NFL Week 1 betting by the numbers: Survivor chaos, and a six-figure bet saved in Miami - ESPN

Circa Survivor, a high-stakes NFL betting contest hosted by a Las Vegas casino, has a $1,000 buy-in and a $14.2 million grand prize. The competition, which requires contestants to pick an outright NFL winner each week of the season, attracted a record 14,266 entries this year. By the start of the 4 p.m. ET games, many of them were left stunned.

Forty-five contestants failed to submit their Week 1 selection by the deadline. Approximately one-third of the field took the Cincinnati Bengals, the most popular pick of the day. All of them were eliminated in the opening week of the season.

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The New England Patriots, 7.5-point road underdogs, topped the Bengals 16-10 in the biggest Week 1 upset (in terms of point spread) since 2018. It was costly not only for survivor pool contestants, but also for the betting public in general. More bets were placed — and more money was wagered — on the Bengals to win this game outright than any other team at both ESPN BET and DraftKings.

«It was significant,» Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading at Caesars Sportsbook, said of the Patriots pulling off the upset. «Obviously, you get the biggest favorite on the board beat straight up in Week 1, that's a good start for the book.»

Sportsbooks pegged New England as one of the worst teams in the league entering the season. The over/under on the Patriots' win total this season was set at 4.5, the lowest of any team. About 90% of the money wagered on New England's win total was on the under at BetMGM. Despite the opening upset, expectations for the Patriots remain low.

«Everyone's writing off the Patriots, including us,»