Episode 5: The Matchup - NFL Week 5 Preview & Picks

On Episode 5 of The Matchup, Buffalo Bills receiver Khalil Shakir joins hosts Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders to discuss Josh Allen, his toughest opponents, and his YAC skills. The crew also breaks down standout NFL performances, previews key Week 5 matchups, shares a classic Philip Rivers story, and delivers their latest positional rankings and weekly picks.

This episode originally aired on October 8, 2026

Topics covered:

• [0:00] Quick Slant: CeeDee Lamb's Huge Game

• [4:03] Quick Slant: Odell Beckham Jr. and the Vikings

• [5:42] Quick Slant: NFL Referee Confrontations

• [8:02] Week 4 Matchup Review: Travis Hunter and Rams-Eagles

• [13:15] Week 5 Matchup Preview: JSN vs. Lenoir and Bills-Rams

• [19:55] Khalil Shakir Interview

• [27:12] Mile High Salute: Bo Nix, the Broncos' Offense and a Chargers Preview

• [36:37] E's Top 10 Problems: Wide Receiver Rankings

• [40:35] The Strap List: Defensive Back Rankings

• [43:51] Week 5 Pick 'Em: Jaguars vs. Eagles

• [47:06] Power Rankings

• [50:52] Week 5 Pick 'Em: 49ers vs. Seahawks

Full transcript

[0:00] Quick Slant: CeeDee Lamb's Huge Game

Chris Harris Jr.: Which quarterback during my playing days talked the most mess to me? You'll find out today, here on The Matchup. Welcome to The Matchup, Week 5, brought to you by bet365. We got my guy, Emmanuel Sanders, all-pro Bowl receiver, here today. You got your boy, Chris Harris, Jr., all-deck A corner right here. Today, man, we got some big games that we had last week, you know? But since he balled out, man, we've got to talk about CeeDee Lamb's big game. What's your thoughts on the game, man?

Emmanuel Sanders: I mean, big time. Hey, look, Dak was looking for him often, right? And CeeDee was making the plays. Even at the end of the game, you look at him, he made the game-winning play. So if I'm CeeDee, I'm getting on that plane. I'm sitting back and saying, "Hey, hey, man, wait, what a wine that, man." I need something to celebrate that, because that was just a big-time game. And I know how you feel, Chris, because when I was a senior at SMU, I had 18 catches. And when the game is just flowing that way for you, it's like your dream that came true.

You know what I mean? Like, that's a receiver's dream, you know? And another game I think about, you know, is in 2015 when we went out to Pittsburgh. You know, I was, it was my first game back at Heinz Field. You know, AB was still over there.

Chris Harris Jr.: Look, that's your best game. That's my worst game.

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, it's crazy, though. Look, I went up, I went off for 181 yards. AB went off for 189.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, that was my worst game. I didn't give up a touchdown for almost two years until that game, man. That was a good game, though, man. You was going off, for sure.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, I'm looking at it like, man, I can't even have the spotlight. Even when I was in Pittsburgh, AB had the spotlight. I'm coming back, I'm balling, and I still can't have the spotlight. You know what I mean? But I know how CeeDee feels, man. He had a crazy day. And I think that, and you guys will see, you know, when we go through my top 10s, CeeDee might have climbed up, may have not. But I mean, based off that performance, especially with George Pickens on the opposite side to do that, man, that was a great day by CeeDee, for sure.

Chris Harris Jr.: How is he? I think I know how he's able to get open, you know? But with him getting so many targets, right? See, George Pickens only getting three. How does that happen like that, in a game like that, when you know the only person Dak's throwing to is CeeDee Lamb?

Emmanuel Sanders: Right? I mean, they're moving them all over. You know, if they just left him on the outside, it'd be easy to cover. But when you're moving him in a slot, you're moving him on the outside. So he's running a variety of routes. You look at those 18 catches. He's on the outside running comebacks. He's in the slot running choices. He's on, he's in the slot running quick outs. Even the game-winning touchdown, they had him in the slot. You know, the nickel playing heavy outside, CeeDee kind of sprays it. And I mean, that was just, I ain't going to say it was an easy touchdown, because I ain't going to take the credit away from him.

But I mean, all he had to do was just run the route. So, you know, sometimes I attribute that. And sometimes when you're seeing a receiver having life success, you think it's that receiver. But that offensive coordinator was in his bag, too, Chris, because he was dialed up some stuff to CeeDee. He was just running wide open. Now he had to run and catch it. But I mean, just based off of what the defense was giving him, he was running wide open. So we got to credit the offensive coordinator.

Chris Harris Jr.: Right. And on that touchdown, me and the slot, I used to get that route all the time. So my job was not to get wide, right? You want me to get wide so you can run that little bang route? He can fit that ball right inside, right?

Emmanuel Sanders: Easy.

Chris Harris Jr.: So that's just a play that you got to know as a slot, as playing safety or playing the nickel. You got to be able to cover those slot seams, especially in the red zone, right? Dak was able to make a play, hit him right there. Game time, you know? Game on the line, man. He was soft. He was way outside. It was pitch and catch. You know, it was an easy 7-on-7 route.

Emmanuel Sanders: Sometimes you're looking at the National Football League, you're like, man, how is these guys just wide open? Like, you know, but hey, sometimes that's just how the cookie crumble.

Quick Slant: Odell Beckham Jr. and the Vikings [4:03]

Emmanuel Sanders: You know what I mean? But hey, hey, some big-time news. Odell Beckham going to the Vikings. You know what I mean? For me, when I look at it, you know, he's back with Kevin O'Connell. He was with Kevin O'Connell. Kevin O'Connell was the offensive coordinator with the Rams, and now he's the head coach of the Vikings. So, you know, how do you feel about Odell going over there to the Vikings?

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, I think it's a good fit. You know, Addison, he's starting to pick up his game. You know, Justin is, you know, he's been up and down this season, hadn't had the breakout season that he needed, but the start that he needed. But, you know, it's always good. You know, his contract is guaranteed. So anything else that he gets is bonus. So, hey, he just want to get out there on the field, man, get collect both from both teams, and, you know, be able to, you know, just continue to stack up.

That's kind of that mentality as a vet. Try to stack up as much as you can going out. And hopefully he has a chance to get out there on the field. You know, with Kyler Murray, you know, I can't count on him really making a big, you know, big splash with how they're throwing the football right now. But, you know, I'm just glad to see him stay hanging around the league, hanging around as long as possible.

Emmanuel Sanders: Exactly. No, yeah, he's going to Minnesota. And that indoor facility, right? You got an offensive coordinator that's familiar with you. You always go to, you always want to go to places that want you. You know what I mean? And obviously, you know, him and Kevin O'Connell, they have that chemistry together. So it's going to be real interesting, especially with Jauan Jennings out. You got Jefferson down. Odell might be able to get some burn, you know? You know, he's on the practice squad right now. But let's see if he can get out there and make some plays. How he, how I know he want it with the Giants. You know?

