Lance Zierlein#11 of 87 NFL pundits · May 22, 2026

Zierlein picked the Spurs to win their upcoming home games against Oklahoma City and said the series would be 3-1 after four games; they also suggested the Rockets should win a playoff series in 2026-27. They argued Matthew Stafford is the second-best quarterback in the NFL right now, expects Stafford out of the league by the third year, and predicted Ty Simpson will play no meaningful football for their first two Rams seasons. They also think Kansas City will regress and is confident in the Texans in the AFC.

Said on air, transcribed by us · John and Lance — ESPN Houston (podcast)Hear the original

Waiting2 calls, none settled yet

—Average accuracynothing settled yet

—A naive guessthe same calls, no knowledge

0 of 2Settled2 still waiting

#11Lance Zierlein’s rankof 87 ranked NFL pundits

What Lance Zierlein said

our reading, beside the words we read it from

He's definitely ahead of Lamar Jackson. He's definitely ahead of Joe Burrow. He's definitely ahead of Pat Mahomes.

Lance Zierlein, the lead quote · each call’s own words are below

Where it was said: John and Lance — ESPN Houston (podcast)
The episode: 5/22 Hour 2: Best path forward for the Rockets + Ranking NFL QBs
The original: Hear the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

1Ty Simpson to be 2nd on the depth chart“if Stafford stays healthy, will play no meaningful football for the first two years at the Rams”
2Matthew Stafford to finish top 2 at his position, by passing yards“Second best quarterback in the league right now. Yeah. Why not?... He's definitely ahead of Lamar Jackson. He's definitely ahead of Joe Burrow. He's definitely ahead of Pat Mahomes.”

Box score

HitCloseMissWaiting

Call	Kind	What happened	Score	Naive	Skill
Ty Simpson to be 2nd on the depth chart¹	Depth Chart Calls	—	—	—	—
Matthew Stafford to finish top 2 at his position, by passing yards²	Positional Finishes	—	—	—	—
2 calls · 2 waiting			—	—

How each call scored

2 checkable claims — 1 depth chart call and 1 positional finish — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.

Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 1.

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

Ty Simpson · 2026 season

Lance Zierlein — 2the room — 12 calls from 9 punditsmedian 2

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.

Their call against the room

2They said

2The room (9 pundits)

Their call against everyone else's, while this is still unsettled.

1Depth Chart Calls Ty Simpson Los Angeles Rams
Ty Simpson to be 2nd on the depth chart
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
2Positional Finishes Matthew Stafford Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford to finish top 2 at his position, by passing yards
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Who this take is about

Where do you stand on this one?Pick every open claim on Picks →

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.
Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · Los Angeles Rams · Hit 93
Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson.
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.
Jordan Dajani · Score Predictions · Los Angeles Rams · Hit 93
Dajani picked all seven featured Week 9 games with final scores, including a blowout Jaguars win in Baltimore, an Atlanta upset of Cincinnati in Madrid, and a narrow Bills win in Minneapolis.

More depth chart calls

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

Jeremy Brener · Depth Chart Calls · Drew Lock · Hit 100
Brener picked the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in Week 9 by a multi-score margin, giving a final score of 27-13, and expressed confidence Seattle would be fine with Drew Lock starting at quarterback.
Jeremy Brener · Depth Chart Calls · Jalen Milroe · Miss 0
Brener suggests Seattle may turn to rookie-contract quarterback Jalen Milroe for their first career start in Week 9 against the Cardinals, with Sam Darnold ruled out and Drew Lock dealing with an elbow injury.
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.
Zachary Pereles · Depth Chart Calls · Shedeur Sanders · Hit 100
Pereles writes that if Deshaun Watson can't clear concussion protocol in time, the Browns would likely turn to second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders to start Week 9 against the Saints.
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.
Garrett Podell · Depth Chart Calls · Carson Beck · Miss 0
Podell argues the Cardinals have maxed out with Jacoby Brissett and that rookie Carson Beck should be ramped up to replace them as starter, targeting Week 8 at Dallas for Beck's regular-season debut.