Eric WilliamsSep 16, 2026
Williams says that despite the Week 1 loss, the Rams' talented roster will make the playoffs, and they expect a strong bounce-back performance from Los Angeles against the Giants in Week 2. They also rank the West-side teams, putting Seattle first, and says Josaiah Stewart takes over as a starter for the injured Myles Garrett.
Published in writing · Fox SportsRead the original
What Eric Williams said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromExpect the Rams to show up and show out against John Harbaugh's Giants.
- Where it was published
- Fox Sports
- The piece
- West Coast Read: Can Sean McVay Turn Rams' Nightmare Into Expected Dream Team?
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidSep 16
- PlayedSep 21
- GradedSep 22
- 1Los Angeles Rams to beat New York Giants“McVay remains one of the best coaches in the league and has 11 days to prepare for a bounce-back performance against the Giants at SoFi Stadium. Expect the Rams to show up and show out against John Harbaugh's Giants.”
- 2Josaiah Stewart to be 1st on the depth chart“Fellow pass rusher Josaiah Stewart, who will replace an injured Garrett in the starting lineup”
- 3Power Rankings“Top 5 On The West Side: 5. Arizona Cardinals; 4. Los Angeles Rams; 3. Kansas City Chiefs; 2. San Francisco 49ers; 1. Seattle Seahawks”
- 4Los Angeles Rams to make the playoffs“I later amended my prediction after the addition of Garrett and Donald, believing the Rams have too much horsepower to miss the playoffs. … it's an overreaction to state that this talented roster will miss the postseason.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams to beat New York Giants1 | Game Outcome Picks | Rams 28–6 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Josaiah Stewart to be 1st on the depth chart2 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| “Top 5 On The West Side: 5. Arizona Cardinals; 4. Los Angeles…”3 | Power Rankings | — | — | — | — | |
| Los Angeles Rams to make the playoffs4 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 calls · 1 hit · 3 waiting | 100 | 100 | ||||
Game calls show that game’s closing betting line under their grade: a dated fact from nflverse, for context and never part of a grade. MissedTakes takes no bets and earns nothing from any sportsbook.
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive4 checkable claims — 1 depth chart call, 1 game outcome pick, 1 playoff pick and 1 power ranking — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
1Game Outcome PicksLos Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams to beat New York Giants
What happenedRams 28–6Giants at Rams100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×1.94difficulty=0skillClosing line (Sep 21): Rams by 6.5 · favorite pick, Rams 72%.
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- won:
- LAR
- score:
- 6-28
- skill:
- 0
- they picked:
- LAR
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive pick:
- LAR
- difficulty:
- 1.94
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 17
2Depth Chart CallsJosaiah StewartLos Angeles Rams
Josaiah Stewart to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
“Top 5 On The West Side: 5. Arizona Cardinals; 4. Los Angeles Rams; 3. Kansas City Chiefs; 2. San Francisco 49ers; 1. Seattle Seahawks”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Playoff PicksLos Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
The game in this take
every pundit’s pick on eachWho this take is about
Others on the same people
Colin Cowherd · Trade and Signing Calls · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Cowherd predicts Matt Stafford stays with the Rams rather than moving on, and says Travis Hunter may underachieve because they're being asked to play both ways — Cowherd doubts they're a No. 1 receiver and would slot them as a No. 2 receiver while being a No. 1 corner.Colin Cowherd · Trade and Signing Calls · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Cowherd believes Matt Stafford's public negotiation posturing means he ultimately stays in Los Angeles, and he flags Travis Hunter as a high draft pick who could underachieve because trying to play both cornerback and receiver full-time will hurt him.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · Los Angeles Rams · Hit 93
Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game.Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · Los Angeles Rams · Hit 100
Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Michael Moore · Depth Chart Calls · Shedeur Sanders · Hit 100
In a Week 9 injury roundup, Moore forecast which banged-up fantasy contributors would play or sit: Deshaun Watson, Garrett Wilson, David Montgomery, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, TreVeyon Henderson and Terrance Ferguson are expected out, while Travis Kelce, Saquon Barkley, Michael Wilson, Christian Watson and Emeka Egbuka should play. They also expect Shedeur Sanders and Drew Lock to start at quarterback.Nic Bodiford · Depth Chart Calls · Joe Fagnano · Hit 100
Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.