Pick'em Mode
Week 5Optimized 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
Jacksonville Jaguars *
Carolina Panthers
CAR -12.9
Strong favorite
Pending
15
pts
Arizona Cardinals *
Minnesota Vikings
MIN -12.7
Strong favorite
Pending
14
pts
New Orleans Saints
Las Vegas Raiders *
NEW -11.9
Strong favorite
Pending
13
pts
Houston Texans *
Denver Broncos
DEN -9.5
Clear favorite
Pending
12
pts
Seattle Seahawks *
Kansas City Chiefs
KAN -8.4
Clear favorite
Pending
11
pts
Pittsburgh Steelers *
Philadelphia Eagles
PHI -8.4
Clear favorite
Pending
10
pts
Dallas Cowboys *
San Francisco 49ers
SAN -8.4
Clear favorite
Pending
9
pts
Cleveland Browns
Tampa Bay Buccaneers *
CLE -8.6
Clear favorite
Pending
8
pts
Buffalo Bills
Los Angeles Chargers *
BUF -7.0
Clear favorite
Pending
7
pts
Chicago Bears *
Indianapolis Colts
IND -4.3
Moderate favorite
Pending
6
pts
Baltimore Ravens
Tennessee Titans *
BAL -4.1
Moderate favorite
Pending
5
pts
New York Jets
Washington Commanders *
NEW -4.1
Moderate favorite
Pending
4
pts
Atlanta Falcons *
Green Bay Packers
GRE -3.4
Slight favorite
Pending
3
pts
Miami Dolphins *
New England Patriots
NEW -3.1
Slight favorite
Pending
2
pts
Los Angeles Rams
Cincinnati Bengals *
CIN -2.0
Toss-up
Pending
1
pts
New York Giants *
Detroit Lions
NEW -2.0
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.