Overview of Colin Cowherd Podcast NFL Week 1 Reactions
This episode is a wide-ranging reaction to opening weekend in the NFL and the Texas-Ohio State showdown in college football. The core theme: the teams with the most dynamic, athletic quarterbacks — Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Caleb Williams — looked the best early, while teams dependent on older or less mobile quarterbacks struggled more as offensive line play lagged in Week 1.
Biggest NFL Takeaways
Athletic quarterbacks are separating early
- Colin argues that in the first month of the season, offensive lines are still settling in, so elite playmaking quarterbacks can cover up a lot of issues.
- His main examples:
- Josh Allen looked like the most talented player in the NFL.
- Lamar Jackson looked dominant again and may be the most dangerous regular-season QB in football.
- Caleb Williams looked faster, looser, and much more accurate in Chicago’s blowout win.
Week 1 featured several “statement” or “warning sign” teams
- Bears: explosive and possibly ahead of schedule.
- Bills: Allen’s brilliance may be enough to carry them deep again.
- Ravens: looked like the most complete team in the league.
- Packers: a major concern after a collapse against Minnesota.
- Chargers: alarming loss, especially with Jesse Minter no longer running the defense.
- Eagles: still struggling offensively with too many three-and-outs.
Game-by-Game NFL Reactions
Bears 59, Panthers 37
- The headline performance of the day.
- Caleb Williams went 21-of-29 with a 124 passer rating and 72% completion rate.
- Ben Johnson’s offense was balanced and ruthless:
- nearly 300 rushing yards
- only 29 pass attempts
- multiple explosive runs from Williams
- Rome Odunze looked like a true first-round receiver.
- Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift gave Chicago a legit ground game.
- Colin’s bottom line: this offense might be capable of historic numbers, even if the defense still has issues.
Bills 36, Texans 31
- Josh Allen was the clear difference.
- Colin emphasized the gap between a very good QB like C.J. Stroud and a transcendent one like Allen.
- Buffalo’s offense averaged 10 yards per play in the first half against a strong Houston defense.
- The Bills showed a new mindset:
- aggressive fourth-down decision-making
- less conservative game management
- Key offensive pieces around Allen looked useful:
- Josh Palmer
- Dalton Kincaid
- James Cook
- DJ Moore is mentioned as a pickup, though the likely intended player is Amari Cooper or another Bills weapon; the larger point was that Buffalo has enough help to win.
- Houston’s offense showed enough for optimism, but Allen made the difference late.
Ravens 41, Colts 23
- Colin called Baltimore the most impressive team of the day.
- Derrick Henry looked like he hasn’t aged at all — still a bulldozer and still explosive to the edge.
- Lamar Jackson looked poised and dominant, especially in Week 1, where he’s historically been excellent.
- The Ravens’ formula was simple and overwhelming:
- feed Henry
- let Lamar punish defenses when they overcommit
- Colin believes Baltimore looked like the No. 1 team in the league right now.
Bengals 33, Buccaneers 27
- Cincinnati forced four turnovers and played a much more physical game.
- Joe Burrow wasn’t spectacular, but the Bengals were much more balanced than usual:
- better run game
- more tight end usage
- defense creating takeaways
- Colin sees Cincinnati as a likely “double their win total” team and a legitimate playoff contender.
- For Tampa Bay:
- Baker Mayfield was too reckless at times
- losing Mike Evans matters more than it may have seemed
- the offense leaned too hard on Bucky Irving
- Colin thinks the Buccaneers’ South division might be weak enough that they can still survive, but this was not a reassuring opener.
Cardinals 26, Chargers 14
- Colin called this the most disappointing upset-type result of the day.
- Arizona was better in nearly every area:
- more total offense
- better time of possession
- cleaner execution
- Jacoby Brissett played well, especially on third down, and looked like an above-average, steady veteran QB.
- The Chargers’ issues:
- poor special teams
- a blocked punt
- a bad Justin Herbert interception
- dependence on a slot receiver-heavy passing game
- Colin questioned the Chargers’ running back talent and overall offensive weaponry.
