Hour 1: Rich’s Season Preview for All 32 NFL Teams, plus Don’t Count Out the Chiefs

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0:45Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. 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. Now, on with the show. This is The Rich Eisen Show.

1:30Live from the Rich Eisen Show studios in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

1:38Today's guests, podcast host and journalist Pablo Torre, pro football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, and your phone calls, latest news, and more. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Live from Brazil, it's the Rich Eisen Show, everybody. Words I've never said before, and I'm thrilled to be saying. I'm in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I am live right here on Disney +, live here on the ESPN app everywhere. And by everywhere, I now mean Brazil. That's everywhere. And I say hello to everybody out there that is listening on ESPN Radio, presented by Progressive Insurance. Thrilled to be here with you in advance of the Thursday night kickoff in Philadelphia between the Cowboys and the Eagles on NBC tonight.

2:33And obviously, I'm in Brazil because I'm calling game two of the National Football League season between the Chiefs and the Chargers on YouTube. I'll be calling that game with Kurt Warner, who is stopping by my Brazil, my Sao Paulo, Brazil studio in hour number three, a full on conversation with Kurt Warner here. So I'm sitting where I am, wherever you are taking this show, either you're streaming and watching it live on all of our Disney partners, or you're listening to it, maybe on Sirius XM Channel 80, or on this ESPN radio affiliate coast to coast in the United States of America. You can still call 844-204-RICH-NUMBER-TO-DOLL.

3:12Don't worry, we'll pick up the long distance charges for me to have a conversation with you from here in San Paolo, Brazil. So I'm sitting where I am, and my guys are sitting in Los Angeles. It's good to see you, Christopher Brockman. How are you? Rich, I'm fantastic. Great to see you, my friend. I see that you made it down there in one piece. Let's play some football now, right? It's good to see you. TJ Jefferson, is that candle lit, sir? Candles lit? Come on, Rich. You know how we do. The candle is lit. I just got a quick question. I know you've just been there a second. Have any of the locals asked about me?

3:40Wow. Have you been here? No, no, no. But I was just wondering if maybe someone brought my name. I know you're world-renowned, but nobody's asked about you, TJ. I actually went from the airplane to a car and sat in an hour and a half worth of traffic for quite some time all the way through to my hotel and then made it here. So not everybody's been asking about you. Mike Del Tufar, are you there, Mike? Yes, I'm here, Rich. Mikey D. There he is. There he is. Let's go, Mikey. Awesome. So I'm appreciative of everybody doing all their hard work to make everything go down smoothly here on the Rich Eisen Show as I'm sitting.

4:21This is the first, I believe, multi-hemisphere edition of this program. Chris, you've been with me the longest. Is this the first multi-hemisphere, correct? Of this type of situation, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is Chris. Can you confirm that? Regardless of where I am, whether it's international or it is national, wherever you may be taking in this program, If you're somehow new to us, because, again, we're new to Disney Plus and ESPN for just a couple of days, what I'm about to do is what I've done every single year on the Rich Eisen Show. For now, this is our 11th National Football League season.

4:54I kick off every single NFL season, as it will be kicked off tonight, with storylines, because that's how we roll here on this program. storylines nothing but storylines for this campaign in the national football league as you know i'm not an all 22 guy i don't study film that's for kurt warner he's coming in later on in hour number three all i deal with is narratives i deal with narratives and storylines and every single team in this soap opera of a league the greatest reality programming ever created it's the National Football League. So here I am on another eve of a National Football League season.

5:34It kicks off tonight, and I have all 32 team storylines. Thank you for my theme music, Michael Del Tufo. I kick it off with the NFC, and you gotta kick it off with the defending Super Bowl champions in the Philadelphia Eagles. Can they be the first back-to-back champions since the Kansas City Chiefs? Or, wait a minute, first and only team in Philadelphia sports to go back to back since the 73-74, 74-75 Philadelphia Flyers. That's the only other team that's done what the Eagles are attempting to do in the history of that great sport. How will Jalen Hurts follow up his first Super Bowl MVP campaign?

6:14Can Saquon have the best follow-up season in the history of the 2K rushing club? That standard was set in 1988 by a 30-year-old Barry Sanders with 1 ,498 with a terrific offensive line and a terrific offense. However, the biggest threat to the Philadelphia Eagles, title defense could be their own schedule. They are the first team in NFL history to face 10 playoff teams from the year before. And they're their first defending Super Bowl champions to have a schedule to feature a grand total of zero back-to-back games in their own home stadium. So if they do go back to back, they will have earned it.

