Survivor island has no vacancies.
Few people have been voted off the island through the first two weeks of the 2025 NFL regular season and big favorites continue to thrive. To this point, it’s been a party as friends, family and rivals all remain.
USA TODAY NFL Survivor Pool (free to play)
Without those pesky challenges to weed out the competition, no one is sweating just yet. The Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals almost faltered during the second week of the season before ultimately winning in the end.
As we turn the page to Week 3, we will see no shortage of big favorites to pick from. The Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks all have favorable matchups, which could help another big chunk of contestants get through.
Of course, anything can happen on any given Sunday. Here are our survivor picks to get you through to Week 4.
NFL survivor picks Week 3
Buffalo Bills (vs. Miami Dolphins)
We begin our tour around the slate with a stop in Buffalo. The Bills are likely to be the top survivor pick in Week 3 – and for good reason. They already completed an improbable 15-point comeback win over the Ravens with less than five minutes to go in Week 1. They followed it up by dominating the Jets on the road in Week 2.
Now they return home for a date with the Dolphins, facing off against a defense that might win an award for their generosity. Miami’s defense – if that’s what you want to call it – allowed points on their first 10 drives of the season before Drake Maye kneeled to end the first half on Sunday. They eventually stabilized, but could be steamrolled by a Bills offense that can put up points in a hurry. It would take a higher power getting involved for the Dolphins to win in Week 3, but we can understand the hesitancy to take Buffalo with the wackiness that these games sometimes present on Thursday night.
Seattle Seahawks (vs. New Orleans Saints)
If Buffalo is the top team for survivor pools in Week 3, the Seahawks won’t be far behind. Once again, we find ourselves checking in with Spencer Rattler and the Saints. The quarterback is now 0-8 as a starter in his career, but has looked much better than expected in the young season. Granted, expectations couldn’t be much lower. Kellen Moore’s team has played two competitive games to begin their season and is just a touchdown underdog in Seattle for their first road test as a group.
There’s something fishy about Seattle, especially with no major survivor upsets to this point. If it wasn’t for Kaleb Johnson’s miscue on the kickoff that gifted the Seahawks a touchdown, Week 2 might’ve seen a different result. The Seahawks are certainly a solid selection, but don’t be shocked if it’s closer than expected.
Green Bay Packers (at Cleveland Browns)
Based on the first two weeks of the season, flights from Green Bay to San Francisco are about to be a lot more expensive in February. The Packers have introduced themselves as a Super Bowl contender in the early stages of this season, dominating the Lions and Commanders. Now they get a treat, matching up with the lowly Browns in Week 3.
If Green Bay made Detroit and Washington look silly, imagine what they’ll do to Cleveland. Enough said.
Atlanta Falcons (at Carolina Panthers)
Atlanta held tough against the Buccaneers in Week 1 before losing in heartbreaking fashion thanks to a missed field goal. They didn’t feel sorry for themselves and instead took that frustration out on the Vikings, winning convincingly on Sunday night in Minnesota. Now they travel to Carolina for a divisional matchup against the Panthers, who might want to unplug this season and plug it back in again.
What team should you avoid picking in NFL survivor pools this week?
The Kansas City Chiefs.
We know you’re thinking about it, but don’t do it. Conventional wisdom suggests that the Chiefs won’t go 0-3 to start the year. After all, they are the Kansas City Chiefs.
‘Being due’ is not a strategy, even though bad process sometimes leads to good results. Kansas City has struggled with its passing attack thanks to the absences of Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, while this version of Travis Kelce has struggled mightily. Without a great rushing attack, the Chiefs offense relies on one thing – how far can Patrick Mahomes run?
As for the Giants, their offense started clicking against the Cowboys in Week 2 and now gets the chance to put on a show in front of the home faithful for the first time this year.
The Giants may not be a good team, but they have the pieces to pull off an upset.
What team should you pick in NFL survivor pools this week?
The Atlanta Falcons.
Carolina has been dominated for the better part of two weeks and the Young of from the end of the 2024 season isn’t walking through that door. With injuries along the offensive line, Atlanta’s pass rush should have plenty to say before this game concludes.
According to Next Gen Stats, the Falcons pressured J.J. McCarthy on 53.3% of dropbacks in Week 2, totaling six sacks. A wounded offensive line in Carolina could lend itself to an encore performance.
On offense, Michael Penix Jr. has no shortage of weapons that will make life difficult for a young Carolina defense.
After surviving to this point with the Cardinals and Cowboys, we still haven’t seen a significant cut in survivor pools to this point. Whether that becomes the case in Week 3 is anyone’s guess, but we’ll zig while everyone else zags.
The ‘Dirty Birds’ should have no issue getting a win in Charlotte.