The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 2, October 28, 2025
Episode Focus:
Hour 2 of The Herd features Colin Cowherd’s reactions to last night’s World Series game, his latest NFL “Herd Hierarchy” top ten, and a spirited conversational deep-dive with Nick Wright. They tackle intentional walks and baseball strategy, why the Dodgers are a model franchise, the state of the NFL and QB tiers, critical takes on stars like Jordan Love, Justin Herbert, and Caleb Williams, and NBA roster philosophy for the Lakers.
Main Theme & Purpose
This episode is all about dissecting the biggest current sports stories with sharp opinion, humor, and perspective. Colin unveils his weekly NFL Herd Hierarchy and defends (or critiques) his rankings with Nick Wright. They weave in recent World Series moments, superstar impact, and parallel lessons across sports. The hour drills down on what makes teams and players truly successful—from the inner workings of powerhouse franchises like the Dodgers and Chiefs to evolving narratives around NFL quarterbacks and NBA roster construction.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. World Series Reactions: Dodgers’ Unlikely Heroes & Ohtani’s Impact
- Opening Thoughts (02:35):
- Colin marvels at the Dodgers’ depth, highlighting Will Klein’s four scoreless innings ("Who’s Will Klein? Well, we know who he is now. It’s just remarkable." – Colin, 02:42) and the strain of late games for fans.
- Intentional Walk Debate (03:12–04:21):
- Colin questions the entertainment value when stars like Ohtani are walked repeatedly.
- "After last night, do you think Ohtani is going to get any balls to hit today, or are they just going to walk him every time? That's not great for the product." – Colin Cowherd (03:57)
- Nick Wright joins, agreeing this sort of strategy isn’t great for the game’s appeal.
- Colin proposes a dialogue for a potential rule limiting intentional walks: "Maybe there’s a new rule. You can’t intentionally walk anybody more than one time." (04:07)
- Dodgers’ Franchise Magic vs. Big-Money Stereotype (15:12-16:39):
- Colin explains it’s not just that the Dodgers spend money, but how their culture elevates lesser-known players.
- Nick Wright likens this to Chiefs, saying, "once you have an established culture and talent... you're creating an incubator for lesser talented guys to succeed." (16:30)
2. NFL: New Herd Hierarchy & Jordan Love’s Ascendancy
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NFL Top 10 Power Rankings (“Herd Hierarchy”) (05:19–11:34):
- Colin’s Top 10 (with highlights):
- Kansas City
- Philadelphia
- Colts ("I don’t know what the heck to do with the Colts... It’s like physically, they’re just stepping on people." – Colin, 09:31)
- Green Bay
- Detroit
- Rams
- Buccaneers ("They’re not pretty. They’re all banged up. But I think we acknowledge at number seven feels about right." – Colin, 07:12)
- Denver
- New England
- Buffalo
- Colin: “Jordan Love’s great. Period. End of sentence.” (09:24)
- Colin’s Top 10 (with highlights):
-
Nick Wright Pushbacks & Playoff Skepticism (11:34–14:02):
- Nick argues the Colts feel like the Vikings of last year: big regular season but not a true contender.
- "Am I really going to say Daniel Jones is going to stare down Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes... and win? And the answer is no, I'm not." – Nick Wright (11:36)
- Nick: The Colts need to actually win the Super Bowl to convince him otherwise.
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Jordan Love Appreciation (16:39–19:46):
- Colin heaps praise: “I think he’s the most underrated player in the league... This is what Aaron looked like in his prime.” (16:39)
- Nick is intrigued but only "60% believer": "He has not gotten to the place yet where I fully trust him..." (17:46)
- Nick’s litmus test: if Love is B+ or better, Packers can win Super Bowl; if A, “should win the Super Bowl.” (18:48)
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Caleb Williams: Fine Isn’t Good Enough (19:46–21:38):
- Colin: “Fine’s not good enough. …As a number one pick, he’s fine.”
- Nick: "Caleb Williams being just fine is a disaster." (20:31) — He’s less bullish now, worried about lack of progress and how recent can't-miss QBs (Lawrence, Williams) have disappointed.
- "If you remove the Cowboys game, his season numbers are downright bad. That's all concerning." – Nick Wright (21:39)
3. NFL & Player Culture
- Comparisons to Chiefs’ and Dodgers' Team Incubators (15:12–16:39):
- Nick: "Once you have an established culture... you're creating an incubator for lesser talented guys to succeed."
- Justin Herbert, Backwards Hats & Love Life (22:39–24:49):
- Colin admits to relaxing his famous “can’t trust the backwards hat” stance after seeing Herbert’s quick-thinking heroics at a Dodgers game.
- Nick teases, “A lot of pressure on him now. A lot of pressure on him.” (24:09)
- Lighthearted confusion over Herbert’s influencer girlfriend’s name: “Her name is Madison… Amanda. Now all of a sudden you’re going to cause controversy.” – Nick Wright (24:29)
- Athlete Personalities in Modern Sports (31:06–34:59, summary):
- Colin praises the maturity and likability of current stars: Mahomes, Allen, Herbert, Love—“such nice kids.”
4. NBA: Lakers’ Roster Redundancy & Austin Reeves Dilemma
- Lakers Fit & Trade Questions (24:49–27:45):
- Colin: "Austin Reeves now is just duplication... Prime player to move. Go get a Nazarene-ish wing, tough, physical defender. The Lakers now are bad defensively and have too many guys that need the ball." (24:49)
- Nick: “If they're trying to win this season... Austin Reaves is duplicative...is your number one asset to be able to get a defender.” (25:52)
- They debate whether Lakers should go for it now (trade) or keep future flexibility for Luka.
- Both agree the Lakers’ current roster is oddly built—lacking defense and shooting.
5. NFL News Round-Up & Analysis
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Chiefs Rout Recap (35:13-36:58):
- Patrick Mahomes praises Travis Kelce for his leadership: “He helped set the culture...” (35:47)
- Nick, Colin & crew downplay the win due to a weak opponent: “Just do it against a good team and then I’ll be impressed.” – Colin Cowherd (36:22)
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Injuries & Trade Speculation (38:04–39:32):
- Trayvon Diggs’ strange home concussion puts pressure on Cowboys’ offseason.
- “Dak has a way of making players who can be a bit temperamental more mature... Dak has a way of, you know, he's like Dax, like the dad you don't want to disappoint.” – Colin (38:41)
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Rams Outlook, Puka Nakua Returns (39:32–41:35):
- Rams look strong after the bye, with Saints rolling out an untested QB.
- On LA’s favorable situation: “If this game ended 33 to 3, would you be shocked? No.” – Colin (40:25)
6. Playoff Picture & Final Takeaways
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NFC & AFC Forecast (45:58–49:19):
- Colin outlines likely playoff teams (“I think these are the playoff teams... that feels like... the team that’s right below that is 4–3 Chicago and I think Chicago will make it interesting...”) but doubts arise for outliers like Pittsburgh.
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Colts Debate, Redux (49:19–50:03):
- Colin sticks with Colts as legitimate contenders due to elite O-line; Nick remains skeptical, citing playoff QB pecking order.
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
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On intentional walks & Ohtani:
- “If you extrapolate it out to an entire season and nobody would pitch to Ohtani, that would not be great.” – Colin (04:07)
- “Maybe there’s a new rule. You can’t intentionally walk anybody more than one time... I love it.” – Colin (04:21)
-
On Jordan Love’s rise:
- “Jordan Love’s great. Period. End of sentence.” – Colin (09:24)
- “I am a 60% of the way believer on Jordan Love... But I did think Sunday night was the best regular season game of his career.” – Nick Wright (17:46)
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On Colts as contenders:
- “Teams are now quitting against them. They are so physically dominant.” – Colin (09:31)
- “There is nothing the Colts can do this season to make me think they’re winning the Super Bowl other than win the Super Bowl.” – Nick Wright (12:41)
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On Caleb Williams:
- “As a number one pick, he’s fine. Is it possible this is what he is? He’s just fine.” – Colin (19:46)
- “Caleb Williams being just fine is a disaster...” – Nick Wright (20:31)
-
On Lakers’ roster:
- “Austin Reeves now is just duplication. Mediocre defender, has to have the ball. And you can see when he has the ball, when LeBron and Luke aren’t playing, he’s tremendous.” – Colin (24:49)
- “Lakers are built weird for 2025. They're a team that can't really defend and doesn't have great shooting. That as great as Luka is... that's not a recipe for a deep playoff run.” – Nick Wright (27:50)
Timestamps for Important Segments
| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|----------------| | World Series Reaction & Intentional Walks | 02:35–04:21 | | Herd Hierarchy NFL Rankings | 05:19–11:34 | | Nick Wright on the Colts & NFL Playoffs | 11:34–14:02 | | Dodgers’ Culture vs. Big-money Myths | 15:12–16:39 | | The Jordan Love Discussion | 16:39–19:46 | | Caleb Williams: “Fine” Isn’t Enough | 19:46–21:38 | | Justin Herbert & Backwards Hat Debate | 22:39–24:49 | | Lakers’ Austin Reeves Trade Talk | 24:49–27:45 | | Chiefs, Travis Kelce & Easy Wins | 35:13–36:58 | | Trayvon Diggs & Cowboys’ Issues | 38:04–39:32 | | Rams Outlook & Puka Nakua Returns | 39:32–41:35 | | Playoff Predictions & QB Philosophy | 45:58–49:19 |
Memorable Moments
- Colin defending his take on Jordan Love as not just “rising,” but already elite: “He’s top five, six dude. Jordan Love’s great. Period. End of sentence.” (09:24)
- Nick’s analogy for data vs. gut feeling in sports: “That’s why we’re not run by AI robots, Colin. Data can tell you whatever it wants, but your eyes... are just gonna be like, ‘Am I really going to say Daniel Jones is going to stare down [elite QBs] and win?’” (11:34)
- Fun Herbert-backwards-hat riff: “There’s not all heroes wear capes, some wear their hat on backwards.” – Colin (24:09)
- On Ohtani’s otherworldly impact: “Seven years ago, I said he’s Babe Ruth plus. My bad. He’s Babe Ruth plus plus plus.” – Colin (34:59)
Overall Tone & Style
Colin’s tone mixes admiration, skepticism, and humor, often playing “devil’s advocate” or pushing for originality in sports debate. Nick Wright brings feisty, data-informed counterpoints but values experience and “feel.” The pace is brisk, the banter friendly and deeply informed, with recurring references to both stats and narratives.
Summary Takeaway
This episode of The Herd delivers sharp, opinionated takes on the mechanics of greatness—both for teams and individuals. Whether scrutinizing the trend of intentional walks, the ascendance of underappreciated NFL QBs, or pondering how to build a winning NBA roster, Colin and Nick explore the complexities beneath the surface stats. The show is a must-listen for sports fans who crave more than box scores, blending humor, storytelling, and strong viewpoints.