From ‘The Flu’ to flying the Ravens into a Festivus?

Lamar Jackson hasn’t practiced on a Wednesday in almost three months. Luke Jones and Nestor continue to spend midweeks discussing the health of the Baltimore Ravens two-time MVP quarterback and how it can’t be helping the offensive operation. But, a win against the New England Patriots at home will keep hope alive in a wild and zany finish to the NFL regular season.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Baltimore Ravens’ upcoming game against the New England Patriots, focusing on Lamar Jackson’s health and the team’s injury report. Jackson is listed with the flu, raising concerns about his availability. The Ravens need a win to maintain playoff hopes, especially with Pittsburgh potentially losing to Detroit. The game is crucial for both teams, with the Patriots seeking to prove their legitimacy and the Ravens aiming to secure a home playoff game. The conversation also touched on the importance of red zone performance, with the Ravens ranking 31st and the Patriots 32nd in red zone defense.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Host and run the Maryland crab cake tour at Gertrude on Friday with listed guests (Dan Rodricks, Mark Conway, City Councilman John Hoey, Casper Wells, John Shields) and coordinate event logistics
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Attend and run the Planet Fitness appearance on Monday (Timoni location) and bring promotional items (funny hat, glasses) for guests
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Organize a makeup show in January to reschedule guests who missed fall appearances and coordinate invitations
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Prepare candy cane cash prizes (candy cane cashiers) to give away as a Maryland Lottery promotion during the holiday programming
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Arrange to have Pizza John’s staff appear on the show during Super Bowl week in February and coordinate scheduling with the restaurant
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Text Luke about his pre-game buffet timing (around 10 minutes to 8) before the game to coordinate meeting
• [ ] Consider dropping by Planet Fitness on Monday (Timoni) to accept the offered funny hat and glasses and participate in the event

Lamar Jackson’s Health and Injury Report

• Nestor Aparicio expresses concern about Lamar Jackson’s health, mentioning that he has been listed with various injuries and is now reported to have the flu.
• Nestor criticizes the Ravens’ management for being dishonest about Lamar’s health, citing past instances of misinformation.
• Luke Jones acknowledges the obvious need for Lamar to play well but questions the purpose of lying about his health.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the impact of Lamar’s illness on the team and the importance of his presence for the upcoming game against the Patriots.

Patriots Game Preview and Team Dynamics

• Nestor and Luke discuss the significance of the upcoming game against the Patriots, emphasizing the importance of winning to secure playoff positioning.
• Nestor mentions the historical context of the game, including past performances and the impact of the flu on Lamar’s availability.
• Luke highlights the Patriots’ recent performance and their potential to prove their legitimacy as a top team.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the broader implications of the game for both teams, including the potential impact on the AFC playoff race.

Ravens’ Playoff Hopes and Team Performance

• Nestor and Luke analyze the Ravens’ playoff chances, considering the upcoming games against the Patriots and the Steelers.
• Nestor expresses skepticism about the Ravens’ ability to win on the road in cold conditions, given their recent performance.
• Luke points out the importance of winning the upcoming games to secure a home playoff game and maintain playoff hopes.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the impact of Lamar’s health on the team’s performance and the need for him to be at his best for the playoffs.

Red Zone Performance and Injury Updates

• Luke highlights the importance of red zone performance for both the Ravens and the Patriots, noting their respective strengths and weaknesses.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the impact of injuries on both teams, including key players like Lamar, Roquan Smith, and Robert Spillane.
• Luke emphasizes the need for the Ravens to perform well in the red zone to secure wins against the Patriots.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the broader implications of the game for both teams, including the potential impact on the AFC playoff race.

Fan Experience and Game Importance

• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of the game for the fans, emphasizing the need for a strong performance to maintain fan support.
• Nestor mentions the impact of past games on fan morale and the need for a positive outcome to boost fan confidence.
• Luke highlights the importance of winning the upcoming games to secure a home playoff game and maintain playoff hopes.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the broader implications of the game for both teams, including the potential impact on the AFC playoff race.

Media Coverage and Game Analysis

• Nestor and Luke discuss the media coverage of the game, including the importance of accurate injury reports and game analysis.
• Nestor mentions the impact of past media coverage on fan perception and the need for honest reporting.
• Luke highlights the importance of accurate injury reports and game analysis for both teams to maintain credibility.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the broader implications of the game for both teams, including the potential impact on the AFC playoff race.

Post-Game Scenarios and Future Outlook

• Nestor and Luke discuss potential post-game scenarios, including the impact of the game on the AFC playoff race.
• Nestor emphasizes the importance of winning the upcoming games to secure a home playoff game and maintain playoff hopes.
• Luke highlights the potential impact of the game on the AFC playoff race and the importance of securing wins against key opponents.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the broader implications of the game for both teams, including the potential impact on the AFC playoff race.

