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Evan & Tiki

NFL Playoffs Go Flag-Free and the Giannis “Failure” Debate Hits New York

Evan & Tiki

Audacy

Sports

4.2988 Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Evan and Tiki kick off with the numbers behind what it feels like everyone has noticed: the NFL playoffs have been called looser, with penalties way down and offensive holding dropping dramatically. They debate whether it’s simply better, cleaner teams or a deliberate “let them play” postseason emphasis, plus the rare moments when the whistle suddenly tightens and drives everyone crazy. Then it shifts back to New York sports expectations. A Yankees caller argues that being better on Opening Day actually matters and that Cashman can always patch holes at the deadline. That leads to a bigger discussion about how low the bar has gotten for Yankees fans, what upgrade they actually wanted, and why the bullpen still feels like the shakiest part of the 2026 picture. Finally, the Knicks conversation turns into a full-on Giannis reality check. The guys replay his famous “is this season a failure?” press conference exchange and ask the only question that matters if he lands in New York: can that mindset survive the Knicks’ championship-or-bust pressure, the media, and the fan base after a playoff loss.

Transcript

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0:00.0

I noticed this about the NFL playoffs, but now I can just give you a stat to back up the thing I noticed and the thing most of us noticed, which is that we have not had a lot of penalties called throughout this postseason.

0:13.0

And I've made that comment to you a few times when we've come in on Mondays like, hey, this was great. They're letting them play.

0:18.2

Obviously, there are a few exceptions to that, like the end of the Buffalo Denver game, but for the most part, penalties are down. Here are the stats to back

0:24.7

it up so far, and it's incredible. The NFL playoffs have averaged 7.5 penalties per game

0:31.0

for 62 and a half yards. Perspective. In the regular season, instead of 7.5, 12.7. Wow. For 102 yards compared to the

0:42.1

62. It's almost half. Isn't that crazy? Yeah. False starts have seen a decline of 24% versus the

0:48.5

regular season. Now, part of this is because the teams are better. They're more disciplined.

0:53.0

They're just not as idiotic as some of the other teams in the regular season.

0:57.6

I think that plays better teams and they're better coach.

1:00.2

The Jets aren't in the playoffs.

1:02.0

Is that what you're trying to say?

1:02.9

Exactly right.

1:03.8

By the way, a thousand percent right.

1:06.0

The biggest decline in a specific penalty.

1:09.0

Would you want to guess that one?

1:10.3

The penalty that's been called on the biggest decline from a specific penalty. Would you want to guess that one? The penalty that's

1:11.1

been called on the biggest decline from the postseason compared to the regular season is what?

1:16.4

Holding. Holding. That's your guess? Pass interference. Offensive holding is the biggest

1:22.3

downward mover. 67% decline versus the regular season. On average, 2.47 in the regular season, 0.83 in the playoffs. You know how I knew that? How'd you know that? Because every time I've watched one of these playoff games, where I have a gambling slide on, I scream a lot more this postseason. That's holding! And I've noticed myself yelling that more.

1:45.1

Really?

1:45.6

And it's not getting called.

1:46.5

And that's why I call it. You're not cool on that. We don't agree this is good, though, right? Of course. And I do think you got to let them play. And I think your point is a part of it. Like the teams are better. The teams are cleaner. I don't think there's any doubt. but I also think it feels like there's an emphasis of let them play.

...

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