Posts — page 3
What we're seeing in the data: daily summaries of graded predictions, essays on the punditry industry, and deep dives into what the numbers say.
- Blog postSeptember 15, 2026
Steelers 20, Falcons 13: 25 of 27 Calls Had Pittsburgh, and Only Three Earned Anything
Pittsburgh beat Atlanta 20-13 in Week 1. We graded 27 pre-game calls: 25 had the Steelers, two bold predictions missed, and the score picks did the real work.
- Blog postSeptember 15, 2026
Raiders 27, Dolphins 13: Three-Quarters of the Field Was Right and Almost Nobody Earned It
32 graded calls on Raiders-Dolphins Week 1. The field leaned Las Vegas 21-7 and won, but only the score predictions actually separated anyone.
- Daily summarySeptember 15, 2026
Bengals Punditry Check: The Field Is Buying Cincinnati Again, and Its Last Bet Went 1-for-15 | MissedTakes Daily
Pundits are back on Cincinnati for division, playoffs and a Burrow MVP. Their graded record on those exact calls: near zero. Plus the league day in brief.
- Weekly reviewSeptember 15, 2026
John Middlekauff Wins Both Weekly Awards on Three Calls — One of Them Carried It | MissedTakes Weekly
Middlekauff went 3-for-3 in Week 37 and took both weekly awards. Only his 49ers upset pick actually beat the baseline. Plus the week's 96 graded calls.
- Blog postSeptember 15, 2026
Bears 59, Panthers 37: The Field Had Chicago 22-4, and Still Nobody Was Close
We graded 26 pre-game calls on Bears-Panthers. Chicago won 59-37: the winner picks were nearly unanimous, the score picks all missed low.
- Daily summarySeptember 15, 2026
Browns Punditry Check: Everyone Has Shedeur Sanders Starting by Week 3, and the Win-Total Field Has Quietly Split | MissedTakes Daily
Cleveland's punditry graded: the near-unanimous Shedeur Sanders takeover call, a split win-total field, and nine straight missed Browns sleeper calls.
- Blog postSeptember 15, 2026
Bills 36, Texans 31: 37 of 46 Calls Had Houston, and Nobody Saw 67 Points
We graded 46 pre-game calls on Bills-Texans. Houston got 37 of them, Buffalo won by five, and no one predicted a total within 23 points.
- Blog postSeptember 15, 2026
Jaguars 34, Browns 10: 16 of 17 Picked It, and Only the Score Callers Earned Anything
Jacksonville beat Cleveland 34-10 in Week 1. We graded 22 pre-game calls: a 16-1 field, one costly upset pick, and four score predictions that paid.
- Blog postSeptember 15, 2026
Bengals 33, Buccaneers 27: 11 Pundits Took the Upset, and Only One Nailed the Margin
Cincinnati beat Tampa Bay 33-27 in Week 1. We graded 31 pre-game calls: a 14-11 split on the winner, and six score predictions that all had it right.
- Blog postSeptember 15, 2026
Cardinals 26, Chargers 14: All 21 Graded Calls Picked Los Angeles
Every one of the 21 graded pre-game calls on Cardinals-Chargers took Los Angeles. Arizona won by 12. Who came closest, and who went furthest wrong.
- Blog postSeptember 15, 2026
Eagles 24, Commanders 22: 30 Calls, One Beat the Baseline
Philadelphia beat Washington 24-22 in Week 1. We graded 30 pre-game calls: the field got the winner right and the game wrong.
- Blog postSeptember 15, 2026
Giants 28, Cowboys 20: 34 of 42 Graded Calls Had Dallas Winning
Week 1 at MetLife settled 42 graded pundit calls. Dallas was on 34 of them. Only Mike Florio's 23-21 Giants score beat the baseline.
- Daily summarySeptember 13, 2026
Bears Punditry Check: Everyone Was Wrong About Caleb Williams, and the Field Has Settled on 10 Wins | MissedTakes Daily
Graded Bears takes: the Caleb Williams calls that failed at both extremes, a win-total field stuck at ten, and which pundits Chicago coverage can trust.
- Blog postSeptember 12, 2026
49ers 27, Rams 7: Six Voices Took the Road Dog in Melbourne, Twenty Took the Chalk
San Francisco beat the Rams 27-7 in Week 1. We graded 37 pre-game calls: who took the underdog, who took the chalk, and whose margin was closest.
- Daily summarySeptember 12, 2026
Panthers Punditry Check: Six for Six on the Division, and a Field Split Between 6 Wins and 9 | MissedTakes Daily
Carolina's punditry, graded: the NFC South calls that hit, the win-total field's 2026 split, McMillan's payoff year and the cut-day misses.
- Blog postSeptember 11, 2026
Seahawks 13, Patriots 10: 22 of 30 Calls Had Seattle, and Not One Beat the Baseline
Seattle beat New England 13-10 in the opener. We graded 30 pre-game calls: the field leaned Seattle 22-8, and the home-team default still won.
- Daily summarySeptember 11, 2026
Bills Punditry Check: 26-for-26 on the Easy Call, 0-for-13 on the Hard One | MissedTakes Daily
Every graded Super Bowl pick on Buffalo has scored zero, and the field is back on the Bills for 2026. Who has actually earned trust on this team.
- Daily summarySeptember 10, 2026
Ravens Punditry Check: 41 Straight AFC North Picks for Baltimore, and a Graded Record of 0-for-68 | MissedTakes Daily
Every ungraded AFC North call in our file has Baltimore winning it. The Ravens' graded contender-call record says be careful. Plus the league's day in brief.
- Blog postSeptember 10, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers 2026: The Coverage Report — 232 Graded Takes, and a Skill Score of Almost Exactly Zero
The Chargers drew league-average coverage from the outlets we track — 684 takes, 232 graded, and a skill score of −0.12. What the record shows.
- Blog postSeptember 10, 2026
Kansas City Chiefs 2026: The Coverage Report — Heavily Covered, Badly Graded
The Chiefs are the second-most-graded team on MissedTakes and the least accurate of the heavily covered clubs. The cutdown calls were the exception.
- Blog postSeptember 10, 2026
Las Vegas Raiders 2026: The Coverage Report — 82 graded takes about one player, and 10 straight playoff picks that graded zero
The Raiders drew league-median coverage from the outlets we track — but a third of their graded record is one call: Fernando Mendoza at No. 1.
- Daily summarySeptember 9, 2026
Falcons Punditry Check: Drake London Has Cost the Field 20 Straight Bad Grades, and Nobody Has Ever Been Right About Atlanta in January | MissedTakes Daily
Atlanta's 149 graded takes: Drake London calls at 21.7 accuracy, division and playoff picks 0-for-17, and a roster week that just settled.
- Blog postSeptember 8, 2026
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2026 Coverage Report: 25 of 27 Division-Winner Calls Scored Zero
The Bucs drew below-average coverage from the outlets we track — and the graded record is ugly: 202 graded takes, 37.8 accuracy, no roster-spot grades yet.
- Daily summarySeptember 8, 2026
Cardinals Punditry Check: Arizona Was Everyone's Favorite Landing Spot, and the Field Went 0-for-8 | MissedTakes Daily
Graded Cardinals takes: eight busted free-agent landing spots, a Kyler Murray consensus worth zero skill, and the 2026 win-total split.
- Blog postSeptember 7, 2026
Jacksonville Jaguars 2026: The Coverage Report — 23rd in Volume, 6th in Skill, and Four Graded Roster Calls
Jacksonville draws below-median coverage from the outlets we track — 505 takes, 157 graded — but the takes that landed beat the baseline by a lot.