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John Middlekauff· Oct 9, 2026

Reacting to the Cowboys' loss to Tampa Bay, Middlekauff said Dallas' defense is so lost that they look like a two- or three-win team. He expects Jacksonville to blow out the Eagles in London, likes the Bears over a Packers team he calls a disaster, and figures George Pickens isn't going anywhere in Dallas.

“But now for four straight weeks when you've watched the Cowboys, they look like one of those teams that ends up winning two or three games.”

said on air or in an interview · 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast) · read the original →

4 checkable claims — 2 game outcome 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 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

2 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 50 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.

Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →

Who this take is about

The games in this take

4 checkable claims in this take

Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing. 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.

  • Game Outcome PicksChicago BearsOct 9, 2026

    Chicago Bears to beat Packers

    “And this is a game where I go, I don't like, I love the Bears... And I think the Packers are an absolute disaster.”

    Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 100-178 skill
    How this was scored
    won:
    GB
    score:
    7-31
    skill:
    −178
    they picked:
    CHI
    season:
    2026
    accuracy:
    0
    baseline:
    100
    the naive pick:
    GB
    difficulty:
    1.78
    weeks in the season:
    18
    weeks left when called:
    14

    Closing line (Oct 11): Bears by 1.5 · a toss-up, Bears 53%, Packers 47%.

    Think this is wrong?

  • Game Outcome PicksJacksonville JaguarsOct 9, 2026

    Jacksonville Jaguars to beat Eagles

    “So I'll be stunned if, honestly, if the Eagles keep it close. If you told me to guess the score right now, I'd say like, 28-10, 27-10, 31-10, something like that.”

    Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skill
    How this was scored
    won:
    JAX
    score:
    17-19
    skill:
    0
    they picked:
    JAX
    season:
    2026
    accuracy:
    100
    baseline:
    100
    the naive pick:
    JAX
    difficulty:
    1.78
    weeks in the season:
    18
    weeks left when called:
    14

    Closing line (Oct 11): Jaguars by 7.5 · favorite pick, Jaguars about 3 in 4 (76%).

    Think this is wrong?

  • Season Win TotalsDallas CowboysOct 9, 2026

    Dallas Cowboys to finish with 2–3 wins

    “But now for four straight weeks when you've watched the Cowboys, they look like one of those teams that ends up winning two or three games because their defense, no one has any clue where to go.”

    Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.

    Think this is wrong?

  • Trade and Signing CallsGeorge PickensDallas CowboysOct 9, 2026

    George Pickens to move to Dallas Cowboys

    “These guys are under contract. You know, I imagine Pickens ain't going anywhere.”

    Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.

    Think this is wrong?

What others said about the same people

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