Previewing every opponent on the Falcons' 2026 schedule | Atlanta Falcons Podcast

What's up y'all? It's Will and as you know, we are on the doorstep of the 2026 season. Real football is finally here. I cannot wait and we wanted to bring you a little bit of a special episode today. So, for those who have been following along with Tori and I throughout the off season, you may have noticed that each of our episodes was tagged on the end with a know the foe segment. And it's something I'm really proud of. Jared, Tori, myself, we sat down kind of at the beginning of the summer and we thought, all right, let's try to give everybody an idea of what the Falcons are in store for in 2026. And to do so, we wanted to kind of give a rundown of each opponent's off season and their biggest additions, the biggest departures, how kind of each fan base was feeling about the offseason and kind of the narrative about each team. And so now as we are again right on the doorstep of week one, we thought it would be a good time to kind of throw all of those back together and create one big preview for you all that will cover the 2026 opponents in detail and it can be a little bit of an encyclopedic reference for you guys if you want to listen to the whole thing all the way through. I think you're going to go into the season knowing a ton about the Falcons slate. Or if you're really just interested in say the week six matchup against the Chicago Bears, you can go ahead and find that chapter, skip right ahead, maybe take you 10 minutes or so of your day, you can move right along. You can go week by week, but we will kind of try to check back in on a weekly basis throughout the season and update it with any new information, how certain teams are doing and all of that good stuff. But for now, as we are approaching the start of the regular season, and we still have a ton of of news on the way to cover between now and the kickoff between the Pittsburgh Steelers, we thought it would be a good time just to take a deep breath, scout ahead, get to know the foe, and we're going to start things off with the week one opponent, the season opener, the Pittsburgh Steelers. All right, Tori, take it away. All right, you guys. Know your foe. New segment coming at you for the remainder of the summer and probably into training camp. We'll talk to you a little bit. I'm going to go into more depth right now. Our plan with this segment is to give you a snapshot of some of the big time opponents coming to Atlanta or the teams that the Falcons are playing in the 2026 season. And I'm really excited. And what better team to start off the series with than the team we're going to start the season with. And that's right, that's the Pittsburgh Steelers. Week one going on the road up to Pittsburgh. Terrible towels waving all of that enemy territory. But it's really a fascinating matchup that I'm going to get into in more depth. But it's it's a really cool matchup because both of these teams are experiencing quite the evolution of of changes and and who they are and what their team identity could be. And we're going to get into all of that. Basically, the the whole point of this this section of the podcast moving forward is to answer five questions about each opponent that the Falcons has in 2026. The questions will be who were they last year? What is the biggest offseason narrative about this team? Who was their biggest departure this off seasonason? Who is their biggest addition this off seasonason? And what is the team identity of this team? And how does it match up against what we think the Atlanta Falcons will be in 2026? So, I'm going to get started right off the top and who the Steelers were in 2025 because it's quite a bit different in some ways than what it will be in 2026. The Steelers were 10 and eight. They made the playoffs in 2025. They won the AFC North, but they lost in the wildard round again, uh, extending a franchiselong playoff win drought that ultimately led to the end of the Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh. and he's been there for I I think he's become for a lot of people especially the individuals who are maybe in their early to mid20s they probably don't know what the Pittsburgh Steelers like were before the Mike Tomlin era and so now it's entering into into a new dose of of reality where you have Mike McCarthy coming back and and and or not coming back but yeah kind of coming back that's a meaningful uh reuniting of of Mike Mike McCarthy and and kind of the Pittsburgh city overall and what it's meant to him and his life. Last year, the the team, the Pittsburgh Steelers kind of continued to lean heavily on their defense. And and I'll get into to this a little bit more, but physicality has always been the name of the game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They're going to out physical you. That's been their calling card for years and years and years. But they had some issues offensively. obviously had a veteran quarterback and Aaron Rogers, but the offense really lacked true explosiveness outside of really DK Metaf and and there was a lot made out of how the the Pittsburgh Steelers were winning games, very close games, but they weren't ever really dominating games. And a lot of that had to do with the fact that the offense wasn't producing super high. And so basically the 2025 Steelers, if you had to break it down into three buckets, it's like they were a middle of the pack offensive team. Statistically, they were 18th in total offense, 19th, I think, in passing yards, 16th in rushing yards. And they were a defense that I think struck fear in a lot of individuals because of the star power that the unit had. But it actually when you break down what they were in 20 2025, the defense had a little bit of inconsistencies. They ranked actually in the bottom cortile of sacks total defense. But the other side of that is that they were pretty elite against play action. So that's two sides of the coin for for a defense that has been known to strike fear into many teams across the league. And kind of going back to what I was saying before, the third piece of who the the 2025 Steelers were was a team that won with experience because they had a lot of veteran guys that that were good leaders and in showed up in those situational football moments, but again, they won some close games, but didn't really dominate in in any one way. And I think that's kind of was the reason why you saw the Steelers make a change. They had seen kind of this same philosophy from Mike Tomlin for a while. And nothing against Mike Tomlin, he obviously did some great things with Pittsburgh, having been at the helm for two decades, but it was a time for a change. So, let's talk about what the offseason narrative now is about this team. And and something that I I kind of landed on is like, can this old school celebrated franchise that's really relied so heavily on its defensive performance, can its offense make a change and transition and evolve into what it needs to be in order to be successful in the modern the modernized world of the NFL? Like that's something that when I think of the Pittsburgh Steelers, that's kind of the thought that I have as they're entering into a new era of of Pittsburgh Steelers football. Everything about the offseason really centered around the transition from Mike Tomlin to now Mike McCarthy, but also the reunion between McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers. And I think that Pittsburgh is really trying to look at this this year in in a form of like two timelines. obviously have Aaron Rogers coming back on on a one-year deal, and that's kind of been a we'll talk about this in in another question, but you obviously are in win now mode. You brought Aaron Rogers back for one year for a reason. You you want to go to the playoffs again. You want to, you know, get that drought out of out of your system in totality, but I also think you're simultaneously also quietly preparing for what the next phase of of Steelers football is going to be. getting younger defensively, figuring out what you're going to do at quarterback beyond the Aaron Rodgers years because again, it's a one-year deal. So, those are two things that I think are happening simultaneously within this organization and that's kind of been I think the narrative of this off season is and obviously trying to become more explosive offensively. I think that's a big key for where they need to take their next step into 2026. Moving on, our third question. Who was the Falcon or not the Falcons, who was the Steelers biggest departure this off seasonason? And we put this question in because we really wanted to kind of talk about players and the, you know, the changing of rosters, but I don't think I actually had to completely go a different way with this answer because I actually think that obviously the biggest departure in the offseason for the Steelers is the main in charge is Mike Tomlin. The the fact of the matter is is I think that I saw a stat where there have been more popes at the Vatican since the 1970s than there has been new head coaches in Pittsburgh. Like that is bananas to me. And and so that has to be the biggest offseason because so much of I think what the Steelers were and have been came from the identity of their head coach in Mike Tomlin. So, I think that it kind of changes the way you look at the Steelers and their identity and the direction of what they're going in. From a roster standpoint, they didn't really lose like too much superstardom in in terms of players, but the end of the Tomlin era, I think, kind of overshadows everything else outside of Aaron Rogers, which again, we'll get to, but the parting of ways between a head coach that has meant so much to an organization for so long in a league that stands for not for long that how could you not say that that's the biggest departure of the off season for the Pittsburgh Steelers? So, that's what I got. I know there's other people who could say some other things, some other players, but I can't overlook that. Moving on, who was the Steelers biggest addition this off seasonason? So, I'm going to go two ways, and this is where I'm going to talk a little bit about Aaron Rodgers. Obviously, Aaron Rogers returning on a one-year deal, I think, was the biggest piece of news for the Steelers up to this point. We're recording this during like the phase three of OTAA periods. Uh, and so I I think the fact that they were able to get him back after all of the speculation of the entire off season for the Steelers and what they're going to do at quarterback and whether or not Aaron Rogers would be back like that that finally gets put to bed. So, I I think that it's really it's really nice that we can now go into the offse like the rest of the offseason training camp and and know that Aaron Rogers is going to be the quarterback for the Steelers in 2026. So that's that's one. It's not really an addition, but it kind of was because I think that I in my head when the season was over and there was a coaching change and everything like that, new coordinators, all of it, I was kind of like, ah, like I don't know. I think you kind of have to subtract Aaron Rogers from the equation. But now he's back on one year. So that that to me is a a good addition for for the Steelers to kind of feel okay with your quarterback, at least for this year. Another one, Michael Pitman Jr. was probably the biggest roster addition because he does finally give the the Steelers offense a legitimate wide receiver to opposite of DK Metaf. I think that that was something that they needed as we're talking about them becoming more explosive offensively. I think this was a really good pickup for them that made a lot of sense. So, finally, and this is kind of the the chunk of the conversation and why it matters really to Falcons fans listening at home, what is the team identity of the Steelers and how does that really match up with what we think the Atlanta Falcons will be in 2026? I This is all I will say this, this is all pretty much just speculation on my end. like I these are two organizations that are coming into 2026 with so many question marks and who they're going to be and how they're going to run things, what their offenses are going to look like. I I just I think that there are so many questions that we will have all the way up until week one and then both of these teams will face each other and we'll have some answers to those questions. Still though, I don't think that you can get when you're talking about the Steelers and who they are and who their team identity is, I don't think it's going to be just like an absolute 180 that they're going to go away from what I think they have been for years and years, decades and decades, which is a physical, defensiveminded, tough in the trenches, opportunistic offensively type of team. That said, I think that you could see more aggression from them from an offensive standpoint based on kind of what Mike McCarthy has been in his career and and what he values. I think between Rogers and Metaf and Pitman, it does add a little bit of like a few more elements for for the Steelers going into 2026 that I'm interested in. Um, I I think that it's going to be interesting when you're matching up Atlanta and Pittsburgh because I think the Steelers and how they play, they match up really well against Atlanta in terms of like a defensive perspective. Like, you know, forcing the Falcons into obvious passing downs, creating pressure off the edge. even though they they were low in sacks, Pittsburgh was in in 2025, they still have some some solid names in this defensive roster that can really affect a football game. And so I think that's where the the if you're looking at this matchup, that's kind of area of concern. But I think the other side of it is that Atlanta's offense could actually challenge an aging and changing Pittsburgh defense, especially in space because I think you do have like a physical identity and like veteran presence for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Atlanta has such significant offensive weapons between Bjon Robinson, Drake, and Kyle Pitts causing ma mismatches. all of the the new receivers in town, Jan Dodson, Amade Zakias, Zachariah Branch adding an element of speed that the Falcons have kind of been missing over the last couple of years. I think that could really stress a a defense and if the Falcons are on their P's and Q's in week one and regardless of who the quarterback is, because we won't know probably until week one if it's going to be Tua or Mike. That said, I think if the Falcons have everything together that they need to go out and put a a flashy, explosive performance offensively together, I I think that there could be some some room for some offensive creativity that you don't have you have some unscouted looks that you can throw their way. So, that's what I think about the matchup. And in terms of just yeah team identity, I think the Steelers are going to continue to be who they've always been, but trying to evolve it into the next era of Pittsburgh Steelers football. So, let me know what you think in the comments about the week one matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons. I for one am pretty excited about it. I think we're going to learn a lot in that week one bout. And if anything, we're going to learn who the Falcons quarterback is is going to be at least for week one. All right, everybody. We are here with our second Know Your Foe. And if you're wondering, hey, aren't the Panthers happening in week two? They are. But as Tori and I just mentioned in this game, we end the year with a three-game stretch against all of our division foes. So, we're going to hold off on the NFC South until the very end of this series as we get closer to the season. So, right now we have the Wisconsin Cheese Heads up on deck. The Packers were 93 and one last season. Off to a great start. Looked like one of the best teams in the NFC. And then Mike Parsons got hurt in week 15. They lost that game to the Denver Broncos, which was the start of a four-game slide that ultimately cost them the division title in the NFC North. So, they entered the playoffs as the seven seed for the third straight year. To make matters worse, they then lost to the Chicago Bears in the wildard round, blowing a 21-3 lead that they had entering the fourth quarter. Just absolutely brutal. It's going to leave a bad taste in your mouth all off season. Statistically, they were pretty much middle of the pack offensively um in in kind of the main trifecta, rushing, passing, and scoring. Defensively, they allowed the 11th fewest points. Um they were a little bit better against the pass than the run and they had 36 sacks which ranked 20th. Uh but a majority of those came from Micah Parsons and Rashan Garry. Shawn Garry no longer in Green Bay. Micah Parsons on the pup list. We don't know when he is going to be back. uh according to recent reports could be until midocctober which means he might not be a factor in this game in week three which for the Falcons not too bad. Uh here are some random facts about the 2025 Packers that I wrote down for you all. They tied the Cowboys 40 to 40 in week four. I'm going to say that again. 