John Middlekauff#48 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 12, 2026

Middlekauff lays out his full season picks: Bills, Bengals, Texans and Broncos winning the AFC divisions with the Chargers, Chiefs and Steelers as wild cards; Cowboys, Lions, Saints and Seahawks in the NFC with the Rams, Bears and 49ers as wild cards; Detroit as the NFC's top seed; Jared Goff MVP, Brian Schottenheimer Coach of the Year, Will Anderson DPOY, Caleb Downs and Jadarian Price the rookies of the year. He also predicts a double-digit Eagles home-opener win and calls Jeremiah Smith a top-five pick.

Said on air or in an interview · 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast)Hear the original

Waiting5 calls, none settled yet

—Average accuracynothing settled yet

—A naive guessthe same calls, no knowledge

0 of 5Settled5 still waiting

#48John Middlekauff’s rankof 87 ranked NFL pundits

What John Middlekauff said

our reading, beside the words we read it from

I'm going Jared Goff, MVP.

John Middlekauff, the lead quote · each call’s own words are below

Where it was said: 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast)
The episode: 3 & Out - Best of The Week: Michigan-WMU WILD ending, NFL Week 1 Primer, Season predictions
The original: Hear the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

1Chicago Bears to make the playoffs“I'm going to lean the Bears... I just think Ben Johnson's too good.”
2Baltimore Ravens to finish with 10 wins“Now, they were 10-7, and that's kind of what I pegged the Ravens to do.”
3Jeremiah Smith to be picked “top five pick” (picks 1–5)“And he's clearly going to be like a top five pick next year.”
4Cincinnati Bengals to win the division“I think they are going to be a major, major factor in the Cincinnati Bengals. I'm a believer... So I'm going Bills, Cincy, Texans, Denver.”
5Tee Higgins to be 2nd on the depth chart“T Higgins is as good of a number two as you'll find in the league.”

Box score

HitCloseMissWaiting

Call	Kind	What happened	Score	Naive	Skill
Chicago Bears to make the playoffs¹	Playoff Picks	—	—	—	—
Baltimore Ravens to finish with 10 wins²	Season Win Totals	—	—	—	—
Jeremiah Smith to be picked “top five pick” (picks 1–5)³	Mock Draft Picks	—	—	—	—
Cincinnati Bengals to win the division⁴	Division Winners	—	—	—	—
Tee Higgins to be 2nd on the depth chart⁵	Depth Chart Calls	—	—	—	—
5 calls · 5 waiting			—	—

How each call scored

5 checkable claims — 1 depth chart call, 1 division winner, 1 mock draft pick, 1 playoff pick and 1 season win total — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 5 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 below the rest of the room on every one.

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

Baltimore Ravens · 2026 season · wins

John Middlekauff — 10 winsthe room — 11 calls from 6 punditsmedian 12 wins

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.

Their call against the record

Makes the playoffsThey said

Made the playoffs2025

Their call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.

1Playoff Picks Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears to make the playoffs
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
2Season Win Totals Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens to finish with 10 wins
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
3Mock Draft Picks Jeremiah Smith
Jeremiah Smith to be picked “top five pick” (picks 1–5)
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
4Division Winners Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals to win the division
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
5Depth Chart Calls Tee Higgins Cincinnati Bengals
Tee Higgins to be 2nd on the depth chart
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Who this take is about

Where do you stand on this one?Pick every open claim on Picks →

Others on the same people

Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · Chicago Bears · Hit 100
Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson.
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.
Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · Chicago Bears · Hit 100
Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night.

More depth chart calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

Jeremy Brener · Depth Chart Calls · Drew Lock · Hit 100
Brener picked the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in Week 9 by a multi-score margin, giving a final score of 27-13, and expressed confidence Seattle would be fine with Drew Lock starting at quarterback.
Jeremy Brener · Depth Chart Calls · Jalen Milroe · Miss 0
Brener suggests Seattle may turn to rookie-contract quarterback Jalen Milroe for their first career start in Week 9 against the Cardinals, with Sam Darnold ruled out and Drew Lock dealing with an elbow injury.
Michael Moore · Depth Chart Calls · Shedeur Sanders · Hit 100
In a Week 9 injury roundup, Moore forecast which banged-up fantasy contributors would play or sit: Deshaun Watson, Garrett Wilson, David Montgomery, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, TreVeyon Henderson and Terrance Ferguson are expected out, while Travis Kelce, Saquon Barkley, Michael Wilson, Christian Watson and Emeka Egbuka should play. They also expect Shedeur Sanders and Drew Lock to start at quarterback.
Zachary Pereles · Depth Chart Calls · Shedeur Sanders · Hit 100
Pereles writes that if Deshaun Watson can't clear concussion protocol in time, the Browns would likely turn to second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders to start Week 9 against the Saints.
Garrett Podell · Depth Chart Calls · Carson Beck · Miss 0
Podell argues the Cardinals have maxed out with Jacoby Brissett and that rookie Carson Beck should be ramped up to replace them as starter, targeting Week 8 at Dallas for Beck's regular-season debut.
Jacob Herlin · Depth Chart Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Herlin published Week 7 fantasy D/ST rankings with projections for 28 team defenses, led by Houston, Minnesota and Cleveland. They also expect Cleveland to post a fourth straight top-10 fantasy defense result, and predicts Jalon Daniels starts another week for Tampa Bay while J.J. McCarthy takes over as the Giants' starter.