Week 7 Picks And Preview, Bears Win TNF, Blake Griffin Talking NBA + Fyre Fest Of The Week

Episode Overview

• Bears vs. Patriots Thursday Night Football Recap: Recorded on Friday, October 23, 2026 (producer Evo's 30th birthday), the hosts break down the Chicago Bears' 32-24 victory over the 4-3 New England Patriots, analyzing Caleb Williams' efficiency, Drake Maye's concussion, and fourth-quarter coaching decisions by Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel.
• NBA Opening Week & NFL Scheduling Trends: The crew discusses the New York Knicks' 2025-26 championship ring ceremony, the Philadelphia 76ers' 2-0 start behind Jaylen Brown, PFT's courtside experience at a Washington Wizards game, and the NFL testing consecutive primetime broadcasts.
• NFL Week 7/8 Betting Previews & Fantasy Football: A comprehensive game-by-game breakdown of every upcoming NFL matchup—from the Steelers-Saints game in Paris to Seahawks-Chiefs on Sunday Night Football—alongside Jerry O'Connell's "Fantasy Minute" and the crew's weekly betting competition.
• Blake Griffin Interview & Fyre Fest of the Week: Five-time "Blake of the Year" Blake Griffin joins the show to discuss his new weekly program The Step Back, the psychological toll of social media on NBA players, and the 2026-27 NBA landscape, followed by the hosts' personal weekly mishaps ("Fyre Fests") and the Lottery Ball segment.

Key Concepts

• Disclosed Sponsors, Business Ties, and Investments: Throughout the episode, the speakers disclose several commercial partnerships and personal investments:
• DraftKings Sports: Title sponsor ("presented by DraftKings", live in all 50 states); new customers who sign up with code TAKE and spend $5 receive $200 in bonus rewards within 21 days.
• Automotive, Food, Apparel, Finance, and Legal Sponsors: Chevy (promoting the Next-Generation 2026 Chevy Silverado at chevy.com); Reese's (official candy partner of Barstool Sports and sponsor of the Picks & Previews segment); Twisted Tea (promoting the Twisted Tea Party Pack with 5% alcohol); Pepsi Zero Sugar ("Tailgating deserves Pepsi. Food deserves Pepsi."); Venmo / Venmo Debit Mastercard (issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A., effective November 1, 2026, at venmo.com/card); Rhoback (promo code TAKE at rhoback.com for 20% off a first purchase); State Farm (noting 19,000 local agents nationwide at statefarm.com); and Morgan & Morgan (disclosed as a paid advertisement at forthepeople.com/pmt or by dialing #LAW / #529).
• Host Merchandise and Investments: Barstool Sports merchandise features a new "Hank 2.0" / "Car Stick 5.0" farting dog toy available on their store. Big Cat and PFT Commenter disclose they are part-owners of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) Waterdogs team and hold an investment in "The Osos." Blake Griffin promotes his role with NBA on Prime (which holds rights to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals) and his weekly show The Step Back airing Tuesdays on Amazon Prime and YouTube.
• Anatomy of the Bears' 32-24 Win Over the Patriots: Five hours before kickoff, Big Cat predicted a 31-21 Bears win (and during a Thursday morning pre-game bit, Big Cat claimed the Bears won 34-21, Hank predicted a 31-24 Patriots win on a Drake Maye Hail Mary with 10 seconds left, PFT predicted a 30-30 tie, and Big Cat revealed a bet with Keith Yandle where the loser takes the winner golfing at Michael Jordan's private course, The Grove XXII, in Miami). In the actual 32-24 victory, the game swung on several key moments:
• Quarterback Play and Injuries: Prior to the game, a graphic showed Caleb Williams at the top of the NFL for the shortest yards per throw. However, Williams finished with 326 total rushing and passing yards (308 passing) and a season completion percentage over 70%, converting a 3rd-and-17 touchdown to Luther Burden in the first half and two 3rd-and-longs while backed up in the second half. Conversely, Hank notes Patriots QB Drake Maye was concussed on a dirty hit right before throwing a first-half end-zone interception. Bears TE Cole Kmet also hurt his knee and will likely miss extended time.
• Defensive Breakdowns and Pass Rush: At the end of the second quarter, New England scored a touchdown on an Andy Reid-style Hail Mary setup play where Bears defenders Kyler Gordon ran into Dillon Thieneman, Malik Muhammad turned and ran away from the play, and Jaylon Johnson got cooked. Later, Gordon (who has 4 sacks this season while playing either 21 or around 40 snaps—a stat Big Cat hedges on by saying, "That can't be right, I think he's played more than that") helped anchor the defense as Dillon Thieneman and Daniel Hardy sacked Maye on the second-to-last drive to force 3rd-and-20.
• Fourth-Quarter Clock Management and Strategy: The Bears bled the clock with two fourth-quarter drives: 13 plays for 51 yards taking about 7 minutes, and 12 plays for 51 yards taking about 5 minutes. With 6 minutes left, Bears kicker Cairo Santos doinked a 53-yard field goal high off the upright, which convinced coach Ben Johnson that Santos had the leg strength to attempt and make a game-winning 58-yarder later. Under the 2-minute warning facing 3rd-and-inches with New England holding 3 timeouts, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel had his defense intentionally jump offsides on a hard count to save clock.
• The Intentional Illegal Play Theory & "Glenn" Simulations: Ben Johnson called an illegal play where Williams took the snap under center and handed the ball forward to left guard Joe Thuney, who pivoted and was tackled 1 yard short of the line to gain. Big Cat theorizes Johnson called the illegal play on purpose to put bad tape out for a future setup variation, though he explicitly hedges this as "a sicko, I might be too in love with Ben Johnson take." Additionally, the show's fictional/AI-voiced film analyst "Glenn" claims to have run 9,000 simulations of the game to prove Drake Maye has a smoother throwing motion left-handed, promoting a daily challenge simulator at hesstillrunning.com.
• College Football Meltdowns & NFL Primetime Scheduling: On Thursday night, James Madison University (JMU) lost to App State in overtime after JMU's starting running back exited with a hamstring injury; during the third quarter, a Twitter user named "Fletcher Shotgun Cox, CPA" deactivated his account after promising to eat dog poop out of a cup on video if JMU lost. Meanwhile, citing a theory from Mike Florio, Big Cat explains that the NFL is testing putting teams on three consecutive primetime broadcasts (such as the Bears playing TNF, MNF vs. Seahawks, and SNF vs. Bucs, as well as the Falcons playing three straight) to prepare for future Tuesday and Wednesday night football games.
• NBA Opening Week Storylines & Roster Shifts: The 2026-27 NBA season opened with major shifts across the league:
• Knicks Banner Night & Phishing Scandal: The New York Knicks celebrated their 2025-26 championship ring ceremony and banner night (which took 20 minutes to raise), featuring Mike Breen doing intros and four of the starting five from the 1973 championship team handing out rings. Max notes NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was placed front and center while NBA Commissioner Adam Silver did not hand out the rings. Citing The Athletic, PFT and Memes report that Knicks owner James Dolan allegedly sent phishing emails to team assistants tricking them into thinking they were receiving championship rings, which turned out to be a cybersecurity test when clicked.
• 76ers' 2-0 Start & Celtics Drama: The Philadelphia 76ers spoiled the Knicks' banner night in Game 1 and then overcame a 29-point second-half deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (in LeBron James's first game back with Cleveland) to start 2-0, led by 76ers player Jaylen Brown. When Bleacher Report posted a video of Jayson Tatum claiming he didn't get Jaylen Brown traded to Philadelphia, Brown commented "Cap" on the post. Later, Hank and Blake Griffin discuss Paul George saying that playing for Boston brought out a buried passion, with Griffin praising Celtics GM Brad Stevens and Boston's historical work ethic, while Big Cat quotes Ryen Russillo's take that "the Boston Celtics are the Jalen Hurts of the NBA" (and Max counters Hank's claim that Hurts is never electric by pointing to the two Super Bowls Hurts played in).
• Wizards Courtside: PFT sat courtside ("on the wood") behind the Washington Wizards bench for their game against the Milwaukee Bucks, noting the Wizards are 1-0 (and about to be 2-0 and 3-0) with a roster featuring Anthony Davis, Deandre Ayton, Bub Carrington, and Trae Young, alongside assistant coaches Patrick Ewing and a 7-foot-4 assistant coach from France.
