NFL playoff survivor

Run a private NFL survivor pool just for the playoffs.

Four rounds, one pick a round, starting Wild Card weekend. We run the picks, scores and reminders, and draft every round’s recap for you to send.

Start my pool

Set it up today and send your link. Picks open in early January. Remind me

Or try the demo, built on last season’s playoffs: 60-second commissioner tour · player tour

A recap email from the demo league after a playoff round: what happened, who went out, and how many are still standing.
The real recap from our demo league. You review it, then send it.
  • Players join from your link
  • We never touch money
  • No ads
NFL playoff survivor

Run a private NFL survivor pool just for the playoffs.

Four rounds, one pick a round, starting Wild Card weekend. We run the picks, scores and reminders, and draft every round’s recap for you to send.

Start my pool

Set it up today and send your link. Picks open in early January. Remind me

Or try the demo, built on last season’s playoffs: 60-second commissioner tour · player tour

Friends at a watch party: one man stands with both fists up while everyone else on the couch groans.
  • Players join from your link
  • We never touch money
  • No ads
2027Running a season-long pool now? Full-season pools open for 2027, well before kickoff.Get first access →
Drafted for you after every round

A recap your players actually read.

After each round, Still Standing drafts a recap from your league’s results and outside game coverage, written about your pool: who went out, the upsets, how your field picked. You review it, add a line of your own, and send it.

Read the whole sample recapShow less

The actual email from the demo league’s Divisional round (Maple Street Pool (demo)), as players get it. See how it’s made on the commissioner tour →

Maple Street Pool (demo) · Divisional recap
Divisional — 20 still standing

Twenty entries survived the Divisional round, keeping their Big Game hopes alive after a brutal weekend that knocked out just one more entry. All four games went to favorites this pool had backed heavily—Denver, New England, Los Angeles and Seattle all came through—but one entry fell with San Francisco in Seattle's rout. The Conference Championships are next.

21
came in alive
1
went out
20
still standing

How the field picked

Denver7 entrieswonDenver 33, Buffalo 30
New England7 entrieswonNew England 28, Houston 16
Los Angeles4 entrieswonLos Angeles 20, Chicago 17
Seattle2 entrieswonSeattle 41, San Francisco 6
San Francisco1 entrylostSeattle 41, San Francisco 6

Gone this round

BlakeTwo

Around the NFL playoffs

Denver hosted playoff football for the first time in a decade. The top-seeded Broncos welcomed the Bills to Empower Field at Mile High for their first home postseason game since January 24, 2016 KUNC, and seven of our entries rode them to a 33-30 overtime thriller Wikipedia. Bo Nix's Broncos led the league with 68 sacks this season Fulton Sun and held Denver's 17-5 all-time home playoff record Denver Broncos, but Josh Allen and the Bills pushed them to the final seconds of OT before the field goal ended it.

New England punched its ticket to the AFC Championship for the first time in seven years. The Patriots advanced with a 28-16 win over Houston ESPN, reaching the conference title game for the first time since the 2018 season NBC Sports when Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were still in charge. Seven entries backed the Pats, who feasted on C.J. Stroud's four interceptions ESPN and a messy, turnover-filled affair in the snow and rain at Gillette Stadium. Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes while Marcus Jones returned an interception for a score ESPN to seal it.

Seattle destroyed San Francisco in a 41-6 blowout, handing Kyle Shanahan's 49ers their most lopsided loss of his coaching tenure ESPN. Two entries picked the Seahawks, who raced to a 17-0 lead behind Rashid Shaheed's 95-yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown Pro Football Reference and never looked back. The 35-point margin tied for the largest in franchise history Seahawks, matching their Super Bowl XLVIII rout, and the 49ers never reached Seattle's 22-yard line SI. One entry that picked San Francisco was eliminated. Los Angeles survived in overtime against Chicago 20-17 ESPN, with Harrison Mevis drilling a 42-yard field goal to win it after the Bears' Caleb Williams threw a game-tying touchdown with 18 seconds left in regulation Chicago Bears. Four entries rode the Rams.

STUFF WE HAVEN'T SEEN IN A WHILE

Seattle's 35-point blowout matched the largest intradivisional playoff margin since 1968. The Seahawks' 41-6 demolition of San Francisco tied the biggest postseason win between division rivals in the Super Bowl era, matching the Raiders' 1968 rout of the Chiefs SI. Two of our entries picked Seattle.

C.J. Stroud became the first player ever with five interceptions and five fumbles in a single postseason. The Texans QB made unfortunate history across two games, combining four picks against the Patriots with his wild-card fumble troubles SI.

