The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Thoughts on week 18, the Steelers found a way to win, Seahawks defensive was impressive against the 49ers

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

Colin Cowherd reacts to all the week 18 action from the NFL and establishing the playoff match ups. He explains why the Steelers win over the Ravens was the most impressive performance from Aaron Rodgers in years He goes on to give his thoughts on the impressive Seahawks defense and the head coaches fired on Black Monday including Pete Carroll and Kevin StefanskiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. The second season, the NFL playoffs. We're down to a final four in college football. One hour from now, Colin right, Colin wrong, plenty of both. We're live. We're in Los Angeles. Sunny Los Angeles. Pretty warm Los Angeles. It's the herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. So I want to start. There was a wild game last night. A fitting conclusion. Two teams I don't think are going to win a playoff game, regardless of who won last night, but all year long on Pittsburgh.

I kept going back to this well. I kept saying they don't do anything I like. Except Aaron Rogers. At 42 years old was the one thing every Sunday I was like, yeah, I trust Aaron. He hasn't thrown a pick since, what, November? And the Steelers have a lead. They blow two coverages.

Zay Flowers is wide open multiple times, allowing seven and a half yards of play. Lamar Jackson, fourth quarter up and down the field. And the other thing is, Nobody gets open with the Steelers. You notice this? Aaron Rogers' second half of the season with no D.K. Metcalf last two weeks. 73% completion percentage.

Passer rating well over 100. PFF has the receiving core at 29th. That was rated on the season with D.K. Metcalf. It's 32nd without him. And here's Aaron, who doesn't run much anymore in a dysfunctional offense that really hasn't run the ball consistently for seven years, an offensive line that's been okay inconsistent for seven years in pass protection, and he pulls it all together.

You got a little Warren here, you got a friar move there. Pittsburgh's just not very good at anything. They even missed an extra point last night. Blown coverage is everywhere. And yet Aaron Rogers, in the second half of that game, no D.K. Metcalf had his best half of the year. No timeouts. He had to burn two of those because of a one.

wonky headset. His defense has given up bombs from Lamar Jackson, as a flowers. They just didn't do anything consistently well all season long. And yes, he can be prickly and moody and a bit arrogant, but for a 42-year-old with this receiving core, this defensive head coach, inconsistent run game to not throw a pick since November 9th, Aaron Rogers gets my comeback player of the year. Because at Greenfield, Bay, there was no chaos. He had good offensive lines. He had good weapons. The Jets, he was hurt most of it. But in Pittsburgh, you think, well, that's Pittsburgh. They knew some things right. Not really. They didn't do anything well all year. They didn't really have dependable assets. Green Bay did.

I mean, even D.K. Metcalf couldn't keep it together this year. Eventually takes a swing of a fan. Two biggest games of the year, he's not available for either. So Aaron Rogers in the second half of this season, and we all know. the second half is the toughest half. I mean, you saw San Francisco. You're run out of players. You don't have all your tackles. You don't have backups. Look at Aaron's second half numbers.

Outstanding. 101 pass-a-rating, 14 TDs, 4 picks. The Steelers are in the playoffs. It's not because of Tomlin. It's not because of the defense. It's not because of the run game. It's not because of D.K. Metcalf. It's that 42-year-old Aaron Rogers

that can drive people nuts and can be a little moose. was outstanding that made function and formality a real thing for kind of a quicksand offense for the better part

of seven to eight years therein barely thanks to a mids field goal here's Aaron and the coach after it's been a grinding here and two years before that what's up as well so

this thing it's been an absolute blessing to be here with these fans and this organization and Mike Tee and the leadership that we got with these guys and, you know, I think we just, we found that little bit that's something special, which is belief tonight on the offensive side, and I'm proud of our guys the way we responded in the fourth quarter.

We've married him from afar for a long time. It's good to do it with him. But again, as I've said multiple times here in recent weeks, This was the vision in the spring when we pursued him. That's why you do business with a 41, 42-year-old guy. Been there, done that guy with a resume like his. He's not only capable, man.

He thrives in it. And I think he put that on display tonight. Now, they're an underdog at home on that final wildcard weekend of playoffs next week. And everybody loves Houston. I will just remind you that Mike Tomlin, been terrible on short week Thursday games. Mike Tomlin's been virtually unbeatable on Monday night football games. Steelers as a home dog with the motivator Mike Tomlin against the Houston Texans.

