How does the FSN NFL rooting guide work?

FSN measures how each other game in the current week changes a team’s simulated playoff, division, No. 1 seed and Super Bowl outcomes, then ranks the results that help most.

Why is my team’s own game not included?

Winning your own game is already the most direct way to improve your position. The rooting guide focuses on the other games fans should care about.

Do NFL rooting interests change every week?

Yes. Rooting interests rebuild with the FSN season forecast as standings, tiebreak paths and game probabilities change. Weekly snapshots preserve the pre-week picture.

2026 NFL · WEEK 2 · FSN-ROOT-1.0

NFL Week 2 Rooting Guide: Who Should Every Team Root For?

Pick your team for Week 2. FSN ranks every other unplayed game by how much each result helps your playoff path—using the same 5,000 full-season simulations behind the Playoff Predictor.

Playoff Control Center →Playoff Predictor →Game Simulator →

PICK YOUR TEAM

Who should you root for in Week 2?

Team

WEEK 2 ROOTING INTERESTS

Buffalo Bills fans: here’s who to root for

Your own game is excluded. Winning that one is still the best possible rooting strategy.

Current playoff odds93.8%10 meaningful outside-game impacts

Huge impact Sun 1:00 PM ET

PITPittsburgh Steelers @ NENew England Patriots

ROOT FOR Pittsburgh Steelers over New England Patriots

+8.6 pts Division odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Pittsburgh Steelers wins83.3%Division odds

If New England Patriots wins74.8%Division odds

Playoffs94.2%vs93.6%

Division83.3%vs74.8%

#1 seed28.4%vs28.8%

Reach SB23.2%vs22.3%

Win SB12.6%vs10.8%

High impact Sun 4:05 PM ET

JAXJacksonville Jaguars @ DENDenver Broncos

ROOT FOR Denver Broncos over Jacksonville Jaguars

+4.6 pts No. 1 seed odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Denver Broncos wins31.6%No. 1 seed odds

If Jacksonville Jaguars wins26.9%No. 1 seed odds

Playoffs93.3%vs94.1%

Division77.7%vs77.7%

#1 seed31.6%vs26.9%

Reach SB23.4%vs22.1%

Win SB11.1%vs11.6%

High impact Sun 4:25 PM ET

MIAMiami Dolphins @ SFSan Francisco 49ers

ROOT FOR San Francisco 49ers over Miami Dolphins

+2.5 pts No. 1 seed odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If San Francisco 49ers wins29.2%No. 1 seed odds

If Miami Dolphins wins26.7%No. 1 seed odds

Playoffs93.9%vs93.2%

Division78.0%vs76.5%

#1 seed29.2%vs26.7%

Reach SB22.4%vs23.2%

Win SB11.2%vs12.4%

High impact Sun 1:00 PM ET

NONew Orleans Saints @ BALBaltimore Ravens

ROOT FOR New Orleans Saints over Baltimore Ravens

+3.0 pts No. 1 seed odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If New Orleans Saints wins30.9%No. 1 seed odds

If Baltimore Ravens wins27.9%No. 1 seed odds

Playoffs94.1%vs93.7%

Division77.9%vs77.6%

#1 seed30.9%vs27.9%

Reach SB22.2%vs22.7%

Win SB11.8%vs11.3%

Meaningful impact Mon 8:15 PM ET

NYGNew York Giants @ LARLos Angeles Rams

ROOT FOR Los Angeles Rams over New York Giants

+1.9 pts Division odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Los Angeles Rams wins78.4%Division odds

If New York Giants wins76.5%Division odds

Playoffs94.2%vs93.1%

Division78.4%vs76.5%

#1 seed29.4%vs27.5%

Reach SB23.3%vs21.4%

Win SB11.5%vs11.3%

Meaningful impact small model edge Sun 1:00 PM ET

PHIPhiladelphia Eagles @ TENTennessee Titans

ROOT FOR Philadelphia Eagles over Tennessee Titans

+1.1 pts Division odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Philadelphia Eagles wins78.1%Division odds

If Tennessee Titans wins76.9%Division odds

Playoffs94.1%vs93.2%

Division78.1%vs76.9%

#1 seed28.9%vs28.2%

Reach SB23.1%vs21.5%

Win SB11.7%vs10.9%

Meaningful impact Sun 8:20 PM ET

INDIndianapolis Colts @ KCKansas City Chiefs

ROOT FOR Indianapolis Colts over Kansas City Chiefs

+2.4 pts No. 1 seed odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Indianapolis Colts wins30.2%No. 1 seed odds

If Kansas City Chiefs wins27.8%No. 1 seed odds

Playoffs93.4%vs94.0%

Division78.1%vs77.5%

#1 seed30.2%vs27.8%

Reach SB22.7%vs22.5%

Win SB11.7%vs11.3%

Meaningful impact Sun 1:00 PM ET

GBGreen Bay Packers @ NYJNew York Jets

ROOT FOR Green Bay Packers over New York Jets

+2.3 pts Division odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Green Bay Packers wins78.8%Division odds

If New York Jets wins76.5%Division odds

Playoffs94.1%vs93.5%

Division78.8%vs76.5%

#1 seed28.2%vs29.3%

Reach SB22.3%vs22.9%

Win SB11.3%vs11.6%

Meaningful impact Sun 4:05 PM ET

LVLas Vegas Raiders @ LACLos Angeles Chargers

ROOT FOR Los Angeles Chargers over Las Vegas Raiders

+1.6 pts Super Bowl trip odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Los Angeles Chargers wins23.2%Super Bowl trip odds

