Chris Brockman#36 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 1, 2025
Brockman opened the season-preview show with a slate of bold calls: the Cowboys collapse into a top-five draft pick after the Micah Parsons trade, the Giants are this year's out-of-nowhere team, the 49ers reach championship weekend with Brock Purdy as an MVP finalist, and the Patriots make the playoffs as part of four 2024-class quarterbacks reaching the postseason.
Said on air, transcribed by us · Overreaction Monday (podcast)Hear the original
What Chris Brockman said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThe Cowboys are gonna finish last in the NFC East and have a top five pick in the twenty twenty six NFL draft.
- Where it was said
- Overreaction Monday (podcast)
- The episode
- NFL 2025 Season Preview: Cowboys Will Sink, 49ers Will Rise, Records Will Fall
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidSep 1, 2025
- GradedAug 13, 2026
- 1Dallas Cowboys to pick “top five pick” (picks 1–5)“The Cowboys are gonna finish last in the NFC East and have a top five pick in the twenty twenty six NFL draft.”
- 2San Francisco 49ers to make the playoffs“The niners are going to championship weekend. Brock Purdy, MVP finalist.”
- 3New England Patriots to make the playoffs“What world do the Patriots make the playoffs in? This world? ... Yeah. The two that they make it in. Let's go. ... 10 wins should get in in the FC.”
- 4New York Giants to beat expectations“Every year, there's a team that comes out of nowhere... This year, this team was on it, but I don't know. It just seems like there's some vibes around this team. There's a coach we like. Is it the Giants?”
- 5Brock Purdy to win MVP finalist“The niners are going to championship weekend. Brock Purdy, MVP finalist.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys to pick “top five pick” (picks 1–5)1 | Team Draft Slot Calls | Picked at 11 | 77.11 | 73.84 | +6.54 | |
| San Francisco 49ers to make the playoffs2 | Playoff Picks | Made the playoffs | 100 | 0 | +200 | |
| New England Patriots to make the playoffs3 | Playoff Picks | Made the playoffs | 100 | 0 | +200 | |
| New York Giants to beat expectations4 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Brock Purdy to win MVP finalist5 | Award Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 2 hits · 1 close call · 2 waiting | 92.4 | 24.6 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive5 checkable claims — 2 playoff picks, 1 award pick, 1 surprise team call and 1 team draft slot call — 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.
3 of 5 have settled so far, averaging 92.4 out of 100, against 24.6 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.
Their call against what happened
overall pickTheir call against what actually happened.
1Team Draft Slot CallsDallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys to pick “top five pick” (picks 1–5)
What happenedPicked at 1177.11Close · naive 73.8477.11this call−73.84a naive guess=3.27better than naive×2difficulty=+6.54skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- team:
- DAL
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- they picked 12 the year before
- skill:
- 6.54
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 77.11
- baseline:
- 73.84
- actual pick:
- 11
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- predicted pick:
- top five pick (picks 1–5)
- weeks left when called:
- 18
2Playoff PicksSan Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers to make the playoffs
What happenedMade the playoffs100Hit · naive 0100this call−0a naive guess=100better than naive×2difficulty=+200skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- team:
- SF
- skill:
- 200
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive guess said:
- no
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- made the playoffs:
- yes
- weeks left when called:
- 18
3Playoff PicksNew England Patriots
New England Patriots to make the playoffs
What happenedMade the playoffs100Hit · naive 0100this call−0a naive guess=100better than naive×2difficulty=+200skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- team:
- NE
- skill:
- 200
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive guess said:
- no
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- made the playoffs:
- yes
- weeks left when called:
- 18
4Surprise Team CallsNew York Giants
New York Giants to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Award PicksBrock PurdySan Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy to win MVP finalist
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 3 settled calls, each counted once
92.4naive 24.6
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Sam Monson · Game Outcome Picks · New York Giants · Miss 0
Monson picked every Week 10 game, taking the Giants, Lions, Packers, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Bills, Chiefs, Jaguars, Seahawks, Rams, Cowboys, Bengals and Ravens, and also suggested the Chargers' only likely wins the rest of the way come against the Jets and Dolphins.Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Miss 36
Prisco picks the Giants to beat the Commanders 23-14 on Thursday night and the Lions to beat the Patriots 30-24 in Munich.Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Close 43
Dubin picks the Giants to beat the Commanders 20-14 on Thursday night and takes the Packers over the Vikings 17-14 in a low-scoring Week 10 game.Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Close 43
Dubin picks the Giants to beat the Commanders at home on Thursday night, projecting a 20-14 final score.Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Miss 36
Prisco picked the Giants to beat the Commanders at home in the Thursday night Week 10 game, 23-14, citing New York's dominant front seven containing Jayden Daniels.
More playoff picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Ross Jackson · Playoff Picks · New Orleans Saints · Miss 0
Jackson projects a big sophomore jump for Saints QB Tyler Shuck, laying out a Drake May-style stat line (17 starts, 72% completions, ~4,601 passing yards, 24 TDs, 9 INTs) or a Bo Nix-style consistency line (over 4,000 yards, over 20 TDs, ~10 INTs), and says either path means a playoff season for New Orleans in 2026.Rich Eisen · Playoff Picks · Minnesota Vikings · Miss 0
Eisen argues Ohio State will produce multiple top-10 picks — Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs — becoming the first school with three defensive players in the top 10, and that Styles will not be available at No. 12 to the Cowboys. He also thinks Fernando Mendoza is worthy of the No. 1 overall pick and expects the Raiders to draft him, and picks Trey Lance over Anthony Richardson to start a game first, Micah Parsons to fetch a bigger trade return than Maxx Crosby, Kirk Cousins as the released QB most likely to reach the playoffs, and J.J. McCarthy as the Vikings' Week 1 starter.Rich Eisen · Playoff Picks · Carolina Panthers · Hit 100
Eisen forecast the Week 18 results and the entire wild-card field: Buccaneers over Panthers but Carolina still gets in as the 5 seed when Atlanta beats New Orleans, 49ers over Seahawks, Ravens over Steelers, Jaguars beating Tennessee to win the AFC South, and six wild-card matchups (Seahawks-Panthers, Bills-Jaguars, Texans-Ravens, Packers-Bears, Chargers-Patriots, Rams-Eagles), with Houston upsetting Baltimore. They also tabbed Saints rookie Tyler Shough as a possible Offensive Rookie of the Year.Rich Eisen · Playoff Picks · Green Bay Packers · Hit 100
Eisen agreed the Bears are a team of destiny who will win the NFC, insisted the Packers will make the playoffs and won't lose at home to the Ravens, said the Steelers should make the playoffs, and endorsed the view that Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top-five quarterback.