Scott Boland claimed a spectacular triple wicket maiden to leave Australia on the brink of a 2-0 series victory over West Indies at the Adelaide Oval.

Mitchell Starc also claimed a wicket to leave West Indies on 38-4 in their second innings and needing an improbable 459 runs to avoid defeat on Sunday.

West Indies resumed play on day three on 102-4 and got off to a poor start when shining light Tagenarine Chanderpaul (47) was run-out by Starc.

Jason Holder (0) then edged Starc behind and, while Anderson Phillip (43) and Joshua da Silva (23) put together a 60-run seventh-wicket stand, the Windies soon faded again.

The tourists reached 214, and Australia then built up a seemingly unsurmountable lead as they posted 199-6 declared in their second innings and sent their opponents back in to bat.

Usman Khawaja top-scored with 45 off 50 balls for Australia, while Marnus Labuschagne (31), Steve Smith (35) and Travis Head (38 not out) all contributed in a rapid 31-over innings from Australia.

West Indies' opening batters were 15-0 off five overs when Smith brought in Boland, who took the wicket of Kraigg Braithwaite (3) off his first ball.

Boland then trapped Shamarh Brooks (0) in front with a ball that nipped back into the right-hanger from his third delivery, before snaring Jermaine Blackwood (0) with his sixth.

Chanderpaul did not fare much better as he was dismissed for a second time in the day three overs later for 17 when caught by Alex Carey off the bowling of Starc.

Labuschagne adds further misery

West Indies are winless in their past 18 Tests against Australia since 2003 and they have not had many – if any – worse days across that run than Saturday.

They lost 10 wickets for 150 runs across two innings, either side of Australia piling another 199, with Labuschagne's 31 taking him to 502 runs from his four innings – the sixth-most scored in a two-Test series.

Boland rips through Windies

Boland famously took 6-7 against England on his Test debut in last year's Ashes and he produced a display that was equally as ruthless here.

The 33-year-old, making just his fourth Test outing, claimed 3-9 off 5.2 overs bowled and now has a bowling average 9.81 for his 21 wickets.

Jordan Pickford has been practising penalties ahead of England's World Cup quarter-final against France and is more than willing to step up and take one if required.

The 28-year-old has been in inspired form for England across their four games in Qatar so far, keeping three clean sheets in a row and conceding just twice all tournament.

After finishing top of Group B and overcoming Senegal 3-0 in the last 16, the Three Lions now face a mouthwatering showdown with France at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday.

Friday's two quarter-finals went to penalties, with Croatia eliminating Brazil and Argentina defeating the Netherlands, and Pickford is prepared for England's tie to go the distance.

"You have to be ready for anything. You can't not practise them, you can't just go in and think 'I'll be alright'," Pickford said.

"I have to be prepared to take one and be prepared to save one. 

"If it comes down to it I'll step up and take one, but it's not my call. It's the manager's call and the backroom staff."

England have a chequered history when it comes to penalty shoot-outs, though Pickford has won two out of three during his time as the Three Lions' number one.

The Everton keeper saved two of the five penalties he faced in last year's Euro 2020 final against Italy, though it was not enough to prevent England falling to a 3-2 shoot-out loss.

"For me, penalty shoot-outs, I've got my same process which I do all the time," Pickford added. "In each individual penalty I'm facing, I will do the same thing. 

"I don't change my process and hopefully I go the right way and execute the save. You can do research but it's about executing your process, your dive on the night.

"They've got their process as a penalty taker, and as a goalkeeper I've got my process. It's whoever comes out on top on that individual penalty."

England have been eliminated from six of their past eight World Cup knockout matches against fellow European nations. 

By contrast, France have progressed from eight of their past 10 World Cup knockout matches against European opposition, including third-place play-offs and finals.

Pele congratulated Neymar on matching his long-standing goalscoring record for Brazil and urged the forward "to keep inspiring us" amid questions over his international future.

Neymar scored his 77th senior goal for Brazil midway through extra time to open the scoring in Friday's World Cup quarter-final with Croatia at Education City Stadium.

