 Welcome to the Adam show on a Wednesday. I don't know what day it is. Actually, we've got our lasters in a football game tomorrow. I do know that's a playoff picture stuff to go over four days left in 2022 and two weeks left in the NFL season. So we'll get you some beat reports giving you the best information, some weird quarterback changes going on to breaking news to start the show now. Adams, we are here on a Wednesday. I just found out as my wonderful producer just told me and we do have some breaking news to go over. I will be back in America on by Monday, hopefully at some point, but really grateful to everybody putting our show together with a couple of days left in the new year and some big stuff to go over. We've got some fun stuff in today's show, some cool graphics. I just saw on the zoom thing. So that'll be amazing, but let's get into some of this breaking news here. Washington commander and it is breaking and it is important. There's a lot of angles to this. The commanders come out and they say Carson Wentz is going to be the starter for this weekend's game against the Cleveland Browns and it's a headscratcher for me. I was talking to Jeremy Reeves about this. I don't want to get into the decision to bench Tyra Hineke last week, Ron Rivera coming out. He takes the microphone off the podium. He puts it on his shoulder. It's all very strange. So let's dig into it. It actually kicks off one of several things that I think we're underreacting to this week and it all started because of that benching, right? And it was during the loss to the Niners, Brock Purdy, lighting up what was a top five defense with this Washington squad. And then he said he made it to protect Hineke. So this then causes a quarterback controversy situation in NFL media circles. And let's take a first to listen to what coach Rivera said yesterday about what would go into the decision. Well, I just want to make sure I've got an opportunity to speak to everybody before I make a decision. I want to make sure I've got all the, you know, all the thoughts and ideas and concepts. And, you know, again, at the end of the day, the decision is going to be made based on what I believe is best for us going forward. I think gives us the best opportunity right now. That's what this is really about. What? What is going on here? So the change is very curious, given how much the guys in the locker room have rallied around Taylor Hineke also was not playing terribly. And this has been something going on all season long. The initial switch sparked such a turnaround for this team. You put Hineke in there. And you got guys coming to my show, Brandon Mars talking about Hineke. We got Joe Hayden talking about Hineke. Those, those are the quarterbacks they're picking out of nowhere to talk about on this program. But Rivera, one thing that we need to point out is that he said he didn't, he's not going to approach the decision on his own. He went before choosing to name whence the starter to the guys in the locker room. And I don't know this, but I can only assume that's going to be the, the captains, right? That's going to be the guys who, the Terry McLaurin's who run things, who know things. And that decision then is made with support, with player support for whence to take over the quarterback room and starting duties. So that's something to point because I, you know, if there's a knock on Carson Wentz is that he loses the locker room. He, you know, isn't the, the favorite of teammates, even though I think, you know, there's a lot of truths maybe to that and a lot of truth against that. But this is a decision that I think Ron Rivera smartly came out and got ahead of and said, I'm going to talk to the guys in the locker room. And, and you don't hear coaches do that often. And I think it's very specific because of this case. And I still don't, I don't quite get it. Hineke didn't play poorly against the Niners. He didn't light it up, but he was facing the number one defense in the NFL. And he was by far, not the big reason the commanders lose this game. If you look at the numbers, just the numbers, Hineke had one interception, right? But only Patrick Mahomes has had a better passer rating against this Niners defense over the last 10 weeks. Wentz also played well in garbage time. He did his thing as you can see. But I think what we're underreacting to is that we're obsessing with the quarterback controversy this week. And we're, you know, dissecting the words of Ron Rivera when really the problem isn't A or B. It's not Wentz and it's not Hineke. Both are playing pretty well for Washington. This team is built around defense. This team is built around a run game. It's what you think about and look, think about when you look at Ron Rivera. And we knew this coming into this year and they've ridden that top five defense to get here in contention for a playoff spot. You know, they lost to the Niners not because of Hineke, not because of Wentz, not because of a bench. They lost because they gave up 37 points. I got a combined 68 yards on 27 carries from their running backs. It is simply that simple. So I don't care if it's Hineke or if it's Wentz or if it's Joe Thysman back there at this point. If they're not better in those two areas, it's going to be really hard for them to pick up the wins. They got the Browns, then they got the Cowboys division rival to earn that playoff spot. So I'll say that. And also while I'm here, and maybe I'll pull in Matthew Hamilton for that. Do we have Hamilton? Hamilton, you and I were talking about this before the show. So I want you to, hey man, hey man, what's up? I want you to sort of get in here and talk about this with me. Wentz has a bad rap a little bit about a teammate. It's followed him through his career. And I'm a little excited. And I'm bummed for Hineke. I'm sorry, I'm moving one table. Bummed for Hineke, but excited that Wentz has a bit of an opportunity here because he is a narrative. He wants to rewrite it. And we can talk about what happened with the Eagles, of course, but then his leaving the Colts was kind of funny too. Yeah. He was pretty much made the scapegoat for what happened there down the stretch with the Colts collapsing against the Jaguars, missing the playoffs. We heard all those reports from unsighted sources basically