Mike’s 2026 NFL Pick’Em Rules

These rules apply to the 2026 NFL regular-season Pick’Em contest.

Entry Fees

One weekly Pick’Em form costs $5.
A prepaid season entry costs $85 and covers all 18 regular-season weeks.
Paying weekly for all 18 weeks would cost $90, so the prepaid option saves $5.
Prepaid entry money is divided across all 18 weeks.
Players may participate from anywhere. Online payments are accepted.

Weekly Deadline

Completed forms and payment must be received by 12:00 noon Panama time on the day of the first NFL game of the week.

Late entries will not be accepted, even if the first game has not started.

After the deadline, a master sheet showing everyone’s selections will be published. Picks cannot be changed after the deadline.

For Week 1, forms and payment are due by 12:00 noon Panama time on Wednesday.

Making Your Picks

Pick the winner of every game on the weekly form.
Each correct pick earns one point.
Players are ranked by their total number of correct picks.
If players have the same score, the weekly tiebreaker determines their finishing order.

Weekly Tiebreaker

One game—usually the final game of the week—will be designated as the weekly tiebreaker.

Each player must predict the combined final score of both teams in that game.

If players finish with the same number of correct picks, the player whose prediction is closest to the actual combined score finishes higher. The tiebreaker determines both first and second place.

If players have the same number of correct picks and submit the same tiebreaker prediction, they split the applicable prize equally.

Weekly Prize Money

A small amount may first be retained for reasonable expenses such as photocopying, website maintenance, and administration.

The remaining weekly entry money is divided as follows:

60% goes to first place.
15% goes to second place.
25% goes into the season Progressive Pot.

For example, if $100 remains after expenses:

First place receives $60.
Second place receives $15.
The Progressive Pot receives $25.

Season Standings

Season standings run from Week 1 through Week 18.
Every correct weekly pick also counts toward the player’s cumulative season score.
The player with the most correct picks after Week 18 becomes the Season Champion.
The Progressive Pot grows throughout the regular season.

Progressive Pot Payout

At the end of the regular season:

75% of the Progressive Pot goes to the Season Champion.
25% goes to the season runner-up.

Results and Standings

Weekly results, season standings, and Progressive Pot updates may be viewed online or at Mike’s Global Grill.

Playoffs

The playoffs will be a separate contest with separate entry fees, prizes, and rules. Playoff rules will be announced later.