Week 9 of the NFL season brought a powerhouse episode of Girlfriends + Football, and this week the crew had a very special guest along for the ride. Mariah, the personality behind MARIAHYO GONE PRO, joined Dezi, Beth, and Laura live to break down the week that was, share her honest takes on the LA Chargers, and introduce November's Thirsty for Football cocktail. Spoiler: it involves margaritas, and it solves every problem.
Welcome to the Show, Mariah
Dezi and Beth met Mariah at a tailgate in Atlanta, and once she started talking football, they knew she had to come on the show. Born and raised in Utah and proudly repping the Utes, Mariah is also a die-hard Chargers fan, general manager of a new sports bar in Atlanta, and someone who can spend an entire weekend locked into sports without missing a beat. She built MARIAHYO GONE PRO to give women a space to talk sports with as much passion and depth as anyone else, and from the moment she joined the episode, it was clear she belongs in this conversation.
The Chargers Are 0-7 and Mariah Has Feelings
There is a lot going on in Los Angeles, and Mariah did not hold back. The Chargers are sitting at 0-7, the worst record in the NFL, and Mariah is placing a significant portion of the blame on offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. The last time an NFL team went this many consecutive quarters without scoring a touchdown? The Miami Dolphins. Under Mike McDaniel. She was not subtle about connecting those dots.
Her feelings on Justin Herbert, though, are more nuanced. She believes Herbert is genuinely talented and that the Chargers have never given him the full support system he needs: a healthy O-line, experienced weapons, the right pieces around him. When he has had those things, she argues, he has put up numbers right alongside the quarterbacks everyone else calls elite.
The bigger question on her mind is Jim Harbaugh. She loves Harbaugh, cried tears of relief when he was hired, and still believes in him. But she wants to know why he is not stepping in and taking the play-calling reins. Is it a personal attachment to seeing this through? Is it that the Chargers organization, and specifically general manager Joe Ortiz, is tying his hands? The crew dug into all of it, and by the end of the conversation, there were enough theories and hot takes to fill a whole second episode.
For Chargers fans, this segment alone was worth tuning in.
This Week's Thirsty for Football: Easy Margaritas
November on Girlfriends + Football means classics and party drinks, and Mariah kicked off the month the right way. The cocktail of the week is the Easy Margarita, the golden ratio drink: two parts tequila, one part Cointreau (or triple sec, though Laura prefers Cointreau), one part fresh lime juice. Shake it, strain it, done.
If you want to make it fancy, you've got options. Add a few jalapeño slices for heat. Swap the tequila for mezcal if you like a smoky edge. Stir in a splash of mango or hibiscus syrup for something fruity and bright.
The mocktail version is the Fake-Out Rita: jalapeño lime sparkling water (or any flavor you like), fresh lime juice, and agave syrup. Shake the juice and agave with ice, strain it into a salted glass, and top with the sparkling water.
And as Beth pointed out on air, margaritas are also one of the best batch cocktails you can make. Mix a big pitcher, put it in the fridge, and let people pour their own. Perfect for game day.
Mariah’s verdict on the margarita, delivered with zero hesitation: "A margarita solves every problem across the board." The crew immediately agreed that needs to be on a shirt.
Jack Campbell and the Injury That Stopped the Game
Before the football talk began, Dezi, Beth, and Laura opened the episode by acknowledging the scariest moment of Week 8: Lions linebacker Jack Campbell hyperextending his neck during Detroit's win over Minnesota and going completely limp on the field.
Beth, a physical therapist, walked through what the medical team was doing and why. When a player goes down with a suspected spinal cord injury, the priority is immobilization. The space in the neck is small, and any swelling can cause serious additional damage. The goal is to collar and board the patient, roll them carefully to protect the spine, and get them off the field without any extraneous movement. The medical team did everything right, and Beth gave them full credit for how they handled a stressful, high-visibility situation.
The encouraging update: Jack Campbell released a statement saying he has full movement in his lower body and is continuing to make progress. The Lions community, and the whole football world, let out a collective exhale.
Laura, watching from home, was texting the group thread in real time. It was that kind of moment.
The Bills, the Lions, and All the Week 8 Business
Buffalo dismantled the Ravens 36-10 in one of the strangest games Beth has watched in a long time. The first half was a comedy of errors: Lamar Jackson injured his thumb on his very first dropback and left the game, the backup got hurt too, and the Ravens burned through quarterbacks at a rate nobody could have predicted. Josh Allen had a rough first half personally, then came back in the second and went 13-for-15 to close things out. He also broke Jim Kelly's franchise record for career passing touchdowns, with Kelly himself in attendance to watch it happen.
Laura's Lions beat the previously undefeated Vikings 19-15, with Jahmyr Gibbs running for 153 yards and Detroit's offense putting up 230 total rushing yards. The play of the game was a trick motion lateral to Amon-Ra St. Brown, lined up way behind the line of scrimmage with a running start. Pure Dan Campbell energy.
Dezi's 49ers were on bye and watching quietly.
Find Mariah
If you want more of Mariah's energy and her takes on the Chargers, the Utes, and all things sports, follow her at MARIAHYO GONE PRO across platforms. She came to the right place, and she is absolutely part of this conversation.
New episodes of Girlfriends + Football drop every Wednesday. Find us everywhere @GirlfriendsandFootball and at girlfriendsandfootball.com.
