Macca

Hammers defeat Liverpool (again) ... getting a few players back (including Payet) and our schedule isn't all that tough. Bilić is doing a fine job but without Sakho fit and firing a top 4 finish will probably be out of reach - but who knows? The other 3 big guns all recorded wins last night whilst Leicester slipped up - Spurs need to win at Everton tonight if they're to be a real threat for the title.

Pittsburgh Detroit Jacksonville

Yeah, the good news is you will win gold or silver so ... at least you won't win another bronze Looking at the week, there's any number of potential road winners but none that could be called absolute certainties. A number of teams could rest their starters too - week 17 always throws up some surprises. It's probably the most interesting week 17 for quite a while in terms of how the playoff seedings could change (especially the 1 & 2 seeds in both conferences)

Didn't help that the Giants had nothing to play for and Beckham was out ... all the same, the Vikings probably would have won anyway. Bridgewater was very good and for most of the year they've been a very honest, consistently good team. Next week at Lambeau is an interesting scenario considering the loser possibly gets the easier wild-card game (at Washington) Seattle could rest a few starters against Arizona as a win for them would be hard fought and not entirely necessary. They might have already decided that the 6 seed will suffice. Leaderboard in the comp (notables only) 10 - Gorgoroth 9 - cowboy_from_ hell, JV7, Georgiou R.R. Martin 7 - Macca Week 17 games ... all to play for this week with 3 points on offer. Finding 3 obvious road winners in week 17 could be a little difficult. You'd reckon that the teams that have to win, will win but ... all the games are divisional games so there's sure to be some close finishes. Anyway, good luck to all.

Week 17 holds a lot of interest after today's results ... any number of the seedings can change. Pittsburgh are the big losers out of today's games and they will now need the Bills to defeat the Jets as well as win their own game against Cleveland (to make the playoffs) I've already had numerous goes at the ESPN Playoff Machine but it will be interesting to see how Seattle approach next week's game @ Arizona. They've already clinched a playoff berth and will either play @ Washington or at Minnesota or Green Bay. Meanwhile, the Vikes need to win today to clinch a playoff spot (and therefore eliminate Atlanta) Currently leading 10 - 0. As for the Packers - the good news is we can't play any worse and at least we're in the playoffs ... with Rodgers at the helm we're always a chance but right now, we'd be doing well to win 1 playoff game.

These 2 won't get a better chance to cash in ... an opportunity to boost the aggregate and average with a big score. Hard to believe that the Windies haven't played a test in Melbourne for 15 years. Still, their batsmen might get amongst them on this track ... then again, they may not.

Carolina Pittsburgh New England

Your game against the Giants has been flexed to SNF but if Washington defeat Philadelphia (@ the Eagles) on Saturday night the Giants will be out of the playoffs already (think that's right) MNF is Cinci @ Denver whilst the the early game on Monday (our time) on 7mate is the Patriots @ Jets followed by the late game of Packers @ Arizona ... not a bad line-up of TV games all up ... week 16 games At least we'll be able to watch the games next Monday (save for anyone who has to work) Edit: Odell Beckham Jr. suspended for a week but he's sure to appeal ... could be reduced to a heavy fine if his appeal is successful.

Yep JV7, 2 points to the top 5 in the comp this week Leaderboard (notables only) 10 - Gorgoroth 9 - cowboy_from_ hell, JV7, Georgiou R.R. Martin 7 - Macca Some observations ... The Jets just won't go away and we might have an 11-5 team miss out on the playoffs in the AFC (or at least a 10-6 team) The Colts might miss out completely Arizona are a good team and could win it all The jockeying for seedings in the NFC is on - certain match-ups aren't ideal for certain teams. The loser of next weeks Cinci & Denver game could well end up with some unwanted pressure The Giants will be kicking themselves if they miss out - so many winnable games that they've lost. The Panthers are still on track for a perfect season The Vikes win easily and that week 17 game at Lambeau will almost certainly be "live" for both teams .. the Seahawks can only get a wild card now (which is theirs for the taking) As JV7 mentioned, the Falcons can still make it Washington's destiny is in their own hands and they can't be counted out from at least winning 1 playoff game (their 1st playoff game would be at their home field) KC & the Steelers keep winning and winning well (the wild-card weekend could see both wild-card teams win in the AFC)

Keep safe Gorgo

Don't forget there's a game on tomorrow at 12.30pm (Jets @ Dallas) ... unfortunately only on cable but the game holds great interest because of the wild-card race in the AFC. I wasn't prepared to tip the Jets but they can win and if they do they might start getting talked about as a genuine playoff contender.

KC Packers Panthers

The following track by Black Sabbath featured as the intro to the final episode of Fargo (season 2) ... from their 'Paranoid' album of 1970 ...

Week 15 games (2 points) As an added bonus we've got a couple of Saturday night games (this week and next week) ... Jets @ Dallas this week. As usual, finding 3 road winners will be tricky but this time of year there's sure to be a banker or 2 (maybe ) note; scroll up a couple for the leaderboard.

