Transcript

NFL Divisional REACTION: McDermott OUT, Broncos, Seahawks, Rams, Patriots | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD

From The Herd with Colin Cowherd · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 42 min · 7,494 words · 85 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "NFL Divisional REACTION: McDermott OUT, Broncos, Seahawks, Rams, Patriots | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD", an episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd published January 19, 2026 (42 min, about 7,494 words). It mentions 5 people, works and ideas, including Shawn McDermott, Hard Rock Bet, Denver Broncos, Bill Walsh, Brandon Bean.

What this episode is about

Sean McDermott has been dismissed as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, marking the 10th coaching change in the NFL this season as the team grapples with a series of disappointing losses and fourth-quarter collapses. Despite McDermott's leadership and playoff success, the lack of significant talent surrounding quarterback Josh Allen and recent failures, including turnovers and missed opportunities, have prompted the Bills to seek a new direction.

Key takeaways

  • Sean McDermott out: Buffalo demands greatness, but turnovers and fourth-quarter flops eroded trust in his ability.
  • Josh Allen's heroics can’t mask underlying issues; anemic receiver corps and defensive woes leave bills unpaid.
  • The Rams showcased the power of discipline: no penalties, no turnovers, proving efficiency triumphs over flash.
  • In coach search chaos, Brian Dable emerges as a tempting candidate, intimately familiar with Allen's potential.
  • Caleb Williams dazzles but must learn when to throttle back—touchdowns aren’t always the goal; points are.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Shawn McDermott, Bill Walsh, Brandon Bean
  2. – 15:00: Hard Rock Bet
  3. – 20:00: Denver Broncos, Hard Rock Bet
  4. – 25:00: Shawn McDermott
  5. – 30:00: Shawn McDermott
  6. – 35:00: Shawn McDermott
  7. – 40:00: Denver Broncos

Notable quotes from "NFL Divisional REACTION: McDermott OUT, Broncos, Seahawks, Rams, Patriots | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD"

  • 10th team looking for a head coach. And I think when you have Josh Allen, it's okay to demand greatness. Bill Walsh, Andy Reid, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Bich.
    about Bill Walsh · at
  • Not quite buttoned up. The general manager, in my opinion, Brandon Bean, more of a cap guy than a personnel guy, hasn't done McDermad any favors. The wide receiver core is mostly anemic.
    about Brandon Bean · at
  • And Shawn McDermott, again, eight playoff wins. That is the most ever in league history by any coach that hasn't appeared in a Super Bowl. He's a coach. He's a good.
    about Shawn McDermott · at
  • Championship, you know Hard Rock Stadium is going to be absolutely fire. If you're going to the game, Hard Rock Bet is giving you a $10 bonus bet to get in on the action. You…
    about Hard Rock Bet · at
  • So many thoughts. I'll have some thoughts on that interception people are worked up about by the Denver Broncos. it is time for a reality check for the entire NFL, all the fans, all the media.
    about Denver Broncos · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

Companies & orgs

Full transcript with timestamps

Welcome to the Herd's official YouTube channel. Make sure to like and subscribe. Don't forget to check out the Colin Coward podcast, all of our NFL instant reactions, and more football content. Here we go on a busy Monday, the very busiest of Mondays. We are live or in Chicago. It is the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening or watching, whatever the platform, thanks for making us part of your day. Sean McDermott, a very good football coach, has been dismissed. The Buffalo Bills 10th team, a third of the league, 10th team looking for a head coach. And I think when you have Josh Allen, it's okay to demand greatness. Bill Walsh, Andy Reid, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Bich.

Josh Allen's the kind of quarterback that can win not one, not two, but three Super Bowls. McDermott, a good man and a good coach, but the Bills kept finding ways to lose. The 13second loss to Kansas City. Saturday, there's five turnovers and Bo Knicks up and down the field, 300 plus yards. I mean, there was the tush push last year. They couldn't get that right. The last three years, Buffalo has lost fourth quarter leads in all games. All of their losses, they lost fourth quarter leads. It was time. Not quite buttoned up. The general manager, in my opinion, Brandon Bean, more of a cap guy than a personnel guy, hasn't done McDermad any favors. The wide receiver core is mostly anemic.

There are no pro bowlers on the defensive side. Even James Cook, Josh Allen's best teammate, leads all running backs in fumbles. But Saturday wasn't a loss. It was a reckoning. It felt different. The locker room was 55 broken men. McDermott mad at the officiating. I get it. But when John Elway was in Denver, they moved off Dan Reeves. Dan Reeves had been to three Super Bowls. Dan Reeves was a great coach, but not great enough for John [snorts] Elway's talent. And Shawn McDermott, again, eight playoff wins. That is the most ever in league history by any coach that hasn't appeared in a Super Bowl. He's a coach. He's a good coach. I'll be honest, I think he would go to the Raiders and get that act figured out really quickly. I'd hire him in one second in Las Vegas. But each loss hurt more. Each loss mounted.

