Pick any two teams and play the game 5,000 times, as if it were being played today. Drive by drive: each club calls a run or a pass the way it actually calls them on that down and distance, the yardage comes from its offense against the other's defense, and the drive plays out — first downs, flags, turnovers, fourth-down decisions, field goals, the clock, overtime. Then read it against the Power Index and make your own call.
How it works: on every snap the sim looks at the down and the distance and calls a run or a pass as often as that club actually calls one in that spot. The yardage comes from its offense set against the other club's defense in the same spot, with the quarterback moving the passing game and his interceptions. Flags, sacks, fumbles, fourth-down decisions, field goals by distance, the two-minute clock and overtime all play out on top. This season's numbers are blended with last season's, and the engine is held against the league's own play-by-play — yards a play, third-down rate, field position, the drive mix — and against what teams actually scored. The one player you choose is the quarterback, because a backup changes a football team more than any other single absence. This is a simulation as of today: injuries, lineups and ratings can change before any game is actually played, if it is played at all. It is separate from the Megasports Power Index and does not change any rating or line on the site — the Index is the price; the sim is what the play-by-play says.