Colin Cowherd Podcast - Eagles Survive Bills Rally, Steelers Are In BIG Trouble, Don’t Sleep On The Pats, Pete Carroll One & Done?

Dec 29, 2025

Colin is joined by John Middlekauff, a former NFL scout and current podcast host, to analyze critical NFL matchups. They discuss the Eagles' narrow win over the Bills and question if the Bills can rely too heavily on a hobbled Josh Allen. The duo evaluates the Steelers' playoff struggles and Mike Tomlin's future, while also noting Seattle's consistent performance. They highlight the underappreciated Patriots and Malik Willis's potential impact for teams needing a QB. Finally, they praise DeMeco Ryans for revitalizing the Texans, creating a tough matchup for the Chargers.

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INSIGHT

Eagles Talent Vs. Stagnant Offense

The Eagles have a superior roster but their offense goes cold and gets conservative when leading.
Colin and John doubt Philadelphia's ability to sustain a Super Bowl run because of those stagnant halves.

INSIGHT

Bills Too Josh Allen Dependent

The Bills rely heavily on Josh Allen and look one-dimensional when he's limited or injured.
Colin and John say Buffalo feels like a likely one-and-done playoff team despite Allen's playmaking.

INSIGHT

Steelers' Fragile Identity

The Steelers' late-season collapses and reliance on DK Metcalf expose coaching and personnel fragility.
Colin and John question Mike Tomlin's tenure as Pittsburgh repeatedly underperforms against bad teams.

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Colin’s joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to break down the week 17 NFL Sunday slate.

They start with the Eagles holding off a late rally by the Bills to win in Buffalo and agree the Bills are entirely too Josh Allen dependent when he’s clearly not 100%, and discuss the hot/cold nature of the Eagles offense. They both agree the Bills look like a one and done team in the playoffs (2:30).

They move to the Steelers loss to the Browns putting their playoff hopes in jeopardy and point to DK Metcalf’s suspension making their offense completely inept and discuss whether Mike Tomlin’s tenure in Pittsburgh has run its course (15:00).

They recap the Seahawks win over the Panthers and Colin explains that while the Seahawks don’t excel at any one thing, they also don’t have a real weakness (29:30).

They break down the Patriots blowout win over the Jets and Colin believes that people are underselling the Pats and that if they’re “on” they can beat anybody in the AFC (35:30).

They move to the Saturday games and start with the Ravens win over the Packers. Colin believes the Ravens will beat the Steelers to make the playoffs but John counters that the Ravens can look vastly different week to week. They also believe that Malik Willis will be a hot commodity for QB needy teams in the offseason (42:30).

They move to the Texans win over the Chargers and they marvel at the resurgence of the Texans under DeMeco Ryans & break down why the Texans are a terrible matchup for the Chargers (46:30).

They pivot to the last week of games being on 4 different broadcast networks and 3 streaming services and Colin argues that it’s a BIG ask of fans to buy extra streaming services to watch late-season games where injuries can make for terrible games (56:45).

They move to the Raiders losing to the Giants that will result in the Raiders likely landing the #1 pick in the draft and debate whether the Raiders should bring back Pete Carroll for a second year or blow it up to pair a young offensive coach with Fernando Mendoza (1:01:45).

Finally, they discuss former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham being hired at Michigan and Colin explains why having an adult in the room will be a positive for UM and his style of football will work perfectly in the Big Ten (1:09:00).

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