Hour 2: Ohio State-Michigan Reactions, Broncos Survive, Justin Herbert Surgery

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0:44Plus, with installation starting at just 49 cents per square foot, upgrading your space is more affordable than ever at the Home Depot. Offer valid June 11th, 2026 through June 28th, 2026. Exclusions apply. For licenses, see homedepot.com slash license numbers. 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. Hell, hell, hell, yeah!

1:32Rich Eisen:This is The Rich Eisen Show. My voice is raising an octave, it's so crazy. Live from The Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Talked to God and told me it's time to take a new step. It's a new chapter. The Rich Eisen Show, coming up on today's show. College football roundup, Monday night football preview, plus your phone calls, latest news, and more. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Our number two of the Rich Eisen show is on the air. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial. We'll be taking your phone calls throughout the final two hours of this show. We already chopped up Lane Kiffin, his situation, not him personally.

2:15Rich Eisen:Well, you kind of chopped him up. No, I didn't. He has every right to do what he wants to do, man. Chopped him up. He has every right. And I thought Ole Miss was 100 % right for saying, no, you're not staying here. Absolutely. You're not staying here. Pete Golding's the guy that can actually take this ship from here. And if not, guess what? He's going to take the ship here from here. We're going to name him permanently, and that's the end of that. Because, you know, if any indication from the previous hire at LSU, if that passed his prologue, worked out for Marcus Freeman, who'd never done it before in the defensive mindset, certainly the rest of the team was into it.

2:55Rich Eisen:Sounds like the rest of the team's into this, too. so let's go makes sense instead of saying oh okay sure you stay here before you leave us for one of our arch rivals by the way lane visits both oxford and tennessee oxford and knoxville where his name lane is in fact a four-letter word of a different variety so like bucky dent and his first games against clemson i mean he's gonna it's it's gonna be on but he's incredibly talented and he did win everywhere he's been right or at least recently he has won 844-204-RICH is the number to dial here on the show uh i think the biggest surprise of week 13 out of all the that we we saw um or heard from week 13 is it's mariota not mariotta that i didn't i was jarring i did not i didn't know i didn't know it was mariotta for three hours that was jarring no at one point i think tariko did slip back into the mariotta was calling it mariotta it was like well i mean it's just it's because that's what we've been calling him for a while but how about we call him marcus well how about the fact that he said it in his open that as soon as i kept hearing them say mariotta all the time i thought well you basically told him that's how I pronounce my name.

4:24Rich Eisen:Is that how you'd like it to pre-pronounce it? Maybe he basically said yeah. But outside of that the surprise was the Commanders at 3-8 on their losing streak for six games gave the Denver Broncos quite the ride. Quite the ride. And he was open on the two-point play but he doesn't get his arm on it. They upset Denver. But I think that is also... Fun game. I think that is also a microcosm of the entire Broncos season, which is offense struggles, but when it comes time for rubber meat in the road, offense gets it done, and the defense is making some plays, more than not, going to sack you, going to put the pressure on you, and at the end of the day, they're going to make the winning play.

5:19Rich Eisen:and in tandem with a quarterback who has the ability to matriculate the ball when you need to and also in the same way we were talking about how the the bears don't turn it over bo nix doesn't take losses if you know of yardage doesn't take sacks and he did make one dreadful mistake throwing it right at yeah a first ballot hall of famer like oh by the way that's that's Bobby Wagner. 54-ish. But when it all comes down to it, Bo Nix, his sixth game-winning drive of the season, which is what this was in overtime. By the way, did you hear how I said it? That's the Mariota way of saying overtime. Overtime.

6:09Rich Eisen:Yeah. Or the Spiro Deidus way of saying overtime. Overtime. Game time. On the line, R.J. Harvey crossed the goal line. Cooper. And over time. Cooper's celebrating. And, yes, he might be off the guillotine because of that. And it's the sixth game-winning drive of his season. It ties Elway for the most in the season in Denver history in 1985 Elway. 85 Elway. I mean, not talking helicopter. This one's for John Elway. That's peak John. You know what I mean?

6:43Rich Eisen:Makes it a tough combination to beat. Now, you could see, again, the Broncos on their now nine-game win streak snapped a five-game overtime loss streak. Did you know that? They lost five straight overtime games. And if it wasn't for Nick Benito, it would have been a sixth. And they now are currently the one seed in the AFC rooting for the Giants tonight. As the Broncos know, the Giants with Jackson Dart can give you a scare. You just got to maybe come back from 90 million points down to win. And the last time the Broncos finished as the one seed was when the Super Bowl was in Santa Clara, Super Bowl 50, and they went on to win it with a defensive MVP, which is what probably the Broncos would have if they win this conference and go to the Super Bowl.

7:40Rich Eisen:51 sacks for the Broncos now, fourth team in the last 40 seasons with more than 50 sacks in their first 12 games of a season. Last team to do it was the 2000 Saints. How about that? When they had 55 sacks. So, Sean Payton, kudos to him. It's his 11th season with 10 or more wins as a head coach. That's fifth most in NFL history. Tom Landry has 16. And we'll tell you who's fourth on that list in a second. But here's Bo Nix after the win. It was told a long time ago by one of my many offensive coaches that pressure is a privilege, and not many people get to be in that opportunity. So if it's going to be me who gets this opportunity, I'm going to make the best of it.

8:30And it doesn't always go your way. Fortunately for us, it's gone our way in these games. But last year, we were on the opposite end of these close ones. And so I understand what it's like to be on the other side of things. but you just got to keep moving on and you got to have a belief that you're just going to find a way and you know didn't look great there for a minute but we just found a way to make the next best play and you know at the end of the day score one more point than they did and that's the difference in the in the game in this league it's it's uh um every game comes down to the last possession pretty much and so um you just have to you know kind of accept the fact and um just put yourself in that moment and don't change anything just go out and execute do you think when he was going on

9:18Rich Eisen:the the platitude of palooza there um he did realize it was just a one point win for them or he just that's just a phrase he's probably heard over and over again just be one point probably just a phrase because that's all they were was just one point better which is all that matters they have 10 wins eight are one scores they this team is kind of chiefsian to me of the last couple years they have body switched it kind of feels like it don't know well certainly since they were getting some calls at the end there too right i didn't think that was a a false start and terry mccauley was saying that's not right intentional grounding either that brought a third and 25 about that by the way mariotta overcame to force over time it's gonna take some getting used to but um the broncos bandwagon that was so full over the summer that by the opening of the season they were trying to get people off the bandwagon by selling seats to future bandwagons um i don't think any of those broncos bandwagon jumpers or even diehard orange crushers okay could have even dreamt of the scenario where they enter december as the one seed that could be fleeting we'll see what happens on monday night with the patriots but But even if the Patriots get their 11th win tonight, they're on a bye next week, and then Denver takes on Vegas in Denver, which means they win that game, and they do enter the final four games of the season as the one seed.

11:07Rich Eisen:They're at Vegas, pardon me, before they welcome in Green Bay in what could be, entering week 15, the national setup of Super Bowl preview.

11:22Rich Eisen:I don't think that scenario, along with the fact that they entered December four games, let me repeat that, four games better than the Kansas City Chiefs. I don't think anybody on that bandwagon or diehards in the Rocky Mountains and the surrounding areas could have even dreamt that is possible. But that is in fact the case.

11:53Rich Eisen:The Broncos are perfectly positioned to win this conference and certainly the division. Two games better than the Chargers, who now do look like they're going to have a shadow at worst and an injured version at best of Justin Herbert the rest of the way. Look at that left, like almost, what does that look like? An oven mitt? It's not that bad. It kind of looked like a superhero's glove, right? I don't know whatever kept his left hand together because he needs surgery to repair a broken bone. Maybe as we speak, Justin Herbert is going to finish the season with a freshly surgically repaired non-throwing hand.

