Pick'em Mode
Week 1Optimized Hybrid
Uses XGBoost model predictions for close games, Vegas favorites for lopsided matchups. Backtested 2018-2024: 73.8% of max points.
0
Points Earned
136
Points Possible
0.0%
Percentage
0-0
Record
16
Pending
16
pts
Las Vegas Raiders *
Dallas Cowboys
DAL -12.4
Strong favorite
Pending
15
pts
Los Angeles Rams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers *
LOS -11.6
Strong favorite
Pending
14
pts
Los Angeles Chargers *
Pittsburgh Steelers
PIT -11.1
Strong favorite
Pending
13
pts
Tennessee Titans
Philadelphia Eagles *
TEN -11.3
Strong favorite
Pending
12
pts
Green Bay Packers
New England Patriots *
GRE -8.6
Clear favorite
Pending
11
pts
Cincinnati Bengals *
Buffalo Bills
BUF -8.1
Clear favorite
Pending
10
pts
Carolina Panthers
Detroit Lions *
CAR -7.6
Clear favorite
Pending
9
pts
San Francisco 49ers
Denver Broncos *
SAN -7.2
Clear favorite
Pending
8
pts
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens *
ATL -7.0
Clear favorite
Pending
7
pts
Minnesota Vikings
Cleveland Browns *
MIN -6.1
Moderate favorite
Pending
6
pts
New York Jets *
New York Giants
NEW -5.5
Moderate favorite
Pending
5
pts
Kansas City Chiefs
Arizona Cardinals *
KAN -5.3
Moderate favorite
Pending
4
pts
Houston Texans
Seattle Seahawks *
HOU -3.1
Slight favorite
Pending
3
pts
Chicago Bears
New Orleans Saints *
NEW -2.4
Toss-up
Pending
2
pts
Jacksonville Jaguars *
Washington Commanders
JAC -2.1
Toss-up
Pending
1
pts
Indianapolis Colts *
Miami Dolphins
IND -0.1
Toss-up
Pending
How Pick'em Scoring Works
- Pick the Winner: For each game, pick which team will win straight-up (no spread).
- Rank by Confidence: Assign confidence rankings 1-16 to each pick.
1= least confident,16= most confident. - Earn Points: If your pick is correct, you earn points equal to your confidence ranking.
- Strategy: This page uses the Optimized Hybrid strategy:
- Close games (spread < 3 pts): Trust the XGBoost model predictions
- Lopsided games (spread ≥ 3 pts): Trust the Vegas favorite
- Backtest Result: This hybrid strategy scores ~73.8% of maximum possible points over 7 years (2018-2024), outperforming "always favorite" by +1.3 percentage points.