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It hadn’t been a great start to the season for the Vikings, Phillip knew this. Staring a likely 2-5 start in the face didn’t feel so great. The Niners had come off a close loss, but their first of the season. Everyone in the football world was expecting a bounce back, Phillip among them. The only solace he had going into Monday night was that other than the Lions, the other teams in the division were crumbling along with his Vikings.

Usually he would go to a bar, but tonight his buddy had invited him- something about a new app he wanted to try, “in the comfort of his own home”- ok, sounds fun. 30 minutes before the game, Phillip arrived.

“Hey Phil! Come on in I’ve already set up everyone else!”

*everyone else?*

Entering the house, Phillip’s nose was greeted with the spicy smell of nachos, mingled with the musk of craft beer. On the couch and in several chairs sat several of his friends, all of them with phones in hand. Within minutes Phillip had downloaded the app, Call It, and was enrolled in the Vikings vs 49ers contest. To be honest, he wasn’t particularly interested in the app, as his mind was very focused on what would almost certainly be a nearly impossible game for the Vikings to win. But a few of the other guys in the room seemed to be into it, so he preset his prediction-

Vikings. Defensive Stop. 20 points *I mean we suck right?*

Several plays later, Cousins threw the game’s first interception. A cacophony of groans filled the room, followed by swigs of beers. Phillip looked at the app, as the leaderboard scrolled across the top of the page, he saw his name first- guess the others had bet more optimistically- he savored his little victory, lessening the pain, at least somewhat.

However, as the game progressed it became increasingly apparent to all in the room that the Vikings were holding their own against this world beater. Slowly, optimism filled the room, drinks were flowing and more and more attention was being shown to the new app-no doubt to help divert from the rising tensions of anticipation in a close game.

After a missed field goal with 1 minute left in the game, the 49ers got the ball back on their own 40 down 17-22. This was it, make the stop and the Vikings win, allow a TD and, well…

Phillip set his prediction in the app

San Francisco. Defensive Stop. 40 points.

9 yard completion

11 yard completion

Silence filling the room, everyone on the edge of their seats.

35 seconds left. Purdy spikes the ball. They line up, snap, the throw is deep. the throw is-

“INTERCEPTED!!!!!!!”

As quickly as the silence had filled the room, it left in an instant. Everyone was hugging, drinking, walloping, screaming “Skol” like there was no tomorrow. Then suddenly a scream broke through it all-

“I WON”

Drunken heads swiveled around in momentary confusion, then all eyes fell on the app. Phillip’s friend had done an all in wager on a game ending interception, blowing the competition out of the water on the final drive. There was an almost comical pause, before the room erupted in cheers for their week one champion of what was sure to be the start of a wonderful tradition.

Sure the hangovers were going to be violent.

But hangovers? Those are tomorrow’s problem.

*All right, I’ll humor him*

Tracy scanned the QR code on her boyfriend’s phone, he had been pestering her for weeks to play with him and finally it had happened- Call It had just released their iphone version. She had seen him play over the past several games, and she had to admit it did seem to draw him into the game even more than usual.

While an avid Raiders fan, Tracy didn’t care much for apps associated with football. She had tried fantasy football in the past, and setting up the lineup, remembering which players were on byes, and so on was just a bit too distracting and obnoxious for her, so when her boyfriend brought up Call It she was skeptical.

But here she was, enrolled and ready to go, a private contest between her and her boyfriend- no pressure. She started off with a low risk offensive score prediction. Although her Raiders couldn’t get it in the end zone, a very long 10 minute drive resulted in a field goal. Perfect- not only points but also very little need to interact with the app. She glanced at the updated score

Tracy- 137 Jake- 235

Crap

Her boyfriend had gone bigger on a field goal. As little as she had told herself she would care about this app, Tracy was very competitive. Unfortunately as the game progressed, and she got more aggressive to try and catch up, she ended up falling more and more behind. With 2 minutes and 23 seconds to play, Tracy found herself in 113 to 335 point hole. The ball belonged to the Patriots, at their own 9 yard line and down only 2 points. She needed to go big, and her Raiders needed to come up big. Using a peek, she saw that her boyfriend had conservatively picked a punt for 50.

*Screw it I’ll go all in on safety*

The very next play went for 6 yards.

*crap*

Tracy felt the double pang of possible Raiders defeat and the probability of her prediction being correct going down the drain. But fate was to be kind to Tracy, as the next play got called back due to offensive holding. Several plays later it was third down at the Patriot’s own 4 yard line. They would have to drop back with less than 2 minutes remaining. The perfect chance for her miracle prediction to come through.

As if scripted just for her, the very next play saw a Mac Jones sandwich prepared before her very eyes- sealing her victory and more importantly, her Raiders.

“Rise Up Dirty Birds”

The cry sounded so weak, so unconvincing- about as believable as that IRS agent with a thick accent claiming you should pay your backed taxes via gift cards. Derrick glanced around the bar, a place that was packed just two weeks ago was nearly deserted. How had it come to this? After such a hot start, his beloved Falcons had dropped two in a row to come crashing back to earth. Still, perhaps with the return of Ridder things could turn around?