- His biggest takeaway: this wasn’t a close game despite the final score.
Saints 31, Lions 30
- Detroit nearly blew it at home, but Colin came away more encouraged by New Orleans.
- The Saints’ comeback reminded him of a team finding its identity late.
- He liked the aggressive decision to go for two in overtime.
- Tyler Shough started badly but settled in and showed enough to make Colin believe the Saints may have found their quarterback.
- New Orleans has real offensive pieces:
- Chris Olave
- Juwan Johnson
- Alvin Kamara returning later could make them dangerous
- Concern for Detroit:
- their secondary looked shaky
- Jahmyr Gibbs is carrying a huge workload
- Jared Goff remains limited when the play doesn’t stay on schedule
- Colin said the Lions still need Aidan Hutchinson to be a game-wrecker for their defense to hold up.
Eagles 24, Commanders 22
- Philadelphia won, but the offense was ugly for long stretches.
- Colin highlighted:
- too many punts
- too many three-and-outs
- not enough consistency despite the talent
- Jalen Hurts made some good throws early, but the offense still stalled repeatedly.
- Saquon Barkley had one big run, but otherwise the ground game was inconsistent.
- Colin’s larger point: the Eagles’ offensive issues are not just about the coordinator — the line is older, less dominant, and the team is too reliant on the run to be this inconsistent.
- Washington showed some fight, but the Eagles’ defensive talent should have been enough to make this easier.
Vikings 39, Packers 22
- The biggest shock of the day.
- Minnesota scored three touchdowns in 2:42 to flip the game.
- Carson Wentz came in for the injured Kyler Murray — likely a transcript error; the intended point was that Minnesota’s backup QB situation worked — and played efficiently.
- Colin’s real concern is Green Bay:
- another collapse in a fourth quarter
- poor third-down offense
- unclear status of Josh Jacobs
- Micah Parsons injury absence loomed huge
- He called Matt LaFleur’s situation a “quiet hot seat” — not immediate, but definitely building.
- He believes the Packers may be more of a 9-win type team than the 12-13 win team many assume.
- Minnesota’s defense and coaching impressed him, and the win was a huge confidence boost.
College Football: Texas 24, Ohio State 23
Texas survives in a huge early-season classic
- Colin said this was the biggest college game of the weekend and perhaps the season’s most emotional win so far.
- Ohio State controlled much of the first half, and Colin initially thought Texas might be in trouble.
- Texas’ defensive game plan early was questionable, especially how much freedom they gave Jeremiah Smith.
- He liked Ohio State’s first-half scheme, but thought they got too conservative late.
Arch Manning’s pressure-filled night
- Arch Manning struggled badly in the first half.
- Colin said the pressure on Arch is unlike almost any college QB because of:
- the Manning name
- Texas expectations
- NIL money
- social-media scrutiny
- He believes Arch is pressing and trying too hard to be perfect.
- In the second half, Manning settled down and made more plays, which gave Texas a much-needed boost.
- His view: Texas still has the talent to contend, but Arch has to play looser and trust his instincts.
Ohio State may still be the better team
- Despite the loss, Colin said he still thinks Ohio State is the better team overall.
- He views this as a huge win for Texas emotionally and programmatically, but not necessarily a sign that Ohio State is overrated.
- He expects both teams to remain in the national title picture.
Main Themes and Takeaways
- Mobility matters early in the season when offensive lines are still shaky.
- Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Caleb Williams were the most impressive QB performances of the week.
- The Bears may be ahead of schedule under Ben Johnson.
- The Ravens look like the league’s most complete team right now.
- The Packers’ collapse is a major red flag.
- The Chargers’ defense clearly missed Jesse Minter.
- Arch Manning’s pressure is real, but Texas still has playoff-level talent.
Closing Thought
Colin’s overarching message was that Week 1 exposed which teams can create offense even when the line play is messy, and which teams are too rigid or too dependent on structure. The best teams, in his view, are the ones with quarterbacks who can take over when everything else is still imperfect.