CFL WEEK 15 PREVIEW & PICKS

BY ADAM GREENE

In any other football league, making it to Week 15 would mean we had most of this stuff figured out. But the Canadian Football League is doing its own thing. and we’re all just going to have to deal with it. Yes, there are still six more weeks of CFL football after this one before the playoff even start.

So what’s happened here in the middle area of the season? We’re back to just a handful of teams enjoying wining records. In fact, only three, out of the nine franchises, are above .500 after this weekend’s bloodbath. It does appear the teams in that .500 scrum will have to do battle over the next month-plus to see who will officially lay their necks upon the chopping block when it’s time to face off against the Toronto Argonauts, Winnipeg Blue Bombers or BC Lions. Everyone else in the postseason bracket should just be happy to get the invite.

But not us. We have some money to make and the odds, lines and totals with which to do it. Let’s rank some teams then pick some games.

POWER RANKINGS

1. TORONTO ARGONAUTS (10-1)

Since dropping their lone game thanks to a quarterback injury, getting Chad Kelly back has put the Argos right back atop the rankings and they remain the Grey Cup favorites after another blowout win over a potential playoff opponent. In what seems almost academic at this point, their 10^th victory clinched a spot in the postseason for Toronto. Last week: No. 1

2. WINNEPEG BLUE BOMBERS (10-3)

With a potential playoff contender heading into to town, Winnipeg showed that they are already focused on fighting for the Grey Cup with a 51-6 blowout win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The win officially clinched a playoff berth for the Blue Bombers. Last week: No. 4

3. BC LIONS (8-4)

BC got its season back on track with a big win over the Montreal Alouettes in Week 13, then got sit back on their Barcaloungers and watch the rest of the CFL beat each other up in Week 14. Last week: No. 3

4. HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (5-7)

A week after getting absolutely blistered by the Argos, the Tiger-Cats had all they could handle in a three-point win over the Ottawa Redblacks to get within two games of .500. Last week: No. 6

5. SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (6-6)

There’s being completely dominated, then there’s what the Roughriders let the Winnipeg Blue Bombers do them last week, sending them rocketing back to Earth with a blowout loss. Last week: No. 2

6. MONTREAL ALOUETTES (6-6)

Montreal had a nice run there going but facing the BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts in consecutive weeks put a stop to that. They’re back to .500 and probably still heading to the playoffs but can’t be looking at an extended stay. Last week: No. 5

7. EDMONTON ELKS (3-10)

With a second crack at Calgary in back-to-back weeks, the Elks made it count, picking up their third win of the year and staying alive, to defy all common sense, for a postseason spot. Last week: No. 8

8. CALGARY STAMPEDERS (4-9)

The Stampeders have a lot to think about after last week’s two-point loss to the Edmonton Elks, a team that opened the year 0-9 and they have the week off to ponder it. Last week: 7

9. OTTAWA REDBLACKS (3-9)

As crazy at it seems, considering the Elks opened losing nine straight games, the Redblacks now have a firm grasp of the Power Rankings’ basement at the moment and that’s unlikely to change this week when they play at the BC Lions. Last week: No. 9

WEEK 15

Byes: Calgary Stampeders

FRIDAY

TORONTO ARGONAUTS AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES (+6.5, O/U: 53)

Toronto just keeps putting on a show, this past week annihilating the Montreal Alouettes 39-10 in front of their home crowd. Chad Kelly was 21 of 28 for 278 yards, no touchdowns and no picks. He scrambled twice for six yards and a TD. AJ Ouellette rushed 19 times for 105 yards and two scores. Cameron Dukes had a one-yard dive for a touchdown. Tommy Nield caught six passes for 84 yards. Kurleigh Gittens, Jr. caught four balls for 63 yards. Adarius Picket had nine tackles and two forced fumbles on defense. Royce Metchie had five tackles. Brandon Barlow had four tackles, two for a loss and a sack. Robbie Smith had two tackles and a sack. Jamal Peters finished with a tackle, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Well, the Alouettes will get another crack at the Toronto Argonauts thanks to the weird CFL scheduling that have them playing in back to back weeks. They have much to improve on after getting blown out on the road, 39-10 last week. Cody Fajardo took most of the snaps at quarterback, going 21 of 24 for 236 yards, a touchdown and no picks. Once the game was out of hand Caleb Evans entered and was 5 of 6 for 56 yards, no TDs and a pick. Walter Fletcher “led’ the team with five carries for 10 yards rushing. Chandler Worthy caught four passes for 59 yards. Cole Spieker had four grabs for 52 yards and a score. Walter Fletcher had five receptions for 53 yards. On defense Reggie Stubblefield had 12 tackles and one for a loss. Kabion Ento and Bryce Notree had fiev tackles apiece.

