CFL WEEK 13 PREVIEW & PICKS

BY ADAM GREENE

I hope you are sitting down because somehow the Edmonton Elks have come back to life in this 2023 CFL season. We can no longer claim, with any authority, that the Elks are the worst professional football team on the planet after they’ve won their second game of the season. That honor now belongs solely to the Orlando Guardians of the XFL who went 1-9. In fact, when you factor in a 2-8 Las Vegas Vipers in that same football league, there’s a good chance that the Elks could just be the third worst football team on the planet. So, you know, congrats on that, I guess.

Up next for Edmonton is overtaking, or matching, the 3-7 San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL and the 3-7 New Jersey Generals of the USFL. Could this Elks team, somehow, win four or more games this season and completely leave its horrid USA based spring and summer football compatriots in the dust (or snow, as it were)?

With nine more weeks of CFL football and seven games to go on their schedule, they could even conceivably make the playoffs, since only three teams in the league miss out on the bracket. It’s wild time the frozen north above the Ice Wall.

Lucky for us, we can make the most of it thanks to the odds, lines and totals.  Let’s rank the teams then pick some games.

POWER RANKINGS

1. WINNEPEG BLUE BOMBERS (9-2)

The Blue Bombers retain the top spot in the rankings thanks to a dominating performance over the Montreal Alouettes and their ninth consecutive victory. Last week: No. 1

2. TORONTO ARGONAUTS (8-1)

The Argos, fresh off their final bye, survived a surprisingly potent Calgary Stampeders offensive attack last week to win its second straight game and start a new win streak. Last week: No. 2

3. SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (5-5)

The Roughriders got to enjoy a week off after a huge victory over the BC Lions, only to have that win look much less impressive the very next week. Last week: No. 4

4. MONTREAL ALOUETTES (6-4)

After piling up three straight wins to get back into the upper echelon of the CFL, the Alouettes ran into a brick wall called the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 12, losing in blowout fashion. Last week: No. 3

5. BC LIONS (7-4)

The Lions could not have picked a worse time for their offense to falter, losing their second game in a row, this time to the sub .500 Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Last week: No. 5

6. HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (4-6)

No team needed a big win over a contender than the Tiger-Cats and they got it, blowing out the BC Lions last Saturday to get back into the playoff hunt. The problem with that win is, does it mark a sudden surge for Hamilton or does it portend a nosedive from the Lions? Last week: No. 8

7. EDMONTON ELKS (2-9)

Where has this Edmonton Elks team been all year? Not only did they pick up their second win of the season last week, they’re on a two-game winning streak after opening the year 0-9. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria. Last week: No. 7

8. CALGARY STAMPEDERS (3-8)

The Stampeders might have put forth their best offensive effort of the season, but it wasn’t enough against the Toronto Argonauts in Week 12. Last week: 6

9. OTTAWA REDBLACKS (3-8)

I’m not sure what’s worse for the Redblacks, the fact that they’re on a five-game losing streak or that their last loss was to the Edmonton Elks, a team that opened the year 0-9. At least they get the bye this week to think about what they’ve done. Last week: No. 9

WEEK 13

Bye: Ottawa Redblacks

SATURDAY

BC LIONS AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES (+3, O/U: 47.5)

British Columbia needs to bounce back in a big way after dropping their second consecutive game, this time in a humiliating 30-13 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last Saturday. Vernon Adams, Jr. piled up the yardage again, going 26 of 40 passing for 326 yards, with one touchdown and an interception. Taquan Mizzell rushed nine times for 49 yards. Keon Hatcher caught seven passes for 107 yards and a TD. Alexander Hollins had four receptions for 76 yards. Boseko Lokombo led the defense with six tackles and a sack. Quincy Mauger had five tackles. Josh Banks recorded four tackles and a sack. Mathieu Betts had three tackles and a sack. Woody Baron had two tackles and a sack.

Montreal made plenty of good news over the last month of the CFL season but allowed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to stop the presses last Thursday, losing 47-17. Cody Fajardo performed at a USFL level at quarterback, completing 14 of 25 passing for 137 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He scrambled once for 15 yards. William Stanback led the team in rushing with eight carries for 32 yards. Austin Mack caught five passes for 55 yards. On defense, Mustafa Johnson finished with seven tackles and a sack. Wesley Sutton had six tackles. JR Reed and Tyrice Beverette both had five tackles apiece. Tyrell Richards finished with three tackles and a pick. Marc-Antoine Dequoy had two tackles and two interceptions.

Both these teams are coming off losses and desperately need a win. In the early part of the season, BC looked as if they’d caught both Winnipeg and Toronto but it has taken an unexpected Earthly fall. The Alouettes pulled their season out of the gutter only to be right back on the ropes again. Montreal has played better than British Columbia over the last few weeks, but I’m still going with the Lions. Lions 35, Alouettes 30

SUNDAY

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS AT SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (+7.5, O/U: 47.5)

In spite of starting quarterback, and the CFL’s highest paid player, Zach Collaros tossing three interceptions, the Blue Bombers obliterated the Montreal Alouettes last Thursday, 47-17. Collaros made up for his three picks with a 16 of 24 passing performance for 240 yards and four touchdowns. Brady Oliveira did plenty of work on the ground, rushing 18 times for 119 yards and a TD. He hauled in one pass for a six yard TD. Nic Demski caught five passes for 87 yards. Kenny Lawler had two receptions for 65 yards and a score. Dalton Schone caught four passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson Jeffcoat led the defense with five tackles, a forced fumble and two tackles for a loss. Winston Rose had four tackles and a pick. Cameron Lawson and Jake Thomas each had a tackle and a sack.  