Final Thoughts and Game Predictions

• Nestor and Luke share their final thoughts on the upcoming game, emphasizing the importance of winning for both teams.
• Nestor mentions the impact of past games on fan morale and the need for a positive outcome to boost fan confidence.
• Luke highlights the importance of accurate injury reports and game analysis for both teams to maintain credibility.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the broader implications of the game for both teams, including the potential impact on the AFC playoff race.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Lamar Jackson, injury report, Patriots game, flu, red zone offense, red zone defense, playoff positioning, AFC Championship, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, John Harbaugh, Mike Vrabel, NFL standings, Sunday night football, fan experience.

SPEAKERS

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Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S T, am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore. Positive, positively. Get you up on Festivus for the rest of us, we can only hope it’s all brought to you by friends at the Maryland lottery. We’ll be doing the Maryland crab cake tour on Friday with our friends at Gertrude I’m going to be with Dan Rodricks, Mark Conway’s coming over. City Councilman John Hoey from the wise going to be with us. Former major league baseball player Casper Wells is going to be with us on Friday at gertrudes, including my cousin John shields. We got the bad news that Gina shock had to postpone on us at Costas. But John Allen out Calvin stadium, George Shulman and John maroon telling Cal Ripken tales as well as probably some old Oriole tales as well. And never had $155 million player during the John maroon period. Cal would have loved to have had that kind of do. He could have bought another Mike. Could have bought Norfolk if he would have done that. Luke Jones is here. He will not be with us at Planet Fitness on Monday wearing the funny hats and the glasses, but I’m willing to welcome in 2026 here, and I tell you what from I had Leonard Raskin on this week, and he’s going to the game. He’s all worked up Sunday night. He’s got his tickets. It’s going to be cold, but not awful and like all that. And I was thinking to myself, Oh, they go to Green Bay, oh, they go to Pittsburgh. Oh, this might be the last game. Yeah. So I start to think about it like in those terms, and thinking like, you know, we’ve got playoff dreams. You and I can sit here and talk about how they’re going to play in the AFC Championship Game and host it against buffalo or so, I’m making things up here, but I like, I don’t know it really starts with the Patriots, and they do so much lying. This is the point where I interject that they’re really sleazy in Owings Mills. I know this to be factual in lots of cases, not just my own, and they’ve lied about lamar’s Health all along, and they’ve been doing this for years, back to covid, and you know all of this. I hope he doesn’t have the flu on Wednesday, because the flu usually doesn’t go away on Friday or Saturday. I hope he has whatever that stuff that my wife comes up with that she puts in the thing and makes her smell like garlic for three days, she smells like the Grinch, but it keeps the colds away, illness, flu. Oh no, mate, pub. I I mean, it’s like Trump. I guess you know who’s John Harbaugh’s idol, Donald Trump. I guess if he said it, it must be true. I but I don’t know. I mean, I hope he can play credibly on Sunday night, because they’re going to need Lamar Jackson.

Luke Jones  02:40

Well, yeah, I mean, obvious, that’s the obvious part of it. I mean, look, I don’t really see what the purpose would be of lying about it when, when he was listed as non injury last week, right? I mean, to me, last week was the threshold where you went from whatever these nagging injuries are that have been listed week after week. And look, we we know Lamar was banged up. You could see it on the field. He wasn’t moving around well, he’s looked better the last couple of weeks. In that regard, 100%

Nestor Aparicio  03:06

listed five different injuries for him. You must admit John Harbaugh’s nefarious ask the bears the league who probably should have taken a draft pick from him. So I’m just saying, like, there’s no understanding, but

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Luke Jones  03:20

there has to be a purpose to it like, but, yeah, there has to be a purpose to it like. I mean, I always last week, it’s

Nestor Aparicio  03:25

a head game for Mike Vrabel to think that Lamar might not play for a day. I don’t listen, man. I can’t get into the heads of these psychotics. I mean, I’m being honest with you, you know what? I mean, how you’re a media member, and I’m not. I’m still trying to figure that out. So I’m trying to figure out how is a hamstring, a knee, a leg, a Pinky Winky, a non injury, to just, they just want to give him off on Wednesday. Like, I don’t That’s how I felt about it when I saw it. I’m like, Oh, it’s a new thing. They’re just playing further games. This is so harborian to play this game. I I’m speaking of his brother more than him at this point. And in the Michigan thing, I didn’t get into that, but Michigan’s had some bad luck lately hiring some bad humans. But in regard to this, Lamar has got to play. So that illness, if he really has the flu, dude, let’s stop everything. I’m not going to call him liars. I’m going to pretend that my media pass to be waiting at the Kevin Byrne little press box on Sunday night too. And I’ll just say they’re being honest. If that’s honest, that’s not good dude. That’s bad. Really bad. Be worse than than a bad leg if he’s got the flu. Yeah?

Luke Jones  04:30

I mean, I don’t know if it’s worse than a bad leg. And look,

Nestor Aparicio  04:34

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the quote was, might not play, or might not be able to breathe, or might not you know, like, Sure, the things that you need to do, you know about the flu on Wednesday? How do you feel on Sunday?