We’re just switching venues on this one this week, but I don’t see a significant result change. Hopefully Montreal will be able to play better in front of their home fans, but it won’t be enough. Argonauts 31, Alouettes 21

EDMONTON ELKS AT SASKATCHEWNA ROUGHRIDERS (-3, O/U: 46.5)

Don’t look now, but the Elks have won three out of their last four games and picked up their latest victory with a little bit of a revenge. After falling to the Calgary Stampeders the week before, Edmonton flipped the script in Week 14, winning 25-23. Quarterback Tre Ford used his arm and his legs to secure the victory, finishing 14 of 22 passing for 173 yards, a touchdown and two picks. He added eight rushes and 82 yards on the ground. Kevin Brown led the team with 15 carries for 143 yards and a touchdown. Taylor Cornelius had a one-yard touchdown plunge. Eugene Lewis caught five passes for 89 yards. Dillon Mitchell hauled in two receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown.

It was a rough week for the Roughriders as they barely showed up, and certainly might have gone home early in the second half. Saskatchewan was held to two field goals in the first half and shutout in the third and fourth quarters in a 51-6 beat down by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last week. Jake Dolegala once again cleaned up his future USFL resume going 15 of 21 passing for 113 yards, no touchdowns and no picks. Shea Patterson replaced him late, finishing 3 of 3 for 26 yards. Thomas Bertrand-Hudon rushed five times for 41 yards. Samuel Emilus caught three passes for 41 yards. Larry Dean lead the defense with seven tackles. Deontai Williams had six tackles.

It’s hard to not get excited about what Edmonton has done over the last month. They were in the running for being the worst professional football team on the planet, or at least in all of North America, but they’ve come to life here as the pumpkin spice has started to flow. Still, it probably won’t be enough with a Saskatchewan team looking to get back over the .500 mark. Roughriders 24, Elks 20

SATURDAY

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS AT HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (+6.5, O/U: 48)

Winnipeg unleashed hell upon the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week, scoring in every quarter and holding the Roughriders to just two field goals in an embarrassing 51-6 blowout last week. Zach Collaros was 18 of 21 passing for 319 yards, five touchdowns and no picks in he route. He scrambled once for 11 yards. Brady Oliveira rushed 18 times for 154 yards and hauled in four receptions for 57 yards and a TD. Johnny Augustine had four carries for 52 yards. Dakota Prukop had five hauls for 16 yards and a score. Kenny Lawler caught four passes for 104 yards and a TD. Dalton Schoen had five grabs for 104 yards and three trips to the end zone. The defense was led by Kyrie Wilson’s seven tackles. Evan Holm had six tackles. Ricky Walker had four tackles and s sack. Jackson Jeffcoat and Redha Kramdi both had two tackles and a sack. Jeffcoat added a forced fumble and a tackle for a loss.

It took a late touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the deal, but the Tiger-Cats got back on the wining track with a 27-24 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks last week. Taylor Powell was 21 of 32 passing for 326 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions I the win. He scrambled twice for 27 yards. James Butler led the team with 14 carries for 35 yards. Tim White caught seven passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Omar Bayless had four catches for 53 yards. Tyreik McAllister hauled in four balls for 43 yards and a score. Simoni Lawrence led the D with eight tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. Malik Carney and Stavros Katsantonis had six tackles apiece, with Katsantonis adding a pick. Richard Leonard and Casey Sayles both had five tackles.

Oof. This is tough draw for Hamilton as they’re battling back to relevance. That battle will have to begin anew next week. Blue Bombers 38, Tiger-Cats 24

OTTAWA REDBLACKS AT BC LIONS (-9.5, O/U: 46.5)

Ottawa gave it the old college try to stop piling up losses but surrendered a late touchdown to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to fall 27-24 at home last Friday. Dustin Crum wrapped his night 17 of 26 passing for 265 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He rushed nine times for 42 yards and a TD. Devonte Williams had 17 carries for 146 yards. He added four receptions for 69 yards to lead the team. Tyrell Pigrome had five carries for all of four yards, but punched it into the end zone once. Ante Milanovic-Litre had a three-yard touchdown run. Shaq Evans caught two passes for 64 yards. Jaelon Acklin had four receptions for 50 yards. Justin Howell had eight tackles. Frankie Griffin and Joban Santons-Knox both finished with seven tackles, with Santos-Knox adding three for a loss. Blessman Ta’ala had a tackle, a sack and a fumble recovery.

Two weeks ago the Lions bounced back from a humiliating defeat to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by putting 34 on the Montreal Alouettes in a 34-25 victory on the road. Vernon Adams, Jr. played one his best games of the season, finishing 21 of 33 for 306 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. HE rushed eight times for 54 yards. Taquan Mizzell had 14 carries for 68 yards and a score. Alexander Hollins hauled in five passes for 88 yards and two TDs. Lucky Whitehead had two grabs for 59 yards. Keon Hatcher caught five balls for 56 yards and a touchdown. Justin McInnis had four receptions for 55 yards. The defense was led by TJ Lee who recorded nine tackles and a pick. Sione Tehema had seven tackles, one for a loss and two sacks. Boseko Lokombo had six tackles. Ben Hladik had five tackles, one for a loss and a sack. Quincy Mauger finished with three tackles, a sack and an interception. Woody Baron also had three tackles and a sack.

Ottawa has turned into the Edmonton of the second half of the season and the schedule just keeps punching them in the face. This week, the fist belongs to British Columbia. Lions 31, Redblacks 23

Last week

Straight up: 3-1

Against the spread: 2-2

Season

Straight up: 40-14

Against the spread: 30-24

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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