pinning it all on him and how he lost the locker room and they didn't believe in him and all sorts of stories that came out. So I think it was kind of unfair. I didn't love that from the organization kind of kicking the guy on his way out the door, but it is kind of cool that Wentz has a chance to rewrite some of that stuff here. And maybe just thinking about this from Rivera's perspective, I think when you look at Carson Wentz and the body of work in his career, obviously there have been some down moments, but we've also seen the ability that he has and the potential. So maybe there's a feeling that while the floor might not be as solid as Heinekees, maybe the ceiling is a little bit higher. So if they don't get those things from the run game in defense, maybe he can elevate the other players around him a little bit more than Heinekees can. And I remember this specifically because we were working together on Good Morning Football and I would constantly say, and I love the Colts, but they did not lose that game to the Jags because of Carson Wentz. They lost that game because the defense could not do anything to stop the Jags, especially in that half of work. And then there was, you know, we just need a veteran. We need somebody that players respect and they bring in Matt Ryan and now look where the Colts are. So it's, you know, Carson Wentz, I probably sees that, feels that and sees this as what has to be a tremendous opportunity. And the key is defense and the run game. And the key also is the fact that Ron Rivera checked with his teammates before or before with his players before making the decision, right? Yeah, definitely. Because that says to me that there is support in that Washington locker room for Carson Wentz. And I'm with you. I think this is an exciting opportunity for him. And this could be a fun story here over these next couple of weeks, if he is able to rally and have a couple of good games and get Washington into the playoffs. Do you know what I'm going to do right now? I'm going to bid you adieu because I'm going to talk about your team that you grew up rooting for, the New York Giants, and how I think they should keep Daniel Jones. What? To blast for me. Listen, let's stay on the NFC East here and get real here. A team that doesn't know about their quarterback situation in Washington to a team that kind of has to feel good about what they've got. Yeah, they're coming off a loss. They don't have the playoffs clinched. I get it. They lose a heartbreaker to Minnesota on a 61-yard Greg Joseph field goal. But Dabel was asked after the game if there was anything his team could feel good about after the loss. Take it away. No, you never feel good after loss. You know, you always, you never feel good after loss. We get it, coach. We get it. But the Giants are still one win away from clinching a playoff spot. And I think everyone should feel good. You included Dabel. I'm going to be the Pollyanna here. I did my yoga this morning. I'm feeling all the things. I'm talking about chakras and all this stuff and intention. Your guy, Daniel Jones, played really well in that game. We've talked about this all year long, how he's been steady and he's made the most of what he has. And on Saturday, he did it still and consistently. This he might outside of maybe Chicago, who was a lesser impressive receiving core than this giant squad. No one. And Daniel Jones, they're beat up. He doesn't have weapons other than Saquon and he's still doing it. Look at what he did against the Vikings. He completed nearly three quarters of his passes. Okay. For three to 34 yards, Richie James and Isaiah Hodgins as his leading receivers. Are you kidding me? And in the process, he wills the Giants to a brilliant fourth quarter comeback. And it wasn't just the numbers. You cannot tell me that this two-point conversion of Daniel Bellinger. Let's take a look at this. It's in the fourth quarter to tie the game with just over two minutes to go. Are we joking? You cannot throw a better ball than that in a more clutch situation. I've been saying at the past month, every game from here on out is the biggest game in Daniel Jones's career. That's it. And even in a loss on Saturday, he's showing that he's the guy for this team going forward. He can't convince me otherwise right now. And it might be as simple as, well, what are their other options? What else can they do? But remember, and they got to figure out Saquon, for sure. But coming into the season, no one had playoff aspirations for this team. That was the goal of 2022. We need to reset that. We always need to think, as you end one year and go into the next year, what were you doing and thinking about in the beginning of the year? Beginning of the season, the only question we all want answered was, is Daniel Jones the guy? Is Daniel Jones the guy? And I think he's done enough to show that that's their answer and then he can be. And if he obviously solidifies the playoff spot, then that would be great. And finally, here's what we're really underreacting to. And this one I'm pretty passionate about because I don't think enough people are talking about this. The Steelers are still alive in the AFC playoff picture heading into week 17. Here's, it's going to take a miracle. It's going to take a little bit more than chakras and attentions to get this done. They need a lot of help. Take a look. Beat the Ravens and the Browns. Fine. Hard. Fine. Patriots beat the Dolphins in week 17. They need Seahawks to beat the Jets in week 17. The Bills got to take down the Patriots in week 18 and the Jets have to take down the Dolphins in week 18. Do-able, but it's a lot. There's about a 2% chance they can actually make it in right now, but that doesn't even matter. It doesn't matter. And let me explain why. The fact that this team has a pulse is nothing short of a miracle. Okay. And Tomlin deserves most of the credit here. They had a disastrous start to the season. They were two and six. Pittsburgh has now been five and two since the buy. And at seven and eight, Mike Tomlin has a legitimate chance that nobody thought was possible midway through the season. A legit shot to get his 16 straight years without a losing season. And even if it doesn't happen, right? And the more probable scenario unfolds and the Steelers miss out on the postseason dance, right? This stretch has still been so important. And I like that the importance has not been lost on their head coach. Pay close attention to Mike Tomlin here, miked up for Saturday night's game against the Raiders. Listen to this. We grew up tonight. We grew up tonight. We grew up tonight. We grew up tonight. That was the goal. That's what this season was about. Coach is telling you right there with what the season was. This is the young team. The grow up moments are so critical for Tomlin. He's rebuilding this team. The team is learning how to win. They're learning how to close out games, how to handle any of these situations. And to see a rookie quarterback and receiver connect for a game winning score in the final minutes beyond encouraging for Tomlin, for Steelers fans, don't underestimate the importance of growing from teachable moments and carrying positive vibes into the offseason. All is not lost. And regardless of what happens to playoff chances, this run that we've seen the second half of the season is critical to the success of this team and what's going to happen in the future. And it's exactly why Mike Tomlin is going to be in the Hall of Fame one day. He continues to succeed with every imaginal obstacle and how he does that will never cease to amaze me. All right. We got lots to talk about coming up on the show. Spell out your playoff picture. Maybe we'll do some predictions, some end of the year stuff. But also we've got Aaron Rodger smiling creepy in slow mo. Nobody needs to see that. Nobody needs to see that. It's finishing off the Revenge Tour by eliminating his original team, the Jets. It's fun. That happens this weekend. Jets can get bounced from the playoffs by the hands of a guy they didn't treat so well sometimes on his back pages and to get things started with those Jets taking on the Seahawks in Seattle this weekend. Let's welcome in a beat reporter for the New York Post, Brian Costello. You're not in charge of those back page headlines, are you? No, I'm not. Unfortunately, people think I am and I get a lot of relief for those. But yeah, no, it wasn't me that was killing Gino all those years. Listen, as a gal who appreciates a good pun, I love those headlines. It was part of my morning ritual when I lived in New York to see how the clever headlines on the back pages. But now this could be front page news if the Jets make it or get bounced. So let's get into it. Robert Sala announced Mike White. Mike F and White Costello has been cleared to play and is getting to the starting line. If the Jets are on a four game skid here, is it as simple as getting better quarterback play? No, it's not that simple. Okay, there's a lot wrong with this Jets team right now during this four game losing streak. The offensive line has really regressed. They haven't been able to run the ball at all. The defense has not been great. They've been good, but not great. They've given up some long drives and some critical drives in these games. So getting Mike White in there is going to help. He's obviously an upgrade from Zach Wilson right now. But the Jets have to do a lot of things better to win this game. I mean, Mike White is being tasked with being an absolute hero. It's a hero role trying to keep the Jets playoff chances alive here. What can you point to being around the team as much as you are as to why he's earned the trust and admiration of the locker room? Well, start off with he's played well when he's gotten the chance. You know, going back to last year against Cincinnati, he put up 405 yards and then this year when he got the chance he played well against Chicago and they won. They didn't win the games against Buffalo in Minnesota, but he played pretty well and then he showed the toughness in Buffalo. He you know, he has broken ribs and comes back into the game. That wins the respect of your teammates. And then he's just a really good guy. Okay. He's a guy you want to hang out with and you know, talk to him and he gets along with everybody. So that helps too. So he's just I think his combination is play is toughness and just his attitude has really endeared him to the locker room. How does he handle you guys pretty okay? Oh yeah, he's very good with the media. You know, he gets it and you know, he hasn't been he hasn't been on a bad page negatively yet. Okay, so we'll see that always changes things. We'll see how he handles that but so far has been pretty positive about Mike White, but he's he's just a good guy to talk to and you know, he's a likable guy. I had CJ Uzama on last week and he was telling me about Coach Salah and how Coach Salah sort of says, I'll take all the heat from the New York media. I'll take it all. Don't you worry about it? And do you feel like that's true? Yeah, I think that was evident. Okay, this year after week one, right? They the sky was falling. They lost to the Ravens and everybody was panicking. And Salah comes out and says he's keeping receipts. And all of a sudden, all the focus shifted to Robert Salah. And it was a move basically a Rex Ryan's playbook. Rex Ryan used to do that all the time he used here. And you know, I think the team appreciated that and they played well for him that week in Cleveland and won a miracle game. So I think Salah has done that at times when they lost in Buffalo a few weeks ago. Again, it could have been the sky is falling and Salah comes out and says, we'll see this team again. And I was like, oh, you know, yeah, yeah. So it was all about Salah. So he he does do a good job of that. Now, Robert Salah refuted a report this week that the Jets are expected to move on from Zach Wilson. But he said that he thinks that Zach Wilson Salah has a future in New York. Do you think Zach's played his last game as a Jets? It's a tough one. Okay, I go back and forth. I think the feeling was after Thursday night, yes, how could you put him back out there? But it's not that simple. You know, I don't know if they can trade Zach Wilson. Who's going to trade for him at this point? You're not going to get anything for them. Are they really going to cut them, you know, after two years? I don't know if they'll do that. So I think this is going to be decided in a lot of meetings after the season. There's going to be a lot of conversations from ownership