Rich Eisen· Jun 10, 2026
Eisen unveiled his top 10 NFL defenses for 2026, with Seattle first, Houston second and the Rams third, and said he deliberately put an AFC team and an NFC team at the top to hint at his Super Bowl matchup (Texans vs. Seahawks).
“And that's my power rankings of the NFL defenses, one to 10 in 2026 as it currently stands.”
said on air, transcribed by us · The Rich Eisen Show (podcast) · read the original →
3 checkable claims — 2 conference champions and 1 position group ranking — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Their call against the record
Their call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.
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Who this take is about
3 checkable claims 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.
- Conference ChampionsHouston TexansJun 10, 2026
Houston Texans to reach the Super Bowl
“I went with an AFC team and an NFC team at the top two there just to kinda give people an idea of where where I'm thinking for a Super Bowl matchup.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Conference ChampionsSeattle SeahawksJun 10, 2026
Seattle Seahawks to reach the Super Bowl
“I went with an AFC team and an NFC team at the top two there just to kinda give people an idea of where where I'm thinking for a Super Bowl matchup.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Position Group RankingsJun 10, 2026
“Number 10 on the list... I think the Ravens are gonna be a top 10 defense again... Number nine... the cowboys... I put the Vikings eight... the chargers are seventh here on my list. Number six on the list... The Philadelphia Eagles... I'm putting your Patriots five... I'm putting the Broncos at four. Number three... I think the Rams are now in the top five defensively... number two on the list are the Houston Texans... but number one is the defending Super Bowl champs... Seattle's defense.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris SimmsScore Predictions · Seattle SeahawksMiss · 31Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver.
- Connor RogersGame Outcome Picks · Seattle SeahawksMiss · 0Rogers picked Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle and the Giants to win their Week 3 games, saying the Chiefs win by two touchdowns and the Giants by a field goal.
- Steven RuizGame Outcome Picks · Houston TexansMiss · 0Previewing Week 3, Ruiz picked the Ravens to beat the Cowboys in Brazil, Jacksonville over New England in a low-scoring game, an upset by the Broncos over the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears, the Lions over the Jets, and his Hail Mary that Houston beats Indianapolis by two touchdowns.
- Sam MonsonGame Outcome Picks · Seattle SeahawksMiss · 0Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South.
- John MiddlekauffGame Outcome Picks · Seattle SeahawksMiss · 0Middlekauff expects blowout wins for Seattle over Washington and Kansas City over Miami in Week 3, picks Cincinnati to beat Pittsburgh in the AFC North matchup, and takes Tennessee over the Giants if Jameis Winston is taking snaps.
- Nick WrightScore Predictions · Seattle SeahawksMiss · 5On his Week 3 pick show, Nick Wright gave straight-up final-score predictions for five games, calling blowouts by Seattle over Washington and Kansas City over Miami, a Jacksonville home win over New England, a narrow New Orleans win over the Raiders and a low-scoring Baltimore win over Dallas in Brazil. He also called Seattle the best team in the NFL with the league's best defense.
More conference champions
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Nick WrightConference Champions · New England PatriotsHit · 100The host picks the Rams to beat the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game and believes the winner of that game wins the Super Bowl, i.e. that this is the Rams' year; he also picks New England to win in Denver despite taking the Broncos with the points, and says Stafford is winning MVP. He calls Sean McVay the second-best coach in the NFL.
- Nick WrightConference Champions · Denver BroncosClose · 50Wright picked the Broncos to beat the Patriots in a low-scoring AFC Championship game (17-16), said Sean Payton would coach Denver to the Super Bowl, picked the Rams to win outright in Seattle 31-20, believes the winner of the NFC game wins the Super Bowl with the Rams the better team, and expects Matt Stafford to be named league MVP.
- AJ HawkConference Champions · Los Angeles RamsClose · 50Hawk picked the Patriots to win in Denver despite liking Stidham and the Broncos defense, and in the NFC he stuck with the Rams, saying Stafford gets to the Super Bowl.
- Connor "Boston Connor" CampbellConference Champions · New England PatriotsHit · 100Connor expects a tight first half in Denver before New England pulls away in the second half and advances to the Super Bowl.
- Gregg RosenthalConference Champions · New England PatriotsHit · 100Rosenthal picks the Patriots to beat the Broncos in a close, low-scoring AFC Championship in Denver (while liking Denver to cover the 4.5 points), takes the Seahawks over the Rams in a defensive NFC Championship he pegs around 23-19, and forecasts a Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl.
- Richard ShermanConference Champions · New England PatriotsHit · 100Sherman picks the Seahawks to beat the Rams comfortably at home, 27-17, with a defensive score, and says the winner of that NFC Championship game will win the Super Bowl. He also picks the Patriots to win comfortably in Denver, 21-15, and assumes Matthew Stafford will be named league MVP.