6:55And then there's the Washington Commanders right there in their division. That's the team that they played in last year's NFC Championship game. Can the guy on the screen, radio audience, it's Jaden Daniels, can that guy follow up his unicorn rookie season with an encore that nobody's also seen before? Will Terry McLaurin's holdout affect anything in the win-loss column negatively coming up? point oh better than Debo 1.0 or is he just bigger that's a question we're gonna have to have answered who's running the football there can the oldest roster in the league hold up over 18 weeks and is this Von Miller's last ride and can it end in the same spot and in the same game where he won MVP of Super Bowl 50 yes Super Bowl 60 as we all know is in Santa Clara California TJ your Dallas Cowboys Dak is healthy CD lamb is great but who is running the football and how good is the new coach running the show poor Matt Eberflus the new DC there in Dallas once upon a time he had Khalil Mack traded away from the Bears on the eve of his Micah they believe that this team has absolutely zero shot to erase the most often repeated stat in the NFL and its media that the Dallas Cowboys have not made an NFC championship game now in three decades perhaps counting the New York Giants can they be better sure looks like they They can be.

8:18They added the best player in the Big Ten last year in Abdul Carter. That's the first rookie they drafted. To a defensive line that has Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeau. And one of the best middlemen, period, in Dexter Lawrence. The guy on the screen, though, that's Russell Wilson. The Giants are on Jackson Dart Watch. At least they are all season long in the New York, New Jersey era. Unless Russ can somehow have a renaissance in the same stadium where he won his only Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in MetLife. Speaking of the Seahawks, it's now the Sam Darnold era there, and that's not the only change.

8:49They have a new OCDK is out, JSN is in, and so is of all people, Rams great Cooper Cup. Without a doubt, this is Mike McDonald's team now, and how much will Jalen Milrow be a part of it? They're trying to get their first playoff win since wildcard weekend in Philadelphia in 2019. Can they make the playoffs? Can they win the division? They do seem to have the horses. We will see it all play out. In week one, they're taking on the 49ers. Put a pin in that. Let's talk about the Rams. It all appears now to be on the shoulders of Matthew Stafford's chiropractor because everything else seems set up.

9:26If you're going to let Cooper Cup go, I kind of think bringing in Devontae Adams isn't a bad way to go. And then no team gave Philly all it could handle more in last year's playoffs than this Los Angeles Rams team. Jared Verse is a total beast. The rest of the D appears to be just as young and hungry. It's as simple as, can that offensive line protect their quarterback? Can he hold up long enough to hold up another Lombardi? The last time the Arizona Cardinals won a playoff game was 2015. They've only made it back to the playoffs once, and the Rams boat raced them out of it in 2021. It's year seven for Kyler.

10:06Got to figure it's time to take a step up, right? Year three for Jonathan Gannon, year two for Marvin Jr., and year one for him wasn't all that great. Calais Campbell's back in Arizona. Year 18 for him. Can he added to this mix help Arizona surprise a lot of people and what to make of the 49ers? A one-year injury caused break from their Super Bowl window closing, or is their Super Bowl window really closing? Brock Purdy has now been paid. Could that possibly affect him or maybe even springboard him? Who is healthy enough to catch passes from him? When is Brandon Ayuk coming back? It's good to see Juwan Jennings paid and healthy in week one.

10:45Can Christian McCaffrey hold up? Is Robert Sala the missing ingredient on defense? Niners fans have been pining for his return. He is, in fact, back on a very young defense that surrounds Bosa and Fred Warner. It's been 31 years. I know you want me to say this, DJ, because you always point this out. Everybody talks about how the Cowboys haven't done it. It's been 31 years since the San Francisco 49ers won it all. by the way. Moving to the NFC South, Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Light. All hail him because in this day and age of constant flux and moving around, he somehow keeps this team together.

11:22Baker's there and back. Mike Evans there and back. Wirfs is there. Vita Vea is back. And Levante David and Godwin, when he comes back, is Bucky Irving ready to take his breakout season and become a breakthrough running back? Can the Bucs win their division for a fifth straight year, or maybe Todd Bowles winds up somehow, someway, in yet another hot seat conversation by the end of the year. And if the Bucs don't win it all, it appears to be the Falcons division to take. And it's all about Michael Penix Jr., the kid who finally got a starting gig last year, but surprisingly in the final throws of last season.

