Toronto Argonauts at Montreal Alouettes
Who would have thought that early bragging rights in the East Division would be at stake in this matchup?
“If you had asked me to bet on that I probably would have lost a lot of money” admitted the Alouettes’ DE Anwar Stewart with a chuckle.
The Alouettes have won their last seven games against the Argos, and the last six were decided by 20 points or more. But with Toronto on a three-game winning streak, the Als know they can’t take this one lightly. Toronto’s Cory Boyd is the hottest running back in the CFL right now and with his size, he won’t go down easy.
“He is big, he is quick and he is smart,” said Safety Etienne Boulay. “But we will be ready for him”.
The bad news for Argos fans is that the Montreal defence is back to playing its A-game. If the Als manage to slow down Boyd, they will win. It’s that simple.
The Alouettes will be seeking their 11th consecutive regular season win at home. The last time they lost at Percival Molson Stadium was against Winnipeg on October 29, 2008. The last time Toronto beat Montreal was almost a year earlier, in October 2007.
Pick: Montreal
B.C. Lions at Edmonton Eskimos
The Eskimos are again in a must-win situation after losing four in a row. Their president Rick LeLacheur warned that heads would roll if they didn’t start winning soon.
The Eskimos should play like their lives depend on it at home against a B.C. team that must rely on backup Travis Lulay under center. But echoes from their dressing room are suggesting they have already developed bad habits at practice.
After a short stint with the Alouettes, former Eskimo Kevin Challenger stated that Marc Trestman gets more work done in an hour practice than Richie Hall gets from his Edmonton team in a two hour session. That says a lot.
You can argue that the Eskimos are a much better team than their 0-4 record would have you believe. But, even with Lulay at QB, the Lions just have a better team. Expect them to pound the turf relentlessly against the worst rushing defence in the CFL.
The Eskimos hoped to be part of the Grey Cup they will host in November. Now it looks like they won’t even be in the playoff picture.
Pick: B.C.
Hamilton Tiger Cats at Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Roughriders will want to rebound from their 40-20 loss to Calgary after winning their first three games of the 2010 season. Riders coach Ken Miller still can’t watch that game.
“I can’t look at it clinically yet” he told reporters Tuesday.
Uncharacteristically, the Riders have the worst defence in the CFL. The question now is: how will they stop the third-best passing team in the league?
The Riders are third in the league in scoring with an average of 33.8 point per game. They also surrendered a league-high 32.2 points per game, so this game should be a gun fight.
Quarterback Darian Durant got rocked way too much by the Stampeders’ pass rushers last week, although, he was only officially sacked twice. His offensive line must do a better job of giving him time in the pocket.
It will be an interesting matchup, but the Riders should prevail.
Pick: Saskatchewan
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Calgary Stampeders
The Stampeders finally looked like a championship team again against the Eskimos last week. And it was without star receiver Ken-Yon Rambo, who claims he will be back in action against the Blue Bombers.
Winnipeg will also welcome a star player back. Safety Ian Logan seems to have recovered from a neck injury suffered during a pre-camp workout. Logan has been an anchor for the Bombers over the past few years.
But the Bombers will once again have to rely on quarterback Steven Jyles with Buck Pierce still injured. Jyles did well against Edmonton in Week 4, with 267 yards passing, 63 yards rushing and three touchdowns - two on run plays and another one through the air. But he also gave up two interceptions.
That’s not bad, but is it good enough to match Henry Burris and the Stampeders offence? Blue Bombers defensive back LaVar Glover summarized it best, “If you let Henry Burris get hot, he’s going to rip you apart”.
That’s exactly what will happen Saturday.
Pick: Calgary