John Middlekauff#48 of 87 NFL pundits · Jun 30, 2025
Middlekauff reiterated their pick of the Packers to win the NFC North, set a nine-win floor for the 49ers while being more bullish on them than consensus, and argued Denver's floor with a dominant defense and Sean Payton is about ten wins.
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 fromanything other than nine wins if you're the forty nine ers based on this schedule, based on you know, investing in the quarterback would be viewed as a disaster
- Where it was said
- The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast)
- The episode
- Who Wins NFC North? Broncos Poised For Breakout? Pay Micah Parsons? LIV Tour
- 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.
- SaidJun 30, 2025
- GradedAug 5–17, 2026
- 1Green Bay Packers to win the division“the reason when we did the segment last week about picking them to win the division is they won eleven games where the quarterback was banged up”
- 2Denver Broncos to finish with 10 wins“if you have a dominant defense with an offensive coach who's proven, like, how are your floor is so high? I mean, your floor is immediately like ten wins.”
- 3San Francisco 49ers to finish with 9 wins“They have no excuse to not win. I think at minimum nine games... anything other than nine wins if you're the forty nine ers based on this schedule... would be viewed as a disaster.”
- 4San Francisco 49ers to beat expectations“I'm more bullish on the forty nine ers than everyone else... I think they're going to come with a fury. I think they got a lot to prove.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers to win the division1 | Division Winners | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Denver Broncos to finish with 10 wins2 | Season Win Totals | 14 | 20 | 5 | +30 | |
| San Francisco 49ers to finish with 9 wins3 | Season Win Totals | 12 | 40 | 5 | +70 | |
| San Francisco 49ers to beat expectations4 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 calls · 1 close call · 2 misses · 1 waiting | 20 | 3.3 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive4 checkable claims — 2 season win totals, 1 division winner 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.
3 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 20 out of 100, against 3.3 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.
1Division WinnersGreen Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers 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:
- GB
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive pick:
- DET
- 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
2Season Win TotalsDenver Broncos
Denver Broncos to finish with 10 wins
What happened14called 1020Miss · naive 520this call−5a naive guess=15better than naive×2difficulty=+30skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- team:
- DEN
- naive:
- 9.25
- skill:
- 30
- what happened:
- 14
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 5
- accuracy:
- 20
- baseline:
- 5
- they said:
- 10
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
3Season Win TotalsSan Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers to finish with 9 wins
What happened12called 940Close · naive 540this call−5a naive guess=35better than naive×2difficulty=+70skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- team:
- SF
- naive:
- 7.25
- skill:
- 70
- what happened:
- 12
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 5
- accuracy:
- 40
- baseline:
- 5
- they said:
- 9
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
4Surprise Team CallsSan Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 3 settled calls, each counted once
20naive 3.3
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman expects Sean Fresch Jr. to clear waivers and return to the Broncos' practice squad, sees Riley Moss back from concussion for the Week 11 game at Las Vegas, and projects newly acquired Daiyan Henley to begin as the third inside linebacker behind Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad before likely moving into a starting role.Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman writes that Riley Moss may sit out the preseason finale against Minnesota but should be available for the Week 1 opener at Kansas City; they also suggest undrafted corners Sean Fresch Jr. and Brent Austin are being evaluated for practice squad spots.Chad Jensen · Roster Spot Calls · Jordan Turner · Miss 0
Jensen predicts Daiyan Henley's arrival will cut into Justin Strnad's snaps while Alex Singleton keeps playing virtually every down, and that Denver will return to a three-linebacker rotation after the Week 10 bye. They also expect one of Jordan Turner or Karene Reid — most likely Turner — to be waived to clear a roster spot.Bill Huber · Game Outcome Picks · Green Bay Packers · Hit 100
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.
More season win totals
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Nick Wright · Season Win Totals · Chicago Bears · Hit 100
Nick Wright lays out their season win-total picks (overs on Jaguars, Bears, Chiefs, Buccaneers, Raiders, Falcons; unders on Bengals, Colts, Broncos, Cowboys, Vikings, 49ers), playoff berth and miss calls, three division winners, a Chiefs-over-Buccaneers Super Bowl exacta, and five Week 1 picks.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.