Luke Jones  04:43

I’m not a professional athlete that’s at the level that Lamar Jackson is, so I don’t know if that’s apropos, but I mean, the reality is, most the time when someone’s listed as an illness in the in the National Football

Nestor Aparicio  04:55

League, it’s on the up and they’re back the next day. I hope they’re all injury reports on the up and up. So did the bears six. Weeks ago, dude, Nestor, but what’s Yeah,

Luke Jones  05:02

I understand your cynicism here, and I’m not saying it’s not warranted, but he was listed as non injury

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Nestor Aparicio  05:07

last week. Through my cynicism, if my cynicism, I really don’t want to matters is, if he’s sick, what does it mean to the team? And you and I have not been big fans of him not practicing on Wednesday if he didn’t feel well enough to practice on Wednesday because he’s really sick, then that’s just, well,

Luke Jones  05:24

that’s not great, but it doesn’t mean he’s not playing Sunday night, and that doesn’t mean he’s not back on the field Thursday. And my the point that I’m making is, I don’t see why you would lie about it this week when he was listed as non injury last week, and on top of this, was told, according to John Harbaugh, was told by the medical staff to stay home and stay away from his teammates. That, to me, is the part where

Nestor Aparicio  05:46

the part is, I’m skeptical as to how you could feel better the next day, and

Luke Jones  05:50

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that part’s fine, so I’m human. I agree with that part, but in terms of, like, making this up, I don’t know why you would make it up when he was listed as non injury.

Nestor Aparicio  05:57

I’m just saying they’ve made things last week passed, and it’s crazy. Everyone understand on the injury report on a Wednesday at a different part of his body and non injury. This is the last card in the in the deck. I mean literally, when I saw it, I only this is how little I trust them, because I know how they treat women like when I saw it, I text you funny, saying illness. Then I saw flu. And I’m like, Oh, that’s not that’s flu is different than illness. And I’m thinking, like, that’s not good. And I think all the way around, this is a huge game, huge stakes, all things we’ve been talking about all week, we’re going to get to watch Pittsburgh play before you know you’re going to be in the press box early there. Whatever I it’s, it’s just huge, and you want to see healthy Lamar on the field. Wednesday, illness, no. Illness, Pinky, Winky ankle, knee, head and toes, like I it’s just it’s discouraging. That’s all not ideal. Sure that’s sure that it’s not ideal. I’ll agree with that. I’ve just more so for me, it’s just to me, You ripped off the band aid last week in terms of saying, Okay, it’s not an injuries getting a rest day, rather than whatever, Toe, knee, ankle, hamstring, going back to beginning of the year. So yeah, from that standpoint, and the fact that they told him to stay home, and we assume he wasn’t in the building, no one saw him during

Luke Jones  07:19

one open problematic

Nestor Aparicio  07:21

than giving him the day off. I mean, it’s, yeah, sure,

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Luke Jones  07:24

but at the same time, I’m also not ready to say that, oh my goodness, he’s not playing that said four years ago, going to Chicago. There was the whole he was sick two days. Came back to practice Friday. They traveled to Chicago. He started feeling worse again, and ended up missing the game.

Nestor Aparicio  07:39

So by the way, I flew out there for that game, and I was number and I was in the press conference, and I asked questions, and was told to shut up and start at stop asking about Lamar. Stop asking about their court. Literally, the PR Director stood in front of the I’ve never seen this in my life. In my life, I’ve never had 40 years hockey, baseball, soccer, basketball, college, bro, tiddlywinks. So you know, please, like, indulge me when I see Lamar Jackson’s name for the sixth week in a row on an injury report with its six different thing. Like, it’s bizarre, but, like, all right, it’s on the up and up. He’s sick. We got to play a game on Sunday night, and that I don’t know in any given week, if my quarterback had the flu, not given anything. I If the team were 10 and three now, I’d be concerned about, you know what? I mean, like, I just, I think it’s a, it’s a big deal. That’s all.

Luke Jones  08:35

It’s a big to me. It’s, you know, I mean, sure, it’s a big deal, until it’s not right. I mean, if he’s back and he’s full go on Thursday, full go on Friday. He’s not listed on the injury report. There’s no Saturday update saying that Lamar Jackson’s been downgraded

Nestor Aparicio  08:47

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whether he had the flu on Wednesday. He wasn’t playing video

Luke Jones  08:51

games at all at the same time, flu is also a term that’s used pretty loosely out there. You know, whether it’s truly the flu or whether he had a bad piece of pizza Tuesday night. And, you know, whatever

Nestor Aparicio  09:04

my colds with the flu, because I’ve seen the flu, I understand all different but I also hear lots of people

Luke Jones  09:09

conflate flu with any number of 24

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Nestor Aparicio  09:13

Hour Report. Just be honest. And that’s the hardest thing for a hardball to be, is honest. Ask him today if I’m a media member or not, see if he’s honest. Anyway, Luke’s here. I listen. I just, I’m a little worn out on the Lamar. You and I having to get together every Thursday, and guess, literally, guess as to whether they’re being honest, because they’re historically not. So I’m just gonna say, pretend we didn’t hear the last eight minutes of me rambling. He’s got the flu. Let’s play football. On Sunday night, the Patriots are coming in. I’ve had Shaughnessy on this week. I was chasing Bob Ryan. He had some flat tire issues as well. And I think this is a fascinating upstart for the Patriots, after what happened to them a couple of days ago in the snow in their own building at the hands of the bills. And whether they’re going to counter punch or not on the road Sunday night, this is a big game for them too.

