Week 12 of the CFL season saw more of the same for the Edmonton Eskimos as they continued their surprising downturn. After winning their first seven games of the season, they have now lost four straight and can’t seem to get back on the winning track. They were at least competitive last week, falling 25-22 at home to the Calgary Stampeders. That’s in contrast to the fact that they were blown out of the water in their three previous games. You can see just how much the tide has turned for them as they are a slight two-point favorite on the road at Toronto this week. Four weeks ago, they probably would have been favored by a touchdown. At any rate, let’s take a look at this week’s action on the CFL scene:
Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Odds: Roughriders -5
Who wants to lay five points with the Roughriders? Anyone? Yes, the 5-5 Roughriders – the worst team in the West – are laying a bunch on the road at Hamilton. But that’s exactly why: they’re playing at Hamilton. The Ti-Cats, a team that has just two wins on the season.
This game was off the board as the Roughriders were awaiting word on the status of quarterback Kevin Glenn, who hurt his hand in a 48-28 loss in Winnipeg. He remains day-to-day and is currently marked as a game-time decision.
The Tiger-Cats are still in the hunt in the East after beating Ottawa, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that Hamilton could win this division. How often do you say that about a team that’s dropped eight of their first 10 games of the season? Saskatchewan is 6-4 SU and ATS in their last 10 meetings with Hamilton, including a 37-20 win at home in Week 3.
Pick: Tiger-Cats
Edmonton Eskimos @ Toronto Argonauts
Odds: Eskimos -2
The 7-4-0 Eskimos have now lost four in a row after a second consecutive loss to Calgary, while 4-7-0 Toronto is coming off a bye, and they’re a point behind Ottawa in the East. The two have split their last 10 meetings SU, while Edmonton is 7-3 ATS. They’ve also won and covered in their last three meetings with the Argonauts as they get ready for their first meeting of the season. This is a huge game for both teams as the East is bunched up for Toronto, while the Eskimos have to do something to stop the bleeding.
Pick: Argonauts +2
British Columbia Lions @ Calgary Stampeders
Odds: Stampeders -9
The 9-1-1 Stampeders won in Edmonton and are the clear-cut Grey Cup favorites right now, while 6-5-0 British Columbia are in fourth place in the West after routing Montreal. The Stampeders have dominated this matchup in recent years, going 9-1 SU and 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 meetings with the Lions, who won 20-18 in Calgary last June. This is their second meeting of the season as the Stampeders beat the Lions 21-18 in Vancouver in Week 9, and the Lions would love to get a measure of revenge, while staying afloat in the brutal West division.
Pick: Stampeders -9
Ottawa RedBlacks @ Montreal Alouettes
Odds: RedBlacks -1.5
Finally, the 4-7-1 RedBlacks lost to Hamilton at home, but more worryingly, they lost quarterback Trevor Harris to a shoulder injury and he’ll probably be out for a few weeks. That means they’ll turn to Drew Tate for this showdown with the 3-8-0 Alouettes, who were thumped in British Columbia and were never really in the game. They’ll have to come out of the gate quickly in this showdown with Ottawa, who are 7-3 SU and 8-2-1 ATS in their last 10 meetings with the Alouettes. This is their season meeting of the season, and the RedBlacks won 24-19 in Week 5 at home, and then they thrashed the Alouettes 32-4 in Montreal during Week 11 on Labor Day Weekend. This game is massive for Montreal.
The good news for them is that this game is at home where they were 3-3 on the season. They are just 0-5 in road games. However, they’ll need their defense to step up. They have given up at least 30 points in each of their last four games. On the season, they have allowed 304 points in 11 games, which is quite putrid.
Pick: Alouettes +1.5
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