Hour 1: Mike Sando, The Athletic, NFL Senior Writer

0:00Fourth of July savings are happening now at the Home Depot with select appliances starting at$398. Plus, get free delivery on appliance purchases of$398 or more, no membership required. Upgrade your kitchen with a modern and sleek GE profile refrigerator featuring hands-free autofill for the perfect pour every time. And make laundry day easier with two-in-one washer-dryer combo innovation that completes laundry in about 90 minutes. Shop top brand appliances now at the Home Depot. Offer valid June 17th, July 8th, U.S. only C-Store online for details. Are all batteries the same? That's like asking if all soccer players are the same.

0:37Take Messi, the most decorated player ever. Is there any other player who has achieved that? No, just him. Now take Duracell. Is there any other battery with Power Boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracell. Goats only trust goats, because they're built different. And Messi only trusts Duracell. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment.

1:27Now, on with the show. Oh my God, you guys are my favorites. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Rich Eisen. I know what I'm talking about. That's the headline. The Rich Eisen Show. With guest host, Dan Schwartzman. I mean, honestly, he's brilliant. He's a poet. Dan Schwartzman. Oh my gosh. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. And now, sitting in for Rich, it's Dan Schwartzman. in the big boy chair again black friday dan schwartzman in for rich eisen and yes i've locked my credit cards my wife's credit cards so by the time i'm done today i am not in the poor house fun as always to fill in for rich a lot to get into coming off a nfl thanksgiving triple header and by the way i want to start off before we get to looking at some of these games talking about what we saw.

2:22I do want to get into what the heck did you do for Thanksgiving? Did you shove food in your face, stuff yourself? I find that Thanksgiving, as great a holiday as it is, because you get together with the family, you have fun, it's a nice time. Maybe you go to the backyard if you live in the suburbs and you play a little football, a little two-hand touch flag football. Maybe some of you go all out and play a little tackle football. But overall, any time you get to spend with the family, to me, is quality time. That's the fun part about Thanksgiving. Let's get to the nitty-gritty stuff that people don't want to talk about.

2:57One is preparing it. Who the heck wants to do it at their house? Okay? I've done it before, and all I know, because maybe I have a little OCD, might be an issue on my part, but you get to a point where you see How many dishes pile up? How much you have to clean up? And as you are eating and everybody's enjoying themselves, if you are responsible for cleaning the kitchen at your house after a large family Thanksgiving gathering, all you're thinking about is, how is this going to fit in the dishwasher? That's what I always do. So this year, did not do it. My parents did it. I was very glad. Didn't have to clean dishes.

3:38And that, to me, was the best part of Thanksgiving. not dealing with it. But here's the other aspect of it that we have to think about. It's become a holiday where we shove our faces full of food, right? It's not even about, oh, let me enjoy some turkey and mashed potato and stuffing and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie and pecan pie, all the goodies, right? It is how much of this can you shove in your face till you feel sick? Gluttony at its finest. And then the leftovers. And everybody's like, oh, I got the biggest turkey at the store. got a 24 pounder. I'm like, why? You're going to be eating this stuff for a week.

4:15Do you want the leftover turkey? Maybe I am trying to bring Thanksgiving down to the reality of what it really is for a lot of us. But it's a great holiday. And then you shop today and you spend a lot of money and you get great deals. And the holiday season has begun. But one thing that also you have to think about is it's when Christmas music is supposed to start. And even in my Jewish household, my wife goes, when are we getting a tree? Thanksgiving happened. It's time to get a tree this weekend. Let's drive and find a tree. So that's what I put up with. But I did get to enjoy lots and lots of football yesterday.

4:53And let me tell you something. It did not disappoint. And as much fun as a Packers-Lions game is, or an AFC North matchup with Cincinnati and Baltimore, more. I always love watching Derrick Henry play. My mindset was I have to see what the Cowboys have. I have to see what the Chiefs have because ultimately these are two teams going in opposite directions. And that's where I really want to start the focus on today as we talk about the three Thanksgiving matchups that we witnessed. Because I have not been a believer in the Cowboys. They had won two games in a row going into yesterday. They had knocked off the Eagles, and it was a short week for them, let's not forget.

5:38But they had knocked off the Eagles, defending Super Bowl champions, a division rivalry, bad blood between the Cowboys and Eagles, the fan bases. I lived in Philly for four and a half years. I can tell you all about the hatred. It is, my friends, genuine. And what did we witness yesterday? A Cowboys team that is potentially, I'm not all there yet. I don't want to be teased or tickled, but potentially showing us that they are the real deal and an actual contender in a season when there is massive parity in the NFL. I dare you to tell me right now that there's one team in either conference that stands out to you as better than everybody else.

