NFL Week 13: Tomlin's Hot Seat, Broncos, Bears, Lane Kiffin & More

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0:27Rich Eisen:it's the first december edition of overreaction monday right here rich eyes along with chris brockman we say hello to all of our audiences whether you're watching the cut down version on espn 2 or you're watching the full version on our youtube channel youtube.com slash rich eyes and show or listening to us whether you get your podcasts happy december football one and all Good to see you over there, Christopher. Hey, Rich, what's up, man? Did you notice this past weekend that tempers flared easier on the field? On the field and sidelines? That desperation is setting in. A lot of skirmishes. Or realities are setting in.

1:05Rich Eisen:Or it's just that time of year after you've played about two, three months of football that it's on like Donkey Kong. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Week 13 was tremendous. Maybe the best Thanksgiving slate we've ever seen. The Black Friday game was awesome. And now, like you said, Rubbers meet and road. And, you know, it's December football. I can't believe it's here. Same with college football. Until about one Eastern time on Saturday, then I stopped following the sport. Oh, interesting. All right, hit it. Hit it. Hit it. That was terrible. That was crap. That was garbage. This play sucks. Overreaction. Mondays.

1:42Rich Eisen:Monday. All right, Christopher, what do you have over there? Hey, Rich, it's so funny reading the comments. People think that you know what's on this sheet. before. Are you serious? Yeah. I swear. Someone was like, no, he's seen, he's seen the list beforehand, the hair of my children. I guarantee you he has not, he has no idea what I'm about to say. Correct. Uh, before we get to Thanksgiving, because I do want to hit on those cause the games and the storylines coming out of it were tremendous. Yes, sir. Got to start with Sunday night, rich. Everyone on the Broncos summer bandwagon was right. Denver's going to the AFC championship game.

2:13Rich Eisen:Well, I think the, um, the record shows that they are playoff worthy and every single person that hopped on that Denver bandwagon this summer because they saw what Denver was doing last year and how they have built a team to compete this year every single human being on that bandwagon could not have fathomed hitting December 1st, four games better than the Kansas City Chiefs. It's crazy. Could not have fathomed that reality. And the fact that the Chargers would be the team that does have the better chance to run the Broncos down because the Chargers were the last team to beat Denver way back when the Broncos fell to one and two and have now won, wait for it, nine games in a row.

3:07Rich Eisen:And they've done it in many different ways from comebacks to just beating you down to just winning ugly football. Seems like most of their games have kind of followed that script. Well, that's about it. It's not pretty. But that also does describe much of the rest of the National Football League in 2025. That's true. So I will push back on the AFC Championship game and say that's an overreaction because how could this potentially not be at the end of the day, say, Patriots and Bills for a third time? How is it not at the end of the day something like the Chargers and the Patriots or even the Jaguars catching on fire?

3:47Rich Eisen:And I know that that's a lot of folks. You just made a face off camera. Texans making the playoffs as the AFC South champions and making it all the way. I don't know if studio execs are clamoring for more. No, I hear you. Broncos, Texans. I'm just giving you all possibilities here where the Broncos maybe don't make it. At the end of the day, Broncos-Patriots for an AFC championship game to make it to Super Bowl 60 is something I think that CBS would sign on the dotted line for right here. Two fan bases that can't believe their good fortune with their second-year quarterbacks. And so everyone on the Broncos' summer bandwagon was right.

4:29Rich Eisen:Check. Not an overreaction. making the AFC championship game. This is a jump ball, man. And as I sit here saying. Look at the landscape, though. Not everybody's playing well. Are there any more Chiefs topics on here? You know, I'm Chiefs out. Okay, so then let me hit it here. Let me hit it here. Let me hit it here. Put the AFC standings up one more time. The Chiefs are, as I said from my office, recording a video on Thanksgiving night after the Cowboys beat them. the Chiefs are in serious trouble at 6-6 because one thing for sure as we're sitting here with five games left in the regular season for everybody in the AFC West that the Chiefs winning this division for a 10th straight time I believe that ship has sailed I don't think that's an overreaction right now I mean they're four back of the Broncos with five to play I figured you'd jerry-rig the math So I got to win the math can't be Jerry rigged other than the fact that the Broncos need the, the, um, the chiefs need to win out, including beating Denver and the Broncos essentially have to lose out.

