TDT Divisional Week 2025

Touchdowns and Tangents

Kenny and Pete break down the divisional round and CFB National Title. Catch it here and on touchdownsandtangents.com.
Yeah, once again, I ain't got the sounds, but I will get the sounds next week, I promise. My house is just messed up. But yeah, let's touchdowns and Tangents live from Hopthorne, California. There's just something so intimate that comes from, you know, just having these original sounds that we had when we originally started. But as always, I'm joined by. Kenneth Barry and uh yeah, man, we're just here so we won't get fined. But no, and all serious, all seriousness, Divisional round coming up. I was talking to Kenny earlier. It feels weird to not have any games going on in the middle of the week. No college football playoff, no bowl games, no fcs, no Friday night lights, no playoffs. Nothing, just we're just pretty much waiting for these last few games to go down in the divisional round and then obviously the College Football Playoff, which we'll get to a little bit later. But with all that, what will what will you remember from this past World Card Week weekend? Kenny? M hm uh, Mostly that the Vikings really are like Sam Donald. Sam Donald had all that cachet and just blew it. Yeah, Sam Donald, who I thought he was? He really fumbled the bag he shipped down his leg. I mean, you'll still get a good deal. He'll still get a'll still get, but he's not gonna get the he could have. Got, probably for the multi year crazy deal before. He probably could have got forty million. Probably still throw throw ten twenty million at him or he probably he killing with Gardner Mischian guy. He threw thirty five touchdowns, bro, I know he looked. That's like the most for a dude who just was ass He's interceptions ratio was amazing, like he literally Well, the whole thing is, think about it this way. That defensive line the first time they played was like pretty much a rookie young defensive line. By the time they played in the playoffs, they're no longer a rookie. They played a full season. You know, at that point, you're sophomore. It's a whole new new game. So they really made the difference, obviously, Jerry versus guy you you've been advocating for since the Rams took him, a guy you were advocating for before the combine. Even so, Yeah, I mean the Rams just shown ability to build it. I mean, I think we talked about it earlier in the season. They pretty much just took the values of Aaron Donald and just like scaled it to different young players, spread it across defensive line. It's crazy, and it's like the Raiders could have had two cornerstone pieces on defense and an extra draft picky. Well, for me, what I'll remember obviously is just man that the end of the Empire really showed out man c J. Stroud. Everyone was talking smack about him all year and rightfully so. I mean he was underperformer, especially if you had him in fantasy, but he him and the Texans really showed out. You know. The Chargers did what they always do. They came out lackluster. And I told you that from the get go. I told you that as it was going on, like Chargers are going to lose this game. The Chargers could have easily been up twenty one to nothing, like they got a lot of things going their way, but they just kept getting in their own way and not capitalizing. And I was just like, I've seen this before, but this team starts out slow like that, They're not going to be able to beat Houston on the road. I don't care how good of a coach Tarbon is. Sure enough, you know, Herbert had probably one of the worst games of his career, and now Khalil Max is talking about retiring, which which is pretty crazy to think about that old but he's don't make any birthday but it makes sense for him, I mean, no, he can think he could still ring Chase with the Chiefs Chickens. Ring Chase, go to Baltimore, Ring Chase, go to Baltimore. Please Kylevin always having had a career year twelve and a half sacks. But yeah, back to my original point, I mean, Stril showed out they get the advance over a Charger team that was favored even though they were on the road. And then on the other side he got. Ricky Jade and Daniels, the guy you've been calling offensive rookie of the Year since like week two or three, so cold is to use that, But he also showed out Commanders advance and really, statistically, rookies don't really win playoff games like that. So the fact that he did that on the Commanders, which a year ago was by far the worst roster I mean, or one of the worst rosters maybe besides the Panthers, and you took that team to the playoffs like that's borderline MVP, not just Rookie of the Year, like if they actually voted for MVP, like especially if he somehow wins this game, which honestly is kind of like it's possible because now, mind you the Lions, I mean, they had a week off, they've had some injuries, but if they come out flat that young that commander team is both young and hungry and also experienced, so anything could