Dan Orlovsky· Oct 28, 2026
Orlovsky argued that the Bills' defensive issues are a handful of blown-coverage snaps per game, and that if Buffalo cleans those up it has the talent and scheme to finish as a top-15, top-half-of-the-league defense.
“If and when they fix that, I think this has got a chance to be a Top 15 defense.”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.
Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the rest of the room.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
1 checkable claim in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Position Group FinishBuffalo BillsOct 28, 2026
Buffalo Bills defense to be top 15 in the league
“"If and when they fix that, I think this has got a chance to be a Top 15 defense. They will not be a Top 15 defense until they fix that."”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Randy GurziTrade and Signing Calls · Taylor RappMiss · 0Gurzi argues that, given Brandon Beane's fondness for reunions, recently released safety Taylor Rapp is a realistic option to return to Buffalo for safety depth — though only if the Bills fail to land a starting-caliber safety at the trade deadline.
- Joe MarinoTrade and Signing Calls · Taylor RappHit · 100Marino argues the Bills should and almost certainly will release safety Taylor Rapp to save cap space, saying he'd be stunned if Buffalo kept him.
- Shanna McCarristonScore Predictions · Buffalo BillsClose · 50She picks the Bills to beat the Ravens in a close game at Highmark Stadium, with a final score of 33-30.
- Ryan WormeliGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Wormley expected the Bills to beat the Ravens and predicted the Jaguars would blow out a demoralized Colts team.
- Nick WrightGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Wright picked Buffalo to beat Baltimore in Lamar Jackson's return game, argued the Bills' much-maligned defense will climb to roughly 24th in the league rather than finishing 30th, expects Jacksonville to beat the Ravens four days later, and said a win in Denver would make 12 wins Kansas City's floor.
- Connor RogersGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Rogers picked straight-up winners across the Week 8 slate, siding with the Bills over the Ravens, the Lions, Steelers, Jaguars, Bengals, Falcons, Raiders, Broncos, Rams, Patriots, Commanders and the Bears in Seattle.
More position group finish
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Zachary PerelesPosition Group Finish · Baltimore RavensPendingPereles grades the Brissett trade well for both sides, projecting Brissett as Baltimore's Week 10 starter who gives the Ravens a workable but below-average offense, and identifying the Chargers and Panthers games as winnable.
- Jordan DajaniPosition Group Finish · Chicago BearsPendingIn a set of bold predictions for the 2026 season, Dajani picked Joe Burrow for MVP, Liam Coen for Coach of the Year, the defending champion Seahawks to miss the playoffs, and the Bears to win Super Bowl LXI.
- Chris LongPosition Group Finish · Green Bay PackersPendingPreviewing the Week 9 slate, Chris Long expects the Saints to beat Cleveland, the Colts to beat Dallas, New England to edge Green Bay, and Baltimore to beat the Chargers on Monday night. He also calls the Packers a top-10 defense once Micah Parsons returns, names his top six quarterbacks of the season, and expects Brandon Ayuk to be released, with Will Lee and Trevion Henderson sidelined this week.
- Connor RogersPosition Group Finish · Minnesota VikingsPendingRogers agreed the Bears have the NFL's best offense, picked Minnesota as the league's best total defense, and picked Jacksonville to beat Baltimore on Thursday night.
- Chris SimmsPosition Group Finish · Chicago BearsPendingSimms named the Bears the NFL's best overall offense and best rushing offense, the Bengals the best passing offense, Seattle the best total defense, Minnesota the best pass defense and Tampa Bay the best run defense; he also called Tristan Wirfs the league's best offensive lineman, projected Miami's Malachi Toney as a top-15 pick, and predicted a 30-14 Jaguars win in Baltimore.
- Carter BahnsPosition Group Finish · Chicago BearsPendingBahns argues the Jeffery Simmons trade makes the Bears a top-tier championship contender, projecting them to be the best team of 2026, possibly the league's highest-scoring offense, with Caleb Williams on an MVP track, and sees Chicago securing a top-four seed with the No. 1 seed in play. He also sees the quarterback injuries dropping the Ravens toward a last-place finish in the AFC North.