Do not be shocked if Aaron Rogers in Pittsburgh, 42 years old, finds himself advancing. I love Houston. but Monday night, Tomlin is magical. Speaking of magical, the best game of the weekend in terms of kind of awe-inspiring wow was Seattle's defense completely shutting down the hottest offense in the NFL San Francisco in the Bay Area. Seattle is the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl. They are long, fast, twitchy, athletic, Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy out of sorts. a big part of it is the fact that their general manager, in my opinion, the best personnel guy in the league.

Howie Roseman may make the best trades. John Snyder's the best personnel guy. If you go to the Seahawks first and second round picks, nine of them in the last four years, Pete left the building, he took over. They are nine for nine. They don't miss. And this Seattle team, as somebody from the Northwest, it does remind. remind me of the last great Seattle team that had a defensive coach and was mostly led by a great

run game and a defense. And they had a quarterback the other team, but he wasn't really a unifier. He and Pete Carroll never really saw eye to eye. And that's the difference. Everybody in that building loves Sam Darnold. Everybody in San Francisco, USC, Minnesota loves Sam Darnold. He's a relatable guy. Quarterbacks always get special treatment. You can't ask for it. That Seattle team was packed. But you always heard things that the players didn't quite connect with Russell Wilson. He saw himself at times above the team. Fair not. That's what you heard. You never hear that with Darnel. The GM, the coach, his teammates constantly after games defending if he has an interception. And the reason being is because Darnold owns it.

Doesn't seek special treatment. One of the guys. And that really matters. There's the old stories about Tom Brady that would walk up to rookies when he was in year 17 and go, hi, my name is Tom Brady. Of course, everybody knew that he was. But the fact that Brady would reach out was a way to communicate and connect with a 22-year-old out of Rutgers. That's Darnold's secret sauce.

Yes, he's athletic. Yes, he's got a great guy. great arm. Yes, he's aggressive. Yes, he can run, make plays with his feet. But it's that relatability. And in life, look at who vouches for people. Kyle Shanahan loved him. Kevin O'Connell loved him. Mike McDonald, his biggest fan. This Seahawk team reminds me of that. But more unified. Yes, both have a run game, led by their defense, defensive coach. But the quarterback, both were athletic. This time feels more galvanized, more unified,

and they are the odds-on-favorite to win the Super Bowl after Saturday night shutting down McCaffrey, Purdy, and Kyle Shanahan's red-hot offense. Here's Donald. I'm taking it one day at a time. It's been a whirlwind. The NFL season, just preparing one week at a time, that's the best part about it, is like, you know, you celebrate a win like this, and then, tomorrow you might celebrate a little bit too because you've got to buy but we're right back to

seeing what we can do better and how we can get better for the next game and that's the beautiful thing about you know the NFL and what we do yeah it it's i mean no mohomes no lamar jackson no joe burrow and we're not sure what to make a josh allen's defense so it's a very interesting year i think one of the trends that's happened in the NFL over the last couple of years the bottom of the league is awful the new york teams are unwatchews are unwatched and mostly awful. It didn't used to be like that. It feels a little NBA,

and the reason for that is it's quarterback dependent. If you don't have one and you don't have the right coach to elevate what you do have, it gets ugly fast. So this is going to be a very unique year where Jacksonville could win it all. Will Bow Nix or Sam Darnold hoist a trophy? What are we to make of Philadelphia? We love the roster, but we're not sure about the coach and the quarterback. and it's a coach quarterback league.

It's a wide open playoffs. I'm not even a fan of Pittsburgh, but everybody's counting them out. Tomlin on Monday is a home dog. You have to bet Pittsburgh. You have to bet Pittsburgh is a home dog on Monday with Mike Tomlin. That's the one everybody's talking about yesterday.

Everybody's going, oh, this is an entertaining game, but these teams can't win a playoff game. Tomlin, home, dog. against an offense that struggles? You know how Pittsburgh is. I mean, there's only one guarantee in this league. If the Jets play, they will not get an interception. That's the only thing statistically.

They could play another 30 games. They would not get an interception. J. Mack, I do not remember a wild card round where if you told me there were four upsets, I would not be shocked. Yeah. See, I'm shocked that you're all in on the Steelers here. Wow.

Loving Pittsburgh. Monday night, I think, were they undefeated since, you know, 1971 or some crazy stat. How about this? Kevin Stafansky, Pete Carroll, Jonathan Gannon, all fired this morning. Heard lines coming up. I would hire Kevin Stafansky in Las Vegas in a New York minute. If I'm the Jets, I consider moving on from Aaron Glenn to grab Stifansky before someone else does. Cleveland makes a lot of mistakes. I think this is one of them.

