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Colin Cowherd predicted the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks would meet in the NFC title game, and after Monday night’s 34-17 Chicago win, he thinks the Bears are the best team in football.
Cowherd revealed his latest Herd Hierarchy, featuring a new team at No. 1 after the defending champion Seahawks, last week’s top team, fell to 4-4.
Here are Cowherd’s Week 8 Herd Hierarchy rankings:
Record: 5-2
Previous ranking: 5 ↓
Cowherd’s thoughts: “Kansas City is still good, but they’ve got to clean up the penalties, they’ve got to clean up the kicking game. Back-to-back losses to Seattle and Denver, they’re going to go 8-2 because the next three games are a layup before they have to go to Buffalo in a short week.
“They have the worst penalty differential in the league. They need a No. 2 wide receiver. I think they’re fine, they’ve got a great coach, great DC. Travis Kelce, 37, I prefer he not be the No. 1 target on big plays. I think they’re just kind of unraveling in a few spots … I think they’ll clean it up and be a top-five team by Thanksgiving.”
Record: 5-2
Previous ranking: 7 ↓
Cowherd’s thoughts: “They’re playing better defense! Jack Campbell, though — cross your fingers. Great player, great human. He’s going to be out, and that doesn’t help.
“They’ve outgained opponents in five straight games. They are very reliant on the health of their O-line, because Jared Goff can be a sitting duck if he doesn’t have time. I never really trust their defense in a big spot — maybe I have them low, I have them No. 9.”
Record: 4-4
Previous ranking: 9 ↑
Cowherd’s thoughts: “I’d take the Rams to beat the Lions if they played on a neutral field, because I just think if Davante Adams is healthy they have a great offense, too. It is remarkable how much they depend on him, even with Puka Nacua, all the tight ends, Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay.
“When Davante Adams doesn’t play, 26th-ranked passing offense. So, Myles Garrett is coming back, only team in the top five in offense and defense. They’re an uneven team, they’re yet to play four quarters of great football … they’ve got to cinch that up.”
Record: 5-2
Previous ranking: Unranked ↑
Cowherd’s thoughts: “People think I have the Jags low. It’s the division. What am I supposed to do when you play the Titans twice a year and the Colts twice a year? And I don’t even know if I like the Texans now. … Liam Coen is the best coach in the league nobody talks about. If that guy was coaching in L.A. or New York or Chicago, he would be the talk of the league.
“They do a lot well, but it’s a bad division. I probably should have them at six or five, I’ve got them at seven. I will say: Travis Hunter, Parker Washington, those are two of the top five athletes in the NFL.”
Record: 5-3
Previous ranking: 4 ↓
Cowherd’s thoughts: “The Patriots are beat up. I think it’s the most underrated team in the league. They were missing their No. 1 receiver, their No. 2 receiver, their No. 3 receiver, their No. 2 back, their No. 1 tight end: Drake Maye put the franchise on his shoulders in the second half. And I think they’re really good — five straight games with multiple touchdown passes, and they haven’t had a lot of their weapons.
“They got the Packers, Lions and Bills coming, I think they could sweep those teams. … Drake Maye, I’ll take the over on one Lombardi Trophy. They just got to get healthier.”
Record: 6-1
Previous ranking: 6 ↑
Cowherd’s thoughts: “By an inch, Buffalo. No. 1 scoring offense. Multiple giveaways in four of their last five games. That’s why I keep them here. You can’t do it. You just can’t do it. It’s like the Chiefs and penalties. I love a lot! You can’t give me ‘worst penalty differential,’ that’s starting to sound like stuff the Cowboys do.
“Too many giveaways for this team, and they are bad on the back end. Which means you can outplay a team and then lose. It’s like a bad bullpen in baseball. Can’t have it.”
Record: 4-4
Previous ranking: 1 ↓
Cowherd’s thoughts: “Seattle’s fine. Like Kansas City, it’d be nice if they had another receiver in the building. But Monday night they’re playing musical chairs with the offensive line — they don’t have their left tackle, left guard or right guard. That’s not going to work with Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat, who are game wreckers.
“It was the first game back for their running back, it was their third-straight primetime game. … Seattle’s got too many good players, too good of a coach, too much talent … last night was a bad spot, I still think they are a top-four team.”
Record: 6-2
Previous ranking: 8 ↑
Cowherd’s thoughts: “I’ve given up trying to figure out Denver. Fifteen straight one-possession wins. I don’t get it. I don’t get how you can be bad in every first half offensively. I love their personnel. In fact, if you need a wide receiver, call them. They got guys like Marvin Mims Jr. they don’t throw to.
“I love their talent, and there is something that QB Bo Nix unlocks late in games. They’re 5-0 in one-score games. But they’ve been outgained by almost 700 yards. They do things historically that make no sense, but roster, head coach, playmakers, pass rush … I can’t deny it.”
Record: 6-1
Previous ranking: 2
Cowherd’s thoughts: “They’re going to get healthier now. Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel coming back. Look at their schedule, they’re going to start stockpiling wins.
“Three of their six wins this season have come against the Seahawks, Broncos and Rams. Really well-coached, really good team — fewest big plays allowed, so they make you march down the field on them.”
Record: 6-2
Previous ranking: 3 ↑
Cowherd’s thoughts: “What do you want me to say? I mean, Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat, their big weakness was ‘well, the back-end.’ Well, now they’re not blitzing. Lowest blitz rate of the season, and yet they pressured Sam Darnold 12 times and sacked him three — should have been six.
“And oh, by the way, they’re getting back their high-priced safety in December, Malik Muhammad their corner cover is coming back in a couple of weeks. So the safety and the corner positions, viewed as weaknesses, are going to be empowered and emboldened here in the next month and a half.”
