# Cynthia Frelund: Freeland picked the Broncos to beat the Chargers, the Rams over the banged-up Cardinals and the Bills over the Jets in Buffalo's stadium finale, while also liking the Texans over Indianapolis and the Eagles. She said Trey Lance would start at quarterback for the Chargers. **Claimed:** Jan 2, 2026 **Pundit:** Cynthia Frelund — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/cynthia-frelund **Outlet:** Around the NFL (podcast) — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/around-the-nfl-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview **Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/nfl-daily/nfl-week-18-picks-with-cynthia-frelund-capitalizing-on-teams-resting-starters 5 checkable claims — 4 game outcome picks and 1 depth chart call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 6 players and teams, each linked to their own record. All 5 have settled, averaging 98.3 out of 100, against 98.3 for a naive guess at the same calls. > The Broncos they want to secure the one. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Houston Texans to beat Indianapolis** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Houston Texans - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Denver Broncos to beat Chargers** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Denver Broncos - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Los Angeles Rams to beat Arizona Cardinals** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Buffalo Bills to beat Jets** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Buffalo Bills - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Trey Lance to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Trey Lance, Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: scored 91.67 out of 100, against 91.67 for a naive guess ## Who this take is about - Houston Texans — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/texans - Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/broncos - Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/rams - Buffalo Bills — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/bills - Trey Lance — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/trey-lance - Los Angeles Chargers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/chargers ## What others said about the same people - Jared Koch on Lewis Bond: Koch argues Kayshon Boutte is a winner in the trade to Houston, likely to see many more snaps and potentially post a career season, while Xavier Hutchinson's path to a breakout gets harder. He also sees Kamari Ramsey stepping up as the primary backup safety behind a top three of Bullock, Pitre and Blankenship, and views Jared Wayne as a fringe roster player squeezed by receivers he calls virtual locks. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/14048ef2-7210-46fd-825a-b9849c144a9f (scored 100) - Lance Zierlein on Lewis Bond: Zierlein expects Texans QB C.J. Stroud to play roughly 10-12 plays in Thursday's preseason game, with Davis Mills going to halftime and newly signed Brett Rypien playing the entire second half. He also said if Tank Dell isn't ready, Lewis Bond and Jaden Hall would both likely make the roster, and predicted Keelan Rutledge will be the starting center with Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith starting. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/20e6ff7b-1de6-4de6-9567-3997edaea6b8 (scored 100) - Lance Zierlein on Lewis Bond: Zierlein expects Trevor Goosby, Texas' starting left tackle, to be a first-round NFL draft pick, and thinks Quinn Ewers may struggle to stay on the Dolphins' roster beyond this year. He also predicts the Texans' preseason quarterback usage: C.J. Stroud around 10-12 plays, Davis Mills through the first half, and Brett Rypien for the second half. If Tank Dell isn't ready, he thinks Lewis Bond and Jaden Hall could both make the roster. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/684f97b2-1578-404d-9e71-4026eea8db4d (scored 100) - Nick Wright on Buffalo Bills: Nick Wright expects the Bills to beat the Lions comfortably in the Thursday night home opener, with Josh Allen shredding a depleted Detroit secondary, and he also picks a workmanlike Chiefs win over the Colts on Sunday night. He further predicts Tyreek Hill will end up on the Chiefs by around Halloween. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/00ed9114-0e69-4e26-9fb2-4e5e3893c56e (scored 100) - Nick Shook on Francis Mauigoa: Shook walks through his full first-round mock draft, assigning a prospect to every pick from No. 1 to No. 32, headlined by Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders, David Bailey to the Jets and Jeremiah Love to the Cardinals in the top three. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/7d4209aa-2e2d-47a2-b6e5-791d16d209cb (scored 87.81) - Daniel Jeremiah on Keyron Crawford: In discussing teams without first-round picks, Jeremiah projected specific Day 2 picks: Clemson WR Antonio Williams to the Falcons at 48, Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez to the Colts in the second round, Oklahoma edge R Mason Thomas to the Packers at 52, and Auburn edge Keiroon Crawford to the Broncos at 62. He also expects Riley Leonard to open as the Colts' starting QB and Travis Hunter to play cornerback full time in Jacksonville. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/f60c916c-1b5f-4252-8733-1770c7809577 (scored 80.52) ## More game outcome picks The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Tyler Sullivan on Detroit Lions: A CBS Sports column flags five Week 2 favorites on upset alert, effectively backing the underdogs — Lions at Bills, Bengals at Texans, Jets over Packers, Jaguars at Broncos and Saints at Ravens — to pull off wins. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0ee2daf0-868b-4ffd-a252-f478174d97f6 (scored 0) - Colin Cowherd on Detroit Lions: The co-host (identified only as "Mitchell") gave his own Week 2 picks: Seattle, the Niners in dominant fashion, his Lions over Buffalo, Cincinnati 31-27 at Houston, Chicago, Pittsburgh 24-21 as a road upset, Jacksonville by at least a touchdown, Dallas 26-22, and Kansas City handily. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/5e7a2965-bd9c-4c78-81b8-cb9ff18f6520 (scored 0) - Kevin Wildes on Detroit Lions: Kevin picked every game and came out with the Bills missing the playoffs, the Texans as the AFC's No. 1 seed and the Seahawks as the NFC's, Dak Prescott as MVP, and the Patriots beating the Lions in the Super Bowl. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/989d3882-a69f-47c8-9295-1924f6ff4e6c (scored 0) - 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) --- 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=cynthia-frelund