Edmonton Battles Winnipeg In Thursday CFL West Action

The CFL is entering the third week of the season so it might be premature to assess any game as a ‘huge battle’ within the context of the year as a whole. That being said, this Western Conference matchup between the first place Edmonton Eskimos and second place Winnipeg Blue Bombers looks to be the ‘game of the week’.

Not much was expected of the Edmonton Eskimos heading into the 2019 CFL season but so far they’ve been excellent. Edmonton has been especially potent on offense where they’re at or near the top of the league in a slew of statistical categories. They rank #3 in points per game, #1 in passing yards per game and #2 in rushing yards per game. Starting quarterback Trevor Harris has been the best in the league through three weeks putting up 741 yards (57-for-74) and six touchdowns for a QB-rating of 135. They’re getting balanced offense and contributions throughout the lineup. In addition to Harris, wide receiver Greg Ellington leads the league with nine catches for 174 yards. The ground game has also been solid led by running back CJ Gable who has put up 265 yards on 43 carries to lead the CFL in rushing.

The defense is something of a question mark for Edmonton though they’ve done the job so far. The Eskimos’ defense has been what NFL TV analysts would call ‘opportunistic’–in last week’s win over the BC Lions they compiled seven team sacks and an interception. One big issue so far has been team penalties–against BC the Esks had 17 infractions for a total of 170 yards against. Winnipeg defensive coordinator Richie Hall is considered the best in the league but the Bombers have only played one game so it’s hard to take much from it statistically.

The Eskimos have won 6 of the last 10 head to head meetings but are just 3-6-1 against the spread in those games. Edmonton struggled on the road last season with a record of 2-7 SU away from Commonwealth Stadium. The CFL football line on this game suggests that the Eskimos might still be undervalued as the public has not quite reconciled their strong performance to date against their weak expectations coming into the season. We’ll go with Edmonton plus the points and look for this game to stay ‘Under’ the total. The Eskimos and Bombers have gone Under in their last four head to head as well as 5 of their last 7.

BET EDMONTON ESKIMOS +5 OVER WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
BET EDMONTON ESKIMOS/WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS UNDER 58