CFL this Week — Week 19
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/10/2014 (3994 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-9) at Ottawa Redblacks (2-14)
Tonight, 6:30 p.m. TV: TSN
Hamilton line: The Ticats will probably win, but it won’t because they got any help from the officiating crew. A Hamilton club that already has a long reputation as the worst whiners in the CFL when it comes to officiating dug themselves even deeper this week when the owner publicly criticized the officials and was slapped with a $10,000 fine. That’s a huge sum by CFL standards and indicative of a league that’s grown tired of Hamilton’s act.
Ottawa line: For an expansion team that has lost three in a row and 12 of their last 13, the Redblacks are actually surprisingly competitive most weeks. It’s just that they continue to find new — and often innovative — ways to lose, instead of finding ways to win.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-11) at Calgary Stampeders (14-2)
Saturday, 3 p.m. TV: TSN
Winnipeg line: The Bombers have lost eight in a row and 10 of their last 11. They are 1-8 against the West Division this season. They haven’t won in Calgary since 2002 and in Alberta since 2006. And they’re playing a league-leading team in Calgary who are having a season that is potentially history-tying. The only real question coming into this one is why the Bombers are only a 10-point underdog.
Calgary line: The Stamps, at 14-2, could tie a 25-year-old CFL record if they can win their final two games of the regular season. Just one other CFL team has ever won 16 regular-season games — the 16-2 Edmonton Eskimos in 1989.
B.C. Lions (9-7) at Edmonton Eskimos (11-5)
Saturday, 6 p.m. TV: TSN
B.C. line: With 125 tackles already, Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian needs just six more tackles to break the all-time CFL record for defensive tackles in a season — and is also in striking distance of the record for total tackles in a season too. The Lions defence generally is also having a stellar season: B.C. has given up an average of just 18.4 points per game, third lowest in the CFL since 1990.
Edmonton line: Edmonton would clinch home-field advantage in the West Division semifinal with a win over B.C., while the Lions would simply clinch a berth in the West semifinal with a win over the Eskimos. Weird stat: The Eskimos are 3-3 this season when they lose the turnover battle; the rest of the CFL combined is 7-50.
Toronto Argonauts (7-9) at Montreal Alouettes (8-8)
Sunday, 11 a.m. TV: TSN
Toronto line: The combination of an Argos win and a Hamilton loss this weekend would clinch Toronto a playoff berth. And Toronto would also almost clinch a playoff berth with just a win — only a tie between Montreal and Hamilton next week would deny Toronto if they win this week.
Montreal line: The Als have a league-best five-game winning streak on the go and have now gone from 3-8 and what was looking like a lost season to 8-8 and what’s looking like a good chance they will host the East final. A Montreal win this week combined with a Hamilton loss would mean the Als clinch first; just a Montreal win and the Als clinch a playoff berth.
THE PICKS
The Free Press has assembled a panel to offer their predictions every week in 2014. Joining us once again this year are CJOB’s Bob Irving, and from the Free Press, sports editor Steve Lyons, columnists Gary Lawless and Doug Brown and football writers Paul Wiecek and Ed Tait:
Irving: Hamilton, Calgary, Edm, Mtl
Wiecek: Hamilton, Calgary, Edm, Mtl
Lyons: Hamilton, Calgary, Edm, Mtl
Brown: Hamilton, Calgary, Edm, Mtl
Lawless: Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto
Tait: Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto
Last week/overall
Irving: 3-1, 53-20
Wiecek: 3-1, 50-23
Lyons: 4-0, 49-24
Brown: 4-0, 49-24
Lawless: 2-2, 48-25
Tait: 3-1/47-26