Drake Mayday, a Raiders Revival, Bleakest 0-3 Teams, MLB Playoffs, and Guess the Lines With Cousin Sal
Episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast · September 28, 2026 · 1 h 45 min
Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal recap NFL Week 3, from Drake Maye's slump to the 3-0 Raiders, guess Week 4 lines, and discuss MLB playoffs and parenting.
Summary
Recorded late on the night of September 27, 2026, Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal reacted to the Rams-Broncos Sunday Night Football game and recapped the rest of NFL Week 3, a day both described as bleak for their teams and for bettors. Sal lamented the Cowboys' last-second loss to the Ravens, which Simmons blamed on Brian Schottenheimer's clock management, while Simmons, relaying his father's dismayed quotes, worried that Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had lost all confidence and that the team looked poorly coached. The pair debated how to define a 'year from hell' for struggling teams such as the Patriots, Buccaneers, Packers and Chargers.
They discussed the surprising 3-0 Raiders under Kirk Cousins, though Simmons argued their upcoming schedule made missing the playoffs a good bet, the 0-3 Texans and DeMeco Ryans' game management, the Chargers' turnover-filled loss to Buffalo and speculation about Jim Harbaugh, and Brock Purdy's standout September. Sal expressed shock at a statistic that Joe Burrow was 1-34 when trailing in the final eight minutes.
In the Guess the Lines segment for Week 4, Sal read FanDuel lines as Simmons, whom Sal jokingly accused of cheating, matched several exactly; Simmons highlighted Bills-Patriots as the marquee game. The episode closed with the MLB wild-card round, including Simmons's pessimism about the Red Sox offense against the Yankees and a lament about losing his fantasy baseball league because of the Mariners, followed by a Parent Corner in which Sal described his son's Little League elbow and his own kidney stone, and Simmons reflected on telling his daughter 'you're fine' on the soccer sidelines.
Chapters
- 1:18
Rams-Broncos and the Week 3 landscape
The hosts react to Denver's second-half comeback over the Rams, a controversial pass interference call, and the list of 0-3 and reeling teams.
- 7:35
Cowboys collapse against the Ravens
Sal and Simmons dissect Dallas's late-game clock management and Dak Prescott's throwaway in a last-second loss to Baltimore.
- 14:07
Drake Maye and the Patriots' slump
Simmons details the Patriots' offensive woes and Maye's lost confidence, and the pair propose criteria for a 'year from hell.'
- 27:08
Raiders, Texans and Bills-Chargers
The hosts discuss the 3-0 Raiders, Houston's 0-3 start and DeMeco Ryans' decisions, and the Chargers' loss despite five Buffalo turnovers.
- 37:04
Seahawks, Vikings-Bucs and Cardinals-49ers
Coverage of Seattle's upset loss in Washington, an ugly Vikings-Bucs game, and Brock Purdy's hot start.
- 46:31
Chiefs, Bengals-Steelers and Browns-Panthers
The hosts discuss a questionable roughing call for Mahomes, Joe Burrow's late-game record, and Cleveland's 2-1 start.
- 55:19
Guess the Lines: Week 4
Simmons guesses point spreads for every Week 4 game while Sal reveals the actual lines and they discuss matchups.
- 1:20:11
MLB playoffs and fantasy baseball heartbreak
The pair preview the wild-card series and Simmons recounts losing his fantasy league because of the Mariners.
- 1:28:48
Parent Corner
Sal describes his son's Little League elbow and his kidney stone, and Simmons reflects on his daughter's essay and his son home alone.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Bill Simmons
Simmons said he was not worried about the 1-2 Rams after their loss in Denver.
“So, look, the Rams are now one and two. I'm not that worried about them”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons argued that although Brian Schottenheimer has rallied the Cowboys, his game management has been consistently poor.
“I know he's rallied the team. Everybody likes him, but the game management has been bad this entire time, right?”
- Cousin Sal
Sal blamed Dak Prescott for the loss for throwing away a pass with George Pickens open at the pylon.
“he's got pickings wide open right at the pylon and he sells it into the sixth row”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons said Drake Maye was missing throws he routinely made the previous season.
“He's missing throws that he made for four straight months last year”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons argued the Patriots look sloppy and poorly coached and that Mike Vrabel has no feel for the team.
“The Pats in this post-Mike Vrabel Sedona era, they look sloppy as hell. They look poorly coached”
- Cousin Sal
Sal proposed that a 'year from hell' requires, among other criteria, finishing four or more games under win expectation.
“I would say four plus games under win expectation, right? That's one”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons said he has seen no evidence that Titans quarterback Cam Ward will become a good quarterback.
“I just haven't seen any evidence that he's going to be a good quarterback yet. Have you?”
- Bill SimmonsPrediction · due Jan 2027
Simmons recommended betting on the 3-0 Raiders to miss the playoffs because of a brutal upcoming schedule.
“The problem for them and why I would bet the no playoffs for them is their schedule is brutal”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons argued DeMeco Ryans does not get enough criticism for poor in-game decisions.
“I almost don't feel like he gets enough credit for being kind of a bonehead in some of these situations”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons said Brock Purdy has played so well that a neutral observer would think he was the league's best quarterback.
“you would think he's the best quarterback in the league”
- Bill SimmonsPrediction · due Nov 2026
Simmons predicted the 0-3 Texans would be 5-5 after their next stretch of games.
“I feel like they're going to be five and five by the time this is all said and done”
- Cousin Sal
Sal argued Joe Burrow's 1-34 record when trailing late should keep him out of top-four quarterback rankings.
“That guy shouldn't be in everybody's top four quarterbacks”
- Bill SimmonsPrediction · due Nov 2026
Simmons predicted the Steelers could be 6-2 given their upcoming schedule.
“They might be like six and two. in a couple weeks with that schedule”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons said Maye would face the most intense scrutiny of his career heading into the Bills game.
“it feels like he's going to have the biggest, hottest microscope on him that he's ever had in his career”
- Cousin Sal
Sal criticized the NFL for scheduling three NFC South teams across the Sunday and Monday night games.
“who schedules three NFC South teams in the two night games?”
- Cousin Sal
Sal argued the Red Sox had a real chance against a Yankees team missing Aaron Judge in a weak American League.
“You have 87 wins in the garbage AL. Of course you have a chance”
- Bill Simmons
Simmons said the slumping Red Sox could only beat the Yankees with dominant pitching in low-scoring games.
“the only way they're going to beat the Yankees is like 2-1, 3-2, 1-0. It's going to have to be lights out pitching”
- Bill SimmonsPrediction · being checked
Simmons expected Houston to beat Chicago in their wild-card series, calling Chicago not a playoff team.
“The series that jumped out to me was Houston. Houston is like minus 140 against Chicago. Chicago is just not a playoff team”
- Cousin Sal
Sal questioned the need for physical therapy for his 12-year-old son, arguing rest alone should suffice.
“We need physical therapy for a 12-year-old who's x-rayed fine”
- Cousin Sal
Sal said his 10-millimeter kidney stone was too large to pass and could not yet be treated.
“It was 10 millimeters. So it's big, too big to pass and in a weird place where they can't zap it right now”
People
In the conversation
- Bill SimmonsSportswriter and founder of The Ringer, host of The Bill Simmons Podcast
- Cousin SalSal Iacono, American comedian, Jimmy Kimmel Live writer and Ringer betting podcaster; Dallas Cowboys fan
Discussed
- Drake MayeNew England Patriots quarterback
- Matthew StaffordLos Angeles Rams quarterback
- Brian SchottenheimerDallas Cowboys head coach
- Mike TomlinLongtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach
- Mike VrabelHead coach of the New England Patriots
- Dianna RussiniNFL reporter pictured with Vrabel
- Jim HarbaughNFL head coach and brother of John Harbaugh
- Justin HerbertLos Angeles Chargers quarterback
- Brock PurdySan Francisco 49ers quarterback
- Joe BurrowCincinnati Bengals quarterback who led LSU's 2019 title team
- Patrick MahomesKansas City Chiefs quarterback
- Tom BradyRetired NFL quarterback cited as a longevity outlier
- Skip BaylessSports television commentator
- Baker MayfieldTampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback
- Jahmyr GibbsDetroit Lions running back
- Jerry JonesDallas Cowboys owner
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.MLB first baseman whose contract comments were discussed
Topics
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From the publisher
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to react to the Rams-Broncos 'SNF' game before recapping the rest of the matchups of Week 3 and going on to Guess the Lines for Week 4. (0:00) Intro (1:08) Rams-Broncos (7:34) Ravens-Cowboys and Patriots-Jaguars (27:14) Raiders-Saints and Texans-Colts (33:45) Chargers-Bills and Seahawks-Commanders (39:49) Vikings-Bucs and Cardinals-49ers (46:31) Chiefs-Dolphins and Bengals-Steelers (52:57) Panthers-Browns (54:45) Guess the Lines Week 4 (01:20:10) MLB playoffs (01:28:49) Parent Corner Host: Bill Simmons Guest: Cousin Sal Producers: Chia Hao Tat, Eduardo Ocampo, and Chris Wohlers Brought to you by PayPal. Learn more at https://paypal.com The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 29, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.