I would hire in one second Kevin Stafansky. Heartbeat, no question, yeah. 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 Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from The Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show. That's right. You can now watch The Odd Couple live on YouTube every day.

All you got to do, search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube. Again, YouTube, just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe. 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 a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. 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, 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 remember. 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 the story i've told myself about love or relationships 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 debby 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.

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Hey, I'm Jared Adano. 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 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, 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 Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coultera podcast network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Diana Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimen apostle chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast.

How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my GenX squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic. B.S. All of a sudden I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be?

I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, welcome back. I do not remember seeing a wild card round of the playoffs where there's almost nothing I'm sure of. I said almost. The Rams will beat Carolina.

It's a 10 and a half point spread. I'd probably stay away from that. Here are the games to look at. I mean, Sunday is going to be absolutely epic. So, I mean, Denver and Seattle get a first round by. I think Seattle wants to play. If I was that young, that aggressive, playing that well. If I was Seattle, I'd want to play.

So I don't know what the Eagles are. Who knows what the bears are? In fact, the two number two seats, New England and Chicago, aren't they still in rebuilds? like the Patriots O' line still in a rebuild, the Bears' defense still in a rebuild. So what are we supposed to make of Chicago who yesterday, for the first three quarters, the offense was flat and couldn't score, maybe the Chicago Bears who are now a home underdog to Green Bay in the wildcard round, and Green Bay hasn't won a game in a month.

So I look at Chicago and I think if Chicago loses, do we chalk it up to, well, the first stage of Ben Johnson. He got him to a two seed. No more sacks for Caleb Williams. He's healthy. He's gone from like some thought a bus to wildly dynamic. I don't know what to make a Philadelphia. I love the roster. Don't love the coach, the quarterback. And I don't know now suddenly what to make a Chicago. Now, they were number two in big plays, number six in total offense, but they gave up more big plays than all but about three teams in the league. So when you get to the playoffs, It's about all three phases. Special teams, ask Baltimore.

You get into these big games, you've got to make your kicks. I mean, Seattle dominates San Francisco, only wins 13 to 3 because that first drive they went down, went for it, got no points for it. So here is Ben Johnson on the two-game losing streak. And, you know, Caleb was magical late in the game, but was invisible early. And here's the coach. The stakes are a lot higher here going forward. We can't afford to have a phase, one of our three phases, play like we did today. And so we're going to have to pick it up.

And like I said, I get fired up just thinking about it right now. And I know our guys are too. There's an argument that the most complete team is Jacksonville and very few people have watched them. They went to Denver and did something. Nobody else seemed to be able to do. Destroy the Broncos on the road. So you start looking at it. Rams, Panthers, I think we all like the Rams.

I would take the Bears at home as a dog, a little extra motivation. That's going to be a wild scene in Chicago. I like Jacksonville to beat Buffalo and bounce Josh Allen round one. I do. I think Philadelphia, the Niners are limping into that game. If Pierceall and Trent Williams play, they've got a shot. J-MAC is very hot on the Chargers.

I think New England's one of those teams because they went from bad to this good. Nobody quite buys into New England. I do. And I thought I came into the weekend. I thought Texan Steelers, you got a Monday night game. Pittsburgh's a dog. One of the great underdog coaches in this league, especially on Monday, is Mike Tomlin. outside of the Rams and Carolina.

No outcome would surprise me this weekend. None. By the way, Rams are a double-digit favorite. Yeah, 10 and a half. But by the way, they lost their three weeks ago, which actually helps them. It is like November 30th, but yes, I would agree. So Chargers Patriots, what's the weakness of the Chargers, Colin?

O-Line. Right. Do you know the Patriots are like 25th in pressure rate and they blitz at like league average? They can't get to the quarterback. Pressure is not their thing. Yeah. That's great.

for Justin Herbert in the pocket. And then conversely, Jesse Minter's defense doesn't give up big plays. What does Drake May live off of? Big place. So I think first time starter for May, I already bet Chargers three and a half. I really liked it. I think they went out right. Oh.

Who's a better coach in that game, by the way? Why does somebody have to be better? Well, who gets the advantage? I don't think there's any advantage. Really? I think it's two great coaches. I looked this up last night. Do you remember the last time Brable won a playoff game?