40 to 40 which is the second highest ti highest scoring tie in NFL history. If you're wondering what is the highest scoring tie, Will, don't worry, I got you. It was the Patriots and the Raiders in 1964 with a score of 43 to 43. Like, that's crazy. I feel like tie should be like 13 to 13, not 43 to 43. Uh, second fact, they played Joe Flacco in week three when he was quarterback of the Browns. They lost that game 13 to 10. The Browns beat them. Kevin Spansky plus one. Let's go. They then played Joe Flacco again in week six after he had been traded to the Bengals. They won that rematch 27 to 18. So again, I think Stfansky was the the differentiating factor there. Uh and then lastly, they out they got outscored by the Bears 51-6 in the fourth quarter or overtime of their three games last season. So you talk about rivalries. I I feel like the Packers and and the Bears rivalry is about to hit a a fever pitch. um the offseason narrative about this team. Well, as you can imagine, after reaching the being the seven seed for the third straight year and getting bounced from the first round of the playoffs, I think people are a little bit wondering, all right, have we reached the ceiling of what that group could be in in Green Bay? And and so this year was really a bit of a transition. There were a lot of high-profile departures from the the organization. A lot of key starters either walked or they traded them away. Um, we'll get to kind of like the biggest departure here in one sec, but like here's the list of guys that that they have lost from last season. Rashan Garry just mentioned him. Wide receiver Romeo Dubs, Quay Walker, quarterback Malik Willis, center Elgen Jenkins, left tackle Rasheed Walker, cornerback Trayvon Diggs, and their kicker Brandon McManis. Uh, so that's a lot of guys from last year's team, from a veteran team that are no longer there. However, their biggest departure, I'm going to say, on defense is is Quay Walker. He's been ever since he was drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, he has led their team in tackles every single year. He's usually good for about two and a half sacks a year. Interestingly, they didn't pick up his fifth year option. So, after only four seasons in Green Bay, he was a free agent and he's out of there. Uh, however, I would say that Micah Parsons is probably their actual biggest offseason loss for as however long he is out. Uh, just because of how impactful he has been. Offensively, I would say Romeo Dubs is is their biggest departure. Fantasy managers may know him best as the player who goes off for 36 points on the waiverwire and then doesn't really repeat that for like five weeks and then you drop him and then he goes off for another 36 points on the waiverwire. Uh, so he is such a boomer bust receiver, but obviously in that receiving core, he he has been responsible for some huge games for Green Bay and and no longer because he is out of there. Uh, so the biggest offseason additions for the Packers, not that many. Again, this is kind of a a team in transition. They traded away their first round pick in this year's draft for Micah Parsons. They also traded their first round pick in next year's draft, which looks like it's going to be a doozy of a draft. They did add Javon Hartgrave, uh, defensive tackle in free agency. The 33y old is has been a good pass rusher. He had 11 sacks in 2022, but he's kind of tailed off a little bit since then, as you would expect, just with age. Feels like he is not a true 1 to1 Rashan Garry replacement there. Uh, and then in the second round of the draft, they added quarterback Brandon Cece out of South Carolina. bigger physical um good corner, but yeah, it feels like their defense is looking a little bit different. Obviously, offensively, losing Romeo Dubs, still have a lot of wide receivers. Uh the team identity and kind of how they match up with the Falcons. Uh as I mentioned, it feels very much like a transition year where they didn't have all of the resources to to retool and reload and and maybe keep the level that they're at. I would never bet against Matt Laflur. like I I think he's a really good coach. We've seen flashes of brilliance from Jordan Love in the past, but that is to me what this team feels like. They're going to rely on players like Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, their bevy of wide receivers, uh Jaden Reed, Christian Watson, Matthew Golden to see if they can step up. Tucker Craft there a tight end. Like they're going to need all of those players to really put together a full season offensively, I think, to to carry them. and they're going to be kind of a skill position uh heavy offense if you will and then defensively Jonathan Ganon in as his first year as defensive coordinator. So there's kind of a bit of mystery as to what this unit will look like and certainly not having Micah Parsons for however long they're not going to have him is is going to be huge. Uh Xavier McKini still a really good safety. He's there. Edin Cooper had a little bit of a breakout year at linebacker. Um, but when you don't have just that true horse off the edge of which Micah Parsons has been or Rashan Garry, like he he is really underratedly a good player on that defensive line. Uh, I am curious to see how that group comes together. But it feels like a good early matchup against Atlanta because, you know, like this is a team that has been in the playoffs the last few years. Like I think they are a well-run team. I think it's a good organization and franchise and they usually don't play any just like bad games. They're usually in all of their games. So I I think if you're an Atlanta team looking to make the next step and make your case in the NFC, the seven seed from the last few years is is a good stepping stone to be like, "All right, can we supplant them? Can we maybe take their spot, get back into the playoffs?" Uh so hard to know schematically exactly what it's going to look like, but I could see some points being put up in this one. And I I think it'll be a good close game. All right, you guys. Know your foe segment coming back at you again as we continue to break down the NFL schedule for the Atlanta Falcons in 2026. This week, we've got the Baltimore Ravens taking center stage. And as you know, we've got five questions to answer. going to do it really quickly for you guys just to give you a big picture about what this matchup is between the Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Ravens at the beginning of the 2026 season. So, let's jump into it. Question number one, who were they last year? I think that the Baltimore Ravens were one of the more interesting teams in that the team that they ended up being at the end of 2025 was not necessarily the team that people expected the Baltimore Ravens to be going into the season. And what I mean by that is they were 12-5 in 2024. Then they come out in 2025 and start the year and start the season 1 and5 in playing and losing some games that ended up, I think, being some of the weirdest games of the entire 2025 slate of games. how they were losing games and losing games off of fumbles and and just these weird and wacky things very early on the season that put them at one and five and towards the bottom of power rankings week in and week out which didn't make any sense for the level of talent that this roster had. I mean, this was a team that everybody expected going into 2025 that they were going to be a playoff caliber team and that it was almost a no-brainer that they were going to be a playoff caliber team. And that did not end up being the case. Despite again having elite talent like Lamar Jackson, Derek Henry, Kyle Hamilton, the team never really found consistent footing at all last year. And it's a disappointing season that ultimately led to the end of the John Harbaugh era and long tenure as head coach in B in Baltimore. So from a pure football standpoint, whether it's statistically and stylistically, they continue to kind of be who they were last year and had been for for years and years when they have Lamar Jackson quarterbacking. And it's a runheavy offense built around Lamar Jackson's dual threat abilities, which we've all known and seen him to have the ability to do better than almost anybody else in the league right now. They're physical on both lines of scrimmage. They played aggressive defense, but again, all of that sounds good in theory, but for some reason in 2025, they couldn't consistently put complimentary football together, and that was what ultimately defined their season. So, as we move forward into 2026, what's the offseason narrative around the Baltimore Ravens? And I kind of think it can be summed up into kind of one question. It's like, can the Ravens bounce back under new leadership quickly? Because you don't want to waste a year of Lamar Jackson's prime and can you and the question is that is like, can you do that? Can you bounce back quickly with the team that you have put together? you still have something great in a quarterback that adds a different dimension than like what I was saying than hardly any other team in in the league offensively. The or the organization really responded this off season by aggressively kind of going after some some interesting pieces that I think does change the way that I feel certain pockets of this roster look like. And I mean it starts not even at the roster, it starts at the top with the hiring of Jesse Men as head coach. I think they added a very major defensive talent, which we will get into in a following question that we'll do later in this segment. But I think that they really tried to add some more pieces defensively because they did lose quite quite a few guys defensively. And so I think the expectation for the Baltimore Ravens, the narrative around the Baltimore Ravens in 2026 is that they weren't really rebuilding anything. they were retooling, reloading to kind of find and going back to that consistency and and complimentary football. They've got to find that once more. They didn't have it in 2025. So, can they find it in 2026 with all of the new tweaks that have been made from a coaching standpoint and also from a little bit of roster standpoint, too? So, what is their biggest offseason departure? It's funny because back in week one, if you've been listening to this segment, we were talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers and I kind of said the biggest offseason departure for the Steelers was the Mike Tomlin arrows no longer going to be around anymore. And I I thought about doing the same thing for John Harbaugh, but then I was like, "No, I've already done that. So, let's let's do something different." And lo and behold, I decided to go I had decided to look at the center. But I think one of the most significant departures this off seasonason just from a pure roster standpoint was Tyler Lindenbomb. Linderbomb. I I think he was one of the best centers in the NFL, even from like a a grade standpoint. I think that it really when you don't have a center who has worked with Lamar Jackson before, there's so many intricacies in kind of what Baltimore's offense does with Lamar Jackson that I think a center actually has a lot of responsibility for in terms of calling out protections, getting guys where he needs to be, setting up some different run blocking schemes. I so I'm kind of I think that not having that piece someone who ended up being I think a really foundational piece for Baltimore is is quite the the departure. But I also think that this there there are some other pieces along the the defense particularly. But just some guys to to name off the top of some other departures this off seasonason. and Isaiah Likely, Jordan Stout, several defensive contributors in free agency all all kind of left. That's why we're talking about kind of retooling and reloading is because they did lose some groupings of different players. So with that in mind, how did they do that? How did they retool particularly defensively? And so answering the question of who was their biggest offseason addition, clearly it has to be Trey Hendrickson. Like I mean they signed Trey Hendrickson uh to be the centerpiece of their pass rush. he arrives with a reputation as one of the NFL's most productive edge rushers and immediately I think upgrades this defense that needed consistent pressure um on opposing quarterbacks. I I think that multiple people as they're talking about the the Baltimore Ravens this off seasonason that was their splash acquisition of of the offseason. There's no doubt about it. So he's somebody who immediately comes in because you know you look at kind of what he's done in his past. you look at where he is potentially going and how he could be impactful. The the Baltimore Ravens have been known to have there some really good front seven action coming out of of that city and in that organization. And I think going out and getting Trey Hendrickson only enhances uh something that has been storied for them a little bit from a defensive standpoint over decades. Um, so what is the team identity for