The MMQB NFL Podcast

Here's a sneak peek at SI's newest podcast, Sports Illustrated Weekly! Featuring storytelling, interviews, and unforgettable sports moments – SI Weekly is everything you love about the iconic sports magazine, now in podcast form. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week’s news that Sean Payton would be stepping down as head coach of the Saints came with a fair amount of shockwaves. Conor (the man who predicted it) and Gary break down what it all means for the Saints, for Payton, and for a handful of coaches who will likely enter 2023 on the hot seat (sorry Mike McCarthy, but we’re looking in your direction).Then, a preview of Conference Championship Sunday. Can Ja’Marr Chase go off again—and do the Bengals need him to if they’re going to pull off the upset? Does it matter that the Chiefs can’t protect Joe Burrow? And how many snaps will Blake Bell take?On the NFC side, do the 49ers continue with their magical run? Does Kyle Shanahan continue to have Sean McVay’s number? And is the Rams offense ready to fire on all cylinders again?Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After about 40 minutes to compose themselves, Conor and Gary eventually get to the quartet of mind-melting games we just witnessed this weekend.First, the spectacular display in Kansas City between the Chiefs and Bills, and what the Mahomes-Josh Allen rivalry means for the near- to medium-future of the NFL. On Buffalo’s late-game inefficiencies, but also how the two quarterbacks and Tyreek Hill time and time again did the impossible.Then, the Rams’ near-meltdown and how they, ultimately, outclassed the Bucs, plus whether Tom Brady should come back for another run. The incredible special teams meltdown in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers’s disappointing performance, and the Deebo Samuel show. Finally, why Mike Vrabel is right to be grumpy, why the Bengals were lucky to escape Nashville, the episode of Bones where they find a bone, and much more!Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Conference Semifinals Weekend is almost here, but first, a look back at Monday night, and the final moments of the Cardinals’ months-long collapse.Conor and Gary take a step back to examine the good and bad of Kyler Murray three seasons in, the strengths and shortcomings of Kliff Kingsbury, and whether this year should be considered progress for the Cardinals.Then, a look at the conference semifinal games. Whether the Titans are ready for Joe Burrow, why these 49ers are not like the teams that haven’t beaten Aaron Rodgers in the past, why the Rams and Bucs come down to which front four is more dominant, how the Bills will approach Patrick Mahomes in Round 4, and why Josh Allen is nearly unstoppable.Plus, our favorite shows that we never saw but are imminently familiar with because they were advertised, non-stop, all season long.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Five of the six Wild-Card games are in the books, and Conor and Gary are diving into what went down. Which included Dak Prescott. A second too late. A discussion of the buffonish inefficiency of the Cowboys’ final play selection, as well as the performance of one team that wasn’t prepared, and another that seemed uninterested in closing them out.Then, the Bucs outclass the Eagles in a bitter end for Philly’s season, as Tom Brady continues to be often unstoppable and incredibly boring to watch. In the AFC, the Chiefs and Steelers square off in a game that never should have been played, but the football gods make up for it by sending Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen to play head-to-head next weekend. Plus, a trip back to Saturday night and how the Bills put together a flawless game against the Patriots, and the absurd goodness of Joe Burrow and the future of the Carr-Bisaccia Raiders.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We were shocked by Brian Flores’s dismissal. We were shocked by the lack of a Joe Judge dismissal until he was dismissed. Conor and Gary discuss the very strange situations with the Dolphins and Giants, and what’s fair and what isn’t when it comes to longevity in the NFL coaching world.Then, an assessment of the six head-coach openings in the NFL. Which jobs are good? Which jobs were bad? Which one would allow you to most closely mimic the work-life balance of Craig T. Nelson in Coach?Then, a preview of the six wild-card playoff games, from the suddenly underrated Raiders, the realness (or lack thereof) of the Bengals, why Mac Jones should consider sleeping in a meat freezer, the issues the Eagles present for the Bucs, the Cowboys dealing with the 49ers’ wide-zone running game, the chances T.J. Watt can literally throw Patrick Mahomes out of the stadium, Eric Weddle Fever grips L.A., and more.(“More” includes a discussion of the 2007 National League MVP voting and Mehmet Okur’s presence on the world champion Detroit Pistons.)Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On one hand, Week 18—and the unprecedented Game 17s—brought a weekend full of duds. On the other hand, it did bring the weirdest Sunday Night Football game ever contested, a prisoner’s dilemma game between the Raiders and Chargers, who could have moved to the postseason with a truce but instead Vegas (after a moment of hesitation) grabbed the win.Conor and Gary discuss the wisdom and logic behind Rich Bisaccia’s and Brandon Staley’s decisions in overtime, as well as the outright absurd performance of Justin Herbert.There were other games too! A look at Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers somehow surviving another week, how Jimmy Garoppolo dragged the 49ers back in L.A., why Saints fans surely hate the Rams even more than they did before, and how the real Trevor Lawrence stood up and the Colts collapsed with an all-time brutal loss in Jacksonville.Plus, Joe Judge’s latest meltdown, and how Vic Fangio’s fate was sealed in Denver.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The NFL regular season is wrapping up, which means the coaching carousel is firing up. But rather than slog through a weeks-long process full of uncorroborated rumors and misinformation and overall frustration, Conor and Gary condense the whole thing into one 60-minute podcast episode.Where do the Jaguars look in light of the Urban Meyer debacle? If the Raiders are indeed going to make a move, does Mark Davis go big-game fishing again or do they find a personality fit from the coordinator ranks? Are we sure the Bears will move on from Matt Nagy—and, if they do, is there anyone capable of cleaning up the mess of a roster in Chicago?Plus, the Vikings’ alternatives if the Mike Zimmer era is over, the chances the Seahawks job opens up, David Culley and the islands he will shop for, and a whole lot more.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The penultimate Sunday of the NFL regular season was the strangest Sunday of the NFL regular season, and nothing was more unusual than Antonio Brown walking out of MetLife Stadium during the third quarter of the Bucs-Jets game. Jenny, Conor and Gary discuss how we arrived at this point with Brown, how the Bucs could possibly justify bringing him in, defending some of his indefensible actions, then cutting him loose after what was a relatively minor incident compared to the rest of his history. What all of it says about Brown, the Bucs’ organization and the way the NFL handles players.There was also plenty to talk about on the field, including Joe Burrow’s heroic performance in the Bengals’ division-clinching win over the Chiefs, the Cardinals defense rekindling concerns over Dak Prescott’s late-season performance, the Rams’ uneven win in Baltimore, the Raiders’ persistence in Indy, the Dolphins’ meltdown in Nashville, and the good and bad of Trey Lance’s second career start.Plus, a fond farewell (though she’ll be returning as a guest) to our own Jenny Vrentas.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI, @JennyVrentas or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Last spring he was the most polarizing quarterback in the NFL draft, a prolific collegiate passer who lacked the dynamic athleticism we’ve come to expect from this generation of QBs. But now, 15 games into this season and his NFL career—and even after back-to-back disappointing outings—Mac Jones is the Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner and objectively outperforming every other quarterback drafted last spring.So… what does that mean? Jenny, Conor and Gary discuss Jones’s skillset—his strengths, his limitations and why, to this point, he can overcome those limitations—whether or not it will lead NFL teams to try to find similar quarterbacks in upcoming drafts, and why there’s more risk in identifying and drafting “the next Mac Jones” than you might think.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI, @JennyVrentas or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy