# 15th Annual Superbowl Early Picks thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 3, 2018, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802 "2018-01-03T17:05:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/1 "2018-01-03T17:05:26Z")
Kinda late, but no one else started the Superbowl Pick thread. Here are the previous winners. [Year 1](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=231858): **Trillionaire** [Year 2](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=294932): **Uncommon Sense** [Year 3](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=352167): **Airman Doors, USAF** [Year 4](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=402369): **Grits and Hard Toast** [Year 5](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=449706): **Hal Briston** [Year 6](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=499473): **dalej42** [Year 7](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=546474): **Justin\_Bailey** [Year 8](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=591491): **Hamlet** [Year 9](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=637014): **Hal Briston** [Year 10](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=677312): **enalzi** [Year 11](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=711681): **Jahiegel** [Year 12](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744800): **borschevsky** [Year 13](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=780013): **Oakminster** [Year 14](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=815224): **borschevsky** It’s simple to play – just post your pick for the two Super Bowl teams, and the final score. Deadline for submissions will be 4:00 pm Eastern on Saturday, January 6th (just before kickoff of the first playoff game). Format your choices as you like, and I will figure it out. Simple is better. As always, just in case you don’t follow football but still wanna play along, just pick an AFC team, an NFC team, and a couple of numbers that sound vaguely football-scorish. AFC Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills NFC Teams: New Orleans Saints, LA Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons ————————————— I will go out on a limb and pick **Vikings 21, Jaguars 17** ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/2 "2018-01-03T17:08:04Z")
Saints 30, Patriots 27 ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/3 "2018-01-03T17:11:34Z")
Vikings 24, Steelers 17 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/4 "2018-01-03T17:13:40Z")
Pats 27, Rams 17 ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/5 "2018-01-03T17:19:36Z")
Steelers 28, Falcons 24 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/6 "2018-01-03T17:49:44Z")
Patriots 24 Vikings 17 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/7 "2018-01-03T17:52:17Z")
And just to confirm, same tiebreaker rules as last year? Minimum sum of absolute differences of predicted vs actual final scores? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/8 "2018-01-03T18:02:04Z")
Patriots 34, Vikings 24 ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/9 "2018-01-03T18:10:13Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > And just to confirm, same tiebreaker rules as last year? Minimum sum of absolute differences of predicted vs actual final scores? I think everyone is good with it. The only question from last year was if we wanted to switch 2 and 3: 1. Picked both teams, got winner correct \*\*2. Picked both teams, got winner wrong 2. Picked winner correctly\*\* 3. Picked loser correctly 4. Closest to actual score (number of points the prediction was off off from winning team score plus the number of points off from the losing team score) It ended up being a moot point (as multiple teams picked the Pats over Falcons), but I don’t think any resolution was made. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/10 "2018-01-03T18:19:30Z")
Pats 48 Vikings 27 ---
**Author:** ![BlueMerle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@BlueMerle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueMerle)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/11 "2018-01-03T18:24:20Z")
Vikings 28 - Steelers 24 #idonthaveaclue ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/12 "2018-01-03T18:42:01Z")
Patriots 45, Panthers 17 ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/13 "2018-01-03T18:43:20Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I think everyone is good with it. The only question from last year was if we wanted to switch 2 and 3: > > 1. Picked both teams, got winner correct > \*\*2. Picked both teams, got winner wrong > 2. Picked winner correctly\*\* > 3. Picked loser correctly > 4. Closest to actual score (number of points the prediction was off off from winning team score plus the number of points off from the losing team score) > > It ended up being a moot point (as multiple teams picked the Pats over Falcons), but I don’t think any resolution was made. If it was a roulette wheel, there would be a 1:36 chance of picking both teams vs a 1:12 chance of picking the winner. Obviously it is **not** like a roulette wheel, but sometimes it seems pretty close. I think picking both teams does count for a little more than just picking the winner. Perhaps if the winner is a lower seed, that might count for something. ---
**Author:** ![BlueMerle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@BlueMerle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueMerle)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/14 "2018-01-03T18:52:22Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > If it was a roulette wheel, there would be a 1:36 chance of picking both teams vs a 1:12 chance of picking the winner. Obviously it is **not** like a roulette wheel, but sometimes it seems pretty close. **I think picking both teams does count for a little more than just picking the winner**. Perhaps if the winner is a lower seed, that might count for something. FWIW, I agree with the bolded. If we’re being asked to pick both teams that make the big game then it should count more than just picking the winner. But whatever the group decides is fine. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/15 "2018-01-03T18:57:10Z")
I concur - picking both SB teams should always beat picking the winner and a no-show. ---
**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/16 "2018-01-03T19:35:07Z")
Patriots 38, Vikings 31 ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/17 "2018-01-03T19:36:43Z")
Vikings 23; Patriots 16 By typing out “Patriots” in full I’ve jinxed them; I don’t know how I know this… ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/18 "2018-01-03T19:40:04Z")
Rams 31; Jaguars 17 ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/19 "2018-01-03T19:44:10Z")
Patriots 31, Saints 26 Real Prediction: It’ll be called the “AARP Bowl” since the combined age of the 2 starting quarterbacks will be 79 (Drew Brees turns 39 on 1/15). ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802/20 "2018-01-03T20:02:11Z")
I know the Chiefs will disappoint me during the playoffs like they always do, but I’ll be optimistic that it’s not until the very end. Vikings 17, Chiefs 16 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15th-annual-superbowl-early-picks-thread/805802.md?page=2)