Colin Cowherd Podcast - Chargers Beat Broncos, Sharp Or Square - Betting NFL Week 16 + The College Football Playoff!

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That's for the people dot com slash Colin or pound law pound five to nine from your cell Morgan and Morgan has a proven track record of fight for you to get a full and fair compensation if there's an unexpected accident in your life. This is a paid advertisement all right time for an instant reaction. I got to be honest, I've already sent Justin Herbert a text. I've poured one tonight just for this. Thirty four to twenty

seven chargers went, whoever won. I was happy, although I did pick the charger, so I'm a little happier, you know. I've said this is when I started the volume. One of the things I really really like. When I was in my twenties and thirties, I was probably just too selfish to help anybody else. I was into my thing,

and I didn't you know, I was unmarried. And then you get older and older, and you have kids, and you get married, and you know, over time, you know, hopefully you have something in you that you want to see others succeed. And I love seeing young quarterbacks in the NFL get the right coach, and Bonix could have gotten, you know, countless coaches that couldn't help him. And he's

still he is still learning. But in that first half, that was all on script, those first two or three series, and bo Nix was great because he's now got his mentor, he's got his kingpin, he's got Sean Payton. Now the second half it's not on script. That's about talent, and Justin Herbert took over. Herbert's more talented, bigger, stronger. He's just a more talented, experienced quarterback. In the NFL, but both of these guys, these two teams last year were

thirteen and twenty one. I mean, think about that, and right now they're eighteen and twelve and both are going to make the playoffs. One got a coach and one Sean Payton got a quarterback. And this tonight was a PSA for the league. You get the right coach, you get the right quarterback, you can turn it around in one season. It doesn't even matter in the NBA if you land Giannis or Jokic. It takes years and years to build up to be viable in Major League Baseball.

I mean, there's just some teams that can afford it, right. But in the NFL, Houston was a laughing stock, a bottom three team in the league to meet O'Ryan c J. Stroud playoffs. The Chargers last year, I think by the end of the year they had a team mutiny. They were one of the three worst teams in the league. This defense is all the same guys now. The offense got Joel and Laddi mcconkee, no question upgrades, but they're

so beat up. Now they're using a defensive tackle. Are the Chargers as one of their skill people, Matt Locke, give me a break. They're using return guys and Quinton Johnson still can't catch. I mean, this is the second half is you know, Joel and Laddi McConkie have obviously helped, but the Chargers are so beat up on the back end of their defense, and they're beat up at tight end. They didn't have Will Disley. You know, they don't have JK. Dobbins,

and you know it's there's still a draft away. They're about six players away. They needed to tight end another running back, although Gus Edwards had a great, huge run of the game. But it just shows you why the NFL is king. You just either get a coach, get a quarterback, or Houston get both and you're a playoff team. And it's just I've always called the NFL the League of hope. But let's first start with the Chargers. They were What did al Michaels say tonight? I can't believe

al Michaels is this good at eighty. The guy is such a talented guy. Al Michaels is still funny and quick, and he and Herb Street sound like they like each other. Al Michaels is so good at eighty years old, is insane. He just signed for next year, by the way, but you know that he had said at one point the Chargers were like, oh, for their last eleven and games decided by three points or less, they just don't know how to win, you know, they just they just don't

know how to win. And they take this team at the end of last year, it was a disaster at the end of the year, could have been the worst team in the league. Same guys on defense, and in fact, half the defensive guys in the back end are hurt. Derwin James is healthy in carrying them, but they're all banged up, and look at them. And it was such a testament to Harbaugh's coaching because, I mean, Harbaugh and

Herbert tonight won the game. Harbaugh's halftime adjustments and Jesse Minter and then Herbert in the second half scrambling on a bad ankle for a first down, that throw for a touchdown in the end zone, moving to his left, throwing it off his bad foot. It was just a Herbert Harbaugh second half of just great coaching, smart adjustments, Herbert doing what he's doing, It's just it makes me really happy. I feel really bad for Caleb Williams. None of it is his fault. I just feel bad for

the kid. And maybe it's because in my life I've had really you know, I've been very fortunate that I've landed at good spaces, especially early in my career when I didn't know what the hell I was doing. It's just so important. I tell my kids this all the time. It's not just about you. You're gonna hopefully find somebody that can mentor you cares about your well being and you know, in the job market, and they will make

