Macca

So a team scores 48 points, has a QB who throws for 500 hundred yards and 5 touchdowns and loses!!? Wow! Dallas must be in shock right now whilst Denver just keep rackin' up the big numbers. The 49ers returned to their best form and the Saints, Packers, KC, Cinci, Indi and the Ravens all had big important wins. The Chargers can't be trusted yet and the Eagles and Arizona are hanging in there. Josh Freeman traded to the Vikings! Interesting times ahead at Minnesota. The Bengals holding the Pats to 6 points was a major achievement all things considered. Much relief that the Packers won as a loss would have been catastrophic. At the Ravens next week in another tough one. KC won as expected but didn't have it all their own way. 5 and 0 now and home to Oakland next week. The Saints and Indi were maybe the biggest winners though in terms of setting up the rest of their seasons. Once again it looks like no one picked 3 road wins - I changed my mind from Baltimore to the Pats in another baffling move. When will I ever learn? Maybe we should all be awarded a 'Participation point' just to get people off the mark!

Latest from Arcade Fire ... 'Reflektor' 13.8

Here are the TV games again along with Bill Simmons latest Grantland column (which can be found ... here) Mon Oct 7 4.00am Baltimore at Miami (OneHD) 7.05am Carolina at Arizona (Fox1) 7.25am Denver at Dallas (OneHD) 11.30am Houston at San Francisco (OneHD & ESPN) Tues Oct 8 11.30am NY Jets at Atlanta (ESPN) ... all the other week 5 games

There's been a spate of injuries this season already (higher than normal?) I've picked New England but not with any confidence. Your division looks the hardest to figure out. 9 wins might get it done Nice win to Cleveland yesterday all the same but the QB's took some punishment. The hit on E J Manuel looked worse than Hoyer's but as 'cfh' mentioned, Hoyer is out for the season with an ACL. Weeden did ok after he was called into the game.

Good start for your Maple Leafs 'GTG'. Great to have the season back. The Canucks went down again to San Jose (that's 10 losses in a row to the Sharks apparently!) Word out of Vancouver is that we've drafted well but who knows? I like the set-up of the conferences and the divisions. I thought they might have put old rivals the Blackhawks and the Red Wings in the same division but not to be. Your division looks strong and so does the Pacific division. The new Avs coach Patrick Roy seems to be up for the contest ... check this out from yesterday's game against Anaheim. And Colorado won the game 6-1!

I'll put you on the points table DL7 ... good luck! Last chance to join in the frivolities Ladies and Gentlemen. Entries definitely close just prior to Monday's games. The executive committee decided to extend entries for one more week! (I've got a feeling Dallas might surprise - that's all we need )

Yep, that game is the sort of encounter where Dallas will do well. You can never quite count the Cowboys out. They lose games they should win and often play well against good opposition. Whether they can curtail Manning is the big question. The other interesting TV game is the Texans @ the 49ers on SNF. Don't know what to make of Houston - they lose this and they go to 2 and 3. The early game between Baltimore and Miami could be a close one. Nearly every game this week has something riding on it. It's the best week of the season thus far. Your blokes should win comfortably. Jacksonville are terrible. If the Browns win tomorrow they may end up a game clear of their divisional rivals after the week is over. They've certainly got good defense. And then we finish off with the Jets in Atlanta - I give them a sneaky chance (although the Falcons won't want to drop another one!)

TV games ... Fri Oct 4 10.25am Buffalo at Cleveland (OneHD & ESPN) Mon Oct 7 4.00am Baltimore at Miami (OneHD) 7.05am Carolina at Arizona (Fox1) 7.25am Denver at Dallas (OneHD) 11.30am Houston at San Francisco (OneHD & ESPN) Tues Oct 8 11.30am NY Jets at Atlanta (ESPN) ... all the other week 5 games My tips ... Denver KC New England

Think there might be at least a couple of winners this week ... but I've thought that every week! Denver should win - I heard Peyton saying that they'd really set themselves to perform better on the road this season (although they did go 6 and 2 on the road last year) There's a whole bunch of good games this week. Even Friday's game is an interesting one (especially if the Browns win again) I'm quite concerned about Detroit's visit to Lambeau ... they got out to a 40-16 lead over the Bears last week. Bush has made such a difference to them - and they've got Megatron, of course. Suh is as menacing as ever. They might be really good this year. But KC are the big story - they should go to 5 and 0 when you consider the Titans have lost their QB. Their schedule isn't that tough in the next month and they don't play Denver until week 11. The Saints are the other big improver but that was sort of expected.

