Jarrid Kosa, Lunch Beers Podcast – In NFL Week 8, the league witnessed some of its most dramatic moments of the season.
You read the title, and I know what you’re thinking: what does Brad Pitt and the Flu have to do with football? Nothing, but it’s a relevant play on words if you don’t mind me narcissistically shaking my own hand. How is it relevant, you ask? Well, during NFL Week 8, three of the league’s beloved warriors went down in archetypal fashion. Two of these warriors were featured on the Netflix hit documentary “Quarterback. If you haven’t figured it out, I’m talking about Kirk Cousins and Patrick Mahomes.
If you are a weekly listener to the Lunch Beers Podcast, you would know I have always held Kirk Cousins in high esteem. Getting a peek into his life throughout the 2022 football season only made me love him more. Kirk is tough, gritty, passionate, and grounded in faith. He managed 274 yards and 2 touchdowns before blowing out his Achilles tendon in the Vikings’ 24-10 victory over their division rival in Green Bay. This NFL season has been a historic year for season-ending injuries, and I am very sad to see Cousins’ season cut short in a contract year when it appeared that the Vikings still had some playoff hopes. The Vikings traded for Arizona QB Josh Dobbs, who is very serviceable and may give them a shot, but we feel sick for Kirk and Skol nation this week as their hopes to make a deep postseason run have basically diminished.
Everyone knows being sick is not fun. In fact, it is awful. I can hardly talk to colleagues or read emails when I am feeling under the weather, let alone participate in physical activity. I don’t think Pat Mahomes would say the same, nor would his dad, Mahomes Sr., a former MLB pitcher, quoted in the documentary speaking to his son after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the Eagles, saying, “you’re different.” Something was different about Patrick Mahomes on Sunday because, for the first time in his career, he was defeated by the Broncos. His perfect 11-0 record now ceases to exist. Mahomes was not very “Mahomes-like” as he threw 2 interceptions and, for the first time all season, had zero touchdown passes. Being the warrior he is, Mahomes tried to battle through the flu, but the cold air and the Denver crowd took down a man we sometimes deem invincible.
Achilles seemed invincible until he lost his head, that is, or his leg. I don’t know; I haven’t studied Greek Mythology since the 8th grade. What I do know is the 49ers have lost their damn minds. I understand that running Sam Darnold out for a game that is a potential Super Bowl matchup is scary, but have we learned nothing from what happened to Tau last season? Brock Purdy became the first player ever to enter and clear the concussion protocol in the same week. If you watched the game, you would have noticed Purdy grabbing his head after taking a hit and having his helmet bounce off the field. It was a very concerning moment and an unnecessary risk on behalf of San Francisco. Purdy may have thrown for 365 yards, but he did not look all there during the game, and it was folly to risk further injury on his behalf, especially since the Bengals spanked the Niners 31-17.
Now that I have tied the title of the blog together, I am going to go on a few tangents. How the hell does Tony Pollard only have 53 rushing yards in a 43-20 victory? The guy has been totally absent from the Cowboys’ offense all season. You would think he would get more than 12 carries in a game like that. It has been a great disappointment to witness his regression this season, and I hope you aren’t getting burned by him in fantasy like I am. Why do the Titans feel they have a chance after winning one game with rookie QB Will Levis making his first start? Yeah, he threw 4 touchdowns, sweet. But I am shocked they didn’t clean house at the deadline and try to build around a guy who is going to be the future. They could have gotten some picks from the Ravens for Henry, but the owner shut it down. If Henry leaves during his free agency in the offseason, the Titans will surely be plucking the arrow out of their leg.
The Ravens will be fine without Henry, though. Gus Edwards had indeed been “Gus The Bus” of late, and he punched it in the end zone 3 times last week. Lamar Jackson’s MVP odds have fallen from 14/1 to 5/1, and if the Ravens continue their winning streak in week 9 at home hosting Seattle, that number will surely come down some more. Lastly, I want to reiterate that the Eagles are soft, and we were lucky yet again to defeat the Commanders. Washington totally blew a 17-10 lead, dropping a bunch of crucial catches that might have secured a victory. The Eagles are the most overrated 7-1 team I have ever seen.
In case anyone cares, I am still alive in the DraftKings million-dollar survivor pool, and I am thinking about holding my nose and using the Browns this week against the Cardinals. I will be grabbing the Cards’ +8, however, as I think that is way too many points to give in a bout between backup QBs. Our other blog play this week will be the Colts -2.5 heading to Charlotte to take on the Panthers off their first win of the season. I think it is a good letdown spot for Carolina, and that line should be closer to -3.5. Good luck out there, enjoy the World Series and Week 9.
Blog Plays: 3-5
