Jana Chytil/CFL.ca
TORONTO — It’s a monumental week here in the land of the CFL.ca writers’ picks. Let’s start by celebrating the success of a writer that had a perfect Week 11, Jim Morris.
Jim ran the gauntlet of games last week, going out on a limb to take Edmonton and standing on his own to take Montreal to top Hamilton. He went with his gut on Calgary taking down Toronto and rode the orange wave that saw BC put Saskatchewan away at Mosaic Stadium for the second time this year, which is never an easy feat. His perfect run boosts him to 30-13 and into second place behind Matt Cauz (31-12).
The other thing worth noting and that you’ll likely notice immediately when you see this week’s picks is that all six writers agree on the notion of Edmonton’s home losing streak finally coming to an end.
The Elks last won at Commonwealth Stadium on Oct. 12, 2019 when they topped the BC Lions 19-6. Of course, there’s the entire cancelled 2020 season in this streak, so counting it out in days is unfair. We can say that the Elks have gone 12 games without a win at home, though. Thanks to some improved play over the last two weeks and the back end of a home-and-home series with the Ottawa REDBLACKS, the Elks have a good shot at sending the fans home happy on Saturday.
Let’s take a look at what Week 12 has to offer.
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CGY at WPG
The Stamps squeezed out a win on the road in Toronto last week, but they’ll have to be much more on point in all three phases of the game if they want to have a shot at getting a win at IG Field against the Bombers on Thursday. The Bombers are coming off of their first bye week and first loss of the season, while the Stamps make the trip on a short week that saw them practice in Guelph, Ont. for a couple of days after picking up the win on Saturday against the Argos. Uncertainty around who will start for the Stamps, and how much we’ll see of Bo Levi Mitchell and/or Jake Maier stacks the deck against the Stamps.
PICK
Writers: 100% Winnipeg
HAM at TOR
We head into Round 3 of Argos-Ticats, with this edition coming from a CNE-infused BMO Field on Friday night. The Argos’ grip on the top of East has loosened, as they’ve lost three of their last four. While we wait to see the status of Dane Evans, Matthew Shiltz is looking increasingly comfortable under centre for the Ticats. Can he (and possibly backup Jamie Newman) work the same magic against the Argos’ defence for a second time in three weeks? Most of our writers say yes, they can.
PICK
Writers: 66% Hamilton
SSK at BC
The Lions will be without Nathan Rourke for the first time this season, after their quarterback put up an MOP-worthy nine-game run before being injured this past week in Saskatchewan. We don’t know what the Lions’ offence will look like with Michael O’Connor getting the start, but we know that the Lions’ success this year has come from more than just the arm and legs of Rourke. The Riders will roll with Cody Fajardo on Friday, after he was benched near halftime of the Riders’ loss last week to the Lions. Saskatchewan will have the edge in experience at QB, but the writers feel that the Lions’ overall strength will steer them through this one.
PICK
Writers: 83% BC
OTT at EDM
Could this be the week? Fans in Edmonton have been clamouring for a win and after Taylor Cornelius and the Elks handled the REDBLACKS last week on the road, it seems very possible that the Green and Gold could end their long home losing streak. The REDBLACKS haven’t done much lately to convince us that they can pick up this win. Their offence has dropped off over the last three games (13 points against Toronto; three against Calgary and 12 against Edmonton last week), leaving their defence and special teams carrying a heavy load to try to make up the difference. The writers are counting on that second half version of the Elks showing up for a full game against the REDBLACKS.
PICK
Writers: 100% Edmonton