A number of us picked up a point in the tipping comp this week and we have a new outright leader ... remembering that next week (week 15) is our 2nd last bonus point week (2 points) Week 16 is for 1 point and week 17 is for 3 points. Leaderboard in the comp 8 - Gorgoroth 7 - cowboy_from_ hell, JV7, Georgiou R.R. Martin 5 - Macca 1 - titan_uranus 0 - The rest

Yep, it's disappointing for the Falcons but the Chargers, Saints, Giants, Bears & Detroit have all got decent QB's and they may all miss out on the playoffs ... then there's Kaepernick at the 49ers who isn't even playing at all. Ryan is probably another QB who needs a very good team around him ... the Packers passing game which was previously a real strength is just average now - Rodgers can't find open receivers so we've had to concentrate on our running game and defense (which can't be relied upon, by the way) We'll need everything to go right to really contend and even that may not be enough considering how well the Panthers, Seattle and Arizona are playing.

Liverpool, Spurs & Man Utd all dropped points to help your blokes (I'm assuming the Gunners are your team) ... what's the bet we see a draw in tomorrow's game? (Leicester vs Chelsea) I reckon Chelsea won't park the bus because of where they're situated on the table ... therefore, we'll hopefully see some goals ... Leicester 2 Chelsea 2 (although, I can also see a Leicester win)

... and away at Villa promises nothing for Arsenal later tonight ... then again, the Gunners might win 4 nil. The best part of the season is the unpredictability of the games ... there's been a spate of injuries with the more notable teams but the other less notable teams seem to be bridging the gap with greater spending power and astute signings. Soft tissue injuries seems to be at an all time high but oddly enough, that's good for the league (in some ways)

Well, sort of ... I don't fancy the Pats, Detroit, Saints or the Colts and I do rate Pittsburgh & the Giants (at least for this week anyway) Whether that all converts to me picking up a precious point is another thing though

Seattle Giants Pittsburgh

An example of a proper infrastructure is our Sheffield Shield system compared to the first class systems in the West Indies, Zimbabwe & Bangladesh. Our first class system is heavily subsidised (probably to the tune of about 6-8 million) but what about the West Indies, Zimbabwe & Bangladesh? ... first class cricketers need the security of a decent base salary ... and airfares, accommodation, match payments, stadium availability and upkeep, doctors, physio's et al can all cost a great deal of money. As a comparison, look at how much money & resources have been thrown in the direction of the GCS & GWS by the AFL. The West Indies problems are many and it doesn't help that their domestic season coincides with the IPL ... but so does England's and they aren't losing their best test players to t20 (centralised contracts is a big factor for the England cricketers and that's what the West Indies cricketers will ultimately need - in my opinion) The ICC needs to step in and fix things - that will take time, expertise and lots of money.

Punishing West Indies cricket is not the answer ... I understand the angst but it's counter-productive. World cricket needs all the test nations to be strong ... including any newcomers. There's loads of money in the sport so to make it largely bullet-proof is do-able. What we're watching isn't ideal but I see it as an infrastructure & development issue ... Bangladesh should be a strong test nation by now but many people just want to get rid of them because of their short-sighted views. There are others who just want to blame t20 but again, that's a short-sighted answer ... I've said all along that t20 can help test cricket. Without t20 many young cricketers might choose other sports ... and the other sports are aggressive in the pursuit of young talent - look no further than the AFL for proof positive. That Mallett article was mostly just an angry rant but he does mention the ICC stepping in - but more so in a way of reading the riot act - again, the young talent in the West Indies is there - but is that young talent being identified & harnessed properly? The West Indies board are not cash-rich either so there's now a disincentive for young sportsmen to choose cricket in those Island nations. Other test nations would previously pay top money for the West Indies to tour their country ... that money has dried up too to a certain degree. Therefore, we end up with a system breakdown.

I get the bit where the Vikes want to get closer for the field goal ... they can't throw it in the field of play (with 13 seconds remaining) but a "sack" isn't counted on - that's worst case scenario. Everything is just about a risk in this sport and I suppose without risk there's no reward. You're not out of it cbh and that's a decent effort by your blokes in Arizona.

I believe the ICC needs to help West Indian cricket ... I've been hearing for 20 years or more that a lot of their young talent is snapped up by American Universities (for their basketball, baseball, American football and track & field programs) If that is true it then largely explains why they've stopped producing superstar cricketers. Those wanting to blame t20 need to understand that the West Indies have been on the decline from the early 90's and they are a shadow of their former selves. Their first class system wouldn't reward the participants with boat loads of cash and those West Indian cricketers concentrating on t20 are not exactly "great" cricketers anyway (Gayle is a top player but the others are average without being stars of the game) So, if the solution lies with doing as much as possible to steer those young talented sportsmen towards cricket, then the ICC offering lucrative cricket scholarships might be the answer ... Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and to a lesser extent Pakistan, Sri Lanka & New Zealand could be part of that program (as well as the best young talent from Afghanistan, Ireland and the other nations that don't have full test status) There's enough money in the sport to get things right. I'm not pouring cold water on your idea TD because I believe it has merit but we need to shore up the existing cricket nations as well ... India, Australia, South Africa & England don't really need any help but all the nations could be involved in some way ... especially with the academies/infrastructure etc etc.

Yep, and I can't believe I'm still within striking distance ... the first 2 years saw a lot of us pick up 3 points in week 17 so if that trend continues, it will pay to be in the lead going into the last week. I'm going to have to "win out" in any case because I reckon 11 points or more will win it ... but ya never know.