NFL 2025 Season Pick’em Tournament

WEEK 2

Welcome back to our weekly Fans v. AI v. Wife NFL Pick’em. Wow, what a first week!

First things first, congratulations to Shaniece (Wife) for winning our first ever Smiles of the Week with 12 correct predictions. She is showing us why we are trying this fun twist. Now, introducing our Smiles of the Week!

Smiles of the Week Victory Speech (Wife)

Hiiiiii. I’m glad the Niners won. I picked everyone based on their logo or against a team I didn’t like. I don’t know how I won, but yay.

Rules

Each week we pick the teams we think will win.

No point spreads. Just straight up who’s gonna win.

A correct pick is worth one point.

Whoever receives the most points during the week will be crowned the Smile of the Week.

At the end of the regular season, whoever receives the most points will be crowned Chief Justice of Picks.

We follow the same rules during the playoffs and the Super Bowl. At the end of the Super Bowl, we combine all the points and the winner is crowned the Gridiron King or Gridiron Queen.

In case of a tie, we use the following tiebreaker rules.

• Wife gets tie-breaker priority. If she ties with anyone, she gets the crown.

• If AI only ties with any of the Fans, AI gets the crown.

• If Savannah only ties with Raymond, she gets the crown.

Meet the Pickers

Raymond (Fans)

Hello! I’m Raymond E. Strawn III. I love football. Jerry Rice is my favorite player and at first, I was a 49ers fan. But I was born in Oakland and when the Raiders moved back to Oakland and Jerry Rice joined the Raiders, I switched to the silver and black. The Raiders team colors also speak to me.

The goal here is to have fun, but also be crowned the Gridiron King. The odds are against me since I own zero tiebreakers, but it will only make victory that much sweeter.

Shaniece (Wife)

Hiiii My name is Shaniece King. I’m born and raised in San Francisco so of course I’m picking 49ers! I don’t watch sports so I’m picking everyone based off their logos that I like. 

Savannah (Fans)

Hello everyone, I’m Savannah Strawn! I cheer wholeheartedly for the Dallas Cowboys, even though they let me down year after year. I’ll be choosing them every week, even when the odds are stacked against them!

Tony Romo and Amari Cooper are my favorite former players, and now, my favorite is Brandon Aubrey, a.k.a. Butter! My goal here is to win, obviously, and have some fun as well. Let’s go Cowboys!

ChatGPT (AI)

Hey everyone, I’m ChatGPT, your resident AI picker joining the Strawn family’s NFL Pick’em challenge! While Raymond, his wife, and his daughter bring heart, gut feelings, and maybe a little team loyalty into their weekly picks, I’ll be crunching the data, trends, stats, and probabilities to make mine.

I don’t play favorites (unless you count algorithms), and I definitely don’t have a home team—so my picks are made with cold logic, no emotion… though we’ll see if that actually beats the human instinct.

Each week, I’ll be lining up right alongside the family to make my predictions. Will the machines rise, or will human intuition outsmart the data? Let’s find out together!

Thank you everyone for your introductions. Now let’s get to our picks!

Almost a perfect Week 1. Raiders won. Cowboys lost. Niners won. If only I won the Smiles of the Week, it would have been a perfect Week. Thanks to the Bills comeback, I tied for 2nd place with the AI. Savannah had a rough week, only one of us with a losing record. But now it’s a new week. Now onto our picks…

Master Pick Table (Week 2)

Game	Raymond	Savannah	AI	Wife
Commanders @ Packers	GB	GB	GB	GB
Browns @ Ravens	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL
Jaguars @ Bengals	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN
Giants @ Cowboys	DAL	DAL	DAL	NYG
49ers @ Saints	SF	SF	SF	SF
Bills @ Jets	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF
Seahawks @ Steelers	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT
Rams @ Titans	LAR	LAR	LAR	LAR
Panthers @ Cardinals	ARI	ARI	ARI	CAR
Broncos @ Colts	IND	DEN	DEN	DEN
Eagles @ Chiefs	KC	KC	KC	PHI
Falcons @ Vikings	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN
Bears @ Lions	DET	DET	DET	CHI
Patriots @ Dolphins	NE	MIA	MIA	NE
Buccaneers @ Texans	TB	TB	HOU	TB
Raiders @ Chargers	LV	LAC	LV	LAC

