# Chris Brockman: Brockman picked the Tennessee Titans as their top sleeper team, expecting them to be in the AFC South mix but not win it, and said Cam Ward will make a big second-year leap. They also suggested the Rams could chase the all-time single-season sack record. **Claimed:** Jul 23, 2026 **Pundit:** Chris Brockman — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/chris-brockman **Outlet:** The Rich Eisen Show (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/the-rich-eisen-show-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/ESP7530720805.mp3 One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened. Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in. > I'm going the Tennessee Titans... They're my number one sleeper this year. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Tennessee Titans to beat expectations** - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: Tennessee Titans - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Tennessee Titans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/titans ## What others said about the same people - Shaun Calderon on Jeffery Simmons: Calderon argues the 0-5 Titans won't turn their season around, that Cam Ward won't be benched soon, and that Jeffery Simmons stays in Tennessee while Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley are likely trade candidates with modest returns. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fcfebcd7-04de-406f-aa74-4c404a9f8b0e (scored 0) - Lane Mills on Tennessee Titans: Mills predicts the Titans finish 2026 at 6-11 (2-4 in the AFC South), missing the playoffs, with specific wins over the Jets, Giants, Browns, Jaguars, Raiders and Colts, and names Wan'Dale Robinson team MVP with another 1,000-yard, seven-touchdown season as Cam Ward's top receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5a2c4e6d-57dd-4dc9-9f27-c1446726f490 (scored 0) - Nathan Jahnke on K.J. Osborn: An unsigned PFF preseason recap makes numerous depth-chart, roster and usage projections across the league, based on Week 3 preseason playing time — including Roman Wilson winning Pittsburgh's third receiver job, Luke McCaffrey's roster spot being in danger, Charlie Kolar as the Chargers' top tight end, and Kendre Miller as the Saints' RB2. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/47566b48-8024-4960-b25c-11c03fe43543 (scored 100) - Gennaro Filice on Tennessee Titans: The lone NFL.com pick for Tennessee, projecting a low-scoring 14-13 Titans upset built on their defensive front containing Jonathan Taylor. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/82b9c77a-e26d-4ea7-ac0f-51e169b90170 (scored 88.1) - Dan Graziano on Tennessee Titans: The lone ESPN pick for Tennessee, taking the Titans to beat the Colts. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3e2b2f7e-ad60-423a-9f5e-6114c8c1c48d (scored 100) - Tyler Sullivan on Tennessee Titans: Sullivan says it would not surprise them if the Titans beat the Colts for their first win of the season, arguing the line is too big in the divisional matchup. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/df50c99c-c644-4281-a89f-8e4fa9499a42 (scored 100) ## More surprise team calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Nick Wright on Houston Texans: Wright expects the 49ers to handle Dallas, the Lions to beat New England, the Packers to beat Minnesota and the Chiefs to win in Atlanta, while naming the Texans again as the league's second-half surge team, picking Joe Burrow for MVP and saying Kansas City still makes the playoffs. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/62cf7f07-a58c-4d8a-bc3f-4501125a29b9 (not settled) - Dan Orlovsky on Houston Texans: Named Houston and Detroit as the underrated teams in each conference, said the Texans could reach 11-6 and the playoffs, and predicted CJ Stroud's next contract will start with a seven annually, with Caleb Williams getting even more afterward. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/01e49745-6d62-434d-a884-17a1fa4a0cca (not settled) - Bill Simmons on Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Simmons named the Houston Texans as the AFC's second-half surge team and, reluctantly, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the NFC's, arguing both clubs sitting at or below.500 will make a run down the stretch. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a2fe7493-43ef-4157-b6c3-82a3e9c0f906 (not settled) - Danny Kelly on Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kelly argued the Buccaneers are the one NFC South club capable of a second-half surge, citing a soft remaining schedule and the league's top defensive EPA. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/13d3230a-fd04-4c32-86f7-7faaa5718bb8 (not settled) - Logan Lazarczyk on Houston Texans: Lazarczyk argues the Raiders can still contend for the AFC's final wild-card spot, naming the Bills, Broncos, Jaguars, Steelers, Chiefs and Bengals as locks for the top six seeds, calling Houston a sleeper, and predicting Las Vegas can beat the Chargers, Titans and Cardinals down the stretch. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5f5d533e-b292-487f-b387-5d154ce687b8 (not settled) - Jordan Dajani on Pittsburgh Steelers: Halfway through the season, Dajani sorts the playoff field into contenders and pretenders: they suggest Joe Burrow could win MVP this year, and while they dismiss Pittsburgh as a true Super Bowl threat, they expect the Steelers to be a playoff team and a possible sleeper. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3cf5c7f7-905d-4de9-ba67-9ff97a7f6a34 (not settled) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=chris-brockman