The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: The Herd - HOUR 1 - Steelers deserve praise, Chicago offense is electric
Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Colin Cowherd with Jason McIntyre

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives into the evolving NFL landscape, focusing on the surprising resurgence of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the electrifying transformation of the Chicago Bears offense under Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, and wide-ranging takes on coaching, quarterback development, and organizational philosophy across the league. The hosts also analyze key performances from the weekend, discuss notable incidents, and assess playoff prospects for several teams.

Key Discussion Points

1. Steelers’ Offense & Aaron Rodgers’ Impact (04:00–08:09)

• Steelers’ Offense Revitalized: Colin praises the Steelers for exceeding expectations, highlighting their improving run game and adapting offense.
  • “This offense in Pittsburgh, it’s like quicksand. … They don’t have a long term quarterback. They spend way too much money on defense. I do think Aaron’s duct tape for at least this year and another year. But Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers deserve credit in a weekend AFC, no Mahomes, no Burrow, right? They may pick up their first playoff win in nine seasons.” (04:43)
• Aaron Rodgers’ Influence:
  • Rodgers’ presence has made the offense "slicker and smarter."
    • “A lot of quarterback play is just getting you out of trouble. He’s made the offense slicker and smarter.” (05:55)
  • Emphasizes quick release (fastest in NFL at age 42), minimizing negative plays, and bringing in wide receiver allies.
  • Compares Rodgers’ impact to oil in a machine: "I feel like Aaron has become like the oil, the lubrication for an offensive machine where the gears for the last seven years have been getting stuck." (06:32)
  • Credits Rodgers for elevating an offense that long struggled, especially in contrast to consistently successful Green Bay systems.
• Mike Tomlin’s Resilience: The hosts note Tomlin has the Steelers looking at a potential division championship yet again:
  • “Mike Tomlin … Here they are again, looking at a potential division championship. Thankful of the fight in the win. And we'll keep pushing because that's what you got to do this time of year.” (07:55–08:07)

2. Bears’ Electrifying Offense under Ben Johnson & Caleb Williams (08:09–14:18)

• Coaching Transformations: Ben Johnson’s shift from Detroit to Chicago is underscored as seminal:
  • “Ben Johnson used to be at Detroit and wow, were they dynamic… He left and went to Chicago. And The Bears are 11 and 4 and the best fourth quarter team in the NFL.” (08:40)
• Caleb Williams as Franchise Quarterback:
  • Praises Caleb’s maturity and desire to be coached hard, comparing his dynamic with Johnson to Mahomes & Reid.
  • “Caleb’s got an ability to make the hard look easy. Sometimes the easy looks a little difficult.” (09:25)
  • Williams’ game-winning drive emphasized with play call:
    • “Here’s the walk-off touchdown … Williams looking downfield, launching downfield for y’. All. It is. Bears win it. DJ Moore.” (11:09)
• Bears’ Organizational Shift:
  • The Bears now start smart, finish strong, win the turnover battle, and avoid negative plays—signs of strong coaching.
  • “They do all the things that winning teams do. They win the turnover battle, they run the football. They’ve been lucky a little bit with health, but mostly a very healthy team. … Last year, do you remember this? The Bears were the worst fourth quarter team in the league. … Now third best.” (09:38–10:42)
• City Reaction:
  • Chicago “has been waiting so long not just to win games, but to have a team like this that’s offensively electric, that’s offensively dynamic.” (12:54)

Notable Quote

“You put the talent with the coaches and the people that care. You can strive for anything, you can reach anything, you can go after any goal. … Your belief is at an all-time high between players, between coaches and you have outcomes like this.”
—Caleb Williams, postgame (12:06)

3. Youth vs. Veteran QB Era & Playoff Landscape (13:50–14:18)

• Transition of Quarterback Eras:
  • “It feels like a new era, Colin. All these young quarterbacks ushered in, out with the old. Sorry guys. Lamar, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow. I don’t know when they’re going to get back to the playoffs. … The Chiefs have a major rebuild. … The new era of quarterbacks is here.” (14:18)

4. Drake May, Patriots, and Resilient Teams (17:11–23:16)

• Drake May’s Ascent:
  • Facing pressure and adversity, he’s become “a top eight, nine, ten quarterback.”
  • “Drake May leads the NFL in completion percentage and you’re like, well, dink and dunk. No, he also leads in yards per attempt and he’s doing it with a receiving core … last year PFF had him dead last. Well, now they’re fourth.” (18:17)
  • Emphasizes May’s composure against adversity, fortitude behind patchwork offensive lines; praised alongside Josh McDaniels for New England’s offensive turnaround.
  • Patriots, despite a rebuild and youth, stun with improvement—“remarkably, they are number two [in explosive plays].” (21:35)
• Coaching Value:
  • “Jerry Jones keeps going cheap on coaching. Vrabel, Harbaugh, Peyton, Ben Johnson—spend the money.” (21:50)
• Culture & Identity Building:
  • “It’s top down. I think it’s Coach Vrabel coming in here. It’s the coaching staff he hired. It’s the guys buying in and believing in what we do. … He always says, pack our identity.” —Drake May, postgame (22:45)

5. Jacksonville Jaguars’ Surge & Coaching Fit (23:16–26:29)

• Jaguars on a Roll:
  • Jacksonville wins sixth straight, beats Broncos handily: “Trevor Lawrence was phenomenal … 299 total yards, 4 tutties.” (23:26)
  • Key is the marriage of Liam Cohen’s intensity with Lawrence's laid-back style; team is seven and one over last eight.
  • “He’s finally got his North Star guy.” (24:23)
  • Roster depth cited—Jags’ depth and acquisitions (like Jacoby Myers, Parker Washington) make them dangerous.
• Jags vs. Buffalo Playoff Outlook:
  • “Jacksonville has more guys than Buffalo does. … The roster’s better. There’s no question.” (26:29–26:43)
  • Noted Jags are 6-3 vs. teams over .500.

