The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Seahawks-Rams WTF Classic, an NBA Six-Pack, and Week 16 NFL Picks With Peter Schrager
19 Dec 2025
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Bill Simmons Podcast brought to you by the Ringer Podcast Network. I put up a new Rewatchables on Wednesday and on Monday. I did two this week. We did The Sure Thing to pay tribute to Rob Reiner. On Wednesday, me and Chris Ryan. I love that movie. You can find it. It's on YouTube. Spoiler. Not streaming anywhere. Hopefully Hollywood will figure out a way to get it to stream.
We did High Fidelity on Monday. So two really good ones. And we have a really good documentary in the Music Box series. On HBO, Cannon Crows, have you seen me lately? It's up right now on HBO Max. Watch it whenever you want. You can also watch the one about WizKid or the one about Jeff Buckley. We have three so far. So check all of them out.
I made Peter Schrager stay up late to talk about an incredible... We said that word too much, but an incredible Rams-Seahawks game. We're going to react off that. We're going to do Ringer 107 picks. And then I opened a six-pack for the NBA. Had some thoughts. Had some more NBA thoughts. So this is a fun podcast. We're going to take a break. Pearl Jam. And then Peter Schrager.
This episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast is presented by State Farm. Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm. It's like expecting a linebacker on the football field, but getting a line cook. Sure, they both can handle the pressure when it starts heating up, but only one is stopping a touchdown.
You wouldn't settle for just anything for your team, so don't settle for just any insurance when it comes to getting help you need. State Farm is the real deal. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. All right, it is 8.54 Pacific time. Peter Schrager said a couple days ago, not only do I want to come on Thursday's pod, I want to come on after Ram Seahawks. And I'm like, are you sure?
You're in the East Coast. You sure you want to do this? You're working all day at ESPN? He said, no, no, I want to do it.
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Chapter 2: What happened in the dramatic Seahawks vs. Rams game?
And then we have a four-hour game. It goes in overtime. The Seahawks win on a two-point. It was the most dramatic, probably important Thursday night game at least of this decade. swings the NFC West, swings the one seed. The Rams, I don't even feel like they're in disgrace. They did everything they could. They had almost 600 yards.
They had the ball almost 44 minutes and the Seahawks win the game for a variety of reasons. Some good, some dumb.
Chapter 3: What NBA topics are buzzing this week?
Has there ever been a better Thursday night game than that? I don't know. I'm trying to think.
They had another good Thursday night game a few years back where Tyler Lockett had an incredible catch in the back of the end zone in the first half. Bill, that was so fun. It was so fun. It's like we were both texting throughout. Amazon did that amazing thing that we love. And I know Cousin Sal mentions, you know, the Rams, they have a 97% chance win probability on this one.
Don't want to see that stat ever again, guys. It doesn't matter. I don't care. I don't care about the win probability.
I know.
We were writing...
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Chapter 4: How did the Seahawks secure their victory in overtime?
I mean, if we were back in the day when we used to read newspapers, I could imagine the press box, the ink being dry on the Sam Darnold article about just can't win a big game, always shits the bed when it matters, pees down his leg, the whole thing, the two interceptions.
Check out my iPad. All the times I deleted the topics I had for us. It was like, can they play Sam Darnold next week? I had that written down in the third quarter. He was amazing down the stretch. He really was. That was so fun. But what was weird is they didn't trust him.
I thought down the stretch, especially late in the fourth quarter, they were being very careful about how much they wanted to put in his hands, where it was like, we could also just take this to OT. But then when it's 37-30 and they actually needed him to go down the field, that was the best stretch of the game he had. They threw the ball six times in the first half.
JSN at zero yards, one target. They just handed the ball to Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker every play. And it's like, oh, they want to win 13-10. Well, that's not going to do it. Then he stinks it up in the third quarter.
Well, he has two of the worst picks. Horrible picks. It was like he had one bad pick and then the next one was even worse. Felt like he was a pick six waiting to happen.
And like, again, sports writer, it's already done. It's sent to the editor and it's one of those, all right, I'm getting the... I'm getting the elevator down and we're going to go talk in the locker room, but I've got everything filled out. I just need to fill in the quotes and we'll get that at the podium and then some stuff at the locker.
But the article has been written that the Seahawks have a major problem. And this guy is this generation's, you fill it in, whoever it is who couldn't win the big game, Warren Moon, whoever it was like in the eighties, nineties, whatever.
It's like insulting a Warren Moon. Yeah. I'm just saying, you know, I was sitting next to my daughter and she just came to my daughter's home from college. She doesn't care about football. She came down, she was on her phone, just sitting next to me watching the game. And I was getting so mad at the Seahawks. Cause I have them to win the NFC West. Like I might've had some money on them.
I'm rooting against Cooper cup for fantasy. And she finally just got up and left. She was like, you're a psycho. I'm like, why do you even watch football when it makes you this crazy? I'm like, you don't understand. Sam Darnold always does this when the game actually matters. This is who he is. I couldn't handle it. And then he redeems himself in an hour.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of this game for the NFC West standings?
All of a sudden they're coming back down. Oh, and then the two point and they blow it and they run the worst two point play. I didn't know what the fuck it was. Literally hit a screen pass that hits the other team in the helmet. And then all of a sudden they're reviewing it. I've never seen that before. A backward pass that rolls into the end zone. Why did Zach Charbonnet even pick it up?
Herb Street's praising him. It's like, that's good awareness by Herb Street. He was bored.
