Ahead of the 2016 NFL season getting underway Thursday night, ESPN released the predictions of 42 of their commentators and you can see them all below.
Of the 42 commentators, only five predicted that the Pittsburgh Steelers will go on to win Super Bowl LI and they are Michelle Beisner, Jarrett Bell, Merril Hoge, Keyshawn Johnson and Jim Trotter. However, 15 total commentators predicted that the Steelers will at least win the AFC, so there’s that.
Strangely enough, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark has his old team losing to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl LI.
As far as their league MVP predictions go, seven of the commentators predicted that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will ultimately win the annual award. One other, Michael Smith, predicted that Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown will win the award.
| Commentator | AFC Champ | NFC Champ | Super Bowl Champ | League MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josina Anderson | Broncos | Cardinals | Cardinals | Carson Palmer |
| Annie Apple | Patriots | Giants | Giants | Eli Manning |
| Joe Banner | Chiefs | Packers | Packers | Aaron Rodgers |
| Michelle Beisner | Steelers | Packers | Steelers | Ben Roethlisberger |
| Jarrett Bell | Steelers | Seahawks | Steelers | Russell Wilson |
| Stephania Bell | Patriots | Panthers | Panthers | Cam Newton |
| Chris Berman | Chiefs | Seahawks | Seahawks | Russell Wilson |
| Matthew Berry | Patriots | Packers | Patriots | Aaron Rodgers |
| Andrew Brandt | Steelers | Packers | Packers | Aaron Rodgers |
| Tedy Bruschi | Steelers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Russell Wilson |
| Adam Caplan | Patriots | Seahawks | Seahawks | Todd Gurley |
| Ryan Clark | Steelers | Packers | Packers | Ben Roethlisberger |
| John Clayton | Steelers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Ben Roethlisberger |
| Jeff Darlington | Patriots | Packers | Patriots | Tom Brady |
| Trent Dilfer | Steelers | Panthers | Panthers | Ben Roethlisberger |
| Mark Dominik | Bengals | Seahawks | Seahawks | Russell Wilson |
| Dan Graziano | Bengals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Russell Wilson |
| Jon Gruden | Steelers | Packers | Packers | Aaron Rodgers |
| Matt Hasselbeck | Steelers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Russell Wilson |
| Tim Hasselbeck | Patriots | Seahawks | Patriots | Cam Newton |
| Merril Hoge | Steelers | Packers | Steelers | Ben Roethlisberger |
| Ron Jaworski | Bengals | Seahawks | Seahawks | Russell Wilson |
| Keyshawn Johnson | Steelers | Packers | Steelers | Aaron Rodgers |
| Suzy Kolber | Patriots | Cardinals | Cardinals | Tom Brady |
| Randy Moss | Patriots | Seahawks | Patriots | Aaron Rodgers |
| Wendi Nix | Patriots | Packers | Patriots | Tom Brady |
| Sal Paolantonio | Patriots | Seahawks | Seahawks | Russell Wilson |
| Antonio Pierce | Colts | Packers | Packers | Aaron Rodgers |
| Louis Riddick | Patriots | Seahawks | Seahawks | Russell Wilson |
| Jeff Saturday | Patriots | Panthers | Panthers | Ben Roethlisberger |
| Phil Savage | Steelers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Cam Newton |
| Adam Schefter | Chiefs | Packers | Packers | Aaron Rodgers |
| Mark Schlereth | Patriots | Packers | Packers | Aaron Rodgers |
| Michael Smith | Jets | Packers | Packers | Antonio Brown |
| Jim Trotter | Steelers | Cardinals | Steelers | Russell Wilson |
| Ed Werder | Steelers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Russell Wilson |
| Trey Wingo | Patriots | Cardinals | Cardinals | Russell Wilson |
| Charles Woodson | Raiders | Packers | Raiders | Khalil Mack |
| Darren Woodson | Patriots | Panthers | Panthers | Aaron Rodgers |
| Damien Woody | Patriots | Seahawks | Patriots | Ben Roethlisberger |
| Field Yates | Patriots | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cam Newton |
| Steve Young | Steelers | Packers | Packers | Aaron Rodgers |
