BTSC Survivor Pool Update: Staying alive through Week 2 of the NFL Season

The Behind The Steel Curtain survivor pool finished up its second week with an even higher number of contestants being eliminated than in Week 1. While technically there were 592 total entries, I have one entry in each league as the commissioner so there were 587 different contestants. Hundreds have entered, but only one can go home with the autographed David DeCastro football. Entering Week 2, there were 485 contestants still alive.

The most common selection for Week 2 was the New England Patriots on the road against the Miami Dolphins which was the most popular choice in four leagues and was selected by 111 entries. The game was fairly close early on with the Patriots leading 7-0 until they scored another touchdown inside of two minutes reaming in the half to take a 13-0 lead. The blowout came in the second half with New England ultimately winning 43-0.

The next most commonly picked game was the Baltimore Ravens at home over the Arizona Cardinals which was the most popular choice in two leagues and was selected by 86 contestants. With the Ravens holding a 17–6 halftime lead, the two teams traded a pair of field goals through the start of the fourth quarter before Arizona added a touchdown and two-point conversion to pull within three. Baltimore added a long field goal with nine minutes left in the game, but Arizona managed to lose a total of five yards on their final two possessions and never really threatened with any kind of score.

For the 64 people who chose the Houston Texans over the Jacksonville Jaguars, they had quite the scare at the Jaguars failed on a two-point conversion to win the game with 0:36 remaining.

Unfortunately, the biggest reason for teams to be eliminated was owners not making their choice in time. A total of 87 people across all six leagues were eliminated due to not making a selection. The most common incorrect pick was in the Thursday night game as the Carolina Panthers fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A total of 42 contestants were knocked out because of the Panthers.

So after two weeks, 55% of the entries still remain. If you are still alive, make sure you enter your selection early so you don’t get knocked out due to a lack of selection. If you want, you can make your picks weeks in advance and still change your choices up until the weekly deadline.

Weekly Update:

Upcoming Week 3 Games of Note:

• Most heavily favored: New England (-22.5) at home vs. New York Jets
• Closest match up: Tennessee (-1.5) on the road at Jacksonville
• The Steelers match up: Pittsburgh (+6.5) on the road at San Francisco

(all lines are courtesy of oddshark.com as of 9/17)

So there you have it! Make sure you check back at Behind The Steel Curtain to stay updated on the contest. Even if you did not enter or have already been eliminated, feel free to check in and see how you would have fared each week.