happen in that game. But back to my original point, how you showed up Jane Daniels out of Sa Maurino c J Stroud at a ranchall Kokamonga. It's really validating the nine on nine nine one. I know they got a bunch of other random ARA codes out there now, but that's essentially the foundation of it. But anyways, moving on to. The divisional round, we got the Rams Eagles. I guess we can just start there since we already talked a lot about it. But for me, Kenny never rushes me, why are you rushing me right now? What do you? What do you rushing me do? I was in a groove and like you were kind of I wanted you to pick up the energy a little bit. Okay, what do you, what do you need me to do? Act like you care, Act like you act like you want to. Act like Aaron Barry after the after the game, when he wouldn't stop talking about when's the Raiders game? Pete Kenny? When's the Raiders game? Peter Kenny? All right, obviously everyone thinks the Eagles are gonna win this game. How are the Rams gonna win it? Honestly, they have a smarter coach, their defense is playing lights out. They just have to really just stop Satuan. It's gonna be hard because the Eagles offensive line is the reason why they beat the ship out of the Rams the first time. Jaalen Hurts is faster than any linebacker. Inside linebacker. They have an A. J. Brown can toast any dB on that field, as well as DeVonta Smith Dallas Go Dart. The problem, like the variety of the Eagles offense and their offensive line and their defense being the best in the league, is like they're the most complete team left. You know, just Sirianni and Hurts gotta be in sync, and you gotta feed Taekwana ball. But the Rams really just have to come out aggressive, have a smart game plan, short quick passes, you can't. You're not gonna be able to throw deep on his defense, You're gonna have to take advantage of Philly's uber athletic front seven established a run early, don't get caught in a lot of third and lungs. Be in a position to where you can always go for it fourth and four, fourth and five. For me, it comes down to and Cooper, Cup and Pooka gotta show up. Cooper, Cup and Pooka definitely have to show up. For me, it comes down to the Rams. The Rams linebackers. Like you mentioned Sekwan Barkley, He's a beast. We all know that not only can he run you over, but he can also take it to the sins and so they not only need to be able to match his speed, but they also need to be able to tackle him, and that could be an issue, especially with Godart going over the middle as you mentioned. So for me, I'm looking at the linebackers and safeties like they gotta have an exceptional game this next week. In addition to that, I mean you talked about it the interior line, they're gonna have the biggest challenge as well. I mean, the. Rams are capable of running the ball that's when they've been the best is when they're controlling it with Kiren and they're hitting big chunk plays off the play action to Puka and Cooper Cup and company. If they can do that, they got a chance. It's gonna be cold. So I think that'll move in Philly's favor. I think overall, we think of Philia is a much more physical team. But the way the Rams played this past week, and I mean, I don't I don't think they're afraid of anyone. I think they are playing like they have nothing to lose, and I think in some ways that's really kind of ignited some extra fire back in McVeigh and Stafford. But yeah, I think this is still phil These game to lose, no matter how you break it down. All Right, the other game commander's lines. Gotta be honest. If the doll if the if the Lions and Golf come out slow at all in the first half, their commanders will jump on them. Their defense will jump on them. Imagine Jonathan Allen's just imagine the dudes in that defense have been there for so long. You gotta buy the plane one of them is on. I know that, I think, And yeah, the fact that they've just been through so much, like they got veterans at every level enough to make plays. You really just have to contain aman Rah and Gibbs, which is a lot. There's a lot of moving parts in that offense. But Jared Goff is thrown to have a Sam Donald Sam Donald kind of game. Some of it some of it is dumb luck like, so it'll be a tip pass and it's two picks right there. They're both playing. Okay, so they're both playing. They're long one of the longest team in the veterans on that team, they they've never been closer to a Super Bowl. And right now I think the Commanders are playing with house money. And Jane Daniels is a dog. He don't like losing. Neither. Is this scary Terry Brian Robertson's good enough, Eckler's good enough. They just have to keep moving the chains. The Lions can't really afford any more any more injuries at all, like they could be getting gashed. They've been gashed by lesser teams like look, so you know, if I think the only way the Commanders gets something going early is if they can, you know, take advantage of Kirby Joseph's aggressive. It's gonna be hard. Tha