Mahomes, Chiefs top Cowherd’s Herd Hierarchy ahead of Week 2
Let the people rejoice — the NFL is back!
Week 1 had everything fans could ask for to satisfy their football fix: staunch defensive displays, offensive explosions, even a few overtime thrillers.
But only one team could win each game, and the ones who did set themselves up in a swell position to be included in Colin Cowherd’s “Herd Hierarchy” after Week 1.
Here are the teams that made Cowherd’s top 10 ahead of Week 2, alongside insights from FOX Bet.
10. Denver Broncos
Overall record: 0-1 | Last week: Broncos lost 17-16 vs. Seattle Seahawks
Colin’s thoughts: “You can’t overreact. They had two fumbles at the 1-yard line. Here’s what worries me: 12 penalties for 106 yards. That’s the most penalty yards by any team, and an absolutely historic, epic fail with three minutes to go. Do we have a coaching issue on our hands? …. I don’t love their offensive line. I still like their personnel, but I’m going to slide them down to 10. Way too many penalties, chaotic at the end of the game [and] 70 percent of coordinators that get jobs fail — some quickly.”
NFL championship odds: +2200
Up next: Broncos at Texans (4:25 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS)
Overall record: 1-0 | Last week: Eagles won 38-35 vs. Detroit Lions
Colin’s thoughts: “I like teams that do something well. They led the NFL in rushing last year. This weekend, over 215 rushing yards. Four different people had a rushing TD. They know what they are, they play to their strengths. A.J. Brown got 13 targets. They give they ball to the right people. Jalen Hurts is not going to be confused with … Patrick Mahomes, but when teams know what they are, and lean into it — they run the ball, they’re physical, and now they’ve got a star receiver on the outside. They’re a handful. Thirty-eight points is a lot of points in the NFL in Week 1.”
NFL championship odds: +1400
Up next: Eagles vs. Vikings (8:30 p.m. ET Monday, ABC)
Overall record: 1-0 | Last week: Dolphins won 20-7 vs. New England Patriots
Colin’s thoughts: “I think the Dolphins are going to be a playoff team. I thought they’d beat New England. They’ve won four straight against the Patriots. Tyreek Hill, they gave him 12 targets and eight catches. They got the ball to the right people. … We know Tua [Tagovailoa] is accurate, and we said give him an offensive coach and better weapons. Well, what did he do? He completed 69% of his throws and had a 104 passer rating. Tua doesn’t throw a great deep ball. He’s not going to run around. But if you give him a great left tackle, a smart offensive coach and weapons, he’s going to give you about 26 points a weekend.”
NFL championship odds: +2800
Up next: Dolphins at Ravens (1:00 p.m ET Sunday, CBS)
Overall record: 0-1 | Last week: Rams lost 31-10 vs. Buffalo Bills
Colin’s thoughts: “I worry about the Rams’ offensive line. They miss Andrew Whitworth a lot. Jalen Ramsey was awful. But it really comes down to [Matthew] Stafford being sacked seven times. That’s as many times as he was sacked during their entire playoff run. … Their center is now out for a month. I didn’t think their O-line was a strength to begin this season — now it is absolutely a weakness in a division with a lot of good pass rushers. They got shut out in the second half against the Bills. They couldn’t score at home.”
NFL Championship odds: +1400
Up next: Rams vs. Falcons (4:05 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX)
Overall record: 1-0 | Last week: Buccaneers won 19-3 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Colin’s thoughts: “Kind of ugly, but I like that Leonard Fournette got the ball. [He had] 127 rushing yards with some offensive line injuries. Chris Godwin, hamstring, Donovan Smith, elbow. They’ve got injuries. They’ve been injured a lot though in the last couple of years with Tommy [Brady]. They only allowed three points. Their front seven is fast and furious. Fewest points allowed in the NFL.”
NFL Championship odds: +700
Up next: Buccaneers at Saints (1:00 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX)
Overall record: 1-0 | Last week: Chargers won 24-19 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Colin’s thoughts: “Boy was that Khalil Mack acquisition a good move by the Chargers. Listen to this: Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack combined for 16 quarterback pressures. Well, the Raiders only dropped back to throw 42 times, and some of those were quick three-step drops. So essentially, on half the drop backs for Derek Carr, he was pressured, hit or sacked. Sixteen pressures, 10 hits, five sacks. Keenan Allen is hurt, they didn’t throw the ball much to Mike Williams — I worry a little bit about that. … But they looked great on the defensive side.”
NFL Championship odds: +1200
Up next: Chargers at Chiefs (8:15 p.m. ET Thursday, FOX)
Overall record: 1-0 | Last week: Ravens won 24-9 vs. New York Jets
Colin’s thoughts: “You keep telling me Lamar Jackson can’t throw. Well, all three of his TD passes were over 15-plus yards downfield, the most by any quarterback in Week 1. Seems to me he throws a great deep ball. He’s not the most accurate thrower … But what you are with Lamar Jackson is a big-play offense. I’m OK with that. They’re not as consistent completing third-down passes. They’re not always beautiful to watch. But between his legs and throwing over the top, they are an explosive, big-play offense. They get fast, cheap points, and I think that’s how you have to score in 2022.”
NFL Championship odds: +1600
Up next: Ravens vs. Dolphins (1:00 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS)
Overall record: 1-0 | Last week: Vikings won 23-7 vs. Green Bay Packers
Colin’s thoughts: “I love my Vikings. The staff was making fun of me this morning. They didn’t turn the ball over, Justin Jefferson was the best player on the field, and anybody notice Kirk Cousins is actually pretty good against Aaron Rodgers? … The only surprise to me in the 23-7 win is that it wasn’t 33-7. I thought they completely dominated Green Bay. … They went and got Za’Darius Smith to be a pass-rusher. He was great. I think this looks like a 12, 13-win, division-winning team. I don’t know what their weakness is.”
NFL Championship odds: +2500
Up next: Vikings at Eagles (8:30 p.m. ET Monday, ABC)
Overall record: 1-0 | Last week: Bills won 31-10 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Colin’s thoughts: “The only reason I put them No. 2 is because of their turnovers, but they didn’t punt against the Rams. In four of their last six games, including the playoffs, they haven’t punted, and that’s with an average offensive line. They held the Rams to 52 rushing yards and their last 19 regular-season wins have been by 10 or more points. They’re Mike Tyson if they were a fighter: They’re not nuanced, they just knock you out when they get rolling downhill.”
NFL Championship odds: +450
Up next: Bills vs. Titans (7:15 p.m. ET Monday, ESPN)
Overall record: 1-0 | Last week: Chiefs won 44-21 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Colin’s thoughts: “Kansas City’s the only team that scored 40-plus points. At least in September, with Andy Reid and Mahomes, you don’t want to play this team. He’s got the highest passer rating in league history. I don’t think they’ll score as quickly as they did with Tyreek Hill, but they’ll score as much and be as productive. … JuJu Smith-Schuster was dealing with a shaky O-line in Pittsburgh and an old quarterback. Anybody notice how good he was with Kansas City? They added some of these pieces: Rookies, JuJu, a Packer deep-threat [Marquez Valdes-Scantling]. You do realize they’re all going to be better now playing with this coach, quarterback, O-line and Travis Kelce playing double-teams?”
NFL Championship odds: +700
Up next: Chiefs vs. Chargers (8:15 p.m. ET Thursday, FOX)
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