Hello football friends, and welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
After 179 days of waiting, football is finally back. Have I been counting down since February? Yes, and yes, I clearly need a hobby.
The Hall of Fame Game kicks off tonight, and sure, there's a good chance that you won't be able to name a single player on the field in the fourth quarter, but that's the beauty of preseason football. If you need a reason to watch tonight's game, don't worry, we're going to give you a few reasons why you should tune in. With that in mind, let's get to the rundown.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.
1. Hall of Fame Game: Why you should watch Panthers-Cardinals
The first game of the 2026 season is officially here, which is a good thing, because I was starting to experience football withdrawal symptoms. The game tonight will feature the head coaching debut of Arizona's Mike LaFleur, who was hired in January to take over for Jonathan Gannon.
The game will be kicking off from Canton, Ohio, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and the fact that NBC has the game is one reason why you should be watching. Tonight's game will mark the NBC debut of former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, and it will be interesting to see how he handles his new job.
Besides Tomlin, here are a few other things to know heading into tonight's game and a few reasons why you might want to watch:
- Carson Beck will be making his NFL debut and he had no idea he was going to be the starter. If you need just one reason to check out the game tonight, let it be this: Carson Beck will be getting the first snap of his NFL career. The rookie quarterback, who was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft back in April, will be starting against the Panthers. The Cardinals' decision to start Beck came as a total surprise to the rookie, "I had no clue I was going to start," Beck said this week. "Obviously, I thought I was going to play in it, but I didn't really have any expectations going into this." Although Beck will be on the field, Jeremiyah Love won't be playing. The Cardinals have decided to keep their rookie running back on the bench for the game.
- Who to watch on the Panthers. Haynes King was the 2025 ACC Player of the Year at Georgia Tech and he's expected to make his debut tonight for the Panthers. Kenny Pickett will be getting the start for Carolina, but King, who signed as an undrafted free agent in May, is expected to get most of the snaps at QB. Another player to watch for Carolina is running Trevor Etienne, who should see some serious action. The Panthers are expected to keep Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks on the bench, which should mean plenty of playing time for Etienne. CBS Sports NFL writer Josh Edwards came up with a list of 10 guys who you'll want to keep an eye on tonight and you can see his full list here.
- Cardinals and Panthers history in the Hall of Fame Game. This will mark the just the second time that the Panthers have played in the Hall of Fame Game. Their only other appearance came in 1995 against Jacksonville in a game that was mostly notable because it was the first game in franchise history for both the Panthers and Jaguars. As for the Cardinals, this will be their sixth Hall of Fame Game appearance, which is tied for the third-most in the NFL. The last time the Cards played in Canton came all the way back in 2017. The Cardinals have some serious history with the game due to the fact that they played in the FIRST every Hall of Fame game back in 1961 against the Giants, a game that ended in a tie. In their five previous appearances, the Cards have gone 1-3-1.
- Why the Cardinals and Panthers were chosen to play in the game. The two teams chosen for the Hall of Fame Game each year are generally picked based on whether they have any Hall of Famers being inducted this year. The Cardinals have Larry Fitzgerald being inducted into the Hall this weekend while the Panthers have Luke Kuechly.
Breech's pick: Cardinals 20-17 over Panthers (Cardinals cover +1). It's the bottom of the Panthers roster against the bottom of the Cardinals roster, so it's hard to pick a winner here, but I'm going with Arizona, only because I think Mike LaFleur would like to start his career off with a win.
2. Hall of Fame induction is this weekend: Here's what you need to know
The Hall of Fame Game is just an appetizer when it comes to the festivities this weekend. The main course will be coming on Saturday with the enshrinement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2026. If you're planning to watch induction ceremony this weekend, you better clear your schedule on Saturday afternoon because that's when the ceremony will be kicking off. After years of holding the enshrinement ceremony in prime time, the Hall of Fame moved the ceremony to noon ET in 2022, and that's where it will be once again this year. (The ceremony will be televised by both ESPN and NFL Network.)
The Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 consists of five players, including a KICKER. Let's take a look at the class:
- Drew Brees (Chargers 2001-05, Saints 2006-20)
- Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals 2004-2020)
- Roger Craig (49ers 1983-90, Raiders 1991, Vikings 1992-93)
- Luke Kuechly (Panthers 2012-19)
- Adam Vinatieri (Patriots 1996-2005, Colts 2006-2019)
Vinatieri is just the third pure placekicker ever to make the Hall of Fame, joining Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen. One other notable fact about this weekend is that Kuechly will become the second-youngest Hall of Famer ever when he's inducted on Saturday. The 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year just turned 35 in April. The only player who was younger at the time of his induction was Gale Sayers, who was 34 when he was enshrined in 1977.
If you're wondering who might make the Hall of Fame in the future, Bryan DeArdo went through and identified one active player from each team who could eventually end up in Canton and you can check that out here.
3. Ranking the top 10 play-callers in the NFL
After ranking the top 10 head coaches in the NFL earlier this week, you might have thought that we were done ranking things, but we're not, we're never done. Today, we're going to rank the top offensive and defensive play-callers in the NFL.
We rounded up 12 of our NFL experts and had them vote on the top play-callers and I'm going to unveil our ranking for the top 10 defensive play-callers.
