The phrase “survive and advance” has never been more accurate than it was in Week 1. Many in NFL Survivor pools did not survive. The only extremely popular choice to win outright was the Baltimore Ravens over the New York Jets, which did account for over 27% of the field in Circa Survivor. No other team to get at least 9% of the selections won, meaning four of the five most popular picks went down.
The Indianapolis Colts tied the Houston Texans 20-20 and ties are a loss in the win or go home format. The Tennessee Titans lost on a two-point conversion to the New York Giants by a 21-20 count. The San Francisco 49ers had their water wings deflate, as they sank 19-10 against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field while playing on a Slip-N-Slide. Then it was the Denver Broncos who were the cherry on top with the 17-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks as a last-second 64-yard field goal attempt never really had a chance.
Over 56% of the Circa Survivor field lost the $1,000 entry fee during a week of carnage and your Survivor pool likely looks about the same. Had the Saints not eked out an overtime win against the Falcons, almost 65% of the field would have been bounced. If the contest were to stop now and everybody would chop the prize pool, the remaining entrants would receive more than double their initial investment at $2,284.17.