• The "Schedule Illusion" & Early Slate NFL Matchups: Statistical dominance through Week 6 often masks weak opponent quality, requiring bettors to look closer at team contexts across the early slate:
• Steelers vs. Saints in Paris (Saints +3.5, O/U 44.5): The Steelers are taking a Friday night red-eye flight to Paris and going straight to the practice field with 42-year-old QB Aaron Rodgers, standout player Germie Bernard, and coach Mike McCarthy (who went into the blue medical tent last week after getting stepped on). Citing Sports Info Solutions, Big Cat notes Pittsburgh runs almost half their plays between the guards for a top-5 inside-run success rate, facing a Saints defense that ranks bottom-10 in inside-run success rate allowed. For New Orleans, kicker Daniel Carlson may miss the trip because his wife is going into labor (prompting the call-up of Irish practice squad kicker Charlie Smyth), while QB Tyler Shough and WR Chris Olave rank as the #1 QB-WR duo in the NFL with 580 receiving yards (helped by Sam Darnold missing games and Drew Lock throwing to Jaxon Smith-Njigba; #2 is Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, #3 is Jordan Love and Christian Watson, #4 is Jordan Love and Matthew Golden, and Olave is 2nd overall in NFL receiving yards).
• 49ers at Falcons (Falcons +3, O/U 50.5): San Francisco (coached defensively by former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, with WR Mike Evans potentially out injured) has played the Rams in Australia, Dolphins, Cardinals, Broncos, Commanders, and Seahawks. The teams the 49ers have beaten hold a combined 12-22-1 record (3rd-easiest schedule by opponent win percentage through 6 weeks). Still, through his first 55 career games, QB Brock Purdy has 9 more wins than Peyton Manning, more passing yards than Aaron Rodgers, and more touchdown passes than Josh Allen had in their first 55 games. Meanwhile, the Falcons released a new brown, tan, and black alternate logo that drew internet mockery for resembling Nazi eagle imagery (recalling a 2014 incident where a Falcons throwback logo looked like the Albanian flag). Hank eyes the Falcons as a "Hungry Dog" underdog pick, though he repeatedly hedges on committing to his Hungry Dogs (Falcons and Giants) on Thursday.
• Browns at Titans (Titans +1.5, O/U 37.5): Tennessee has not won back-to-back games in four years (since November 2022), still employs WR Calvin Ridley (who had 2 catches for 35 yards vs. the Eagles earlier this season), and just cut DT Jordan Elliott after he left practice last Thursday to retrieve a gun from his car following an altercation with JC Latham (which coach Robert Saleh addressed as a lapse in judgment). For Cleveland, QB Deshaun Watson (whom coach Todd Monken called "Shaun") hosted the team at his house ("Number 4's crib") with food trucks for Victory Monday ahead of a schedule featuring the Titans, at Steelers, at Saints, Texans, Raiders, and Bengals. Big Cat also notes that in NFL history, the only divisions where every team was above .500 through Week 6 are the 2005 NFC East, 2024 NFC North, 2025 NFC North, 2026 NFC North, and 2026 AFC North.
• Colts at Vikings (Vikings -6.5, O/U 41.5) & Eagles Trade Rumors: Following the Colts firing GM Chris Ballard, owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon warning the team to win, and Ed Dodds becoming interim GM, Indianapolis (whose games average 8.4 points over the total) faces a Vikings team whose games average an NFL-last 6.1 points under the total. Coming off a bye with Jordan Addison, Jordan Mason, and T.J. Hockenson healthy, Minnesota ranks 1st in the NFL in scoring defense, EPA per play, success rate allowed, pass success rate allowed, and red zone conversion rate allowed. Separately, Adam Schefter reported the Eagles will be both buyers and sellers at the trade deadline, and Big Cat notes Eagles RB Saquon Barkley has only surpassed 1,005 rushing yards twice in his career.
• Dolphins at Jets (Jets -4.5, O/U 39.5): The NFL fined coaches Aaron Glenn (Jets), Nick Sirianni, and Mike Vrabel $250,000 each, with the stipulation that the money will be refunded if they behave for the rest of the season. The Jets have been outscored 100 to 6 in the final 2 minutes of the second quarter (Memes notes this stat is from last year), while the Dolphins—who have the worst total yard differential in the NFL at -650 yards—tried out kicker Justin Tucker (his second tryout without a job) before signing Zane Gonzalez.