5:42Rich Eisen:Right. I mean, at the end of the day, the rest of the story that you can see there as well, chargers in the bills. Um, I've been saying over the last few weeks that every single occupant of a wildcard spot in the AFC that's in front of the chiefs, the chiefs have lost to That's now switched because the Colts are now a wildcard team because the Jaguars have leapfrogged them at the moment because the Colts and the Jaguars play two more times, including the first time of two times next week while the Texans play the Chiefs, just to give you an idea of how difficult it will be for Kansas city to win out, even though they do have some winnable games like Tennessee Raiders and things of that teams of that nature.

6:23Rich Eisen:But the Chiefs need to look at the wildcard as a way to get into the playoffs and that's a tall order i think their best chance is to beat the texans and then hope the jaguars win the afc south so at least the colts or the texans will be in a wild card position for the chiefs to catch and have the same record as them yeah that's maybe their best chances we're sitting here right now to make the playoffs as a wild card team cashing in a tie break over an afc South team that didn't win the division and is trying to make it as a wild card, just like the chiefs. That's the way I'm looking at it. What else you got over there?

7:03Let's go to Thanksgiving because it was absolutely amazing football, especially in Dallas. Rich. Let's just do it. The Cowboys are going to win the NFC East. That's ridiculous.

7:13Rich Eisen:I don't know how you could say that because they're a game and a half behind the Eagles. Have you watched the Eagles play football? I have recently. It's their second two game losing streak of the season. That's all. Yeah. This one feels a lot worse. Well, it's because it's happening later in the season. And it does look like it's giving you shades of 2023 all over again. And the Eagles fans that have PTSD from the two years ago when they went from 10-1 to 1-1 and done in the playoffs are feeling like it's happening again. And as a matter of fact, they just gave up a number of rushing yards to the Bears at home the last time they gave up as many rushing yards in a game as they did to the Bears at home on the day after Thanksgiving.

7:52Rich Eisen:The last time that happened was in 2023. which gives you a sense of dread again. It feels like that a lot, like 2023. Right. And, you know. We know what happened there. 10-1 start. The Bears ran for 281. That's the most in the Nick Sirianni era before 221. They gave up to the Cardinals in week 17 of that lost 2023 season in the mind's eye of the Eagles fans that were booing. By the way, I think the state of Pennsylvania led all of the NFL in home field boos this past weekend. As they should have. And so, you know, again, I will counsel one more time as the Philadelphia Eagles come out here in a Monday night game to take on a Chargers team that will either field Trey Lance or a quarterback with a surgically repaired left hand.

8:39Rich Eisen:Okay. And then after the Eagles. Well, I'll tell you what, brother. The Eagles, as you know, have a lot of fans out here in Los Angeles, California. and that's going to be a game where Trey Lance might have to practice when he does this week as Justin Herbert convalesces from left hand surgery. One would think he's not going to take many snaps this week. Trey Lance better learn how to do the silent snap count once again, because that's going to happen. And then after that, the Philadelphia Eagles home for Vegas. Then they take on the Washington Commanders two times in the last three weeks. And I know we saw a Commanders team that pushed the Broncos to the limit on Sunday Night Football before they visit Buffalo.

9:19Rich Eisen:There's some winnable games here, and the Cowboys are going to essentially have to win out while the Eagles are going to have to fall completely apart. If you watch the Cowboys play, what gives you faith that they can't win out? They're maybe the best offense in the league. I'm not denigrating the Cowboys. I'm just talking about the hole from which the Cowboys must emerge, and that is a tall order, a tall order. They do finish at Washington and at the Giants and home from Minnesota, those are all very winnable games. Detroit's falling apart at the seams. I don't know. You can't say they're falling apart at the seams.

