The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Richard Sherman Podcast - Seahawks-49ers REACTION: Seattle’s defense shines & 49ers’ missed chances | Richard Sherman NFL

Episode Date: January 4, 2026

Richard Sherman breaks down the Seattle Seahawks’ dominant defensive performance and the San Francisco 49ers’ lack of urgency in a hard-fought NFC West battle. Sherm analyzes Kenneth Walker, Charbonnet, Sam Darnold’s mistake-free football, Mike Macdonald’s scheme, and why Seattle looks like the true No. 1 seed in the NFC. Sherman also dives into Christian McCaffrey’s key drop, the 49ers’ struggles stopping the run, playoff scenarios, and what this loss means for Brock Purdy, Kyle Shanahan, and a potential 49ers-Eagles rematch. Plus breakdowns of the Panthers–Buccaneers finish, NFC South chaos, and a preview of Ravens–Steelers on Sunday Night Football. If you love elite defense, playoff breakdowns, and real football insight, you’re in the right place. All lines provided by Hard Rock Bet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice. from the dumbest people you know. Listen to help from Hippocrat Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, everybody. I appreciate you joining us, as always. You guys are phenomenal. You're the best in the world. You're watching the Richard Sherman podcast, but if you could do me a huge favor and hit that sub button, it would be greatly appreciated.

You would do a service for your boy, Sherm. And I'll tell you what, I got your back. You got my back. All love. Welcome back to the Richard Chairman podcast, and what a game. What a defensive battle. I love defensive battles, and the Seattle Seahawks put on an absolute clinic all game long. And it wasn't just about the scheme.

It wasn't just about schematically. Sure, Mike Nick Donald does some incredible things schematically, but it was the effort and intensity they were playing with that impressed me the most. And I said it during the game, while I tweeted it during the game, I said that effort got rewarded with the, with, interception and the fans were like, well, they didn't have to do anything. Christian just dropped that. No question about it. Christian, that was a drop. That was one. I'm sure he wishes he has had bad. But in order to take advantage of that, you've got to be running to the football. You've got to be

hustling. You've got to have energy. And that was the frustrating thing all night watching his 49ers defense is they didn't have that kind of energy. And sure, they held the Seattle Seahawks, second highest scoring offense to 13 points. That should be applauded. They did. a phenomenal job. Some of it was a benefit of a missed field goal and some mistakes by the Seattle Seahawks, but sure, it still goes on the record. They held them to 13 points

for the second time in a row. But there was a turnover, there was a point in this game, there was a couple points in this game that were really the turning points for me for this defense because they couldn't stop the run. They couldn't stop

Kenneth Walker. They couldn't stop Charbonnet. And it just seemed like the Seattle Seahawks were resetting the line of scrimmage every single play on every single possession and they were owning it. They were the more aggressive. They were the more dominant team. They were, they had the mindset. They went in there with a plan and they executed it. Sam Donald played really solid football. He didn't turn the ball over. But the one play where he had a chance to turn a ball over, where he got stepped on and he fumbled the ball away. And it was down. It was a free ball for anybody to go get.

I didn't feel the sense of urgency. And that's what I mean when fans are like, oh, man, they play really good. Are we watching the same game? Yes, we're watching the same game, but I watch it with a different lens. Because I know the fanatic pace and the desperation and sense of urgency that you have to have to play great defense. And I saw that with the Seattle Seahawks. I did not see that with the San Francisco 49ers.

And now I didn't care either way. You know, I'm not, I just was loving a great game. But I was like, that was missing. When I watched the Seattle Seahawks defense get on the field, they're running. They're playing with swagger. They're running, hitting everything moving. You see three, four guys at the football, every play. Every time you look like, hey, you got to count these guys on the field.

Is it 12? Because they're running and hitting. And then you look at the San Francisco 49ers, and it just seemed like maybe they're just running out of gas. You know, this is the team that's been through a lot this season, dealt with a lot of injuries, dealt with a lot of heartache. but on third and 17, what your offense needn to get the ball back? They run a play not even expecting to get the first down.

I don't think Clint Kubiak, when he drew this up, when he called this play, expected, you know, this is a give up play. Hey, we're going to run the ball, get us a couple yards, punt the ball away. And nobody was there to tackle him. Like, he's not going to stop running if nobody's going to tackle him. He's not going to just give up on the play.

if nobody's going to tackle him. And that was the play that really frustrated me as a person watching a game. And it would frustrate me watching either defense play like that. Because I'm a guy who loves to watch great defense. And Seattle Seahawks gave me that today. They filled my cup up with great defense flying around, hitting, interceptions, sats, guys in the secondary playing with Swagger, Ernest Jones, playing Nick Emmett and Worry, looked like he fight.

He looked like a guy out there today. He's been looking like a guy, but he looks like he's found. confidence on the field, his swagger, his leadership, he's comfortable doing what he's doing. But even my guy, Rik, Rik was still with swaggering out there a little bit too. But outside of a play by Diomador-Lanour on, I think it was fourth down on Charbonnet, where Charbonnet tried to bounce it, Di Amador made an incredible play. But again, he made the play by himself, by himself. The play, the third and 17 play is a play you cannot put on tape.

a team fighting for the one scene, not a team that's won 12 games. Like that's as a defense, because those things take no talent. The effort and attitude that you play with, it takes no talent. Running to the ball, it doesn't take talent. It just takes want to. It takes mindset. And that was the most concerned part watching this team. It just that that part wasn't there. And they still had a chance. They still had a chance. The San Francisco 49ers offense, marched down the field, got inside the red zone, and had a chance to win this game, and that's what you knew. That's what we talked about earlier today when I did the preview. It's going to come down to the end of this game. It's not going to be a blowout by any stretch of imagination.

If the San Francisco 49ers score right there, which it looked like they were going to do, if Christopher catches that football, then it's a 13 to 10 ball game, and they got their timeouts, and we're trying to figure out what happens at the end. And that's what. The Seattle Seahawks playing dominant football on both sides of the ball. And that's what you want them to look like going into the playoffs. They look like the number one seed in the NFC. They deserve it. Everything's going through Seattle, and I can't wait to watch it.

The San Francisco 49ers likely are going to play the Philadelphia Eagles if the Chicago Bears can pull out a win. But if not, then they'll go to Chicago and it'll be a rematch of a couple weeks ago, and that was a fun game to watch as well. Let's talk about these playoff scenarios. Like I said, if the Rams win, they're the five-seat, they play whoever goes out of the NFC South, either Carolina or Tampa Bay, depending on what happens with the Saints and Falcons game, and we'll get to that in the second.

Then you got the San Francisco 49ers playing either the Bears or the Philadelphia Eagles. And that Philadelphia Eagles matchup could be interesting, because I think that's a matchup. It's a revenge game. And I know it was a couple years ago, but when Brock Purdy got hurt, and that developed into a little bit of a rivalry between Philadelphia and San Francisco for a while.

And it was, you know, Duran Judings going back and forth with him. If we would have had our quarterback, you know, wouldn't even mean close. And I think that's a game in Seattle. I mean, the San Francisco 49ers can win if they get that matchup. I think, you know, obviously they beat the Bears

so they can clearly win that game. but it's going to be a dogfight either way. And if not, then the Bears play the Packers, and that's going to be a cool matchup. And the Seattle Seahawks are waiting for the lowest winner of all of it. And it's going to be a fun ride on the NFC side, no question about it. I can't wait. But right now, the Seattle Seahawks look like the class of the division.

Mike McDonald, this is the reason they hired him. This is, I think the Seattle Seahawks front office and an ownership group saw Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy and this offense struggle versus the Baltimore Ravens. And multiple matchups with Mike McDonnell. And I think that went into the decision to hire him because he does a good job against Kyle. And he's done a good job this year

in both matchups against Kyle Shanahan. He's finally got the system installed the way he wants to. It's year two. And he has a deep rotation of the defensive line. I think they're the only team. with over four guys with 40 pressures. And they look like a team that knows what they're doing.

They're confident. They're swaggering. My guy, DeMarcus Lawrence said, hey, they're their dark side because they turn the lights off on people. And everybody got to come through Seattle and see the dark side. And that's what it's going to be in the playoffs. If you want to win a Super Bowl, you're going to have to come in Seattle and turn the lights on. And I don't know if anybody can do that. We'll see.

We'll see. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast.

But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, Help on the internet. Somebody! Please!

But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant

and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrat, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrat as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam?

It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about Default. find the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying.

He run under court licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Big Money Players and IHeart Podcast Presents, soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. This is my best friend Janet. Hey! And we have been joined at the hips since

high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later. We're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips. Wider. This is a podcast we're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drink. Sidebar. Why did

you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here? Just take it. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album? Oh, I would. Come on.

I would buy it. Cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You are. I'm not a killer. I love this team, and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on.

Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the I Heart Radio. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. Getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America,

there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store. I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 goes deep on both of those things. The fights, the politics, the people who won,

and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean.

Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. But Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers 16 to 14. A lot of the game was back and forth a little bit sloppy. The conditions were bad. A missed field goal, there were missed field goals by Jason Myers in the Seattle Seahawks game. Uncharacteristic, he had made, I think, 18 straight. So I expect him to get that cleaned up.

But in this Carolina, Tampa Bay game, Bucky Irving. You know, they tried to establish a run game, and they did a good job with that. The defense for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers forced two sacks, recovered two fumbles. They had an interception. And the Carolina Panthers still had a chance in this game. At the end, obviously, there's that offensive pass interference on Teteru, on McMillan that I don't think was a great call. I think inside the five-yard box for both sides.

Let them play, rest. If you can't battle within the first five yards, then, and no reason I played this game. Like, he was being physical. Was he being overly physical? Yes. If you can't handle that as a DB, you probably shouldn't be pressing it.

And the same is true on the other side. If a receiver's getting pressed up, can't call PI on me, I'm within five yards, and I don't think you can call that. He bullied, that was a good play by him. He bullied him. That's good football.

That's physical football. That's playoff football. And if you call that in the playoffs, I'm by God, I hope you never call another game. So I don't agree with that call. I think it was terrible. I thought the flea thicker play that they called

where they fumbled the ball was a terrible call. You don't run no play like that in bad conditions. Obviously, you're struggling. You're looking for a spark, but in bad conditions. And then, of course, Carolina quarterback, and I died on the football, that's going to just make, that headline's going to write itself. Thankfully, it wasn't in the Super Bowl,

but, you know, it's weird. It's so weird. The N.C. South is so weird, because even though Tampa wins this game, there's still a chance they don't order to playoffs. So you think this game was like, oh, man, this dessert determines the winner of the NFC South. And it just seems like every year it comes down to some weird scenario

for the NFC South. And again, that's the case. If the Saints win, the Bucks go. If the Falcons win, the Carolina goes. And if you know anything about the South, NFC South, You know, the Saints don't care for the butts very much at all. And so with Chris Oliva out for the season, I don't know. I don't know.

Football's a weird sport. I don't know if they're going to win that game. But we'll see. I thought Carolina and Bryce Young, I mean, he's starting to play better football. I kind of won it for Carolina this year. Tampa Vades won at the last few years because I just wanted for Canales. I wanted for Bryce Young. I think he can finally feel good, you know, getting that weight off his back,

taking his team to the playoffs, the team that's struggled nightly. He's been under a lot of scrutiny and pressure. So I think that would be really fun. It'd be good for football, in my opinion. But who knows? We can talk about this Sunday night matchup that's going to come up between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, a good classic AFC North battle for the AFC North Cross. All odds and lines come from our partners at Hard Rock Bet.

We've got the Ravens at the Steelers on Sunday night football. Hard Rock Bet has the Ravens as a four-point spread in this game. I really don't know. I don't know if you can call it. It's a dog fight. How is Lamar Jackson going to play? Is his back still stiff? There's been a lot of speculation there.

How is this Pittsburgh Steelers offense going to play? D.K. Medcab, they struggled without D.K. Medcab in the last game. so I can understand why Vegas has this team favored. Derek Henry is going to, King Henry, is going to be the biggest factor in this game, in my opinion, for either team. And if he plays well, then I agree with Hard Rock. It's going to be at least a four-point game, and the Baltimore Ravens are going back to the playoffs.

But who knows, we going to see. As always, I appreciate you guys joining me. You could be anywhere in the world, but you're here with me, whether you're a Niners faithful or a Seattle 12, always appreciate you, all love and respect. What a game, what a season. I hate that it's coming to a close, but this is the money time.

It's playoff time. And the Seattle Seahawks only go to Super Bowls when they're in one seed. They've gone to three Super Bowls. They've been the number one seed three times. We'll see if they can make it a fourth, and Sam Dirk will take them to the Promised Land. We'll be at Lumen Stadium to see in a couple weeks. I can't wait.

In the 49ers, you still got a chance. still got life, can you go on the road and find a way to pull out a wind? If anybody can do it, it's Kyle Shanahan and Robert Sala at the helm. I can't wait to watch it. We'll see you next time. Make sure you hit that sub button if you knew. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers.

I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being an ass questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio. Non-stop workout music and expert tips 24-7 7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight.

When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worse that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. IHeart Radio. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From IHeart Podcast, Saigon.

You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. for Vietnam. They're pouring patrons all over here. Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Syke, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice.

Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite Wednesdays on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular.

popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.