1. Mike Macdonald (Seahawks head coach)
2. Steve Spagnuolo (Chiefs defensive coordinator)
3. Jesse Minter (Ravens head coach)
4. Vic Fangio (Eagles defensive coordinator)
5. Brian Flores (Vikings defensive coordinator)
6. Robert Saleh (Titans head coach)
7. Chris Shula (Rams defensive coordinator)
8. Vance Joseph (Broncos defensive coordinator)
9. Anthony Campanile (Jaguars defensive coordinator)
10. Matt Burke (Texans defensive coordinator)
It's kind of crazy to think that Macdonald and Minter were on the same staff in Baltimore for four seasons (2017-20).
As for the top ranked guys on the offensive side of the ball, you'll have to check out our full story here if you want to see that part of the list.
4. Bounce-back season: AFC teams that could make the playoffs after missing out last year
If there's one thing you can count on every year in the NFL, it's that your going to see multiple new playoff teams during the upcoming season. There have been at least four new playoff teams in every season played since 1990, so it almost feels like a lock that we'll once again see that happen this year.
With that in mind, Zach Pereles decided to take a look around the AFC to try and figure out which teams might make the postseason this year after missing out last year.
Here are the top three teams on his list:
- Chiefs. The biggest factor in the Chiefs' favor is Mahomes. He's expected to be ready to go in Week 1, and he is superb. The presence of Mahomes alone warrants playoff contender status at worst.
- Ravens. Things feel very, very different in Baltimore, with John Harbaugh out and first-time coach Jesse Minter in. But change can be good, and it might be exactly what this team needs to get over the hump.
- Bengals. Cincinnati still has holes at linebacker and questions at EDGE. The secondary has some nice pieces, but has yet to put them together. Perhaps Year 2 under Al Golden will bring improvement, but on paper, this defense is still a step or two behind. The offense is undeniably elite when Burrow plays, so getting the defense to even mediocre rather than basement floor would give Cincinnati a more stable footing.
Pereles also made a prediction on several teams that could take a step back after making the playoffs last year and you can check out that list here.
5. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam reveals the one bet he'd make on his team this year
NFL owners aren't allowed to gamble on the NFL, but apparently, they can tell you what they would bet on if they were allowed to gamble and that's what Jimmy Haslam did recently.
The Browns owner has apparently been paying close attention to the Over/Under total that his team has been given and we know that because he specifically mentioned it during a recent press conference.
"I would say this, and we never do this, but I think the odds are for us to win five and a half games," Haslam said. "I'll take the over."
Taking the over on the Browns might seem slightly crazy, but I think I actually agree with him and there's one big reason why: The schedule.
- Strength of schedule. The Browns have the easiest strength of schedule in the NFL this year. Here's why that matters: The AFC team with the easiest strength of schedule has finished with a winning record in eight straight seasons, including last year, when the AFC champion Patriots improved from 4-13 in 2024 to 14-3 in 2025. Over the past three seasons, the AFC team with the easiest strength of schedule has improved its record by an average of 7.7 wins, and all three of those teams had a new head coach going into the season, just like the Browns have with Todd Monken this year.
- AFC North will be playing the AFC South and NFC South. The last two times that a division was matched up against both the AFC South and the NFC South in the same season, that division went off. In 2021, the AFC East played both South divisions and the Bills, Patriots, Jets and Dolphins ended up averaging 8.5 wins together. In 2025, the NFC West played both South divisions and we all know what happened there: The Seahawks, Rams and 49ers all made the playoffs with Seattle winning the Super Bowl.
I'm not sure if I've gone completely crazy, but I do think the Browns will top 5.5 wins in 2026. You can read my full breakdown of the situation here.
6. Extra points: Jonathan Taylor lands massive extension
It's been a busy few days around the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.
- Colts signing Jonathan Taylor to two-year extension. The Colts star is now the second-highest-paid running back in the NFL after agreeing to terms on a two-year, $44 million extension. The contract includes $39 million in guaranteed money and could be worth up to $47 million it Taylor meets every incentive. At $22 million per year, Taylor's average annual value only trails Bijan Robinson ($22.25 million per year). It's a well-deserved contract for Taylor, who has rushed for at least 1,400 yards in each of the past two seasons. Not to mention, he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns last year with 18. With the Taylor and Robinson deal now done, it feels like Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs will likely be getting a new contract any day now.
- Aaron Donald's return looking more and more likely. It's still not clear whether Aaron Donald is going to return, but at this point, it almost feels like a given. The latest piece of news came on Wednesday when Donald worked out at the Rams' facility. According to ESPN, Donald wanted to start working out with a helmet on and so he went to the Rams' facility to do that, and because of that, the team had to report to the league that Donald showed up on Wednesday. Rams coach Sean McVay has said that a decision on Donald's future won't be made until some point after the team returns from training camp at Loyola Marymount. Their last practice there is TODAY (Aug. 6), so Donald watch is officially on starting tomorrow.
- Commanders to sign Stefon Diggs. With this legal situation now behind him, Stefon Diggs has found a new team to play for: The Washington Commanders. Diggs is headed to Washington on a one-year deal that's worth up to $12 million. The Commanders have been desperately looking for a No. 2 receiver to go with Terry McLaurin and it feels like they just found that with Diggs, who led the Patriots with 1,013 receiving yards last season.
- Zay Flowers lands huge contract. Flowers has been Baltimore's leading receiver in each of his three seasons with the team and the Ravens rewarded him for that fact on Wednesday by giving him a four-year, $140 million extension that includes $108 million in guaranteed money. It's a massive contract that could throw a wrench into the receiver market. The trickle down effect of this deal is that it could make it harder for the Cowboys to keep George Pickens after 2026 and NFL writer Garrett Podell explains why here.
