John Middlekauff#48 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 9, 2026
Middlekauff previews the NFL opener, picking Seattle to beat New England at home while expecting the Patriots to land in the 9-10 win range and miss the playoffs, taking Pittsburgh as their third AFC playoff team over Baltimore and New England, standing by Seattle as a Super Bowl participant, ranking the three head coaches involved, and describing Pittsburgh's receivers as a collection of No. 2s.
Said on air or in an interview · 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast)Hear the original
What John Middlekauff said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI expect Seattle to win
- Where it was said
- 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast)
- The episode
- 3 & Out - 2026 NFL Kickoff: Patriots-Seahawks Predictions, Baker Mayfield gets PAID, Aaron Donald OUT for Week 1
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidSep 9
- PlayedSep 9
- GradedSep 11
- 1Seattle Seahawks to beat New England“And I think tonight's a good example of I expect Seattle to win... to me, this is a 10-point game by Seattle.”
- 2Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs“Just heard the pod this morning, and you had the Steelers to make the playoffs over the Ravens and the Pats... Again, I just picked one out of three.”
- 3Season Win Totals“I'm not picking them to make the playoffs, not because I don't think they're going to be a good team. I expect them to be in that 9-10 win range with a bunch of other teams.”
- 4Head Coach Rankings“So I would rank those McCarthy, Vrabel, and then Minter's just an unknown with a major unknown at play caller.”
- 5Seattle Seahawks to reach the Super Bowl“I heard you and Colin pick in Seattle to make Super Bowl.”
- 6DK Metcalf to be 2nd on the depth chart“They had DK Metcalf, who, let's face it, a number two. So they had a sweet number two wide receiver. Now they have multiple number two wide receivers with him and Pittman.”
- 7Michael Pittman to be 2nd on the depth chart“Now they have multiple number two wide receivers with him and Pittman.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks to beat New England1 | Game Outcome Picks | Seahawks 13–10 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs2 | Playoff Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| “I'm not picking them to make the playoffs, not because I don't…”3 | Season Win Totals | — | — | — | — | |
| “So I would rank those McCarthy, Vrabel, and then Minter's just…”4 | Head Coach Rankings | — | — | — | — | |
| Seattle Seahawks to reach the Super Bowl5 | Conference Champions | — | — | — | — | |
| DK Metcalf to be 2nd on the depth chart6 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Michael Pittman to be 2nd on the depth chart7 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 7 calls · 1 hit · 5 waiting · 1 too vague to check | 100 | 100 | ||||
Game calls show that game’s closing betting line under their grade: a dated fact from nflverse, for context and never part of a grade. MissedTakes takes no bets and earns nothing from any sportsbook.
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive7 claims — 2 depth chart calls, 1 conference champion, 1 game outcome pick, 1 head coach ranking, 1 playoff pick and 1 season win total — the 6 we can check 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.
1 of the 6 calls we can check have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
The other one was too vague to check, so it is not graded.
Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 1.
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
DK Metcalf · 2026 season6 calls from 5 pundits between 1 and 2. John Middlekauff said 2. the room's median is 1. 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.
1Game Outcome PicksSeattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks to beat New England
What happenedSeahawks 13–10Patriots at Seahawks100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillClosing line (Sep 9): Seahawks by 3 · favorite pick, Seahawks 60%.
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- won:
- SEA
- score:
- 10-13
- skill:
- 0
- they picked:
- SEA
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive pick:
- SEA
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
2Playoff PicksPittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Season Win TotalsNew England Patriots
“I'm not picking them to make the playoffs, not because I don't think they're going to be a good team. I expect them to be in that 9-10 win range with a bunch of other teams.”
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.
“So I would rank those McCarthy, Vrabel, and then Minter's just an unknown with a major unknown at play caller.”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Conference ChampionsSeattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks to reach the Super Bowl
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
6Depth Chart CallsDK MetcalfPittsburgh Steelers
DK Metcalf to be 2nd on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
7Depth Chart CallsMichael PittmanPittsburgh Steelers
Michael Pittman to be 2nd on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
The game in this take
every pundit’s pick on eachWho this take is about
Others on the same people
Bryan DeArdo · Trade and Signing Calls · Joey Porter Jr. · Miss 0
The piece predicts Joey Porter Jr. most likely stays with the Steelers through 2026, while listing possible trade destinations if they were moved.Albert Breer · Game Outcome Picks · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Breer picks the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in their Week 9 NFC West matchup.Tyler Sullivan · Game Outcome Picks · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Sullivan picks the Seahawks to win in Week 9.Dave Richard · Game Outcome Picks · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Richard picks the Seahawks over the Cardinals.John Pluym · Game Outcome Picks · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Pluym picks the Seahawks over the Cardinals.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
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.Nic Bodiford · Depth Chart Calls · Joe Fagnano · Hit 100
Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.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.