The Herd with Colin Cowherd: 3 & Out – Reaction to Jordan Love & Packers DOMINATING Aaron Rodgers & Steelers on SNF + NFL Week 8

Host: John Middlecoff
Date: October 27, 2025
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd / 3 & Out
Duration: ~61 minutes (excluding sponsors, intros, outros, and unrelated podcast cross-promotions)

Episode Overview

This episode, hosted by John Middlecoff, opens with a deep dive into the Green Bay Packers’ dominant Sunday Night Football victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The focus is on Jordan Love’s breakout performance, what it signals for the Packers’ ceiling, and the striking contrast to Aaron Rodgers’ fading Steelers. Middlecoff also offers sharp analysis on the rest of NFL Week 8, the dysfunction in Atlanta and Tennessee, major college football firings, and shifting power dynamics in both the NFL and college football. The tone is incisive, fast-paced, and alternately irreverent and analytical—vintage “3 & Out.”

Key Discussion Points

Packers Dismantle Steelers: Statement Game for Jordan Love & Green Bay

Timestamp: 03:35–15:55

• Middlecoff labels it “the best performance [the Packers] had in 30, 35, 40 days…since the first couple weeks of the season.” (05:40)
• Jordan Love’s stat line: 29/37, 360 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; ties Brett Favre’s record for 20 straight completions.
• Packers’ offense delivered a “Super Bowl contender” ceiling, with explosive plays to multiple targets (Tucker Kraft, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson).
• “Jordan Love kind of looked like Rodgers in his prime.” (02:24)
• Packers flipped a switch after halftime—forced a three-and-out and scored touchdowns on their next three drives, breaking open the game.
• Love’s improvisation highlighted: “He’s kind of backpedaling as there are multiple defenders bearing down on him and he throws a 50-50 ball up to Tucker Kraft...He makes the play and takes it for like 60 or 70 yards.” (08:25)
• LaFleur given credit for finally trusting and syncing with Love; previous play-calling criticized for being too conservative.
• The defense “tees off” with a lead; Micah Parsons (post-trade) is “one of the more naturally gifted pass rushers we’ve seen of the Internet age.” (07:22)

Memorable Quote:
“If Jordan Love is going to play like that, this team can win the NFC… When your offense is that dynamic, we know how good Tucker Kraft is, Romeo Doubs is excellent…It’s the best performance Jordan Love has had in a long, long time.” —John Middlecoff [06:20]

Packers’ Path in the NFC & Division Outlook

Timestamp: 12:10–17:50

• NFC North breakdown: “The Bears, you’re a fraud… Minnesota has a million injuries and a major problem at quarterback…So it’s us versus the Lions.”
• Both Packers and Lions “have a good shot at the number one overall seed.”
• NFC is portrayed as wide open: “The Rams and Seattle are good, but they’re going to beat up on each other. Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 5–2…lost Mike Evans, essentially for the season, so it is wide open.” (14:30)
• The impact of acquiring Micah Parsons finally paying dividends.

Steelers: Defensive Collapse & Organizational Ceiling

Timestamp: 15:00–21:07

• Steelers’ defense “wasn’t good,” got “eviscerated”: “You can’t cover people in the NFL, especially in their conference…the moment the Packers flipped it and they got up, especially by more than a touchdown, the Steelers are not built for that. They have no shot to come back.” (19:10)
• Offensive limitations: “Your running game isn't that great, your passing game limited to one wide receiver; one of your tight ends should probably be an offensive tackle. So you have no explosive passing game.”
• T.J. Watt critiqued for not being able to single-handedly save the unit: “T.J. Watt’s not Myles Garrett. He’s not just going to have four or five sacks a game.”
• Steelers now feel like they’re “spinning the wheels again…The inevitable nine, ten wins, one-and-done. Then it’s like, oh yeah, just roll it back again. We’ll just keep paying you.”

Notable quote:
“What was James Franklin’s problem? Could never beat anyone good. Now it feels like Mike Tomlin…If we go a decade with him never winning a playoff game and just getting to nine wins, that’s no longer an accomplishment anymore.” —John Middlecoff [20:40]

Around the NFL: Quick Hit Week 8 Reactions

Atlanta Falcons “Disaster”

Timestamp: 26:41–31:07

• Atlanta’s 31–3 home drubbing by Miami’s backup QB is called, “the most embarrassing outcome in recent memory” for the staff.
• Arthur Blank’s Hall of Fame induction for himself referenced as a microcosm of franchise dysfunction.
• The Kirk Cousins contract: “going to go down as one of the worst ones of all time.” (27:45)

Devastating Injury for Giants: Cam Scadaboo

Timestamp: 31:07–35:44

• Cam Scadaboo’s gruesome ankle injury gets a heartfelt tribute; recognized as a spirit player who made the Giants watchable.
• “The momentum—it’s going to get so ugly, so ugly that you’re just going to look up and it’s a four or five-win team and it’s going to feel just like a disaster all season long.” (34:25)

Bears and Bengals Upheaval

Timestamp: 36:12–37:49

• Bears’ Justin Fields praised for resilience after being benched and openly admitting to emotional struggles.
• Bengals blow a 14-point fourth-quarter lead: “I just think as being a human being, you see the owner say that about you…even if you’re speaking some truth, but it just feels like your whole professional career…is just crumbling.”

NFL Trends: Colts & Titans, Week 8 Standouts

Timestamp: 37:49–42:30

• Jonathan Taylor praised as “the best offensive player in football”—unstoppable this season.
• Tennessee Titans roundly criticized: “Not only have quit, they are terrible. I mean, they are an atrocious football team…The Indianapolis Colts blew them out.” (38:37)

College Football Corner

Steve Sarkisian to Titans Rumors Debunked

Timestamp: 42:30–47:52

• Dismisses the “Sark to Titans” rumor as agent gamesmanship—Texas “a much better job than Tennessee,” especially financially.
• “Sark is not leaving Texas for the Tennessee Titans. Pats and Bills? Now that’s interesting.” (44:45)

Coaching Carousel: Brian Kelly & James Franklin Out

Timestamp: 47:52–59:50

• “Brian Kelly got fired…his fit in the South obviously did not work, which really, really matters. And at the end of the day, his teams were just not that good.”
• Epic 3rd quarter collapse against Texas A&M described as “the divorce is on.”
• Kelly and Franklin’s buyouts ($100M+ combined) compared to personal experience of being paid out after radio firing: “I can't even fathom…[Kelly] just looked like a guy who knew he didn't fit, took a job that wasn’t right for him, and was making so much money, I mean, signed like an NBA contract—just ride it out till they fire me. And that's exactly what they did.” (57:09)
• Future of LSU, Penn State: Job not as automatic a draw or “elite” as before given NIL era; preference emerging for proven Power 4 coaches.

Big Picture Reflections & Coaching Hires

Timestamp: 59:50–61:29

• Lane Kiffin’s resurgence and image rehabilitation make him a possible top candidate for top jobs (LSU, Florida), shaking up the typical coaching hierarchy.
• Cautions against the risk of “small school” hires for pressure-cooker jobs—these are “basically like taking over the Philadelphia Eagles” in scale and expectation.
• “LSU fans, I would imagine, are universally euphoric. And Notre Dame fans are probably like, ‘We told you so.’” (61:10)

Notable Quotes (with Attribution & Timestamps)

• “Jordan Love kind of looked like Rodgers in his prime.” —John Middlecoff [02:24]
• “If Jordan Love is going to play like that, this team can win the NFC… It’s the best performance Jordan Love has had in a long, long time.” —John Middlecoff [06:20]
• “What was James Franklin’s problem? Could never beat anyone good. Now it feels like Mike Tomlin…If we go a decade with him never winning a playoff game and just getting to nine wins, that’s no longer an accomplishment anymore.” —John Middlecoff [20:40]
• “[Falcons] owner put himself in the Hall of Fame, which was kind of funny, but also was kind of an indictment of, like, what’s going on here. This feels a little out of whack.” —John Middlecoff [27:07]
• “The Kirk Cousins contract, which is going to go down as one of the worst ones of all time.” —John Middlecoff [27:45]
• “The most embarrassing outcome in recent memory, to be down 31–3 to the Miami Dolphins and have Tua throw four touchdowns on you to four different guys, that’s crazy.” —John Middlecoff [30:41]
• “I’ve said this forever: when someone gets injured…there is nothing like in the sport of football just knowing, yeah, more than likely we’re just going to lose a player a game…” —John Middlecoff [33:30]
• “Sark is not leaving Texas for the Tennessee Titans. Pats and Bills? Now that’s interesting.” —John Middlecoff [44:45]
• “Kelly just looked like a guy who knew he didn’t fit, took a job that wasn’t right for him, and was making so much money…I mean, signed like an NBA contract—just ride it out till they fire me. And that’s exactly what they did.” —John Middlecoff [57:09]
• “LSU fans, I would imagine, are universally euphoric. And Notre Dame fans are probably like, ‘We told you so.’” —John Middlecoff [61:10]

Episode Takeaways

• Jordan Love’s performance may signal an inflection point for the Packers—if that’s their new ceiling, Green Bay is a serious NFC contender.
• Steelers look directionless and capped under Mike Tomlin as defense erodes and offensive limitations persist.
• Atlanta’s and Tennessee’s disarray is organizational; coaching changes and bad contracts threaten to set back both franchises for years.
• Brian Kelly and James Franklin firings represent a college football landscape with less tolerance for high pay/little return, and with NIL power shifting “destination job” dynamics.
• Lane Kiffin’s image rehab shows the SEC, and big-time college football, may favor retread winners over riskier upstarts moving forward.

(Summary skips non-content ad reads, podcast promos, and cross-promotions.)