# Henry McKenna: McKenna calls the Ravens the clearest bounceback candidate in the league and says he can't imagine Baltimore missing the playoffs for a second straight season if rookie receivers Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt are legitimate.

**Claimed:** Aug 17, 2026
**Pundit:** Henry McKenna — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/henry-mckenna
**Outlet:** Fox Sports — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/fox-sports
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/which-rookies-standing-out-7-takeaways-from-week-1-preseason

One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.

Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.

> I can't imagine Baltimore missing two years in a row.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Baltimore Ravens
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Baltimore Ravens — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/ravens

## What others said about the same people

- Mason Cameron on Ethan Pocic: An unsigned PFF piece ranks the NFL's top 32 centers heading into the 2026 season, with Creed Humphrey first for the fourth straight year, and names Ethan Pocic and Austin Schlottmann as the favorites to win starting center jobs in Baltimore and Tennessee. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ac17490e-98b7-4d3c-9fea-750e5dc9e486 (scored 0)
- Evan Silva on Baltimore Ravens: In his 2020 fantasy defense/special teams rankings, Silva puts the Steelers first, the 49ers second and the Ravens third, citing pass rush, favorable early schedules and game scripts. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/180b1036-60e5-494b-9b4d-90b5dc3d6528 (scored 58.33)
- Jared Dubin on Baltimore Ravens: Dubin is high on the Ravens and low on the Colts, predicting a big Baltimore road win. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/5255427f-f227-4e34-b350-059ecc4aa1fd (scored 100)
- Kirk Herbstreit on Baltimore Ravens: Herbstreit made a full slate of Week 1 picks — Lions, Ravens, Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Packers and Cowboys — and also said he still thinks Seattle is the team to beat in the NFC West. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/5bc3755c-9b84-484f-b8f2-b18d51a12261 (scored 100)
- AJ Hawk on Baltimore Ravens: AJ Hawk picked the Ravens over the Colts, Carolina to beat Chicago outright, the Bills at Houston, the Bengals over Tampa Bay, the Titans over the Jets, the Raiders over Miami, the Packers at Minnesota and the Cowboys over the Giants. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/74f9146c-d27f-4851-b8a4-4103d043308f (scored 100)
- Jordan Dajani on Baltimore Ravens: Dajani picks the Rams over the 49ers, Texans over Bills, Ravens over Colts, Bengals over Buccaneers, Vikings over Packers, Cowboys over Giants and Broncos over Chiefs in Week 1, with exact scores. He also predicts the Bills win the AFC East, the Cowboys win their division, and Caleb Downs wins Defensive Rookie of the Year. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/f6565d23-03db-4e60-a574-21a0b86dafb0 (scored 66.67)

## More playoff picks

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

- Dan "Buzz" Wilson on Philadelphia Eagles: Wilson argued the Eagles' offseason approach of prioritizing 2026 and beyond doesn't mean a bad 2025 — he expects them to remain among the NFC's best teams and to make a deep playoff run rather than fall off to eight or nine wins. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/afce079c-b986-476b-a872-09905017fc6f (scored 100)
- Craig Stout on Kansas City Chiefs: Craig believes better execution from a Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs team will be enough to return them to the playoffs in the coming season, and he expects Tyler Algeier to land with Denver as a complement to RJ Harvey. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/4ad5b565-6220-4c30-9371-e55be75a35f0 (scored 0)
- Ross Jackson on New Orleans Saints: Jackson projects a big sophomore jump for Saints QB Tyler Shuck, laying out a Drake May-style stat line (17 starts, 72% completions, ~4,601 passing yards, 24 TDs, 9 INTs) or a Bo Nix-style consistency line (over 4,000 yards, over 20 TDs, ~10 INTs), and says either path means a playoff season for New Orleans in 2026. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/4dc05898-73fd-4fcb-92c4-a940d7e395ba (scored 0)
- Rich Eisen on Minnesota Vikings: Eisen argues Ohio State will produce multiple top-10 picks — Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs — becoming the first school with three defensive players in the top 10, and that Styles will not be available at No. 12 to the Cowboys. He also thinks Fernando Mendoza is worthy of the No. 1 overall pick and expects the Raiders to draft him, and picks Trey Lance over Anthony Richardson to start a game first, Micah Parsons to fetch a bigger trade return than Maxx Crosby, Kirk Cousins as the released QB most likely to reach the playoffs, and J.J. McCarthy as the Vikings' Week 1 starter. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/29ea2738-79a2-4be9-aa45-e794cd3848fb (scored 0)
- Dwaine Board on San Francisco 49ers: Board argues the 49ers can still make the playoffs even if Trent Williams leaves, expects Williams to be brought back, and favors drafting a wide receiver at No. 27 over an offensive tackle. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/07beb6d4-aadc-4b2d-b131-b889c85204a3 (scored 100)
- Rich Eisen on Carolina Panthers: Eisen forecast the Week 18 results and the entire wild-card field: Buccaneers over Panthers but Carolina still gets in as the 5 seed when Atlanta beats New Orleans, 49ers over Seahawks, Ravens over Steelers, Jaguars beating Tennessee to win the AFC South, and six wild-card matchups (Seahawks-Panthers, Bills-Jaguars, Texans-Ravens, Packers-Bears, Chargers-Patriots, Rams-Eagles), with Houston upsetting Baltimore. He also tabbed Saints rookie Tyler Shough as a possible Offensive Rookie of the Year. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/34345186-876a-4c4b-9567-9c289a6cbace (scored 100)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

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