Dominant performance by the Saints today. Brees had a huge game and Sproles gained a total of 222 yards when you include punt returns, kick returns and rushing. He also got 2 TD's in a big game. New Orleans look a genuine threat. 'cfh' picked up a point in the comp. (there was 6 'Road' wins last week) The rest of us continue to struggle ... 2 points up for grabs in week 5 (the first of the bonus rounds) Not sure you have to be much of a tipster to win this thing! (although 'cfh' has gone 2 from 4) Points table ... 2 - cowboy from hell 1 - Macca 0 - Gorgoroth 0 - pantaloons 0 - DemonDave 0 - 45HG 0 - Norm Smith's Curse 0 - Strafford 0 - bananas 0 - Demon Land 7 ... Week 5 games Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal's podcast (apart from trying to guess the lines, they once again chat about 'Breaking Bad' towards the end of the podcast)

Another frantic Monday! (this time having to include the finale of Breaking Bad and the 1st episode of the new season of 'Homeland') Seattle get up and win from a 20-3 deficit in a big comeback. The Patriots too good for the Falcons although Atlanta came from the clouds to nearly pinch a win. KC, Indi, Denver, Tennessee and Detroit keep marching on and the Chargers, Bills and Cleveland had big wins against good opposition. The Vikings and Washington get on the board but those Lions of Detroit are a real concern (my blokes are at home against them next week) KC @ Tennessee in week 5 is now one of the matches of the round! How things can change in the NFL Tomorrows game between Miami and the Saints could be a beauty. Here's Mike Turico with the Monday Night Football Preview Podcast

Welcome aboard ... same picks as mine (1 out of 3!)

Cleveland win the right to host the wild-card playoff game against ... the Rays or the Rangers (who play off against each other tomorrow in Texas) All the playoff games are being broadcast on ESPN radio whilst cable will cover a number of games. Here's the basic line-up of match-ups ... NL Wild Card ... Reds @ Pirates (Wed our time) AL Wild Card ... TBD @ Indians (Thurs our time) NLDS ... Reds/Pirates @ Cardinals (starts Friday our time) NLDS ... Dodgers @ Braves (starts Friday our time) ALDS ... Rays/Rangers/Indians @ Red Sox (starts Saturday our time) ALDS ... Tigers @ Athletics (starts Saturday our time)

Just a reminder about the TV games ... Mon Sept 30 3.00am Pittsburgh at Minnesota (OneHD) 6.25am Philadelphia at Denver (OneHD) 6.25am Dallas at San Diego (Fox1) 10.30am New England at Atlanta (OneHD & ESPN) Tues Oct 1 10.30am Miami at New Orleans (ESPN) All the other week 4 games Here's Bill Simmons weekly column ... week 4 tips ... and the NFL Power Rankings: Week 4

TV games ... Fri Sept 27 10.25am San Francisco at St. Louis (OneHD & ESPN) Mon Sept 30 3.00am Pittsburgh at Minnesota (OneHD) 6.25am Philadelphia at Denver (OneHD) 6.25am Dallas at San Diego (Fox1) 10.30am New England at Atlanta (OneHD & ESPN) Tues Oct 1 10.30am Miami at New Orleans (ESPN) ... all the other week 4 games Road team tips ... Baltimore Cincinnati Indianapolis Not a bad line-up of games on the box although the Seahawks/Texans and Bears/Lions games are arguably 2 of the better match-ups in week 4. Not sure when cable will start showing an 'early' game either. The 3 evening games are all terrific matches (or at least potentially so)

Yep, it's even trickier now as you can 2nd guess yourself trying to find 3 'Lead pipe locks!' Even at this early stage, it's looking like it's out of your Bengals and the Ravens for the AFC North. The Steelers should come good at some stage but they're really struggling at the moment. Another emphatic win by the Broncos today ... Peyton was once again, immense. Denver still have to go to Indi, Dallas, New England, Houston and KC (the big improver) However, I can see them winning all their remaining 6 home games. They're still well on track for the no.1 seed in the AFC and you'd reckon that 13 wins could secure that seed. New England have some tough road games as well and although they're 3 and 0, they haven't been all that impressive. They just know how to win, all the same. The bye for the Packers might help us in week 5 but I'm almost positive we'd prefer to be playing in week 4 after Sunday's loss. We host Detroit in week 5 and that'll be tough. They're the danger team in our division and they've got some real weapons (Bush adds a bit when healthy) I reckon they'll beat the Bears at home this week.

