Arthur Ward/CFL.ca
TORONTO — One by one, the picks rolled in and gradually a somewhat shocking consensus was reached.
The CFL.ca writers think that this is the week. Four out of the six writers believe that the Edmonton Elks will host and topple the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. That’s right, they think that the winless-on-the-season, 19-game home-losing-streak-dwelling Elks will finally get their breakthrough moment and wipe the zero out of each column on Thursday at Commonwealth Stadium.
We saw in last week’s Elks game that anything can happen in the CFL. The Elks held an 11-3 lead inside the final three minutes of play, only to see the Saskatchewan Roughriders score a touchdown, a two-point convert and cash in on a kickoff return miscue that let them go up 12-11. One Nic Marshall interception later, the Riders were celebrating, while the Elks had the rug pulled out from under them.
What might this week hold for the Elks? What about the Ticats, who picked up their first win of the season last week, downing the Ottawa REDBLACKS 21-13? It’s been said often around these parts as we hit the one-third mark of the season, but it is still the somewhat early days in the 2023 campaign. There are a lot of games and there’s a lot of time for teams that have stumbled out of the gate to find themselves and reverse their fortunes. Can Week 6’s games provide that opportunity? Let’s see what the writers and the fans that are playing CFL Pick ‘Em presented by Old Dutch are saying.
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HAM at EDM
The Elks will have to put a soul-crushing loss behind them to move forward this week, but the writers think it’s possible. If you’re a Ticats fan, you’ll see it differently. Another team that’s off to a disappointing start finally got its first win of the season and now heads into a stadium where its opponent hasn’t won in years. Will the Ticats double their fortunes this week? The fans say yes, they will. The writers, as we know, see it slightly differently.
PICK
Writers: 66% Edmonton
Fans: 68% Hamilton
TOR at MTL
The Argos are out of their bye week and head into Montreal for a rematch of last year’s East Final. The teams are the same, but there’s been key change on each side, with Chad Kelly at QB for the undefeated Argos and Cody Fajardo under centre for an Als team that dropped to .500 on Sunday against the Lions. The consensus between writers and fans here is to lean toward the team that’s rested and with the better record.
PICK
Writers: 100% Toronto
Fans: 91% Toronto
WPG at OTT
You feel for the REDBLACKS, as they confirmed worst fears on Monday when they announced Jeremiah Masoli‘s ruptured Achilles tendon, which will end his season and require surgery. On the field, it only gets more difficult as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers roll into town on Saturday. Add in REDBLACKS QB Tyrie Adams’ ACL tear from last week and the team is hurting on QB depth and experience. As we said earlier, anything can happen in the CFL, but this feels like a tough mountain to climb for the home team.
PICK
Writers: 100% Winnipeg
Fans: 98% Winnipeg
CGY at SSK
The Riders get back on the field at Mosaic Stadium Saturday night and we all wonder what kind of game they’ll give us and how much drama they’ll provide. The Riders have won each of their three games by four, three and one-point, respectively. This week, they face the Stamps team they beat in overtime in Week 3. Can the Riders continue to eke out wins, week after week? The fans say yes, the writers are thinking no.
PICK
Writers: 66% Calgary
Fans: 67% Saskatchewan