the best out of you. And I feel like that's what Jim Harbaugh is doing to Herbert, and that's what Sean Payton's doing to bow Nicks. Both teams are a draft away, right, but Denver didn't have a ton of depth. The Chargers need more weapons and a couple of corners. But in the end of the half sequence was so perfectly Harbaugh. He's competing to the very end. I mean, Jim Harbaugh's competing to the very end. And some people say he's weird. He's intense Okay, it's the NFL. Belichick

was intense, Dan Campbell's intense, John Payton's intense. So end of the first half, you know, they get that field goal, and that's just Harball battling to the end. So there's a big difference between going in down what they would have been and then the field goal. You got a real football game, and trailing eight at half feels a

lot different than trailing by twelve. And I mean that kind of momentum into the locker room, change the energy and the juice, and I thought Denver had all the juice in the first half and the Chargers had all of the juice with that field goal going into intermission in the second half, and the Chargers outscored the Broncos twenty four to six once Hardball called that timeout end of the first half and got the free kick before halftime, twenty four to six. Just battling and fighting to the

very end. Herbert in the second half, by the way, Jesus, and he again he is working with return guys, a first round receiver that can't catch a defensive lineman. Back up running back Herbert in the second half eleven fifteen, two touchdowns, passer reigning of one forty two point eight Jesus. I mean, it's just, it is just I just isn't it crazy? Is that? You know Sean Payton takes this shipwreck Denver. I think I like their GM, but it's a mess. They're in dead cap hell in the AFC.

And before the season started, Vegas had them at five and a half wins, and I thought that, I said it was my favorite double wind total. I thought they would double that. I thought they'd get in kind of the nine eight nine category. They're gonna make the playoffs. They're in with nine wins now, and they'll they'll win one of their final three games, and I think they're capable of winning a playoff game. I don't think Denver's capable of winning two or three, but I think they're

capable of winning a playoff game. I feel the same way about the Chargers. They kind of have to win one way. You know, They've got to have Herbert be superman. They've got to have everybody healthy. Pittsburgh's got this feel. Pittsburgh, Denver and the Chargers those are one playoff win teams. Herbert finishes the night about when is it twenty three

to thirty one, three hundred yards. It is. It's just you know, remember a couple of years ago and the media, you know, the media went through a weird thing where it was very sensitive. And I remember about three or four years ago, and the media was just saying, Oh, these Thursday night games, they're unfair to players. Oh, give me a break. So I called players, I talked to coaches, and the players I talked to are like, we love Thursday night games. Usually it's a division rival, so you

don't have to do a ton of film study. Like tonight, you're playing somebody you know, and it's usually a division game, so the travel isn't too long. It's a two hour flight somewhere, and you don't hit during that week, and then you get almost a second by week. And the media was freaking out about Thursday night games. We've had some sensational Thursday night games. Tonight was sensational. I thought it would be much sloppier. I thought Denver was so

crisp in the first half. Now in the second half, Denver, I mean, let's face it, they aided the Chargers on that long drive. They had a couple of guys off sides that was a huge break. There were two big moments in the game for me. That the end of the halftime kick, and then Denver had a series of penalties as the Chargers got that big drive which eventually ended up with Herbert making that throw for a touchdown in the end zone. But they have three or four

defensive penalties and that really gave them. They really seized momentum and you could hear the crowd a little bit getting into it, and God, that was just fun. Although my phone drank, it's probably justin Herbert. I'm sorry to be obnoxious. Can I be happy? Chad Milman's coming on for Sharper Square. We're gonna do some college games this week because I think there's a couple of I have

two college games. I'm betting that I love. Okay, So a big topic of conversation before I get the Chad Milman has been the NBA ratings this week, and I saw JJ Reddick said tonight, you know the league needs to be celebrated. No, the NBA needs to be audited. Don't blame the fans because the ratings are down. If you own a restaurant and people aren't buying certain items on the menu, change the menu. The audience is right,