all the way down. And then Joe Douglas has to see, can he get anything for him? If there's someone out there who's willing to give him a decent pick? And my decent, I mean, like fourth round, I think is the highest you could even speculate. Does he do that? But if it's a sixth round pick or a seventh round pick, do you move on? I just, I think they have a major decision to make here in January. It also depends on what Mike White does here the next few weeks. Is he viewed as the future of the steam? You know, he's a free agent, so they got to make decisions here. And so it doesn't work out in Joe Douglas. Who put his name on this quarterback? It was his entire confidence was on this guy's just okay. Yeah. I mean, Joe Douglas takes a hit here, but Joe Douglas also might have the offensive defensive rookies of the year on his resume. Yeah. Right. Yeah. His sauce gardener and Garrett Wilson have been great. Breeze Hall was great before he got injured. So he really has a home run draft class that he just took. So I think, you know, he's going to take a hit for Zach Wilson, but it's not going to be as bad as it would have been normally because of this rookie class, especially if Mike White pans out because then it's, you know, at least a bandit or a solution to what's been a problem for this Jets team. Now you covered Gino. You mentioned the Rex Ryan year. So let's go back in history here. Yeah. He had a bit of a rocky time with the New York Jets. What's the biggest difference that you've noticed in the version of him that we see with the Seahawks and what you've watched and what you sort of gathered versus what you had in that locker room day in, day out. Yeah. I think the turnovers is the biggest thing. I see Kenny's not turning the ball over like he used to when he was with the Jets. He had some good games and the talent was evident. He had a great arm. You could see it, but there would be games where he would just turn the ball over like crazy and, you know, he couldn't live with that. And the thing about Gino is he played on two very bad Jets teams when he was the starter. The last two years, the Rex Ryan era were not good roster wise. That third year would have been interesting because they got some talent. They brought in Brandon Marshall. They had some other guys. And then Gino gets his jaw broken in training camp and Fitz comes in and they go 10 and six. I would have loved to have seen Gino with that team and what he could have done. Oh yeah. I think he's matured. Okay. You know, I think he was immature when he's here. Clearly years have done him well and he's learned, you know, how to be a little bit better in the locker room, better teammate and it's showing in Seattle with what he's doing. From the New York Post, Brian Costello, I hope that you get this playoff run. It's been a while, huh? Been a long time, been a long time. Are you ready for that overtime? Are you in, are you in post game shape? Is your hand going to start hurting, cramping up? Come on then. It might. It's been a long time. Well, I appreciate you. Happy new year to you, Brian. And good luck to those Jets up against the Seahawks. The storylines certainly do right themselves. And let's move on now to the NFC side of things. And the Packers are super intriguing. They've come a long way. They had a five game losing streak. They were at three and six to start the season and then two games to go. Somehow, magically, their postseason hopes still alive and kicking. I said, maybe they should just take this dog behind the shed and kill it and shoot it. So the Packers fans don't have to suffer, but here we now bring in Matt Schneitman from the athletic. I really did say that. Like, do we want, do we want these fans to suffer? I don't know. You can never kill Aaron Rogers until he's actually dead. I mean, they were four and eight, leaving Philadelphia a little over a month ago. Now here they are seven and eight. And it seems like everyone in the NFL is like, Oh no, we better not let the Packers sneak in because what if this time they actually do beat the 49ers in the playoffs? So there's a lot on the table here. It's very realistic. You were talking about Washington. I think nobody is happier that Ron Rivera is starting Carson Wentz than Ron Rivera's fellow Cal grad Aaron Rogers because Packers need the commanders to lose one of two games if they want to have a realistic chance again to the playoffs. So it's realistic. Wow. The shots, the shots for God, Carson Wentz. I can't handle it. It's so outrageous. Okay, hold on. Let's, let's, let's start slow here, Matt. Let's start with an injury update because you're talking about other teams that we need to have. The Packers need to take care of business here. You got some banged up guys. You got a right tackle who's injured, Christian Watson. I'm hearing, I think Rogers told Pat McAfee that Bakhtiar is trending towards playing this weekend. What's going on? Who's, who's in? Who's out? Yeah, there's four huge ones to keep an eye on. First Bakhtiar, Rogers did tell Pat yesterday. He's trending toward playing Bakhtiar. He hasn't practiced in a month because he underwent an emergency appendectomy. I believe the Friday before they played the Bears in week 13 and has been recovering from that since when he's been in, he's been an all pro level left tackle. Obviously he hasn't been in consistently because of the knee injury kind of recovering from that ACL that he tore a couple of years ago. That's one to watch. Christian Watson left Sunday's game in Miami early with a hip injury. He's their number one wide receiver with all due respect to Alan Lazard, but Christian Watson is their biggest difference maker. He scored eight touchdowns, seven receiving, one rushing in a four game span from week 10 to 13. That'll be one to watch. Kieshawn Nixon is another one, probably the best kick returner in the NFL leads the league and kick return yards and yards per kick return had a 93 yard return. He left early with a groin injury, didn't return. And then the one you mentioned, Yash Neiman, they're starting right tackle who ranks top 10 in the league. ESPN analytics has a neat stat past block win rate and run block win rate. And he ranks top 10 among all offensive tackles in both of those. He left early with a shoulder injury, didn't