National Football League

Chiefs reign supreme in 'Herd Hierarchy' ahead of NFL Divisional round

Updated Jan. 17, 2023 5:38 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Eight NFL teams remain in the fight for the Lombardi trophy, and with a riveting divisional round of football waiting ahead, Colin Cowherd put together his weekly rankings of the squads left standing.

Here's how things look in "The Herd" host's latest "Herd Hierarchy" compilation, alongside some insights from Fox Bet. 

Herd Hierarchy: Cowboys, Eagles lead the way in Colin's top Divisional Round teams | THE HERD

8. New York Giants (Last week: 9)

Overall record: 9-7-1 | Last week: Giants won 31-24 vs. Minnesota Vikings

Colin's thoughts: "Listen, they haven't won back-to-back games since Weeks 6 and 7. So let's not go crazy. Daniel Jones ate up an awful Vikings defense. … They're 0-2 against Philadelphia. I think they're, today, a better story than a team. They've got to fix their receiving corps, get a tight end, elevate the interior O-line, get another corner. … So, this is a really good story, but they're going to go to Philadelphia, and the truth will come out."

Championship odds: +2500

Up next: Giants @ Eagles (8:15 p.m. ET Saturday, FOX)

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (6)

Overall record: 9-8 | Last week: Jaguars won 31-30 vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Colin's thoughts: "Trevor Lawrence is remarkable, but … they've got holes. You don't fall behind 27-0 at home without being flawed. Their pass defense is a wreck. … I think it's going to get ugly [against the Chiefs]. It's the first team to ever win a playoff game with a minus-5 turnover differential. The good news, they won. The bad news, why did they have a minus-5 turnover differential?"

Championship odds: +3300

Up next: Jaguars @ Chiefs (4:30 p.m ET Saturday, NBC)

Up next: Giants @ Eagles (8:15 p.m. ET Saturday, FOX)

6. Dallas Cowboys (7)

Overall record: 12-5 | Last week: Cowboys won 31-14 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Colin's thoughts: "Let's be honest, this team throws up a stinker about every third or fourth game. They come unglued. They have great individual players, but they don't have really great individual units. I think they're a defensive lineman shy, they don't have a No. 2 corner, they could use another receiver."

Championship odds: +850

Up next: Cowboys @ 49ers (6:30 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX)

5. Buffalo Bills (4)

Overall record: 13-3 | Last week: Bills won 34-31 won vs. Miami Dolphins

Colin's thoughts: "They're making too many mistakes. Three giveaways in three straight games. … They play one way: They go for the knockout, and when they don't get it, they get into these dogfights with clearly less talented quarterbacks like Skylar Thompson. … We knew they would end up here because they're so damn talented. They're the most fun you can have watching football."

Championship odds: +320

Up next: Bills vs. Bengals (3:00 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS)

4. Philadelphia Eagles (5)

Overall record: 14-3 | Last game: Eagles won 22-16 vs. New York Giants

Colin's thoughts: "I'm a little worried. [They're] 1-2 since Jalen Hurts was hurt. They've also become turnover-plagued — 16 giveaways in their last nine games. … They used to be turnover-free and healthy, now they're dinged up and turnover-plagued. But, fourth team in league history with 70-plus sacks. They get after it."

Championship odds: +500

Up next: Eagles vs. Giants (8:15 p.m. ET Saturday, FOX)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (1)

Overall record: 12-4 | Last week: Bengals won 24-17 vs. Baltimore Ravens

Colin's thoughts: "Three offensive linemen hurt. … The problem with that is it not only hurts the run game, it hurts their vertical pass game. Burrow's got to get rid of the ball quicker now. That takes out Ja'Marr Chase down the field throws. … I think when healthy, they're the only team that really goes toe-to-toe with Kansas City and matches up."

Championship odds: +750

Up next: Bengals @ Bills (3:00 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS)

2. San Francisco 49ers (3)

Overall record: 13-4 | Last week: 49ers won 41-23 vs. Seattle Seahawks

Colin's thoughts: "It's a great story, but no rookie quarterback has ever led a team to a Super Bowl appearance in NFL history. … Brock Purdy is very, very athletic. He is … super mobile. Poise, accuracy. This offense is not built for a superstar quarterback. They've scored 37-plus points in four straight games. Wow. This is not a mirage — it's an upgrade over [Jimmy] Garoppolo."

Championship odds: +450 

Up next: 49ers vs. Cowboys (6:30 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX)

1. Kansas City Chiefs (2)

Overall record: 14-3 | Last game: Chiefs won 31-13 vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Colin's thoughts: "Andy Reid is 27-4 off a bye, including playoffs. Jacksonville, thanks for flying United, your season's over. But no quarterback's ever led the league in passing yards and won the Super Bowl in the same season. It's a weird outlier stat, and [K.C.] led offensively. … You've got a great coach, you've got a great quarterback, this is what it looks like."

Championship odds: +300

Up next: Chiefs vs. Jaguars (4:30 p.m ET Saturday, NBC)

Top stories from FOX Sports:

• Super Bowl LVII contenders re-ranked after wild-card round
• Cowboys' Dak Prescott comes up big vs. Bucs, but bigger challenge awaits
• Trevor Lawrence, Daniel Jones emerge; the secret of the 49ers' success
• NFL poll: Expert picks for MVP, DPOY, Super Bowl and other awards
• NFL mock draft: Alabama players go 1-2 as top 18 order is set
• Why you shouldn't bet against a Georgia three-peat next year
• Baseball Hall of Fame voting: Pedro Moura unveils his ballot
• LeBron James record tracker: How far is he from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?
• How Pele brought the beautiful game to the United States
• NFL divisional round odds: Lines for every matchup

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League

Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs

Cincinnati Bengals

San Francisco 49ers

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

Buffalo Bills

NFL - Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs - 01/21/2023

NFL - New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles - 01/22/2023

NFL - Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers - 01/22/2023

NFL - Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills - 01/22/2023

Colin Cowherd

The Herd with Colin Cowherd