The consumer's right. The NBA is celebrated too much. The players are pampered and coddled and not called out enough. I mean good. Hell. Adam Silver two years ago said our players are miserable. Twitter is making the miserable. Can you imagine a football player saying that, give me a break. The league is celebrated constantly. It needs to be audited, It needs to be held accountable. Load management's crap. The three point shooting is gross. In fact, did you notice

who talked about the three point shooting? Lebron James was asked about the All Star game changes and he dropped an F bomb and said, here's what I notice. Teams are shooting way too many threes. Lebron James said that a guy that loves the game. Joe Mizzoula, the coach of the Celtics, was asked this week about the ratings and he said, yeah, I don't watch our game either. So that's the championship coach and the best player in the last twenty years criticizing the league from a position

of power, not seeking attention. In fact, Lebron didn't want to go into it. He kept saying, I don't want to get too into it. So the people that are criticizing the NBA are not bringing a hatchet. They're not anti this or pro nostalgia. When your stuff isn't selling, change the menu. Rob Manfred did, and Adam Silver needs to for the record, when you make changes to your menu to your business, the consumer always responds. Always. I mean, baseball was in a fifteen year drought. Rob Manfred made

two changes. The ratings went up the last two years. This year they went through the roof during the postseason. People want to watch sports. I want to watch the NBA. I tried watching the championship NBA Cup Oklahoma City was five to thirty two from threes. It was awful. It was unwatchable. It was drack. So you know, nobody's against the NBA. People at criticize it, watch it. I watch it all the time. I don't really get into it until the football season's done.

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be a shit storm in Columbus. It's gonna be crazy. So we'll get to that in fifteen minutes. Let's do Sharper Square. I've had a terrible year. I've had my worst year ever doing this, and I don't really know. I don't want to outthink the room. I'm about fifty five percent every year. I'm not a pro gambler, but I think I'm, you know, in the ballpark. I've been terrible this year, and I can't you know. I think a lot of it is I've always liked value and underdogs,

and it just weeked to week. Some weeks I go dogs, favorites win, some week I go favorites. So I'm just going to give you my thought on this. The Chiefs are now three and a half point favorites. It's more stay away now, But when it was two and a half with Carson Wentz potentially playing, I love Kansas City. I think Carson Wentz for a week is fine for a season. You can't trust his health. So I would imagine at three and a half, the Sharps like the Texans. But if so, I like the two and a half,

them three Kansas City. Now if I say I like Kansas City, is it square?

imagine by the score itself. So there is going to be a sentiment you take the Texans at plus three and a half.

their bullies first round knockouts against bad teams. You push them back, you make them think Baltimore can get beat by a lot of good teams. Pittsburgh pushes back. Tomlin is a six and a half point underdog. So I this to me is the steal of the week. Pittsburgh plus six and a half in Baltimore sharper square.

He's thirteen two and two against spread versus Harbaugh when the line in this series is three or more points the past twenty years, so it's the Harbaugh Tomlin rain. The underdog is twenty three four and three against the spread since twenty fifteen, underdogs sixteen into sixteen to two and one against the spread. So like, yeah that there are times where you're nervous about playing into these trends and We talked about this on the show last week,

betting the Steelers fading the Chiefs. Those were times we were nervous, like it happens six times out of ten. This time it's happening eight times out of ten. So yeah, you're playing the Steelers.

throwing forty times a game. That's way too much for two of the teams, like the Packers and the Eagles have scaled back with more talented quarterbacks to throw twenty four times a game. I think the forty nine Ers, I think it comes down to pride. For brock Purty, it comes down to a contract. I like the forty nine ers here sharper square.

for bo Nicks. I think Indy, I don't care what the line is. I think they're going to come back. I think they're I think Chris Spallard's jobs on the line. Anthony Richardson's careers on the line. Shane Stikeen with that trick play that got a pick six, I think Indy is inflamed and I think they blow the Titans out sharper square.

as a favorite. Like if you want to talk about comps, the comps for Anthony Richardson and his completion percentage right now, Tim Tebow and Achille Smith in the past twenty five years, this season will go down as one of the worst in completion percentage because of how badly Anthony Richardson is playing. And I think there was a sentiment after he was benched, he came back and he looked like he was a little bit more in control. They were putting him in

better positions. He was just awful against the Broncos. They were winning that game in spite of him and look like I was on the Colts last week. Jonathan Taylor dropping that ball was gut wrenching. I was on the Steelers last week, Nigee Harris dropping that ball, and this was all happening. If you're watching Red Zone, this is like boom boom boom. It was just like gut punch

after gut punch after gut punch. As a better but you felt like and I felt like Colts had no chance to get back into that game after they gave up the lead because Anthony and Richardson can't win you a game, so they're going to have to dominate on the ground in order to cover this three and a half. And at the end of the day, he got to win by four points. That's a relatively big number and of what should be a run heavy game in which

the clock is running a lot. So I think the wise guys are still liking Tennessee.