Eight combined turnovers tied the most in a playoff game since 2015. The Patriots-Texans slugfest matched the Cardinals-Panthers NFC Championship for playoff turnover chaos ESPN, the highest total in 11 years.

Conference Championships picks are open now and lock Sunday, January 24, 2:55 PM ET.
Make your Conference Championships picks →

Bragging rights, and the trophy on your desk for a year.

Maple Street Pool (demo) · The Board · Rules · Questions? commissioner@demo.example.com
Scroll inside the box to read the whole email.
For your players

Picking takes seconds. Game day runs itself.

Tap a team and the pick is in. Picks stay sealed until the lock, then live scores ride along on every one on the Board.

How picking and game day workShow less
  • Even you can’t see picks before the lock. Nobody can, not even the commissioner.
  • Live scores on every pick, and eliminations land on their own at the final whistle.
  • Reminders go out before each lock to anyone who hasn’t picked.
  • Every pick gets a receipt email. As many entries per person as you allow.
The Board on game day in the Pro football demo league, with live scores on every pick
Game day on the Board, in the demo league: live scores on every pick.
My Picks in the demo league
The Planner

Know who everyone else is on before you lock.

Each team’s chance to win this round and to win it all, what other pools are picking, and a warning when using a team now would leave you stuck later.

What the Planner showsShow less
  • Win chance: how likely a team is to win its game. Title chance: how likely it is to go all the way.
  • Pick share: how many entries in other pools are on each team, once enough pools are running. Popularity, not a prediction; your own pool is never counted.
  • Suggest a plan for the safest path, or Best-value plan to go against the field, then Use as my picks in one click.
  • Pick insurance can follow each player’s own plan, not just the favorite.
The Planner in the demo league
For you, the commissioner

Your rules. Not ours.

Start from a preset that’s close to your pool, then change anything. The rules page writes itself in plain English. See every rule you can set →

What you can setShow less
  • Picks per round, extra lives, team reuse, pick insurance, tiebreakers, the prize.
  • The rules page writes itself, in plain English, from your settings.
  • Every change is checked and logged. Post a mid-season ruling and every player confirms they’ve read it.
The commissioner's Rules page in the demo league

Pools you can run here

Six ways commissioners set up their pools. Start from one, then change anything.

One team reuseDefault

One pick a round, and each entry can use one team twice.

Start with this
Each team once

The classic: one pick a round, and every team can be used only once.

Start with this
Two picks in the first round

Two picks in the first round, then one a round after that.

Start with this
Second chance

One pick a round and two lives, but the final is win-or-go-home.

Start with this
Pick insurance

Miss a pick and the site picks the favorite for you.

Start with this
Approve to play

You OK each entry before it can pick: they’ve paid you, they’re in the group, whatever your rule is.

Start with this
Trust

Built so game day doesn’t go wrong.

Even you can’t see picks before the lock

Picks are sealed from everyone until the round locks, the commissioner included. Nobody can say the commish peeked.

Every pick has a receipt

A receipt email for every pick, a timestamped log of every pick, change and refusal, and a CSV export. Fix a pick and the player is emailed what changed and why.

We never touch money

Your league collects and pays out however it always has. Turn on “Approve to play” to OK each entry yourself.

More game-day safeguardsShow less
A pick is in when the page says it’s in

The pool’s clock decides the lock, not anyone’s phone.

Postponed or cancelled games

By default a cancelled game counts as a win and the commissioner rules on a postponed one. Kickoffs can be moved, and the rules say what happens.

Mistakes can be fixed, in the open

Correct a result, rename or remove an entry, or bring one back, always with a reason everyone can see, and it’s logged.

Your players’ details stay in your league

Only you and the people you choose to help run the league see a player’s real name and email. Everyone else sees entry names.

And everything else a commissioner needs.

Quick setup, co-commissioners and helpers, your league’s own colors and icon, and an “Ask a question” box that answers from your settings.

See everythingShow less
Quick setup

A short wizard: name it, pick your colors, start from a preset. You get a sign-up link and QR code.

Help running it

Add co-commissioners who can do everything, or give a helper game-day access without the keys to the rules.

Your league, your look

Your name, your colors, your league’s own icon. Emails come from your league’s name. Players see your league, not ours.

Stuck? Just ask

Every Commish Board page has an “Ask a question” box that answers from your own league’s settings. It never changes anything.

Rulings everyone confirms

Post a mid-season clarification and each player confirms they’ve read it. Nobody can say they missed it.

