3DownNation CFL Week 9 predictions: best bets for Stamps at Redblacks, Ticats at Elks

Photo courtesy: Leah Hannel/CFL.ca

It’s Week 9 in the Canadian Football League and the schedule is packed with East vs. West matchups. If you combine that with some big names popping up on the injury report, we could be in for quite an eventful week.

We went 2-2 last week, so let’s see if we can do better than a split this week.

Calgary Stampeders at Ottawa Redblacks — Thursday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. EDT

The Calgary Stampeders look to get back on track as they head into Ottawa to take on the Redblacks.

Calgary hit a speed bump last week with a 23-21 loss to Montreal, while the Redblacks are coming off their bye, looking to improve on their 1-6 record.

The Stampeders are dealing with a number of injuries, including at quarterback as Vernon Adams Jr. has been moved to the one-game injured list. Early-season standouts Damien Alford and Jalen Philpot will also be out for this game, adding to the injuries Calgary has been dealing with at receiver with Clark Barnes and Reggie Begelton already on the shelf.

Former NFL journeyman P.J. Walker didn’t look great in his brief relief appearance last week, but he was able to get a few more reps than normal this week, so if he is called upon, it should look a little better.

While Calgary’s offence has been strong, it has been their defence that’s stood out so far this year. The Stampeders have allowed the fewest points per game in the league this year while forcing the most turnovers of any team.

Ottawa’s stats are tough to get a read on because of the injury issues they’ve had at QB, but turnovers have been a problem regardless of who is in the lineup. Ottawa had three different passers in their last game — Dustin Crum, Dru Brown, and receiver-turned-interception-thrower Justin Hardy — and all threw picks in a 30-15 loss to Hamilton.

Ottawa’s defence has been middle-of-the-road in the first part of the season, so they provide a bit of a challenge for Walker. That should be enough to keep this game low-scoring, but Calgary’s strong defence should be enough to give Calgary the win.

PICK: Calgary -3, Under 52.5

Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Edmonton Elks — Saturday, August 2 at 3:00 p.m. EDT

Hamilton has won five in a row after their win in B.C. last weekend and they’ll be facing an Edmonton team that saw its comeback attempt fall short in Regina.

That game against the Riders was the first time Edmonton’s defence allowed fewer than 30 points this season. They will be in tough against a Hamilton offence that has been on fire, averaging over 35 points per game on their five-game win streak.

Edmonton was able to limit Saskatchewan through the air for large chunks of their game last week. That could be more difficult this week with Bo Levi Mitchell coming into the game as the top passer in the CFL.

Edmonton’s offensive line showed that it still has a long way to go, giving up eight sacks against the Riders. Hamilton’s pass rush hasn’t put up big numbers this year with only 10 sacks, so that should be a crucial matchup to watch on Saturday afternoon.

That was all a lot of words to say the main point: Hamilton is playing significantly better football than Edmonton right now. I get it is another road game for the Tabbies, but they are 3-1 away from Hamilton this year, and Edmonton hasn’t exactly been a dominant force at home this year.

This seems like an easy pick.

PICK: Hamilton -4.5