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This was it. The right to go to the Super Bowl was on the line. Four teams remained, and the Seahawks were one of those four. It was Seahawks vs Chargers, if the Seahawks could take them down, then the game for it all would be on the line. 

Bryce was ready. While the Seahawk team had just missed the playoffs, they were alive and thriving in the fan community. While Call It was still in it’s early days, Bryce had no doubt that he would look back on this season and be proud to count himself among the members of it’s inaugural season. The Seahawks taking the Fanbardi trophy would just be the icing on the cake.

He had already invited over 30 friends and acquaintances in a massive watch party. Bryce would provide all refreshments and snacks provided all in attendance set the Seahawks to their favorite team and participated in the contest. After welcoming the guests, Bryce gathered everyone around, made sure they were all set up, and soon kickoff ensued. 

To keep things interesting, Bryce had the group participate in his celebrity contest, which, as host, allowed him to make a bit of the money he spent on the party back. The bad news? He would open himself to constant ribbing as everyone could see his score across their screens. 

The game started out ok, with Bryce staying ahead of well over 20 of his guests. As for the Seahawks themselves, they seemed to have a fairly commanding lead over the Commanders. 

28000 – 20500

43000 – 30008

And so forth. As the contest drew to a close, the Seahawks had things firmly in control, but Bryce’s celebrity contest was a different story. He trailed 8 of his friends, but only by a few hundred points. Sensing his opportunity slipping away, Bryce went all in on a hedged bet against several unlikely turnovers (interception, fumble, missed field goal). The qb threw deep, the entire room held their breath, and the ball fell harmlessly on the ground. An incomplete pass. Bryce had thrown the game. After much teasing, the guests all thanked Bryce for his hospitality, and one by one they tricked out into the night. Bryce couldn’t have his mood ruined though – the Hawks were going to the Superbowl.

Ben was ready. After spending the previous week on a bye, busy sabotaging his potential opponents, it was finally time. The Call It playoffs were in the Divisional Round,  which meant the Seahawks were up. The opponent? Bengals.

Ben chuckled. Only in Call It could an AFC and NFC team match up in the playoffs outside of the Superbowl. It felt…different. Refreshing. Exciting. Kickoff was only a few hours away, and while he would be watching alone, Ben knew that for today, all Seahawk fans were together.

An hour before kickoff. Ben hopped in his car, even though the Seahawk team wasn’t in the playoffs, since the Seahawks fans were first seed he knew he had to arrive to the bar a bit early.

Sure enough, bar was packed. Go time.

Eagles > TD > 75

Ben decided to go big this time. It didn’t hurt that if he were right, their rival the Rams would suffer. Driving the field, Barkley broke of a huge run for the score. The bar erupted. Ben checked his new score: 450. More importantly though, the Seahawks were up on the Bengals by over 2000 points.

Rams > Defensive Stop > 25
Rams > Punt > 15

hedging bets was somewhat smart in this game, Ben had learned. The Rams got partway down the field and reached fourth down, but after an overturned review they drove the rest of the field. Points? 410. Luckily some other Seahawks fans hadn’t been so anti Rams, and the Hawks increased their score differential to 3000.

As the game progressed, the Eagle’s maintained an uncomfortably close lead over the Rams, but the Seahawks looked to take the game over the Bengals with ease. By the fourth quarter the Seahawks had a commanding 15k point lead. Ben didn’t quit though, he knew it wasn’t over until the fat lady sang.

Rams > ToD > 727

It was looking to be the final drive of the game, and the Eagles held a 6 point lead- it was touchdown or bust for the Rams.

Ben held his breath, he had everything on the line, plus he wanted the Rams’ postseason to end here. The Rams drove the field, but a fourth down would prove to be too much. Ben multiplied his score many times over, the Seahawks advanced to the championship Round, the Rams were gone.

it was a good day.

The upcoming weekend was a big one for James. As a Bengals fan, his team was very much alive in the Call It playoffs, even if the actual team had been eliminated the previous week. Squeaking in as the 14th seed, it was going to be an uphill battle to make the playoffs. With a date with the Buccaneers, a win would pit them against the Seahawks in the divisional round- a team that had more distance between themselves and second place, as second place had between them and the Bengals. In short, no one expected the Bengals to go very far. But it all started this weekend vs the Bucs.

James had invited several of his friends over, all of whom were ready to contribute to the Bengals. Usually the playoffs would be fun even if your team was eliminated, but with the way the Call It playoffs worked, your team could not make the playoffs while the fanbase still did. This was a new way for fans to actually contribute to their team’s success.

