Macca

I usually get 2 out of 3 in the comp so KC losing probably means that my other 2 tips will get up - Green Bay is one of those tips (I'm still not optimistic though - how can you be in this League?)

Like your thinking there TD If Clarke is out I'd find room for Watson as we'll need his experience ... anyway, Lehmann has indicated that Watson and Mitch Marsh could both play and the selectors might decide to persevere with Doolan or give Hughes another shot at it. I tend to think they'll bring in a new player ... Handscomb, Burns, Maddinson and Ferguson all have claims but it might even be someone else. Khawaja & S Marsh could be in the mix as you indicated. Smith could bat at no.4 and I believe he could even bat at no.3 in the future - he's improving as each year goes by. Watson would be better suited down the order so he could take Smith's spot at no.5. Which leads us back to the no.3 spot - it's Doolan or Hughes or a new player in my opinion. Burns made 183 at the Gabba last weekend so he'd be my 'smoky' As for the bowling, only Johnson & Harris (if fit) are assured of spots although I reckon Lyon will probably play ... the 3rd seamer could come from Siddle, Starc or Hazlewood. Apparently the team is going to be announced on Monday.

Kansas City Green Bay Cincinnati

Would have liked to have seen the Lions @ Pats and Arizona @ Seattle games on 7mate ... however, all the TV games have playoff implications. And there's always 'RedZone' if you can access it. I can't get enough of it - it's frantic but brilliant. Friday 12.30pm Kansas City (7/3) at Oakland (0/10) (ESPN) Monday 5.00am - 11.30am RedZone (ESPN) 5.00am Cleveland (6/4) at Atlanta (4/6) (7mate) 8.30am Miami (6/4) at Denver (7/3) (7mate) 12.30pm Dallas (7/3) at NY Giants (3/7) (7mate & ESPN) Tuesday 12.30pm Baltimore (6/4) at New Orleans (4/6) (ESPN) All the week 12 games & The BS Report Week 12 Elo Ratings, Playoff Chances & Match-up Scenarios

Yeah, it's just opinions though, pantaloons - if Detroit can somehow upset them this week then everything changes again. Who knows in this league ... By the way, Reid has done fantastically well at KC - is that 7 wins from your last 8? He uses Smith very intelligently.

Well I'm reasonably pleased but our run defense has been an issue for a lot of our games (we're currently ranked 29th) We're getting better but a good running team does present it's problems. I honestly believe the whole NFC is up for grabs and it might come down to on the day - nearly all the contenders have a decent home field advantage so we'd have to at least win the division and get a 1 or 2 seed before I'd be thinking we can win the whole thing. Even the Saints could win at least 1 playoff game if they win the NFC South and Atlanta might be tough at home as well if they win the division. At the moment I don't see a firm favourite in the NFC - Detroit should win at least 4 of their 6 remaining games and they also visit Lambeau in week 17. At the moment the Lions hold the tie-break over Green Bay in 3 areas. It's a bit more clear cut in the AFC in my opinion - if New England get the 1 seed they'll be hard to stop - maybe Pittsburgh or Baltimore could go to New England and win but I have doubts about any other AFC team being able to win there.

When a team loses a franchise player from their offense (and it's best player) it's got to effect a team's season ... contrarily, even a good to average QB can be covered for quite easily sometimes and often a team may be better off if their QB gets injured. When a team is weak on defense it's often as a collective I read somewhere yesterday that Stafford is 0/15 when facing teams on the road with a better than 500 record. A way to differentiate teams sometimes is to look for the teams that win games on the road against the good teams (or at least play well against the good teams on the road) Both the Eagles and the 49ers have the best road records against good teams this year (so far) Both teams have only had 1 bad loss and both teams have had 4 tough road games (GB have had 3 bad losses on the road against quality opposition) By contrast, New England have only had 2 tough road games and got smashed in one of them (KC) and in the other one they smashed the Colts - in their case it may not matter because they could end up as the no.1 seed in the AFC.

RG3 needs to let his talents do the talking ... he's got ability but he tends to explain things too much in the media. Just do the business and win games is the best solution. Over thinking it maybe? The Vikes need to just get these games into Bridgewater ... no player is guaranteed 30+ games but a rookie QB probably needs that amount of games before he's comfortable in the role.

6 road winners with another one coming up tomorrow with the Steelers you'd reckon ... of course, none of us could put 3 of 'em together. Every time I think of tipping against the more obvious road teams I baulk - ah well, we keep coming back for more much like the addiction we have for the Demons Points tally in the comp ... 3 - JV7, Go the Biff, Georgiou R. R. Martin, Dappa Dan 2 - Macca 1 - cowboy_from_hell, pantaloons, Gorgoroth 0 - others Week 12 games Re the games ... KC are now level with Denver on wins when they could have fallen 2 games behind The Pats now look Super Bowl bound and I'm not sure any team in the AFC can stop them. Packers winning and the Lions losing changes things dramatically in the NFC North. Arizona still have a few tough games coming up but they currently hold the 1 seed in the NFC by 2 wins. Cinci, San Francisco & the Chargers all had very important wins. Seattle are looking shaky and it might be out of them or the 49ers for a wild-card berth. Atlanta now head the NFC South - whooda thunk-it. What's goin' on with the Saints? The AFC North is impossible to pick but I'm thinking the Ravens might get hot - Ravens schedule

