Douglas ClawsonSep 6, 2026
Clawson predicts the Bengals will field the NFL's No. 1 defense in points allowed in 2026 and earn the AFC's No. 1 seed.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Douglas Clawson said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromCincinnati will field the NFL's No. 1 defense and earn the AFC's top seed
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- Cincinnati Bengals Could Shock NFL World With Top Defense Across 2026 Season
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Position Group Rankings“a huge leap "from 31st to first in points allowed."”
- 2Cincinnati Bengals to make the playoffs“a massive climb from missing the playoffs to earning the No. 1 seed”
- 3Cincinnati Bengals to take the top seed“Cincinnati will field the NFL's No. 1 defense and earn the AFC's top seed in his bold prediction for every NFL team.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “a huge leap "from 31st to first in points allowed.”1 | Position Group Rankings | — | — | — | — | |
| Cincinnati Bengals to make the playoffs2 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Cincinnati Bengals to take the top seed3 | Seeding, Byes and Home Field | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 1 playoff pick, 1 position group ranking and 1 seeding, byes and home field — 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.
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
Cincinnati Bengals · 2026 season3 calls from 3 pundits between 1 and 3. Douglas Clawson 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.
“a huge leap "from 31st to first in points allowed.”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Playoff PicksCincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Seeding, Byes and Home FieldCincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals to take the top seed
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.