Colin Cowherd Podcast - Week 18 Games Were AWFUL, NFL Playoff Preview, College Football Playoff Predictions

Jan 5, 2026

Colin Cowherd chats with John Middlekauff, a former NFL scout and host of '3 and Out'. They dive into the extended NFL season's impact, discussing the prevalence of uninspiring games. Excitement brews as they see the Chargers as potential underdogs against the Patriots. The Jaguars are spotlighted as serious Super Bowl contenders, while the Texans emerge as the wild-card team to fear. They analyze matchups involving the Rams and the 49ers, pointing out defensive vulnerabilities and injury challenges.

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INSIGHT

Week 18 Highlights Structural Problems

Colin argues Week 18 produced many unwatchable games due to tanking and the expanded season.
He concludes more regular-season games aren't necessarily better for product quality or viewer experience.

INSIGHT

Chargers Are A Live Underdog

Both say Chargers at Patriots is a close, low-scoring matchup and Chargers are a live underdog.
Jim Harbaugh's team can thrive in bad weather and physical playoff settings.

INSIGHT

Jaguars And Texans Are Legit Contenders

Colin prefers Jacksonville at home versus Buffalo and views the Jags as a top-tier, physical team.
John agrees Jags and Texans are AFC threats capable of deep playoff runs.

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Colin is joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to break down the final week of the NFL season.

They start with the observation that the extended 17 game season has resulted in some terrible games featuring a ton of backup quarterbacks in the final week of the NFL season (2:45).

They preview the playoff field starting with the Patriots hosting the Chargers and they both agree the Chargers are a very live underdog that could upset the #2 seed Pats. Colin argues that he likes the Jaguars to win as a home underdog against the Bills and they agree the Jags can absolutely make it to the Super Bowl (11:15).

Colin predicts the Texans will be the winner in the Wild Card round regardless of whether they face the Ravens or Steelers and they both believe the Texans are the team nobody wants to play (13:15). They discuss whether the bye will be advantageous for the Broncos, but highlight that the collegiate atmosphere at Mile High Stadium is a massive home field advantage compared to other teams (16:45).

They pivot to the NFC and start with the Rams being a heavy favorite at Carolina and John argues the Rams defense has lost some of their early season mojo and both worry the Rams could be vulnerable on the road (24:45). They preview the 49ers at Eagles and Colin argues the Niners struggle offensively against good defenses like the Eagles, and that they’ll struggle to overcome all of their injuries (31:30).

They move to the Bears hosting the Packers and while Colin likes the Bears to win, John argues that the Bears defense could sink them in the postseason (37:30). Outside of the playoff picture, they discuss reports that Pete Caroll & Kevin Stefanski are going to be fired, and identify the top head coaching candidates available (47:30).

They preview the College Football Playoff semi-final games, starting with Miami vs. Ole Miss & they agree that the Hurricanes will bully their way to victory (58:15). They both take Indiana to beat Oregon for a second time and Colin argues Indiana is one of the best coached college football teams he’s ever seen and give their evaluations of quarterback Fernando Mendoza (1:06:00).

Finally they discuss another banner year for Sam Darnold with the Seahawks and why as a #1 seed, the Seahawks are going to be a brutally tough out in the playoffs (1:15:00).

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