In short
NFL analysis and previews focused on AFC North races, quarterback confidence issues, and injuries affecting the 49ers; plus discussion of a missed pass-interference call and the Giants’ QB acquisition.
Guests
Marcus Spears (ESPN NFL analyst; former NFL player; hosts “Monday Night Countdown” and appears in his usual Monday spot).
Key claims
- Dallas should’ve been more aggressive late vs. Baltimore; Spears argues the bigger issue was “playing it safe” and trusting the defense after a kickoff with 7 seconds left.
- Cincinnati is still the best AFC North team despite a loss; the division is “wide open.”
- Packers’ biggest concern is lack of fight/leadership energy at home; Patriots’ QB confidence appears shaken.
- Drake Maye has “lost his mojo” after interceptions and poor QBR; Patriots must fix turnovers and fundamentals.
- Raiders overperforming is plausible due to Kirk Cousins’ “revival”; Spears picks Vegas over Detroit for playoffs.
- 49ers are 3-0 and thriving, but injuries are piling up (Trent Williams stinger, Mike Evans chest contusion, Nick Bosa out/warming up injury).
Notable examples
- George Pickens miscommunication narrative vs. Dallas; Ravens’ big play and late 56-yard field goal.
- Packers’ disturbing effort vs. Atlanta.
- Drake Maye: three interceptions vs. Seattle; Patriots’ early-season interception stats.
- 49ers: Purdy tied Steve Young’s 9 passing TD start; Debo/Kittle big plays; Ayuk “bridge” comments.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VORecap of Previous Hour and Introduction of Marcus Spears
0:00 to 0:25
Rich Eisen recaps the previous hour's discussion and introduces ESPN analyst Marcus Spears.
“ESPN's going to Super Bowl 61 and so can you.”
Recap of Previous Hour and Introduction of Marcus Spears
0:57 to 2:15
Rich Eisen recaps the previous hour's discussion and introduces ESPN analyst Marcus Spears.
“I'm guaranteed to come all the way at 17th Street Game.”
Analysis of the Dallas Cowboys' Loss
2:15 to 6:45
Marcus Spears analyzes the Cowboys' recent game and their decision-making in critical situations.
“Listen, I'm going to try and score with this interview rather than just throw it away, because that's what I've been told to do.”
AFC North Insights with Marcus Spears
6:45 to 9:35
Discussion on the AFC North teams, their performances, and predictions for the division.
“Marcus Spears here on the Rich Eisen Show.”
Concerns About the Green Bay Packers
9:35 to 11:21
Marcus Spears shares his concerns regarding the Packers' lack of fire and performance issues.
“And, you know, I made that statement during the game and everybody was like, well, that's Jordan Love personality and all of that.”
Drake Maye's Struggles and His Future
11:21 to 13:43
Discussion on Drake Maye's current struggles and the challenges he faces in the NFL.
“Nah, that's what I fear that more than anything.”
Predictions on Playoff Contenders
13:43 to 14:01
Rich and Marcus discuss which teams are playoff contenders, focusing on Vegas and Detroit.
“And I'll never forget, like coaches have always told me, man, the details are always important.”
Raiders vs. Lions Playoff Predictions
14:01 to 16:52
Discussion on which team, Raiders or Lions, is more likely to make the playoffs.
“Makes this a little bit more real, doesn't it?”
Pass Interference Controversy
16:52 to 19:46
Marcus Spears shares his thoughts on a missed pass interference call against the Rams.
“You want to chime in on whether that was pass interference against the Rams last night?”
Giants' Quarterback Situation
19:46 to 23:05
Analysis of the Giants' decision to acquire J.J. McCarthy and their quarterback depth.
“And I will say it will be a long night if Mononga and DeAndre Swift can't get going.”
Show all 21 chapters
Closing Remarks with Marcus Spears
23:18 to 23:35
Final thoughts and goodbyes exchanged with Marcus Spears.
“and that's overcoming high-interest credit card debt.”
WeatherTech Fan Line Introduction
26:21 to 26:33
Introduction of the WeatherTech fan line and the first caller.
WeatherTech Fan Line Introduction
26:41 to 28:00
Introduction of the WeatherTech fan line and the first caller.
“I'm actually in my vehicle right now using the WeatherTech.”
49ers' Success and Injury Concerns
28:00 to 29:06
Discussing the 49ers' recent performance and key player injuries.
“That offense is just firing it on all cylinders.”
Impact of Key Player Injuries
29:06 to 31:20
Analyzing how injuries affect team dynamics and player availability.
“The Niners, honestly, the Niners had a great day in terms of the wins and losses of the division.”
Brock Purdy's Performance
31:20 to 33:39
Reviewing Brock Purdy's impressive start to the season and statistics.
“Listen, I'm not a science guy at the end of the day.”
Drake Maye's Struggles
33:39 to 37:34
Examining Drake Maye's decline in performance and confidence issues.
“They've lost five in a row and 10 of their last 11 without him.”
Drake Maye's Struggles
37:40 to 38:05
Examining Drake Maye's decline in performance and confidence issues.
“Hope on Wheels has contributed over$300 million to childhood cancer research because every 36 minutes a child in this country is diagnosed with cancer.”
Drake Maye's MVP Dilemma
38:05 to 42:00
Analyzing the ups and downs of Drake Maye's career as an MVP-caliber quarterback.
