 Positive news keeps pouring in from Cincinnati regarding Damar Hamlin will update you there and the NFL officially announced Bill's Bengals week 17 not going to be made up. There's some ramifications, polarizing consequences to talk about and we will get the perspective of Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay and his take on the situation and they won an only Rob Gronkowski. Everybody ready? Let's do it. Okay, let's do this guys. We received some incredible and positive news this morning courtesy of our very own Shams NBA insider moving over to the NFL here a blessing. The breathing tube is out of Damar Hamlin as of this morning and he's begun talking to Buffalo Bill's teammates again. Hamlin has had a breathing tube in body through his throat since Monday night but no longer needs it and can breathe fully on his own and of course that means he's not totally out of the woods but the love for three keeps pouring out and that we hope to get more continuous positive updates each and every minute and it's all been so beautiful and so encouraging and just shows you and thank you to the doctors and the first responders. I almost feel bad. Do we not know the first responders that were on the field's names yet? Are they not being honored in some way more deeply than calling them first responders? Of course what they are continued thanks to them and everyone's efforts as we continue to keep Damar in our prayers and not lose sight of him as we prepare for week 18 which is a mess. It's a mess. It's true. Last night the NFL lengthy statement they announced Bill's bangles week 17 it's not going to be completed. They're not going to play and that's a decision because they could have made it and pushed everything aside so you have to think right there they decide this game better off not played we're gonna do something else and figure it out and there are a few scenarios in place to offset the impact of that game not being made up that game that has huge playoff implication so here we go. Neutral site scenarios for the AFC Buffalo and Kansas City both win or both tie in week 18. Buffalo versus Kansas City AFC Championship game would be at a neutral site scenario two is the Buffalo and KC both lose in week 18 and Baltimore wins their ties Buffalo and KC AFC Championship game would be at a neutral site there and scenario three again with a neutral site situation Buffalo and Kansas City both lose in week 18 and Cincinnati wins so that is what we are seeing right now as we look at some of these scenarios now additionally the game being declared a no contest meaning we're not playing this it's not happening it Ipso facto means that the bangles are AFC North champions follow me here that's what it means and however with this game this weekend in week 18 bangles Ravens if the Ravens win and the two play each other in the wild card round home field in that game is decided by a coin flip hmm because since the Ravens have beaten the bangles twice and the no contest prevents them from having a chance to win the AFC North title that is deemed fair by the competition committee that voted on this yesterday so there's a lot to impact now from what I've seen out of all the fans all the fans that are implicated cheaps fans bills fans bangles fans not really Ravens fans because they didn't actually have much negative that happened with them as they fight for you know their playoff lives here in week 18 even though they're not really fighting for anything it's sort of made uh no one's happy about this which if we're being honest can sort of be looked at as a positive sign for a compromise like mama's not happy nobody's happy nobody's really happy in this but I will say I do think it's fair to take issue with the NFL's decision to change the rules during the season despite extenuating circumstances there had to be some anticipation something in the rulebook and there is it exists this is happening a rule change right before the playoffs and it sets a dangerous precedent there is bias the NFL rulebook already has something to in place to account for this and you're looking at page a 78 under a section titled competitive policy for canceled games if a game is canceled a teams a team standing in its division or its conference uh like qualification is wild card in the playoffs or position in playoff seating shall be determined on the basis of its final record when necessary playoff tiebreaker shall be calculated according to per game average for all teams so while the competition committee did vote on this recent change bangles executive vice president Katie Blackburn recused herself from the vote that's what we're finding out this morning why would she do that well in hopes that the committee would come to a fair decision she told si this morning quote it is not appropriate to put teams in a position to vote for something that may introduce bias favor one team over another or impact their own situation when the vote takes place immediately before the playoffs so I'll tell you this the feeling in that organization this morning must be extreme frustration trying to do the right thing and having this be what's left on your plate and again I know chiefs and bills fans have a lot to complain about too but here's what I know about the bangles they're a team that highly regards the integrity of the NFL rule book historically Mike Brown represents this this team represents this they were as I understand it in talking to people around the team and doing my digging in Cincinnati throughout the week they were willing to uphold the rule it was originally laid out right they could decide to cancel the game knowing what the rules are they have no chance for a one seed no problem they understand they were willing to accept their fate as it's the rule and as it was the right thing to do and they've been doing the right thing all week the issue is changing the rule and facing all of the possible consequences with none of the potential positives of getting that number one seed or securing a home playoff game that's the sticky part the new rules like coin flip where did that come from and it has to be really frustrating and all