Week Eight of the 2024 NFL season is here. As always, I will start by discussing the rules for a survivor pool. It is a weekly contest where people select one team per week, straight up, to win their game.
If a chosen team wins, it advances to the next week, but remember that the selected team can’t be used for the rest of the season. If a team they chose for that week loses, it is eliminated from the pool.
Now that the rules are set, it is time for me to give my top three options: a risky pick, a trap pick, and a survivor pick that I would have made if I were still alive in Survivor. It would have been nice for Cincinnati to prepare for their first regular-season game.
The Denver Broncos are in a great spot this week against Carolina. They have extra time to prepare for this game, and the Panthers are the worst team in the NFL by far. Their defense is Antonio Brown level of Trainwreck at the moment, and this should be the game that Bo Nix finally stands out and impresses. What makes things better for Denver, is that Carolina is starting Bryce Young at QB. It feels like a free square picking the Broncos in Survivor.
This is another easy choice. These two teams are on a different side of the road. One has entered the Tank Games, In The Tournament For the 1st Overall Pick, and the other is a Superbowl contender. The Titans have waived the white flag with the DeAndre Hopkins and Earnest Jones trades. At least Mason Rudolph is starting for the Titans. That is a positive, as he is a much better QB than Will Levis, who is terrible. This game is a mismatch, and with the Lions being home, they should take care of business,
The Chargers definitely go on the list as a survivor choice, since the Saints are plagued with injuries. Almost every notable name on this team is hurt, and with Spencer Rattler starting for the Saints, it’s hard to be confident in the offense. Even if Alvin Kamara plays, he’s going to have a tough time against this underrated Chargers defense.
The Saints have extra time to prepare for this game, but it doesn’t matter if the head coach sucks. Dennis Allen is one of the worst coaches in the NFL, and it’s hard to trust the Saints. With the issues the Saints have, the Chargers are a really good selection to use in survivor pools.
It was tough selecting a risky survivor choice, as there are legitimately seven games to choose from this week that make sense. Out of all the games, the one that stands out being a risky survivor pick option, is the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, the Cardinals are a mediocre football team, but the Dolphins are still an absolute mess.
It’s still unclear if Tua Tagovailoa is going to play in this game. Even if he does, there’s a long track record of quarterbacks coming off concussions struggling in their first game back to action. Tua will shake off the rust, and it doesn’t help that the coaching has disappointed Miami all season.
If Tua doesn’t go, they don’t have a lot of options. Tyler “Snoop” Huntley is dealing with a shoulder injury and might not be ready to play this week. If he can’t go, then Tim Boyle, the definition of an NFL scrub quarterback, will start the game.
Many analysts and fans say Arizona’s Defense is bad, but Miami’s defense is so much worse. The Dolphins have not recovered since losing DT Christian Wilkins in the offseason. This should be a really good game for James Conner. While they are the away team, the Cardinals should take care of business against a bad Dolphins team, no matter who the starting QB is.
2024 Risky Survivor Pick History (5-2) – Week 1: Minnesota Vikings, Week 2: Washington Commanders, Week 3: San Francisco 49ers, Week 4: Tennessee Titans, Week 5: New England Patriots, Week 6: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 7: Jacksonville Jaguars
The New England Patriots are a bad football team, but they are not a dysfunctional franchise like the New York Jets. Where to even begin with the New York Jets?
Aaron Rodgers has not looked great this season, either because he’s past his prime, or has been severely hurt. It’s likely both, but his poor play is one of the major issues on this offense. Garret Wilson has not looked great either either, but the one player that has more problems than him, is Breece Hall. He has not looked great, and has regressed significantly this year. It might also have something to do with how disappointing the Patriots defense may suck, but with all the problems on offense, it’s likely going to be an issue.
The defense has been a complete flop this season. Almost every piece has regressed including Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CJ Mosley, Quinnen Williams, and this entire running defense. Last time the Jets faced New England, the team faced Jacoby Brissett. This time, the Jets get to face Drake Maye at QB, which is an upgrade, and while he has had growing pains, Maye has had more positive than negative moments. With how bad the run defense for the Jets is, this is going to be a strong Rhamondre Stevenson game.
The Jets are a complete mess, and their season is pretty much over after their loss to the Bills two weeks ago. The worst part is, the Jets might look past this game, having to play the Texans on Thursday Night Football. The fact there are a lot of people in Survivor taking the Jets in Survivor is ridiculous. With how dysfunctional and poorly coached the Jets are, it’s best to stay away from them the rest of the season, and not fall into the trap of taking them here.
2024 Trap Survivor Pick History (2-5) – Week 1: Buffalo Bills, Week 2: Indianapolis Colts, Week 3: Seattle Seahawks, Week 4: Philadelphia Eagles, Week 5: Chicago Bears, Week 6: Buffalo Bills, Week 7: Cincinnati Bengals
Looking at the options, I would have immediately crossed off the Los Angeles Chargers, as they were my pick in Week 2. Arizona is a risky option, but they’re better to save for later in the season, since they face the Patriots in week 15, and the Panthers in week 16. This pick came down to the Denver Broncos or the Detroit Lions. The Broncos have little to no future value in Survivor. The only other week to comfortably take Denver in Survivor is in Week 15, against the Indianapolis Colts. There are many chances to take the Lions. The Broncos would have been my pick for this.
2024 My Survivor Pick History (4-3) – Week 1: Cincinnati Bengals, Week 2: Los Angeles Chargers, Week 3: Las Vegas Raiders, Week 4: Tennessee Titans, Week 5: New England Patriots, Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles, Week 7: Los Angeles Rams
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