12:47Rich Eisen:It's like a Nintendo Power Glove. Oh, yeah. Remember those things? That's it. Okay. Well, hopefully there's some Infinity Stone additions that they can put in there. Because, I mean, listen, it doesn't sound great. And it's the last thing. Oh, you know, it's no big deal. their quarterback needs hand surgery before the week 14 Monday night finale on ESPN against the Eagles.

13:17Rich Eisen:Without our tackles. But good news for the Chargers is they are two games behind the Broncos and they've already beaten Denver. As a matter of fact, they're the last team to beat Denver back in week three. Remember Denver started the season one and two without having trailed in a single one game, a single one of the games at all. Well, since that 1-2 start, they've won nine in a row. Take a 10-win record into December, and the Chargers now have a vicious stretch. Out of all the teams left in this AFC West race, home for Philly, at Kansas City, at Dallas, home for Houston, at Denver. that is a brutal final five you could put that up against anyone else's final five and that might be the toughest one and they're going to go into this stretch without their tackles hopefully for them getting omarion hampton back and then somehow some way their quarterback not missing time or a healthy left hand you know what i mean i i it's it's not optimum but Jim Harbaugh, as you know, can create belief where there's a lot of disbelief and a lot of Chargers fans looking for a trapdoor opening up despite the Chargers being the five seed right now at eight and four.

14:46Rich Eisen:Yeah, I'd be tough pressed to see them make the playoffs with that schedule. We shall see, sir. Especially with the way Houston's coming on. It's still better, as we just described to you, the conundrum for the Broncos. It's still better than what the Chiefs are dealing with right now.

15:07I mentioned moments ago talking about Sean Payton entering the top five all-time of coaches

15:18Rich Eisen:with double-digit victory seasons with 10 wins for this Broncos team. That's his 11th season as a head coach in the NFL with his team reaching at least 10 wins. On the list in front of him is Tom Landry with 16. Third all-time with 19 is Andy Reid. And I will tell you, I am now, as somebody that is firmly in the world of media types. I just call myself a media type. Talking heads, whatever you want to call me. I have been firmly in the camp of, I'll believe it when I see it with the Kansas City Chiefs not making the playoffs.

16:05Rich Eisen:And they're now 6-6, which is a record Mahomes has never had as a profession, as a professional player. As I told you last week, the stat that I keep being blown away by, or at least the nugget, the fact that I keep being blown away by, is the earliest a Chiefs season has ever ended with Mahomes as their starting quarterback is overtime in the AFC Championship game. First season as a starter, lost in overtime to Tom Brady in the AFC Championship game, then won a Super Bowl, then lost one, then lost in overtime in the AFC Championship game to Joe Burrow, then made the Super Bowl ever since. Win or lose.

16:44Rich Eisen:Well, this year, we might see an earlier exit. And I'm finally believing it. Because the mistakes that they are making are costing them in one-score games. They didn't lose a single one-score game last year. This year, they have only one win in such games, and that was the overtime win against Indianapolis that they pulled out of their 20-9 deficit orifice at home a couple weeks ago in the fourth quarter to force overtime and win it. And then they just do unchiefs-like things. Ten penalties for 119 yards against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. They did take the lead, and it looked like, okay, they're going to show up and they're going to boat race the Cowboys, and that's the end of that.

17:34Rich Eisen:Then the defense just couldn't stop a cold. Well, it's tough to stop George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb and Javante Williams. When wait for it, they all score, right? Sure did. And I just want to be accurate here on that front. Pickens did not score, but he almost did after he pirouetted out of a short fire tackle and jumped over somebody. And Dak went off again. But the Chiefs also had the ability to score right before halftime and right after halftime, and they came away with no points. That didn't happen. The final drive that the Cowboys put a nail, one of the nails in the coffin that Mahomes tried to pry open at the end by finding Xavier Worthy wide open over the middle after he was escaped a sack twice, right?

18:26Rich Eisen:It was just like what? But that's why I'm always in the camp of I'll see you when I believe it. Yeah. Because that play was over and then the game was not over until it was. But the reason why they won it is because they went up by two scores after Rasheed Rice dropped one that hit him right in the hands on the 50-yard line. This is a guy that had two scores. It just works and then it doesn't.

