Chris Brockman· Dec 22, 2025
Brockman argued the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC goes through Foxborough, meaning the Patriots will finish as the No. 1 seed, and called his shot that the Chargers beat Denver in Week 18. He also declared the Bears a team of destiny who will win the NFC, said the Steelers will end their playoff win drought, and that Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top-five quarterback.
“The bears, Rich, they're a team of destiny. They're gonna win the NFC.”
said on air, transcribed by us · Overreaction Monday (podcast) · read the original →
5 checkable claims — 1 conference champion, 1 game outcome pick, 1 playoff pick, 1 positional finishe and 1 seeding, byes and home field — 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.
4 of 5 have settled so far, averaging 25 out of 100, against 50 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 do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
5 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.
- Seeding, Byes and Home FieldNew England PatriotsDec 22, 2025
New England Patriots to take the top seed
“The road to the Super Bowl and the AFC goes through Foxborough... I'm saying they're gonna be the one seed.”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 0+0 skillHow this was scored
- skill:
- 0
- they picked:
- NE
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- checked as:
- the number one seed is the bye, which the bracket names exactly
- actual tier:
- host
- difficulty:
- 1.17
- the naive guess:
- where they finished last season (missed the playoffs)
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- claimed seed:
- 1
- claimed tier:
- bye
- weeks left when called:
- 3
- Game Outcome PicksLos Angeles ChargersDec 22, 2025
Los Angeles Chargers to beat Denver
“So you would need Denver to lose to the chargers Right. In week 18. Yeah. I'm calling my shot on that one.”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 100-117 skillHow this was scored
- won:
- DEN
- score:
- 3-19
- skill:
- -117
- they picked:
- LAC
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive pick:
- DEN
- difficulty:
- 1.17
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 3
- Conference ChampionsChicago BearsDec 22, 2025
Chicago Bears to reach the Super Bowl
“The bears, Rich, they're a team of destiny. They're gonna win the NFC.”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 0+0 skillHow this was scored
- skill:
- 0
- they picked:
- CHI
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- champions:
- NE,SEA
- difficulty:
- 1.17
- the naive guess:
- last season's conference champions
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 3
- reached the Super Bowl:
- no
- lost the conference final:
- no
- Playoff PicksPittsburgh SteelersDec 22, 2025
Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs
“The Steelers and Mike Tomlin are gonna end their playoff win drought.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- team:
- PIT
- skill:
- 0
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive guess said:
- yes
- difficulty:
- 1.17
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- made the playoffs:
- yes
- weeks left when called:
- 3
Trevor Lawrence to finish top 5 at his position, by passing yards
“Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top five quarterback. Jags are legit Super Bowl contenders.”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
What others said about the same people
- Thomas MartinezRoster Spot Calls · Patrick HerbertMiss · 0Martinez projects the Chargers' starting lineups on offense and defense for their Week 3 game at Buffalo, with injuries forcing several changes — Oronde Gadsden II at tight end, Trevor Penning at left guard, Jamaree Caldwell at defensive tackle and RJ Mickens at safety — while expecting Ladd McConkey to play and Marquez Valdez-Scantling to debut.
- Ethan HurwitzRoster Spot Calls · Jeremiah Pharms Jr.Miss · 0Hurwitz writes that the elevations of Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and Mike Brown likely mean Leonard Taylor III stays a healthy scratch and Joshua Farmer could be one too for the Week 3 game at Jacksonville, and that both elevated players will revert to the practice squad after Sunday.
- Nathan JahnkeRoster Spot Calls · Ameer AbdullahHit · 100An unsigned PFF preseason recap makes numerous depth-chart, roster and usage projections across the league, based on Week 3 preseason playing time — including Roman Wilson winning Pittsburgh's third receiver job, Luke McCaffrey's roster spot being in danger, Charlie Kolar as the Chargers' top tight end, and Kendre Miller as the Saints' RB2.
- Bryan DeArdoRoster Spot Calls · Drew AllarHit · 100A CBS Sports piece lays out Pittsburgh's quarterback pecking order: Aaron Rodgers starts, Mason Rudolph is the No. 2, rookie Drew Allar sits at No. 3 and Will Howard is fourth, with the Steelers expected to keep all four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster rather than trading Howard.
- Mike MoraitisRoster Spot Calls · Josh BlackwellHit · 100Moraitis names seven Bears as trade candidates before roster cuts, predicting Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills are on the roster bubble and likely to be traded, while Ozzy Trapilo avoids an injured list, and listing several players as locks for the 53-man roster.
- Jack MarkowskiRoster Spot Calls · Will HowardHit · 100Markowski writes that Howard now appears locked into the 53-man roster, that Pittsburgh is unlikely to move Rudolph, and that Rudolph has the inside track to be the backup behind Aaron Rodgers.
More conference champions
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Damonza ByrdConference Champions · Seattle SeahawksHit · 100The co-host picks the Seahawks to beat the Rams in the NFC Championship game, and says he believes New England will win in Denver even though he is taking the Broncos with the points.
- Nick WrightConference Champions · Los Angeles RamsClose · 50The host picks the Rams to beat the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game and believes the winner of that game wins the Super Bowl, i.e. that this is the Rams' year; he also picks New England to win in Denver despite taking the Broncos with the points, and says Stafford is winning MVP. He calls Sean McVay the second-best coach in the NFL.
- 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.
- AJ HawkConference Champions · Los Angeles RamsClose · 50Hawk picked the Patriots to win in Denver despite liking Stidham and the Broncos defense, and in the NFC he stuck with the Rams, saying Stafford gets to the Super Bowl.
- Derek MurphyConference Champions · Seattle SeahawksHit · 100Bone said after watching film that Seattle will handle the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, and that the Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl.
- Gregg RosenthalConference Champions · Seattle SeahawksHit · 100Rosenthal picks the Patriots to beat the Broncos in a close, low-scoring AFC Championship in Denver (while liking Denver to cover the 4.5 points), takes the Seahawks over the Rams in a defensive NFC Championship he pegs around 23-19, and forecasts a Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl.