# Zachary Pereles: A CBS Sports piece names five quiet-offseason teams that could outperform expectations in the coming season — the Seahawks, Packers, Broncos, Jaguars and Saints — arguing Seattle remains a legitimate contender, Denver is a lock for the playoffs, and Green Bay's Matthew Golden is a breakout candidate.

**Claimed:** Aug 10, 2026
**Pundit:** Zachary Pereles — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/zachary-pereles
**Outlet:** CBS Sports — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/cbs-sports
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/five-nfl-teams-seahawks-under-the-radar/

7 checkable claims — 5 surprise team calls, 1 playoff pick and 1 positional finishe — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

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.

> Here are five teams that haven't made a ton of noise this offseason but could make plenty when the results actually matter.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Green Bay Packers to beat expectations**
  - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: Green Bay Packers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Seattle Seahawks to beat expectations**
  - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: Seattle Seahawks
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Denver Broncos to beat expectations**
  - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: Denver Broncos
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Denver Broncos to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Denver Broncos
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Jacksonville Jaguars to beat expectations**
  - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: Jacksonville Jaguars
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **New Orleans Saints to beat expectations**
  - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: New Orleans Saints
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Devon Witherspoon to finish top 5 at his position, by interceptions**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
  - Verdict: too vague to check

## Who this take is about

- Green Bay Packers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/packers
- Seattle Seahawks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/seahawks
- Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos
- Jacksonville Jaguars — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/jaguars
- New Orleans Saints — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/saints
- Devon Witherspoon — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/devon-witherspoon

## What others said about the same people

- Chris Simms on New Orleans Saints: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 47.62)
- Connor Rogers on Seattle Seahawks: Rogers picked Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle and the Giants to win their Week 3 games, saying the Chiefs win by two touchdowns and the Giants by a field goal. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/83d1e88b-95a0-45ba-83d3-f86297170c6c (scored 0)
- Steven Ruiz on Denver Broncos: Previewing Week 3, Ruiz picked the Ravens to beat the Cowboys in Brazil, Jacksonville over New England in a low-scoring game, an upset by the Broncos over the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears, the Lions over the Jets, and his Hail Mary that Houston beats Indianapolis by two touchdowns. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a30ff469-4972-4c48-855b-ba984e4de9d0 (scored 100)
- Nate Tice on Jacksonville Jaguars: Tice matched his guest on every Week 3 game, picking the Ravens over the Cowboys, the Jaguars over the Patriots in a close game, the Broncos to upset the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears and the Lions over the Jets. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b8378e16-ea5c-4107-a883-28aaf0e71134 (scored 100)
- Chris Simms on Green Bay Packers: Simms picked the Packers to beat the Falcons in the Thursday night game by a low score, expecting a defensive struggle. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b12420c5-837c-4a24-8a8e-c74b10cc697c (scored 9.52)
- Sam Monson on Seattle Seahawks: Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0b810ffd-fd93-4ea2-a208-b1353dea5fb0 (scored 0)

## More surprise team calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Steven Ruiz on Houston Texans: Ruiz expects the Texans to repeat last year's turnaround, saying their defense and schedule will let them pile up wins and stay in the playoff race all season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/84c05549-aa98-4b8f-bd94-27488a1c96c5 (not settled)
- Ben Arthur on Houston Texans: Arthur also lands on the Texans, arguing their defense will return to elite form and a soft upcoming stretch will get Houston's season back on track. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8131936c-517d-4816-b2be-3e5d5963c6e5 (not settled)
- Henry McKenna on Houston Texans: McKenna picks the Texans as the 0-2 team most likely to recover, favoring them over the Buccaneers because he believes the AFC South is weaker than the NFC South. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7c64a8d3-6136-424d-96b2-bab3dc7d0345 (not settled)
- Eric Williams on Los Angeles Chargers: Williams picks the Chargers as the 0-2 team to rebound, comparing it to the 2017 team that started 0-4 and finished 9-7, and suggests they will rise up on the road against Buffalo rather than collapse. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/57fe59dc-bfbb-44cb-8e4c-191db478fce2 (not settled)
- Greg Auman on Houston Texans: Auman names the Texans as the 0-2 team best positioned to turn their season around and get back into the playoff race, citing their history of slow starts and an elite defense. He also references his preseason pick of the Chargers to win the Super Bowl. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2750172c-b4c1-453e-be5a-b9fae156aa5b (not settled)
- Ralph Vacchiano on Indianapolis Colts: Vacchiano picks the Colts over the Texans as the 0-2 team most likely to rebound, trusting their offense with Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor to keep them in the playoff race. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b89c2f84-25e6-4916-b297-fcb0e14c9ba7 (not settled)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

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