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

Derrick turned around and saw, much to his dismay, a man absolutely decked out in Houston Texans gear. The entire bar and this guy wants to sit here? Still, true to the nature of his southern hospitality, he nodded as the guy settled in.

“Good luck to your team today- by the way have you heard of this new app Call It?”

Great. A sales pitch.

“No”

“Well, if you are down to play a game with me, it’s pretty cool”

Taking a deep breath, Derrick put on a smile.

“Sure”

The guy proceeded to show him the ropes, and a few minutes later Derrick accepted his private contest invitation. It was go time.

“Winner buys the beers?”

“Why not?”

Derrick decided to play it conservatively at first, making small wagers on low risk predictions. Most of his attention was directed at his Falcon’s performance. They were playing quite well, but the game was extremely tight entering the fourth quarter. He glanced at the app-

*both these games are close actually*

At this point, Derrick was feeling the beer, and feeling the confidence. He was down 20 points, but his team was up. It was time for Ridder to put the game away, both for the Falcons and for his contest.

60 points. Touchdown. Wait.

As Derrick picked up his beer, his “friend” let out a holler.

“FUMBLEEEE”

Opening the app quickly, Derrick saw his point deficit tumble 100 points, as the Texans offense took over to drive the field. Several plays later, with under 2 minutes to go, Houston kicked the go ahead touch down. 19-18 Texans.

But Derrick knew something his opponent did not. Ridder had never lost a home game, both in this rookie year and in college. Putting his heart and his beer tab on the line, he made his final prediction for the game.

All In. Field Goal. Wait.

Down the field went Ridder. Down the hatch went Derrick’s beer. And as Woo’s field goal split the uprights for the win, Derrick wore his biggest smile of the young season so far- for what could be better than a team win? Well, as Derrick would tell you, winning twice.

Meet Soju, an unwavering Seahawks devotee. Armed with pretzels and his favorite beverage, he settled into his beloved Lazy Boy recliner, eagerly anticipating the Seahawks’ game. His trusted companion for this football journey? The Call It app.

Having enrolled just days earlier, Soju effortlessly navigated to the “play contest” menu, ready to immerse himself in the game. With a few clicks, he located the game on cable, tuned into the CBS channel, and hit play.

Within the app, Soju handpicked the broadcast and then found the bonus kickoff button. A green football field appeared before him, as the announcers delved into their pre-game analysis. But Soju’s unwavering faith in the Seahawks remained unshaken; in his heart, they were destined for victory.

The coin toss went in favor of Carolina who deferred, and after a kick-off by Pineiro, the game was officially underway. Soju pressed the button in the middle of the sea of green. Within a minute he was synced with the observations of the app’s dedicated team, experiencing the game with a mere two-second delay.

Soju, a true student of the game, withheld judgment during the first drive, eager to see which version of the Seahawks would emerge. The initial three-and-out may have tested his patience, but his optimism and points remained unscathed. As Carolina seized control and began marching down the field, Soju sensed the unfolding narrative. The Seahawks defense, while often yielding yards, seldom allowed touchdowns. He predicted Carolina would be forced to settle for a field goal and reaped the rewards with a generous 4 to 1 payout.

Throughout the game, Soju offered predictions on an impressive 18 out of 25 drives. Not every prediction ended in triumph, but his unwavering dedication made him the most active and engaged fan, propelling the Seahawks to the top of the weekly loyalty rankings. Let’s extend our heartfelt congratulations to Soju and the Seahawks for this remarkable display of devotion and sportsmanship. Kudos!

Congratulations to Maralyn for her impressive victory in the first NFL public contest of the 2023 season! Her strategic choices and bold predictions made her stand out from the crowd and secured her the coveted first-place trophy.

Early in the game, during the first quarter, Maralyn made a rather unexpected move, especially as a Chiefs fan. It was second and 5, with the ball only 39 yards away from the end zone, as the Chiefs were in the midst of a promising drive. In a daring move, she wagered 25 points on the Chiefs getting stopped. It turned out to be a unique call, one she wouldn’t repeat.

Undeterred by her initial gamble, Maralyn went on to make some brilliant decisions. She confidently picked her beloved Chiefs to score on three more drives, risking a total of 115 points but gaining a whopping 315 points in return. It was a risk that paid off handsomely.

Then, as Patrick Mahomes took the field and marched towards the endzone, Maralyn surprised everyone by looking beyond her allegiance and betting 35 points on the Detroit Lions to score. Her foresight paid off again, netting her 122 points.

In the end, Maralyn wrapped up the day with an impressive total of 362 points, securing the first public contest trophy of the NFL season. Her boldness, strategic thinking, and willingness to break from tradition made her a true winner in this exciting contest. We can’t wait to see what she has in store for the rest of the season!