September 12, 2018

SportsFilter NFL Pick 'Em Week 2: Undefeated Browns Edition: Week 2 of the NFL season begins Thursday night when the Ravens visit the Bengals. In our NFL Pick 'Em, ic23b leads with 87 points, followed by tron7 at 77 and cixelsyd at 76. Make your picks.

How This Works

SportsFilter is running a season-long NFL Pick 'Em contest and awarding a prize to the season's winner: an official NFL Game Football ($99.99 value).

To play, pick who you think will win and by how many points. You then get points based on the result:

Picked the winner? You get 5 points
Picked the winner and a spread within the margin of error? You get 3 more points
Picked the winner and the exact spread? You get 2 more points

What's the Margin of Error?

A window around the spread that's defined as the following:

spread - round(0.3 * spread) <= Margin of Error <= spread + round(0.3 * spread)

You get rewarded for being close to the spread. The bigger the spread, the bigger the margin of error, so you don't have to be as accurate predicting a blowout as a close game.

Examples:

Actual SpreadMargin Starts atMargin Ends at
111
435
759
11814
201426
So if you picked Miami by 15, here's how you'd fare given certain outcomes:
OutcomeYour score
Miami by 208 points (winner + spread within MoE)
Miami by 105 points (winner only)
Miami by 1510 points (winner + nailed spread)
Miami by 50 points

Stone Cold Lead Pipe Locks

You can choose any game as a stone cold lead pipe lock. This doubles the points you win for that game, but if that team doesn't win, you lose 10 points (even if you get the spread). You can make as many picks a lock as you like or pick no locks at all.

The Small Print

In order to receive the prize, you must respond to our email within 14 days of the winner announcement. Make sure you have a valid email address on SportsFilter or contact me within that time period. The prize does not include international shipping, so in that situation you can pay the cost or receive an equivalent cash prize over Paypal.

Hall of Champions

2016-17: Ufez Jones
2017-18: Tron7
2018-19: Tron7

This Week's Games 1

Green Bay at Chicago on NBC (Thursday)
L.A. Rams at Carolina on Fox (Sunday)
Washington at Philadelphia on Fox (Sunday)
Buffalo at N.Y. Jets on CBS (Sunday)
Atlanta at Minnesota on Fox (Sunday)
Baltimore at Miami on CBS (Sunday)
Kansas City at Jacksonville on CBS (Sunday)
Tennessee at Cleveland on CBS (Sunday)
Indianapolis at L.A. Chargers on CBS (Sunday)
Cincinnati at Seattle on CBS (Sunday)
San Francisco at Tampa Bay on Fox (Sunday)
N.Y. Giants at Dallas on Fox (Sunday)
Detroit at Arizona on Fox (Sunday)
Pittsburgh at New England on NBC (Sunday)
Houston at New Orleans on ESPN (Monday)
Denver at Oakland on ESPN (Monday)

Picks must be submitted in this discussion before the game's kickoff. So if you miss Thursday night's opener you can still choose the Sunday and Monday games.

posted by rcade to football at 09:23 PM - 25 comments

Baltimore by 7

Atlanta by 4

L.A.Chargers by 10

Minnesota by 3

Houston by 9

New Orleans by 17 (LOCK)

N.Y.Jets by 10

Pittsburgh by 6

Philadelphia by 12 (LOCK)

Washington by 17 (LOCK)

L.A. RAMS by 23 (LOCK)

San Francisco by 4

Denver by 3

New England by 3

Dallas by 2

Chicago by 3

posted by ic23b at 10:02 PM on September 12, 2018

Cincinnati by 5

posted by tommybiden at 10:07 PM on September 12, 2018

Baltimore by 6
Atlanta by 3
L.A. Chargers by 13
Green Bay by 3
Houston by 4
New Orleans by 17
N.Y. Jets by 6
Pittsburgh by 9
Philadelphia by 10
Indianapolis by 5
L.A. Rams by 14
San Francisco by 8
Oakland by 7
New England by 11
Dallas by 3
Seattle by 7

posted by grum@work at 10:11 PM on September 12, 2018

Just a quick confirmation....if you pick a team to win and lock it, and that team loses, you are supposed to lose points for that pick, right?

It doesn't look like people that picked New Orleans to win and locked it lost any points for that pick.

What happens if you pick a team to win and lock it, and the game is a tie? Is it zero points (neither a win nor a loss)?

I am one of those people in that situation.

posted by grum@work at 10:16 PM on September 12, 2018

looks like no one got points for the philly falcons game either

posted by truthhurts at 10:30 PM on September 12, 2018

Baltimore by 7

Atlanta by 4

L.A. Chargers by 10 LOCK

Minnesota by 6

Houston by 3

New Orleans by 3

N.Y. Jets by 3

Pittsburgh by 7

Philadelphia by 4

Washington by 5

L.A. Rams by 17 LOCK

San Francisco by 10 LOCK

Denver by 6

Jacksonville by 7

N.Y. Giants by 4

Seattle by 6

posted by cixelsyd at 10:31 PM on September 12, 2018

if you pick a team to win and lock it, and that team loses, you are supposed to lose points for that pick...

