CFL Week 17 News and Notes

Playoff-bound Alouettes visit Tiger-Cats
By: David Schwab

The Montreal Alouettes continue their push towards the postseason when they take on the East Division rival Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who have also booked a spot in this season's playoffs. This Week 17 matchup is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 22 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. (PT).

Montreal clinched the East with its 22-19 victory over Winnipeg last Sunday. This is the third year in a row that Alouettes earned the top spot in the division. It was definitely not one of their more dominating wins as they came into the game a 10 ½-point home favorite, but at this time of the year any win is a good one. The total stayed ‘under’ the 57-point line.

The win moved Montreal to 11-4 straight-up on the year, but dropped them to 7-8 against the CFL spread. The Alouettes are on the road this week which has not always been kind to them this year. They are 4-3 SU, but just 2-5 ATS away from home. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of their last seven games overall.

Hamilton clinched a berth in the postseason last week with a huge 30-3 win over East Division rival Toronto, breaking a tie between the two teams for second place in the East. The Tiger-Cats easily covered as a one-point road underdog and the total stayed ‘under’ the 45 ½-point line.

Hamilton is now 8-7 both SU and ATS on the year and in solid position to host a game in the first round of the playoffs. The T-Cats are 4-3 SU and ATS at home this season and the total has stayed ‘under’ in six of their last 10 games overall.

This will be the third and final meeting between these two teams in the regular season with Montreal going for the series sweep after winning the first two. The Alouettes won the first game 37-14 as a seven-point home favorite and the total stayed just ‘under’ 53 ½ points. This Week 4 game was tight all the way into the fourth quarter until Montreal QB Anthony Calvillo fired touchdown passes to Kerry Watkins and Kerry Carter to blow things wide open.

Calvillo finished the day completing 28-of-38 attempts for 310 yards, while his counterpart with the Ti-Cats, Kevin Glenn, went 16-of-32 for 201 yards and no touchdowns.

Game 2 in Hamilton was pretty much more of the same as the Alouettes once again broke things open in the fourth quarter en route to a 27-6 win in a game they came in as a 3 ½-point road underdog. The total once again stayed ‘under’ the 51 ½-point line. Adrian McPherson was behind center for Montreal, subbing for the injured Calvillo, but the offense did not miss a beat.

McPherson completed 21-of-37 attempts for 238 yards and a TD, but his real point of difference were the 121 yards he picked up on the ground. Glenn struggled in this game, completing just 40.7 percent of his passes for 159 yards.

BetEd.com has opened Montreal as a 2 ½-point favorite and the ‘over/under’ line is set at 53 ½. Head-to-head, the Alouettes have won nine out of the last 10 games SU but are just 5-5 ATS. Hamilton needs to win to ensure a home playoff game while Montreal has already locked up a first round bye. Motivation is clearly in the Tiger-Cats favor which is enough to carry them to the win.

Eskimos plus points at home
By: David Schwab

The Saskatchewan Roughriders will look to bounce back from last week's loss to Calgary when they tangle with the Edmonton Eskimos, who need a win of their own to keep their playoff hopes alive. This Week 17 matchup is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 23 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. (PT).

Saskatchewan had a chance to earn a share of the West Division lead with a win over the Stampeders last Sunday but came up short in a 34-26 loss. The Roughriders failed to cover as a one-point home favorite and the total went ‘over’ the 57 ½-point line. They are still in solid position to lock up the third seed in the playoffs and host a first round game, but the loss dropped the Roughriders to 9-6 straight-up and 8-7 against the CFL spread on the year.

This week Saskatchewan will go on the road where it is 3-4 SU, but 4-3 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in seven of its last 10 games overall.

Last Saturday, Edmonton not only squeezed by British Columbia 31-28 for the win, it moved itself into the sixth and final playoff spot by virtue of winning the season series against the Lions two games to one. Both teams are currently tied for third place in the West Division. The Eskimos covered as a six-point road underdog and the total went ‘over’ the 51 ½-point line.

The win raised Edmonton’s record to 5-10 SU and 6-9 ATS. The Eskimos are 3-4 both SU and ATS at home this season and the total has gone ‘over’ in six of their last 10 games.

This will be the third of four meetings this year as they close out the regular season against one another in Week 19. Saskatchewan pounded out a 24-20 victory in Week 3 but did not cover as a seven-point home favorite. The total stayed ‘under’ the 58 point line. QB Darian Durant’s 38-yard scoring strike to WR Andy Fantuz with a little over two minutes to play in the game proved to be the difference in this one.

Edmonton stunned the Roughriders the next time around with a 17-14 victory in Week 9 as a 6 ½-point home underdog. The total once again stayed ‘under’ with the line set at 57 points. The Eskimos trailed 14-0 in the first quarter but rallied with 17 unanswered points including a game-winning 37 yard field goal with just 37 seconds left to play.

Sportsinteraction.com has opened Saskatchewan as a three-point favorite and the ‘over/under’ line is set at 50 ½. Edmonton has actually won three out of the last five games between these two teams SU and is 4-1 ATS. The games have all been tight affairs with the average margin of victory being just 3.8 points. The total has stayed ‘under’ in three of these five games.