13-second loss. Can't get the tush push right. blowing fourth quarter leads Saturday. Bo Nicks kind of did what he wanted. Five turnovers on offense and it feels like Josh Allen so often is pressing to put on a cape, get in a phone booth, come out and make a play to overcome his lack of receiving help or a defense that can be good at times but isn't special. Not as good as the Rams, not even as good as the injury plague ners. Certainly not Seattle or Houston. So, this is a great job. I'm sitting here this morning thinking John Harbaugh and Kevin Stfansky are probably checking their contracts to make sure the ink is dry. But over the last starting in 2020 until today, they're second in the NFL in wins, first in points per game, first in point differential. A lot of it's Josh Allen, maybe most of it's Josh Allen. You can't go Mike McCarthy. His teams like McDermott feel like they're not quite buttoned up. They shrink in

the playoffs. Can't go McCarthy. More of the same. Jeff Halfley, Jesse Mentor. Great defensive coordinators. But we want to go with a defensive coach. How about somebody that's proven in my opinion? Brian Dable won a playoff game with Daniel Jones. former offensive coordinator that really took Josh Allen to the next level. So Shawn McDermott's got eight playoff wins. You can do a lot worse than Shawn McDermott. But for Buffalo, it's different. Josh Allen changes the calculus. Here was Josh broken down after the loss Saturday.

It's extremely difficult. [sighs] Feel [snorts] like I Yeah. Feel like I let my let my teammates down tonight. It's been a long season. I hate how it ended and it's uh it's going to stick with me for a long time. Can't win with five turnovers. I fumbled twice, threw two picks. And you when you shoot yourself in the foot like that, you don't deserve to win football games. The standard changes when you get an Elway, when you get a Payton Manning, you got to have a Bellichic, a Walsh, an Andy Reid, a Jimmy Johnson. I don't know if Brian Dable's that, but John Harbaugh's off the market. Jim Harbaugh's off the market. Shawn Payeyton's taken. So is Mike Vrabel.

To me, Brian Dable, who's been in that room, who's worked with Josh, is an offensive guy, will squeeze every ounce out of this star quarterback. And at this point, to me, that's the answer. Okay. Under Shawn McVey, the Rams prove once again, regardless of weather, this warm weather indoor football team goes to Chicago. They don't have a single penalty. They don't have a single turnover, folks. They didn't have, we looked it up, a dropped pass, and that's why they beat the Bears in a windy snow game earlier in the day. There were eight turnovers.

They didn't have a dropped pass. Chicago was more spectacular. Chicago had more yards. Chicago won time of possession. Caleb Williams, in my opinion, had the throw of the decade, playoffs or regular season, but this LA team played more efficiently and played cleaner. I mean, again, I I I'm not saying Chicago is not more fun to watch. The Rams only had three drives all day. An opening drive, a fourth quarter drive, and an overtime drive. So much in football is about not losing games. And the team that lost the turnover battles yesterday and this weekend, they went 0 for four. The Rams did not drop a pass in this weather. So, I thought when all you needed to do was win the game in overtime, it was second and eight. I thought the Bears should have been trying to get a first down and not a touchdown. I thought Caleb Williams, who has grown so much as a player, he is so much better than he was eight, nine

weeks ago. I thought he bit off a little too much in overtime. They just needed a field goal. They just needed points and he went uptown. And and that's the very nature of Caleb Williams. The upside, the jet fuel, the horsepower. I mean, he is V8 plus, but he's not quite ready. He has improved so much from week three to now. I mean, again, this is I think there's four quarterbacks in league history that can make this play. Four. The Rams weren't perfect. Beat on the back end, but you get all the upside, but I thought he took a little too big of a bite in overtime. And Chicago's not going anywhere. They're young. They're athletic. They're inexpensive at quarterback. A star tight end, running back, receiver, slot, perimeter. This is a really good Chicago team. Dennis Allen had a great Sunday night. They don't have nearly as much defensive talent, especially in the box, as the Rams do.

And yet, they were aggressive. and they got to Matt Stafford multiple times while their offensive line did not surrender a sack. There were so many things to like about the Bears. Time of possession, big plays, more yards, more spectacular. Whereas the Rams defensive talent is young, explosive, and inexpensive. That's the Bears primarily on offense. So the Rams came down on the opening drive, take a seven nothing lead. Bears don't buckle. You got the Rams taking that lead late in the game and the Bears don't buckle. So, they're good. They're not going anywhere, but the Bears to me feel like they're almost there.

