John Middlekauff#48 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 8, 2026
Middlekauff also picks Seattle to repeat as Super Bowl champion, likes Denver to win the AFC West and the AFC with a Bengals-Broncos AFC Championship, and picks Seattle to beat New England in Week 1. They also predict the Falcons will be terrible and doubts Bill Belichick survives at North Carolina.
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 think Seattle goes back to back.
- Where it was said
- The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast)
- The episode
- Michigan Struggles, LSU Humiliates Clemson, Super Bowl Predictions, Rams vs. 49ers
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidSep 7
- PlayedSep 9
- GradedSep 11
- 1Seattle Seahawks to beat New England“like them to win by three and a half, like them to win outright”
- 2Denver Broncos to reach the Super Bowl“I'm taking them to win the AFC.”
- 3Los Angeles Chargers to beat expectations“I do think they're a pretty good sleeper.”
- 4Denver Broncos to win the division“Like, I'm taking Denver to win the division.”
- 5Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl“Well, I got Seattle too, Colin. ... So I think Seattle goes back to back.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks to beat New England1 | Game Outcome Picks | Seahawks 13–10 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Denver Broncos to reach the Super Bowl2 | Conference Champions | — | — | — | — | |
| Los Angeles Chargers to beat expectations3 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Denver Broncos to win the division4 | Division Winners | — | — | — | — | |
| Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl5 | Super Bowl Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 1 hit · 4 waiting | 100 | 100 | ||||
Game calls show that game’s closing betting line under their grade: a dated fact from nflverse, for context and never part of a grade. MissedTakes takes no bets and earns nothing from any sportsbook.
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive5 checkable claims — 1 conference champion, 1 division winner, 1 game outcome pick, 1 super bowl pick and 1 surprise team call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 5 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 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.
1Game Outcome PicksSeattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks to beat New England
What happenedSeahawks 13–10Patriots at Seahawks100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillClosing line (Sep 9): Seahawks by 3 · favorite pick, Seahawks 60%.
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- won:
- SEA
- score:
- 10-13
- skill:
- 0
- they picked:
- SEA
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive pick:
- SEA
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
2Conference ChampionsDenver Broncos
Denver Broncos to reach the Super Bowl
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Surprise Team CallsLos Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Division WinnersDenver Broncos
Denver Broncos to win the division
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Super Bowl PicksSeattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
The game in this take
every pundit’s pick on eachWho this take is about
Others on the same people
Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman expects Sean Fresch Jr. to clear waivers and return to the Broncos' practice squad, sees Riley Moss back from concussion for the Week 11 game at Las Vegas, and projects newly acquired Daiyan Henley to begin as the third inside linebacker behind Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad before likely moving into a starting role.Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman writes that Riley Moss may sit out the preseason finale against Minnesota but should be available for the Week 1 opener at Kansas City; they also suggest undrafted corners Sean Fresch Jr. and Brent Austin are being evaluated for practice squad spots.Nate Gosney · Trade and Signing Calls · Daiyan Henley · Miss 0
After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season.Chad Jensen · Roster Spot Calls · Jordan Turner · Miss 0
Jensen predicts Daiyan Henley's arrival will cut into Justin Strnad's snaps while Alex Singleton keeps playing virtually every down, and that Denver will return to a three-linebacker rotation after the Week 10 bye. They also expect one of Jordan Turner or Karene Reid — most likely Turner — to be waived to clear a roster spot.Albert Breer · Game Outcome Picks · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Breer picks the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in their Week 9 NFC West matchup.
More conference champions
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Nick Wright · Conference Champions · New England Patriots · Hit 100
The host picks the Rams to beat the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game and believes the winner of that game wins the Super Bowl, i.e. that this is the Rams' year; they also pick New England to win in Denver despite taking the Broncos with the points, and says Stafford is winning MVP. They call Sean McVay the second-best coach in the NFL.AJ Hawk · Conference Champions · Los Angeles Rams · Close 50
Hawk picked the Patriots to win in Denver despite liking Stidham and the Broncos defense, and in the NFC they stuck with the Rams, saying Stafford gets to the Super Bowl.Connor "Boston Connor" Campbell · Conference Champions · New England Patriots · Hit 100
Connor expects a tight first half in Denver before New England pulls away in the second half and advances to the Super Bowl.Gregg Rosenthal · Conference Champions · New England Patriots · Hit 100
Rosenthal picks the Patriots to beat the Broncos in a close, low-scoring AFC Championship in Denver (while liking Denver to cover the 4.5 points), takes the Seahawks over the Rams in a defensive NFC Championship they peg around 23-19, and forecasts a Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl.Richard Sherman · Conference Champions · New England Patriots · Hit 100
Sherman picks the Seahawks to beat the Rams comfortably at home, 27-17, with a defensive score, and says the winner of that NFC Championship game will win the Super Bowl. They also pick the Patriots to win comfortably in Denver, 21-15, and assumes Matthew Stafford will be named league MVP.Mitchell Eisenstein · Conference Champions · New England Patriots · Hit 100
Mitchell picks Seattle to beat the Rams by a touchdown, 27-20, and advance to the Super Bowl, picks New England to beat Denver and reach the Super Bowl, and calls Kenneth Walker as Super Bowl MVP.