11:59And speaking of throws, he didn't make one in the preseason. The offense does appear to be loaded, unless it isn't. Kirk Cousins has an earbud and a large price tag. Can they sack the quarterback on defense? The longest drought in the league without a double-digit sacker belongs to the Atlanta Falcons. The last one to have 10 or more sacks for this team was Vic Beasley in 2016. Can Raheem Morris put it all together and get the Falcons back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017? It's been maybe eight years if they don't make it this year. The Carolina Panthers, that's the second longest active drought 2017 for the Atlanta Falcons to not make the playoffs.

12:38It's tied with the Carolina Panthers. They finished last year in, you know, third place. They put a scare in everybody in the process, including both eventual Super Bowl teams, the Chiefs and the Eagles. They beat them, but they gave them a scare in the process. They won two of their final three. Bryce Young appears redeemed, but his last name is also quite appropriate to scribe his pass catchers and his wide receiver room. Very young. Can Ted McMillan be an offensive rookie of the year talent? Can the defense improve? Can Carolina shock? And then there's the Saints. I know this has Arch Watch written all over it from the moment.

13:15We put a pause even in an Arch's Heisman run, but that's just one game. Spencer Rattler has an opportunity. Does he make the most of it? Can he surprise people there? Does Tyler Shupp get in? The kid that they drafted in the second round of this year's draft. Kellen Moore is the new HC there. We'll see what happens. The NFC North. Oh, baby. The bandwagon became oversold this past week in Green Bay or released nationally about the Green Bay Packers. Young studs everywhere. Quarterback, running back, the wide receiver room. They added their first rounder to that room. A wide receiver in the first round for the first time in two decades.

13:50Matthew Golden is there. How will he fare in that offense? Now has Micah with Rashawn Gary in that defense. When Bart Starr won his second Super Bowl, he was 27 years old. When Favre won his only Super Bowl, he was 27 years old. When Rodgers won his only Super Bowl, Rodgers was 27 years old. Jordan Love is 27 years old. Can this be the Green Bay Packers season to bring another title back to title town? Unless the Detroit Lions return with a roar again. And their best season, regular season ever last year, despite having 21 players on injured reserve. They're healthy now. It's all about their coordinators.

14:29Johnny Morton is the OC. Kelvin Shepard is the DC, DC, HC. There is there. Dan Campbell, head coach, or HCDC. There is also Aiden Hutchinson. And there's Goff. And there's Sonic. And there's Knuckles. And Amon Ra on the O-line. Their biggest challenge, other than having a new system, maybe, for offensive and defensive coordinators that are there. Guys, it's their road schedule. I looked it up. Here's their road schedule outside of their division. At Baltimore, at KC, at Cincinnati, at Washington, at Philly, at the Rams. Yikes. Okay. Then there's the Vikings. 14 wins last year, right? The coaching staff is unrated.

15:10The defense is back. Jordan Mason's a good backup to Aaron Jones, unless it's the other way around eventually. Adam Thielen is back to get through Jordan Addison's suspension and any other injuries that could hurt this wide receiver room over the first month. It's all about my guy, the national champion quarterback from Team 144, the University of Michigan, J.J. McCarthy. Let's see what he looks like. Kevin O 'Connell is a great quarterback whisperer. As we all know, A++ type of coach in that regard. And overall, he's the reigning coach of the year. A lot of people overlooking a 14-win team from last season.

15:42How will the Vikings fare? Lots of questions there. And then the Bears to wrap up the NFC preview right here. It's all about the new coach there, Ben Johnson. Can he get Caleb Williams moving the football? Can he get Caleb Williams to get rid of the football? Nobody was sacked more last year than that kid. He took his licking but kept on ticking and did not get ticked off in front of the media. I thought that was highly impressive. What can he do? How can Ben Johnson load this kid with knowledge but not overburden him? Can the offensive line that has been revamped protect him? The defense looks pretty damn good again.

16:20Can the Bears get back to the playoffs and win their first playoff game in 15 years? 2010 was the last time they won in the playoffs. That's the NFC. Let's move to the AFC, shall we? Let's start with the Buffalo Bills. Can they do it again? And the it being Josh Allen being the lone superstar on a team that's as successful as the sum of its remarkable parts. Is this finally the year that they break through to the Super Bowl and win it so millions upon millions of Bill's Mafia can die happy? Off five straight division titles, an MVP season for the ages for their quarterback, and his honeymoon, and his marriage, and he's happy in life.

17:03and the final year at the Old Rich Stadium in Highmark. They were in a patch, apparently, in week one Sunday night to commemorate that against the Ravens. This sounds like a perfect mix for the Bills to finally do it in the AFC. I've been talking about droughts. Do you know the team with the longest playoff win drought in the NFL? And it's also one of two teams with a longer championship game drought than your Dallas Cowboys, TJ. It's the Miami Dolphins. Their last playoff win was 2000. Their last title game appearance was 1992. Can Tua stay healthy? Just how badly did Tyreek piss off his teammates?

17:39They say it's buried. We shall see. Who can stay healthy enough on defense to rush the passer? And who is experienced enough to play in the defensive secondary around Minka? It's year four of Mike McDaniel. It's a big year in Miami, to say the least. Christopher in New England. Mike Vrabel's back. Let's go, baby. and josh mcdaniels is back as the oc drake may has coaching around him and he's got stefan diggs do you know that the patriots have not had a thousand yard receiver since julian edelman since jules did it in 2019 i did know that that's the longest such streak in the national football league on that front they got a new left tackle for drake may in will campbell and they got running back trevion henderson can the pats shock and get back in the playoffs because if they're if not the last time they didn't make the playoffs in four straight years was 1990 through 93.

18:32The coaches were Rod Rust for the first year. Your guy Dick McPherson for two years before Parcells came in, missed the playoffs, and then turned everything around. We'll see how New England does. A lot of people think it is their year to turn things around. The Jets have a new Aaron in town. It's Glenn. It's the head coach. That's the Aaron that they are following, not their quarterback in Rodgers. Their new quarterback is Justin Fields. Aaron Glenn's been waiting for this shot. Can Justin Fields take this shot that's been given to him, awarded to him, that he has earned maybe with his 4-2 record with the Steelers last year?

19:07Can he turn this around and make this his pivot point of his career? Garrett Wilson's been paid. The last time the Jets have had a top-10 offense was 2008. That's the longest such drought in that regard in the NFL. Same goes for not having a 1 ,000-yard rusher. Last time that happened was 2015 when Chris Ivory did it. Same thing for not making the playoffs. The longest such streak in the NFL belongs to the Jets in 2010 in terms of protecting Justin Fields and getting that 1 ,000-yard rusher some holes to blow open. The Jets announced today that Elijah Veritaker, perhaps their top offensive lineman, is out for the season.

19:42So they're not only battling some headwinds, but the football gods who continue to kick them in the nards. The Houston Texans have never made it to the AFC Championship game. They were born in 2002. They haven't made it. Last two years with C.J. Stroud, they came within one game of it. Could this be the year that with D 'Amico Ryans, they break through and get to the AFC Championship game? In terms of protecting your quarterback, one would think the best strategy is to not trade away your left tackle to the Washington Commanders. They did that with Laramie Tunsil, but they may have this plan here to start winging it around, get the ball out of C.J.

20:18Stroud's hands. They added Jaden Higgins, the kid from Iowa State, and Christian Kirk. Can Tank Dell come back? We know Joe Mixon is hurt. What about Nick Chubb in a resurgence? They have a top five defense. The Houston Texans are definitely the AFC South favorites, to say the least. And then there's the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not since Maurice Jones-Drew have they had the most dynamic player in the draft, perhaps on their team. and I'm only saying that because Maurice Jones-Drew could be listening, and I like him. Travis Hunter, I can't wait to see this kid play. I want 100 snaps. I want 60 on offense, 40 on defense.

20:59That's what I want. I want that by midseason. Let's ramp him up. Let's take this kid and put him on the field and let him be transformative. And then Liam Cohen, the new HC there, taking over for Doug Peterson, who did take this team to the playoffs in 2022 and won a playoff game. Trevor Lawrence won that playoff game after throwing a million interceptions in the first half. They made the Final Four that year and then have taken steps back. Can Trevor Lawrence start to improve and get to that first overall drafted quarterback level of play that they've been looking for out of him? Can he stay healthy?