I thought so as well

posted by FLsportsman at 11:11 PM on September 12, 2018

My Philadelphia by 7 lock should have gotten me 16 more points. This may have been missed because I made most of my picks after the Thursday game, but I made that pick before the game. Speaking of which:

LOCK Cincinnati by 13 LOCK

posted by bender at 09:58 AM on September 13, 2018

Bengals by 7

posted by truthhurts at 10:57 AM on September 13, 2018

I'll let the above questions get addressed and won't add to the confusion, but I think I dodged -10 busted lock points, too.

Cincinnati by 2

Atlanta by 6 (all field goals, of course)

L.A. Chargers by 30 LOCK

Minnesota by 6

Houston by 6

Cleveland by 8 (that's right, bettin' the Clowns!)

Miami by 7

Kansas City by 3

Philadelphia by 10

Washington by 4

L.A. Rams by 17 LOCK

San Francisco by 12

Denver by 6

Jacksonville by 4

N.Y. Giants by 10

Chicago by 10

posted by tahoemoj at 11:51 AM on September 13, 2018

What happens if you pick a team to win and lock it, and the game is a tie? Is it zero points (neither a win nor a loss)?

A tie results in 0 points for everybody, no matter the team picked or whether it was locked.

The other problems are bugs. I must have broken something when I added code for ties. I'll fix them today.

posted by rcade at 11:51 AM on September 13, 2018

rcade, I'm going to raise my hand as another person who wasn't penalized for my busted locks. Right, into this week's picks:

Baltimore by 4 (lock)

Atlanta by 7 (lock)

Chargers by 21 (lock)

Minnesota by 4 (lock)

Houston by 6 (lock)

New Orleans by 4 (lock)

N.Y. Jets by 10 (lock)

Kansas City by 7 (lock)

Philadelphia by 4 (lock)

Washington by 3 (lock)

L.A. Rams by 7 (lock)

San Francisco by 10 (lock)

Denver by 6 (lock)

Jacksonville by 12 (lock)

N.Y. Giants by 3 (lock)

Seattle by 3 (lock)

posted by Goyoucolts at 01:37 PM on September 13, 2018

Ooh, ooh, maybe he won't notice how I snuck by without deduction for busted locks. If I put in my picks very quietly, I can get by. OH RATS! It didn't work. I guess I will have to do better.

Bye bye blackbirds? Some are saying that the Cincinnati pack will get them. Baltimore by 6
Last week was a mirage for both teams. New Orleans by 22 LOCK
Chargers had a voltage drop, but will put up a hefty electric bill Los Angeles (American Conference) by 23 LOCK
The tribal leaders fooled me once. Not again. Kansas City by 6
Native Americans ride horses. Washington by 14
Sam Darnold in the Hall of Fame? Not yet, but... New York (American Conference) by 10
Pirates have parrots, and a larger bird could hurt them. Philadelphia by 17 LOCK
Another cat vs bird thing. Atlanta by 9
Brought to you by the letter T, with a subplot of former player vs his former offensive and defensive coordinators. Houston by 6
Game of the week? Minnesota by 3
Billy Goats Gruff (Kids' book; one of my old girlfriends used to make me read it to her before "intimacy")Los Angeles (National Conference) by 12
Second chance for Jimmy G, but against a coach who knows him well. San Francisco by 10
Jaguars want revenge for last year's AFC championship game. Jacksonville by 6
Angry murmurs coming from the Black Hole will persist. Denver by 10
The ground game for both sides could be featured. New York (National Conference) by 9
Ursine creatures in their natural habitat will prevail. Chicago by 15 LOCK

posted by Howard_T at 04:50 PM on September 13, 2018

Cincinnati by 3
Atlanta by 3
L.A. Chargers by 17 - LOCK
Minnesota by 6
Houston by 6
New Orleans by 13 - LOCK
N.Y. Jets by 6
Pittsburgh by 7
Philadelphia by 6
Washington by 7
L.A. Rams by 17 - LOCK
San Francisco by 3
Denver by 10
Jacksonville by 3
Dallas by 3
Seattle by 6

posted by tron7 at 05:07 PM on September 13, 2018

Billy Goats Gruff (Kids' book; one of my old girlfriends used to make me read it to her before "intimacy")

Wait, wait, wait. You can't just drop a bombshell like that and move on seamlessly to the next thing. We don't necessarily need you to be un-gentlemanly by telling all, but the teaser is brutal.

posted by tahoemoj at 06:41 PM on September 13, 2018

Baltimore by 3
Atlanta by 4
L.A. Chargers by 7 <-- lock
Green Bay by 3
Tennessee by 3
New Orleans by 9 <-- lock
N.Y. Jets by 7
Kansas City by 3
Philadelphia by 7 <-- lock
Washington by 6
L.A. Rams by 6 <-- lock
San Francisco by 7
Denver by 7 <-- lock
Jacksonville by 3
Dallas by 7
Seattle by 3

posted by rcade at 07:18 PM on September 13, 2018

Atlanta by 14

L.A. Chargers by 28

Minnesota by 5

Houston by 8

Cleveland by 19

Miami by 7

Pittsburgh by 11

Philadelphia by 10

Indianapolis by 3

L.A. Rams by 12

San Francisco by 14

Denver by 5

New England by 9

N.Y. Giants by 5

Seattle by 13

posted by tommybiden at 08:00 PM on September 13, 2018

Wait, wait, wait.

This happened over 50 years ago, the lady in question would be over 75 (if she indeed is still alive, I lost contact with her when my job began to take me to strange and distant places), and her identity will be kept secret. Suffice it to say that she was a kindergarten teacher who had a lot of kids books and somehow saw me as a father figure. It was a complicated relationship to say the least.

posted by Howard_T at 09:27 PM on September 13, 2018

Cincinnati by 11 LOCK (kidding)
Atlanta by 6
L.A. Chargers by 7
Green Bay by 3
Houston by 8
New Orleans by 13 LOCK
N.Y. Jets by 3
Pittsburgh by 6
Philadelphia by 7
Washington by 6
L.A. Rams by 20 LOCK
San Francisco by 10
Denver by 7
Jacksonville by 7
N.Y. Giants by 6
Chicago by 7

posted by holden at 10:52 AM on September 14, 2018

Redskins by 2

Carolina by 3

Packers by 4

Chargers by 4

Texans by 6

Steelers by 11 Lock

Jets by 5

Bucs by 3

Saints by 5 Lock

Rams by 8

Lions by 4

Patriots by 10

Broncos by 2

Cowboys by 6

Bears by 5

posted by 9mmHeater at 05:56 PM on September 14, 2018

Cincy/Baltimore too late (which sucks because I was going to pick the Gals/oh well)

Atlanta by 10

LA Chargers by 14 LOCK

Minnesota by 7 LOCK

Houston by 3

New Orleans by 10 LOCK

Jets by 3

Kansas City by 6

Philadelphia by 10 LOCK

Washington by 7 LOCK

LA Rams by 22 LOCK

San Fran by 10

Oakland by 7

Jacksonville by 4 LOCK (that's right I said LOCK it, baby!!! Duuuuuvvvvallllllll!!!!)

Dallas by 3

Chicago by 3

posted by jagsnumberone at 01:55 AM on September 15, 2018

--Missed out on Thursday's game :( --

Carolina by 7

L.A.Chargers by 7

Green Bay by 3

Houston by 9

Cleveland by 3 (!!!)

N.Y.Jets by 10

Pittsburgh by 7

Philadelphia by 14

Washington by 7 (LOCK)

L.A. RAMS by 14

San Francisco by 7

Oakland by 7

New England by 7 (LOCK)

Dallas by 7

Chicago by 3

posted by FLsportsman at 03:57 PM on September 15, 2018

Carolina at Atlanta Falcons by 7
L.A. Chargers at Buffalo Chargers by 17 LOCK
Minnesota at Green Bay Vikings by 3
Houston at Tennessee Titans by 3
Cleveland at New Orleans Saints by 10 LOCK
Miami at N.Y. Jets Jets by 10
Kansas City at Pittsburgh Steelers by 10 LOCK
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay Eagles by 6
Indianapolis at Washington Redskins by 8 LOCK
Arizona at L.A. Rams Rams by 10 LOCK
Detroit at San Francisco San Fran by 4
Oakland at Denver Broncos by 6
New England at Jacksonville jaguars by 3
N.Y. Giants at Dallas Giants by 10
Seattle at Chicago Seahawks by 3

posted by truthhurts at 07:22 PM on September 15, 2018

LOCK Cincinnati by 13 LOCK
Atlanta by 7
Buffalo by 3
Minnesota by 6
Tennessee by 3
New Orleans by 4
LOCK N.Y. Jets by 10 LOCK
Kansas City by 5
Tampa Bay by 7
Indianapolis by 4
L.A. Rams by 3
San Francisco by 8
LOCK Denver by 9 LOCK
Jacksonville by 3
Dallas by 4
Seattle by 3

posted by bender at 09:57 PM on September 15, 2018

Baltimore at Cincinnati <<< I would've picked Balmer for this one anyway.

Atlanta by 6
Buffalo by 5
Minnesota by 4
Tennessee by 5
New Orleans by 6
N.Y. Jets by 7
Kansas City by 5
Philadelphia by 6
Washington by 10
L.A. Rams by 6
Detroit by 4
Denver by 6
Jacksonville by 4
Dallas by 4
Chicago by 10

posted by NoMich at 09:04 AM on September 16, 2018

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