The MMQB NFL Podcast

It happens so often that you might not even take much notice anymore. A scramble concluding with an off-balance throw that lands directly on-target downfield. A sidearm sling to work the ball through an impossibly narrow throwing lane. A jump pass from a collapsed pocket, the ball flying further than what would seem to be biomechanically possible.Ten, maybe even five, years ago you’d only see a couple plays like this over the course of an NFL season; now, you’re seeing a handful of them seemingly every week. And, it turns out, that’s not by accident.Conor joins Jenny and Gary to discuss his SI cover story on the quarterback evolution, and coaching revolution, that has swept through all levels of football faster than anyone could have imagined. And how, just a few years after it looked like the NFL was in the midst of a quarterback crisis, it now seems like the position is stronger than ever.Have a question for the show? 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

Week 10 Sunday was full of lopsided games, as the second half of the season started with a handful of teams separating themselves from the pack.First, the Chiefs blowout win in Vegas, in which Patrick Mahomes and K.C. looked like themselves for the first time in quite a while. Have the Chiefs gotten right, or were Mahomes’s handful of erratic decisions still cause for concern? And is this the real Raiders after all?Then, a look at the much-anticipated Rodgers vs. Russ matchup that didn’t live up to its billing in Lambeau, how the Patriots got on their climb toward the AFC’s elite, and whether it’s time to jump off the Browns bandwagon (again).Plus, the return of Cam and long-term outlook for the Panthers, what’s going wrong with the Bucs, the Dan Quinn revenge game as the Cowboys blow out the Falcons, the baffling path to victory the Titans have taken the past two weeks, the sadness of the Steelers-Lions tie, and much more! Have a question for the show? 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

With the midpoint of the 2021 season officially upon us, Jenny, Conor and Gary take an opportunity to look back at both the season’s first half, and their predictions from the summer when we were all younger and a little more naive. Discussions about the disappointing Dolphins, the pleasant surprise that is the 2021 Bengals, the stunningly slow start for the Trevor Lawrence-led Jaguars, the Saints QB situation, and maybe—just maybe— a good time to hop on the New York Jets’ bandwagon?What was the biggest surprise of the 2021 season so far? What developments are we most intrigued by for the season’s second half? And what were our most accurate—and therefore favorite—predictions?Then, each host has a chance to stick with, revise or (maybe) add to their preseason Super Bowl prediction from the summer.Have a question for the show? 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

We hit the (kinda) halfway point of the regular season with a Sunday full of upsets, but the week’s headlining game ended up being nothing like it was supposed to be.Jenny and Gary break down Jordan Love’s underwhelming start in Kansas City, but also why there’s nothing you can really say about the quarterback’s long-term prospects after Aaron Rodgers’s positive COVID-19 test forced him into action. Also, a discussion of a Chiefs offense that still isn’t quite there.Then, a look at the Titans defense dominating in L.A. as the absence of Derrick Henry doesn’t factor in at all, the Broncos defense forces a rough day for Dak Prescott (but could the QB’s calf injury have something to do with it?), and the Browns finally get a couple turnovers in a dominant performance to beat the Bengals.Plus, Colt McCoy has the answers in San Francisco, the Jaguars defense steps up and stuns the Bills, the Saints’ head-scratching lack of Taysom Hill in a loss to the Falcons, Mike Zimmer plays it safe in another heart-breaking Vikings loss, and much more.Have a question for the show? 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

The NFL trade deadline has come and gone with the usual lack of, well, trades. But that won’t stop Jenny, Conor and Gary from breaking down the big deal (Von Miller), the deals that didn’t happen (Odell Beckham Jr. and Deshaun Watson) and the other little deals that went through.Yes, we know what Von Miller brings to L.A., but what does this deal say about the boldness of GM Les Snead, who continues to shed draft capital but also continues to oversee a team that wins a lot of games?Then, a discussion of podcast favorite Charles Omenihu and what he brings to the 49ers, as well as the Texans’ underwhelming trade deadline after loading up on veterans on tradeable contracts last offseason. Plus, the impact of the Chiefs gaining one big name (Melvin Ingram) while moving another (Laurent Duvernay-Tardif).Finally, a look at the awkwardness of the Odell Beckham Jr. situation in Cleveland, after the noise made by his father and one prominent friend named LeBron who is also an athlete of some kind. And the least surprising development of all: the lack of a trade for Deshaun Watson, in spite of a torrent of reports that he would be moved.Have a question for the show? 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

