On
Friday night, the CFL bookmakers were shaken by the BC Lions' upset of
the Montreal Alouettes, is it Winnipeg’s turn?
spread odds betting odds handicapping pick Pinnacle Sports
The
Winnipeg Blue Bombers are going to look to capitalize on Sunday afternoon, as
they continue the Labour Day Classic Weekend by paying a visit to the
Saskatchewan Roughriders, the defending champions of the West Division and the
CFL odds favorites.
Saskatchewan enters play on
Sunday at 5-3, two games behind the Calgary Stampeders for first place in the
West Division. Winnipeg
is one of three teams with two wins. The Bombers are either going to need to go
on a heck of a run and get some help or plan on crossing over to the West to
make the playoffs. They are two games and the season tiebreaker behind the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats for third place in the East.
Road Woes Hamper Guests
One
of the goals for Winnipeg
this season was to play better football away from Canad Inns Stadium. So far,
that mission has been failed to the fullest degree. The Bombers have lost their
first four roadies of the year, including twice at the Ti-Cats. In fact, you
have to go back to October 12 of last year to find the last time that they came
away with a victory either SU or ATS away from home, a stretch of five straight
defeats.
Both
Winnipeg and Saskatchewan
used to share the West Division together, but the Bombers are glad that they
only have to make one trip to Regina
a year now. They are winless here in Saskatchewan
since 2004 (0-7) and have gone just 2-5 ATS in those games to show for it. Winnipeg did win three straight games both SU and ATS in
2002-2004 at Mosaic Stadium, but since '98, it is just 4-11 SU and 5-10 ATS
against the Riders in the Sea
of Green.
Clock Killing Riders
No team in the CFL has a better
time of possession ratio than the Roughriders. Saskatchewan
is averaging handling the football for a whopping 33:49 per game, just narrowly
better than Calgary.
It should come as no surprise
that a lot of this clock dominance is thanks to a fantastic ground game.
Running back Wes Cates is inching close to 1,000 yards on the season. He is at
616 so far, good for fourth in the CFL coming into this weekend, but no one can
rival his eight rushing TDs.
As a team, Saskatchewan is averaging 137.2 YPG on the
ground. The Riders are also tops in the CFL in total net offense (427.5 YPG)
and most first downs (194).
Top CFL Betting Action at Pinnacle this Labour Day Weekend.
Bucking the Trends
If there's a man that can do
damage for the Blue Bombers on Sunday afternoon, it is QB Buck Pierce. The
problem that Pierce has had this year has not been production; after all, he is
completing 64.8 percent of his passes and has a 2:1 TD:INT ratio on the season.
Keeping Pierce on the field has
been a different story. He has only made four starts on the season and has only
finished two of the four games. Since Week 2, Pierce has only thrown for 180
yards, one TD, and two INTs. We shouldn't be surprised that Winnipeg is only 1-5 since that point of the
year. Following a bye week to get healthy though, Pierce appears ready to give
it a go again in spite of the fact that he has a knee injury, and he is hoping
to get this offense back on track towards the playoffs.
CFL Odds in Favor of Resilient Riders
The Roughriders have proven to be
a very resilient team over the last two years. They are a stellar 6-1 ATS in
their last seven games following an SU loss. Saskatchewan is also 5-1 in its last six
games played at Mosaic Stadium.
Winnipeg is really in the exact opposite spot. The Bombers
are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning record
and are 1-4 ATS in their last five following an ATS loss and 1-5 ATS in their
last six following an SU defeat.
It should come as no surprise
that Pinnacle Sports currently has posted a CFL spread of Saskatchewan -9.5
(-102). The 'total' ranges from 58 to 58.5 depending on your sportsbook of
choice. Don't miss a moment of the Labour Day Weekend action in the CFL this
season!