Best of The Ben Maller Show

Thanks for checking out the Best of the Ben Maller Show; brand‑new week, same overnight grind, and we jump right into Jerry’s World where Minnesota walked in already eliminated, played hard anyway, and tagged Dallas 34 to 26, leaving the Cowboys clinging to a far‑fetched path that requires a perfect finish and a total Philly collapse against a schedule that includes Washington twice.

Jerry Jones essentially admitted they’re not good enough, and the quieter headline is their featured wideout George Pickens fading fast out of the trust circle, which makes any idea of a bigger commitment a nonstarter beyond a short prove‑it deal.

On the Vikings side, J. J. McCarthy finally flashed some juice—he threw a couple and ran one—but he’s only halfway out of the dungeon; timing with Justin Jefferson is off, and Kevin O’Connell kept the passing menu small to protect him.

The Sunday theme was injury chaos: Davante Adams’ hamstring looks manageable, Patrick Mahomes’ torn ACL ends this season and likely spills into the next, and Micah Parsons’ ACL is a gut punch to Green Bay that exposes how Jordan Love cannot carry them alone.

Out in Kansas City, the Chargers shut the door late, Mahomes exited with the knee, and a decade of automatic postseason trips is over as the reigning AFC champs are officially out.

Who takes the blame? Mahomes had a down year with missed deep balls and misreads, receivers dropped too many, the front office refused to patch holes at the deadline, and the defense could not get off the field—shared fault, but it ultimately lands on the franchise quarterback.

Big Red is not getting fired, but the offense looked stale and predictable; the playbook felt like reheated leftovers, and that funk has been lingering since last season.

Trevor Lawrence had a historic line with five passing scores plus a rushing touchdown and real yardage; are we buying the Jaguars?

They’re rolling, but I’m not all in until they do it against better than the Jets.

People see a Tom Brady parallel: both tore ACLs in year nine with three rings; do you think Mahomes returns at that level?

He can win more if he tightens the conditioning and commits to the rehab, but this will not be Brady 2.0.

Indiana just produced a Heisman winner who’s now a favorite for the top pick; do you buy him at number one?

I do not see a number one overall quarterback there, and this draft class is not exactly stacked.

We closed with the Instant Advice Line, unleashing unscreened callers to rapid‑fire guidance for Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Andy Reid—pure overnight chaos with quick jabs, one‑liners, and the usual militia mayhem.