“And then Drake May began to do things that I didn't see him do all year long.”
Drake Maye's Struggles and Team Dynamics
42:00 to 44:21
Explore Drake Maye's performance issues and the team's overall confidence.
“Crushed his soul, which is what Liam Cohen's Jaguars can do to you, as we saw in week one of Deshaun Watson.”
Patriots' Challenges and Upcoming Games
44:21 to 46:00
Discuss the challenges facing the Patriots and the next tough matchups.
“Well, my concern level is very high for this football team.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00ESPN's going to Super Bowl 61 and so can you. Enter for a chance to win the trip of a lifetime. Four tickets to Super Bowl 61, plus a three-night stay at Disneyland Resort, where you and up to three guests can enjoy the magic of Disney, plus the Super Bowl champion cavalcade. Enter at www.espn.com slash sblxi by December 31st, 2026 for your chance to win. No purchase necessary. Ends 12-31-26 at 11-59 p.m. Eastern. Open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., who are 18-plus at time of entry. For odds of winning and full official rules, visit www.espn.com slash sblxi.
0:29Void where prohibited. 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 richeisenshow and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. I'm guaranteed to come all the way at 17th Street Game. This is the Rich Eisen Show. One second left on the clock. Tyler Luke. Good! The Ravens win it in Rio! From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.
1:15Earlier on the show, seven-time National Championship head coach Nick Saban. Coming up, ESPN NFL analyst Marcus Spears. And now, Rich Eisen.
1:34Rich Eisen:hour number two of the rich eyes and show is on the air we just had a great chat with nick saban in hour number one overreaction monday podcast is up it's out there it's in there it's great there uh on the rss feed if you want to listen to it you want to watch it youtube.com slash rich eyes and show for all of that admittedly the jj mccarthy being acquired by the giants news for a fifth round selection happened after we were done recording that but that's why we always have the backstop of Overreaction Monday on a Tuesday, which is on Tuesday's program. Joining us in his usual Monday spot right now from the great city of Chicago, where tonight, week three, will conclude on Monday Night Football.
2:11Rich Eisen:Monday Night Countdown's Marcus Spears back here on the program. Good to see you, Marcus. How are you, sir?
2:15Marcus Spears:What up, baby? What's up, my guys? What's going on? So much is happening.
2:22Rich Eisen:Listen, I'm going to try and score with this interview rather than just throw it away, because that's what I've been told to do. Oh, come on. Marcus. Oh, come on, bro.
2:31Marcus Spears:Oh, that's how we starting off today.
2:33Rich Eisen:It's disrespectful to audacity. Why is it disrespectful? Audacity. I don't get it, Marcus. You want to help me on that one? Rich, come on, man. Come on, man. You don't have to.
2:42Marcus Spears:It's been enough salt thrown in the wound, okay? And you guys know it's a wound. I can't help you, though. I don't know what to tell you about that situation. You know, the offense did a phenomenal job, and it sucks that it comes down to this particular play and decision, I would think with C.D. Lamb and George Pickens and even Jake Ferguson, like you would come up with something that would get them in the end zone in that particular situation. When you look at, too, the way Dallas played and how Baltimore went on their run, Dallas played, came, you know, 96-yard drive, go for the win, man. I wish we were having a conversation about Dallas not executing a play going for a win, as opposed to what the conversation and narrative is about the miscommunication between him and George Pickens.
3:38Rich Eisen:Well, again, you know, Brian Schottenheimer said he told him to basically airmail it if it wasn't there, I guess. Is that the process? Is that walk me even? I mean, that's the part I don't understand. And obviously we're talking about it because the defense gave up a massive chunk play right after their kickoff. Didn't take any time off the clock when the Cowboys even had that at their disposal to avoid what ended up happening. Obviously that it just cascaded after that. But that's why I'm going back to that, because you've got so many. I don't get it.
4:11Marcus Spears:Here's the thing. Here's the thing, man. It's like we get, you know, I love talking. Two things can be true at the same time. right like yeah they should have went for a touchdown they should have went for a win instead of playing that situation safe like that for a tie right but the other part is what you just said which is i think more important okay there is no way in hell brian schottenheimer thought with seven seconds his defense would give up a 30-yard play and end up giving up a 56-yard field goal i don't care who you are in the history of the nfl we got a kickoff coming It's seven seconds left on the clock.
4:52And we lose by a field goal.
4:55Marcus Spears:Now, we're going to revisit the game as we should. And because Dallas lost, we talk about the George Pickens or not, you know, coming up with something phenomenal and playing it safe. If you want any like vitriol towards Brian Schottenheimer, it's the playing a safe part for me. But there is no way in hell you think you're playing it safe and you're going to lose the game when an offense touched the ball with 70 seconds on the clock. There's just no, like, I don't care. All of us on TV, every former coach in the NFL, every player, everybody, we're going to talk about, oh, man, I would have did this.
5:34Marcus Spears:I would have did that. Brother, listen, in that situation, nobody's thinking that the Baltimore Ravens are going to win the game. me you anybody else the the shocking value that uh chris collinsworth had when they got the time out even to get the time out after a long developing play like that so again we can you know obviously we can go back in history give the baltimore ravens credit they hit a 30 yard um pass in the middle of the field now we could talk about the defense and giving that up but But I don't, I mean, talking about the Dak and George Pickens, you go up, you go tie the game 31-31.
