Week 1 of the NFL season is always a beautiful, chaotic mess, and this year it wasted no time turning the league upside down. Explosive offenses, questionable defenses, and a whole lot of overreactions filled the air, and Colin Cowherd was right there to make sense of it all. On Tuesday’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” he unveiled a brand-new “Herd Hierarchy” for Week 2, and let’s just say the rankings look a whole lot different than they did a week ago. The Houston Texans and Denver Broncos, two teams with real playoff hopes, found themselves on the outside looking in. But the most painful fall belonged to the Los Angeles Rams, who tumbled out of the top ten entirely after losing to the San Francisco 49ers and then learning that Myles Garrett is headed to injured reserve. Cowherd still believes in the Rams, but without Garrett wreaking havoc on defense, there are too many question marks to justify keeping them ranked. That’s the nature of a Week 1 hierarchy: it’s less a final verdict and more a snapshot of a league still trying to figure itself out. Cowherd knows the teams he left out aren’t dead, and the teams he put in aren’t invincible. But for now, these are the ten teams he trusts most, from the maddening Eagles to the magnificent Bills, and every single one of them has something to prove.
The bottom of the top ten is not exactly a safe space. At number ten, the Philadelphia Eagles are the team Cowherd can’t quit, even though they drove him crazy. “The Eagles are maddening,” he said, pointing to five three-and-outs and an overall ugly offensive performance. But then he reminded everyone that this is still the most talented roster in football. Jalen Hurts is leading the league in completions, touchdowns, and pass attempts of 25-plus yards, which is not nothing. Cowherd even floated the idea that the Eagles might be better without A.J. Brown, because the ball would spread around more. It’s a bold take, but it’s classic Cowherd: talent wins out over one bad afternoon. At number nine, the Cincinnati Bengals are getting some love as the second-most-improved team in the league. Cowherd sees them as a playoff team, and he’s all in on running back Chase Brown, calling him the best running back in the NFL. That’s a big statement for a guy who isn’t exactly a household name, but Cowherd points to his last six games, where he averaged a touchdown and a half per game. The Bengals also went out and bought a defense, adding size, speed, and physicality. Cowherd rattled off names like Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, and Cashius Howell, and said you can tell the difference immediately. The message is simple: if Joe Burrow finally gets some help, he’s a playoff quarterback. Then there are the New York Giants at number eight, and Cowherd is ready to fight anyone who disagrees. “I don’t care what any of you say,” he declared. The Giants have a culture problem, not a talent problem. He pointed to Abdul Carter and Brian Burns on the edge, calling them one of the best pass-rushing tandems in football. He name-dropped Malik Nabers, Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, Arvell Reese, and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, who didn’t allow a single hit in 36 pass-blocking snaps. The Giants could use another cornerback, sure, but Cowherd insists the real issues are coaching, culture, and health. “Dudes are not the problem,” he said, and you can almost hear him shaking his head at the doubters.
Moving into the middle of the hierarchy, we find the team that just won the Super Bowl, and Cowherd isn’t as high on them as you might expect. The Kansas City Chiefs land at number seven, and Cowherd admits they might be too low. But what he saw in Week 1 was a legitimate running game, the kind of thing that takes him back to the days of Priest Holmes and Jamaal Charles. “Like, wow,” he said. He loved that Patrick Mahomes didn’t force the ball downfield, calling it a smart, intentional game plan. He’s not sure if it was because Bo Nix isn’t the guy or because the Chiefs’ defense is just that good, but either way, Andy Reid in September is no fun to play. “You got to admit, that was impressive,” Cowherd said, even if some people don’t want to hear it. The San Francisco 49ers sit one spot above at number six. Cowherd notes Kyle Shanahan’s 12-7 record against Sean McVay, but he’s not ready to crown anyone yet. He compared the 49ers to “Game of Thrones”: great early, good in the middle, and a lot of your favorite characters won’t be around at the end. They knocked the Rams around for three and a half hours, and there was nothing not to like in that performance. But Cowherd knows this roster’s injury history. By Week 6, they could be missing five starters. So for now, they’re number six. Then there’s the Jacksonville Jaguars at number five, the team nobody seems to want to talk about. Cowherd is almost apologetic about ranking them this high. “I’m sorry, folks. What do you want me to say?” The Jags have been beating everyone in sight over their last ten regular-season games. Yes, Cleveland is bad, but it’s not just the offense with Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence. The defense has six games allowing ten or fewer points since last season. They’re doing it on both sides of the ball. Cowherd makes the point that if the Jaguars played in New York or Dallas, we’d have no problem putting them at five. “They’re good,” he said. “We got to own it.”
