Carter Bahns#18 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 12, 2026
CBS Sports picks the Vikings to beat the Packers 27-20 at home, arguing Green Bay's injuries and thin backfield make it a candidate to start slowly. It also lays out Minnesota's quarterback depth chart with Kyler Murray starting ahead of Carson Wentz and J.J. McCarthy, and MarShawn Lloyd leading Green Bay's backfield.
Published in writing · CBS SportsRead the original
What Carter Bahns said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromPick: Vikings 27, Packers 20
- Where it was published
- CBS Sports
- The piece
- Packers vs. Vikings: Kyler Murray opens Minnesota career in NFC North showdown
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidSep 12
- PlayedSep 13
- GradedSep 15
- 1Minnesota Vikings 27 — Packers 20“Pick: Vikings 27, Packers 20”
- 2Kyler Murray to be 1st on the depth chart“The Vikings break in a new starting quarterback this year in Murray, whom they signed this offseason on a minimum contract.”
- 3Carson Wentz to be 2nd on the depth chart“Meanwhile, Carson Wentz will back Murray up as J.J. McCarthy was relegated to the No. 3 role.”
- 4MarShawn Lloyd to be 1st on the depth chart“MarShawn Lloyd will serve as Green Bay's primary running back against the Vikings with Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson rounding out the available backfield options.”
- 5J.J. McCarthy to be 3rd on the depth chart“Carson Wentz will back Murray up as J.J. McCarthy was relegated to the No. 3 role”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings 27 — Packers 201 | Score Predictions | Vikings 39–22 | 76.19 | 58.25 | +35.87 | |
| Kyler Murray to be 1st on the depth chart2 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Carson Wentz to be 2nd on the depth chart3 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| MarShawn Lloyd to be 1st on the depth chart4 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| J.J. McCarthy to be 3rd on the depth chart5 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 1 close call · 4 waiting | 76.2 | 58.3 | ||||
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 naive5 checkable claims — 4 depth chart calls and 1 score prediction — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 6 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 5 have settled so far, averaging 76.2 out of 100, against 58.3 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 4 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 2 and below it on 2.
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.
Where this call stands in the room
Kyler Murray · 2026 season45 calls from 32 pundits between 1 and 2. Carter Bahns said 1. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
1Score PredictionsMinnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings 27 — Packers 20
What happenedVikings 39–22called Vikings by 7 · won by 1776.19Close · naive 58.2576.19this call−58.25a naive guess=17.94better than naive×2difficulty=+35.87skillClosing line (Sep 13): Vikings by 1.5, total 46.5 · this 27–20 calls a bigger Vikings win (by 7) and more points (47).
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- score:
- 22-39
- skill:
- 35.87
- they picked:
- MIN
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 76.19
- baseline:
- 58.25
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual margin:
- 17
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- naive home margin:
- −0.53
- predicted margin:
- 7
2Depth Chart CallsKyler MurrayMinnesota Vikings
Kyler Murray to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Depth Chart CallsCarson WentzMinnesota Vikings
Carson Wentz to be 2nd on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Depth Chart CallsMarShawn LloydGreen Bay Packers
MarShawn Lloyd to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Depth Chart CallsJ.J. McCarthyMinnesota Vikings
J.J. McCarthy to be 3rd on the depth chart
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
Logan Lazarczyk · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick.Patricia Traina · Trade and Signing Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Traina expects defensive tackle to be a top need for the Giants in next year's draft, and suggests the Giants could trade J.J. McCarthy next offseason — or keep both them and Jaxson Dart if the return isn't good enough. They also expect Dart to make a full recovery.Charean Williams · Roster Spot Calls · Odell Beckham Jr. · Miss 0
Williams writes that after releasing Odell Beckham Jr. to open a roster spot for Kirk Cousins, the Vikings will bring them back on the practice squad.Justin Penik · Trade and Signing Calls · Aaron Jones · Hit 100
Pennock predicted Sam Darnold to Pittsburgh, Zach Baun re-signing in Philadelphia, Charvarius Ward and Jamien Sherwood to Washington, Cam Robinson to Chicago as left tackle, Cam Bynum to the Jets, Darius Slayton to the Chargers, Aaron Jones back to Minnesota and Aaron Rodgers to the Giants.
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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.