Herd Hierarchy: Colin Cowherd Ranks the 10 Best NFL Teams After Week 14 – December 15th
(VIDEO SEGMENT AT BOTTOM OF PAGE)
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2) (8)
“I don’t give a rip about your record, what are you TODAY? The Steelers are the 10th best team in the NFL. They have fewer than 20 points in three straight games, and were held under 50 rushing yards in 5 of their last 7 games – that’s like high school. The only reason you make the list is because you lead the NFL in takeaways, your defense can overwhelm a bad offensive line, and you have the most sacks – TJ Watt is unblockable. You’re a top 10 team who can create points with your defense, but if you can’t run the ball at all in December and January you’re not a Super Bowl team. You can be a ‘good’ team, and I can love your coach, but this is where you are, you’re TEN.”
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5) (6)
“Can somebody tell me what their identity is?? They just had a bye week and I still can’t figure it out. They’re just a collection of good players. They’ve got a Mike Tyson quality; they’re great against bad fighters -- they’re 6-1 against teams that are .500 or worse, but I can’t get past this – they’re 2-4 against teams with winning records, so they’re not a Super Bowl team either. They have the number one rushing defense, and the number six scoring offense, but to me they’re just a collection of really good players. They’re going to get to the playoffs and probably win a playoff game, but like Pittsburgh this morning, what IS their offensive identity? They don’t have one.”
8. Cleveland Browns (9-4) (7)
“Their backend defense is too big of a liability to win a Super Bowl, and their point differential of -20 makes them the only team in the league with 9 or more wins with a negative point differential. But they run the football, and you can argue that they have the best offensive line in the game. Baker’s interception last night was not a terrible interception, it was a GREAT play by Baltimore. I think they’re going to be fun for the next several years. If you have the best offensive line, and best rushing game in the NFL, you’re a playoff team, and they are absolutely a playoff team, but that defense on the back end?? Spend a little less money on wide receivers and tight ends.”
7. Seattle Seahawks (9-4) (10)
“Their next 3 games are at Washington – tough, Rams, and at the 49ers. They could go 1-2, or 0-3, these are not all good matchups for them because they all have great defensive fronts. They’re allowing 12 points per game over the last 3 games -- best in the NFL, their defense has 24 sacks since Week 9, and no other team even has 19. So they have solved their big problem – they are taking the ball away, and they have a pass rush. This team has more variables than any team in the top 10. I think they can be as good as the second best team in the league, or be the 10th or 11th best team in the league. If they’re healthy at running back you DON’T want to face them in the playoffs.”
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5) (unranked)
“Today I think Baltimore, even with all their injuries, would beat the Seahawks head-to-head. They have a great rushing offense, and Lamar leads all quarterbacks with 793 rushing yards. Baltimore is all beat up in the secondary, but if Lamar doesn’t get cramps and they don’t have secondary issues this could have been kind of an ugly game. I think this team needs to get healthy, but this idea that we’re still banging on Lamar, who’s got a 95 quarterback rating, has won 75% of his games, and can do things in football games that no other human being on the planet can do. You can sell your stock, but I wouldn’t want to face the Ravens in the playoffs.”
FULL Rankings in Segment at Bottom of Page
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