FOOTBALL FREAK: Non-contact Football League?

We might have to start calling the NFL the Non-contact Football League if it doesn’t figure out what this roughing the passer rule is supposed to be.  
There were five flags alone in the Monday night game for touching the quarterback, and Dolphins defensive end William Hayes blew his knee out trying not to land hard on Raiders quarterback Derek Carr during a sack.

Sure thing
After last week’s mirage of upsets, The Freak is a little shell-shocked, but here we go again trying to predict this week’s NFL games.
Should we dare go against the Bills again on the road in Green Bay? If anything, the Packers will learn from the Vikings by not taking Buffalo lightly, and showing up to play. Pack wins.
San Fran lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the season, meaning CJ Beathard will be under centre against the Chargers. LA played the top-rated Rams tough last week, and will beat the 49ers at home.
The Dolphins might be 3-0 (won-lost), but haven’t played a playoff-calibre team yet. Miami now heads to Foxboro to take on the Pats, who have lost two in a row. Coach Belichick probably didn’t sleep all week trying to get this figured out and, with some good home cooking and focus, the Pats finally get their second win of the season.
It isn’t Easter and The Freak can’t see the Jags laying an egg in back-to-back weeks at home, this time against the Jets. Rookie quarterback Sam Darnold hasn’t faced a defence like this in his life. Jags win.

Don’t mortgage the house picks
Tough road trip for the Bengals. They faced the Panthers last week, and now the Falcons. Result will be the same, a road loss to the Dirty Birds.
Some of the local crew is heading down to Tennessee to watch this game. The Eagles’ Carson Wentz will be much better in his second start as he gets the rust off his right arm. Tennessee will put you to sleep with its offence, but seems to find ways to win. Frankie, Bucky, Bagger, Wade and Jaker will manage to stay awake for this Titans’ win. Others will not make it!
The Chiefs are one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NFL with Pat Mahomes slinging it around the field to all his speedy weapons. They head to Denver to face their hated rivals in a big AFC West showdown. Mahomes hasn’t played in a hostile environment like Denver, but it probably won’t matter as KC will take the crowd out of the game early. KC remains undefeated.
Arizona starts rookie quarterback Josh Rosen against Seattle. The Seahawks’ defence is still good enough to rattle Rosen. This leads to a Cardinals’ home loss, along with a big chorus of boo birds.
 

Flip a coin
A big rivalry game as the Ravens travel to Pittsburgh. Baltimore can score this season, and the Steelers’ defence is bad and undisciplined. Just like all the games in the past five years, it will come down to the kickers. Justin Tucker will win it for the Ravens this time around.
In a yawner, take the Texans to win on the road over the Colts.
One player has made the Bears an early-season surprise as Khalil Mack is showing the league what he can do when he’s motivated. He will pressure the Bucs’ Ryan Fitzpatrick all day, which will lead to turnovers and points in a Bears’ win.
Detroit and Dallas are two teams that are difficult to figure out as they are so inconsistent from week to week. Will it be the Lions’ team that dominated the Patriots? What about the Cowboys’ team that hit Eli Manning on every play? Dallas has looked terrible on the road, and this home game will be the difference for them in its win.
Can the Giants have an answer for Drew Brees’s offensive machine? With a limited pass rush and being thin at corner, The Freak can’t see them outscoring the Saints in a shootout at The Meadowlands. The Saints win back-to-back road games.

Upset special
John Gruden probably wished he stayed in the broadcast booth after taking over this underachieving team in Oakland.
Meanwhile, Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield’s play has energized the team, which hasn’t won on the road since The Freak was at Mount A.  
This will finally be the day that Cleveland wins on the road. The “Black Hole” becomes Brown for a day!

John Turner is a Summerside school teacher and coaches youth football. His column appears every Saturday during the NFL season. Feel free to e-mail questions and comments to [email protected].