Luke Jones  10:07

Well, it’s funny because it’s a huge game for both teams in terms of the standings, in terms of the playoff race, but it’s also a huge game in terms of the eyeball test, right? We’ve talked a lot in passing about the New England Patriots this year, right? We’ve talked about them in Denver, at the top of the standings, Indianapolis, earlier in the year, but you get my point. And how many times have we said, okay, are they for real? Are they for real? Their records really good, but are they for real? Go look at any number of metrics when it comes to strength to schedule, and you’ll find the New England Patriots have had the easiest schedule in the National Football League this year. Now that doesn’t disqualify them as being a potentially great team, but it certainly adds to the cynicism. So there’s no better way for them to prove the doubters wrong and yes, also maintain their lead in the AFC East by going to Baltimore shaking off the disappointment of blowing a 21 point lead to the bills and winning on Sunday night football in front of a national audience, and showing everyone that Drake May is a legitimate MVP candidate, which, by the way, I think he is. I think he’s legit,

Nestor Aparicio  11:12

but this is a chance to spike the ball, right? Yeah, because it’s not a postseason award, it’s a regular. I mean, he’s got a couple of weeks left if, if they get a buy and they win their way, you know, like, I don’t know how you even argue if he’s gonna win 13 or 14 games, right? Yeah. I mean,

Luke Jones  11:29

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I still think Stafford’s probably the favorite. But point is, he’s in that space, right? He’s in that top two or three. I mean, Josh Allen kind of coming on late here, as far as some of the national media sentiment and everything. But the point is, they can prove themselves in a way that they were on their way to doing last week, and then they stubbed their toe. Not even stubbed their toe. They kind of broke their ankle on the way to doing it, and they blow the lead. So this is a huge opportunity for them, and then for the ravens, regardless of what happens against you know what? With Pittsburgh in Detroit A few hours earlier, this is still a game where you want to win, you need to win, especially if Pittsburgh does lose, you want to win, because then you’re in a position that next week doesn’t matter as much, going to Green Bay on a short week and playing on a Saturday night, knowing then under that scenario, if Pittsburgh loses Sunday afternoon and the Ravens win Sunday night, then they know that. They’re assured that week 18 is for the AFC North championship, right? If you don’t, though, if you lose, and then you’re in a position that Pittsburgh’s going to Cleveland The following week, and you’re going to Green Bay on Saturday night, on a short week with Christmas in the midst of that, then you’re in a position where you could be potentially limit eliminated in week 17 and beyond that. In the same way I was just mentioning the Patriots. This is a Ravens team that has beaten one team with a winning record currently all season long, the Chicago Bears. So I think everyone would say the bears are a different team now than when they played the Ravens back in October. I don’t think that’s out of turn saying that, even though the Ravens deserve credit for how they played without Lamar Jackson that day. So this is an opportunity for the Ravens on a national stage to kind of show everyone that, hey, last week wasn’t just because the Bengals were really bad. We were that good, and we’re back, right? I mean that the Ravens win Sunday night, then the entire NFL is taking notice, and specifically the AFC playoff field is taking notice, knowing that, yeah, they’ll still have some work to do, and they still need to overtake Pittsburgh to to get in.

Nestor Aparicio  13:34

But yeah, I guess their turkey on Thanksgiving will be their planking moment.

