Bengals burn $4.9M of Survivor entries in wild NFL Week 1

Well, that de-escalated quickly.

A day after Circa set a record for prize money ($14.2 million) and entries (14,266) for its $1,000-entry Survivor contest, almost 40 percent of the field was eliminated on the first NFL Sunday of the season.

The Bengals, who were by far the most popular Survivor pick, essentially lit $4,895,000 on fire when they lost 16-10 to the Patriots to knock out 4,895 entries.

A total of 5,562 entries have already been eliminated, including 45 who paid $1,000 each but didn’t submit a pick in Week 1.

Cincinnati, which was the biggest favorite on the board at -7½, also cost countless bettors money who backed the Bengals in teasers, on the money line and against the spread.

The Patriots, in their first game without coach Bill Belichick since 1999, delivered the day’s biggest win for the South Point sportsbook. The biggest Week 1 upset also was a win for Station Sports and Caesars Sportsbook, though the sharp money was on New England.

“The Bengals’ offense looked horrendous. They were totally out of sync,” Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “Maybe because Ja’Marr Chase wasn’t getting full reps and Tee Higgins was out. But Joe Burrow just wasn’t himself. I’m not sure I would give the Patriots credit for that.

“I still think the Patriots are probably going to struggle with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. I just thought it was more self-inflicted by Cincinnati.”

Bettors cash on Cowboys

Dallas delivered the day’s biggest win for bettors, beating the Browns 33-17 as a 2-point road underdog.

“The Browns never get any love from the public and they looked awful,” Caesars head of U.S. trading Eric Fenstermaker said.

The Cowboys were the only underdog at Station Sports that led in ticket count.

“Dallas was by far our worst decision of the day,” Kornegay said. “When (bettors) see the names Cowboys and Browns, I’m pretty sure they’re going to be betting the Cowboys.

“That was the game that was either going to make or break our day. Since we lost that game, it turned out to be a small winner overall.”

Underdogs went 7-6 ATS on Sunday with outright wins by the Patriots, Cowboys and Steelers (+4, beat Falcons 18-10). Unders went 7-6.

Bettors also won big on the Buccaneers (-4), who whipped Washington 37-20 to cover easily.

Bills, Dolphins rally

The Bills made 1,719 Survivor contestants sweat as they trailed 17-3 in the first half before rallying for a 34-28 home win over the Cardinals. But Arizona (+6½) covered by the hook.

Miami trailed Jacksonville 17-7 at the half but outscored the Jaguars 13-0 in the second half to pull out a 20-17 win. The Dolphins failed to cover the closing line of -3½, but Caesars bettors cashed wagers of $302,000 to win $200,000 on Miami -2½ (-151) and $178,000 to win $100,000 on Miami on the money line (-178).

Backdoor covers

The Texans beat the Colts 29-27, but their backers were burned by the dreaded backdoor cover when Indianapolis (+3) quarterback Anthony Richardson rushed for a 3-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 2:14 left.

Titans bettors also lost in brutal fashion after blowing a 17-0 lead in the first half en route to a 24-17 defeat to the Bears as 4-point underdogs.

Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall draft pick, finished 14 of 29 for 93 yards. But Tennessee gave up 17 points off turnovers. The Bears scored the winning touchdown with 7:35 left on a 43-yard interception return after Will Levis flung the ball in desperation.

Fourth down

Station Sports and the SuperBook won on the Chargers’ 22-10 win over the Raiders, who, trailing 16-10 with 7:15 left, punted on fourth-and-1 from the Los Angeles 43. Five plays later, J.K. Dobbins sprinted 61 yards to set up a touchdown that all but sealed the victory and cover by the Chargers (-3) in Jim Harbaugh’s debut as coach.

Caesars bettors lost wagers of $110,000 on over 40 and $90,000 on the Raiders +3.

Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said he was stunned the Raiders didn’t go for it on fourth down. But not much else surprised him in Week 1.

“There wasn’t anything shocking to me. The teams that we thought were good last year are still good,” he said. “The Chiefs, Eagles and Cowboys are still good. The Dolphins and Bills found a way to win. And the teams that were bad are still bad.

“I expected the Panthers and Giants to be better. They weren’t.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.