teams got knocked around here the chiefs the bills like I said not really the Ravens uh and I also know the mindset for this team for week 18 and that locker room is not changing but they're you know there's rules being tweeted out by players like Joe Nixon this morning um but this team was a hundred percent going to give a hundred percent against the Ravens they know they have to pull their focus together and it's not about complaining here but it is about as I understand it and how I see it dangerous precedent and I understand the calls for action this morning by the Bengals to take this vote down if you take a look at this and we're just seeing this Jonathan Jones saying the Bengals are trying to whip up no votes from fellow NFL owners for the proposed postseason adjustments biggest issue for them possibly losing a home playoff game to the Ravens off a coin flip so this is something that's developing right now I guess that means that this vote that was voted on by the competition committee without Elizabeth Blackburn who did not want to inject further bias into a situation that's going to be unfair for everybody a little bit is still developing and could be voted down I think I know that that's what's going on I'm not quite sure so for that we bring in someone much smarter than I did discuss some of this let's welcome in Wall Street Journal sports column is Jason gay who I haven't talked to in years hi how are you last time I saw you last time I saw you were bringing me like a bopka or something from Brooklyn I I believed so I can't give you a bopka to get it today but I can promise you I don't know if I'm any smarter than you are on this thing it's incredibly complicated and you know I agree with what you said up top which is that it's one of those scenarios which everyone's disappointed in that might actually show that there's some degree of fairness here did they get it right though because it does feel and I know my bangle supporter does feel like the bangles got a little worse because none of the there's none of the hope like week 18 is all about the maybe what if we can get the onesy they I know said we're okay not getting the onesy that's fair that's in the rule book now you also can't secure a home playoff game that's BS no and that that's it's undeniable that you know they have suffered a little bit in this reconstruction here I mean I think that this is one of these situations where I think everyone's being asked to deliver a little bit of grace and we've seen grace of course from the bells and the bangles throughout this week and this is an extraordinary circumstance I would be willing to bet I mean almost in the way that we talk about the framing of constitution and so on that when that rule was written about a game being cancelled they imagined a scenario of like a weather cancellation or something like that like structurally wrong with stadium or something I don't think that they imagined this kind of thing and be it given that sort of you know once in a lifetime hopefully nature of this I don't imagine that there is a precedent being said here that will be terribly damning for the league did you do you think the NFL got it right and having them not play the game which seems like yes they do yes I mean I just don't think that you have you know every sort of resolution was going to be imperfect here I mean there was going to be no sort of formula anyone can come up with whatever way universally say like oh that's great let's do it this way obviously pushing a week to play this game even the fact that it had seating implications you know would have represented a degree of fairness to the bills and the bangles but also you know what about the other teams that are in the playoffs and I mean you know in a big picture here okay the fact that we're actually able to like lavish attention on the sort of picking in details of like playoff seating because tomorrow Hamlin is now you know about and speaking to teammates I mean I think that's an incredible blessing I mean I think we should be so happy that we're able to like get back into the down and dirty of like playoff complaining because this guy has made a remarkable recovery due to some extraordinary work by medical personnel and we continue to get more and more positive news about tomorrow it's great perspective by you and a good good non-answer by you as well our fine friend Jason Gaye here this morning you wrote a beautiful piece for the Wall Street Journal about what happened in Cincinnati of course on Monday night and it was a focus on what I loved which was the human side of the situation so what stood out from you from what you learned about Damar and about the league and about Buffalo in this piece well you cover the league much more closer than I do so you probably were quite familiar with Damar Hamlin and what he was for the bills I did not know a great deal about him at all you know I knew he was an injury or a placement early in the year who you know cracked into the starting lineup but here was a guy whose circumstance of course created this national moment of just agony I mean people watching this Monday night game this is a major game huge audience presumably and this thing happens and you know obviously the focus is upon his health and well-being and his safety and what's happening to the players on the field what's being decided about the game in real time and you know just the reporter part of me just thought well maybe there's something to step back and look at this individual and what his life story is up until this point because obviously this is going to be a defining moment in the way that people talk about Damar Hamlin what happened to Damar Hamlin what was he the what was the person up until this moment and what I found which is what a lot of people I presume casual fans and the like have found the last week is a rather exceptional guy who had this great life story going into this and really is kind of when you know again better than I do that you know the NFL we like to promote the stars and talk about the household names that bring the homes and stuff like that but the average player is much closer to