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How Pigskin Ladder picks its matchups

Last updated October 19, 2026 · 3 min read

Every round of Pigskin Ladder looks random, but the game follows a short set of rules. Knowing them tells you what kind of matchup to expect at each rung, which is the quickest way to stop losing lives on questions that were never really coin flips.

The roster: 55 players in four groups

The game draws from 16 quarterbacks, 15 running backs, 13 receivers (11 wide receivers and 2 tight ends) and 11 pass rushers. Quarterbacks are compared on passing yards, passing touchdowns and interceptions thrown. Running backs are compared on rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and receptions. Receivers are compared on receiving yards, receptions and receiving touchdowns. Pass rushers are compared on career sacks. That makes ten categories in all.

Step 1: pick a group, then a category

Each round first chooses one of the four groups at random, then one of that group’s categories. Because the group comes first, pass rushers appear in roughly one round out of four even though sacks is only one of the ten categories. If a run of questions feels heavy on sacks, that is why. It also means sacks matchups repeat more often than any other kind, so they reward memorization.

Step 2: build every possible pair and measure the gap

The game then lists every pair of players in that group and calculates the relative gap: the difference between the two totals divided by the larger total. Quarterbacks Peyton Manning (71,940 passing yards) and Brett Favre (71,838) are 0.14% apart, the narrowest passing-yards gap in the game. Quarterbacks Tom Brady (89,214) and Troy Aikman (32,942) are 63% apart. Pairs with identical totals are skipped entirely, which is why pass rushers John Randle and Richard Dent, who both finished with 137.5 sacks, can never face each other.

Step 3: tiers shrink the pool

All pairs are sorted from closest to widest. Each tier then allows only a share of them, starting from the closest end. The higher you climb, the smaller that share, and the less time you get.

Here is what that means in practice. The table shows the widest relative gap you can be shown at each tier, for four sample categories:

In the Hall of Fame tier, a quarterback passing-yards question is never more than about 8.7% apart, and a sacks question is never more than 0.7% apart. In a sacks round that is under two sacks between players with 140 or more.

Why the top tiers repeat

The number of matchups that qualify at each tier is small, especially for categories with few players:

In the Hall of Fame tier, only six sack matchups qualify out of 54 possible pairs. If you play often you will see the same pairs again and again, and you can learn them. Our guide to the closest matchups on the ladder lists them.

Sandlot is not always easy

The first tier allows every pair, with no cap on how close the two players are. Most pairs are far apart, so early rounds are usually generous, but nothing stops a near-tie from appearing on rung one. Treat the opening rungs as friendly, not guaranteed.

What the game does not weigh

It does not consider fame, era or playoff numbers. Every figure is a regular-season career total, so a player who was dominant in January but ordinary in the regular season gets no credit. See the stats pages for every number the game uses.

Ready to put this to work? Start a climb.