# Lance Zierlein: He backed off picking Houston, saying that without Nico Collins too much pressure falls on C.J. Stroud and he is worried about the secondary — effectively taking Cincinnati in the game. **Claimed:** Sep 18, 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/8954402.mp3?modified=1789751590&sid=4936948&source=rss One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened. The call scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess at the same calls. > I'd like to say I do, and I did earlier in the week. But without Nico Collins, I just think there's a tremendous amount of pressure on the on on CJ, frankly, to be perfect. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Cincinnati Bengals to beat Texans** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Cincinnati Bengals - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess ## Who this take is about - Cincinnati Bengals — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/bengals ## What others said about the same people - Danny Parkins on Cincinnati Bengals: Parkins picked the Giants to beat the Rams outright, backed Jacksonville over Denver, Cincinnati over Houston and Chicago over Minnesota in the chips segment, endorsed Buffalo as the AFC's Super Bowl representative, and predicted Deshaun Watson has started his last NFL game. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/36d4ede8-3066-4102-abbc-cb08e4544c92 (scored 100) - Jonas Knox on Cincinnati Bengals: Knox took the Bears to cover against the Vikings, said New England would probably beat Pittsburgh even while taking the points, picked the Bengals to win outright in Houston, and took the Broncos over the Jaguars and the Rams over the Giants. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/56c27b64-468b-43b3-8ae8-39364973c7d6 (scored 100) - Tyler Sullivan on Cincinnati Bengals: A CBS Sports column flags five Week 2 favorites on upset alert, effectively backing the underdogs — Lions at Bills, Bengals at Texans, Jets over Packers, Jaguars at Broncos and Saints at Ravens — to pull off wins. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0ee2daf0-868b-4ffd-a252-f478174d97f6 (scored 100) - Colin Cowherd on Cincinnati Bengals: The co-host (identified only as "Mitchell") gave his own Week 2 picks: Seattle, the Niners in dominant fashion, his Lions over Buffalo, Cincinnati 31-27 at Houston, Chicago, Pittsburgh 24-21 as a road upset, Jacksonville by at least a touchdown, Dallas 26-22, and Kansas City handily. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/5e7a2965-bd9c-4c78-81b8-cb9ff18f6520 (scored 76.19) - John Breech on Cincinnati Bengals: Breech picks every Week 2 game with scores, takes the Cardinals to upset the Seahawks, sees a Bills-Lions shootout, predicts Baker Mayfield's revenge win over Cleveland, and says the Browns will miss the playoffs while the Dolphins go winless. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/eb6d274b-c294-4c3d-ba42-d3dee06c6e87 (scored 73.81) - Bucky Brooks on Josh Johnson: Brooks predicted J.J. McCarthy won't be on the Vikings' roster (traded or released), said Kyler Murray wins the Vikings' QB competition, made a series of 2025 award picks, made 2026 Heisman/draft projections including Arch Manning as the front-runner for the No. 1 overall pick, and said none of Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow win a championship this season. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/10c3797b-f9e0-41ca-a2a3-5d765a242a79 (scored 0) ## More game outcome picks The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Michael Hanich on Seattle Seahawks: Hanich argues the Week 2 road game at Arizona is not a true trap game, citing Seattle's long winning streak in the series, Mike Macdonald's preparation and injuries in the Cardinals' secondary, and rates his confidence in the Seahawks at 7. He also suggests safety Nick Emmanwori may miss a second straight game. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/735e7874-81a3-4bde-8c8f-d718cadf6e33 (scored 100) - Seth Walder on Carolina Panthers: Picks the Panthers to beat the Falcons in Atlanta. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/61d68b2a-468b-44a5-b949-a6b152bbafc0 (scored 100) - Eric Moody on Carolina Panthers: Picks the Panthers to beat the Falcons in Atlanta. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8781a68b-56d0-4cd0-bf58-b7791e174082 (scored 100) - Pamela Maldonado on Carolina Panthers: Picks the Panthers to beat the Falcons in Atlanta. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/738530b5-6f35-4dc3-95f4-716358983f8a (scored 100) - John Middlekauff on Philadelphia Eagles: In a Week 2 preview, Middlekauff argued Matt LaFleur is under enormous pressure in Green Bay, predicted blowout wins for the 49ers over Miami and the Eagles over Tennessee, and offered season win-total views on the Saints, Buccaneers, Texans and Jaguars while backing Dallas to win the NFC East. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/6b74ac24-5cde-4063-b243-78341ac76343 (scored 100) - Nick Wright on Carolina Panthers: Amid a slate of against-the-spread picks, Wright makes a few outright calls: Jacksonville beats Denver straight up, Carolina wins at Atlanta, and he reiterates that he picked Denver to make the playoffs despite his concerns after their Week 1 loss. He also expects Ladd McConkie to sit out the Chargers' game. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0290838b-8539-4133-bb24-a8c3a617bbd3 (scored 100) --- 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