the Baltimore Ravens and how does that match up with the Atlanta Falcons? So, let's start with offense for team identity for for the Ravens. It's obviously their power run with the Lamar Jackson stressing a defense. Uh, even when Baltimore throws effectively, everything starts with the threat of Lamar. It starts with a downhill rushing attack, playaction passing, controlling the tempo, controlling possession. uh they want opponents playing physical football for four quarters and when they get to that fourth quarter they want to punch opponents in the mouth with with their run game and really put it to bed. So that's who they are offensively. I don't think that changes even with all the changes from a coaching staff perspective like you play to your strengths and Lamar Jackson is the strength of this offense. So, moving to defense and the defensive identity, multiple front, pressure oriented, physical defense. They've historically been really good about stopping the run, forcing kind of long yardage situations, uh, creating pressure without blitzing, which is a little bit different than, I think, what the Falcons were this past year. Um, and then leaning, of course, on the skills and versatility of Kyle Hamilton. So adding Hendrickson, I think, only reinforces all of those things that they've been in the past to continue trying to be that in 2026. Finally, to wrap us all up, how does this match up with the Atlanta Falcons? And it's really interesting because where Baltimore like has the edge and how they want to play, they are so comfortable playing the game that Atlanta also likes playing, which is beating teams with the run game and beating teams by overpowering and taking possession with running the ball. Uh that that's kind of been Baltimore's calling card for the last few years, especially with Lamar Jackson under center. That's kind of how the Falcons have operated in the last few years is if they fe they feel as though if they can control the tempo of the game with their run game. It puts them in a good position as you get later into the fourth quarter about ultimately winning the game. So, how does Atlanta challenge that? I think that it's really going to depend greatly on Atlanta's ability to stretch their passing game and stretching their vertical threat to the point of stressing Baltimore in a different way. I think if you are the Falcons, if you can end up playing a game that's very complimentary and that you can threaten them through the air rather than being dragged into a pure like run game trench battle, I think that could be beneficial for Atlanta as you're looking at the different pieces that Atlanta has on its has in its disposal from a pass game perspective. So, can you threaten the Baltimore Ravens? Can you even though maybe you want to play this like downhill hard-nosed run game, but can you throw something different in there every so often to keep them on their toes? Like that that's kind of where I I land with this. So, I I'll wrap it up with kind of this like one two sentence just thought that I had about this matchup and it's that okay, Baltimore wants to beat opponents physically with the quarterback run stress, defensive pressure, Atlanta's challenges using its skill position talents, Drake London, Darn Drake London, Jan Dodson, Kyle Pittz, the Lamade Zakias, Bjan Robinson, like using that those that group of skill players in the pass game to g to keep the game from becoming this kind of like grinding physical contest that the Ravens traditionally thrive in. Can the Falcons do that? And if they can, I think it gives them a good chance to play a different game against the Ravens and show maybe even the league at large something different within their offense. All right, let's talk a little bit about the Chicago Bears, shall we? The Chicago Bears were 11-6 in 2025. They won the NFC North for the first time since the 2018 season. And honestly, it was an exciting one for Chicago. Not only did they have, I think, more fourth quarter comebacks and game-winning drives than any team in the league. It kind of fulfilled the promise of Ben Johnson as head coach, right? The hottest coordinator in kind of the coaching cycle for the last few years. He came out of the gates swinging. Caleb Williams took a huge step forward. They got to the postseason again. They beat the Packers in the wildard round in just like insane fashion. They beat the Packers. I I did this on the Know Your Foe a couple of episodes ago, so get the exact numbers there, but they destroyed the Packers in the fourth quarter in the three times that they played him in like kind of the worst possible way if you're a Packers fan to have one of your biggest rivals just kind of rip your heart out three different times. So, from a Bears perspective, they were really riding high uh in Ben Johnson's first year. They had the ninth best scoring offense in the league. They turn the ball over less than anybody else. They turned opponents over more than anybody else, which gives them the best point differential. And I mentioned those fourth quarter games. That's why that was so key because it allowed the Bears to stay in a lot of these games. And this is a group that showed they could kind of get red-hot in these bursts as well as anybody. We think back to Ben Johnson and those Lions teams that could have games where they put up like 44 points just in the blink of an eye. that it's kind of what the Bears showed at times. And I mentioned Caleb Williams led all quarterbacks with six fourth quarter comebacks. Like, this is a player who in year one, former first round pick. We're wondering, all right, like what what does he need to fix to get this trajectory back on track? He's being compared to Patrick Mahomes, but the result in year one didn't kind of align with that type of projection. And now after year two, he is the Madden Cover Athlete. I I've made my feelings known about that. I think Bjon is the most video game-like character in real life. He's probably the most fun player to play in the actual game. I think he should have been on the cover, but it's a big testament to what Caleb Williams was able to do in year one. Defensively, Kevin Bard was a huge standout at safety and led the NFL with seven interceptions. Montes Sweat, 10 sacks. Tummaine Edmonds has been a really good linebacker uh throughout his career. He led the team with 112 tackles and then Nan Wright had five interceptions at cornerback for them as well. So mentioned kind of like the narrative about this team has continued on into the off season. Everybody's excited in Chicago and they should be for really good reason. Now the division NFC North very very tough. So, I'm curious to see if if this is going to be repeatable or if we're going to get kind of like what the NFC West has become and just like any team any given year, whether it's the Lions or the Packers or the Bears, the Vikings, too, like it's a stacked division. Um, and so for all they accomplished in year one, there's been a lot of changes so far this off seasonason for the Bears. Let's get into a couple of them because that is going to factor into the narrative as well. They lost wide receiver DJ Moore, Tmaine Edmonds, who I just mentioned, Kevin Bard, who I just mentioned, led the NFL with seven interceptions last year, Nan Wright, cornerback, five interceptions. So right there, that's 12 picks kind of just off off your team. Tmaine Edmonds had four. So 16 of those interceptions for this defense. That's huge. Then offensively, Drew Dolman, you know, former Falcon retired this off season. So, those are some big names, big pieces that are no longer on the Bears roster. What did they bring in? They replaced Drew Dolman with center Garrett Bradberry who is one of the best in the league and and he was kind of their primary free agent target. They got Khif Raymond, former Detroit Lion, now back with Ben Johnson. So, I imagine there's a clear vision and reason for that. Devin Bush at linebacker. I don't know if he's a true replacement for Tummaine Edmonds. They're kind of different body types. uh but not a bad player at all. And then their draft safety Dylan uh to replace not only Kevin Byer but they lost Jaquan Brisker as well. So kind of a hole at safety there. And then center Logan Jones probably the center of the future behind Garrett Bradberry and depth. But again, you kind of look at the departures and the additions. It feels like the departures maybe tip the scales a little bit there. So, what does this all mean maybe for the season when the Falcons and the Bears ultimately meet? At this point, so much is going to change. I'm not even going to say could like it just will. This is the NFL. There's so much that is left to happen um that it's almost pointless to do a true like here's everything. But I think we know that the Bears under Ben Johnson are going to like to throw the football. Caleb Williams had the fifth most attempts in the league last season. And again, that was coming off of a year one where a lot of people were like, "All right, who is he going to be in the NFL?" That speaks volumes about what Ben Johnson wants to do. They set their defense up to take the ball away, giving it back to their offense to put more points on the board. And I mentioned that they can get red-hot in spurts. That to me is going to be kind of the the key here for Atlanta as a time possession game. I think that they have the ability offensively certainly to kind of match if you're the Bears like the Falcons can get as red-hot on offenses as anybody else as well. So, this could be a kind of high stakes, highscoring at times game where it really does truly come down to kind of that one possession end of the game scenario, which a lot of the games in this league do. The Bears games last year more often than not did. Uh, and I I think it's kind of shaping up to be that way again this season for Chicago. A lot of close games, probably a lot of exciting games. Um, because they've they've really got a lot of reasons for optimism. Uh, but we'll see what that means when the Falcons and the Bears meet later this season. Know your foe. Back at you again for another segment. This week, the San Francisco 49ers. I was really excited to get to talk about this team specifically because I felt like looking back at last year when the Falcons made their trip out to San Jose, I I feel like there was much left on a lot left on the table for the Falcons coming out of that game. I feel like it wasn't necessarily a well-rounded like performance from them. You were obviously missing Divine Diablo in the back half of that game. That was the game that he I believe that was the game that he injured his forearm and was out for the next few weeks following. like I I really thought that that was a game that was so low scoring that one or two plays here and there could have changed the outcome. So, I really am excited about this rematch between Atlanta in 2026 and the San Francisco 49ers. Now, we have five questions like normal. Um, and I'm going to go through talking about the San Francisco 49ers and really setting up the stage for who they can be in 2026. But first, let's go back to last year. Who were they in 2025? The 49ers really entered the year trying to rebound from a pretty like injury riddled 2024. And injuries is going to be a key word throughout this entire segment when it comes to the San Francisco 49ers. And really and truly when you look at the breadth of what they were able to do, even amidst all of the injuries that they accumulated in 2025, they were largely successful. They went 12 and five overall and finished second in the NFC West. They returned to playoff contention behind their core group of players. I'm talking Brock Party, Christian McCaffrey, George KD, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa. However, again, those injuries remained a major theme and a major concern, especially with Brock Pery and George KD missing chunks of the season and of course Fred Warner missing all but the first month and a half of the season when he broke his ankle in week six. I believe it was week six. Still, the 49ers made it to the playoffs. They beat the Eagles in the wildard round and then lost, of course, to the Super Bowl winning champions, the Seahawks in the divisional round by a pretty significant margin. But it was because of all these injuries sustained throughout 2024, but also into 2025, that the front office really spent this off season emphasizing, I think, roster flexibility and improved health overall amongst significant turnover in some key spots, and we'll get to that in just a minute. I think in broad terms they were still pretty recognizable as what a Kyle Shanahan team has notoriously been, which is efficient on offense, a strong run game, heavy use of motion, play action, and a defense that was really built around its its star power even without Fred Warner on the field and led by Robert Salah at the defensive coordinator position. So that's who they were in 2025. Now, what is the offseason narrative about this team, about the San Francisco 49ers heading into 2026? If I had to put it into a question, the biggest narrative I think around this team is, can the 49ers stay healthy long enough to make one more championship run? Like, we're we're talking about a team that not too long ago was in the Super Bowl. We're talking about a team that has been playoff contenders for a while. We're we're talking about a team that has the bones and the pieces of a winning team. They've won a lot of games over the last few years, but there have just there's just been like one push that they've needed to kind of get over the hump of ultimately winning it all. I think this organization really double doubled down on the veterans that they have that are they're trying to preserve kind of this like it Super Bowl window for a lack of a better term. I think national discussion around this team has s centered on whether the roster is talented but aging with health being the primary concern. The return of key contributors and the addition of veteran stars has fueled a lot of optimism about the San Francisco 49ers. But again, durability and where these guys end up over the full slate of a regular season like that's that's kind of the main question. like and I I would say a secondary narrative too is that San Francisco is actively trying to balance keeping a group together that has been very successful and won a lot of games for you but trying to still infuse younger talent into an aging roster. I also think that Brock Party and kind of what that contract situation is like managing an ex increasingly expensive roster like that. These are all things that I think are like simmering in the background of this overall narrative of like the San Francisco 49ers have shown they're ready to win now. They have been winning now, but for some reason, injuries or otherwise, it's not getting to the ultimate means of the end, which is Super Bowls. So, it was the biggest departure this off season. I think the strongest case can be made for Joan Jennings. Uh, while San Francisco, I think, lost a lot of role players and depth pieces. I thought that Jennings had become one of Brock Party's most trusted targets, especially when George KD was not out there. I I think he was one of the off he was a part of the offense. I know everybody wants to talk about Christian McCaffrey and everything, but I thought that his I I thought that he had kind of the biggest production grouping in in terms of all of the the players that left in free agency. He was kind of the one that I really truly felt like what he had garnered over the last year was was something to miss. However, I I think that what we'll get to in the next question of the biggest addition this off season, even though this is the biggest probably departure, your addition makes up quite a bit for this departure. And I'll get to that. An honorable mention, uh, Brian Robinson Jr. who's now a part of the Atlanta Falcons and was Christian McAffy's backup. He's now here in Atlanta and I I know I had the chance to talk to him on this very podcast just about his experience with the San Francisco 49ers and hoping that he has the opportunity to come in here with Atlanta and do something special. I think he saw what Tyler Algier did, what his workload looked like. Obviously, you know, Bjan Robinson is number one A. If you could get the ball to Bjon and put the ball in Bjon's hands at any point in time, you're good with that. But I think Brian Robinson Jr. has played such a interesting role backing up Christian McCaffrey that it made sense for the Falcons to go after someone who could back up Bjon Robinson in that way. Now, who was the San Francisco 49ers biggest addition this off season? That is a clear answer of Mike Evans. This is somebody who the Atlanta Falcons know oh so well. Uh, San Francisco signed Evans to a major contract this off seasonason, giving Brock Party an elite outside receiver with size, red zone dominance, a long history of production here, us here in Atlanta. I think we know that to be so true. Um, I have nothing but respect for Mike Evans. I've enjoyed watching him play for the Bucks for ever since I've been here in Atlanta. Um, I think this this move overall in terms of the zeitgeist of the NFL and NFL media, this is a move that I think a lot of people liked for San Francisco liked for Cal Shanahan's offense and it makes a lot of sense. I I think Mike Evans is going to go in there and he's going to be the top dog and as he should be, he's Mike Evans. So, I'm really curious to see how things shake up if he stays healthy. We've seen what a healthy Mike Evans can do and be and he can be very dangerous for this San Francisco team. So, I'm I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does out in San Francisco. So, last question, what is the team identity of the San Francisco 49ers, and how does that match up with the Atlanta Falcons? So, the 49ers offensively kind of remain what they've always been with Kyle Shanahan, run first, play action, foundation, heavy motion, misdirection, yards after catch, physical skill players. Uh, but an efficient quarterback play rather than like high volume passing. Defensively they still you get Fred Warner back. You you get you know the front you have the front seven disruption winning on early downs. You're built around stars like Warner Bosa Green Law. These are guys who have done good things for San Francisco and you would imagine they're only going to continue to do that. Injuries taking hold and you hope that that don't happen but that's kind of been the name of the game for the San Francisco 49ers. So how do they match up with Atlanta? I think an advantage for San Francisco is their age. Like I think this it's going to sound funny, but like their veteran experience. This is a proven playoff tested team. This is a team that knows how to win tight games. They did it all last year. I think they have really good linebackers. Um they have a more established offensive system which you know can go either way in terms of like you know whether or not you really feel that's an advantage or not. Falcons obviously have Tommy Reese, Kevin Spansky coming in, installing a new offense, whereas Kyle Shanahan has brought that Shanahan uh offense and really made a name for itself out in San Francisco. So that that's something to consider. And then I also think that they have a really strong edge presence. They have a really large high pass rush ceiling. We've seen that from them. Um, but I feel like the advantages for Atlanta are kind of like the opposite side of the coin. It's like you do have a younger roster. You have youth on your side, but I also think that you have perhaps a speed advantage, which this is interesting because we talked a lot in the offseason about Atlanta and how Atlanta needed more speed at its skill positions. And I think they went out and got that. And I think that's evident in this matchup where I feel like Atlanta's skill positions, the these receivers, obviously, Bjon at running back. I I think that there is kind of a a a potential speed advantage at the skill position level against this specific secondary. So, that's something that I would be I'm really curious to see how that shakes out and if Atlanta can have a bit more of like big explosive play dynamic against this specific secondary. That's if I think if the quarterback is protected and has time in the pocket and allows those routes to get to their to get get receivers to the top of their routes before he's hit, like I regardless of who's quarterbacking, that could be a pretty big factor in this game, I think. So overall, I don't think this is a clash of opposites. I don't think these are two organizations that are doing things super super differently. I think in terms of their makeup, they actually are two teams that want to play a similar game. They want to run the football and they want to control the tempo. Because of that, I think this game is going to be decided by which offensive line controls the line of scrimmage, obviously, whether Atlanta can protect its quarterback, whoever that quarterback may be. And then again, what I was saying before of like how you can stretch this secondary vertically if the run game isn't really getting established, how do you counteract that? How do you have a one-two punch and not be one-dimensional? Overall, the 2026 49ers are a veteran win now team whose identity is established. It's physical. It's efficient. Has some star power against Atlanta. The matchup I think very well may favor whichever team better establishes the run and avoids obvious passing downs. All of that great, pretty generic, but just a little snapshot of who the San Francisco 49ers are. All right, we are here with the know your foe segment for the Cincinnati Bengals. This is a rare AFC NFC opponent for the Falcons. They are going to be playing in Madrid, which is going to make this matchup even that much more exciting. The Bengals have only played two international games in their history. They lost their most recent one in 2019 to the Los Angeles Rams. Interestingly enough, their other game was a 27 to 27 tie against Washington. This will also be the first time that they have played outside of London. Last year, the Bengals finished 6-1. They finished third in the AFC North, missed the playoffs for the third year in a row after back-to-back trips under Zack Taylor. You remember that red-hot offense, Joe Burrow emerging, all of that good stuff. Well, they've cooled off a little bit and even though they still had the 12th highest scoring offense in the league last season, it's really been their defense that is the problem for the Bengals. They had one of the worst defenses in the league last year. It was particularly bad against the pass. Um, and then to make matters worse, that high-scoring offense, they didn't even have their quarterback. Joe Burrow went down with a turf toe injury in week two. He missed a huge chunk of the season. uh he still managed to start eight games, but the other uh other quarterbacks for the season were none other than Joe Flacco and Jake Browning. So Joe Flacco started six games. He went one and five as a starter, which kind of tells a lot of the story of the Cincinnati Bengals season. I couldn't believe this though. Looking back at last year, I had totally forgotten this. Joe Flacco was named a Pro Bowler last year for his performance at 41 years old. It was the first time he'd ever made a Pro Bowl. He was Super Bowl MVP. Made a Pro Bowl for the first time last year, starting six games for the Bengals, going one and five as a starter. There you go. That's part of the story of the Bengals uh in 2025. Chase Brown was a kind of backed up his breakout year two years ago with another really, really strong year. He had uh 1456 scrimmage yards, led the Cincinnati offense. Jamar Chase though not far behind. We all know what he can do. He had 1412 receiving yards and then T. Higgins led the team with 11 touchdown catches. Um the biggest kind of offseason narrative about the team is reconstruct like reconstruction but coupled with a kind of dash of of concern, panic maybe if you will because it just feels right now like and again this is kind of coming from what I'm seeing from Cincinnati fans. I'm obviously not there on the ground. don't have the pulse of the Bengals like I do the Falcons. But just what I'm reading, it's this team has been constructed in a way that really can't lead to success on the field because you're too heavy on the offense, not heavy enough on the defense, which is why a lot of this offseason has been geared towards building up the defensive side of the ball. Even though it comes in an offseason in which they lost easily their best player on the defensive side of the ball in pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. He is their biggest departure this off season. He was an allpro in 2024 when he had 17 and a half sacks which was the second straight year he had had 17 and a half sacks. Uh and he's a four-time Pro Bowler. He has 81 career sacks. Uh but he will no longer be sacking the quarterback in Cincinnati. So, even though defense has been the problem for the Bengals, Trey Hendrickson is a departure. It's a little uh a little interesting, but again, they're rebalancing and so they're spreading some of that money out, which brings us to their biggest additions. Easily, it's Dexter Lawrence, the former Giants defensive tackle now in Cincinnati, a three-time Pro Bowler. He can also rush the passer, 30 and a half career sacks. But really just a very well-rounded, disruptive interior defensive lineman who can play multiple techniques, zero technique, one technique, three technique, whatever you need him to do. And they paired him with another new addition, free agent snee Jonathan Allen. Uh came over from the commanders. We know kind of what player he could be. former Alabama star, similar to Dexter Lawrence, a little bit maybe more of the pass rusher, but very good run defender as well. So, they kind of have retweaked their interior of their defensive line. Uh, and then Boyet Maf, the um edge rusher, three-year deal, pretty expensive, but he is their attempt to kind of, I guess, mitigate the loss to some degree of Trey Hendrickson and keep their pass rush uh somewhat formidable. Uh, the team identity for sure when it comes to Cincinnati is still offense. Until they prove otherwise, you should go into a game against the Cincinnati Bengals expecting them to put up points. More often than not, when they're playing their best football, they're going to put up points. And so, you got to have a team that is able to kind of go score for score. Like we talked about in today's episode, a lot of those Matt Ryan games, you had to put points on the board to keep pace with your opponent. And I think the Falcons certainly have an offense capable of doing that when you've got Bjon Robinson, you've got the newly signed Kyle Pitts, Drake London in the fold. To me, it'll kind of come down to what you do at quarterback, right? So, do you have somebody capable of going toe-to-toe with Joe Burrow or an offensive infrastructure around whoever is in there to allow for you to hit that extra gear when you find yourself in a matchup like this? But unless Cincinnati's defense can really find its stride and and be clicking over in Madrid, I think Atlanta has too many different ways to attack this team um for that to to really matter. So, honestly, I'm looking at the offense versus the offense. That's going to be kind of this matchup. Um but who knows, maybe Jesse Bates can uh can make some magic happen against his former team and and be the difference maker in this one. Know your foe coming back at you this week. We're talking about the Kansas City Chiefs. I am very excited to to talk about this team because I think they're one of the more intriguing teams coming into the 2026 season. Not just because Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift got married. Congrats to the newlyweds. Would have loved to catch an invite to the wedding, but it's cool. It's fine. I'll get over it. But we're not here to talk about Taylor Swift, unfortunately. Unless you want to go over to my other podcast talking about Taylor Swift. No, I'm No, I'm just I'm just kidding. I don't have a podcast talking about Taylor Swift. I wish I did. Um, so let's get into Know Your Feo. Kansas City Chiefs. Who were they last year? I think that the Chiefs are one of those teams that going into every year, especially in the last what, like seven or eight years, it's like, oh yeah, the Chiefs, they're going to be top of their division. They're going to be the team to beat. and that's who they've been the last few years. But this past year really hit a decline and probably what was one of the most disappointing seasons of late for the Chiefs overall. They finished six and 11, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014, failed to win the AFC West for the first time since 2015. The season really unraveled. Um, not really. It was almost like the Chiefs never got off on the right foot. they lost a few close games very early on in the 2025 season that ended up kind of keeping them from ever going on the runs that I feel like we're used to seeing the Chiefs go on. And really this the season in and of itself was effectively ended when Patrick Mahomes suffered a season ending ACL injury in December. More on that shortly. We'll get into kind of the how that trickles into 2026. So going into this off seasonason, it was really imperative that the the Chiefs get Patrick Mahomes healthy, but also do some things from a roster standpoint to potentially set up for a better future for themselves. And so let's get into that. What was the offseason narrative about this team? And this is where I want to kind of get into the Patrick Mahomes of it all because I think the story of the off season for the Kansas City Chiefs was can the Chiefs bounce back or better yet can Patrick Mahomes bounce back? Kansas City is betting that a healthy Mahomes an improved running game and a rebuilt defense will quickly return them to contention. So let's talk a little bit about Mahomes and his trajectory. All reports indicate that he's really on the same, if not similar, timeline of Michael Penn Jr., which is that he should be cleared for full team participation come training camp and moving toward getting a a full green light being at 100% for week one of the season. That said, he he's not cleared yet. And so because of that and because of ACL injuries, we're we've been talking about it at Nauseium with Michael Penn and and kind of what his recovery timeline could be. Same for Patrick Mahomes. There's always this small amount of uncertainty because you are coming back from a significant knee injury. So Kansas City is again going to be cautious leading into the season with his workload in camp and they were able to go out and get Justin Fields on the roster as an experienced backup in the case they need to ease Mahomes back into action. Again, very similar to Atlanta going out and get getting to attacko who is a certified starter in this league to be your week one starter if you need to. Justin Fields started a lot of games in the NFL level at at the NFL level for a few years now. So, very similar narrative in terms of the the quarterback position with the Kansas City Chiefs. So, who was their biggest departure this off seasonason? It had to be quarterback Trent McDuffy. Kansas City traded its all procaliber quarterback to the Rams in exchange for multiple draft picks. And when I say multiple draft picks, it was the Chiefs received the Rams first round pick number 29 overall and the fifth round pick in 2026. So this past draft, a 2026 sixround pick and a third round selection in 2027. The Rams then immediately signed McDuffy to a 4-year 124 million contract extension with 100 million guaranteed, making him the highest paid quarterback in NFL history. Meanwhile, the Chiefs believe that they can continue to develop their secondary, which is pretty young secondary under uh Steve Spagnolo. McDuffy is the most significant loss on the roster though for what he has been and what he was. He's expected to continue to be in this league as one of the best corners in the NFL right now. So, that was their biggest departure. Who's your biggest addition this this off seasonason? I think it has to be Kenneth Walker III running back, former Seahawks running back. I think he is one of those guys who's expected to completely revive a part of Kansas City's offense that really faltered in in 2025. He's kind of viewed Walker is widely viewed as the marquee addition because he directly affects an offensive weakness for the Kansas City Chief. Kenneth Walker obviously coming off a Super Bowl win with the Seahawks. His 2025 stats. He played in 17 games, 221 carries, over 1,000 yards. It's now the second time in his career that he has eclipsed 1,000 yards, 4.6 yards per carry. Not too shabby. Five touchdowns. Ultimately for Kansas City, the expectation is that Walker gives the Chiefs something that they lacked in 2025, which was an explosive every down caliber runner who can lighten Patrick Mahomes workload and create a more balanced offense. It's all about kind of getting Patrick Mahomes back into the flow of the offense. And the best way to do that, a quarterback's best friend, especially a young quarterback, but obviously Patrick Mahomes is young, but an injur a quarterback coming off of injury is a balanced attack and a rushing attack that can hold its own in comparison to the passing game, which is exactly why you go out and get someone like Kenneth Walker. So, finally, what is the team identity for the Kansas City Chiefs and how does that match up with the Atlanta Falcons? So Kansas City's identity continue to be an Andy Reid offense built around Patrick Mahomes, but likely as we're talking about with a greater emphasis on running the football and protecting Patrick Mahomes following his knee injury. But defensively, Ste Spagnolo continues to rely on disguises, pressure packages, and a deep secondary, although the def the defense is a little bit younger and less experienced after losing Trip McDuffy. So against Atlanta, the Falcons are really trying to be this more this balanced offensive t offensive attack, a really balanced team between the run, play action, having a fast defense. Atlanta will want to control possession pressure on Mahomes without blitzing excessively, which is something that Jeff Brich has talked a lot about is he's like, you know, the Falcons blitz at such a high rate in 2025. He wants he thinks that and he believes that a sign of a progressing defense is you win with four up front. So that's something to to keep in mind as the Falcons are are playing a team like Kansas City because at the time that they play later in the season or I guess at the midpoint of the season, you imagine Patrick Mahomes is full go, ready to go. Rust has been knocked off. So how does the Falcons defense match up? especially when you consider that the Chiefs are hoping to have this revamped rushing attack, which they'll be more balanced than in recent years, which puts stress on Falcons defense. So, it really is a fun matchup to think about with the way that certain tweaks have been made both in Atlanta and in Kansas City. So, that's what I've got for you. Kansas City Chiefs, looking forward to this matchup. It should be an interesting one. And if you remember a couple years ago, Kansas City coming to the bins on I believe it was Sunday Night Football. That was a super fun game. Came down to the wire is one that looking back if the Falcons win that game, maybe maybe things feel differently in that year. >> All right, welcome back to Know Your Foe, the only podcast segment in America that invites you to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. On today's segment, we are going to be talking about the Minnesota Vikings. They had a pretty disappointing season last year, but you wouldn't necessarily know by looking at the overall record. Uh but after going 14-3 in 2024, they started off the year 4 and eight. They benched their secondyear quarterback JJ McCarthy after week two, uh a loss against us. Um but somehow they ended on a five-game win streak and salvaged a winning record. uh nine and eight just they happen to be in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. So they finished third in the NFC North. Um but the biggest defining story line last year is the same as it is this offseason. It's the quarterback position. Um really the quarterback after drafting what they believed to be the future and you know who knows JJ McCarthy still may be. The story is not written on him just yet but there were questions that kind of lingered all throughout the season. Max Brosmer started a couple of games for him. Carson Wentz started five games for him. So there was just inconsistency that really rippled throughout the rest of the offense. And that inconsistency was only exacerbated by watching Sam Darnold do what he did in Seattle and taking them to a Super Bowl. So that was the biggest storyline throughout the season for the Vikings. And I mentioned how it rippled out throughout the rest of the offense. Justin Jefferson had his worst NFL season, and that's including the 2023 season in which he only played 10 games. He had fewer yards last year in which he played 17 games. He had 174 or 148 yards and he had 174 yards in 2023 when he missed seven games due to injury. Let that sink in. That is kind of the level that we're talking about when it comes to the Vikings offense, which we're used to seeing be very prolific. It just was not last year. The running game, Jordan Mason, uh, and Aaron Jones kind of a two-headed monster there. Jordan Mason actually outgainained Aaron Jones despite only starting five games to Aaron Jones's 12. So, they finished 28th in total offense. They finished 26th in scoring offense, 20.2 points per game. So, that was the Vikings offensively. Defensively, they kind of continued to be what they always have been. Brian Flores is a foot on the gas pedal type of defensive coordinator, and they blitzed at the highest rate in the league. They had a lot of linebackers involved. Harrison Smith at safety still involved. Byron Murphy at corner. So, they had a really good defensive season. They were third in uh total yards allowed. They were, I believe, seventh in points per game allowed, 19.6 points per game. Uh, and then they were minus nine in the turnover differential, but that's not because their defense wasn't producing them. It's because they turned the ball over 30 times more than any other team in the league. So, that's a little bit of a recap of where they were last season. The offseason narrative, I'll make this quick. It's the quarterback, right? Like that has driven, I think, a ton of what Minnesota has done. They did also fire their general manager, Adafo Mensah, and kind of went throughout this offseason and free agency and the draft with an interim GM. Uh, so that was that was kind of interesting. They loaded up in the draft on defense. We'll get to that in a little bit, but re really it's this team feels like a team at a crossroads where this time last year we weren't saying that at all. We were talking about the Vikings as a contender in the NFC, if not the entire NFL. And so that is what's so fascinating to me because on the one hand, I could see this team bouncing back if they can get the quarterback play correct in one of the the toughest divisions and be right there with the Lions and be right there with the Packers and the Bears and and kind of compete in the NFC. I could also see us being a year away from the other conversation happening and you kind of being like, "All right, well, what is the future of the Vikings team looking like?" So that's really where I feel like they are right now personally. um their biggest departure this off seasonason and this one is a little bit of an asterisk I will say realistically it's it's kind of a combo with their defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave uh they had three and a half sacks each last year they combined for 11 tackles for a loss and just anytime you're kind of losing a duo there on the interior um I think it's significant and that was kind of the Jaylen Naylor offensively uh was kind of a loss for them at wide receiver but really the asterisk part of this is Harrison Smith. 15-year veteran, has been kind of the heartbeat of this Minnesota Vikings defense for such a long time. A lot of people are out there saying that he may have played his last down in the NFL. Um, he is not signed by the Vikings currently. A lot of Vikings people in their building have said publicly, you know, they would welcome him back if he decides to come back, but I think he is very seriously weighing retirement. So, that would be their biggest departure this off seasonason if he indeed does not play again. biggest uh addition. Again, I can make this quick. It's Kyler Murray. Uh they they kind of did the the Tua deal, right? Getting Kyler Murray on a one-year deal that's very very cost-effective uh for their financial balance sheet. And he's coming in to compete with JJ McCarthy. We'll see how that competition plays out in training camp. A lot like the the one we've got here in Atlanta. A lot of people are going to be watching that to to see because again, the pieces are kind of there offensively. It's really just the question of who's going to be running the show, which is why Kyler Murray, you know, if you look at the amount paid, he's not going to be at the top of the list, but for all intents and purposes, he's absolutely the most important uh addition that they have had this offseason. That being said, I love their draft class. Uh when I was going back through it, a lot of guys that I was I was circling ahead of the draft. Caleb Banks, first round pick, defensive tackle, broken foot, seems like he'll be ready for training camp. Uh, I'm always iffy with foot injuries, but he was somebody we talked about early on out of Florida. Could maybe be a fit here in Atlanta. He's a disruptor. Jake Gold was kind of like a guy that I was circling all the way up until the end out of Cincinnati. A rangy linebacker reminds me a lot of Troy Anderson. Uh, so I like him. Dominique Orange, big citrus as Dave Archer liked to call him in the third round. So they really loaded up their defensive line and the spine of their defense there. Finally, what is their team identity and how does it match up with the Falcons? Right now, the thing we know the most about with Minnesota is their defense. I feel very confident that the identity that Brian Flores has put into place there is going to hold. It's going to remain the same. Yes, there's some old faces who may be gone. There's some new faces coming in, but by and large, the identity is going to be there. So I kind of just right now as I'm envisioning it I I believe last year it was 22 to6 Atlanta won but it was it was kind of like for as much as Atlanta's defense dominated in that game it felt like these ones tend to get like a a weird slugfesty type of just like choppy rocky hard gritty type of game which is a little bit different than the Vikings Falcons games from maybe 5 10 years ago where it felt like they were all 38 32 too. I kind of see this one being a little bit defensive heavy. You got the two most blitz happy defensive coordinators in the league last season going toe-to-toe. Both offenses are entering training camp with train with quarterback questions. So, right now, I would have to say that this is going to be kind of like a fun defensive matchup even though there are the pieces on the offensive side of the ball for both teams to turn it into a really really fun uh high-scoring event. Know your foe. Back at it again. Now I need you guys to bear with me today because I just got off the practice field kind of sweaty. Kind of probably should drink a little bit of water. And personally like we're going to slog right through this. And it makes sense that we're going to slog right through it because this is the Detroit Lions that we're talking about today. A very interesting team. one that I have been a very very much watching from afar and admiring what I think Dan Campbell has been able to build in Detroit. So, let's jump into this segment. Who were the Lions last year? The Lions went 9 and8 in 2025. They narrowly missed the playoffs after coming off of like two really good back-to-back seasons in 23 and 24. And it really did feel like, okay, the Lions are the team to watch. The Lions are the team to beat. And they really did offensively remain ma they remained that kind of group with Jared Goff, Jir Gibbs, Almond Ross, St. Brown. They were very explosive. They were they were a team and offense specifically that could do a lot of things really really well consistently. Now, the other side of that, and I think the part of it that made it so where the Lions didn't maybe reach the potential that they thought they could, is the fact that there were so many injuries defensively, so many inconsistencies that it really prevented them from getting into that postseason run. And I I think for those first couple years of the Dan Campbell era in Detroit, it really was about the defense. It was about the firepower. was about just the overall strength of that defense and then the injury bug has gotten them really the