CFL WEEK 8 PREVIEW & PICKS

BY ADAM GREENE

With a ridiculous 18-game season, we’ve still not reached the CFL halfway point, but Week 8 has us scoping it out on the horizon.

We still have a full slate of games heading our way and the odds, lines, and totals with which to maximize our enjoyment of this particular summer football league before the NFL’s preseason opens to steal all the football hype.

POWER RANKINGS

1. TORONTO ARGONAUTS (5-0)

The Argos remain in mid-season form, easily dispatching a 2022 CFL playoff team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, last week to keep their record spotless. Last week: No. 1

2. BC LIONS (5-1)

The Lions have won on offense all season, but last week it was the defense that made life easier for our second-ranked CFL franchise, holding a 2022 playoff team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, to a single-digit score in Week 7. They needed it as they lost QB Vernon Adams, Jr. early to an injury and he might have to sit again in Week 8, Last week: No. 2

3. WINNEPEG BLUE BOMBERS (5-2)

Winnipeg bounced back from a bad loss as expected, but considering their win was over the Edmonton Elks, let’s keep the celebration to the minimum. Last week: No. 4

4. OTTAWA REDBLACKS (3-3)

Ottawa shocked everyone from Climax to Forget all the way to Stoner, Sexsmith, and Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump (all real places in Canada) by playing professional level football against a halfway decent team in Week 7 to even up their record. Last week: No. 6

5. HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (2-4)

The wheat seems to be separating itself from the chaff early this CFL season and we’ve got a surprising amount of chaff so far. The Tiger-Cats made the playoffs with a losing record last season and that might be the best they can hope for in this one. Last week: No. 3

6. CALGARY STAMPEDERS (2-4)

After losing to the formerly hapless Ottawa Redblacks in overtime in Week 7, the Stampeders sit well below .500 and are looking for answers. It’s a long season and there’s plenty of time to bounce back, but this is a squad that’s two losses away from matching their entire season total from a year ago. Last week: 5

7. SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (3-3)

Saskatchewan opened the season strong, but reality seems to continually be an issue every time they have a chance to keep their head above the waves as the season rolls on. Last week: No. 7

8. MONTREAL ALOUETTES (2-3)

After hanging with the Argonauts two weeks ago, the Alouettes got to watch the action from their man caves to prep for their Week 8 match-up with the Calgary Stampeders. Last week: No. 8

9. EDMONTON ELKS (0-7)

It’s Week 8. Toronto has already had two byes and most of the top teams have at least enjoyed one, including the Blue Bombers, who are vacationing this week. The team that hasn’t been granted a respite as of yet? The pitiful Elks. No team needs a break more. Last week: No. 9

WEEK 8

Byes: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

FRIDAY

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS AT OTTAWA REDBLACKS (-3.5, O/U: 48.5)

Hamilton had a two-game win streak heading into last Friday’s game against the Toronto Argonauts and the Argos put a stop it before the halftime whistle. The Tiger-Cats fell 31-15 to Toronto in a game that didn’t even feel that close. Taylor Powell wrapped his afternoon with a 27 of 41 passing day for 283 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. He led the team rushing with four carries for 37 yards and a TD. Terry Godwin caught seven passes for 103 yards. D’haquille Williams had six grabs for 65 yards. James Butler also caught six for 58 yards. On defense, Stavros Katsantonis recorded seven tackles. Jameer Thurman had six tackles and a sack. Chris Edwards finished with five tackles, a sack, and two tackles for a loss.

Hold onto your bison fur ushankas, my friends, because Ottawa is not only at .500, but is a win away, already, from matching their win total from a season ago after an impressive 43-41 overtime shootout victory over the Calgary Stampeders last Sunday. Dustin Crum had the day he needed at quarterback, finishing 23 of 29 passing for 254 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks. He led the team rushing with nine carries for 63 yards. Devonte Williams rushed 10 times for 57 yards and a TD. Ante Milanovic-Litre hauled the ball seven times for 35 yards and two scores. Justin Hardy finished with seven receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown. Nate Behar caught eight balls for 78 yards and a TD. Jaelon Acklin grabbed five passes for 60 yards. Damon Webb closed out his tab with seven tackles and a sack. Abdul Kanneh, Adam Auclair, and Douglas Coleman II all finished with four tackles. Auclain added a tackle for a loss. Alonzo Addae had three tackles and a pick. Michael Wakefield had two tackles and a sack. Bryce Carter had a tackle and a sack.­

This is legitimately an interesting game, especially to open the week. Two weeks ago, I’d have picked Hamilton without question, but Ottawa really looked sharp last week and now you must take their other two wins seriously. I’m thinking they will actually get to celebrate a winning record come Friday night. Redblacks 20, Tiger-Cats 17

SATURDAY

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS (-10.5, O/U: 47.5)

Saskatchewan dropped its second game in a row thanks to a no-show from their offense in a 19-9 loss to the BC Lions last Saturday. Mason Fine tossed two picks and no touchdowns in the loss to go with a 31 of 40 passing day for 278 yards. There was absolutely no ground game for the Roughriders. Jamal Morrow led the team with 12 carries for just 11 yards. And six of those 11 yards came on one carry. So that means his other 11 went for five yards. Tevin Jones caught seven passes for 75 yards. Shawn Bane, Jr. had 10 receptions for 74 yards. Larry Dean ended his night with six tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery. Miles Brown, Micah Johnson, and Demarcus Christmas both had three tackles and a sack, with Christmas adding a forced fumble. Amari Henderson had three tackles and a pick. Pete Robertson had a tackle and a sack.

