With two weeks of the NFL season in the books, the Circa Survivor pool has been drastically reduced, prompting the gaming company to offer a consolation package for the ousted participants that includes complimentary stays at Circa Resort & Casino in downtown Las Vegas.
The Circa Survivor pool began with a record 14,266 entries this year, but following the first two weeks of competition, it has been whittled down to just 3,877 contenders, marking an unprecedented level of attrition, Circa Sports reports. In this unique contest, participants must select one NFL team each week to win outright. The catch is they cannot choose the same team more than once during the entire season.
Those now eliminated from the competition will miss out on a share of the $14.26 million prize pool, but Circa is extending an olive branch to ease their disappointment. According to a statement from the company, participants who had one or two entries can claim a two-night midweek stay at Circa Resort & Casino as well as a no-minimum daybed at Stadium Swim, the venue’s year-round pool amphitheater. Those with three or more entries eliminated in the first two rounds can upgrade to a three-night midweek stay and enjoy the same poolside amenities. Redemption of these offers is limited to the period between November 3 and December 26, with each participant originally capped at five entries costing $1,000 each.
This isn’t Circa Sports’ first attempt at soothing the wounded spirits of its contestants; a similar empathy package was successfully implemented in 2022. The rapid decline in the number of participants can be attributed to several major upsets. In week one, the Cincinnati Bengals’ loss to the New England Patriots alone accounted for 34.3% of the entries being knocked out.
The devastation continued into week two. The Baltimore Ravens’ unexpected loss to the Las Vegas Raiders eliminated another 26.5% of entries. Further cuts came when the Detroit Lions were defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, resulting in nearly 10% of the contestants being ejected. Additional casualties occurred due to the losses of the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, and Indianapolis Colts, which combined accounted for another 8.1% of exits.
A final blow for the week came during Monday Night Football, where the Atlanta Falcons pulled off a dramatic win against the Philadelphia Eagles, removing the hopes of 785 participants from the pool.
With a mere 27.2% of entries remaining after just two weeks, this attrition rate far surpasses the previous record low of 32.8% through the same period in 2022. The Circa Survivor pool is structured to last 20 weeks — 18 regular weeks plus the NFL’s special Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve games — but given the current trend, a single survivor could emerge much sooner than anticipated.
