Colin Cowherd#54 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 25, 2026
Cowherd laid out their full AFC playoff field: Bills, Ravens, Texans and Chargers as division winners, with Patriots, Bengals and Chiefs as wild cards, ordering each division and adding a few team and player calls (Chargers 11-6, Jets four or five wins, Mendoza starting for the Raiders before Thanksgiving, Rodgers in their final NFL season). They also pushed back on Cowboys Super Bowl hype and made a few college football calls.
Said on air or in an interview · The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast)Hear the original
What Colin Cowherd said
So I have the Bills, Ravens, Texans, Chargers winning their division.
- Where it was said
- The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast)
- The episode
- BEST OF THE HERD – Cowboys Are NOT Super Bowl Contenders, AFC Predictions, Notre Dame Will Win The National Championship
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
Box score, by kind
HitCloseMissWaiting| Group | Hits | Close | Misses | Waiting | Calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Rankings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Trade and Signing Calls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Season Win Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Division Winners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Playoff Picks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| All | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
How each call scored
9 checkable claims — 4 power rankings, 2 season win totals, 1 division winner, 1 playoff pick and 1 trade and signing call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the rest of the room.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
Where this call stands in the room
Los Angeles Chargers · 2026 season · wins10 calls from 7 pundits between 4 wins and 11 wins. Colin Cowherd said 11 wins. the room's median is 9 wins. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
Power Rankings4 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
“I'm going to go with Baltimore... Cincinnati, I have as a new playoff team... Steelers... I think they'll be viable as a playoff team until about week 16, 17 or 18. Cleveland... They're just too young to win”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
“I have them winning the division... Kansas City gets a slight edge to me. Raiders could be the best fourth Place team in football”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
“This is my toughest call in the AFC. I'm going to go Colts over the Jags... So I, the Colts, Jaguars, coin flip... and the Titans for fourth.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
“the bills are the largest favorite ... I'll take them to win the division. New England's schedule is much tougher... The Jets in third... Dolphins are rebuilding... I'll pick them easily for fourth.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Trade and Signing Calls1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Aaron Rodgers to move to Pittsburgh Steelers
“It's his final year, my guess, as a pro.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Season Win Totals2 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
New York Jets to finish with 4–5 wins
“Offensively, if Geno can be a C-plus quarterback, they should win four or five games.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Los Angeles Chargers to finish with 11 wins
“I have the Chargers, 11-6, with the worst offensive line in football.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Division Winners1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Los Angeles Chargers to win the division
“I have the Chargers, 11-6, with the worst offensive line in football. ... I have them winning the division.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Playoff Picks1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Los Angeles Chargers to make the playoffs
“So I have the Bills, Ravens, Texans, Chargers winning their division.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Nate Gosney · Trade and Signing Calls · Daiyan Henley · Miss 0
After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season.Bryan DeArdo · Trade and Signing Calls · Joey Porter Jr. · Miss 0
The piece predicts Joey Porter Jr. most likely stays with the Steelers through 2026, while listing possible trade destinations if they were moved.Rich Eisen · Trade and Signing Calls · Aaron Rodgers · Miss 0
Eisen ranked their top five most impressive Pro Bowl campaigns of the season, topped by Sam Darnold, and predicted that Sunday would be Aaron Rodgers' last game with the Jets.Kevin Wildes · Game Outcome Picks · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 0
Wildes used their upset alert on the winless Chargers to beat the Rams.Greg Auman · Score Predictions · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 21
Auman predicts an all-Los Angeles Super Bowl with the Chargers beating the Rams 24-21.
More power rankings
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Rich Eisen · Power Rankings · Close 50
Eisen endorsed the Eagles' defense carrying them to the NFC championship and the Rams being the NFL's best team, but predicted the NFC North sends only Green Bay and Detroit to the playoffs, that Kansas City wins five of its last seven, that the 49ers make the playoffs, that Baltimore wins the AFC North, and that Tampa Bay wins the NFC South with both the Bucs and Panthers losing their upcoming NFC West road games.Chris Brockman · Power Rankings · Close 50
Brockman argued the Eagles' defense is the NFL's best and will drag a mediocre offense to the NFC championship, that the NFC North sends only two teams to the playoffs with the Bears among them, that the Rams are the league's best team, that a healthy Brock Purdy makes the 49ers an NFC threat who will beat the Saints and Falcons, and that the Panthers win the NFC South.Nick Wright · Power Rankings · Miss 0
The host's five Week 9 NFL picks: Detroit over Minnesota, Pittsburgh +3 vs. Indianapolis, San Francisco over the Giants, Kansas City over Buffalo at Buffalo, and Seattle over Washington. They also call the Chiefs the best team in the league and Jonathan Taylor the NFL's best running back this year.