Kyle & Brust

The 3PM hour of Kyle & Brust starts with Are You Smarter Than Ben Brust?, where Ben survives a rough performance from returning contestant Kevin despite producing some spectacular answers of his own, including briefly identifying Minnesota and Wisconsin as countries. But once the trivia chaos ends, the show asks a question that would have seemed absurd for most of the last two decades: do Packers fans actually expect Green Bay to beat Chicago at Lambeau?

Kyle’s answer is no. He believes Chicago has shown a legitimate offensive identity and the ability to win with backup quarterbacks, while Green Bay is still searching for answers everywhere. The Packers continue dealing with penalties, drops, late-game collapses and now the loss of Edgerrin Cooper. Kyle admits it feels bizarre to enter Packers-Bears without expecting Green Bay to win, especially with the game at Lambeau and Tyson Bagent starting for Chicago.

The K&B Fam largely shares the pessimism. Callers question whether Green Bay can stop Chicago’s physical rushing attack, and the guys debate whether the Packers are glass half full or half empty at 2-2. Ben and Kyle land firmly on the pessimistic side after watching Green Bay repeatedly let inferior opponents hang around. The Packers rank near the bottom of the league against the run, and now they face a Bears offense averaging nearly 200 rushing yards per game without Cooper available to provide the physicality Green Bay desperately needs.

Plus, attention turns toward Brewers-Padres Game 3 and the mystery surrounding Dustin May. The guys debate whether Pat Murphy should hope for two innings, three innings or anything beyond that before turning things over to the bullpen. And Ben finally receives his punishment for abandoning Game 1 early: during the ESPN Milwaukee watchalong, he’ll be blindfolded whenever the Brewers are hitting. October justice has arrived.

The 4PM hour of Kyle & Brust goes all-in on Brewers-Padres Game 3 with Milwaukee one win away from returning to the NLCS. Ben dives into Dustin May’s surprising dominance against San Diego this season: across three starts, May has allowed just three earned runs over 22 innings with a 1.23 ERA and 0.59 WHIP. Kyle still wonders whether Robert Gasser would have been the better choice, but May’s history against the Padres and previous postseason experience provide plenty of reason to believe Pat Murphy knows exactly what he’s doing.

And the matchup on the other side gives the guys even more confidence. Christian Yelich is 7-for-18 with two homers against Nick Pivetta, while Pivetta has struggled historically against Milwaukee and can lose the strike zone when things go wrong. Ben believes the Brewers’ patient approach can force him into another high-walk outing, while Kyle predicts Milwaukee’s offense is finally due to break through after scraping together enough runs to win the first two games.

The confidence level gets borderline dangerous as Ben declares this could be the Jake Bauers game, Kyle predicts an offensive explosion and both refuse to let the suddenly 6-2 “Magic Phone” pick the game out of fear it could choose San Diego and poison the vibes. Plus, they debate whether Sal Frelick should get the start and what Murphy’s bullpen plan could look like if May only provides two or three innings.

Willingly Useless brings some playoff gamesmanship as the Padres retaliate against Milwaukee by playing intentionally boring music during Brewers batting practice. The guys also discuss whether Jackson Chourio has even reached his ceiling yet, why an Atlanta upset of Los Angeles would dramatically improve Milwaukee’s World Series path and whether the Brewers have played their best postseason game yet. Spoiler: they don’t think they have.

The 2PM hour of Kyle & Brust celebrates a nearly perfect Wisconsin sports weekend, but there’s only one place to start: Jackson Chourio and the Brewers taking a 2-0 NLDS lead over San Diego. Milwaukee survived Jacob Misiorowski lasting only four innings Saturday and three errors Sunday, yet found a way to win both games. Kyle and Ben explain why this team’s resilience, bullpen and unwavering confidence under Pat Murphy have them believing the Brewers can legitimately win the World Series.

And then there’s Chourio. The 22-year-old delivers another massive October moment, driving home the walk-off winner against Mason Miller and continuing to build his reputation as Milwaukee’s postseason star. The guys debate whether Chourio has become one of the new faces of Wisconsin sports and hear from fans about where Sunday’s finish ranks among their greatest Brewers memories.

Unfortunately, Ben has some explaining to do. After spending months destroying Kyle for leaving a regular-season Brewers game early, Ben admits he left Game 1 of the NLDS in the eighth inning because he was hungover. Kyle immediately declares him the biggest Brewers fraud in Wisconsin, the K&B Fam suggests punishments and Ben desperately tries to reclaim whatever remains of his seamhead credibility.

Then the Packers somehow turn a 17-14 victory in Tampa Bay into another reason for concern. Edgerrin Cooper is lost for the season, Green Bay again fails to close out a game and Kyle says the Packers now look like the worst team in the NFC North. With the Bears coming to Lambeau, even Kyle admits his faith in Matt LaFleur is disappearing. The contrast couldn’t be sharper: the Brewers enter crunch time believing they’ll find a way to win, while the Packers seem to enter the fourth quarter waiting for something to go wrong.

The 3PM hour of Kyle & Brust stays locked into Brewers fever after Jackson Chourio’s latest October heroics. The K&B Fam wonders whether Milwaukee has officially become a team of destiny after winning two completely different games to take a 2-0 series lead. Even when Jacob Misiorowski was forced out early and Logan Henderson fell behind, the bullpen and lineup kept finding answers. Kyle and Ben also dive into the Mason Miller pitch-tipping conversation and explain why recognizing a pitcher’s tendencies is simply part of baseball.

Brewers legend Nyjer Morgan joins the show and says Chourio’s walk-off was one of the most magical moments in franchise history. T-Plush explains why Chourio is operating on a different level at just 22 years old, why Milwaukee’s belief in one another separates this team and how Pat Murphy has created complete buy-in throughout the clubhouse. And Morgan is officially aboard the championship float, predicting the Brewers will be “raising a trophy.”

Then Jason Wilde joins the show to make sense of a Packers victory that somehow felt like a loss. Edgerrin Cooper is out for the season, leaving Green Bay without one of its most dynamic defensive players after he recorded nine tackles, a sack and a huge interception against Tampa Bay. Wilde explains why Cooper’s absence could fundamentally change the defense and why Isaiah McDuffie simply cannot replace his field-tilting ability.

There was at least one encouraging development: the offensive line finally looked better. Wilde praises Laken Tomlinson and Travis Glover, but cautions that Tampa Bay blitzed on only 17% of snaps after entering the game at 44%. So was Green Bay’s improvement real, or did Todd Bowles make life considerably easier for Jordan Love and the revamped line?

The 4PM hour of Kyle & Brust tries to make sense of a Packers victory that created almost as many concerns as a loss. With Edgerrin Cooper out for the season and Micah Parsons still sidelined, Kyle believes Green Bay has lost the one healthy defensive playmaker opponents actually had to account for every snap. More troubling, the Packers lead the NFL in penalties, drops and fumbles while also sitting at the bottom of the league in the running game and pass-block win rate. Kyle finally says it plainly: the Packers are not a good football team right now.

Even with the offensive line finally looking competent, Green Bay managed only 17 points against Tampa Bay and again failed to put an opponent away. Kyle and Ben hammer the Packers for first-down penalties, an ineffective Marshawn Lloyd and an offense that continues going away from its best playmakers. Now Chicago comes to Lambeau with Green Bay missing Cooper, struggling against the run and looking nothing like the championship contender Brian Gutekunst expected entering the season.

The mood is considerably better when the conversation turns to the Brewers’ 2-0 NLDS lead. The guys push back against anyone telling Milwaukee fans to calm down after Jackson Chourio’s walk-off, while also acknowledging the job isn’t finished. They look ahead to Dustin May and Game 3, debate how quickly Pat Murphy should turn things over to the bullpen and explain why jumping on San Diego early could crush a Padres team still processing two brutal losses in Milwaukee. Pasted text Pasted text

Bryan Bulaga joins the show and admits he walked away from Green Bay’s win frustrated because the Packers could have been ahead by three touchdowns. He says the constant penalties, missed opportunities and wildly inconsistent running game continue preventing the offense from finding a rhythm. Bulaga also cautions that Tampa Bay barely tested Green Bay’s revamped offensive line, and he fully expects Chicago to bring pressure Sunday and provide a much more revealing test.

