Once again, the LWOS CFL crew makes their picks and predictions for the upcoming week.
CFL Predictions – Week 7
Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Nick’s thoughts: This is a big game to prove themselves for both teams here, as Winnipeg is losing some of its firepower from the beginning of the season while Saskatchewan is rebounding from a rough start. The Roughriders have put up 37 and 38 points the past two games against Toronto and Ottawa. This was a good antidote to the Rider Nation panic that set in after their two-game losing skid heading into their Week 4 bye. As for Winnipeg, they narrowly beat Hamilton 27-26 last week and haven’t put up 30 points since Week 3, the game before their first loss. It will be an interesting Thursday night in Manitoba.
Matthew Bin: Saskatchewan 31 – Winnipeg 29
Nicholas Di Giovanni: Saskatchewan 29 – Winnipeg 26
Steve Gifkins: Saskatchewan 27 – Winnipeg 28
Lance Keiser: Saskatchewan 33 – Winnipeg 28
Edmonton Eskimos at Montreal Alouettes
Matt’s thoughts: With Edmonton on a 4-1 record and the team firing on all cylinders, it’s not likely the Eskimos will be too concerned when they roll into Montreal and over the Alouettes. Edmonton has Mike Reilly, who has looked like MVP material since the first game of the season; Montreal has Troy Smith, who has looked like the last dry passenger on a sinking ship. Even Montreal’s bevy of new staff, Jeff Garcia, Don Matthews, and Turk Schonert, won’t be able to right this vessel in a week. The Als might salvage their season yet, but not against the Esks.
Matthew Bin: Edmonton 29 – Montreal 10
Nicholas Di Giovanni: Edmonton 31 – Montreal 7
Steve Gifkins: Edmonton 21 – Montreal 13
Lance Keiser: Edmonton 38 – Montreal 17
Hamilton Tiger-Cats at B.C. Lions
Lance’s thoughts: The Ticats could be a dangerous team on the rise, with a three-point loss to Calgary followed by a big win against the Redblacks, then pushing Winnipeg to the brink. You get the sense this team may be turning the corner. B.C., on the other hand, has shown flashes of greatness followed by laying some big eggs. This game will be closer than most, but in the end I expect to see Hamilton finally be rewarded for their hard work.
Matthew Bin: Hamilton 24 – B.C. 17
Nicholas Di Giovanni: Hamilton 21 – B.C. 34
Steve Gifkins: Hamilton 21 – B.C. 33
Lance Keiser: Hamilton 28 – B.C. 24
Ottawa Redblacks at Calgary Stampeders
Steve’s thoughts: Despite losing a hard fought game last Friday to the B.C Lions, the Calgary Stampeders open up the week as 13-point favourites over Ottawa. Expect a high scoring game with the Redblacks coming to McMahon stadium boasting the league’s worst pass defense, giving up a whopping 303 yards per game. If the passing advantage wasn’t enough, Calgary has bolstered their ground game by bringing in running back Martell Mallet. The ex-B.C Lion ran for 116 yards and caught 6 passes for 59 yards in a losing effort last week. With everything pointing towards a Calgary win, any chance the Redblacks have will rely on the arm of Henry Burris: their offense is ranked a respectable fourth in yards passing per game at 248. While Chevon Walker and the running game are always a big play threat, the consistency isn’t there yet.
Matthew Bin: Ottawa 10 – Calgary 34
Nicholas Di Giovanni: Ottawa 16 – Calgary 28
Steve Gifkins: Ottawa 20 – Calgary 27
Lance Keiser: Ottawa 21 – Calgary 33
Week 6 Notes
Interestingly, all the winners were on the road last week. Steve took everyone to school, going 4-0 with his outlier pick, the only one siding with Toronto in Montreal. Lance went 3-1, Matt and Nick were 2-2, and commenter salty1264 was off his previous week’s precision at 2-2 as well.
Remember to add your picks in the comments. The LWOS CFL writers can’t possibly predict the scores better than you, can they?
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LastWordOnCFL. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Main Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images