And the Rams feel like they are there again. And here's Shawn McVey after the overtime win in Chicago.

There were so many THINGS THAT WENT ON IN THAT GAME THAT YOU COULD have said, "Oh, man. Maybe tonight's not our night. I'm going to tell you this though. For you guys to do what you did, man. I can't say enough about what you guys did. Snap in, snap out defensively. HOW ABOUT MY MOTHER MAN CAM CURL? [screaming]

Cam Curl at safety. Um, listen, I you you look over the course of the weekend, there's two or three things that are absolute and the team that had the most turnovers, you know, whether it's a Buffalo or it's a Houston or it's a Chicago, the reality is when you get to the best coaches and the best rosters and the best game plans, uh, weather becomes less of a factor and not letting a ball hit the ground. For the weather to be that bad, McVey looked freezing. They didn't have a drop pass. That's insane. I mean, Kairen Williams, what do you have 20some carries? Bears were pulling on his arm and pulling on the ball for three and a half hours and the ball never hit the ground. Puka Nakua hammered pulling the ball down. Ball never hit the ground. No penalties, no turnovers. More impressive is no drop passes. That is the Rams who now go on the road with uh an extra quarter played and one day less rest than the Seahawks.

They are and should be underdogs in the NFC Championship. Jmack um wow it I'll tell you what we'll talk about the Seahawks next. I mean it it is I my my takeaway all night was funny. We were in the fourth quarter and I'm watching the game with friends and I'm like I'm looking up drop passes and I'm looking up penalties and I'm like for a warm weather team that plays indoors to go into that weather. You and I talked all week. You get to a point in games like that. You can't feel your hands.

So I went outside last night at halftime. I want I wanted to exper I thought I want to go I want to feel what it feels like

in just normal clothes, no jacket. I'm like I don't know how people are doing that.

How long did it last? Oh, 90 seconds. The Rams though, did you notice this? How many of their skilled players did not wear sleeves?

So, a lot of it psychological. Ram players went out there. We're not going to wear sleeves. We're just going to go out and play. We're not going to worry about it. Stafford's face is like, you know, it's bright red. I thought that was a really impressive outing. The Bears were more spectacular, but efficiency, playing clean, no drop passes is a real thing in those kind of games.

Did you feel like McVey called the game like he was freezing? Because Colin at one point in the third quarter they had 34 passes and 11 runs. I did not understand. I love McVey. He's one of the best coaches in the league. I thought that was his worst effort of the season. He clearly changed it in the fourth quarter.

Yeah. Yes. Absolutely. Um listen, it's a weird flow into the game. You know, you have things that are working. They nobody can cover Puka. Um you know, the tight ends were having success. So, I think I think it's hard to do that. I think you get into the elements. There's certain things you've game planned for you'll think will work. Um, I think they should have run more. Uh, but listen, I this would have been an easy game after the Rams drove down the field and took a lead. You could say to yourself, well, I just, you know, we saw what happened to the NerS and it's like sometimes there's just, you know, when you get one of these explosive teams like the Rams or Seattle and they take a seven nothing lead, you're like, uhoh, uhoh. Uh oh.

The Rams did not matter. Bears came right back down the field. They never buckled. You know, it just came down to in overtime, you know, Caleb gets picked and it it looked like DJ Moore, there was miscommunication. I don't want to say somebody quit, but it it had an odd look to it. They'll probably look at the tape and figure that out.

I didn't think the Rams guy was going to make the field goal cuz his first kick was a line drive that it felt like the wind pushed it in. So, I was like, "No, I I don't know. I this thing's going to continue." But

was your big takeaway that Caleb Moore uh sorry, Caleb Williams looks without a doubt like a top 10 quarterback in the league. He was unbelievable. I know the accuracy, you know, 50% or whatever wasn't there, but he can make so many plays. Colin, he's ascending at a pace I don't think anybody anticipated this fast with Ben Johnson. He's a superstar.

Yeah, it's um there's no question he's a top 10 quarterback. And and and for the record, everybody can beat up on him with the interceptions. One was on fourth down. Okay. Yeah, you can beat up on the interceptions, but he doesn't really throw many interceptions. He's durable. He's mobile. He's got great strength. He doesn't have a lot of multiple interception games, but again, you're you're this Ram defense is good. They're not great at corner, but they're really good everywhere else. And they're fast and they close. And we got a lot of good defenses left. New England's real defense. Seattle's incredible. Rams are very good. Um, and Denver can get after it. So, uh, football just keeps getting better. We're in Chicago. It's the herd.