He was picking the ball up. What did McCauley say? Because I'm trying to remember. Was there an explanation? I guess it makes sense. But on a fourth down, if that were to happen, are you allowed to gain yards or is it just on a two-point conversion? It was bizarre. And then I guess it counts. Well, no.
Isn't the rule... you can't advance like a fumble for a touchdown in the last two minutes, but a two point, it's cool. Yeah. Well, you look at, so the Rams had five possessions in the fourth quarter. They somehow couldn't close the game.
They got conservative.
They did.
They got a little tight. First half, we're texting. You're like, gosh, McVay's going for everything. Four fourth down attempts. They go for it. The most he's ever done in a game. He all did it in the first half. And then fourth quarter, it seemed like they got a little bit. All right, let's kick the ball. Let's punt the ball. Let's kick the field goal. They missed the field goal.
after we heard how this guy hadn't missed a kick his entire time as a Ram, of course, misses the field goal. I mean, if your listeners are listening and it's already Friday or Saturday, you're like, wait, this happened, this happened. We are fresh off this thing. So I'm just trying to rack it through my brain and I'm still in shock because it was so fun. Like I love football games that are crazy.
That was a crazy game.
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Chapter 6: How are the Clippers performing this season?
It's not a brand of football.
Yeah, their team's pass rush is always...
It feels like it's either getting there, it's almost getting there every play. I'm not sure if that wins a game in Green Bay or Chicago or Philadelphia. I get what you're saying. That said... This team.
Maybe they won't have to. They might not have to. Maybe it goes through Seattle.
They might be home for two rounds or for one and then go on the road from there.
I'm still not positive he trusts Darnold. There was a play in the first half when McVay was super aggressive. And then Seattle had a similar circumstance near midfield. Maybe it was a little more on their end, but it was like a fourth and one. And they punted. Yeah, no. I was like, oh, that's interesting. You still don't totally trust that dude.
The entire first half was an indictment on what they thought of Darnold. I mean, that run game, I think they averaged 2.7 yards per carry all season. They were just running the ball with Charbonnet and Walker. And if he doesn't have that 145-yard catch early on, there was no passing yards in the first half.
So it was this, we're going to protect Sam Darnold approach, which you can't win football games that way, especially with a quarterback making $100 million. which Sam Darnold is.
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Chapter 7: What are the key matchups for the upcoming NBA Christmas games?
And then the second half, it started off terribly. And then, like we said, he was fantastic the final 10 minutes of this game.
He was. You know, far be it for me to make suggestions to an NFL team when they know more about football and plays and personnel than I do. It's weird to me that Shahid doesn't play more for them and that they don't look for more ways to just have him on the field being scary. Like, I would even consider lining him up at running back
just to give the hint of screen passes or quick coming out of the backfield, anything, I think that guy's terrifying. And every time they used him, he felt like he made an impact.
Well, the punt returns have been huge this season. Totally. That's the play of the game to me. Brought everything back there.
Yeah, no question.
And I think he had... a couple plays in the passing game, but to your point, use him on some trick plays. Use him on a reverse. Use him on a whatever it be.
How about one play down the sideline for 40 yards? Just like try to do the Aaron Rodgers. I'll get a pass interference or it's a punt or he'll catch it.
I think midway through the game, he had zero targets for zero catches, zero yards. I think it took until the fourth quarter he actually had a catch, which is strange.
I don't get that. Um... Last note I had was I thought that was the most exciting two-point in a while. Oh, my gosh. It was hilarious because Herbstreet, they're driving in Herbstreet. They're on the 20 in Herbstreet. It's like, ow. I think if they score a touchdown, they'll probably go for a two-point. It's like, yeah. Yeah, I think that's what's going to happen, Kirk.
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Chapter 8: What are the predictions for Week 16 NFL matchups?
I'm just, I'm curious, like you're wired in with that team. Why are they going to give a shit about a game in Tennessee after their season?
Objectively better football players on the field at just about every position, you know, even without my homes and without whoever. And it's like, if you have any pride, do you lose to the Tennessee Titans? I don't know. I know my homes isn't there, but these are professionals.
I have games. I like more.
I just wanted to get your thoughts on Chris Russo's comments. What did he say? Kelsey didn't talk to the media after the game. Russo went nuts on first take. He said he's saving it for his podcast. There's no sports fan actually listens to that podcast. He's taking on Travis Kelsey. It's a pretty big audience. I'm sitting there.
He's sitting there telling their partners he doesn't want to talk to them so he can save it for new heights. That's exactly what he said verbatim. How much fun do you get to do TV with him? I would love that.
I only do first take on Wednesdays and I'm in studio with Chris Russo. It's like, it's a dream. It's a dream. I thought it was interesting. I feel like there's a couple of sacred cows in media and he's saying it on ESPN where Jason Kelsey is employed. And he's just like, no one listens to that podcast. I'm just like, oh, Simmons is gonna probably has thoughts on this.
Oh, that's good. Well, he's wrong on that, but I appreciate the spirit. Okay. Next game. So we're probably not doing the Titans plus three. I really... Do it. I wish it was plus four and a half. Colts plus five and a half.
If you love the Mike McCoy Titans so much, just go with it.
No, I don't love them. I don't think they're very good. I just don't know. It's Gardner Minshew. We saw him play one series. He immediately threw the ball to the other team. I mean, he's bad. We've seen him fail in multiple teams. So that's kind of the great equalizer.
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