6:22For years, you could say, yeah, it was the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes. They're going to win 14 games, 13 games, turn the Jets out in the postseason. They're going to win the Super Bowl. And for the most part, that's what's happened. The Bills, they're going to compete. They'll be there at the end. They'll choke it at the end. But in the end, you kind of knew who those good teams were, the teams that were going to play in conference championship games and potentially in the Super Bowl. This year, though, you're sitting there scratching your head. Your scalp is raw from scratching it because there is not a single clear-cut team, at least in my eyes, that I look at and say, they are the best.

6:59They're the best NFC team. They're the best AFC team. This is wide open. And that's why as much as the Chiefs have struggled this season, and they have struggled, there comes a point you expect them to turn it on. I actually had a discussion with a good friend of mine this week about the Chiefs. And I'd watched the Chiefs Broncos game with him. He's a big Broncos fan. And I said, I just get that feeling that Kansas City at this point, because they've been so good in the Patrick Mahomes era, that truly began in what? 2018, right? He played, what, one game in 17, took over as a starter in 2018. The rest has been history.

7:39They've won three Super Bowls. They were in another one last year and lost. It's been automatic for them. It is a dynasty. Andy Reid, one of the greatest head coaches in the history of the sport, in the history of sports. and that deadly duo of Reed and Mahomes every year is most people's picks to win the Super Bowl and rightfully so they haven't done anything where you doubt it but I told my friend it's as if they sleepwalk through the regular season and when it counts they're going to turn on the Jets they'll get into the postseason and they're going to be great but somehow they have to get through these 18 weeks of a regular season that they will do just enough to win not kill themselves doing it and then turn it on.

8:23But as I'm watching yesterday, and you know how important a game this is for the Chiefs because of the fact their playoff chances are slipping away, and they have not missed a postseason since 2014. In fact, Patrick Mahomes has never missed a postseason since coming into the NFL, which is an incredible statistic, by the way. This is not one of those games where you could sleepwalk your way through it with the playoffs right around the corner thinking to yourself, okay yeah you know what we need to win this game we're in Dallas Cowboys they're playing better but let's not kid ourselves they were what five five and one heading into this one it's it's time to start doing something and the Chiefs couldn't do it and one of the reasons besides the fact their defense isn't very good is the Cowboys the team now that's turning it on three straight wins in a matter of five days, they beat the two participants in last season's Super Bowl.

9:20Think about that. You knock off the Eagles, you knock off the Chiefs, that's big time wins. And you don't do that as a fluke. It's not a fluke, okay? Maybe you beat one of the two teams, that's a fluke. But when you're talking about, you know, you beat Vegas and you beat the Eagles, okay, whatever. But now it's time to wake up and take this team seriously. They're 6-5-1. They are peaking. You can make a very legitimate argument that they are better than the Eagles, less holes in Philadelphia, because Philadelphia has a lot of holes right now, and a huge question mark at quarterback with Jalen Hurts.

10:00And you have a lot of stories coming out of Philadelphia about unhappiness in that locker room with the way Hurts is playing. Now, fair or not, that's just the way it is. There's a lot of pressure to win in Philadelphia. they want to continue what some would think is their little dynasty that's brewing and when they struggle the way they have and Jalen Hurts has been a reason for it this year people even question even though they've won you know a bunch of games and you have a Super Bowl winning quarterback but I watched yesterday because I wanted to see if in my eyes the Cowboys are real and I'm not a Cowboys fan I'll I will throw it throw it out right now and if you've listen to me fill in for Rich before, you know, as Rich is, I am a Jets fan.

10:40I am a struggling Jets fan. I have subjected my soon-to-be four-year-old to watching the Jets, where on a Sunday, she goes, Daddy, are we going to watch the Jets? And my wife, who knows nothing about sports, goes, why are you doing this to her? Look what it's done to you for all these years. Why will you subject her to the same punishment that you have had to endure watching the Jets all these years and the lack of success. And she is correct, by the way. But the Cowboys, to me, what I witnessed with this team yesterday, is they're as good as anybody right now in the NFC to where you have to tell yourself, make it come out of it.