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The Seattle Seahawks are indisputably the best team left. They had a stretch this year where they led a team 20 to nothing in the first quarter, another team 28- nothing at half, and another team 35 nothing at half. That's what Ohio State does to an FCS team. Sam Darnold got picked four times against the Rams and they still almost won. Kyle Shanahan 163 games as the San Francisco coach. Four times he's been held under a touchdown. Twice in the last few weeks by Seattle. The roster has no holes. Even the special teams are really good.

They get a pass rush without blitzing. [snorts] Huge up front. active linebackers, outstanding elite corners, playmaking safeties on offense. You get power and speed and efficiency. They are young. They're dynamic. And there is one team left that is built to beat them in Seattle. One team only, the Rams. They might be able to do it because they play such a clean, smart, efficient style of football. They don't make as many mistakes as the Seahawks do. They're not as penalized as Seattle. They're not going to make the turnovers that Seattle does. They're a cleaner version. Are they as good a version? Well, look, look at these numbers. This is how crazy it is. The Rams and Seahawks have played twice, each with a win. The Rams have scored 58 points. The Seahawks 57. The Rams have 830 total yards. The Seahawks have 829.

I mean, folks, we all knew this. I mean, about week seven or eight, didn't you look at yourself and think, okay, Green Bay is falling apart physically, and so are the NerS, and Philadelphia couldn't get their offensive act together, and Chicago was really good, but it felt like maybe the defense was a year away. And then there's the Panthers. Child, please. This Seattle team in Seattle, cold and wet. I mean, they have made Christian McCaffrey disappear twice in the last few weeks. Disappear. The Rams are the number one scoring offense. The Seahawks are the number one scoring defense. It will be best against best and in my opinion the two best young coaches in football at the helm.

McVey is the best coach arguably in the league. Certainly the best young coach. Seattle said, "You know what? McVey and Shanahan are in this division. We're not going to hire the third best offensive guy. We're going to go get a defensive guy, Mike McDonald. And he is the defensive version of McVey. Handsome, tough, culture builder, respected, player friendly, holds players accountable while being that. So, I've said this all year with Seattle. Turn the sound down and watch them play. Don't listen to the announcers or the crowd. Turn the sound down. They don't look like any other team. It's like you get the Texans defense with a more dynamic offense.

Sam Darnold after another win over the 49ers. Our defense has been amazing, you know, throughout the entire year. Um, you know, they've had our back. Um, you know, we've had their back in certain situations. Um, our special teams, you know, I can't say enough great things about them. But, um, yeah, it's, uh, it's really fun to play with a defense like that behind, you know, um, that has your back. for us as an offense, like we understand what we're capable of. You know, we've showed glimpses of it throughout the season. Um, and I think these last few games, we've kind of proven our offensive line, our tight ends have proven kind of what we can do running the football. So, we're just going to continue to, you know, watch the tape, get better, and and see where we can go from here.

You know, there was a moment early in the game when Kyle Shanahan kind of admitted we can't play Seattle straight up.

They had some trick plays. It was like a fourth and one. They gave it to Kyle Yuseek and they they tried to kind of do a little clever trick play to the outside. They're they knew. Yeah, we on a fourth and one. We like our offensive line. You can't play Seattle straight up. They're just different. They remind me a lot. It's so interesting in these playoffs. These Patriots remind me a lot of the Bellichc Brady Patriots. Not sure if they're great anywhere except quarterback, but they're good everywhere. And this Seattle team reminds me a lot of the Legion of Boom where you have a very athletic quarterback above average run game and they look different. They are faster and younger.

I mean it's the opposite of the Steelers. You get a great defense, you don't have to pay for it. It's like 23rd most expensive defense. So, I mean, when they take the open and they've added at the trade deadline, they got this GM John Snyder, maybe the best personnel guy in the league. They add a speed demon at the trade deadline. You're watching them there. So, now their special teams are a nightmare. There's one team left built to potentially beat them in Seattle. Very big on potentially, and that's the Rams. Jack with the news.

NO. NO. ON THE NEWS. THIS is the Herdline news. All right, let's go back to Saturday and the rough ending for Bon Knicks. Colin's superhero quarterback. Man, he was very good against Buffalo, but then suffered a terrifying injury to his ankle. Broken ankle, Colin. It appeared to happen on the third to last play of the game. He had like a design keeper, landed awkwardly, still was able to chuck it down the field to Mims and get that weak flag and then took a knee, popped up, and you see it on the screen. was like, "Oh, what's going on here?"

Yeah. Seemed to walk off the field. Okay. But afterwards, Shawn Peyton met with the media. They called the media back. And this is what Payton told the media.

