Colin Cowherd#54 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 8, 2026
Cowherd's Herd Hierarchy top 10 before Week 1 of the 2026 season ranks the Seahawks first and the Rams second, leaving out the Patriots, Chiefs and Ravens. They also predict the Bengals will have a top-20 defense, the Lions will contend for the Super Bowl, and the Eagles will be big Week 1 favorites over Washington.
Published in writing · Fox SportsRead the original
What Colin Cowherd said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThe Rams are the most talented team in football.
- Where it was published
- Fox Sports
- The piece
- Rams? Seahawks? Bengals? The NFL's Best Teams Heading Into Week 1
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidSep 8
- PlayedSep 13
- GradedSep 15
- 1Philadelphia Eagles to beat Washington“Philadelphia, Week 1, big favorites against Washington.”
- 2Power Rankings“here is Cowherd's actual top 10 before Week 1 kicks off ... 10. Bengals ... 1. Seahawks”
- 3D.J. Moore to be 1st on the depth chart“I love D.J. Moore, a real serious No. 1 receiver.”
- 4Buffalo Bills to win the division“I like Buffalo more than most, largest favorites to win their division.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles to beat Washington1 | Game Outcome Picks | Eagles 24–22 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| “here is Cowherd's actual top 10 before Week 1 kicks off ... 10.…”2 | Power Rankings | — | — | — | — | |
| D.J. Moore to be 1st on the depth chart3 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Buffalo Bills to win the division4 | Division Winners | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 calls · 1 hit · 3 waiting | 100 | 100 | ||||
Game calls show that game’s closing betting line under their grade: a dated fact from nflverse, for context and never part of a grade. MissedTakes takes no bets and earns nothing from any sportsbook.
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive4 checkable claims — 1 depth chart call, 1 division winner, 1 game outcome pick and 1 power ranking — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below 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
D.J. Moore · 2026 season4 calls from 4 pundits between 1 and 1. Colin Cowherd said 1. the room's median is 1. 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.
1Game Outcome PicksPhiladelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles to beat Washington
What happenedEagles 24–22Commanders at Eagles100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillClosing line (Sep 13): Eagles by 6 · favorite pick, Eagles about 2 in 3 (68%).
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- won:
- PHI
- score:
- 22-24
- skill:
- 0
- they picked:
- PHI
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive pick:
- PHI
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
“here is Cowherd's actual top 10 before Week 1 kicks off ... 10. Bengals ... 1. Seahawks”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Depth Chart CallsD.J. MooreBuffalo Bills
D.J. Moore to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Division WinnersBuffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills to win the division
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
The game in this take
every pundit’s pick on eachWho this take is about
Others on the same people
Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 76
Prisco picked the Bills to win 21-14 at Minnesota.John Breech · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 76
Breech picked the Bills to beat the Vikings on Monday night by a score of 24-17.Jordan Dajani · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 62
Dajani picked the Bills to edge the Vikings 24-23.Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 74
Dubin picked Buffalo to win a low-scoring Monday night game in Minnesota, 20-14.Tyler Sullivan · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 76
Sullivan picked the Bills to beat the Vikings 24-17.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Michael Moore · Depth Chart Calls · Shedeur Sanders · Hit 100
In a Week 9 injury roundup, Moore forecast which banged-up fantasy contributors would play or sit: Deshaun Watson, Garrett Wilson, David Montgomery, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, TreVeyon Henderson and Terrance Ferguson are expected out, while Travis Kelce, Saquon Barkley, Michael Wilson, Christian Watson and Emeka Egbuka should play. They also expect Shedeur Sanders and Drew Lock to start at quarterback.Nic Bodiford · Depth Chart Calls · Joe Fagnano · Hit 100
Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.