The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - The Super Bowl is set, thoughts on the AFC/NFC Championship games

Episode Date: January 26, 2026

Colin Cowherd reacts to Championship Sunday in the NFL! He starts with the Seahawks thrilling win over the Rams in the NFC and how Sam Darnold continues to silence all his doubters. He discusses the Patriots win over the Broncos and how Patriots head coach Mike Vrable sets the standard for New England who broke an NFL record for road wins in a season.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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However, you may be listening. Thanks for making us. A lot of choices out there. Part of our day. Well, you know I'm happy. Slinging Sammy D. in a Super Bowl. Say that 10 times. Say it 100 times.

Sam Darnold proved two things. Number one, everybody takes a different path. Some kids get great parents. Some kids get the New York Chets. It just takes longer for a lot of people. And the second thing, if you believe in yourself, don't listen to the noise. Don't listen to the doubters.

Darnold never stopped believing in himself. And until that game officially ended, 90% of people in this country sports fan still didn't think Sam Darnold's Super Bowl sounded right. But he's a perfect fit for this franchise. He's young, he's athletic, he takes swings, he's a risk taker, he's tough, playing with an oblique where it hurt on every third.

pro. Sam Darnold is the Seahawks. A little bit at times, reckless, super talented, athletic. Tom Brady had a great way of describing Darnold. He's more explosive than surgical. And that's what I would say about the Seahawks. Two exceptional teams yesterday and two exceptional quarterbacks. But maybe most impressive on the biggest down-in football, third down, you got about 15 of those a game, and Matt Stafford was unbelievable yesterday. But on third, it wasn't close. Donald had a 142 passer rating. Six for nine.

Brilliant. Maybe he's not surgical. He was on third down, and Stafford was 0 for 6. Most impressive, though, to me, and everybody knew this in the locker room in Seattle. They were missing. Zach Sharbonne, a good running back. And the Rams defensive front is a lot.

more talented than the Seahawks offensive line. So Darnold was going to have to carry the Seahawks yesterday. And that's exactly what he did. Beyond third down against a strong pass rush, and Chris Shula considered one of the smart defensive coordinators in football, talent everywhere, Sam threw for 346 yards, had a 128 passer rating, was 25 of 36, and for the third straight game, no interceptions, no turnovers. Sam isn't too reckless. Sam, at times, is more explosive and dynamic than surgical. His journey has a little Christopher Columbus to it.

Five teams, five coaches, five, six, seven coordinators, a bunch of different parts of the country. And he's still only 28 years old. the general manager that decided to go get him was john schneider a couple of weeks ago i was texting john snider the seahx gm he said god i love sam why do people just bash him so much and the answer of course is it's so much easier to pile on that's what the internet is right it's just so much easier to join the avalanche and pile on people and quit on people it's much harder to grab a shovel and support people who had a bumpy first few years in any business, and that was Darnold. Two reckless became three straight games with no turnovers.

But until it was over, nobody believe it was possible. And how poetic is it that he did it? He had the best game of his career against the one team that had his number and the one defensive coordinator. Again, say it 10 times, say it 100 times. Slingin, Sam Darnold is going to a Super Bowl and will be a favorite in the Super Bowl. Here's his head coach after. Can't talk about the game. I'll talk about our quarterback.

I mean, he just shut a lot of people up tonight, so I'm really happy for him. Every time they went and scored again, he came back. He made some big-time throws on third down, two-minute drive, a four-minute drive. the guy barely practiced all week you know just really happy for him he deserves it I'm happy to be a part of this team man this group and this coaching staff is just you know I'm really happy to be here

I'm happy to be in this position I'm just going to continue to do the best that I can to put this team in position in positions to win football games for the record let's go back to the draft class that Sam Darnold was involved in It includes Baker Mayfield as the number one pick.

Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold. From this point forward, at least on our show, 2018 will be known not as the Josh Allen draft class, as the Sam Darnold draft class. The first guy to get to a Super Bowl, when you look at his salary, when you look at his GM, When you look at this young roster, he's not going anywhere for a long time. Now let's go to the JV game.