6:13Marcus Spears:You feel good about what you've been doing offensively. You probably like your shot in overtime. With that, that's the thinking, that you go into overtime and you end up losing by three. I hate that they weren't aggressive. I hate it. I hate that they didn't just go for a touchdown. That would have been a huge win for Dallas. And I think you just push all the chips in the table. But again, that's also looking back because you still don't think you lose the game in regulation.
6:45Rich Eisen:Marcus Spears here on the Rich Eisen Show. I know you've been real high on Cincinnati. They lost in Pittsburgh. Baltimore's got home date with Tennessee next before they visit Atlanta on a Sunday night. And then Cleveland. They visit Cleveland before they welcome in Cincinnati. Who do you think, what do you like about the AFC North? Pittsburgh's got Cleveland next. Cleveland's 2-1. Pittsburgh's 2-1. Everybody's 2-1 right now in the division. Who do you like in the AFC North at the end of the day, right now?
7:16Marcus Spears:I still, as crazy as it sounds, I still like Cincinnati.
7:26Marcus Spears:But that's why you always have to show patience, Rich. You know, I talked about, like, Cincinnati, give me a couple more weeks. of that defense doing what they've been doing. And now I can clearly say, I think that's the best team in the AFC North. And then you go out and you give up 30 to the Steelers. So we, like this thing is week to week. I remember when I was playing for Bill Parcells, one of the best things he ever told me. And it sticks with me today and I've said it, I've used it. In this game, you can go from the penthouse to the outhouse in a matter of seven days. and that's just the reality of NFL football that's the reality of football in general I look at Cincinnati and I think to myself you go into Pittsburgh Pittsburgh been struggling offensively your defense been playing really well actually the defense been dominant and you go in and you lay a big fat burger right like that's just that's just one you would say it's inexcusable, but two, you would say this is pro football.
8:31Marcus Spears:This is the AFC North. This is familiarity with teams. This is Aaron Rodgers having a really vintage day. This is Mike McCarthy actually called one of the best offensive games in football yesterday. We're not going to give him credit for it because he's not young and beautiful and, you know, he don't have a certain name. So we're not going to give him credit. But Mike McCarthy was phenomenal against this Bengals defense he eliminated Dexter Lawrence he moved the ball he ran the ball left to right and didn't go in the middle banging your head against a brick wall because that's what Dexter is he forced that defense to pursue and tackle Jalen Warren had a great day so shout out to the Pittsburgh Steelers but just like I was had a little pause about the Bengals um I I'm not gonna jump on the Pittsburgh Steelers or back train either I think this division what it shows you more than anything is it still wide open and probably my confidence between baltimore and since he lies higher than the other two marcus spears in chicago ready for monday night
9:34Rich Eisen:countdown and monday night football in his usual monday spot here on the rich eisen show the one and two team from last year's playoffs that concerns you the most the patriots or the packers marcus spears the Packers look like they have more issues I ain't gonna even lie rich like the Packers
9:54Marcus Spears:performance against Atlanta was disturbing to me it was uh it looked it looked more than just not being able to play well it looked disinterested um I didn't see a lot of fire from guys when when it's going that bad you expect to see a team kind of either galvanize or somebody getting into somebody. I saw none of that. And, you know, I made that statement during the game and everybody was like, well, that's Jordan Love personality and all of that. Man, I don't care, bro. You got quarter of a billion dollars to play that position. Like you got to do something. And I'm not putting this on Jordan Love.
10:30Marcus Spears:That's not what I'm saying. But from a leadership standpoint, somebody on that sideline got to galvanize and be like, yo, it's not going to go like this. It's like B. John was running what he did, whatever he wanted to do. I think B. John had, what, 190 on the ground, 170-something on the ground. So, again, like, you look at defense, you look at offense, like Green Bay has a bunch of issues when it comes to the actual football on the field. Offensive line been riddled with injuries. I just didn't see any fight from that team, and that's the most concerning thing to me. When I see that from a team, you can get beat, you can lose.
11:06Marcus Spears:We know that this is any given Sunday or Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday. We play every day now, Rich. But to see Green Bay at home, nah. Nah, that's what I fear that more than anything.
11:24Rich Eisen:Have you ever been on a team, though, where the quarterback's totally lost his confidence and you're on the defensive side of the ball trying to figure out what's up with that? Because that appears to be the case in New England right now, all of a sudden.
11:37Marcus Spears:No, I've been fortunate enough not to be on a team like that. But what I will say is there is the trouble in New England is based off the expectation from last year. So it feels bigger, right? Like there's a Super Bowl team, you know, obviously lost to Seattle, but went to the Super Bowl. You think that, see where we are now is that we thought Drake May was going to insert himself as being one of these guys that we could look at like a Josh Allen that continues to get better, big, physical, athletic, and all of that. He's going through a rough patch, to say the least. But to your point, Rich, the confidence looks shaken.
12:22Marcus Spears:And what's weird is that everybody's in place. I mean, I know some receivers are out, but everybody's in place from last year from a coaching staff standpoint as far as his communication goes. the confidence that he had playing last year. And his playoff performances wasn't phenomenal, but he made plays in critical moments. But this is the league, man. Like, welcome, Drake May. People got film on you. People are game planning not to allow you to beat them anymore. Last year, his effectiveness was the deep ball. People are taking that away. Like, so you got to, this is a consistent, I got to get better over time.
