John Middlekauff· Sep 9, 2026
Middlekauff previews the NFL opener, picking Seattle to beat New England at home while expecting the Patriots to land in the 9-10 win range and miss the playoffs, taking Pittsburgh as his third AFC playoff team over Baltimore and New England, standing by Seattle as a Super Bowl participant, ranking the three head coaches involved, and describing Pittsburgh's receivers as a collection of No. 2s.
“I expect Seattle to win”
said on air or in an interview · The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast) · read the original →
7 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls, 1 conference champion, 1 game outcome pick, 1 head coach ranking, 1 playoff pick and 1 season win total — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 7 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 1.
Where this call stands in the room
Michael Pittman · 2026 season7 calls from 5 pundits between 1 and 3. John Middlekauff said 2. the room's median is 2. 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.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
The game in this take
- Patriots at Seahawks 33 calls
7 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 Outcome PicksSeattle SeahawksSep 9, 2026
Seattle Seahawks to win
“And I think tonight's a good example of I expect Seattle to win... to me, this is a 10-point game by Seattle.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- won:
- SEA
- score:
- 10-13
- skill:
- 0
- they picked:
- SEA
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive pick:
- SEA
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- Playoff PicksPittsburgh SteelersSep 9, 2026
Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs
“Just heard the pod this morning, and you had the Steelers to make the playoffs over the Ravens and the Pats... Again, I just picked one out of three.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Michael Pittman to be 2nd on the depth chart
“Now they have multiple number two wide receivers with him and Pittman.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Head Coach RankingsSep 9, 2026
“So I would rank those McCarthy, Vrabel, and then Minter's just an unknown with a major unknown at play caller.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
DK Metcalf to be 2nd on the depth chart
“They had DK Metcalf, who, let's face it, a number two. So they had a sweet number two wide receiver. Now they have multiple number two wide receivers with him and Pittman.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Season Win TotalsNew England PatriotsSep 9, 2026
New England Patriots to finish with ? wins
“I'm not picking them to make the playoffs, not because I don't think they're going to be a good team. I expect them to be in that 9-10 win range with a bunch of other teams.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Conference ChampionsSeattle SeahawksSep 9, 2026
Seattle Seahawks to reach the Super Bowl
“I heard you and Colin pick in Seattle to make Super Bowl.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Tyler SullivanDepth Chart Calls · Drew LockMiss · 0In an unsigned Week 2 odds roundup, the piece states that with Sam Darnold hurt, Drew Lock will likely start at quarterback for Seattle against Arizona.
- Michael HanichDepth Chart Calls · Bud ClarkMiss · 0Hanich suggests Nick Emmanwori may miss Week 1 after ankle surgery, and that Noah Igbinoghene is making a strong case to be the Seahawks' Week 1 starting nickel, with Bud Clark also possibly stepping into a starting role if Emmanwori is out.
- Jason McIntyreTrade and Signing Calls · Baker MayfieldMiss · 0Filling in for Colin Cowherd, McIntyre argued the 49ers' window is closed amid a brutal injury list and record travel, floated a Bijan Robinson trade to the Bears, predicted the Lions can win the NFC North, doubted Atlanta is even a playoff team, said Baker Mayfield's Tampa run ends after this season, and delivered a top-10 quarterback ranking.
- Evan SilvaFantasy Defense Calls · Pittsburgh SteelersHit · 100In his 2020 fantasy defense/special teams rankings, Silva puts the Steelers first, the 49ers second and the Ravens third, citing pass rush, favorable early schedules and game scripts.
- Jordan DajaniGame Outcome Picks · Pittsburgh SteelersHit · 100Dajani expects the Steelers to comfortably beat the Falcons in Week 1, arguing Atlanta's quarterback situation under Tua Tagovailoa is a mess; he also picks the Vikings to beat the Packers in a low-scoring game.
- Chad MillmanGame Outcome Picks · Pittsburgh SteelersHit · 100Millman backed several week one sides outright: Miami to beat the Raiders straight up, the Jets over the Titans, an underdog money line parlay of Houston and the Giants, and a favorites money line parlay of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Detroit. He also stands by his preseason take that Drake Maye is a top-five NFL quarterback.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Ralph VacchianoDepth Chart Calls · Tua TagovailoaMiss · 0Vacchiano ranks all 32 NFL teams entering the 2026 season, with the Rams first and Dolphins last. He also flags the Giants as a potential surprise team with a top-10 defense, and notes Deshaun Watson won Cleveland's QB job while Tua Tagovailoa starts Week 1 in Atlanta.
- 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.
- Steven RuizDepth Chart Calls · Michael Penix Jr.Miss · 0In a retrospective tiering of all 32 starting quarterbacks, Ruiz treats Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons' Week 1 starter over Kirk Cousins, whom he places in his lowest tier.
- Mike FlorioDepth Chart Calls · Shedeur SandersMiss · 0Florio reports the Browns will start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 but predicts Shedeur Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback by Week 3.
- Nathan JahnkeDepth Chart Calls · Jalen TolbertMiss · 0PFF's preseason fantasy recap makes a large number of depth-chart, role and fantasy-value calls across the league, including Chig Okonkwo as a top sleeper tight end, Tre Tucker as the Raiders' top receiver, and various backfield hierarchies.