However, Bruno Petkovic equalised in the 117th minute and Croatia stunned Brazil 4-2 on penalties to advance to the semi-finals, where Argentina now await on Tuesday.

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar suggested after the match he may have played his final game for the Selecao, though he will hold off from making an official decision.

On what was a bittersweet occasion for the 30-year-old, Pele – who has been hospitalised with a respiratory infection – took to social media to hail his compatriot. 

"I saw you grow, I cheered for you every day and finally I can congratulate you for equalling my number of goals with the Brazilian national team," Pele posted on Instagram. 

"We both know this is so much more than a number. Our greatest duty as athletes is to inspire. 

"To inspire our professional colleagues of today, the next generations and, above all, to inspire everyone who loves our sport.

"Unfortunately, the day is not the happiest for us, but you will always be the source of inspiration that many aspire to become. 

"I've learned that the more time passes, the more our legacy grows. My record was set almost 50 years ago, and no one has been able to approach it until now. 

"You made it, boy. This enhances the greatness of your achievement. However, you know, as I do, that no number is greater than the joy of representing our country. 

"I'm 82 years old, and after all this time, I hope I've inspired you in some way to get this far. 

"More than that, I hope that your achievement spreads to the millions of people who follow you to challenge what seems impossible.

"Your legacy is far from over. Keep inspiring us. I will continue punching the air with happiness with every goal you score, as I have done in every game I've seen you."

Neymar is just the second Brazil player to score in extra time at a World Cup after Leonidas against Poland in the last-16 stage in 1938.

However, Brazil became the first team in the tournament's history to be eliminated from a knockout match in which they scored the opening goal during extra time.

It means the Selecao's wait for a record-extending sixth world crown will stretch to at least 24 years by the time the 2026 edition comes around.

Discussing his future following the loss to Croatia, in which he did not take a penalty in the shoot-out, Neymar said: "The feeling is really bad. 

"It's worse today than what happened in the past. Unfortunately, it's hard to find words to describe this moment. We tried, we fought, and I'm proud of all my team-mates.

"I'm proud of their personality, of taking the penalty, of their character, because it's not easy to assume that responsibility."

Neymar has made 124 Brazil appearances, whereas Pele reached his goals tally in 92 games.

Brazil have been eliminated from four of their past five World Cup quarter-finals, and from each of their past six knockout matches against European nations.

Fernando Santos' decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal's team might have come too late in the eyes of some.

Ronaldo started each of Portugal's World Cup group games in Qatar, though only managed one goal, converting a penalty he won in the opening win over Ghana.

That goal made history, as Ronaldo has often done. He is the only male player to have scored at five World Cups.

Yet after frustrating Santos with his reaction to a South Korea player's taunts in Portugal's final Group H game, Ronaldo found himself on the bench for Tuesday's 6-1 rout of Switzerland.

His replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick, surely ensuring the bench is where Ronaldo will stay for Saturday's quarter-final against Morocco, the fourth African team to make the last eight of a World Cup.

Yet Ronaldo's omission might have afforded another Portuguese youngster (and like Ramos, one who made his name with Benfica) a chance to finally prove his worth.

Struggling to live up to the hype

Joao Felix seemed set to be a superstar when he broke into the Benfica side in the 2018-19 season.

He directly contributed to 22 goals in 26 league appearances, netting 15 and assisting seven, creating 29 chances. Joao Felix was awarded the Primeira Liga's Best Young Player of the Year and the Golden Boy award, and a huge move was on the cards.

Atletico Madrid, cash-rich with the imminent sale of Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona, pipped the rest of Europe's elite to the 19-year-old boy wonder, paying a club-record €126million to take him to the Spanish capital.

Yet, for whatever reason, whether that be Diego Simeone's pragmatic approach or Joao Felix suffering the inconsistencies that many young players do, it hasn't quite clicked at Atleti.

He has started only 53 games across three and a half years, and in only one season has he created over 20 chances. Joao Felix's best return for goals and assists combined has been 12, coming in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Sure, at times it has looked as though it has started to fall into place, but a player of Joao Felix's talents needs the space and time and tactical flexibility to show what he can do. Too often under Simeone, that has not been the case.

