# John Breech: After Week 1, Breech projected the full 2026 NFL playoff bracket, with the Ravens as the AFC's No. 1 seed and Baltimore beating Buffalo in the AFC Championship Game to reach the Super Bowl; his AFC field runs Ravens, Bills, Chiefs, Jaguars, Bengals, Texans, Broncos, and he also includes the 0-1 Falcons.

**Claimed:** Sep 17, 2026
**Pundit:** John Breech — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-breech
**Outlet:** CBS Sports — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/cbs-sports
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/previewing-high-octane-bills-lions-matchup-lsu-qb-sam-leavitt-doubtful-for-ole-miss-game/

11 checkable claims — 8 playoff picks, 1 conference champion, 1 game outcome pick and 1 seeding, byes and home field — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 8 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 below the rest of the room.

> The Bills end up losing here because their defense can't stop Baltimore's offense.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Baltimore Ravens to take the top seed**
  - Kind: Seeding, Byes and Home Field · About: Baltimore Ravens
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Baltimore Ravens
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Buffalo Bills to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Buffalo Bills
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Jacksonville Jaguars to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Jacksonville Jaguars
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Cincinnati Bengals to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Cincinnati Bengals
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Houston Texans to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Houston Texans
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Denver Broncos to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Denver Broncos
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Atlanta Falcons to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Atlanta Falcons
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Kansas City Chiefs
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Baltimore Ravens to reach the Super Bowl**
  - Kind: Conference Champions · About: Baltimore Ravens
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Baltimore Ravens to beat Bills**
  - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Baltimore Ravens
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Baltimore Ravens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/ravens
- Buffalo Bills — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bills
- Jacksonville Jaguars — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/jaguars
- Cincinnati Bengals — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bengals
- Houston Texans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/texans
- Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos
- Atlanta Falcons — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/falcons
- Kansas City Chiefs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chiefs

## What others said about the same people

- Chris Simms on Kansas City Chiefs: Simms 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 100)
- Connor Rogers on Kansas City Chiefs: Rogers 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/83d1e88b-95a0-45ba-83d3-f86297170c6c (scored 100)
- Chris Long on Cincinnati Bengals: Long liked the Rams over the Broncos on Sunday night even without Puka Nacua, and expected the Bills to beat the winless Chargers in Buffalo. He also backed the Bengals over the Steelers, expected an angry Detroit team to handle the Jets, and still thought both the Lions and Vikings could win the NFC North. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3df9ea25-e57f-4fd7-b20c-c910a1c3633a (scored 0)
- Steven Ruiz on Houston Texans: Previewing 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a30ff469-4972-4c48-855b-ba984e4de9d0 (scored 0)
- Nate Tice on Baltimore Ravens: Tice matched his guest on every Week 3 game, picking the Ravens over the Cowboys, the Jaguars over the Patriots in a close game, the Broncos to upset the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears and the Lions over the Jets. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b8378e16-ea5c-4107-a883-28aaf0e71134 (scored 100)
- Jake Arthur on Kansas City Chiefs: Arthur expects a close Chiefs win on Sunday Night Football at Arrowhead, predicting a final score of 27-23 for Kansas City. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ca7ab74e-ab34-4ed6-a77f-2c7e9f8c8c4d (scored 97.62)

## More playoff picks

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Dan "Buzz" Wilson on Philadelphia Eagles: Wilson argued the Eagles' offseason approach of prioritizing 2026 and beyond doesn't mean a bad 2025 — he expects them to remain among the NFC's best teams and to make a deep playoff run rather than fall off to eight or nine wins. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/afce079c-b986-476b-a872-09905017fc6f (scored 100)
- Ross Jackson on New Orleans Saints: Jackson projects a big sophomore jump for Saints QB Tyler Shuck, laying out a Drake May-style stat line (17 starts, 72% completions, ~4,601 passing yards, 24 TDs, 9 INTs) or a Bo Nix-style consistency line (over 4,000 yards, over 20 TDs, ~10 INTs), and says either path means a playoff season for New Orleans in 2026. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/4dc05898-73fd-4fcb-92c4-a940d7e395ba (scored 0)
- Rich Eisen on Minnesota Vikings: Eisen argues Ohio State will produce multiple top-10 picks — Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs — becoming the first school with three defensive players in the top 10, and that Styles will not be available at No. 12 to the Cowboys. He also thinks Fernando Mendoza is worthy of the No. 1 overall pick and expects the Raiders to draft him, and picks Trey Lance over Anthony Richardson to start a game first, Micah Parsons to fetch a bigger trade return than Maxx Crosby, Kirk Cousins as the released QB most likely to reach the playoffs, and J.J. McCarthy as the Vikings' Week 1 starter. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/29ea2738-79a2-4be9-aa45-e794cd3848fb (scored 0)
- Dwaine Board on San Francisco 49ers: Board argues the 49ers can still make the playoffs even if Trent Williams leaves, expects Williams to be brought back, and favors drafting a wide receiver at No. 27 over an offensive tackle. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/07beb6d4-aadc-4b2d-b131-b889c85204a3 (scored 100)
- Rich Eisen on Carolina Panthers: Eisen forecast the Week 18 results and the entire wild-card field: Buccaneers over Panthers but Carolina still gets in as the 5 seed when Atlanta beats New Orleans, 49ers over Seahawks, Ravens over Steelers, Jaguars beating Tennessee to win the AFC South, and six wild-card matchups (Seahawks-Panthers, Bills-Jaguars, Texans-Ravens, Packers-Bears, Chargers-Patriots, Rams-Eagles), with Houston upsetting Baltimore. He also tabbed Saints rookie Tyler Shough as a possible Offensive Rookie of the Year. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/34345186-876a-4c4b-9567-9c289a6cbace (scored 100)
- Chris Brockman on Pittsburgh Steelers: Brockman argued the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC goes through Foxborough, meaning the Patriots will finish as the No. 1 seed, and called his shot that the Chargers beat Denver in Week 18. He also declared the Bears a team of destiny who will win the NFC, said the Steelers will end their playoff win drought, and that Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top-five quarterback. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7792215a-c787-44bd-b294-5ff028851d30 (scored 100)

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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.

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