Only what needs doing now

Your Commish Board shows where the season is (set up, invite, play, wrap up) and one button for each job.

Not ready yet?

Remind me before the playoffs →

Running a full-season pool? Get first access for 2027Show less
Full-season pools · 2027
Running a season-long pool now? Get first access for 2027.

The full-season engine already runs real pro and college pools this season. One email when it opens to every commissioner, well before kickoff. Nothing else.

  • Pick winners or losers, FBS or FCS, conference limits, a cap on favorites
  • Bonus weeks, extra picks by week, late entry, always/never-allowed teams
  • “Will these rules hold up?” — a simulation of how long your pool lasts under real odds
Hear about other new games tooShow less

Only news of new products. No league is started and nothing is shared. One click unsubscribes.

Want something built just for your pool? Custom pools →

The default rules, in plain English

A new pool starts with these. You can change any of them before the first pick.

See the default rulesShow less
  1. Each entry picks one team to win in each round of the pro football playoffs: Wild Card, Divisional, Conference Championships and Big Game.
  2. Each entry can pick a team only once in the playoffs — except for one team it may pick a second time, in a later round.
  3. Picks lock at each round’s first kickoff.
  4. A losing pick knocks the entry out.
  5. So does a missed pick.
  6. A cancelled game counts as a win; a postponed one is ruled on by the commissioner.
  7. The entry that survives the most rounds wins. Ties go to the closest guess at the Big Game’s total points, then a shared title.

Build your own rules →Start a pool with these rules

Rules questions

What happens if everyone loses?

Entries that go out in the same round finish level. Your tiebreakers decide it, in the order you set them, and anyone still level shares the title. You can also bring an entry back yourself from the Commish Board. The five ways pools settle it →

Can I pick the same team twice?

Yes, by default each entry can use one team twice, in a later round. You can change that to each team once, or two teams twice. Try the options in the rules generator →

When do picks lock?

At each round’s first kickoff. Until then, players can change their pick as often as they like, and nobody sees anyone else’s pick until the lock.

What if someone misses a pick?

Reminders go out before each lock. A missed pick knocks the entry out, the same as a losing pick, unless you turn on pick insurance: then the site picks the biggest favorite for it.

Is it really free?

Yes. Every feature, as many players as you have. Free covers the playoff survivor pools (Pro Football Playoff and College Football Playoff) through February 2027. It doesn’t cover full-season pools, the 2027–28 season, or new kinds of pools we add later, like golf.

Do you handle the money?

No. We never touch money: no entry fees, no payouts. Your league collects and pays out however it always has.

More rules help: rules generator · if everyone loses · tiebreakers · tie rules

Questions commissioners ask

What are the default rules and dates?

New leagues start with one team reuse: one pick a round, and each entry can use one team twice. Default tiebreaker: closest guess at the Big Game’s total points. Matchups load the moment the regular season ends; Wild Card weekend is in mid-January. Start with ready-made rules, then change picks per round, extra lives, team reuse, insurance, tiebreakers and more.

Do you handle entry fees or prizes?

No. We never touch money. Your league collects and pays out however it always has. If you want to keep track of who’s in, turn on “Approve to play” and approve each entry yourself.

Do my players need an account?

Yes: they sign up from your link or QR code with an email and a password, which takes about a minute. One password covers all their entries.

What if someone forgets to pick?

Reminders go out before each lock. An entry without a pick at the lock is out, unless you turn on pick insurance, where the site picks for them.

Want help making this work for your pool?

Tell us how your group plays and we’ll brainstorm the setup with you. Use the Feedback button or email us.

Can I run both Pro Football Playoff Survivor and College Playoff Survivor?

Yes. While it’s free, every commissioner can run one Pro Football and one College Playoff league.

What does “free” cover?

Free covers the playoff survivor pools (Pro Football Playoff and College Football Playoff) through February 2027. It doesn’t cover full-season pools, the 2027–28 season, or new kinds of pools we add later, like golf.

What will next season cost?

After the season, we’ll survey every commissioner and player — what you liked, what you’d change, and how we compare to other survivor sites. Next season’s price comes from that: a price that makes this the easy choice for commissioners and lets us keep building. This year’s helpers get credits toward it.

Who sees my players’ details?

Only you and the people you choose to help run the league see a player’s real name and email. Everyone else sees entry names. Emails are used to run your league and nothing else.

Run your pro football playoff pool here.
Set it up today and send your link. We run game day and draft every recap.
Start my poolCommissioner tour