# Jacob Westendorf: Westendorf picks the Packers to win the opener 27-21, with Tucker Kraft leading the team in catches, Christian Watson in yards, Jayden Reed in touchdowns and Josh Jacobs in rushing. He tabs Bo Nix as MVP, the Broncos as the AFC's top team and Super Bowl winner over the Rams, the Lions to win the NFC North, and the Packers to finish 8-9. **Claimed:** Sep 13, 2026 **Pundit:** Jacob Westendorf — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/jacob-westendorf **Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/sports-illustrated **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/packers/onsi/will-packers-beat-vikings-green-bay-s-final-record-here-are-our-predictions 12 checkable claims — 4 depth chart calls, 2 conference champions, 1 award pick, 1 division winner, 1 score prediction, 1 season win total, 1 seeding, byes and home field and 1 super bowl pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 9 players and teams, each linked to their own record. 1 of 12 have settled so far, averaging 23.8 out of 100, against 58.3 for a naive guess at the same calls. Of the 5 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one. > Jacob: Denver Broncos. ... they emerge from a tough AFC playoffs and knock off the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Green Bay Packers 27 — Vikings 21** - Kind: Score Predictions · About: Green Bay Packers - Verdict: scored 23.81 out of 100, against 58.25 for a naive guess - **Los Angeles Rams to reach the Super Bowl** - Kind: Conference Champions · About: Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: not settled yet - **Tucker Kraft to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jayden Reed to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Denver Broncos to take the top seed** - Kind: Seeding, Byes and Home Field · About: Denver Broncos - Verdict: not settled yet - **Christian Watson to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Josh Jacobs to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl** - Kind: Super Bowl Picks · About: Denver Broncos - Verdict: not settled yet - **Green Bay Packers to finish with 8 wins** - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: Green Bay Packers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Detroit Lions to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: Detroit Lions - Verdict: not settled yet - **Bo Nix to win NFL MVP** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos - Verdict: not settled yet - **Denver Broncos to reach the Super Bowl** - Kind: Conference Champions · About: Denver Broncos - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Green Bay Packers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/packers - Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/rams - Tucker Kraft — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tucker-kraft - Jayden Reed — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jayden-reed - Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos - Christian Watson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/christian-watson - Josh Jacobs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/josh-jacobs - Detroit Lions — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/lions - Bo Nix — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/bo-nix ## What others said about the same people - Chris Simms on Denver Broncos: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 97.62) - Connor Rogers on Detroit Lions: Rogers picked Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle and the Giants to win their Week 3 games, saying the Chiefs win by two touchdowns and the Giants by a field goal. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/83d1e88b-95a0-45ba-83d3-f86297170c6c (scored 100) - Chris Long on Los Angeles Rams: Long liked the Rams over the Broncos on Sunday night even without Puka Nacua, and expected the Bills to beat the winless Chargers in Buffalo. He also backed the Bengals over the Steelers, expected an angry Detroit team to handle the Jets, and still thought both the Lions and Vikings could win the NFC North. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3df9ea25-e57f-4fd7-b20c-c910a1c3633a (scored 0) - Steven Ruiz on Denver Broncos: 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 100) - Nate Tice on Detroit Lions: 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 100) - Chris Simms on Green Bay Packers: Simms picked the Packers to beat the Falcons in the Thursday night game by a low score, expecting a defensive struggle. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b12420c5-837c-4a24-8a8e-c74b10cc697c (scored 9.52) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - 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) - Bradley Locker on Carson Wentz: PFF's unsigned adjusted power rankings after Week 1 of the 2026 season place the Bills first, the Rams second and the Dolphins last, with notes on quarterback situations in Seattle, Minnesota and Cleveland. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a3716f21-0488-4fc8-a414-c25c2d781a6e (scored 100) --- 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. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=jacob-westendorf