The Herd with Colin Cowherd — Hour 3 Summary

Episode Date: December 30, 2025
Guests: Nick Wright (First Things First, FS1), Jason McIntyre (co-host/news)
Main Themes:

• Playoff picture and flaws of NFL contenders
• Eagles, Bills, 49ers, and MVP race analysis
• Cowboys and Trayvon Diggs’ release
• Chargers, John Harbaugh, and playoff outlook
• NCAA playoff structure, Notre Dame-UBC rivalry
• NBA: Nuggets injury woes, Lakers’ defensive struggles

1. Episode Overview

Hour 3 of The Herd features Colin Cowherd’s trademark blend of sharp NFL analysis and lively debate with Nick Wright. The hour covers the playoff readiness (and dysfunction) of leading NFL teams, the uncertain NFL MVP race, surprising personnel moves by the Cowboys, and closing thoughts on NCAA and NBA headlines. The tone is candid, humorous, and somewhat critical—with a strong focus on how imperfections among top football teams will shape the playoff picture.

2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

A. NFL Playoff Picture: Every Contender Has a Fatal Flaw

[04:30–07:24]

• Colin: Still skeptical about the Bills (“I just don’t buy Buffalo. You can’t win a Super Bowl trailing seven out of eight weeks... Anything else jump out to you here?”)
• Nick Wright: Argues every supposed contender has at least one “you can’t win with X” flaw this season—be it a shaky offensive line, inconsistent defense, or a quarterback lacking experience.
  • Cites Seahawks, Niners, Patriots, Jags, Rams, Eagles, Broncos, Texans, Bears, and returns to the Bills’ issues.
  • “I feel like you can do the ‘You can’t win a Super Bowl with X’ with every team this year… Now that the Rams look a little shaky— I don’t think we have the clear cut, all well-rounded, perfect team this year. This is what happens when the Chiefs aren’t in the playoffs. Everyone’s got issues.” — Nick Wright [06:15]
• Chiefs’ absence is felt: “It’s just so much better when the Chiefs are there; then there’s a standard to hold teams to.” — Nick Wright [07:18]

B. Eagles: Best Dysfunctional Franchise in Sports?

[07:24–10:30]

• Colin: Describes Philadelphia as a franchise that churns through successful coaches and QBs, has internal drama, and yet, could be called “the greatest dysfunctional franchise in American sports.”
• Nick: Compares Philly to the “Barry Switzer Cowboys,” “Blazers Jail Blazers,” and Vikings, noting that their roster is so strong it obscures mistakes.
  • “Maybe the similarity is just really stacked roster—the talent becomes almost mistake-proof.” — Nick Wright [08:35]
• Looking forward, Nick is not optimistic about Philly’s playoff chances, citing their current poor run of form, reliance on Jalen Hurts, and underlying dysfunction.

C. The Brock Purdy Conundrum & Shanahan’s Genius

[10:49–13:46]

• Colin: Conflicted on 49ers QB Brock Purdy: “Not big. Isn’t a big arm. But... three or four weeks in a row he’s as good as any quarterback in the league.”
• Nick: Gives Purdy credit for recent play, but feels the supporting cast and system amplify most QBs’ output:
  • “The last two weeks in particular, he’s been sensational… But the two leading actors for the Niners have been Kyle Shanahan, who has been brilliant, and Christian McCaffrey, who I think is the offensive player of the year in this league.” — Nick Wright [12:19]
  • References what Mac Jones accomplished in a similar situation, refusing to elevate Purdy among NFL elite.

D. NFL MVP Race: Is It Fair or Just December’s “Player of the Month”?

[13:46–17:31]

• Colin: Thinks the MVP will go to Drake May because he’s been the steadiest late, but feels it’s a tough call when candidates don’t have eye-popping style or narrative.
• Nick: Critiques the current MVP voting dynamic, arguing that the entire season feels reduced to a “final sprint” rather than a full-body-of-work award:
  • “It feels like everything up until December 1st is just about determining who are the three or four quarterbacks eligible for the award... among those three players, MVP just becomes December’s player of the month.” — Nick Wright [15:32]
  • Believes Stafford had the best season overall, even if May wins.

E. Cowboys Release Trayvon Diggs: More Dysfunction?

[24:08–27:05]

• Cowboys make waves by cutting CB Trayvon Diggs just two years after a $97M extension, signaling turmoil in Dallas.
• Colin: “I think they’re terrible at corner. Terrible.” [25:04]
• Jason: Points out Jerry Jones’ willingness to grab headlines: “The first thing Jerry does is go give an interview about it. The owner. When are we going to get perspective here? This is goofy.”
• The panel expects Dallas to target top corners and edge rushers in the draft but questions the staff and broader organizational decision-making.

