Outrage is the name of the game in talking head sports takes, but Colin Cowherd may have breached new ground with his latest appraisal of Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love.
Pardon His Take?
Speaking on “The Herd,” Cowherd bizarrely compared the Packers to a confused AFC franchise.
“I think what has happened to Green Bay, they’re a little bit like the Indianapolis Colts. We like their GM, we like their roster, we’re just not sure how great they are at quarterback, and they don’t have a lot of, like, ‘Oh my god’ players,” Cowherd said.
Fellow FOX analyst and show guest Jason McIntyre was lost in visible consternation at the juxtaposition. Later during Cowherd’s monologue, he broke into a grimace.
“I think what has happened to Green Bay, they’re a little bit like the Indianapolis Colts. We like their GM, we like their roster, we’re just not sure how great they are at quarterback.” – Colin Cowherd pic.twitter.com/ug72r3zZAW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 18, 2025
Harboring reserves about Love is fair enough; he was far from perfect last season and can improve his decision-making and throwing mechanics. But comparing the Packers’ situation to the Colts’ with Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones borders on – no, fully encroaches – the absurd.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Frankly, a side-by-side of the three quarterbacks doesn’t need nuance for the absurdity to come through. A quick look at their profiles from last season:
Love: 25 TD, 11 INT, 96.7 Passer Rating, 69.3 QBR
Richardson: 8 TD, 12 INT, 61.6, 47.3
Jones, signed this offseason from the Giants: 8 TD, 7 INT, 79.4, 47.8.
Taking the quarterback comparison a bit further, the Colts have had a different passer in each of the past seven seasons. The Packers have had Rodgers and Love. Applied to organizational success during LaFleur’s tenure, the analogy flies just as far off the rails.
Green Bay Packers Are Not “Elite,” But They Aren’t Stuck in Purgatory
Cowherd is right in saying that the Packers lack marquee names on both sides of the ball. Second-year linebacker Edgerrin Cooper could be one before too long. Safety Xavier McKinney just made First Team All-Pro and ranked 6th at his position by PFF grade. Somehow, Love is about to embark on only year three as a starter. He isn’t there yet, but cap his potential at your own peril.
But for now, those guys don’t have the established resumes Cowherd looks for.
If you look at the Rams: [Matthew] Stafford, Jared Verse, Puka Nacua. Those are elite players. Baltimore’s got a handful of those. … Green Bay doesn’t have a lot of wow guys. They think that the Texas receiver in the first round is one of those guys. Green Bay, like Indy, has a lot of nice players. And I like their drafting and development. But there’s not a lot of wow guys on this roster.
“Golden,” McIntyre interjected as Cowherd rambled, granting an identity to “the Texas receiver.” Whether or not Matthew Golden will grow into a WR1 eventually, he should provide an immediate boost.
One thing that did make McIntyre smile was the graphic that appeared onscreen in the middle of the host’s rant.
Since Matt LaFleur took over as head coach in 2019, the Packers have quietly enjoyed some mind-boggling success in the NFC:
W-L: 67-33, 1st
Point differential: +436, 2nd
Turnover differential: +46, 1st.
They are also tied for first with five playoff appearances, but that’s a touchy matter for the Packers community. A 3-5 postseason record isn’t going to cut it for a franchise with a pedigree like Green Bay’s. A perfect regular season means nothing if you lose in the first round.
Still, compare that to what the Colts have done in the same time frame:
W-L: 48-51-1
Point diff: -44
Playoff record: 0-1.
To anyone struggling to see the similarities, you’re not alone. The Packers are a young team, but one with a high floor and strong ceiling if a few things go right. Trust Love or not, they have the makings of a franchise quarterback.
But to escape the underachievement narrative that has swamped them since the 2011 Super Bowl, the Packers must parlay September-December success into playoff performance. At the end of the day, defending them against the Colts comparison will sound like a whole lot of yapping if they stumble to another first-round exit.
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