Inside The Hashes Football Q & A with Kris Thomas

Did the committee get the CFB playoffs right?

For the first time in their show history, I have no complaints of the 4 teams that are in. LSU, Ohio State, Clemson were all undefeated and won their conference. Although the Sooners had a loss to Kansas State, Oklahoma bounced back to win the Big 12 and beat a tough Baylor team twice. No one else on the outside looking in had the resume to jump Oklahoma. Utah had their chance but was blown out against Oregon and Georgia was steamrolled by LSU. The only thing you could argue was between LSU and Ohio on who deserved to be the #1 seed. Although LSU had a tougher schedule, Ohio State had more top 25 wins and a bigger margin of victory. However, it’s a semantics game. In the end, the four best teams are in without any doubt. LSU takes on an offense as good as theirs. Jalen Hurts gets to make history to win 2 national championships with two different teams. Ohio State gets a chance to get that Clemson Tiger off their back and Clemson has been under the radar and underestimated all season. I’m excited about Bowl season.

49ers or Ravens? The Best team in Football?

Baltimore. I love everything the 49ers are doing. A forceful defensive line a suffocating pass defense and an offense that Jimmy Garoppolo is finally his stride and a proper supporting cast. However, there have been too many times this defense has been gashed this season. Kyler Murray twice, Russell Wilson and now Drew Brees. Outside of the back to back Chiefs and Browns games, the defense hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in 8 of the last 9 which included the Patriots, Texans, Rams, Seahawks, and 49ers themselves. The Ravens still have a top tier even with all the losses to their defenses in the offseason. The Ravens offensive line dominates in the trenches every week and Lamar Jackson shows you can slow him but he still can’t be stopped. I said this a few weeks ago when you two teams evenly matched the QB is the tiebreaker. Although Garoppolo has shown major progression, Lamar Jackson is already over 1,000 yards rushing as a QB with 3 games left to go and is on pace to have over 4000 all-purpose yards and 40 all purposes TDs. Ravens fans rejoice, you have that title until further notice. 

Titans or Texans for the AFC South? 

This was tough because for one I’m a Deshaun Watson fan and for two I have always had a soft spot for the Titans because growing up Steve McNair was my favorite QB growing up. However, although it did look like the Texans were getting legitimate separation from the division but going 2-2 in the last four, here come the Ryan Tannehill led Titans who won four straight. I’m happy for Tannehill for finally finding his place in the league. He was never a bad QB just unlucky with injuries. With two of the last 3 games are between the two teams, I’m leaning towards the Titans. More consistent defense, Tannehill is giving life to a wide receiver core that wasn’t able to shine with Mariota QB and Derrick Henry has become a top 10 running back. The brilliance of Deshaun Watson has been made clear on several occasions however in this instance, there have been several cases that it just hasn’t been enough to overcome. Titans are coming in hot at the right time and that isn’t good news for Bill O’Brien and company. 

Who wins the Heisman on Saturday?

It will be Joe Burrow. The Narrative is there. An undefeated season, navigated through a tough SEC conference, and most TDs throws, passing yards and completion percentage than any other QB in SEC history. Although Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields were both responsible for 50 TDs in their own right and to Justin Fields credit has only turned the ball over twice all season long, Burrow has been more consistent and has been the best player on the field for LSU all season. With dominating performances against Alabama and Georgia this past weekend it has been award to lose for weeks and has yet to let anyone else get in the conversation. Chase Young has been the most dominating defensive player and a two-game suspension ruin his campaign but come Saturday night, Chase, Justin, and Jalen are just there for show. Joe Burrow is walking on that stage to claim his award. 

Where do you see Ron Rivera ending up?
After considering all options for fit and need, he’ll either replace Pat Shurmur in New York or go to Cleveland. Both teams make sense. For New York, he brings establish identity and credibility. New York defense is going through a massive rebuild so why not bring a coach whose claim to fame is defense? Rivera is a players coach and with the firing, Cam Newton went to IG to showcase his love for Rivera and when you are a young rebuilding team bring in a hard-hitting players coach is what this team needs to be successful going forward instead of losing 9 in a row with Shurmur. Cleveland makes sense because you have a young talented team but no proper leadership to reel it all in. Freddie Kitchens has gotten the Browns playing good football in the later stages of the season but the damage has been done after the 2-6 start. Baker Mayfield continues to call out everyone in the media and Odell reportedly wants out, Rivera could come in and kill all the infighting and have the young players buy-in. Baker doesn’t need the head coach to be his buddy, Baker needs a wake-up call and someone to challenge him. Riverboat Ron is a two-time coach of the year, has a winning record and has taken the Panthers to the Superbowl. His message will get home harder than a coach wearing a shirt saying “Pittsburgh started it” and losing the rematch to staying in the playoff hunt.

