Garrett Podell· Sep 11, 2026
In its weekly bold predictions column, CBS Sports (unsigned) picks the Falcons to upset the Steelers in Pittsburgh behind Tua Tagovailoa outplaying Aaron Rodgers, and forecasts big individual games for Trey Hendrickson, Quinshon Judkins and De'Von Achane in Week 1.
“Achane will take advantage of that in a big way to kick off the 2026 season with at least 150 yards rushing.”
published in writing · CBS Sports · read the original →
4 checkable claims — 3 player season numbers and 1 game outcome pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 7 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 0 out of 100, against 100 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.
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Who this take is about
The game in this take
- Falcons at Steelers 34 calls
4 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.
- Game Outcome PicksAtlanta FalconsSep 11, 2026
Atlanta Falcons to win
“Tagovailoa will return to Pittsburgh on Sunday, and if he's able to play after suffering an oblique injury in practice on Thursday , he'll outplay Rodgers to shock the Steelers en route to a Falcons victory.”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 100-200 skillHow this was scored
- won:
- PIT
- score:
- 13-20
- skill:
- -200
- they picked:
- ATL
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive pick:
- PIT
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
Quinshon Judkins to record 75 rushing yards
“Judkins will summit the mountain that is the Jaguars' run defense and break the 75-yard mark against them this week”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Trey Hendrickson to record 2 sacks
“Trey Hendrickson goes off for multiple sacks in Ravens debut ... Hendrickson finds his footing faster and sacks Jones twice.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Player Season NumbersDe'Von AchaneMiami DolphinsSep 11, 2026
De'Von Achane to record 150 rushing yards
“Achane will take advantage of that in a big way to kick off the 2026 season with at least 150 yards rushing.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Ralph VacchianoDepth Chart Calls · Tua TagovailoaMiss · 0Vacchiano 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.
- Steven RuizDepth Chart Calls · Michael Penix Jr.Miss · 0In 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.
- Mike FlorioDepth Chart Calls · Shedeur SandersMiss · 0Florio reports the Browns will start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 but predicts Shedeur Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback by Week 3.
- Nathan JahnkeDepth Chart Calls · Jalen TolbertMiss · 0PFF's preseason fantasy recap makes a large number of depth-chart, role and fantasy-value calls across the league, including Chig Okonkwo as a top sleeper tight end, Tre Tucker as the Raiders' top receiver, and various backfield hierarchies.
- Nathan JahnkeDepth Chart Calls · Jalen TolbertMiss · 0PFF's fantasy football preseason recap projects depth-chart outcomes, roster spots and fantasy value for numerous players across several preseason games, including Chig Okonkwo's expanded role in Washington, Ja'Kobi Lane as Baltimore's WR3, Malachi Fields winning the Giants' starting X job, and Zachariah Branch being a fantasy bust relative to his late-round cost.
- Paul KerenDepth Chart Calls · Teven JenkinsMiss · 0Keren says Teven Jenkins still projects as Cleveland's Week 1 starting right guard despite a push from KT Leveston, and that Carson Schwesinger and Quincy Williams will be the Browns' lead linebackers.
More player season numbers
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Ross JacksonPlayer Season Numbers · Tyler ShoughMiss · 4Jackson projects a big sophomore jump for Saints QB Tyler Shuck, laying out a Drake May-style stat line (17 starts, 72% completions, ~4,601 passing yards, 24 TDs, 9 INTs) or a Bo Nix-style consistency line (over 4,000 yards, over 20 TDs, ~10 INTs), and says either path means a playoff season for New Orleans in 2026.
- Shannon SharpePlayer Season Numbers · T.J. WattMiss · 0On a Bengals-Steelers matchup, Sharpe took the over on several player props: Ja'Marr Chase over 74.5 receiving yards, Joe Flacco over 36.5 pass attempts, and T.J. Watt over 3.5 tackles+assists, adding that Watt will get two sacks. He also predicted Rico Dowdle would make the Pro Bowl this season.
- Rich EisenPlayer Season Numbers · Micah ParsonsClose · 56Eisen made a series of picks: Micah Parsons will out-sack any two Cowboys combined (after initially leaning the other way), the NFC North is more likely to produce a Super Bowl team than the NFC East, Eagles wins will outnumber Cowboys losses, Bo Nix/Courtland Sutton will out-touchdown Cam Ward/Calvin Ridley, and Marvin Harrison Jr./James Conner will beat Kamara/Olave in yards and TDs. He also picked the AFC West order and said Deion Sanders is more likely than Bill Belichick to have a winning record.
- Daniel JeremiahPlayer Season Numbers · Jihaad CampbellMiss · 0Jeremiah walked through his mock draft 3.0, slotting Cam Ward first overall to Tennessee, Abdul Carter to Cleveland at two, Shedeur Sanders to the Giants at three and Travis Hunter to New England at four, plus roughly twenty other first-round pairings. He also called Matthew Golden the first receiver off the board, said Tyler Booker would climb back into the latter third of the first round, expected Kirk Cousins to be traded, thought Jaire Alexander's Packers days were numbered, and predicted Cam Robinson would start at left tackle in Houston.
- Tim HasselbeckPlayer Season Numbers · Isaiah LikelyMiss · 0Hasselbeck expects Kyler Murray to be released by Arizona, believes Malik Willis will sign somewhere as the anointed opening-day starter, and thinks Isaiah Likely can be a true No. 1 tight end who would catch over 75 passes with close to seven touchdowns as a full-season starter.
- Nick WrightPlayer Season Numbers · Matthew StaffordMiss · 0Nick trusts Josh Allen over the Broncos defense, picks the Bills to win outright in Denver (Bills +1.5 as his lock), picks the Patriots to beat the Texans by more than three, likes the 49ers to keep it close but not win, and predicts the Rams blow out the Bears roughly 42-28 with Stafford throwing about five TDs.