John Middlekauff· May 12, 2026
Middlekauff praised Brandon Beane's Bills and said he will probably pick Buffalo to win the Super Bowl. He also gave season win-total takes on the Patriots, 49ers and Vikings, ordered the NFC North with the Bears first and Vikings last, called the Lions a playoff team again, and picked the Bengals to win the AFC North.
“I'm gonna pick him probably win the Super Bowl.”
said on air or in an interview · The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast) · read the original →
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 5, 2026. The quote and evidence above are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
8 checkable claims — 4 season win totals, 1 division winner, 1 playoff pick, 1 power ranking and 1 super bowl pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 7 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 above the room on 1 and below it on 2.
Where this call stands in the room
Chicago Bears · 2026 season · wins12 calls from 10 pundits between 3 wins and 12 wins. John Middlekauff said 11 wins. the room's median is 10 wins. 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.
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Who this take is about
8 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.
- Power RankingsMay 12, 2026
“So to me, Bears Lions, then I have the Green Bay, then I have Minnesota.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Season Win TotalsSan Francisco 49ersMay 12, 2026
San Francisco 49ers to finish with 10 wins
“so I feel pretty comfortable saying they'll be ten and seven.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Season Win TotalsMinnesota VikingsMay 12, 2026
Minnesota Vikings to finish with ? wins
“I think to me they got five six, seven wins written all over. They are to me, they're to me the last place team in that division.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Season Win TotalsChicago BearsMay 12, 2026
Chicago Bears to finish with 11 wins
“Wouldn't shock you if the Bears won eleven games and lost that game by ten points.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Super Bowl PicksBuffalo BillsMay 12, 2026
Buffalo Bills to win the Super Bowl
“but there's no disputing they've been I'm gonna pick him probably win the Super Bowl.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Division WinnersCincinnati BengalsMay 12, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals to win the division
“Now, their defensive line is way better. We know their offense is good. They're to me that pick to win that division.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Playoff PicksDetroit LionsMay 12, 2026
Detroit Lions to make the playoffs
“I'm taking the Lions are going to be playoff team again”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Season Win TotalsNew England PatriotsMay 12, 2026
New England Patriots to finish with 9 wins
“I would take the New England Patriots as sitting here right now like a nine or ten win season. Just to be safe, I'd probably hammer the under.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice 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.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice 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.
- Emmett MatasovskyDepth Chart Calls · Christian IzienMiss · 0Matasovsky says Dobbs is currently leading the backup quarterback race and suggests Christian Izien may be pressed into a starting safety role in Week 1 while Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph rehab.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice 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.
- Mike MoraitisDepth Chart Calls · Ozzy TrapiloMiss · 0Moraitis 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.
- Pete MartuneacDepth Chart Calls · Ozzy TrapiloMiss · 0After Trapilo's activation from the PUP list roughly seven months after rupturing his patellar tendon, Martuneac says the Bears' left tackle competition is over and Trapilo will be starting at left tackle early in the 2026 season, even if not by Week 1.
More season win totals
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- JP AcostaSeason Win Totals · New York GiantsClose · 40Acosta expects John Harbaugh's Giants to jump to roughly seven wins in year one, and forecast several offseason moves: Aaron Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh, Daniel Jones returning to the Colts, Kirk Cousins being released by Atlanta, and Brandon Aiyuk leaving San Francisco.
- Rich EisenSeason Win Totals · New Orleans SaintsClose · 40Eisen called the 49ers-as-NFC-favorites take an overreaction, picked the Jaguars to beat the Titans and win their division, leaned Ravens over the Steelers in the Week 18 Sunday night game, expects the Bills to beat the Jets even without Josh Allen, sees the Chargers as the AFC's seventh seed, agreed Tyler Shough could win Offensive Rookie of the Year with a good Saints 2026, said Malik Willis will be a starter somewhere next season, and insisted Detroit goes into 2026 with Goff.
- Chris BrockmanSeason Win Totals · New Orleans SaintsClose · 40Brockman floated the 49ers as the team to beat in the NFC after their Sunday night win, predicted James Cook would lead the league in rushing, and said Tyler Shough will win Rookie of the Year with the Saints finishing above .500 next season.
- Rich EisenSeason Win Totals · Jacksonville JaguarsClose · 40Rich Eisen gave his Week 15 top-10 power rankings, installing the Rams at No. 1 as the best team in football, adding the Jaguars and keeping the Bears despite their loss, while dropping the Cowboys and Eagles off the list. He also projected 10-win seasons for both Chicago and Jacksonville and said the Jaguars would handle the Jets at home.
- Rich EisenSeason Win Totals · Kansas City ChiefsMiss · 20Eisen endorsed the Eagles' defense carrying them to the NFC championship and the Rams being the NFL's best team, but predicted the NFC North sends only Green Bay and Detroit to the playoffs, that Kansas City wins five of its last seven, that the 49ers make the playoffs, that Baltimore wins the AFC North, and that Tampa Bay wins the NFC South with both the Bucs and Panthers losing their upcoming NFC West road games.
- Chris BrockmanSeason Win Totals · Jacksonville JaguarsClose · 60Brockman argued the Seahawks are the NFC's best team and will land the No. 1 seed, that Jacksonville will reach 11 wins and steal the AFC South from Indianapolis, that JJ McCarthy will lead the Vikings to the playoffs, and that Matthew Stafford will be an MVP finalist.