What year it was? No. 2019. Well, it's not that long ago. Six years. For the record, I would argue the weakness of both the Patriots and Chargers is the O-line. Yes. I think that's absolute.

And the run games have been inconsistent. They're very, very similar. Is that we still think Harbaugh has to improve the O-line, and we had real questions about the receiving corps, but the Chargers are receiving corps is actually okay. Yeah. And we had real questions about the O-line for New England, and their receiving core, and their receiving core has exceeded any, any prediction. By the way, for your West Coast team going east.

By the way, Drake May's comp is Justin Herbert. I mean, coming out of college, people said he's like he'll be the East Coast Herbert. That's not bad. By the way, the weather, I know your big West Coast going east. No snow. No frigid temperatures. High 30s, low 40s. That's like L.A. weather in the morning 5 a.m. out here or now.

J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Connell, let's start with a lot of breaking news on Black Monday in the NFL. So three head coaches are out. Kevin Stefansky in Cleveland, Pete Carroll with the Raiders and Jonathan Gannon, the most recent of the Arizona Cardinals.

I'm surprised by Stefansky six years in Cleveland, two-time coach of the year, got to the playoffs twice. Pete Carroll, it was a disaster. But they've now going one and done basically two years in a row with Pierce. Yep. And Carol, that's not a great look. Jonathan Gannon, I mean, they lost nine straight. they were listless for two months.

Well, he's a defensive coach. So Arizona's defensive coach, the defense kind of quit. The Jets are going to keep Aaron Glenn, and that's the worst defense in the league. Pete Carroll felt out of sorts. There was some friction in Seattle about his son on the coaching staff. There was friction. Chip Kelly quit this year. His son again on the coaching staff.

So there's a lot of stuff there that hasn't been reported much, but I've heard through trustable various sources. That was a fissure, a bone of contention. So Pete kept saying, we're all good here. Everybody in the world knew it was over. I think what's interesting, Stefansky to the Raiders makes so much sense because they're getting Mendoza.

And young quarterbacks, we've seen it through the league. It can be Liam Cohen. It can be Ben Johnson. Young quarterbacks need teachers. Calm. This whole Brian Flores, Brian Daibel, I like both of them a lot. They are intense.

Yeah. They are blow it up. start over guys. Yeah, there's a theory that it would be Flores as the head coach. DaBall. That's a lot of combustible. There's some background there. Well, let's not get into it.

I'm just curious. Of those six we saw on the screen, six jobs are open currently. Titans as well. Falcons is open as well. Of those six, is there one that jumps out that you think is the best job? Now, the Raiders have the number one pick. Titans had the one last year, have Cam Ward. Well, the Giants have Jackson Dart.

So my feeling is he is good enough if he can stay. out of the blue tent to be a franchise quarterback, and I've been saying this for years. I think the Giants actually have talent. They can't get their leadership. There obviously is a red flag. Joe Shane, they announced his staying. He's the GM who butchered Daniel Jones,

butchered Sequan Barkley. If you want to go work for that guy, obviously, that's... You're asking me what's the best of a sorry lot. It's very sorry, but the Falcons. Okay, go ahead. I have my left tackle. I'll get Scataboo. I've got a franchise quarterback four years.

I don't have to pay him. I've got Abdul Carter. I got Pass. rushers. Malik Neighbors comes back. Giants have what the number five pick. Five pick. So they're going to get a star somewhere. They'll probably go get a right tackle. Again, Jackson Dart's been better than I thought. If you're giving me Jackson Dart scataboo, left tackle, a number one wide receiver, they have to go get a tight end, but they've got pass rushers. I think the Giants are the best of this situation. Interesting. Over the Raiders

who have the number one pick and a certain guy in the front office who's the greatest quarterback in the history of football. I mean, he's going to walk into those media. and plop down a bunch of Super Bowl rings on the table. Is he playing? He knows a little about football. I think they're going to be okay. Yeah. All right, let's move on to the Rams, Colin.

Interesting win for them over the Cardinals, 3720. Matthew Stafford, very strong game. Rams weren't buttoned up defensively, but let's focus on Stafford, who McVeigh believes is the only choice for MVP. I think Matthew's the MVP of the league. He played that way.

