The CFL is back for another week of action with four games slated over the next three evenings. Week 1 didn’t provide a ton of points, but the games were close, packed with drama, and produced solid ratings.
Our contributors fearlessly predicted the winners and losers of last week’s contests with mixed results. Three of the four games ended in upsets, which is understandable given the league’s long layoff.
Without further ado, here are 3DownNation’s picks for Week 2.
Thursday, August 12
B.C. Lions (0-1) at Calgary Stampeders (0-1), 9:30 p.m. ET
Betting Line: Stamps -1.5
Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke is listed as the starter for B.C. as veteran Michael Reilly continues to deal with an elbow injury. Calgary had a disappointing performance last week against Toronto, uncharacteristically dropping their home opener. Can the Stampeders avoid starting the season 0-2 at McMahon Stadium?
DUNK: Nathan Rourke shocks the world. LIONS
HODGE: Calgary has taken a step back, but I can’t see them opening the season 0-2 at home. STAMPS
ABBOTT: Rourke has a chance to be special, but a motivated Calgary team isn’t about to get upset twice. STAMPS
BALLANTINE: The Lions came back when Riders fell asleep. Calgary is wide awake after coughing one up last week. STAMPS
FILOSO: Rourke will keep things interesting but I just don’t see Calgary losing back-to-back games at home. STAMPS
GASSON: The Stamps don’t start 0-2. STAMPS
HUDSON: Calgary showed their young team needed the preseason, however B.C. will likely be starting rookie Rourke again on a short week. STAMPS
LUDWIG: Calgary’s not great, but B.C. is very not great. STAMPS
MCGUIRE: Still too many unanswered questions about Michael Reilly’s health. STAMPS
SMITH: Calgary doesn’t lose at home twice in a season, let alone twice at home in two weeks. STAMPS
LIONS — 1
STAMPS — 9
Friday, August 13
Toronto Argonauts (1-0) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-0), 8:30 p.m. ET
Betting Line: Bombers -8
IG Field will play host to this week’s only matchup featuring undefeated teams as the new-look Argos take on the reigning Grey Cup champions. McLeod Bethel-Thompson was excellent against Calgary in Week 1, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, while Brady Oliveira shone in place of an injured Andrew Harris for Winnipeg.
DUNK: It’s one thing to beat a young Calgary team, quite another to win against a veteran blue and gold squad. BOMBERS
HODGE: Calgary couldn’t apply consistent pressure to McLeod Bethel-Thompson, but Winnipeg will. BOMBERS
ABBOTT: Toronto wasn’t perfect in Week 1, but I’m sold on this star-studded roster. This won’t be the type of low-scoring game Winnipeg can grind away on the ground. ARGOS
BALLANTINE: I believe in the Stampeders of old, or the Argos of current. ARGOS
FILOSO: Jefferson, Richardson and Jeffcoat all missed practice time. Even if they play, they won’t be 100 percent. Advantage: Toronto. ARGOS
GASSON: This could be sneaky good. BOMBERS
HUDSON: Toronto was effective on a scripted first drive and a veteran-driven late field goal last week. This won’t be enough against a Winnipeg team more experienced than Calgary was. BOMBERS
LUDWIG: Winnipeg has a lot of key players who are banged up but they’re still the safe pick. Toronto is volatile and trendy, and I need to see Collaros repeat his performance. ARGOS
MCGUIRE: McBeth caught some breaks in Week 1. Won’t happen in Week 2. BOMBERS
SMITH: I don’t believe in the Argos yet. BOMBERS
ARGOS — 4
BOMBERS — 6
Saturday, August 14
Montreal Alouettes (0-0) at Edmonton Elks (0-1), 5:00 p.m. ET
Betting Line: Elks -1.5
The Als remain the CFL’s biggest mystery after having opening the season with a bye week. Vernon Adams Jr. will look to avoid the sophomore slump, while star running William Stanback has return following a brief stint in the NFL. The Elks are looking to bounce back from a humiliating loss to the Ottawa Redblacks during which the team failed to score a touchdown.
DUNK: Almondo Sewell has set the tone. ALS
HODGE: After throwing everything underneath against Ottawa, Edmonton needs to trust their rookie left tackle and let Trevor Harris air it out. ELKS
ABBOTT: Edmonton can’t possibly be as bad offensively as they were last week, but Trevor Harris tends to be his own worst enemy. His mental state will determine this outcome. ALS
BALLANTINE: An extra week of practice was just another week without game action. ELKS
FILOSO: An extra week of practice and fresh game film to study favours Montreal. Things are about to get spicy in Edmonton. ALS
GASSON: The Week 1 bye week does Montreal no favours. ELKS
HUDSON: Montreal had an extra week of camp with the bye, but that is not the same as game experience. Expect an explosive offence that’s looking to prove doubters wrong. ELKS
LUDWIG: Harris has thrown three picks only three times in his career, and last week they came at the costliest times. He’ll be way better and the points will follow. ELKS
MCGUIRE: The Elks are very fragile at this point. Montreal had the advantage of an extra week to prepare, which somewhat compensates for no training camp. ALS
SMITH: This is a coin toss, but the extra week of rest for Montreal means the Elks drop to 0-2. ALS
ALS — 5
ELKS — 5
Saturday, August 14
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-1) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-0), 8:00 p.m. ET
Betting Line: Riders -1.5
The Ticats are coming off a disappointing loss to Winnipeg and are keeping Jeremiah Masoli at the helm to try to lead them to their first victory of the season. The Riders dominated early against B.C. in Week 1 but won the game by just four points after building a 31-0 lead by the second quarter. This is arguably the game of the week.
DUNK: Hamilton has healed since Week 1. TICATS
HODGE: Hamilton will be a much, much tougher test for Saskatchewan’s makeshift offensive line. TICATS
ABBOTT: Saskatchewan’s battered offensive line played above their stature last week, but Ja’Gared Davis, Dylan Wynn and Julian Howsare are ready to eat ‘em raw. TICATS
BALLANTINE: The Riders escaped last week. They won’t this week. TICATS
FILOSO: Saskatchewan did an incredible Jekyll & Hyde impression last week. This week’s horror story is their offensive line matched up against Hamilton’s defensive line. TICATS
GASSON: Who’s O-line holds up more? TICATS
HUDSON: Game of the week. For me this is a coin flip, so home field advantage decides the game. RIDERS
LUDWIG: Hamilton’s injuries make this a near toss-up. The Riders have a chance if their offence doesn’t stall, but I’ll take Hamilton in a close one. TICATS
MCGUIRE: Hamilton has a quarterback controversy brewing. The Riders don’t. RIDERS
SMITH: Well, that undefeated season I predicted is out the window, but you can’t go 13-1 if you start 0-2. TICATS
TICATS — 8
RIDERS — 2
2021 records to date
Hodge — 3-1
Gasson — 2-2
Ludwig — 2-2
Dunk — 1-3
Abbott — 1-3
Ballantine — 1-3
Filoso — 1-3
Hudson — 1-3
McGuire — 1-3
Smith — 0-4
