Scott Van Pelt's NFL Predictions Were Horrendously Wrong

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zachary Neel | Last updated Feb 12, 2025 10:23 AM ET

ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt has a lot going for him, whether it be adoration from a widespread fanbase to a cushy job talking about sports at the highest level for a living. One thing that Van Pelt doesn't have going for him, though, is the ability to be wrong in silence.

When you get to the level of stardom that SVP has achieved, you're no longer allowed to miss on predictions without ridicule. It's just a nature of the sports media beast — prominent voices analyze a sport and make predictions on what they think will happen.

Sometimes they're right, and sometimes they're wrong.

In this case, Van Pelt was terribly, terribly wrong about what would take place in the 2024-25 NFL season, and he had a bit of fun with it on his show this week.

Before the NFL season began, @notthefakeSVP made his predictions on how the season would unfold

Let's check in and see if any came true pic.twitter.com/JrISaQZBJl
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 12, 2025

Atlanta Falcons to win the AFC South? Wrong.

Brock Purdy to have the most TD passes in the NFL? Wrong.

Trevor Lawrence to throw for more than 4,350 yards? Wrong.

There will be six 1,500-yard WRs in the NFL? Wrong.

You get the idea... Van Pelt also predicted that a new record for longest field goal would be set, the Detroit Lions would make the Super Bowl, and the Baltimore Ravens would win the Super Bowl.

To his credit, Van Pelt did correctly predict that neither the Cleveland Browns nor the Miami Dolphins would make the playoffs, and that Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua would hold onto his rookie receiving record.

The final tally of his preseason predictions was 2-for-10.

Is that great? Definitely not, but it is refreshing to have a host go back and take accountability for what he got wrong, and show the ability to poke fun at himself while at it. In the end, we're talking about sports, and should be able to laugh at the things we said didn't come to fruition.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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