2009 CFL Predictions: Week 18

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2009 CFL Predictions: Week 18 By GREG HARRIS, MOP Squad CFL Editor Oct 29, 2009 - 12:08:18 AM	Email this article Printer friendly page
Last Week: 3-1 Season to Date: 36-28 (.563) Last week was my third straight 3-1 showing, and the first time that it wasn't the Stamps who let me down, but rather the league-leading Montreal Alouettes. Turns out you can't always pick a sure thing. That being said, I'm fairly confident that the Edmonton Eskimos will open Week 18 with a home-field win. The Eskies host a Toronto Argonauts team that hasn't beaten a Western Division opponent all season, and dropped a 22-19 decision to Edmonton two weeks ago at Rogers Centre. Considering that Edmonton's in a dog fight for a playoff spot in either division and the Argos are the only team officially eliminated from playoff contention, and I definitely like the Eskishmoes this week. Halloween brings us a doubleheader with, presumably, a NASCAR race in between. Hamilton kicks things off at 2 pm, while the late contest between Calgary and BC doesn't begin until 10. This really pisses me off, as the Flames and Red Wings drop the puck at the exact same time. I mean, who watches stock car racing in Canada, anyways? Although my attention will be focused elsewhere between 5 and 10 pm, I'll be keeping my eye on TSN otherwise, as both of Saturday's games carry serious playoff implications. The Tabbies are hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who will be looking to break a tie atop the Western Division after two straight overtime games. These two teams have combined for over 160 points the past two weeks, so I'd expect this to be a high-scoring affair. But with a rejuvenated Kevin Glenn behind centre, I'm gonna give a slight edge to the home side. Tabbies win in OT, just for the hell of it. Although Calgary has played poorly at BC Place in recent years, their poor showings on the West Coast are a thing of the past, relics of the Dunnigan, Barker and Higgins eras. The Stamps are 6-0 against the Lions under John Hufnagel, with Wally's ex-offensive coordinator getting the best of his former mentor every time they've met. Henry Burris and the Calgary offence have really come alive the past two weeks, while the QB shuffle continues in BC. Casey Printers looked pretty good in his Lion return -- that is, until he threw an overtime interception that cost his team the game. In the head-to-head matchup, I gotta take Hank. Better make that 7-0... Week 18 comes to a close with a rematch between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes, the game that embarrassed me last week. Turns out it was Winnipeg, not Montreal, who put 40 points on the board and won by almost 20. Granted, I had counted on Anthony Calvillo getting the start. Although Adrian McPherson has a future in this league, he's not on Calvillo's level yet. That doesn't explain how the league's top defence has given up 80 points in two weeks to a couple second-tier quarterbacks (Glenn and Michael Bishop), but with some Percival Molson home cooking and a healthy Calvillo behind centre, I expect the Als to exact some revenge this week, and keep their unbeaten home streak alive. CFL Editor Greg Harris can be reached by email at greg.harris@mopsquad.com. He suspects he'll have a sore neck after Saturday nite... Copyright 2007 - MOP Squad Sports Top of Page