-By: Kris Thomas

Writer/Interviewer

After suffering a 41-point dismantling at the hands of the Saints, it appeared that the Eagles season was over. The magic had run out. 8 weeks later, the birds get another crack at the team that humiliated them and shamelessly ran up the score. Frustrations boiled over to the point that safety Malcolm Jenkins went as far as to flip off his former head coach Sean Payton. It was especially embarrassing because prior to the season, Saints star RB Alvin Kamara proclaimed that if the Vikings hadn’t miraculously defeated the Saints in last year’s divisional playoffs, New Orleans would’ve gone on to “beat the (expletive) out of the Eagles”.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

They did.

Clearly, the Eagles are a very different team from that week 11 shellacking, but the #1 seeded Saints provide an enormous obstacle for a team that just snuck into the postseason. Don’t tell that to the Eagles though. Regardless of their record or seed, the Eagles ooze confidence and swagger, and when Doug Pederson mentioned next week’s game in the locker room, the entire team grew excited. They want the Saints again, and just like Jason Peters stated, it’s not going to be the same outcome. The Saints opened as massive 9.5 point favorites, but the Eagles are used to being underdogs, as they’ve been their last four postseason matches (all victories). The question that remains is, how do the Eagles upset the Saints?

Photo Credit: Getty Images

It all starts with slowing down MVP-candidate Drew Brees. Last time these teams clashed, Brees carved up the Eagles decimated secondary to the tune of 363 yards and 4 scores to go along with a sterling passer rating of 153.2. Philadelphia came in planning to slow down the league’s reception leader in Michael Thomas (4/92/1), which they did for the most part. In doing that, they allowed rookie receiver Tre’Quan Smith to rack up 157 yards and a score on 10 catches. The Eagles came into the game missing their top two corners and lost two more in Sidney Jones and Avonte Maddox during the game. Since then, Maddox has returned and blossomed into a high-end starter, and Rasul Douglas has stepped up on the other side and become the team’s best tackler. Because of the presence of Smith and Kamara, and the return of Ted Ginn, the Eagles cannot afford to give Michael Thomas too much attention, or they will be burned elsewhere. Maddox, who was toasted several times on double moves from Allen Robinson last week, will have to maintain discipline, or the Saints offense will make him pay.

The Saints came into the first match up averaging upwards of 36 points per game, but have significantly cooled off since then. In the five games Brees has participated in since then, he’s broken 205 yards only once. Holding New Orleans to anything under 25 points should be considered a giant victory for the Eagles defense. The defensive line, led by first-team All-Pro DT Fletcher Cox, has to hit home throughout the game. The Saints boast a top-shelf offensive line, but several of their starters are banged up. They must pressure and hit Drew Brees early and often, and keep him uncomfortable, like Mitchell Trubisky was last week.

The Eagles have done a stellar job of keeping star pass rushers at bay, even holding superhuman Khalil Mack to zero sacks. Cameron Jordan is the latest challenge for Philly’s O-line, but I have no doubt that they’ll make him mostly a non-factor. To make things easier for Nick Foles, the Eagles must try and establish the run, no small task against the NFL’s second ranked run defense. Even though the run game wasn’t working for most of last week’s game, the Eagles never departed from it, and broke a few timely runs to keep Chicago’s defense honest. On the flip side, New Orleans owns a bottom-five pass defense, and Doug Pederson must take advantage of that. Alshon Jeffery must be utilized like he was last week, and Foles must continue to trust him to win 50-50 balls. Golden Tate should be in for an expanded role, and a big game here could go a long way towards getting himself a new contract.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Philadelphia is playing inspired football, with last week’s victory improving them to 6-1 since the New Orleans beat down. They have all the motivation they need, and Doug Pederson is the definition of a player’s coach, he will get them to play. If Nick Foles can channel his inner G.O.A.T once again, I have faith in the Eagles ability to hang with the best of them. This game will not resemble the previous meeting between the two teams in any way, and I won’t be the least bit surprised if the underdogs pull one out of a hat yet again.

Completely Unbiased Prediction

#6 Philadelphia Eagles @ #1 New Orleans Saints

34-28, Eagles

Even though it appears that the Eagles have no shot at stealing a victory, I cannot bring myself to bet against Nick Foles. This Sunday, he will prove that he is the best QB from Westlake High School (sorry, it had to be said). Both teams will put four touchdowns on the board, but two Jake Elliott kicks (one early in the game, one late) will make the difference to send the Eagles to LA for another regular season rematch.

