John Middlekauff#48 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 20, 2025
Middlecoff says Anthony Richardson's Colts career is finished and expects them to be traded within ten days for any value, even a fifth-round pick. They back the Texans to win the AFC South, calls the Ravens, Bills and Chiefs playoff locks with Baltimore and Buffalo winning their divisions, and expects Buffalo to win 14-plus games.
Said on air or in an interview · 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast)Hear the original
1 of 8calls landed1 hit · 1 close call · 6 misses · all settled
20Average accuracyout of 100, across 8 calls
34.4A naive guessthe same calls, no knowledge
8 of 8Settlednone still waiting
What John Middlekauff said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI would imagine the next ten days if they get any bit of value a fifth round pick he's traded, it's over.
- Where it was said
- 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast)
- The episode
- 3 & Out - Anthony Richardson OUT in Indy, WHAT IS GOING ON rankings, Jon Gruden BACK to coaching
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
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.
- SaidAug 20, 2025
- GradedAug 5–Sep 18, 2026
- 1Anthony Richardson to move to Indianapolis Colts“I would imagine the next ten days if they get any bit of value a fifth round pick he's traded, it's over”
- 2Buffalo Bills to win the division“Maybe the Chiefs finally don't, but the Ravens and Bills, I mean the Bills of one of what five straight years”
- 3Baltimore Ravens to win the division“Maybe the Chiefs finally don't, but the Ravens and Bills, I mean the Bills of one of what five straight years, feels like the Ravens would be shocking if they didn't”
- 4Houston Texans to win the division“I am going to hammer the Texans. I'm going to hammer them to win this division.”
- 5Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs“The Ravens, the Bills, and the Chiefs will be in a playoff game whether they are win the division.”
- 6Buffalo Bills to make the playoffs“The Ravens, the Bills, and the Chiefs will be in a playoff game whether they are win the division.”
- 7Buffalo Bills to finish with 14 wins“I think there's a fifty to fifty chance there the number one see, I expect them to win fourteen plus games.”
- 8Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs“The Ravens, the Bills, and the Chiefs will be in a playoff game whether they are win the division.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Richardson to move to Indianapolis Colts1 | Trade and Signing Calls | Ended up with IND | 0 | 100 | −200 | |
| Buffalo Bills to win the division2 | Division Winners | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Baltimore Ravens to win the division3 | Division Winners | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Houston Texans to win the division4 | Division Winners | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs5 | Playoff Picks | Missed the playoffs | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Buffalo Bills to make the playoffs6 | Playoff Picks | Made the playoffs | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Buffalo Bills to finish with 14 wins7 | Season Win Totals | 12 | 60 | 75 | −30 | |
| Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs8 | Playoff Picks | Missed the playoffs | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 calls · 1 hit · 1 close call · 6 misses · all settled | 20 | 34.4 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naiveworse than naive8 checkable claims — 3 division winners, 3 playoff picks, 1 season win total and 1 trade and signing call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 6 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
All 8 have settled, averaging 20 out of 100, against 34.4 for a naive guess at the same calls.
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.