last couple of years that makes a difference. As we all know, this is the NFL. It stands for not for long. Unfortunately, injuries are a part of it and the Lions were a team, especially defensively last year that that was a major narrative and storyline for them. So, going into the 2026 off season, what is the narrative around this Detroit Lions team? I do think that it goes back to a word that I think Dane Campbell has kind of said a lot if I'm remembering correctly from his press conferences and it's it's this word and this idea of redemption. And after missing the playoffs last year, I think that Dan Campbell really galvanized the team around a a motto of redemption and respect. Um, I I don't know if you've seen the Lion schedule release video, but if I'm remembering correctly, all it is is Dan Campbell prints off the schedule and then walks out of his office and just like pins it on a board. And it's a very like nononsense Dan Campbell. Like, we're not going to talk, we're not going to do anything funny. There are going to be no skits. Like, we're about business and we have we have something to prove this year. Um, so I think that kind of like really represents what the offseason narrative has been for the Detroit Lions. They also made a few acquisitions, particularly from a veteran standpoint. They also had a pretty good draft class which I think was was um was highlighting and signaling that the organization feels that it's in a a playoff caliber championship caliber window and they're still open rather than beginning a rebuild. Like that's not at all what is happening in Detroit as we we've talked about some other teams that it really feels like they're enacting these like major rebuilds. Detroit is nowhere around that word. So, who was the biggest departure this off seasonason? Gotta go with running back David Montgomery, who was traded to the Houston Texans. So, this was uh if I'm remembering correctly, around mid-March during the whole free agency time period where all those moves are are being made and traded to the Houston Texans in exchange for offensive lineman Juice Scrugs, a 2026 fourthround draft pick and a 2027 seventh round draft pick. This was uh a move that I think for much of Jir Gibbs career these last few years in Detroit. You talked about David Montgomery and Jir Gibbs as this one-two punch in a similar way that you've been talking about Bjan Robinson and Tyler Algier here in Atlanta. And so no longer having that that off piece to Jir Gibbs. That was a a a major difference that we're going to see in 2026 with this Detroit Lions team. But I think that it just continues to affirm and everything that we've kind of seen in training camp that Jir Gibbs is their guy. He is their lead back. He is the guy that they rely on. And I I think that it kind of leads us that idea leads us into, okay, so that was the biggest the biggest departure for the Detroit Lions. The biggest addition was actually let's stay in the running back room. Isaiah Pacheco. While I think Detroit really also addressed a lot of their offensive line issues, added some more things in defense, Pacheco steps into a void that was left by David Montgomery. As we just talked about, it gives the Lions another explosive physical runner that complements Jir Gibbs. And in this again, in the same way the Atlanta Falcons this past year, Tyler Algier goes to the Arizona Cardinals, gets a big payday there. Falcons need to go out and find another running back to compliment Bjon Robinson. They don't have to look very far in terms of names. Brian Ro Rob Robinson Jr. is available. So I I think that there is this kind of mirroring effect between Atlanta and Detroit and where they land from a running back standpoint. So let's close things out with what is the team identity of the Detroit Lions and how does that match up with the Atlanta Falcons? So Detroit's identity is exactly I feel like what it's been under Dan Campbell. It's kind of the signature of Dan Campbell of like this very physical brand of football, like getting in your face, not like not shying away from the physicality of the game. Uh, power run game complemented by explosive play action, very aggressive coaching style from Dan Campbell, embracing kind of those fourth down decisions, not being afraid of them, not shying away from them, really pushing the envelope there. And then I think defense defensive front really focusing on obviously creating pressure, stopping the run, everything that you want to do. It's just it's not a matter of of want to. It's the ma the matter of like can you? That was the big thing last year is like did they have the bodies? Like did they have the depth to be able to consistently do that? Does that change now as guys get back healthy? You've made some additions to your defense. What does that next step look like? And can that be sustainable for the entirety of the season for the Detroit Lions? Because if it is, they become a very tough team to beat with the offensive firepower that they have and the physical defense that they hope to bring back a little bit. Now, the matchup with Atlanta, it's the Jir Gibbs and Bjan Robinson show, right? Like this is no one's no one's made it any secret how much those two individuals from the same draft class at the same position matter to their their organizations matter to their offenses. Both teams want to run the ball. No one's made it a secret that they want to put the ball on the ground and run the ball down the throats of the defense. So, while I I think that's the main point of both teams, I I think that it really goes to how what is Atlanta's be best path for forward is really controlling time of possession. Can you keep the ball away from Jir Gibbs? Can you keep the ball out of the hands of Jared Goff who has shown us gosh over his entire career he can come up in the clutch. So, but it really is it's going to be a matter of who establishes the run game early and how long does is that sustainable for either team because they both want to do kind of the same thing offensively. Which defense comes up and comes out on top? All right. What's up, y'all? We're here with our latest edition of Know the Foe. We got the Cleveland Browns on tap. The Browns finished the 2025 season with a 5 and12 record. They were in last place in the AFC North. They had one of the league's best defenses, though. Unfortunately, they had one of the league's worst offenses. And we'll start with the offense. The big story line last season for Cleveland was three different starting quarterbacks. Joe Flacco, Dylan Gabriel, and Shadur Sanders. When you start three quarterbacks in a season, uh, usually it's not going to go super well for you. They ranked 30th in yards per game. They ranked 31st in points per game. Uh, and again, the the quarterback rotation was a huge part in why their offense never felt like it was truly able to get in sync in the way that we have seen some Kevin Stfansky offenses get in sync uh, in years past. Think back to some of the Nick Chub days, Baker Mayfield, kind of that first year where the run and the pass really played off each other. They just couldn't really get that done last year because of that quarterback carousel. And also that played a role in turnovers. The Browns turned the ball over at the third highest rate in the league last season which played into their 5-12 record regardless of how good their defense was. Uh they had a couple of rookie bright spots though on the offense and these are a couple of players that I have a feeling we'll be seeing in week 14 when these two teams face off. But Quinnshot Judkins, the running back, he uh gained 870 or 827 yards on the ground last season, which ranked third among rookie running backs. And then Harold Fannon Jr. was actually the team's leading receiver as a rookie tight end. He caught 72 passes for 731 yards and six touchdowns. So, couple of guys there. First year, real bright spots for the Browns. Defensively, uh Miles Garrett set the NFL single season sack record. Ever heard of him? uh 23 sacks last year and the Browns finished third in the league with 53 sacks. Notably though, they were behind us, behind Atlanta, 57 sacks. Never forget rookie linebacker Carson Schwezinger won defensive rookie of the year after leading the Browns and all first year players with 146 tackles. Uh he has drawn comparisons to Luke Keequley. I'm really excited to see Carson Schwezinger up close uh later this season. I I think he's going to be an interesting player for a long time in this league. They were really, really strong against the pass last year and ranked third in yards per game allowed through the air. So, the offseason narrative, big transition that kind of also involves Atlanta a little bit because their former head coach in Cleveland, Kevin Stfansky, is now our new head coach here in Atlanta. So, after parting ways with Kevin Stfansky, they hired Todd Monkin to take over the job. And that is going to be really fascinating to see how the offense looks kind of under Todd Monkin because it is going to be a little bit of a different change. He is known for building around a really strong run game and utilizing tight ends and the Browns are set up pretty well for that. Um and in along with hiring Todd Monkin, they had kind of a complete overhaul of their offensive line which was a huge issue for them last season. So they traded for Titus Howard. They signed center guard Elgen Jenkins. They signed guard Zion Johnson. And then they resigned Tevin Jenkins, who I believe missed last season, most of last season um due to injury. And then their first draft pick, ninth overall, went to Spencer Fono at offensive tackle. So there is a chance that we see five new starting offensive linemen for the Cleveland Browns this season. NFL.com gave the Browns an A minus for their offseason. The Athletic named the Browns one of their winners of the offseason. And I thought this kind of summarized it nicely. The Browns hated to trade Garrett, one of the best and most beloved players in franchise history, but they did receive salary cap relief, a talented pass rusher and Jared Verse, and additional building blocks in the form of draft picks. That move, coupled with a muchneeded offensive line overhaul, and a promising draft should land the Browns in a better place. So, I thought that quote from the athletic piece uh was really indicative of just kind of where they are and where we expect them to be moving forward. Biggest departure this off season, Miles Garrett. Moving on, their biggest addition this off season, I think the entire offensive line, if we're going to count that as as one move, is probably a pretty notable addition this off season. Um, in terms of one singular player though, I think getting Jared Burst back in that Miles Garrett trade, he's obviously not Miles Garrett, but he's a pretty good young player who I I I think is going to be something for Cleveland for a little while. Um, and offensively honorable mentioned a Casey Conpion who was drafted 24th overall and is a nice young receiver adding to that room as they continue to flesh it out. Finally, what is the team identity and how does that match up with the Atlanta Falcons given that they're going to be meeting uh I believe December 13th. That's a long way away from right now. So, take this with a big grain of salt, but really what I'm leaning on is number one, the Browns defense that was so good last year. I expect that to be the case. Atlanta's defense was rock solid last year. Their pass rush was good. You know, again, it remains to be seen how it the 2026 version is going to look, but I would expect this to be a little bit of a defensive battle with a lot of run game and a lot of tight end usage. And and I think both teams are set up fairly well to to play kind of the same style of game given what Kevin Stfansky has done in the past with 12 13 personnel. We know what Monin likes to do. The defense like it's all there. There's the making of a ground and pound faster game than you may expect because without a lot of passing, the clock keeps running. So when that all unfolds in December, I'll be there to tell you I told you so. All right, guys. We're coming back at you with another Know Your Foe segment. This week, we are talking about the Washington Commanders. So, really quickly off the bat, Falcons will play them later in the year on the road. Could be a big-time matchup that we potentially look back on as being a a key turning point in the season for either team. And I I'll get into that in a little bit. So, let's start with our starting question that we always start with. Who were the Washington Commanders last season? Well, the 2025 Washington Commanders were a 5 and12 team that for l I tried to find a nice way to say this, but for lack of a better phrase that I found really fell off the wagon wheel after a superb 2024 season that ended with them going 12 and five, making it to the NFC Championship game. Really, it was the Jaden Daniels year of quarterback play. He was everywhere and the Washington Washington Commanders under Dan Quinn really struck a match that just lit a flame for that entire season and they were so fun to watch. Well, that wasn't necessarily the case going into 2025 despite the fact that that 2024 team had a lot of carryover into the next year and also that the expectations were raised significantly from the year before. Now, the main reason for this fall-off, obviously, health. Jaden Daniels played only seven games because of injuries. And Washington had 16 starters miss a combined 103 games. So, that's like across like how many games each individual played. I want to make that clear. The defense deteriorated pretty rapidly as the season went on because of injuries as well. The team was eliminated from playoff contention in December. All in all, because of these injuries and because of how things were piling up, it just they could never get a foothold anywhere, it felt like. So, the important context to what the 2025 season was for the Washington Commanders was that it wasn't a regression in a sense of like, oh, you it was like a flash in the pan in 2024 and then they regressed a little bit. No, it was because of this disastrous injury riddle type of season that the team that was a legitimate contender and was doing some things really well coming out of 2024 just did couldn't sustain anything because they didn't have the bodies. Uh Daniels is going to be the central figure for what this team is in 2026. They're not trying to go into this 2026 year looking for a franchise quarterback. They feel like they have it in Jaden Daniels. And so when he's healthy and trying to get him back fully healthy, that's where things lie for Washington right now. So what was the offseason narrative about this team? It was about resetting the identity a little bit. Dan Quinn essentially decided that the 2025 version had become too dependent on like the individual talents of some guys and and too inconsistent across the board. He moved on from offensive coordinator Cliff Kingsberry and defensive coordinator Joet Jr. replacing with replacing them with David Blau and Donte Jones. Specifically, Dan Quinn talked a