I've always been a fan of moms more than Mother Nature. But despite the unplayable blizzard in the second half in Denver, New England was the better team, and they have been really all year. They never lost a road game, and that's because coaching travels, so does toughness and defense. that didn't lose a road game. Mike Vrable's teams yesterday in a blizzard. One penalty, didn't have a turnover, excellent on third down in key spots, in absolutely ridiculous weather.

These teams, Seattle and New England, are actually very similar. Quarterbacks in Drake, May and Sam Darnold, that move well and love to attack downfield. No dink and dunk guys here, two excellent defensive. head coaches, top five defenses, both unbelievably good on the road, but also so much of the NFL is ownership. Robert Kraft had to make two really tough decisions. He had to fire Bill Belichick, considered the greatest football coach of his era. He had to fire him. And then he had to fire Gerard Mayo after one year. That's rough. You have to admit you're wrong. And he did. And if he doesn't do that, he doesn't get Mike Vrable.

Vrable talked about Drake May as quarterback in August camp, came on our show about a month ago. He kept telling Drake May in August. Leadership is every day, not just today. Drake May against excellent defenses. It's the Chargers, it's the Texans, it's the Broncos. And now he'll face another in Seattle, but at least there'll be no blizzard and it'll be on a neutral field. New England was the better team. I don't want to hear about whether they were the better football team.

No turnovers, one penalty, good tackling. Here's Mike Vrable after. I can't tell you how proud I am to be associated with these guys and this organization. I want to thank Robert and Jonathan. Love our quarterback. I love our football team. I love our staff.

I'm a lucky head coach. Matt Hasselbeck and Drew Breeze, both stopped by today. I don't want this to get lost on everybody. What is that? The 11th Super Bowl for Robert Kraft? There are four teams that have never, four franchises, never made the Super Bowl. Like, it's really hard to do that.

Fire Bill Belichick. Looks easy now. But the line in New England for years was in Bill we trust, and they had to move off him. And then he hired Gerard Mayo, and you had to move off him. And Mike Vrable took a year off coaching. sort of waiting and waiting, had multiple suitors, but he smartly chose the place he knew and the place he trusted.

That is New England. I think it's a great Super Bowl. And I think the two teams, for the record, the two best road teams in the NFL, the New England Patriots won, the Seattle Seahawks, two. Athletic, young, aggressive quarterbacks who move and were great yesterday, one in a blizzard, one at home in crucial situations, excellent defenses. Defensive coaches finally get back to making the Super Bowl.

I can't wait. I think it's really good. There's one advantage, and I'll get to this later, there is one big advantage New England has in the Super Bowl, and it is a major advantage, and we'll talk about that after the break. J. Mack, listen, the playoffs have been wild, for as much as we talk about offense,

so many of these teams that advanced did it on defense. I was watching that game yesterday for the Rams. And once Bo Nicks got hurt, I just didn't consider them a Super Bowl team. In fact, I was like, I don't want that to get to the Super Bowl. I'm going to go with New England. I think New England's the play. I think it's a better story.

They're still, I would argue, about a draft away. Also between Seattle and New England, I mean, it's amazing how similar they are. If you looked at both teams that said, what's the weakness? You'd say offensive line for both, but neither has a hole. Both have great secondaries. Both get a good pass rush. Young quarterbacks who love to attack downfield defensive coaches.

This is a little mirror image of each other. People don't see that one coast and the other coast, but these rosters, the Rams have holes. Like Seattle doesn't have a hole. Their O line's not great. but I did think it held up pretty well yesterday in crucial passing downs when you had to get like JSN down the field because they were attacking down the field. I thought the Seaco line, considering the Rams pass rush, held up pretty well. Yeah, no, excellent job by Seattle.

I thought the Rams kind of gave them the game. I thought the Rams were the better team yesterday, especially offensively. Stafford was a machine. Didn't love the McVeigh call on fourth and four with five minutes left. I mean, you could have kicked to cut it to one, then you just need the field goal to win. And Seattle did a great job taking away the running back coming out of the backfield. But Colin, this New England Patriots team, come on.

