The Cardinals' upset of the Cowboys, the Broncos' late comeback over the Chiefs, and the Bucs' rout of the Falcons scrambled strategy heading into Thursday night's Jaguars-Ravens opener.
Survivor pools had a slightly calmer week, though plenty of entries are still getting picked off. The Cardinals pulling off a win over the Cowboys was the headline surprise, and advisers are now warning pool players to steer clear of Dallas entirely in these formats. The Broncos' late win over the Chiefs and the Bucs' home blowout of the Falcons also shook things up, even if neither result hit Survivor pools as hard.
With Week 9 kicking off on Thursday night between the Jaguars and Ravens, analysts are circling back to the usual questions: which contenders can actually be trusted. The Chiefs, Seahawks, Jaguars and 49ers are all being scrutinized as potential picks, with no consensus on which of them is safest this week.
Personal pool updates underline just how brutal this season has been. One longtime player described running four entries in a double-elimination pool, already down to three losses after the Texans ended another entry last week, leaving just one alive.
Computer models are also weighing in, with at least one advanced system flagging the Patriots as a team to avoid this week. Expect more picks and fades to be finalized before Thursday's kickoff.