Rich Eisen· Jul 31, 2026
Eisen says he'll again pick both the Bears and the Jaguars to win their divisions, and lays out a top-five sleeper-team list (teams that missed the playoffs but will make them): 5) Browns, 4) Saints, 3) Titans, 2) Giants, 1) Bengals, with Cincinnati winning the AFC North and potentially the AFC and Super Bowl. He also adds the Vikings with JJ McCarthy as a sleeper that reaches the playoffs.
“By the way, I'm gonna pick both those teams to win their divisions again.”
said on air, transcribed by us · The Rich Eisen Show (podcast) · read the original →
16 checkable claims — 6 surprise team calls, 5 playoff picks, 3 division winners, 1 conference champion and 1 super bowl pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 8 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
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Who this take is about
16 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.
- Surprise Team CallsNew York GiantsJul 31, 2026
New York Giants to beat expectations
“Okay. Number two on the list. I'm buying into this hype too. I'm doing it. The Giants.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Surprise Team CallsTennessee TitansJul 31, 2026
Tennessee Titans to beat expectations
“Number three on this list. They are bald and they are beautiful ahead of the Tennessee time. ... What if Cam Ward gets this coaching From Daybell.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Surprise Team CallsCincinnati BengalsJul 31, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals to beat expectations
“And then number one, my sleeper team of the year ... The Cincinnati Bengals, I think, can win the AFC and win the whole damn shooting match.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Surprise Team CallsMinnesota VikingsJul 31, 2026
Minnesota Vikings to beat expectations
“I'm going to I'm gonna go next level. The Vikings are a sleeper team. With JJ McCarthy? Bingo.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Division WinnersChicago BearsJul 31, 2026
Chicago Bears to win the division
“Although, I'm not sitting here saying the Bears are regressing. I am also not talking about Jacksonville as much. ... By the way, I'm gonna pick both those teams to win their divisions again.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Conference ChampionsCincinnati BengalsJul 31, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals to reach the Super Bowl
“The Cincinnati Bengals, I think, can win the AFC ... make it back here to so fine.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Division WinnersJacksonville JaguarsJul 31, 2026
Jacksonville Jaguars to win the division
“By the way, I'm gonna pick both those teams to win their divisions again.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Playoff PicksNew York GiantsJul 31, 2026
New York Giants to make the playoffs
“these are teams that I think that didn't make the playoffs, that are gonna make the playoffs ... Number two on the list ... The Giants.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Playoff PicksNew Orleans SaintsJul 31, 2026
New Orleans Saints to make the playoffs
“these are teams that I think that didn't make the playoffs, that are gonna make the playoffs ... So I'm putting the Saints here.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Playoff PicksMinnesota VikingsJul 31, 2026
Minnesota Vikings to make the playoffs
“The kid gets time, and then the kid starts showing up, and the kid gets them to the playoffs ... Minnesota Vikings with JJ McCarthy.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Super Bowl PicksCincinnati BengalsJul 31, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals to win the Super Bowl
“The Cincinnati Bengals, I think, can win the AFC and win the whole damn shooting match.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Division WinnersCincinnati BengalsJul 31, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals to win the division
“I think the Bengals are the number one sleeper team, and what that means is win the division, go deep in the playoffs”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Surprise Team CallsCleveland BrownsJul 31, 2026
Cleveland Browns to beat expectations
“Number five. I'm going with the Cleveland Browns here. ... I think the Browns can be better than you think.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Surprise Team CallsNew Orleans SaintsJul 31, 2026
New Orleans Saints to beat expectations
“I'm buying into some of the bandwagon talk on the Saints. ... So I'm putting the Saints here.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Playoff PicksTennessee TitansJul 31, 2026
Tennessee Titans to make the playoffs
“these are teams that I think that didn't make the playoffs, that are gonna make the playoffs ... Number three on this list ... Tennessee”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Playoff PicksCleveland BrownsJul 31, 2026
Cleveland Browns to make the playoffs
“So these are teams that didn't make the playoffs, and these are teams that I think that didn't make the playoffs, that are gonna make the playoffs. ... Number five. I'm going with the Cleveland Browns here.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris SimmsScore Predictions · New Orleans SaintsClose · 48Simms 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 · New York GiantsHit · 100Rogers 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.
- Chris LongGame Outcome Picks · Cincinnati BengalsMiss · 0Long liked the Rams over the Broncos on Sunday night even without Puka Nacua, and expected the Bills to beat the winless Chargers in Buffalo. He also backed the Bengals over the Steelers, expected an angry Detroit team to handle the Jets, and still thought both the Lions and Vikings could win the NFC North.
- Nate TiceGame Outcome Picks · Jacksonville JaguarsHit · 100Tice 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.
- Steven RuizGame Outcome Picks · Jacksonville JaguarsHit · 100Previewing 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 · Minnesota VikingsHit · 100Monson 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.
More surprise team calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Steven RuizSurprise Team Calls · Houston TexansPendingRuiz 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.
- Ben ArthurSurprise Team Calls · Houston TexansPendingArthur 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.
- 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.
- Greg AumanSurprise Team Calls · Houston TexansPendingAuman 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.
- Henry McKennaSurprise Team Calls · Houston TexansPendingMcKenna 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.
- 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.