PMT DB
PMT DB
Eli Manning on Super Bowl 57 and Championship Sunday Recap
Conference Championship Sunday didn't exactly go according to the script—unless you ask PFT, who is convinced the league office in New York is pulling all the strings. Between the Niners losing every quarterback on their roster and the refs having a certified out-of-body experience in Kansas City, it was one of the weirdest days of football in recent memory.
Chiefs Outlast the Bengals (and the Refs)
The AFC Championship was a heavyweight bout that unfortunately turned into a referendum on officiating. Big Cat and PFT set a three-minute timer to vent about the refs so it wouldn't hijack the entire show, but PFT couldn't help himself from calling out the State Farm-sized conspiracy.
PFT CommenterThe NFL is rigged and scripted to get Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl
The NFL is rigged, rigged. It's rigged for ratings or for money. ... This shit is fucking rigged. The NFL is rigged. I don't, it's scripted everything... They want Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl.
While the Bengals and their fans have plenty of gripes about fifth downs and missed holds, Joseph Ossai’s late hit on Patrick Mahomes at the end of the game was the one thing everyone could agree on. It was a brutal mistake for a guy who played his heart out, but Big Cat wasn't going to let the internet pretend it wasn't a foul.
Big CatThe late hit penalty on Joseph Ossai was 100% the correct call
The late hit call was good. That was the correct call. It was 100% the correct call. ... That's not a ref complaint because they got that right. And people who were upset about that call, they call that a hundred times out of a hundred times.
Between the Burrowhead talk and Travis Kelce calling the Mayor of Cincinnati a jabroni, the Chiefs clearly felt the disrespect. Despite the high ankle sprain, Mahomes found a way to gut out a massive run that set up the winning field goal. Meanwhile, Tony Romo had a rough day in the booth, which led the guys to revisit the ever-evolving legacy of regular-season stats versus playoff success.
PFT CommenterKirk Cousins has had a better NFL career than Tony Romo
I had a take last week that Kirk Cousins has had a better NFL career than Tony Romo did. ... I would rather have Kirk Cousins as the quarterback of my team for his whole career than Tony Romo. That's a fact.
Eagles Steamroll the Quarterback-less Niners
Over in the NFC, the game was over the second Brock Purdy’s elbow was turned into linguine. Josh Johnson came in, then Josh Johnson got hurt, and eventually, the Niners were forced to run an offense where the quarterback literally could not throw the ball. It was uncomfortable to watch, but Max was in heaven.
MaxThe Eagles roster is better than the Chiefs at every position group except quarterback and tight end
The Eagles are probably better than the Chiefs at every position group other than quarterback. Tight end—quarterback and tight end. Yeah. But offensive line, defensive line—I'm taking the birds. Receiver room, birds. Running game, birds. Secondary, birds. Like the Eagles have the better roster.
Big Cat is already looking ahead to the Super Bowl and, despite the Mahomes factor, he’s leaning heavily toward the Birds. The roster depth in Philly is just too much to ignore, even if the Chiefs have the edge in the coaching booth.
Big CatThe Eagles will win Super Bowl 57
Early thoughts. I'm not gonna hedge. I think the Eagles are gonna win this Super Bowl. I really do.
PFT CommenterAndy Reid is a better head coach than Nick Sirianni
Andy Reid versus Sirianni. I would give the, I would put the check mark on Andy Reid's side on that one. So they [the Chiefs] get head coach and quarterbacks.
The real loser of the weekend was Hank. With the Eagles in the Super Bowl and Mahomes threatening to add another ring to his collection, Hank is officially in sports hell. He’s already searching for any silver lining that involves Philadelphia misery.
HankI want the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl because of a bad referee call that screws over the Eagles
I'm rooting for the Chiefs to win in a similar game where the refs absolutely screw over the Eagles because then I can just be like, no, that was crazy. ... And it would just get Eagles fans so triggered because it'll be like, oh, they should have won. Like they basically won, but the refs.
Eli Manning Joins the Show
Future Hall of Famer and friend of the program Eli Manning joined the guys to talk about his new campaign with The Children's Place. Since this was recorded before the games kicked off, Eli had to put his analyst hat on, and it’s safe to say his crystal ball might need some cleaning.
Eli ManningThe Bengals and 49ers will meet in Super Bowl 57
I think it'll definitely be the 49ers and the Bengals. I think they're playing the best, the best football and that would be a great, that'd be a great matchup. And two teams that have had a great run.
Outside of his missed picks, Eli talked about the success of the Manningcast and his viral Chad Powers bit. He’s confident that with the knowledge he has now, he could still dominate the college game without ever having to break a sweat.
Eli ManningI could still be a successful college quarterback today because of my knowledge of the game
I think I could, yeah, in college I could go in there and still be pretty successful. I wouldn't have to run the, the, the rush of the defense line is not, is not as bad. You could really, you know, get to a lot of good plays and with your checks and this knowledge. So I think I could go out there and, and have a pretty, a pretty successful year in college.
He also gave some much-needed credit to his mother for the athletic success of the Manning brothers. While Archie gets the headlines, the competitive fire clearly came from the basketball court.
Eli ManningMy mother is the source of the championship genes in the Manning family
No doubt. She was a hoop a hoops player. You know, she, that's where we get the height from. She's, you know, six foot had a little hook shot. She was unstoppable in basketball. So that's where we get, that's where we get our vision. Just seeing the court, you know, and, and you know, but my mom, my mom's the best she was, was our, our ultimate fan and supporter.
Who's Back of the Week
To wrap up the show, the guys look at a wild weekend in the NBA. LeBron James had a legendary meltdown after a missed foul call against the Celtics, leading to a public apology from the refs that PFT isn't buying.
PFT CommenterThe NBA referee apology for the LeBron no-call was written by Rich Paul
They should've had like just posted a picture of them at the time while they were tweeting it cuz it's definitely Rich Paul with a gun to their head. Yeah. As they're sitting there, LeBron James definitely hit up NBA officiating was like, I need a public apology. I need people to know that, that you guys screwed that up.
Big Cat used the Lakers' current standing to point out that the NBA play-in tournament might be giving some teams a little too much hope.
Big CatThe NBA play-in tournament gives bad teams a false sense of hope that they actually have a chance to win
I'm starting to sour on the play-in game. ... The NBA rigged it so that everyone has a chance so that everyone can stay invested. But it's like, do you really have a chance? ... Nobody really has a chance. ... They are right now two games out of the 10th seed and they're 23 and 27.
Finally, the guys checked in on Stetson Bennett’s arrest and Mike McCarthy’s new responsibilities in Dallas. Between Novak Djokovic cementing his GOAT status and Billy Football trying to fight the Fyre Fest version of himself in the Bahamas, it was a packed weekend of nonsense.
Grease up those light poles, Philadelphia, because the Super Bowl is finally set.
