NEED TO KNOW
Weston Schroeder was in speech therapy for a speech delay when his parents, Stephanie and Joe, decided to record him speaking to help him practiceAround the same time, the family moved just steps from Highmark Stadium, home of the NFL’s Buffalo BillsWith two football-loving parents, Weston quickly caught the football bug, and soon his therapy and his new passion began to overlap

Years ago, Weston Schroeder was in speech therapy for a speech delay when his parents, Stephanie and Joe, came up with a clever idea: record him speaking to help him practice.

Around the same time, the family moved just steps from Highmark Stadium, home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills in Erie County, N.Y. With two football-loving parents, Weston quickly caught the football bug, and soon his therapy and his new passion began to overlap.

What started as simple recordings quickly became more elaborate. Weston would arrange mini helmets for each NFL team by game order — Thursday Night Football through Monday Night Football — and set up a table in front of a cutout of the Bills’ quarterback, Josh Allen. After a quick intro, the spontaneity of his picks would take over.

“I just think about it and then I pick them,” the now 6-year-old tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“We absolutely DO NOT help him with his picks,” the mom adds. “In fact, last year, when we did try to ‘influence’ him to pick the Ravens over the Raiders during Week 2, we caused him to be wrong. From that point on, we do not impact his picks whatsoever.”

Eventually, Stephanie began editing the videos and sharing them with friends and family on TikTok. As interest grew, she decided to post them publicly, tagging the NFL and the Buffalo Bills so more people could enjoy Weston’s predictions.

Soon, the videos went viral.

“It has been incredible!” Stephanie tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Fans are requesting we post his picks early so they can place their bets for the week. Some are saying Weston is the reason their team won last week. Even the verified NFL TikTok account liked one of his videos.”

“I do think it helped that he went 13-3 on the viral video, so it was intriguing that a 6-year-old could make such great picks,” the mom adds.

When asked how it feels to have so many people watching his videos, Weston chimes in, “Yeah, it’s awesome!”

Since starting the video series, Weston’s parents say he has taken it further, offering opinions on the teams and “really digging into them.”

Last year, during his Week 15 video, his comment, “Both teams are pretty bad — so I’ll take the Jets,” stood out and had the family laughing.

“We look forward to doing this every week!” Stephanie says. “Weston’s confidence in speech has improved, which was the main purpose of all of this.”

Weston and Joe Schroeder in Bills gear.

Stephanie and Joe Schroeder

Although Weston makes predictions for all the teams in his videos, one team holds a special place in his heart: the Bills.

When asked about his favorite players on the team, the 6-year-old says it’s a tough question, but he chooses Allen, 29, Khalil Shakir, 25 and Keon Coleman, 22. One day, he dreams of becoming a wide receiver so he can catch a touchdown — his favorite part of watching football.

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Stephanie and Weston Schroeder.

Stephanie and Joe Schroeder

“Weston is hoping more than anything to get the attention of the Buffalo Bills or any of their players next!” Stephanie says.

“We hope that when he looks back at this, he remembers a fun activity he did every week with his parents,” she adds.