Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Championship Contenders Collide
47 Plays2 years ago
In Episode 2, Kross Corbett, good friend of Dawson and Mario, joins the pod to break down the approaching Round 4 battle between Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow, as well as the difficulties 49ers QB Brock Purdy may face against the stifling Eagles defense.
Recommended
Transcript
Podcast Introduction & Guest Announcement
00:00:02
Speaker
How's it going, everyone? Thanks for tuning in to our second episode of Going For Two with me, Dawson Danner, and my buddy, Mario Edwards. Thanks to everyone who tuned in last week to our first episodes. Got a lot of our friends that tuned in and people sharing our podcasts on social media. We really appreciate you guys for that.
00:00:29
Speaker
Without further ado this week, we actually have our first guest this early on, episode two.
Guest Cross Corbett's Background
00:00:37
Speaker
Mara, you want to introduce them to everyone? Yes, sir. So, yeah, like Dawson said, thanks, guys, for tuning in last week. This week, you got a special guest, one of my best friends from the way back in the day. Without further ado, this is Cross Corbett.
00:00:52
Speaker
How's it going, everybody? My name is Cross Corbett. Like Mario just said, I am a former high school athlete. I grew up playing soccer, basketball, as well as baseball growing up. So kind of well versed in a multitude of different areas there.
00:01:12
Speaker
My teams, I got to go to my team. So pretty much all Bay Area. I'm wearing a Giants hat. So I got, you know, SF Giants, Niners, Warriors, but also I like the Kings too. I'm from Grass Valley, California. So Norah Kyle runs through my blood. Yeah.
00:01:32
Speaker
Hell yeah, dude. Well, I'm glad you were able to make it on. And yeah, Cross is a Warriors fan, but like you said, he's got like a backup
Divisional Round Predictions Review
00:01:40
Speaker
Kings fan. So that's the one time that I can, you know, agree with him on that. So yeah, what do we got on the agenda for this episode, Jocelyn? Yeah, man. Well, we made some bold predictions of the divisional round last week. We did pretty good, but also some
00:01:59
Speaker
some very hot takes that didn't go our way. But that's why we're doing this. We're doing a fresh start, fresh to the podcast. But let's get right into it. Jacksonville against Kansas City. Final score was 27-20, so Kansas City moving on once again. And damn, we talked about this throughout the week. Patrick Mahomes, he
Impact of Mahomes' Injury on AFC Championship
00:02:26
Speaker
did get injured in that game.
00:02:29
Speaker
It was interesting because Jacksonville, I feel like, you know, there's that type of team that they couldn't, they didn't really have the firepower to make a comeback against the Chiefs, but they, it's interesting to see if Mahomes' injury will transition into the AFC championship.
00:02:47
Speaker
Yeah, no. Yeah, for sure. I mean, I didn't even think Cross said this to you guys, but Cross is also going to school to be a physical therapist. And what we've learned so far too is just like, I think Mahone's got diagnosed with like a high ankle sprain. Is that? Yeah. And that's, that's definitely one of the worst. That is the worst ankle sprain I think you can get as far as coming back right after that. So I was actually, I was even,
00:03:14
Speaker
surprised that he was able to come back and play the rest of that game. I know that adrenaline was running high and stuff, but still, that's painful. I mean, I guess it kind of showed how immobile he was throughout the game. Definitely wasn't the normal Mahomes we were used to seeing. I think we kind of see that on the scoreboard.
00:03:31
Speaker
Yeah, I agree with what both of you said. Those high ankle sprains, man. Those are at least five weeks, sometimes pushing eight.
Josh Allen's Playoff Performance & Bills' Running Game
00:03:38
Speaker
And I agree with what you said, Mario. It was all adrenaline on that. He was making throws off the one foot. He's doing crazy stuff that you never see. But I think coming into this next matchup that
00:03:49
Speaker
you're going to probably see a little bit if he plays. I'm not sure what the word is yet, but if he does, he's going to be probably a little bit more of your standard kind of quarterback and making more throws and probably not that the same versatility that you typically see with Mahomes type of game. Yeah, totally. I was I was actually on Twitter today and there's been a ton of videos circulating of him, people up in the stands at the Chiefs practice recording him.
00:04:17
Speaker
And he's jogging around the field. And a lot of these reporters are saying, is Mahomes back to 100%? But I mean, I do not think, kind of like what we were saying, there's no way with a high ankle sprain you can come back one week later and be 100%. But at the same time, Mahomes at 80% is better than, I mean, most of the quarterbacks that are
00:04:40
Speaker
in the NFL and that are remaining in the
Joe Burrow's Playoff Excellence
00:04:43
Speaker
playoffs. Yeah, but even then like 80% Patrick Mahomes.
00:04:48
Speaker
against 100% Joe Burrow coming off a huge win last week versus the Buffalo Bills, which I think was kind of surprising on our end. I mean, me and you both thought that the Bills were going to come out with that win. And it wasn't even that close of a game. And no, it wasn't. I know. And like, well, we can get right into that one. That one was on Sunday last Sunday morning. And I mean, I for sure thought that Buffalo, we talked about this last week, you know, they were going through a lot of stuff with
00:05:15
Speaker
the DeMar Hamlin injury. They had super high expectations going into the season. I'm pretty sure they were the Super Bowl favorites. And they just kind of rolled over. And one thing I want to bring up about this game to see what you guys, what type of input you guys have is Josh Allen, man. I mean, he's an interesting guy because, I mean, in the regular season, I mean, we all played fantasy football together. Cross, I'm pretty sure you had him on your fantasy team. I did have him, man.
00:05:45
Speaker
Yeah, and that guy was, I mean, putting up points just week after week. But it seems like once he gets to the postseason, that's like his Achilles heel. He can't get over that hump. And it makes you wonder, like, is like Josh Allen just like the type of quarterback, you know, that will always kind of like be a regular season star but can't win a Super Bowl ring? I mean, I don't
Stefon Diggs' Frustration with Josh Allen
00:06:12
Speaker
know. I think,
00:06:14
Speaker
I think Josh Allen is a good enough quarterback. I mean, he's also had to meet Patrick Mahomes the last two years before this one, you know, coming in and that's a tough matchup, especially with the rule change of this year. I think it would have been maybe a different story last year. You never know. But yeah, it was concerning to see his numbers this week. I don't even think he threw any touchdowns. I think he had one interception and just that alone. You can't do that in a playoff game when it with a guy like Josh Allen, you got to at least have
00:06:42
Speaker
one touchdown, you got to do something. But I also think, you know, something that really showed up here was the fact that that running game for Buffalo is non existent and it has been for a long time. And I think totally, totally. Yeah, that's something that I think could have really helped him out, especially with a snow game like it was. But yeah, like like you were saying to us, I mean, it could definitely be a thing like Josh Allen.
00:07:06
Speaker
kind of has this regular season thing or post-season curse where you just can't get it done, especially with that tough AFC division there. Yeah, man, just feeding off
Khalil Shakir's Playoff Performance
00:07:17
Speaker
of that, I just feel like it's turnovers and for Josh Allen, that's like his big Achilles heel like, yeah, he'll make these crazy scrambling 40, 50 yard throws and then he'll throw a pick and you're just like,
00:07:30
Speaker
You can't look past that. It's your game-changing turnovers and you'd think that the bills and all that snow, that would be right up their alley, but the Bengals just took it to him. It was dominating and Joe Burrow was just methodical. He just took it to him. He looked like I heard people saying Peyton Manning type. He was just surgical pass after surgical pass. He didn't try to do too much.
00:07:56
Speaker
And you kind of showed how like the standard quarterback build in the NFL is still kind of prevalent today. Like you got all these Josh Allen's Lamar Jackson's
49ers vs. Cowboys Recap
00:08:06
Speaker
that are very mobile and making plays Jalen hurts, but I don't know. Sometimes that standard QB, like the Tom Brady drew Brees, I got that one's championship. So we'll see. Yeah, definitely. I mean, and we didn't even go mention the score. We mentioned it was a dominating win from the Bengals, but I mean, it was 27 10.
00:08:26
Speaker
And I even think that they took their foot off the gas at the end. It could have been 40 to 10 in my opinion. But another thing I wanted to talk about that game is Steph on digs. I mean, did you guys see at the very end of the game and throughout, he was shown on the sidelines, throwing his hands up in the air, kind of yelling at Josh Allen. He finished the day with four catches for 35 yards on 10 targets.
00:08:55
Speaker
That's not a standard stuff on Diggs Day. He seemed pretty angry throughout the game, you know, that Josh Allen wasn't finding him in open space. And it then resorted into him after the game. I mean, not even taking part in any post-game press conferences. He's released on Twitter that he's pretty angry. So, I mean, do you guys see him on the move this offseason? Because it seems like, I mean, what, it's been three years since he's been a bill and he just cannot
00:09:25
Speaker
like get over the hump and he's been, it looks like he's blaming Josh Allen for it. You know, I don't think that he's going to move teams. I mean, just a couple of weeks ago, I, there was videos, I think on Thanksgiving or something, Josh Allen and Stefan Diggs are like crying and each other's crying to each other. And they're like, Oh, I appreciate you, man. I think it was just kind of a spur of the moment. Like obviously you losing the playoffs three straight years.
00:09:51
Speaker
you're gonna be upset, especially coming right off that loss. He's gonna be upset. I think you could say that for almost anyone who's gonna have kind of a reaction where they're kind of getting, you know, it's serious and it's their job, it's their life. And obviously he wasn't happy with the outcome and you can see he really takes it to heart. You know, after all those games, you always see him, the pictures of him kind of standing and just like taking it all in, feel bad for the guy. But I don't think that this year is really gonna be a year where you see him go away just because of another loss. I don't know, I just don't see it.
00:10:22
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. They're boys, man. Diggs and
Lamar Jackson Trade Speculation
00:10:25
Speaker
Allen are tight, dude. They do everything together. They got each other's backs. But yeah, definitely in the spur of the moment, passions are high, tempers are flaring. But in terms of Diggs, that's just not how you act as a leader. He's supposed to be a captain for this team, a leader. And that's not how you act when something doesn't go your way. I mean, I get it, how big the game was. But you just can't be acting like that. That showed some immaturity, in my opinion.
