Pick'em Mode

Week 3
Optimized 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
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers *
@
San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers
2026-09-15 Favorite
SAN -13.2
Strong favorite
Pending
15
pts
New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints *
@
Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks
2026-09-15 Favorite
SEA -11.6
Strong favorite
Pending
14
pts
Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings
@
Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins *
2026-09-15 Favorite
MIN -10.7
Strong favorite
Pending
13
pts
Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Rams *
@
Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts
2026-09-15 Favorite
IND -10.2
Strong favorite
Pending
12
pts
Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers *
@
Chicago Bears Chicago Bears
2026-09-15 Favorite
CHI -9.2
Clear favorite
Pending
11
pts
Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills
@
Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers *
2026-09-15 Favorite
BUF -9.6
Clear favorite
Pending
10
pts
New York Jets New York Jets
@
Las Vegas Raiders Las Vegas Raiders *
2026-09-15 Favorite
NEW -8.3
Clear favorite
Pending
9
pts
Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns *
@
Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons
2026-09-15 Favorite
ATL -7.2
Clear favorite
Pending
8
pts
Baltimore Ravens Baltimore Ravens
@
Houston Texans Houston Texans *
2026-09-15 Favorite
BAL -7.6
Clear favorite
Pending
7
pts
Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals
@
Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs *
2026-09-15 Favorite
ARI -5.8
Moderate favorite
Pending
6
pts
Washington Commanders Washington Commanders *
@
Denver Broncos Denver Broncos
2026-09-15 Favorite
DEN -5.4
Moderate favorite
Pending
5
pts
Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys *
@
New York Giants New York Giants
2026-09-15 Favorite
NEW -3.1
Slight favorite
Pending
4
pts
Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles *
@
Tennessee Titans Tennessee Titans
2026-09-15 Model
PHI -2.4
Toss-up
Pending
3
pts
Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals
@
Detroit Lions Detroit Lions *
2026-09-15 Model
DET -1.4
Toss-up
Pending
2
pts
Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Chargers *
@
Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers
2026-09-15 Model
LOS -1.5
Toss-up
Pending
1
pts
New England Patriots New England Patriots *
@
Jacksonville Jaguars Jacksonville Jaguars
2026-09-15 Model
NEW -0.7
Toss-up
Pending

How Pick'em Scoring Works

  1. Pick the Winner: For each game, pick which team will win straight-up (no spread).
  2. Rank by Confidence: Assign confidence rankings 1-16 to each pick. 1 = least confident, 16 = most confident.
  3. Earn Points: If your pick is correct, you earn points equal to your confidence ranking.
  4. 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
  5. 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.