11:21The Quinn and Williams trade with the Jets, yes, they overpaid, but if you win a Super Bowl, it's worth overpaying for a player. But Quinn has been great. You lose Micah Parsons, you think to yourself, Can they replace a star player, an all-pro like Micah Parsons? The answer is you really can't. Not the pass rushing ability. But you bring in an absolute force. And I was fortunate enough to watch Quinton Williams in Alabama and also with the Jets. He is a star player. He is an all-pro caliber player. And you're seeing that out of him. He has added an element to that defense that has been, frankly, incredible.

11:58their wide receiver core with cd lamb and george pickens as good or better than anybody else out there pickens what a star he's become cd lamb we know he's a star but dak prescott has to prove that he's more than kirk cousins a guy that's going to put up big numbers a guy that is going to get you into the postseason but then find a way to disappoint right have that four interception type game. Just lay an egg when it really counts. And I'm not convinced yet that Dak Prescott is a guy that is capable of leading the Cowboys to a Super Bowl. All I know is this. They are good enough to get to a Super Bowl.

12:38They are good enough talent-wise to beat anybody else in the NFC. And you look around the NFC right now, okay? Because I don't want to get to the AFC yet, because they don't have to get their way through the AFC to get to a Super Bowl. But you break down the NFC right now. Are the Eagles really better? No. Are the Chicago Bears a team you believe in at 8-3? I don't think so. Maybe we'll find out a bit more today with them playing. Are you convinced about the Green Bay Packers? They did look good yesterday, but Jordan Love had struggled the previous four games. Tampa Bay, Carolina, and the NFC South, I don't think anybody believes in them.

13:17The Rams, I think, are legit. But are they head and shoulders better than the Dallas Cowboys? Again, I don't think so. Do you believe in Sam Darnold and Seattle? I watch Darnold. I'm happy for the kid. Seems to be a great guy. Didn't maybe get the best opportunity in New York. Maybe didn't get the best opportunity in Carolina. Woke up with Minnesota. Got himself paid. Having a nice season with Seattle. 49ers. Give them a lot of credit. Banged up team. A lot of injuries. yet they are eight and four. My whole point is you break it down. They are not exactly a bunch of teams that you're going to say are better than the Dallas Cowboys.

13:56They are as good as anybody else. The question is, is Dak Prescott good enough to lead this team to the next level, shake off the ghosts from the past, and get to a Super Bowl, and finally Jerry Jones has something to celebrate? I'm not going to sit here and tell you for sure that he can. All I'm saying is he needs to step it up at this point because they are as good as anybody else to reach the pinnacle of getting to a Super Bowl and playing in February of 2026. ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance. Not only does Progressive let you bundle your insurance, they also give you round-the-clock protection.

14:33Quote today at Progressive.com. We are on our way on a Black Friday here. Dan Schwartzman in for Rich Eisen. Excited to be here as always. I do want to get to the Chiefs, the Patrick Mahomes situation, the possibility that Kansas City will miss the postseason for the first time since 2014, for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era in KC. A lot to get into. We will talk next and break more of this NFL down. Our buddy Mike Sando from The Athletic, NFL senior writer, will be joining us here next. Dan Schwartzman in for Rich Eisen on this Black Friday.

15:19rich eisen here you can always tell when something big is happening in a city i know what it's like when i'm traveling for big games and events i remember being in pittsburgh earlier this year and experiencing the beautiful architecture and passion those fans have for their home teams that was so infectious now it was a great trip but you know what it's like dealing with the travel The airport is packed, hotels are booked up, restaurants all busy. And when you have that kind of influx of visitors in your city, a lot of them are searching for a place that feels a little bit more like home during their trip.

15:52That's why this can be a smart time to think about listing your own space on Airbnb. If you've got plans to be away this summer, consider listing your space on Airbnb while you're gone and earn some extra cash. It's simple. You're already traveling, so your place doesn't just sit empty while your city is busy. And from my experience on the road, having a comfortable home base can change the whole experience of a trip. So whether it's a big sports weekend, a concert series or a major event coming to your area, this could be the right time to list your space on Airbnb. Your home might be worth more than you think.

16:26Find out how much at Airbnb dot com slash host. While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent. Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. And we're still doing it every day because the future isn't some far-off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA.

17:00Save$2 when you buy two cans of Superior Products Cover All Tire Dressing. Plus receive four times O rewards points now at O 'Reilly Auto Parts. Coverall delivers long-lasting shine. Visit your O 'Reilly Auto Parts store or OReillyAuto.com.