One by one, his friends arrived, seats filled, snacks on the coffee table, and the popping of beer tops all signaled that kickoff was near. James had set up a small screen next to the T.V., and had ported an old phone to display the Call It information concerning the matchup so they could all see the updated results after every drive.

Bengals @ Bucs, 0-0

Everyone timed their kickoff button for the extra 25 points, and the game was underway. The first few drives saw several lead changes, indicating that those fans down in Tampa were also taking it seriously.

Bengals 5330 – 5147 Bucs

Bengals 10828 – 11004 Bucs

Bengals 15200 – 14993 Bucs

All eyes darted to the screen after every drive resolution. Groans and cheers filling the air after each update. While the game held close, by the end of the third quarter the Bucs had clearly pulled ahead.

Bengals 45222 – 52798 Bucs

As the game winded down, the Bengals were still down by almost 8000 points. Among their group of 5, the highest point total was hovering around 500. James had an idea- a bold hail mary of an approach. Giving his most inspiring tipsy speech he could muster, he suggested they all go all in on a fumble. After some deliberation it was agreed that they would hedge bets on interception as well. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as they watched what was likely the final drive of the game.

Interception.

It happened. Whoops and hollars filled the house, more bottle caps were popped as the cheers continued. Then, one by one the chatter went silent as eyes darted to the screen, eagerly awaiting the updated numbers.

Bengals 79923 – 80234 Bucs

Hearts sank. To come so close and fall short, to almost single handedly save all the Bengals fans from elimination, it was devastating. But then, almost inexplicably, the numbers on the board changed.

Bengals 80401 – 80234 Bucs

Puzzled, James looked at his points. They had gone up almost 500 points! It was a correction from the system! As he enlightened his comrades to the news, the celebrations resumed. The Bengals were alive- at least for another week.

The final playoff push was happening. Initiated by the Call It subreddit for the Titans, this weekend was an organized attempt across a couple sports bars in Nashville to help bring home a playoff spot for the franchise that would be picking close to number one in the draft the following spring. The Titan’s regular season record was depressing, their Call It number? Only about ten thousand points outside a playoff berth.

Ordinarily, Frank wouldn’t care too much about watching his team play this year. But with the Call It playoffs on the line, it put a whole new spin on the post season meaning something. When he arrived at the bar, he found it absolutely packed with like minded fans. A couple slightly inebriated guys came up to him, and drafted him into their private contest “just because”. It was like everyone there had known each other their entire lives. The place was buzzing.

Some guy with a microphone started to inform the crowd about the kick off button, and what broadcast to select and so forth. As the kickoff neared, the crowd chanted the countdown together, dozens of fingers hitting the sync button at the same time. It was show time.

Apparently, the organizers had done an in depth analytical study of Call It, and had figured out how to maximize the reward to risk ration for predictions depending on the situation on the field. The guy with the microphone was calling out the picks that everyone should choose, and most of them (by the sound of the cheering and grumbles) were following through. Frank likewise went with the flow, but occasionally altered his amount wagered.

A projector showed the current point totals, updating after every drive completion. The Titan’s were closing their 10,000 point deficit rapidly. Frank had amassed a healthy 2000 point total in his contest as the game neared the end. Only 500 points separated the Titan’s from the first wild card team. Frank decided it was only proper that he predict a game sealing interception- on his own team.

Titans > Interception > 2000

The man with the mic had given instructions for everyone to predict a field goal (which would have won it for the Titans). Everyone at the edge of their seats, as the Titan’s drove the field. A drop back, a throw, and a massive groan from the crowd as the ball sailed effortlessly into the hands of the defender. Frank stood up quickly, opened the app and checked. The board updated, and there were shouts of confusion as the Titans had claimed the final wild card spot.

Frank lifted his phone up, shouting the news of his success. The bar erupted in roars of approval. The Titans were going to the playoffs.

One win. One win was all the Rams needed (probably) to make the playoffs. Jeff sat back in his chair and looked out the window. The chill of a wintery 65 degree day hung in the LA air, but luckily for Jeff he was sitting warm in his house. Too cold to go out to a bar, he thought. Besides, Christmas had just ended a few days ago and he wanted to bask in the ambiance of his post Christmas home. Opening his phone, he checked the Call It playoff rankings- the Rams were just about eliminated from playoff contention there, it seemed pretty hopeless; but Jeff was determined.

