Tom Pelissero· Sep 4, 2026
Pelicero expects Christian Gonzalez to eventually sign his extension with New England, thinks CJ Stroud may end up playing out his contract without a new deal, believes Patrick Mahomes will be on the field for the Chiefs' week one opener, and named Seattle, Minnesota and Washington as teams being overlooked that will be in the mix.
“I think that Seattle isn't being talked about enough even though contextually, I understand why.”
said on air, transcribed by us · The Rich Eisen Show (podcast) · read the original →
6 checkable claims — 3 surprise team calls, 2 trade and signing calls and 1 depth chart call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 9 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.
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Who this take is about
6 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
C.J. Stroud to move to Houston Texans
“they may be in a situation, barring a significant move here, where he ends up playing this thing out”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Surprise Team CallsSeattle SeahawksSep 4, 2026
Seattle Seahawks to beat expectations
“I I think the Seahawks, Rich, have a potential to be better this season... I think that Seattle isn't being talked about enough”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Surprise Team CallsMinnesota VikingsSep 4, 2026
Minnesota Vikings to beat expectations
“nobody is talking about Minnesota as even being a factor... I think that they're a team that's gonna be in the mix”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Surprise Team CallsWashington CommandersSep 4, 2026
Washington Commanders to beat expectations
“I just wouldn't be surprised if we're talking in the opening weeks of the season like, oh, yeah... maybe this Washington team, we've we've overlooked the entire off season.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Christian Gonzalez to move to New England Patriots
“I think it gets done, but I also thought that it was gonna get done over the past several weeks.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Patrick Mahomes to be 1st on the depth chart
“Signs are pointing toward Patrick Mahomes being out there... if he's on the field, he's out there not because they think he's 85%.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris SimmsScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 100Simms 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.
- Connor RogersGame Outcome Picks · Seattle SeahawksMiss · 0Rogers 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.
- Steven RuizGame Outcome Picks · Houston TexansMiss · 0Previewing 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.
- Sam MonsonGame Outcome Picks · Seattle SeahawksMiss · 0Monson 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.
- Jake ArthurScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 98Arthur expects a close Chiefs win on Sunday Night Football at Arrowhead, predicting a final score of 27-23 for Kansas City.
- Zach HicksScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 98Hicks predicts a lower-scoring, field-goal-heavy game with the Chiefs beating the Colts 23-19, citing Indianapolis' red-zone success against Kansas City historically.
More surprise team calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Ralph VacchianoSurprise Team Calls · Indianapolis ColtsPendingVacchiano 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.
- Eric WilliamsSurprise Team Calls · Los Angeles ChargersPendingWilliams 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.
- John BreechSurprise Team Calls · New Orleans SaintsPendingBreech expects Caleb Williams to return quickly from his hamstring injury, at the latest by Week 4 against the Jets or Week 5 against the Packers, and he picked the Rams to beat the Giants on Monday night. He also floated the Saints as a potential surprise team this season.
- Carter BahnsSurprise Team Calls · Cincinnati BengalsPendingBahns named the Bengals a dark-horse Super Bowl contender on the strength of their retooled defense.
- Ralph VacchianoSurprise Team Calls · New Orleans SaintsPendingVacchiano says the Saints, whom he had already called the NFC's biggest surprise of the season, are good enough to win the weak NFC South, though not yet a championship contender.
- Gilberto ManzanoSurprise Team Calls · Las Vegas RaidersPendingManzano calls the 2-0 Raiders under first-time head coach Klint Kubiak one of the season's biggest surprise teams and a club now thinking playoffs, sees the 2-0 49ers headed for another winning season, and views New Orleans as the class of the NFC South with Tyler Shough playing well.