Cowherd Ranks Seahawks Above Rams, Snubs Chiefs Before Week 1
Colin Cowherd unveiled the inaugural "Herd Hierarchy" of the 2026 NFL season on Tuesday's edition of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," placing the Seattle Seahawks at No. 1 and the Los Angeles Rams - the reigning Super Bowl LX champions - at No. 2. The Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots were all left off the 10-team list entirely.
Cowherd said the Chiefs and Ravens came close to cracking his top 10 but fell short, without detailing what separated them from the teams he did include. His full ranking, in descending order from 10 to 1, reads: Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. water polo betting offers
Cowherd built his case for Seattle around the ascending primes of quarterback Sam Darnold, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon, arguing the roster lacks the outsized egos that characterized Pete Carroll's earlier Seahawks teams built around stars like Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson. He also suggested head coach Mike Macdonald remains underrated relative to other coaches in his own division. For the Rams, Cowherd cited elite talent across the roster - including at tight end, running back and quarterback - but expressed concern about sustaining motivation as a heavy favorite over a full season, injury availability for DaVante Adams and Puka Nacua, and the age of quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Elsewhere in the rankings, Cowherd praised the Bengals for adding defensive help - Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Kyle Dugger, Cashius Howell and Boye Mafe - around quarterback Joe Burrow, and highlighted the Texans' defense, led by Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr., as the best in the league by his estimation. He credited Bears quarterback Caleb Williams' low turnover rate, the Broncos' NFL-leading sack totals under their coaching staff, and the Chargers' addition of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. The Eagles' offensive line and the Lions' skill-position playmakers - Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams - also factored into his top-five placements, while the Bills' Josh Allen and newly acquired receiver D.J. Moore anchored Buffalo at No. 3.
Cowherd acknowledged the list will shift as the season unfolds, noting there is ample time for the Chiefs, Ravens, Patriots and other omitted teams to force their way into future editions of the Hierarchy once Week 1 of the 2026 regular season begins.
