# Bill Simmons: Simmons named the Houston Texans as the AFC's second-half surge team and, reluctantly, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the NFC's, arguing both clubs sitting at or below.500 will make a run down the stretch.

**Claimed:** Nov 13, 2026
**Pundit:** Bill Simmons — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/bill-simmons
**Outlet:** The Bill Simmons Podcast (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/the-bill-simmons-podcast-podcast
**How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us
**Original:** https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT6589486440.mp3

2 checkable claims — 2 surprise team calls — 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.

> We landed on Houston for the AFC and begrudgingly Tampa in the NFC.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Tampa Bay Buccaneers to beat expectations**
  - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Houston Texans to beat expectations**
  - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: Houston Texans
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/buccaneers
- Houston Texans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/texans

## What others said about the same people

- Brandon Carney on Mike Evans: Carney predicts Geno Smith signs with the Vikings and starts for them, that at least four of the fringe veteran quarterbacks (Tua, Kyler, Cousins, Fields, Geno) will be starters next season, and that Mike Evans stays with Tampa Bay. They also rank their top fantasy wide receivers and comments on running back landing spots and trade values. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c228a7e7-4915-4bc7-bacc-8c9b3298c2c1 (scored 0)
- Bobby Skinner on Stefon Diggs: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/6bc51663-60f7-4897-b5dc-40e284f869a2 (scored 0)
- Dalton Feely on Chris Godwin Jr.: Feenie predicted Chris Godwin stays in Tampa Bay, Josh Sweat reunites with Jonathan Gannon in Arizona, Ronnie Stanley signs with New England, Jevon Holland lands in Indianapolis, Khalil Mack joins Washington, Asante Samuel Jr. goes to San Francisco, Najee Harris to the Raiders and Bobby Wagner to Dallas. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5456472e-edf1-49c5-9f6b-bd59183fcea7 (scored 100)
- Pete Prisco on Houston Texans: Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dc43909b-bc7f-47aa-b208-5cf7c95844bc (scored 54.76)
- Jared Koch on Houston Texans: Koch predicts the Texans will beat the winless Chargers on the road in Week 9 by at least 10 points, with Houston's defense forcing a couple of turnovers to set up a multiple-score win. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e2861ce9-d1de-4f34-b001-83e64c3f5770 (scored 100)
- Eric Mangini on Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mangini picked New England to beat Green Bay by more than a field goal, flagged Tampa Bay as their upset alert over Chicago, expects Kansas City to handle the Jets, took Buffalo over Minnesota, backed Cincinnati over Atlanta in Madrid, and updated their Super Bowl to Rams–Bengals. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/af0819c3-4662-44a2-a451-a08fa3b7e59a (scored 0)

## More surprise team calls

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

- Dan Orlovsky on Detroit Lions: Named Houston and Detroit as the underrated teams in each conference, said the Texans could reach 11-6 and the playoffs, and predicted CJ Stroud's next contract will start with a seven annually, with Caleb Williams getting even more afterward. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/01e49745-6d62-434d-a884-17a1fa4a0cca (not settled)
- Jordan Dajani on Pittsburgh Steelers: Halfway through the season, Dajani sorts the playoff field into contenders and pretenders: they suggest Joe Burrow could win MVP this year, and while they dismiss Pittsburgh as a true Super Bowl threat, they expect the Steelers to be a playoff team and a possible sleeper. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3cf5c7f7-905d-4de9-ba67-9ff97a7f6a34 (not settled)
- Rich Eisen on Arizona Cardinals: Eisen ran a "top five teams that are not dead yet" list, naming the Cardinals, Raiders, Rams, Saints and Texans — plus a bonus Cowboys mention — as clubs still alive and capable of making a run in the second half of the season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c599f558-148d-46ae-b958-06e4231eabca (not settled)
- Chris Long on Minnesota Vikings: Previewing NFL Week 5, Chris Long expects the Jaguars to beat the Eagles in London, picks the Browns, Steelers and Texans to win their games, names the Falcons as NFC South champions, lists their current top five teams, and calls the Vikings and Texans sleeping giants. They also flag Ja'Marr Chase and Dallas Goedert as returning, Jake Majors starting at center for Philadelphia, and Baltimore having to pay Cam Jurgens 50-plus. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f626609f-9766-4234-9bf6-ec25237ae41d (not settled)
- Big Cat on Las Vegas Raiders: Big Cat predicts the Bears beat the Packers in Week 5, thinks the Lions will beat the Cardinals, believes the Eagles rather than the Cowboys should win the NFC East, and sees the Raiders as the surprise team most likely to last. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ec6a2d23-a635-41c8-af7a-cebf76e26bbe (not settled)
- Tyler Sullivan on Las Vegas Raiders: Sullivan argues the 2-2 Packers are a hollow.500 team unlikely to climb over.500 during a tough three-game stretch, expects the Chargers to keep losing with Denver and Kansas City up next, calls the Jaguars the league's most underrated team, and says the Raiders are legitimately good despite their first loss. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ebb5d4ad-8432-4585-a227-dd908f2def6b (not settled)

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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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