The Herd with Colin Cowherd: Hour 1, October 7, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Colin Cowherd dives into the aftermath of a wild Monday Night Football matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars, makes sense of the Dodgers' unpredictable postseason path, and analyzes why Bill Belichick’s transition to North Carolina football is going so poorly. He also examines the fine margins between winning and losing in both NFL and MLB, addresses Chiefs criticism, highlights college football culture clashes, and debates NFL trends like quarterback health and run game identity.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Chiefs vs. Jaguars: "The Better Team Lost"

[00:32 - 13:35]

• Cowherd’s main argument: Despite the Jaguars' 4-1 record and latest win, he believes Kansas City is the superior, more sustainable team.

• Jacksonville Analysis:

  • Calls the Jags "a David Lynch film ... even the ones I like make me uncomfortable" (01:15).
  • Jacksonville leads the NFL in takeaways and has a linebacker leading in interceptions, but Colin insists, "Not sustainable."
  • Praises Trevor Lawrence's arm talent, but notes turnovers and mistakes persist: "He turns the ball over too much. But I look at Kansas City and they made a lot of young guy mistakes." (03:34)

• Kansas City Analysis:

  • Chiefs average 7.6 yards per play, nearly 500 yards, 8 receivers caught passes, but lost due to one key mistake (Mahomes' pick-six).
  • Chiefs are suffering from "top-heavy" contracts, forcing them to rely on “inexpensive labor,” resulting in 13 penalties—mostly youthful mistakes: "Andy Reid is going to coach those mistakes out of them." (05:13)
  • Predicts improvement: "Kansas City's coming and they're coming fast." (02:54)
  • On the Jaguars, "I don't trust this team. I trust Kansas City." (05:59)
  • Final word: “My herd hierarchy is not standings. I can't put Jacksonville in.” (07:13)

• Standout Quote:

  "The best team doesn’t always win. And I also think there are things that are sustainable. I mean, you can win Powerball. That’s not sustainable. Or you can invest in the market, pay off your house, live below your means. That’s sustainable. Jacksonville’s a wild, crazy David Lynch film... I trust Kansas City." — Colin Cowherd (07:00)

• Memorable Moment: Colin relishes Trevor Lawrence’s late-game heroics yet remains loyal to the Chiefs’ potential.

Dodgers’ Playoff Drama: “Brilliant and Flawed at the Same Time”

[09:00 - 13:36, 40:01 - 42:00]

• Dodgers’ Win Over Phillies:

  • Template for the Dodgers’ season: “all the brilliance and athleticism and pitching and timely hitting ... and a god-awful bullpen.” (09:10)
  • Highlights Blake Snell’s stellar outing, Miguel Rojas’ clutch defense, and Will Smith/Ohtani getting timely hits.
  • Yet the bullpen nearly collapses: “Their bullpen in the playoffs has a 9 ERA ... classic Dodgers, a white knuckler.”
  • Team versatility: "Unlike the Yankees, they're not uneven ... they can play small ball, great defense, run bases, hit for power, great starting pitching ..."
  • Defensive gem: Praises “the wheel play” for being executed in a clutch moment.

• Memorable Quote:

  "If you'd never watched a Dodger game, that was the one to watch because it perfectly encapsulated what they are. Brilliant. The deepest roster, the best roster. And I know you’re thinking, for all that money, you shouldn’t have flaws. No, they were on display." — Colin Cowherd (12:30)

• Yankees Comparison: Yankees are uneven and homer-dependent, whereas "the Dodgers are flawed, but they're not uneven. They can win a multitude of ways” (41:00).

Chiefs’ Critics & “Dynasty Fatigue”

[16:00 - 22:37]

• Dispels conspiracy theories about league favoritism for the Chiefs.

• Breaks down a controversial pass interference ruling: “Mahomes knew the rules ... Andy Reid knows the rules.” (17:30)

• Emphasizes the importance of situational football: “75% of the Chiefs practice is on plays like this. They don’t practice between-the-40s stuff.”

• Notes that knowing the details — like Kobe Bryant reading the NBA rulebook — separates dynasties from the rest.

• Notable Quote:

  "That is constantly in Patrick Mahomes ear. The one thing you have to say about Kansas city ... they're the best circumstance situational offense... Andy Reid, Mahomes, Travis Kelce. It's the best situational third and fourth down team." — Colin Cowherd (18:40)

• Listener Call-In Segment: They debate the Chiefs' schedule and playoff chances. JMac remains skeptical, projecting struggles ahead ("This schedule looks like 8 and 9 for the Chiefs. I don't see playoffs." — JMac, 14:18), while Colin insists, "I saw a great football team with a bad pick six. It happens." (14:45)

Baseball: Milwaukee Brewers’ Smart Model

[23:15 - 25:18]

• Brewers' flawless all-around play and organizational competence are contrasted with MLB’s big-spending but flawed teams (Cubs, Yankees).
• Milwaukee described as a "well-owned, smartly run, brilliantly managed baseball team that may not have the star power ... but they don’t do anything poorly." (24:11)