Luke Jones  13:39

Yeah, exactly you hope. So you hope something

Nestor Aparicio  13:43

that, not that way. I mean, I guess that’s the point of all of this. Is like you’re a man of good faith and religion, and we have Christmas next week, and, you know, and we repent and we we confess our sins, and they get washed away. And I would say for the ravens, They can go into 2026 and a couple of wins here go represent them to beat Pittsburgh like it’s a playoff game, and then they get to have a home game and a playoff game, and they’re in the tournament, and all of the sins, all of the bad play, losing the Pittsburgh the first time, all of that goes away. But the only way it goes away is here and now, because when fall two games behind, and I don’t know, maybe by the time they kick off, not maybe, one way or another, there’ll be an outcome in the Steelers game, right? You know, they’ll feel better or worse about themselves as the game gets started. But Pittsburgh goes and wins in Detroit early by, you know, the field goal in some ugly, awful, terrible way that they’re they’re one to do, and the Lions have a lot of defensive deficiencies right now. You know, then if the Ravens were to lose, they fall too behind that. Like, it could be a really ugly Sunday night when we go to bed, right? Like it’s that close to being really ugly and bad and having to go to Green Bay next week as well. So that’s what I’m saying. Like, your stadium is emptied out. Five different times that you’ve witnessed from the Kevin Byrne little press box, where you probably get a better view of how empty the stadium is there than you did on the 50 yard line. And just better not happen again. You know, Sashi, the time that I paid $100 to hear Sashi speak, said that, you know, the biggest concern is traffic leaving this they better hope the traffic’s a problem leaving the game on Sunday night, that it’s close and that they win, and that everybody goes home feeling good and waking up with sugar plums and not having to work Monday, because ain’t nobody working next week except me. You probably, but yeah, I just, I don’t listen. I’m full of optimism because they won 24 nothing the other day, sure, until I wake up in my corner, perhaps got the flu and on the injury report for this not seventh, like 10th week in a row, right, right? Literally, from the weeks he was out to the minute he came back, he’s been a constant on the injury report. And you and I with he’s going to get better. He looked better last week. It was 24 to nothing, like dude, I go back to when they were one and five, and you and I were, it’s like, Obi Wan Kenobi, right? Like he’s our only hope, right. You know what I mean? Like, if he’s not right, they’re not right, he better be right at eight o’clock on Sunday night or they don’t have much of a chance. And this is these, these hurdles here. I mean, I don’t want to call Pittsburgh a playoff team, but they’re better than the Ravens beat him two weeks ago. They’re a win ahead. They’re the playoff team right now. So these are three playoff games in a row to get a home game. It’s not a good Tic Tac Toe scenario for them, in a general sense, on how they’ve looked the first 15 weeks of the year, right? Like to think that they’re going to start Xing and owing and winning games on the road in the cold the next couple of weeks. I don’t know they did it last week, so therefore I’m not even half a believer, dude. You know what I mean? I asked my AI what I believe? Even my AI thinks I believe in them against you. You bet against them last week.

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Luke Jones  16:56

I did. I did. And I can’t sit here and say with a lot of conviction that I’m confident that this team is going to get in the playoffs. They certainly can, right? I mean, they absolutely can. I mean, it’s not like these games are, you know, this isn’t the 2007 patriots, right? I mean, that it certainly isn’t that group. And Green Bay just lost Micah Parsons. And what’s that? What’s that going to mean for their defense, right? And then we 18 FOR RONNIE Stanley, 18. I mean, I mean, I hear what you say about Pittsburgh being better. They were better with a call going a very controversial call going in their way in the last couple minutes of the first meeting. So we’re talking about razor thin margins here. But I’ll go back to since you mentioned when they were one in five. I’ll go back to what I said at that point in time. In time, which was, you’re in a position now where your margin for error is so low. And they lost that on Thanksgiving, and the following week, when you lost back to back division home games. I mean, you talked about it a lot back in October and November, that your belief that they were going to be seven and seven. And I said to you at the time, if they’re seven and seven, I don’t like that, because you look at those last three games that they have and how difficult that’s going to be, that’s where you look at that and say, I don’t know. We’re going to find out, if nothing else, they’re going to earn it. They’re not going to back in here, right? I mean, they’re going to have to win a couple games here at a minimum, and that’s assuming Pittsburgh drops one

Nestor Aparicio  18:24

should be when you’re one in five, when they’re one and five, you have to win they have to win it, you know, like so but,

Luke Jones  18:31

but to your point, I mean, the the urgency level is already extremely high, but if Pittsburgh pulls off an upset in Detroit, and it would be an upset, there’s no question about that, but you just said it that they went ugly, you know, they bat the ball up in the air against Jared Goff and Jalen Ramsey picks it off and sets up Pittsburgh’s offense at the five yard line, you know, something weird like that. And let’s face it, I mean, for as talented as the lions are, and I think you, I believe you said this earlier this week. I think it was you, unless I heard someone else say it, yeah, the lions, they didn’t get off to a one in five start. But in some ways, they’re kind of sort of like the ravens, right? In terms of they had tickets.

Nestor Aparicio  19:12

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Are sold out ticket you know? Like, hey, we’re this is our year to bum Phillips kick in the fence, right? Like, and Pittsburgh can kick their fence in on Sunday afternoon, right? And it comes Aaron Rodgers, who knows his way around Detroit pretty well like so I don’t know. Man, it goes back to all of our conversations this week. It’s weird League, weird weeks, weird games. But if you would have told me that Lamar Jackson’s not going to be practicing again on a Wednesday all this far into this, I’d say that’s not a good vital sign that that’s all and I’ll continue for the biggest game of the year, not against those chumps in Cincinnati with a terrible defense that look cold like they didn’t want to be there. My lottery winners were happy to be there. I had Doug Lloyd on this week talking about the win, and you know, was really amazing to me. Doug had pictures of all the stuff. That they did there and all that, including the the Christmas ornaments in Cincinnati that my wife and I have pictures out there a couple years ago, down in Fountain Square, how empty the stadium was in the pictures, like, really, like, and I know it was cold and terrible, and it didn’t look that the way it was shot on TV, a little bit, but like, the pictures are barren, pre season looking barren. And I just, I just pray that’s not the Ravens at 1022 on Sunday night, because they’re losing 24 to three or something terrible. I, you know, I don’t know, like, I just know this is a week everybody needs to leave the stadium feeling good, even if it’s the end of the season. They don’t play at home again and they lose. And I’m talking like Sashi brown right now are more like Dick Cass everyone needs to leave feeling good about our team and our season. This is the last chance for them, sort of here right now, right like, because it has been, I didn’t even bring this up with Leonard because he spent a lot of money on it, and he ate a couple of tickets last week because they were trying. But when people spend a lot of money and go down there, and they want that experience and all of that black wing puja they sell for throwing you out of the press box and doing all that in the field seats, and people are watching cartoons down there and whatever like been a really bad juju vibe Mojo year For fans in the stadium at games, including reporters who go there and see the nice ladies. I hope the nice ladies are still there serving the gold watermelon. But yeah, I just, I think about the fan experience, a little bit about the empty stadiums this year, people leaving, and how one in five was that this really be funny on Sunday night, if especially the hands of the Patriots and just all of that like that that’s going on. This is, you know, this is beyond critical, you know, I mean, I I think it could be catastrophic if they lose, you know what I mean, in a horrible kind of mojo fan, bad things happen when you don’t make the playoffs, and especially, you know, make them a week before Christmas, kind of, sort of, sort of, you know