Quick Slant: NFL Referee Confrontations [5:42]

Chris Harris Jr.: And the practice squad for the Vets is, all that means is they're signed on the practice squad, but they can still get pulled up for three games, right? So he's not really on practice squad, but that's kind of the language that they got to use, you know, for the vets. But, you know, we got some refs getting into it on the field, man. NFL refs getting suspended. You know, seeing the interactions happening on the field like that. I haven't seen the refs that aggressive. I've never seen them that aggressive on the field, you know? But I've seen them get at some players, but not that aggressive.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, no, I don't know what's in these refs. Kool-Aid, the Gatorade, whatever they drinking, man. Somebody done handed him some Hennessy or something, one of the refs.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, man, he was ready to go.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, he was out there tripping, especially the one with the Trey McBride situation. Like, I've never seen a ref turn to a player and say, "F you." I've never seen that in the 12 years that I played in the National Football League. You know, even speaking of Tyreek Hill, the situation that happened with Tyreek Hill, where he got knocked over. I've had encounters with Tyreek Hill several times, and it's always been light. He's always been cool to me. It's always been a respect there. To me, when I look at the ref situation, a ref that said, "F you" to Trey McBride definitely deserved a suspension. Now, Tyreek Hill, you know, him getting knocked over and getting up and saying, "Get away," I don't think that deserves a suspension. Inspect maybe.

Chris Harris Jr.: It deserved it. It deserved it. The reason why it deserved it is because he stopped and started pointing at the guy, and it's not his fault. He's just playing football. It's not like he could see the ref anyways. It's the ref's job right there to get the hell out of the way, right? The other ref now, he was just talking crazy, right?

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, exactly. That deserved it.

Chris Harris Jr.: I'm not surprised he only got two games.

Emmanuel Sanders: If Tyreek Hill would have slapped him and been like, "Get out of my way." You know, but to say, "Hey, move around," you got to be able to control the game, you know? But the other ref was tripping, for sure.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, the other ref, for sure. He definitely was on something. And it's an offensive player, too. Usually, they snap at the defensive guys, because usually we complaining or so. But, you know, I guess y'all receivers do complain, holding all day. Y'all be crying. I'm tired of y'all crying.

Emmanuel Sanders: Okay, yeah. And what do y'all do? That's a push, y'all. That's a push, y'all.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yes, sir.

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, hey, hey, after you said, "F you," Trey McBride looked at the camera and pointed at the camera and said, "I got you."

Chris Harris Jr.: You set that boy up. Finally got the ref.

NFL Week 4 Matchup Review: Travis Hunter and Rams-Eagles [8:02]

Emmanuel Sanders: It's a ref, man. It's a ref. But, shoot, let's move on. Let's go back to the Week 4 Matchups. The Jacksonville-Cincinnati game. It was Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase versus Travis Hunter with the Jags over there. Travis Hunter playing well now. Travis Hunter playing well, you know? He had a career-high 58 coverage snaps, targeted seven times, gave up four catches for 30 yards and two PBUs, right?

Chris Harris Jr.: I'll take it. That's a good game.

Emmanuel Sanders: 100%.

Chris Harris Jr.: He won the matchup.

Emmanuel Sanders: We had talked about it. We had talked about it several times of what side of the football should he choose and blah. But it's starting to look like that defensive side might not be a bad side for him as well. Then you saw the play when he caught the interception and juked Tee Higgins.

Chris Harris Jr.: Boy, he put Tee Higgins down, boy.

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, that was bad business.

Chris Harris Jr.: Because he ain't used to tackling like that, right? And Travis, once he gets the ball, he immediately switches to offense.

Emmanuel Sanders: 100%.

Chris Harris Jr.: Chase going down. I definitely want to see Chase play, but him getting a concussion hurt. But, you know, like you said, when somebody goes down, look at Tee Higgins now. He got 11 catches, 16 targets, 157 yards now. So he won his matchup other day.

Emmanuel Sanders: He definitely did.

Chris Harris Jr.: You know, Travis did his job. The Jacksonville defense did their job, being able to get two picks on Joe Burrow with Jordan Lewis. I think the other safety got a pick. But, you know, that's what Joe Burrow does. You know, he's going to have, I'm not sure he's going to have 300 yards, but he's going to throw you some couple picks. And, you know, the Jaguars were able to capitalize. And, you know, Travis, salute to Travis. I seen a stat that said he ain't gave up a catch in man yet. 0-0 on the passer rating.

Emmanuel Sanders: He is athletic as they come, man.

Chris Harris Jr.: You know, he's shutting down. But, you know, I know the Jags' system. They run the Seattle system. So.

Emmanuel Sanders: That coverage three.

Chris Harris Jr.: It's like, how much man are you really playing? You know, but hey, salute to that boy, Travis. And, you know, hopefully he finds his way on the defensive side. You know, I think, of course, I want to play offense because more money, but I'm glad to see him shine on defense.

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, look, at the end of the day, the goal is to get a bag. However you got to get it, a bag is a bag. You know what I mean? And so I think we both can agree that we just want to see Travis get a bag. When he was only playing 40 snaps, it was like, whoa, what's going on? You know, but you know, you see these young guys coming to league all the time, and it takes, some guys come to league and they just take off, and then some guys, it takes a little while.

Because really, you don't really hit your prime until I hit my prime right about my fifth, sixth year. I was like, oh, yeah, it's over now. You know, you kind of, because these guys are managing a lot of stuff. It's just not football. You're managing a whole other lifestyle. You're managing family. You're managing so much stuff. And then you kind of find your groove year three or four, and then it's like, okay, I'm now a pro. You know, you don't, most guys don't come into the National Football League and become a pro as a rookie.

No, you grow to become a professional athlete. You know what I mean? And so it's just good to see that Travis is starting to get, you know, find his ground. But let's move on to the next Week 4 Matchup the past week, right? We had the Rams and Philly. Obviously, DeVonta Smith didn't play. But, man, remember I was talking about, man, what I told you about that number one, number two, right?

Chris Harris Jr.: He go out.

Emmanuel Sanders: Even though I sat back and said that when Puka comes back, that Puka's going to command the majority of the offense, which he did. And Puka is Puka now. I told you. I told you, hey, when he get back out there, hey, he's still going to become himself. They're going to find a way to make him be himself. But even with DeVonta had nine targets. He had every opportunity to make plays, even the, you know, he dropped one right down the sideline, and then he dropped the touchdown pass. You know what I mean?

So DeVonta still could have went over five catches and over 75 yards, and they both could have, hey, because Stafford threw the ball 51 times. You know, the Rams are going to be able to spread the ball out, you know? But obviously, when you look back on this, on that matchup, you know, I went Puka in, and Puka did his thing. What you think about that matchup?

Chris Harris Jr.: Well, you know, they just find a way to get him the ball everywhere, you know? Short routes, goalball seams. He plays everywhere.

Emmanuel Sanders: He's a monster.

Chris Harris Jr.: And he has such, he's such a tough runner after the catch. You know, he's stronger than what people think. And, you know, Philly just couldn't deal with him, right? Quinyon played solid, but, you know, I need Cooper DeJean to play better in the slot. I need Rick Willen to step up, keep, you know, he's kind of plateauing, going a little down now. His stock is going down. I need him to climb up like he was the first two games. And, you know, Adams, like you said, he's going to do what he do every week, right? Now, you just got to go catch those balls.

Emmanuel Sanders: You got to make the plays.

Chris Harris Jr.: You know that he's probably left out there. And he's already having a great year, but imagine if he had those three touchdowns on there. You know, so it can be even a better year for Adams. Now we're talking about all pro, you know, for a guy in his later years, you know? So that was a good game, but at the end of the day, you know, Puka came out. He won the matchup overall, right? McDuffie, he won his matchup overall because Smith didn't even show up.