Wouldn't want anybody else leading the way. Got a lot of respect for, a bunch of people in this league, but there's nobody I'd rather have being the quarterback of the L.A. Rams than Matthew Stafford. His play speaks for itself. Well, some people insinuated, they dialed up more past plays for Stafford in the late going to help stats. Listen, I think you can go either way. I will say, I think top to bottom, the Rams have more talent than New England right now. So if you look at it and go, but I would argue that Stafford plays in a much tougher division

by far. I think the NFC West is the best division. I don't have a problem either way. I love both guys. May is doing more with less. Stafford did more, period, in terms of, listen, when you play in, I have to play Kyle Shanahan twice and Sala and the

Seahawks defense twice, that is a handful. You know, Drake May got the Jets twice and the Dolphin Circus twice. Easiest schedule. Some people are, some of the metrics in the last decade at least. No, no. Easy as schedule. Yeah, New England. had a pretty easy run. Another reason I like the

Chargers. By the way, Rams get Devante Adams back and apparently Lake in the back end of the secondary is coming back. Quentin Lake's coming back. He is... Do you remember what happened against the Panthers? They had a couple bomb touchdowns, okay? Do you know how many times they got to the Red Zone against the Rams? Panthers? How many? One time in the whole game.

Defensive touchdown. Yeah. I think Rams is one of those guys that's not talked about in the league. Rams see him as he's a nickel as a huge asset. And you have noticed they have been resting Devante Adams. So their offense has been uneven. A lot of it's the red zone stuff with Devante.

So Devante comes back. You don't rely on Puka as much. The tight ends yesterday, once again, we're huge for the Rams. I think Rams. Rams is a coast. Yeah. Final story, Colin, Dallas Cowboys. Boy, they had a nine-game win streak against the Giants.

That was snapped yesterday. Jackson Dart doing some fun things. I thought Jackson Dart was nice. Now, Jack Prescott, again, it's week 18. They were doing the one, two, three. Cancun thing in the huddle. You know, Dak Prescott fumbled, had like 70 yards passing. They pulled him.

Afterward, deck Prescott says, coming up short of the Super Bowl, Super Bowl, playoffs, buddy, is getting old. Tired of it? I've got to deal with it. Yeah, sure, tired, right? But it's up to me to control. And that's why I say this year was as frustrating as anything is right, there's been a number of times being up here talking to you guys and, right, saying,

I need to fix this, I need to get better at this. And, you know, to have a season where it wasn't on my play or, you know, I can't say, I should have fixed that or I should have fixed that. I mean, I take accountability. Don't get me wrong in so many ways. And the leader I am, I'm frustrated always trying to figure out what could I've done better, you know, if there was, whether it was conversations here or talking to this guy there or whatever it may be. Yeah. Well, if you're not going to take coaching seriously and you're going to try to get value, you know, Jerry Jones always says every time I seek value, that's what I get.

I get a discount. Well, look at your coaching staff. So they will be drafting 12th. Their back end of the second day is terrible. Caleb Downs would be a massive home run from, I don't think he's going to be there at 12, Colin. I'm looking at the board. Well, what hurts Dallas is that if Dante Moore doesn't come out and shouldn't,

you're not getting four or five quarterbacks over drafted. Like next year, seven quarterbacks maybe first round. Yeah, next year's the year. Yeah, so this year we thought Cade Clubnick, and we thought Drew Aller and those. Those guys are fourth and fifth round picks probably. So the problem is Caleb Downs is going to get gobbled up by the eighth or ninth pick. Also what Seattle is doing with their safeties and secondary.

Like there's some things. Safeties are becoming a new chess piece. Kyle Hamilton last night, he goes out for the Ravens. The defense falls apart. Yeah. Like some of these safeties, and I think Downs can be a box and coverage safety. He's really good, especially with the new tight end stuff. Teams going three tight ends.

It's funny to watch the NFL got cyclical. We running backs got downgraded. And then all of a sudden, Christian McCaffrey. And everybody looks around and it's like, and you watch Scataboo and you watch these young guys. And Derek Henry and Bejohn, you're like, oh, no, they actually matter. Jonathan Taylor. And everybody bailed. Safety's never got paid for years and years.

And now one of the trends is certain organizations love safeties. Huge. I mean, the Broncos, you know, the Rams. What you talked about, Seattle. Seattle's becoming a blueprint defensively. McDonald is, he's freaking good. Yeah. J-Mac with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping them. The herd lie news. Well, I always think this. If you've got kids and you draw up a will, what kid is the executor of the will? It's the one you trust. When you're gone, it's the one you trust.

The grown-up of the kids. So, Sean Payton, Denver's got a by number one seat. Sean Payton never babysitting or pandering to Bonex. not only does Bo Nix have 24 wins in two years in a division with Harbaugh and Jesse Mentor, Annie Reed and Spaggs. It's like a great defensive division. Top quarterbacks. Bow Nix is the first quarterback ever to lead the NFL in his first two seasons in passing attempts in this era of football.

That's called trust and responsibility. So when I hear this thing, well, it's just Sean Payton's play calling. Yeah, you're right. It is about Sean Payton's play calling. Loading up Bo Nix with every play in the playbook. I remember when Big Ben came into the league Miami of Ohio to Pittsburgh, and for two years, they babysat it. He never threw the ball. It was defense and run game. So in my take on Bo Nix is, you can tell how good he is by what Sean Payton puts on his plate. He's thrown it 42, 43 times a game.

I mean, last night, Aaron Rogers, who 47 times, that told you who Mike Tomlin trusted Aaron Rogers, not his run game. So, I mean, it's 14 and 3 in that division with Harbaugh and Jesse Minter, with Spags and Andy Reid is an accomplishment. Here's Bo Nix on the number one seat. It's the best possible position to be in, you know, two home games is where we want to be. It's better than having to play on the road and it's better than having to play an extra game. So I think for us is the best case scenario. And, you know, it'll be good to play here because of our stadium and the atmosphere. I think that'll apply a little bit more pressure.

And then, but at the end of the day, it's, you know, it's an open tournament. It's going to be, you know, a really good opportunity to play really good teams. Listen, we saw it in college football. where only one team with extra rest, Indiana won. Football, I think Seattle's better off playing than getting a buy. I think Seattle's youth and their energy and the momentum, if I was Seattle, I'd want to play. I feel a little bit the same for Denver.

I don't love getting out. Now, Philadelphia, by all means, take a week off. San Francisco is a team, if they could. take a week off, get Trent Williams or Ricky Pierce all healthy. But for anybody that doubts Bo Nix, 24 wins, two seasons, and it's the playbook that Sean Peyton has foisted on Bo Nix. He's the executor of this will. They have dumped every play on him.

And sometimes in that division with those D.C.s and those head coaches, it's a little inartistic, just a little. So Colin Wright, Colin wrong, next hour. Also, the draft order is out, and it sends a message. Also, I think he won't win Coach of the Year, but if I had a vote, I would vote him, Coach of the Year. That's next. In L.A., it's The Hurd.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Hurd 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? Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to a... 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. The story I've told myself about love, or relationships 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 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 need people in connection. 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. Hey, I'm Jordan Arano. 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 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 a chicken suit. Hey, cream a 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 Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast.

How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that Ness was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How hard can it be? How hard can it be? Getting naked at 50 with the new guy.

That one's kind of hard, you know? Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tonight, it's a big 10 hoops doubleheader on FS1. First at 6 Eastern 13th ranked Nebraska takes on Bruce Thornton and Ohio State. Then at 830 USC battles, Coach Izzo and his ninth ranked Spartans. It all tips off tonight only on FS1. Oh, Colin right, calling wrong. Starting Thursday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, it is going to be the best five-day sweep of football in America. It's going to be unbelievable. I'm telling you right now, I'm making chicken enchiladas.

I may not leave the couch for five days. So I actually this morning started laughing looking at this. Go look at the 2026 NFL draft order. Tell me if these are familiar teams at the top of a draft. Vegas has the number one pick, followed by the Jets, Arizona, Tennessee, four, Giants, Five, Cleveland, six, Washington, seven, New Orleans, eight. Rinse and repeat, might as well be, it could be one of any of the last eight years. New England was on that puppy recently. And why aren't they?

How did the New England Patriots escape being in that top ten? A smart owner in Robert Kraft admitted his mistake, Gerard Mann, good assistant, not a head coach, wasn't stubborn, and then hired a very expensive best coach on the market, Mike Frable. You know who else did that? The Bears, they're in the playoffs. The Broncos, they're in the playoffs. The Chargers with Harbaugh, they're in the playoffs. They all hired, like Vrable, the perceived and true best coach on the market. Look at the head coaches of these top eight teams drafting. One of them, Kevin Stefanski, would have any market. So I think people forget this.

A lot of owners, and I mean 75% of owners, it may be 75%. They don't want to spend big money on a coach. New York Giants won't. New York Jets won't. Cincinnati won't. Arizona. The Bidwells won't. Dallas won't.

Jerry Jones won't spend money on a coach. McCarthy, Jason Garrett, Chan Galey. He had Bill Parcells. He didn't like it. So New England didn't always. want to perpetually be one of those teams. So they wrote a massive check. And but these owners are cheap.

They're insecure. They're driven by ego. They want to be, they want to be the centerpiece of an organization. They know they have to have a good quarterback and they try to find one. They don't want that coach running the show and kicking them out of the office. So, I mean, a prime example is Joe Burrow, second year in a row missed the playoffs. What's the first thing Cincinnati does this morning?

announced they are bringing back the coach. Okay. In Cincinnati, I'd bring in Kevin Stefansky. They're not going to do that. So Mike Rable was not cheap. Either was Ben Johnson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean Payton. Here's Rable on a year one, basically a nine-month complete turnaround by his franchise.

We got the right guys in the building at the right time, and we got good quarterback play. We figured out how to not beat ourselves. I think we play to our identity. And guys make plays. That's what happens. We are the second seed, and we're going to host the chargers, and we start over.

When the Wins are going to matter is going to be the ones that we can get moving forward. So as good as Rable is, there's an argument to be made, the coach of the year, should be Kyle Shanahan. They finished the regular season 12 and 5. I don't know how they did it. Say this out loud. You play in the toughest division in football, certainly the best coach division in football.

You have to start a backup quarterback, a backup, who they threw out of Jacksonville eight times. Your two best defenders, Fred Warner and Bosa, both Hall of Famers, they got hurt. Plus your first round pick. on defense got hurt. You don't have a number one wide receiver. Brandon Iyuk, no show this year.

And by the way, his backup, Ricky Pearsall, also missed half dozen games. So the composition of rosters in the Seattle San Francisco game was so heavily towards Seattle. Pierceall's out, Trent Williams out. And they were actually in that game in the fourth quarter. So the leading receivers for the Niners this year were a running back, Christian McCaffrey, and a seventh round pick. And they are a 12 and 5 team in the toughest division in football. Best three teams at the top of any division in football. I thought it was unbelievable coaching. I mean, at least Mike Brable gets the Jets twice and Miami twice. I mean, you watch that game, Seattle and San Francisco. Did you not feel from the first drive

on, especially if you were at the game, I had a friend that was at the game, he's like Seattle is everywhere. He goes Seattle's team speed didn't even San Francisco didn't even match up. Didn't look like they should be on the same field. So here's Kyle Shanahan after kind of getting manhandled against Seattle. We need to play better than that. I was proud that they kept battling and was able to hold them to 13 points. That's what

gave us a chance there at the end. But we need to play better all around. We're ready for it. I mean, yeah, it would have been nice to have a home game here. Or both. home games and get it by. But it is what it is. I mean, this team's been through a lot this year. Now we've got to do it the hard way and we'll embrace this up doing the hard way and look forward

to it. Now, I have said this. It's been my criticism and it's not just Shanahan. It's John Lynch. And I know John and I love him. The downside to getting old in this league. You know the second oldest team in the league this year? J. Mack knows it's Washington.

They fell apart physically. So you look again at the composition of San Francisco's roster. Williams. Old hurt. George Kittle. Christian McCaffrey, a lot of hits. Fred Warner is, I wouldn't say old, probably just moving out of his prime, Bosa. So a lot of San Francisco's issue, Seattle is young and young players when they get hurt, heal more quickly. San Francisco, I think, may need to consider moving some pieces a little bit because they are, now they move to Funga, a very good safety, who himself gets hurt. But when you watch San Francisco, I I was saying it, if they can get Trent Williams and Ricky Piersall are healthy,

they could go to Philadelphia and win that game. But if you start looking at that roster in this league, the league's getting younger. Washington and San Francisco felt to meet old going into a season. And, you know, what happened? You fell apart. So here are the playoffs schedules again for this weekend starting Saturday, where the Rams are a big favorite at Carolina.

and again, Cornell Lake, my bad, Quentin Lake is back at safety for them and Devonte Adams back. So the Rams are a huge 10 and a half point favorite. I think one of the odyses of the playoffs

is Chicago is a home underdog. After that game against San Francisco, when they flexed and showed their offense, lost, but played really, really well offensively, I think people look at that Detroit game and betters and don't know what to do with Chicago. Green Bay has not won a game in a month.

Jordan Love is he 100%. Matt LaFleur was on the hot seat at the end of the season, and Green Bay is favored in that game Saturday. Is that nuts? I think Chicago should be favored to win. So you saw the two matchups, right? The first matchup, we would agree. The Packers were the better side, led I think the whole game.

It was tied sometimes. second matchup, Packers up 16-6 with two minutes left in Chicago without Jordan Love and no Micah. And the Bears needed like a late field goal, an onside kick, and then the walk-off touchdown pass by Caleb. There's a lot of luck involved there. I had wanted bears. This is a stay-away game for me, Con. I'm nervous for your guys. First-time quarterbacks in the NFL playoffs historically do not fare well.

So you're betting against Drake, May? I'm definitely betting against Drake May. and against Bryce Young. Caleb could be the one. I don't know what to do with that game. You know how the boxers, hey, there was eight rounds. There were eight quarters. Did the Bears win any of those quarters?

Any. I mean, maybe the overtime, the ninth quarter. You know, my favorite bet of the weekend? I think Jacksonville could hammer Buffalo. Ooh, that's my... Hammer, Josh Allen. When's the last time Jacksonville didn't play well? I mean, Jacksonville, they don't have...

They don't have a great number of sacks, but they rush. They're very good at getting pressure on the quarterback. Kind of like the Belichick Patriots. They don't lead the league in sacks, but they get pressure. They run the ball. They don't turn it over now. Liam Cohen, who got into that early season scrap with Robert Sala. Jacksonville's, there's an argument.

They're the best team in the league not named the Seahawks. So crazy stat I saw. They have not allowed a 75-yard rusher this season. 75. So if James Cook can't get loose, it literally is Josh Allen against the world. And that is a tall order for it. him. What's the line on that you said? It was like one. Jacksonville was a one point dog.

Dog? Oh, that's a lot of respect. I think my favorite, my favorite pick is Jacksonville at home. Yeah, are we sleeping on Trevor Trevor Lawrence at all? I mean, he's been amazing. He said every franchise record. I think there's a couple of things that play. One, it's hard to unsee stuff. Right? Like, we've

seen Jacksonville over the last four or five years. They just make a lot of mistakes. I'm, I'm as guilty as anybody. I'm just now considering them a top three team. But You know, it's, when I watch Vrable go to New England, I predict, yeah, they're going to make the playoffs. Because I have a lot of, a lot of equity built up watching Vrable play. You watch Jacksonville the last decade, you're like, oh, it's a squirly franchise, that weird Blake Bortles team.

But they just, you don't trust them in big spots. This Jacksonville team, good on the road, good and close games. They've blown people out multiple times. So spit it forward. Jacksonville wins. What is it, 30 to 20? Do the bills consider moving on from McDermott? They will have backslid every year since being in that amazing AFC title game against Mahomes. Is there an argument that the people not in the AFC playoffs, Lamar, Burrow, and Mahomes puts immense pressure on Buffalo.

I don't think the pressure's on Jacksonville. I think all the pressures on Buffalo. No Burrow Mahomes or Lamar Jackson. And you've got Josh Allen that perceived one of the great four in the AFC. and you're playing squirrelly Jacksonville, which has really no home field advantage at all. Buffalo will have 20,000 people down there. And remember, Burrow and Mahomes,

they got paid and it's tough to build around. Maybe this is the last hurrah for the bills in Josh Allen, because he's got his big deal. That would be, so just Sifansky and everybody wait to see what happens in Buffalo before jumping on a job? Oh, absolutely. I mean, what do you do if Buffalo loses to Jacksonville? You go coach Josh Allen.

You, the owner has to have a long conversation moving into the new stadium. Yeah. Oh, new stadium. That's right. Yeah. 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. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio. Non-stop workout music and expert tips 24-7. 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. hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day.

I heart radio. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From I Heart 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. It's for Vietnam. They're pouring patril all over here. Freedom for Vietnam!

There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to It burnouts everything. Listen to Saigon on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This season on Dear Chelsea, with me, Chelsea Handler, we have some fantastic guests like Amelia Clark. When like young people come up to me and they want to be an actor or whatever. And my first thing is always, can you think of anything else that you can do? Rather be disappointed in.

Do that. David O'Yello-O. I love this podcast, whether it is it. therapy or relationships or religion or sex or addiction or you just go straight for the guts. Dennis Leary, Gaten Moderato from Stranger Things, Tana Monsu, Camilla Morone, Carrie Kenny Silver, and more. Listen to these episodes of Dear Chelsea on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.