Luke Jones  22:03

what I mean? Yeah, I mean, it’s, I think that it’s so critical. I think, I mean, this isn’t anything profound, but when you really kind of look at how it spells out whether Pittsburgh wins or not in Detroit, but especially, of course, if they do win, I mean, the ravens, They don’t win Sunday night, then you’re going into a week 17 scenario where you’re on the road in Green Bay, short week Christmas. It’s nighttime at Lambeau Field, and Pittsburgh plays at Cleveland. Week 17. Now it’s the AFC North Pittsburgh lost in Cleveland last year. The Ravens lost in Cleveland last year. So I’m not, by no means, am I saying that that’s a fait accompli the night before, but you’re in right? But you’re in a scenario it if you don’t win Sunday night, that you could be eliminated the following weekend. You know? You could be in a position where you don’t get to week 18, right? So that’s where you look at this thing. And you know that that’s that’s where you look at what happened on Thanksgiving and losing to Pittsburgh in the fashion that they did a couple weeks ago, knowing they absolutely had an opportunity, even even putting aside the likely call, they still had their chances after that, right? So, yeah, but, but this is the bed that they’ve made for themselves. They have to sleep in it, and we’re going to see how it plays out. I do want to you know, as we’re talking about the big picture, I do want to talk about a factor that I think is going to be absolutely critical in Sunday night’s game, beyond talking about the injury report, which, by the way, the Patriots are banged up. They’ve got a number of defensive starters. First of all, their star defensive tackle Milton Williams is on IR he’s not eligible to return until next week, but Robert Spillane, their inside linebacker, who, once upon a time with Pittsburgh, had a pick six of Lamar Jackson Five years ago, but he was spotted in a walking boot in the locker room this week. So he’s dealing with a foot or ankle issue. A couple of their starting corners were on the injury report on Wednesday. Now that doesn’t mean that none of those names that are on that injury report are going to play Sunday, but it is worth monitoring, as is the case with Lamar roquan Smith is banged up, missed practice on Wednesday. Ronnie Stanley as well. Does sound like those are minor ailments, and those guys should be good to go by Sunday night. But I think the factor that has really jumped out to me looking at both of these football teams, Nestor is the red zone. We’ve talked at length. We’ve talked almost every week about the Ravens failures, ravens offense, their failures inside the red zone. And we’ve talked about, frankly, how good the Ravens defense has been inside the red zone. Well, we’re going to see something’s going to give here, because the ravens, who rank 31st in red zone offense, go up against the Patriots defense that statistically is mostly pretty, pretty rock solid, until you look at the red zone defense. New England is 32nd in red zone D. Fence going up against the Ravens 31st ranked red zone offense. So how did these teams convert inside the red zone? And on the flip side, I mentioned the Ravens seventh and red zone defense, New England, for as good as their offense is, and Drake may as great as he’s been this year, their 24th and red zone offense. So inside the 20s. I mean, and look, you can say that every week, but when you see numbers that are that extreme one way or the other, I think that’s something that is very much worth watching and remembering. And you know, very much feels like an X factor there. So also, New England’s run defense has not trended in a great direction the last few weeks, including last week, when buffalo ran on them the way they did. So, yeah, I hear you on Lamar, right? I mean, if this illness lingers a couple days, then, yeah, you start to become very concerned. But even if you know, even just the fact that he wasn’t in the building preparing on Wednesday, that’s that’s not ideal for how important this football game is, and even though the Patriots are this upstart franchise, Mike Grable has faced Lamar Jackson in the postseason. Not that this is the postseason, but it’s like a postseason game. And Mike Vrabel has beaten Lamar Jackson in the Ravens in the postseason before, so you would think that their defense, even with some of their injuries, which will certainly create questions about their ability to execute, but you would think their defense will have a plan in place that they’re going to feel pretty good about in terms of trying to slow this ravens offense. So hey, I mean, this is when they were one in five. This is all you could ask for, right? If you were a Ravens fan, if you were the ravens, being one in five at the bye week, this is all you could ask for, that you’re playing extremely meaningful football in week 16. Got to go win a game. You got to go beat a good football team at some point like,

Nestor Aparicio  26:54

well, that’s why I even mentioned the fans, because the fans have a treat in that there is a Sunday night big time game with an MVP that you can go in there and hurt. Bob crafts feelings and Mike vrabel’s feelings again, you know? And they’ve lost fun the first time around.