Did you see all the historic records they broke for futility offensively in the playoffs? This is the weakest offense postseason run. Let's contextualize it. It's also the hardest run against best defenses ever. Certainly. So Houston was done. Great defense. Almost always makes offense look uneven.

So let's be honest. The Patriots offense looked very good against mid-average and bad defenses. Well, when you face the Chargers and Jesse Minter, and then the Houston Texans, you know, guided by Domingo Ryan's. And then you play in a blizzard. And for the record, Denver's D-line in the first half totally dominated New England's O line. So I would be careful about saying it's bad offense. I think the AFC this year had excellent defenses,

but I think the NFC was the better conference. And I think what we're going to see is, I mean, there's a reason Seattle should be favored, in my opinion, by about three and a half to four and a half points. I think it's up to five already in some spots. I think Seattle kind of kills them. Drake made through for like 80 yards in the AFC championship game. I mean, Jared Stidham had more than that.

I don't know. I was just befuddled by this Patriots offense. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Ben, host to The Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor. It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mallor show,

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Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a 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 the name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

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What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining 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 Nasree. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night bases on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why 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 podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shake my behavior,

and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection.

If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to be become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. You know, in the NFL, the coaching's so good, you don't have to be great everywhere, but you can't be bad anywhere. Okay. You're as strong as your weakest link. And all season long, On this show, we talked about the liability that is the Rams special teams and their corners. Carolina almost beat Seattle, excuse me, Carolina almost beat the Rams twice because they have big receivers and attacked the smaller ram corners.

The Rams high-end head coach, quarterback, tight ends, skill players, de-line depth, I think it's better than Seattle. I mean, tight ends, both running backs, wide receivers, it's star studded. But if you got a leak in the engine, the car breaks down. And Seattle doesn't have a special team issue. In fact, it's a strength. Seattle doesn't have a cornerback issue. That's a strength, too.

Seattle is a little bit like New England. The O line is okay, but there's nothing they're really bad at. I saw this line yesterday. I feel so bad for Matt Stafford. He's the first quarterback to throw for 350 yards, three touchdowns have no turnovers, and lose a playoff start. Outside a third down, Stafford was magnificent. He even ran for a first down. He didn't do that all regular season.

The Rams last two games against Seattle, they had more yards on the Seahawks and go 0 and 2. And it's because of the hole, the corners, the special teams. This had an Ollie Fraser feel to it. Yes, it felt like we were watching the Super Bowl. It was just in Seattle. I watched it, and I kept thinking at the very end, Sean McVeigh is never going to have a quarterback again in his career that has 52 touchdowns and nine picks.

He's never going to have an offense this perfect. Devonte Adams and Bucca, Blake Corum, Kiron Williams, three tight ends, four tight ends, unbelievable interior O line. I don't think Sean McVeigh is ever going to have an offense this talented. He's never going to have a quarterback that plays like this in a single season. And at 0 and 2 out gaining them. It's just one of those things.

He's going to be watching the Super Bowl at home like everybody else. So I do feel bad for people who are committed. This organization is great. They've got a stacked roster. But you saw it. You talked about it. We addressed it multiple times. The special teams felt like they would lose them a big,

game eventually. And they did. Here's Sean after. You know, I love our group. Really, I think the finality of all of it. Didn't ever really expect this. We came here with the expectations to win.

We had our chances. You know, they made their plays, and it was a great back and forth game by two great teams. But there's a couple of critical errors that ended up costing us, but love this team. It's one of my all-time favorites. I'm pretty numb. You know, I don't think, I think the finality of all of it, you know,

when you don't allow yourself to even think about anything other than just advancing. You know, I felt like we were going to be the team on that podium and we weren't. I'm telling you, that is one of the best, most competitive games I've ever watched. I thought the Rams played really well, and I feel bad for the kid that dropped the punt. You know, everybody chirps about officiating. These teams are so fast, and these offenses are so dynamic. It happens. And McVeigh addressed it during the season.