00:10:51
Speaker
Definitely. Yeah, totally. Actually, I want to make a quick shout out from that game. Like Mario and I mentioned last episode, we're Boise State alumni. And Khalil Shakir finally got some playing time in a big moment and finished the day with two catches for 40 yards. So really showing what Boise State can bring to the table. So really like that. But we'll get into this later, but we're going
00:11:21
Speaker
We're going to see Burrow versus Mahomes, round four. Burrow's three and 0 against him. We'll get into that in a bit, but sets up an interesting matchup. But let's go to the NFC now. The Giants, oh, I know Mario's smiling on the other end of this right now, but. Looks like he has chops right now. But they looked horrible. And that game was over after the Eagles first drive, in my opinion.
00:11:51
Speaker
Final score was 38 to 7. The Eagles orchestrated that unstoppable offense that we've seen time and time again when Jalen Hurts is healthy. And I mean, they're looking dangerous. Mario is pretty biased with this cross. I'll start with you. I mean, what do you think about the Eagles going into this NFC Championship?
00:12:12
Speaker
Oh, going in the NFC Championship, man. I'm feeling pretty good, man. I just really don't see them stopping the Niners run. Yeah, you guys make big plays. You get those picks in the secondary. You got Hassan Redick and Hargrave and all those guys coming in for sacks. You see all the big stuff, the big hurts run, big hurts play.
00:12:35
Speaker
You guys don't play the good and old-fashioned football that the Niners do, man. I feel like we're going to take it to you. We're going to go up big early, which is going to be key for our success for this game, man. I feel like the one caveat is if you guys go up by a touchdown or more, it's going to be scary for us because I feel like the way the Niners play and everything, it definitely starts to turn itself into your favor.
00:12:58
Speaker
Yeah, man, I'm excited, man. It's going to be a battle for sure. I'll speak more on it later, but that was my first impressions. Yeah, I mean, we'll get into the Niners Eagles matchup in a bit. I'll be matching you with that, don't worry. But as far as the Giants Eagles matchup, I really liked how they came out from the start, foot on the gas, and everyone's going to say the Giants looked horrible, but it might have just been a dominant performance by
AFC Championship Game Preview: Chiefs vs. Bengals
00:13:23
Speaker
the Eagles. I mean, we saw
00:13:25
Speaker
Um, you know, with the Niners, like we said, last in the last episode, the Niners and the Rams, um, it's hard to beat a team three times in one year, no matter who you are. And I think that that was a big one for the Eagles. Jaylen Hertz looked back to normal. Um, he was wearing the ball, passing the ball.
00:13:42
Speaker
And I think the big part for the Eagles, which is scary, what a lot of people don't kind of give enough credit to, is the run game. And we have a three-headed monster right now. I mean, I told you last week we got Boston Scott as kind of the player that's going to come out of nowhere and have a touchdown. He had his touchdown, which was cool. The giant killer. Props to you on that, by the way. I mean, jeez, that came out of nowhere. And I mean, actually, not really out of nowhere, because like you said, he's the giant killer. But great, great prediction there.
00:14:12
Speaker
Yeah, that was that was fun. And then, you know, Miles Sanders, 90 yards and then the surprising one, which was kind of the gain well with over yards, a leading rusher in that game and had the the second running touchdown as coming out of that Eagles running back course. So that was great. Yeah, fun overall game for me as an Eagles fan, obviously. And I think it's going to give us some some carry over and hopefully the NFC championship. So solid. Yeah, totally.
00:14:40
Speaker
And I mean, like we said, dominating win for the Eagles. But let's go to the Giants here. I mean, they surprised some people this year making the playoffs, technically upsetting Kirk Cousins and the Vikings in that wildcard round. But I mean, like we said, they just kind of came down to earth again. They were not able to move the ball against that Eagles defense.
00:15:03
Speaker
It makes you wonder, I mean, we talked about this last week, Mario. Daniel Jones, he really sprouted into what, in your words, sprouted into what he, the Giants thought he was going to be when they drafted him. But I mean, the stat
NFC Championship Game Preview: 49ers vs. Eagles
00:15:17
Speaker
line for the Eagles 15 to 27 for 135. I mean, pretty, pretty below average. And it makes you wonder like, is that team going to look to get another quarterback this offseason? Or do you think that they're going to ride them out?
00:15:34
Speaker
No, I personally, I mean, I personally think they're going to ride that out. That was just the start for them. I think even the Giants coach came out with a statement that said, you know, that he thought this was going to be a rebuilding year. And the fact they made the playoffs, I think was huge for them. I don't.
00:15:50
Speaker
You know, I think they were happy with what they got right now. And I think that coming off the season that Dana Jones had like a huge improvement from the previous two years that he had. I think they're excited about what he's going to be, although he didn't perform in the playoffs as well as they would have liked him to. I think it'll be a good learning experience for him. And I think he'll he'll come back strong again next year. Yeah, totally. Well, the final game on that
00:16:16
Speaker
Divisional round slate was the Dallas Cowboys against the Niners. And wow, was this just kind of a snoozing game? No, I'm kidding. No, but seriously, I mean, I mentioned last week, Mario, that Brock Purdy was finally gonna see a defense that was gonna be coming after him. And Dallas defense did everything they could to win that game.
