# Henry McKenna: McKenna argues the Patriots are being underestimated as 3.5-point underdogs in the Week 1 opener at Seattle, implying New England can beat the Seahawks; he also names Romeo Doubs an upgrade at WR2 and Mansoor Delane as the Chiefs' likely CB1, and expects Mason Thomas to start for Kansas City. He suggests the Cowboys could win their division and floats rookie WR Cyrus Allen as a fantasy player to draft. **Claimed:** Aug 3, 2026 **Pundit:** Henry McKenna — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/henry-mckenna **Outlet:** Fox Sports — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/fox-sports **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/why-drake-maye-can-beat-seahawks-dak-prescotts-title-talk 8 checkable claims — 5 depth chart calls, 1 division winner, 1 game outcome pick and 1 sleeper call — 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 8 have settled so far, averaging 0 out of 100, against 100 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. > New England is currently a 3.5-point underdog for the season-opener. I'd say that underestimates the Patriots. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **New England Patriots to win** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: New England Patriots - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Dallas Cowboys to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: not settled yet - **Dre'Mont Jones to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Dre'Mont Jones, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **R Mason Thomas to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: R Mason Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs - Verdict: not settled yet - **Cyrus Allen to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Cyrus Allen, Kansas City Chiefs - Verdict: not settled yet - **Romeo Doubs to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Romeo Doubs, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Alijah Vera-Tucker to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Alijah Vera-Tucker, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Mansoor Delane to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Mansoor Delane, Kansas City Chiefs - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/patriots - Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/cowboys - Dre'Mont Jones — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/dre-mont-jones - R Mason Thomas — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/r-mason-thomas - Kansas City Chiefs — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/chiefs - Cyrus Allen — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/cyrus-allen - Romeo Doubs — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/romeo-doubs - Alijah Vera-Tucker — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/alijah-vera-tucker - Mansoor Delane — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/mansoor-delane ## What others said about the same people - Mike Moraitis on DaRon Bland: Moraitis names five Cowboys he expects to be playing their final season opener in Dallas in 2026: George Pickens (likely tag-and-trade or departure), Malik Hooker, Luke Schoonmaker, DeMarvion Overshown and DaRon Bland. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/66b5ed7b-41bd-4f67-9b4d-16eae4675e67 (scored 100) - Pete Prisco on Kansas City Chiefs: Prisco is the lone expert cited picking Kansas City, 20-17 over Denver. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/bea2711b-1066-488c-9180-75b8af7b8ab8 (scored 57.14) - Mike Florio on Kansas City Chiefs: Florio gives score predictions for every Week 1 game of the 2026 NFL season, including an opening-night upset by the Patriots in Seattle and narrow home wins for the Giants and Chiefs. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/4b20f46e-ebc0-462f-9e7a-2ab82f91a2ea (scored 57.14) - John Pluym on Kansas City Chiefs: Pluym's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/e7e5c159-21f2-4766-92de-857294ef51cf (scored 100) - Matt Verderame on Kansas City Chiefs: Verderame's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/e4f51f97-310d-4665-a47e-fdab93ff1fd1 (scored 100) - Mike Kadlick on Kansas City Chiefs: Kadlick's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/934613ff-97e3-4894-a383-faa755bdfc35 (scored 100) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Tyler Sullivan on Drew Lock: In an unsigned Week 2 odds roundup, the piece states that with Sam Darnold hurt, Drew Lock will likely start at quarterback for Seattle against Arizona. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8a14b5e6-066b-457f-b409-a3ddbd512aca (scored 0) - Ralph Vacchiano on Tua Tagovailoa: Vacchiano ranks all 32 NFL teams entering the 2026 season, with the Rams first and Dolphins last. He also flags the Giants as a potential surprise team with a top-10 defense, and notes Deshaun Watson won Cleveland's QB job while Tua Tagovailoa starts Week 1 in Atlanta. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/6f782be9-64d3-47cf-b054-6566e14194d6 (scored 0) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice touts Kyler Murray as a value QB who will start Week 1 for Minnesota, Tyler Shough as the Saints' undisputed starter, and Juwan Johnson and Terrance Ferguson as late-round tight end targets. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/70a7844a-2fb6-44d7-814f-30ec9fbcc26d (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to be Minnesota's Week 1 starter and calls him one of the better quarterback values in 2026 drafts; he also views Jordan Love as a top-10 real-life quarterback but only a QB2 in fantasy. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0653fc24-437c-4aba-89ee-f1f417e1983d (scored 100) - Steven Ruiz on Michael Penix Jr.: In a retrospective tiering of all 32 starting quarterbacks, Ruiz treats Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons' Week 1 starter over Kirk Cousins, whom he places in his lowest tier. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/968b3764-11ef-41b5-a370-ff570b3219d1 (scored 0) - Mike Florio on Shedeur Sanders: Florio reports the Browns will start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 but predicts Shedeur Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback by Week 3. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cf6258b2-b55f-4f50-84f9-24269a5a006a (scored 0) --- 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.thegoodapps.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.thegoodapps.co/corrections?pundit=henry-mckenna