18:53Rich Eisen:So on Chiefs-like things are happening to the Chiefs. who are now 6-6, and Mahomes was asked what the ceiling for this team is. Our ceiling is playing in the Super Bowl. We have all the same guys. We've added players. But at the end of the day, you've got to go out and do it on every single week, a weekend, week-out basis. We can beat anybody, but we've shown that we can lose to anybody. So we've got to be more consistent. It starts with me being consistent throughout the entire game, not in just big moments. That's something that we have to do throughout an entire game and week to week. It's not just one time.

19:27And we obviously see the last week we have a big win, and then you come here and play another good football team, and you don't come to play. And so the ceiling can be what it is, but until you put it on the football field, you won't be able to go out there and win football games.

19:39Rich Eisen:What an honest assessment, I think. And I don't like talking in absolutes, okay? I just don't.

19:53Rich Eisen:but um i think the ceiling for the chiefs the realistic ceiling for the chiefs in the regular season now is is to make it as a wild card i think the ship has sailed on winning the division for a 10th straight time i can't believe i'm saying okay you feel all right like a cold press or something I might need a moment, but dead air doesn't work on a simulcast. Oh, man, Eric's not going to call you back now. That's all right. I think he understands what time it is as well. All right, cool. Because you look at the situation. They are four back of the Broncos. They would have to, obviously, if they win out, they would beat the Broncos on Christmas Day as well.

20:37Rich Eisen:If they win out, they're 11-6. I don't know what the other tiebreakers are but it doesn't matter because I think the Broncos win at least twice the rest of the way you look at the Broncos remaining schedule I have it here right in front of me they're at Vegas they're home for Green Bay and Jacksonville and they're at Kansas City in the Chargers I kind of feel like there's two wins there including their next one what do you think they're going to go one and four the rest of the way have only 11 wins and the Chiefs win out. And as for the Chiefs the rest of the way, Sunday night home against a Houston team that's won four in a row and defensively is getting after the world.

21:21Rich Eisen:Home for the Chargers at Tennessee, there's that Denver game on Christmas on Netflix and then at Vegas. They can win out and have Denver go one and four and the rest of the tie breaks work in their favor. And thus, that's the way they win their 10th straight division. And the problem was if they don't win the division, their best path, the way that I see it right now, is they wind up tied. They wind up tied with either the Colts or Houston and Jacksonville. They're rooting for Jacksonville to win the AFC South because, as you know, they've already lost to Jacksonville. I've been saying for weeks, the problem for the Chiefs is if they're a wildcard team, they've lost every single occupant of the wildcard department.

22:13Rich Eisen:Currently open for business in the AFC standings, if we can see those. Jacksonville has now removed itself from the wildcard equation after the Texans beat the Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Titans. their 8-4 record is good enough for third in the conference. They're in first place right now, taking on the Colts next week and for the first of two times they currently hold other tie breakers on the Colts to put them in that position the Chiefs have beaten the Colts and if they beat the Texans if either of those two teams wind up not winning the division in the AFC South and wind up being a wild card team, then all the Chiefs have to do is tie the Texans or the Colts.

23:04So if the Jaguars beat the Colts next week, and the Colts are now 8-5,

23:10Rich Eisen:and the Chiefs beat the Texans, they'll leapfrog the Texans, and then they're only one behind the Colts who they would hope would then lose some of these games in division. that's all they have to do is hope the Jaguars win they don't have to see them in a tie break situation and don't even have to worry about the bills and charges just focus on the AFC South hope those results break for you which they can and win as many games you possibly can and then you can talk about the Super Bowl being your ceiling that's the way I'm seeing the Chiefs right now entering December ESPN Analytics has them at 42 % to make the playoffs

23:52All right.

23:54Rich Eisen:It's 3 % division. It's better than a Dumb and Dumber chance. 3%, we're getting towards milk here. Yeah. And so it sure looks like their reign atop the division is over with six wins and six losses. 844-204-RICH number to dial here on the Rich Eisen Show mea culpa's I've been writing checks verbally and that check was returned to sender and the big house on Saturday

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