return. Matt LaFleur said everyone's day to day they practice here in about two hours here in Green Bay. So we'll see if any of those guys are on the field. Now a lot has to go the Packers way and a lot had to go the Packers way against the Dolphins, including three late interceptions by two, a lot had to go right for them and wrong for the other team to get the win over Miami. And Matt LaFleur even said this week that it wasn't pretty. So how does Green Bay adjust to get a win over the NFC North champion Vikings? Yeah, they have to figure out a plan for Justin Jefferson. That's where it starts in week one when these two teams played in the Vikings one 23 seven. Jefferson had six catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. And then they held them to three catches for 26 yards in the second half. Similarly, against the Dolphins, Jalen Waddell and Tyree Kil went off in the first half. And then the Packers came up with three interceptions, no points allowed in the second half. Matt LaFleur said this week after Jerry Gray, their 60 year old defensive backs coach, cursed out the DBs at halftime. He goes, I think we need that before the game because this Packers team has had a knack for making adjustments. But in week one, the adjustments were too late. They were just in time here in week 16. They got to do it before the game because they can't afford to let Jefferson go off. That's where this game plan starts and ends with beating the Vikings on Sunday. I mean, Rodgers has lost three of his last four against the Vikings is the sand base nervous because it's go time. And the one day one was when Sean Mannion was starting for the Vikings during Green Bay late last season and not Kirk Cousins. So I saw someone on Twitter tweeted that the Packers haven't beaten Kirk Cousins in like 840 days or something. Are you scared of Kirk Cousins? Am I scared of Kirk Cousins? No, I don't think the Packers are either. I think, listen, Jair Alexander is not scared of anybody. It could be the greatest football player of all time. He's still going to say he's the best. This Packers defense has the horses to get it done. They haven't done it nearly consistently enough. They still have Devondre Campbell who was an all pro last year, Russell Douglas, Jair Alexander, a couple good defensive linemen. They have the guys to get it done. That's just been the problem this year is the talent hasn't matched the production. Can they do it with all the chips on the table? I don't see why not. I'm just picturing. I mean, Jair was waddling out of the, you know, down the tunnel. Is this this after this week's win? If they win, is he going to have the Kirk Cousins shirt coming off like Jair very animated in this 2022-2023 season. And Aaron Rodgers, he does. I mean, he's got that dangerous smile. He did that after the game and his postgame stand up report on the field. Like he's seeming to feel and look more and more like himself. He looks healthier than he has in a long time. Do you think this recent stretch of success is going to keep him in Green Bay next season? I've thought all along he's going to be back as the starting quarterback next year. But I think something notable is he has always said he doesn't want to go out like a bum. And that's his word bum. If he feels that his play is dipping off, he doesn't want to just come to come back for the page and he wants to come back because he can actually help this team compete for a championship. I think he still thinks he can do that. He has shown he can still do that, albeit not consistently this year in part because of his rib injury, his thumb injury. But if he plays, he gets $58.3 million next year, guaranteed. If he doesn't play, he doesn't get that money. Now, if there's anyone who I could see saying it's not about the money, it's about my happiness, it's Aaron Rodgers. He has said that it's going to come down to, does he feel up to the grind? Does he feel up to another season mentally? So I don't know if it's going to be about the money. It's going to be about a lot of things. His personal state of mind. If he feels that pieces around him can compete, the money may be a little bit down that list. I think he's back. And then that raises the question of what happens. I think Aaron Rodgers likes money. I don't see Aaron Rodgers who comes to these contract negotiations and holdouts and taking less so Devante can get more. I don't really see him stepping up to the plate and taking less money. I think he thinks money is respect in what's earned in this league. I don't know that I see him not having the mindset of that money that you mentioned, all those zeros, that could buy a lot of happiness in Aaron Rodgers life. That's how I see it. Do you guys get a bonus or anything with the athletic if the team makes it? Everybody who covers their specific teams, nothing? A sweatshirt, a new sweatshirt? Well, this is the new sweatshirt. I had to do it for the brand. But the Packers employees get bonuses if they make the playoffs. I guess my bonus is more stories to write. So more readers and more relevant stuff. Listen, I love a good story. If they pull this off, that would be an incredible story. So for stories sake, I think it would be neat if they pulled this off. Okay. My family lives in Appleton. You know that. I was in Appleton. You had texted me and said that you were going out in Appleton. This is months ago. What is the coolest place to go out in Appleton, Wisconsin? So let me set this straight. So I have a bunch of friends here who are reporters who saw that and were like, you should see if she wants to come out with us since we were going out as a group of my reporter friends here. We didn't actually go out in Appleton because we wanted to try something different. We always stay in our Green Bay bubble here. So that night, we didn't actually end up going out in Appleton. I get made fun of a lot because I don't do a lot of stuff outside Green Bay. I kind of do my job and stick to the places here. So we have our places here in Green Bay. I would ask you what are the best places to go out in Appleton because I've actually never been out there besides going to the airport. I don't know. The bowling alley? I love that bowling alley. What's it called? Saber lanes? Saber lanes. I like Saber lanes. We have