Zachary PerelesAug 4, 2026
A CBS Sports AFC preview forecasts bounce-back playoff returns for the Chiefs and Ravens, another double-digit-win season for the Bills, and playoff berths for the Patriots and Chargers, while saying the Steelers fall short and the Jaguars and Bengals merely battle for a spot.
Published in writing · CBS SportsRead the original
What Zachary Pereles said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThe Bills have won double-digit games seven straight years, and they will make it eight.
- Where it was published
- CBS Sports
- The piece
- Which AFC teams will bounce back, and which playoff teams could fall off in 2026?
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs“Bounce back or bust: Major bounce back (assuming Jackson's health) to top-tier Super Bowl contention again. ... If we're saying three teams will bounce back, with two back in the postseason and one at least competing for it”
- 2Buffalo Bills to finish with 10 wins“The Bills have won double-digit games seven straight years, and they will make it eight.”
- 3Los Angeles Chargers to make the playoffs“Verdict: Should still be a playoff team as long McDaniel and Herbert mesh. O'Leary must deliver.”
- 4New England Patriots to make the playoffs“Drake Maye's ascent last year projects well for the future. Add in A.J. Brown and significant defensive investments, and this should be a playoff team.”
- 5Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs“Bounce back or bust: Slight bounce back with a return to the playoffs, but not quite to the top-tier Super Bowl contender status we've become used to.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs1 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Buffalo Bills to finish with 10 wins2 | Season Win Totals | — | — | — | — | |
| Los Angeles Chargers to make the playoffs3 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| New England Patriots to make the playoffs4 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs5 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 5 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
5 checkable claims — 4 playoff picks and 1 season win total — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 5 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.
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
Buffalo Bills · 2026 season · wins7 calls from 5 pundits between 10 wins and 14 wins. Zachary Pereles said 10 wins. the room's median is 11 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.
Their call against the record
Their call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.
1Playoff PicksBaltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Season Win TotalsBuffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills to finish with 10 wins
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Playoff PicksLos Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Playoff PicksNew England Patriots
New England Patriots to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Playoff PicksKansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.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.Gilberto Manzano · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Previewing the trade deadline, he expects Justin Herbert to stay in Los Angeles despite the Chargers' 0–7 start, thinks the Jets will keep Garrett Wilson and pair him with their young weapons, expects a receiver-hungry Kansas City to be aggressive with Josh Downs the likeliest target, and suggests expiring Eagles contracts Moro Ojomo and Riq Woolen could be dealt for mid-round picks.Joshua Poniatowski · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Poniatowski names several trade targets, predicting Malik Willis underperforms this week against New England, that Omarion Hampton could become a viable RB2 if Adam Gase takes over play-calling, that Josh Downs gets traded (ideally to Kansas City, where they'd be a top-24 WR), that Brian Thomas Jr. could be dealt to the Rams or 49ers, and that Travis Kelce remains a consistent weekly TE.Jordan Dajani · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
After reporting that Colts receiver Josh Downs requested a trade, they identify five clubs as plausible landing spots for them: the Rams, Patriots, Falcons, Chiefs and Raiders, and suggests Las Vegas could also give them a long-term extension.
More playoff picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Ross Jackson · Playoff Picks · New Orleans Saints · Miss 0
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.Rich Eisen · Playoff Picks · Minnesota Vikings · Miss 0
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.Rich Eisen · Playoff Picks · Carolina Panthers · Hit 100
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. They also tabbed Saints rookie Tyler Shough as a possible Offensive Rookie of the Year.Chris Brockman · Playoff Picks · Pittsburgh Steelers · Hit 100
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 their shot that the Chargers beat Denver in Week 18. They 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.