Vikings, Josh Allen, Kevin O'connell discussed on The Rich Eisen Show

The Rich Eisen Show
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Automatic TRANSCRIPT

Idea because we haven't seen it in the NFL. All right, a couple more here about things related to this season. They're playing each other this weekend. It looks like it's gonna be a case Keenum revenge game. Who is more likely to make the conference championship game, Vikings or bills? Bills. Right now, you would have to say it's buffalo. Although I think that the NFC is arguably more wide open. I just look when the bills are at their best. They have dominated opponents. I was at the game in Buffalo a week three week two, week two, I think it was. The Monday night game against the Titans. Where that's a solid Titans team. They obviously are shorthanded and a lot of spots and offense where they got some issues. But they put a points. And nobody could stop Stephon Diggs and they took it to a really tough team that does not get blown out off, and they blew them out. We haven't seen the Vikings do that. And that's not a knock on what they're doing. Kevin O'Connell deserves a world of credit for taking a team that lost so many close games over recent years and saying we're going to be situational masters. We're going to know in these big moments, how we're going to operate. We're going to be good in the red zone. We're going to be good when it counts. And they've done it. You still know, and we talked about with Harrison Smith yesterday. You get to that point in midway through every game where you're like, oh man, this doesn't look the best. They're finding ways to pull it out. Until you see, and this is something that when time people in the analytics community, they'll always say this. The best teams blow out inferior opponents. Yes, it matters that you are winning close games because there's something to that, but the best teams blow out inferior opponents. The Vikings have faced some teams that are struggling have not blown people out. There are very good team at this state and they got a ton of weapons and they should get better because you got guys like Justin Jefferson and Dalvin cook and Adam Thielen on that roster. But the bills when we've seen them with Josh Allen playing his best. They've been really, really impressive, so I gotta go bills. But that's one thing about the bills though and close games they've struggled. They're really good, like ten plus points per game, Josh Allen's record is kind of amazing. And they're shorthanded in the secondary right now with players out now for this week's game. That's a blow. He's dealt with some injuries through the course of this season. So you have to look at those things. In terms of how they're going to impact you, they didn't make a huge trade. They did trade for a safety. It was like a down the line guy at the deadline. But they didn't make a big move. So yeah, you do have some questions there. But Josh Allen or Kirk Cousins, OneDrive, the bills offense or the Vikings offense, OneDrive. Again, maybe I'll feel differently in January. Again, the Vikings are really good team. Yeah, TJ hawkinson really kind of fit in well last week. They really he played, they put him into the playbook right away when he had 9 catches. I couldn't believe it. I talked to Kevin O'Connell, interviewed him for NFL network before the game. And O'Connell told me he's like, you're going to people are going to be surprised how much hawkinson plays. And then so after we did the interview, I walked up to him, and was like, hey, Kevin, so let me get this straight. How many packages does he in? He's like, basically all of them? He's not going to play 21 personnel because we've got Johnny munt and somebody else who are going to be out there, but everything else I'm like, red zone everything's like, yeah. So we're working with the 10 p.m. on Tuesday. Crash course we were like, hey, just let us know what you're comfortable with. Hawkins was like, yeah, bring it on. And he went out there and just, it was the first drive. Big play, but a big play in the red zone. I mean, that looks like that could be a piece. I understand why the Lions traded hawkinson because second round pick for a team that's probably not. He's not going to be the difference between them, winning the Super Bowl this year and not. And you're not going to sign them in their opinion. He wasn't going to be one of their core players, so you move on from them. But for the Vikings, a team that needed that shot, it was a bold move by kwesi adolfo mensa. First of all, to engage with the Lions, your division rival, which he did during the draft two, he traded them to pick that they use to take Jameson Williams. And Vikings fans went nuts. All my buddies were Vikings fans were emailing about why in the world new trade within the division. He traded it in the vision with Green Bay during the draft two. Well then, because during the season, Lions communication open, what do you think about trade and TJ hawkinson and that thing came together quickly? All right, last one, 5 win team most likely to make the playoffs. Chargers, patriots, Bengals. Right now charger to the 7th seed, but they all have 5 wins. The chargers are another team that I look at and say they should get better, but they're just so decimated by the injuries. They should get back to Mike Williams and Michael Williams should be back in he's not probably not this week, but maybe next week. Keenan Allen, hopefully within the month, Joey Bosa, maybe a month or so away, they're going to get some reinforcements here. And they're finding ways to win. For whatever the focus on the fourth down calls and those things like the reality is, how many coaches have done better job of the brand's daily overcoming those injuries through the course of this season. I mean, they're playing above some stuff here. But I still think it's the Bengals in this case. Javar chase will get back. They're going to go through some bumps right now because they're without their most versatile toughest weapon on offense. But Joe burrow, we know exactly what he is. Luana rumo gets that defense playing so hard, even though they don't have a lot of frontline types of guys. They got Trey Henderson. They got von bell who's playing it really high level. But the way that they play and how disciplined they are and the juice that they bring, I just think you can't bet against the Bengals. Out of that group. And I didn't mention the Patriots. We'll see. But there's a lot a lot they got to get better at. Not a lot that inspiring as a pat's fan. They're trying to, I mean, they're trying to figure some things out right now. Mac Jones is still playing with a really significant injury. Don't forget that. I mean, he's off the injury report now, but he's coming back from a high ankle sprain. Ask any player. If you have that injury, you feel it. Even when you're past the treatment phase, you're back to plane, you feel that injury.

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