Final review: nine winner calls landed

The full 2026 NFL Week 1 slate is complete. This article originally separated two games that were already final from fourteen pregame straight up winner calls. Those original forecasts are preserved below beside the verified Sunday and Monday results.

The winner calls finished 9 correct and 5 incorrect, a 64.3% hit rate. The projected scores were estimates, not bets or probability guarantees. None of the fourteen score projections matched both team totals exactly. Confidence applied only to the straight up winner.[1] [2]

Every prediction compared with the final score

Swipe or scroll horizontally to view all columns.

GameOriginal predictionProjected scoreFinal scoreWinner call
Bears at PanthersBearsBears 27, Panthers 23Bears 59, Panthers 37Correct
Buccaneers at BengalsBengalsBuccaneers 24, Bengals 27Buccaneers 27, Bengals 33Correct
Saints at LionsLionsSaints 23, Lions 30Saints 30, Lions 31 in overtimeCorrect
Bills at TexansTexansBills 20, Texans 23Bills 36, Texans 31Missed
Ravens at ColtsRavensRavens 27, Colts 23Ravens 41, Colts 23Correct
Browns at JaguarsJaguarsBrowns 17, Jaguars 24Browns 10, Jaguars 34Correct
Falcons at SteelersSteelersFalcons 17, Steelers 24Falcons 13, Steelers 20Correct
Jets at TitansTitansJets 17, Titans 20Jets 23, Titans 10Missed
Cardinals at ChargersChargersCardinals 14, Chargers 24Cardinals 26, Chargers 14Missed
Dolphins at RaidersRaidersDolphins 17, Raiders 24Dolphins 13, Raiders 27Correct
Packers at VikingsVikingsPackers 20, Vikings 24Packers 22, Vikings 39Correct
Commanders at EaglesEaglesCommanders 17, Eagles 27Commanders 22, Eagles 24Correct
Cowboys at GiantsCowboysCowboys 27, Giants 24Cowboys 20, Giants 28Missed
Broncos at ChiefsBroncosBroncos 23, Chiefs 20Broncos 10, Chiefs 31Missed

The two games completed before publication remain results, not predictions. Seattle beat New England 13 to 10, and San Francisco beat the Rams 27 to 7.[1]

The strongest calls

The Bears, Bengals, Lions, Ravens, Jaguars, Steelers, Raiders, Vikings, and Eagles supplied the nine correct winner calls. Several matched the original football logic even when the final score moved far beyond the estimate.

Chicago won 59 to 37 behind 552 yards and six rushing touchdowns. Caleb Williams added two passing scores and two rushing scores. The Bears call was right, but the projected 27 to 23 game badly understated the scoring environment.[2] [3]

Cincinnati forced four Tampa Bay fumbles that produced 24 points in a 33 to 27 win. Detroit survived a New Orleans rally and won 31 to 30 in overtime after leading 21 to 0. The Saints answered Detroit's overtime touchdown but failed on the two point try.[2] [3]

Baltimore controlled Indianapolis 41 to 23. Lamar Jackson threw for 324 yards, Derrick Henry ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns, and Zay Flowers reached 150 receiving yards before leaving with a hamstring injury. Jacksonville also delivered a decisive result. Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes in a 34 to 10 win over Cleveland.[2] [3]

Pittsburgh won 20 to 13 after T. J. Watt returned an interception for a touchdown. Las Vegas beat Miami 27 to 13 as Ashton Jeanty ran for 102 yards and scored twice as a receiver. Minnesota scored 29 unanswered points after Kyler Murray left with a concussion, and Philadelphia held off Washington 24 to 22 behind three Jalen Hurts touchdown passes.[3]

What the five misses taught us

Three misses came from the lowest confidence group. Houston, Tennessee, and Denver were each rated 2 out of 5. All three lost. That does not prove calibration from one week, but it shows why low confidence upset calls should remain clearly separated from stronger selections.

Buffalo beat Houston 36 to 31 after a 96 yard go ahead drive and a late strip sack near the goal line. The Jets beat Tennessee 23 to 10 with 152 rushing yards, while Tennessee managed only 195 total yards.[2] [3]

Arizona produced the largest directional miss. The forecast called for a 24 to 14 Chargers win, but the Cardinals won 26 to 14. Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards, Arizona gained 393 total yards, and the Cardinals added a forced fumble and a blocked kick.[3]

The Giants beat Dallas 28 to 20 behind three Jaxson Dart touchdown passes and 165 rushing yards. Dallas committed seven first half penalties and failed to produce a defensive stop after halftime.[3]

Kansas City closed the week with a 31 to 10 Monday night win over Denver. Kenneth Walker III produced 191 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, including a 60 yard run on fourth and inches. Bo Nix threw an interception, lost a fumble, and took four sacks.[4] [5]

How confidence lined up

The nine calls rated 3 out of 5 finished 8 correct and 1 incorrect. The two calls rated 4 out of 5 split 1 correct and 1 incorrect. The three calls rated 2 out of 5 finished 0 correct and 3 incorrect.

This is a small sample, so it should not be treated as proof of a stable edge. It is still useful feedback. Medium confidence calls performed best, while the low confidence upset group created most of the misses. Future reviews should keep measuring confidence against actual outcomes rather than treating the label as a marketing number.

SBA Takeaway

The straight up forecast finished 9 correct and 5 incorrect. That is a solid Week 1 result, but the exact scores were much less reliable. The best lesson is not that every close score can be predicted. The useful signal came from identifying the winning team in nine games and being honest about the five misses.

My Bet Assist will keep the original calls visible, compare them with final results, and use each weekly review to improve how confidence and game context are presented. No single week proves long term accuracy, and every new slate needs fresh data.

Sources