The Los Angeles Rams are back, and quarterback injuries were just a couple of the storylines from an interesting Week 2 of the NFL.
Colin Cowherd revealed his Herd Hierarchy rankings, which featured a new team at No. 1 and five new teams in the rankings after their dominant wins last weekend.
Here are Cowherd’s Week 2 Herd Hierarchy rankings:
Record: 1-1
Previous ranking: Unranked
Cowherd’s thoughts: I’m going to put the Lions at 10 because of their firepower. They’ve scored 30-plus in both games and allowed 30-plus in both games. Outside of Aidan Hutchinson, not sure who else I trust on the defensive side. But Jared Goff is the only quarterback this season with six touchdowns and no picks. They rank second offensively in big plays, but last in big plays allowed. I like the GM, I like the coach, I like the offensive firepower.
Once again, it feels like an annual thing; they’re banged up defensively. I don’t trust them holding leads. But it’s an offensive league; they’ve got a ton of firepower.
Record: 1-1
Previous ranking: Unranked
Cowherd’s thoughts: Is anybody paying attention to the Saints? They outscored the Ravens in Baltimore 15-0 in the fourth. Tyler Shough, they found their guy. He’s sneaky athletic. He’s got size. He’s throwing the ball to the right guy, Chris Olave. In the fourth quarter in overtime this year, two road games, 78% completion.
They have a real roster. We picked them to win their division. They looked very good in the second half of both Detroit and Baltimore. They dominated the Ravens like people don’t do in Baltimore.
Record: 1-1
Previous ranking: Unranked
Cowherd’s thoughts: Drake Maye’s been uneven. A.J. Brown is unavailable. But I’ll put the Patriots, who are 14-2 in their last 16 games. They win, and when Christian Gonzalez is healthy, it is an excellent defense. They’re one of seven teams to allow 300 or fewer yards in the first two weeks. They held the Steelers to three and a half yards per play.
I still think their O-line is mid. We’ll keep our fingers crossed on how A.J. Brown works, but coaching, culture, defensive front, elite secondary — I got the Patriots at eight.
Record: 1-1
Previous ranking: Unranked
Cowherd’s thoughts: We all know the Rams are better than seven, but they don’t have Myles Garrett; they don’t have Puka Nacua. They’re not, I don’t think, dialed in yet. [Matthew] Stafford got lucky a few times last night. Davante Adams made some insane catches, but it’s a little Noah’s Ark.
Three tight ends I like, two defensive interior linemen, a couple of rush edges, two good running backs. Stafford is not going to give you a lot of wiggle. They’re, right now, not entirely polished, not playing clean football. There’s fumbles. There’s interceptions. There’s penalties. They’re better than seven, but that’s where I’ll put them now.
Record: 1-1
Previous ranking: 10 ↑
Cowherd’s thoughts: I’ll say the same about the Eagles; they’re in a three-and-out factory. In September the last five years, they’re 14-2. Nobody wins ugly like Philadelphia. I will say, [Dontayvion] Wicks and DeVonta Smith are a real tandem. Makai Lemon hasn’t done anything as a rookie wide receiver; they haven’t needed him.
The offense isn’t clicking. They’re 14th in scoring, 14th in yards per play. I can like Jalen Hurts simultaneously and think sometimes he holds them back.”
Record: 1-1
Previous ranking: 9 ↑
Cowherd’s thoughts: Keep your eye on Cincinnati. The Bengals spent money on defense. It was the worst run defense in the league. All I’m going to say is, it’s not anymore. They look different. They are forcing turnovers. They have a very physical defensive front. They didn’t even play well against the Texans, and dominated them. They held the running backs to 18 rush yards on 14 carries.
They have solved a big dilemma. I think they were going to be viewed as one of the most improved teams in the NFL, and so far, they are.
Record: 2-0
Previous ranking: 7 ↑
Cowherd’s thoughts: They don’t have Josh Simmons; that does worry me. But have you noticed that Travis Kelce looks 26 years old? It’s amazing when you have a legitimate running game, you can’t cheat against Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice. Suddenly, Rice looks like a great deep threat. And Travis Kelce is wide open. And that’s what happens when you have a run game and safeties can’t cheat and linebackers can’t cheat.
[Patrick] Mahomes looks spry. If you look at yards per play allowed, it’s Andy’s best defense. Is it? I don’t know. But they’re only allowing four and a half yards per play.
Record: 2-0
Previous ranking: 6 ↑
Cowherd’s thoughts: It’s hard to judge the Niners. All the old guys are healthy, and Miami’s going to help everyone’s data look great. But Brock Purdy, playing with leads, and he’s barely been hit, and he hasn’t been sacked. So it’s kind of hard to say. It’s like a dominant college team; Brock Purdy hasn’t even been rushed.
But I will say this: they’ve had 11 incomplete passes and 10 scoring drives. So they’re accomplishing what they should. And we know when healthy: [Christian] McCaffrey, [George] Kittle, Trent [Williams], Fred Warner, these are all Hall of Famers, and [Nick] Bosa. We know their top end’s great. But the question is, will they be available on Thanksgiving?
Record: 2-0
Previous ranking: 1 ↓
Cowherd’s thoughts: Offensive coach with Josh Allen has really been pivotal. Dalton Kincaid leads all tight ends in receiving yards. The defense looks good enough; they’ve spent a lot of draft capital on this defense. But I think Josh Allen, I think most quarterbacks are all better with an offensive head coach.
Doesn’t mean you can’t win Super Bowls, like Seattle with a defensive head coach. They’re facing the Los Angeles Chargers this week; good luck to Los Angeles there.
Record: 2-0
Previous ranking: 2 ↑
Cowherd’s thoughts: Only Seattle can go to a backup [quarterback] — a backup most of us don’t love — and throttle teams. I don’t know what their weakness is. They’re even good on special teams. They lose a running back, but they still have a great run game. They lose a top corner, two of them, and still have good corners.
[Jaxon Smith-Njigba] is 40% of their offense; you worry a little about that. They’re very JSN-dependent. He has four of their five total touchdowns this year. But [Sam] Darnold gives them an athletic lingo they don’t currently have with Drew Lock. They’re allowing 3.8 yards per play. They are the fastest defense, to me, sideline to sideline in the NFL.
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