Zachary PerelesOct 11, 2026
Pereles argues the 0-4 Texans can still reach the postseason, pointing to a favorable upcoming schedule and a defense returning to dominance, and says writing them off would be a mistake. They also expect Houston's Will Anderson Jr. to win Defensive Player of the Year, possibly in a landslide.
Published in writing · CBS SportsRead the original
What Zachary Pereles said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromIf the defense is back to dominating, writing off the Texans simply because history says 0-4 teams don't make the postseason would be a mistake.
- Where it was published
- CBS Sports
- The piece
- Week 5 overreactions: Vikings legitimate Super Bowl contenders? NFC East champ to have losing record?
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Houston Texans to make the playoffs“Texans can still make the playoffs. Overreaction or reality: Reality ... Can the 2026 Texans join them? It shouldn't be ruled out.”
- 2Will Anderson Jr. to win Defensive Player of the Year“Will Anderson Jr., who is on track to not only win Defensive Player of the Year but potentially dominate the vote”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans to make the playoffs1 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Will Anderson Jr. to win Defensive Player of the Year2 | Award Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 2 calls · 2 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
2 checkable claims — 1 award pick and 1 playoff pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
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.
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.
Their call against the record
Their call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.
Houston Texans to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Award PicksWill Anderson Jr.Houston Texans
Will Anderson Jr. to win Defensive Player of the Year
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Bobby Skinner · Trade and Signing Calls · Stefon Diggs · Miss 0
Skinner predicted Daniel Jones signs with and wins the starting job in Indianapolis, Milton Williams to New England, Lavonte David back to Tampa, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams to the Giants, DJ Reid to Arizona, Hassan Reddick to Washington and Justin Fields staying in Pittsburgh, plus alternates they had listed.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · Houston Texans · Hit 81
Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game.Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · Houston Texans · Hit 100
Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night.Nick Wright · Score Predictions · Houston Texans · Hit 83
Wright made several outright game calls for Week 9 alongside their spread picks: Kansas City beating the Jets 31-20, Detroit winning at Miami, New England edging Green Bay by a field goal or so, Carolina winning outright over Denver, and Houston blowing out the Chargers 27-12.
More award picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Willie Colon · Award Picks · Sam Darnold · Miss 0
Colon picked the Seahawks to win 24-14 with Sam Darnold as Super Bowl MVP.Danny Parkins · Award Picks · Jaxon Smith-Njigba · Miss 0
Parkins picked Seattle to win 27-16 with Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Super Bowl MVP.