by Sean Murphy
Thursday, Jul 06, 2023After a lighter schedule featured only three games in CFL action last week, it's back to a four-game slate for Week 5, beginning with Thursday's Elks vs. Roughriders West Division showdown on Thursday night. Here's a look at some news and notes regarding the Friday-Sunday matchups north of the border.
Big Bomber bounce-back
Winnipeg suffered an inexplicable 30-6 rout at the hands of the B.C. Lions, at home no less, two weeks ago but rebounded nicely last Saturday, securing a 17-3 victory in Montreal. The Blue Bombers defense got off to a poor start this season but showed signs of turning it around against the Alouettes and now draw an inconsistent Calgary Stampeders offense in Week 5. Of note, Winnipeg forced four turnovers in last week's win after picking up only two in its first three games. The Stamps enter Week 5 having turned the football over six times through three contests. The Bombers check in a perfect 9-0 ATS in Weeks 5 through 9 over the last two seasons.
Laying the hammer down?
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have yet to taste victory this season, off to an 0-3 start following losses to the Blue Bombers, Argonauts and Alouettes. They'll get another shot at their first win as they host the 1-2 Ottawa RedBlacks on Saturday. You would have to go back eight meetings - all the way to 2018 - to find the last time Ottawa managed to defeat Hamilton. The RedBlacks have to be feeling pretty good about themselves after notching their first victory of the campaign in lopsided fashion against the lowly Elks last week. Note that Ottawa rushed for a whopping 208 yards in that contest after picking up only 97 rushing yards in its first two games. Hamilton is a woeful 3-11 ATS against East Division foes going back to the start of last season.
East-West showdown
If it's not the game of the week, it's a close second (behind the Stamps-Bombers) as the Alouettes challenge the Lions in Vancouver on Sunday. Both teams suffered their first loss of the season this past week with both of those setbacks coming in blowout fashion. For B.C. this is a bit of a tough scheduling spot as it travels across the country on just five days' rest following Monday's contest in Toronto. In that game, Lions QB Vernon Adams Jr. tossed six interceptions. Part of the blame has to be placed on him, but the team as a whole played an extremely sloppy game - the first time we've seen that type of performance from the Lions this season. Note that Montreal checks in a long-term 29-47 ATS when playing on the road after winning two of their last three games, as is the case here.
Big Bomber bounce-back
Winnipeg suffered an inexplicable 30-6 rout at the hands of the B.C. Lions, at home no less, two weeks ago but rebounded nicely last Saturday, securing a 17-3 victory in Montreal. The Blue Bombers defense got off to a poor start this season but showed signs of turning it around against the Alouettes and now draw an inconsistent Calgary Stampeders offense in Week 5. Of note, Winnipeg forced four turnovers in last week's win after picking up only two in its first three games. The Stamps enter Week 5 having turned the football over six times through three contests. The Bombers check in a perfect 9-0 ATS in Weeks 5 through 9 over the last two seasons.
Laying the hammer down?
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have yet to taste victory this season, off to an 0-3 start following losses to the Blue Bombers, Argonauts and Alouettes. They'll get another shot at their first win as they host the 1-2 Ottawa RedBlacks on Saturday. You would have to go back eight meetings - all the way to 2018 - to find the last time Ottawa managed to defeat Hamilton. The RedBlacks have to be feeling pretty good about themselves after notching their first victory of the campaign in lopsided fashion against the lowly Elks last week. Note that Ottawa rushed for a whopping 208 yards in that contest after picking up only 97 rushing yards in its first two games. Hamilton is a woeful 3-11 ATS against East Division foes going back to the start of last season.
East-West showdown
If it's not the game of the week, it's a close second (behind the Stamps-Bombers) as the Alouettes challenge the Lions in Vancouver on Sunday. Both teams suffered their first loss of the season this past week with both of those setbacks coming in blowout fashion. For B.C. this is a bit of a tough scheduling spot as it travels across the country on just five days' rest following Monday's contest in Toronto. In that game, Lions QB Vernon Adams Jr. tossed six interceptions. Part of the blame has to be placed on him, but the team as a whole played an extremely sloppy game - the first time we've seen that type of performance from the Lions this season. Note that Montreal checks in a long-term 29-47 ATS when playing on the road after winning two of their last three games, as is the case here.