Emmanuel Sanders: Smith didn't show up.

Chris Harris Jr.: But he locked up, you know? So he continues to be one of the top corners in the league.

Emmanuel Sanders: 100%, 100%.

Chris Harris Jr.: All right, let's get to Week 5, man.

Week 5 Matchup Preview: JSN vs. Lenoir and Bills-Rams [13:15]

Chris Harris Jr.: We got Week 5 matchups. You know, we always like breaking down a couple games, you know, that we see highlighted, you know? Of course, the game of the week is Seattle versus 49ers, right? In Seattle at the 12, it's going to be jumping, you know?

Emmanuel Sanders: It's crazy.

Chris Harris Jr.: The key matchup, two teams that are probably top in the top five of everybody's power rankings, right? They in the top 10. So it's a big matchup, man. Who you got this week?

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, look, Lenoir or JSN. So last regular season game, Lenoir, you know, told the coaching staff and to the media that he want more JSN. And JSN, you know, Lenoir ended up winning the matchup, but JSN ended up winning the game. Y'all can see right there. It say, "Hopefully I get to shadow JSN." And then after JSN won, it says, "It's hard to respond back to all my fans." So to me, I'm looking at this like, man, hey, look, hey, once you, once it's up there, it's stuck. You know what I mean?

So you already know with this matchup exactly what's going on. Lenoir feel the same way about JSN, and JSN feel the same way about Lenoir. So let's get it. So this is what I'm predicting in the matchup, because right now, I don't see nobody stopping JSN. JSN is on a mission. And not only that, when we talk about the matchup, it's hard because exactly what we were talking about, CeeDee Lamb. It's easy to sit back and say, "Okay, let's just line up on the outside one-on-one, and let's go one-on-one." No, no, no.

JSN got an offensive coordinator over there, too, that's going to be moving him in the slide. It's going to move him around. And JSN is going to get his targets. So let's talk about a prediction. If I had, you know, five catches over 75 yards, I'm going to say JSN getting it all day. You know what I mean?

Chris Harris Jr.: I'm with you on that prediction. He's going to get five over 75.

Emmanuel Sanders: So let's up it then. Let's up it then with JSN. Let's say seven catches over 100, JSN. Seven catches over 100. Now that's. That's about right.

Chris Harris Jr.: I see seven.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah. And I see seven over 100, too.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah. Just because the way they move him around, I like Lenoir, but is he shut down? Is he pro bowl? Is he all pro? I don't know yet, right? He's a good starter. He's there. You know, he's got a lot of experience. But he has to get over that hump for himself in that career, right, to be labeled as a guy that can shut down a JSN, right? Not just being a starter out there, right? Because it's levels to it.

Emmanuel Sanders: It's definitely levels to it.

Chris Harris Jr.: It's levels to it, right? So I got to ride with JSN all day just because he's productive every week.

Emmanuel Sanders: Great. So then we got to, let's just move on to the next one. We got Bills Rams, right? We got Coleman, we got Khalil, we got McDuffie and Watson. Now, Coleman had a breakout game, six catches, 116 yards and a tug, you know? Hey, the young boy's starting to find his groove. Exactly what I was telling you about, man. Sometimes, you know, these first-rounders, they come in and guys expect them to be pro bowlers and all pro, but they got to find their groove. And it seems like Keon is starting to find his groove out there, you know?

Chris Harris Jr.: I think I don't see him, you know, I don't see him doing nothing versus McDuffie, right? But I do see McDuffie probably matching up with Shakir because Shakir's in the slot, and he's kind of Josh Allen's key guy, and he's the third down target. But Keon Coleman, you know, I think they feel like Watson and those guys, they have taller forwards. They got taller DBs on the outside. They can match up with Coleman. So, you know, I see the Rams being able to shut down the Bills' receiver core. You know, it's going to be Josh Allen and Cook's going to have to win the game right there.

Emmanuel Sanders: Right. And I agree with you as well. You know, obviously, man, hey, this is a big time test for Coleman and Khalil. I mean, because even with Khalil, with McDuffie in the slot, a lot of, and you know, I saw, you know, the offensive coordinator dial up something for Khalil. They were in man free, and what they did is they sent him in motion. They had trips, and they sent him in motion to act like he was going to run a shallow cross and then whip back. And he was open on a third and five, and they were able to get that.

But I got a feeling that McDuffie, and that's hard to stop, right, Chris? That's really hard to stop. But I got a feeling that McDuffie going to find a way to be able to shut that down. He might get no light, though. Khalil might get McDuffie a few times just schematically. But if we're just lining up one-on-one, that's going to be a tough match for Khalil.

Chris Harris Jr.: Oh, yeah, that's a tough matchup for Khalil. When you see McDuffie, he's quick enough to be able to guard all his little gadget routes, you know, the change direction routes that he likes to run, pivots, and things like that, but underneath. But it should be an easy matchup for McDuffie. The thing is the scramble drill, right? Josh Allen is always able to extend plays. It's not guarding the first play, Ken. You guard the second, the third, the fourth route. And that's what you get with the Bills. So that's what the Rams got to be ready for, being able to shut down them.

And, you know, I think Davante Adams and Puka going to kill their matchup, you know? You know, the Bills got a younger secondary right now. So this, you know, we don't want to, we probably already picked the Rams, you know?

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, it's going to be a good game.

Chris Harris Jr.: You know, it's going to be a tough matchup for the skill position.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, it's going to be a really good game. And the reason why it's going to be a good game is because who the Bills got a quarterback. Anything could go with Josh Allen, right? We sit back and say, okay, Khalil and Coleman won't have five, but if Josh Allen getting to running around and scrambling around, hey, that deep is good. Hey, he's going to get the scrambling around. You just never know, you know? So those two guys, man, they blessed to have a quarterback, you know? So hey, that Bills Rams man.

Chris Harris Jr.: And he's DJ Moore. Hey, he's DJ Moore back. He's the one that's going to be able to open up this stuff for Khalil, open up Keon Coleman, right? Keep Keon Coleman on the number two receivers and the number threes, right? And so where he can eat.

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, what's your shirt say over there?

Chris Harris Jr.: Superman.

Emmanuel Sanders: It say Superman. Josh Allen's Superman, man.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, they do got quarterback. They quarterback a Superman, right? He is dominant, right?

Emmanuel Sanders: 100%.

Chris Harris Jr.: So it's going to be interesting to see what, you know, how that matchup comes out, but, you know, hey, looking like we're riding with the Rams all the way on that side on that matchup.

Emmanuel Sanders: 100%.

Chris Harris Jr.: Coming up, we got our latest top 10 list. We got the power rankings. But first, we caught up with Buffalo Bills star receiver Khalil Shakir. Let's get it.

Khalil Shakir Interview [19:55]

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, Khalil. Hey, man. Hey, thanks for coming on The Matchup, man. I see you in the Bills' facility back there, man. I figured you'd be on the jug machine, you know? I spent some time out there. You know what I mean?

Khalil Shakir: If you're on the jug machines, man, you got to wait your turn. I was out there. It's windy in Buffalo right now, so I was getting some catches outside first.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yo, it's always a line on the jug machine out there. It's crazy. Hey, but I tell you what, man. Hey, I truly love watching you play, man. You're one of my top slot receivers, man. I love the way you get in and out of your cuts and how you be killing these guys in that slot, man. So I appreciate you coming on.

