TJ Jefferson#66 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 18, 2026
Jefferson has the Chiefs back in the AFC playoffs (as a wild card behind Denver) at the Chargers' expense, and in the NFC puts the Cowboys in with the Panthers out while calling the Saints a sleeper who go 9-8 and win the South.
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 fromI'm kinda in on the on the Saints sleeper train this year, and I think maybe they go nine and eight, but I think that's gonna be good enough to win the South and get in.
- Where it was said
- The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)
- The episode
- Hour 1: NFL Playoff Predictions, Cowboys’ Outlook, plus Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1New Orleans Saints to finish with 9 wins“I think maybe they go nine and eight”
- 2Dallas Cowboys to make the playoffs“Who's out so the Cowboys can get in?... Tell me why the Cowboys are making it”
- 3New Orleans Saints to beat expectations“I'm kinda in on the on the Saints sleeper train this year... I picked the Saints as my sleeper team”
- 4Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs“the team I'm putting in. Chiefs?... They do make the play.”
- 5New Orleans Saints to win the division“but I think that's gonna be good enough to win the South and get in”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints to finish with 9 wins1 | Season Win Totals | — | — | — | — | |
| Dallas Cowboys to make the playoffs2 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| New Orleans Saints to beat expectations3 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs4 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| New Orleans Saints to win the division5 | Division Winners | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 5 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
5 checkable claims — 2 playoff picks, 1 division winner, 1 season win total and 1 surprise team call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
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
New Orleans Saints · 2026 season · wins9 calls from 7 pundits between 2 wins and 10 wins. TJ Jefferson said 9 wins. the room's median is 9 wins. 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.
Their call against the room
winsTheir call against everyone else's, while this is still unsettled.
1Season Win TotalsNew Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints to finish with 9 wins
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Dallas Cowboys to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Surprise Team CallsNew Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Playoff PicksKansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Division WinnersNew Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints to win the division
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.Gilberto Manzano · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Previewing the trade deadline, he expects Justin Herbert to stay in Los Angeles despite the Chargers' 0–7 start, thinks the Jets will keep Garrett Wilson and pair him with their young weapons, expects a receiver-hungry Kansas City to be aggressive with Josh Downs the likeliest target, and suggests expiring Eagles contracts Moro Ojomo and Riq Woolen could be dealt for mid-round picks.Joshua Poniatowski · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Poniatowski names several trade targets, predicting Malik Willis underperforms this week against New England, that Omarion Hampton could become a viable RB2 if Adam Gase takes over play-calling, that Josh Downs gets traded (ideally to Kansas City, where they'd be a top-24 WR), that Brian Thomas Jr. could be dealt to the Rams or 49ers, and that Travis Kelce remains a consistent weekly TE.Jordan Dajani · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
After reporting that Colts receiver Josh Downs requested a trade, they identify five clubs as plausible landing spots for them: the Rams, Patriots, Falcons, Chiefs and Raiders, and suggests Las Vegas could also give them a long-term extension.Mike Kadlick · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Kadlick names the Chiefs, Patriots and 49ers as the three best trade landing spots for Colts wide receiver Josh Downs ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.
More playoff picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
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.Chris Brockman · Playoff Picks · Pittsburgh Steelers · Hit 100
Brockman argued the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC goes through Foxborough, meaning the Patriots will finish as the No. 1 seed, and called their shot that the Chargers beat Denver in Week 18. They also declared the Bears a team of destiny who will win the NFC, said the Steelers will end their playoff win drought, and that Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top-five quarterback.Rich Eisen · Playoff Picks · Green Bay Packers · Hit 100
Eisen agreed the Bears are a team of destiny who will win the NFC, insisted the Packers will make the playoffs and won't lose at home to the Ravens, said the Steelers should make the playoffs, and endorsed the view that Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top-five quarterback.