Riviera lanes up here in Green Bay. That's the only one I know, yeah. All right. Now, did you have any, did you have a take that you wanted to get out into the world or was that a joke? No, well, it was partially a joke, but not really. I think the Packers are going to make the playoffs and win a game in the playoffs. And I said on my podcast a couple days ago that I don't think they're going to make the playoffs because I made that prediction a couple weeks ago and felt like I needed to stick to it. This just seems like all the stars are aligning for the Packers to not only sneak in, but I really do think even though they'd be nine and eight, nobody wants to see this team because it's not like it's a bad team that's sneaking in. They have the potential to do some damage. Now, if they go out to Santa Clara, that's their boogeyman. Kyle Shanahan is the boogeyman. I wouldn't expect them to win that game, but if the Vikings end up with the two seed or the three seed and the Packers get the six, which is still possible if the Giants lose out, I think the Packers go to Minnesota and win that game. I still think they can go to San Francisco and win that game. So my prediction is the Packers not only make the playoffs, but win a game in the playoffs as well. The Niners are the boogeyman. We'll see if Kirk Cousins is the boogeyman this weekend in an NFC North battle for a playoff spot for those dear Packers. Saber Lanez will do it next time, you all your reporter friends, whoever we want. Excellent. Happy New Year to you, Matt. I appreciate you. They're going to win a game. And then maybe they'll be Brady and Rogers in the NFC championship game, and that would really just warm my heart. The Buccaneers are winning a playoff game. I don't think so. No, but they might. It's possible, I guess. I don't know if you can say that. I don't think you guys can say that. Matt, we appreciate you and your work for the athletic. Happy New Year. And I like your new sweatshirt. In fact, I am jealous. We'll be back here on the Up and Atom show with more. Do not go anywhere. We're going to talk New Year's resolutions. Do you want to learn French? Welcome back to Up and Atoms. You're telling me the cursed chargers, the cursed chargers got into the playoffs about time. It's about time. Proud of Justin Herbert, of course. All those guys during James, you know, I'm so proud of him as you bring in Matt Hamilton. I'm so proud of him. I might run over and smack him on the butt and say, Oh, boy, go in with me to Super Bowl. Go in a Super Bowl. Of course, I'm so glad that moment got captured on Mike Williams, mic'd up after that. Chargers went over the titans. What are the chances? What are the chances that happens? It's so embarrassing. That was it. Because I remember the first thing you said to me after that is like, I hope none of that got captured. And of course, all of it did. All of it was on video. I remember walking back and being like, Matt, what am I doing? Acts like you've been here before. I couldn't. Well, sorry. Sorry about it. We're excited about these chargers. We talked about them for a long time. And then the New Year is upon us here. But more importantly, the postseason, my friends almost here. And for fans, we got to witness the growth of different teams throughout the football season. And for those playoff teams, they got a chance to prove that they have what it takes to bring home the Lombardi. So put on your, I don't even know, what do you wear on New Year's? Your best suit? Yeah, put on your best suit and let's count this baby down. The countdown begins to the playoffs. AFC playoff picture here. Let's take a look who's got a shot of starting their new year on the right foot. I want you to look at your AFC teams in the playoff picture countdown. Now, some teams have clinched, some are still mulling over, you know, buying that Groupon for 24 hour fitness as a auto pay and forget about and never go. Either way, they've made their New Year's resolution, they're sticking to it, and they're shaping up to be a celebration. So get the confetti fans ready for it. These, the overachieving New Year's people, these teams, these are the ones that say New Year, new me and actually mean it and follow through. They've lowered their cholesterol, they're looking to take out a second mortgage to fund their air on smoothie addiction, they've stopped eating at night, they're taking shirtless selfies every day for 365 days, whatever it is, they're dedicated and we get it. Those people that I'm talking about are, of course, your AFC division leaders, the bills, you got the bangles, you just saw the Jags and the Chiefs. And regardless of what happens this week, these are those people who are resolute, they got it done. And regardless, the AFC South is decided when the Jags and Titans score off week 18 in Jacksonville. So now we have the next tier of teams. And these teams are your wild cards, right? This is your person who's making a resolution, but they need help, they need to work for it. These are the ones who post their resolutions on social media. The rest of the world holds them accountable, right? They put that Instagram time clock blocker on their phones to limit their screen time, you know, these people, they're strong, they want the best for themselves, they're resolute, but they can get off track in a hurry. And those are the wild curtings, the Ravens, the chargers and the dolphins. And they've clenched. The dolphins are the only spot up for grabs. So Ravens and chargers are all set. And now, Hammer, as we look at things and talking to your resolutions in these teams, the Jets are on the clock to make a move into the postseason. Do you think their New Year's resolution will come true? Yeah. And you mentioned the teams that, you know, put up the New Year, New Me and actually mean it. I feel like the Jets every year, it's New Year, New Me. And you know, like, you're just waiting, you're counting down the days until they fall back into the same old stuff. You know, they bust out the new uniforms, the new quarterbacks. And it just always seems to be the same thing with this team. But I do think this year it might actually be different. And the return of Mike White has me feeling positive about the Jets chances. They need to win out at Seattle and