Michael IrvinJan 2, 2026
Irvin picked the Rams to come out of the NFC (if healthy) and the Patriots with Drake Maye to win the AFC, making it a Patriots-Rams Super Bowl LX.
Said on air, transcribed by us · The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)Hear the original
What Michael Irvin said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromBut if I had to pick right now AFC, I would take New England with the young Drake May
- Where it was said
- The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)
- The episode
- Hour 3: Rich’s Top 5, NFL Wild Card Matchup Predictions, plus Michael Irvin
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidJan 2
- GradedAug 17
- 1Los Angeles Rams to reach the Super Bowl“I would say take the Rams if everybody's healthy... I would say take the Rams because I'm an offensive guy.”
- 2New England Patriots to reach the Super Bowl“But if I had to pick right now AFC, I would take New England with the young Drake May, even with Buffalo right now”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams to reach the Super Bowl1 | Conference Champions | NE and SEA won | 50 | 0 | +53 | |
| New England Patriots to reach the Super Bowl2 | Conference Champions | NE and SEA won | 100 | 0 | +106 | |
| 2 calls · 1 hit · 1 close call · all settled | 75 | 0 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive2 checkable claims — 2 conference champions — 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.
All 2 have settled, averaging 75 out of 100, against 0 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.
1Conference ChampionsLos Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams to reach the Super Bowl
What happenedNE and SEA wonpicked LAR50Close · naive 050this call−0a naive guess=50better than naive×1.06difficulty=+53skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 53
- they picked:
- LAR
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 50
- baseline:
- 0
- champions:
- NE, SEA
- difficulty:
- 1.06
- the naive guess:
- last season's conference champions
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 1
- reached the Super Bowl:
- no
- lost the conference final:
- yes
2Conference ChampionsNew England Patriots
New England Patriots to reach the Super Bowl
What happenedNE and SEA wonpicked NE100Hit · naive 0100this call−0a naive guess=100better than naive×1.06difficulty=+106skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 106
- they picked:
- NE
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- champions:
- NE, SEA
- difficulty:
- 1.06
- the naive guess:
- last season's conference champions
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 1
- reached the Super Bowl:
- yes
- lost the conference final:
- no
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 2 settled calls, each counted once
75naive 0
Who this take is about
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.Pat Fitzmaurice · Score Predictions · New England Patriots · Miss 14
Fitzmaurice predicted a 24-21 Patriots win over the Packers, said they would not be surprised if Jonathan Taylor were inactive amid trade talk, pegged Jonah Coleman as an RB22 rest-of-season value, expected Evan Hull to be Arizona's backup back, and saw Kerby Joseph returning in Week 10 or 11.Kevin Wildes · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
Wildes took Minnesota over Buffalo, predicted a comfortable roughly 10-point New England win over Green Bay, and switched their Super Bowl matchup to Jaguars–Bears.Nick Wright · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
Wright argued the Jaguars are the AFC's most complete team, calling them the considerable favorite for the No. 1 seed and the only club essentially locked into the playoffs. They also picked Tampa Bay to upset Chicago, had Kansas City sweeping its next three games, liked New England over Green Bay by about a field goal, and updated their Super Bowl matchup to Chiefs–49ers.Eric Mangini · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
Mangini picked New England to beat Green Bay by more than a field goal, flagged Tampa Bay as their upset alert over Chicago, expects Kansas City to handle the Jets, took Buffalo over Minnesota, backed Cincinnati over Atlanta in Madrid, and updated their Super Bowl to Rams–Bengals.
More conference champions
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Damonza Byrd · Conference Champions · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
The co-host picks the Seahawks to beat the Rams in the NFC Championship game, and says they believe New England will win in Denver even though they are taking the Broncos with the points.Nick Wright · Conference Champions · Denver Broncos · Close 50
Wright picked the Broncos to beat the Patriots in a low-scoring AFC Championship game (17-16), said Sean Payton would coach Denver to the Super Bowl, picked the Rams to win outright in Seattle 31-20, believes the winner of the NFC game wins the Super Bowl with the Rams the better team, and expects Matt Stafford to be named league MVP.Derek Murphy · Conference Champions · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Bone said after watching film that Seattle will handle the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, and that the Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl.Gregg Rosenthal · Conference Champions · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Rosenthal picks the Patriots to beat the Broncos in a close, low-scoring AFC Championship in Denver (while liking Denver to cover the 4.5 points), takes the Seahawks over the Rams in a defensive NFC Championship they peg around 23-19, and forecasts a Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl.Richard Sherman · Conference Champions · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Sherman picks the Seahawks to beat the Rams comfortably at home, 27-17, with a defensive score, and says the winner of that NFC Championship game will win the Super Bowl. They also pick the Patriots to win comfortably in Denver, 21-15, and assumes Matthew Stafford will be named league MVP.