• Bucs at Panthers (Panthers -3, O/U 44.5), Bengals at Ravens (Ravens -1.5, O/U 48.5), & Giants at Texans (Texans -10, O/U 42.5): Tampa Bay welcomes back QB Baker Mayfield from injury (after backup Jayden Daniels went 1-1), though WR Emeka Egbuka is out and Bucky Irving, Calijah Kancey, and Zyon McCollum were sick this week; Carolina (who gave up 59 points to the Bears in Week 1) is led by "Fun Bryce," a nickname safety Nick Scott and teammates gave QB Bryce Young after he drew an offsides penalty with a hard count. In Baltimore, QB Lamar Jackson missed early-week practice with a limp (though he had no limp Friday; PFT and Big Cat hedge his status as "50/50, who knows," with Snoop Huntley backing him up), while former Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson now plays for the Ravens and Joe Burrow noted Hendrickson is likely excited to hit him. In Houston, the Texans return from an international game abroad and welcome back WR Tank Dell two years after a catastrophic leg injury (Dell vowed to spike the ball on his first catch regardless of yardage). They face Giants coach John Harbaugh (who is 13-4 against the spread in his last 17 games as an underdog of more than 3 points over the last decade) and rookie QB J.J. McCarthy (nicknamed "Nine"), who is starting over Jameis Winston (prompting Texans coach DeMeco Ryans to say it doesn't matter who plays QB). Giants WR Malik Nabers has posted 6 catches for 112 yards, 11 catches (on 20 targets) for 121 yards, and 12 catches for 165 yards over his last three games, and through 25 career NFL games has already caught passes from 8 different Giants QBs: Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock, Tim Boyle, Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston, and J.J. McCarthy.
• Late Slate, Sunday Night Football, and Coaching Chess Matches:
• Packers at Lions (Lions -3, O/U 53.5): Detroit is 5-0 to the over this season, leading the NFL in scoring while allowing the most yards. Lions TE Sam LaPorta appeared on Pardon My Take on Wednesday to state he wants a new contract, and DB Brian Branch is returning from injury. Hank likes Detroit coming off a bye, while PFT notes head coach Dan Campbell has a chance to pull off the historic "LaFleur sweep" by beating both Matt and Mike LaFleur in the same year (hedging, "He would be the first person to do it, I think," while Big Cat points out Campbell still plays Matt LaFleur a second time at Lambeau Field). PFT also highlights a coordinator chess match between Packers DC Jonathan Gannon and Lions OC Drew Petzing, who practiced against each other daily in Arizona. For Green Bay, Big Cat hedges on whether their early-season issues are truly fixed ("I don't know if that's fully the case"), while RB Josh Jacobs returns from a 6-game suspension involving an unreleased video (coach Matt LaFleur spoke about "second chances," Jacobs felt 6 games was too long, and PFT hedges on judging whether Jacobs deserves a second chance because he hasn't seen the video). Additionally, in a discussion comparing Patrick Mahomes' 6-0 record returning from injury, Big Cat hedges on whether Micah Parsons' practice window is open, and Max corrects an outdated July 28 report (which said Week 6 or 7) with an updated report stating Parsons has a realistic chance of returning in Week 9.
• Rams at Raiders (Raiders +3.5, O/U 48.5): The Rams hold a 35% FPI playoff probability, boast a top-10 offense and top-10 defense (despite poor special teams), and have outgained opponents by a league-best 644 yards, yet Big Cat argues their season is over if they lose to Las Vegas and fall to 2-5 during the easiest two-game stretch of their schedule (having played the Cardinals last week). Counterintuitively, Big Cat notes Jared Goff holds a 1% higher career win percentage as the Rams' starting quarterback than Matthew Stafford.
• Cardinals vs. Broncos (Broncos -4.5, O/U 43.5): While Big Cat believes Broncos QB Bo Nix is at a mental "crisis point" with "a little bit of the yips" returning from a broken foot, Nix is 22-2 straight up as a starter (18-6 ATS) when opponents score 20 points or less, and 11-2 against the NFC averaging over 2 TDs per game. PFT predicts Nix will throw for 150 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT in an exact game script: 10-0 Cardinals in the 1st quarter, 10-3 at halftime, scoreless in the 3rd, and 14 fourth-quarter Broncos points to win 17-10.
