John Middlekauff#48 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 13, 2026
Middlekauff's bold predictions: Max Crosby gets traded to the Bears midseason, the 49ers win the NFC West, the Bengals earn the AFC's No. 1 seed, the Patriots go 9-8, and Dak Prescott wins MVP as the Cowboys win the NFC East. They also expect JJ McCarthy to be Minnesota's third-string QB in Week 1.
Said on air or in an interview · The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast)Hear the original
What John Middlekauff said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI got him as the number one seed in the AFC.
- Where it was said
- The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast)
- The episode
- THE HERD – HOUR 1 – Fernando Mendoza Is Bust-Proof, BOLD NFL Predictions
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1San Francisco 49ers to win the division“I got the Niners winning the NFC West.”
- 2New England Patriots to finish with 9 wins“You go nine to eight, missed the playoffs.”
- 3Dak Prescott to win MVP“I also have an NFC quarterback winning the MVP, but his name is Dakota Prescott”
- 4Maxx Crosby to move to Chicago Bears“I think Max Crosby ends up on the Browns and or, excuse me, the Bears in the middle of the season... Max Crosby the Bears”
- 5J.J. McCarthy to be 3rd on the depth chart“but he's probably going to be the third string quarterback come week one behind Wentz”
- 6Dallas Cowboys to win the division“So I think the Cowboys are going to be good this year. I have picking them to win the East.”
- 7Cincinnati Bengals to take the top seed“I got a team finishing first, and they're the Cincinnati Bengals. I got him as the number one seed in the AFC.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers to win the division1 | Division Winners | — | — | — | — | |
| New England Patriots to finish with 9 wins2 | Season Win Totals | — | — | — | — | |
| Dak Prescott to win MVP3 | Award Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Maxx Crosby to move to Chicago Bears4 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| J.J. McCarthy to be 3rd on the depth chart5 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Dallas Cowboys to win the division6 | Division Winners | — | — | — | — | |
| Cincinnati Bengals to take the top seed7 | Seeding, Byes and Home Field | — | — | — | — | |
| 7 calls · 7 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
7 checkable claims — 2 division winners, 1 award pick, 1 depth chart call, 1 season win total, 1 seeding, byes and home field and 1 trade and signing call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 9 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 2.
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.
Where this call stands in the room
J.J. McCarthy · 2026 season3 calls from 3 pundits between 1 and 3. John Middlekauff said 3. the room's median is 2. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
1Division WinnersSan Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers to win the division
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Season Win TotalsNew England Patriots
New England Patriots to finish with 9 wins
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Award PicksDak PrescottDallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott to win MVP
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Trade and Signing CallsMaxx CrosbyChicago Bears
Maxx Crosby to move to Chicago Bears
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Depth Chart CallsJ.J. McCarthyMinnesota Vikings
J.J. McCarthy to be 3rd on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
6Division WinnersDallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys to win the division
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
7Seeding, Byes and Home FieldCincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals to take the top seed
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Logan Lazarczyk · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick.Patricia Traina · Trade and Signing Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Traina expects defensive tackle to be a top need for the Giants in next year's draft, and suggests the Giants could trade J.J. McCarthy next offseason — or keep both them and Jaxson Dart if the return isn't good enough. They also expect Dart to make a full recovery.Charean Williams · Roster Spot Calls · Odell Beckham Jr. · Miss 0
Williams writes that after releasing Odell Beckham Jr. to open a roster spot for Kirk Cousins, the Vikings will bring them back on the practice squad.
More division winners
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Daniel DiBerardinis · Division Winners · Atlanta Falcons · Miss 0
Danny D predicts Sonny Styles goes in the top ten (maybe top five), doesn't think Ty Simpson goes before late first round, says Kenyon Sadiq lands with the Rams at 13, and picks the Falcons to win the NFC South while naming the Bengals an AFC bounce-back team. They also give a Final Four of Michigan, Florida, Purdue and Arizona with Michigan winning.Colin Cowherd · Division Winners · New York Giants · Miss 0
Cowherd projects the NFC East with the Giants winning the division ahead of Philadelphia, Washington and Dallas, pegging the Cowboys as a six- or seven-win team. They also expect Malik Willis to land a big free-agent deal, Kayvon Thibodeaux to be moved, and Baltimore to lose Isaiah Likely, and they float the Rams reaching on Ty Simpson late in round one.Colin Cowherd · Division Winners · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 0
Cowherd unveiled their top 10 NFL teams entering next season, with Seattle first, the Rams second and the Chiefs tenth, and separately picked the Chargers to win the AFC West.Colin Cowherd · Division Winners · Baltimore Ravens · Miss 0
Cowherd likes Jacksonville, Chicago and Pittsburgh (with DK Metcalf back) in the wild-card round, ranks the league's head coaches with McVay first and Ben Johnson seventh, and predicts Lamar Jackson has about two strong years left. They also name the Rams as a possible team to draft a receiver and floats next year's draft having seven first-round quarterbacks.Rich Eisen · Division Winners · Jacksonville Jaguars · Hit 100
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. They also tabbed Saints rookie Tyler Shough as a possible Offensive Rookie of the Year.