The Roughriders still need a win to ensure a home game in the playoffs, but the Eskimos are fighting for their postseason lives. Take Edmonton and the points in another close, hard-fought battle between these West Division foes.

BC Lions in must-win on road at Calgary
By: David Schwab

The British Columbia Lions find themselves in a must-win situation to keep their postseason hopes alive when they go on the road to play the West Division leading Calgary Stampeders. This Week 17 matchup is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 22 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (PT).

A 31-28 loss to Edmonton last week pushed B.C.’s back to the wall as it is currently on the outside looking in as far as earning a spot in the postseason. The Lions were a six-point home favorite in last week’s game and the total went well ‘over’ the 51 ½-point line.

The loss drops them to 5-10 both straight-up and against the CFL spread for the year. B.C. is tied with the Eskimos for third place in the West, but Edmonton owns the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series two games to one. The Lions are 3-4 SU and ATS on the road this season and the total has ‘over’ in six of their last eight games overall.

Calgary is coming off a big 34-26 win over Saskatchewan in a game it was a one-point road underdog. The total went ‘over’ the 57 ½-point line. The victory secured the Stampeders spot atop the West Division opening up a four point lead over the Roughriders and kept them tied with Montreal with the best record in the league. They are 11-4 SU and 10-5 ATS.

Calgary is especially tough at home where it is 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS this season. The total has ‘over’ in eight of its last nine games overall.

These two teams are extremely familiar with one another after playing three previous times this year. Calgary holds a 2-1 edge, but B.C. is coming off a 29-10 rout in Week 13. The Stampeders won the first game 27-22 in Week 6 as a two-point road favorite. They used big plays on both sides of the ball to squeeze out the five-point win.

Three weeks later, Calgary survived a 48-35 shootout as a 5 ½-road favorite. The 51-point total never stood a chance in this one. Stampeder QB Henry Burris completed 20-of-34 attempts for 276 yards and two TD’s, but also threw three interceptions. Lions QB Casey Printers, who has been in and out of the lineup all season long, completed just 10-of-26 attempts for 191 yards and one TD.

Week 13 was B.C.’s turn to play spoiler on the road as an 11-point underdog. The 39 total points scored stayed ‘under’ the 56-point line. Lion’s RB Jamal Robertson came up big in this game with 140 yards rushing on 18 carries with one TD.

BetED has opened Calgary has a 9 ½-point favorite and the ‘over/under’ line is set at 55 ½. The Stamps have won nine out of the last 10 games between these two SU and are 7-1-1 ATS in the last nine. Calgary has yet to clinch the West Division so there is something still on the line for this game, but the Lions are the far more desperate team in this matchup.

B.C. may not get the win in this game, but it finds a way to keep it close enough to cover the spread.

Argonauts 5½-point 'dogs at Winnipeg
By: David Schwab

The Toronto Argonauts will be trying to nail down a spot in the playoffs when they take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in an East Division showdown. This Week 17 matchup is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 23 at Canad Inns in Manitoba with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. (PT).

Toronto blew a golden opportunity to lock up a spot in the postseason with a 30-3 loss to Hamilton last Sunday in a game they came in as a one-point home favorite. The total stayed way ‘under’ the 51-point line. The loss dropped the Argonauts to 7-8 on the year straight-up and against the CFL spread. They are currently in third place in the East Division and clinging to the fifth spot in the playoffs but need a win in this game to clinch.

The Argos have struggled down the stretch, losing three out of their last four games SU and ATS. They are 3-4 both SU and ATS on the road this season and the total has stayed ‘under’ in seven of their last eight games overall.

Winnipeg is not eliminated from the playoffs, but last Sunday’s 22-19 loss to Montreal means the Blue Bombers will most likely have to win their last three games and still hope for help to make it into the postseason. They did cover against the East Division-leading Alouettes as a 10 ½-point road underdog in a valiant effort, but could come away with the much-needed victory. The total stayed ‘under’ the 57-point line.

The loss dropped Winnipeg to 4-11 SU but it improved to 9-6 ATS. The good news for the Bombers is that this game is at home where they are 4-3 SU and 5-2 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of their last seven games.

This will be the third and final meeting between these two teams in the regular season. Toronto will be looking for the sweep after winning the first two. The Argonauts came out on top 36-34 in Week 2 as 10 ½-point road underdogs. The total went well ‘over’ the 46 ½-point line. Rookie QB Cleo Lemon’s nine yard touchdown run and Chad Owens 117 yard return of a missed field goal for a score helped pace the win.

Toronto took Game 2 as well with a 17-13 win at home in Week 12. This time around the Argos covered as a one-point favorite. The total stayed ‘under’ the 51-point line. Once again it was a big return by Owens that sparked the win. His 80-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter proved to be the difference as the Argonauts’ defense shutdown the Bombers the rest of the way the preserve the four-point victory.

Sportsinteraction.com has opened Winnipeg as a 5 ½-point favorite and the ‘over/under’ line is set at 49 ½. These two teams have evenly split the last 10 games of this series both SU and ATS. Toronto has a slight 3-2 edge both ways in the last five games, but this series remains extremely close with the last four games being decided by a total of just 12 points.

In a matchup that has been this tight, take Toronto and the 5 ½ points this time around.