The rash of major upsets through the first two weeks of the NFL season has wreaked havoc with survivor pools — contests in which fans select one game each week and continue to advance until their pick in a given week loses.
One of the most popular among regulated sportsbooks is the Circa Survivor, which boasted 14,266 contestants to begin the regular season and a record $14.266 million prize pool. However, nearly 40 percent of those were eliminated in Week 1, with New England’s shocking upset win over Cincinnati knocking out 34.3 percent of the field alone.
The Bengals entered the game as more than a touchdown favorite, only to lose at home 16-10. Another 3 percent of the field was eliminated when Atlanta lost at home to Pittsburgh and Steelers backup quarterback Justin Fields.
The carnage didn’t end there, with the Falcons rebounding to upset Philadelphia on Monday Night Football to finish Week 2. That laid waste to another 785 entries — leaving only 27.2 percent (3,877 entries) of the original pool alive in the contest.
Now in its sixth year, Circa reported a record number of eliminations through the first two weeks of a season. It led the book to create a “Circa Survivor Empathy Package,” with contestants with one-to-two entries eliminated being offered a two-night stay and three or more entries eliminated offered a three-night stay on Mondays through Thursdays (Nov. 4-Dec. 26) at the Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas or two other properties, and a free day bed at the outdoor Stadium Swim sportsbook.