13:02Marcus Spears:I got to figure out other ways to beat people. And right now he's down in the dumps because what they planned on this season being obviously with A.J. being hurt is a big deal. But I don't think A.J. being hurt is relative to what he's like, what he looks like right now. That's he could get a boost from A.J. coming back. And I hope he does. But this is a part of the journey in the NFL when everybody has a little bit of a book on you and you have to make those adjustments and lock in and hone in and be better in areas that you probably because some of these things Drake struggled with last year.
13:37Marcus Spears:We just didn't acknowledge him because he was making so many phenomenal plays and he was in the MVP conversation. And I'll never forget, like coaches have always told me, man, the details are always important. no matter how good your season was no matter how good the last game was the last quarter was the details in which you play with are important and maybe drake may just got to get back to the basics and details and fundamentals and get better at some things that we didn't pay attention to last year because they had such a phenomenal season this may be an unfair question to ask because i'm looping them in with a team that's not undefeated detroit or vegas which one makes
14:15Rich Eisen:the playoffs if you had to choose one of the two.
14:20Marcus Spears:Rich, you are golly, bro. What you on today?
14:23Rich Eisen:What do you mean today?
14:26Marcus Spears:What do you mean? Man, I'm going. You know what? I'm going
14:33Marcus Spears:I'm going Vegas. There you go. Why is that? I'm going Vegas.
14:38Rich Eisen:Brock Bauer's coming back. Makes this a little bit more real, doesn't it?
14:42Marcus Spears:Dude, I'm telling you. Because when you look out there, they have some talent.
14:48Rich Eisen:They do. And Crosby is on a
14:52Marcus Spears:heater. Yeah, he always on that. I know that. But the confidence in which they're playing with Rich and sometimes like when you look at this team, one, we talked about this earlier, they made additions in the offseason that are helping and directly impacting this football team. We all expected Kirk Cousins to be the incubator for the first overall pick, Fernandez. And Kirk Cousins is having a revival. Now, remember, Kirk Cousins did this in Minnesota, too. And we were all like, do we believe that just yet? The man is, he's seething right now with phenomenal football play. And I'm not going to be dismissive of that because it's the Las Vegas Raiders.
15:44Marcus Spears:what if they turned over a new leaf what if they are going to be competitive as these games continue to go I don't see anything about their game that seems a bit fluky right like there are certain parts that you go watch and you like oh that's luck or you know that that's not sustainable I want to see them run it a little bit better with Ashton Gentry but the pass game is there the defense is making plays when when need be and I know they're not dominating people but most of the games you win in the NFL are like this. Most of the games are tight, and you got to figure out ways to make plays, and Kirk Cousins has found that magic that we've seen him find before, so I'm not going to underestimate Las Vegas right now.
16:24Marcus Spears:With Detroit, overcoming those injuries to me is going to be an overall theme week in and week out. We know the talent. We know Amara. We know Jameer Gibbs. We know that they can play at a very high level. I just think defensively I still fear that team being able to get to where they want to get to in an NFC that probably going to send three teams from one division to the playoffs.
Read the full transcript
16:49Rich Eisen:A few minutes left here with Marcus Spears on the Rich Eisen Show. You want to chime in on whether that was pass interference against the Rams last night?
16:57Marcus Spears:No, it wasn't. It wasn't. I mean, I don't think we even need to have a debate on that. The ref messed the call up. Like, we like to do that. Well, let's look at it from this angle. We've seen every angle. That wasn't pass interference. it should have been an interception and the Rams should have won the game. But that happens in the NFL. Brian did a phenomenal job at selling it, as you can see here. But no, it should have been a great play by a young player that was stepping in in a big time role in a big time moment. The thing that I hate most about that play, Rich, is that it stole that moment away from that kid, from having probably not probably the biggest play of his NFL career was taken away because of a missed call, a bad call.
17:40Rich Eisen:And his fellow national champion from Michigan just got acquired by the Giants. I'm sure this is going to be on your Monday Night Countdown rundown. I'd love a preview of your thoughts about, you know, and I'm sure the Giants had opportunities, you know, to get a veteran or maybe even snag Joe Milton from the Cowboys practice squad. And instead they choose J.J. McCarthy for a fifth. Why do you think and what do you think is going to look like?
18:09Marcus Spears:Well, one, I think because he still has a first round draft pick attached to him. And teams are always thinking, if we evaluated this guy and people watched him and he went this high, there's something in there that we maybe can get out of him to play at a very high level. And obviously with Jackson going down, it could be also look at it like this, Rich. You acquire J.J. McCarthy, who's a young quarterback that may develop into a phenomenal backup as he goes forward. We're starting to understand how important backup quarterbacks are in this league. So it could be a lot of thinking of different levels of thinking for the New York Giants.
18:52Marcus Spears:But I would like to think that you bring in another young quarterback behind your young starter who's been injured a lot now. So that's a matter that they have to address as well. But when you look in that quarterback room, and obviously Jameis is there and Jameis get a dub, let's not take nothing away from him. But to maybe get a young quarterback in there that you can grow and groom and develop and maybe an answer if Jackson Dart is not going to be healthy as his career goes along. Or Jackson Dart gets healthy and you got a really good first round number two that either you use as trade bait in the future or he becomes your backup quarterback and now you feel good about your room.
19:35Okay.
19:36Rich Eisen:And lastly, your thoughts on tonight's game before I let you go to your rundown meeting or Soldier Field, whichever is it.
