# John Middlekauff: 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. **Claimed:** Oct 9, 2026 **Pundit:** John Middlekauff — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-middlekauff **Outlet:** 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/3-and-out-with-john-middlekauff-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview **Original:** https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/arttrk.com/p/D5CA5/pscrb.fm/rss/p/clrtpod.com/m/prfx.byspotify.com/e/claritaspod.com/measure/mgln.ai/e/808/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/44c6e42b-f663-4492-888d-ae330034680f/ae7d345b-bb6c-48a5-8d8e-b4de0096aaf2/audio.mp3?in_playlist=40b7ab93-19e3-455f-8fd2-ae3300346819 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. > 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. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Chicago Bears to beat Packers** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Chicago Bears - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - Line: Closing line (Oct 11, 2026): Bears by 1.5 · a toss-up, Bears 53%, Packers 47%. Source: nflverse; context only, never part of the grade. - **Jacksonville Jaguars to beat Eagles** - Kind: Game Outcome Picks · About: Jacksonville Jaguars - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - Line: Closing line (Oct 11, 2026): Jaguars by 7.5 · favorite pick, Jaguars about 3 in 4 (76%). Source: nflverse; context only, never part of the grade. - **Dallas Cowboys to finish with 2–3 wins** - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: not settled yet - **George Pickens to move to Dallas Cowboys** - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Chicago Bears — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bears - Jacksonville Jaguars — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/jaguars - Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys - George Pickens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/george-pickens ## What others said about the same people - Pete Prisco on Chicago Bears: 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 100) - Bryan DeArdo on Chicago Bears: DeArdo picks the Bears to beat the Buccaneers on Sunday night in a defensive game, predicting a 20-16 final score. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7b882443-b481-48fb-b19b-e7f989d85e46 (scored 97.62) - Danny Parkins on Chicago Bears: Parkins named the seven AFC teams he believes 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 his Super Bowl matchup with the Giants still winning the NFC East. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/272d1f8a-06f7-4b8b-8480-94d370ae5e6f (scored 100) - Chris Simms on Chicago Bears: Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said he wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/17eb747a-90b1-472f-bb6d-e71c0c69133a (scored 97.62) - Connor Rogers on Chicago Bears: Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/11646f69-18dd-4831-a7de-e4115ded875c (scored 100) - Big Cat on Chicago Bears: Big Cat picked the Bengals to beat the Falcons in Madrid, the 49ers to handle the Raiders, the Seahawks to bounce back against the Cardinals, and the Bears to beat the Buccaneers by a projected 26-23. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/1780fe70-faa9-45f8-ac64-f6244b7d5144 (scored 100) ## More game outcome picks The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - 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 his rib injury. He also sketches 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) - Jeremy Brener on Seattle Seahawks: Brener picked the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in Week 9 by a multi-score margin, giving a final score of 27-13, and expressed confidence Seattle would be fine with Drew Lock starting at quarterback. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7eb2d245-63d0-4be0-80ba-3f60197e2b16 (scored 100) - Albert Breer on Seattle Seahawks: Breer picks the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in their Week 9 NFC West matchup. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/4d67a8a5-0c05-4abe-b2ca-f0cef8390b1d (scored 100) - Tyler Sullivan on Seattle Seahawks: Sullivan picks the Seahawks to win in Week 9. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dfca04b3-5c80-4a2e-b0de-8ac3a25f225b (scored 100) - Dave Richard on Seattle Seahawks: Richard picks the Seahawks over the Cardinals. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d3db433e-52c6-42d1-a3b0-6b342aac8a9e (scored 100) - John Pluym on Seattle Seahawks: Pluym picks the Seahawks over the Cardinals. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e3897747-c55f-4340-9e82-03f9730f87ba (scored 100) --- 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