Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca
As I make my Week 3 predictions, I have to let you all know something. I don’t deal well with streaks.
I get in my head.
The minute I start thinking of things going right is when things start going bad. So here we are going into Week 3 and I’m 8-0 in my picks.
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Yes, I haven’t guided you wrong just yet but I know it’s coming and here’s an random, meaningless example of why. On a recent golf trip with friends, I had a good thing going a couple of times and the minute someone said something (once being me) I blew up the next hole.
‘Hey, you have a nice par string going.’ 8
‘Was that three straight pars?’ 7
‘I just played that stretch one under.’
Now, why I uttered those words, I’ll never know. My playing partner even looked at me and said ‘why did you say that?’
Bogey-bogey-triple
The law of averages in my golf game, to be honest, is I will always ruin a good round with three or four awful holes and turn a potential round in the 70s, into one in the 80s, if not 90s.
And the law of averages in my CFL picks is I will and this potentially will be the week is where I go 0-4, completely overthinking it. And away we go.
BC at Winnipeg
Thursday, June 22
8:30 p.m. ET
The Thursday nighter is easily the game of the week as the two 2-0 teams in the Canadian Football League do battle. The Lions are coming off a shutout win over Edmonton, while the Bombers are coming off a shootout win over Saskatchewan.
The rematch of last year’s Western Final will have the Lions wanting to prove they can get it done against a Bombers team who look quite comfortable on offence with back-to-back 40-point performances. It’s the usually strong Bombers defence that have been susceptible to giving up some points.
The injury bug has also caught up with the Bombers with some of their top players on the six game injured list to start the season or added to it with Jackson Jeffcoat and Mike Miller the most recent.
The Lions defence has come out of the gate this season and played impressive football. Even when the offence wasn’t finishing drives against Edmonton, the Lions defence was keeping the Elks off the scoreboard and didn’t let up until the final whistle. Rick Campbell and company have something good going.
I believe the Lions could come out of this with the upset and start 3-0 with a close game against the Bombers, or am I overthinking it?
PICK: WINNIPEG
Montreal at Hamilton
Friday, June 23
7:30 p.m. ET
Last time we saw the Montreal Alouettes, we saw an unconvincing win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS and they needed to get to work to iron some things out. We’ll see if the extra week between Week 1 and 2 paid off.
The Tiger-Cats, meanwhile, may be without Bo Levi Mitchell already with a lower body injury suffered against the Argos, though it didn’t make much of a difference. Hamilton was already getting beat pretty soundly by Toronto.
An 0-2 start to the season has those in the Hammer a bit concerned over the new-look offence sputtering out of the gate. Now it might be Matthew Shiltz who has to lead them this week against Montreal. Although, I’ve liked Matthew Shiltz and he was on my free agent wishlist for teams looking for a veteran backup.
The Alouettes game plan should be easy with William Stanback running the ball to set up play action and allow Cody Fajardo to use his legs a bit to extend the play, roll out and be the play maker he can be.
I’m in the ‘show me’ stage with both these teams. I’ll need to see more to convince me they’re going to battle for the East crown. Maybe this is the week that one of these teams shows me just that.
My head says Montreal, my gut says Hamilton.
PICK: HAMILTON
Saskatchewan at Calgary
Saturday, June 24
7:00 p.m. ET
Talk about two teams that need to show me something. The Riders showed me they can hang in with the Bombers but they still lost by 18 points, so this game is going to show me more about Saskatchewan than last week.
Calgary, meanwhile, have a loss to BC and win in Ottawa to start the season and neither time did they look as polished as Dave Dickenson teams have in the past.
Jake Maier did throw for 300 yards last week and Dedrick Mills ran for over 100 and that usually gets you more than 26 points. But Maier couldn’t find the end zone and they had three Rene Paredes field goals and a defensive TD to get to that 26.
In Saskatchewan, Trevor Harris just threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns and still lost by 18. The Riders defence that was so good in Week 1 disappeared in Week 2, allowing far too many second down conversions as Zach Collaros chewed them up with little to no pressure.
If the Riders allow Jake Maier that much time, it’ll be another long night, but I think the Riders defence won’t have a repeat performance of last week. They’ll get after in Calgary.
If you’re keeping track, in the head-to-head matchups between the Dickenson brothers as head coach combatants, Dave leads Craig five wins to two.
PICK: SASKATCHEWAN
Toronto at Edmonton
Sunday, June 25
7:00 p.m. ET
A team like the Edmonton Elks, who have just had their pride hurt, would be a team I’d be worried to play this week. Getting shutout in football is as demeaning a loss as you can find.
Taylor Cornelius still has the confidence in his coach (for now) and needs to repay Chris Jones for having his back after struggling out of the gate again this season. The defence hasn’t been that bad for Edmonton this year. They held BC and Saskatchewan out of the end zone for the most part, giving up just two touchdowns in the first two games and allowing an average of 19.5 points per game, which should be enough to win – if your offence can pick it up.
Toronto’s Chad Kelly showed out in his first game as the Argos starting quarterback. He looked much like the guy who came off the bench in the Grey Cup and sparked the comeback to win it all last year and we know, there is no lack of confidence in the young man.
But I’m going to say it’ll be that Argos defence who will give teams fits all year. They have playmakers all over the field. Their linebacking corps is stacked and Folarin Orimolade is my favourite to lead the league in sacks this season.
I know the Elks have to win at home sooner than later, but the Argos are too strong a team.
PICK: TORONTO