19:43Marcus Spears:So for Chicago, we obviously know that if they're not going to be able to run the football, it could potentially be a long night. And I will say it will be a long night if Mononga and DeAndre Swift can't get going. This is going to be one of Ben Johnson's opportunities either to put on a master class and we talk about his great offensive mind. And boy, did you see what he did with Case Keenum playing quarterback? Or we'll say, you know, hey, man, you just you got you limited at the most important position in football. You ran up against the buzzsaw against the Philadelphia Eagles coming off the wind that they had, especially last week.
20:25Marcus Spears:and, you know, hey, let's put that one to bed and move forward and try to get our quarterbacks healthy. But ultimately, I think what's going to happen tonight is the Chicago Bears, one, are going to play with a lot of juice. They are definitely going to try to get this run game going. And if they get it going, the game will be played on Ben Johnson's terms, and he'll figure out ways to get Case Keenum some easy access throws. If you allow the Philadelphia Eagles to make you one-dimensional, Jalen Carter probably going to lead this game the MVP of this game. And that ain't what you want to be. You don't want to be in those situations with the big fella in the middle with a quarterback that is not going to be able to get out of the way.
21:07Marcus Spears:I'm going to just put it like that.
21:08Rich Eisen:Are you a deep dish guy?
21:11Marcus Spears:No, I'm a thin crust guy. I like New York style.
21:15Rich Eisen:I'm from New York and I'm a thin crust guy. but when in Rome a dunze when in Rome come on now, we on Thursday Night Football we would stop off to pick up deep dish pizza to go on the way to Soldier Field Rich, let me put you through
21:36Marcus Spears:a little class right quick before we go I'm from Louisiana and in Louisiana pizza is not a big thing I love pizza I'm not saying that I don't love pizza, but I'm from a place where the food is better than anywhere else in the world. I don't really get all excited. Like I don't get all into, well, the difference between a deep dish or a thin crust or I'm going to order the pizza I like. I'm not going to explore in pizza. Now, when you and I, when you end up coming to Louisiana with me and I take you around the booth for a couple of days and you eat, you'll be like, the hell with a deep dish, a thin crust or whatever.
22:20Marcus Spears:All you're going to talk about is what you ate in Louisiana.
22:23Rich Eisen:I'm not a cricket guy. I'm not going to ask for turtle as a topping on my pizza.
22:28Marcus Spears:You don't have to do any of that. You don't have to do any of that. It's Creole cuisine. It's seafood. food, it's soul food. It's all of that. So you'll come back looking like me, Rich. You might even get a shade darker.
22:46Rich Eisen:Good to know. I'll put on my sunblock if that's what you're referring to.
22:54Marcus Spears:No, your soul going to come out a little bit more, man. And you got a lot of it.
22:59Rich Eisen:You got a lot of it, but it's going to come out a little bit more. Hey, listen. and, you know, booyah to that, Marcus Spears. No doubt. Appreciate you. Have a great broadcast tonight, Marcus. All right, my brother. Y 'all take care. See y 'all next week. Hey, brother. Marcus Spears, everybody. Awesome as always. Love our chats, man. All right. A SoFi personal loan is here to help you achieve something once thought impossible, and that's overcoming high-interest credit card debt. Walk the tightrope of your finances with one low fixed-rate monthly payment, no fees required, and as soon as the same-day funding.
23:31Rich Eisen:That's right. Pull off your own debt-defying stunt with a SoFi personal loan. Visit SoFi.com slash trick to learn more. Loans originated by SoFi Bank N.A. member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. We'll take your phone calls at 844-204-RICH. Number to dial when we come back. All our guests are done. The rest of the show is just us.
23:58Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here for Gusto. On my shows, we talk a lot about what happens in the spotlight, the games, the highlights, and the moments that get replayed and debated. But in any successful operation, what happens behind the scenes matters just as much. Small businesses are no different. Payroll, hiring, onboarding, benefits, and all the details that keep things moving may not be the most visible part of the job, but they still have to be handled right. That's where Gusto comes in. Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. It's all-in-one, remote-friendly, and incredibly easy to use, so you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere.
24:34Rich Eisen:Automatic payroll tax filing, simple direct deposits, health benefits, commuter benefits, workers' comp, 401k, you name it. Gusto makes it simple and has options for nearly every budget. And it's all built to save you time with built-in automated tools for offer letters, onboarding docs, direct deposit, and more. Plus, you get unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price. No hidden fees, no surprises. Try Gusto today at gusto.com slash rich and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com slash rich. One more time, gusto.com slash rich.
25:14Need parts fast? O 'Reilly Auto Parts has fast. Need them now? We've got now. No matter what you need, we have thousands of professional parts people doing their part to make sure you have it. We're O 'Reilly Fast. Just one part that makes O 'Reilly stand apart. The professional parts people. Oh, oh, oh, O 'Reilly. Auto Parts.
25:45Rich Eisen:Did you know every 36 minutes a child in the U.S. is diagnosed with cancer? which means some of the bravest warriors you'll ever meet aren't professional athletes or superheroes. They're the kids in this fight. That's why I'm proud to support Hyundai Hope on Wheels. For the past 28 years, with support from Hyundai, their dealers, and every new Hyundai sold, Hope on Wheels has contributed over$300 million to childhood cancer research, helping save more than 40 ,000 kids. Join our fight at HyundaiWarriors.com. the rich eisen show podcast back here on the rich eisen show 844-204-rich is the number to dial on the weather tech fan line for american-made floor liners and a cargo liner that laugh in the face of fall weather visit weathertech.com today yes i have been cultivating a caper like this for almost a dozen years saying we need to have our fan line sponsored yes we finally have one thank you weather tech i've been waiting for this and it's fitting that one of our first callers ever long time caller to this program is the first weather tech fan line caller terzo in iowa all right what's up terzo man what up what up fellas hey man i'm happy to be the first one for the WeatherTech fan line.
27:09I'm actually in my vehicle right now using the WeatherTech. How perfect is this?
27:16Rich Eisen:Fantastic. Is your cargo, is your floor liner laughing in the face of fall weather in Iowa? Not yet. It really hasn't been fall weather. It's been raining here and I feel like I've started to live in Seattle. Real first, before I get to the 49ers weekend, I've got to give a shout out to Kruko, the longtime broadcaster for the Giants, retiring. That's near and dear to my heart. Listened to him for so many years. I wish him a great farewell. He was such a great broadcaster. Right back. We're at plus one on that, Terzo. Your Niners are now 3-0, pal, for the second straight year. You know the last time they started 3-0 in back-to-back seasons?
27:57Rich Eisen:I've got that number for you. 89-90. 89-90, pal. That's how long it's been. So, feeling good. Feeling good. Well, it's going good. We've been playing well. That offense is just firing it on all cylinders. You know, I hated seeing Trent Williams go out with the stinger yesterday and seeing Mike Evans take that chest contusion. Hopefully, he's not out for a substantial amount of time because he's really been a heck of a game changer for us. we need to just continue to stay on pace with what we're doing. But it really helped with the sea chickens losing yesterday to my man, Hufunga. So shout out to my man, Hufunga, for sealing that deal yesterday.
28:46And then also the lambs, you know, not being able to take care of the business either. So it was a great day all around for me.
28:54Rich Eisen:Terzo just got lost in his dislike of the Seahawks, had to drop the sea chickens. He crossed the streams like Ghostbusters and his team hatred. The lambs and the sea chickens. But Terzo, thanks for the call. The Niners, honestly, the Niners had a great day in terms of the wins and losses of the division. They are 3-0. The Seahawks and the Rams are now behind them. The Rams are 1-2. Ooh, the Rams are two and a half games behind the Niners because they've already lost one of the Niners through three weeks. And then the Seahawks are now one game behind them.
29:39Outside of that, it's the usual thing.
29:43Rich Eisen:We're just sitting here wondering, how many players of note can this team lose? You know, how many players of note can this team lose? I just said the same thing, but in different inflections, because it just has to be said. Mike Evans gets carted off because he takes one in the left chops. Yeah, that. Okay. And then Trent Williams gets carted off. Yeah, that's just. With a stinger. That's rough. And Nick Bosa goes down warming up in practice during the week. Yeah. So going into the week, taking on the Cardinals at home, they're like, okay, we got Bosa. We got Trent Williams. but you have Mike Evans.
30:25Rich Eisen:And now they don't. For who knows how long. And the problem is is that if one of them's out for a month, they're hesitant to IR them because they're running out of space to put players on IR. It's crazy. It's happening again. I don't know, Matt. I don't... I'm not a conspiracy theorist. And I'm sure this has nothing to do with it. At the end of the day. Honestly. Be careful. Put solar panels in. It's California. Yeah. I'm sure you get a tax break. There's still one of the few states left to do that sort of thing, I bet. 100%. I don't know. I don't know. Let's go solar. Solar. You know what I mean?
31:11Rich Eisen:Call up Santa Clara and say, hey, everybody, for the good of the 49ers, you're just going to have to go dark for a couple days while we take out this electrical thing and we're putting in solar panels. It's a substation. I think it can just be removed. Listen, I'm not a science guy at the end of the day. I'm more verbal than anything else. But what the hell? Yeah, it's nuts. But here's what's happening in that neck of the woods. It's Shanahan just dialing it up. And Kittle has multiple receiving touchdowns. Ninth career game there. and Debo Samuel on a frigging hook and ladder. That was such a thing.
31:54Rich Eisen:From Mike Evans. That was awesome. And, you know, I'm sitting here going, wait a minute. So that's a touchdown pass for Purdy. Yeah. To Debo. No, it's a reception for Mike Evans. And then a touchdown run for Debo. Yeah, and then Debo gets no catch but 80 yards. It is, in fact, the most receiving yards on a single play without a catch since at least 1978. When you see stats like that from your research department, they're like, we're done looking. I've gone back far enough. You've gone back far enough. Okay? You know what I mean? That probably won't be broken anytime soon. 82 yards. There's 80 yards for Debo Samuel.
32:39Rich Eisen:82 yards for Kittle. So Kittle had 82 yards on six catches that Debo had two more. He had two more yards on six catches than Debo had on no catches. No catches. And Brock Purdy. Told you he's balling, man. He is out of his skull. Nine passing touchdowns this season. Steve Young started the 98 campaign with nine passing touchdowns in his first three games. He's tied Steve Young's record. Now, I know everyone's going to sit here and go, well, they took on the Dolphins and then the Cardinals who couldn't do anything against Seattle, and the Rams were jet-lagged. Okay. Well, then, if you believe that, next up are the Broncos coming in.
