Rich Eisen#38 of 87 NFL pundits · Nov 5, 2026
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.
Said on air, transcribed by us · The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)Hear the original
What Rich Eisen said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI am kicking off this program with a top five list... of teams that are not dead yet.
- Where it was said
- The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)
- The episode
- Hour 1: Jaguars vs Ravens TNF Preview, Rich’s Top 5, Higher Register, plus Brian Urlacher
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Houston Texans to beat expectations“And the number one team not dead yet... I can't quit the Texans... They can make some hay right now.”
- 2Arizona Cardinals to beat expectations“Number five... They're three and five, and they're not dead yet... Three and five cardinals are are not dead yet.”
- 3Dallas Cowboys to beat expectations“You're three and five. You're not dead yet... There are some tough games after that, but you're not dead now.”
- 4Las Vegas Raiders to beat expectations“Number four on the list... The Raiders... are not quite dead yet... They're four and four, baby.”
- 5New Orleans Saints to beat expectations“Number two... The New Orleans Saints are not dead at all. Two and five... Look at the NFC south standings.”
- 6Los Angeles Rams to beat expectations“Number three on the list... The Los Angeles Rams are not dead yet.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans to beat expectations1 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Arizona Cardinals to beat expectations2 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Dallas Cowboys to beat expectations3 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Las Vegas Raiders to beat expectations4 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| New Orleans Saints to beat expectations5 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Los Angeles Rams to beat expectations6 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 6 calls · 6 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
6 checkable claims — 6 surprise team calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 6 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 CallsHouston Texans
Houston Texans to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Surprise Team CallsArizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Surprise Team CallsDallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Surprise Team CallsLas Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Surprise Team CallsNew Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
6Surprise Team CallsLos Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Bobby Skinner · Trade and Signing Calls · Stefon Diggs · Miss 0
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.Colin Cowherd · Trade and Signing Calls · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Cowherd predicts Matt Stafford stays with the Rams rather than moving on, and says Travis Hunter may underachieve because they're being asked to play both ways — Cowherd doubts they're a No. 1 receiver and would slot them as a No. 2 receiver while being a No. 1 corner.Colin Cowherd · Trade and Signing Calls · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Cowherd believes Matt Stafford's public negotiation posturing means he ultimately stays in Los Angeles, and he flags Travis Hunter as a high draft pick who could underachieve because trying to play both cornerback and receiver full-time will hurt him.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · Houston Texans · Hit 81
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 surprise team calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Dan Orlovsky · Surprise Team Calls · Detroit Lions · Waiting
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.Bill Simmons · Surprise Team Calls · Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Waiting
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.Danny Kelly · Surprise Team Calls · Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Waiting
Kelly argued the Buccaneers are the one NFC South club capable of a second-half surge, citing a soft remaining schedule and the league's top defensive EPA.Jordan Dajani · Surprise Team Calls · Pittsburgh Steelers · Waiting
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.Chris Long · Surprise Team Calls · Minnesota Vikings · Waiting
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.Tyler Sullivan · Surprise Team Calls · Jacksonville Jaguars · Waiting
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.