Strafford

Perfectly understandable Strafford! There's always next year

A week out from the Super Bowl and I can't split the teams. I guess the colder and windier it gets suits Seattle but I can't help but feel that Peyton will still play a big game. It's a fascinating match-up.

Pro Bowl tomorrow. Gets a huge audience but no one cares. Go figure! (I'll probably take a bit of a look at some stage) Apparently the teams have been picked by Sanders and Rice and ... a few players are a bit miffed at being picked so late. Doubt we'll see many hard hits though and the tackling is usually at a low intensity.

The pro bowl is rubbish. Really looking forward to the Super Bowl, because as you say it is a fascinating matchup. I just really hope the weather isn't too bad.

Yeah the pro bowl is now fantasy football.

Strange seeing players from the same teams play against each other... I'm not a fan tbh.

Totally agree mate. They might as well play touch football Basic play calling and a total lack of intensity. It isn't even best of the best, due to so many of the pro-bowlers being in the Super Bowl each year.

There just isn't anything in it for the players, especially with the chance of injury. Football just isn't football without the physicality and complex plays being used.

Playoff tipping comp points tally ... (3 points on offer for correctly tipping the Super Bowl winner)

7 - titan_uranus (6 correct tips in a row)

6 - DemonDave

5 - Macca

4 - Strafford* (technically you can still do the "double," Strafford)

3 - Gorgoroth

2 - Pantaloons*, the master*, cowboy from hell ('possibly still in "road team" mode 'cfh'? )

* denotes missed out on 1 or 2 weeks of tips.

Perhaps along with our Super Bowl tips we can have a go at the Super Bowl MVP. While we're at it, posters here might care to name their regular season MVP, ROTY and defensive player of the year (Peyton would have to have a mortgage on the regular season MVP)

I blame Andy Dalton for my missed week. After I came out of my NFL no go zone funk, I forgot that not all of the games were on Sunday US time doh...then I went stuff it. Summed up my week really

Was talking with mates last night and my thoughts are is Seattle secondary cause 10+ points from picks/turnovers the Seattle win.

I think Welker can be the most important reciever for the Broncos and will receive the least amount of coverage. I think Manning will target him early.

The Seattle secondary, or the "Legion of Boom" as they like to call themselves will certainly be key to the game. They are the best defensive unit in the NFL versus the pass. I expect them to be very physical to try and knock the Bronco receivers off their routes, thus trying to negate the key to Peyton's game, guys being at the right place at the right time.

Not so sure about Welker getting the least coverage, this is a pretty deep unit even without Browner and they have a couple of guys who play well as the slot corner.

The Broncos could try to exploit weak side linebacker K J Wright, as although he is a gun and a key part of their pass coverage, he has only just returned from a nasty injury.

The match ups will be awesome to watch, can't wait for the game.

Also, in a handy coincidence, NFC West plays AFC West in the 2014 season, which means a Superbowl re-match is going to occur in the regular season (as well bringing five playoff teams together to match up against one another).

That is a bit unusual, but it should be fun to watch. On a side note, I wish you hadn't been right about the Bengals...sigh

I thought the Vikings would go for a coach with a offensive background as our last coach was a defensive man. Seems to be good reports on Zimmer. The vikings always hire the opposite personality to the coach we just fired. Frazier was the nice guy after Brad Childress was fired and now we have Zimmer who as you said doesn't hold his tongue. Hope he can work with a new QB. We should trade up or hope that Bortles falls to us at pick 8.

Most of the defensive players love Zimmer, despite the tough love. Hopefully as a head coach he will still spend enough time with the players individually to show them he has a softer side, rather than just being a grouch. He really does seem to get the best out of those who had motivational issues in college.

The Vikings could be better off taking best available player at 8 and then taking a QB in the second round. I'm not sure that there is a QB worth trading up for and at 8 you could be looking at 4th or even 5th QB to be taken, so Bortles will probably be gone. A very similar situation as to when the Vikings reached for Ponder. This QB class will be a hard one to project at the next level, as most of the top prospects besides Manziel come from smaller schools who have played against weaker opposition for the most part. Good luck to those teams who just have to have a QB right now.

Seahawks 24 Niners 21

Broncos 31 Pats 21

Vikings hire Bengals DC Mike Zimmer. That's the second bengals coach to be hired as a head coach. Are the Bengals the flavour of the month? Any thoughts on losing your coaches Strafford and are they any good? So we have a coach now it's time to trade up to get QB.

New England 31 Denver 30

San Fran 17 Seattle 7

I have now recovered from my Dalton inspired attack of the sulks and the NFL is no longer dead to me.

Zimmer is a defensive genius CFH and is a massive loss to the Bengals. As to how he will go as a head coach...not sure. He is brutally honest and some players just don't respond well to that, although others thrive. Divas beware.You will probably see some friction between him and your senior management at times, as he certainly isn't a butt kisser. I doubt there will be any middle ground mate, he will either be a huge success or a massive failure.

As to the other guy. The Redskins are about to find out that he isn't his brother. Jay is okay, but the Skins have taken a huge risk. Admittedly Dalton isn't all that, but Gruden has made a number of questionable calls over his tenure at the Bengals. Most notably his decision not to throw to AJ Green for the whole of the first half in our playoff loss to the Texans last season. He is a smart guy, but I won't miss those decisions to go for the fifty yard touchdown pass on 4th and short in key games.

Good luck to both of them, but we will certainly miss Zim more, our defence was decimated by injury yet he still had us up there as one of the best defensive units going around.

Niners 23. Packers 20

Bengals 34. Chargers 24

Eagles 34. Saints 31

Colts 28. Chiefs 21

Good luck all.

Yeah I saw that, you've taken Mesko, the former Patriots punter. Gone for some experience (and apparently your backup punted for 10 yards on the weekend...ouch).

You're definitely the better side, and at home you should win without too much strain. I hope you win, as I think you deserve it after three good years, and you'd do well against New England I reckon.

Yep it was a complete shank. Huber was a huge loss, he had made a number of clutch punts this season, including a huge one in the driving rain, against the wind, late in the game in our Patriots win. Hopefully the new guy can do the job.

That is the beauty of sport, I guess, the better side doesn't always win. That uncertainty keeps us on the edge of our seats. Fingers crossed we don't see an upset this time. The Bengals nation could go into meltdown if we lose. I know I will go into sulk mode for a few weeks if we do

I'm not as certain about Cincy. The home field advantage is huge, given they're one of only three teams to be unbeaten at home in 2013 (along with New England and New Orleans), but the Chargers are a good side. They play their best against the best (e.g. beating Denver, Indy, and KC twice) I reckon. And we all know about Cincy's playoff issues. If the Bengals fall behind early, the psychological pressures, especially this time being in front of their home crowd, could be decisive..

You make some good points Titan and you could be right, as a Bengals fan I am always waiting for the sky to fall, but...

In our defence both the playoff losses were on the road and JJ Watt was a terror. Despite being awful in both games we still should have won the second one, but Dalton overthrew a wide open AJ Green. For whatever reason our home form has been awesome this season.

We have beaten the Chargers in our last two meetings, both games in their house.

We have been behind early in all three of our divisional home games this season, yet still we were able to rally and win well. We were particularly bad early against the Browns and Ravens, with the crowd voicing their displeasure, yet we ended up smashing both of them.

Probably of more concern is that we have now cut our replacement punter and brought a new one in, after the Steelers took out our elite Punter Huber with a very questionable hit a few games back. Also we have brought in another tightend, as our top three are all injured. One of whom is gone for the season with the other two very questionable. The oline is also pretty beat up with all our guys carrying significant injuries. The defence has lost half a dozen guys for the season, including two elites....hmmm.

Eek I have just convinced myself, despite my good intentions...we are gonna lose...I'm a teapot...I'm a teapot

Grats to the winners!

I must say I predicted the Eagles to rise this year (puffs out chest)

Looking forward to the play offs,

When's the draft

Ha...It is like a second Christmas for the Rams. Say thank you Santa Redskins.

The black day for coaches has begun. Schiano from the bucs, Frazier from the vikes, Shanahan from the skins and Schwartz from the lions are gone. Not as many as last year. Schiano had a good second half of the year with bucs and no talent. their 0-8 start didn't help though.

Schiano played too many mind games. Funny how locker room problems lessened at the Jets and increased at the Bucs. Perhaps Revis Island has a communications network connected to various fifth columns.

No one is more surprised than me 'cfh'. I gave us virtually no chance and thought that the Lions and Bears would kick clear. Just another example of ... "Ya just never know". Tough, tough game coming up against the niners but it is at home.

Wild old day with the Steelers getting so close to a playoff berth. Panthers just got over the line - if they lost that, we'd be talking the Saints up in the dome. There's such a fine line in this sport.

Think I'm right in saying that the lowest winning seed on wild-card weekend, gets to play in Seattle the following week. Some reward!

I'm already looking forward to Sunday on the couch. The cricket will be "scores only!"

Very glad the Steelers didn't make it

Good work Strafford I thought I had this comp done and dusted by week 6. You came home strong that's for sure. Do Cleveland know what they are doing? Who would want to coach there? There seems to be some talent but after one year you can't demand miracles. So your lads are at home (9-0) this year. What's your gut feel? The first round bye doesn't seem to sit well with playoff teams the last few years. Is it too early to call the Bengals a smokey?

Thanks mate.

The Browns are nuts and after saying they were going to be different this time around by bringing stability to the organisation. As you say who would want to coach there? The Browns will again have their choice of coach from the candidates that the other teams looking for coaches didn't want.

Gut feel we beat the Chargers, or should do as we have beaten them at their house in our last two meetings and our home form has been awesome. From there eek. Away we suck. The Patriots aren't a great team with problems both offensively and defensively, but away from home I just don't think so. To beat the Pats our defense will have to play lights out again and good Andy will have to show up.

If we beat the Pats then we will probably play the Broncos, who are a flawed side defensively. I'm not sure we can win a shoot out with them and I'm not sure our defense could turn it into a low scoring slugfest.

At home I think we have a shot against anyone in the NFL, even the Seahawks who I don't think we matchup well against. Away meh...

Just as an aside we need to wrap Vontaze Burfict our undrafted free agent linebacker pickup from last season in cotton wool. He has nearly 100 tackles more than the next best Bengal, without him we are toast against the good sides.

Great work by the Packers. 9 weeks ago Detroit looked like a NFC contender and Rodgers look doubtful to return. I enjoyed the forward fumble recovery TD by Green Bay. Everyone stood still and watched a TD happen. Do the bengals try to replicate David Boon on road trips? Because at home they are a different team. Even with Dalton getting picked off all the time they still win easily. Miami=Choke 7 points in 2 games. At least Dallas are consistent. The KC reserves and SD put on a fun game.

The Lions imploded,a team with a lot of talent, but I am not sure about the mental strength part of things.

The Bengals home form has been a real turn around this season, in our two previous regular seasons under Dalton we were better away. 11-5 away compared to 7-9 at home.

You could be onto something with the boonie comment, although we continually win our away games on the west coast with that extra drinking time. Perhaps we need to be either totally sober or totally off our faces to win. The shorter flights obviously don't allow us to marinate enough.

Thanks Macca and congrats to CFH. I would just like to thank my manicurist, as without her my hands would not have been in any condition to type in my tips. I don't need to name her, she knows who she is.

How about those Browns. Dumped another head coach. The factory of sadness continues on it's not so merry way.

It's out of you and 'cfh' now and fittingly so. pantaloons and myself have the same tips as you 2 leaders (albeit separately) Besides, if the Packers get up, I reckon we'll all get the 3 points as I can't see any of Carolina, Denver or Philly losing (but of course, we say that every week, don't we? ) Gorgoroth could finish outright 3rd if things fall his way.

ps Your blokes are an outside chance for the 2 seed - Bills would have to pull off a major surprise for that to happen - ya just never know! I reckon you'll take care of business against the Ravens - however, they've got a lot to play for and it's sure to be close. Miami can still hold them out but trying to work all that out hurts my brain.

Just goes to show the beauty of the NFL, as so many of the games could have gone either way even though on paper you would have expected easy wins for the favs. Now for the playoffs. Can't wait.

Woohoo!!!

Pack Pack Pack!

Great finish.

San Fran just won the game. Not sure how I feel about that. We're off to Lambeau next week.

A pretty good recent record against the Pack though mate, the Niners probably has as good a shot as anyone at getting out of Lambeau with a win.

Andy Dalton breaks the Bengals record for touchdown passes in a season, but also throws four interceptions, fortunately Flacco threw three. 11-5 good season if a little erratic, especially at QB.

Whodey.

Don't forget your tips, Strafford.

I refuse to make that mistake again Panic obviously set in once I hit the lead. Fitting that CFH is back on top for the last round considering he has led for most of the season.

I would have taken the same as CFH and Pantaloons, but for interests sake I will change one tip.

Packers

Broncos

Eagles

Good luck all.

Dolphins

Cowboys

Broncos

RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Ha..great win. Hopefully Bradford comes back well next year. The gift that keeps on giving from the Redskins could even be milked for a bit more if your guys trade down in the upcoming draft. The Rams probably don't need the guys likely to be wanted at the top of the draft.

At least on paper a little easier this week.

Niners

Chiefs

Saints