FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd believed that the AFC had the edge over the NFC in terms of better coaching and quarterback play at the end of the 2023 NFL season, and with the Los Angeles Chargers’ hiring of Jim Harbaugh this offseason, he believes that the scales have tipped even further in the AFC’s favor.
Cowherd ranked his top-10 head coach-quarterback duos on a recent edition of “The Herd,” and the list includes many AFC tandems — especially toward the top. Can you guess where Harbaugh and Justin Herbert land on Cowherd’s list?
Here’s his full rankings of the best duos in the league heading in to the 2024 season, with betting insight from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Honorable mention: San Francisco 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan and QB Brock Purdy
2023 record: 12-5 (lost in Super Bowl)
Shanahan’s Coach of the Year odds: +3500
Purdy’s MVP odds: +1400 (tied for fifth-best odds)
Cowherd’s thoughts: “If I had to put a duo at No. 11, I’d go with Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy.”
10. Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell and QB Jared Goff
2023 record: 12-5 (lost in NFC Championship Game)
Campbell’s Coach of the Year odds: +1500 (seventh-best odds)
Goff’s MVP odds: +2800
Cowherd’s thoughts: “Dan Campbell, in my opinion, can be a little too led by emotions sometimes. I don’t love all of Dan Campbell’s situational coaching. … I wish he was a bit more restrained. But I’ve been saying this about Jared Goff for years: He throws one of the prettiest balls in the league. The Lions have winning records in back-to-back years.”
9. Miami Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel and QB Tua Tagovaioloa
2023 record: 11-6 (lost in wild-card round)
McDaniel’s Coach of the Year odds: +2500
Tagovailoa’s MVP odds: +2500
Cowherd’s thoughts: “Mike McDaniel is sort of Kyle Shanahan West — very clever. When Tua’s healthy, there’s an argument that this is the [Drew] Brees-Sean [Payton] relationship. Tua’s accurate. Do I think he can go up in cold weather [to] Buffalo, Baltimore, Kansas City and Cincinnati when it’s 13 degrees and windy, and go toe-to-toe with a [Patrick] Mahomes or a Josh Allen? No, I do not. But you don’t have to play those guys much.”
8. Dallas Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy and QB Dak Prescott
2023 record: 12-5 (lost in wild-card round)
McCarthy’s Coach of the Year odds: +5000
Prescot’s MVP odds: +1700 (10th-best odds)
Cowherd’s thoughts: “They’ve won 12 games in each of the last three seasons. Nobody else has done that. McCarthy’s a good, solid coach. Prescott’s a solid quarterback. You could argue they’re both B-plus. … We want more in January.”
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7. Green Bay Packers HC Matt LaFleur and QB Jordan Love
2023 record: 9-8 (lost in divisional round)
LaFleur’s Coach of the Year odds: +1200 (fourth-best odds)
Love’s MVP odds: +1400 (tied for fifth-best odds)
Cowherd’s thoughts: “I’d like to see a little bit more of Jordan Love, but the last 10 games of the year — the kid was on fire. I’ll give Matt LaFleur a lot of credit. When Aaron Rodgers was there, I felt like it was Aaron’s offense and Aaron’s team. Last year, Matt LaFleur could really flex. I thought he was really clever. I loved his game plans. … I thought Matt LaFleur really established himself as a top five or six coach in the league.”
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6. Cincinnati Bengals HC Zac Taylor and QB Joe Burrow
2023 record: 9-8 (missed playoffs)
Taylor’s Coach of the Year odds: +2500
Burrow’s MVP odds: +900 (fourth-best odds)
Cowherd’s thoughts: “The Bengals have reached at least the AFC Championship Game in any year Joe Burrow [has] been healthy. Now, I do believe that he’s one injury away from real adult conversations [about] looking to draft another quarterback at some point, maybe not a first-round pick. But this is his first year without offensive coordinator Brian Callahan; he’s now the Tennessee Titans’ head coach, so that will be a little interesting.”
5. Buffalo Bills HC Sean McDermott and QB Josh Allen
2023 record: 11-6 (lost in divisional round)
McDermott’s Coach of the Year odds: +4000
Allen’s MVP odds: +850 (second-best odds)
Cowherd’s thoughts: “I think we all know that Josh is probably, even more so than Mahomes, just physically on a different planet. His size, speed, arm strength — there’s just nothing really like Josh Allen in the world, including Mahomes. I think the misgivings we have sometimes are about a defensive coach against an offensive coach in big playoff games. We worry about that. But they’ve got four straight division titles. They’re obviously a very good organization.”
4. Los Angeles Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh and QB Justin Herbert
2023 record: 5-12 (missed playoffs)
Harbaugh’s Coach of the Year odds: +1000 (second-best odds)
Herbert’s MVP odds: +2200
Cowherd’s thoughts: “A little bit of this is a projection. I think Herbert’s a remarkable talent. There’s an argument to be made that, between college and pro, Jim Harbaugh’s the best coach on the planet. So, I’d put them fourth in the head coach-quarterback combo based off that.”
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3. Baltimore Ravens HC John Harbaugh and QB Lamar Jackson
2023 record: 13-4 (lost in AFC Championship Game)
Harbaugh’s Coach of the Year odds: +4500
Jackson’s MVP odds: +1400
Cowherd’s thoughts: “Bottom line is, they’ve won 10-plus games and have reached the playoffs in five of six years. Listen, Lamar is different, and you’re going to have a different offense with him. But if you can win 75% of your games, especially in the AFC North.”
2. Los Angeles Rams HC Sean McVay and QB Matthew Stafford
2023 record: 10-7 (lost in wild-card round)
McVay’s Coach of the Year odds: +2200
Stafford’s MVP odds: +3000
Cowherd’s thoughts: “I think Matthew Stafford, because of his years in Detroit, has been overlooked. Next to Mahomes, he may have the best arm talent in the league. [He throws it] sidearmed and does everything but throw it left-handed. He has a big, over-the-top arm. I think McVay might be the smartest coach in the sport, period.”
1. Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes
2023 record: 11-6 (won Super Bowl)
Reid’s Coach of the Year odds: +5000
Mahomes’ MVP odds: +450 (betting favorite)
Cowherd’s thoughts: “[This] is an easy one. They have the highest winning percentage by any quarterback-coach combo in the Super Bowl era. … Reid is a great play designer and a clever playcaller. Mahomes is potentially the most gifted quarterback playing ever, but certainly playing right now. Four of the top five are in the AFC. You could probably argue the order of the other four after Reid and Mahomes.”
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