F. Chargers & Playoff Readiness: Harbaugh Playing the Long Game

[27:34–29:55]

• Harbaugh sits starters, prioritizes health over final week seeding. Justin Herbert is out as Chargers head to Denver.
• Colin & Jason: Analyze a potential Patriots vs. Chargers playoff matchup:
  • Coaching edge: “Both [coaches] are great.”
  • QB edge: “Herbert is so seasoned, but Drake May’s first playoff game... at home, pressure... tough ask for week one.”
• Colin predicts Denver is dangerous at home; notes warm-weather teams will struggle to win in Denver’s postseason climate.

G. NBA Interlude: Jokic Injury Shakes Up the West

[30:42–32:34]

• Jason: Reports Jokic will be out for four weeks, ending his MVP bid and jeopardizing the Nuggets’ dominance. Spurs and OKC called the “top of the West.”
• Colin: Downplays Lakers’ chances due to poor defensive metrics and lack of 3-and-D players:
  • “They don’t have any 3-and-D guys. It’s been a 3-and-D league forever... That’s a roster composition issue. That’s not J.J. Redick’s fault.” — Colin [32:20]

H. NCAA Playoff Structure & Notre Dame/USC Rivalry

[37:04–44:11]

• Colin: Decries the automatic playoff bid for Notre Dame as unfair to teams in tougher conferences (“Would you go into a business deal where a guy had a side deal... and he could take a majority of the profits? I wouldn’t.”)
• Argues this system could have kept Miami out of the playoffs even after a head-to-head win over Notre Dame.
• Jason: Acknowledges it’s smart business for Notre Dame.
• Notre Dame prioritizes playoff entry over conference alignment; USC refuses to prop up ND’s schedule at their own expense.

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nick Wright on the NFL playoff field:
  “It’s a ‘yeah, but’ season… Now that the Rams look a little shaky, I don’t think we have the clear cut, all well-rounded, perfect team this year.” [06:10]

• Colin on the Eagles:
  “Are the Eagles the greatest dysfunctional franchise in American sports? I don’t expect you to know hockey.” [08:08]

• Nick Wright on Purdy’s rise:
  “Credit—there’s only so much credit to go around. And to me, this year the two leading actors for the Niners have been Kyle Shanahan, who has been brilliant, and Christian McCaffrey.” [12:19]

• Nick Wright on MVP voting:
  “MVP just becomes December player of the month. I am 10 days removed from Matt Stafford throwing for 450 and scoring 37 on maybe the best team in the league. We are 17 or 20 days, 14 days removed from Drake May having the worst game of his season... I think what is happening to the NFL MVP over the last three seasons is a crime, a sports crime.” [15:32]

• Jason on Jerry Jones’ outsized role:
  “The first thing Jerry does is go give an interview about it. The owner. When are we going to get perspective here? This is goofy.” [25:23]

• Colin on Notre Dame’s playoff deal:
  “Would you go into a business deal where a guy had a side deal that you didn’t have… and he could take a majority of the profits?... I wouldn’t.” [41:46]

4. Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:26] Nick Wright joins — scheduling banter
• [04:30] Bills skepticism and NFL playoff field flaws
• [07:24] Eagles: Dysfunction or design?
• [10:49] Purdy debate and 49ers pecking order
• [13:46] NFL MVP debate (Stafford vs. May)
• [24:08] Cowboys cut Trayvon Diggs — franchise dysfunction
• [27:34] Chargers rest starters, Patriots playoff talk
• [30:42] NBA: Jokic injury, Lakers’ defensive woes
• [37:04] NCAA playoff structure & Notre Dame/USC debate

5. Tone & Style

• Lively, opinionated, and occasionally irreverent
• Both Colin and Nick offer sharp arguments, mix in humor, and favor strong, sometimes contrarian takes
• Willingness to call out dysfunction and challenge prevailing NFL narratives

6. Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode is a must-listen for anyone intrigued by the current NFL landscape’s peculiar parity: Colin and Nick Wright dissect every leading NFL contender’s key weakness, debate the “broken” MVP voting system, react to surprising Cowboys personnel news, and riff on the NCAA and NBA headlines. They favor blunt honesty over sugarcoating, delivering an entertaining and nuanced assessment of why this year's chase for the Lombardi and MVP feels more “up for grabs” than ever.