Rich Eisen#38 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 24, 2026
Eisen backed the Cowboys as legitimate favorites to win the NFC if healthy, said Deshaun Watson will hold the Browns' starting job through at least the first two games, and picked the Giants rather than the Titans as the team poised for a big jump.
Said on air, transcribed by us · Overreaction Monday (podcast)Hear the original
What Rich Eisen said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThey are a favorite to win. They're legit favorites to win the NFC if they stay healthy.
- Where it was said
- Overreaction Monday (podcast)
- The episode
- NFL Preseason Week 2
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Dallas Cowboys to reach the Super Bowl“They are a favorite to win. They're legit favorites to win the NFC if they stay healthy. They have a terrific roster that does appear to be deep.”
- 2New York Giants to beat expectations“No. I think the Giants are the ones, actually. Those are the ones.”
- 3Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart“he is going to start at least the first two games for Cleveland because they're both on the road”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys to reach the Super Bowl1 | Conference Champions | — | — | — | — | |
| New York Giants to beat expectations2 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart3 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 1 conference champion, 1 depth chart call and 1 surprise team call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 4 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
Deshaun Watson · 2026 season39 calls from 26 pundits between 1 and 2. Rich Eisen 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.
Their call against the record
Their call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.
1Conference ChampionsDallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys to reach the Super Bowl
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Surprise Team CallsNew York Giants
New York Giants to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Depth Chart CallsDeshaun WatsonCleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Sam Monson · Game Outcome Picks · New York Giants · Miss 0
Monson picked every Week 10 game, taking the Giants, Lions, Packers, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Bills, Chiefs, Jaguars, Seahawks, Rams, Cowboys, Bengals and Ravens, and also suggested the Chargers' only likely wins the rest of the way come against the Jets and Dolphins.Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Miss 36
Prisco picks the Giants to beat the Commanders 23-14 on Thursday night and the Lions to beat the Patriots 30-24 in Munich.Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Close 43
Dubin picks the Giants to beat the Commanders 20-14 on Thursday night and takes the Packers over the Vikings 17-14 in a low-scoring Week 10 game.Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Close 43
Dubin picks the Giants to beat the Commanders at home on Thursday night, projecting a 20-14 final score.Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Miss 36
Prisco picked the Giants to beat the Commanders at home in the Thursday night Week 10 game, 23-14, citing New York's dominant front seven containing Jayden Daniels.Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Close 43
Dubin predicted final scores for seven Week 10 games, taking the Giants over the Commanders, the Lions, Chiefs, Packers, 49ers, Bengals and Ravens to win their respective matchups.
More conference champions
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Damonza Byrd · Conference Champions · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
The co-host picks the Seahawks to beat the Rams in the NFC Championship game, and says they believe New England will win in Denver even though they are taking the Broncos with the points.Nick Wright · Conference Champions · New England Patriots · Hit 100
The host picks the Rams to beat the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game and believes the winner of that game wins the Super Bowl, i.e. that this is the Rams' year; they also pick New England to win in Denver despite taking the Broncos with the points, and says Stafford is winning MVP. They call Sean McVay the second-best coach in the NFL.Nick Wright · Conference Champions · Denver Broncos · Close 50
Wright picked the Broncos to beat the Patriots in a low-scoring AFC Championship game (17-16), said Sean Payton would coach Denver to the Super Bowl, picked the Rams to win outright in Seattle 31-20, believes the winner of the NFC game wins the Super Bowl with the Rams the better team, and expects Matt Stafford to be named league MVP.AJ Hawk · Conference Champions · Los Angeles Rams · Close 50
Hawk picked the Patriots to win in Denver despite liking Stidham and the Broncos defense, and in the NFC they stuck with the Rams, saying Stafford gets to the Super Bowl.Derek Murphy · Conference Champions · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Bone said after watching film that Seattle will handle the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, and that the Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl.