AI sports prediction tool

You picked the most overrated and underrated NFL teams

Updated July 23, 2025, 6:32 a.m. by Chris Branch 1 min read

The Pulse Newsletter | This is The Athletic s daily sports newsletter.

Good morning! Pay homage to the Honey Badger today.

Yesterdays Pulse Poll gave me exactly what I wanted: a natural enemy for Pulse readership and a team to bet on (metaphorically, of course).

Lets start with the team you chose to antagonize: I dont know what I expected from this one, but it wasnt this.

We gave you the top 10 teams in our latest Power Rankings and asked you to pick one as most overrated ...

and 34 percent of you chose the Packers, ranked No.

Two quick thoughts: I can see the outline of logic for the rest of our candidates above, but nothing came close to the Green Bay angst.

Lets move on to our underrated teams: Hello, Denver.

This was a closer vote, as you can see, but we anoint the Broncos as The Pulses underrated dark horse.

Im sure theyll crater immediately.

Allow me to cast doubt on your second-most underrated team, the Cincinnati Bengals, on vibes alone.

Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase can power any offense to three touchdowns a game, but ongoing feuds with both your star pass rusher and your first-round pick scream trouble to me.

A final note: Many of you wrote in pleading with us to include the Buccaneers, who just missed our arbitrary cutoff of 15 teams from those Power Rankings (theyre No.

16).

Weve already established The Pulse as in on the Bucs .

Elsewhere: The Athletic Football Show picked the player arguably facing the most pressure.

Watch .

Thank you, as always, for voting.

Onward: Venus big day Venus Williams won her first-round match at the Citi Open yesterday over 23-year-old Peyton Stearns, the world No.

35, in straight sets.

It is an incredible achievement for the 45-year-old Williams, who hadnt won a WTA match since 2023.

Shes looked good in both doubles and singles now, and she hopes to compete in the U.S.

Open later this summer.

Also on the old-athlete circuit: Rich Hill, also 45, started last night for the Royals, his 14th team (which ties a record).

Advertisement Parsons baffled by Cowboys strategy Micah Parsons is at Cowboys training camp despite an ongoing contract dispute, but was direct about his communication (or lack thereof) with the team as he seeks a new deal.

Parsons, the star rusher in the final year of his rookie contract, emphasized he wants to stay a Cowboy.

I also dont understand how the Cowboys operate like this.

Jon Machota tried to give us some answers .

Marte loses $400K in burglary Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte said burglars stole approximately $400,000 worth of items from his home last week during All-Star festivities, just before Marte played in Tuesdays All-Star Game.

No one was home during the break-in, thankfully, but Marte still (understandably) seems shaken by the incident.

Its the latest in a string of burglaries at the homes of pro athletes.