The Chicago Bears are not just a surprise; they might be a warning shot. Cowherd puts them at number four, and his excitement is almost contagious. The Bears became the first team to score six rushing touchdowns in a season opener since the 1922 Canton Bulldogs. But the numbers only tell part of the story. Cowherd says we have found the next great offensive coach in Ben Johnson. “I went to one practice and it was like whoa, what am I watching?” he said. Rome Odunze is healthy, and it shows. The Bears dropped 59 points, and they did it without a single defensive touchdown. Tight end Colston Loveland didn’t even have a catch, which means there’s still more production available. Cowherd does have one concern: can this defense generate a pass rush that makes great quarterbacks uncomfortable? He’s not sure. But he’s all in on the offense. He compares the Caleb Williams–Ben Johnson partnership to a Reid–Mahomes situation. “It’s not just good,” he said. “I’ve seen good. DeMeco Ryans, C.J. Stroud. I like those two working together. Now, this is not good. It’s special.” That’s a high bar, but Cowherd is intentionally jumping over it. The Baltimore Ravens check in at number three, and they looked like the team we keep expecting to see. They outgained the Indianapolis Colts by 255 yards, and Cowherd noticed something important: Daniel Jones looked like he didn’t want to get hit. That’s the kind of physical dominance that wins in January. Cowherd says everyone in Indianapolis is under pressure—Chris Ballard, Shane Steichen, all of them—and the Ravens made them look overmatched. He loves Baltimore early in the season, especially when Lamar Jackson is healthy. Then he points to defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Look at the Chargers’ defense now that he left. Look at the Ravens’ performance now that he arrived. That’s no coincidence. At number three, Baltimore looks like a team with a real identity on both sides of the ball, and that’s a scary thought for the rest of the AFC.
At number two, the Seattle Seahawks are the team Cowherd wants to put on top but can’t, at least not this week. If Sam Darnold were healthy, he says, Seattle would be number one. The Seahawks are the only team in the league that can commit ten penalties, turn the ball over multiple times, not play particularly well, and still beat a good football team. They did it last year against the Rams and the Texans, and they did it again in the opener against the Patriots, completely shutting them down in the fourth quarter. Cowherd credits the coach, the general manager, the roster depth, and the speed. But with Drew Lock getting first-team snaps—because the Seahawks played on Wednesday and have extra time—he drops them to two or three. “If Sam plays, I put them at one,” he says. That’s how much he believes in this Seattle team. And then there’s the number one team on his list: the Buffalo Bills. Cowherd is all in. He has Buffalo in the Super Bowl, full stop. He likes the offensive coaching, the feel and nuance with their star quarterback, and he reminds everyone that he told you D.J. Moore would fit. The Bills drafted a lot of defensive players in the last couple of years, and they’re starting to look like they can play. But the most impressive thing was the two touchdown drives of 96-plus yards. “I thought they were the best team I saw, considering the opposition,” Cowherd says. “Nobody does that to the Texans’ defense. Nobody does that to DeMeco Ryans. Josh Allen and the Bills did.” That’s the kind of performance that makes you believe in January, not just September.
Cowherd’s hierarchy is less a declaration and more a conversation starter. It’s Week 1, and the NFL is still introducing itself. The Rams are out because of injuries, but they’re not dead. The Texans and Broncos are out, but they have time. The Eagles are maddening, the Bengals are improved, the Giants are talented, the Chiefs are quietly building a run game, the 49ers are a “Game of Thrones” season waiting to lose characters, the Jaguars are doing it quietly, the Bears are doing it loudly, the Ravens are doing it physically, the Seahawks are doing it ugly, and the Bills are doing it beautifully. The truth is, no one knows what Week 2 will bring. That’s why we watch. Cowherd’s top ten is a snapshot, a moment in time, a way to argue with your friends before the next Sunday resets everything. The teams at the bottom of the list can climb. The teams at the top can fall. The only thing certain is that football is unpredictable, and that’s exactly why we love it. So as we head into Week 2, keep an eye on the Bears and their special offense, the Ravens and their new defense, the Seahawks and their backup quarterback, and the Bills and their Super Bowl aspirations. And remember: Colin Cowherd will have a new list next Tuesday, and it might look completely different. That’s the fun of it.
