TJ Jefferson#66 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 8, 2026
Jefferson picked Tampa Bay to win the NFC South with New Orleans second, Atlanta third and Carolina fourth, and named the Saints as one of their sleeper teams.
Said on air, transcribed by us · The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)Hear the original
What TJ Jefferson said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromsomething about this Bucks team and the way they rally around Baker Mayfield makes me feel like they're going to do the same and... carry them to victory in this division
- Where it was said
- The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)
- The episode
- Hour 3: Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, AFC South Predictions, Overreaction Monday (On A Tuesday), tilted hat controversy
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1New Orleans Saints to beat expectations“They were your sleeper team. They were one of my sleeper teams.”
- 2Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the division“something about this Bucks team and the way they rally around Baker Mayfield makes me feel like they're going to do the same and... carry them to victory in this division”
- 3Power Rankings“So I got the Panthers finishing fourth place. Okay. I got the Falcons finishing third... They're Bucks and the Saints.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints to beat expectations1 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the division2 | Division Winners | — | — | — | — | |
| “So I got the Panthers finishing fourth place. Okay. I got the…”3 | Power Rankings | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 1 division winner, 1 power ranking and 1 surprise team call — 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.
1Surprise Team CallsNew Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Division WinnersTampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the division
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
“So I got the Panthers finishing fourth place. Okay. I got the Falcons finishing third... They're Bucks and the Saints.”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
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The former NFL safety picked the Buccaneers to upset the Bears in their Week 9 matchup, arguing Todd Bowles' defense would frustrate Caleb Williams.Zac Cornelius · Score Predictions · Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Miss 29
Zach projected the Buccaneers to beat the Bears 24-12.
More division winners
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Daniel DiBerardinis · Division Winners · Atlanta Falcons · Miss 0
Danny D predicts Sonny Styles goes in the top ten (maybe top five), doesn't think Ty Simpson goes before late first round, says Kenyon Sadiq lands with the Rams at 13, and picks the Falcons to win the NFC South while naming the Bengals an AFC bounce-back team. They also give a Final Four of Michigan, Florida, Purdue and Arizona with Michigan winning.Colin Cowherd · Division Winners · New York Giants · Miss 0
Cowherd projects the NFC East with the Giants winning the division ahead of Philadelphia, Washington and Dallas, pegging the Cowboys as a six- or seven-win team. They also expect Malik Willis to land a big free-agent deal, Kayvon Thibodeaux to be moved, and Baltimore to lose Isaiah Likely, and they float the Rams reaching on Ty Simpson late in round one.Colin Cowherd · Division Winners · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 0
Cowherd unveiled their top 10 NFL teams entering next season, with Seattle first, the Rams second and the Chiefs tenth, and separately picked the Chargers to win the AFC West.Colin Cowherd · Division Winners · Baltimore Ravens · Miss 0
Cowherd likes Jacksonville, Chicago and Pittsburgh (with DK Metcalf back) in the wild-card round, ranks the league's head coaches with McVay first and Ben Johnson seventh, and predicts Lamar Jackson has about two strong years left. They also name the Rams as a possible team to draft a receiver and floats next year's draft having seven first-round quarterbacks.Rich Eisen · Division Winners · Jacksonville Jaguars · 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.