Colin Cowherd Believes Josh Gordon's Exit Kills Patriots' Super Bowl Threat

The New England Patriots’ 2018 season is all but over, according to Colin Cowherd.

Josh Gordon announced Thursday he was stepping away from football to focus on his mental health, a move that preceded the NFL suspending the Patriots wide receiver indefinitely for violating the terms of his reinstatement under the league’s substance abuse policy.

Cowherd wasted little time in writing off the Patriots, pointing to the talented wideout’s departure as the final blow to New England’s Super Bowl hopes.

“This ends New England’s Super Bowl threat,” Cowherd said on FS1. “It’s over. It is officially over.”

Listen to Cowherd’s explanation below.

"This ends New England's Super Bowl threat… This isn't just losing a player, this is losing their dynamic, hyper-athletic and super-dangerous wide receiver."@ColinCowherd on Josh Gordon stepping away from football pic.twitter.com/A0YP0GQNuN

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 20, 2018

"This isn't a team capable of beating the Chargers or Chiefs. I don't think they can beat the Colts or Texans. It's all going to be Brady's fault because he's old. It's not. It's remarkable what he's doing when you consider the lack of gifts they've given him." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/C06VrYbp6Q

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 20, 2018

Gordon totaled 40 catches for a team-high 720 receiving yards with three touchdowns in 11 games with the Patriots after coming over in a trade from the Cleveland Browns in September. Things seemingly were going well for the 27-year-old, but he just couldn’t stay on the straight and narrow.

Gordon was limited to just 41 games in six-plus seasons with the Browns, including only 10 games from 2014 to 2017, thanks to several suspensions related to his substance abuse issues. Now, it’s fair to wonder whether his NFL career is over despite his freakish ability, and whether the Patriots can overcome losing a key piece of their offense.