John Middlekauff#48 of 87 NFL pundits · May 28, 2026
Middlekauff sees the Patriots as a nine-or-ten win team and the 49ers finishing 10-7; they'd hammer the under on New England's 9.5 and Minnesota's 8.5, projecting the Vikings last in the NFC North behind Bears, Lions and Packers. They like the Bengals to win the AFC North and floats the Saints, Cowboys and Colts as new playoff teams.
Said on air or in an interview · The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast)Hear the original
What John Middlekauff said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromSo I feel pretty comfortable saying they'll be ten and seven.
- Where it was said
- The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast)
- The episode
- BEST OF NFL PREDICTIONS: Bengals, Giants, Chiefs, Bears, Steelers, Patriots
- The original
- Hear the original
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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.
- 1Dallas Cowboys to make the playoffs“I'd probably go Cowboys right down instead of the Giants.”
- 2New Orleans Saints to beat expectations“The Saints a little bit more of a flyer just because Kellen Moore year two, but they're they're a team under the radar a little bit”
- 3Chicago Bears to make the playoffs“I think the Bears are going to be playoff team again”
- 4New Orleans Saints to make the playoffs“I throw the Saints in there”
- 5Indianapolis Colts to make the playoffs“Yours would be Colts, Saints, Dallas.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys to make the playoffs1 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| New Orleans Saints to beat expectations2 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Chicago Bears to make the playoffs3 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| New Orleans Saints to make the playoffs4 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Indianapolis Colts to make the playoffs5 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 5 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
5 checkable claims — 4 playoff picks and 1 surprise team call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
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.
Their call against the record
Their call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.
Dallas Cowboys to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Surprise Team CallsNew Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Chicago Bears to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Playoff PicksNew Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Playoff PicksIndianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Rich Eisen · Trade and Signing Calls · Micah Parsons · Miss 0
Eisen expects Myles Garrett to be traded before the draft and says the Browns will then take Abdul Carter with their early first-round pick; they also predict Buffalo will end up paying James Cook and that Micah Parsons will remain a Cowboy and get their money from Dallas, likely late in the process.Bryan DeArdo · Score Predictions · Chicago Bears · Hit 98
DeArdo picks the Bears to beat the Buccaneers on Sunday night in a defensive game, predicting a 20-16 final score.Danny Parkins · Game Outcome Picks · Chicago Bears · Hit 100
Parkins named the seven AFC teams they believe are already set as the playoff field, expects Chicago, Buffalo and Kansas City to win this week, took Green Bay over New England and Atlanta over Cincinnati outright, and kept Bills–Bears as their Super Bowl matchup with the Giants still winning the NFC East.“Stanford Steve” Coughlin · Game Outcome Picks · Chicago Bears · Hit 100
Stanford Steve said the Bears would beat the Buccaneers on Sunday night, and called a player they referred to as "Yakis" their Rookie of the Year.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · Chicago Bears · Hit 98
Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game.
More playoff picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Rich Eisen · Playoff Picks · Minnesota Vikings · Miss 0
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.Rich Eisen · Playoff Picks · Carolina Panthers · 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.Chris Brockman · Playoff Picks · Pittsburgh Steelers · Hit 100
Brockman argued the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC goes through Foxborough, meaning the Patriots will finish as the No. 1 seed, and called their shot that the Chargers beat Denver in Week 18. They also declared the Bears a team of destiny who will win the NFC, said the Steelers will end their playoff win drought, and that Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top-five quarterback.