Damar Hamlin they are the rank and file they are the sort of heart and soul elite guys who are trying to make teams and make contributions it may not be you know the mega deal type of players but they are the heartbeat of these teams and I don't say that you know analogy lightly I mean I feel like they players looked at what happened on that night and they saw themselves in him it's beautifully said and it's very true and I'm glad that that light and that optimism in him staying in Pittsburgh because you want to be a good role model for his brothers the stories from the you know the beat reporters in and out of his lock rooms covering this team his humble nature Mike Talman coming out and saying how proud he is of how hard he has worked to get where he is in the NFL and it all puts everything into perspective I I'd love your opinion on how you think the league and specifically Roger Goodell has handled it his visibility I feel like it's been a little bit low to speak Troy Vincent's really been taking care of stuff we've had a we had a clinical therapist on on the show and she said I asked her for what advice would you give commissioner on how to handle this and she said just listen listen to what's going on so maybe that's what he was doing all week listening and hearing all sides but we didn't hear from him till late yesterday what do you make of how he's covered this I mean I presume the calculation of a league putting Troy out in front of this was for first of all it's you know part of Troy's charge as a job but secondly he's a player you know he's a person who you know is coming to this not just from the league perspective but you know more deeply from the connection of a player and you could see in the emotional reaction that Troy had especially in those early press briefings that this hit how hard to hit him as well I I assume that's where that's coming from I found a little bit conspicuous that we did not hear from the commissioner early on we did hear yesterday as you said but I do feel like this is one of these things where again you know when these you know when leagues sit around and they talk about possibilities they don't really imagine this and that's you know honestly an aspect of this which is incredibly I don't know if it's undercovered but I think is an exceptional thing and I think hopefully will be sort of a moment in this country as you look at the actual medical preparation for what happened in this event that the people who jobs were you know to make sure to perform life-saving efforts were able to do so and do so in such an expeditious way that they literally saved this guy's life and you know I think back to like other things that have happened culturally where you know is this a moment okay where like people will look back upon like everyone remembers where they were when this happened and it actually changed the way that you know right down to use sports leagues that we have these availabilities here for people to make sure that this kind of thing you know is replicated that life-saving is replicated it's a very positive take from it moving forward not beyond it or forgetting about moving forward everyone wanted to write away pick at the NFL for how long it took to postpone this game why wasn't there something in place journal using your just what you know journalistically is that going to be something that's revisited given the better news about him or we on that are we gonna are we gonna have articles and conversations should I be preparing myself for that sure I mean you know there is actually there's been some writing this morning about I believe there's piece in the New York Times about talking to Joe Buck and you know what was the genesis of the you know announcing on the air about the five-minute you know get ready call and that was coming from you know information from the director of officiating and it didn't seem to miss or be coming from the league office which was the initial suspicion as you remember I mean I do feel like in watching in real time I genuinely say I did not expect this game to resume the body language anguish that was apparent on the faces of not just the bills but the bangles as well just seem to be to indicate that this was there was no possibility of coming back from this you know I do believe that the league you know has put itself in the position of they don't necessarily deserve the benefit of the doubt because of past action and some sort of you know perceived and legitimate insensitivity to player health and well-being and so I can understand where people were coming from with that sort of you know surge of anger that you saw in social media but but another part of that too is like not to be a psychologist but like that's such a sort of displaced trauma I mean people watching this at home were traumatized by it and you react to that and you want to put it sort of place that emotion and like you don't know what's going on with this guy you don't know what the actual situation is it looks extremely brave and you're reacting in the moment and lashing out and the league is a very very attractive target I understand where that's coming from it certainly is maybe you are a psychologist you're very pragmatic Jason you certainly are one last one for you I'm dying about this article entitled that you also wrote this week somehow revenge of the geezer quarterbacks Brady Rogers back from the brink what do you make of the fact quickly that in 2023 we might see a playoff game between these two yeah the week in the Bernie's Bowl it's incredible the two of them I mean we were writing their epitaphs mid-season I mean I know that the Buccaneers had a shot of winning that crazy bad division but the Packers were talking about let's play some Jordan Loftime let's put Rodgers on the bench you know we've gotten to this place now as you know chaotic as the last week has been for legitimate reasons nothing is more chaotic in football from a playing standpoint than the NFC I mean you know you got some good teams and they were Philly and yet the Niners of course but there's some vulnerability there that we've seen at a rookie quarterback in San Francisco's