33:28Rich Eisen:And then after that, at Seattle. And boy, do I hope Trent Williams is back for those. I understand Bosa's out. That's going to stink. I understand everyone else is out. That's going to stink. I understand that Mike Evans might not be back, and that's going to stink. Trent Williams is the one. The team's 4-13 when he's in play. They've lost five in a row and 10 of their last 11 without him. Got to get him back and keep pressing their advantage. If they keep winning, if they're 5-0, let's just put it that way, they're 5-0 while the Rams next to are in Philadelphia and home for the Bills, and Seattle's next two are home for the Chargers and San Francisco.
34:14Rich Eisen:If they go up to San Francisco, Seattle and win that game, just like they did in week one last year, they would have a massive heads up advantage just five weeks through over the Rams and the Seahawks and potentially the rest of the conference as well. But typical. And just one last thing too. Just to tie stories together. Because that's what I do. I don't just host and opinionate. I weave tapestries here on the Rich Eisen Show. Like Carole King. Thank you, sir. Carole King? Like another New York Jew. Wow. Yeah. Carole King reference. Listen. J.J. McCarthy's now on the Giants, right? Yeah. And part of the reason why.
35:02Rich Eisen:Officially announced. Part of the reason why he's on the Giants. forget about everything that he didn't do in Minnesota and his injuries and all that stuff. But part of the reason why he's on the Giants is because he did not pull an Ayuk when things didn't go his way. And he wasn't being paid$28 million per. If he was doing stuff on Instagram, slagging on the Vikings and slagging on the coach and slagging on the front office and doing all sorts of weird stuff, he might just be buried in Minnesota and nobody is going to want to have him. And I bring that up here because boy could the Niners use Brandon Ayuk.
35:48Rich Eisen:As Evans gets carted off and Purdy is finding I guess you could sit here and say they don't need him because Purdy keeps on throwing touchdown passes but he's throwing it to his tight end is going to the hall. And I'm not just saying that because I'm hoping Kittle forgets to send me his Iowa helmet for me to wear at some point this week. Oh, no, he texted me, uh-oh, literally seconds after that. And I took that text quite differently from somebody else who texted me seconds after that. Bro, that was a little uncalled for. Which part? Bro, I mean, more so I expect better out of Rich. I expect more of a varsity letter winner.
36:29Rich Eisen:You know what I'm saying? Okay, listen. And he's throwing it as fullback. So you could sit here and say they don't need Ayuk, but Ayuk needs the Niners, and he totally blew that bridge up. Ayuk is online cheering for another team who's winning yesterday. It's just crazy, man. And I wish somebody could get through, but that's another day. 844-204-RICH-NUMBEDA. when we come back, what happens when a guy is an MVP caliber quarterback and just a few games in to that tenure the next year, he has totally lost his confidence. More phone calls as well. 844-204-RICH number to dial here on a busy Monday.
37:24The Rich Eisen Show. The podcast
37:28Rich Eisen:Hyundai Hope on Wheels. You're seeing the television commercials about it now as well with that blue handprint. Make sure you go to HyundaiWarriors.com to help join the fight for Hyundai Hope on Wheels. For the past 28 years, with support from Hyundai, their dealers and every new Hyundai sold, Hope on Wheels has contributed over$300 million to childhood cancer research because every 36 minutes a child in this country is diagnosed with cancer. Hyundai Hope on Wheels has helped save more than 40 ,000 kids please join our fight at Hyundai Warriors.com 844-204-RICH is the number to dial take more of your phone calls our three is completely wide open for that as well listen Drake May I was going back and forth last year with that MVP vote and there were some times where I'm like yeah it's Drake and then the other times I'm like, no, it's definitely Matt.
38:20Rich Eisen:And that's where I eventually landed. And then the playoffs hit. And then Drake May began to do things that I didn't see him do all year long. And you could just basically go, okay, it's his first time in the playoffs. And he's just going to get better. And he's going to do the smart thing with the football. And then there'd be times when he just fumbled it. And I'm like, I don't think he's well. I think he's hurt. I think he's hurt and the team wasn't letting it on. And then he just goes up to Denver. And I understand Denver had its backup quarterback there. But Drake May made the plays, including calling his own number at the end of the game without telling anybody he's going to do it.
39:03Rich Eisen:Where he's just like, I am going to make my own call. I am so in my bag. I'm going to make my own call. And I'm not going to tell anybody else about it. And I'm going to send it to the Super Bowl. and I'm basically going to look my coaches in the face and go, follow me to freedom. Okay? And he does that. Then he goes to the Super Bowl and has a dreadful day. I mean, I've watched the Super Bowl back multiple times, not only because I'm a lead pipe-wielding professional, but waiting for football to be played. You know, flip on NFL Network, and there it is. You've watched that Super Bowl movie? I have, man.
39:40Rich Eisen:You were bored, though. And there are times when, you know, you're watching him play, and you're like, how did they lose this game? because he's on point, and then he throws one over the middle, and it's just like, okay, that was the end of the game. They were down two scores, and that wrapped it up. Now comes this season. We did enough good things in the first three quarters to have the Patriots in position to win in Seattle. The defense gives up a massive touchdown to Jackson Smith and Jigba for the first electric play of the season, and everything else that's played out from that makes it less shocking because that's all JSN is doing.