00:16:44
Speaker
Again, like we mentioned, it came down to Dak Prescott and look what he did yet again. I mean, that guy in the postseason is brutal and he, he, he is now being blamed. I mean, on the, by the entire Dallas Cowboys organization for losing that game for him. And I mean, it makes you wonder if I know we mentioned Daniel Jones being on the move, but I, I personally think
00:17:09
Speaker
this is the year that I would not be surprised this offseason if the Cowboys ship them off. I mean, what do you think, Cross? Yeah, I mean, I agree. I mean, yeah, it just speaks for itself. Those two picks were just, like, everything. Like, it was definitely a defensive battle. I'm not gonna lie. I'm a big Niners fan, and I was kind of just like, dude, what is going on? Like, the score line at one point was 6-9, dude. I'm like, bro, nobody can get anything going, and that's...
00:17:36
Speaker
It was expected. I mean, two of the best defenses in the league. The Cowboys were definitely getting to pretty and putting some pressure on him, but pretty likes that pressure, man. He, he has like something like a one 30 quarterback rating when he gets sacked like three or more times. And he was just scrambling around, not making mistakes, but definitely not an offensive game, which was just kind of a disappointment. But I think we did enough to get it done. I think every matchup's different and, uh,
00:18:05
Speaker
Yeah, I'm looking forward to the next one. Yeah. Do you think that that was more of a Dak Prescott not living up to the hype and kind of just shutting down or do you think it was the Niners defense? Dak Prescott made some horrible throws, man. I don't think I've ever seen just like straight to them. I'm like, dude, what is going on with that? I went through CD is like, okay. But it's like a Cal type of player that he is, he should not be making those type of mistakes in this big of a game.
00:18:35
Speaker
Can't discredit the Niners defense, man. Some dogs out there on all levels. No, totally. I mean, I was listening to the Colin Cowherd podcast this week. And I mean, he mentioned that every line of what the D line, the line backing core and the DB core, the Niners all have a first time all pro or first team all pro. I mean, that made it tough on deck. I will agree. But yeah, I mean,
00:19:04
Speaker
I personally think that this is the year that Jerry Jones is gonna make a move. And a quick little thing I've been hearing some analysts say is the Cowboys are a low key contender to make calls for Lamar Jackson. Wow. What do you guys think about that? I mean, is that the quarterback they need to get over this like hump? Because Maro, you mentioned last week, I mean, he is,
00:19:34
Speaker
It seems like the Cowboys are always either fighting for that wild card spot or in that division, and they always are sniffing the playoffs are in.
49ers Trivia Challenge with Cross
00:19:44
Speaker
But whenever they get in there, they haven't been in a conference championship in years. So it only makes you wonder if they're gonna make a move for a dual threat quarterback.
00:19:57
Speaker
Yeah, I mean Dak is not getting the job done for sure as far as Lamar fitting in with the Cowboys.
00:20:05
Speaker
I think it could work. However, I don't know if it's going to give them that much more of an advantage. I just, I just don't see it. I mean, Lamar is a great quarterback. Don't get me wrong. He's dual threat. He's gotten better at his passing. You can still be a threat on the ground, but as far as like, I don't know, making that much of an upgrade, I don't think it, I don't think it is for the Cowboys. And I don't know. I think they need someone who's even a little more experienced in the playoff. Maybe has a couple more playoff wins. I don't know the exact stat on how many Lamar has.
00:20:35
Speaker
But I don't know. I just I just don't see him, especially without, you know, his Mark Andrews, his favorite target. I mean, he's got he would have Dalton Schultz, but I still don't. You know, that's it. That's a downgrade, in my opinion. He's got CD lamb. I don't know. I just I just don't see it. Yeah, I agree with that, man. What do you guys think? What about Aaron Rodgers, though? So so this is my thing. I've always been a believer that
00:21:03
Speaker
that no team will ever trade their star quarterback like in Aaron Rodgers too within the conference because the last thing you want to see happen is seeing him in the playoffs and losing to him down the road. And that's why you see a lot of, you know, like quarterbacks going to the different conference like Brady from the Patriots to the Bucks, you know, things like that. So yeah, I mean, going back to Lamar Jackson though, I mean,
00:21:31
Speaker
It's really interesting because, yeah, like I said, I've been hearing those reports, but I mean, Lamar is, he's hurt. He gets hurt a lot and it's because he runs and all that. But the report I heard, you know, is that obviously nothing's set in stone, but do not be surprised to see this off season if the Cowboys start making calls. And it's super interesting. I mean, we're going to talk about that, you know, once the,
00:21:59
Speaker
the NFL season's over, but there's going to be a ton of players on the move. And every off season, it's so interesting to see who ends up where, what teams, you know, make that trade or acquisition to put them over the hump. So there's going to be a lot of, there's going to be a lot of QB moving around, I think this year more than we've seen in a while. Oh yeah. Told you Rogers car. The list goes on. We're going to see a lot of different QBs in different places, I think. Yeah. Yeah. Well, uh,
00:22:29
Speaker
That was the, you know, the recap of the divisional round. So now that this week, this weekend, Sunday, we got the final four. It is Cincinnati going to Kansas City. Funny story about that. I don't know if you guys saw Joe Burrows postgame press conference, but if the Bills won that game that the Chiefs Bills game was going to be in Atlanta, which is was that neutral site and Joe Burrow.
00:22:58
Speaker
The only words he said were, y'all better send those refunds. I thought that was pretty funny. But anyways, I mentioned earlier in this podcast, Joe Burrow, 3-0 against Patrick Mahomes in the regular season and the playoffs. A fun fact about all three of those matchups, they were all decided by three points. And Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter, his quarterback rating is over three times as high as Patrick Mahomes
00:23:29
Speaker
I mean, that's really interesting that I mean Mahomes is known as you know, the star of the league and Burroughs now making a case that. I mean, before we even get into the predictions of this game, but do you guys think that if Burrough wins
Championship Games Predictions
00:23:42
Speaker
this, is he the new king of the AFC?
00:23:46
Speaker
I don't know. I mean, Bengals players right now are calling that place Burrowhead. I mean, he's dominating the Chiefs. And I think it's crazy because no team has been able to do that. I don't think ever at least in the last couple of years, which is crazy. And it's going to be it's going to be fun to see this matchup again. I think obviously the Chiefs want their revenge. And but I don't I don't know. I think I think he might if he wins this game, another, you know, AFC championship.
00:24:15
Speaker
I think in head to the Super Bowl, I think you could say that he's he's the top QB in the AFC right now. He might not have the, you know, the same exact huge numbers that Pat in the homes has, but he's winning the big games that matter.
00:24:32
Speaker
Yeah, man, dude, Joe is that boy, dude. That man's getting a 500 mil plus contract this offseason, 1,000%. He's probably the biggest contract we've ever seen in NFL. He's just experienced above his years. He just takes it to him. He's mechanical. He doesn't get flustered. That's the thing about him. He's like, you see all these other quarterbacks playing with a lot of emotion.
00:24:56
Speaker
But Joe Burr is he's ice, man. He's icy, dude. He just sticks with it and doesn't make mistakes, doesn't get flustered. And to be honest, I'm I'm rooting for the Bengals, man. I want to see the Bengals. I do not want to see the Chiefs, to be honest. Really? OK, OK. Well, now going into the predictions, I mean, me personally, I don't know if you guys notice or saw this report, but Mahomes, the
00:25:25
Speaker
The line has changed in the last couple of days, but as we speak, Mahomes is for the first time in his career, a home underdog. And I'll let you guys go first here, but I mean, who do you guys like and what's your score prediction here?
00:25:43
Speaker
I'm personally going to go with, I'm actually going to change it up. I think the Chiefs are still going to come out on top this year. I think this is the year they do it. I know Mahomes is coming off the ankle injury, but I think he's out for blood. You saw how passionate he was last game. He did not want to sit out at all. I think he's going to come back strong.
00:26:02
Speaker
you know, at home. I just don't see the Bengals beating them four times in a row. I just don't see it happening. I think the Bengals are going to make, you know, play a great overall game. I think my final score prediction is going to be, I think it's going to be a close one. I'm going 27, 24 Chiefs. Another three, another three point game right there. Keeping that prediction. I like it. I like it. Cross, what do you think?
00:26:31
Speaker
For me, I think it's gonna be a shootout, man. I think there's gonna go trade blows, kind of like what you saw with the Chiefs and Bills. I think it's just gonna be back and forth, back and forth. I don't think there's gonna be a ton of defense being played. But man, I like the Bengals,
Closing Remarks & Audience Engagement
00:26:46
Speaker
dude. I like what they've been doing. I like the momentum that they have right now, taking down the Bills. And I think they're just gonna take it to the, and expose that Chiefs defense. I think it's gonna be, I'm gonna go 41-35 shootout.
00:27:00
Speaker
Oh, that's a high scoring game right there. I like it. I like it. Yeah. I mean, uh, for me, you know, uh, Mario last week, I mentioned that, uh, the, uh, I mean, we both had the bills, but I said that if, if the bangles wanted to win, they, they really needed being down three offensive line and they really needed to give burrow the protection he needed. And I mean, that game was played in the snow too. So, I mean, kind of like you said, cross, I mean, Joe burrow has just been so like,
00:27:30
Speaker
methodical with his drives and he doesn't turn the ball over as much as you know what Josh Allen does. And so it looks like I'm the deciding vote here. I am also going to go bangles here. I think that they're riding that hot streak and for some reason my homes. I personally think that when my home saw that that bangles Bill's game he was not happy. He would have he takes care of Josh Allen. But when it comes to Joe Burrow
00:28:00
Speaker
Joe Burrow has the one up on him. I'm going to go the Bengals here. I like it. High scoring as well, but maybe not too high scoring, as you said, Cross. I'm going to go 31 to 27 Bengals. So me and Cross are on the Bengals here, and Mario is on the Chiefs. I like it.
00:28:29
Speaker
And, uh, so that, that brings us into the next game. Um, and while am I playing mediator for this one? We got, uh, the Niners going to Philly to play the Eagles for the long awaited matchup of Mario and crosses teams. So, uh, we'll start, uh, with you first, Mario. I mean, what, what do you, uh, obviously I know you're going to pick your team here, but.
00:28:59
Speaker
What are the reasons and how do you see the Eagles being able to score on that stout defense that we've been talking about with the Niners that have been on a roll lately?
00:29:12
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, totally. Well, one of the reasons starting out on offense, I think it's been kind of, I mean, the Niners haven't really faced a running quarterback this year. I'm a dual threat quarterback. That's, you know, great. I mean, they, they did Dak, but Dak didn't do much at all. Not a threat either.
00:29:32
Speaker
I guess not. But yeah, I don't know. I just don't think they've seen a quarterback that can do that has the caliber that Jalen Hurts does. And with the offensive weapons that he has around him, we got a full on. We got, like I said, the three headed monster running back with Sanders, Scott, and Gainwell. And then we got Devonta Smith, AJ Brown, and also Dallas Goddard at tight end. I think that's going to be tough to cover at all angles.
00:30:01
Speaker
That is going to be huge for the Eagles, I think, having that many options. And also, I think, another advantage they have is coming off of they have a little more rest than the Niners. They had that bye week. They also had an extra day. The Eagles played on Saturday. Niners played on Sunday. That extra day of rest and the fact that the Niners got to travel all the way to Philadelphia is huge. On the defensive side of things, Brock Prudy, he's on a hot cheek right now. Seven games in a row, I think.
00:30:29
Speaker
But, you know, I think five, I think he's only played two road games over those over the seven games, you know, and he hasn't had to come to a place like Philadelphia. That's a tough, you know, a tough place to play. Playoff atmosphere is going to be huge.
00:30:45
Speaker
And I don't know, he's a rookie quarterback. That's just hard for me to think that he's going to be able to carry his team against a number one seed like that in a town like Philadelphia with a defense that has 75 sacks on the year. A great turnover ratio. So yeah, I think it's going to be a close game. I'm going to go final score prediction here. I'm going to go 28-21 Eagles.
00:31:12
Speaker
Gotcha. And Cross, you know, before you get into what you're going to your prediction, Maro mentioned 75 sacks for the Eagles. I got it right here. That is the most sacks in NFL history since the 1985 Chicago Bears. And I mean, I think we can we all can all agree that that bears back then, at least obviously nowadays there been a pretty pitiful franchise. But then they were that was when they were winning
00:31:41
Speaker
some games, so pretty impressive style in there. 75 sacks, but no cross. I mean, what? So Mario mentioned, you know, purties only had two away games since being the starter. I got it right here. It's he went to Seattle and to the Raiders. So, um, pretty close to home. Um, they're traveling to Philly, like Mario mentioned. Uh, what? How do you see Brock purty like
00:32:11
Speaker
shaping up against this Eagles pass rush. Dude, I mean, he is a rookie quarterback, so you always have to take that into consideration that it's his first time seeing a defense like this. He obviously hasn't been exposed to the caliber of team that the Eagles are. But as I mentioned before, man, he thrives under pressure with those sacks. Like I said before, every time he gets sacked three or more times, that QB rating goes way up.
00:32:36
Speaker
He's not built like Jimmy G. He knows how to scramble. He gets that little shimmy, and then he gets out of there and makes good plays. He doesn't make mistakes very often. I think he only has like four picks on the entire season. And that's something that the Eagles I like to capitalize on. I know that secondary can be scary, especially with people like Brad Berry or whatever his name is in sleigh, and they get a lot of picks. But going back to the pressure, I think that will be a problem.
00:33:06
Speaker
I'm thinking that we're going to go up ahead early enough to where that doesn't become a factor, because we're just going to be running the ball down your nails, throats, all game. Yeah, I mean, you make a good point, because the Eagles defense, that has been their weak spot. However, coming in, knowing that, I think the Eagles obviously know what their strengths and their weaknesses are. And I think they know that if they stop the run, Brock Prudy is not going to put up more than
00:33:34
Speaker
you know, two touchdowns. He's not going to go out and throw for three, four touchdowns, I don't think so. I think that we're going to, you know, invite him to throw to say the least. I think we're going to obviously you guys are going to try and read it. I think we're going to key in on that. So I don't know. I think he's going to have to make some throws and I just don't think he has that in him. I don't know about that one, man. I think with the type of team that we have, I think
00:33:57
Speaker
that he doesn't have to make those kind of plays. We have star caliber players like Deebo, CMC, IU. These players kiddo, you throw them a little slant and they'll go for 90 plus on you. You don't have to make these insane throws. You know what I'm saying?
00:34:15
Speaker
Yeah, you know, he doesn't have to make the insane throws without sort of don't think he's going to have the time that he has been getting, you know, and I think he's going to pressure a lot with the Cowboys, man. He was scrambling all day and he still you did OK.
00:34:28
Speaker
Yeah, he did okay. And, you know, that was at home. He was comfortable. I think the Eagles are going to throw a lot of different things at him, make him make the decisions. I think they're going to make him make some plays. Maybe I think I'm hoping at least that the Eagles are going to know that, you know, the Niners have been kind of just those that organization that just runs the ball and throws little wimpy passes and praise and they've had good skill players. So I'm hoping that we key in on that. We make them actually prove that he's, you know, worth the shit.
00:34:57
Speaker
Yeah, well, I feel that. But you keep talking about these, on the other side of the ball, you keep talking about these three-headed monster. I didn't even know three-headed monster, bro. Boss and Scott get his female. Dude, that's not even close to a three-headed monster. No, because this is why. I'm talking about a three-headed monster, bro. Talk about CMC, Mason, all those guys. Elijah Mitchell, that's a three-headed monster. That's a real deal right there, man.
00:35:26
Speaker
Any of your running backs make the Pro Bowl this year?
00:35:29
Speaker
Uh, snub total. Get this though. You're talking about other, like your three-headed monsters is going to be running all over us. Dude. Nobody has run more than like 90 yards, a hundred yards on us all season. Yeah, no, I, I, I see that, but I also don't think that you had to deal with a quarterback that can throw the ball that can run the ball. And then you also got three running backs. One that catches one that runs one that pounds the ball. And I don't think you've had to face that versatility yet. And I think that, uh, that's going to show.
00:36:00
Speaker
Yeah, no, that does worry me a little bit with the hurts. That play action is going to be dirty, but I think if we throw a spy on him, I think our linebackers will be up to that task. I think with Greenlaw's speed, throw a Z's on him, I think they'll be able to throw a spy on him and I think we'll be able to
00:36:20
Speaker
keeping eye on him for sure, and I'm not too worried about that. As far as tight ends, you're talking about Goddard. It's scary having him back, but I think getting Warner, putting him back in coverage, as well as throwing like Ward or somebody on him, I think they'll be able to negate that as well. Yeah, so Dawson, as being the mediator in this, for you, what are your thoughts? Well, I mean, it's been a, I mean,
00:36:48
Speaker
As soon as I knew those two teams are going to be in it in the NFC Championship, it's been pretty much a coin flip for me this whole week. But I know that Mario is going to give me shit for this, but I've been looking at those Vegas odds. And the Niners are underdogs in this one. And I got as much as I'd love to see the Eagles win. I think that the Niners being a dog is going
00:37:17
Speaker
I think all the pressure's on Philly here. And like I said, coin flip, 100%. I'm 50-50 here. But if I have to make a prediction right now, I'm going low scoring game, too. I think this is going to be, you know, when the Eagles are on offense, they're going to have long, methodical drives to kind of chew up the clock and as well as, you know, Kyle Shanahan on the other side loves to do that. And it's going to come down to the final drive, in my opinion, whichever team has it. I think the Niners will here.
00:37:47
Speaker
And on a, on a game winning field goal, I mean, I'm going play by play here. I'm going 17 to 14 Niners. So from a Rams fans. Y'all is coming from a Rams fan. And I hate to say it, but you know, I feel like the Niners are going to, you know, catch a couple of breaks here and there too. So, but, uh,
00:38:10
Speaker
But you know, you know, Cross has been talking, you know, and honestly, Maura, I don't know about you, but he low key impressed me on some of the names he threw out. Yeah, Cross has got some good, you know, knowledge when it comes to football, give him that. He does. But you know, we're going to introduce a little segment here on going for two. You know, all year this year, we're all in the same fantasy league and in the same fantasy group text.
00:38:35
Speaker
You know, whenever the Niners were winning, we'd get a text here from Cross, you know, Deebo. And I'm like, dude, that's the only player he knows. So a little segment introduced here on going for two is a bandwagon or fan. So let's play this. Shall we? Yeah, I'm down. I'm down. All right. So the way this works Cross is I'm going to give you a little Niners trivia and it's a one word, one word answer, one player answer.
00:39:04
Speaker
You just listen to the question and respond accordingly. Are you ready? How much time do I get? Do I get some time to think about it? Yeah, you get some time. I'll give you some time. But here we go. Back in 2013, the Niners played the Ravens in that Super Bowl. The Joe Flacco, I'm pretty sure, beat you guys, which, jeez. But anyways, who were the three starting receivers
00:39:34
Speaker
that year for the 49ers that Kaepernick was throwing to? I'm going to go Anquan Bolden. Anquan Bolden. Michael Crabtree. Is Crabtree one of them? Crabtree was, Bolden wasn't. I'll give you a pass on that. Okay. Bolden was actually on the Ravens.
00:40:01
Speaker
Not yours. What? Oh man, that's bad. Oh god. What do you think about this one? Mario, what do you think it's? Ted Ginn Jr. Oh boy, okay. Okay. Okay. One more. One more. Oh god. Vernon David, he's tied in.
00:40:31
Speaker
He wasn't starting tight end, though. Oh, man. Keep your eye on it. I'll give it to two for three. That ain't too bad. This last one, I feel like you're going to react like, wow. But it was Randy Moss. Oh, my god. I forgot we had him. That was when, at the end of his career, you guys got him. Yeah, but OK. So two for three of the players there. You're 75% leaning towards fan. Mario.
00:41:00
Speaker
Mario, what do you got for him? You got one? Yeah, I got one question. I'm going to bring it back to the Super Bowl. Which year? I'm going with, you know, I think it was in 2020 when the Niners played the Chiefs. OK, with this game, first of all, let's see if you can get who was the running back to score your touchdown?
00:41:27
Speaker
I first like to just throw this out. That was the worst day of my life. I try to forget everything about this game. So that's why if my answer is a little bit off, that's probably why I like to forget everything. I drank my way into oblivion after that. Who scored the first rushing touchdown? Who scored your guys's rushing touchdown? Who scored our rushing touchdown?
00:41:57
Speaker
Let's thank you. Was it Kyle Eustach? It was not. I'll give you one more guess. It was Raheem Mostert, wasn't it? It was. Was it Raheem? Well, yeah. He had a great playoffs that year. He destroyed the Packers. I'm surprised I didn't pick that because he was going hard that year.
00:42:17
Speaker
Yeah, I'm a little disappointed in that one. I thought I thought I was giving you. I thought it was going to be like Jimmy G or like how you check or something kind of like a freaking bone. All right. Cross. I feel like he's 50 50 right now. So I think this is 50 50. This one, I don't know if it's a deciding factor though, Mario, because if he's just a guy who follows his team, he should get this answer. Right. Okay. But here we go.
00:42:47
Speaker
Cross. Who is the 49ers player who just recently, this Monday, got charged with misdemeanor assault? Easy money, bro. Charles Amenahu. What position? He is a defensive end. I thought he was a D tackle, no?
00:43:07
Speaker
I don't know. I think he's a DM, to be honest. Maybe he's attacked. I don't know. But I did hear about that. He's on the line there. Yeah, you got it. That's close enough. I did hear that. My thoughts on that is, yeah, I just got to let the legal process play out. I heard he is practicing. He's back to practice today, actually. Yeah, so I think they're just going to let him run it.
00:43:31
Speaker
So he's going to be able to play an NFC Championship game, most likely. Yeah, he's going to be able to sack hurts his ass like three or four times. That doesn't surprise me though, Mario. The Niners had Alden Smith on a contract when he was arrested about five or six times in his career. At least not the Raiders, though. We're not that bad. Yeah, you're not that scummy. At least you got that. But, Mario, you got one more for him, or should we end it? I think that does it.
00:44:00
Speaker
for the segment here and especially for that, for the, for that questions. I don't really have any more for cross. I think we, he did pretty good for what he had. So I think we can, we can give him the, the okay that he is a true and deed, a true fan. All right. It has been declared. Um, I'd love, I wish we had Logan on here. Oh my God. He would have gone over three there, but, uh, that's besides the point. But, uh, anyways, so, I mean, just to recap, uh, we,
00:44:30
Speaker
Uh, in the first game we got, we all like the. Wait, who was the first game? It was chiefs bangles. Yep. And me and cross like the bangles here and Mario likes my homes to get a little revenge. Yes, sir. And make his third super bowl, I believe. Yeah. And then the second one Niners Eagles. Again, me and cross go in the Niners here and again, I
00:44:58
Speaker
as much as I hated to say it, Mario, I think it's going to be a good game. And I'd love to see you guys beat him. So come on. Come on. It's going to be a fun one no matter what. And, you know, I will have to say it's been a long time coming for me and Cross. You've been talking about this all year. We got a little, little $20 bet on it. So nothing huge, but a little friendly wager.
00:45:19
Speaker
Yeah, we got this early, man. We threw it early and people were doubting. Everyone else in the fantasy chat, everyone was like, nah, if the Niners even make it there, I think you even said that DOS, you didn't even think the Niners would make it here. No, no, no. I always knew they were going to make it, man. I got $100 on them to win $1,400. Damn. And I threw that a week before you guys got in the coffee.
00:45:43
Speaker
So this man has no shame, dude. This is like the third time I've heard he bets against his own bets for his rivals, man. I know, dude. I've learned from my dad that if you don't like a team, you just bet on them, right? And then if they win, you make money. And if they lose, you're still happy. So it's a win-win. But anyways, on behalf of Maro and I, we want to thank Thank You Cross for
00:46:11
Speaker
joining on for the second episode. This was a lot of fun. I mean, damn, we're already 46 minutes in. I feel like we can talk for another hour. That's just the way this goes when we all talk sports. But yeah, it was a lot of fun. Mario, you got any last words for our audience?
00:46:31
Speaker
Um, no, not really. I mean, I'm, I'm glad, uh, we got to have you on cross. It was a pleasure. Fun, always fun, uh, arguing with you a little bit, you know, especially when it comes to our teams in a big game like this. And, uh, yeah, I don't know. I might've even heard Dawson, was there some whispers of some other possible guests coming on soon? There is, you know, I, I, it's still in the works. Um, I'd love to get one of my buddies on here who's actually in the NFL for, uh, the, the preview of the Superbowl.
00:47:01
Speaker
So next week or maybe the week after, but it's still in the works. But like Mario and I mentioned last week, we got some connections of people that are either in the a pro athlete or former pro athlete. So we'd love to blow this platform up to eventually get those guys on. So again, you know, DMS on our Instagram with any questions you guys have that you want us to answer. And yeah, just keep following us and the episode.
00:47:30
Speaker
Uh, this will be released on our Instagram, uh, weekly, but, uh, yeah, this about wraps up our second episode of going for two. So, um, like we said, two big games this week. Can't wait to come back next week and, uh, break those down for the Superbowl preview. But, um, on behalf of us here at going for two, uh, we'd like to thank you once again and. Good night guys. Good night.