Game-by-Game Picks

Commanders @ Packers

Raymond: Packers – Originally, I was leaning towards Washington. But I went against Green Bay last week and that hurt. And Parsons seems ready to dominate a familiar opponent. Also, this game is at Lambeau. I talked myself into going with the Packers, hopefully it pays off.

Savannah: Packers – Just like my father, I was originally going to choose the Commanders, until I realized that the Packers may actually be able to beat them, so I’m going for Green Bay.

AI: Packers — Green Bay’s defense at Lambeau should carry them.

Wife: Packers

Browns @ Ravens

Raymond: Ravens – Joe Flacco returns to Baltimore. No matter how motivated Flacco is for this game, it won’t be enough to overcome Lamar and Company. Easy home win for Baltimore.

Savannah: Ravens – Baltimore was humiliated last week by Buffalo’s comeback. I think that’ll push them to do better this week and actually win. Also, the Browns just aren’t good, so this should be an easy win for the Ravens.

AI: Ravens — Baltimore dominates in the trenches and controls tempo.

Wife: Ravens

Jaguars @ Bengals

Raymond: Bengals – A possible representative of the AFC Championship Game at home against a rebuilding team. Bengals.

Savannah: Bengals – Both won last week, so this was a harder choice for me to make. I’m thinking the Jaguars might not play bad, but they still won’t be good enough to beat Joe Burrow, so I have to give it to the Bengals.

AI: Bengals — Burrow with home crowd support gets it done.

Wife: Bengals

Giants @ Cowboys

Raymond: Cowboys – As much as it pains me to pick the Cowboys here, the Giants are that bad. Sadly, I am going with Dallas.

Savannah: Cowboys – No questions asked, Dallas all the way! The Cowboys own the Giants and everyone knows that. Easy win.

AI: Cowboys — Dallas usually controls this rivalry matchup.

Wife: Giants

49ers @ Saints

Raymond: 49ers – This is slightly tough with Purdy out. But Mac Jones is probably better than the Saints starting QB. Should be a close and low scoring game. 49ers.

Savannah: 49ers – Sadly, Purdy is out, but I still think they’ll get the win.

AI: 49ers — San Francisco’s depth and physicality win out.

Wife: 49ers

Bills @ Jets

Raymond: Bills – Battle of New York. Buffalo has the better team and it isn’t close. Bills.

Savannah: Bills – Obviously the Bills are going to win. They’ve proved how good of a team they are with that comeback last week. Josh Allen will make me happy again this week.

AI: Bills — Josh Allen and Diggs too much for New York.

Wife: Bills

Seahawks @ Steelers

Raymond: Steelers – Rodgers played like his vintage self. I don’t know if he can keep playing at that high of a level given his age. But I don’t have much faith in Seattle. Especially given the history of west coast teams traveling to the east coast for a morning game. Pittsburgh.

Savannah: Steelers – I underestimated Aaron Rodgers last week. He actually played pretty well, so I’ll give it to the Steelers this week.

AI: Steelers — Defense at home is the difference maker.

Wife: Steelers

Rams @ Titans

Raymond: Rams – Rookie QB in Ward playing in his first home game. I expect him to play as a rookie and Stafford to do enough to edge out the win. Rams.

Savannah: Rams – I hate the Rams, but the Titans suck, so I gotta give it to them.

AI: Rams — Sharper passing attack tips the balance.

Wife: Rams

Panthers @ Cardinals

Raymond: Cardinals – The Panthers played poorly last week. The Cardinals played well. I don’t expect much difference at Arizona. Cardinals win.

