Sean McDermott Previews Lions-Vikings and Chiefs-Broncos Big Week 8 Showdowns

Two Week 8 games jumped off the page for Rich, and he had the right person on The Rich Eisen Show to break them down. Sean McDermott walked through Vikings at Lions and Chiefs at Broncos like a coach preparing a game plan, which is exactly what made it worth hearing.

Rich framed the Minnesota-Detroit matchup as a study in opposites. The Vikings are the last undefeated team, yet the question is how real they are because "offensively they have not clicked yet," while "defensively they're off the charts." The Lions, meanwhile, have "thoroughly clicked" on offense and are, in a sentence Rich couldn't believe he was saying, getting "healthier on defense."

McDermott started with Detroit's quarterback. "Jared Goff is playing at an all-time high level," he said, and hasn't thrown an interception in what seems like years, though McDermott conceded it has been months. He pointed to the firepower, the weapons outside, tight end LaPorta, and the ability to run the football and "stay on schedule."

Then he turned to what Minnesota brings. "How much Brian Flores loves to pressure," McDermott said, adding that Flores pressured on 80-plus percent of plays the previous week. "If you're Detroit's offensive coordinator, you've got to be spending all week with your staff trying to figure out this blitz package."

The problem, McDermott explained, is the disguise. "Sometimes they'll line up in what looks like a max zero blitz and they'll bring it, and then sometimes they'll drop everybody out." He flagged two specific matchups to watch: Detroit's tight ends trying to block Minnesota's defensive edge, and the Vikings sending their big linebackers, who are "really good blitzers," at the running backs, possibly Gibbs, to test his protection.

From there Rich pivoted to Kansas City, and to a fun piece of history. Andy Reid initially hired McDermott as a scouting administrative coordinator in 1999, so Rich declared him his "Andy Reid whisperer." McDermott's reply: "Humble beginnings."

The Chiefs had just been erased on Sunday night by the defending world champs, and Rich wanted to know what Reid is thinking heading to Denver. McDermott sees the Broncos much like he sees Green Bay, a team on the upswing, and he described what any good staff does after an opponent struggles. "What did the last opponent that gave Kansas City trouble, what did they do and can we copy that?" he said. "Do we have those things in our arsenal or do we have to invent something new?"

Seattle controlled that game from the start, and McDermott noted Denver has "a similar structure defense," good up front like the Seahawks. Whether the Broncos can actually copy the approach remains to be seen.

But he would not bet against the other sideline adjusting. "Andy's not one to sit around and not make adjustments," McDermott said. "He's a wizard at that week to week. Very rarely do they make the same mistake twice."

Both games, in his words, were matchups he couldn't wait to watch.