep in mind too, this is AFC NFC. This,
30:35this game is not do or die for green Bay in any way, shape or form. So how do you approach it?
30:41Totally. These first three games that we're talking about are these interconference matchups.
30:46The team can play very often and you don't have a sense of how they'll play one another.
30:51Uh, in some ways the win over the Patriots feels like a stay of execution perhaps for
30:57Doug Peterson and the Jags. But I think what I like about this game is green Bay getting on top
31:05early. It's just the way that their office has functioned. Joe, they've covered the first quarter
31:10spread in 10 of their last 11 away games. So even on the road outside of Lambeau, they get out to
31:16early leads. And in the first half green Bay scores 14.9 points per game. It's one of the
31:23highest in the league. The Jags have the third worst scoring defense in the first half in the
31:28league. So give me green Bay minus two and a half in the first half and over 13 and a half for their
31:35point total in the first half. We don't even have to account for the spread. I think green
31:40Bay scores enough points early for you to be able to clear these bets. The Packers have won three
31:46straight. They covered in their first two booked as a favorite in all three of these consecutive
31:51wins. This line was four and a half yesterday in favor of the Packers on the road in Duval feels
31:58like it should have been higher than that should be near a touchdown. Now it's only three and a
32:02half feels a little bit fishy, but we shall see how it plays out on Sunday. If I were to tell you
32:09both that on Monday night football in the nightcap out in the desert, the chargers allowed only 17
32:14points and Justin Herbert threw for nearly 350 50 yards. You would have probably asked how much
32:21of the chargers win by but that's not bolts football. They lost on the road 17 to 15 to Arizona
32:27as a slight road favorite total though of 44 and a half the highest of the year for LA did stay
32:34under which leads us blew it to Sunday in so far the chargers more than a touchdown favorite
32:41against New Orleans Spencer Rattler returns for his third consecutive start for the Saints total
32:47at 40 and a half. It is a large number in favor of Los Angeles. Do you believe the chargers play
32:54a solid enough game to cover? This is too many points for me and to your to you talking about
33:03Monday night football been there's this bad red zone execution really terrible red zone execution
33:08a couple of 27 yard field goals a couple of 38 yard field goals five field goals in the game.
33:14They just couldn't punch it in and I suspect the law of averages will have them doing better than
33:20that. But I don't like this as a spread simply because the total is 40. So we're going to get a
33:27effectively what was the way the Thursday night game played out the last time for the Saints
33:33which was like a 26 to 3 game for a lot of that second half a low scoring blowout. That's what a
33:4140 and a half total and a seven and a half spread would have to amount to and that's just not a
33:47profitable spot for me. I wouldn't lay the points here. I do think it's a low scoring game the way
33:53the chargers play the way the Saints offense is functioning. The chargers are the lowest scoring
33:58team in the second half of games in the entire league. It's averaging just five point seven
34:03points a game. The Saints just eight point three in the second half. I think you can take a bunch
34:08of unders here. I'm on the second half under 20 and a half. You can find it out there. I just think
34:14it's a bleed the clock kind of second half of the chargers have a lead. They'll give it to Dobbins
34:20and run out the clock. And I just don't think the Saints have enough firepower on the road for this
34:24one. All right. So we got one game blew it in which the tank is on apparently for the Tennessee
34:31Titans Detroit sitting five and one Tennessee one and five. And by the way I don't think Tennessee
34:36is top 300 yards of offense in any game yet this year. Now they got to take on Detroit. No D hop
34:43anymore. Well no anything anymore for Tennessee is the tank on here. I mean was it was it any better
34:50when he was there. Joe you and I watched it every Sunday. This is lettuce is the most entertaining
34:57player in the league when he's in there and we can't get him in there right now. And Hopkins is
35:02gone. So eleven and a half is a ton of points especially after a really good emotional couple
35:10of wins in a row. But I think this is what you have to start thinking about the lines. We're
35:14not accustomed to thinking this. It's taking years for us to break this. They're one of the
35:19elite offenses in the NFL. So can they run it up to get eleven and a half. I really don't think this
35:28is going to be close. This is a ton of points being laid. There's a few double digit spreads
35:33this week. This would be the one I'd be most comfortable to lay. But I think you could just
35:38isolate the Lions and get their point totals. I don't know if Tennessee is getting the stops.
