Jeremy FowlerJul 14, 2026
Fowler laid out the results of their composite league-wide quarterback ranking (Josh Allen first, Mahomes second, Burrow fourth, Lamar Jackson fifth, Drake Maye eighth, Jalen Hurts 17th), and said the Bengals would make the playoffs even if their defense is only average because Burrow and the offense can carry them.
Said on air, transcribed by us · The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)Hear the original
What Jeremy Fowler said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromBut they were so bad that I think even if they're average, middle of the road defensively, they're gonna be a playoff team.
- Where it was said
- The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)
- The episode
- Hour 2: Jets ‘4 Downs’ Preview, plus ESPN NFL Writer Jeremy Fowler Talks NFL QB Rankings
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 12, 2026. The quote and evidence here are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
- 1Cincinnati Bengals to make the playoffs“But they were so bad that I think even if they're average, middle of the road defensively, they're gonna be a playoff team, and then Burrow on the offense can really do the rest in a lot of ways.”
- 2Top Player Lists“Josh Allen is the top guy... He got the most first place votes, 41% of the first place votes in this [Mahomes at two]... That's really the reason he's number four [Burrow]... I I I kept, Lamar for the end here. He's fifth... I was surprised that Drake May was number eight in this exercise... 17 is is too too high. I think he should be somewhere more in that 10 to 15 range [Jalen Hurts]”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals to make the playoffs1 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| “Josh Allen is the top guy... He got the most first place votes,…”2 | Top Player Lists | — | — | — | — | |
| 2 calls · 2 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
2 checkable claims — 1 playoff pick and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
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.
1Playoff PicksCincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
“Josh Allen is the top guy... He got the most first place votes, 41% of the first place votes in this [Mahomes at two]... That's really the reason he's number four [Burrow]... I I I kept, Lamar for the end here. He's fifth... I was surprised that Drake May was number eight in this exercise... 17 is is too too high. I think he should be somewhere more in that 10 to 15 range [Jalen Hurts]”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Derek Brown · Game Outcome Picks · Cincinnati Bengals · Hit 100
Brown picked the Bengals to beat the Falcons in Madrid, the Packers to win outright in New England and the Bills to beat the Vikings on Monday night. They were bullish on Jonah Coleman's rest-of-season value, expected Jonathan Taylor to play for the Colts, floated a Breece Hall trade, and did not expect DJ Reed to play in Week 9.Eric Mangini · Game Outcome Picks · Cincinnati Bengals · Hit 100
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.Rich Eisen · Game Outcome Picks · Cincinnati Bengals · Hit 100
Previewing the Bengals-Falcons game in Madrid, Eisen expects Cincinnati to fall behind by two scores before Joe Burrow brings them back to win.Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · Cincinnati Bengals · 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.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · Cincinnati Bengals · Close 64
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.
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.