Luke Jones  27:10

And they’ve lost two prime their prime time home games this year. You know, they lost to Detroit Monday night proof.

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Nestor Aparicio  27:16

Oh, my God, they have a lot to prove. I mean, this is the baby Pat’s 2.0 and, you know, Vrabel, and just all of it, they haven’t won a big game. And, you know, they haven’t come to a place like Baltimore and won a game they, you know, they had the sauce.

Luke Jones  27:29

New England beat buffalo earlier in the year, but, but that was really early in the year, right? Early in the year was different, except in the second i But still, I that that’s a that’s a legitimate win, but yeah, beyond that. So they won in Buffalo. What was that? That was week five. It was since then their wins New Orleans, Tennessee, Cleveland, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, which that one hasn’t aged well, because the Buccaneers have fallen apart over the last six weeks or so. The Jets at Cincinnati, the Giants, right? I mean, you know that that’s not an impressive run of opponents. That’s not their fault, but this is their opportunity, especially coming off of their first law since week three. How are they going to respond? Is this going to be a moment where it looks a little bit too big for a less experienced team, and they fall again. And now everyone’s talking about the bills overtaking them to win the AFC East, and the pressure’s on them, or do they bow up and say, Look, we’re we’re ticked off about last week, and they come into Baltimore and steal the Ravens lunch money, and then the ravens are kind of in a position where they’re potentially on the brink, right? So we’re going to find out. But this is, like I said, in terms of the standings and in terms of the eyeball test, this is an absolutely massive game for both of these football teams and looking forward to it. You know, that’s certainly, I mean, five weeks ago, I could have told you that it was likely this game was going to be flexed this Sunday night, and sure enough, they did it, and we’re going to see how it works out. And to your point, the ravens are hoping to give their home fans something to feel happy about after a three and five home record this this year that has not been very impressive, and has not been very fun.

Nestor Aparicio  29:22

I’m just glad that Deacon Jones gets to have the congregation together. You get to, like, go to church on Sunday morning, because right before Christmas that I love the fact that at four o’clock I’ll probably you’re wearing a pizza John’s hat. I’m thinking, like, well, cheese steak, double provolone, some fried onions. My wife’s not home. Doesn’t matter. I have all the mushrooms I want. I might even get some crinkle cut fries. I probably set out to do that right around halftime of the first game at 132

Luke Jones  29:47

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say you need to, like space this out so you can have a couple courses, you know, a couple meals, pizza,

Nestor Aparicio  29:52

John’s, as I think about it, when everybody else thinks about it, Mondays, no Sunday after the game, I was in there. Chuck told. Two I thought you meant

Luke Jones  30:01

Mondays when they’re closed.

Nestor Aparicio  30:04

No, no, dude, why? I think I went in there Sunday night. I know they’re closed on Monday.

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Luke Jones  30:11

That’s the whole, you know, that’s, that’s the whole you want it when you can’t have it, right?

Nestor Aparicio  30:15

That’s why, on Sunday, the Ravens played two weeks game. I ran over there. I listened to Keith Mills, I listen to test on his boy and, you know, back and forth and, oh, that was after we got screwed. That was the Pittsburgh game. Yeah, because all I could hear is my mother calling to Keith Mills, telling her how Pittsburgh screwed us again. The officials, they’re crooked. They’re crooked. I’m telling you, they’re crooked. Sounds like basically everybody else that bets on the NFL at this point. Luke’s out. No, it’s Mills this week. You know, this is the pizza John’s thing. When I went in there, Brett’s spinning pizzas, and Brett runs the place. Michelle is my lovely, you know, constantly area over there takes care of all the business. She’s got her little ones. I mean, like, I love them. They’re always too busy to even do the show. They run for me. And the ladies that always wait on me in the counter that bust my balls, they’re funny as hell. They I haven’t been able to get them on. I’m trying to get them all on. So I’m going to do that cup of Super Bowl week in February. But I went in there and, like, game ended. It was bad, bad beat, right? I called. I jump in the car, I run over to ASICs, I go in, I get my food, and by the time I walked in, I could park when I left. Dude, you would have thought it was 34th Street, Santa Claus you I mean, there was cars out back Riverdale. I mean, it was crazy that everybody orders a pizza to fix themselves, to soothe themselves for pizza, John’s, when ravens lose comfort food? Absolutely, yeah. I mean, then

Luke Jones  31:42

I got it the way. I can’t think of it. I can’t think of anything better.

Nestor Aparicio  31:44

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I got exactly the way I wanted it. I got cheesesteaks, I got a big old chef salad. I didn’t get any of the little brownie bottom thingies with the chocolate and all that stuff. But you can do that at any of our sponsors. It’s it’s a great week to support local. So if you need to have an idea our friends at the Maryland lottery, you can stuff long as they’re 19, you got to be of the legal age. If you’re going to play that game with me, I’m going to have my candy cane cashiers to give away. We’re going to be a Planet Fitness on Monday. You’re going to be at Gertrude on Friday, Thursday, at Costas and Dundalk. And we’re going to make it up with Gina shock. I got a makeup. Sean Stinnett, last week, we got a flat. I’m gonna do like a Makeup Show in January one day, and we’re just gonna bring everybody out. They couldn’t make it here in the in the fall. But looking forward to it big Christmas week around here. Luke’s at the point. Did I get everything in? Or anything else you want to throw in about this game, other than, I think that freaking game, dude, obviously there’s this week game.

Luke Jones  32:41

There’s plenty you can talk about. But I mean, this is, like I said, this is a game that means so much in terms of playoff positioning, and it also means a lot in terms of, like, who’s for real here? Like, are the Patriots as real as the record suggests they are, but understanding they haven’t exactly beaten a ton of teams and the Ravens, okay, the Ravens have had a way tougher schedule overall than the Patriots beat anyone on that schedule, right? I mean, the bears, you know, they lost to the bills, they lost to the linens.

Nestor Aparicio  33:11

Are real, their favorite again, right? I mean, so nobody thinks the Steelers are real, like it’s just, and that’s just, and I keep looking up, and I watched them play two weeks ago, week and a half ago, and I just, you know, Aaron Rodgers is an old witch, you know what I mean, like Tom Brady in Tampa. You didn’t really believe it. And then you look up, and it’s December, and he’s got to win more than you and a broken nose more than you, and a broken hand more than you. And you know, and he’ll laugh at you when they’re getting their ass kicked in Pittsburgh by the bills in the snow and the playoffs, but he’s going to say, I, you know, wasn’t my fault. I got him into the playoffs. Imagine how bad they would have been with pub.

Luke Jones  33:52

He Brister and, oh, by the way, beyond the fact that he’s looked better the last two weeks that he’s played, which he had looked horrible in the four or five games before that, he’s going to Detroit, to Detroit. I mean, he clearly has plenty of history playing there, so you know, they don’t like him there. He and he’s well aware of that when you hear him talk about the bears or the lions or the Vikings, where, you know, he would love nothing more than to put the final nail in their coffin in terms of their playoff pub. So look, the lions are the favorite in that game as they should be. The lions, I think all things being equal, are a better team, but they’re very injured on defense. They are circling the drain in the

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Nestor Aparicio  34:39

text you when you’re getting your pre game buffet there with Eric, the cost and all that, about 10 minutes to eight or whatever, and we’ll see whether there’s a two game advantage or whether they backed up to put the Ravens in a real driver’s seat. Because I’m with you, they’re supposed to lose. Yeah. I mean seriously, the Steelers are supposed to lose. On Sunday, the ravens are supposed to win. And. We’re supposed to wake up with sugar plums, with Santa coming down the chimney on Monday morning. And if that happens, and if that happens, week

Luke Jones  35:06

17 is not really all that meaningful, then so, but because nothing can be decided before week 18. But if the opposite happens, then week 17, you must win, and you’re hoping on the Cleveland Browns giving you help. So that is quite a contrast in outcomes, and that’s the outcome

Nestor Aparicio  35:27

of Sashi Brown’s concerns, of people driving home and not having a taste of Festivus in her mouth, having a smell of juniper, which doesn’t smell good, by the way, it smells like cat. BP, Luke, you know, ice up, son. You know, you could sleep in a little bit Sunday, a whole day of football, a whole early morning of getting up on Monday in the chill and talking about Lambeau Field and the frozen tundra and and Santa coming down the chimney. We’re going to be out next week. On Monday, I’ll be at Planet Fitness in timoni. Maybe Luke dropped by there. I’ll give him a funny hat and some glasses as well. It’s in simmonium. It’s brand new. They have a rejuvenation bet I can give you. That’s it. That’s it. I’m gonna give you the rejuvenation bet on Monday afternoon, because you’re gonna need it being up all night with the Ravens on Sunday night in the Little Kevin Byrne press box up there. It is a it’s a big weekend of football around here. It’s big week at poti. More positive, I have so many great guests of so many kinds and ways. I’ve had Korean bar owners in Hale Thorpe. I’ve had why CEOs in in Guilford. I, you know, it’s, I’ve I’m getting all around town. I’m in Dundalk with rock stars. I mean, come on. And my middle school science teacher and music teacher coming together, and I hope we sing some Christmas carols. You know, I want to sing, oh, come all you faithful with Calvin stadium and dedicate that to the Ravens. I am Nestor. We are W, N, S, T, am 1570 tasks in Baltimore. We never stop talking. Baltimore positive. Stay with us. Times will get better. You.