Week 21 Preview
The West division title is up for grabs as Winnipeg needs a win, a tie, or a Saskatchewan loss and Saskatchewan needs to win and for the Bombers to lose.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-10) @ Ottawa Redblacks (8-8-1)
Bo Levi Mitchell has been the star for the Ticats turnaround, but we won’t get to see his magic in the playoffs. Ottawa on the other hand has clinched the playoffs and are no longer fighting for a home playoff game or a better seed. Ottawa is locked in at number 3 in the East, and will likely start Jeremiah Masoli in this game to give Dustin Crum rest for their playoff game. Though they won’t be starting all of their starters, they are in need of a win to get back on track going into the playoffs. All things were clicking in the fourth quarter last week as they outscored Toronto 25-0 in the period. Hamilton isn’t playing for much other than getting Bo closer to the MOP, and Ottawa wants to go into the playoffs with a win, so my pick for this week is the Redblacks.
Toronto Argonauts (10-7) @ Edmonton Elks (6-11)
Tre Ford and the Elks may not be close to a playoff game this year, but it may be the most important game of his career so far. If he doesn’t perform well, he may stay as the Elks primary backup QB, but if he plays well against this tough Argos defence, he will show that he is worthy of being a QB1 whether in Edmonton with McLeod Bethel-Thompson behind him, or somewhere else. I can see him landing in Calgary as a QB1, or maybe Winnipeg in the next few years as Collaros’ replacement. But his entire career could be different because of this game. Toronto will likely start Cameron Dukes to rest Chad Kelly who has started since his suspension was uplifted after their 9th game. Since this game means so much for Tre Ford and the Argos won’t be starting all of their starters, I expect the Elks to win tonight.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-7) @ Montreal Alouettes (12-4-1)
Winnipeg has been the best team in the league over the last 10 weeks, and Montreal is 2-3-1 in their last six games. Winnipeg needs a win or a tie to clinch the west division title and get the playoff bye. Brady Oliveria has been the teams MVP so far this season with 1783 total yards and 4 touchdowns. Montreal has been struggling in their last few games, partly because they’ve been resting Cody Fajardo for most of each game. I’m assuming that will happen again with Fajardo and Davis Alexander splitting snaps or Fajardo in a snap count. If this does happen and even if it doesn’t I think Winnipeg will win. Coming off a bye with Zach Collaros as under centre is a very good thing.
Calgary Stampeders (4-12-1) @ Saskatchewan Redblacks (9-7-1)
Saskatchewan still has a chance at winning the west division, and with a win and a Bomber loss, it will happen. This game is at 7 PM EST and the Bombers-Als game is at 3 PM EST, so how Saskatchewan plays this game will depend on the result of the Bombers game. If Winnipeg wins or ties, I’d expect Shea Patterson and some other backups to start to rest some starters, but if the Blue Bombers lose the full Riders crew will be playing for a shot at stopping Winnipeg from their 4th straight West division title. Either way, Calgary is really bad and is playing for absolutely nothing, so Saskatchewan should win no matter what.