6. DK Metcalf Fan Incident & League Policy (26:43–28:33)

• Player-Fan Altercations:
  • Recaps incident where DK Metcalf “grabs [a fan] by the lapel and then kind of shoves him.”
  • History between Metcalf and the fan; consensus is a suspension is warranted: “Don’t put your hands on fans… I would suspend him for a game.” (27:40)
  • Points out the rarity of such events in the NFL compared to NBA.
  • Emphasizes importance of setting precedent.

7. Eagles’ Win & Coaching Mentality (29:16–32:16)

• Philadelphia’s Statement Game:
  • Eagles decisively beat Commanders; Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts have best games of the season.
  • Controversy over late two-point conversion while up 17:
    • “Why are you going for two? Why are you pouring it on?”
    • Dan Quinn: “We did that… to give ourselves the best chance to win.” (29:58)
    • Sirianni: “Hey, man, like, that’s how they want to get down. … We play them again in two weeks.” (30:12)
  • A.J. Brown’s dominant first half, offensive line improvement, backup RB Tank Bigsby’s flashes.

8. The Coaching Moneyball & Chargers’ Overachievement (32:58–36:48)

• Dallas Cowboys Critique:
  • “The Dallas Cowboys… will not make the NFC championship for the 30th straight year. … When it comes to coaches, they shop at the dollar store." (32:58)
• Chargers & Patriots Success Attributed to Coaching:
  • Both teams outperform roster expectations due to exceptional coaching (Harbaugh, McDaniels, Vrabel).
  • Chargers: Top three on third down, NFL leader in time of possession despite worst O-line, constant injuries.
  • “That’s what Harbaugh, Herbert can do.” (34:21)
  • “The Chargers should not be 11–4 yet with the worst O-line in the league.” (35:59)
• Organizational Philosophy:
  • “Congrats on the fancy clothes, the sports car and the good wine. You may want to spend some money on, like, getting to work and sleeping right. … The longer this season goes, the more mediocrity you see [in Dallas].” (36:48)

9. College Football Playoff & Quarterback Durability (41:59–51:25)

• College Playoff Format Reality:
  • Debunks the “myth” that March Madness’s opening rounds have loads of close games.
    • “20 of 32 [games] are blowouts. … Any large college sports playoff… is not meant to be competitive from the start.” (42:39)
  • The committee got the “eight best" teams, not the twelve, but “that’s fine.”
  • Miami, Alabama validated their inclusion with Week 1 performances.
• JJ McCarthy & Durability Concerns:
  • McCarthy’s continual injuries a red flag: “32 games he could have played in. He’s missed 23.” (49:44)
  • Contrast to durable QBs (Mahomes’ seven straight AFC championships).
  • “So one of the reasons I like Caleb Williams and Bo Nix and Drake May is durability. We all know that it matters a lot.” (50:39)

10. NFC vs. AFC Playoff Race & Luck (51:25–52:27)

• NFC Depth & Playoff Outlook:

  • “The NFC is so much better to me than the AFC this year.” (51:10)
  • Detroit’s struggles, Green Bay’s injury woes could dramatically affect playoff composition.

• Luck & Taking Advantage:

  • “Luck is evenly equally distributed. It’s what you do with the luck that presents itself in life.”
    —Jason McIntyre (52:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Aaron Rodgers’ Influence
  “He’s just done all the little things. Well, it’s amazing what coaching can do or really smart veteran quarterback play. It’s not always what they do, it’s what they don’t do.”
  —Colin Cowherd (07:08)

• On Ben Johnson’s Immediate Impact
  “Once you get the coach right... it doesn’t take long. Literally, it takes like six to eight weeks. You build the staff, you get the planning, and then slowly but surely... you look up, this is a really good team.”
  —Colin Cowherd (09:50)

• On Bears’ New Identity
  “Chicago has been waiting so long not to just win games, but to have a team like this that’s offensively electric, that’s offensively dynamic.”
  —Colin Cowherd (12:54)

• On Dallas Cowboys
  “They spend money on good wine and flashy clothes and won’t spend good money on transportation or a good mattress.”
  —Colin Cowherd (33:36)

Important Timestamps

• Steelers Analysis: 04:00–08:09
• Bears & Ben Johnson: 08:09–14:18
• QB Era Shift: 14:18–14:41
• Drake May/Patriots: 17:11–23:16
• Jaguars’ Surge: 23:16–26:29
• DK Metcalf Incident: 26:43–28:33
• Eagles Win & Coaching Choices: 29:16–32:16
• Cowboys/Chargers/Coaching Topic: 32:58–36:48
• College Football Playoff & QB Durability: 41:59–51:25
• Playoff Race, Luck, and End Segment: 51:25–52:27

Tone & Style

The episode is energetic, insightful, and conversational—mixing sharp analysis with personal anecdotes and banter. Colin and Jason’s opinions are strong, with humor and the occasional analogy to drive home points about coaching, quarterbacking, and organizational priorities.

This summary captures all the major themes, turning points, quotes, and memorable moments from The Herd’s December 22, 2025, first hour, offering a detailed, self-contained account for both fans and newcomers.