Oh, we don't have the sound. Here's Payton. Not good news. On the second to last play of overtime, Bo fractured a bone in his right ankle. He's scheduled to have surgery Tuesday. That would be tomorrow. Colin, it will be the Jared Stumm show this weekend in the AFC Championship.

Yeah. And he's not taking first team snaps. So, this is going to be a rough one. Now, now Shawn Payton, very good coach. Stumm's been around. Remember when Shawn took the job in Denver? Oh, yeah. He went out and paid 12 million for STDM as a backup. And we went, that is a lot for a backup. So, STDM's been around. Stumm knows the system. Stum is a good teammate. So, this is about as good as you're going to do in a backup quarterback situation. You're going to be at home.

That helps. It's Shawn Peyton. Um, I mean, again, certainly capable. I I I would lean with Vrabel, Josh McDaniel, Drake May. Uh, and I don't know what the line is this morning. I I I would think New England's favored by a couple. That would be my guess. I know Seattle is favored by about a field goal.

Well, it was five and a half. I'm seeing four and a half now. Uh, for the Patriots favored on the road. It It's interesting because this Bronco defense, you mentioned early in the show, Broncos defense is good. I didn't see good against Buffalo. Buffalo moved the ball up and down the field, nearly had 500 yards of offense. Um, kind of did what they want. Josh Allen had a couple unfortunat

that that component's gone with Stumm. Stum's a pocket guy. So, a lot of that offense this year has been about Bo Nicks moving the pocket. This off now. Now, Breeze went 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewwater as a backup in New Orleans. So, if you got to have a backup, Jared Stim, who's been in the system for years, and Shawn Payeyton, I mean, they they've got nice weapons, but you just have to go with a better quarterback, a very good coach regardless of where the game is played. There's a reason New England's favorite and should be.

Well, it's not totally the same as Nick Fos, but Carson Wentz was a mobile quarterback in Philly, right? Nick Fos, more of a statue. I joke, cement shoes, FO in the pocket. You know, there's a world where this game is a lot closer than everybody's saying. Right now, I have not seen one person give Denver a chance. Have you? It's universally Oh, Frank May about a quarterback.

I honestly I think it's going to be a close game. This playoffs like every game is freaking close. It's a coin flip every game. So, uh bummer for Bon Knicks. I'll say this though, Colin. Uh I don't know if you saw this. Throws on, uh 20 or more yards down the field against the Bills.

B Knicks four of six for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Oh, Jason, he hit two deep ball home runs. I mean, say what you want cuz J Bo Knicks the knock is throwing the ball down the field has been the question with Bo Knicks. We know 12 yards in he moves well. He hit two bombs.

Yeah. And I mean that to me was again Shawn McDermott's defense has struggled against the run. They actually were okay against the run,

but they got burned over the top twice. In a game like that, when you're on the road, you can't get burned deep for touchdowns twice in a game.

You know what happened, Colin? White went out with an injury for he had to miss a couple plays. Bo Knicks either identified it or Payton did and they picked on the backup both times

and it was just gling. I mean, I I had uh you know, the under in this game and all the big plays. I was like, "What the heck?" That was a thriller, man. Saturday was crazy. All right, let's move on to a coaching opening, Colin. That's Pittsburgh Steelers. Um, listen, I I I'm surprised by this, but Mike McCarthy is a name who's supposedly going to interview with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now,

I mean, at this point, I I don't see how this job's attractive at all when you don't know the quarterback, Aaron Rogers.

He's a Pittsburgh guy. So, you know, right now, you're gonna have to pivot Mike McCarthy, right? And say, uh, I don't know, the Buffalo Bills. Can I get in there and talk to Josh Allen? Like, this this is a bizarre

Colin, we talked about this. This this Pittsburgh team is old. Well, first of all, the Steelers don't ever look for a new coach.

Yeah. So, the Giants do. They move on it and Atlanta does and they move on it. Yeah.

And so, the two organizations identify Harbaugh and Kevin Stfansky very quickly. I would say the Raiders hiring McDermott within 24 hours. I I you get Mendoza. I I think to me, sometimes you get lucky in life. I think the Raiders just got incredibly lucky. I would hire Shawn McDermott in a second.

Well, McDermott's gonna have options. Arizona, maybe Pittsburgh, like a lot of teams.

Those don't come with Fernando Mendoza. That's fair. For for four to five years, you're not paying Fernando Mendoza.

