Sunday’s Week 2 NFL early games produced a bloodbath that greatly lessened the field of a popular Las Vegas contest.
The Circa Survivor, which will dole out more than $14.26 million to the lucky winner (or winners), saw an incredible 3,990 entries bow out after the 1 p.m. ET games were over.
Sunday 10am PT games ?
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) September 15, 2024
? 3,990 #CircaSurvivor entries eliminated including 2,304 Ravens, 859 Lions, 259 Jaguars, and 255 Cowboys
4,685 entries remain. 44% are on the Texans. 17% on the Eagles.
? Winner-Take-All Prize: $14,266,000
Current Implied Value Per Entry: $3,045 https://t.co/pFYQk3cijn
"For a second week in a row to start the 2024 season, underdogs and upsets dominated the storyline. The 2024 Circa Survivor contestants have had a difficult first two weeks which is creating a unique strategy scenario that will play out this season," Derek Stevens, owner and CEO of Circa Sports, told Covers.
There were 2,304 picks alone on the Baltimore Ravens, who were upset by the Las Vegas Raiders 26-23. That’s 26.5% of the remaining players entering Week 2 gone.
The Detroit Lions falling at home 20-16 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cost 859 players a shot at the prize pool, while 259 entries went up in smoke after the Jacksonville Jaguars fell 18-13 at home to the Cleveland Browns.
The Dallas Cowboys got smoked 44-19 by the New Orleans Saints, eliminating another 255 players. The Indianapolis Colts knocked out 187 players, fifth-most among losing teams Sunday, after a 16-10 defeat by the Malik Willis-led Green Bay Packers.
Staying alive
At least the 2,049 entries (44%) on the Texans survived Sunday night as Houston held off the Chicago Bears 19-13, leaving 4,685 players battling it out heading into Monday Night Football. That’s just 33% of entries still alive in a contest that hasn’t even completed two weeks.
The Texans were the second-most picked team to win on Sunday. Nearly 15% of entries heading into Week 2 were on the Los Angeles Chargers, who easily dispatched the Carolina Panthers 26-3.
The contest could still get uglier. Circa reported that 17% of the remaining entries are on the Philadelphia Eagles, who host the Atlanta Falcons as a 5.5-point favorite. Should the Falcons pull off the upset, another 785 players would be eliminated, and 3,930 entries, less than half the field that made it through Week 1, would move on to Week 3.
Previous bloodbath
The entry fee for Circa Survivor is $1,000, and the contest lasts 20 weeks as the games during Thanksgiving and Christmas are broken out into separate weeks.
In Week 1, 5,564 of the 14,266 players were eliminated. The Cincinnati Bengals were upset by the New England Patriots, costing 4,895 entries a shot at winning. After Week 1, the implied payout per entry was down to $1,639 for 8,702 remaining competitors.
That implied payout nearly doubled after Sunday’s first batch of losing entries.
Circa Sportsbook joked on its X account that people were saying the contest was too easy and would have “200 winners.”
Saturday of Week 1:
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) September 15, 2024
"so many entries, you guys will have 200 winners, you should make it harder"
Sunday of Week 2:
"when this ends in week 6 will you do another pool?"#CircaSurvivor ?? https://t.co/Zuft9pJita
