# Brandon Carney: Carney made a full playoff bracket, picking the Bears, Niners, Rams, Patriots, Jaguars and Texans in the wild card round, then Seahawks and Rams in the NFC divisional, Broncos and Patriots in the AFC, with the Rams beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl. He also gave award picks including Stafford for MVP and Vrabel for Coach of the Year. **Claimed:** Jan 6, 2026 **Pundit:** Brandon Carney — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/brandon-carney **Outlet:** Bran Coverage with BenchwarmerBran (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/bran-coverage-with-benchwarmerbran-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182919/episodes/18462936-black-monday-reactions-playoff-predictions-award-picks-podcast-for-1-6.mp3 20 checkable claims — 9 game outcome picks, 6 award picks, 2 conference champions, 1 coach award pick, 1 pro bowl and all-pro call and 1 super bowl pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 17 players and teams, each linked to their own record. All 20 have settled, averaging 80.8 out of 100, against 16.1 for a naive guess at the same calls. > I'm gonna pick the Rams to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Trent Williams to make Protector of the Year** - Kind: Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · About: Trent Williams - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Los Angeles Rams to beat Panthers** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **New England Patriots to reach the Super Bowl** - Kind: Conference Champions · About: New England Patriots - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Los Angeles Rams to reach the Super Bowl** - Kind: Conference Champions · About: Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: scored 50 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Chicago Bears to beat Packers** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Chicago Bears - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **New England Patriots to beat Jags** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: New England Patriots - Verdict: scored 66.67 out of 100, against 22.92 for a naive guess - **Christian McCaffrey to win Comeback Player of the Year** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Christian McCaffrey - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Matthew Stafford to win MVP** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Carson Schwesinger to win Defensive Rookie of the Year** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland Browns - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Los Angeles Rams to win the Super Bowl** - Kind: Super Bowl Picks · About: Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Myles Garrett to win Defensive Player of the Year** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Tetairoa McMillan to win Offensive Rookie of the Year** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **San Francisco 49ers to beat Eagles** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: San Francisco 49ers - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Los Angeles Rams to beat Chicago Bears** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Houston Texans to beat Steelers** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Houston Texans - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Jacksonville Jaguars to beat Bills** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Jacksonville Jaguars - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **New England Patriots to beat Chargers** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: New England Patriots - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Mike Vrabel to win Coach of the Year** - Kind: Coach Award Picks - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Denver Broncos to beat Texans** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Denver Broncos - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Jaxon Smith-Njigba to win Offensive Player of the Year** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess ## Who this take is about - Trent Williams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/trent-williams - Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/rams - New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/patriots - Chicago Bears — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bears - Christian McCaffrey — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/christian-mccaffrey - Matthew Stafford — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/matthew-stafford - Carson Schwesinger — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/carson-schwesinger - Cleveland Browns — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/browns - Myles Garrett — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/myles-garrett - Tetairoa McMillan — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tetairoa-mcmillan - Carolina Panthers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/panthers - San Francisco 49ers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/49ers - Houston Texans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/texans - Jacksonville Jaguars — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/jaguars - Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos - Jaxon Smith-Njigba — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jaxon-smith-njigba - Seattle Seahawks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/seahawks ## What others said about the same people - Chris Simms on San Francisco 49ers: 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 88.1) - Connor Rogers on Seattle Seahawks: 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 0) - 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 Houston Texans: 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 0) - Nate Tice on Jacksonville Jaguars: 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) - Sam Monson on Seattle Seahawks: Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0b810ffd-fd93-4ea2-a208-b1353dea5fb0 (scored 0) ## More game outcome picks The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Connor Rogers on New York Giants: 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 Cincinnati Bengals: 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 Las Vegas Raiders: 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 Baltimore Ravens: 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) - Sam Monson on Minnesota Vikings: Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0b810ffd-fd93-4ea2-a208-b1353dea5fb0 (scored 100) - Matt Harmon on Cincinnati Bengals: Harmon picked the Bengals to beat the Texans in Week 2, expecting Nico Collins to miss the game with a hamstring injury, and also predicted the Titans would be shut out by the Eagles. He took the Rams over the Giants, the Bears over the Vikings, and the Jaguars at Denver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/21a71025-ab65-4716-ac2c-e77ad5ce3348 (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=brandon-carney