Play “Picks”

Steven RuizSep 16, 2026

After one week, Ruiz abandoned their preseason MVP pick of Dak Prescott and declared Lamar Jackson primed for an MVP season in Baltimore's new under-center offense. They also described the Cardinals as a team expected to contend for the No. 1 overall pick.

Published in writing · Fox SportsRead the original

Waiting2 calls, none settled yet

—Average accuracynothing settled yet

—A naive guessthe same calls, no knowledge

0 of 2Settled2 still waiting

2Waitingnot graded yet

What Steven Ruiz said

our reading, beside the words we read it from

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was my MVP pick before the season, and it took one week of watching Lamar Jackson in the new-look Ravens offense to change my mind.

Steven Ruiz, the lead quote · each call’s own words are below

Where it was published: Fox Sports
The piece: QB Notebook: Lamar Jackson Primed For An MVP Season; What To Make Of Justin Herbert
The original: Read the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

1Arizona Cardinals to pick “expected to contend for the first-overall pick”“after watching our boy lose to a Cardinals team that’s expected to contend for the first-overall pick”
2Lamar Jackson to win MVP“QB Notebook: Lamar Jackson Primed For An MVP Season ... Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was my MVP pick before the season, and it took one week of watching Lamar Jackson in the new-look Ravens offense to change my mind.”

Box score

HitCloseMissWaiting

Verdict	Call	Kind	What happened	Score	Naive	Skill
	Arizona Cardinals to pick “expected to contend for the first-overall pick”¹	Team Draft Slot Calls	—	—	—	—
	Lamar Jackson to win MVP²	Award Picks	—	—	—	—
	2 calls · 2 waiting			—	—

How each call scored

2 checkable claims — 1 award pick and 1 team draft slot call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.

Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.

1Team Draft Slot Calls Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals to pick “expected to contend for the first-overall pick”
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
2Award Picks Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson to win MVP
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Who this take is about

Where do you stand on this one?Pick every open claim on Picks →

Others on the same people

Albert Breer · Trade and Signing Calls · Jacoby Brissett · Hit 100
Breer argues the Jaguars should be taken very seriously, seeing a path to 13 wins and the AFC's No. 1 seed with a first-round bye, and they expect the Jacoby Brissett trade to Baltimore to be completed within a day.
Nathan Jahnke · Trade and Signing Calls · Jacoby Brissett · Hit 100
In a Week 9 recap, Jahnke expects Mark Andrews to remain Baltimore's lead tight end but says rookie Matt Hibner is more likely than Josh Cuevas to eventually overtake them, and they anticipate the Ravens acquiring Jacoby Brissett to start at quarterback. They also suggest Brian Thomas Jr. may have played their final game for Jacksonville ahead of the trade deadline.
Nic Bodiford · Depth Chart Calls · Joe Fagnano · Hit 100
Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.
Mike Florio · Roster Spot Calls · Jake Moody · Miss 0
Florio expects Jake Moody to be promoted from Baltimore's practice squad to the 53-man roster if Tyler Loop lands on injured reserve.
Rich Eisen · Game Outcome Picks · Baltimore Ravens · Miss 0
Eisen gave a top-10 power ranking of NFL "game wreckers," predicted Will Anderson Jr. wrecks a game at least twice for the Texans this year, and walked through a Jaguars game-by-game prediction landing on a 13-4 record.
John Breech · Trade and Signing Calls · Jacoby Brissett · Hit 100
Breech picks the Jaguars to blow out the quarterback-depleted Ravens on Thursday night, and in Week 9 takes the Bengals to outlast the Falcons in a Madrid shootout. They also expect Jacoby Brissett to be a Raven within 48 hours and to make their first Baltimore start in Week 11.

More award picks

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

Nick Wright · Award Picks · Sam Darnold · Miss 0
Wright picks Seattle to beat New England in the Super Bowl by a 27-17 final score, describing a semi-comfortable win, and names Sam Darnold as their Super Bowl MVP pick.
Eric Mangini · Award Picks · Drake Maye · Miss 0
Mangini picked the Patriots 23-20 with Drake May as Super Bowl MVP, and earlier named Kayshon Boutte ("Kaeshawn Booty") as their dark horse MVP.
Chris Broussard · Award Picks · Drake Maye · Miss 0
Broussard picked New England to beat Seattle 24-21, with Drake May winning Super Bowl MVP, and named Cooper Kupp as their dark horse MVP.
Willie Colon · Award Picks · Sam Darnold · Miss 0
Colon picked the Seahawks to win 24-14 with Sam Darnold as Super Bowl MVP.
Nick Wright · Award Picks · Rashid Shaheed · Miss 0
Nick picked Seattle to win the Super Bowl 27-17, citing Seattle's defense, coaching against young quarterbacks and schedule strength, and named Rasheed Shaheed as their dark horse Super Bowl MVP.
Danny Parkins · Award Picks · Jaxon Smith-Njigba · Miss 0
Parkins picked Seattle to win 27-16 with Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Super Bowl MVP.

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