During his time at Atleti, Joao Felix – whose best role falls somewhere between a striker and an attacking midfielder – has played second fiddle to or had to complement Luis Suarez, Alvaro Morata, Griezmann (the man he was brought in to replace, of course) and even Marcos Llorente, before Simeone moved the Spain international to a wide berth.

It has been a similar story on the international stage. Ronaldo has been the player Santos has worked his system around, the entire team geared to getting the best out of international football's record goalscorer.

That has seen Joao Felix often fall to the wayside, what with Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Andre Silva and Diogo Jota, who has missed out in Qatar through injury, among the other attackers he has to compete with.

Time to shine

Yet he has been entrusted in Qatar, starting all three of Portugal's truly meaningful matches, scoring in the 3-2 opening win over Ghana. The first two of those starts came alongside Ronaldo, but against Switzerland Joao Felix was placed on the left of a narrow front three that included Ramos and Bruno Fernandes.

Joao Felix thrived. With freedom to drift, he set up two of Portugal's goals, becoming the nation's first player to provide two assists in a World Cup knockout game, and his performance even drew comparisons to Kaka.

It was Joao Felix's neat ball through to Ramos from the half-space on the left side of Switzerland's box that led to Portugal's 17th-minute opener. 

Having received the ball on the cusp of the opposition area midway through the second half, Joao Felix had the awareness to get his head up rather than shoot, and the poise to find another perfect pass through to Ramos for Ronaldo's replacement to wrap up his hat-trick. 

His 42 touches occurred across the pitch, while he lost possession only seven times, a particularly impressive figure given, of Portugal's players, only Bernardo Silva (15) attempted more passes in the final third than the 23-year-old (11).

Santos must stick to his guns

"I don't think it's mandatory to pass to Cristiano. We try to pass to the player that's available," said Joao Felix when previewing the meeting with Morocco.

"Independent of Cristiano being on the field, we have the same tactics, the ones we've been using for all four games. He has skills that other players have and vice-versa. We, as a team, have our own identity and we focus on that."

Joao Felix might have claimed that the tactics do not change, but it seemed clear against Switzerland that, without Ronaldo in the side, Portugal had found their groove.

The signs had been there even before the World Cup, though. Ronaldo did not feature in a pre-tournament friendly against Nigeria and Portugal won 4-0.

Portugal had 15 shots against the Swiss, and remarkably got nine of those on target and finished with 2.28 expected goals (xG).

In the three matches Ronaldo had started, Portugal had only finished with an xG of 2.0 once – in their opening win over Ghana, and a penalty in that game will have accounted for a large chunk of that value.

With Portugal playing so well against Switzerland, Santos must stand by his decision.

Yes, Ronaldo can still provide great moments, but he can do so off the bench. At 37, this will likely be his last World Cup, if not his final major tournament.

Joao Felix, who could well leave Atleti for pastures new in January, is the future, and he has proved capable of taking up the mantle.

Lamar Jackson is listed as doubtful for the Baltimore Ravens' clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his prospective absence spells trouble for the AFC North leaders.

Jackson was knocked out of last week's win over the Denver Broncos because of a knee injury, which has kept him out of practice all week.

The Ravens listed him as doubtful on Friday, meaning backup Tyler Huntley will likely get the start for 8-4 Baltimore.

History says the Ravens will find victory difficult to come by against Pittsburgh without their former MVP quarterback, even against a 5-7 Steelers team that is a shadow of the former AFC powerhouse it once was.

Indeed, since drafting Jackson in 2018, the Ravens are 45-16 (73.8 win percentage) in games started by Jackson and 6-10 (37.5%) when anyone else starts at quarterback.

And, though the Steelers appear unlikely to make the playoffs, the Ravens are facing Pittsburgh likely without Jackson at a time when their arch rivals are showing signs of life. 

The Steelers have won three of their past four games and have not committed a turnover in that stretch. It is the Steelers' longest such streak since turnovers have been tracked in 1950.

