Herd Hierarchy: Colin Cowherd Ranks the 10 Best NFL Teams After Week 15 – December 22nd
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10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) (9)
“Tampa Bay overcame a 17-point halftime deficit to win. Why were they down 17? They’re 4-3 in games that they’ve trailed by more than 10 points. Why are they always down in big games? You can argue ‘well, so was Kansas City’, but Kansas City has a much higher end at the end of games. The part that worries me is Tampa’s back end, and they’re 8-1 against teams .500 or worse. There’s a lot of wins over a lot of junk. Brady appears to me to not be the issue, the issue is that the back end is not good, the pass rush is inconsistent, they blitz a lot, they take a lot of chances, and their back end often does not save them on those blitzes.”
9. Tennessee Titans (10-4) (unranked)
“I’m going to give you a stat that is insane. You think you know all the good quarterbacks in the league, but since Ryan Tannehill got the starting job in Week 7, he has 67 touchdowns, 11 picks, and a passer rating of 112 – BETTER THAN MAHOMES. I’m not saying he’s better than Mahomes, but you think this is all Derrick Henry. Adam Gase is apparently an atrocious coach. Ryan Tannehill is playing his arse off. Derrick Henry is unbelievable, so why are they ninth? They have no pass rush, and do not match up against a Kansas City, they just don’t. I don’t think they match up with Baker Mayfield and Cleveland either. I think they make quarterbacks too comfortable. We gotta come to terms with this – Ryan Tannehill is a top 10 quarterback in this league, and Adam Gase can’t coach, because I saw him in Miami and I thought Tannehill was a stiff. He’s NOT.”
8. Los Angeles Rams (9-5) (5)
“Don’t sell too much of your stock, there’s a couple things here that matter. They’re one of only two teams in the NFL to outgain their opponents by over 1,000 yards – Vegas cares about that. They have the number one defense, and they’ve allowed the fewest ‘Big Plays’ in the NFL. This is a really good football team, but here’s the problem… Jared Goff gets into these 'turnover tunnels', and in the last 7 games he has 8 touchdown passes and 12 giveaways. It’s a problem, it’s frustrating for McVay, it may shorten his career in Los Angeles, but don’t kid yourself – Jalen Ramsey allows them to match up with everybody in the NFL. You can put him on a Tyreek Hill, you can put him on a DK Metcalf, you can put him on a Davante Adams, and you know you’re getting a pass rush with Donald. They have some matchup symmetry with almost every good team in the league.”
7. Cleveland Browns (10-4) (8)
“Their offensive line is the best in the NFL. They remind me of Dak and the Dallas Cowboys his rookie year. Here comes Dak, best offensive line in the NFL, easily, great running game, you’re not putting a ton of pressure on the quarterback, and Dak and the Cowboys go 13-3. Baker is humming right now, and without OBJ he’s a point guard and he can pass to anybody. He’s got time to throw, the running game is wide open, and the play-action pass works now. Baker has 15 touchdowns and one interception since Odell’s injury. I don’t care what anybody says, he looks more comfortable, he looks like he’s controlling the offense, and his body language is good. He doesn’t have nervous feet, and his accuracy and confidence have gotten very good in the past 6 weeks.”
6. Seattle Seahawks (10-4) (7)
“Seattle’s got a Hall of Fame coach and a Hall of Fame quarterback and I would take them over Cleveland in a matchup, even though I don’t like their offensive line. The reality is that the Seahawks defense is on fire since Carlos Dunlap, who we loved, came over. They have a top 5 defense since he arrived, 28 sacks since he arrived, they’ve held each of their last four opponents under 20 points, and the running backs are HEALTHY, which is when Seattle is scary. Their offense has been a little stagnant for a month as they reboot their defense, but I still like them a lot.”
5. Miami Dolphins (9-5) (unranked)
“Miami lost to Seattle earlier but I don’t think they would today. Are the Dolphins with Brian Flores the best coached team in the league? I’m not saying he’s the best coach, but are they the best coached team in the moment? They won last week and they were missing 4 of their 5 top players. They’re only allowing 18 points per game, and Tua is Drew Brees – he makes no mistakes. You’re not going to get a ton of huge plays, but no mistakes. He is the perfect quarterback right now for Brian Flores. I don’t know what it is – they lead the NFL in takeaways with 20 straight games of one or more. I don’t understand the lines in the NFL, because Vegas doesn’t buy them. They’re only a 2.5-point favorite versus the Raiders, I don’t get it. This to me is a top 5 team in the NFL.”
4. New Orleans Saints (10-4) (4)
“The last couple of weeks they have been gassed, but some of that is because the defense is on the field too much. They were on the field for 42 minutes against the Chiefs, so you’re going to give up 400 yards. This really is a defensive story. They’re a lot like Pittsburgh but Brees can still play. I wouldn’t take too much from the Kansas City game. They didn’t have Michael Thomas, Brees was awful in the first quarter, and awful off the rib injury. This is still a high functioning team.”
3. Green Bay Packers (11-3) (3)
“I’m going to know a lot more after this weekend against Tennessee. I know they’re good, I know they play well with a lead, I know they beat bad teams, but can they go into the Octagon with a Tennessee, with a bruising running game, and play from behind, or play after getting punched? I don’t know if they can, but will in less than a week.”
2. Kansas City Chiefs (13-1) (2)
“Kansas City is number two. They have five turnovers in two weeks. They’re the most talented team, but I don’t love what I see with their red zone defense and red zone offense, it’s been a little clunky the last month. Kansas City was 7-4 through 11 weeks last year. They weren’t the best team in the league until Week 12 and on. Right now, this second, Kansas City is number TWO."
1. Buffalo Bills (11-3) (1)
"Right now Buffalo is rolling and is number one. I think they have the best coordinator in the league, Brian Daboll, I think Josh Allen is frightening, they match up with Kansas City, and they’ve gotten better. If you go since Week 7, they’re 7-1, 32 points per game, 2nd in point differential, 400 yards per game… Now, do I always love their defense? No, but I like it situationally. I can’t believe they dropped 40 on Vic Fangio’s defense after a Steelers win. It was a perfect time for a letdown game, they dropped 48 on at least a ‘competitive’ Denver team, and Vic Fangio is a top 5 defensive coach in the NFL.”
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