Colin Cowherd#54 of 87 NFL pundits · Nov 6, 2025
Cowherd likes Denver against the Raiders/Gino Smith, says the Colts will win their division, backs the Ravens as favorites at Minnesota, leans Buccaneers over the Patriots, picks the Patriots over the Colts to reach the AFC Championship, and thinks Fernando Mendoza will be the first quarterback taken in the draft.
Said on air or in an interview · The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast)Hear the original
What Colin Cowherd said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromHe's a pocket quarterback if he plays Take Denver.
- Where it was said
- The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast)
- The episode
- THE HERD - Hour 2 - Caleb Williams' breakout with the Bears, Cowboys better off without Micah Parsons, Greg Cosell
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 5, 2026. The quote and evidence here are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
- SaidNov 6, 2025
- GradedAug 7–17, 2026
- 1Indianapolis Colts to win the division“the Colts were missing a corner there that's gonna be a division winning team”
- 2Fernando Mendoza to be 1st quarterback off the board“I think Mendoz that Indiana is gonna win it up to them... Mendoz is the play... I think Mendoza is a bigger, stronger athlete smart.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts to win the division1 | Division Winners | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fernando Mendoza to be 1st quarterback off the board2 | Position Order Calls | — | 100 | 33.08 | +66.92 | |
| 2 calls · 1 hit · 1 miss · all settled | 50 | 16.5 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive2 checkable claims — 1 division winner and 1 position order call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
All 2 have settled, averaging 50 out of 100, against 16.5 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.
Where this call stands in the room
Fernando Mendoza · 2025 season · positional finish4 calls from 4 pundits between 1 positional finish and 1 positional finish. Colin Cowherd said 1 positional finish. the room's median is 1 positional finish. what happened: 1 positional finish
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question, before the answer existed. The bar is what actually happened. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
1Division WinnersIndianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts to win the division
VerdictMiss0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×1.5difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 0
- method:
- division winners read off the bracket: the bye teams and the wild-card hosts
- they picked:
- IND
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive pick:
- HOU
- difficulty:
- 1.5
- the naive guess:
- last season's winner of the same division
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 9
- won the division:
- no
2Position Order CallsFernando Mendoza
Fernando Mendoza to be 1st quarterback off the board
VerdictHit100Hit · naive 33.08100this call−33.08a naive guess=66.92better than naive×1difficulty=+66.92skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- naming one of the 10 at random averages 33.08
- skill:
- 66.92
- player:
- Fernando Mendoza
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- credit halves every two places
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 33.08
- position:
- quarterback
- class size:
- 10
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual order:
- 1
- predicted order:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 2 settled calls, each counted once
50naive 16.5
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Chris Long · Game Outcome Picks · Indianapolis Colts · Miss 0
Previewing the Week 9 slate, Chris Long expects the Saints to beat Cleveland, the Colts to beat Dallas, New England to edge Green Bay, and Baltimore to beat the Chargers on Monday night. They also call the Packers a top-10 defense once Micah Parsons returns, names their top six quarterbacks of the season, and expects Brandon Ayuk to be released, with Will Lee and Trevion Henderson sidelined this week.Jesse Holley · Game Outcome Picks · Indianapolis Colts · Miss 0
Jesse predicted the Cowboys finish 10-7 but still win the NFC East with 10 wins, picking Dallas over the Giants, Commanders, Texans, Buccaneers, Colts (loss), and losing to Baltimore, Green Bay, Philadelphia twice, Arizona, Seattle and the Rams.Danny Parkins · Game Outcome Picks · Indianapolis Colts · Miss 0
Parkins predicted the Cowboys will finish 11-6, starting 5-1 with wins over the Giants, Commanders and an upset of the Ravens, splitting with Philadelphia, and beating Green Bay and Jacksonville, while losing to the Texans, 49ers, Eagles, Colts, Seahawks and Rams.Jake Arthur · Roster Spot Calls · Johnathan Edwards · Miss 0
Arthur predicted a lopsided Jaguars win over the Colts in Jacksonville, 31-13, continuing the Colts' losing streak there, while offering a 'bold' counter-prediction that Daniel Jones accounts for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).Drake Wally · Trade and Signing Calls · Quenton Nelson · Miss 0
Despite the midseason firing of GM Chris Ballard, Wally expects the Colts to avoid a fire sale, predicting that core stars such as DeForest Buckner, Sauce Gardner, Jonathan Taylor, Grover Stewart and Quenton Nelson will not be shopped before the trade deadline.
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.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.Rich Eisen · Division Winners · Jacksonville Jaguars · Hit 100
Eisen called the 49ers-as-NFC-favorites take an overreaction, picked the Jaguars to beat the Titans and win their division, leaned Ravens over the Steelers in the Week 18 Sunday night game, expects the Bills to beat the Jets even without Josh Allen, sees the Chargers as the AFC's seventh seed, agreed Tyler Shough could win Offensive Rookie of the Year with a good Saints 2026, said Malik Willis will be a starter somewhere next season, and insisted Detroit goes into 2026 with Goff.Cynthia Frelund · Division Winners · Houston Texans · Miss 0
Freeland's model has the Chargers winning straight up in Dallas, the Texans winning big over the Raiders and going on to win the AFC South, the Lions beating the Steelers by six, the Saints beating the Jets, and the Packers beating the Bears; they also see the AFC's Super Bowl representative being either Denver or Houston.Chris Brockman · Division Winners · Chicago Bears · Hit 100
Brockman called the Broncos-Packers game the best of the day, said Denver looks poised to lock up the AFC's No. 1 seed and reach the AFC Championship Game, predicted the Bears win the NFC North and the Eagles win their division (though they think they lose to a five seed from the NFC West), and said Philip Rivers will be in the NFL in 2026.