1Trade and Signing CallsAnthony RichardsonIndianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson to move to Indianapolis Colts
What happenedEnded up with IND0Miss · naive 1000this call−100a naive guess=−100worse than naive×2difficulty=−200skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- −200
- player:
- Anthony Richardson
- season:
- 2025
- claimed:
- he leaves
- was with:
- IND
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he stays where he is
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- ended up with:
- IND
- weeks left when called:
- 18
2Division WinnersBuffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills to win the division
VerdictMiss0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 0
- method:
- division winners read off the bracket: the bye teams and the wild-card hosts
- they picked:
- BUF
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive pick:
- BUF
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- last season's winner of the same division
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- won the division:
- no
3Division WinnersBaltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens to win the division
VerdictMiss0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 0
- method:
- division winners read off the bracket: the bye teams and the wild-card hosts
- they picked:
- BAL
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive pick:
- BAL
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- last season's winner of the same division
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- won the division:
- no
4Division WinnersHouston Texans
Houston Texans to win the division
VerdictMiss0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 0
- method:
- division winners read off the bracket: the bye teams and the wild-card hosts
- they picked:
- HOU
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive pick:
- HOU
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- last season's winner of the same division
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- won the division:
- no
5Playoff PicksKansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs
What happenedMissed the playoffs0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- team:
- KC
- skill:
- 0
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive guess said:
- yes
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- made the playoffs:
- no
- weeks left when called:
- 18
Buffalo Bills to make the playoffs
What happenedMade the playoffs100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- team:
- BUF
- skill:
- 0
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive guess said:
- yes
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- made the playoffs:
- yes
- weeks left when called:
- 18
7Season Win TotalsBuffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills to finish with 14 wins
What happened12called 1460Close · naive 7560this call−75a naive guess=−15worse than naive×2difficulty=−30skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- team:
- BUF
- naive:
- 10.75
- skill:
- −30
- what happened:
- 12
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 5
- accuracy:
- 60
- baseline:
- 75
- they said:
- 14
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
8Playoff PicksBaltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs
What happenedMissed the playoffs0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- team:
- BAL
- skill:
- 0
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive guess said:
- yes
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- made the playoffs:
- no
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 8 settled calls, each counted once
20naive 34.4
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.Gilberto Manzano · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Previewing the trade deadline, he expects Justin Herbert to stay in Los Angeles despite the Chargers' 0–7 start, thinks the Jets will keep Garrett Wilson and pair him with their young weapons, expects a receiver-hungry Kansas City to be aggressive with Josh Downs the likeliest target, and suggests expiring Eagles contracts Moro Ojomo and Riq Woolen could be dealt for mid-round picks.Joshua Poniatowski · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Poniatowski names several trade targets, predicting Malik Willis underperforms this week against New England, that Omarion Hampton could become a viable RB2 if Adam Gase takes over play-calling, that Josh Downs gets traded (ideally to Kansas City, where they'd be a top-24 WR), that Brian Thomas Jr. could be dealt to the Rams or 49ers, and that Travis Kelce remains a consistent weekly TE.Jordan Dajani · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
After reporting that Colts receiver Josh Downs requested a trade, they identify five clubs as plausible landing spots for them: the Rams, Patriots, Falcons, Chiefs and Raiders, and suggests Las Vegas could also give them a long-term extension.Mike Kadlick · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Kadlick names the Chiefs, Patriots and 49ers as the three best trade landing spots for Colts wide receiver Josh Downs ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.
More division winners
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Daniel DiBerardinis · Division Winners · Atlanta Falcons · Miss 0
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. They also give a Final Four of Michigan, Florida, Purdue and Arizona with Michigan winning.Colin Cowherd · Division Winners · New York Giants · Miss 0
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. They also expect Malik Willis to land a big free-agent deal, Kayvon Thibodeaux to be moved, and Baltimore to lose Isaiah Likely, and they float the Rams reaching on Ty Simpson late in round one.Colin Cowherd · Division Winners · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 0
Cowherd unveiled their top 10 NFL teams entering next season, with Seattle first, the Rams second and the Chiefs tenth, and separately picked the Chargers to win the AFC West.Rich Eisen · Division Winners · Jacksonville Jaguars · Hit 100
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. They also tabbed Saints rookie Tyler Shough as a possible Offensive Rookie of the Year.Rich Eisen · Division Winners · Jacksonville Jaguars · Hit 100
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.Chris Brockman · Division Winners · Chicago Bears · Hit 100
Brockman called the Broncos-Packers game the best of the day, said Denver looks poised to lock up the AFC's No. 1 seed and reach the AFC Championship Game, predicted the Bears win the NFC North and the Eagles win their division (though they think they lose to a five seed from the NFC West), and said Philip Rivers will be in the NFL in 2026.