Wally Edwards or Alan Turner? Seriously, Joe Burns made 183 yesterday at the Gabba

I'm concerned about our defense against your fast paced offense ... hell, we have enough issues against teams who methodically move the ball down the field. This game could easily end up being a shoot-out ... both teams know how to rack up the points. I'll take any sort of win but I'm not at all confident. So much riding on this one game ... in 2 weeks time your blokes are at Dallas and the Packers are at home against the Pats. From Bill Simmons' latest column ... keeping in mind that he rarely gives the Packers a lot of credit.

Denver San Francisco Pittsburgh

Excellent line-up of games with only MNF not being a big match-up (a vital game for the Steelers though) Friday 12.30pm Buffalo (5/4) at Miami (5/4) (ESPN) Monday 5.00am - 11.30am RedZone (ESPN) 5.00am Seattle (6/3) at Kansas City (6/3) (7mate) 8.30am Philadelphia (7/2) at Green Bay (6/3) (7mate) 12.30pm New England (7/2) at Indianapolis (6/3) (7mate & ESPN) Tuesday 12.30pm Pittsburgh (6/4) at Tennessee (2/7) (ESPN) All the week 11 games The BS Report 'Elo' Playoff Rankings & Week 11 Favoured teams

Reckon we're going to see more coaches like Kelly in the future ... Sanchez looks to be fitting right in as well. Classic match-up of styles next week at Lambeau ... it's the 8.30am game on 7mate as well. Neither team can afford to lose this one - dare I say it ... 'A season definer'

Carson Palmer looks like he's done his knee again ... dreadfully unlucky. Looked an innocuous play but he just planted his leg awkwardly - they may be able to cover for him adequately with Stanton but the rest of their team will not only have to keep up their standards but they'll probably need to get even better if they're going to really challenge. I've also just realised that my likely NFC Championship match-up of Arizona vs Philadelphia may mean a Stanton vs Sanchez duel. Right place at the right time for both these blokes - both teams play more of an all round game so they could both fit in somehow. Romo didn't seem to be hampered at all today and in fact played quite a good game ... Dallas won a game they just had to win and with it, their season might be back on track. All up, the playoff spots in the NFC just got decidedly harder today in 3 of the NFC divisions - 7 teams in a race for 5 spots by the looks of it and 10/6 may or may not get it done for a playoff spot. The AFC is much the same although 9/7 might secure a playoff spot in that conference. Danger game for the Eagles tomorrow - the Panthers would go to 3/6/1 if they lose tomorrow but still be right in amongst it in their division - Philadelphia should be too good but it might be close.

The Steelers and Saints losing & the 49ers, Ravens & Falcons winning does change things somewhat in those teams divisions ... The niners run home isn't that tough apart from a visit to Seattle. The AFC North is so wide open that any of the 4 teams could win that division Same deal for the NFC South except Tampa are almost certainly out of it. Interesting that the Falcons are 3-0 within that division. Big wins for the Lions & KC too. As was expected, no one picked up a point in the toughest tipping comp devised by man. Points tally ... 3 - JV7, Go the Biff, Georgiou R. R. Martin, Dappa Dan 2 - Macca 1 - cowboy_from_hell, pantaloons, Gorgoroth 0 - others Week 11 games (2 points on offer in the 4th of our bonus weeks)

Here goes ... Wild-card weekend Green Bay d Seattle New Orleans d Detroit Indianapolis d Kansas City Pittsburgh d Cincinnati Divisional weekend Arizona d New Orleans Philadelphia d Green Bay (Sanchez d Rodgers? - makes no sense but I'm already committed to the Eagles!) New England d Pittsburgh Denver d Indianapolis Conference Championships Arizona d Philpelphia New England d Denver Super Bowl New England d Arizona I'm not confident about any of the above and I reckon if the Ravens get in they could win the whole thing. Home field decides the Pats/Broncos match-up and the same goes in the NFC. It's certainly a wide open race to the title.

Monday 5.00am - 11.30am RedZone (ESPN) 5.00am San Francisco at New Orleans (7mate) 8.30am NY Giants at Seattle (7mate) 12.30pm Chicago at Green Bay (7mate & ESPN) Tuesday 12.30pm Carolina at Philadelphia (ESPN) All the week 10 games BS Report NFL Week 10 Elo Ratings & Playoff Odds

Dallas Denver Pittsburgh That loss today has got to dent the Bengals overall chances. The Browns may well be more than nuisance value too ... Cleveland Rocks? ps ... I've added the Elo ratings to the TV games post (above)