Mike Tomlin's Steelers have the edge in recent matchups with the Ravens. They are on a four-game win streak against the Ravens with all four wins coming by five or fewer points.

Only two matchups in NFL history have seen a team beat another five straight times all by fewer than six points (Philadelphia vs. Washington – six, 1992-95 and Raiders vs. Denver – five, 1989-1991).

Past performance from the Ravens suggests Huntley will not be able to end that run. With the Bengals (8-4) breathing down their neck in the division, there is huge onus on him to throw the formbook out of the window in a tough road matchup.

Argentina's progress to the World Cup semi-finals led Lionel Messi to say Diego Maradona is "pushing us from heaven".

Argentina have not won the tournament since Maradona inspired their second triumph in 1986, and this is the first finals since his passing two years ago.

Albiceleste captain Messi has long been compared to the country's other great number 10, with his performances in Qatar encouraging optimism of a long-awaited third title.

Messi provided a sensational assist for Nahuel Molina against the Netherlands in Friday's quarter-final, then doubled his side's lead from the penalty spot.

But Argentina were given a major scare as Wout Weghorst's dramatic double sent the tie to penalties.

Emiliano Martinez made a pair of saves, allowing Argentina to scrape through before celebrating on the pitch in front of their fans – with Maradona prominent in their thoughts.

"We leave that on the pitch with our people," Messi said. "We enjoyed that moment both here and in Argentina.

"People are full of enthusiasm, we are among the four semi-finalists.

"Now we have a weight off our shoulders, and we have been saying this from the beginning: Diego is pushing us from heaven."

Messi knew how close Argentina came to elimination, although he did not feel the match should have gone that far as Weghorst's second goal came from a controversial 101st-minute free-kick.

"There was a lot of disappointment when they drew level, which was very unfair," Messi said. "It came from a set-piece which I didn't think was a foul.

"I don't want to speak about referees, you can be punished and you can't be honest. He wasn't up to the standard and he was hard on us.

"When Lautaro Martinez scored, there was a huge weight off our chests. We could've been out after being 2-0 ahead."

Messi had also been critical of referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz in a television interview with beIN SPORTS. Lahoz showed 14 yellow cards and a red in a hot-tempered encounter.

"We feared before the game because we knew about this referee and FIFA should review that," Messi said. "They cannot use a referee like this at this stage of the tournament because he was not in control of the match."

Brazil should have no regrets despite their failure to progress beyond the World Cup quarter-finals, says goalkeeper Alisson.

The Selecao drew 1-1 with Croatia after extra time at Education City Stadium on Friday, with Bruno Petkovic having cancelled out Neymar's record-equalling opener.

Brazil could not regain the momentum in the shoot-out, with Rodrygo missing their first penalty and Marquinhos hitting the post with his attempt as Croatia claimed a 4-2 triumph to seal their place in the last four for a second World Cup running.

Alisson was unable to keep out any of Croatia's penalties but he believes Brazil – who will also be under the tutelage of a new coach after Tite reiterated his plan to leave his post – should not reflect too harshly on their performance in Qatar.

"I think what went wrong is that it's football – anything can happen," Alisson said.

"People talked about us as favourites because of what we did on the pitch, because of our performances, because of the quality of our players.

"I said before, we don't have anything to regret, we would not change anything because we fought, prepared ourselves and were ready to try and win the World Cup.

"This is football, things don't always happen the way we want. No regrets, we look forward to the challenge that's in front of us."

Alisson conceded "the frustration is huge" but added: "We are proud of the dedication of each player, of the things we did on the pitch. The performances were really good.

"In my opinion we didn't deserve to lose this game, in the World Cup though there can be penalties and unfortunately we were defeated on that."

Brazil certainly had the better of the match prior to the shoot-out, with Croatia's only shot on target coming when Petkovic's effort deflected in off Marquinhos.

The Selecao had 21 attempts, mustering an expected goals (xG) of 2.55 to Croatia's 0.63. 

Alisson's opposite number Dominik Livakovic was in outstanding form, making 11 saves – he was only beaten by Neymar's moment of brilliance, which drew Brazil's talisman level with Pele's record haul of 77 international goals.

