Last year's NFL survivor pool competition began with a bang as the Bengals eliminated a massive amount of participants with a shocking loss to the Patriots, and most of the people in 2025 NFL survivor pools probably saw similar ghosts on Sunday. By far the two most popular picks in Week 1 were the Broncos and Cardinals, and neither made it look easy. Arizona let New Orleans get into the red zone down seven at the end of the fourth quarter but ultimately came away victorious, while Denver saw itself behind in the third quarter with the offense flailing before pulling out the win. The Bengals again made their backers sweat, with the Browns missing a fourth quarter field goal that would've given them the lead, but Cincy won as well. The Jaguars and Commanders, two other popular plays, made it less nerve-wracking for their backers in easy wins.

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That means most of the planet moves on to Week 2, where one massive favorite will be calling to survivor participants in the Ravens. Baltimore suffered its latest meltdown on Sunday as the Bills scored 16 points in the final four minutes to win by one, leaving the Ravens with a bad taste in their mouth heading into a meeting with the Browns on Sunday. The Ravens are double-digit favorites in that game while the next largest NFL spreads have Buffalo favored by 6.5 points over the Jets and Detroit favored by 6.5 points over the Bears. So, we could see a massive pile-on in survivor pools with many selecting the Ravens. However, those in 20 gameweek formats that make Thanksgiving and Christmas their own slates will have to weigh losing the Ravens from that first mini-slate.

We cover all those angles and plenty more below as we break down the 18,656-entry Circa Survivor pool and then give out our best plays for both large and small pool participants for Week 2.

Why listen to me? I'm 718-623-37 and up more than 32 units on ATS picks over the last eight years and even better with my top five picks each week, going 464-379-27 (55%) over the last 10 years in the Las Vegas ATS contests. While survivor doesn't involve picking against the spread, I do believe by applying the strategies I've developed to have long-term success on those picks to survivor pools, we'll be in the best position to outlast the competition this season.

In Week 2, I'm taking a little more risk "by playing a lower-tier team." This team will not be on many survivor players' radar, potentially giving its backers a huge boost. This pick could be the difference between winning your survivor pool or going home with nothing.

So which NFL survivor picks should you make for the 2025 NFL season, and which Week 2 pick could separate you from the pack? ... Join SportsLine right now to see NFL Survivor Pool 2025 strategy from the expert who's 718-623-37 on ATS picks from 2017 to 2024, returning more than 32 units!

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