• Seahawks vs. Chiefs on SNF (Seahawks -3 or -2.5, O/U 42.5): After Hank mistakenly calls Seattle the underdog and apologizes, the hosts debate the 5-0 Chiefs (who beat the Broncos in Week 1, Colts, Dolphins, Raiders, and Chargers—with Big Cat calling the Dolphins and Chargers two of the three worst teams in the NFL). PFT backs the Chiefs, citing their league-best point differential and second-fewest points allowed per game, whereas Big Cat picks the 3-3 Seahawks to win at home because Chiefs WR Tyquan Thornton is out, removing Kansas City's deep threat against a real defense.
• Jerry O'Connell's "Fantasy Minute" & Crew Picks Competition: In a pre-recorded video, actor Jerry O'Connell re-enacts a Barstool New York office lobby fight where an Uber delivery driver argued with Gia over a photo and got into a "mounted position" on Security Dan before Gaz and others broke it up (Max clarifies Jerry accidentally said "Nicky Smokes" instead of "Tommy Smokes" was missing). For fantasy football, Jerry tells listeners to stream the Bengals defense, pick up J.J. McCarthy, and start Roschon Johnson—yet when Big Cat checks the transaction log for their shared fantasy team ("Fortune Favors the Bold," which PFT claims Jerry locked him out of in a hostile takeover, though PFT hedges on whether he was kicked out of their group chat since the last message was Wednesday, October 14th), they discover Jerry actually dropped Roschon Johnson to add J.J. McCarthy against Houston. The crew then builds a +573 three-leg touchdown parlay ($10 wins $57; $100 wins $573) with Amon-Ra St. Brown (Big Cat), Christian Watson (Max), and Kenneth Walker (PFT), and locks in their weekly competition picks (Standings: Max 9, PFT 8, Memes 6, Big Cat 4, Hank 4, Zac 3):
• Max: Packers/Lions Over 53.5, 49ers/Falcons Over 49.5, and Titans +1.5 (after PFT bullied him out of taking the Texans).
• Zac: Chiefs +3 and Steelers/Saints Over 44.5.
• PFT: Browns/Titans Under and Panthers -3.
• Big Cat: Seahawks -3 and Rams/Raiders Over 48.5.
• Hank: Dolphins +4.5 and Packers/Lions Under (after accidentally picking the Over that Max already took).
• Memes: Vikings -6.5 (noting it is broadcaster Paul Allen's 500th game on the call).
• Blake Griffin on Sports Media, Mental Health, and the 2026-27 NBA Landscape: Promoting The Step Back (whose Tuesday premiere featured comedian Stavros Halkias discussing sports journalism), Blake Griffin shares deep insights into athlete psychology and current NBA storylines:
• Social Media Criticism & Beat Writers: Griffin recounts seeing an unnamed former teammate searching his own name on Twitter at his locker at halftime—a player who lacked the mental capacity to handle it—and notes how online criticism destroys players' confidence and alters on-court performance. PFT adds that until 200 years ago, the maximum number of people who knew of any individual's existence was maybe 500,000, meaning human brains haven't evolved to process millions of critics. Griffin also recalls the Clippers warning him as a rookie about LA Times beat writer T.J. Simers (an "old curmudgeon" who was always negative in print but nice in person) and jokes about golfer Viktor Hovland (who planted a tree at Riviera Country Club after taking an alternate fairway) having planted more trees in LA than Kawhi Leonard.
• Evaluating Contenders & Roster Moves: Griffin says the December Emirates NBA Cup Finals (Spurs vs. Knicks) felt high-stakes and praises Jalen Brunson's focus after New York's January skid and first-round series against Atlanta. He breaks down the 76ers' roster fit (mentioning LeBron James, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid, while noting LeBron was essentially the third option on the Lakers last year behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves) and marvels that LeBron has "never been hurt," "never had a surgery," and "24x'd" his body investment. He praises the Indiana Pacers (Tyrese Haliburton returning from injury, Ivica Zubac, and coach Rick Carlisle, noting nobody expected them to make the Finals two seasons ago). When Big Cat claims Victor Wembanyama "can't win the big one" after losing the Olympics, NBA Cup, and NBA Finals, Griffin calls it a "bad take," predicting Wemby could win MVP and DPOY this year. Griffin calls the current Lakers "the white Lakers, White Showtime" (coached by JJ Redick and led by Luka Dončić), jokes with the hosts about cut Laker Dalton Knecht going to Minnesota with LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards in a "reverse Blind Side" scenario, and notes that Peyton Watson leaving the Denver Nuggets is a tough blow that—combined with injuries—is closing Denver's championship window despite Nikola Jokić still being the best player in the world. Griffin predicts a Spurs vs. Thunder Western Conference Finals, a Knicks vs. 76ers Eastern Conference Finals on Amazon Prime, and an Oklahoma City Thunder NBA championship.
• Golf, Arenas, Awards, and Officiating: Griffin reveals "breaking news" that he hurt his back in March, took time off golf, and just played his first round back last week at Liberty National; he also confirms Austin Reaves' story that JJ Redick gets furious at his own shadow on the golf tee box, having bought Redick a custom Punxsutawney Phil groundhog headcover. While he hasn't visited the Clippers' new Intuit Dome yet, he heard it features "a ton of toilets" to eliminate lines and uses facial recognition scans for walk-out drink purchases. On NBA award voting (which ties into All-NBA player contract incentives), Griffin explicitly hedges ("Full disclosure, I don't really have a solve for this issue") because GMs, coaches, and active players wouldn't be objective, and retired players get salty about modern salaries once their friends retire. Finally, after attending an NBA on Prime seminar with referee head Monty McCutchen regarding new "chicken wing" offensive foul rules, Griffin predicts refs will call it strictly early in the season before reverting to normal by the playoffs.
• Fyre Fest of the Week & Closing Segments:
• Hank's Golfing & Ticket Controversy: Hank's Fyre Fest is failing his "Locktober" goal by golfing more than ever due to 60-to-72-degree sunny fall weather, though he dominated Jerry O'Connell in a left-handed golf match (going up 4 strokes after hole 1 and 9 strokes after hole 2, putting left-handed out of pity before Jerry quit after the 6th hole). PFT's Fyre Fest is getting grilled by Hank over a ticket scandal: anonymous X/Twitter troll account "Glenny Tape Watch" (whom Hank considers an "opp" or suspects is Max, while Big Cat jokes he pays $100 to subscribe to "Glenny Tape Watch University" as a "Glentleman") sent two free Bears-Patriots tickets (valued around $700) to new employee "Drake Maye Lover." Hank forced the employee to reject the "blood diamonds" and return the tickets, promising to buy him better seats on TickPick instead.
• Big Cat's Knee, Office Sauna & Zac's Food Poisoning: Big Cat's Fyre Fest is knee pain/strain from lifting weights and doing squats at age 40+ (he hyperbolically claims, "I think I might have a torn ACL," before immediately hedging that it's not a torn ACL and is likely IT band issues) and lamenting that helpful yoga and elastic band exercises are "so boring." The crew also reveals they scrapped plans for an office sauna and cold plunge because coworker Ben Mintz ("Mintzy") would drip sweat on people eating lunch and trap colleagues in unavoidable 10-to-15-minute sauna conversations. Zac's Fyre Fest is suffering food poisoning ("in the puke zone for about 36 hours" and in a state of mind where he could puke for roughly 21 hours) in New York after going to the wrong, sketchy bodega next to Five Guys and the Barstool office (where they once saw a giant rat) and eating late-night pizza on his hotel room's spare "business/outside bed."
• Lottery Ball & Birthdays: In the Lottery Ball segment, guesses are placed by Big Cat (14), PFT (10), Hank (29), Max (18), Zac (23), Memes (4, 15, and 69 for Colton who is out sick), and 0-6 Shane (47 and 78, after claiming he dual-roots for the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves), before winning number 95 is drawn with no winner. PFT closes by reading weekend birthdays (LaVar Ball, Nick Bosa, Doug Flutie, John Lackey, Pelé, Weird Al Yankovic, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jalen Ramsey, Y.A. Tittle, Eric Hosmer, Jaylen Brown, Wayne Rooney, Drake, Pat Freiermuth, Sean Tucker, Chris Hansen, Juan Soto, Pedro Martinez, Xander Schauffele, Pablo Picasso, Craig Robinson, and Katy Perry), and Memes notes he was sent two "14-pound blowjob machines."

Quotes

• At 0:01:45 - "Today is Friday, October 23rd, and the Bears are back. The Bears beat the Patriots Thursday Night Football, 32-24." - Big Cat opens the episode celebrating Chicago's TNF victory over New England.