Miami, and they need the Patriots to lose one of their two games against the dolphins and bills their SLI. But look at the difference in this offense. When Mike White is out there, they're third in total offense with Mike White under center. They've been 28th without him. That's a night and day difference over a hundred yards per game more. And I don't think it's just it's obviously not just a coincidence. He brings stability there. He's accurate. He makes good reads. He's decisive. He gets the ball quickly. And we've seen him make some incredible throws into some tight windows. I know the odds are against the Jets there. It's under 20% right now that they actually get in. But I think what we're seeing with the dolphins, it was actually just confirmed a little bit of breaking news here. Mike McDaniel at his press conference just now said that to it does in fact have a concussion and he will miss this weekend's game against the Patriots. So as unfortunate as that is, and as much as we, you know, want the best for two, it does open the door a little bit possibly for the Jets to make something happen here over these next two weeks. It's really well said. Matt Hamilton with the breaking news. Oh my gosh, you're killing it. The whole time you're saying that I'm thinking about what the Jets are the Jets in my life. It's like that person who decides they want to learn French, right? And it's like, what do you mean your resolutions to learn? And they and every year they make the same. I'm so I still want to take that trip to France. I'm gonna my resolutions to do this. And every year they flame out, they'd spy or they like the second week you asked them and they're like, Oh yeah, I forgot what I forgot. And then all of a sudden they get a hot French tutor and they pay a lot of money and the French tutor is hot and then all of a sudden that's Mike White. And they're like, Yeah, I'll go to all of these classes. I'll be sure I'll be there and I'll get it done. And then maybe they take the trip to France. I'm feeling it. I think that trip to France is happening. I love that. I think that's the first time Mike White has been. Hold on. You have really fallen in love with the new quarterbacks in a way that I'm unfamiliar. Purdy, White, this is weird, Hamilton. This is not like you. I know I'm usually more reserved. I usually have more of a wait-and-see approach. But I think we've seen enough from Mike White, even going back to last year just how differently this team plays with him there. And I think it's also, it's not just Mike White. It's a product of the talent that the Jets have around him. I know what Brian Costello said, the offensive line does need to get it together. But Garrett Wilson is a bona fide, I think thrown into a bona fide number one receiver in this league. And when you have a guy that can get the ball out quickly and get the ball in his hands and let him make plays, it does give me some confidence in what the Jets can do here. I tried getting Brian Costello with the post to just like take the low-hanging fruit and slam Joe Douglas for me and you wouldn't do it. Did you hear that? Yes. Yes. I know. I know. It was tricky of me. First of all, quick sidebar. Shout out to who, I don't know if, I don't know who, maybe Richard can tell me in my ear. I think Marissa had the idea for these graphics. These graphics were so cool. Marissa and Callie, I don't believe these graphics were insane. Always. Every time we do this segment, the graphics are unbelievable. So shout out to Marissa and Callie. Incredible. But let's see, let's see some more graphics here. Richard's about to strangle me. So yeah, how about those dolphins? Okay. You did it me. You did it me. I love it. I love it. Throwing the producer under the bus. I love it. I love it. It makes me so happy. Okay. Let's talk about it. What do you got for me? Miami? All right. Here's the deal. They got three ways to get it as you can see and they can clinch as soon as this weekend. You just heard the news. It is Bridgewater. It is not Tua, Tua has a concussion and we're wishing him all of the best. But for them to make it in, they got to beat the Patriots and beat the Jets week 18. Listen, I think they can still get it done with Bridgewater. I'll say that. They, as you can see, they have to eat. They can win out. They have the easiest, clearest path of any of these wildcard teams. And Teddy isn't Tua, but he can run this offense well. He played against the Vikings and relieved Schuyler Thompson when Tua was hurt the first time and threw for over 300 yards. He had two touchdowns. He doesn't need to be Tua. What even is Tua? Everyone contemplates that all the time. He just has to run the offense efficiently and the way the run games improved, the way the Patriots have been struggling on both sides of the ball in dramatic fashion. This Dolphins team, Hamilton, can absolutely wrap this thing up by the weekend. And the Dolphins, as we all know, especially late in the season, they're usually in Miami. Have the Patriots number, they've won what, four straight over them? Yeah. Yeah. And the Patriots have really struggled. They've struggled to move the ball in the Dolphins defense. They've turned the ball. They've turned it over a lot. We know the Dolphins defense is struggling a little bit this year, but they are opportunistic. And they're going to have to play their best game, their best games here down the stretch, especially if Tua is going to miss both of these games. But the path is still clear. I do, you know, as I said, I like the Jets. I think the Jets end up getting it done, but it is still there for the taking for the Dolphins. But I do also want to say, in case anybody didn't get the chance to see it, what were you talking about off the top with the Chargers? Can we bring up the video? We got to see it one more time. Okay. Oh, God. Oh, God. Go in a Super Bowl. Go. And let me tell you this. If they win the Super Bowl, that clip is going to be everywhere. And don't tell me that they can't. It's not some, it's not some cute storyline. It was all just part of my pinky in the brain plan to take over the world. But that's fine. I'll play chess. You stick with checkers. All good. No, we don't want to. But quickly, what is a new year's resolution that you have made that has never worked out? I'm honestly not big on New Year's resolutions. I'm actually the one I'm disappointed in you right now. I want to get to that first. Forget New Year's resolutions. That's true. You only lasted two days dressing like our mom for white lotus. And now you're back wearing your normal clothes. So I'm really disappointed in you. I'll try to bring it for you these last two days. And I'm also doing that thing with my hair, where it's up, it's down, it's up, it's tour, and it's all around. I know, I couldn't, it's, it's the vacation three minute makeup routine. I apologize to everyone having to suffer through this. I truly, truly thought some prayers to everyone, to everyone involved. I think I'm a big like, I'll drink more water person all that are like, I'm going to read a book a month. I'm going to, that's what I'm going to read a book. And then it never happened. So shout out to you people who are resolute, who are leading the division and into the playoff of your lives. We'll be back on the internet show. You guys are jerks for playing that clip. Like I said, never going to apologize for a win. Please continue to find ways to do it. Oh, the bangles. I thought I'd take some time because I'm on my vacation days. Not really. We're working here every day and very hard. Everybody back at home or wherever they are working on this show. But this show, of course, started back in August. And it was important to me to keep the bangles as a big part of it because they were a team that I fell in love with last year. And them clinching a playoff birth brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart. And I see other people even on my team that never even were affiliated with the bangles or thought about it, that they're like, Oh, the bangles, the bangles, because it's just infectious. And they had a really tough start to the year almost wasn't going to happen. But they got the job done and they are headed to the playoff. So at the end of the year, you start thinking about what the year was before the calendar year, even the NFL season, as it sort of lines up with the new year celebration. And so congratulations to the bangles. And we are, we enjoyed the ride in our first season as a show. And we are very excited for what's to come early in 2023. I'm not excited about the 012 starts. Am I in full panic mode with my bangles? Oh, and to start, don't get swept by Pittsburgh, don't do it. What I would love to say to this team that I love so much, don't let that get into your head. That's not fun. They are three plays away from being undefeated. Add a Joey baby. We love to see it. The bangles tiger does not change its stripes. I think they're back. They just look better and better every week. My heart for the past year and a half all of my good juju has been used on the bangles. That's sort of that mind-melt thing that we got going on. That's a Cincinnati thing. I think having Jamar miss some time, present an opportunity for his offense to grow. Jamar is going to be, you know, he's going to be a hall of fame. I don't have the fact that they're wearing those white uniforms and the white helmets. I wish they had them when I was playing back there. So many questions. So much tumult turnover. But now, as Rafiki would say, the young symbol in the Lion King, it is time. I'm almost ready to say they're going back to the Super Bowl. In Cincinnati, this guy walks in and in no time at all takes them to a Super Bowl. Hard catches look easy when they shouldn't be. Two seconds. We love him. We celebrate him on the show. I'm a huge Joe Burrow fan. I do good hoodie from Joe Burrow supporting his foundation. The next quarterback in, you know, the NFL right now. God, I'm so happy about the bangles. I'm speaking back at that day where I was like, here's what we're going to do. We're going to take the helmet and we're going to do like the beginning of the Lion King and then I'm going to make my way. Anyway, I've been at the bangles all season. It is not stopping now. Seven straight wins heading down the stretch. It's looking good in Cincinnati. I know the Lyell Collins injury is not fun, but hopefully they square that away and prove everyone who said that you were a lucky Super Bowl story last year and that this was a team that didn't have what it takes in the preseason. When everybody's making their picks who wasn't picking the bangles, let's see them make a run into the postseason. And as February begins, we'll see who's talking about them bangles. We'll be back after this. Welcome back to up and Adams. Let's bring in Matthew Hamilton. Matthew Hamilton. I've got a massage. I've got yoga. I've got a drink of my green juice and then my strawberries. Banana smoothie. Like I got things to do. What do you got for the rest of the day? Well, I love hearing as we're about to come back and break. I really hope my computer doesn't die during this segment. It's a low battery. And then it says five percent. I think I'll be good over unders. It's a sports book. Yeah. Listen, just relax. I mean, I'm living in Rancho. Relax over here. All right. Let's let's talk about some things that were on social that were going off. What's the first one? Oh, this is the equipment guy. Oh man. Oh my gosh. I'm sorry. What is going on? He's diving for a kicking tee and he runs back and rolls off the field. What is going on? I mean, that's the type of effort you love to see out of your equipment set. You've got to get that tee off the field as quickly as possible. And you've got to love the mullet, the way that things flap into the breeze. I mean, everything about this is fantastic. I thought that was a rendition of me running towards Mike Williams and back. That's literally what I liked. It's embarrassing. Hammer, what else we got? So we also got Brandon Staley. This one off before Monday Night Football, a little bit of yoga on the field. You've been doing a lot of yoga this week. Would you ever do it in a stadium full of, there we go. I guess we got our answer. What? That's what you call, listen, I learned about your throat chakra, your crown chakra, your eye chakra, your sacrum, which is a naughty chakra. All right. Love you. Bye. We'll see you guys tomorrow and up in the, Brandon Staley doing yoga on the, on the field though. All that turf is just gross. No, no, no, no, no. Bye.