If Las Vegas Raiders wins21.6%Super Bowl trip odds

Playoffs94.1%vs93.3%

Division77.9%vs77.5%

#1 seed28.6%vs28.9%

Reach SB23.2%vs21.6%

Win SB11.8%vs10.8%

Meaningful impact small model edge Sun 1:00 PM ET

CLECleveland Browns @ TBTampa Bay Buccaneers

ROOT FOR Cleveland Browns over Tampa Bay Buccaneers

+1.3 pts Super Bowl trip odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Cleveland Browns wins23.5%Super Bowl trip odds

If Tampa Bay Buccaneers wins22.1%Super Bowl trip odds

Playoffs93.7%vs93.9%

Division77.5%vs77.8%

#1 seed28.6%vs28.7%

Reach SB23.5%vs22.1%

Win SB12.1%vs11.1%

Small edge small model edge Sun 4:25 PM ET

WASWashington Commanders @ DALDallas Cowboys

ROOT FOR Washington Commanders over Dallas Cowboys

+0.7 pts Division odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Washington Commanders wins78.1%Division odds

If Dallas Cowboys wins77.4%Division odds

Playoffs93.7%vs93.9%

Division78.1%vs77.4%

#1 seed29.1%vs28.4%

Reach SB23.8%vs21.8%

Win SB12.4%vs10.7%

Small edge small model edge Sun 1:00 PM ET

CARCarolina Panthers @ ATLAtlanta Falcons

ROOT FOR Carolina Panthers over Atlanta Falcons

+0.8 pts Division odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Carolina Panthers wins78.1%Division odds

If Atlanta Falcons wins77.3%Division odds

Playoffs94.1%vs93.4%

Division78.1%vs77.3%

#1 seed28.9%vs28.3%

Reach SB22.4%vs22.8%

Win SB11.4%vs11.4%

Small edge small model edge Sun 1:00 PM ET

MINMinnesota Vikings @ CHIChicago Bears

ROOT FOR Chicago Bears over Minnesota Vikings

+0.8 pts No. 1 seed odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Chicago Bears wins29.0%No. 1 seed odds

If Minnesota Vikings wins28.2%No. 1 seed odds

Playoffs94.1%vs93.2%

Division77.8%vs77.6%

#1 seed29.0%vs28.2%

Reach SB22.3%vs23.0%

Win SB11.5%vs11.3%

Small edge small model edge Sun 1:00 PM ET

CINCincinnati Bengals @ HOUHouston Texans

ROOT FOR Cincinnati Bengals over Houston Texans

+0.6 pts Division odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Cincinnati Bengals wins78.1%Division odds

If Houston Texans wins77.5%Division odds

Playoffs94.1%vs93.6%

Division78.1%vs77.5%

#1 seed28.8%vs28.6%

Reach SB21.7%vs23.1%

Win SB10.9%vs11.7%

Small edge small model edge Sun 4:25 PM ET

SEASeattle Seahawks @ ARIArizona Cardinals

ROOT FOR Arizona Cardinals over Seattle Seahawks

+0.9 pts Division odds for Buffalo Bills in the preferred-result branch

See the simulation impact

If Arizona Cardinals wins78.3%Division odds

If Seattle Seahawks wins77.4%Division odds

Playoffs94.0%vs93.7%

Division78.3%vs77.4%

#1 seed27.8%vs29.2%

Reach SB22.5%vs22.6%

Win SB12.1%vs11.0%

ALL 32 TEAMS

Top rooting interest at a glance

This server-rendered table gives every fan base’s strongest current outside-game rooting interest. Use the picker above for the full slate.

TeamRoot forAgainstImpact

WEEKLY ARCHIVE

Rooting guides change as the playoff picture changes

Saved weekly checkpoints let fans revisit what helped their team at that point in the season.

Week 1 →Week 2 →Week 3 →Week 4 →Week 5 →Week 6 →

WHY THIS IS DIFFERENT

It measures the impact instead of guessing at rooting interests

For each unplayed Week 2 game, FSN looks at the season simulations where the away team won and the simulations where the home team won. Then it compares what happened to every other team’s playoff path.

The ranking gives playoff qualification the most weight for bubble teams. For strong contenders, division and No. 1 seed leverage becomes more important. Super Bowl paths remain a smaller secondary signal so the guide does not tell a 5–8 team to root for an exotic championship path instead of the result that actually helps it reach January.

Because these are Monte Carlo estimates, very small differences can move from refresh to refresh. FSN explicitly labels those as small or minimal rather than pretending a tenth of a percentage point is destiny.

FAQ

NFL rooting interests, explained

Why isn’t my team’s own game listed?

Because winning your own game is already the strongest direct way to improve your position. This tool answers the harder question: what should you want to happen everywhere else?

Does “+4.7 points” mean the result guarantees my playoff odds rise by exactly 4.7 points?

No. It is the difference between two conditional Monte Carlo branches in the current forecast. It is a useful estimate of leverage, not a guaranteed future update.

Will the rooting guide update after games are played?

Yes. The live guide follows the current unplayed slate. Weekly archive pages preserve the checkpoint from that week so later results do not rewrite what fans were supposed to root for beforehand.