Jason La CanforaOct 17, 2026
La Canfora argues the Ravens, even without Lamar Jackson, should beat the Browns in Cleveland on Sunday, leaning on Derrick Henry's volume run game, a healthier defensive front stopping Cleveland's poor run attack, and Deshaun Watson's turnover-prone, slow-starting play.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Jason La Canfora said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromHere's how and why they should win this game.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- Three Primary Reasons The Ravens Should Beat The Browns Sunday
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidOct 17
- PlayedOct 18
- GradedOct 18
- 1Baltimore Ravens to beat Browns“this is also a football game Sunday at Cleveland that they should find a way to win... Here's how and why they should win this game.”
- 2Availability Calls“the Ravens should have the combination of $30M/year edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and $20M/year defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike on the field for longer than ever before”
- 3Availability Calls“the Ravens should have the combination of $30M/year edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and $20M/year defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike on the field for longer than ever before, and at closer to full health than ever before”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens to beat Browns1 | Game Outcome Picks | Browns 13–10 | 0 | 100 | −172 | |
| “the Ravens should have the combination of $30M/year edge rusher…”2 | Availability Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| “the Ravens should have the combination of $30M/year edge rusher…”3 | Availability Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 1 miss · 2 waiting | 0 | 100 | ||||
Game calls show that game’s closing betting line under their grade: a dated fact from nflverse, for context and never part of a grade. MissedTakes takes no bets and earns nothing from any sportsbook.
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naiveworse than naive3 checkable claims — 2 availability calls and 1 game outcome pick — 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.
1 of 3 have settled so far, averaging 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
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.
1Game Outcome PicksBaltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens to beat Browns
What happenedBrowns 13–10Ravens at Browns0Miss · naive 1000this call−100a naive guess=−100worse than naive×1.72difficulty=−172skillClosing line (Oct 18): Ravens by 3 · favorite pick, Ravens 60%.
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- won:
- CLE
- score:
- 10-13
- skill:
- −172
- they picked:
- BAL
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive pick:
- CLE
- difficulty:
- 1.72
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 13
2Availability CallsNnamdi MadubuikeBaltimore Ravens
“the Ravens should have the combination of $30M/year edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and $20M/year defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike on the field for longer than ever before”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Availability CallsTrey HendricksonBaltimore Ravens
“the Ravens should have the combination of $30M/year edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and $20M/year defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike on the field for longer than ever before, and at closer to full health than ever before”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
The game in this take
every pundit’s pick on eachWho this take is about
Others on the same people
Dan Graziano · Trade and Signing Calls · Trey Hendrickson · Hit 100
Graziano expects Kyler Murray to be released by the Cardinals by the third day of the league year if no trade materializes, believes the Colts will keep Daniel Jones (via a tag if necessary), thinks Aaron Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh is a strong possibility, and expects Cincinnati and Trey Hendrickson to part ways.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.
More availability calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Jose Sanchez · Availability Calls · Keenan Allen · Waiting
Sanchez expects Keenan Allen to play in the 49ers' game against Dallas in a limited role on passing downs, and argues an injury is more likely than not given age and injury history, meaning Allen will end up being more of the same at receiver for San Francisco.Ralph Ventre · Availability Calls · Alec Anderson · Waiting
Ventre projects Buffalo's Week 10 offensive line at the Jets to feature Dawkins, Anderson, McGovern and Torrence back in place, with Tylan Grable making a third straight start at right tackle in place of Spencer Brown, who appears headed for the inactive list.Shanna McCarriston · Availability Calls · Drew Lock · Waiting
Previewing three Week 10 games, McCarriston expects the Steelers-Bengals rematch to be a close, exciting contest, with one team's four-game win streak ending. Notes that Deshaun Watson is set to return for Cleveland against Houston, and that Fernando Mendoza will make a first NFL start for the Raiders against Seattle.Ian Rapoport · Availability Calls · Spencer Brown · Waiting
Rapoport expected Spencer Brown to be available for Buffalo on Sunday despite the missed practice time, saw Lamar Jackson returning from thumb surgery around Week 16 or 17 if Baltimore stays alive, said the Chargers have no intention of moving on from Justin Herbert, and expected George Pickens to play for Dallas.