Loser goes home tomorrow? Friday 12.25pm Cleveland at Cincinnati (ESPN) Monday 5.00am - 11.30am RedZone (ESPN) 5.00am San Francisco at New Orleans (7mate) 8.30am NY Giants at Seattle (7mate) 12.30pm Chicago at Green Bay (7mate & ESPN) Tuesday 12.30pm Carolina at Philadelphia (ESPN) All the week 10 games BS Report NFL Week 10 Elo Ratings & Playoff Odds

NFC Division winners 1 Arizona 2 Philadelphia 3 Green Bay 4 New Orleans Wild-cards 5 Detroit 6 Seattle AFC Division winners 1 New England 2 Denver 3 Indianapolis 4 Pittsburgh Wild-cards 5 Cincinnati 6 Kansas City Conference Championship games Arizona vs Philadelphia New England vs Denver I fully expect to get a number wrong but I reckon Arizona are now going to be hard to displace from the 1 seed ... Seattle & San Francisco just aren't the same teams from previous years ... Green Bay is a biased pick and I reckon Dallas will drop off the pace unless Romo gets back fully fit. The Eagles should win enough games to get the 2 seed. Sanchez is in the right place at the right time and who would have thought he might be able to lead a team back to the playoffs so soon after being virtually written off? In the AFC I reckon it's down to the 4 division winners and I've gone the safe way with the Pats & Broncos in the conference championship match-up ... couldn't find a spot for Buffalo, Miami & Chargers but most unlucky was the Ravens. It's the most wide open for a long time and I don't believe there's one absolute stand-out team. And Dappa, I'll leave it up to you to figure out all the points winners

Not for me, Smithy. Watson is a no.6 - we can and should be giving a young player a chance at the top of the order ... I hear what people keep saying about "knocking the door down" but history tells us that nearly all our best batsmen were never knocking the door down when they were given their opportunity. Also, many players actually get better at a higher level. Especially the young ones. Our method of structuring our side has been a tried and tested one and it works - I see no reason to deviate away from how it's all been done in the past - it's one of the main reasons why we've been the best performed nation over time. Smith is an example of how it all works - he was first picked when he had just turned 21 years old - he certainly hadn't been setting the world on fire before his debut and in fact looked out of sorts at the next level. He subsequently got dropped but fought his way back into the side and now he might even be our next captain.

Dappa Dan has rejoined the leaders whilst I fluked a point in the comp Points tally ... 3 - JV7, Go the Biff, Georgiou R. R. Martin, Dappa Dan 2 - Macca 1 - cowboy_from_hell, pantaloons, Gorgoroth 0 - others Week 10 games

Maxwell was another surprise selection - he, like Mitchell Marsh & Watson should be vying for the one spot - the no.6 all rounders spot. Not sure there's room for 2 of these type of players in the test side unless both are exceptionally good. It's one of the reasons that I've picked Marsh over Watson. If both play then where do both bat if Clarke & Smith occupy the no.4 & no.5 spots? Considering that Hughes was in the squad I would have played him in the 2nd test against Pakistan instead of playing Maxwell - Maxwell is at best a no.6 and we already had Marsh batting in the no.6 spot (Maxwell didn't play in the first test whilst Marsh did) Maxwell batting in the 3 spot was quite a surprise. Again, the selectors will continue to make surprise moves and those moves don't always make a lot of sense. What many may not know is that the captain picks the batting order but what else was Clarke to do when considering the team he was handed? Hughes was next cab off the rank and he should have played if Doolan was going to be dropped. Horses for courses. Again, I would have taken another young top order player on the tour and blooded him if need be.

I like the idea of continually looking to improve the team with young talent - and that young talent doesn't necessarily need to be "beating the door down" to get into the team - for instance, picking Mitch Marsh is a step in the right direction in my opinion. We're not talking 18 year old rookies like we are in the AFL but 21-23 year old shield players who show something. Most of out players who ended up being top players were picked from relative obscurity. The history books tell us that - Border, S Waugh, Hayden, Langer, Martyn and many others hadn't really done much at shield level before getting the call up. Maddinson has previously shown a bit of promise and I like the look of him. Burns and Silk are another 2 top order players who have shown something. As much as Rogers* has done quite well, I would never have picked him when the selectors did so. Hughes has been found wanting previously because he doesn't have an all round game (strong through point but not strong with his other shots) I'd be looking for new blood and over the decades, the selectors have normally taken that path with fruitful results. That doesn't mean that Hughes won't make a success of himself if he gets another chance - it simply means I'd be looking elsewhere for the time being. *I've picked Rogers for the Brisbane Test because that's what I believe the selectors will do - my whole team is based on what I think "they" will do. If it was me picking the team I wouldn't be finding room for Rogers, Hughes or even Lyon. Replacing Haddin if he's injured is another tricky one - Wade & Paine may not be the next choices in the selectors eyes - again, the selectors might decide to pick someone else if Haddin doesn't come up - Hartley or Nevill might get a chance. One thing we do know is that the selectors normally spring a surprise or 2. Rogers himself was a surprise selection for the 2013 ashes campaign in England ... however, the biggest concern I have is the fitness & health of our fast bowlers. I like the idea of having a full squad to choose from.