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2009 CFL Predictions: Week 13
By GREG HARRIS, MOP Squad CFL Editor
Sep 24, 2009 - 8:09:18 PM

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Last Week: 2-2
Season to Date: 24-20 (.545)

There's no doubt that the Calgary loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats ruined Week 12 for me.  After two early turnovers led to scores, the Stamps offence could barely move the ball against the Ticat D, and only put up 3 more points as the Tabbies made a comeback to win it in the fourth quarter.  Hamilton is clearly a couple steps above the East's cellar dwellers, but can they compete with Montreal for first place?

Week 13 will go a long way towards answering that question as Hamilton plays host to the league-leading Als.  Montreal's coming off a win over the CFL's Most Pathetic Team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who put in another Pathetic Performance in Week 12.  Before that, they split a hard-fought series with the B.C. Lions, who could very well end up crossing over to the East--if they don't secure a playoff spot in the Western Division, that is.  Traditionally, Montreal is a fast-starting team that chokes down the stretch, culminating in five Grey Cup losses over the past eight years.  The Als failed their first mid-season test at BC Place, and don't look like the dominant side they were in the first half of the season.  With this game being played at Ivor Wynne, I think the Ticats will make things interesting by pulling off my Upset of the Week.

Meanwhile, the Stamps must rebound against a Lions team that's put themselves back in the playoff picture by winning two of their last three, albeit on home turf, and by six and seven-point margins.  These aren't the Lions of years past that would dispatch of Calgary with ease.  The Stamps swept the Lions last year, including a win in the Western Divison final, and embarrased them 48-10 on their home turf back in July.  The sooner Calgary can put last week's performance behind them, the better.  I see this game as a Stampeder slump-buster, and I like Calgary.

After another thrilling, down-to-the-wire contest between the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders last week, the two teams face off again, this time in Edmonton.  Eskie coach Richie Hall seems to have his former team's number, as he's twice lead his current squad to comeback wins in Regina.  Edmonton followed up their Week 4 win by handing the Montreal Alouettes their first loss of the season, and I expect the same energy to carry over as they head back home to Commonwealth Stadium this week.  As much as I hate to say it, I'm taking the Eskimos.

Week 13 ends on a rather low note with a battle between the basement-dwelling Bombers and Argonauts in the Hall of Fame game.  Lemme tell ya, Alondra Johnson would have a field day against the anemic offences on display in this contest!  Alas, whereas the Argos have been fairly competitive over the past six weeks, the Bombers have just their Week 8 destruction of B.C. - in which Fred Reid set a franchise rushing record - sandwiched in between several Pathetic Performances.  Clearly, Winnipeg is the Most Pathetic Team in the CFL, and a loss to the Argos at home would certainly cement their status.  TO tends to play better on the road than at home, and while they only have one win over a team not named Hamilton, it just so happened to be against the Bombers, who they beat 19-5 in a Week 5 stinker.  Can the Bombers score 13 in Week 13?  I wouldn't bet on it.  I like Toronto in my Blowout of the Week.

CFL Editor Greg Harris can be reached via email at greg.harris@mopsquad.com.  He's secretly wondering how many more quarterbacks Winnipeg will go through before they give Marcus Crandell a call...


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