Khalil Shakir: Yeah, yeah, I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Thanks for having me.

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, look, first question is, I heard the first time you played football was in Japan. It's because your dad spent 24 years in the Marines, and you grew up on a military base, and your dad started a youth football league on a military base?

Khalil Shakir: Yeah, it was one of my, I was seven years old, and then one of my dad's buddies, I don't know how it exactly came about, but started the league seven years old. And I'll tell you what, I did not want to be out there. I did not like the idea of getting hit at seven years old. But yeah, in Okinawa, Japan, that's where it all started.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, that's crazy. So tell me this, military-wise, do you still carry that mindset onto the field?

Khalil Shakir: Yeah. I feel like naturally, it just kind of sticks with me. Like as a kid, I moved around a lot. So to be able to adjust to different environments, you know, playing home, playing away games, all that type of stuff, the crazy environments, the crazy workouts. My first three years playing football was coached by Marines. So they had a strict discipline.

Emmanuel Sanders: Boot camp workouts, you know what I'm saying?

Khalil Shakir: Yeah. I'm used to all that. I definitely think that I naturally just carry that mindset into games and stuff.

Emmanuel Sanders: Right.

Chris Harris Jr.: Right, man. And I love your game, too. You know, I would have had to guard you back in my day, you know? If I was into my prime, you know, I'd have to be matching up with you, man. So, you know, I always had to live in that world with the Wes Welkers, Amendolas, you know, [unclear] played in there some, AB, you know, all these guys have to play in the slot, right? And this is when you really caught my eye. I knew you were good, but you really caught my eye in the divisional round last year in the playoffs.

When you caught the RPO, I think it was the RPO, and you split Hufanga, right? We just interviewed Hufanga. We know how good he is, right? You split the defense, broke like five tackles. After that, I was like, man, this guy's a YAC machine, man. What prides yourself into being that guy that makes big plays after the catch?

Khalil Shakir: I think that my game, I played running back really most of my life until I got to college for real. So I feel like it's just kind of something that my dad taught me at a young age and just playing that position and having to get in and out of cuts, just being in the box and stuff like that. So I feel like it just kind of carried over to me being a slot receiver. And obviously, when I first got the chance to really get out there and ball a few years ago, naturally, I just kind of became the YAC guy and making people miss.

And I take pride in it because a lot of people like point out that's the part of my game that they, you know, like. So whenever I get the ball, like it's, I just try and think like it's time to dance, you know? Yeah, because you never want to, hold on. I got a little bit more. Because you never really want to get labeled as a slot guy. Oh, man. Look at it. Oh. That was definitely a punishment. Look, that's JMag Fox, one of our receivers. He ain't catch the ball. He ain't catch the ball.

Chris Harris Jr.: Man, tell, is you up there with Palmer too, man? I know y'all had Palmer, the younger receiver.

Khalil Shakir: Yeah, I don't know where everybody out here getting catches. He ain't out here right now.

Chris Harris Jr.: Tell him to get some extra work, man. I had him with me. He was one of my youngest when I was with the Chargers, man. So tell myself what's up, man. Go ahead, E.

Emmanuel Sanders: I'll tell you what. He out of everybody.

Khalil Shakir: That was not me. That was not me. I promise.

Emmanuel Sanders: So it's all good.

Khalil Shakir: Out of everybody I've worked with up until this point, Palmer for real, like I'm talking, he here early working before practice out, 30, 45 minutes before practice getting jug machine work. Like he definitely worked.

Emmanuel Sanders: And that's what it takes, man. Speaking of one of your teammates, man, you know, I've had the pleasure of playing with some damn good quarterbacks, but I always say Josh is one of my favorite, man. Hey, it's crazy when Josh gets hit, he turned into a whole nother animal, man. How's your experience been playing with Josh?

Khalil Shakir: Yeah, unreal. I think, I mean, I say this all the time about him. He's a freak of nature. Like I've never played with an overall, like football player, athlete, all-around guy like him. Like he loves ball, but he also knows how to have fun with it. And I think it's super important where you do have people who can just be ball 24/7, you know, and that's all they know. But Josh does a really good job at, I always like thought, and we talk in the receiver room about this, like if you can keep the game as kid-like as possible, like when you're a kid, you're not thinking about the stress that comes with the game.

You're just out there with your boys playing backyard football, not thinking nothing, right? Josh is really great at like having fun when it's time to go. And that's obviously our leader, so a lot of us look to him for that. But he's a dog, man. Just honestly, I couldn't have gotten a better quarterback. Like the dude, in my opinion, is the best guy in the league off the field as a father, as a man, and on the field as a teammate, as a brother. So he's unreal.

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, Khalil, I tell people all the time, man, you really can't take Josh serious, man, because he's a jokester and a prankster. You just never know, man. Hey, I truly enjoyed my time with him.

Khalil Shakir: Yeah, he's awesome. He's got, we had obviously a few new coaches coming to build, and then they had to warm up to that, so they got joked on a little bit. They got used to it quick.

Emmanuel Sanders: Well, you got to keep it light, man. You got to have somebody that's able to keep it light, you know? And this is my last question for you, man. Let you go handle your business the rest of the day. You know, you got to go against a tough matchup, you know, this week. You know, one of the premier corners in the league, probably one of the top slot guys in the league. He says he's similar to me, right? That's what you say. So this is probably one of the top guys.

Well, first of all, hey, Khalil, we got a list. We got a list every week, right? Top 10 corners. And Chris got McDuffie right now, number one. So you going against the number one corner on this list. Yeah.

Khalil Shakir: I mean, I've been going against McDuffie for a few years now because obviously he was with the Chiefs before. I've always said McDuffie's, and when people ask me who's the hardest, you know, who's the best to cover you, I say McDuffie every time. He's obviously a baller. He's a dog. Knows ball, plays fast, plays bigger than what he is as well. So honestly, I'm excited for the opportunity every single time. Like obviously, that's what we want. We want the challenges, and we want to go against the top guys and pull out the win, and that just makes it that much better.

Emmanuel Sanders: Come on, dude.

Khalil Shakir: We need some slot guys in there, man.

Emmanuel Sanders: I know. I got to put some slot guys in my life.

Khalil Shakir: It's the outside, man. We got to show our slot guys some love, too, E. Come on, man.

Emmanuel Sanders: I know. I got to show you some love, man. But hey, Khalil, man, hey, truly appreciate you coming on, man. Hey, I know your schedule is busy throughout the week, but good luck out there with the Rams, man. Go get that dub, man. Go get it.

Khalil Shakir: Yeah, no doubt. And I appreciate y'all for having me. When they told me that y'all wanted me to hop on, I've never said yes so fast. I respect the hell out of y'all.

Emmanuel Sanders: My God, man. That's love, bro. That's love.

Khalil Shakir: Thank you, bro.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, of course.