• At 0:02:28 - "Defense played well, Drake Maye got concussed, Bears hit him dirty right before the interception, had a doy-doy interception in the end zone in the first half, and that ended up being the difference in the game." - Hank attributes the Patriots' loss to a first-half hit that concussed QB Drake Maye.
• At 0:07:16 - "The fourth quarter, the two drives that the Bears had: 51 yards, 13 plays, took about 7 minutes off the clock; the next one, 12 plays, 51 yards, took about 5 minutes off the clock." - PFT Commenter highlights how the Bears' offense methodically bled the fourth-quarter clock to secure the win.
• At 0:08:48 - "I saw it and I was like, they actually did that on purpose to show tape of it not working and then they're going to do a variation off of it." - Big Cat shares his "sicko" theory on why Bears coach Ben Johnson called an illegal forward handoff to left guard Joe Thuney.
• At 0:33:56 - "Saying that instead of giving rings to all the assistants, he sent out like phishing emails to trick them into thinking they were getting rings, but then you clicked on something and it was a cybersecurity test." - PFT Commenter discusses The Athletic's report on Knicks owner James Dolan's championship ring phishing test.
• At 0:38:20 - "Florio basically was like, the NFL is testing out putting teams three times in a row on primetime because we're going to get to a point where they start playing Tuesday and Wednesday games." - Big Cat explains Mike Florio's theory regarding the NFL scheduling teams like the Bears and Falcons for three straight primetime broadcasts.
• At 0:46:16 - "Steelers have been one of the more inside-heavy run games this year, with almost half their runs going between the guards and a top-five success rate." - Big Cat cites Sports Info Solutions data to highlight Pittsburgh's rushing advantage against New Orleans in Paris.
• At 0:48:43 - "Tyler Shough and Chris Olave are the number one in yards for a QB-wide receiver duo, 580 this year." - Big Cat shares the surprising statistical leader among NFL quarterback-receiver duos through Week 6.
• At 0:52:13 - "The teams that the 49ers have beaten are 12-22-1, so the third-easiest schedule by opponent win percentage through six." - Big Cat exposes the "Schedule Illusion" behind the 49ers' dominant early-season defensive metrics.
• At 0:53:44 - "First 55 games: Brock Purdy has nine more wins than Peyton Manning in his first 55 games, he has more passing yards than Aaron Rodgers in their first 55 games, and more touchdown passes than Josh Allen in their first 55 games." - Big Cat contextualizes Brock Purdy's historical production through his first 55 NFL starts.
• At 1:07:20 - "The Vikings, their games are the most consistent finishing in the under, they're averaging 6.1 points under the total, and that's the last in the NFL; the Colts are 8.4 points over average on the total." - PFT Commenter contrasts the extreme over/under betting trends entering the Colts-Vikings matchup.
• At 1:14:15 - "They fined them $250,000, but they get the money back if they behave themselves." - PFT Commenter explains the NFL's refundable fine structure for head coaches Aaron Glenn, Nick Sirianni, and Mike Vrabel.
• At 1:28:16 - "Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock, Tim Boyle, Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston, J.J. McCarthy. He's only played 25 games in the NFL. That's eight different quarterbacks." - Big Cat lists the eight different Giants quarterbacks who have completed passes to WR Malik Nabers in his first 25 career games.
• At 1:35:47 - "Wait, this is going to be a little chess match here. Because the defense of the Packers, their coordinator is Jonathan Gannon, right? And the Lions' offensive coordinator is Drew Petzing. They were together in Arizona." - PFT Commenter points out the familiarity between the opposing coordinators in the Packers-Lions divisional game.
• At 1:38:38 - "Jared Goff actually does have a higher win percentage as Rams starting quarterback than Matthew Stafford." - Big Cat reveals that Jared Goff holds a 1% higher career winning percentage with the Rams than Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford.
• At 1:41:12 - "Bo Nix is 22 and 2 as a starter, straight up as a starter, when the opponent scores 20 points or less." - Big Cat cites the statistical threshold that makes Broncos QB Bo Nix nearly unbeatable when Denver's defense holds up.
• At 2:02:36 - "I saw a guy one time at his locker at halftime on Twitter, like searching his name on Twitter. And this was not, I'm not going to name names, but this was not a guy who had the capacity to be able to do that." - Blake Griffin illustrates the dangers of NBA players checking social media mentions during games.