He fired the special teams coach. He pulled that kid after he dropped the punt. He went and gave it to Kyron Williams. Just go catch the thing, please. So, you know, it's just, again, you don't have to be great everywhere in this league. The Seahawks and the Patriots are going to meet in the Super Bowl. Both offensive lines are mid. But they're not bad.

And neither the Patriots or the Seahawks have something, both have great secondaries, that you can pick on over and over and over. You don't have to have the biggest sack leader, but you have to create pressure. The Rams did it. The Seahawks did it. Actually, Denver did it. So if you look at the totality, the holistic picture of the final four teams, they all had very good defenses. They all had excellent coaching.

Mike McDonald, Sean McVeigh, Mike Rable, Sean Payton. Just really good. And just a blizzard got in the way. J-Mac with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Let's start with that blizzard.

game because in the first half, Colin, it was sunny, it was beautiful as everybody expected, and the Broncos had a 7-0 lead and made a horrific decision with your backup quarterback. Sean Payton said, oh, we're going to go for it. Not only did he go for it, he had the backup quarterback rolling out on a just an embarrassing play decision. Colin, under no circumstances should they have gone for that. You take the points, you go up 10-0. Now, if they knew that there was a blizzard coming, I mean, that's even more reason to go for. You saw what kicking was like in the second half afterward.

Here's Peyton talking about his poor decision. It felt like, man, we had momentum. To get up 14, it felt like we had a good call. I think the feeling was, man, let's be aggressive. There's always regrets. You know, I felt like, you know, here we are fourth and one. We felt close enough that. And it's also a call you make based on,

the team you're playing and what you're watching on the other side of the ball. So, yeah, they'll always be second thoughts. Yeah, I don't think that's why they lost. I think the truth is, is Jared Stidham, I thought made a huge mistake in the game. I don't think it was going to be his last if the weather got sunny. But I do think in that instance, if you take a 10-0 lead at home in a playoff game, your chances of winning, I think, are over 85%. But again, you're talking about very aggressive.

Sean McVeigh went forward on fourth and four. Why? Because Sean McVeigh trusts his offense, and Sean McVeigh's an aggressive offensive coach. So sometimes your great strength in life becomes your burden. Sean Payton, we can get a yard. I don't care. Now, I think if I had Bo Nix, I would understand it. With Jarrett Stidham, I don't think I would do that.

So, I mean, I think I tend to not be somebody that thinks, because Sean McVeigh is aggressive all the time and he got to within a play or two of getting to the Super Bowl again for the third time in his young career and Sean Payton's a great coach. My takeaway on this is if you can go up 10-0

and I don't know if they knew the weather report but if I can go up 10-0 at home and my defense, remember Denver's defense in that first half, J-Mack was excellent. 10-0 felt like 20-0-0. I mean, Drake May, New England's line was getting bullied in the first few series. So I think it's a mistake, but I also think

offensive coaches, defensive coaches by nature, kick the field goal. Offensive coaches, Dan Campbell's made a brand out of it. Go for it. So I don't love it, but I don't think that's the reason they lost. Compounding matters. So they got to the red zone, obviously, on the big bomb to Mims. Then they get to the red zone on this drives. At some point, you've got to be a realist, Sean Payton. Look in the mirror. Man, I got my backup Stiddy. By the way, city's a terrible nickname. He was not good throughout the day. They didn't get back to the red zone after that, Colin. They didn't have a drive longer than 20 yards. You got to remember, take a deep breath. The blizzard ended the game. I mean, at halftime, nobody could do. And you couldn't,

my TB, I didn't know where the yards were. So I almost looked like it was a half a game, and then the weather won the second half. I don't think at that point, basically New England decided at that point at halftime. I mean, how many times did they just run the ball? Nancy and Romo, they'd be like, okay, it's third down and four. They're like, no, they're going to run the ball. They survived. That's what you should do with 10-0-0-0 leads. Well, no, it's what you do in a blizzard.

In the second half, I mean, again, I just, the second half is in unplayable conditions. And so I think basically, you know, whoever let it half, whoever had the advantage, once halftime hit, you can't do anything. It's all about who has the wind at their back. I know that, obviously, the weather, you don't expect 80-yard drives calm. they didn't have a drive over 20 yards the rest of the game after failing on fourth down.

Rest of the game, couldn't move 20 yards, couldn't get a flag, couldn't get a breakout run, anything. I mean, it was kind of sad. I don't, we'll see what happens with the Broncos next year. I mean, this team, let's just be real, they were not a great football team.

They were good, and Lamar went down, and Joe Burrow went down, and Mahomes went, everything broke right for them. I don't know. You think this is a team that could get back to the Super Bowl again in the next like three years? I don't know if you get back to the Super Bowl.

They're going to win. They're going to be a really good double-digit win team as long as Bo Nix is on that rookie deal and Peyton's the coach. They have a very good roster. I don't think Denver's going anywhere. All right. We haven't talked about the Patriots,

but Stefan Diggs is going to his first Super Bowl. He's very excited. Obviously, remember that he was with the Buffalo Bills and wouldn't leave the field where they lost to the Chiefs. Here, he was talking to Christina Pink. about the unbelievable run that the Patriots have had. We got a hell of a team, bro. We fought long and hard, man.

We never made any excuses. No apologies for our success. No excuses for our failures, man. We made it this far. I'm just so thankful to be a part of this team. Be a small puzzle piece. We got a hell of an engine in the wide receiver room. Guys that make plays, man.

We got stars on this team. I hope that we earn the respect to everybody else, but we didn't do it for them. We did it for us. Good for him. It's interesting. So, J. Mack, my two teams that you disagreed with, I think, I know you disagreed with one. My two surprise teams in the NFL this year were Seattle, which I called a playoff team over the Niners.

I said the Seattle is going to be really good. And I said New England is going to double their win total and make the playoffs. I don't know if I, I don't think I picked the Seattle New England Super Bowl. No. But I think people are looking at Seattle and going, what a great team. And people are looking at New England and going, well, New England's, coaching is elite. Their coordinating is elite. By the way, their wide receiving group made big plays all year. Drake May is excellent. Run game fortified by drafting Trayvion Henderson. Hunter Henry,

a good tight end. They get a pass rush, great secondary. Like, I think New England's talent is way better than everybody think. You don't get to Super Bowls by luck. I think New England's, they spent $250 plus million on free agency. They plugged all. I mean, they're defensive lines. is excellent now. And by the way, remember when the season started, I said, don't judge New England in September because they had so many new people. They've got six rookies playing five or six rookies, 250. New England, to me, just, they had one really awful half this year against Buffalo.

Remember, they beat him in Buffalo. They came home and they had a really bad second half. And they also had a bad half, if I recall, against the Steelers way back early in the season. I mean, they lost to the Raiders. They've been a very consistent team for the last 10th. 10 weeks. You kind of know what you're getting. Great coaching, stud quarterback, big play down the sideline throws, and a good, a good tough defense. It's just tough to look at like this Patriots team and think of recent Super Bowl teams we've seen that are utterly dominant and beastly and

dynastic. And like this Patriots team is none of that. Now they're going to, like you said, they're going to win double digit games like the Broncos and be frisky because they got May on the rookie deal. But you use the word lucky, Colin. Let's use that to pivot to our third story. because Sean McVeigh used the word lucky to describe the Seahawks defense on that fourth and foreplay. They indeed got lucky. If you're watching it on FS1, you see them double Kyron Williams out of the backfield,

and it wasn't by design, according to McVe. Here he is breaking down. That was a situation where we just kind of came up short. They kind of lucked into having two guys peel on Kyron right there. I know that can't be part of their design. So fortuitous bust by them. You know, they're an excellent team. You don't take away anything.

you know, they earn the win and, you know, they're NFC champs for a reason. Yeah, people got upset with that, but what he's saying is basically they would not peel off two guys to guard him. They kind of had a guy missing assignment, and it just so happened that was the target the Rams wanted.

I don't buy into this sore loser stuff. But folks, it's like when you compete at the level these guys do, and then you get asked questions, do you want a politically correct answer? No. So the media's got to lighten up. Sean McVeigh was brutally honest. They kind of lucked into a bus.

They literally had two guys covering a position they shouldn't have had, and it worked out because they're great. And, you know, I mean, listen, they did a very good job against Stafford on these third and fourth downs. That's the reality of it. But you can't ask questions to competitors and athletes and coaches and expect these plastic synthetic answers. They're raw.

These, you know, these guys are raw. They're beaten. these coaches talk about not seeing their families for four months during this season. This stuff is tough. I'm with you. I think this is a sore loser nonsense. I haven't seen that personally. I stayed off social media.

Obviously, I had the Rams in this one and that stung. But they did get lucky. I mean, Kyron Williams is open on that probably 80% of the time. Look at the matchup. He's against a linebacker. I mean, Kyron Williams had a really good game. I mean, the Rams, Colin, against this mighty Seahawks defense, average 8.3. yards per play.

8.3. So I don't want to hear it. Like the Seahawks, unbeatable defense. I mean, I do. I already get pull out some money on a home equity line of credit and bet on the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl. I mean, I feel confident in that one. But, yeah, that's a tough one for the rins.

Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping back. The Heard Line News. Okay, so I'm going to give you one, and I am, I mean, this is a hill I'm going to die on. There is one advantage New England has. and when you're talking about young 23, 25, 28-year-old athletes, this plays. New England is going to hear now for the next two weeks,

they're going to get rolled by the Seahawks. Huge advantage Patriots. Remember on the National Championship game? Miami heard for a week, nobody's going to be to Indiana. Do you remember what that first quarter was like? Miami, the hurricanes were playing with their hair on fire. They bloodied Fernando Mendoza's lip. they were angry.

When you take young people and you tell them, no, you're going to get embarrassed, stuff kicks in. New England is going to hear because Seattle is so athletic and the NFC is better and they beat the Rams and the darn old story. I'm already hearing it. Oh, New England's. They're lucky to be here. Mike Vrable used that against the Houston Texans. Remember when the Patriot players came out of that game and said, all we heard all week was, what do we do we're going to get we're going to get beat by the texans

Vrable is taking media clips for the next week he is going to play that over and over it's don't forget how the new england patriot dynasty started in a snow game the tuck rule got to a super bowl and we're a 14 point dog to the team the media loved fastest show on turf the rams of 14 point

and everybody loved. I mean they gave Brady and Belichick no chance. It's the same damn story. And this is only a five point underdog. So it's so easy to focus your players during Super Bowl week when they're told they're going to get run.

And it's funny. I lived in a New England region for a decade. It's a great place to live. It's a great place. There is something about the New England region. You know, they always say offenses make great. neighbors. People keep to themselves. They're not as rich or as sexy or as flashy or as New York. But look at all the New York teams. The Celtics are smarter than the Knicks. The Patriots are always smart than the Jets and the Giants. In New England, there's something about the character.

They kind of like being an underdog. They kind of like being doubted. They kind of like being told they don't have a chance. And they'll just going to keep their head down. And Vrable, who is so good situationally. I mean, one penalty in a blizzard? No turnovers in a blizzard against a really good team. But I'm just telling you, you're giving me five points in New England? I'm taking it. I don't know how it's going to, do I think Seattle's better? Yeah, but they're very similar teams. Both of them need about another draft to solve their offensive line issues. Defense, they're both Both good, coaching, defensive guys, excellent, quarterback, still young, athletic, love to throw the ball down the field. JSN is the best receiver in the game, and Walker is a handful.

I think Seattle is better. That's why they're a five-point favorite. But for the record, Darnold in his career against the Patriots is 0 and 4 with a 41 passer rating. It's a different Sam Darnold. but I don't buy that this is a mismatch at all. I think that's complete, absolute nonsense. I think this is a field goal game either way. I think Seattle should be favored.

But all brable, the messaging for two weeks is, by the way, New England doesn't have to go on the road, neutral field, and no blizzard. It's all I'm saying. Christian Gonzalez of the Penn. Patriots, a great corner out of Oregon. His thoughts on being an underdog in a Super Bowl. I mean, it's been two weeks in a row.

It was always, you know, whoever, the Texans, you know, they talked about the Texan defense. And then this week it was all about the Broncos defense. And, I mean, like Mills said, I think it's shown we have a, we get that chip on our shoulder. I mean, it's cool. It's great if you want to count us out because, you know, we're just going to go out there and show what we can do.

I mean, think about that. The dynasty started as a 14-point underdog to the greatest show on turf. We just watched the National Championship where nobody gave Miami a shot to win, and they came out and were so ticked off. And Miami was hitting late on Indiana. And one of the reasons, because Mario Cristobal sold that all week, you're the dog, nobody trusts you. That is so effective with young athletes.

All year long, all I keep. hearing is, you know, New England, tell me where they're bad. Tell me where you don't like New England. Tell me the weakness. Am I here? Drake May is the weakness? I don't know. That's the greatest weakness of all time. Coaching, coordinating, toughness, they're great on the road. I mean, to me, their road record tells you all you need to know. Coaching travels, toughness travels, smart travels, flashy offenses don't travel. That's what doesn't travel. A flashy air attack in bad weather doesn't try all of new england's assets all travel well the two best teams in the NFL this year on the road they're playing in the super bowl yeah i think you're

getting a mirror image of each other i think the seahawk roster is a little deeper and more complete it just takes one bad fumble at your own eight and it just that evens the whole game up one block punt we're even i'm i'm taking the points in what i think think we'll be a great Super Bowl. It's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers. And guess what?

We have some big news. What's the news, name? 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. 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.

Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart 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 defying 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 Reid. 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 Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball, like, After you go through a training camp with that, I said, 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. Hey, I'm George Ardano.

You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that. 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 a chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream of chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network

available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Great American Race returns with back-to-back champion, William Byron, looking for a historic three-pe. It doesn't get any bigger than this. The 68th running of the Daytona 500. February 15th only on Fox. So the Pittsburgh Stalers, the Stalers hired Mike McCarthy,

very safe, not actually shocking. There was a lot of talk about other candidates, but, you know, Mike McCarthy is not a bad coach. Mike McCarthy will win a lot of games. To me, he's the offensive version of Mike Tomlin. You know, he'll win games. He knows what he's doing. I do think he'll make it more of an offense

first franchise. They've been stuck, spending a fortune on old defensive players. It is time to pivot. Does it feel edgy? Is it what the Rams would do or the Seahawks? No. Does it feel aspirational? No. But Pittsburgh isn't. That's not Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh loves Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh's going to do what feels right for Pittsburgh. So this has always been a franchise that's insular, that doesn't operate like the rest of the league. it just feels kind of safe. So they haven't pivoted to offense. What would make any of us think they're going to pivot to a young, clever, aspirational, edgy, risky, offensive coach.

I mean, they can't even get the offensive coordinator position right. They don't show enough urgency at quarterback. I mean, what were the AFC playoffs this year? A bunch of 20-year-old quarterbacks and one team with a 40-year-old quarterback, the Pittsburgh Steelers. and they just spend a fortune on defense where the rest of the league is spending it on offense. So it's kind of what they do. You know, they're, when you watch the Rams Seahawks play yesterday,

you're talking about GMs that takes big swings, big risk. I mean, the Rams have had one first round pick in like nine years, Jared Verse. So there's Seattle and the Rams, and the cities are very tech cities. They've got a lot of young people in the city. they're you know Seattle and the West Coast and Los Angeles it's just their DNA is to take swings and take risks

and that's not Pittsburgh that is not Pittsburgh that they're very comfortable being good so they chose a Pittsburgh guy and you know it again I think he's the offensive Mike Tomlin he knows what he's doing

they'll win a bunch of games I mean every time Dak Prescott was healthy they won like 12 games but I will say this with Mike Tomlin over the last seven or eight years and Mike McCarthy when you do get into a game with like an Andy Reid or a Belichick in his prime or a McVeigh, you don't necessarily feel like you have the best coach. You don't have a bad coach, but you always kind of feel like the other guys get better on the details, little more buttoned up. So that's where we stand today with the Pittsburgh Stalers. The other thing is people are going to beat up on a Sean McVeigh for his play call.

and I would have gone with a field goal. But the one thing, and there's a distinction here, I'm offensive coaches tend to be more aggressive on like fourth down than defensive coaches and the entire brand of Dan Campbell is going for it. What I didn't like about the move, because I don't think anybody thought there was going to be a blizzard. Maybe they did. What I didn't like about the move is even if you pick up the first down,

you're at the 13-yard line. It's not like you got point. It'd be one thing if you were, it was at the one. So you go for it, and if you succeed, 14-0, that is worth the risk. But the play design was not a play design. They rolled him out. That was not a design for a touchdown. It was a design to get the first down.

So even if it was successful, all right, you're at the 12-yard line, 13-yard line. So what? That doesn't guarantee anything. So I didn't think the risk was worth the reward. with a backup quarterback. Again, Bo Nix, I would go for it. I would feel different about Bo Nix. Because Bo is so, Bo would, by the way, not have pulled up there.

Bo would have beaten the edge rusher to the corner because Boe was so athletic and never takes sacks and never takes negative plays. So if you watch that play with Bo Nix, he would have moved outside of the defensive end. He's the most underrated athletic quarterback in the league, Bo Nix. He would have moved past the pass rush,

and then bought time or run for it. But that's not Stidham. Stidham's taller, less athletic. Again, just hasn't been in this spot very much. So I just didn't, what was the payoff of first down? I'll go for it because remember, if you lead by 10 in a conference championship game, at any point in a game, your chances of winning are 89%.

And a lot of these analytic numbers I roll my eyes at, but I don't roll my eyes at taking a 10-point lead at home when the weather is not ideal. And the teams had to know that the weather was going to get worse. I don't know if they knew it was going to be that. But my guess is they knew it was going to get kind of bad. Coaches tend to be very intense on weather. They're also superstitious.

They know, you know, Peyton knew the weather was turning. So here was Sean on the fourth down decision again. It felt like, man, we had momentum to get up. 14, I felt like we had a good call. I think the feeling was, man, let's, let's be aggressive. There's always regrets, you know. I felt like, you know, here we are fourth and one. We felt close enough that, and it's also a call you make based on the team you're playing

and what you're watching on the other side of the ball. So, yeah, they'll always be second thoughts. Yeah, I generally stay out of play calling. because I think there are certain things analytics can't measure but in that instance if you pick the first down up you're still 12, 13 yards

away from a touchdown so there's a likelihood you know the way New England's defense is very good there's a likelihood you're going to be doing that same thing in 90 seconds or two minutes you're going to have to make that decision again

again if you're at the one or two I get it. At that point, I think there is something to be said about momentum, young athletes, you're at home, it's 14-0-0, the weather's getting bad. Then it feels, I mean, there's a big difference between 14-0-and-10-0 when the weather's getting bad. By the way, Bo Nix's first career start in the NFL. He was the second fastest ball carrier in the entire league. That's interesting. Staff just sent that. So he's got a totally different gear than Jared Stedham. Totally different gear. Bo Nix, I could call that playing live. with it. Jared Stidham, I'm going with a field goal.

All right, good stuff. Colin Wright, Colin wrong, top of next hour. Matt Hasselbeck stops by. I can't wait to talk to him. He was in Seattle, and I have been told was partaking in some of the festivities after the game with the Seahawks. I'd love to hear that. What an environment, what a game to be involved in. What a day in Seattle.

Wasn't the weather perfect? It was always like that in Seattle in January. 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 asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, 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. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-heart. 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 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.

The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to Deeply Well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.