lot this off season about wanting a different type of offensive identity that was a bit more traditional but also physical under center formation, zone runs, motion, play action rather than kind of living in shotgun and expecting Jaden Daniels to to create everything off of that. Defensively, Jones is really emphasizing speed, versatility, physicality. The broad narrative of what this team was over the off seasonason was they they want to show that 2025 was a a fluke in and of itself and that they are a more physical and well-rounded team than even that 2024 version of themselves were. So, who was the biggest offseason departure this off seasonason? Um, there there's kind of a twofold answer here. I say it's between Bobby Wagner and Debo Samuels like that that is kind of where those two names mattered so much I think to the Washington Commanders organization that not having them around in this year is it's pretty impactful and they also not just those two but they also lost a lot of veteran production in obviously Wagner Samuel Zack Z Austin Eckler like and a few others so but Wagner is I would argue the biggest like football identity loss and like who they are. He was a veteran centerpiece of the defense, major communicator and leader. And then from on the offensive side, similar to to Debo Samuels, like he he was acquired with the idea that he was giving that he he was this nice counterpart to Jaden Daniels and giving him kind of this explosive option, a dynamic weapon offensively. And so that mattered. But the reason why I have Bobby Wagner maybe as 1A and Debo Samuel as 1B is because of the biggest offensive addition that the Washington Commanders made this off seasonason which was it has to be Stefon Diggs. Uh and this acquisition is, you know, kind of one of one. I know I said one A1B between Wagner and Samuels, but Stefon Diggs is Stefon Diggs. He signed that. So, the Washington Commanders this offseason signed the four-time Pro Bowl receiver to a one-year deal worth up to $12 million. He comes off of a 10,00 season with New England and gives Daniel another legitimate veteran separator opposite Terry McLaren. So, that's that's where we land with the offseason acquisition. And it's a it's kind of one of those things that separates I think offensively as they are trying to figure out what this new identity is with a new play caller because Diggs arrives just as Washington's new offense is emphasizing play action, explosive throws. And Dan Quinn, even since Stefon Diggs has has gotten there, has been on the record multiple times really praising Stefon Diggs football IQ as well as just like the physicality and and the nature of of who he is. So, it's been a lot of there's been a lot of good for Stefon Diggs in Washington according to to Dan Quinn. Um, but there is one wrinkle of of this offensive conversation that I want everybody to keep an eye on. You know, obviously we're in the middle of training camp right now and the Washington Commanders did lose offensive tackle Laramie Tonsil for most of the season because a because he suffered a torn tricep in training camp. So they're not looking to get him back until December is what reports are saying right now. So that's something to keep an eye on as we're talking about where this offense goes. So finally to wrap us up, what is the team identity of the Washington Commanders and how does that match up with Atlanta? I think the fun part about this matchup particularly is that Washington and Atlanta are really trying to become somewhat similar teams. You would describe Washington as rung game ccentric, play action, Jane and Daniels, explosive, versatile, physical defense. The goal isn't to make Daniels a 40 attempt a game quarterback. It's to make the defense respect the run, get Daniels operating from under center, the motion play action stuff to create space and then let his athleticism do what needs to be done. So that that's Washington. So, the way that you would maybe characterize this matchup with Atlanta is Atlanta wants to win the game with physicality and structure. Washington wants to pretty much do the same thing and now it's about how Jaden Daniels returns to that 2024 form that we saw him light things up in his rookie year. So, I I I would say all of that and if Atlanta can force Washington, this is I think the important part, if Atlanta can force Washington to consistently execute long drives rather than giving Daniels like the explosive plays off of movement, scrambles, play action, if they can contain him, I think this this matchup can be favorable to the Atlanta Falcons. Bottom line, Washington is essentially trying to become a more physical, more disciplined, healthier team than even what they were in 2024. And they're trying to prove that 2025 was an injury riddled fluke. And that's all it was. And that who they were in 2024 is who they're going to be for in the now and also in the notsodistant future. Atlanta is trying to build a new physical stfansky era identity around Bjon Robinson, around some new gap style stuff incorporated with some wide zone stuff in Atlanta. Um, philosophically, I think Washington and Atlanta are actually a little bit closer than maybe what you would think, but Washington simply has this quarterback question of Jaden Daniels and how he can return to form. That's going to be the biggest indicator of how much Washington takes a step in the right direction. All right, we are back with Know the Foe and we're getting ready to talk about the NFC South. That's right, we've reached the portion of Know the Foe where we're going to discuss the division a little bit. It's hard to believe that we are almost finished with this segment. It's been fun. I've hope you've enjoyed it, but let's uh dig into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a little bit today, shall we? So, the Buccaneers last year, as you may remember, started out as one of the hottest teams in the NFL. I'm talking redhot. They had a 6-2 record going into their by-week. And our very own Tory Maney, I don't want to remind you of this, but she had them as high as number four in her weekly power rankings that week as they were going into their buy. The Buccaneers were legitimately impressing people to begin the season last year and they look like, okay, could they join that class of the NFC that has been kind of like the Vikings and the Lions and the Packers and the 49ers, the Rams over the last little bit. Could the Bucks make that leap? Well, after the by-week, things kind of fell apart for Tampa Bay. That turned out to be as high as they could climb literally in the season and in the power rankings. It turns out because as hot as they were to start the year, they cooled off to an equal and even greater degree down the stretch. The Buccaneers went 2-7 during their final nine games and they finished ultimately in a three-way tie with Carolina and Atlanta. And because of the tiebreaker, because they dropped both games to Carolina, they ended up second in the division. So, a team that through eight games had the best record in the entire conference somehow missed the playoffs. So they had a lot of I think soulsearching to do this off seasonason and and that is kind of leads me to the narrative about the team because on one hand this feels like a group in transition and on the other hand to me at least Tampa Bay still feels like a very familiar team. I don't I don't know if I've ever seen something quite like this where the offseason seems to be geared towards all right we're kind of like turning the page. we're changing a little bit of who we have been because maybe we bumped up against the ceiling of that and yet I still look over there and and Baker Mayfield is back with a lot of his surrounding offensive cast and yes Levante David is gone but when you look at what Todd BS and the defensive side coming back there's a lot of familiar faces there as well. So, the Buccaneers do have two new quarter coordinators in place, and that will, I think, change some things up and refresh some things, but one of those new coordinators is a familiar face to Falcons fans, and that would be Zack Robinson. He and Baker Mayfield worked together for a brief period out with the Los Angeles Rams. And if you'll recall, Baker had an amazing, I think, Monday night football game, and Zack Robinson had a big hand in making him feel comfortable. So now he is there full-time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to work with Baker and that offense. Again, I'm really curious personally to see what that's going to look like. I think there's a cat and mouse game to be had between Zack Robinson and Jeff Olrich that maybe I'll get into here in just a second. So he's down there on the offense. Defensively, they promoted George Edwards. He was their defensive passing game coordinator and now he's their defensive coordinator. So Todd B's kind of handing over the reigns. However, it's notable he came up through the Buccaneer system. So, I wouldn't expect the philosophy, the overall maybe design of the defense to change all that much, but you do still have another uh new driver, I should say, in the driver's seat. And, you know, we'll see what George Edwards what his flavor is and what his fingerprint on the defense will be. So, the biggest departure this offseason I I think is fairly obvious. Anytime you say goodbye to a wide receiver who had more than a thousand yards in his first 11 seasons, uh, nobody else has ever done that, we should almost name this the Mike Evans departure award, right? Because he he has been one of the biggest, I think, losses for that organization. Not just in terms of, again, I mentioned the productivity, but what he meant to that franchise. So, he he is far and away kind of their biggest departure. Uh, I was reminded recently that he and Jake Matthews were teammates on the same college team at Texas A&M with Johnny Manzel. Uh, so that is just a very special team in in the history of college football. I have nothing more to say about that. Moving on. Uh, a special shout out to Levante David. We talked about Mike Evans. He is the number one guy that departed, but Levante David was always one of my favorite linebackers. I always viewed him as as like right there with Bobby Wagner. To me, he was just Bobby Wagner in the NFC South. And because he was kind of in the NFC South and the Seahawks were playing in Super Bowls, Bobby Wagner became Bobby Wagner. But Levante David, 14-year career, 250 games, 15 games started, 1,172 solo tackles, the fourth most in NFL history. 73 pass defenses, 42 and a half sacks, 33 forced fumbles, 13 interceptions. If the Mets can tip their hats to Chipper Jones, I can tip my hat to Levante David. Heck of a career by you. Um, the biggest addition this off season, I I think it's Ruben Bane Jr., the 15th overall pick. We saw what he did in Miami the last three seasons, 20 and a half sacks. Uh there, you know, a lot of debate about him coming out of the draft, but now he's in the division. Uh I actually really like Tampa Bay's draft class as a whole. Josiah Troder in the second round linebacker out of Missouri. He was a guy I was kind of looking at because of what the Falcons needs maybe were. Ted Hurst, a player I kind of fell in love with as a wide receiver out of Georgia State. So, they've got some good players that I'm excited to to watch twice a year moving forward. uh and the team identity to wrap it all up with two new coordinators. That is the wrinkle. However, again, it it kind of feels weird to even say that too much is going to be different. Again, when you have the players Amika Igbuka, Chris Godwin, Jaylen McMillan, Baker Mayfield, Kate Autton, the offensive line has continuity. Your running backs are back there, Bucky Irving. Like, everybody's kind of back. And then defensively, sure, the rookies will probably play a new role, but I do still expect this to be Todd Bull's his design. So that makes me believe that you're going to kind of get a flavor of Falcons, Bucks games that we've had in the past. And the real interesting variation to me is Zack Robinson and Baker Mayfield against Jeff Olrich and Jesse Bates and Dine Diablo and, you know, everybody on that kind of side. And I want to give kind of the initial edge. I think to Olrich because of just the pure nature of his defense which is multiple and moving and a little chaotic and I just think that's going to be harder to say like well here's what I saw last year the year before and so I know exactly what it's going to be because it's always evolving and ever changing and that's what I love about Jeff Brook's defense. All right, Falcons fans, we are back with another know your foe segment. You just heard about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, I am staying in the NFC South for the arch rival, the one that everybody hates, the New Orleans Saints. I'm really excited, though, to talk about the New Orleans Saints because I think they're a really interesting bunch. And I I know that there are probably a lot of people listening and watching being like, "How dare you call them interesting?" But like, what other word was I supposed to use? They kind of are. So, let's get into this. First question as always, who were the New Orleans Saints last year? The Saints went six and 11 in 2025, finishing last in the NFC South, which you know, okay, but there was a three-way tie up at the top. So, take that with what you will. But the record in and of itself for the New Orleans Saints doesn't tell the whole story. So, let let's just break it down from start to finish because they started the year 2 and 10, but they ended up winning four of their final five games with the biggest development for the New Orleans Saints being the emergence of second round pick Tyler Chuck at quarterback. Once Chuck took over, the offense really looked significantly more functional. uh that he went 5-4 as a starter throwing for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns, six interceptions. So, the way that I would describe the Saints last year is that they started to look like a different team late in the season, and I remember Will and I even having conversations last year about like the Saints that started the year didn't feel like the Saints that ended the year. And I think that distinction matters because that's why I think there's a bit more optimism in New Orleans that isn't based in the 6 and 11 record. It's based on what they saw from Shuck down the stretch and the belief that Kell Moore's system really started to click towards the end of the season. So where did that leave them in the offseason? What was the biggest offseason narrative for this team? It's still Tyler Shuck. it it's still the the quarterback conversation in New Orleans. The Saints have really completely handed him the keys to the operation. There's really no quarterback competition this year. And the expectation is that year two and Kellor system should tell us whether or not Chuck is actually the guy that New Orleans can build around. But not just in that, but they didn't really sit in on the roster they had. They've actually done more I think this off season than what we have seen the Saints do recently, which was they went out and they added legitimate veteran pieces that aren't so veteran that they're considered old. uh Travis ETN or or Aan I should say, Kayen Ellis who Falcons fans know well, David Edwards, Noah Fant among others, while also adding a really interesting young draft class led by number eight overall pick Jordan Tyson. So the narrative for this off season was the the Saints aren't really rebuilding anymore. They they have who they think is their quarterback in Chuck. They have their coach in Kell Moore and now they're trying to build a roster around those two pieces. That's why again there's so much more optimism around the Saints than you might expect expect from a 6 and 11 team. There's also just culturally around the New Orleans Saints. It's it's a bit of an interesting shift that I feel like they've experienced over the last year is that the Saints really do seem to finally be moving away from the older post Drew Breeze era and toward a younger more internally driven team. Five of last year's eight captains are back, but the major veteran leaders like Deario Davis are gone. Which leads us to the biggest offseason departure, which was Deario Davis. This one's pretty clear, I think, to me and probably to everyone. Davis left New Orleans and returned to the Jets. And that's not losing a starting linebacker. That's really losing the voice of this Saints defense, an emotional leader of the entire organization. And it is interesting because in this conversation we have to talk about Kaden Ellis because you're replacing really Deario Davis with Kaden Ellis who Falcons fans, people listening, you should know really really well. And I think this is a good time as any to talk about Kaden Ellis and and him returning to the New Orleans Saints. And you know that's where he got his start and that's where he kind of came into his own with Ryan Nielsen before he move made the move. both Neielson and Kaden Ellis to the Falcons. So curious to see what Kaden Ellis ultimately looks like in this defense for the Saints. Is it going to look like what he's been doing of late in the last couple years with Jeff Olrich and this Atlanta Falcons defense? Because what he was doing with the Atlanta Falcons was pretty special. And as Jeff said, it's going to be tough for the Falcons to replace what Kaden Ellis was. But the Saints are using Kaden Ellis to essentially replace Demario Davis. And I'll give Kaden Ellis his flowers. I loved working with Kaden Ellis, getting to know him. I loved watching him play. If you're going to try and replace someone who was a voice of the organization and somebody that really rallied around uh not just the defense, but the team and Deario Davis, you you're pretty well set with with Kaden Ellis being that replacement. So, I'll say that. Now, who was the biggest addition this off season? I wish I could say Kaden Ellis and I I'll give him I already gave him his flower so I won't talk more there but I think it has to be Travis ETN Jr. Travis Han Jr. whatever he wants to be called I will call him that. Um, they signed him to a 4-year deal worth $48 million and Kellen Moore envisioned using him as part of a really like key running back committee. But now with Alvin Kamar's MCL injury, it kind of changes the immediate picture for this offense. Kamar is expected to miss four to six weeks, which puts I think even more on ETN's plate early in the season. But I do think that he the the fact that the Saints went out and got him and acquired him is that it kind of shows something about the Saints philosophy, which is that they want to make life easier for Tyler Shuck, which I've said this before, you hear it all the time, there's nothing a young quarterback loves more than a very impressive run game. And we've seen what Travis ETN can do across the board and over the course of his career. Um, but it's really just like don't make your young quarterback throw the ball 40 times every single Sunday and ask him to carry the franchise on his back. Run the ball. Create explosive plays. Use play action. Let Chuck operate rather than constantly having to rescue the offense. Like create a run game that's sustainable and really allows Chuck to maneuver within the offense where it's not all on him to move the ball downfield. So, that's the biggest offseason addition, which I think makes a lot of sense. As much as I want to talk more about Kaden Ellis, can't just yet. So, finally, what is the team identity and how does that match up with the Atlanta Falcons? New Orleans identity is physical, versatile. They want to become more runoriented with the football, with a young quarterback, who they want to grow into the centerpiece. And I say that and I think that's a lot of pressure that you could put on a young quarterback, but really no one needs Tyler Shuck to be the next coming of Drew Brees. They just need him to be efficient. They needed to protect the football. They needed to make enough explosive plays to allow the run game, some space to breathe and some space to work and then allow the defense to carry some of that burden as well. I think defensively Brandon Staley has a lot of athleticism to work with, a lot of versatility. Again, talking about Kaden Ellis, particularly up front that in that front seven, they want to be disruptive and multiple rather than simply looking in one look. So, stylistically, I actually think the Saints and the Falcons may have more in common than what you may think. And not just because they a lot of kind of what I just said adheres itself to also kind of describing the Atlanta Falcons, but I think that there's a key difference between where the Saints are and where the Falcons are. The Saints kind of are sitting in this spot where they really do think and believe that they have their quarterback. Now, it's just a matter of how good can Tyler Shuck be and what can he ultimately become with another or with at least a full year under his belt based on what they saw in the final half of the season last year. The Falcons is it's a little bit different where it's like we have a new head coach. We're still figuring out exactly what this offense and quarterback situation will look like. Now, Atlanta has more of established stars in Bjon Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pittz, while New Orleans is really betting heavily on Shucks development, and defensively, they want to be aggressive. The Falcons still have a lot of things to figure out in terms of pass rush, not having Jaylen Walker for the year, not having James Pierce Jr. for the first eight games of the season. But I think the biggest thing I want to emphasize, and this is where I'll wrap up, is I don't think you can go into the 2026 year and approach the Saints, whether at the beginning of the year or at the end of the year, like they're that 6-11 team from last year. I think the second half of 2025 changed the perception you have to have of the New Orleans Saints. And now we're finding out whether the late season surge that the Saints had in 2025 was the the beginning of something real or if it was simply a good month of football where they kind of just caught a little bit of fire. That's where we land on the Saints and we'll learn a lot about them as the season goes on. And obviously a big Monday night football bout in week four which is huge. Um I know I'm looking forward to that one. So, thank you guys so much for hanging with me, listening to me yap about the saints, which I know many of us don't really want to hear about, but you know, better to know thy enemy, right? All right, we got the last know the foe of the 2026 preeason. We're going to talk about the Carolina Panthers today. They were the NFC South champions, uh, but they also had the same record as the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they made the postseason by virtue of the tiebreaker. And they nearly managed in the playoffs to defeat the Los Angeles Rams for the second time last season, which was a shock the first time around, but they ended up on the wrong side of a 3431 loss in the wildard round. So that was the end of the Carolina Panthers season, but it was a season of growth for Carolina and the second year under Dave Canales. Really, it was uh viewed as the team being ahead of schedule. A lot of Panthers fans, and I'll caveat this by saying I've got a couple in my immediate family, my brother and my dad are both pretty heavy Carolina Panthers fans. So I did reach out to my younger brother to get his thoughts on on the Panthers. So, I'll sprinkle those in where I can. Uh, but last year was really kind of a year ahead of schedule for Carolina. The a lot of Panthers fans were expecting this team to be able to make a playoff run hopefully soon. I don't think many Panthers fans expected that to be in 2025. So, now where are they? Well, because of that kind of first couple of years with Dave Canales and the success that they've had, which is the most since the Ron Rivera era, they've been able to build up their roster, kind of following one identity. And if you think back to where the Falcons have been, particularly on the defensive side of the ball over the last five years or so, where you've got Dean Peas and then Jimmy Lake and now Jeff Olrich, and it felt like for a couple of years there, they were pinging ponging back and forth and and kind of getting some different body types. The Panthers have at least been able to build in in one direction incrementally. And so now a lot of that is, okay, what has that gotten them? can they rise above the ranks of making the playoffs to now being a legitimate year in and yearout contender? And they attacked free agency heavier than pretty much any team. They had 15 free agent signings the first week of free agency with $191 million committed in salaries during that time. That was the fifth most of any team in that opening week. And a lot of that money went to uh Jaden Jaylen Phillips and uh really improving their pass rush which was a key issue for them last season but has historically been a strength for the Panthers. The best Panthers teams usually have a really good defense and that is what this off season was about for Carolina. It's also another one where Bryce Young and kind of what his ceiling is and how quickly he can get there uh is and and so that is kind of the offensive story centers around Bryce Young and how far he can take them. Defensively, this was a huge adjustment and bringing in some new faces. And we'll get to those new faces here in in just a moment. Uh my my brother though, here's a a quick quick note for him uh about the Bryce situation, which he says the biggest is the biggest offseason storyline. Uh but this quote, I feel like he shows enough to keep you hanging and he shows flashes, but I feel like the word consistency is the key word for him. Then he later said, either be consistently bad or consistently good, but either way, just be consistent. And so I think Panthers fans what that means is they want an answer on Bryce Young in 2026. Uh and that that is where it stands with the quarterback position in Carolina. So, the biggest offseason departure, honorable mentions for Aan Robinson, the defensive tackle, and Rico Dattle, who It's crazy if you look at I pulled up the top six games, individual games by a player in terms of scrimmage yards last season. Rico Dattle has number three and five on that list. So, it goes Jonathan Taylor had 286 yards in a single game. That's number one. Jir Gibbs behind him, Rico Dattle at three. Then you got Bjan Robinson against Buffalo. He had 238 yards in that game. Rico Dattle again at number five. And then Bjan Robinson at six. So you got Rico Bjon. Rico Bjon. That's the NFC South has had some good running backs recently. Um and they may continue to have one in Carolina with Jonathan Brooks who So even though Rico Dattle is gone, Jonathan Brooks is is stepping up. But the biggest departure for the Panthers is Cade Maze. the center was not really expected to be a departure for them. He left to go to Detroit this off seasonason. Um, and he was a huge reason why Bryce Young was able to kind of have any of the success that he did last year because the pass protection, especially right in a quarterback lap, is critical. And Cade Mays was among the very best and did not allow a sack the last two seasons. According to Pro Football Focus, their biggest addition this offseason, I mentioned it, but Jaylen Phillips, he is one of the premier pass rushers, young pass rushers in this league. Carolina was tied for 28th in the NFL in sacks last year and had just 30 overall. Uh, and so getting a pass rusher on day one of free agency who now can be the guy for you off the edge was a huge get um for Jaylen Phillips. He did play and start all 17 games last season. So even though he dealt with injuries in 2023 and 2024, that was big uh for him to see. And my brother said Carolina's pass rush last year was in his words absolutely atrocious. So we'll see if Jaylen Phillips can improve that. Devin Lloyd, quick honorable mention for him, linebacker. I'm excited to see what he can do in Carolina as well. Finally, what is the team identity and how does that match up with the Atlanta Falcons? kind of touched on this at the top, so I'll be brief here, but they're a young ascending kind of defense first, at least in 2026 offseason uh turnaround story. They were ahead of schedule last year, as I mentioned. T McMillan is is truly a fun and ascending young wide receiver in this league. We'll see what he can do uh in year two, but I think it's safe to say he's already kind of the best receiver Carolina has. Um and ultimately, it kind of comes down to the defense. How much can that defense improve and take a step from last year? If they can, then Carolina's going to be a a real considerable force, I think, in the NFC South and in the conference as as a whole. And when it comes to the Panthers Falcons specifically, good luck. Your guess is as good as mine. Uh it feels like every one of these games recently has has been kind of tight, contentious. Obviously, we know that that season finale in 2024 was crazy. Bryce Young has 14 career wins. Of those 14, 12 have happened because of game-winning drives. Uh, of those 12 game-winning drives. Three have come against the Falcons. The final score of those three games were 9 to7, 44 to 38, and 30 to 27. So, that is all over the board when it comes to outcomes and the range. You have a defensive battle, you have a 44 to 38 game, and then you got something kind of more in the middle, 30-27. Who knows what this year will hold? Um, but we do know that Bryce is probably going to have a pretty good game. So, we'll we'll see if what the game plan is uh to slow him down this year. But that's the Carolina Panthers. Uh, I probably spent way too long talking about a team that most of you are very very familiar with. Uh, the 985 rivalry is or the I85 rivalry is uh is always one of my favorite and with familial ties. So, can't wait to see the Carolina Panthers twice again this year. But, thank you guys so much for listening to today's episode. Know it was a long one. Appreciate you guys as always. Take care.