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. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.'

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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”

    Listen from 3:05

  • 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?”

    Listen from 8:24 · Dallas Cowboys

  • 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”

    Listen from 9:58 · Dallas Cowboys

  • 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”

    Listen from 17:22 · Drake Maye

  • 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”

    Listen from 19:35 · New England Patriots

  • 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”

    Listen from 21:21

  • 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?”

    Listen from 24:58

  • 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”

    Listen from 29:45 · Las Vegas Raiders

  • 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”

    Listen from 32:18 · Houston Texans

  • 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”

    Listen from 44:01 · San Francisco 49ers

  • 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”

    Listen from 49:31 · Houston Texans

  • 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”

    Listen from 51:02 · Cincinnati Bengals

  • 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”

    Listen from 51:59

  • 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”

    Listen from 57:47 · Drake Maye

  • 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?”

    Listen from 1:19:07

  • 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”

    Listen from 1:20:44 · 2026 Major League Baseball postseason

  • 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”

    Listen from 1:21:35 · 2026 Major League Baseball postseason

  • 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”

    Listen from 1:23:16 · 2026 Major League Baseball postseason

  • Linked moment · 1:32:09Skip to 1:32:09 using a listen link in the info box.

    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”

    Listen from 1:32:09 · Little League elbow

  • 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”

    Listen from 1:32:26 · Kidney stones

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

Topics

More from The Bill Simmons Podcast

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.

Categories: Football·Baseball·Parenting