Follow The Money | August 24, 2026 | Hour 2

**Mitch Moss** (0:05)
This is Follow The Money with Mitch Moss and Pauly Howard on VSiN.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:11)
It's good to have you on board. Thanks for watching, as always, on YouTube TV, listening on SiriusXM channel 158, iHeart Radio, TuneIn Radio, or any of our affiliates across the country. Busy hour coming up in 15 minutes, we'll get into today's Major League Baseball card. Bottom of the hour, professional gambler Blair Rodman in studio.
New book out, All About Sports Betting. Going to be a great listen and interview with him coming up at that time, Pauly. Here we're going to start off the hour with five bold predictions in the National Football League this year.

**Pauly Howard** (0:42)
Uncle Buck always said playing cards around the house, be bold.
Go big. We're going to try to do it right now. For only the fourth time since 2002, no team will go worse to first. I'm surprised it's minus two dollars at DK.
The candidates that stick out, Detroit and New Orleans. Paul Bovey was on last week. He's down on Detroit. I think they're going to be improved, but again, it's much to do about the schedule. But in a tough division, I could see Minnesota or Chicago, maybe a Green Bay edging them out could be a key injury, who knows? And then the Saints in a wacky division after Howell Shuck played, coming off a 6-11 season, but a lot of love for Tampa. Baker Mayfield says we're going to shock the world. What happens in Carolina? Begging Atlanta to improve offensively, and Panic's finally cleared to do 11-on-11 drills. But only the fourth time since 2002, no team will go worse to first. I'm going to...

**SPEAKER_3** (1:40)
Who wins those two divisions then?

**Pauly Howard** (1:42)
I'm going to say Minnesota.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:43)
Oh, wow. Big number there.

**Pauly Howard** (1:46)
And it's a lot based on the coaching staff and the fact that they won nine games last year.
And I'll still stick with Tampa, even though they stuck it in my ear last year. I'll come back with Tampa Bay. Too much talent on offense.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:58)
Okay.

**Pauly Howard** (2:00)
I'll pivot here on the spot.
Seattle misses the playoffs, and the 49ers missed the playoffs. Both. Seattle, they're going to miss Kubiak, they're going to miss Walker, and then can Sam Darnold do it again as everyone's gunning for you. Not a lot of talk about them, though, right? Out of a defending champ, where it's more about the Rams and every other team in the NFC, like Chicago, and who can come out of there, and not much talk about. And then you just sometimes just have to say, you know what, Mitch, sometimes it's not our year. Already with the injuries, your head coach gets in a car accident, and then your owner trying to pick up some skank for $140 at a trailer park gets arrested over the weekend, and you have to come out with a press release if the guy's going to show up in East Palestine, Ohio.

**SPEAKER_3** (2:47)
The least amount of preseason hype for a defending champion since what team? I would honestly have to go back and look.

**Pauly Howard** (2:54)
The 1 Patriots?

**SPEAKER_3** (2:58)
Maybe, maybe it's been that long.

**Pauly Howard** (3:00)
I know everyone's kind of saying the same thing. Great story. OK, Sam, do it again. Do it again. And the Rams are going to win 15 games. Sure. Right.
I kind of see what Lou's getting at with Lou's in the center, but it feels like again, one and done for the Ravens as the windows closed and they missed their chance, going 14 and two, losing as a double digit favorite at home to Tennessee, hosting the AFC title game against the Chiefs in favored, couldn't get it done. Minus three in the turnover differential when you outplayed Buffalo and then Andrews with the critical drop, Lamar Jackson with the fumble. You couldn't even make the playoffs last year. You get rid of Tucker and you bring in the new kid wide right against Pittsburgh. It just feels like the division is too strong, the AFC is too strong, and it's not going to work out for the Ravens. The Browns are one of the worst teams in the league and should be lined with Miami and Arizona.
A text from one of my guys in Cleveland, bad defense, no depth, both quarterbacks stink, fade them all season long.

**SPEAKER_3** (4:00)
Well, he's wrong. The defense is absolutely not bad.

**Pauly Howard** (4:02)
Well, we'll see what he says tomorrow.
He thinks it's a bad defense, but in any event, I just think it's going to be a... And also, you're admitting your mistake, but you're also tying in the number one. And I wrote it yesterday that you cannot start Watson. Now it's like after he struggles in the first two weeks, go to Sanders and that's it for Watson. They have to sit there and take this after the sins of the organization and ownership. What they did, bad enough to contract, then you gave up three number ones, and then you're going to put out there and say he gives us the best chance to win, even though he doesn't. And what's the point of drafting Sanders anyways? You got to sit there. Here's what's going to happen.