17:23The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Back on The Rich Eisen Show, Dan Schwartzman in for Rich on this Black Friday and ESPN Radio, the ESPN app, and Sirius XM Channel 80, presented by Progressive Insurance. You can reach out and join us at 1-888-SAY-ESPN. That's 888-729-3776. NFL tripleheader yesterday, a lot of fun. We learned a bit about the Cowboys, maybe learned a bit about the Chiefs as well in a negative manner. We'll get to the Lions. We'll get to the Packers. Bengals, Joe Burrow, good to see him back. First game action in two and a half months for him. coming back from that toe injury. And then, of course, the Ravens' five-game winning streak snapped.

18:05Lamar Jackson did not look MVP-ish like we have gotten used to seeing him. A lot to get into in the Cowboys, the big topic of conversation. When you think about, are they, after three wins, including in a five-day span, wins over the Eagles and now the Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl participants, in last season's Super Bowl, are they legitimately real and a scary team as good as anybody in the nfc we bring in our buddy mike sando from the athletic nfl senior writer and mike first of all i have to start with the thanksgiving question did you stuff your face with family and friends my friend i did yeah we didn't have a large gathering a little bit of family and i'm better than i used to be about the overstuffing part of it.

18:52But yeah, I did well. We did well. And you watched a bunch of football, and I want to get right to this, Mike. The Dallas Cowboys, three in a row, 6-5-1, peak in interest now in terms of are they legit? Can they catch the Eagles, who have struggled a little bit here and there? What did you see with this Cowboys team watching them knock off Kansas City yesterday? Are they good enough in your mind to get out of that NFC talent-wise? I think the state of the league this year is such that we don't feel like there's super juggernaut teams now I do think that the Rams look like they're on a different level I think Seattle can get to that a little bit more consistency offensively for them and I still feel like even though Philly's not what they've been some of these teams I still think are in the way for Dallas and are better than Dallas but it's very encouraging for them.

19:47I think definitely we've seen them look good on offense and better on defense. We're seeing some movement on that side of the ball. I think the Quinn and Williams trade has been good for them. They have a little bit of juice, but they're also, you know, their reputation from their owner is just, you know, really being a front-running team that doesn't handle success well. So I guess it's impressive that they beat the Eagles in a super great comeback and then came back against Kansas City and didn't look like a team that was reading its clippings, so to speak, right? They did it. And so I think that's a real positive step for them.

20:22I could have easily seen them kind of lay an egg yesterday after a big win. So they've stacked a couple here. I think that's significant. I think that Brian Schottenheimer is, I thought since they hired him, a better coach than people were giving credit. So let's let it play out. Let's not get too excited. But certainly when you look at the state of either conference, really, I mean, if you're a team that's hot at the right time, you're going to like your chances. It's parity-packed to say the least, Mike. And you talk about obstacles or even roadblocks for the Cowboys, one that we have seen over the years is in its own locker room, and that is Dak Prescott in big-game situations.

21:02Still a big concern for you, Mike, as we move forward? I think it's a concern. I do think he's really good. I don't know that there's – the playoff sample sizes are so small that it's hard to just – it's not like he's had 20 playoff games and they were all the same. He's had a few, and they were kind of similar. So until he proves otherwise, it is what it is. But I don't necessarily see some complete fatal flaw with him. Now I think we just need to see if, hey, in a playoff-type scenario, if they make it, But are they good enough in all the phases? The defense has certainly been bad most of this year.

21:42So that would be my concern. It's just, is Dak going to be good enough to overcome maybe some other areas of their team against good opponents in a playoff situation? Mike Sando, NFL senior writer for The Athletic, joining us here on the Rich Eisen Show. Dan Schwartzman in for Rich on this Black Friday. On the other side of it, let's look at the Kansas City Chiefs. We've gotten accustomed to them just winning, winning, winning, getting through the AFC, getting to Super Bowls, winning Super Bowls. But this year, they're now 6-6. They continue to struggle. What is wrong with the Kansas City Chiefs right now, Mike?

22:16Well, it's crazy. When you look at their – they have a top-five offense, and you're like, what's going on? They can't win any of these close games. Well, there's a couple things going on. I think, one, offensively for them to reconsider in the offseason is just a little bit of their structure. sure. I think that they do not do as good of a job as some other teams in presenting at least a threat of a run or making you be in conflict. I think they rely a little bit too much on Mahomes at this point. He's great and can do a lot. And then defensively, they clearly need pass rush help. I think that if you look at their performances in these one-score games, we hear a lot about.