Conor and Jenny are here to take you through a bewitching Week 8 in the NFL. We start with the big upset in New Orleans, where the Saints haunted Tom Brady to take down the defending champs, even after losing Jameis Winston early in the game to a knee injury.Then, we discuss the thrilling wins for the other back-up QBs: Cooper Rush leading the Cowboys over the Vikings on Sunday Night Football, the Jets' Mike White throwing for 400 yards against the Bengals and Geno Smith notching his first W as a starter for the Seahawks. The Patriots and the Steelers also deliver big wins for their proud franchises in what is a frighteningly wide-open AFC. Plus, Jimmy G scares away his critics, the Titans have a death-grip on the AFC South and the ghoulish blowout losses brought to us by the worst rosters in the NFL. All in a Halloween's work.Have a question for the show? 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

It’s been more than seven months since news of the first civil suit filed against the quarterback first came to light, and ever since it’s been a mess of rumors, misperceptions and incorrect information. Jenny and Gary, who have reported the story more deeply, thoroughly and independently than anyone in the industry, discuss what’s true and what isn’t when it comes to the Deshaun Watson situation.That starts with Roger Goodell’s first public comments regarding the league’s lack of action on Watson, the basis for which doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Jenny and Gary also—once again—address the stubborn conflation of license massage therapists and paid sex workers when it comes to the details SI has independently corroborated, as well as the absurd and insulting Houston-area rumors that SI’s reporting was influenced by a plaintiffs’ attorney who was heavily criticized throughout the process.Finally, a look at the trade rumors themselves and who they’re affecting—as well as who’s escaping accountability—in the final days before the trade deadline.Have a question for the show? 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

Week 7’s slate might not have been the best one we’ve seen this season, but it did give us a better grip on more than a few teams. First and foremost: The Bengals are really good. Jenny, Conor and Gary break down not just the emergence of Joe Burrow and the (controversial, at the time) addition of Ja’Marr Chase, but the overlooked defense that is fueling their early success just as much.Then, a look at everything going wrong for the Chiefs, coming off their worst game of the Mahomes era, sorting through a wet win for the Colts on Sunday night and figuring out just where Carson Wentz stands.Plus, a discussion on the continued absurdity that is the Deshaun Watson rumor mill, in light of reports that the Dolphins and Panthers are ready to leap without looking.Have a question for the show? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI, @JennyVrentas or @ConorO Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It seemed the Steelers were heading toward—at best—a tie with the Geno Smith-led Seahawks on Sunday night. That’s when T.J. Watt did what he does best, the most important thing a defensive player can do in the modern NFL: He took the ball back.Turnovers have been declining at a steady rate over the history of the NFL, and the number is on-pace to hit a new low again this season. Jenny and Gary discuss just what the takeaway means at a time when defenses are struggling more than ever to get off the field.Also, a look at how Watt is doing his part to keep defenses afloat with his aggressive approach to forcing turnovers. And a discussion of Trevon Diggs’s historic pace on interceptions, and whether he can make a run at an INT record that hasn’t really even been threatened since it was set in 1952.Have a question for the show? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI, @JennyVrentas or @ConorO Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The sixth Sunday of the NFL season brought the extremes, with a number of weird and wild games sprinkled in with some absolute blowouts.Jenny, Conor and Gary start with the Cowboys’ rollercoaster ride in New England, where they overcame a ton of penalties, a ton of third-down struggles, and a late, long Mac Jones touchdown pass to beat the Patriots in overtime. What does it say about Dallas as a potential Super Bowl contender? And what does it say about the Patriots and their rookie QB?Then, a look at the things that went very wrong for the Browns in a lopsided home loss to the Cardinals, and how the Ravens are overcoming plenty during their current winning streak.Also, T.J. Watt takes over overtime on Sunday night (a difficult thing for a pro-Geno Smith podcast to admit), the post-Gruden Raiders get off to a great start, the Chiefs prove that—at least for one day—some sloppy turnovers can be easily overcome, a closer examination of Aaron Rodgers’s claim that he owns the Bears, Kirk Cousins gets it done in Carolina, what’s next for the Giants after a meltdown against the Rams, and much more.Have a question for the show? 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