35:42But what do you have to be mindful of if it's a blowout. How much do the Lions keep pushing. I
35:47know Campbell is not afraid to keep his foot on the gas. But for this one I think you just
35:53take the Lions points over. When you look at Detroit they are a five and one football team.
35:59They have covered in all five victories with Dan Campbell in the fighting knee in the biting knee
36:05caps era for this Lions organization. Since the start of 2021 they are 42 and 18 against the
36:13spread now. That is a cover percentage of exactly 70 percent. They are the only team in the National
36:19Football League in the last three and a half years about that has covered in more than 62 percent
36:24of their games. And they are at a 70 percent hit rate at this moment. Detroit is the best team in
36:32the NFC in my estimation. The odds makers have booked them as the favorite to win the conference
36:37crown. Plenty more with quarterback changes coming your way next. Live right here on this
36:43football Friday on the early line on SportsGrid. It's Joe Ranieri. It's Mike Blewett. And it's
36:49myself Ben Stevens. Mike when we look at a couple of the games this week we've got some quarterbacks
36:54stepping back up and in. First and foremost it is the expected return of Tuatunga-Wailoa on Sunday
37:03for the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins now a four and a half point favorite live on the
37:08FanDuel Sportsbook hosting the Arizona Cardinals in South Florida. This of course will be Tua's
37:14first game since he was bounced in the third quarter of week number two with his third
37:19documented concussion in the last two plus seasons for Miami against the Buffalo Bills.
37:26It is a good sign to see Tuatunga-Wailoa back on the football field. Some of us might question
37:32the decision. It was Tua, his family and the medical staff alone for Miami that were the ones
37:38to make this call and we do anticipate his return on Sunday. So Blewett what can we expect out of
37:45Tua now back at the helm of this Dolphins offense? I think most of us would expect there to be some
37:51level of rust there but I have no other reason to think that the offense won't be better than it has
37:59been the last several weeks with him on the sidelines. You're right about it's not really up
38:05to us to decide what he does and doesn't do and we can feel however we feel about it but he's out
38:10there playing so we're going to cover the games as is. They've really struggled to get the ball
38:15in the hands of their playmakers like Hill and Waddle. Tua has shown to be excellent at that in
38:21the past while Arizona's pass rush has been a little bit better in the last few weeks. I think
38:28Tua having an opportunity to go up against a team like this that does not rush the passer
38:33well overall is as soft a landing as we could possibly see. So I expect Tua to I expect them
38:42to give him a bunch of easy ones. I wouldn't be surprised if he's over his play his passing
38:47touchdown prop just one and a half and I think you're gonna I think they're gonna feed Tyreek
38:54Hill in the same way that we saw the Vikings come out of the gate last night with Justin Jefferson
38:58and hitting him early and often. I think you'll look for plays like that to get the ball in
39:03Tyreek's hands and try and spark this offense. So we got a car crash which is now sidelined
39:12Andy Dalton who sprained his thumb in that car crash. Wow. Which means Bryce Young is getting
39:18back under center here for the Carolina Panthers. Does any of it mean anything? Maybe that little
39:24time on the bench blew it worth back in Carolina as this is starting to creep up to double digits
39:30by the way. Bo Nicks laying double digits at home. Something you're running to the window with?
39:37Yeah I think this Andy Dalton's car crash isn't the only one that we're gonna see this week. This
39:42whole thing is a car crash. We have to watch it every week because they can't get into the end
39:48zone. So the problem Joe is that what's Denver's offense been? Nice explosion against the Saints
39:56but this is not Bo Nicks driving the ball downfield every week. It's just not that's not
40:01what it is and laying nine and a half points is rough. I think you can take the Panthers unders.