9:53Rich Eisen:They are not playing as well as they did in the first months of the season. Again, everybody needs to just understand that it is a week-to-week league and things can completely change in the same way that you're now saying it's DEFCON 1 in Philadelphia and the Lions are maybe a DEFCON 2. It doesn't look good over the last couple of weeks, but these things are absolutely changeable. And the problem for me is Dallas is too far back, too far back. And the Eagles are still, as constituted, a team that has stars all over the map. They just need to pull it together. And I think their best chance is to play a home game on the road because the fans there in Philadelphia are just so hair-triggered right now.

10:42Rich Eisen:It's like Super Bowl 59 didn't happen, which is nuts. Super Bowl 59 didn't happen. It's all about the Super Bowl 60 year, and this team totally sucks, and the first sign of problems, let me boo my head off and go thumbs down and go absolutely ape. What is going on? I understand it doesn't look good, and you have a feeling that it's a sinking feeling, but last year didn't happen? There's nothing to boo yourselves off of last year at all? I'll tell you what's going on. They can't stop the run. That's true. They can't run the ball right now. Their quarterback. It's like, he's never played before.

11:18It's like, he didn't want Superbowl MVP. Except that throw to AJ Brown.

11:22Rich Eisen:He didn't play before. That was just luck. Hey, Hey, AJ Brown, do you want stats or do you want to win? Because it seems like you guys were happier and winning when you weren't putting up numbers. Well, what beat because Saquon was putting up the numbers and at least playing that sort of football was a winning way. Let's get the offensive line back healthy. The Cowboys are playing better football right now than the Eagles. There's no doubt about it. They proved it on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and they proved it on Thanksgiving Day in beating the Super Bowl 59 teams. Highly impressive. They're killing it.

11:52Rich Eisen:Pickens is one of the best receivers in the game. Okay, and C.D. Lamb out-received him in that win on Thanksgiving Day. They are playing superb football and deserve all the kudos. They do have to play two games better than the Eagles the rest of the way. We'll see if that happens. So I'm just pushing back on this about them winning the division. But right now they're playing better football. If the division started three weeks ago, they'd win the division. Unfortunately, there's a whole half of the season that's a 3-5-1 start that weighs on this team's ability to make the playoffs as a division champion, let alone a wildcard team.

12:28Rich Eisen:With the Niners now 9-4 on a bye and healthy going into it. It's more fun if the Cowboys win the division. I understand what you're saying. Yes, sir. Next. NFC. Eh, Rams. The pack is back. Green Bay is the best team in the NFC.

12:48Rich Eisen:They played well on Thanksgiving. That's for sure. Talk about getting healthy. No, I know that. Micah is killing it right now. Destroying. Receiver group. Top notch. Josh Jacobs back. Doing love. Back in that early season look. Do you know Micah Parsons came on Thanksgiving with two and a half sacks in back-to-back games, by the way, where Green Bay took care of business, you know, against Detroit and then beating Minnesota the week before. Micah, two and a half sacks in consecutive games. It's his second game of the season with 10 or more pressures in 2025. The rest of the National Football League, okay, has three such players combined.

13:40okay so um he's unbelievable i mean could you believe it what he's been up to these days i

13:47Rich Eisen:guess you could believe it everyone was could see that one coming but he's really beginning to to come on strong um if the packers played the rams it would be a hell of a game that would be a great nfc championship game amazing um so they are they they're in the mix for the best team in the NFC. I'm not ready to just ditch the Rams because they had a tough road game in the rain in Carolina against a Panthers team that could wind up winning the division. I'm just not going to. These things happen. It's a weird game. These things happen. You know, Stafford couldn't go 29 touchdown passes in a row without an interception.

