# John Middlekauff: 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. **Claimed:** Sep 12, 2026 **Pundit:** John Middlekauff — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-middlekauff **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://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/44c6e42b-f663-4492-888d-ae330034680f/447f4ff9-9fc2-4aae-8193-b4c2016420cd/audio.mp3?in_playlist=bf391792-153e-41b3-9d3d-ae3300346ad8 28 checkable claims — 8 division winners, 6 playoff picks, 4 award picks, 3 season win totals, 1 coach award pick, 1 depth chart call, 1 mock draft pick, 1 player season number, 1 position group ranking, 1 pro bowl and all-pro call and 1 seeding, byes and home field — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 23 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 5 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 2 and below it on 3. > I'm going Jared Goff, MVP. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Jeremiah Smith to be picked “top five pick” (picks 1–5)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Jeremiah Smith - Verdict: not settled yet - **Will Anderson Jr. to win Defensive Player of the Year** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans - Verdict: not settled yet - **Detroit Lions to take the top seed** - Kind: Seeding, Byes and Home Field · About: Detroit Lions - Verdict: not settled yet - **Buffalo Bills to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: Buffalo Bills - Verdict: not settled yet - **Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Pittsburgh Steelers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Los Angeles Rams to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: not settled yet - **Cincinnati Bengals to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: Cincinnati Bengals - Verdict: not settled yet - **Tee Higgins to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals - Verdict: not settled yet - **Chris Olave to make Pro Bowl** - Kind: Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · About: Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: not settled yet - **Seattle Seahawks to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: Seattle Seahawks - Verdict: not settled yet - **Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Kansas City Chiefs - Verdict: not settled yet - **Dallas Cowboys to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jared Goff to win MVP** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions - Verdict: not settled yet - **Brian Schottenheimer to win Coach of the Year** - Kind: Coach Award Picks - Verdict: not settled yet - **Baltimore Ravens to finish with 10 wins** - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: Baltimore Ravens - Verdict: not settled yet - **New Orleans Saints to finish with 10 wins** - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: New Orleans Saints - Verdict: not settled yet - **Houston Texans to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: Houston Texans - Verdict: not settled yet - **Chicago Bears to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Chicago Bears - Verdict: not settled yet - **Denver Broncos to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: Denver Broncos - Verdict: not settled yet - **I think their defense, which has consistently been is going to be the best in the league in 2026... And I think the Texans have the best defense in the league.** - Kind: Position Group Rankings - Verdict: not settled yet - **Philadelphia Eagles to finish with 9 wins** - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: Philadelphia Eagles - Verdict: not settled yet - **New Orleans Saints to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: New Orleans Saints - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jadarian Price to record 1,000 rushing yards** - Kind: Player Season Numbers · About: Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks - Verdict: not settled yet - **Caleb Downs to win Defensive Rookie of the Year** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Caleb Downs, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: not settled yet - **San Francisco 49ers to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: San Francisco 49ers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Detroit Lions to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: Detroit Lions - Verdict: not settled yet - **Los Angeles Chargers to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jadarian Price to win Offensive Rookie of the Year** - Kind: Award Picks · About: Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Jeremiah Smith — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jeremiah-smith - Will Anderson Jr. — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/will-anderson-jr - Houston Texans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/texans - Detroit Lions — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/lions - Buffalo Bills — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bills - Pittsburgh Steelers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/steelers - Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/rams - Cincinnati Bengals — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bengals - Tee Higgins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tee-higgins - Chris Olave — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/chris-olave - New Orleans Saints — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/saints - Seattle Seahawks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/seahawks - Kansas City Chiefs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chiefs - Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys - Jared Goff — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jared-goff - Baltimore Ravens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/ravens - Chicago Bears — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bears - Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos - Philadelphia Eagles — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/eagles - Jadarian Price — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jadarian-price - Caleb Downs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/caleb-downs - San Francisco 49ers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/49ers - Los Angeles Chargers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chargers ## What others said about the same people - Chris Simms on Kansas City Chiefs: 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 100) - Connor Rogers on Detroit Lions: Rogers picked Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle and the Giants to win their Week 3 games, saying the Chiefs win by two touchdowns and the Giants by a field goal. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/83d1e88b-95a0-45ba-83d3-f86297170c6c (scored 100) - Chris Long on Cincinnati Bengals: 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 0) - Steven Ruiz on Houston Texans: 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 0) - 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 Seattle Seahawks: 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) ## More division winners The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Daniel DiBerardinis on Atlanta Falcons: 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. He also gives a Final Four of Michigan, Florida, Purdue and Arizona with Michigan winning. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8a8e0b7c-9f1c-4c13-8138-1332d73b9b02 (scored 0) - Colin Cowherd on New York Giants: Cowherd projects the NFC East with the Giants winning the division ahead of Philadelphia, Washington and Dallas, pegging the Cowboys as a six- or seven-win team. He also expects Malik Willis to land a big free-agent deal, Kayvon Thibodeaux to be moved, and Baltimore to lose Isaiah Likely, and he floats the Rams reaching on Ty Simpson late in round one. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cd243624-9451-4824-a8a4-7b468d681c8f (scored 0) - Rich Eisen on Jacksonville Jaguars: 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) - Rich Eisen on Jacksonville Jaguars: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/15192136-24b9-4127-ac9d-69dc69aab3d5 (scored 100) - Rich Eisen on New England Patriots: Eisen said the Patriots are still likely to win the AFC East and won't be one-and-done, that the Chargers will end Dallas' season next week, that TreVeyon Henderson should out-snap Rhamondre Stevenson, that the NFC East race is over in Philadelphia's favor, and that the winner of the NFC West will be the NFC's No. 1 seed. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ae722f6b-44e2-42bb-a847-4435f539db5b (scored 100) - Rich Eisen on New England Patriots: Eisen previewed week 15 games, predicting Joe Burrow would play well in his first home start back against Baltimore, and speculated on a possible Colts-Steelers wild card matchup. He also asserted the Chiefs will not win their division for a tenth straight year, keeping the Patriots' record of 11 straight division titles safe. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/4827e895-e783-4573-87fd-03226474d6c7 (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=john-middlekauff