Well, Mcdermad's been locked in on the playoffs. Let's maybe he'll watch the natty tonight. You know, he's got some time on his hands. Not game planning this week. And maybe he'll make a decision. But this go back to Steelers for a second. Uh remember how it ended for McCarthy and Rogers in Green Bay? Very ugly. So this is all this is very surprising to me uh that McCarthy would be interested in this, but we'll see. Final story, Colin, we want to go back to uh Ben Johnson and the Bears. They were really fun in that one against the Rams. But I want to go back to this two-point conversion. You could talk about this play for an hour. The Caleb Williams dropped back fourth and four and he chucks it 40 yards to uh Cole KT.

So when this hit, I was like, "Oh my gosh, are they going to go for two and beat the Rams?" And then Ben Johnson kicked and that kind of sort of shocked me given his DNA. Colin, here's Johnson talking about that decision afterward.

Thought about it. Yeah, thought about it. Um, probably what played a little bit of a factor was, you know, our goal to go situations hadn't gone very clean. um our inside the five plan hadn't worked out quite like we had hoped and so I just felt better about taking our chances there in overtime.

Yeah, I that's where I agreed. My takeaway watching it was this is where analytics doesn't tell you the truth. Analytics hadn't watched the earlier fourth downs. They had struggled in their fourth and short packages all night long. And by the way, not only struggled, but gotten stuffed multiple times. So, you just had the play of the decade. You're on 100% emotion. The chances of coming out after that and getting a two-point conversion against a very, very good defensive front. I think it's the right call. Again, you have to contextualize the game. They had struggled on fourth and short. So, let let's not do a fourth and short to to decide.

I I again, I'm at home. Caleb has been spectacular. Um, Rams have only had a couple of drives. Remember, going into overtime, Rams had an opening drive and a fourth quarter drive. They didn't do anything. They didn't do anything for like two and a half hours. So, I I was okay with the decision.

So, this is what separates Ben Johnson from a Dan Campbell for me, Colin, cuz Dan Campbell, there was a famous game where they face Dallas and he just kept going and it was like, dude, what are you doing? It was like a guy doubling down in blackjack and keep just hemorrhaging money and and Ben Johnson realized, hey, man, it's not working for us inside the five. That's right.

Let's just kick. And I I think listen, I was lower than I should have been on Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Colin, they go into next season with the right off season, right? You maybe you move off DJ Moore, you know, cuz he's expensive and you got other receivers.

They're one of the only teams in the league. It's a very good edge rusher draft. They need an edge rusher. So, they could take their first five picks, go all defense. They don't need a tackle, a running back, a tight end, a receiver, a quarterback, an interior lineman. They're literally one of the most This draft works out so favorably for Chicago. They need a corner, an edge rusher, get more athleticism in the linebacking core. All of them available in the first three rounds. Chicago goes into the draft. They could draft today.

I mean, five defensive players. There's a world where next year going in this off seasonason, the Bears are a top five team heading into next year for me.

I I I mean, I I know people gonna sound think I'm crazy. You look at the Bears roster and say the Ravens or the Chiefs.

The way Caleb is improving. Find me another team in the NFL that literally doesn't have a single need on offense. There isn't one. They're the only team in the league. They've got two backs. They want,

by the way, they lose their left tackle for this game. They move Joe Tuni OVER. HE WAS PHENOMENAL. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY one offensive line depth, but like every the Bears are in amazing shape. they might be the favorites next year uh in the NFC regardless of what happens with Seattle

and it's once you get the quarterback and the coach right it just it's so clear like a lot of times you can get Drake May but last year you had Gerard Mayo so it's like okay we we we got to get the coach or you'll get the coach and you won't have the quarterback Ben's the right guy Caleb's the right guy offensive line is excellent skill everywhere you could argue you could move an offensive piece at receiver to get another draft pick but their drafts could should All defensive players first five picks.

Totally agree. Jac with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by

the Herd Lie News. So, listen. Um, you I'm not a conspiracy theorist. Nothing drives me crazier than the NFL is rigged. So, let me start with this. If the NFL was going to rig a Buffalo Bill Denver game, they would not rig it so Bo Knicks and Denver win. You would not say, "I'll tell you what league office just sent a memo. Let's get the beloved Buffalo Bills and superstar Josh Allen out of the playoffs. The country wants Bo Knicks." That's not what leagues do. So, this play, the rule is actually really clear on this. You got to possess the ball through the process of a catch. And that includes hitting the ground. You can't bobble it. If it bounces out, it's not a catch. So, the slow-mo replay usually clarifies stuff for all of us. In this case, slow-mo hurts the play because slow-mo makes you think Brandon Cook has possession more than he actually does.

