Three bettors got the sweat of a lifetime as the Cincinnati Bengals staved off the Tennessee Titans in overtime, keeping their $7.7 million dreams alive.
The Circa Grandissimo survivor pool contest is down to three users, all of whom correctly backed the Bengals to win and moved on to Week 9.
- The pool has a $100,000 buy-in per participant.
- Had the Bengals lost, the three would’ve won nearly $2.6 million each.
- Over 50% of contestants in Circa’s $1,000 buy-in pool also picked the Bengals.
The Circa Grandissimo pool requires a $100,000 buy-in for every participant. The $7.7 million grand prize will go to the last contestant standing, or be split evenly among the participants if they are all eliminated in the same week.
Week 8 represented a potential difference of $5.1 million for each contestant. All three picked the Bengals, meaning that a Titans win would’ve led to near-$2.6 million payouts for each. However, a Bengals win would’ve kept their dreams of the $7.7 million grand prize alive.
#CircaGrandissimo 2026 🏈🏆 Week 8 Selections 📄: https://t.co/8RGBNjGSck https://t.co/T703Q1AmBv
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) November 1, 2026
The Bengals entered Sunday’s matchup at 4-2 against a 1-6 Titans squad that has not put many positives on tape. Oddsmakers had the Bengals as roughly 11-point favorites, depending on the sportsbook.
Tennessee got off to a shockingly fast start, putting together three first-quarter scoring drives to take a 13-0 lead. The Bengals responded with three of their own and were up 21-13 early in the third quarter, at which time the teams began to trade a flurry of body blows but couldn’t land a knockout punch.
Trailing by seven points later in the fourth quarter, Joe Burrow orchestrated an 81-yard drive that culminated in an 18-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 1:17 remaining. The Titans failed to score and took the game to overtime.
The Bengals took possession of the ball first in overtime. Their offense only needed five plays to go 70 yards and score a nine-yard rushing touchdown with Burrow, which ended up being the game-winning score. Cam Ward and the Titans got a chance to respond but couldn't get a first down, turning the ball over on downs after four plays.
In what was as erratic game, Burrow finished with 472 total yards, five passing touchdowns, three interceptions, and a rushing touchdown. Ward had a career-best 304 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort.
Week 9 survivor picks loom large
Former Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders owner Al Davis coined an iconic phrase in NFL lore: “Just win, baby.”
That same mantra applies to Circa’s Grandissimo contest. Users Degenchat-2, Jimmyshieveoverly-1, and Tweenthehedges-1 likely would’ve preferred not to endure the nervous anticipation and frenetic action of Sunday afternoon, but all are advancing for another week of competition in the pool.
Circa has a separate survivor pool with a $1,000 buy-in and a $25 million grand prize. More than 50% of the 660 contestants remaining in that competition also picked the Bengals and could breathe a sigh of relief after the final whistle sounded.
#CircaSurvivor 2026 🏈🏆 Week 8 Selections 📄: https://t.co/nSjhlSB1PG https://t.co/1diHVBdUlz
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) November 1, 2026
Looking ahead to Week 9, the Seattle Seahawks (-10.5) are the largest favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook against the Arizona Cardinals. The San Francisco 49ers are -9.5 favorites against the Las Vegas Raiders, as are the Kansas City Chiefs against the New York Jets.
A three-way tie in the Grandissimo would represent a $2,466,666 profit for each user. A two-way tie would pay nearly $3.8 million in profit, and an outright win would return the full $7.7 million.