Neymar, who might have played his final World Cup match, had to be consoled by his team-mates after the match, while striker Richarlison was in tears when he spoke to the media.

Alisson, though, suggested the setback will only make Brazil's squad grow.

"We're going to have players who have to step up now, show leadership," he added. "We have so many players who can lead a team, so many who do that already, even the young players.

"We have young talents who will improve even more, learn from this World Cup and we have more experienced players as well who can still contribute.

"Now it's difficult to think about the future, because we have so much pain at the moment, but hopefully the future will be bright for us. We have just to take this defeat, learn from that and keep on going."

Neymar might have played his final match for Brazil, with the Selecao's joint-record goalscorer suggesting he may not return to the international stage.

Brazil crashed out of the World Cup with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out defeat to 2018 runners-up Croatia in Doha on Friday.

Their shoot-out heartbreak followed a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes at Education City Stadium, with Neymar opening the scoring midway through extra time before Bruno Petkovic hauled Croatia level.

Neymar's wonderful goal, which came at the end of a sublime move, took him level with the great Pele on 77 for Brazil.

The 30-year-old had hinted this World Cup might be his last, though with the next Copa America coming in 2024, it had not been expected he would retire.

However, Neymar is uncertain what the future holds, telling reporters: "Honestly, I do not know.

"I think talking now is bad because of the heat of the moment. Maybe I'm not thinking straight.

"To say that this is the end would be rushing myself, but I don't guarantee anything either. Let's see what happens going forward.

"I want to take this time to think about it, think about what I want for myself. I will not close the door to playing with Brazil, and I do not say 100 per cent that I'll come back."

Brazil have been eliminated from four of their past five World Cup quarter-finals, while they have lost their last six knockout games against European nations since a 2-0 victory over Germany in the 2002 final.

The Selecao are the first side in World Cup history to go out after taking the lead in extra time of a knockout match.

Having helped the San Francisco 49ers past the Miami Dolphins after stepping in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, rookie quarterback Brock Purdy faces the considerable challenge of beating Tom Brady in his first start.

With Garoppolo described as having a "way outside chance" of returning for the playoffs after breaking his foot, the 8-4 Niners' Super Bowl hopes rest in part on the shoulders of a seventh-round pick, who was taken with the final selection of the 2022 draft.

The historical omens for a San Francisco victory in Purdy's first start are very good.

The Buccaneers have a 3-12 (.250) all-time record on the road against the 49ers. Among those with at least five all-time road games versus the Niners, no team has a worse record there than Tampa Bay. 

San Francisco's prospects of improving their already extremely impressive home record against Brady, playing on the road against the Niners for only the second time his glittering career, hinge not only on Purdy, but also a stacked cast of offensive weapons and the NFL's best defense.

Arguably the leading light among those weapons is a player they only acquired in October.

Running back Christian McCaffrey made his first start for the Niners following his trade from the Carolina Panthers in a Week 8 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Since that first start, McCaffrey has 67 rushes for 269 yards and 31 catches for 258 yards.

He is one of two NFL players over that span with 60+ rushes and 30+ receptions (Rhamondre Stevenson being the other).

McCaffrey will likely continue to see a significant number of touches as the primary safety net for Purdy, who will also have significant support from a defense that forced four turnovers against one of the NFL's most explosive offenses in the win over Miami.

The 49ers prevailed 33-17 in that Week 13 clash. They have won five straight games while holding opponents to 17 or fewer points in each contest. It is the fourth such streak in team history, and the first since a six-game streak in the 1992 season.

With Tampa Bay averaging just 18.1 points per game, the 49ers should be confident of limiting Brady and Co.

Even if they do so, they may still need Purdy to ensure the game is not close in the fourth quarter, Brady having led the Bucs back from a 13-point deficit in the final period against the New Orleans Saints on Monday.

Brady has thrown nine of his 16 touchdowns (56.3 per cent) in the fourth quarter this season. Among 27 quarterbacks with at least 10 passing touchdowns this season, Brady is the only one with at least half of his touchdowns coming in the final frame.