He his reaction after this play, he knew it. He bobbled it. So, the the rule is very clear. And usually replay is our friend. It it it clarifies, but slow-mo doesn't clarify. It makes you think Cook has more control of the ball than he does. When I watched the real speed, real time, I know all you guys on Twitter, Twitter screenshot guy. I get it. And sometimes your angles are hard to argue, but this is not how football is played. It's played in real speed. It is fast in real time. And when I watch the one angle where there was clarity on it in real speed, then it's like, okay, now it look, if you stop the frame on this multiple times, especially when Cook has his back to the Twitter shot or the TV freeze frame, you're like, this is inexplicable. How in the world did it happen? But Brandon Cook's reaction to it, you know, was one of dejection. You gotta keep the ball through the process

and there's just one real speed. I I had two people in the league and they're not big Shawn Payeyton guys both text me and say, "Guys, it it's the right call. Don't go crazy." So, I don't like it. I'd never seen it before. It felt so much to me like a catch. But the rule's pretty clear. It's not played in screenshots. I thought replay actually diluted this. Usually it clarifies it, the slow-mo stuff. It It makes it look like more of a true catch than it is. And so, and again, do you really think the league office sent a memo, let's get the beloved Bills and Josh Allen out of here? You know, when you go on the road and you give up two deep balls to Bo Knicks for touchdowns, when you turn it over five times, I mean, at this point, the Cleaner team won every game this weekend, four for four.

Sean McDermott, though, devastated, now out of a job at the time, devastated. It's hard for me to and I've had a chance to look at it's hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled. And if it is ruled that way, then why wasn't it slowed down? Just to make sure that we have this right. So, I'll just leave it at that.

But I'm doing I'm saying it because I'm standing up for Buffalo. Damn it. I'm standing up for us

because what what went on is not that is not how it should go down in my estimation. Now, I will totally agree with Shawn McDermott. I felt it was unnecessarily rushed. There are those speculating that the Seahawk Niner game had already been pushed back and they didn't want to go into 12 minutes of replay. That's not a good enough answer. I thought it was rushed. There is no hurry. None of us were going anywhere. Denver's not going anywhere. Buffalo's not going anywhere. You and I are watching it. We're not going anywhere.

The fans aren't going anywhere. Let's and that speed, that impatience, that's what makes this play. Yeah, that's where you think, okay, well, what's going on here? What's the big rush here? That again, and slow-mo just doesn't make it look good for the league. We've been arguing forever. Full-time officials. It's a zillion dollar league. I mean, what what is the league a year? 15, 18, 20 billion dollar league. get full-time officials. But, uh, I will agree with McDermott. The whole thing felt rushed and that just adds a dimension to an already rare play. Again, if you take out Buffalo, I mean, the fact that it's Buffalo that loses this way, that it's rushed, that it is rare, that I've never seen that before. You add all these things together and I get rigged guy. But that's not the case. It's the her calling right wrong. Matt Hasselbeck top of hour number two on a Monday. We are down to four teams. Seahawks favored at

home over the Rams and the Patriots go on the road to face Jarrett Stamma a backup quarterback favorite over Denver and Shawn Payeyton. You know, with New England, you know, a lot of people are like, you can tell, well, they're not they're not quite special enough. Well, is Mike Vrabel a top five coach? Is Josh McDaniel a top three coordinator? Is Drake May a top 10 quarterback? Their defense is top five. I mean, it I don't see what people aren't seeing. They're absolutely good enough to win a Super Bowl. I don't think they should be favored. Their cornerbacks are outstanding. They get consistent pressure. They run the ball effectively and you know Kahan Bouty made the catch of the year. So I mean Diggs was valuable. Drake May made three straight big throws on that one touchdown drive.

They remind me a lot of the Bellich Brady Patriots where I'm not sure outside of quarterback. Drake May and Tom Brady outside of quarterback. I don't know if they're great anywhere but they're really good everywhere and they're awful nowhere. And with NFL coaching, you just can't be bad anywhere. You can't have a massive hole. They don't I mean they they struggled to block you know the rush ends for Houston Will Anderson. Good luck. He's our Lawrence Taylor. Nobody's blocking him. So Drake May against the number two defense in bad weather. Three touchdowns and a 10-1 passer rating and good movement. Seems pretty good to me.

