Ben Maller Show Best of the Week

Thanks for hanging with the Best of the Ben Maller Show. We’re coast to coast, turning up the mics and, yes, selling the soap before we swing the spotlight to the games that mattered.

Q: What just happened to Kansas City, and who takes the heat for missing the playoffs? A: The Chargers walked into Arrowhead and slammed the door, Mahomes got hurt late, and the run is over for the first time in about a decade. It’s shared blame, but the spotlight hits Mahomes for an ordinary season by his standard with misfires and turnovers, a receiver room that dropped killers at the worst times, Kelsey looking his age, a front office that napped at the deadline, and a defense that didn’t generate enough heat or hustle, with Chris Jones’s low‑motor moments sticking out.

Q: Is Andy Reid actually in danger? A: He’s not getting tossed today, but the vibe is uneasy. You can almost hear the trial balloons—age talk, whispers about a fresh voice, and the possibility of a carefully managed exit if convenient leaks start circling. There’s no obvious heir, unless you buy the Cliff Kingsbury connection to Mahomes, which feels flimsy after Washington’s year. Verdict: the danger light is blinking, but the chair isn’t pulled yet.

Q: What does this do to those Taylor Swift conspiracy takes? A: They ran out of oxygen. If the league was scripting a fairytale, it wouldn’t end with Kansas City on the couch. Kelsey never found the old gear, the charm faded, and the supposed plot armor vanished right along with their season.

Q: Shift to Vegas—what does the Knicks’ NBA Cup actually mean? A: Fun night, thin legacy. Brunson grabbed the event MVP, OG Anunoby cooked, and Wemby’s Spurs stumbled late, but this is a made‑for‑December trinket more than a banner that echoes through time. It sells hats, makes a nice social clip, and that’s about the weight of it.

Q: How did Charles Barkley’s take land on the Cup? A: He nailed it. Needing bonus cash to get pros to care about regular season games is embarrassing, not innovative. Contrast that with the broadcast booth fawning over the format, and it’s clear which side sounds honest. When minimum deals start at seven figures, dangling half a million to spark effort screams desperation.

Q: What went down in Maller’s Mountain of Money? A: Organized chaos. Jed who fled and Mike jumped in, categories flew—Vegas misadventures, Breaking Bad, unretired stars—and clues pinged from Brett Favre and Lawrence Taylor to Lamar Odom, Josh Gordon, O.J., Mayweather, and more. Some slam dunks, some hilarious blanks, and a few layups that somehow rimmed out.

And just like that, we rolled from hot takes to hot mess. We’ll keep the game rolling after the break, because the overnight never sleeps.