# Lance Zierlein: Lance picked the Patriots to beat the Texans 20-13, saying he could not see where Houston's offensive production would come from against New England's big, physical corners.

**Claimed:** Jan 16, 2026
**Pundit:** Lance Zierlein — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/lance-zierlein
**Outlet:** John and Lance — ESPN Houston (podcast) — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/john-and-lance-espn-houston-podcast
**How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us
**Original:** https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audioboom.com/posts/8835842.mp3?modified=1768581752&sid=4936948&source=rss

One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.

The call scored 88.1 out of 100, against 76.3 for a naive guess at the same calls.

> I got the Patriots 20 to 13.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **New England Patriots 20 — Texans 13**
  - Kind: Score Predictions · About: New England Patriots
  - Verdict: scored 88.1 out of 100, against 76.26 for a naive guess

## Who this take is about

- New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/patriots

## What others said about the same people

- Julian Edelman on New England Patriots: Edelman picked the Patriots to win the season opener in Seattle, saying New England's offseason additions and the bad taste from the previous season would carry them, and gave a final score of 28-24. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ec6f039f-3212-4e37-8fdb-fb4e95248198 (scored 47.62)
- Connor "Boston Connor" Campbell on New England Patriots: Boston Connor took the Patriots in the season opener against Seattle, framing it as a redemption spot after the Super Bowl loss. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/81f37749-a752-4bb2-a7b4-9161c4281d1f (scored 0)
- Darius Butler on New England Patriots: Butler initially picked Seattle but switched to the Patriots before the show ended; he also called the Colts a likely No. 1 seed, said Jacksonville sneaks into the playoffs, and expects Sam Darnold to land a new contract. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/619c7bcd-5c13-4522-bfe2-21070176447e (scored 0)
- Jason McIntyre on New England Patriots: McIntyre takes the Patriots on the moneyline in the season opener at Seattle, picks the Jaguars over the Browns, and says Baker Mayfield's new deal keeps Tampa a perennial playoff team. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/57e6d050-3be4-4a2c-bd4e-e4422acf969a (scored 0)
- Mike Florio on New England Patriots: Florio 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/4b20f46e-ebc0-462f-9e7a-2ab82f91a2ea (scored 50)
- Conor Orr on New England Patriots: Orr's Week 1 straight-up picks, including several upsets (Patriots, Buccaneers, Browns, Dolphins, Commanders, Broncos). — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/54ae8d21-7621-4c3d-816c-e879aed9b5c2 (scored 0)

## More score predictions

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Jared Dubin on Denver Broncos: Dubin picks Denver to win narrowly in Kansas City, 21-20. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/b4339e96-6ced-44c2-88e9-b490d027df7b (scored 2.38)
- Pete Prisco on Kansas City Chiefs: Prisco is the lone expert cited picking Kansas City, 20-17 over Denver. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/bea2711b-1066-488c-9180-75b8af7b8ab8 (scored 57.14)
- Tyler Sullivan on Denver Broncos: Sullivan picks Denver to beat Kansas City 24-20. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/d8636e57-b6d8-471a-a98a-75871c7ee5bf (scored 9.52)
- Jordan Dajani on Denver Broncos: Dajani picks the Broncos over the Chiefs, 17-14. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/12e23aa9-d2ca-4db3-bfb0-25c09e63b1eb (scored 7.14)
- John Breech on Denver Broncos: In the Pick Six newsletter, Breech picks the Broncos to upset the Chiefs on Monday night, 23-21. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/31f3511a-a211-46e0-a6dd-d2cfb70ee207 (scored 4.76)
- Jared Dubin on Denver Broncos: The unbylined CBS Sports preview picks Denver to win at Arrowhead in Week 1, 21-20, and expects Kenneth Walker III to be Kansas City's lead back while Jaylen Waddle serves as Bo Nix's top receiving target in Denver. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cdfdacff-d438-489d-bad2-1d9587b82609 (scored 2.38)

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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=lance-zierlein