Game of the Week

#6 Indianapolis Colts @ #1 Kansas City Chiefs

38-34, Chiefs

Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Colts have absolutely no business being a #6 seed, but thanks to that, we get an absolute treat of a divisional round game. The last time these teams went head-to-head in the postseason, Andrew Luck guided his squad to a one-point victory after trailing 38-10! This time around, we’ll get another high-scoring close finish, but without the humongous deficit in the middle. MVP-favorite Patrick Mahomes had the statistically superior season to Luck (well, to any QB), but Luck can hold his own in any shootout (almost 4,600 yards to go along with 35 TDs this season). Mahomes, thanks to his porous defense, has been trained for shootouts, and led the Chiefs to the top spot in PPG and YPG. The Colts have the upper hand defensively, but their pass defense has been inconsistent at times. To take the pressure off the right arm of Andrew Luck, Indianapolis will likely give KC a steady dose of Marlon Mack (Colts postseason record 148 yards last week). I said before that KC was going to miss Kareem Hunt come playoff time, but with the golden arm of their second-year star, they should be just fine for at least one more week.

Best of the Rest

#4 Dallas Cowboys @ #2 Los Angeles Rams

27-20, Rams

Photo Credit: Getty Images

E. Elliott: 114 rush yards, 53 rec yards, TD

R. Woods: 98 yards, TD

#5 Los Angeles Chargers @ #2 New England Patriots

24-17, Patriots

Photo Credit: Getty Images

M. Gordon: 121 yards, TD

J. White: 88 rec yards, TD, 32 rush yards

By Micah Jimoh

Photo Credit: Getty Images

I don’t believe it. I don’t believe what I witnessed this past weekend. Talk about a lack of home field advantage, both teams I expected to win this AFC wildcard weekend lost. There was some magic and mistakes but at the day, Football’s about execution. The Colts and Chargers executed more than the Ravens and Texans did.

Let’s start with the Colts.

I can’t say enough about the turn around this team has had, it’s historic. A 1-5 start had ended up with a 10-1 run since. Frank Reich produced the greatest single game comeback in both College and Pro Football during his playing days, will a third (and more impressive) type of comeback continue against Kansas City? It remains to be seen.

Speaking of comebacks, how about Andrew Luck? There was a time when some in the Football community were looking at Luck as a “Could have been but injuries” situation. In his first playoff game since “Deflategate”, his 222 yards, two touchdowns and one interception may not be the most impressive looking stat column but if you watched the game, there was no doubt he was the man in that game.

As for Deshaun Watson, it looked like he was about to lead a miracle comeback but that fell short. While I’m not going to put the loss squarely on his shoulders, there were some decisions and throws he made that were inexcusable. The ball was too short, too far, too high or too something most of the time. Let this game be a lesson to him, so that he may finally end that ridiculous notion that Black quarterbacks can’t win the big game.

Speaking of Black Quarterbacks…

Lamar Jackson, your teammates are furious with your fans for booing you during Sunday’s loss to Los Angeles (or San Diego as they should be known.) You’ve won your teammates over, which will help you in the coming years. Alas, the fans will look at your 194 yards, two touchdowns, a pick and rating of 78.8.

These numbers can win playoff games, especially with the leagues best defense at your disposal but it wasn’t to be this time. You made the Chargers nervous at the end though, and a few lucky bounces your way would’ve given you your first playoff victory.

On the flip side, it’s not like Phillip Rivers was that much better. Sure, he didn’t throw an interception but he didn’t throw any touchdowns either. With 55,000 yards and almost 400 career touchdowns, the window of opportunity is closing fast on Rivers. I’d hate to see him go down like Dan Marino or especially Dan Fouts and finish as one of the best quarterbacks to never win the big game. This year might very well be his last chance and since he’s going into Foxboro this weekend….

Speaking of this weekend.

So it is that the Chargers head into New England while Andrew Luck and the Colts head into Mahomes Country in Kansas City. New England is 8-0 at home this season and their stadium has eclipsed Lambeau Field as the preeminent home field advantage. With that said, there have been instances where Brady and Belichick have been bested at home (2012 AFC Championship? 2010 AFC Divisional?). If Rivers can somehow, someway lead the Bolts past the Patriots…they might just pull off a Super Bowl win.

Do I think that will happen? No. Phillip Rivers has never been to a Super Bowl and last weeks win was just the fifth of his career. He’s going up against a man who’s been to the AFC Championship the last seven years. I believe it will be eight come Sunday night but that remains to be seen.

As for the Colts and Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes may have blown open the Chiefs offense this season but that doesn’t change the fact that their defense is garbage. 12-4 with the 31st ranked defense has never before brought home a Lombardi trophy. There’s also the fact that Andy Reid is the coach. I once saw this man blow a 28-point lead to…(drum roll please) Andrew Luck and the Colts. Will lightning strike twice? Like LA vs. NE, it remains to be seen.

At the end of the day, however, the great thing about the NFL is that we never know what’s going happen. I never would’ve thought the Texans would fade out like they did against the Colts, nor did I think Phillip Rivers and the Chargers would defeat the leagues’ top rated defense. You just never know what’s going to happen and I don’t know what’s going to happen this weekend. I just have an opinion, which doesn’t mean much when it comes to final scores.

By Thomas P. Braun Jr.