They're very much like the old Patriots. They give you about one to two big plays offensively and when you need them to execute at a high level, they do. So, if you look at the Patriots this year, including the playoffs, they're number one in yardage differential. Uh, they're number five in points a game, number three in points allowed. So, New England, I I lived there for a decade. The New England region isn't a flashy region. Uh, there's a ton of wealth. Newport, Rhode Island, Nantucket, the Cape, Boston, uh, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, but it's not ostentatious considering the wealth. And that's a little bit like the Patriots. The Patriots in Boston appreciate intelligence and toughness and resilience and efficiency and discipline. And I I I kind of feel like the Patriots have always been the region. They're not going to be flashy despite having talent. Yes, Seattle's more dynamic and the Rams are more

experienced and the Denver Broncos probably have a bit more of a starstudded roster, but I absolutely believe New England is good enough to win the Super Bowl. Vrabel's elite. Josh McDaniel's elite. Drake May is elite. Their receiving core in the last year is significantly better. Made huge plays. They can't put the ball in the carpet like they did against the Texans, but they're not lucky to be here. They outspent everybody in free agency. They nailed the draft. So, they're four or five different rookies making big impacts. And again, their corners are like Seattle's. They are sticky. They are all over the receivers. I like New England a lot. I I I don't listen, everybody's got a flaw. I don't trust the Rams special teams.

Seahawks sometimes can turn it over. I still think offensive line for the Patriots is probably a draft away from being elite. But this this this reminds me a lot of the old Patriots. Same owner, same coordinator, a younger, more mobile quarterback who's not quite Brady in terms of pre- snap and experience obviously and probably will never be quite that. But the only big difference is Vrabel. And Vrabel's like a more current Bellich check. He's more player friendly, more connected to the player as an ex player. He's very, very current offensively. I It feels like what I watched for years there. Here's Drake May after.

It's hard in this league to run it when they know you're going to run it. And um know those guys were huge and fourth quarter, I guess, that's when crunch time is, you know, snow picked up a little bit and um it was pretty sweet. Just the the fans and the stadium, the atmosphere was was pretty cool. We felt like we, you know, deserve to be here. We got times um where uh you never know we're going to have to be at our best when in critical moments and it comes down to um it's going to come down the end and it's going to come down to uh making plays when you have them and um I got to just you know keep on giving our guys a chance to make plays and I like our chances when uh with those guys in those locker room.

I've said this sometimes the team becomes the city. Every great Laker team has been kind of flashy, right? Like every great Patriot team has been resilient, smart, and physically tough and efficient, and that's what they pride themselves in. Like Mike Vrabel feels like a Patriot coach. Bellich felt like a Patriot coach. And maybe it's just Bill started that whole thing. But I mean, Robert Craft's a billionaire. He's still complaining about having to pay off Gerard Mayo. He felt terrible about that. That this is just, you know, it's it's there's an old saying in New England, fences make good neighbors.

They're not looking for validation outside of the region. They know what they are. They're good enough to win a Super Bowl. They got a little bit of a break. I would probably favor Denver with Bo Nicks starting. I'd probably make them a one one and a half, two-point favorite, but I don't think Jared Stum, who's not been taking snaps all year, more of a scout team, backup guy. I think that's a huge ask. But I I you know, one thing we know about these playoffs, expect the unexpected. the one team that nobody wants to talk about. I mean, everybody picked Houston, you know, everybody was like, "Oh, Drake May can't win his first playoff game." And now a Drake May can't beat Houston. I don't know. I look at New England. I don't see the big flaw. They were good all regular season. They're good now.

They're going to be good next weekend. I don't see the hole. I think they're really, really good. Um, Seattle Rams, Denver Patriots. Wow. I mean, every weekend gets better. Rams Seattle. Is that is that going to be I'm going to make a prediction. The highest rated nons Super Bowl ever on Fox. I mean, I don't know what the rating is for the highest rated nons Super Bowl Seattle Rams. That is going to be wild. Coaching rosters, defense, electric downfield targets.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "NFL Divisional REACTION: McDermott OUT, Broncos, Seahawks, Rams, Patriots | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD"?

Bo Nicks (Guest), Josh Allen (Guest), Colin Cowherd (Host), Shawn McVay, Jared Stidham (Guest), Matt Hasselbeck (Guest).

What is "NFL Divisional REACTION: McDermott OUT, Broncos, Seahawks, Rams, Patriots | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD" about?

Sean McDermott has been dismissed as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, marking the 10th coaching change in the NFL this season as the team grapples with a series of disappointing losses and fourth-quarter collapses. Despite McDermott's leadership and playoff success, the lack of significant talent surrounding quarterback Josh Allen and recent failures, including turnovers and missed…

What is mentioned in this The Herd with Colin Cowherd episode?

5 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Shawn McDermott, Hard Rock Bet, Denver Broncos, Bill Walsh, Brandon Bean. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "NFL Divisional REACTION: McDermott OUT, Broncos, Seahawks, Rams, Patriots | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD"?

The episode runs 42 min; the transcript is about 7,494 words in 85 timestamped sections.

More from The Herd with Colin Cowherd

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.