Colin Cowherd just dropped his latest Herd Hierarchy, and there’s a new team at No. 1 that’s got everyone talking. While the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers are both rocking a 3-0 record, it’s the Las Vegas Raiders that are making Cowherd say they’re “legit” and about to take over. This week saw three fresh additions crash the top 10, while several former mainstays completely played their way out of the rankings after a chaotic Week 3.
The Raiders Are No Joke, Seriously
Cowherd is pounding the table for the Raiders, calling them a “really, really well-coached team” with a game-changing edge rusher. Kirk Cousins is the only quarterback in the entire league to throw three touchdown passes in every single game. And Brock Bowers? Cowherd says they’re putting him all over the field, calling him a “nightmare” for defenses. On the other side of the ball, their defense leads the entire NFL in takeaways. Cowherd mentioned how a “smart offensive guy” like Ben Johnson or Klint Kubiak can flip a team quicker, and he clearly sees that happening here. He thinks they’re just “about one more draft away from being like a high-end team,” and he likes what he sees. He thinks they’re straight-up legit.
Unpacking the Contenders and the Confusing
Beyond the Raiders hype, Cowherd laid out some real talk on other squads. The Detroit Lions are “weird,” with the league’s worst scoring defense, yet they’re second in sacks to the Vikings. It’s all about Jahmyr Gibbs and Jared Goff for them, being the only team to score 30-plus points in every game. They’ll have to win “by track meets,” Cowherd says, so while their floor is “incredibly high,” he’s not sure their ceiling is what he thought it was.
Then there are the Los Angeles Rams, who “should have beaten the Broncos” after being up 16-0 at halftime and outgaining them by 225 yards. But bad penalties and a lack of physicality might be their undoing. Cowherd points out they’re 4-5 in their last nine games, counting the playoffs, and are not a very good road team. Puka Nacua isn’t there, Myles Garrett isn’t there, and while Aaron Donald is good, “he’s not what he used to be.” That physicality and toughness “wins on the road.”
The Chicago Bears are making noise, too, with the number one rushing team, the number five scoring offense, and the number three total offense. Cowherd loves what Ben Johnson is doing, emphasizing they “run the football against physical defensive fronts.” Caleb Williams is expected back in three to four weeks. What’s even wilder is their coaching; they’ve held opponents under 10 points for back-to-back weeks. Cowherd called “last night” one of the “greatest coaching mismatches I have ever seen.”
And don’t sleep on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cowherd suggests they “may just be a great regular season team,” racking up a 10-1 record in their last 11 regular season games. He says if they “get on you, they’ll put a foot on you,” and “blow you out if you’re not prepared and ready to go.” Liam Coen is the “best coach nobody talks about in this league,” and they boast the number one scoring defense. Trevor Lawrence is throwing seven touchdown passes, playing his best, according to Cowherd.
So, with Cowherd shaking things up, the NFL landscape is far from settled. Teams like the Raiders are making their case, while others are still trying to figure out their true potential. It’s going to be wild to see which of these contenders can keep their momentum and which ones will fade as the season pushes forward.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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