Mile High Salute: Bo Nix, the Broncos' Offense and a Chargers Preview [27:12]

Chris Harris Jr.: Let's get to the Mile High Salute. You know, it's always fun talking about our Broncos. You know, we got to definitely go into the game versus the 49ers, man. What was your takeaway on the loss? You know, it's always tough playing out there in the Bay.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, I mean, hey, look, they had a tough opponent, but for me, it's the same Broncos thing that we always talk about. They start slow. Even on last week's podcast, right, on last week's episode, I said that they cannot start slow and then in the second half come back miraculously and say, oh, we won. That's a tough task to try to do on the road in a sea of red, you know? But, you know, when I look back on it, though, what changed the game was Marvin Mims' fumble, you know?

And a lot of people were debating, I didn't think that it was a fumble, you know? I didn't think it was a fumble. I thought his forearm was down. But when I look at it, though, if I'm Marvin Mims' big bro or if I'm Marvin Mims' friend, I'm sitting back and saying, regardless, we cannot in that situation do that. You know what I mean? Like we got to take care of the football. Like we can't allow the refs to determine the outcome of the game. And so, you know, obviously, you know, that right there flipped the game.

But then also, when I think about this Broncos offense, I'm seeing an offense that's kind of stagnant, you know? Even when I first sat down to start watching the game, I'm like, man, both checking the ball down a lot. Like, I mean, it's just like.

Chris Harris Jr.: And people were open though.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, and people were open. Like one time I went back and looked at the All-Pro 22 and Waddles coming open on overalls, Courtland's coming open on daggers, Courtland's open on curls. And I'm like, what is he reading? Sometimes, you know, I'm questioning what are they telling him to read because it seems like he's not reading the right defender or he's not seeing the field well or maybe him and Davis Webb, they're just finding that chemistry to figure out the offense because sometimes it being in new offensive systems, the quarterback needs like a year or two.

I've been in offensive systems, Chris, where first year, I thought that I knew the system, but the second year, I was like, oh, I didn't know that I had to do this on this and on this particular play. So maybe Bo Nix, as the season progresses, he get better and better. But right now, I'm seeing a quarterback that's not really understanding the offense right now, you know?

Chris Harris Jr.: But it should be the same offense, though, E, because, I mean, it's still Sean Payton's system, but Davis Webb just adding new wrinkles to it. They're running the ball outside more. They're a lot more motioning compared to what they had with a regular Sean Payton offense. So they've implemented that a little bit more as they were breaking down his stats, breaking down the difference between Sean Payton and Davis Webb. But as you go and watch the film, you know, people are wide open. He's just not throwing the ball. You know, he's taking it.

Emmanuel Sanders: And so even when you, what you saying that last year, Davis Webb was quarterback coach. Maybe it's the quarterback coach that's now not explaining it to him as well in the meeting, right? Because Davis Webb is now the offensive coordinator. So sometimes I look, I see coaches and coaches are just teachers. How are you teaching it, right? For me, it's a big question mark of what is going on with Bo Nix, you know? What is going on and why he's not seeing the field that well, you know? So what would you say? What do you think is the reason why?

Chris Harris Jr.: I think he's just not trusting it, you know? It's just when you come back from injury, you know, you got to trust your arm, trust what you're seeing. And right now, he's not seeing it all, you know, and processing the defense at the speed that you need him to. And, you know, and he's not being patient, letting the receiver come open. And sometimes you got to throw them open, right? And, you know, he does at times. We're not saying that he's being completely bad, but he's not playing at the level that he played at last year as he finished last year.

So that's just what the Broncos' expectations is. Expectations for him to keep continuing on getting better and better. But hey, he's still a young quarterback. Got a new OC calling plays with him. He got to get that. They got to get that chemistry. And then hopefully, as the season goes on, he can see everything a lot easier.

Emmanuel Sanders: Now you tell me this. Dre Greenlaw going at Sean Payton. What you think about that situation?

Chris Harris Jr.: I mean, I did the same thing. I was talking crazy to Fanjo and any OTM you play, you know, you always want to go at him. So I understand, you know, and Greenlaw, you know, he signed a, I think, a two or three-year deal and was cut after the first year. So, you know, he definitely had a lot of animosity with the Broncos.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah. And again, I understand too because, you know, he probably took it personal, but after the game, running over to him, right, putting your finger, I'm like, it's not worth it. Especially because the Niners got the Seahawks coming. You don't want to get suspended.

Chris Harris Jr.: And he don't know that it's going to be, it's always coaches on the other side that you might need. You might need to get picked up and come back to the Broncos, right? But you burnt that bridge by you acting like that after the game, right? Leave it on the field, talk crazy as much as you want on the field. Right? But after the game, you know, kind of leave it at that. It's just a game. Right?

Emmanuel Sanders: Exactly. But hey, so let's, the Broncos got the Chargers coming up, you know, out in LA, you know, Justin Herbert's not playing all that well. Mike McDaniel's not playing all that well. Speaking of an offensive coordinator quarterback, golly, can they get on the same page? I'm like, you know, Mike, that's my guy, man, you know? But if I'm talking to you, take them damn shades off, man.

Chris Harris Jr.: They get mad at his shoes because his shoes always clean.

Emmanuel Sanders: Put some regular shoes on, man.

Chris Harris Jr.: He'd be fresh out there, man.

Emmanuel Sanders: Get some chemistry because, you know, I root for you, man. I love you, boo. God.

Chris Harris Jr.: They got an issue, man. It's a major issue out there because Justin has never looked like this, you know? And I was there when he first came in on his rookie year and just seeing how he could play and how he was improving so fast. I mean, he can do everything. So it kind of surprised me how he hadn't even reached even more success with the talent and how smart he is and how hard he works. So, you know, usually when the Chargers usually split, you know, we used to beat them all the time, you know?

We used to go down there and sweep them, but, you know, lately, the last five years, it's always been like a split. But the Broncos have one in LA just because we got all, it's always the Bronco fans always kind of take over the stadium. But the Chargers have been able to win in Denver. So they've always, they've had that little, you know, they've been going half and half every year. So we're going to see what happens.

Emmanuel Sanders: And Chris, I'm having a brain fall, man. What was the Chargers quarterback? He did not like you, man.

Chris Harris Jr.: Philip Rivers?

Emmanuel Sanders: Rivers liked me, man. He liked me. Hey, Rivers did not like Chris at all, man. Hey, Rivers used to talk so much smack to Chris. I remember you telling me one time, man, you know, Rivers, man, I get in his head. I get his head. I'm like, man, Chris ain't getting it. Philip Rivers. And then I saw it on the field. I mean, you was living rent-free off in his head, you know?

Chris Harris Jr.: I think he threw me the most picks too out of all the quarterbacks.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah. I mean, you was in his head.

Chris Harris Jr.: Appreciate you, Philip, man. It was good to me.

Emmanuel Sanders: So even when I look at this Chargers-Broncos, I see the Broncos going out there handling business. Obviously, the Chargers got some issues. But what I want to see from this Broncos team is I want to see offensive production. I want to see him moving the ball. I want to see him getting Courtland suddenly. Where the hell has Courtland been all year? Where has he been? No touchdowns.

Chris Harris Jr.: And not using them. Oh, well, he's not getting the action that, you know, that he has in the previous years. He's not getting open either, though.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah. I mean, he's open on certain things, but there's certain stuff that he's not getting open. Like even one time they had double comebacks and when they had Waddle on the left outside, Courtland on the right outside, and Bo went to him and Courtland ran into the guy and kind of flopped and asked for it. But I'm like, Courtland, like run a legit comeback route similar to what CeeDee Lamb was putting on tape. And let's just move to change. Like, I mean, but again, I'm waiting on him to show up because, I mean, all season, he just hasn't been there, you know?

