The Canadian Press
TORONTO — On the surface, it seemed like a logical pick.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers had moved to 4-0 by the skin of their teeth against the Toronto Argonauts, thanks to Boris Bede‘s missed extra point attempt. They had to pack up their stuff, haul it back to Winnipeg for a few days, then fly to the other end of the country to face a better rested 3-0 BC Lions team in Vancouver on Saturday.
The scenario checked a lot of the boxes, if not all of them, for a home team win. Five out of six CFL.ca writers agreed, choosing the Lions over the visiting Bombers, leaving one man out on his own.
That man, Pat Steinberg (now with a CFL.ca-best record of 16-3) is the smartest man in the room. He has company this week in his pick of the Bombers, who face a very similar tough task in hosting the undefeated Calgary Stampeders.
Let’s jump into this week’s picks.
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EDM at MTL
The Als take the field for the first time under new head coach Danny Maciocia, after the team let coach Khari Jones and defensive coordinator Barron Miles go during their bye week. Trevor Harris gets a familiar opponent in the Elks, who come into Montreal with some very 2021 vibes. Taylor Cornelius will get the start at quarterback, after rookie pivot Tre Ford was injured early in Edmonton’s loss to the Calgary Stampeders. In a battle of two teams in the midst of some pretty significant change — Edmonton traded Nick Arbuckle to Ottawa on Monday — the Als should feel confident at home, where they trounced visiting Saskatchewan in Week 3.
PICK
Writers: 100% Montreal
CGY at WPG
For the second week in a row, we have a clash between two undefeated teams, as 4-0 Calgary makes its way into 5-0 Winnipeg. Stung by the online taunting and general hindsight embarrassment of picking against a Bombers team that rarely loses, the majority of the pack has shifted back to the Bombers this week. You have to think though, that the Stamps are not the Lions in this matchup. For all of the change that’s happened around Bo Levi Mitchell in Calgary these last few years, he’s still there and the veteran former MOP QB has seen it all in this league. The Bombers might well pull it out to go to 6-0 on the season, but it likely won’t be as comfortable as it was for them in BC.
PICK
Writers 66% Winnipeg
SSK at TOR
The only thing that’s really slowed the Riders’ roll this season has been the road. The green machine has been just that at Mosaic Stadium, where they’re a sparkling 4-0. Their sole road trip thus far lost its shine quickly, as Chandler Worthy and the Als ran away with a 37-13 win. The Riders are still adjusting to the loss of centre Dan Clark and will be down a pair of defensive linemen, with Pete Robertson injured and Garrett Marino suspended. The Argos will be hungry to put their loss to the Bombers behind them; a loss that tested the fabric of the team. A strong response in a lively neutral site could do a lot for the Boatmen on and off the field.
PICK
Writers 66% Saskatchewan
OTT at HAM
The REDBLACKS head into Hamilton looking to pick up the pieces of an emotionally difficult loss in Saskatchewan last week that saw QB Jeremiah Masoli injured and likely shelved for a number of weeks. Nick Arbuckle has joined his new team, but Caleb Evans will likely shoulder the offensive load while Arbuckle gets up to speed. The Ticats won’t be much interested in letting the REDBLACKS pick up any pieces on their watch. The defending Eastern champions are in desperate need of a win. Slow starts across the board in the East has left the division wide open, but the Ticats (and the REDBLACKS, if we’re just talking winless teams) need to start stacking some wins to get into this race. The writers think this is finally their week.
PICK
Writers 100% Hamilton