Philly's been you know losing a couple of games I don't know do you want to look across the field and see Aaron Rogers do you want to see Tom Brady basically a cliche at this point to say that kind of thing but it's true it's true I wouldn't feel terribly comfortable I don't I don't know who was scarier right now I think Aaron's scary worth and I'm like we have Grant coming on right after you and I'm not about to say the Bucs aren't going to be scary because they will be especially just with those two guys it's crazy I agree with you entirely about the Rodgers part of this especially because what is clear is that they have found some kind of fluidity with that personnel around him that they look like you know they played the first half of the season looking like they met in the parking lot 20 minutes before the game and now they look like they know what they're doing and that is terrifying they do I mean when they did this last time we went and went to see their defense I think was better than what they have now he had more options around him than some of these young guys catching the ball so we'll see how it shakes out but they have to beat the Lions and those Lions are not going to just roll over and let them walk over them so we'll see what happens in week 18 geysers I just want to like is Brady going to hit you up and be like excuse me revenge of the geyser quarterbacks Brady Rogers back from the bring check it out over at the Wall Street Journal we appreciate you in your insights Jason Gay thank you thanks for having me and good smart by you to not talk about Tom Brady poorly calling the geyser don't say anything else because this boy Rob Gronkowski joining us after this four times Super Bowl champ don't miss it the old world tight end the six foot seven three that an answer to say holy welcome holy I love that for Super Bowl rings the best tight end of all time I said it tweet me if you don't agree I'm sure you do one of the greatest players guy who likes to spike things he's his parents favorite child as we know I think he's coming to his life from his mother's house Rob Gronkowski hello okay how you doing every time I see those highlights it gets me excited again now don't do this yeah I know I know I'm already started I'm already tricky where you I'm doing it before you do it to me I don't want to do it I want to go ahead I was just saying I just got excited watching the highlights you know I'm gonna start watching more highlights I guess and the the the quotes are already out people Gronk's coming back he's thinking about it he's mulling it over now I'm sure you're just I imagine your heart is heavy this week we got to get into this Buffalo we have some positive news though and that's what we love we are getting incredible news that DeMar Hamlin's made some tremendous strides he's responsive he's communicating to doctors he was face timing with teammates which is amazing what has this week been like for you Gronk yes that is some tremendous news to hear that every single time I've been waking up this week I've actually been looking at the news to get an update I mean that's a brotherhood once you're in the NFL every single player if you're if you're an ex player or currently in the NFL you're all together you're all as one so that's definitely a brotherhood together so every morning I just been checking up on him hearing the updates and it's just really positive to hear that he's doing better every single day and then to hear the updates this morning as well that he talked to the team and that he's just improving on a daily basis tremendously it's just you know it's very lightning you know it's just good to hear that he's doing well and he's becoming closer close and closer every single day to a full full recovery and we're just praying every day that he does come to a full recovery and he can live life again to the fullest on how we dream still it's well said now the city of Buffalo they've gone through it not even this week but these past couple of months there's the mass shooting that was in May then this horrifying blizzard people losing their lives and then what happened with Damar Hamlin on the field it's been a lot and I've seen really incredible resilience from your perspective what are the people of Buffalo made of yes that's a coincidence that you just said all three of those things I actually was just talking with my friend who is currently in Buffalo my best friend and he actually just told me how Buffalo has been not just through this situation with the Buffalo Bells and Damar but also with the shooting that happened in Buffalo at the top supermarket and then also the snow storms where they couldn't get out and get to the games and what shows about Buffalo in this situation is how they come together in need for example this Damar Hamlin situation Buffalo has come together and they have ways over seven million dollars to his foundation and in fact I have not donated yet I've seen many players donate Tom donated all Buffalo have donated so I'm going to ask you what donation what's the price that I shall donate to his toy drive right after this on behalf of Fandall and myself oh my god I don't know off an atom show so when you let me know you give me a price everyone's between 2000 and $15,000 you give me a price in between there and I'm going to do that donation right after that $6,900 $6,900 is going to be the price that's what they're saying in my ear yeah that's amazing how strong Buffalo is and also during the snow storm what did Buffalo do they went to the players houses they brought their snow plows they brought their snow trucks and they shoveled and they brought their shovels and they shoveled they snow plowed the players out of the driveway so they can get to the airplane so they can go to Detroit where the game was rescheduled in a matter of you know eight hours and they had to adjust and they all came together it's just a reflection on how Buffalo is the Buffalo Bills is definitely the number one thing in all Buffalo that brings Buffalo all together and that's what's so great about it you know Bills fans they are great they all stick together especially in tough times like this especially through the last year so it just shows you know how awesome you know people from Buffalo really are it's beautifully said Buffalo completely behind you you know that area in and out I'm always surprised I think it was always a big storyline in my career of you playing there always it was always a she's got to go to Buffalo and when Buffalo started being competitive again like those storylines sort of wrote themselves and we talked about yeah go ahead yeah I mean I did really love the compete versus Buffalo because I do bring up that I got you know they passed on me in the draft but it's the people that weren't you know aren't there right now that were there before in that regime but I'm a Buffalo Bills fan now I'm not playing football anymore so Buffalo will always be in my roots for sure all my friends are Bills fans I mean I grew up cheering for the Bills if you talk to any other NFL player they're still their hometown you know they're always still cheering for their hometown where they grew up especially when they're done playing football you always want to do good versus them but when you're done playing you're a big fan so you know I still cheer for them especially you know with what's been going on the last six months it's just you know it's just bringing everyone closer together in Buffalo and it's just a good city that you know where it's hard work in blue collar people that stick together are you bummed that you never played there in a way for sure you know if that's a dream come true especially when you're a kid you definitely want you know you definitely want to play for your hometown team because that's a team that you're watching watching you know your whole time growing up I mean every time I was going to a game it was like man how great would that be if I played for the Buffalo Bills when I'm older it wasn't like you're oh I want to play for that team versus the Bills but growing up you know definitely wanted to you know be a Buffalo Bills player unfortunately things didn't go that way I mean I wouldn't change anything in my career there's there's no doubt about that but it would have been really really cool really cool if I did you know play for at least one year you and I mean you catching balls from Josh Allen would be pretty badass I'm just saying hey you never know I'm still young you know I got I got I got five more years okay that I could possibly come out of retirement oh here we go here here we go again you love it you love stirring it it's amazing okay Buffalo what you love never played for kind of bummed but you wouldn't change anything here they got a big game this weekend against the team you did play for and win so many rings with the Patriots you know for New England this one is win and in I would love to know because you have so much playoff and big game experience with Bill Belichick what specifically can you tell me that he does to get the best out of his teams in these situations I mean like from a game planning perspective I mean from a game planning perspective I mean he does such a great job it's like time at quarterback preparing every single week he does such a great job every week that nothing really changes when it comes to the playoff of a Super Bowl so this is kind of the same situation right here is that he prepares every single week to the fullest and you really can't put in more time than he does to get ready for whatever opponent they're playing for so I would just say that you know just the ante is up you know the ante is up more in this situation it's basically a playoff game for them if they win they're in if they lose they go home so therefore I mean he's definitely putting that emphasis on the table in the meeting rooms he's definitely talking about that that this is playoff football you know we got to bring everything they're going to bring out everything on offense they're going to come out with every single play that they can possibly come out with in order to win the game on defense they're going to come up with whatever scheme they can come up with in order to win the game so that's the different about the preparation is they're going to bring some things that you never seen before to the table and that's what he does when it comes to playoff time he gets a little bit more creative even though he prepares the same every week he just gets a little bit more creative on what to do and tries to throw off the defense of the offense on the other team it's going to take a hell of a lot of whatever you just said because we're going up against the team emotionally charged that has DeMar Hamlin's father telling them go play for my son that has him now FaceTiming the team and saying go get the win so it'll be a crazy game if we look at the wild card spots I'm going to tell you the teams okay the teams that are left in the AFC or the Steelers the Dolphins and the Patriots which you just mentioned who gets in oh sure Steelers, Dolphins, Katz I mean it's going to be a tough situation for the Patriots I mean the Bills I just saw what Josh Allen said it was a headline on actually Yahoo News it just popped up on my phone and he said they want to go out there and play for DeMar I mean that gives me chills right there my spine is just lighting up with chills I mean in a situation like that how can you not have juice how do you not want to go out and put up points and get that win for your teammate a one that has just happened in the past week so it's going to be tough for the Patriots so I'm going to have to go with the Pittsburgh Steelers you know they just been fighting the Miami Dolphins they tanked again I don't even know they got like their Thursday and quarterback I think playing this week they just haven't been playing complementary football they haven't been playing as a team they've lost like the last like five games in a row it's actually really weird how they've been winning and then losing three in a row then one five in a row then lost five in a row that's that's a really weird pattern I don't know what's going on in that building for that to happen and so I'm going to go with the Steelers you know Coach Tomlin