NFL News & Culture: Buffalo WR Issues and Coaching Critique

[25:19 - 29:16]

• Explores Bills WR Keon Coleman’s benching for maturity issues, parallels with Vikings’ Jordan Addison, and the importance of “winning habits.”
• Colin stresses teams need “pop players” for explosive scoring, noting the Bills’ leaky run defense as a playoff liability.
• AFC Playoff hot take: “You do not want to play the Colts. Colts are going to win their division.” (28:21)

Chiefs Defensive Questions & Player Accountability

[29:17 - 31:01]

• JMac criticizes Chris Jones for poor effort on the game-deciding play, not hustling after Trevor Lawrence. Chris Jones responds postgame:

  "We got to finish. We had multiple guys there ... I put it on us as a defense. We got to finish." — Chris Jones (29:38)

• JMac calls out the lack of personal accountability and questions Chris Jones’ focus this season.

Bill Belichick’s Rough Transition to College Football

[31:01 - 39:46]

• Reports of discord and culture clash since Belichick and Mike Lombardi took over at North Carolina.
• "College football is about pageantry and bands ... not the NFL, which is business. It's hard," says Colin (33:45).
• Suggests Belichick’s curt style alienates athletes, parents, and staff: "This is what happens when you lose. People keep quiet when you’re winning ... but when you’re losing, the truth comes out." (31:31)
• Quotes former Pats players questioning if any 17-year-old would want to play for Belichick (Drew Bledsoe segment, 34:07).
• Explains that college coaches need to be approachable and engaged with the community—"not Bill’s style."

NFL Trends: Eagles' Identity & Protecting QBs

[40:01 - 48:25]

• Eagles:

  • Struggling with new play-caller, need to re-embrace “run the damn ball” identity. “They’re 12-0 when they throw fewer than 25 times ... It’s not complicated.” (41:20)
  • Running back Saquon Barkley not used enough when leading, described as “coaching malfeasance.” (42:32)

• QB Injuries:

  • Russell Wilson’s decline traced to being hit too much, paralleled to Justin Herbert’s dangerous hit count: "There’s your answer on Russell Wilson. He just spent a career getting hit too much and he aged fast ... Cam Newton started declining at 29."
  • Chargers and Ravens’ injury issues from “leaning into physicality”—a Harbaugh family trait. (48:00)

• Takeaway: Colin insists teams must protect their QB investment, even to the point of overspending at offensive line: "You want to wait three more weeks? You want to watch 14 hits, three more weeks?" (47:32)

Memorable Quotes

• "Jacksonville's a wild, crazy David Lynch film... I trust Kansas City." — Colin Cowherd (07:00)
• "The Dodgers are flawed, but they're not uneven. They can win a multitude of ways. And last night was perfect. You saw all of the ways." — Colin Cowherd (12:56)
• "Andy Reid, Mahomes, Travis Kelce. It's the best situational third and fourth down team." — Colin Cowherd (18:42)
• "College football is about pageantry and bands... It's not the NFL. The NFL is business ... College football is about walking down the hall and saying hi to the volleyball coach and taking the call from the dad whose son's not playing." — Colin Cowherd (33:45, 36:45)
• "Russell Wilson ... just spent a career getting hit too much and he aged fast. Go look at Cam Newton. ... You may not see it now in real time with Justin Herbert, but you cannot get hit 14 and 15 times a game." — Colin Cowherd (43:21)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Chiefs vs. Jags Analysis: 00:32 – 07:13
• Trevor Lawrence Reflection/Quotes: 07:13 – 08:23
• Dodgers-Phillies Classic Game Breakdown: 09:00 – 13:36, 40:01 – 42:00
• Listener Debate: Chiefs' Season Outlook: 13:36 – 15:00
• Chiefs Dynasty & Rulebook Knowledge: 16:00 – 22:37
• MLB Brewers Praise: 23:15 – 25:18
• NFL Headlines (Bills, WRs, AFC threats): 25:19 – 29:16
• Chris Jones Effort Critique: 29:17 – 31:01
• Belichick College Coaching Woes: 31:01 – 39:46
• Dodgers vs. Yankees Team Construction: 40:01 – 42:00
• Eagles Coaching and Identity: 42:01 – 43:21
• Quarterback Health & Protection: 43:21 – 48:25

Conclusion

This episode shrewdly separates signal from noise in NFL and MLB analysis, spotlighting how good teams overcome flaws, why the "better" team can lose, and the cultural divides making big-time coaches fail in college. With witty analogies and a focus on underlying trends—Kansas City’s situational brilliance, the Dodgers’ ability to win in more ways than people realize, and Belichick’s personality clash at North Carolina—Colin serves up classic Herd insight, punctuated by memorable barbs and hard truths.

For full context and nuanced opinions, listen to the complete episode for in-depth breakdowns, additional debates, and more signature Cowherd commentary.