Lionel Messi became the player with the most assists on record in World Cup knockout matches on Friday, surpassing Pele when he teed up Nahuel Molina's goal against the Netherlands.

Messi produced a trademark assist as Argentina hit the front 35 minutes into their quarter-final clash with the Oranje, slipping a fine reverse ball behind a packed defence for Molina to finish.

Since such records began in 1966, no player has matched Messi's tally of five assists in knockout ties at the tournament, with Pele managing four.

Molina's goal also gave Messi his seventh World Cup assist overall – all of which have come for different goalscorers.

Since 1966, only fellow Argentina great Diego Maradona has laid on more goals at the tournament as a whole, recording eight assists.

Zlatko Dalic pinpointed Dominik Livakovic as "the difference" in Croatia's World Cup quarter-final win over Brazil, while he hailed the "unbelievable" Luka Modric.

Croatia, as they did against Japan in the round of 16, progressed in Qatar with a penalty shoot-out victory over Tite's side on Friday after a 1-1 draw at Education City Stadium.

A well-crafted Neymar strike before half-time in extra-time seemed to have Brazil on course for the final four, only for substitute Bruno Petkovic to level with a deflected strike with four minutes remaining.

Livakovic made the most saves by a Croatian in a World Cup match (11) before stepping up in the shoot-out to deny Rodrygo as Croatia reached the semi-finals in FIFA's top tournament for just a third time.

"A couple of situations created by Brazil owed to their quality and speed, but we were able to prevent them with our goalkeeper, who was in top shape," Croatia head coach Dalic said. 

"He [Livakovic] was the difference, he made the difference in the crucial moments, he saved us and he was there to save us.

"He was there to do what he's supposed to do, he saved the first penalty and gave us confidence and less confidence for Brazil because they were afraid he'd save again.

"He made the difference for us over the whole match."

It was not the first time Livakovic has shone for Croatia having become only the third goalkeeper to make three saves in a single World Cup penalty shoot-out with his heroics against Japan.

Modric was far from his usual high standards against the Samurai Blue but left his mark on Brazil with an excellent midfield showing alongside Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic.

"Modric played for 120 minutes with great rhythm, he was at the head of the Croatia team and shot his penalty when he needed to," Dalic added.

"I think it is unbelievable how he plays and how he's not tired. He didn't fall behind and when we were thinking about replacing the midfield, we asked and he was fully ready.

"He played the entire 120 minutes. At 37 that's unbelievable but that's Luka Modric, and it only shows he's one of the best in the world.

"The recipe for success is his seriousness and professionalism. He's a gentleman, he's impeccable in training. He tries his best, works in individual training and lives for football, which rewards him ten-fold.

"It's very difficult to find someone his age, 37, with such performance, such strength, whether he plays for Real Madrid or Croatia.

"He's proven his quality. When we came to the World Cup, people were writing him off, then he came back in his best light, at the top of his game, and he brought Croatia into the semis."

Brazil's lone holding midfielder Casemiro had no answer and was largely overran against Croatia's midfield trio, who Dalic labelled "the best in the world".

"I said several times before, Croatia has the best midfield in the world. We have passes, control of the game and ball, and managed to demonstrate that," he added.

"We did interceptions, our midfielders were great there. They were not hasty, that's the most important part. When we broke the game open, we went forward.

"We didn't have many chances but they were sufficient, as much as we needed, and I think the midfield is the best part of the team."

The San Francisco 49ers looked destined to contend for a Super Bowl because of their astute move to invest in a quarterback insurance policy for Trey Lance.

Now with Jimmy Garoppolo, whom they kept around after attempting to trade away, likely also on the shelf for the rest of the season with a broken foot, the NFL world is left wondering whether one of the best rosters in the league can still go deep in the postseason with rookie seventh-round pick Brock Purdy at quarterback.

The early signs are promising, with Purdy stepping in for Garoppolo against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13 and producing a composed display in a 33-17 win that pushed the Niners' record to 8-4.

An enforced switch from Garoppolo to Purdy, the last pick in this year's draft, is an obvious downgrade, but how does it impact the 49ers' hopes of reaching the playoffs and Super Bowl?