40:12Rich Eisen:Even in the loss in Washington, he was unstoppable. But then Drake May throws three interceptions. Well, he threw one that set up the one that led to JSN scoring the touchdown, and then two more. Bad, and they were just off. Right, including the last one. It's like, you know, dude, if you're going to throw it away. Just throw it away. Literally. Throw it into Vancouver. Pull a deck. Right. Throw it away. Didn't do it. Boy, you caught a stray all of a sudden. I didn't expect that one. But, hey, listen. But that's what you normally, that's what you do with a kid who's in maybe, you know, in year three, not year 11.
40:49Rich Eisen:You know, you trust Dak Prescott, but that's a different story. I digress. I don't know what the hell's happened with Drake Bay. That's the headline. I don't know what has happened. And anybody who's played the position for a living and anybody who's played the position for a living, whose current living is to tell us what they see on all 22 film. All back up what my own two eyes, untrained to all 22 film lifestyles, sees. And that's a guy who's lost his mojo. How does Drake May get his groove back? That's the question. because his groove is gone. This record is off the groove. Look that up, millennials.
41:37Rich Eisen:He just, he's gone. That kid who was the MVP last year is gone. And I even, you know, and he knows it. And the Patriots know it. And the coach knows it. And everybody who watches the Patriots knows it. And anybody who's playing against the Patriots knows it. That just let him make the mistakes. And the Jaguars crushed him. crushed him. Crushed his soul, which is what Liam Cohen's Jaguars can do to you, as we saw in week one of Deshaun Watson. And in the first half of last week by Bo Nix, felt it. Two interceptions and a lost fumble. Fourth straight regular season game under 250 yards, passing, dating back to week 18 last season.
42:24Rich Eisen:Six interceptions this season are the most three games of his first, most by any Patriots quarterback in the first three games of a season since Drew Bledsoe's 1994 campaign. Bledsoe led the league with 27 picks. It was early on in his career. He would wing it. Drake made the QBR, the ESPN research stat, 11.9. Yeah. That's the lowest by a Patriot starter since Bailey Zappi's final game of the 2023. It wasn't even that good. Drake may have this to say afterwards. You'd like to say it's high, but at the same time, I'm always going to be confident in myself to make plays. I've been confident, and if there's one thing out there, I'm going to go out there and compete.
43:08I'm going to leave it all out there, and I know that. And that comes with competing, comes with being confident and being confident in this league and realizing that these mistakes, you've got to bounce back, and at the same time, you've got to eliminate them. So the more that we get out of our own way, the more the confidence in myself and this team will build. So that's something that starts in practice and starts with me and it starts with us getting to work this week and we got a big one this week.
43:33Rich Eisen:Yeah, that's right. That's the way he finished his podium. A big one this week, which we'll get to in a second because it's at Buffalo. He reminds me of the Mac Jones quarterback I saw in Germany. I called that game him against the Colts. He looked lost going into that game and even worse in that game to the point where Belichick pulled him. from the international stage and put in Bailey Zappi with a mop. That didn't go well at all, and Jones was done as a Patriots quarterback. That's how bad this looks, and I'm not sugarcoating it. Problem was for Mac Jones is he needed a hug and didn't really have a coach that was going to give him one.
44:12Rich Eisen:This coach is a different story. As you know, Mike Vrabel's a guy who daps everyone up, going into the locker room, win or lose, but even he can't sugarcoat it after the game. What's your concern level with Drake? Well, my concern level is very high for this football team. I just want to coach and improve. So I think that's the biggest thing is when you come off a game like that, you just want to get back and work. There's nothing you can do about it. But we have to take care of the football. We can't force things. You know, we can't do things in all three phases that, you know, end up getting you beat.
44:53So certainly we have to, you know, fix a lot of things.
44:57Rich Eisen:How many games did the Patriots lose last season in the regular season? Three. Okay. The first four regular season losses under Mike Vrabel combined 21 points. They lost by 29 yesterday. Oh, yeah. And you could see he said his concern level for the team. You don't want to throw it on the QB because if the QB has less confidence than even we think or we're seeing, he could say what he says, and Drake Mays is a sweetheart. Root for guys like him. But Vrabel saying he's concerned for the team is because the quarterback is just absolutely not there in a way that he used to be. And A.J. Brown's not going to walk through that door.
45:38and the Buffalo Bills are ready to make it worse.
45:45Rich Eisen:And then the Vegas Raiders coming in, hey, they could be 4-0 coming into that game, coming off a win against the Chiefs, riding high and saying, we don't care about coming here. We won here with Pete Carroll last year. Dire straits for the Patriots to say the least. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. you can watch and listen to the rich eisen show live weekdays from noon to three eastern on espn radio disney plus and on the espn app the rich eisen show the podcast
From the publisher
ESPN’s Marcus Spears and Rich break down the Cowboys’ questionable playcalling at the end of their last-second loss to the Ravens, the wide-open AFC North, what’s ailing the Green Bay Packers and Patriots QB Drake Maye, why Kirk Cousins and the Raiders’ 3-0 record is no fluke, if the Rams got jobbed by the refs in their SNF loss to the Broncos, and what to make of the Giants trading for Vikings backup QB JJ McCarthy (1:33)
Rich weighs in on the latest injury suffered to key member of the 49ers, WR Mike Evans and OT Trent Williams, and the stunning regression of Drake Maye this season after nearly winning NFL MVP honors last year. (26:20)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices