Weekly Predictor: Who wins in Week 16?
By Jamie Nye
The final third of the season started with a bang!
There was bad blood boiling over between the Elks and the Argonauts.
The Montreal Alouettes made a statement against the league’s best Roughriders.
The Tiger-Cats moved closer to clinching a home playoff game.
And the BC Lions kept pace with the Bombers for the final playoff spot in the West.
After all four games last week were East vs. West showdowns, this week kicks off with two major divisional games with serious playoff implications.
The picks are getting harder as the games are getting tighter, and there is a lot more at stake.
MONTREAL AT TORONTO
Friday, September 19
7:00 p.m. ET
TSN/RDS/CFL+
The Montreal Alouettes are coming off a big win in Saskatchewan to end their five-game losing streak just in time to take on the Argonauts, a team the Alouettes have beaten twice already this year.
With Nick Arbuckle unable to finish the game against Edmonton, it appears to be Jarret Doege that is expected to start for Toronto, according to a report from TSN’s Dave Naylor.
After what I saw from the Alouettes in Regina on Saturday, I still believe the Alouettes are the team to beat in the East when Davis Alexander is healthy or McLeod Bethel-Thompson has time to pick apart a defence.
I still see an Argos team that is susceptible to giving up big plays and unable to hold the other team off the scoreboard.
And if the Alouettes newfound ground game gets rolling, they’ll be dangerous in the final two months.
PICK: MONTREAL
BC AT CALGARY
Friday, September 19
9:30 p.m. ET
TSN/CFL+
So much is on the line between these two teams on Friday night. The Stampeders are back after their bye week and see an opportunity to climb to the top of the West Standings, as they’re only 1.5 games back of Saskatchewan for first.
The Lions are trying to hold on to the hope that maybe they can chase down the Stampeders to be able to pack the place in Vancouver for a post-season home game. But that will only happen if they can beat them twice in the next three weeks.
This also marks the first time that Vernon Adams Jr. plays the Lions since they let him go in favour of Nathan Rourke this off-season.
Adams Jr. is saying all the right things, but I’ve been around a lot of professional football players long enough to know what they say isn’t always the truth, especially when it comes to taking on their former team.
I really do think Adams Jr. would love to flex on the Lions and cement the Stampeders as a serious 112th Grey Cup contender.
PICK: CALGARY
WINNIPEG AT OTTAWA
Saturday, September 20
3:00 p.m. ET
TSN/RDS/CTV/CFL+
While the Bombers are currently in a playoff spot, they need to be just as desperate as the Ottawa REDBLACKS are going to be for this game.
Ottawa is coming in two games back of the Alouettes for that second playoff spot and they need to win to close the gap on a potential West crossover.
There is a lot at play for these two teams, as Winnipeg can’t afford to lose any more games on the Stamps and Riders, and even BC, or worse yet, Edmonton.
Dru Brown should be close to returning, though he’s had no luck against his former team since joining the REDBLACKS.
I keep going back and forth on all of these games, but this game especially, as the REDBLACKS have let me down more than a few times this season. On the other hand, it seems the Bombers win whenever I pick them to lose and vice versa.
For this game, I’ll choose Ottawa, who I think can stop the run and get some revenge from that 30-27 game earlier this season in Winnipeg.
Ottawa has more than enough weapons on offence to get the job done.
PICK: OTTAWA
EDMONTON AT HAMILTON
Saturday, September 20
7:00 p.m. ET
TSN/RDS2/CFL+
This game marks back-to-back trips East for the Elks, after losing on a last-second field goal to Toronto.
Edmonton needs to be the desperate team in this one after falling back to fifth in the West Division.
Justin Rankin was stopped by the Argonauts, but Cody Fajardo and company were still able to put up 30 points. It was just one awfully timed fumble that aided the Argonauts in their comeback win.
Hamilton’s offence is just so powerful and Greg Bell getting worked into both the passing and running game is just too dangerous to be able to side with a team in Edmonton that has struggled defensively.
Sure, Hamilton’s defence hasn’t been much better this season, but I think they’ll be able to contain the Elks offence enough to allow Bo Levi Mitchell to outscore them.
PICK: HAMILTON
