Week 2 · Sun, 4:25 PM EDT · FOX
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Market line for comparison: DAL -4.5 · O/U 50.5 (DraftKings). The model never sees this.
Rating inputs
Each starting rating is a weighted blend of five real football inputs, not just wins and losses. Every term below is measured from the 2025 season.
Washington Commanders
| Input | Rating | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
Elo from results 5-12 in 2025, opponent-adjusted | 1448 | 80% | 1158.2 |
Scoring strength 356–451 points (-95.0 differential) → 36.3% expected win rate | 1403 | 5% | 70.1 |
Late-season form same replay with the closing 6 weeks counted double | 1452 | 15% | 217.8 |
Offense / defense split 20.9 PPG scored, 26.5 allowed → offense 1448, defense 1412 | 1360 | 0% | 0.0 |
| Blended 2025 rating | 1446.1 | ||
Offseason regression 25% back toward the 1500 league mean | 1459.6 | ||
Roster / QB adjustment No offseason adjustment applied. | 0.0 | ||
| WSH 2026 starting rating | 1460 | ||
Dallas Cowboys
| Input | Rating | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
Elo from results 7-9-1 in 2025, opponent-adjusted | 1437 | 80% | 1149.9 |
Scoring strength 471–511 points (-40.0 differential) → 45.2% expected win rate | 1466 | 5% | 73.3 |
Late-season form same replay with the closing 6 weeks counted double | 1386 | 15% | 207.9 |
Offense / defense split 27.7 PPG scored, 30.1 allowed → offense 1617, defense 1324 | 1441 | 0% | 0.0 |
| Blended 2025 rating | 1431.1 | ||
Offseason regression 25% back toward the 1500 league mean | 1448.3 | ||
Roster / QB adjustment No offseason adjustment applied. | 0.0 | ||
| DAL 2026 starting rating | 1448 | ||
The calculation
Every term the model applies, in order, from both teams' starting ratings to the number on the card.
Win probability
1 / (1 + 10−(116.1 / 400))
66.1% DAL
Model spread
116.1 ÷ 25, rounded to the nearest half point
DAL -4.5
Confidence band
Injury adjustment
Report pulled 2026-10-27 13:20 UTCRatings describe a team over a whole season. Who is actually available on Sunday is a separate question, so the injury adjustment is applied last, after home field and rest. Each listed player costs a share of a point of spread based on his position, whether he starts, and how likely he is to play.
Before injuries
50.6%
DAL by 0.0
Injury term
+112.3 Elo
+4.5 pts of spread, home perspective
After injuries
66.1%
DAL by 4.5 · moved 15.6 pts of probability
Washington Commanders
−0.4 pts
- Javontae Jean-Baptiste LBOut−0.10
- Terry McLaurin WROut−0.10
- Jaylin Lane WROut−0.10
- Marcus Mariota QBQuestionable−0.03
Dallas Cowboys
−0.3 pts
- P.J. Locke SOut−0.10
- Marist Liufau LBOut−0.10
- Drew Shelton OTQuestionable−0.03
- Dee Winters LBQuestionable−0.03
Statuses come straight from the league injury report: out and injured reserve count in full, doubtful three quarters, questionable roughly a third, probable a tenth. Starters are identified from the depth chart; anyone the model cannot place is treated as a backup.
Move the factors yourself
Every term feeds one number: the adjusted Elo difference. Drag any of them and watch the spread and confidence follow.
Drag to see how much a stronger or weaker host changes the call.
The two ratings only matter through their difference.
The tuned value is a flat 25 points for every host.
5 Elo per extra day of rest, capped at 25 either way.
A manual thumb on the scale, in the home team's direction.
Win probability
50.6% DAL
Model value
Model spread
DAL 0.0
Elo diff +3.9 · Coin flip
Probability curve
The logistic curve from −600 to +600 Elo, home perspective. The dot is your current setting; the faint vertical line is where the model itself sits. Notice the curve is flattest at the extremes — near a coin flip, every point of Elo moves the number most.
Where the ratings came from
Each rating is the end state of a full 2025 season of Elo updates, regressed toward the league mean for the new season.
- 2025 final rating
- 1447.8
- Regress 25% toward 1500
- +11.8
- 2026 starting rating
- 1459.6
2025 Elo trail
Biggest swings
- W 27–10 at LAC+48.4
- L 22–44 at DAL−46.9
- W 24–17 at PHI+46.7
- 2025 final rating
- 1437.3
- Regress 25% toward 1500
- +11.0
- 2026 starting rating
- 1448.3
2025 Elo trail
Biggest swings
- W 44–22 vs WSH+46.9
- L 14–31 at CHI−44.9
- L 17–34 at NYG−41.6
Matchup factors
Everything beyond the two base ratings that moved this specific number.
Home field
+25.0 pts
worth 3.3 points of win probability
DAL hosts at AT&T Stadium. Every host gets the same flat 25 points — the model does not rate crowds individually.
2025 head to head
- Week 7: DAL won 44–22 (DAL at home)
- Week 17: DAL won 30–23 (DAL on the road)
Strength of schedule
Who each team actually played in 2025, measured by their opponents' current ratings. This is context for reading the ratings — it is not an input to the prediction above, because beating good teams already raises a team's Elo more.
1494
average opponent rating · 23rd toughest of 32
- vs above-average teams
- 2-6
- vs below-average teams
- 3-6
1476
average opponent rating · 31st toughest of 32
- vs above-average teams
- 1-5
- vs below-average teams
- 6-4-1
What the model does not know
- · How an injury actually plays out — the adjustment above prices availability, not how well a replacement performs.
- · Coaching and roster turnover between seasons.
- · Weather, travel distance and short-week fatigue beyond raw rest days.
- · Anything a betting market has priced in since the season ended.