Lance Sanderson· Sep 18, 2026
Sanderson thinks Denver cleans up its play on both sides of the ball and wins a close one.
“I think the Broncos clean it up on both sides of the ball and come out swinging to prove they are who we think they are.”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.
The call scored 88.1 out of 100, against 82.1 for a naive guess at the same calls.
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Who this take is about
The game in this take
- Jaguars at Broncos 35 calls
1 checkable claim in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Score PredictionsDenver BroncosSep 18, 2026
Denver Broncos 23 — Jaguars 21
“Pick : Broncos 23, Jaguars 21”
Hit · 88Scored 88.1a naive guess scored 82.1+11.62 skillHow this was scored
- score:
- 13-20
- skill:
- 11.62
- they picked:
- DEN
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 88.1
- baseline:
- 82.1
- difficulty:
- 1.94
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual margin:
- 7
- weeks left when called:
- 17
- naive home margin:
- -0.52
- predicted margin:
- 2
What others said about the same people
- Greg JenningsGame Outcome Picks · Denver BroncosHit · 100Jennings put the Cardinals up as his upset alert over Seattle, backed the Texans over Cincinnati and the Bears over Minnesota with chips, put two chips on Denver beating Jacksonville, and wrote a headline of the Packers beating the Jets; he also called the Bengals a playoff team and the Chiefs winners over Indianapolis.
- Bob MorrisScore Predictions · Denver BroncosHit · 90Morris expects cleaner tackling and offensive rhythm to give Denver a close win.
- Zack KelbermanScore Predictions · Denver BroncosHit · 86Kelberman picks a narrow Broncos home win, with Bo Nix doing just enough in the clutch.
- Keith CummingsScore Predictions · Denver BroncosHit · 90Cummings predicts Denver cleans things up and wins in overtime on a Wil Lutz field goal.
- Carl DumlerScore Predictions · Denver BroncosHit · 90Dumler sees the Broncos bouncing back behind the run game and the home crowd, winning on a late field goal.
- Chad JensenScore Predictions · Denver BroncosHit · 88Jensen, leaning on Sean Payton and Bo Nix's track record, picks a low-scoring Denver win over Jacksonville.
More score predictions
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Scott KennedyScore Predictions · Carolina PanthersClose · 52Expects the Falcons to fall to 0-2 in Cooper Rush starts, losing 24-13 to Carolina.
- Garrett ChapmanScore Predictions · Carolina PanthersClose · 50Thinks Atlanta matches up well but still falls short, picking Carolina 23-20.
- Jerry JonesScore Predictions · Carolina PanthersClose · 52Predicts Carolina pulls away from Atlanta, with the Falcons defense keeping it close early, in a 27-16 Panthers win.
- Trevor RipleyScore Predictions · Chicago BearsMiss · 38Ripley picks the Bears to beat the Vikings at Soldier Field in Week 2, 30-19, arguing Minnesota's offense is hobbled by injuries while Chicago's offense edges an aggressive but star-thin Vikings defense.
- Alain PoupartScore Predictions · San Francisco 49ersClose · 71Poupart predicts the 49ers beat the Dolphins 27-17 at Levi's Stadium in Week 2, though he expects the game to be closer than the spread suggests. He also anticipates a larger role for De'Von Achane and a big passing day from Brock Purdy.
- Carter BahnsScore Predictions · Jacksonville JaguarsClose · 50He picks Jacksonville to win in Denver, arguing the market still undervalues the Jaguars and that the Broncos' offense under new play-caller Davis Webb won't score enough to keep pace.