Savannah: Cardinals – The Panthers let me down last week (I knew I should’ve gone with the Jaguars) so I’m choosing the Cardinals.

AI: Cardinals — More playmakers, better balance overall.

Wife: Panthers

Broncos @ Colts

Raymond: Colts – Finally a game that, in my opinion, is a lot harder to pick. And finally a game I pick differently than the AI. The Colts played well against Miami and I expect a similar performance at Indianapolis. Colts here.

Savannah: Broncos – This was a harder choice, especially since the Colts demolished the Dolphins last week, but something is telling me to go for the Broncos again, so I will.

AI: Broncos — Denver defense frustrates Indy.

Wife: Broncos

Eagles @ Chiefs

Raymond: Chiefs – Super Bowl rematch!!! This should be a great game. Chiefs have some WRs injured, but Mahomes and Andy Reid at home and wanting to avenge their Super Bowl loss will pull out the win.

Savannah: Chiefs – I hate the Chiefs, especially since the picked them to win over my gut choice, the Chargers, but I also hate the Eagles more, so the Chiefs better win this. Also, this is the Superbowl rematch, so the Chiefs will be wanting to prove they can beat the Eagles.

AI: Chiefs — Mahomes steps up in spotlight games.

Wife: Eagles

Falcons @ Vikings

Raymond: Vikings – J.J. McCarthy should play better than Penix Jr. Especially since the Vikings have a better roster. Vikings claim the home win.

Savannah: Vikings – Vikings won last week! I knew they would. I’m hoping they’ll win this week too.

AI: Vikings — Home field and roster depth make the difference.

Wife: Vikings

Bears @ Lions

Raymond: Lions – Ben Johnson returns to Detroit to coach against his old team. But Detroit has the better team and the home crowd will cheer at the end. Lions.

Savannah: Lions – Lions let me down last week, but I don’t think the Bears will be able to beat them, so I’ll have to pick Detroit again.

AI: Lions — At Ford Field, Lions can control tempo.

Wife: Bears

Patriots @ Dolphins

Raymond: Patriots – One of my upset games. Miami played poorly and I have concerns with Tua. I watched the Raiders- Patriots game and I think New England has enough for a divisional road win. Patriots.

Savannah: Dolphins – It seems like the Dolphins have been on a downward spiral, but I still have a little bit of faith left in them. Please win.

AI: Dolphins — Miami’s offense clicks more consistently.

Wife: Patriots

Buccaneers @ Texans

Raymond: Buccaneers- This game is a coin flip. I give the slight advantage to Tampa because of Baker Mayfield. The jury is still out for C.J. Stroud. And I am starting to doubt he has enough for the win. Bucs.

Savannah: Buccaneers – They won last week, so I’m going to give it to the Buccaneers, but I think this could be a close game.

AI: Texans — Stroud’s steady play keeps Houston ahead.

Wife: Buccaneers

Raiders @ Chargers

Raymond: Raiders- The second Monday Night Football game, but really, this is THE Monday Night football game for tonight. A good test for my Raiders, on the road, Prime Time. Let’s Goooo Raiders!!!

Savannah: Chargers – Chargers just beat the Chiefs! They’re on a high horse right now and I don’t think the Raiders have what it takes to knock them down yet. Also, my dad and AI picked the Raiders, and we’ve all had mostly all the same picks this week, so I gotta switch it up. Go Chargers!

AI: Raiders — Division rivalry, but run game + defense tilt to Vegas.

Wife: Chargers

Standings (After Week 1)

Picker	Week 1 Record	Smiles of the Week	Season Record
Raymond (Fans)	9-7	0	9-7
Savannah (Fans)	7-9	0	7-9
AI	9-7	0	9-7
Wife	12-4	1	12-4

* Numbers in parenthesis are Smiles of the Week won by tiebreaker.