For fans of the show 'Breaking Bad', here are the podcasts from nearly all the episodes (all except season 1 by the looks of it) The podcast for the latest episode that was aired in the States was released just yesterday (season 5 episode 15) Hosted by the Editor of the show, Kelley Dixon, the podcasts have regular guest appearances from the shows writers, actors and the creator, Vince Gilligan. The featured guests are very careful in not giving out any 'spoilers' and on a whole, the podcasts are a fascinating insight into the whole make-up of the show. You can click on any episode you like once you click on the link below (depending of course, on how far you're into the series) The podcasts are all quite lengthy (usually around about an hour and a half long) ... Breaking Bad Insider Podcasts

No change to the points table in the tipping comp (gaining a point is harder to attain than ... well, anything really!) 1 - cowboy from hell 1 - Macca 0 - Gorgoroth 0 - pantaloons 0 - DemonDave 0 - 45HG 0 - Norm Smith's Curse Here's a look at the next round ... week 4 games (I can see any number of road wins this week but I could easily go 0 and 3 again!) Oh and here's Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal's latest podcast where they try and pick the lines (they chat about the latest episode of 'Breaking Bad' towards the end of the podcast ... so beware) ... The B.S Report

'1 and 2' sits in the 2nd wild-card spot in the NFC! There's hope for us all yet! You're only 1 game out of it 'cfh'. This Thursday night's game between the Rams and the 49ers now takes on even greater significance. A lot different in the AFC where 10 teams have at least 2 wins ... who said the NFC was easily the stronger conference?! Any given Sunday - too true.

Welcome back Strafford! Good timing hey? Huge win for your blokes. Even at this early stage the Packers are going to have to at least win both games against the Bears. We could have been 3 and 0 and instead of that are 1 and 2. 'cfh' would have a similar story to tell with his Vikings. Got to now get at least 4 or 5 wins with the divisional games. Wild old day today and I can't believe that Colts/49ers scoreline (good pick '45'!) And yeah, our running game is going ok but I noticed Starks got injured again today. We've got a bye next week so we lick our wounds and try to get a 'W' in a fortnight's time. Baltimore must have played well today - those 2 games against the Ravens will tell a tale for your blokes. The Saints are the other quiet achiever and they're already 2 games clear in their division. What's happened to the Giants? That scoreline against the Panthers is astonishing. Just another week in the NFL! Can't see the Raiders winning tomorrow but who would know? It's a divisional game so it could be close. I'll post details of our tipping comp tomorrow but you're welcome to still enter. None of us have a clue on how to pick 3 road team wins so you might be able to show us how it's done! (that's if your interested, of course) Details in the 1st post of page 46 on this thread - here

TV games ... Mon Sept 23 3.00am Detroit at Washington (OneHD) 6.05am Atlanta at Miami (Fox1) 6.25am Indianapolis at San Francisco (OneHD) 10.30am Chicago at Pittsburgh (ESPN & OneHD) Tues Sept 24 10.30am Oakland at Denver (ESPN) ... All the other week 3 games And here's Bill Simmons 'Grantland' column ... Week 3 picks Part 1 of his column focuses on the Cleveland/Indianopolis trade for Trent Richardson (and drafting RB's in general) ... 'Game-Changers' Finally, here are this weeks 'Power Rankings'

Things are coming right down to the wire in the National League Central division (although the 2 teams that miss out on winning that division could easily win wild-card spots. The Dodgers have won their division and the Red Sox have clinched a playoff spot (most probably the division as well) It's also looking good for the Braves, Oakland and Detroit. Here are the divisional standings whilst the battle for the 2 wild-card spots in the American League has 6 genuine contenders ... Wild-card standings

Don't know if I'm keen enough to do that at 3am! The Packers are quite often one of the 7 games on OneHD or cable so I don't mind missing the odd game 'live'. Think we've got at least 5 night games to come so we're well catered for - can't complain. I'm a little excited at the prospect of our running game being on the improve. Lacy looks to have a bit of talent and great to finally have Starks back (he ran for 132 yards last game) As 'cfh' would attest, all the teams in the NFC North have tough schedules so the Packers will need some sort of running game to win enough games to make it. The Bengals will be a tough encounter and I'll take any sort of win.

That was a great story - now all we need is a 'Barnburner' to top things off in Cincinnati in a few days. Pity the game is not on the box as it's possibly the game of the round. Excellent article all the same and it looks like good old 'Curly' had his own set of rules - in all sorts of areas! He certainly had a bit of a reputation with the ladies! Another frantic game in Philadelphia today - hard to see Vick being able to play in all 16 games at this rate. Man, he takes some punishment. Good win by your blokes though. Reid has got KC well organised and that big final drive by Smith was very impressive - close enough to 9 minutes worth. Smith along with Avery and Charles all had good games. McCoy was impressive and Vick ran for 95 yards as well. There was a lot happening! Really enjoyed the game and that fast paced offense employed by Chip Kelly is great to watch. Whether it's sustainable is another story. You'll be looking ahead to the playoffs yeah? 3 and 0 and leading the AFC West - whooda thunk-it!

Certainly an unusual move for this time of the season. Gives the Browns a total of 7 picks in the first 4 rounds of next year's draft. I guess Cleveland have decided to go all in on a rebuild. Might end up being a win/win.