Saskatchewan entered their bye with an emphatic, perhaps season defining, win over the BC Lions, 34-29, two weeks ago. Jake Dolegala had his best day at quarterback this season, finishing 18 of 29 passing for 239 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He scrambled four times for 27 yards. Jamal Morrow led the team in rushing with 16 carries for 59 yards and a TD. Samuel Emilus caught five passes for 105 yards and a score. Jerreth Sterns had three receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. Kian Schaffer-Baker caught three passes for 34 yards and a TD. Nick Marshall wrapped his night with five tackles. CJ Reavis had five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Larry Dean had four tackles and a sack. Jeremy Clark had three tackles and a pick. Miles Brown and Pete Robertson both recorded two tackles and a sack, with Robertson adding a fumble recovery. Anthony Lanier had a tackle, sack and forced fumble. 

From the outside, this game looks as if it should be a Winnipeg walk, but Saskatchewan has pulled itself to .500 and had an extra week to prepare. It might not keep them from a loss, but it could keep the Blue Bombers from covering the spread. Blue Bombers 27, Roughriders 23

MONDAY

TORONTO ARGONAUTS AT HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (+8.5, O/U: 50)

The Argonauts notched their second win in a row since the return of quarterback Chad Kelly, knocking off the Calgary Stampeders in a surprising shootout, 39-31. Kelly finished 20 of 31 passing for 361 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He scrambles twice for nine yards and a TD. AJ Ouellette rushed 18 times for 82 yards. Damonte Coxie caught three passes for 102 yards and a score. DaVaris Daniels had three grabs for 77 yards and a touchdown. Cameron Phillips caught four balls for 63 yards. Kurleigh Gittens, Jr. had four receptions for 55 yards. Andrew Harris hauled in three passes for 31 yards and a TD. Dewayne Hendrix led the defense with four tackles and a sack. Folarin Orimolade had three tackles and two sacks.

Have the Tiger-Cats finally figured this thing out? It appears they might have as they completely dominated the heavily favored BC Lions last Saturday, winning 30-13. Taylor Powell was efficient under center, finishing 18 of 23 passing for 222 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. James Butler rushed 21 times for 118 yards and a score. He caught three passes for 36 yards and another TD. Tim White had five receptions for 57 yards. Jameer Thurman wrapped his afternoon with six tackles and an interception. Casey Sayles had five tackles and a sack. Tunde Adeleke had four tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Simoni Lawrence had three tackles and a sack.

Hamilton has to be feeling pretty good about itself after a monster win last week. No team can ruin a good feeling faster than the Argos. Argonauts 41, Tiger-Cats 31

EDMONTON ELKS AT CALGARY STAMPEDERS (-5, O/U: 46)

We have replaced your regular Edmonton team with one that can actually play professional football. Let’s hope, somewhere out there, Chris Farley is going wackadoo over the change. It all started with their quarterback, Tre Ford, who will let all calls from the USFL and XFL go to voicemail this week after going 15 of 18 passing for 317 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions in the win. He added 10 rushes for 74 yards and a score to lead the team. Kevin Brown had 14 carries for 68 yards. Eugene Lewis caught three passes for 112 yards and a TD. Gavin Cobb hauled in one 68 yard reception.  Emmanuel Arceneaux had three catches for 42 yards. Steven Dunbar, Jr. had two grabs for 42 yards. Nyles Morgan ended his night with nine tackles and a sack. Adam Konar had five tackles. Tony Jones recorded three tackles, all for a loss.

Calgary opened up the playbook and put forth an elite passing performance, but it wasn’t enough to topple the defending Grey Cup Champion Toronto Argonauts. The Stampeders fell in a shootout, 39-31 after going silent on offense in the fourth quarter. Jake Maier had a terrific day passing the ball, going 25 of 42 for 387 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Dedrick Mills led the team with eight rushes for 46 yards. Reggie Bagelton had a tremendous night, catching nine passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Marken Michel had four grabs for 82 yards and a score. Luther Hakunavanhu caught an 18-yard touchdown pass. Titus Wall led the defense with seven tackles. Micah Aw had six tackles. Nick Taylor and Kobe Williams both had two tackles and an interception.  

I have picked against Edmonton all season and, until two weeks ago, that was working out pretty well for everybody. Well, not the Elks, but all the rest of us. Since then, Edmonton has taken its revenge, piling up two wins and likely ruining every CFL parlay on the planet. Does that mean I’ll chance a pick in their favor this week? No. No it will not. Stampeders 28, Elks 20

Last week

Straight up: 2-2

Against the spread: 0-4

Season

Straight up: 34-12

Against the spread: 25-21

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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