always does such a great job he's never had a losing record so he's going to complete this year with another winning record and it would be pretty wild it'd be amazing I love it pretty wild I'm cheering for them and it was just so everyone that was an objective answer from Grant good analysis on the it has nothing to do with the Miami Miracle or any PTSD from that not even a little that is objective analysis from you yes and but you know I did play I don't even want to really bring this up but I did play for 11 years so whenever I say something really dumb or wrong around my family around my mom I do use that PTSD line once in a while they get that they're like don't say that and I'm like but mom it's just an excuse but I'm like mom but I just played I got hit in the head all the time she's like don't say that then it's just going to get worse if you do and I'm like but mom that's why I said that Gronk you're hilarious you're you're in Florida with your mom right now we're going to have her on next week it just didn't feel right to have her on with all this heavy stuff happening we wanted to get your perspective but we want your mom on what are you two doing in Florida this weekend yes we're just chilling we've been hanging out we've been talking I actually I can't even bring it up with what I've been showing her I've been showing her things I'm not allowed to bring it up actually yet I mean there's this really cool campaign that I have going on and I show her all all these clips of the campaign and she loved it I actually just shot another little two minute segment for Fox coming up this Sunday so I yes it's going to be a very great piece I was Bob what's that painter's name again Bob Ross is it yeah yes Bob Ross I was Bob Ross I put a wig on mustache everything so that's going to be on air for the pregame for Fox this weekend it's just going to be a great segment it talks about the playoffs so if you just check that out it's a cool little piece and we're just hanging out in the sun jumping in the pool swimming around she watched my dog for six days when I was on vacation so she actually owes me money for watching my dog because that's how awesome my dog is and how were the Christmas presents for your girlfriend yes they were real well everything went real well got her a nice gift also got my mom a nice gift but I don't want to stay it on air because I just don't want to you know put anyone else put anyone else down you know on what they gave their girlfriends and mothers because if I guess for that on point Gronk we love you we're going to watch you in a Bob Ross wig on Fox do not miss it and some sneaky little campaign he's working on I wonder what that is maybe we'll find out later enjoy I appreciate your perspective and Ghost Steelers apparently that's what I learned in this contest Ghost Steelers and hashtag buff a little strong it's amazing and thank you for that donation $6,900 towards your family coming up now it is and we're coming up with a break here and after that we'll get into more of the playoff picture we appreciate Gronk's time as always here on the show let's talk a little Lions here for the first time in franchise history they have 4,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in the same season well done fellas allies at Lambeau field Sunday night football Packers hosting those lines to finish up the regular season much on the line much focus on Aaron Rodgers and his Packers because they need to win there's some new energy around that team you saw Jason Gay talk about the geezer coming back that is Aaron Rodgers and what they looked like at the beginning of the season what they look like now rolling into week 18 action the 19 and one record at Lambeau in December in January that is under the stewardship of Matlock floor and Aaron Rodgers together we know though that the Lions aren't just gonna say okay great yeah we know how this goes it's December it's January no they have the chance to end the playoff hopes of the team in the quarterback that's tormented them and they get to say Vikings you couldn't get it done we got you this team has torched us both for decades don't worry Vikings you figure we got you we got this and by the way if the Seahawks lose to the Rams earlier in the day they can make their first trip to the post season in 2016 what's cooler going to the post season or keeping Aaron Rodgers on but I don't know it's a good argument I don't know let's bring in Matthew Hamilton for another edition of keeping it right here to that well uh I look like April O'Neill in honor of that code I'll help you get to the bottom of this unsolved mystery and uh going back to that first game the Lions did pick off Rodgers three times in that game all of them coming deep in Lions territory so it's a fair point from Packers fans to say you can't expect that to happen again but this this Lions offense is at a different level right now that it wasn't that first matchup as well they didn't have DJ Chark available that day they didn't have Jameson Williams and those who have made a huge difference but even without them when you go back and look at that game Jared Goff stepped up and made huge plays against his Packers defense I want to show you a couple of them from the deciding drive in the fourth quarter this was a third and six you see Khalif Raymond circled down there he's going to come in short motion and what that does is identifies the Packers coverage Jared Goff knows right now that they're in zone they're going to run a double post concept here with Khalif and with Amun Raal St. Brown and what stands out here is the anticipation from Jared Goff how quickly he identifies the coverage and the window that he's going to throw this ball into look at that Goff throws Amun Raal St. Brown has not even cleared the overhang defender and that ball is coming out of Jared Goff's hands he drills it in that window and Amun Raal is able to go to work after the catch you can really appreciate to hear from the end zone view watch where St. Brown is as Goff is releasing this ball he's not he's barely even on the screen at this point Goff's just going to throw right in the middle of