John Middlekauff#48 of 87 NFL pundits · May 12, 2026
Middlekauff praised Brandon Beane's Bills and said they will probably pick Buffalo to win the Super Bowl. They also gave season win-total takes on the Patriots, 49ers and Vikings, ordered the NFC North with the Bears first and Vikings last, called the Lions a playoff team again, and picked the Bengals to win the AFC North.
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 fromI'm gonna pick him probably win the Super Bowl.
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- The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast)
- The episode
- NFL Win Totals, USC vs. Notre Dame Revival? Steelers Headed For Disaster?
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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.
- 1Power Rankings“So to me, Bears Lions, then I have the Green Bay, then I have Minnesota.”
- 2Chicago Bears to finish with 11 wins“Wouldn't shock you if the Bears won eleven games and lost that game by ten points.”
- 3Season Win Totals“I think to me they got five six, seven wins written all over. They are to me, they're to me the last place team in that division.”
- 4Detroit Lions to make the playoffs“I'm taking the Lions are going to be playoff team again”
- 5Cincinnati Bengals to win the division“Now, their defensive line is way better. We know their offense is good. They're to me that pick to win that division.”
- 6Buffalo Bills to win the Super Bowl“but there's no disputing they've been I'm gonna pick him probably win the Super Bowl.”
- 7New England Patriots to finish with 9 wins“I would take the New England Patriots as sitting here right now like a nine or ten win season. Just to be safe, I'd probably hammer the under.”
- 8San Francisco 49ers to finish with 10 wins“so I feel pretty comfortable saying they'll be ten and seven.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “So to me, Bears Lions, then I have the Green Bay, then I have…”1 | Power Rankings | — | — | — | — | |
| Chicago Bears to finish with 11 wins2 | Season Win Totals | — | — | — | — | |
| “I think to me they got five six, seven wins written all over.…”3 | Season Win Totals | — | — | — | — | |
| Detroit Lions to make the playoffs4 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Cincinnati Bengals to win the division5 | Division Winners | — | — | — | — | |
| Buffalo Bills to win the Super Bowl6 | Super Bowl Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| New England Patriots to finish with 9 wins7 | Season Win Totals | — | — | — | — | |
| San Francisco 49ers to finish with 10 wins8 | Season Win Totals | — | — | — | — | |
| 8 calls · 7 waiting · 1 too vague to check | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
8 claims — 4 season win totals, 1 division winner, 1 playoff pick, 1 power ranking and 1 super bowl pick — the 7 we can check each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 7 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of the 7 calls we can check have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
The other one was too vague to check, so it is not graded.
Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 2.
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
Chicago Bears · 2026 season · wins4 calls from 3 pundits between 9 wins and 11 wins. John Middlekauff said 11 wins. the room's median is 10 wins. not settled yet
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.
“So to me, Bears Lions, then I have the Green Bay, then I have Minnesota.”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Season Win TotalsChicago Bears
Chicago Bears to finish with 11 wins
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Season Win TotalsMinnesota Vikings
“I think to me they got five six, seven wins written all over. They are to me, they're to me the last place team in that division.”
VerdictToo vague to checkToo vague to check: we could not tell what would count as right, so it stays on the record without a score.
Detroit Lions to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Division WinnersCincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals to win the division
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
6Super Bowl PicksBuffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills to win the Super Bowl
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
7Season Win TotalsNew England Patriots
New England Patriots to finish with 9 wins
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
8Season Win TotalsSan Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers to finish with 10 wins
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Logan Lazarczyk · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick.Charean Williams · Roster Spot Calls · Odell Beckham Jr. · Miss 0
Williams writes that after releasing Odell Beckham Jr. to open a roster spot for Kirk Cousins, the Vikings will bring them back on the practice squad.Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 76
Prisco picked the Bills to win 21-14 at Minnesota.
More season win totals
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Damonza Byrd · Season Win Totals · Jacksonville Jaguars · Hit 100
Nick Wright's co-host picks the Jaguars over as their favorite of the six over bets and calls the Baltimore/Buffalo division-winner parlay a safe one.Gregg Rosenthal · Season Win Totals · Jacksonville Jaguars · Hit 100
Rosenthal's Week 1 picks: the Giants win at Washington, the Lions beat the Packers, and the Jaguars beat the Panthers; they also like the Jets over the Steelers and the Dolphins over the Colts, and expects Jacksonville to clear 7.5 wins.Gregg Rosenthal · Season Win Totals · Dallas Cowboys · Miss 0
Rosenthal expects a high-scoring Eagles-Cowboys kickoff game, guesses a scoreline around 41-27, still believes Dallas can clear its win total and reach the playoffs, likes the Giants to beat expectations with Jackson Dart taking over as starter early.Nick Wright · Season Win Totals · Baltimore Ravens · Miss 0
Nick Wright predicts Shedeur Sanders stays behind Dylan Gabriel on the Browns depth chart, forecasts a season where Flacco is benched a third of the way in, Gabriel then fails, Shedeur then fails, and Cleveland drafts a quarterback next year. They also make a long list of win-total, playoff and division calls across the AFC North and beyond.Nick Wright · Season Win Totals · Jacksonville Jaguars · Hit 100
In part two of their gambling show, Nick Wright ran through NFC (and recapped AFC) win-total picks, division winners and make/miss-the-playoffs bets, backing the Chiefs, Jaguars, Raiders, Bears, Buccaneers and Falcons to clear their totals while predicting Commanders, Bucs and Rams division titles.Gregg Rosenthal · Season Win Totals · New Orleans Saints · Miss 0
Rosenthal's under picks and a few freebie leans: Colts under 7.5 (possibly the worst team), Commanders under 9.5, Saints under 5.5 (possibly 2-15), Bears under 8.5, plus stated likes on Dolphins under 8.5, Giants over 5.5 and Ravens over 11.5.