Chris Harris Jr.: Not like he was last year.

Emmanuel Sanders: Right. And when you look at him, he's a physical specimen. He's a physical specimen. You stand next to Courtland, he's six foot five. I mean, he can jump out of the gym, can run, great hands. Like, why aren't we utilizing this guy? So I just want to see, I just want to see it all come together this weekend, man, and put up 30 points. Let's go. Let's go, Broncos.

Chris Harris Jr.: And that's what we waiting on. You really, everybody's waiting on that Courtland game. You know, Waddle got in the end zone, but, you know, Courtland needs to be that guy. In the past, he's been Bo Nix's safety net, and he hadn't been getting the, he hadn't been getting the action like he has in the past. So they don't use the tight end very often, you know? They're starting to get Ingram involved a little bit, but not, you got, quarterbacks got to have that safety net, a guy that they always secure that, hey, even if he is contested, he can, you know, you trust him to go up and get it.

Emmanuel Sanders: 100%.

Chris Harris Jr.: Right. And they don't, I don't think Bo has that right now. So other than with Waddle, you know, he's not, I wouldn't call him a safety vet, you know? He's a guy that, you know, is going to gadget, take big plays, move to change, third downs, and get some yack. And we're not getting that at Courtland. So that's what they need, man. If they're going to beat the Chargers, they need a big game from Courtland sudden this week for sure.

E's Top 10 Problems: Wide Receiver Rankings [36:37]

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, speaking of receivers, man, let's move on to the next segment, our top 10 list.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yes, sir. Let's go.

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, you know this list right here fluid now. And it keeps moving, right? Because, I mean, what you think about the list? You see how them bump CeeDee up to two, Ja'Marr Chase.

Chris Harris Jr.: I like it.

Emmanuel Sanders: He got hurt with a concussion. Amon, he's starting to move down. As bad as I wanted to put Pookie in front of DeVonta, man, I keep thinking about what DeVonta did in the past, but I tell you what, Pookie put pressure on him, you know? Pookie put pressure on him, you know what I mean? And to be fair to DeVonta, Pookie is the number one receiver. He's going to get the, he's going to get a majority of the targets. But again, he still had an opportunity to make plays. So I probably should have put Pookie ahead of DeVonta on this list.

But then we talk about Drake London. And man, look, I watched this Atlanta team, Chris, but Bijan, hey, is he Bijan or what? Hey, he's special, man. He's special.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, he's going up for MVP. He's going up for MVP.

Emmanuel Sanders: I'm telling you, man. And then you got Drake London on the outside too, who's a mismatch, you know what I mean? Who's a nightmare, who's a problem, you know what I mean? And then obviously.

Chris Harris Jr.: I like Olave over London, though.

Emmanuel Sanders: I don't know, man. I mean, that's the reason why I chose this. Olave got more yards than right now, but London's just a big physical wire receiver, you know what I mean? Olave, when I watch his game, you go back and watch the, you know, the Saints versus the Falcons. Olave was running wide open a few times. It wasn't man to man. It's really, you know, Kellen Moore kind of getting him moving on a lot of over routes. Like, I mean, he caught probably 60, 70 yards on just over routes, you know what I mean?

But I like Olave too, man. He's one of those guys who wasn't on my list at first, but now I got my eyes on him. And then when you think about T. Higgins, I mean, like.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, I love T. Higgins.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, he reminds me of me a little bit. Everybody's sitting back and saying, hey, he's not really a number two wire receiver, but he's a number two wire receiver, but he could take over like a number one wire receiver.

Chris Harris Jr.: Well, he'd be number one on a lot of teams. On a lot of teams, he'd be number one receiver.

Emmanuel Sanders: And then McMillan. Hey.

Chris Harris Jr.: McMillan playing ball.

Emmanuel Sanders: You better watch out for them Panthers. Hey, Bryce Young sitting in that pocket, man. He quiet and everything. Hey, he dropping dimes, though. He dropping dimes. And McMillan, man, he was running some routes. Now that's a, I don't know if you saw the route that McMillan touched down, where he ran like a slant and the DB just jumped so far outside. But for me, and tell me this, Chris, if you know, you don't really want to give up the inside right there. You want the quarterback to throw it out, right? Because that's easier to cover.

Chris Harris Jr.: Or the go ball, you know? Most people are scared of the go ball, so they jump outside. So that's how that was. You know, they scared to get beat and, you know, they jump outside. But man, your list, man, I'm looking at it, I'm like, who's the best in the AFC?

Emmanuel Sanders: Right? See, I don't even have Zay Flowers up there.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, you got the NFC top 10.

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, look.

Chris Harris Jr.: All the top, so you're saying from your list, right? All the top receivers is in the NFC.

Emmanuel Sanders: That's what it's looking like right now. That's what it's looking like. That's what I'm seeing. I mean, if you look at the, if you look at the AFC, what other receivers is doing something, you know? I mean, the Chiefs don't really have no guys. The Broncos don't have no guys. Who's like the top guys in the AFC besides Zay Flowers? Zay Flowers has been balling.

Chris Harris Jr.: He's already on the top 10. I don't know who you're going to take off on there. It's going to be hard.

Emmanuel Sanders: Who am I going to take off?

Chris Harris Jr.: I don't know. Hey, young boy at the bottom.

Emmanuel Sanders: He left this weekend, though. He went out this weekend. So, you know, Zay definitely, he honorable mention, you know what I mean?

Chris Harris Jr.: NFC's showing out, man. Come on, AFC boys. We need y'all to come on with it.

Emmanuel Sanders: Oh, okay. You done shuffled the board, huh?

The Strap List: Defensive Back Rankings in Week 5 [40:35]

Chris Harris Jr.: I had to shuffle the board a little bit, man. Pat going down. He on IR. So, you know, he might end up falling out the list, man. Don't tell him how long he'd be out. But I had to put McDuffie out there, man. McDuffie's number one right now. Shutting down outside and inside, consistent every week. He got the picks to show. He got the PBUs to show, and he hadn't gave up a touchdown. Right. That was my difference with Denzel Ward. Denzel, you've been locking down, but you already gave up two touchdowns.

So I almost had to mark you too. And Gonzalez is hurt, right? Pat ain't been playing. He hadn't made the plays that he needs to. Quinyon is still solid. Amiq Robinson, right? He out here balling, shutting down. I think he leads the league in PBUs. He's playing like a number one corner over there with the Commanders. Humphrey, he's still doing solid. Travis Hunter, new to the.

Emmanuel Sanders: That's what I said. I said, okay, I see new, Travis Hunter.

Chris Harris Jr.: We had to, I mean, we had to put Travis up there the way he's shutting down. He doing his thing. He making plays, right? And Stingley, man, I'm just upset with Stingley and Lassiter, man. I thought they were just coming.

Emmanuel Sanders: Man, what is going on?

Chris Harris Jr.: And be dominant, continue to take those next steps, but it's just right now they ain't playing how they know how to, how I know they can play at elite level. They're not playing at that level.

Emmanuel Sanders: Is that confident?

Chris Harris Jr.: And it's sad, man. Sad right now for the Texans, but you know, what you think about the list?

