A time-honored tradition in the NFL is preseason record predictions. Although, due to the weekly parity of football, even some of the best experts are way off base. However, one fan may have cracked the code in one of the most improbable ways. Should Las Vegas Raiders fans trust him?
Year in and year out, practically every media outlet will gather their experts to give their opinions on a team’s potential record come season’s end. The NFL has a mantra of Any Given Sunday, implying that anyone can beat anyone at any time. This season has shown us to be no exception.
These conditions make predicting the outcome of any given game borderline impossible. Let alone a full 17 game season. Between injuries, suspensions, resignations, and firings, it’s too difficult to determine where a team may end up come January. However, could it have been so easy as a simple coin flip all along? One fan may have shown the world that it is.
Where did #TrustTheCoin come from?
Great legends all have an initial starting point. The magical coin is no different. Roughly two months ago, a Reddit user who goes by the name “pongislame” posted their record predictions for the Raiders. The original post states that a coin flip was used to predict the eventual outcome of each game for the upcoming 2021 season. While that may seem like a ludicrous way to make predictions, it’s worked so far.
Through 11 games, the coin has been right so far. This alone is already an impressive feat. There’s only about a five percent chance that someone could correctly call a coin flip 11 times in a row. When that number increases to 17, you’re looking at 0.000763% of being right or 1 in 131,072. If it holds, that would be something to behold.
It’s quite fitting
In the D.C. comic book series “Batman,” an archrival of the caped crusader goes by the name of “Two-Face.” He is known to flip a coin to decide his victim’s outcome. This team has been quite two-faced in their own right. From dominating wins against the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles to a rough three-game skid, they have been all over the place.
Perhaps the Raiders are more synonymous with supervillains than the Dark Knight. So a coin toss being used to accurately predict the outcome of their season isn’t so farfetched after all.
A rally cry for Raider Nation
The 2021 season has been tumultuous for the Raiders organization and their fans alike. It’s often felt like they were never going to catch a break, and there wasn’t much to root for. The coin and its supposed magic powers have managed to give the fans something to cling to. From hashtags to t-shirt designs, it has swept through Raider Nation like wildfire.
The original post has the Raiders finishing 10-7 and being the seventh seed in the playoffs. While this may feel like it’d be a win, 10-7 might not be enough to make the playoffs in the stacked AFC. On the other hand, 2021 has often been called the most unpredictable season so far. So, at the end, who knows? Let’s all sit down, buckle up and trust the coin!
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*Top Photo: AP Photo/Rick Scuteri