Shanna McCarriston#10 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 12, 2026
The CBS Sports preview picks the Chargers to beat the Cardinals 27-17 in Week 1, and expects rookie Jake Slaughter to step in at center for Los Angeles after Tyler Biadasz's injury.
Published in writing · CBS SportsRead the original
What Shanna McCarriston said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromPick: Chargers 27, Cardinals 17
- Where it was published
- CBS Sports
- The piece
- Cardinals vs. Chargers: Justin Herbert debuts new-look offense under Mike McDaniel for Los Angeles
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidSep 12
- PlayedSep 13
- GradedSep 15
- 1Los Angeles Chargers 27 — Cardinals 17“Pick: Chargers 27, Cardinals 17”
- 2Los Angeles Chargers to beat Cardinals“The Chargers should win this one. ... Our CBS Sports experts agree, all taking the Chargers straight up.”
- 3Jake Slaughter to be 1st on the depth chart“One key addition was center Tyler Biadasz, who suffered a major knee injury this offseason and landed on injured reserve. Rookie center Jake Slaughter is up next for the position.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Chargers 27 — Cardinals 171 | Score Predictions | Cardinals 26–14 | 45.24 | 20.16 | +50.16 | |
| Los Angeles Chargers to beat Cardinals2 | Game Outcome Picks | Cardinals 26–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jake Slaughter to be 1st on the depth chart3 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 1 close call · 1 miss · 1 waiting | 22.6 | 10.1 | ||||
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 naive3 checkable claims — 1 depth chart call, 1 game outcome pick and 1 score prediction — 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.
2 of 3 have settled so far, averaging 22.6 out of 100, against 10.1 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.
Where this call stands in the room
Jake Slaughter · 2026 season23 calls from 16 pundits between 1 and 2. Shanna McCarriston 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 PredictionsLos Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers 27 — Cardinals 17
What happenedCardinals 26–14called Chargers by 10 · lost by 1245.24Close · naive 20.1645.24this call−20.16a naive guess=25.08better than naive×2difficulty=+50.16skillClosing line (Sep 13): Chargers by 8.5, total 47.5 · this 27–17 calls a bigger Chargers win (by 10) and fewer points (44).
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- score:
- 26-14
- skill:
- 50.16
- they picked:
- LAC
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 45.24
- baseline:
- 20.16
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual margin:
- 12
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- naive home margin:
- −0.53
- predicted margin:
- 10
2Game Outcome PicksLos Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers to beat Cardinals
What happenedCardinals 26–14Cardinals at Chargers0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillClosing line (Sep 13): Chargers by 8.5 · favorite pick, Chargers about 4 in 5 (79%).
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- won:
- ARI
- score:
- 26-14
- skill:
- 0
- they picked:
- LAC
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive pick:
- LAC
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
3Depth Chart CallsJake SlaughterLos Angeles Chargers
Jake Slaughter to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 2 settled calls, each counted once
22.6naive 10.1
The game in this take
every pundit’s pick on eachWho this take is about
Others on the same people
Nate Gosney · Trade and Signing Calls · Daiyan Henley · Miss 0
After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season.Kevin Wildes · Game Outcome Picks · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 0
Wildes used their upset alert on the winless Chargers to beat the Rams.Greg Auman · Score Predictions · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 21
Auman predicts an all-Los Angeles Super Bowl with the Chargers beating the Rams 24-21.Nick Wright · Game Outcome Picks · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 0
Nick Wright ran through their projected 2025 records for all 16 AFC teams, calling Baltimore a 13-win regular-season juggernaut, Houston a 12-win team with the league's best defense, and going under on the Jets, Bengals, Steelers and Chargers; they also picked the Chiefs' game-by-game schedule to 12-5 and said Buffalo wins the AFC East.Eric Mangini · Game Outcome Picks · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 0
Mangini took the Titans to upset the Texans, and in the chips segment backed the Chargers to upset Denver, the Patriots over the Raiders, and the Rams over the Bills.
More depth chart calls
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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.