The 2PM hour of Kyle & Brust is live from Rally House in Greenfield ahead of a monster Wisconsin sports weekend, and Sunday already feels enormous for the Packers. Kyle declares Tampa Bay a “must-win times 10” game and says falling to 1-3 after losing to an undrafted rookie quarterback would effectively end his hopes for the NFC North, playoffs and anything resembling a Super Bowl run. Ben and Will get more creative with Name the Game, including the “Hot Seat Invitational” with Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst facing even more pressure if Green Bay falls flat again.

Then comes the bigger football question: how exactly are the Packers going to score? Green Bay has the NFL’s worst rushing attack, Tampa Bay has been stout against the run and the revamped offensive line could be throwing veterans into action with almost no preparation. That leaves the game in Jordan Love’s hands against a vulnerable Buccaneers pass defense, but Love has been dramatically less effective under pressure and Green Bay’s 16% pass-block win rate is the worst since ESPN began tracking the statistic.

Kyle still believes the Packers can win comfortably because Tampa Bay is starting rookie Jalon Daniels. Ben wants absolutely nothing to do with that prediction after watching Green Bay repeatedly play down to opposing quarterbacks and blow leads under LaFleur. The guys debate whether Kevin Zeitler and the new-look offensive line can change the offense quickly enough, and Ben explains why he has lost faith in LaFleur’s leadership after Green Bay’s recent collapse.

Plus, the show discovers Will’s wonderfully chaotic three-TV bachelor setup, complete with two TVs on rolling carts, a massive couch and a weekend plan that apparently involves barely moving for 12 hours of Wisconsin sports.

The 3PM hour of Kyle & Brust tackles the five biggest questions heading into Packers-Buccaneers. Kyle believes Green Bay’s defense will hold rookie Jalon Daniels and Tampa Bay under 20 points, while Ben points to the Packers’ history of making unlikely quarterbacks look far too comfortable. The guys agree the offense has the most to prove, but disagree on whether Sunday’s story will ultimately be Jordan Love finally breaking through or another Matt LaFleur coaching conversation on Monday.

The biggest question remains the completely rebuilt offensive line. Kyle expects Laken Tomlinson and Kevin Zeitler to immediately provide more competent protection and finally give Love room to operate. Ben isn’t ready to trust a unit assembled in the middle of the season, especially with LaFleur already admitting the offense may need to simplify things. Still, both ultimately pick Green Bay to earn its first regulation win of the season.

The K&B Fam also fires off its own burning questions, including whether Monday’s show would lead with the Packers or Brewers after a dream Wisconsin sports weekend and who could emerge as Green Bay’s MVP. Plus, Kyle gets put through another edition of Guess Who, featuring some of his finest out-of-context moments of the week, including “I love old men,” “I’m zaddy, he’s dad,” and his suddenly famous excitement over Kevin Zeitler.

And Kyle drops a surprise Badgers prediction: despite Wisconsin’s comeback win at Penn State and entering Homecoming as a 10-point favorite, he has Luke Fickell’s team losing to Michigan State. Ben can’t understand how Kyle has endless faith in a 1-2 Packers team while demanding the Badgers prove themselves first.

The 4PM hour of Kyle & Brust starts with October baseball and one question: who becomes the Brewers’ postseason hero outside of Jackson Chourio? Kyle puts his faith in Garrett Mitchell, Ben rides with Jake Bauers and Will picks Brice Turang against a Padres bullpen that thrives on generating whiffs and chases. The guys also make cases for Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt and Andrew Vaughn as Milwaukee searches for the bat that can deliver the biggest moments of October.

