Manti Te'o#65 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 4, 2025
Picked a Rams–Ravens Super Bowl with Baltimore winning, and Lamar Jackson taking both season MVP and Super Bowl MVP. They also picked Jalen Carter as Defensive Player of the Year.
Said on air or in an interview · Move the Sticks (podcast)Hear the original
What Manti Te'o said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI had first of a matchup was the Rams versus the Ravens, and then I had not only the MVP of the season, but the Super Bowl MVP, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens
- Where it was said
- Move the Sticks (podcast)
- The episode
- GMFB Thursday Hour 2: Super Bowl picks! Brandon Graham & Ross Tucker join!
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 5, 2026. The quote and evidence here are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
- SaidSep 4, 2025
- GradedAug 5–Oct 9, 2026
- 1Lamar Jackson to win Super Bowl MVP“not only the MVP of the season, but the Super Bowl MVP, Lamar Jackson”
- 2Los Angeles Rams to reach the Super Bowl“first of a matchup was the Rams versus the Ravens”
- 3Lamar Jackson to win MVP“I had not only the MVP of the season, but the Super Bowl MVP, Lamar Jackson”
- 4Baltimore Ravens to win the Super Bowl“a matchup was the Rams versus the Ravens... Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, after twelve long years, get another super Bowl.”
- 5Jalen Carter to win Defensive Player of the Year“I know you talked about Zach Bond being your prediction for defensive player of the Year, but I actually picked a teammate of yours, Jalen Carter.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar Jackson to win Super Bowl MVP1 | Award Picks | Kenneth Walker III won | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Los Angeles Rams to reach the Super Bowl2 | Conference Champions | NE and SEA won | 50 | 0 | +100 | |
| Lamar Jackson to win MVP3 | Award Picks | Matthew Stafford won | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Baltimore Ravens to win the Super Bowl4 | Super Bowl Picks | SEA won it | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jalen Carter to win Defensive Player of the Year5 | Award Picks | Myles Garrett won | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 calls · 1 close call · 4 misses · all settled | 10 | 0 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive5 checkable claims — 3 award picks, 1 conference champion and 1 super bowl pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
All 5 have settled, averaging 10 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess at the same calls.
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.
1Award PicksLamar JacksonBaltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson to win Super Bowl MVP
What happenedKenneth Walker III woncalled Lamar Jackson0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- award:
- super_bowl_mvp
- naive:
- the naive pick was Jalen Hurts, who won it the year before
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Lamar Jackson
- season:
- 2025
- who won:
- Kenneth Walker III
- correct:
- no
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
2Conference ChampionsLos Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams to reach the Super Bowl
What happenedNE and SEA wonpicked LAR50Close · naive 050this call−0a naive guess=50better than naive×2difficulty=+100skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 100
- they picked:
- LAR
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 50
- baseline:
- 0
- champions:
- NE, SEA
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- last season's conference champions
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- reached the Super Bowl:
- no
- lost the conference final:
- yes
3Award PicksLamar JacksonBaltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson to win MVP
What happenedMatthew Stafford woncalled Lamar Jackson0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- award:
- mvp
- naive:
- the naive pick was Josh Allen, who won it the year before
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Lamar Jackson
- season:
- 2025
- who won:
- Matthew Stafford
- correct:
- no
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
4Super Bowl PicksBaltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens to win the Super Bowl
What happenedSEA won itpicked BAL0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 0
- they picked:
- BAL
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- champion:
- SEA
- runner up:
- NE
- the naive pick:
- PHI
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
5Award PicksJalen CarterPhiladelphia Eagles
Jalen Carter to win Defensive Player of the Year
What happenedMyles Garrett woncalled Jalen Carter0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- award:
- defensive_player_of_the_year
- naive:
- the naive pick was Pat Surtain II, who won it the year before
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Jalen Carter
- season:
- 2025
- who won:
- Myles Garrett
- correct:
- no
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 5 settled calls, each counted once
10naive 0
Who 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.Garrett Podell · Game Outcome Picks · Philadelphia Eagles · Miss 0
Podell predicts the Eagles, behind new starting quarterback Joe Milton III, snap their six-game losing streak by upsetting the first-place Giants in Week 9.
More award picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Willie Colon · Award Picks · Sam Darnold · Miss 0
Colon picked the Seahawks to win 24-14 with Sam Darnold as Super Bowl MVP.Danny Parkins · Award Picks · Jaxon Smith-Njigba · Miss 0
Parkins picked Seattle to win 27-16 with Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Super Bowl MVP.