# Colin Cowherd: Cowherd praised the offseason's biggest moves and made several concrete calls: Bradley Chubb producing about nine to ten sacks a year in Buffalo, Tyler Linderbaum being the second-best center in football, Malik Willis proving to be at least the 17th-best quarterback in the NFL, Fernando Mendoza eventually starting for the Raiders, and his current list of AFC playoff teams (Broncos, Patriots, Jaguars, Bills, Chargers and probably the Ravens).

**Claimed:** Mar 12, 2026
**Pundit:** Colin Cowherd — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/colin-cowherd
**Outlet:** The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/the-herd-with-colin-cowherd-podcast
**How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview
**Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/the-herd-with-colin-cowherd/the-herd-hour-2-top-5-moves-of-the-nfl-offseason

10 checkable claims — 6 playoff picks, 2 positional finishes, 1 depth chart call and 1 player season number — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 11 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.

Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 1.

> I think it's very realistic that at some point next year you will feel like Malik Willis is at least the seventeenth best quarterback in the NFL.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Tyler Linderbaum to finish top 2 at his position, by an unstated measure**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Tyler Linderbaum, Las Vegas Raiders
  - Verdict: too vague to check
- **Buffalo Bills to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Buffalo Bills
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **New England Patriots to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: New England Patriots
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Fernando Mendoza to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Malik Willis to finish top 17 at his position, by passing yards**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Malik Willis
  - Verdict: too vague to check
- **Los Angeles Chargers to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Los Angeles Chargers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Denver Broncos to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Denver Broncos
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Baltimore Ravens
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Bradley Chubb to record 9 sacks**
  - Kind: Player Season Numbers · About: Bradley Chubb, Buffalo Bills
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Jacksonville Jaguars to make the playoffs**
  - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Jacksonville Jaguars
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Tyler Linderbaum — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tyler-linderbaum
- Las Vegas Raiders — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/raiders
- Buffalo Bills — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bills
- New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/patriots
- Fernando Mendoza — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/fernando-mendoza
- Malik Willis — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/malik-willis
- Los Angeles Chargers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chargers
- Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos
- Baltimore Ravens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/ravens
- Bradley Chubb — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/bradley-chubb
- Jacksonville Jaguars — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/jaguars

## What others said about the same people

- Chris Simms on Baltimore Ravens: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 97.62)
- Chris Long on Buffalo Bills: Long liked the Rams over the Broncos on Sunday night even without Puka Nacua, and expected the Bills to beat the winless Chargers in Buffalo. He also backed the Bengals over the Steelers, expected an angry Detroit team to handle the Jets, and still thought both the Lions and Vikings could win the NFC North. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3df9ea25-e57f-4fd7-b20c-c910a1c3633a (scored 100)
- Steven Ruiz on Las Vegas Raiders: Previewing Week 3, Ruiz picked the Ravens to beat the Cowboys in Brazil, Jacksonville over New England in a low-scoring game, an upset by the Broncos over the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears, the Lions over the Jets, and his Hail Mary that Houston beats Indianapolis by two touchdowns. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a30ff469-4972-4c48-855b-ba984e4de9d0 (scored 100)
- Nate Tice on Baltimore Ravens: Tice matched his guest on every Week 3 game, picking the Ravens over the Cowboys, the Jaguars over the Patriots in a close game, the Broncos to upset the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears and the Lions over the Jets. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b8378e16-ea5c-4107-a883-28aaf0e71134 (scored 100)
- Sam Monson on Los Angeles Chargers: Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0b810ffd-fd93-4ea2-a208-b1353dea5fb0 (scored 0)
- Nate Tice on New England Patriots: Tice picked the Bengals over the Texans in a low-scoring game, the Jaguars at Denver, the Bears over the Vikings, the Patriots over the Steelers and the Rams to edge the Giants, and his Hail Mary was the Cowboys scoring 40 on Washington. He also floated Abdul Carter as a possible All-Pro. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b6211c80-3d1c-46b8-8a0c-151fc0ba92de (scored 100)

## 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.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.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.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.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.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.co/opinions/34345186-876a-4c4b-9567-9c289a6cbace (scored 100)

---

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.

Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology

We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us:
https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=colin-cowherd