interception since Halloween. Is that if you just look at the record, you would think he's awful, and it's like, no, actually, all things considered now that he's with the third coach at home Detroit, defensively, I mean it's bad.

seven and a half, they took the seven. I think this is a really tricky game at six and a half. Is a home dog in the division, of course, I want to be on the Bears. I can't find a way to get there. I'm not saying I'm going to bet Detroit, but there's two schools of thought on Jared Goff. Jared Goff outside is terrible. Jared Goff indoors is unbeatable.

Obviously that happened last week, so it's a hyperbole. But he tends to cover when he is indoors, tends to not when he is outside, and he is a covering machine over the past five years. I look at this in a different way. Sure their defense is beat up, but all they have to do is hand the ball to Jamiir Gibbs, because this Bears rush defense is just atrocious, like Putrid. They are giving up one hundred yards every single game no matter who they play. Saw it again

last week against Minnesota. So I do worry that Detroit is going to come out in a bad mood and try to prove that they're still the class of the NFC. Run the ball down the Bear's throat, and it doesn't really matter what Kayleb Williams does or what the weather is, they might dominate this game. So I can't I can't tell you at six and a half, you're making a good call.

and a much more functional offense. Rams minus three sharper square.

have two timeouts. They end up covering the three point spread, winning by six, when really he should have kneeled down and left no time and kicked a field goal week before, make bad decisions at the end of the game. They end up losing the game to the Dolphins and not even covering the three point spread because they lose by six in overtime. So he's a menace when it comes to clock management, and he's a menace for betters. But

the wise guys do love the Jets right now. Aaron Rodgers has been playing significantly better the past two weeks. You could argue, well, the old man went to Florida, and when you're old and you're in Florida, you're gonna feel better. And now he's got to come back and play in the cold in New Jersey. But there is something about the Rams and the fact that they have to go into the cold too. Stafford does not perform as well then. And also, this is a team you

get late in the year. You get teams that are what I like to call good ish, right fifty to sixty percent in terms of winning percentage, and they're playing bad teams on the road. That is a recipe for disaster in terms of covering the spread. Not saying they're going to lose, but those games tend to be closer. So the wise guys are definitely back of the Jets this week.

this morning or this afternoon than Detroit. I don't like fourteen point favorites, but they're covering, and favorites are covering, and I feel like I've got a ascending, young, healthy team against the dead franchise. I think Green Bay is one of the few places where home field is still three to three and a half points. Sharper square.

on the Bills at fourteen. Then it came down then to some professionals, not a whole lot of them, but a couple of them were like, yeah, that's what, like half a point too far? The Packers like, sure, there's nobody who's thinking they want to bet on the Saints, but there's not a rush to the window on the Packers.

with the ball, hasn't been throwing interceptions. I think the Packers believe they are in the same class as the Vikings and the Lions and the Eagles, and I'd be hard pressed to disagree. I think it's harder to win as two touchdown favorites against a Saints team that like from a wise guy perspective, they just don't like this game as much as they would like the Bills and the Patriots. And I can tell you why they like the Bills against the Patriots if that would be interesting to you.

against the Patriots. If the Patriots are down early, their record against the spread it's like seven and twenty one the past two years, like they are a terrible team. They cannot recover. So If the Bills get out to lead early, which they tend to do, it's a great spot. The one concern is, you know, the Bill's secondary has a lot of injuries, but there's really no concerns about the Patriots offense. They got Drake may who's slinging it

and trying his best. But right now Gerrod Mayo was throwing Alex Van Pelt under the bus about their offense. There's just a lot of turmoil there. So the wise guys, if they're betting a big favorite, they're more inclined to bet the Bills than the Packers.

or just visit JLab dot com. Their price points really good. All right, I want to talk some college football now because I think I do think Indiana Notre Dame a lot of its weather. I think it's going to be pretty close. I think Notre Dame is a great run team. Indiana is a kind of a peculiar unique run defense. I think really good coaches with time can employ, you know, competitive strategies. We know that Ohio State in Columbus on

a nice day to play football is better significantly. Notre Dame doesn't have Ohio State's talent, and I also think Indiana now has extra time to prepare. I think Notre Dame has a ceiling offensively, whereas Ohio State doesn't. They just played down to their competition. Notre Dame has a ceiling, and I think Indiana is going to So I really like Indiana plus seven. How do the wise guys view it?

