The Underdog Game gets going. Here are the first week's lines.

Our charity pro football underdog game officially begins right now, with the first week's lines here (underdogs listed in CAPS):

9  NEW ENGLAND at Cincinnati

6  ARIZONA at Buffalo

6  DENVER at Seattle

4.5  TENNESSEE at Chicago

4  CAROLINA at New Orleans

3.5  LOS ANGELES RAMS at Detroit

3.5  NEW YORK JETS at San Francisco (Monday, pick still due Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PDT)

3  BALTIMORE at Kansas City (Thursday, 5:20 p.m. PDT)

3  GREEN BAY vs. Philadelphia (in Brazil, Friday, 5:20 p.m. PDT)

3  JACKSONVILLE at Miami

3  LAS VEGAS at Los Angeles Chargers

3  PITTSBURGH at Atlanta

3  WASHINGTON at Tampa Bay

2.5  INDIANAPOLIS vs. Houston

2.5  DALLAS at Cleveland

1.5  NEW YORK GIANTS vs. Minnesota

For players in our game, the goal is straightforward. They try to pick an NFL underdog every week that will win its game outright. If the player's 'dog wins outright, the player gets the number of points that team was favored to lose by. The player with the most points at the end of the season is the winner. This is the start of Week 1.

There is a modest entry fee, and all proceeds go to charity, in that the winner gets to pick an eligible charity that gets most of the dough. The second place finisher will also get to designate a smaller portion of the pool to his or her eligible charity. If more than 20 players play, the third place finisher will also get to designate a small portion of the pool to his or her eligible charity. 

The full rules are here. If you want to play, you can do so for free this first week, provided your fee is in by the 11th (a week from Wednesday). Email your pick (and a backup pick, if you like, in case your game gets cancelled) to dogpdx24@gmail.com. That's also the address to email me for further instructions on how to enter.

Do you see an underdog on that card that you think will win its game outright this weekend? You could be a hero for a charity you like. Picks are generally due before kickoff on Sunday; see the rules. This week, that means Sunday at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, except where noted above (the Thursday and Friday games). If you want the Thursday or Friday 'dog, your pick must be received by the scheduled kickoff time of that game.

Good luck, players! And when you send in your pick, please let me know what name you want to go by on this blog. If I don't get a nickname from you, I'll use your first name (and last initial if multiple players have the same first name).

Here we go, underdogs, here we go (clap clap)!