Stats Perform can answer that question by looking at its rest-of-season (ROS) projection.

To generate the ROS predictions, every future game is projected to give a predicted win percentage for each team across its remaining games. The projections are calculated by looking at each team's quarterback and performance in terms of yards added in expected passing situations as well as team values for pass protection/pass rush, skill position players/coverage defenders and run blocking/run defense.

The projected win percentages are then aggregated to produce the forecasted standings, which suggest all is not lost for the 49ers.

Still Purdy Good

Purdy was poised, decisive and accurate after replacing Garoppolo, fostering hope he can help keep the 49ers in the Super Bowl hunt despite his inexperience at the highest level.

The ROS projection does not see the Niners winning the Super Bowl, giving San Francisco less than a one per cent chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy with Purdy under center.

However, the 49ers are still given an average win total of 10.5, putting them as the third seed as NFC West champions. With the division rival Seattle Seahawks projected to win 9.76 and end the season as the sixth seed, it would set up a mouthwatering Wild Card matchup.

The 49ers have done most of the hard work in their playoff pursuit and have a dominant defense that ranks first in EVE (our Efficiency Versus Expected metric).

As such, the Niners are still likely to make the playoffs, with ROS giving them a 95 per cent shot. What happens after that is up in the air with Purdy at the helm.

Chiefs Still Reign

The Kansas City Chiefs' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 dropped them out of the No. 1 seed in the AFC, with the Buffalo Bills once again in control of the conference.

ROS, though, expects the Chiefs to reassume the top spot by the end of the season.

The Chiefs are given a projected average win total of 12.8, the highest in the AFC and ahead of the Bills' 12.4.

On the NFC side, ROS does not project any slip-ups from the 11-1 Philadelphia Eagles, who are predicted to win 15.1 games and finish well clear of the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. The Eagles also have an NFL-best 35 per cent chance of winning the Super Bowl, with the Chiefs second at 18.8 per cent. 

If this projection is accurate, Dallas would face the prospect of playing the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road in the Wild Card round despite a 12-win campaign.

A dangerous Wild Card

ROS still appears to lack belief in the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals despite a third successive win over the Chiefs.

Cincinnati are predicted to finish second in the AFC North behind the Baltimore Ravens with a projected average win total of 10.42. The margin is razor-thin, though, with the Ravens' total at 10.43.

The Bengals have just a 2.4 per cent chance to win the Super Bowl, according to the projection.

Yet with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense catching fire in recent weeks, the Bengals loom as an extremely dangerous potential Wild Card team and the projected addition of the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets to the playoffs would make for one of the most fascinating AFC postseasons in recent memory.

By contrast, the recent tie between the New York Giants and Washington Commanders is unlikely to strike fear into the heart of any NFC contenders. They will renew acquaintances in Week 15, and it is the former who is projected to ultimately win out in their battle for the seventh seed and seal a Wild Card clash with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Giants have an average projected win total of 8.3 compared to 8.2 for the Commanders as the projection suggests a losing record will be good enough for at least one team to reach the postseason.

Eddie Jones should have been given until the conclusion of next year's Rugby World Cup to turn England's results around, according to former centre Mike Tindall. 

The Australian was dismissed on Tuesday following a review of recent results, with England enduring their worst calendar year since 2008 – winning just five of their 12 Tests in 2022.

A 27-13 defeat to South Africa proved to be the final straw for Jones, who walks away with the best win rate (73 per cent) of any head coach in England's history, having won 59 of his 81 Tests at the helm.

While Tindall acknowledges the reasons behind the decision to make a change, he would have preferred for Jones to lead England at the World Cup in France, which starts on September 8.

"It's a really difficult one because Eddie does divide opinion," Tindall, who won the World Cup in 2003, told ITV.

"I would say I don't agree with their decision to part ways, [but] I understand why they've done it.

"I still think he's still delivered an 18-game winning streak and he's produced probably the best England performance that's ever been seen against New Zealand in 2019.

