About this episode
RJ Bell, Steve Fezzik and Mackenzie Rivers break down everything that happened for NFL Week 8. RJ Bell, Steve Fezzik, and Mackenzie Rivers recap NFL Week 8, beginning with RJ joking about bagels before diving into betting trends. They note that favorites dominated and spreads barely mattered, leaving teasers and parlays heavy on Kansas City exposure. Fezzik observes that this week’s final scores were mostly fair reflections, without many misleading results. The trio then shift into a long discussion about gambling integrity, comparing insider sports info to stock-market crimes. RJ argues that injury and lineup leaks are like insider trading and should carry harsh penalties. They cite NBA and college cases—LeBron injury rumors, Billy Walters, trainers leaking info—and imagine coded Twitter “dead drops” for illicit tips. RJ stresses that while some data like “LeBron out” has modest betting value, when players underperform deliberately or fake participation it becomes true corruption. They call for severe lifetime bans for manipulating personal stats, while leaks should draw lighter suspensions. Prop-bet abuse and small limits follow; Fezzik suggests $200 caps to deter fixing. They praise monitoring systems such as U.S. Integrity that now flag irregular betting instantly, citing the caught Alabama baseball coach. RJ says AI and DraftKings-style tracking would have exposed Donaghy within weeks. After that, they pivot to NFL: criticizing Harbaugh and the Ravens’ handling of Lamar Jackson’s surprise absence, speculating that transparency rules need enforcement. They analyze that game, calling the 30-16 Ravens win a “phony final” where Baltimore overperformed. Next comes Tampa Bay’s misleading 22-3 over New Orleans—“ten-three at best,” Fezzik says—before RJ celebrates a same-game-parlay win. They review the Jets-Bengals comeback, noting lucky two-point conversions and that modern analytics justify going for two down eight. They dissect Bills, Giants, Steelers, and Packers games, emphasizing how late-game yardage can distort stats. RJ calls Cincinnati’s defense “donezo.” They highlight teams awful versus the run (Giants, Bengals, Ravens) and conclude Pittsburgh’s defense is overrated. Green Bay’s D, by contrast, grades top five by EPA. The pair debate coaching: RJ says O’Connell is top five but mysteriously poor in night games, while Fezzik defends him. They agree the Vikings’ O-line injuries keep them fragile. Closing out, they praise Belichick’s Patriots for exposing Cleveland’s travel defense, mock Dallas’s showboating after Denver’s blowout, and observe that great offense vs. great defense matchups often yield one-sided results. The show ends with schedule notes for next week’s taping and RJ joking about his underdog pick and podcast timing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices