# John Middlekauff: Middlekauff says Denver's floor is ten wins, predicts Miami implodes to four or five wins and a top-three-or-four draft slot with Tyreek Hill traded, thinks the 49ers beat expectations with nine or ten wins, sees the Patriots at eight or nine wins, calls the Chargers over 9.5 a lock, expects Jared Goff to make five or six Pro Bowls, and says the Packers are flying under the radar.

**Claimed:** Aug 25, 2025
**Pundit:** John Middlekauff — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-middlekauff
**Outlet:** The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/the-colin-cowherd-podcast-podcast
**How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview
**Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/the-colin-cowherd-podcast/best-of-john-middlekauff-broncos-incredible-turnaround-packers-projections-top-10-qbs-nfl-win-totals

2 checkable claims — 1 pro bowl and all-pro call 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.

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

> I think they are a lock.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Green Bay Packers to beat expectations**
  - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: Green Bay Packers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Jared Goff — Pro Bowl: five or six Pro Bowls**
  - Kind: Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · About: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Green Bay Packers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/packers
- Jared Goff — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jared-goff
- Detroit Lions — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/lions

## What others said about the same people

- Bill Huber on Green Bay Packers: Huber argues Green Bay has no excuses left and will beat New England in Foxborough, and expects Christian Watson to play despite their rib injury. They also sketch the projected interior offensive line, with John Williams at center and Laken Tomlinson at right guard. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5ab5fa3a-4526-46a4-b11b-a2bc99820cb8 (scored 100)
- Pete Prisco on Green Bay Packers: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dc43909b-bc7f-47aa-b208-5cf7c95844bc (scored 64.29)
- Christian Booher on Anthony Lucas: Booher previews the Lions' Week 9 trip to Miami, predicting Derrick Barnes takes over as the green-dot linebacker in Jack Campbell's absence, Juice Scruggs starts at center, and boldly forecasting Detroit's first defensive touchdown of the season on an Aidan Hutchinson strip-sack recovered and returned by Barnes. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/228a7c0e-608b-4043-a8fa-eb3f8b2c4ce8 (scored 0)
- Derek Brown on Green Bay Packers: Brown picked the Bengals to beat the Falcons in Madrid, the Packers to win outright in New England and the Bills to beat the Vikings on Monday night. They were bullish on Jonah Coleman's rest-of-season value, expected Jonathan Taylor to play for the Colts, floated a Breece Hall trade, and did not expect DJ Reed to play in Week 9. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b4014405-6764-427e-9708-679baf6b06de (scored 100)
- Danny Parkins on Green Bay Packers: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/272d1f8a-06f7-4b8b-8480-94d370ae5e6f (scored 100)
- Matt Harmon on Green Bay Packers: Harmon picked the Packers, Bears, Bills, 49ers and Broncos in Week 9, predicted Justin Jefferson would top 100 receiving yards with two touchdowns against Buffalo, and said Minnesota would lose and then trade for Jonathan Taylor. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f6e687e7-59f9-430a-90a5-b3c0da4e3e20 (scored 100)

## More pro bowl and all-pro calls

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

- Danny Parkins on Puka Nacua: Parkins insisted the Bears cannot lose at home to Green Bay, laid points with Buffalo, Philadelphia (in a blowout) and Houston, picked Justin Herbert and the Chargers to beat New England, and said Puka Nacua will be a first-team All-Pro. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ee4c83a3-1d08-4959-a075-95654fb1b7e9 (scored 100)
- JP Acosta on Trey McBride: JP picked the Eagles to beat the 49ers in a low-scoring game and the Jaguars to beat the Bills, called Bijan Robinson the best running back in the league, and named their own first-team All-Pro roster. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/660e3494-2b0b-415e-beb7-9e3bf3464e30 (scored 100)
- Richard Sherman on Sam Darnold: The guest says Sam Darnold is playing at a first-team All-Pro level while leading an elite team. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c7d73c27-2a94-4ee1-9046-42fde863faf0 (scored 0)
- Shannon Sharpe on Rico Dowdle: On a Bengals-Steelers matchup, Sharpe took the over on several player props: Ja'Marr Chase over 74.5 receiving yards, Joe Flacco over 36.5 pass attempts, and T.J. Watt over 3.5 tackles+assists, adding that Watt will get two sacks. They also predicted Rico Dowdle would make the Pro Bowl this season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/1fbc5b8e-7449-41f4-a5a2-7029cc4ef65e (scored 0)
- Gregg Rosenthal on Drake London: Rosenthal's ten picks in the best-wide-receivers draft (overall picks 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30), taking A.J. Brown third and trading to grab Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 18 while sliding DK Metcalf to 21. They also said Drake London could produce a first-team All-Pro season, sees Smith-Njigba as a true No. 1, and believes Daniel Jones will win the Colts' starting job. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/104b139b-8829-46b0-a983-2c0686324824 (scored 0)
- Brandon Carney on Trent Williams: Carney made a full playoff bracket, picking the Bears, Niners, Rams, Patriots, Jaguars and Texans in the wild card round, then Seahawks and Rams in the NFC divisional, Broncos and Patriots in the AFC, with the Rams beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl. They also gave award picks including Stafford for MVP and Vrabel for Coach of the Year. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/88101820-7344-4240-93f1-caa15fe95de9 (scored 0)

---

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