22:50Remember, they were 11-0 last year, had won 17 in a row in games that were decided by eight or fewer points. This year, they're now 1-6. One of the big differences in those games has been their defense. In the close games, it just hasn't been as good. We certainly saw that yesterday. They're paying a lot of money to George Karloftis. They're probably got another year or two with maybe near-prime Chris Jones, some debate whether he's still as good as he was, and they're not getting the results in that area. So as we watched the Thanksgiving games, and we saw Micah Parsons absolutely making a huge difference for Green Bay, that could be instructive for a couple of these teams i think buffalo is another one that could really use pass rush help in the afc that's a great point you bring up the defense has really been an issue and as you said it's kind of funny you think top five offense for kansas city yet how are they six and six but when you have andy reed and you have patrick mahomes the reality is it is a sexy landing spot potentially for free agents right it's a place where you want to go play now and that's funny because prior to that era you didn't really look at kansas city as a place you wanted to go but now it is it's a hot spot and you have a great coach you have a great quarterback as we mentioned is this a quick fix for them is this a situation where a couple of drafts maybe free agency and this dynasty of sorts just continues as long as passion homes is there well i think it's a lot well maybe they'll be picking higher this year so they'll have a better chance to get an impact player on the defensive side of the ball they've done decently with with some of these guys like karloftis is a success story i don't know if he's worth what they're paying them now probably not but uh it's hard to impact your team uh picking later in the draft so and it's also just a crap shoot a little bit anyway right you're you're you know you be counting on that counting in year one and year two production at a high level to tip the scales in a pass rush that's hard to do you're probably not going to do that so they may need to be in that targeted free agency realm uh you know and i've wondered even going into this year like if they were to miss the playoffs, I asked this before the season, if Denver or somebody else were to win that division, what would Clark Hunt do?

24:56You know, the owner of the Chiefs, would he be a little bit more willing to, you know, make one of those kind of riskier, higher profile type of moves that cost you money in free agency? Because they haven't really had to do that because they just go to the Super Bowl anyway. But would there be some kind of a reckoning, right? You're obviously not going to fire Andy Reid, nor should you. you're not going to do him and Mahomes is going to be there the core guys are going to be there but what would missing the playoffs do to a competitive owner would he would they make that type of a you know some kind of a big move I want to get to the Lions and the Packers the game from yesterday as well the Lions a lot of expectations coming in this year Mike coming off what we saw last year Dan Campbell taking over play calling duties this year is it time for him to give those to somebody else?

25:45Well, no. I think it's time for them to decide who their caller is probably going to be next year. I think that's going to be the equation. As far as where they're at as a team, I think clearly defensively was a bigger issue for them yesterday than offense, and probably has been the case a lot of this season. They're still a pretty good offense. Injuries were an issue yesterday, but when you look through, other than the Philly game where they really couldn't score, there's a a lot of 24s and 34s and 44s, 37s, 38s in their scoring column this year. So I think they're good enough on that side of the ball.

26:21Definitely will need to get the offensive. You want to have a more dynamic offensive coordinator so the head coach doesn't have to call it. And I think that's going to be hard for them to replace. They had a really good one, probably a top five one in the league in Ben Johnson. So probably not going to happen, right? You're going to need to, I think, get some more out of your defense. You know, I thought it was striking how good Micah Parsons looked yesterday. Didn't really feel Aiden Hutchinson quite as much. So maybe they need to, you know, augment that side of the ball a little bit. I think they're going to be fine offensively, just not as dynamic as they could be with Ben Johnson.

26:58NFL senior writer for The Athletic, Mike Sando, joining us here on The Rich Eisen Show. Dan Schwartzman in for Rich. Last question. As this show ends today, we have a heck of an NFC matchup in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Bears. Mike, we know what the Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl win. Bears are 8-3, looking pretty good. Are you a believer, Mike? I'm a believer that they've made progress and are better on offense and that I want to see more of them. I'm not a believer in them in terms of being a top team in the NFC. I think that they're a – I don't even know that they're a top half team in the league.

27:30And you say, wait, what are you talking about? And what I'm talking about is the run of quarterbacks they've faced has really been a key component to this. And just some of the teams overall they've faced defensively, certainly with the Bengals, the commanders, some of these teams. So good for them. I think that this is a positive step for them. There's been some encouraging things with Caleb Williams too. But I'm not taking them seriously yet. I think we'll find out the next three weeks. They're going to play Philly, Green Bay next month, I guess. They're going to play Cleveland's defense. Green Bay again, San Francisco, Detroit hey, if they navigate that and win most of those, then I'll have you back on and I'll say I was wrong, but I don't think that's going to happen.