Michael Irvin· Jan 2, 2026
Irvin picked the Rams to come out of the NFC (if healthy) and the Patriots with Drake Maye to win the AFC, making it a Patriots-Rams Super Bowl LX.
“But if I had to pick right now AFC, I would take New England with the young Drake May”
said on air, transcribed by us · The Rich Eisen Show (podcast) · read the original →
2 checkable claims — 2 conference champions — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
All 2 have settled, averaging 75 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
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.
- Conference ChampionsLos Angeles RamsJan 2, 2026
Los Angeles Rams to reach the Super Bowl
“I would say take the Rams if everybody's healthy... I would say take the Rams because I'm an offensive guy.”
Close · 50Scored 50a naive guess scored 0+53 skillHow this was scored
- skill:
- 53
- they picked:
- LAR
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 50
- baseline:
- 0
- champions:
- NE,SEA
- difficulty:
- 1.06
- the naive guess:
- last season's conference champions
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 1
- reached the Super Bowl:
- no
- lost the conference final:
- yes
- Conference ChampionsNew England PatriotsJan 2, 2026
New England Patriots to reach the Super Bowl
“But if I had to pick right now AFC, I would take New England with the young Drake May, even with Buffalo right now”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 0+106 skillHow this was scored
- skill:
- 106
- they picked:
- NE
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- champions:
- NE,SEA
- difficulty:
- 1.06
- the naive guess:
- last season's conference champions
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 1
- reached the Super Bowl:
- yes
- lost the conference final:
- no
What others said about the same people
- Nick ShookRoster Spot Calls · Aaron DonaldHit · 100Shook unveiled his first NFL power rankings of the year, putting the Rams first, the Broncos second and the defending champion Seahawks only third, with the Dolphins last.
- Jared DubinScore Predictions · Los Angeles RamsMiss · 26Dubin picks the Rams, Texans, Ravens, Bengals, Packers, Cowboys and Broncos in Week 1 with exact scores, and says the Rams are his pick to win the Super Bowl this season.
- Jordan DajaniScore Predictions · Los Angeles RamsMiss · 12Dajani picks the Rams over the 49ers, Texans over Bills, Ravens over Colts, Bengals over Buccaneers, Vikings over Packers, Cowboys over Giants and Broncos over Chiefs in Week 1, with exact scores. He also predicts the Bills win the AFC East, the Cowboys win their division, and Caleb Downs wins Defensive Rookie of the Year.
- Jared DubinScore Predictions · Los Angeles RamsMiss · 26The unsigned CBS Sports preview picks the Rams to beat the 49ers 31-21 in the Week 1 game in Melbourne, and also names the Rams as its Super Bowl winner for the season.
- Mike FlorioScore Predictions · Los Angeles RamsMiss · 29Florio gives score predictions for every Week 1 game of the 2026 NFL season, including an opening-night upset by the Patriots in Seattle and narrow home wins for the Giants and Chiefs.
- Gilberto ManzanoGame Outcome Picks · Los Angeles RamsMiss · 0Manzano's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games.
More conference champions
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Chris BrockmanConference Champions · Seattle SeahawksHit · 100Brockman argues the Seahawks are at the start of a dynasty, predicting they will win multiple Super Bowls over the next five years, and that they are set up to return to the Super Bowl the following season in Los Angeles.
- 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 · 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.
- 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.
- Richard ShermanConference Champions · Seattle SeahawksHit · 100Sherman 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.