Science

Who Will Win Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens? A.I. Predicts

All Baltimore does is devour backup quarterbacks.

by Alasdair Wilkins
Getty Images / Dylan Buell

Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage looks to build on his success last week filling in for the injured Deshaun Watson with another solid game. The Baltimore Ravens love nothing more than ripping out the souls of backup quarterbacks. Should be fun! A hive mind of NFL fans predicts the Ravens will win Monday night.

Seriously, look at this carnage. Matt Moore and the Miami Dolphins played the Ravens on a Thursday night. They lost 40-0. Brett Hundley and the Green Bay Packers played the Ravens last week. They picked off Aaron Rodgers’s replacement three times en route to a 23-0 shutout. Can Savage do any better? Maybe the fact he was inexplicably Houston’s opening week starter ahead of Watson will protect him from whatever terrible hex Baltimore has put on backup quarterbacks. Because otherwise, yeah, look out, Houston.

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From their last game in 2014.

Getty Images / Bob Levey

To predict the result of this and other games, Unanimous A.I. used what’s known as swarm intelligence to forecast the week’s slate. About 30 NFL fans worked together as a hive mind to make picks. As you can see in the animation below, each participant controlled a little golden magnet and used it to drag the puck toward the answer they thought was the most likely outcome. As the users saw the puck move toward a particular outcome, it triggers a psychological response. They readjust their decision-making, building toward a consensus. Here’s Unanimous A.I. founder Louis Rosenberg explaining swarm intelligence at a recent TEDx Talk.

Unanimous A.I. has made some scarily accurate predictions in the past using swarm intelligence, as our previous article explains. For instance, the swarm went a perfect 7-0 in its most recommended picks for a recent English Premier League slate.

Unanimous A.I.

The swarm predicts a Baltimore victory here. It’s only a low confidence pick, but with a surprisingly high 89 percent brainpower.

Unanimous A.I.

The hive mind predicts Baltimore will win by four to six points, with 82 percent brainpower behind the pick. Vegas favors Baltimore by a full seven points.

The game kicks off 8:30 p.m. Eastern Monday on ESPN.

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