One hour until kickoff. Jeff checked his fridge, he was out of beer. Bundling up in his warmest winter clothes, Jeff braved the frigid and smoggy outdoors to visit his nearest convenience store. Shoot, his budget pilsner was on sale! 24 cans for 70 bucks! After grabbing 2 cases (because why wouldn’t you with such a bargain) he raced home and turned on the T.V.

He would have to make up a lot of ground if he was to get his team into the Call It playoffs.

Rams > Touchdown > 100

Sitting back, Jeff watched his Rams drive the field, making the Cardinals look like a local high school football team. Instantly, Jeff was up almost 1000 points!

Cardinals > Interception > 950

Jeff was getting bolder, he desperately needed to carry his team to victory, and into the Call It playoffs. The Cardinals drove the field, but an untimely throw by Murray netted Jeff his second victory of the day. Almost 100,000 points. He checked his team’s rankings, and added his points to it. They were still short by almost a million.

Rams > Touchdown > 99,820

Stafford moved effortlessly down the field, throwing strike after strike. Almost as if it were magic, he threw the most beautiful touchdown pass the NFL had ever seen.

Jeff was now sitting on a pretty 520,000 points. He needed to double it to get his team in. Jeff was getting better at the game, even as his beer supply dwindled.

Cardinals > fumble > 520,000

Almost as if God himself had given the Rams the divine right for everything to go perfectly for them, the Cardinals ball popped out of the running back’s hands, scooped up by the Ram’s middle linebacker, and ran back for the touchdown.

Ten Million points for Jeff. The Rams were a done deal, they had dismantled the Cardinals, booted the Seahawks out of the playoffs, and most importantly, Jeff had single handedly sealed their trip to the Call It playoffs.

Minutes later there was a loud knocking on his door, he opened it up to see what seemed to be half of LA filling the street and disappearing over the horizon. The men at his front door grabbed him, hoisted him on their shoulders, and everyone paraded Jeff down the road singing “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”. The festivities went on late into the night.

And then Jeff woke up.

It had been an outstanding slate of games on Sunday, especially if you were a Vikings fan – of which Todd was. While it would have been preferable for the Packers to lose, the fact that the Lions finally stumbled, for the first time in 10 weeks, gave the Vikings a chance. A chance for a tied division lead and the number one seed in the NFC.

And all the Vikings had to do was beat the Bears. A seemingly trivial task, given the Bear’s second half season implosion. Still, any given Sunday also applied to Monday. Todd was ready. He had a full spread of wings, chips and dip, and beer laid out before him. The guests would arrive in 30 minutes, the game in an hour. Picking up his phone, Todd shot out private contest links for Call It, and one by one his friend’s accepted the invite.

Despite being a newer product, Call It had become a weekly tradition for Todd and the boys. The winner each week got to select the venue and menu for the following week, and didn’t have to pay for it. While Todd had yet to win, he had come pretty close last week, and figured he had it this time.

One by one his friends arrived, the cracking of beer tabs and chatter gradually intensifying. Kickoff was near. Holding their phones outstretched, the guys each raised a single finger, watching the television intently. As the kicker’s foot hit the ball, each digit hit tapped their respective phones simultaneously, with a unified “Skol” chant for good measure. Building traditions was fun.

The Vikings got off to a 10-0 start, and Todd shot ahead of the gang by over 100 points. Both Todd and the Vikings would never look back. The clincher? a 25 point shot in the dark at a fumble prediction that paid off. The guys were too excited over the turnover to realize their now impossible situation- and Todd’s impending free lunch next Sunday.

When all was said and done, the Vikings trounced the Bears, 30-12, and Todd cleared the field by a good 350 points. The Vikings were tied for first, with just 3 games remaining. It was going to be a hell of a year.

Jim woke up Monday in a much better mood than one would expect. Usually Mondays signaled the end of the fun times and the good vibes, a return to the monotony, the death of the weekend. But today was not just any Monday, today was the day Jim’s Bengals were playing on Monday Night Football. There was something special about Monday Night Football, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Moments before the game began, Jim was scrolling and saw an ad for Call It on his web browser. “Call the Game”. It claimed to allow him to predict the outcome of individual drives. Skeptical, he downloaded the app and found a detailed article that walked him through the set up. Tapping the Kick Off button as the kicker commenced the game, Jim was delighted to find extra points awarded for his efforts. The game had begun, and Jim was feeling lucky.