40:09I think you can count on that. I have no expectation for Bryce to come out here and be
40:14yeah for this to be a rebirth. I just don't. It isn't all his fault but what do we have to believe
40:23that the Panthers are consistently going to put the ball in the end zone? Andy Dalton got blown
40:28out too. Yes he was better than Bryce and will be better than Bryce when he's back in but they got
40:34blown out a few times too while he was in there. So I think laying the points is difficult for me
40:40here but what has been money is these Panthers unders when Bryce is under center. I did think
40:49at some point that Bryce Young would come back into the starting quarterback role for the Panthers
40:54this year. Did I think it would happen via injury entering week eight? Not necessarily and I do not
41:00believe it is a good spot to instill that confidence that was clearly lost from the
41:05number one overall pick in 2023 to welcome him back to the NFL. You see the numbers there.
41:11It's dreadful. He has thrown for less than 200 passing yards in 11 of his last 12 starts
41:17for Carolina including both of them this year and who does he face on Sunday? Not a run-of-the-mill
41:25defense. The Broncos are the third best scoring in total defense in the NFL. They rank top five
41:30in passing defense allowing less than 175 yards per game. They also get after the quarterback.
41:37They've got 28 sacks the second most in the National Football League only behind the Giants.
41:43Welcome back Bryce. We wish you the best of luck in oh yeah Carolina 5-17-2 against the spread
41:51as an underdog in all 24 games since the start of last year. Familiar foes blew it on Sunday. AFC
41:59North divisional rivalry as the Browns welcome in the hottest team in the NFL, the Ravens,
42:04riding a five-game win streak but a new quarterback and play caller for Cleveland.
42:09Nine and a half points spread in favor of the road team in a divisional game. Normally that would be
42:16pause alone. Not sure it necessarily is. Deshaun Watson out for the remainder of this year. Jamis
42:22Winston now named the new starting quarterback for the Browns. Ken Dorsey takes over offensive
42:28play calling duties from Kevin Stefanski. Will it make an even small amount of difference for
42:34Cleveland on Sunday? I don't think so. I think the Ravens are really found their groove now.
42:42The Raiders game, you have to take advantage of the market when you have a fluky game like
42:48what happened with the Ravens and the Raiders and I think for these last four or five weeks
42:54the Ravens lines have been suppressed because people were assuming them to be a different team
43:01coming into the new year. You know they lost to the Chiefs by a toe out of the back of the end zone
43:05and the Raiders game was fluky. They've been blowing people out since. The offense looked
43:09spectacular the other night against the Bucks. Like Joe you saw it in person you said and
43:16Lamar was fantastic just for everybody. There are still people out there that like to doubt Lamar
43:22and say well it's really more of a running thing. He was brilliant passing football. There's no other
43:27way to say it. Five touchdown passes, placing balls over people's shoulders into the end zone.
43:33Lamar is absolutely firmly in the MVP race and I expect them to get after it offensively again.
43:41But to your point Ben, eight and a half is a lot. I think this is a really interesting live
43:46betting opportunity. If you get the Browns a score early, you jump all over the Ravens if
43:51it gets under a touchdown. It's what I did the other night. Listen, Jameis Winston will be nothing
43:56if not fun at the very least on Sunday. Sunday Night Football with Mike Blewett next. Sunday Night
44:02Football in Santa Clara. From a brand perspective, from an old school rivalry perspective, a great
44:10game from both teams playing football this year. We'll see if it lives up to its billing. Mike
44:17Blewett here for a third consecutive segment on this Football Friday. Blew the 49ers four and a
44:22half point favorite on Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. Boy oh boy do these
44:27two teams wage wars for conference championships back in the 80s and the 90s. Will the Niners last
44:34Super Bowl? 1994. The Cowboys last Super Bowl? 1995. At least the Niners have been to the NFC
44:42championship game and a Super Bowl since that last Lombardi in 94. The Cowboys have not and
44:50this year blew it. Normally we give the Dallas Cowboys the benefit of the doubt. Hey they're
44:54going to win double-digit games. They'll contend for a divisional title. They'll probably make the
44:58postseason. The Cowboys are three and three. Winless at home. All three victories away from the star.