those two circled Packers defenders and let St. Brown run to the spot you can't throw a better ball in that you can't anticipate a throw any better than that and St. Brown's able to take off of the field huge conversion on third down and it eventually leads us to this one a third in goal the lines rush out of the huddle in an empty set and what stands out here is Goff's ability to go through his progressions we saw that one the first read he wanted was there right away this one he looks to the flat first he sees quickly that it's not there he's going to continue going through his progressions he spots James Mitchell running across the end zone but he knows I can't drill this ball in right now because safety Darnell Savage is sitting there in the middle of the end zone I'm going to have to make a second window throw here so he's patient he waits for it hits Mitchell in that second window for the touchdown that is a beautiful throw a beautiful read and this is the stuff that Goff struggled with at times when he was with the Rams once that first progression was taken away being able to sit in that pocket and go through the rest of them and it's a credit the offensive line for the Lions for buying him time but it's also a credit to Jared Goff and the Lions organization for how they've developed him and continued his progression now the Lions are the fourth highest scoring offense in the NFL this season we love that we're giving Goff his love here on the show I mean this is their first time with the top five offense since way back in 2011 you think they can get it done and is there anything over at the old sports book that caught your eye I'll save my final prediction for the end of the show I do think they have a good chance but I do like they have Jamal Williams he's one rushing touchdown shy of Barry Sanders franchise record okay pretty incredible they have him plus 105 as an any time TV score I really like that I think the Lions are gonna put up some points in this game with what they have on offense as I mentioned before with shark and Jameson Williams back in the fold so I like Jameson I like Jamal Williams finishing off one of those drives with a touchdown did you just steal a k-maker from me is that was that cool I might have excuse me excuse me is that allowed am I wrong for saying if they're all in my ears saying say 6,900 and did he say he would donate 15,000 and I just cut it off at 69 yeah for the cost what are we doing who guided me in such a direction that has Conrad written all over it Conrad just goes Conrad goes you know he goes okay Conrad goes you know who said that and then Richard just said since when do you take guidance that's fair it's a fair point okay Hamilton great job by you and that was another can we do it again I'll do the Wednesday dance no you won't okay goodbye we'll be back because it's Friday here on the show we got k-makers for you heading into week 18 welcome back to the show last week's k-makers oh looky looky yeah Christian McCaffrey Travis Etienne but he never scores touchdowns and he did against the Texans and AJ Dillon oh man Twitter lit up wouldn't that happen three for three everybody cheers you need a player find the end zone you came to the right place I am a little April O'Neillish that's okay teenage mutant ninja turtle style here's who I think is going to score touchdowns this week I'm gonna Otomey Brown this thing up I'm gonna say Najee Najee against the Browns the foot issues very much documented by me when this show started they're clearly behind him he has scored three in the last four he's why they're making the post season oops I gave my prediction already and they got the Browns who've allowed the third most touchdowns to running backs this year George Kittle has been the biggest beneficiary of Brock Perdue's hot streak sorry Jimmy Garoppolo this that guy's gonna be on his t-shirt Brock is Kittle's highest touchdown total for an entire year is this it was six now he has scored five in the last three games alone so if he keeps it up against the Cardinals defense that has been shredded by tight ends all year I think he does I kind of like this flower look okay we're doing that and Isaiah Pacheco guys that's there we are he is the Raiders are gonna do everything they can to make sure who doesn't have a big game after he had four touchdowns Kelsey yeah hey they're gonna be focused on that from their first meeting in Kansas City what does that do plenty of opportunities for guys like this guy Isaiah Pacheco Pacheco he scored three times in the last six games so to recap I believe Naji Harris I believe Isaiah Pacheco and George Kittle will score a touchdown still to come Matt Hamilton I look at the weekend's biggest games and make our predictions Josh Allen Shaw McDermott smoked to the media yesterday for over 30 minutes and I think we have a bit of a clip is this from yesterday or from today this is from this morning I have not yet heard this let's see what Coach has to say and it was not a long interaction as you'd imagine with his situation but he made hand signals hand gestures right of he the thing that makes me laugh is is he did this to the guys you know right away he flexed he flexed he flexed all of them I guess and he's just got some staple things that they know him for and that he does and he made the heart heart symbol probably more than anything then he gave him a thumbs up so and then somewhere in the midst of that and it was a little bit hard to hear but he as you'd imagine he said he said I love you boys and of course I think I got the guys so thank you that is one relieved coach we got a heart we got the thumb we were looking for and we got one of these and I'm sure that'll be carried over into action against the Patriots this weekend lots of emotions for the Bills as they're thinking about their teammate in a game with some pretty significant implications on Sunday now if the Chiefs lose to the Raiders on Saturday a win over the Patriots Gibbs Buffalo the one seed in the AFC outright and they don't need to worry about any of the neutral site business a loss could drop the Bills to the three seed if the Bengals take care of