It was risky, but Jim felt that playing somewhat pessimistically would at least lessen the pain if his team allowed the Cowboys to score. He threw a whopping 20% of his points towards his prediction- that his team’s opponent would score. But Jim wasn’t going to leave his bleeding heart fandom behind completely, they would score, he thought, but only a field goal.

Jim watched as his team gave up 5 yards here, a first down there, moving the ball slowly but surely. It was hard to watch, but finally fourth down was reached- his team had prevented a costly early game Touch Down. As the field goal unit came onto the field, he said a prayer to the football gods that the long 54 yarder would miss.

No such luck.

As the football split the uprights like a thread through the eye of a needle, a wave of disappointment washed over him. It was, however, short lived; for in that moment he remembered that he had made that very prediction- he had called it! Jim grabbed his phone, opened the app and checked the scores. He had doubled his points and taken an early lead in the contest!

Although subsequent predictions wouldn’t result in as favorable outcomes for him, it didn’t matter. He had discovered a game that allowed him to win even if his team let him down. A way to boast to his fellow football fans and show them he knew how each drive was going to go down. And although Jim may not have won the contest, his team still carried the day, and that was good enough for him to go to bed that night with a smile on his face.

Thomas was alone. His fiery optimism falling on deaf ears as the season seemed to be spiraling out of control. It was uncanny, the Seahawks had won the previous week in a rematch with the Forty-Niners. Sure it came after a horrid sliding of season ending proportions. But for the others, it wasn’t convincing enough, it was too little too late, it was typical Seahawks shenanigans. Yet for all that bellyaching here they were, in week 12, with a chance to take the division lead with a win against the Cardinals. His optimism was burning eternal.

But Thomas had plenty of reasons to watch the game besides blind faith in his team. He also lead his buddies in their self created league in the app Call It. The rules for their league was simple- They all paired up in 2 player private contests every week, and the winner would get a “W” for that week. There were only four of them, but the general premise was that the top two players would face off in the playoffs for a best of 4 (with tiebreakers of course) to crown the ultimate Call It champion!

Going into week 12, Thomas had a 1 game lead over third place James, clinging to his playoff spot. And James just happened to be his opponent. Unlike Thomas, James was a pessimist. This game will go as the Seahawk’s game does.

After arriving at the designated bar, and exchanging pleasantries with the gang, Thomas set up next to James. A few minutes and a bit of trash talking later, the kickoff had commenced.

25 > Cardinals > Field Goal

Got to curb that enthusiasm.

Cardinals drove the field, albeit with difficulty. And after a few nerve wracking moments they finally sailed one through the uprights. A mixed wave of emotion flowed through Thomas. While Cardinals scoring was not ideal, he coasted to an easy 50 point advantage over James.

32 > Seahawks > Touchdown

Was he putting all his eggs in one basket? Sure. But this was the Cardinals, and this was for the division and the playoff spot. The Seahawks drove the field, and Thomas’ Call It coffers continued to fill. As the game went on, James slowly closed the gap. Early in the third quarter, Thomas fell behind on an ill advised missed field goal prediction. The game was extremely tight for the Seahawks, who led by a slim 7-3 score. Things were even more dire for Thomas, who had now fallen behind by almost 100 points. He needed to get bold or else he could go down with a whimper.

40 > Cardinals > Defensive Stop

7 > Cardinals >Interception

By hedging his bets, he could either get a decent chunk for the correctly called defensive stop, or if he were so lucky he could get a large payout from a risky interception prediction AND get the defensive stop points.

Cardinals began driving the field, and as they entered Seahawk territory, Thomas felt the desperation closing in. In a matter of minutes, Thomas could see his team lose the lead, and he himself fall into an inescapable hole.

But then it happened. A poor decision by the Cardinals QB, and an opportunistic, 69 yard interception return for a touchdown. The bar erupted in cheers, James spilled his beer all over the counter as he stood up in disbelief. Thomas briefly forgot about his competition with James as the emotions that brought this rivalry together – a mutual love for the game of football – washed over him.

After the commotion Thomas remembered his pick prediction. And sure enough, there he was, in the lead by several hundred points. A near insurmountable amount for James to overcome.

While Thomas would cruise to the victory, neither he nor James’ spirits were doused. Their team had won, their team was better than they thought, and for now, their team lead the division.

It was a good day.

Mike knew numbers.

He knew how to play the angles.

And this time, he would win it all.

Going all in on the first prediction of the game was risky, but if leveraged correctly could put him in pole position for this college game and for his Seminoles.

100 > Notre Dame > Touchdown.

