A Rams Blame Game, Indy in Purgatory, the Pack’s Back, OJ’s Helper, Aikman Vs. Buck, the Slapper, and Guess the Lines With Cousin Sal

October 19, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

A Cowboys Disaster, the Colts in Free Fall, and the NFC North Rising

The Cowboys' 47-9 loss to the Packers was so bad that Bill Simmons spent the opening minutes of the recap comparing it to passing kidney stones. "It was a terrible three-hour watch," he said. "Like a movie I would have walked out of 15 times." Cousin Sal, the Cowboys fan on the receiving end, had nothing to offer but resignation. Dallas lost Micah Parsons and Javon Hargrave to injury before the game, and the Packers — on 10 days' rest with their full offensive line and receiving corps — ran over them completely. The defense generated no pressure, receivers ran wide open all afternoon, and the offense couldn't protect Dak Prescott, who looked off and spent the whole game playing catch-up. Sal's only consolation: the NFC East is so bad that Dallas is still favored to win the division at plus-130, with the Commanders at plus-440 as a dark horse.

The Colts Are a Full-Blown Disaster

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (02:21) **Cowboys Meltdown & Packers Ascension** - Sal and Bill open with a brutal post-mortem on the Cowboys' loss to the Packers.
2 (09:08) **NFC North Dominance & Cross-Off Candidates** - Bill and Sal survey the NFC landscape and debate which disappointing team should be "crossed off" as a contender.
3 (13:47) **The Colts' Descent Into Purgatory** - Bill makes a passionate case for crossing off the Indianapolis Colts, detailing their disastrous loss to the Titans.
4 (20:00) **Jets vs. Colts: The Cross-Off Poll** - The debate continues as they poll the Netflix audience on which team to cross off, with the Jets and Colts as the top two choices.
5 (24:50) **MVP Odds & Josh Allen's Magic** - Bill and Sal react to the current MVP odds, with Josh Allen as the favorite after a spectacular play.
6 (28:32) **CJ Gardner-Johnson's Antics & Jim Nance's Broken Hand** - Two bizarre moments from the week's games are discussed.
7 (31:54) **OJ's Helper & The Slapper** - The conversation takes a detour into true crime and a new nickname for Jason Garrett.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Bill Simmons Cousin Sal

Show Notes

HED: A Rams Blame Game, Indy in Purgatory, the Pack’s Back, OJ’s Helper, Aikman Vs. Buck, the Slapper, and Guess the Lines With Cousin Sal

DEK: The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss Packers-Cowboys before recapping the rest of the Week 6 games. Then, they guess the lines for Week 7 before ending with Parent Corner.

(0:00) Intro

(3:14) Cowboys-Packers

(13:30) Titans-Colts

(19:41) Jets-Patriots

(24:52) Bills-Raiders

(36:55) Cardinals-Rams

(47:00) Texans-Jaguars

(54:49) Chargers-Chiefs

(01:00:18) Steelers-Buccaneers

(01:04:39) Ravens-Browns

(01:07:24) Saints-Giants

(01:09:22) Bears-Falcons

(01:10:27) Panthers-Eagles

(01:17:52) Guess the Lines Week 7

(01:34:07) MLB playoffs

(01:40:02) Parent Corner

Host: Bill Simmons

Guest: Cousin Sal

Producers: Chia Hao Tat, Eduardo Ocampo, and Chris Wohlers

#ULTRACourtside could get you closer to the game! https://michelobultra.com/courtside MICHELOB ULTRA® COURTSIDE ’26 to ’27. No Purchase Necessary. Open to US residents 21+ Begins on 10/1/26 and ends on 6/30/27. Multiple entry periods. See Official Rules at https://michelobultra.com/courtside for free entry, entry deadlines, prizes, and details.

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices