Current:Home > ScamsUSA TODAY's NFL Survivor Pool is back: What you need to know to win $5K cash -Prime Money Path
USA TODAY's NFL Survivor Pool is back: What you need to know to win $5K cash
View
Date:2025-04-14 08:23:54
Thursday's NFL season kickoff means one thing: USA TODAY's Survivor Pool is officially back.
While not everyone can be crowned a Super Bowl champion, the Survivor Pool is anyone’s to win. Keep picking winners and outlast everyone else, and you could walk away with a cash prize of $5,000.
Survive and advance — sounds simple enough, right?
There are just a few twists. You can only choose each team once throughout the entire tournament. So if you’re thinking of relying on powerhouse teams like the Chiefs, Ravens or 49ers week after week, think again because they’ll be off the table after you’ve picked them once.
If you miss any selections in a round, you are automatically eliminated. And, of course, every pick must be correct for you to advance to the next round. Plus, if your pick is successful, your team’s margin of victory will be added to a bank to break any potential ties.
PLAY TO WIN $5K: USA TODAY's Pro Football Survivor Pool is free to enter. Sign up now!
So, there’s more strategy than meets the eye. Success rests on picking the right team each week and knowing when to back a Super Bowl contender versus saving them for a tougher matchup further down the line. It's all about timing — knowing when to play it safe and when to take a calculated risk.
You can’t advance if you lose early, but you also don’t want to find yourself in a position later on where only teams with losing records remain eligible for you to pick. However, it’s important to remember that while you can’t select the same team to win each week, nothing is stopping you from picking the same teams to lose each week.
For example, the Saints are far from the best team in the league, but they could be a smart choice for Week 1 as they face a long-struggling Panthers squad. Choosing them now will allow you to save powerhouse teams for later. On the flip side, while the Ravens had the best regular-season record last year, Week 1 might not be the ideal time to pick Baltimore as it faces the reigning Super Bowl champion (even though it’s definitely tempting to back Lamar Jackson in his self-proclaimed “revenge game” after last year's AFC championship game loss to Kansas City).
Odds for NFL Week 1
To help with your first picks, let’s dive into the odds for Week 1. (All point spreads provided by BetMGM, although the Survivor Pool requires only a straight-up victory.)
- Ravens (+3) at Chiefs
- Packers (+2.5) at Eagles
- Jaguars (+3.5) at Dolphins
- Steelers (+3) at Falcons
- Vikings (-1.5) at Giants
- Panthers (+4) at Saints
- Patriots (+8) at Bengals
- Titans (+4) at Bears
- Cardinals (+6.5) at Bills
- Texans (-3) at Colts
- Raiders (+3) at Chargers
- Broncos (+6) at Seahawks
- Commanders (+3) at Buccaneers
- Cowboys (+2,5) at Browns
- Rams (+3.5) at Lions
- Jets (+4) at 49ers
What is a survivor pool?
The Survivor Pool is a high-stakes competition where participants pick one team to win an NFL game each week. So, there will be 16 correct answers each week. However, there’s a catch: one wrong pick, and you're out for the season. It may seem straightforward, but the challenge intensifies as you can't choose the same team more than once.
How it works
So let's recap:
1. Join USA TODAY’s Survivor Pool.
2. Survive the longest with the highest points differential, and you'll be in the running to win a $5,000 cash prize. (must meet eligibility requirements)
Rules to remember: Pick one team to win each week of the NFL regular season. If your pick loses or ties, you're eliminated. If they win, you survive and earn points equal to that game's point differential. Choose carefully — you can select each team only once during the entire season. You're eliminated if you fail to make a pick in any week.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See applicable operator site for its terms and conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 21 or older to gamble.
veryGood! (72187)
Related
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Canada’s House of Commons elects first Black speaker
- Officers in suburban Atlanta killed a man who tried to steal a police cruiser, investigators say
- Proof Travis Kelce Is Fearless About Taylor Swift Fan Frenzy
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Love Island UK's Jess Harding and Sammy Root Break Up 2 Months After Winning Competition
- Indian police arrest editor, administrator of independent news site after conducting raids
- MLB playoffs highlights: Phillies, D-backs win to cap off postseason's opening day
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Pope will open a big Vatican meeting as battle lines are drawn on his reform project
Ranking
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Missing woman who was subject of a Silver Alert killed in highway crash in Maine
- 'Made for this moment': Rookie star Royce Lewis snaps Twins' historic losing streak
- With Lionel Messi in doubt, Chicago Fire offer credit to fans for sold-out game
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- How to enter $1 million competition for recording extraterrestrial activity on a Ring device
- More than 20 Indian soldiers missing after flash floods in northeastern Sikkim state
- Draymond Green says Warriors 'lucky' to have Chris Paul, even if he's 'an (expletive)'
Recommendation
Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
Federal appeals court expands limits on Biden administration in First Amendment case
SFA fires soccer coach, who faced previous allegations of emotional abuse, after dismal start
This Quince Carry-On Luggage Is the Ultimate Travel Necessity We Can't Imagine Life Without
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
Why Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin Have Kept Their Relationship So Private
‘Tennessee Three’ Democrat sues over expulsion and House rules that temporarily silenced him
North Korea vows strong response to Pentagon report that calls it a ‘persistent’ threat