Mike was a huge Seminoles fan, but he wasn’t under any delusions. His team likely wouldn’t come close to winning this matchup. But if he could win this contest, it would be the best consolation prize he could ask for. Sure enough, Notre Dame drove the field, and in a matter of minutes, they, and Mike, hit pay dirt.

313 points in the green. It was a fantastic start, and shot him to the top of the leader boards. His Seminoles would take the field, and again while Mike had low expectations, a small part of him, the homer part of him, needed to see the game kept close. He hedged his emotions and his bet.

20 > Florida State > Field Goal.

Three and out. Ah well, he still had 293 points right? His lead held, but his pride didn’t.

Now usually this would be the time when a change in strategy would show itself. Perhaps it was the sunk cost fallacy, or maybe the burning itch that you made the right prediction at the wrong time. But for whatever reason, Mike figured that sooner or later he would hit big on the field goal.

50 > Notre Dame > Field Goal.

Punt.

Mike had to get his lost points back.

100 > Florida State > Field Goal.

Punt.

100 points left, right back to where he started. This time, Notre Dame was moving the ball pretty well, Mike’s Seminoles found themselves in a large hole as Notre Dame threatened to make it a 50 burger. But for some inexplicable reason, Mike found himself confident that fourth time would be the charm.

100 > Notre Dame > Field Goal.

Touchdown.

Sighing, Mike unceremoniously closed the app. Ah well, maybe a field goal will happen next week.

It was time. The big game was just a mere several hours away. An annual event that rivaled Christmas or the fourth of July, at least in the McCarron household. Football was in their veins, competition the blood that flowed through them. Every year all members had chosen a couple teams to be “their” teams for the season, a fun game with an annual draft. But this year things had been taken up a notch. With the introduction of Call It, the McCarron family could add another year long competitive ranking aside from their home brewed contest and fantasy football. 

Mark was leading his family, having won 6 contests during the regular season, and advancing in the playoffs to knock off his second oldest son, his step daughter, and his youngest son in the first three rounds. 

See, the McCarron household took Call It to a whole other level, playing private contests among each other every week, with the final rankings of each week giving them a running total of points (10 points for first, 8 for second and so forth, with anyone falling out of the top 5 receiving no points for that week). In the playoffs, they branched into 1v1 private contests, in single elimination games- win your contest and advance – lose, and your season is over. 

Lucky for the McCarrons, they had a large family, and a family who was absolutely crazy about football. 

This year’s superbowl had everything on the line for Mark. He and his eldest son were the only ones left standing in their Call It season. Furthermore, Mark had the Chiefs as his pick to win it all at the start of the season, while his son, coincidentally, had the 49ers. Mark had already won the family fantasy football season, which meant that this game could be the first time a member of the McCarron family won all three annual contests (no one had won the two contests before Call It was introduced, either). For Mark, this was about the bragging rights, the crown that likely would be near impossible to topple in the future. 

The big game began, and Mark’s son got off to a hot start, accurately predicting the early Niner’s takeaways. In a large hole early, Mark didn’t panic. As the first half started to wind down, the Chiefs received the ball with around 4 minutes remaining.

Chiefs/FG/75

As the Chiefs entered hurry up, they drove the field, kicking- and making- the field goal with just 20 seconds left on the clock. By this point in the season, Mark was an expert, and quickly submitted his all in time expired prediction as well. His son did the same. 

The half time score was 10-3 Niners, the Call It score was in favor of his son, by almost 100 points. While neither was ideal, that final drive brought both games- and Mark’s tricrown goal- a little closer together. 

After a half time show where the family ranked it relative to the previous half time shows (spoiler, it didn’t do that well) the third quarter started- and ended with all chiefs. 10 unanswered points made the score 13-10 Chiefs, and Mark had also closed the gap with his son.

Momentum- Mark.

The fourth quarter turned into a battle, for both contests. A back and forth affair that saw Mark make a potentially fatal blunder as time expired. Taking the Chiefs to punch it in and finish the game, they could only manage a field goal, and Mark fell 150 points behind his son. The game, however, went into overtime. 

Mark managed to keep the score close, and after the Niner’s field goal (a drive that left Mark sweating and his son on the edge of his seat) Mahomes finally delivered. Almost as time expired in the 5th quarter, Mark was all in on touchdown while his son predicted a 6th quarter. 

No one that day would have thought there could be a happier person in the world than Patrick Mahomes, who donned his second consecutive ring in as many years. But believe it or not, there was one man in central Iowa named Mark who would beg to differ.