Scott Van Pelt Stoked to Learn He Didn't Get Every NFL Preseason Prediction Wrong

SVP revisited his 2024 NFL predictions and, while his hit rate was low, not every single one was wrong.
SVP revisited his NFL preseason predictions this week
SVP revisited his NFL preseason predictions this week / ESP

Giving out annual predictions ahead of the NFL season is now a rite of passage for any on-screen sports media personality. But not all are brave enough to revisit those predictions after the games are played. Scott Van Pelt was one such intrepid soul and faced the music on Tuesday night, looking back at the 10 NFL predictions he made before the season kicked off.

As one might expect the SportsCenter host's hit rate was not very high. But he was pumped to learn he didn't get every prediction wrong.

Van Pelt went 2-for-10 on the year. The two predictions he got right: at least two rookies would break the 1,000 yards receiving mark (but neither would break Puka Nacua's all-time record set in 2023) and the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins would both miss the postseason.

The pure excitement on SVP's face when he got on the board is really what predictions are all about. And, honestly, it's worth celebrating. Making sweeping predictions before any football has been played is neither an art nor a science. It's just throwing blindly darts hoping there's a bullseye somewhere in there. Especially when getting as specific as Van Pelt did with the rookie receiver prediction.

Let the record show that Scott Van Pelt got 20% of his 2024 NFL predictions correct, and nobody can take that away from him.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.