• At 2:04:31 - "What's crazy is it affects like guys' performance. Like how many guys have we seen lose confidence and they become a completely different player? And a lot of that stems from what people are saying about you." - Blake Griffin explains how online disrespect and media narratives directly degrade on-court athletic performance.
• At 2:28:11 - "Yes, I bought JJ a Punxsutawney Phil headcover. Because he's like a fucking groundhog, man. The guy sees his shadow and it just alters the course of everything." - Blake Griffin confirms that Lakers head coach JJ Redick gets furious at his own shadow on the golf tee box.
• At 2:31:26 - "Full disclosure, I don't really have a solve for this issue, because it's like the GMs can't do it, the coaches can't vote, the players won't take it seriously, they'll vote for whoever. So I don't know what the answer is." - Blake Griffin hedges on how the NBA should fix its media voting system for All-NBA and major awards.

Takeaways

• Audit Opponent Win Percentage Before Betting "Elite" Defenses: Do not take early-season statistical dominance at face value; check the combined record of the opponents a team has beaten (such as the 49ers' opponents sitting at 12-22-1 or the Chiefs playing bottom-tier defenses like the Dolphins and Chargers) to avoid falling for the mid-season "Schedule Illusion."
• Target Scheme-Specific Trench Mismatches: Look beyond overall rushing averages to specific directional success rates, such as backing an inside-heavy rushing attack (like the Steelers running nearly half their plays between the guards at a top-5 success rate) against a defense that ranks bottom-10 against inside runs (like the Saints).
• Factor Coaching ATS Trends into Double-Digit Underdog Spots: When evaluating heavy underdogs, weigh historical coaching resilience—such as Giants head coach John Harbaugh going 13-4 against the spread in his last 17 games as an underdog of more than 3 points—especially when the favorite (like the Texans) is returning from an international trip abroad.
• Track Defensive Scoring Thresholds for Quarterback Trends: Use opponent scoring benchmarks to guide game-script bets, such as recognizing that Broncos QB Bo Nix is 22-2 straight up (and 18-6 ATS) when his defense holds the opposing team to 20 points or fewer.
• Verify Fantasy Football Advice Against Actual Transaction Logs: Never blindly follow a league-mate's or analyst's public fantasy recommendations without checking the waiver wire; as Jerry O'Connell demonstrated by telling listeners to start Roschon Johnson right after dropping Johnson to add J.J. McCarthy, actions speak louder than advice.
• Check Report Dates on Injury Return Timelines: When handicapping player availability (such as Micah Parsons' return window), verify the publication date of injury reports so you don't confuse outdated preseason projections (Week 6 or 7 from July 28th) with current medical realities (Week 9).
• Protect Your Confidence by Auditing Your Capacity for Online Criticism: Take a page from Blake Griffin and PFT's discussion on human evolution and social media: recognize that your brain isn't wired to process mass criticism, treat searching your mentions like a dangerous "cheat meal," and log off during high-pressure moments (like halftime of a game or a major project) to protect your performance.
• Expect Early-Season NBA Officiating Points of Emphasis to Fade: When watching or betting on the NBA, anticipate that referees will strictly enforce new rule directives (such as Monty McCutchen's "chicken wing" offensive foul emphasis) during opening weeks before reverting to physical, standard officiating by the playoffs.
• Wait Out Early-Quarter NBA Feel-Out Periods: Recognize that NBA players often use the first quarter to gauge how referees are calling the game, test defensive coverages, and find their shooting rhythm rather than playing at maximum intensity from the opening tip.
• Prioritize Mobility and Band Work Over Ego Lifting After Age 40: If you are lifting weights and squatting in your 40s like Big Cat, force yourself to do "boring" preventative maintenance like yoga and elastic band exercises to avoid debilitating knee and IT band strains.
• Designate an "Outside/Business Bed" When Traveling Solo: When staying alone in a hotel room with two queen beds, adopt Zac's hygiene rule: use one bed strictly for luggage, lounging in street clothes/shoes, and eating takeout, while keeping the second bed pristine for sleeping.
• Vet Late-Night Food Spots and "Free" Rival Gifts: Avoid unfamiliar, sketchy late-night bodegas when traveling to prevent 36-hour bouts of food poisoning, and think twice before accepting expensive "blood diamond" gifts (like free $700 game tickets) from anonymous internet trolls who may use them as leverage against your team.