# Jeff Kerr: Previewing the Eagles' Monday night game in Chicago, Kerr identifies seven slow-starting players who need better performances, saying Zach Ertz is expected to serve as Philadelphia's No. 1 tight end and a reliable pass catcher in his return from a torn ACL.

**Claimed:** Sep 27, 2026
**Pundit:** Jeff Kerr — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/jeff-kerr
**Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/sports-illustrated
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/eagles/onsi/7-eagles-that-need-a-bounce-back-week-3-vs-bears-marcus-epps-has-a-lot-to-play-for-01m3j1zrshnf

One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.

It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.

> Ertz is expected to be a TE1 and be a reliable pass catcher at the position.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Zach Ertz to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Zach Ertz — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/zach-ertz
- Philadelphia Eagles — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/eagles

## What others said about the same people

- Nate Tice on Philadelphia Eagles: 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 0)
- Steven Ruiz on Philadelphia Eagles: 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 0)
- Matt Harmon on Philadelphia Eagles: Harmon picked the Bengals to beat the Texans in Week 2, expecting Nico Collins to miss the game with a hamstring injury, and also predicted the Titans would be shut out by the Eagles. He took the Rams over the Giants, the Bears over the Vikings, and the Jaguars at Denver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/21a71025-ab65-4716-ac2c-e77ad5ce3348 (scored 100)
- Ty Schmit on Philadelphia Eagles: While taking the Bears to cover, he said he expects the Eagles to win Monday night in Chicago in a tight game. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/118b8db9-3aa5-429d-925b-8683b0f17024 (scored 0)
- Darius Butler on Philadelphia Eagles: He trusts Jalen Hurts over the Bears' quarterback situation and picked Philadelphia to beat Chicago on Monday night. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d98968c9-3fd0-44cf-af9d-e305f0a97648 (scored 0)
- Jared Dubin on Philadelphia Eagles: Dubin picked the Eagles to win at Chicago 23-10 on Monday night. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ff02a653-02d7-47d8-872c-107113a8dbf7 (scored 33.33)

## More depth chart calls

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

- Pat Fitzmaurice on Jonah Coleman: In his Week 3 waiver column, Fitzmaurice makes several depth-chart calls around injuries: Jonah Coleman leading Denver's backfield, Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington, Michael Penix Jr. starting once healthy, and Malik Washington serving as Miami's top receiver, plus availability expectations for Detroit's injured safeties. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2cbd48f6-15ea-4aa5-84bc-bcc50d94d09a (scored 0)
- Fox Sports on Michael Penix Jr.: Fox Sports states that a healthy Tua Tagovailoa will serve as Atlanta's backup quarterback in Week 3, with Michael Penix Jr. handling the starting duties against Green Bay. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a90e69a8-707f-43e9-a63e-cdb3e7bd0829 (scored 100)
- Pat Fitzmaurice on Aaron Jones: In previewing the 10 most intriguing fantasy performers of Week 2, Fitzmaurice expects Atlanta's quarterback problems to persist with Tua Tagovailoa unlikely to play and Michael Penix Jr. not ready to return, flags Falcons slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. as a possible Week 2 returnee, and describes Aaron Jones as Minnesota's lead back and Kaelon Black as the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/31adc8bb-8f15-453f-bbcf-cab44e29b8b3 (scored 100)
- Matt Severance on Deshaun Watson: The CBS Sports preview backs Tampa Bay to beat Cleveland in the Bucs' Week 2 home opener, and states that Deshaun Watson — not Shedeur Sanders — will be Cleveland's starting quarterback in Week 2. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/944568ce-7205-409f-8354-a392016fd8bf (scored 100)
- Rafael Zamorano on Deshaun Watson: Zamorano reports Watson will start Week 2 at Tampa Bay and suggests there's little reason to expect improvement, raising the possibility Watson's five-year contract never yields more than single-digit wins. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d7d7e0a2-61e0-4525-970b-b01a2356f11b (scored 100)
- Rich Hribar on Tua Tagovailoa: Hribar expects Tua Tagovailoa to be Atlanta's starting quarterback for Week 2 while Michael Penix stays out, with Penix's return closer to Week 4. He is unenthusiastic about the Falcons' offense either way and treats Bryce Young as a fringe fantasy starter. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/124ac755-a942-4382-8bad-177da7f8170d (scored 0)

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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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