"If you look from 2019 to where we are now, the results aren't quite as good, so it really is a difficult one, but I would've stuck with him and then changed after the World Cup."

Jones guided England to their first Six Nations Grand Slam in 13 years in 2016 before winning the tournament again in 2017 and 2020, while also reaching the 2019 World Cup final.

The 62-year-old also won his first 17 games with England, which was part of an 18-game winning streak overall, the joint longest of any Tier 1 nation.

Forwards coach Richard Cockerill will step up to lead England on an interim basis, with Leicester Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick the favourite for the permanent position.

Tindall added: "I think it's hard now. Say a new coach comes in now and does fantastically well through the Six Nations and then the World Cup, everyone will say it has Eddie's DNA on it. 

"It will be sort of like what he got off [predecessor] Stuart Lancaster when he came in too, and then if you do poorly, it's the new guy's fault."

Neither England nor France see a clear favourite as they prepare to face one another in a highly anticipated World Cup quarter-final.

The Three Lions and Les Bleus each eased through the last 16, beating Senegal and Poland respectively to set up a far trickier tie in the next round.

Although England have won both of the sides' previous World Cup meetings, France have lost just one of the past eight between the nations in all competitions.

Didier Deschamps' side are the world champions – albeit the first holders to feature in a quarter-final since Brazil in 2006.

Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate is hoping to become the first England manager to go to two World Cup semi-finals, and Kyle Walker – on whom there is plenty of focus ahead of a battle with Kylian Mbappe – cannot split the two teams.

"We're playing the world champions, but we are two good teams that will go toe to toe," the England right-back said. "You've seen what can happen in 90-plus minutes.

"There have been shocks and for us this is just another game. We take our hat off to them as world champions, but each and every one of us will not be rolling that red carpet out for them to treat it as a theatre.

"We have great talent – talk about the goals we have scored and the clean sheets that we've kept. In my eyes, neither team is the underdogs or the favourites."

It is an assessment France midfielder Adrien Rabiot agrees with, even if England have been eliminated from six of their past eight World Cup knockout matches against fellow European nations.

"They are a team that has the same characteristics as us, very fast on the wings, with attacking full-backs, midfielders who can get forward, and [Declan] Rice looks a bit like [Aurelien] Tchouameni," Rabiot said.

"I am not sure that we should say that we have to be careful. They will also be very careful because we have the possibility of putting them in difficulty.

"It's an open game with two teams who know how to counter. What can make a difference is set-pieces. They are very good, we will have to be vigilant and not make the same mistakes as against Denmark. They have weapons, but we are not inferior."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

England – Jude Bellingham

Teenage sensation Bellingham will play a huge role in getting England up the pitch. He has won possession more often than any team-mate (23), with only Harry Kane (six) doing so more often in the final third (five). England have won the most high turnovers at the tournament (38).

France – Olivier Giroud

Mbappe has the talent to decide the game not just by scoring but also by setting up Giroud, as he did against Poland. Mbappe (five) alone has scored more goals for France at this World Cup than the 36-year-old (three).

The only older player to net four at a single World Cup was 38-year-old Roger Milla for Cameroon in 1990.

PREDICTION

Neither Walker nor Rabiot may be able to choose a favourite, but Opta's supercomputer can – just.

France are given a 40.3 per cent chance of winning, ahead of slight underdogs England's 32.4 per cent. In a tie this tight, extra time or penalties could be required, with the draw rated at 27.3 per cent.

Neymar's record-equalling goal was in vain as Brazil crashed out of the World Cup with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out defeat to Croatia after a 1-1 draw on Friday.

Brazil seemed destined for the semi-finals when Neymar scored his 77th international goal, matching the great Pele, midway through extra-time at Education City Stadium.

Yet Bruno Petkovic's strike deflected in off Marquinhos with four minutes remaining to force a shoot-out and the Brazil defender then missed his spot-kick to send Croatia into the last four.

Dominik Livakovic, who was the standout performer and made 11 saves in the 120 minutes before the shoot-out, had saved Rodrygo's first effort, with Neymar not taking a penalty as the favourites were sent packing.