business against the Ravens it would also mean that their bitter rivals in New England would be headed to the post season Hamilton I'm going to bring you in I don't think we have a couple minutes I'm sure I'm happy to see my time you got to love what you're seeing from coach there it's pretty incredible it really is and I think it's an update that we all needed to hear we've all you know we've been waiting all week for positive news these last couple of days it's been it's been such a beacon of positivity in what's been such a such a troubling week it's true now let's talk a little bit about this action there's some drama with how you know the rules got changed and competition committee we'll see if it sticks but for now we know what's going to happen where should we start when we come to making picks should we do pass dolphins or Steelers I think we got to start there that AFC Wildcard spot up for grabs those of the three teams available who do you think's getting in I want the Steelers to be in I'm going with them what a great story and the icing on the cake of killing the browns this weekend let's go I love that personally professionally all of that the Patriots lose the bills the Jets knock out the dolphins there's a cute storyline in and of itself but I love Mike Tomlin I love what he's doing I don't think he gets enough recognition for what this year was about growing you grow you win you get into the playoffs what and I gotta tell you the guy who I think is going to punch in to touch you on this week and I said it and came makers number 22 is really the reason and the catalyst for some of this Naji was dealing with a foot injury this season but through half way through the halfway point as you're seeing he was 34th in rushing Steelers were two and six since the buy we're his healthier third in the league in rushing Steelers were six and two in that time so the reason I believe in this team coming into the year was because of Naji and with him healthy again I gotta go all in what do you got I mean that full screen is just absolutely ridiculous and I'm with he's the driving force he's the engine that makes that thing go and I was gonna join you there I do think the Steelers are gonna win this weekend I was going to join you there but we got some breaking news this morning what that Mike White he's his broken ribs are not healing well he's out for that game against the Dolphins my guess they're starting Joe Flacco and while we still don't know exactly how the Dolphins quarterback situation is going to shake out if Teddy Burgwater is gonna be able to play that gives me I think the Dolphins I think with a week of preparation I think Mike McDaniel is going to find a way to game plan around this and get the Dolphins into the playoffs well that was really cute of you to not give me that breaking news in my ear this morning I really appreciate that I had to sit on it for my own purposes so selective producing I love it okay well there's that so now what should we do who's the Saturday night game maybe yeah let's go to Jags Titans who do you have winning the South oh my god okay well it's Josh jobs unless that has that changed is it Josh jobs still it's still Josh job Derek Henry I think is trending to play he missed last Thursday don't Thursday night finale with a hip even with Derek Henry it's just hard to imagine the Titans winning this game you lose six straight the Jags are on the up save one four or five these two teams are completely going in different directions just like you and my friendship after working on the show together so given that I gotta take the Jags what do you got and you know where I have to go with this pretty much by every measure Trevor Lawrence has been a top three quarterback over the second half this season and I think even if Derek Henry is able to give the Jaguar some issues which he really has in the past as we know yeah this Titans past defense ranks dead last in the league and I think Trevor Lawrence is going to be able to exploit that and finish off what's been a magical run for the Jaguars after week 11 the Titans were seven and three and the Jaguars were three and seven it's insane that we're at this point right now but I think the Jags get it done and win the division on Saturday night ooh and the funny part of this is Hamilton is a huge Jag supporter he has been ever you know since he started anything on Good Morning Football or NFL films years ago and the Tennessee Titans followed you on Twitter they did and I feel that I appreciate the support from them but I think it's I can't give them that support in return psychological warfare I think that's what it is all the talk in the NFC surrounding Green Bay and Detroit Seattle though has a real chance of making the playoffs as well they have to beat the Rams and then have the Lions beat the Packers on Sunday night football some Seattle fans are upset with how these games were scheduled what do you make of that quickly so I know like they're concerned because if the Seahawks win then the Lions are eliminated but the Seahawks also need the Lions to beat the Packers to get in so they're concerned the Lions will be playing you know full steam ahead I'm not worried about that the Lions Dan Campbell is not going to let his team just mail it in they're going to still bring it so quickly who do you think gets in Packers, Seahawks, Lions, who do you have I at one point said I'm not talking about the Packers on this program and then they look good their defense looks good I'm going to say I mean I almost injected frog venom into my veins because of how good the Packers look lately when I was down in Cabos I'm going to say they've won four straight they make it five and get in I think Shawn McVeigh is going to do Jared to go off a solid beat the Seahawks Yes I think the Lions take care of business against the Packers and the Lions are going to the playoffs the Lions are okay I'm changing my opinion I want I mean I want the Lions to go and I just don't know if the Goffins will be enough all right I got crimes to go solve see you later everybody stay safe and sending our prayers to Buffalo go kick New England's ass okay bye