Underdog players have the nerve

The first game of the pro football season has kicked off, and a handful of the players in our charity underdog game have picked the lowly Detroit Lions to win tonight's game outright:

6.5  DETROIT at Kansas City (Thursday, 5:20 p.m. PDT) – Shoeshine Boy, PdxTrojan, King of Kings, Mojo, Annie B.

If these players are right, they'll pick up 6½ points each toward their season total. The top three point-getters by season's end will direct our entry pool to charities of their choice.

There's a full slate of games on Sunday, and so still plenty of time to get in on the action. The lines and details are here. Everyone's invited to play, with a free trial here in Week 1. After that, it's 20 bucks a player (for the whole season), and all proceeds go to charity.

Meanwhile, good luck to tonight's 'dognosticators.

Additional note: Natterjack Toad has Detroit as his backup pick, with his primary pick (which he has identified) to be played later in the week.

UPDATE, 8:35 p.m.: And the Lions pull off the upset! An auspicious start for this year's underdogs, and 6½ points each for five smart players.