NFL - Second Down

The Essential Details

The truth of the matter is, I don't really understand American Football. I know that the Premier League in the UK is getting closer and closer to it, with set plays, and defensive blocking on corners becoming a real thing (thanks Arsenal), and it probably won't be too long before 4 quarters becomes the norm, and then you can bring defensive players on for corners you're defending, and offensive players on for corners your attacking, but, as things stand at the moment, I don't fully get the NFL.

BUT, and it's a capital but, and in bold and underlined, so therefore an important but, loads of you do!!!!

And so we're ready to embark on season 2, the Second Down (I will see how much terminology I can use correctly (did you notice I mentioned defence and offence earlier)).

Like every competition run here though, the important bits are around the taking part, and the money raised for charity.

A percentage of all the signing on fees will be going to The British Heart Foundation, with 14 signed up from last time as I type, we've £144.90 raised so far.

It's £20.00 to join us, and how the Prize Pot will be divided will be confirmed before the Season gets underway.

The Rules and Scoring are below. It's a reminder of how everything operates, and you might find it worth your time to read through, although in truth, I’ve mainly put it in a document to remind me of what was going on in my head when I built this 😳🙄.

So here goes.

1. The competition consists of two parts: The GuessWork and Pre-Season Picks.

2. For The Picks, you must make selections before the matches begin.

3. In The GuessWork, you will need to submit predictions every week.

4. We will go all the way through to the Super Bowl (which I think is 15th Feb 2027)

5. Deadlines will be set for submitting your GuessWork. Once all submissions are in, they will ALL be displayed on the website before a play is made.

   
   

   Notifications and Deadlines

   
   

6. I will send reminders before the deadline for outstanding predictions.

7. There are penalties for missing the Deadline (let's be honest there's not really an excuse as I probably chase 4/5 times during the week)

8. If GuessWork is submitted after the deadline, no bankers will be allowed for that round, and a 20-point penalty will be deducted from your scores.

   
   

   Scoring Points

   
   

9. The more correct results you predict, the more points you earn.

10. There's five result options to pick from for each game played. They Are

    1. Home Win (HW)

    2. Home Win by More than 10 points (H10+)

    3. Away Win (AW)

    4. Away Win by More than 10 points (A10+)

    5. Games going to Over Time (OT)

11. It's 10 points for a Home Win prediction.

12. There's 5 extra points if you go for a Home Win by 10 or more and are correct, but you will only get 5 points if the win is by less than 10.

13. ​It's 15 points for an Away Win.

14. There's an extra 5 points if you go for an Away Win by 10 or more and are correct, but as with the H10+, 5 points less if the win is by less than 10

15. An Over-Time Correct Prediction is worth 25

16. That's straight forward enough.....

17. Points will INCREASE THROUGH EACH OF THE KNOCK OUT ROUNDS

18. THE RESULT IS TAKEN AS THE RESULT AT THE END OF NORMAL TIME - NO AFTER THE MATCH APPEALS HERE PEOPLE - THE GAME IS DECIDED ON THE FIELD

    
    

    Using Bankers

    
    

19. Each round, you can use use 'Bankers' ('BET') that will increase your points if your prediction is correct. There are up to 5 Banker Points available per round which increase any points won (you don't have to use them). 

20. IF YOU'RE NOT USING A BANKER YOU CAN JUST LEAVE THE FIELD BLANK.

21. BUT, there are penalties if your Banker is Wrong!!

22. An Enhanced Banker costs 1 point and will increase your points haul by 50% if you're right. If you are wrong, you will lose 10 (TEN) points.

23. A Guaranteed Banker costs 2 points and will triple your points haul. If you are wrong, you will lose 20 (TWENTY) points.

24. An All In Banker costs all 5 points and triples your points haul. BUT, If you are wrong, you will lose 50 (FIFTY) points.

25. And, as the points increase, the Banker penalties will ALSO increase.

    
    

    Pre-Season Picks

    
    

26. This Season we're adding some Pre-Season GuessWork, and potential points to add to the overall competition.

27. The deadline for The Picks is Wednesday Midday (UK Time) 9th September 2026.

28. The Categories will be:

    1. Season MVP

    2. The Super Bowl Finalists

    3. The Final Divisional Standings

29. The MVP will be declared during the run up to the Super Bowl.

30. You will get the chance to name THREE players you are putting up for MVP. If you've named the winner, you will get 50 points.

31. For the Super Bowl contenders, you get to name TWO teams to reach the showdown on the 15th February 2027.

32. Each team in the Bowl is worth 30 points if you nominated them, increased to 50 points if they win it.

33. In the Divisional Tables you need to place all four teams, in their final places.

34. For every team you place correctly, you will win 5 points. Get all four in the correct places in a Divisional Table, then there's a BONUS 10 points for being spot on.

35. The Divisional Points will be added when the Tables have been settled after Week 18

36. Any cash prizes won during the season will be paid out after once the Super Bowl has ended.

37. An additional ·30 points is also on offer for every new (or returning) player you introduce to the competition (up to a maximum of 5)

38. Most importantly, it’s all just for fun, and ultimately, whatever I say goes.