Toronto opened the game hot on offense and stayed that way until the final whistle, knocking off the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 31-15 last Friday. Chad Kelly might have had his best game of the season for the Argos, finishing 20 of 27 for 306 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks. He scrambled four times for 18 yards and a score. AJ Ouellette rushed 10 times for 84 yards. DaVaris Daniels caught four passes for 80 yards and a TD. Kurleigh Gittens, Jr., the man with the greatest rescue kitten name of all time, hauled in six passes for 69 yards and a touchdown. Dejon Brissett caught one 50-yard pass. Adarius Pickett finished with seven tackles and two for a loss. Wynton McMains had six tackles. Jonathan Jones had five tackles, a sack, and two tackles for a loss. Jamal Peters finished with three tackles and a pick. Jared Brinkman had three tackles and a sack. Folarin Orimolade recorded two tackles and a sack.

The road gets no easier for Saskatchewan. After playing the league’s second-best team, they get to take on the king of the hill in Toronto and absorb the loss that comes with that particular attempt at mountaineering. Argonauts 34, Roughriders 17

BC LIONS AT EDMONTON ELKS (+8, O/U: 43)

BC had a light week of work on offense because the defense showed up with their brick wall last week, holding Saskatchewan under 10 points in a 19-9 victory. Dane Evans closed out his day 16 of 25 passing for 219 yards, one touchdown, and an interception after starter Vernon Adams, Jr. left the game with a knee injury. Evans scrambled twice for 12 yards. Shaun Shivers rushed 10 times for only 21 yards and a TD. Keon Hatcher caught four passes for 74 yards. Alexander Hollins hauled in three yards for 56 yards and a score. Bosenko Lokombo led the D with eight tackles and a tackle for a loss. Ben Hladik and Emmanuel Rugamba had seven tackles apiece, with Rugamba adding two tackles for a loss. Garry Peters finished with five tackles and an interception. Jalon Edwards-Cooper, Mathieu Betts, and Woody Baron all had four tackles apiece, with Edwards-Coooper adding a pick and two tackles for a loss, Baron two sacks, and Betts one sack.

Another week, another loss for the Elks as they fell 28-14 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last Thursday. Taylor Cornelius was generous with the ball once again, tossing two picks to go with a 17 of 29 passing day for 220 yards and one touchdown. He led the team rushing with four carries for 57 yards. Dillon Mitchell caught four passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Tony Jones finished with seven tackles and a tackle for a loss. Marcus Lewis had five tackles and an interception. Former Carolina Panther Kony Ealy had three tackles and a forced fumble. Sam Acheampong had two tackles and a fumble recovery. Jake Ceresna and AC Leonard both had two tackles and a sack.

While Edmonton has yet to be blessed with a bye, BC gets basically an extra one facing the CFL’s worst team. The line would obviously be higher if we knew Adams, Jr. will play, but even with Evans under center, the Lions should cruise. Lions 24, Elks 14

SUNDAY

CALGARY STAMPEDERS AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES (-3, O.U: 47.5)

It’s been a cruel summer for one of the better-returning teams from a year ago. Calgary found itself in a surprising shootout with the Ottawa Redblacks and, after an overtime period, found an extra “L” on their record. The Stampeders fell 43-41 last Sunday night. Jake Maier ended his night 28 of 38 passing for 450 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. He scrambled three times for 10 yards. Dedrick Mills didn’t do much on the ground to lead the team with six carries for 21 yards. Marken Michel caught four passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Tre Odoms-Dukes had six receptions for 101 yards and a TD. Clark Barnes had five grabs for 87 yards and a score. Reggie Begelton had six catches for 80 yards. Titus Wall finished with 11 tackles. Julian Howsare and Cameron Judge both had six tackles and a sack. Howsare added two tackles for a loss. Michael Griffin recorded five tackles. Mike Rose had three tackles and a sack. Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund had a tackle and a sack.

Montreal earned a bye the hard way after suffering a competitive 35-27 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in Week 6. Cody Fajardo finished 26 of 36 passing for 281 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. William Stanback rushed 12 times for 53 yards and snagged four passes for 36 yards. Austin Mack caught seven passes for 70 yards. Kaion Julien Grant had six receptions for 64 yards. Tyler Snead had three grabs for 48 yards that all went for touchdowns. Najee Murray led Montreal with seven tackles. Avery Williams and Kabion Ento finished with five tackles apiece, with Ento having a fumble recovery and two tackles for a loss. Tyrice Beverette had four tackles, a forced fumble and three tackles for a loss. Wade Sutton had four tackles, all for a loss. Marc Antione Dequoy had two tackles and an interception.

Calgary put on a show last week, but couldn’t close it out in the extra period. Montreal got to watch it all from their La-Z-Boy recliners. While the Alouettes are favored, this one looks like a coin flip to me. I’ll go with the home team. Alouettes 21, Stampeders 20

Last week

Straight up: 3-1

Against the spread: 2-2

Season

Straight up: 21-6

Against the spread: 18-9

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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