21:32What about this run game, the defense? Can that be coached up? The Jaguars do have some light around them, around that end of the tunnel there. The Indianapolis Colts. it's Daniel Jones getting a start I told you so Anthony Richardson is benched Daniel Jones is the guy can Shane Steichen unlock this guy's talent let's not forget in a playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings he turned into Colin Kaepernick for the Giants and he was throwing and he was running he was killing it and then yada yada yada he's now on the Indianapolis Colts Jonathan Taylor and the rest of that offense, with a good Daniel Jones, can make some hay.

22:13Defensively, can they also improve in year three for Shane Steichen there? One note, as they take on the Dolphins in week one, the longest week one winless streak in the league belongs to the Colts. The reason why I'm saying it like it's a hockey stat is they're 0-10-1 in week one season openers. Let's see what happens. The Titans have Cam Ward. That's what we're looking forward to seeing. How good is this kid? How dynamic can his connection with Calvin Ridley be? This run game with Tony Pollard. They've got home run hitters. They've got some good players on offense and a Brian Callahan coached offense with his dad still coaching there defensively with Jeffrey Simmons.

22:57Now he and Cam Ward won't be barking at each other. We'll actually be barking at other opponents. A tough one in Denver to start the season. But can the Titans improve? and surprise there. In the NAFC North, is this the toughest division in the league? The Ravens, it's all about January for this team. We all know it would take a massive issue for them to not make the playoffs, let alone maybe not even win this division. They are one of the most talented teams in the AFC. How healthy can they be? Will they be when rubber meets the road in January? And when January hits, can they avoid those mistakes, take care of business, get the Ravens back in the Super Bowl and back in the winner's circle since the first time that John beat his brother, Jim?

23:46Can Lamar be another MVP-worthy candidate? We think so. Derek Henry, how will he look now that he is a full-on 30-year-old running back? If he looks like this on the screen, that's nightmare fuel. The Ravens are one of the best teams in the league. It really is all about January. The Cincinnati Bengals, once upon a time, were one of those teams where we were wondering the same thing about January. The only question was, is how badly would Joe Burrow put the scare on your team when he walks into the stadium? And then the defense has started to fall apart. And then Burrow couldn't stay healthy a couple years ago, came back healthy and was an MVP candidate last year.

24:20And this team missed the playoffs because two things. One, they started slow again. They're 1-9 in their last few Septembers. Septembers and then you add on the fact that their defense couldn't stop a cold so what happens now that Trey Hendrickson is back and paid can this defense with Al Golden and their new defensive coordinator tighten up and can this team get back in the playoffs and become that scary Joe Burr type guy coming into your stadium and ruining your season can the Bengals return to that form the Steelers oh boy what's Aaron Rodgers going to look like and can he possibly possibly channel any of those MVP years that he was unable to channel with the Jets due to health and everything else that was going on was the Jets demise over the last year part and parcel because he wasn't healthy or he was so diminished that the Jets looked that way can the Steelers defense longer in the tooth still be as great as they possibly can be I think so who's catching the ball there's DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers who's running the ball Najee's in Los Angeles it's now Jalen Warren's show with a young um running back room around him Mike Tomlin with six straight playoff losses Steelers fans are getting sick and tired of hearing that stat by By the way, that's the longest such losing streak by any Super Bowl winning head coach in the history of the National Football League.

25:52The longest active championship game drought belongs to the Cleveland Browns. 1989 was their last. Don't think that's going to be ended this year. Joe Flacco is at quarterback right now. The word out of Cleveland is the Kevin Stefanski offense that caused him to come from the couch to come back player of the year has been reinstalled. that offense that apparently can't be installed with Deshaun Watson there and then all the other quarterbacks that were spinning around that carousel last year. Can Joe Flacco add some stability? Mason Graham is a stud on a defensive line that has a Miles Garrett that's been paid and apparently happy.

26:33How good can the Browns be? Will this be all about finding out who their quarterback of the future is? Will they go to Dylan Gabriel? Will Shador get some run? We shall see. It depends on how Joe Flacco does and when Kevin Stefanski decides it's time to look at next year at that position. And we finish up with the AFC West. The bandwagon is full for the Denver Broncos. They made the playoffs last year with Bo Nix. That was a surprise. Last year was supposed to be just getting the training wheels off of Bo Nix. And instead, he just started purring like a Ferrari. And then there's Sean Payton coaching him up with some tough love.