45:05The Niners are a game below 500 at three and four and the injury rows continue to stack up
45:12offensively for San Francisco. So how do you break down this football game on Sunday night?
45:18So we talked about it last week with the Chiefs and the Niners and there is a world in which
45:28look there's a lot of people that are continuously going to doubt Brock Purdy. I am not one of those
45:32people. However when things are uncomfortable for him the way they were last week we get that kind
45:37of result. Niners are all kinds of banged up. Everybody knows now Iuke has gone for the year.
45:43But for a team like the Cowboys that is also banged up and not getting much pressure on the
45:48quarterback without Lawrence and Parsons in the lineup I like Purdy to be able to be a lot more
45:54comfortable this week and get it done. I like his over on passing touchdowns over one and a half.
46:01I think that four and a half is always a tricky number. I would definitely take the Niners live
46:07if the Cowboys get up early. But I think the Niners come away with this with a touchdown
46:12victory. I like the Niners a lot in this spot to bounce back bounce back at home and take care of
46:19the Cowboys. Well we just watched the Rams win last night finally healthy. Does that mean looking
46:27ahead here if Dallas loses are we sticking a fork in the future market for them and are we back in
46:33the 49ers to get it done. Yeah pretty interesting. I the Niners. This is not unusual for the Niners
46:42to get off to a bad start. We've seen them make the Super Bowl after bad starts and like with
46:48Jimmy G close out the season 10 and 2 to get to the Super Bowl. So this is not the first time
46:55they've gotten off to a bad start. It is obviously different with McCaffrey still sidelined and now
47:01I got for the year. But what we've always liked about this team is their depth their ability to
47:08be able to create with some reserve players like Jordan Mason Mason Isaac Garendo
47:14and we'll see if Ricky Pearsall can step up with I in IOOC absence. But I would not. I do think the
47:21Niners still win this their division. Ben mentioned earlier they're not currently not first place
47:27and the Cowboys. Yeah I think you have to have start having some hearty conversations about the
47:31Cowboys. The Rams discussion about can Stafford be on the move or Cup be on the move. That was kind
47:36of surprising to me. I don't think that does not feel like a Sean McVay less need move to bail in
47:42the middle of the season like that. And I don't think they will now. Two wins in the last five
47:47days for LA. Two teams that also got off to pretty slow starts. One dreadful. It was an 0-3 beginning
47:54for the Bengals blew it. They've won three of their last four. The Eagles are four and two
47:59but not feeling great about where they stand as a true Super Bowl or perhaps NFC championship
48:06contender to Cincy. We go Bengals a two and a half point home favorite on Sunday afternoon.
48:11What do you like in this matchup? I don't like anything about this matchup. This is like the
48:15ultimate. The books just laid it out as you would stamp it out at any other game two and a half
48:22forty seven and a half. We're not sure if it's going to be high scoring low scoring. We're not
48:27sure who's going to win. So take your pick. These teams are playing horrible football games by the
48:32way for the Eagles are the worst thing to watch maybe in the entire league. Shout out to the
48:37Titans. But the Eagles are right there behind them. And I really don't know what to do with
48:42this one. I am leaning to the Bengals because I think their offense is probably the strongest
48:47unit on the field of the four. But even the last two weeks against the Giants and the Browns
48:53they haven't been that great. They scored a touchdown opening kickoff and got shut out the
48:57rest of that half. It was a pretty pathetic performance for them even though the Browns
49:02defense does bring it Ben. Yeah the Bengals have been better defensively but again you could argue
49:08competition being the G-Men and the Browns. Mike Blewett we will see you on Sunday. NFL football
49:14in-game live game day starts at 1 p.m. Eastern alongside server day. Hour three of football
49:20Friday for us is up next.