The NFL playoffs have arrived, and so has something unprecedented when it comes to predictions. USA TODAY Sports is rolling out a pick ’em competition that pits Man vs. Machine vs. Dog.
Let’s start with the dog.
Her name is Luna, and she’s a 7-year-old Maltipoo with the ability to spin and leap onto a lap. She does not work for free. The Kansas City Chiefs will three-peat, based on Luna’s initial predictions. And she faces competition as tough as the Chiefs do.
She’ll be going head-to-head with Man aka USA TODAY’s Jarrett Bell and Tyler Dragon, both NFL writers who know their stuff.
She’ll also face off with The Machine: a computer-run statistical model created by Kostas Pelechrinis, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh, that generates predictions.
Man, machine or dog: Who can pick NFL playoff games most accurately?
USA TODAY Sports’ Josh Peter pits NFL reporters vs. an algorithm vs. his maltipoo in ultimate test to see who is best at picking NFL playoff games.
Sports Pulse
How the ‘machine’ and Luna make their picks
Want more? See these data-driven hot picks
The scoring system
Devised by NFL predictions expert David Glidden, it will work like this:
Each week, the competitors will turn in full brackets with picks for games in every round, including the Super Bowl. A perfect bracket from start to finish would earn 1,000 points, but competitors likely will have to adjust those brackets week to week.
Thirty points will be earned for each team correctly picked to win a wild card game, 35 points for a Divisional round game, 50 points for a Conference championship game and 75 points for the Super Bowl.
Then we’ll have an official winner and the answer to our burning question: Is it Man, Machine or Dog who we can trust most with NFL playoff predictions?
Let the games and predictions begin!
Wild Card Weekend schedule
Our experts’ Wild Card Weekend picks
Odds for Wild Card Weekend games
If you’re interested in online gaming sites’ prediction for this weekend, BetMGM’s betting lines moved incrementally by Wednesday morning for two of the six wild card games. A plus before the number signifies the amount a bettor would win on a $100 bet. A minus signifies the amount a bettor must bet to win $100.
Odds for AFC wild card games
Chargers (-160) favored by 3 points at Texans (+135)
Steelers (+425) at Ravens (-600) favored by 10 points
Broncos (+350) at Bills (-450) favored by 9 points
Odds for NFC wild card games
Packers (+195) at Eagles (-250) favored by 4.5 points
Commanders (+140) at Buccaneers (-165) favored by 3 points
Vikings (-110) at Rams (-110) favored by 1 point
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