CFL WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS

CFL / Football

Written by Joel Lefevre

We kick off a new month of football with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers still the ones to catch, while every team now has at least one victory this season after the Ottawa Redblacks upset the Toronto Argonauts in week eight.

Week nine begins with a pair of East versus West showdowns and wraps up with a rematch of last season’s East Final, while the Elks will look for some payback after what the Lions did to them in their season opener.

Here is a breakdown of every matchup.

Source (Background Photo): The Canadian Press

Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Montreal Alouettes

Many have come close to taking them down, but the Bombers found another way to eke out a victory last week, scoring 11 fourth-quarter points at McMahon Stadium to win 35-28, improving to 8-0.

The depth of this team has been tested with the likes of Greg Ellingson, Nick Demski, and Jackson Jeffcoat, among others missing time through injury at certain points this year, but none of that has mattered as numerous others have stepped up.

Against the Stampeders last week, it was the running game that came to life for the first time all season, with Brady Oliveira carrying 15 times for 110 yards.

Zach Collaros was sparkling through the air, throwing for four touchdowns and no interceptions, as six different receivers caught passes, with Dalton Schoen leading the way with four grabs for 80 yards.

They sit second in the league when it comes to pass efficiency, though they have allowed the second-most pass completions, but have gotten by, allowing the fewest touchdowns (nine) in the CFL.

Montreal missed a golden opportunity last week to create some separation between themselves and the other teams in the East, losing 24-17 against Hamilton.

A lack of discipline has plagued them throughout the year, being flagged seven times against the Tiger-Cats for 89 yards, slightly less than their average of 95 yards a game.

Trevor Harris did well not to turn the ball over last week, as Geno Lewis had a big outing, catching eight passes from him for 154 yards, though defensively, they failed to get much pressure on Dane Evans and did not register a single sack.

They need to protect their quarterback better, allowing five sacks against Hamilton and allowing the second-most in the league (22).

Prediction- Winnipeg Blue Bombers 35- 17 Montreal Alouettes

Als owner Gary Stern who has a reputation for making bold predictions has said that he believes they will win this game.

While the confidence is admirable, Montreal struggles to get pressure up the middle, which should give Collaros plenty of time to shred their secondary.

Calgary Stampeders at Ottawa Redblacks

The Stamps have shown they are a team to contend with all season long, but they have missed opportunities over the past two games to show they are the team to beat.

Ka’Deem Carey had another great game on the ground last weekend, with 14 carries for 92 yards, as he sits second in the league in rushing yards (471) and rushing touchdowns (five).

The offensive line has done its job protecting Bo Levi Mitchell, allowing only seven sacks all season and none against a dangerous Blue Bombers’ defensive unit last week.

However, they have not gotten enough pressure on opposing QBs, currently second in the league when it comes to sacks made (13).

As efficient as they have been on the ground, while Mitchell rarely throws interceptions, they could use a few more big plays, which could make a difference, with the Stamps currently having the fewest completions of 30 yards or more (seven) this season.

At long last, Paul LaPolice and the Redblacks got the monkey off their back, winning their first game of the season.

Caleb Evans put forth a strong effort, going 24 of 29 for 286 yards and a pair of scores, while Jaelon Acklin had a splendid outing, catching seven passes for 144 yards and a touchdown.

With one victory, Ottawa is right back in the mix for a playoff spot, just a game behind Montreal and Hamilton, who are tied for second at 2-5.

Defensively they improved tremendously against the Argos, allowing only 17 yards on the ground to Andrew Harris, an encouraging sign, given that they have allowed the third-most rushing yards in the league this season (715) and have conceded an average of 10.2 passing yards per game, the most in the CFL.

Prediction- Calgary Stampeders 17-20 Ottawa Redblacks

The Redblacks finally got a break last week, but at the same time, they earned that victory thanks to a stingy defensive effort.

Ottawa is a team with plenty of playmakers, capable of changing the complexion of a game, and we expect they will rise to the challenge against a Calgary team with plenty of weapons.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Toronto Argonauts

It was not the prettiest of performances, but Orlando Steinauer will take it as his defence came to play, registering five sacks and hanging on to a 24-17 victory against the Als.

Dane Evans had another sharp outing behind centre, going 13 of 18 for 206 yards and a touchdown, but most importantly he did not throw a pick, as Evans is currently third in terms of passing yards (1,926).

Try as they might, the ground game continues to let them down, putting a ton of pressure on Evans and his receivers to step up and make plays, sitting dead last in rushing yards (542), though they have done well to limit the gains against them, allowing an average of 4.6 yards to their opponents, the second-fewest in the league.

They lead the CFL when it comes to completions (174), but they will need to improve their special teams, currently last in field goal percentage (76.2%), while allowing too much good field position, boasting the lowest punting average so far (35.3 yards).

Toronto failed to keep their momentum going last week, losing to Ottawa despite a strong outing from McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who threw for 340 yards and a touchdown.

They failed to keep drives alive, as their run game was shut down, with Andrew Harris averaging a meagre 1.9-yard average against the Redblacks.

The Argos are second in the league for competition percentage (71.0%) though they have not been able to sustain long drives, averaging 28:45 in terms of the time of possession, with the Ti-Cats the only team who’ve done worse in that department.

While they’ve shown flashes of solid play, consistency on the offensive side of the ball has been an issue, scoring the fewest points in the league, while defensively, Toronto has allowed the third-most completions of 30 yards or more (eight).

Prediction- Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20-21 Toronto Argonauts

Expect this to be a tight and competitive match between two teams eager to establish their dominance in the East Division.

We expect the weapons for the Boatmen will make a bigger difference, while their running game, although inconsistent, has shown they are capable of playing big games at times, which is more than we can say for Hamilton.

Edmonton Elks at BC Lions

The Elks return to BC Place, eager to show they are a different team than the one who was trounced 59-15 back in June.

Fresh off a bye week, Chris Jones and his unit had a lot of positives to take away from their previous game.

They picked off the reigning Most Outstanding Player Zach Collaros twice and were within striking distance of the Grey Cup champions through much of that contest.

Whether it is Tre Ford or Taylor Cornelius behind centre, their blockers need to give their pivot more time in the pocket, allowing the third-most sacks so far (20).

They are second from the bottom in passing yards this year and have allowed the second-most yards through the air, with the lowest completion percentage offensively as well (61.6%).

BC put forth a gutsy performance at Mosaic Stadium in Saskatchewan last week, keeping the Riders off the scoreboard in the second half, while creating four sacks and an interception in a 32-17 win.

It was another sparkling performance from Nathan Rourke, who tossed two TDs, going 27/33 for 336 yards, with Keon Hatcher leading them this time out with seven grabs for 110 yards.

Their secondary continues to make it difficult on opposing receivers as their blanket coverage has them first in the league in terms of completions allowed (120), while they also have the highest completion percentage (78.5%).

The Lions have done an excellent job at protecting Rourke, allowing the fewest sacks in the league (six), while also possessing the highest net offence after eight weeks of the season (2610 yards).

Prediction- Edmonton Elks 14-30 BC Lions

The Elks have improved defensively since the opening week, but they still struggle to make plays in the secondary and do not get enough pressure to worry opposing QBs.

Nathan Rourke has been tested weekly and consistently puts up substantial numbers, while reading coverage effectively.