Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Bye Eagles Bye, Indiana vs Miami Preview, SEC Dominance Is OVER

All right, John Middlekauff joins. Four for four on great playoff games, and the league’s just fine without the Chiefs. San Francisco beat Philly 23 to 19 despite losing bodies, two Purdy picks, and a bad punt, which felt like a glaring indictment of the Eagles’ offensive staff and the gap between Shanahan and Sirianni.

That’s one of the ugliest playoff losses you’ll see. Philly got two interceptions and turned them into three points, stalled most of the night, while Purdy shook off mistakes and drove them for the win; coaching and mental toughness carried the Niners.

Purdy throws one clunker most Sundays, but it doesn’t shake him. The opening-drive design and the perfectly timed trick shot to Jennings were big-time, the kind of sequencing that screams elite coaching.

It was a master class in winning a messy game. Kyle’s cool with pounding the run, even short-handed, and that old-school patience plays in January.

Philly had every reason to finish it off at home and still couldn’t. Hurts is a tough leader, but when you take away the deep ball, his pocket limitations show, and Purdy’s better operating in traffic.

Hurts needed to lean on his legs; he should’ve had 15 carries against that linebacker group. You can swap play callers, but if he refuses to move, the offense stays stuck.

Purdy’s now stacking game-winning drives, and his arm doesn’t die when he’s right. Shanahan’s identity is crystal clear; with Sirianni, I still don’t know what the offensive philosophy is.

They should’ve moved A.J. Brown at the deadline. The Niners are all-in together, while Philly’s friction kept bubbling up, and that catches up in January.

The sideline barking and the effort stuff with A.J. crossed a line; Smith and Goddard are enough within the right culture.

Philly’s defense was good enough to win a Super Bowl, but the offense was mismanaged and the first-time play caller was outmatched. One of Kyle’s best postseason wins, and a brutal home loss for the Eagles.

You can see great coaching on TV, and I don’t see an offensive plan in Philly. Sirianni feels coordinator dependent; final was 23 to 19, Niners.

Wild thought: if you’re Philly, do you at least poke around on John Harbaugh?

I don’t see Howie pairing with a big-power coach, but someone like Stefanski, who just wants to coach, could fit.

Lines are up: Niners getting six and a half in Seattle, Rams laying four and a half at Chicago. I’d lean to both dogs, wait on Niners injuries, and expect rough weather in Soldier Field.

Feels like the football gods live in Chicago right now. Seattle’s a tough spot for a gassed Niners team without Kittle, and the Rams still have life if they handle the Bears.

Big picture, the Big Ten’s money and alumni power are reshaping the sport—Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan are loaded, and the SEC without Texas and A&M money looks diminished. NIL plus the portal turned the board fast.

Massive alumni bases and billionaire donors tilt NIL toward those programs, and even places like Cal, Stanford, and Texas Tech can mobilize huge checks overnight.

There’s Big Ten cash everywhere and the portal lets you flip quickly; Indiana’s become a true power with NIL and a big-time coach.

On Miami–Indiana, I’m with you: Miami can disrupt both lines, force third-and-long, and drag it late. I took Miami plus the points and a small swing on the upset.

On Lane to LSU, the online theater is nonstop and the price tag inflates expectations; I’m not convinced that equals trophies.

He was the best of this cycle, not an all-time hire, so buyer be aware. The pay will raise the bar, and he’s the same guy in the building, very different from his online persona.

Portal and NIL are messy, but coaches and players aren’t the same job; if you could fix one, which is it?

Start with NIL: real revenue sharing and backloaded, tenure-based scales would give players reasons to stay, with exemptions for coach changes. Do that and the portal frenzy cools on its own.

USC’s a good snapshot: keep the core, spend smarter on edge, QB, and a true No. 1. The monster deals grab headlines, but the market’s starting to settle.