Macca

Foles is just a cool dude - never fazed (which is a talent all on its own) ... where as Luck is a bit of a nerd But you know what Dappa? I'd have either of them at Green Bay if Rodgers wasn't available. They are both really talented QB's - hands down. Yep, clipped the fingers which is enough to affect the kick which was possibly going to fade a few metres. So the angst against Parkey becomes uncalled for as he often fades his kicks. The iced kick just beforehand faded left to right so we could assume that he was going to repeat the same type of kick. But he'll have to cop it and then have to deal with it all. The Bears couldn't stop that final Foles drive and their trademark is stopping those types of drives with their D. So the game is decided in other areas as well as the talked-about last play. Still, it was a crushing loss for the Bears. As I would have been too - Foles seems unstoppable and I reckon if you can beat the Saints then you'll win the Lombardi again. But New Orleans are gonna be real tough in that dome. The key is to remain within striking distance so you'll need your D to stand up.

LaFleur has the credentials but being the head coach is a big step-up from being a Coordinater. I wish him well but the expectations will be to win now and make the playoffs first year in. It is not a Roos/Melbourne scenario.

Schedule For Next Week (all times AEDT) Sunday 8.35am Colts @ KC (-6.5) Sunday 12.15pm Dallas @ LA Rams (-6.5) Monday 5.05am Chargers @ Patriots (-4.5) Monday 8.40am Eagles @ Saints (-8.5)

Leaderboard (Post Season Tipping Comp) 4 - Gorgoroth 2 - Go the Biff, Dappa Dan, DeeSpencer 1 - JV7, titan_uranus, Clintosaurus, Macca 0 - TWSNBN

3 road winners out of the 4 and very nearly a 4th road winner with Seattle. And those Eagles just keep getting it done with Nick Foles at the helm. Amazing Trubisky had a terrific game for the Bears too. The field goal attempt by Parkey hit the upright & the crossbar. A game of inches indeed.

And Parkey misses the 3 pointer - hits the upright! A timely time-out by Pederson to ice the kicker. That's a heartbreaker for the Bears.

Foles marches the Eagles downfield to score a TD with a Golden Tate catch and then miss a 2 point conversion by centimetres to take the lead 17 - 16 with a minute left - what a finish!

Poor choice by Foles resulting in that interception ... should have thrown it away. Still, there isn't much in this game with both D's on top. Edit: And just like that the Bears give away 3 penalties in a row then Foles throws a TD pass. Edit (II): Chicago hit back with a TD of their own ... Trubisky with a couple of excellent throws. Bears 15 Eagles 10 with 8:46 to go in the 4th quarter. Eagles with the ball.

Ravens left it too late and would have pinched it if they had have got up and won. They had virtually no offense for in the first half. There was talk of bringing in Flacco in the 2nd half but that never eventuated. Chargers were good though ... especially their run defense on 1st & 2nd downs. At New England next - that will be a step up.

By the way @Gorgoroth who would you rather play next week? Dallas or Chicago? (it can't be the Eagles - not next week anyway)

He is verging on becoming a great player but you may as well switch off his press conferences. It is more amusing than annoying from my point of view Gorg. Plug in and play = Andrew Luck (when he is healthy)

Adding my 2 picks to your Barca pick works out at 14-1 (boosted) An outlay of 13 units returns 200 units. That's not too shabby for a 3pick DZ. Here are my 2 picks again ... NFL Monday $2.60 Baltimore (1-13) vs LA Chargers $2.40 Chicago (1-13) vs Philadelphia

Andrew Luck might be a top-notch QB but he has taken QB-Speak to a whole new level. It's like he is on auto-pilot once he starts talking ?

Half-way through this weeks games so here's how the tipping is going 2 - Gorgoroth 1 - Clintosaurus, Go the Biff, Macca 0 - The Usual Suspects

I reckon he was trying to drop-kick it straight up in the air ... back in my day that straight-up drop-kick would only happen by accident. The opposite was the knackers-cruncher ... perfected by former Demon Big Carl!

Cowboys now at New Orleans next week unless the Eagles can win at the Bears. That run by Prescott was the difference in the end - a brilliant run in crunch time.

The drop-kick became extinct years ago in Oz ... the Yanks are just catching on by the looks of it. ?

Home field will nearly always give that team with home field an advantage with decisions from the officials. Solution - gain home field because not much is ever going to change. Seattle have had more than their fair share of luck when they play at home so it's swings & roundabouts. So Dallas get a few calls their way but that is no surprise ... what would have been a surprise would be if Seattle got a few dubious calls their way. Even 'Vegas' recognises home town decisions with the lines that they set.

Cowboys hit back but this game looks like it's going down to the wire

Looks a goodin' too does 'Yes Yes Yes' Wadda. 'Exhilerates' has taken the same pathway as 'Sunlight' did last year. In fact, 3 of the past 4 winners of the Magic Millions 2yo classic have won the same sprint race at the Gold Coast one week beforehand. Godolphin & James Cummings in good form too. Race Replay of Exhilerates winning yesterday And I see Inglis have got in on the action with a big day of their own to be held annually on the 2nd Saturday in February at Warwick Farm. Another $2Million race for the 2YO's. As well as that, the Inglis 3YO's race for $1Million in a sprint race on the same day - read more here

Audio available for the EPL from this Irish station from about 1.00am AEDT - Today FM 'Today FM' not covering the FA Cup by the sounds of it but the BBC World Service are which might include the 2nd half of the featured match (whatever that might be)

No coverage at all on Australian TV of the English FA Cup ... that is a sad state of affairs. One might presume that SBS will cover the final at least but I can't find any confirmation as such. Audio available from this Irish station from about 1.00am AEDT - Today FM

So on to the Magic Millions it is then ... the main interest is generally with the 2yo Classic although the Guineas, Cup, Trophy, Sprint and the F & M race also has a number of quality horses running around. Some horses like 'Tally' have qualified for the big day even though they don't fall under the banner of the MM. A good move by the organisation. But pertaining to the 2yo Classic, here are a couple of stories emanating out of today's racing. Blue Army filly (Exhilerates) shakes up Gold Coast Magic Millions Snowden 2YO 'Hightailing' to the Gold Coast

Note to self ... always include all Bob Peters runners in any exotic out of Perth! Also, 'Star Exhibit' was the 2nd highest rated horse in the race but was only carrying 55kg. But fair play to the horse and jockey though (Peter Hall) Ran down Action and on one of the camera angles there was a look of mild astonishment from Willie Pike as Star Exhibit loomed large! Can't win 'em all hey DZ! The Perth Cup kind of closes off the year for me although it starts all over again with the Magic Millions next week. Always a tricky card but there are some class horses in a number of the fields. Exacta's only at this time of the year is my preference. Trying to find straight out winners is very difficult and trifectas are tough to get too ... although, in terms of winners we've gone 3 from 4 and a 2nd in the last 2 weekends on the ADATR thread.

The post-season tipping comp is a goer so a shout out to @Dr. Gonzo @DeeSpencer @layzie @DemonDave & @Dappa Dan if you're keen to play. If participating, don't forget the scorelines (needed mainly for the SB) Here are the 4 games and the respective lines - all times AEDT Sunday 8.35am Indianapolis @ Houston (-2.5) Sunday 12.15pm Seattle @ Dallas (-2.5) Monday 5.00am Chargers @ Baltimore (-2.5) Monday 8.40am Philadelphia @ Chicago (-5.5)