Will the Bears be overlooked again? Is it time to respect the Patriots? Are the Seahawks Super Bowl favorites?
Those are the questions Colin Cowherd has answers to in the most recent edition of the “Herd Hierarchy.” Remember, Cowherd isn’t ranking teams based on what they’ve done lately or their record. Rather, it’s an encapsulation of where each team in the NFL stands, holistically, taking into consideration which opponents each team has beaten, how healthy they are and their ceiling for the rest of the year.
So, let’s take a look at Cowherd’s final list after an exciting Wild Card weekend and ahead of the NFL Divisional Round.
THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD
8. Chicago Bears
“A season-low in penalties and penalty yards against Green Bay… They played clean. They’re 7-2 at home this year. 9-2 against teams outside their division. They’re a great fourth-quarter team. First win without a takeaway. So there’s a lot to take from it. They played a clean game. Caleb Williams was remarkable.”
“Now you can prepare for the 49ers without George Kittle. Brock Purdy has a pick in four straight games. I don’t really care. Purdy has four game-winning drives in six playoff games. They’ve won 11 straight playoff games in the Wild Card or Divisional Round, and a lot of that is Kyle Shanahan.”
“They’re very, very good at home, and 11-2 in one-score games… They do lead the NFL in sacks, and allow the fewest sacks. I like the roster construction, but they’ve scored less than 20 points in five of the last nine games. I’m not so sure taking the week off was good for the young Seahawks or the inconsistent Broncos.”
“I think Buffalo’s probably going to beat [the Broncos] and I didn’t think that a couple of weeks ago. It was the first road [playoff] win under [Sean] McDermott. They’ve won six of seven games, and Josh Allen — listen to this — in his last seven games, he has 19 total touchdowns, one interception. He has a way of getting rid of the mistakes. They’ve got their tush push figured out, which they didn’t last year in the playoffs. I think their offensive personnel is better than I give it credit for.”
“They’ve won 10 straight. Defense, last night, outscored the Steelers offense. Pittsburgh was playing well, and then they saw Houston, and all of a sudden they weren’t. They outgained the Steelers 408-175. Nico Collins’ injury is not good. Not good at all. But, you know what, Woody Marks is healthy, Christian Kirk, C.J. Stroud.”
“They’re beatable because I don’t like their special teams. And they had nine penalties against the Panthers. They just couldn’t lock in. And they’re 4-3 over the last seven games. The key to beating the Rams is the turnovers. So they’re 0-3 in games with multiple giveaways this year. That’s the way to beat them — get pressure on Matthew Stafford, dial up a reckless play. They don’t fumble a ton. That’s the way to beat the Rams. Because when they play clean, they’re 13-2.”
2. New England Patriots
“In a weird way, it reminds me a little of the Brady-Belichick Patriots. I don’t know what their hole is, but they’re not great everywhere. I never thought Brady had the best receiving core. For a brief time, he had the best tight end core. I never thought the Belicheck Patriots had the best pass rush, or the best linebacker crew. But they spread the money around, and there’s nowhere they were weak. That’s how I look at the Patriots. Will Campbell’s back. Two running backs that I like. There’s nothing to pick on with New England.”
1. Seattle Seahawks
“Eight wins by 10-plus points… They have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 26 straight games. You have to throw the ball to beat Seattle.”
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