14:22Rich Eisen:He did set the record with a touchdown pass before he was picked off in consecutive drives. Would have helped me. I'll just push back on this and say Green Bay is one of the best teams in the NFC. I don't think we could say anything declarative. I just don't think you can right now. But they're in that mix. It's not over non-declarative reaction Monday. Well, the Bears could stay claimed to this for sure. We're going to talk about them soon. Okay, so I'll just push back on that since obviously the Bears have won more games in a row and have a better record entering December. The Bears are the one seed in the NFC, so you could absolutely make that case, and that's why week 14 is so awesome.

14:56Rich Eisen:So good. I mean, the Bears play the Packers for the first of two times in three weeks. It's going to be fun. Yes, sir. As you know, managing maintenance, repair, and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From professional-grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities.

15:27Rich Eisen:Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Save money on your next oil change with O 'Reilly Auto Parts. Get a$15 O 'Reilly gift card after rebate when you buy five quarts of Mobile One full synthetic motor oil for just$35.95. Stop by your local O 'Reilly Auto Parts. You mentioned earlier how the state of Pennsylvania was leading the league in booing. Home field booing. Yeah, home field booing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They should be booing in Pittsburgh as well. Mike Tomlin is going to be coaching somewhere else in 2026. I don't think that's an overreaction. And you know when I say something like that, that that is nothing for me to be easily thrown out.

16:08Rich Eisen:Fire Tomlin chants at home on Sunday. And I know his response was like, I share their frustration. But there just does have a feeling to it, like this is the end. And the Steelers have five games left of the season to make a run here. to put their foot in the ground and make a run and be division champs because their record of 6-6 is good enough to have the division lead right now with the Ravens, who they're playing this week. So let's see what happens because the Pittsburgh Steelers are taking on the Ravens twice in the final five games with a visit to Detroit and Cleveland in the middle of it and then a Miami Dolphin Monday night football game that could be, I mean, the Dolphins are the higher registered team of the second half.

17:04Rich Eisen:We're just like, hey, is anybody paying attention to what's going on in Miami right now? They're kind of flying under the radar. They won a few in a row. But there's five games left. But right now, there is a feeling of finality in Pittsburgh that it may just be better off for everybody involved to say, what a run, what an incredible run. And the Steelers organization just needs to deal with the fact that not every coach that is a generational coach for them over the span of my lifetime, by the way, I was born in 1969, the first year that Chuck Knoll took over the reins in Pittsburgh. Three head coaches.

17:47Rich Eisen:In that time. That's bad. And so they're just going to have to deal with the fact that not every generational coach of theirs just retires, does go somewhere else and shows that he still has it or has it in him. I think there are a half dozen franchises that would willingly, thrillingly hand the reins of their franchise over to Mike Tomlin and say, fresh start here, sir. What do you think? And if I'm him, I got to sit there and go, who's the quarterback next year? right now I got a guy who's in his you know young 40s with a broken left wrist and maybe a broken nose and Mason Rudolph's not the future the draft choices aren't going to be high enough to go draft a kid who's going to be that big Ben do I get a shot do I have a shot at doing that it's going to be years until this aging roster can get turned around maybe I do want to go somewhere else I don't know there I think it's a reasonable conversation right now and I don't think this is an overreaction if following up on the AFC North here, it's a really interesting division.

18:49Cincinnati now suddenly sort of sort of in the mix. Yeah. And I think when it all comes down to it, it's going to be one of those years where the winner of the AFC North is eight and nine, but they're going to be one and done in the playoffs. Hmm. They're going to beat up on each other the rest of the way. Well,

19:07Rich Eisen:listen, and they're not inspiring me where they can go on a run and win a playoff. I mean, it was, it was a fun brief moment where Cleveland was in the hunt. Sure. or sniffing it, as we say on the Rich Eisen show. But the Bengals in Buffalo with Joe Burrow, talk about a week 14 game too, right, buddy? Another one of the week 14 banana. And the Ravens and the Steelers play one another twice, which is a problem for the Bengals. They need those teams to just lose, not knock each other about. And so eight and nine is not unreasonable because let's just say the Ravens and Steelers split. That makes them seven and seven.

19:47Rich Eisen:Baltimore also has a visit to New England at Green Bay, and they're at Cincinnati too. Right, they'll see my losses watching them play on Thanksgiving. Cincinnati's at Buffalo, has Baltimore at Miami, home for Arizona, home for Cleveland. Dude, listen, let me tell you this, okay? So I can't say this is an overreaction. So let's put that aside for a second, okay? since this show moved to the wonderful world of Disney back on the Tuesday after Labor Day, what is the worst take that I've had that has been, that has been aggregated and pushed out by our friends, my old friends, now new friends, current friends, longtime friends at Disney and ESPN.

20:32Rich Eisen:What does that take? Well, you said Jake Browning is better than half the starters in the league or something. Okay. Okay. Okay. And that he would keep them alive and that he would keep them alive. live and then i kept saying with that the season is not over and then they traded for flacco and i'm like the season is not he wins immediately over okay and then i said as burrow was coming back having a little bit of fun hey he comes back the season is not over i'm now sitting here put up those standings one more time please come on now i'm sitting here now look at that and you tell me if the season is over.

21:12No, because I've watched the Ravens and Steelers play football. You tell me. So, yeah, Joe Burrow can single-handedly do this. At the end of the day. You're not getting credit for this.

21:23Rich Eisen:No, no, I'm not asking for credit. No, no, no, no, no. I'm asking for just the reality of me saying the season is not over. Forget about the circumstances under which I said it. Forget the underpinnings of the house that I was building. the house of trash. Okay. House of cards. House of cards. Whatever house. All right. Okay. Forget the underpinnings. Forget the decoration. Just look at the house. It's if by, if by the end of the day, the house and the Bengals make the playoffs and a host, a playoff team, they could host the chargers. Oh, is that first up on Saturday? I don't, I have no, no man.

22:06Rich Eisen:I mean, it's at the reserve for the AFC South. Who knows where they're going to put it. depends on, you know, who wins the AFC South. Sure. Dude, if the Bengals actually make it, but as of right now, first week of December, sitting here and saying the Bengals season is not over. You now have to agree with me on that. The Bengals season is technically not removed. Technically removed. Technically look, if Joe Burrow, you know, the completion percentage wasn't great Thanksgiving, But if he plays the way he did and add the juice T Higgins is back. Yeah. Defense balled out. Which is unbelievable without Trey Hendrickson.

22:44Rich Eisen:Perfect example of what a quarterback means to an entire team. Not just the offense. The season is not over. I'm right. As of right now, I'm right. I love it. It is great. I love it. It's great. It's great. Look, I feel like what's old is new again. Watching Thanksgiving. Do you just realize how robbed we were of a great Joe Burrow season? That was going to probably happen this year. I know that. And that was a bummer, but it's good. They're still alive. Still alive. They're still alive. One of the best games of the weekend. They've taken nine shots. Is Burrow is back in Buffalo once upon a time?

23:21Rich Eisen:That's where the Diggs-Allen relationship apparently fell apart? Come on now. I'm into it. Me too. I'm into it. All right, let's talk NFC West. Especially if they beat the bills and helps your Patriots on a bye week. That would be fantastic. That would be fantastic. Okay. Rich, let's talk NFC West. This is a really great division. Great division. Probably the best in the NFL. I don't think you could remove probably. Looking at week 18, though, Seahawks Niners in week 18 will be for the one seed in the NFC. Seahawks Niners in Seattle to wrap up the season. Oh, and in San Francisco. So the Seahawks and Rams play one another.

24:01Rich Eisen:When do they play each other? They play each other, oh, on a Thursday night to kick off week 16. Prime Video is fired up about that one. Yeah, that's a baller. No, I don't know. You're saying the Rams are out? Is that what you're saying? You're saying the Rams are out. For the one seed. And the Seahawks Niners will be. So Sam Darnold will play in a game where you either make the playoffs as the one seed and have a week off or you go on the road to start the playoffs. Correct. In, in the wildcard round, he'll play in that game for a second straight year. And on a road for a second straight year, West gets three playoff teams, but this will be for the one seat.