is a nuanced difference when I say a college football game. Here, that's the style of game this is going to be. It's going to be physical, it's going to be about execution. It's going to be about not necessarily the best athletes, but the people who do their jobs the best, So I love this game for Indiana.

to take Texas minus twelve. I think this Remember Clemson doesn't go to the transfer portal, they have ols app, Texas out recruits them and goes to the transfer portal. And also Texas's offense over the last three weeks, I don't think they'll pause. If quin your struggles, I think they'll go to Arts Manning. I don't think they'll pause going forward. I like Texas to roll here, sharper square.

Money usually represents where the wise guys are. So the tickets right now are on Clemson, the money is on Texas, And I agree with you, and the wise guys agree with you. That defense they have is just fear like they did a job on Georgia. And if Texas's offense could execute a little bit better, then we wouldn't be having this conversation about who's the who is the SEC champion would have been Texas. So like, that defense is

so freaking good, and it's a veteran defense. Again, we're talking about like guys who had been playing college football for a while, and I think that's an advantage here.

warm weather SEC team. So the line is telling me that Ohio State's going to win this comfortably. That's what it's telling me. Otherwise, when it came out seven and a half, the Sharps would have jumped all over this. I mean, Tennessee is the best rushing team in the SEC. Going into cold weather. It just screams to you, low scoring, take the points. But the line's not moving, and that tells me the Sharps like Ohio State, do they.

These guys took the six and a half. They bet Tennessee at six and a half, right, But there was so much other sentiment coming in on Ohio State that it moved up. So Ryan Day is in a spot. And we've talked about this. There was a story in the Wall Street Journal today about Ohio State fans people calling in to local radio about Max Crosby, who the Lions, the Raiders defensive lineman who's out for the year. On his podcast, he's a massive Ohio State fan, talking about how.

The margins are thin. Well, I think the Ohio States and the Georgia's and the Texas fans, you know, you've always been able to line up and just beat teams. And one of the reasons is over a long season is your backups were as good as their starters. And football's regulated level levels of violence. So there's college and pro. There's injuries, but the transfer portal and NIL has eliminated

depth at the blue bloods Georgia, Texas, Clemson. So when you do suffer injuries and the season is now longer than ever, your backups are produced starters, that's all they are. And so these Ohio States and these big Notre Dame, these big traditional powers, as the season goes on, I mean, look at look at our twelve team playoff. Arizona States in it, SMUs in it, Boise States in it like, and these these are live dogs like and so I

don't think quite college football fans understand. Not only are players getting paid that it looks more like pro football, but your backup stink just like pro football. Detroit's defense now has six backups. It's terrible. A month ago it was excellent. And so what and what creates that the salary cap? You have bad backups in the NFL? Nobody has depth in the NFL. You eat it like Philadelphia's got great frontline starters. AJ Brown's out. It's not the

same offense. Right, Saquon Barkley's out, it's not the same offense. We've almost understood that in pro football you need your starters. And when you get injury plagued Buffalo Detroit's defense, you're like, what the hell's going on? Well, everybody knows you don't have good college That was never the point. Top ten teams just had better backups. I mean, eighty five scholarships allows you to have four pro offensive tackles. If you're Ohio State, now they have two. One gets hurt, you

move a guard to left tackle. They're all lime stakes it's Iowa at best.

kind of matter. And so the provincial, local rivalries that college fan bases have built their mindset on, have built their self worth on, have built.

my money is trying to get that middle right. But I also bet the Jets three and a half. That's one that I like. I really like the Steelers at six and a half. So if I like, I'll put in my five favorite picks. The Steelers will be in there. The Jets will definitely be in there. Dallas I bet at four and a half. I like Dallas a lot against Tampa. I think there's a lot of inflation this week, and I think that's one of the bigger games where

Dallas has been playing better. Like the last three weeks, last four weeks, that Cincinnati game kind of looks like a fluke, right. They lost that game, They've won the three other games. Micah Parsons has seven and a half sacks since he's back Deron Bland is back in the secondary. That defense is getting a lot better. Cooper Rush at Home Controlled Environment. Tampa Bay just put up forty on the chargers that inflated that line a little bit.