Richard Sherman· Jan 23, 2026
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. He also picks the Patriots to win comfortably in Denver, 21-15, and assumes Matthew Stafford will be named league MVP.
“I got Settle winning twenty seven to seventeen in this ball game”
said on air or in an interview · The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast) · read the original →
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 5, 2026. The quote and evidence above are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
6 checkable claims — 2 conference champions, 2 score predictions, 1 award pick and 1 super bowl pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
All 6 have settled, averaging 96.4 out of 100, against 23.8 for a naive guess at the same calls.
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Who this take is about
6 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 PredictionsSeattle SeahawksJan 23, 2026
Seattle Seahawks 27 — Los Angeles Rams 17
“I got Settle winning twenty seven to seventeen in this ball game, scoring, and they'll get a defensive score somewhere in there”
Hit · 86Scored 85.71a naive guess scored 95.3-9.59 skillHow this was scored
- score:
- 27-31
- skill:
- -9.59
- they picked:
- SEA
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 85.71
- baseline:
- 95.3
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual margin:
- 4
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- naive home margin:
- 2.03
- predicted margin:
- 10
- Conference ChampionsSeattle SeahawksJan 23, 2026
Seattle Seahawks to reach the Super Bowl
“that's a big reason why I feel like the Seattle Seahawks are gonna pull this one off in a comfortable fashion”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 0+100 skillHow this was scored
- skill:
- 100
- they picked:
- SEA
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- champions:
- NE,SEA
- difficulty:
- 1
- the naive guess:
- last season's conference champions
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- reached the Super Bowl:
- yes
- lost the conference final:
- no
- Conference ChampionsNew England PatriotsJan 23, 2026
New England Patriots to reach the Super Bowl
“I got the New England Patriots coming into Denver and winning comfortably.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 0+100 skillHow this was scored
- skill:
- 100
- they picked:
- NE
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- champions:
- NE,SEA
- difficulty:
- 1
- the naive guess:
- last season's conference champions
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- reached the Super Bowl:
- yes
- lost the conference final:
- no
- Score PredictionsNew England PatriotsJan 23, 2026
New England Patriots 21 — Denver Broncos 15
“I got the New England Patriots winning this game twenty one to fifteen.”
Hit · 93Scored 92.86a naive guess scored 47.69+45.17 skillHow this was scored
- score:
- 10-7
- skill:
- 45.17
- they picked:
- NE
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 92.86
- baseline:
- 47.69
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual margin:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- naive home margin:
- 2.03
- predicted margin:
- 6
- Super Bowl PicksSeattle SeahawksJan 23, 2026
Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl
“Obviously they get this win. I think the winner of this game wins the Super Bowl.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 0+100 skillHow this was scored
- skill:
- 100
- they picked:
- SEA
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- champion:
- SEA
- runner up:
- NE
- the naive pick:
- PHI
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- Award PicksMatthew StaffordLos Angeles RamsJan 23, 2026
Matthew Stafford to win MVP
“Matthew Stafford the MVP of the league this year is what I'm assuming he's gonna be named at some point.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 0+100 skillHow this was scored
- award:
- mvp
- naive:
- the naive pick was Josh Allen, who won it the year before
- skill:
- 100
- player:
- Matthew Stafford
- season:
- 2025
- winner:
- Matthew Stafford
- correct:
- yes
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 0
What others said about the same people
- Steven RuizTrade and Signing Calls · A.J. BrownHit · 100Ruiz expects the Eagles to trade A.J. Brown once the June 1 dead-cap threshold passes, most likely to New England, and thinks Baker Mayfield will get a Buccaneers extension making him the league's highest-paid quarterback within a month or two. He also argues the Lions may have to let one or two of their 2023 draft class leave, and that Houston should extend C.J. Stroud.
- Brandon CarneyTrade and Signing Calls · A.J. BrownHit · 100Carney drafted a team of rookies he expects to make an immediate fantasy impact (headlined by Karnell Tate and Makai Lemon), predicted landing spots for the remaining big-name free agents, and gave way-too-early division winners, wild cards and award picks — Patriots, Chargers, Bengals, Jaguars, Eagles, Rams, Vikings and Saints as division champs with Joe Burrow as MVP.
- Jeremy WhiteTrade and Signing Calls · A.J. BrownHit · 100Jeremy White expects the Patriots to acquire AJ Brown, calling the trade likely inevitable within about a month.
- Chris BrockmanTrade and Signing Calls · A.J. BrownHit · 100Brockman predicted only Stafford and Josh Allen of last year's MVP vote-getters get votes again, Fernando Mendoza starts and wins Rookie of the Year, the Colts win the AFC South, AJ Brown is traded to New England leaving DeVonta Smith as Philadelphia's clear No. 1 and a breakout star, five running backs top 1,600 yards, George Pickens breaks a Cowboys receiving record, and Justin Fields starts for Kansas City in September.
- Shannon SharpeTrade and Signing Calls · A.J. BrownHit · 100Sharpe predicted that A.J. Brown will be playing for New England once June 1 arrives.
- Chad Ochocinco JohnsonTrade and Signing Calls · A.J. BrownHit · 100Ochocinco predicted George Pickens will be traded away from Dallas now that he has signed the franchise tag, naming the Browns, Raiders and possibly Buffalo as his three landing spots. He also called both No. 2 pick David Bailey and No. 3 pick Jeremiah Love immediate Day 1 starters, and said he has been saying for months that A.J. Brown will end up in New England.
More conference champions
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Nick WrightConference Champions · Denver BroncosClose · 50Wright 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.
- Pat GustavsonConference Champions · Chicago BearsMiss · 0Gustafson picked the Bears, Eagles, Rams, Patriots, Jaguars and Texans in the wild card round, the Rams and Bears in the NFC, the Broncos and Patriots in the AFC, and the Patriots to beat the Bears in the Super Bowl. His awards slate included Stafford for MVP, Puka for OPOY and Liam Cohen for Coach of the Year.
- Mike RennerConference Champions · Houston TexansMiss · 0Renner picked the same AFC bracket as JP except with the Texans reaching the Super Bowl as a fifth seed, had the Packers beating the Bears in the NFC, and leaned Rams over Seahawks in the NFC Championship and the Rams as Super Bowl champions. He also gave a full post-season mock draft of picks 1-18.
- JP AcostaConference Champions · Jacksonville JaguarsMiss · 0JP walked through the entire playoff bracket, taking the Patriots, Texans and Jaguars in the AFC wild card round, the Jaguars over the Texans in the AFC Championship, the Rams out of the NFC, and the Rams to beat the Jaguars in the Super Bowl.
- Chris BrockmanConference Champions · San Francisco 49ersMiss · 0Brockman floated the 49ers as the team to beat in the NFC after their Sunday night win, predicted James Cook would lead the league in rushing, and said Tyler Shough will win Rookie of the Year with the Saints finishing above .500 next season.
- Rich EisenConference Champions · Chicago BearsMiss · 0Eisen 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.