Emmanuel Sanders: Man, I like the list. Hey, I like that you put Travis Hunter up there because, man, he been making some plays, you know? Obviously, I'm rooting for him, but man, Travis Hunter is one of those guys, man, talent-wise, Chris, and you know it and I know it, that can shoot all the way up to number one on this board if he really just locked in, if he really wanted to. I mean, obviously, the defense that he's playing really doesn't favor him too much, you know, that old Seattle. But shoot, at one point, you know, Richard Sherman was one of the top dogs in a system like that as well, you know what I mean? So if he can understand how to play it, right?

Chris Harris Jr.: He can. I mean, he's got leg to play it. You know, a guy like him, I think he could play any system, but you know, that's what they're thriving at over there in the Jags. Their defense is playing better, right? They're giving them a chance to win every week. And the receivers on the Jags are stepping up, right? Is it Robinson, the slot receiver over there? Going crazy, you know? He's balling. So right now, they really don't even need him right now, but I would still like to see him get like 10 plays, five plays. I don't think that's that hard to ask, right? I'm pretty sure he knows 10 plays on the offense that he going there.

Emmanuel Sanders: You're going to burst or something. Get out of the way. Go back on defense, man.

Chris Harris Jr.: Right now, they just like, yeah, just go to corner, shut down, and he doing his thing, man. As long as he doing that and the Jags are winning, you know, they might keep that philosophy, you know? But, you know, it's hard to crack the top 10 list, you know? We take time on it. You know, we watching the games, we looking at the analytics, right? We just ain't popping up here and saying, coming up with a list just for fun, right? We actually studying the game, digging deep into.

Emmanuel Sanders: Doing the research.

Chris Harris Jr.: Coverages and learning the routes, making sure these guys is doing their thing. And, you know, it's been fun coming up with our list, man. Everybody keep looking out for it for the next one.

Jaguars vs. Eagles Pick [43:51]

Chris Harris Jr.: But we got the weekly picks. And I'm up a game. I think I'm still up a game.

Emmanuel Sanders: Man, you up two games now.

Chris Harris Jr.: Up two games. Okay, let's go. Let's go.

Emmanuel Sanders: Man, I haven't slept ever since you went up two games on me, man. I got bags up.

Chris Harris Jr.: I told you, man, Eddie was going to ball. I told you the Rams is going to come there and win. You went with Philly, you know? You got me with the Chicago game, though. You got me with Chicago. Chicago went up and balled.

Emmanuel Sanders: See, my problem is I rode with them Texans, man. You know, I'm from Houston. I rode the emotion roller coaster down to Texas. I'm like, I was thinking about the Texans from last year. This is Texans from 10 years ago. You know what I mean? I can't believe it. They haven't won a game. But I mean, this week, the only two games we disagree on is the Jags-Eagles. You know, I'm taking the Jags, you taking the Eagles. You know, I don't know if DeVonta Smith going to play, you know, but the reason why I'm taking the Jags is because Trevor Lawrence, man.

It's crazy. I went back and watched that All-Pro 22 of Trevor Lawrence. Just the way that he's playing the quarterback position right now, he might be my favorite quarterback in terms of how he's playing. He's playing with a sense of urgency. He has a command of the huddle. He has a command of the playbook, and he's just making throws, you know? He's becoming the Trevor Lawrence that we always thought he was going to be. And on the other hand, the reason why I'm not picking the Eagles went 0 for 12 on third down on offense.

Chris Harris Jr.: That's not good.

Emmanuel Sanders: And what you talked about, right? You said the Eagles really don't, they don't have a run game. They got to establish a run game, you know? So the game's over in London, you know? It's not, it's even in terms of, you know, the fan base and the environment, you know? So I'm going to roll with the Jags on this. And why are you taking the Eagles?

Chris Harris Jr.: I don't know, man. You almost persuaded me to change my pick.

Emmanuel Sanders: Nah.

Chris Harris Jr.: You know?

Emmanuel Sanders: It's too late.

Chris Harris Jr.: Hey, he done changed my mind, right? He done changed my mind. I'm going with the Jags, baby. Let's go.

Emmanuel Sanders: Let's crash this thing.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, we're going to change it now, but I got faith in Jalen Hurts. I think he going to come back. I think DeVonta Smith, hopefully he can get healthy. You know, I didn't realize that he could be out possibly, you know, long trip. But, you know, it's going to be tight down there. You know, the defense with the Eagles, they're not playing the way that they played in the past. You know, Jalen Carter, we need, you know, we need him to continue to be an impact player, but we need him to take it to the next level.

Defensive player of the year type, you know, awards. That's where he needs to be in that talk, but he's not, right? He's not in that talk. He's going to be a promo every year, but he's that defensive player of the year talent. The secondary's improved, but, you know, Cooper, I think he could play better. He got a pick, though, on the year. But it's hard, man. You persuaded me. I ain't really got too much to argue about.

Emmanuel Sanders: It's not good.

Chris Harris Jr.: Ain't nothing good going on.

Emmanuel Sanders: I'm trying to even the score. Hey, so the next game, we got the 49ers-Seahawks. Now here's my power rankers. I still got the Seahawks. I mean, I got the Niners number one. In which I'm kind of contradicting myself, but man, I'm going to take the Seahawks.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah.

Chris Harris Jr.: You know?

Emmanuel Sanders: It's too late.

Chris Harris Jr.: Hey, he done changed my mind, right? He done changed my mind. I'm going with the Jags, baby. Let's go.

Emmanuel Sanders: Let's crash this thing.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, we're going to change it now, but I got faith in Jalen Hurts. I think he going to come back. I think DeVonta Smith, hopefully he can get healthy. You know, I didn't realize that he could be out possibly, you know, long trip. But, you know, it's going to be tight down there. You know, the defense with the Eagles, they're not playing the way that they played in the past. You know, Jalen Carter, we need, you know, we need him to continue to be an impact player, but we need him to take it to the next level.

Defensive player of the year type, you know, awards. That's where he needs to be in that talk, but he's not, right? He's not in that talk. He's going to be a promo every year, but he's that defensive player of the year talent. The secondary's improved, but, you know, Cooper, I think he could play better. He got a pick, though, on the year. But it's hard, man. You persuaded me. I ain't really got too much to argue about.

Emmanuel Sanders: It's not good.

Chris Harris Jr.: Ain't nothing good going on.

Emmanuel Sanders: I'm trying to even the score. Hey, so the next game, we got the 49ers-Seahawks. Now here's my power rankers. I still got the Seahawks. I mean, I got the Niners number one. In which I'm kind of contradicting myself, but man, I'm going to take the Seahawks.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah.

NFL Week 5 Power Rankings [47:06]

Emmanuel Sanders: That's how I'm staying head, right?

Chris Harris Jr.: Hey, look at my power rankings, right? I got the Niners, I got the Chiefs, I got the Seahawks, three.

Emmanuel Sanders: Jags at four?

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, man. Hey, I'm telling you, when I go back and watch the Trevor Lawrence, man, I like the way that they're playing right now. Not only that, but the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Patriots, and the Bills just lost to the Patriots, you know what I mean? And you see the Vikings up there. The Vikings still balling.

Emmanuel Sanders: You finally put them in there. They undefeated.

Chris Harris Jr.: I know. They undefeated. I didn't believe in it, man. I didn't believe it.

Emmanuel Sanders: Broncos still in there?

Chris Harris Jr.: Broncos still in there.

Emmanuel Sanders: Why is the Broncos still in your top 10? And I think their record is two and two?

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah, but I still believe in them. I still believe. You know, right now, it's like what we talked about. I'm seeing a team that I think that could still beat anybody. I just, the quarterback position, it ain't really doing it for me right now in the offense, not doing it. But I still believe that they got a championship defense. Then we got the Rams. Obviously, even if the Rams are offending there, the Broncos beat the Rams. So. You know, so, and then we got the Raiders.

Emmanuel Sanders: And they beat the, did they beat the Jags?

Chris Harris Jr.: Who was that? The Broncos? The Broncos beat the Jags.

Emmanuel Sanders: There we go.

Chris Harris Jr.: Right? So they got two wins in your power rankings.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, exactly. So we got to keep them offending there. But let's move on to yours, though.

Chris Harris Jr.: Yes, sir. Man, hey, I told y'all last week. I'm going to tell y'all again. Kenneth Walker III. The reason why the Chiefs number one on my rankings. And he went out there, went off again on the Raiders, right? Raiders look good, right? That's why I got to keep them in there, because they gave the Chiefs a fight, right? Number two, 49ers. Like you said, they balling. They hot right now. The offense is clicking. Everybody knows their role with the Niners. That's why I like the Niners, right? Everybody's knowing their role. They're fairly healthy. They're doing their job. Vikings. I got to put the respect on them. He didn't want to put respect on an undefeated team. They're 4-0.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, they 4-0.

Chris Harris Jr.: Right? They 4-0. Their defense is hell. Brian Flores is just attack mode all games.

Emmanuel Sanders: Hey, hey, hey. I feel like you must start copying that.

Chris Harris Jr.: Got to give them respect and put them up there. Then we got everybody else, you know, the Bills, Seattle, everybody else pretty much interchangeable. I gave the Jags some respect, right? The Raiders, I got to give them respect. They 3-1.

Emmanuel Sanders: You have.

Chris Harris Jr.: Bears is playing, hey, you beat me, so I got to put them, I got to put them in the power rankings.

Emmanuel Sanders: But the Lions, though, what are the Lions showing you?

Chris Harris Jr.: I like Jared Goff. I like the way he's playing. He's playing. The defense got to improve. The man coverage has to improve.

Emmanuel Sanders: If the Broncos-Lions played against each other, who do you think will win that game?

Chris Harris Jr.: It's a tough matchup for the Broncos, because they can never stop Jahmyr, they can never stop Jahmyr Gibbs. So it's like the teams that got those little scat-back running backs, those are problems for the Broncos.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, it's crazy, because, yeah, I see the Lions and the Broncos almost having the same problems, except, you know, obviously, the Broncos got a better defense, but the Broncos are struggling offensively, and the Lions might just outscore them, you know what I mean?

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah. The offense is nice, man. You know, they still got that solid, they still got some traits of the Ben Johnson. And, you know, Jared Goff is playing good ball, right? He's playing good ball. He's still putting up his numbers, right? And, you know, scoring every week, he's doing his thing. But, you know, that's how I had to come up with the top 10. Maybe I could take the Lions out, put the Broncos in. But everybody on there, you got to give respect to, right? I got to give respect to the Bears.

I got to give respect to the Vikings. They undefeated. The Raiders didn't play bad enough to get out my top 10. I like the showing they did. They put on a good showing. A good battle versus the Chiefs. They almost had the game won, right? So that's why I had to keep the Chiefs in there.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, it's crazy, because, yeah, I see the Lions and the Broncos almost having the same problems, except, you know, obviously, the Broncos got a better defense, but the Broncos are struggling offensively, and the Lions might just outscore them, you know what I mean?

Chris Harris Jr.: Yeah. The offense is nice, man. You know, they still got that solid, they still got some traits of the Ben Johnson. And, you know, Jared Goff is playing good ball, right? He's playing good ball. He's still putting up his numbers, right? And, you know, scoring every week, he's doing his thing. But, you know, that's how I had to come up with the top 10. Maybe I could take the Lions out, put the Broncos in. But everybody on there, you got to give respect to, right? I got to give respect to the Bears.

I got to give respect to the Vikings. They undefeated. The Raiders didn't play bad enough to get out my top 10. I like the showing they did. They put on a good showing. A good battle versus the Chiefs. They almost had the game won, right? So that's why I had to keep the Chiefs in there.

49ers vs. Seahawks Picks [50:52]

Emmanuel Sanders: Right. Hey, but let's talk about this last matchup, the 49ers-Seahawks, right?

Chris Harris Jr.: Whoa.

Emmanuel Sanders: You taking the Niners, I'm taking the Seahawks.

Chris Harris Jr.: We ain't even getting, boy. I'm going to tell you why I'm going with the Niners. They hot right now.

Emmanuel Sanders: They are.

Chris Harris Jr.: Everything is rolling. Everybody's healthy. And it seems like they got a chip on their shoulder, right? They coming for Seattle, right? They felt like they was embarrassed, especially in the playoffs. I feel like Seattle embarrassed them in the playoffs. So, you know, this is a big game for them, so I'm going to rock with the 49ers this week.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah. And for me, man, we played there, when I played with the Niners, and man, it's just hard to win at Seattle, man. It's hard to win there. Now we pulled it off, but I remember leaving that stadium like, man, that crowd was loud, you know? So obviously, the Niners right now 4-0, but the Seahawks hot too. You know, Sam Darnold's balling, JSN balling that defense, and you know they're going to be amped up because the Niners coming in there undefeated. You know, it's damn near a rivalry matchup, you know? So obviously, my heart is telling me with the Niners, but I can't leave my heart no more, Chris. Texans done destroyed me. My heart cold.

Chris Harris Jr.: Texans done, man.

Emmanuel Sanders: Look, if this game was in San Fran, I'd take the Niners, but because it's in Seattle, I'm going to roll with the Seahawks.

Chris Harris Jr.: They'll probably split, you know, on the year, you know, but just depends on who wins this game, you know? That'll make my next pick very easy, you know? But it's always tough, man. The Kyle Shanahan and Mike Macdonald, you know, you got one of the top offensive coordinators, top defense coordinators. You know, that's going to be a chess match right there for sure. But, you know, like you said, Seattle's still making plays. But the difference maker is Brock Purdy. I'm just ending with that. Purdy playing like an MVP. He's making throws on the run.

He extending plays. He's stepping up in the pocket, making every throw. I got to rock with Purdy right now over Sam Darnold. You know, he's hot right now. Purdy's on the MVP track, right? So, hey, he in my top five MVP right now, you know? We got to drop that soon, you know? bet365, Emmanuel Sanders and Chris Harris MVP race. We're going to drop that soon.

Emmanuel Sanders: Yeah, that's real.

Chris Harris Jr.: But, man, I like the picks, man. We had fun. Let's see who comes out on top this week. But, you know, hey, man, it's always fun doing them picks, man.

Emmanuel Sanders: No doubt. No doubt. No, that's it, man. And that's episode five of The Matchup. Man, Chris, it's always a pleasure, man, sitting here talking ball with you, chopping it up with you. We appreciate y'all always tuning in and keeping up with us. Man, just keep on tuning in. Hit that subscribe button on YouTube and stay locked in with us. And that right there is episode five of The Matchup.

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