Then it’s time for Green Bay Props & Preview ahead of Packers-Buccaneers. Kyle and Ben expect Jordan Love to carry the offense against Tampa Bay’s vulnerable pass defense, while neither trusts Green Bay’s nonexistent running game. They debate whether rookie Jalon Daniels can produce in his first NFL start, whether Christian Watson delivers another explosive performance and whether the matchup turns into the ugly, low-scoring game the betting total suggests.

Willingly Useless shifts back to the Brewers after Chris Sale’s emergency relief appearance sparks a question about whether Milwaukee has someone willing to demand the ball on short rest. The obvious answer is Jacob Misiorowski. Kyle and Ben debate how aggressively Pat Murphy should deploy Miz in October and agree the Brewers need to capitalize on every game their ace starts, especially with uncertainty behind him in the postseason rotation.

Finally, Kyle makes his weekend proclamation: the Packers defense will win Sunday’s game. He expects pressure, sacks and turnovers against Daniels while the revamped offensive line gives Love enough breathing room to find a rhythm. And Kyle doubles down on Milwaukee, predicting the Brewers return Monday up 2-0 on San Diego before eventually finishing the series in four games.

The 2PM hour of Kyle & Brust wonders whether Jordan Love finally went to Brian Gutekunst and demanded help after spending three weeks getting battered behind Green Bay’s offensive line. Love declined to reveal whether he had conversations with the front office, which is enough for Kyle to believe something happened behind closed doors. Now, with Kevin Zeitler, Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton brought in, the guys debate whether Green Bay has done enough to give Love and the offense a fighting chance.

That leads to a full Packers expectations reset. Kyle now has Green Bay finishing 10-7 and making the playoffs, while Ben believes the problems go much deeper than the offensive line. The K&B Fam puts its predictions on the record, ranging from 11 wins and a turnaround to five or six wins and a lost season. With Tampa Bay starting an undrafted rookie quarterback, Sunday becomes the first major test of whether Green Bay’s emergency overhaul actually changed anything.

Plus, callers challenge Kyle to find nine more wins on the Packers’ schedule, while he argues even average protection could completely change the offense and keep Green Bay alive in the NFC. Then Over/Under shifts into Brewers postseason mode as Kyle and Ben attempt to name the last 10 Brewers to hit at least 25 home runs, with names like Christian Yelich, Willy Adames, Rowdy Tellez and Hunter Renfroe putting their Milwaukee baseball memory to the test.

The 3PM hour of Kyle & Brust starts with a debate over Jordan Love’s leadership style after he declined to reveal whether he went to Brian Gutekunst about Green Bay’s offensive-line crisis. Ben wants to see more fire from Love after taking a beating through three games, while Kyle argues Love doesn’t need to transform into Aaron Rodgers and publicly rip his teammates. With veterans Kevin Zeitler and Laken Tomlinson now in the building, the guys wonder whether Green Bay finally has some veteran voices who can provide that edge instead.

Jason Wilde joins the show and tries to piece together what the new-look offensive line could actually be against Tampa Bay. Wilde expects Jordan Morgan, Laken Tomlinson and Sean Rhyan on the left side and middle, but right guard remains a mystery between Donovan Jennings and Zeitler. Mekhi Becton could eventually challenge Anthony Belton at right tackle, and there’s even a possibility all three veteran additions eventually find their way into the starting five.

Wilde also delivers a sharp assessment of how Green Bay reached this point: Gutekunst has done plenty well as GM, but he has “completely botched the offensive line.” Green Bay moved on from players who may have been better, drafted players who haven’t developed and spent money on Aaron Banks while Zeitler was available. Wilde says Gutekunst deserves credit for reacting, but compares it to starting an inferno and then expecting praise for calling 911. Plus, he explains why the veteran additions should at least eliminate the catastrophic assignment mistakes that have plagued the Packers.

Then the guys turn toward October after the Padres sweep the Cubs to set up an NLDS matchup with Milwaukee. The Brewers earned the advantage of sitting home after 103 wins while San Diego had to burn pitching just to advance, and Kyle and Ben begin looking ahead to Jacob Misiorowski taking the ball Saturday night.