Trevor Ripley· Sep 20, 2026
Ripley picks the Bears to beat the Vikings at Soldier Field in Week 2, 30-19, arguing Minnesota's offense is hobbled by injuries while Chicago's offense edges an aggressive but star-thin Vikings defense.
“Bears: 30 Vikings: 19”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
2 checkable claims — 1 depth chart call and 1 score prediction — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 2 have settled so far, averaging 38.1 out of 100, against 34.5 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.
Where this call stands in the room
Carson Wentz · 2026 season13 calls from 12 pundits between 1 and 2. Trevor Ripley said 1. the room's median is 2. 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.
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Who this take is about
The game in this take
- Vikings at Bears 17 calls
2 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Score PredictionsChicago BearsSep 20, 2026
Chicago Bears 30 — Vikings 19
“Verdict Bears: 30 Vikings: 19”
Miss · 38Scored 38.1a naive guess scored 34.49+7 skillHow this was scored
- score:
- 9-3
- skill:
- 7
- they picked:
- CHI
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 38.1
- baseline:
- 34.49
- difficulty:
- 1.94
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual margin:
- 6
- weeks left when called:
- 17
- naive home margin:
- -0.52
- predicted margin:
- 11
- Depth Chart CallsCarson WentzMinnesota VikingsSep 20, 2026
Carson Wentz to be 1st on the depth chart
“Carson Wentz will get the nod at quarterback this week as Kyler Murray continues to recover from a concussion.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris BroussardGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsMiss · 0Brew stood by the Lions as division winners and playoff team, picked the Texans over Cincinnati, the Bears over Minnesota, the Patriots to beat Pittsburgh with a solid Drake Maye game, flagged Jacksonville over Denver as his upset alert, and said he still feels good about the Ravens winning the AFC.
- Greg JenningsGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsMiss · 0Jennings put the Cardinals up as his upset alert over Seattle, backed the Texans over Cincinnati and the Bears over Minnesota with chips, put two chips on Denver beating Jacksonville, and wrote a headline of the Packers beating the Jets; he also called the Bengals a playoff team and the Chiefs winners over Indianapolis.
- Danny ParkinsGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsMiss · 0Parkins picked the Giants to beat the Rams outright, backed Jacksonville over Denver, Cincinnati over Houston and Chicago over Minnesota in the chips segment, endorsed Buffalo as the AFC's Super Bowl representative, and predicted Deshaun Watson has started his last NFL game.
- Pete PriscoScore Predictions · Chicago BearsClose · 50Prisco picks four road/home winners with exact scores: Falcons over Panthers, Bears over Vikings, Jaguars upsetting Broncos, Chargers over Raiders, and Cowboys over Commanders.
- LaVar ArringtonGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsMiss · 0Arrington picked the Bears over the Vikings and then went to money lines, taking the Steelers to win in New England, the Bengals to win in Houston, the Broncos over the Jaguars, and following Jonas onto the Rams over the Giants.
- Jonas KnoxGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsMiss · 0Knox took the Bears to cover against the Vikings, said New England would probably beat Pittsburgh even while taking the points, picked the Bengals to win outright in Houston, and took the Broncos over the Jaguars and the Rams over the Giants.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Matt SeveranceDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100The CBS Sports preview backs Tampa Bay to beat Cleveland in the Bucs' Week 2 home opener, and states that Deshaun Watson — not Shedeur Sanders — will be Cleveland's starting quarterback in Week 2.
- Rafael ZamoranoDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100Zamorano reports Watson will start Week 2 at Tampa Bay and suggests there's little reason to expect improvement, raising the possibility Watson's five-year contract never yields more than single-digit wins.
- Rich HribarDepth Chart Calls · Tua TagovailoaMiss · 0Hribar expects Tua Tagovailoa to be Atlanta's starting quarterback for Week 2 while Michael Penix stays out, with Penix's return closer to Week 4. He is unenthusiastic about the Falcons' offense either way and treats Bryce Young as a fringe fantasy starter.
- Tyler SullivanDepth Chart Calls · Michael Penix Jr.Miss · 0In a Week 1 recap with no named byline, CBS Sports suggested Michael Penix Jr. would take over as Atlanta's Week 2 starter if healthy, called Ashton Jeanty's sophomore breakout imminent, and warned readers not to overlook San Francisco as NFC West winners.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Rashod BatemanMiss · 0In his Week 2 waiver wire column, Fitzmaurice recommends a slate of pickups he expects to outperform their current rostership (Kaelon Black, Deebo Samuel, Tyler Shough, Geno Smith and others), lays out several depth-chart expectations (Black as the 49ers' No. 2 back, Shedeur Sanders eventually taking over in Cleveland, Penix returning for Atlanta), and flags Fool's Gold/drop candidates such as Mike Gesicki, Kendrick Bourne and Rashid Shaheed.
- Bill HuberDepth Chart Calls · Chris McClellanMiss · 0Huber's first Packers rookie progress report projects second-round cornerback Brandon Cisse to hold onto his spot with the No. 1 defense, third-round defensive tackle Chris McClellan to start in Week 1, and fifth-round lineman Jager Burton to be the team's top interior backup rather than a starter.