# John Middlekauff: Middlekauff sees the Patriots as a nine-or-ten win team and the 49ers finishing 10-7; he'd hammer the under on New England's 9.5 and Minnesota's 8.5, projecting the Vikings last in the NFC North behind Bears, Lions and Packers. He likes the Bengals to win the AFC North and floats the Saints, Cowboys and Colts as new playoff teams. **Claimed:** May 28, 2026 **Pundit:** John Middlekauff — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/john-middlekauff **Outlet:** The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast) — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/the-colin-cowherd-podcast-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview **Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/the-colin-cowherd-podcast/best-of-nfl-predictions-bengals-giants-chiefs-bears-steelers-patriots 10 checkable claims — 4 playoff picks, 3 season win totals, 1 division winner, 1 power ranking and 1 surprise team call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 8 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one. > So I feel pretty comfortable saying they'll be ten and seven. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **New Orleans Saints to beat expectations** - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: New Orleans Saints - Verdict: not settled yet - **New Orleans Saints to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: New Orleans Saints - Verdict: not settled yet - **Cincinnati Bengals to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: Cincinnati Bengals - Verdict: not settled yet - **New England Patriots to finish with 9 wins** - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Minnesota Vikings to finish with 6 wins** - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: Minnesota Vikings - Verdict: not settled yet - **Indianapolis Colts to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Indianapolis Colts - Verdict: not settled yet - **So to me, Bears Lions, then I have the Green Bay, then I have Minnesota.** - Kind: Power Rankings - Verdict: not settled yet - **San Francisco 49ers to finish with 10 wins** - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: San Francisco 49ers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Chicago Bears to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Chicago Bears - Verdict: not settled yet - **Dallas Cowboys to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - New Orleans Saints — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/saints - Cincinnati Bengals — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/bengals - New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/patriots - Minnesota Vikings — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/vikings - Indianapolis Colts — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/colts - San Francisco 49ers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/49ers - Chicago Bears — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/bears - Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/cowboys ## What others said about the same people - Mike Moraitis on DaRon Bland: Moraitis names five Cowboys he expects to be playing their final season opener in Dallas in 2026: George Pickens (likely tag-and-trade or departure), Malik Hooker, Luke Schoonmaker, DeMarvion Overshown and DaRon Bland. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/66b5ed7b-41bd-4f67-9b4d-16eae4675e67 (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice touts Kyler Murray as a value QB who will start Week 1 for Minnesota, Tyler Shough as the Saints' undisputed starter, and Juwan Johnson and Terrance Ferguson as late-round tight end targets. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/70a7844a-2fb6-44d7-814f-30ec9fbcc26d (scored 100) - Bucky Brooks on Keenan Allen: Brooks predicted J.J. McCarthy won't be on the Vikings' roster (traded or released), said Kyler Murray wins the Vikings' QB competition, made a series of 2025 award picks, made 2026 Heisman/draft projections including Arch Manning as the front-runner for the No. 1 overall pick, and said none of Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow win a championship this season. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/10c3797b-f9e0-41ca-a2a3-5d765a242a79 (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to be Minnesota's Week 1 starter and calls him one of the better quarterback values in 2026 drafts; he also views Jordan Love as a top-10 real-life quarterback but only a QB2 in fantasy. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0653fc24-437c-4aba-89ee-f1f417e1983d (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to open the season as Minnesota's starting quarterback and to be one of the better quarterback values in 2026 fantasy drafts, and he likewise likes Tyler Shough as New Orleans' entrenched starter with an easy schedule. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/18bf77c0-c921-4593-997e-8405355274e9 (scored 100) - Mike Moraitis on Ozzy Trapilo: Moraitis writes that although Braxton Jones has looked like the favorite, Ozzy Trapilo is likely to take over as the Bears' starting left tackle once he's healthy enough to play. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cdfe5f0f-6783-4730-b9bb-d942e28b037a (scored 0) ## More playoff picks The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Dan "Buzz" Wilson on Philadelphia Eagles: Wilson argued the Eagles' offseason approach of prioritizing 2026 and beyond doesn't mean a bad 2025 — he expects them to remain among the NFC's best teams and to make a deep playoff run rather than fall off to eight or nine wins. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/afce079c-b986-476b-a872-09905017fc6f (scored 100) - Craig Stout on Kansas City Chiefs: Craig believes better execution from a Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs team will be enough to return them to the playoffs in the coming season, and he expects Tyler Algeier to land with Denver as a complement to RJ Harvey. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/4ad5b565-6220-4c30-9371-e55be75a35f0 (scored 0) - Rich Eisen on Carolina Panthers: 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. He also tabbed Saints rookie Tyler Shough as a possible Offensive Rookie of the Year. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/34345186-876a-4c4b-9567-9c289a6cbace (scored 100) - Chris Brockman on Pittsburgh Steelers: Brockman argued the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC goes through Foxborough, meaning the Patriots will finish as the No. 1 seed, and called his shot that the Chargers beat Denver in Week 18. He also declared the Bears a team of destiny who will win the NFC, said the Steelers will end their playoff win drought, and that Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top-five quarterback. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/7792215a-c787-44bd-b294-5ff028851d30 (scored 100) - Rich Eisen on Green Bay Packers: Eisen agreed the Bears are a team of destiny who will win the NFC, insisted the Packers will make the playoffs and won't lose at home to the Ravens, said the Steelers should make the playoffs, and endorsed the view that Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top-five quarterback. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/1f7633c5-427b-4993-8849-3f53865241bd (scored 100) - Chris Brockman on Buffalo Bills: Brockman argued the Texans will reach the AFC Championship Game, declared the Chiefs dynasty over, said the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Lambeau Field, that Josh Allen is still the most dangerous QB and the Bills will win a playoff game (with the AFC East runner-up as the 5 seed winning in Pittsburgh or Baltimore), that Carolina will win the NFC South, that Baltimore finishes under .500 with Lamar no longer a top-five QB, that the Colts should trade for Mac Jones, and that Marcus Freeman will be in the NFL next year. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/c06d1a3a-78d8-4aec-8574-159821b42aab (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.thegoodapps.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.thegoodapps.co/corrections?pundit=john-middlekauff