It’s Week 14 in the Canadian Football League and there are teams going north and teams heading straight south.
For instance, Winnipeg is playing the best football it has all season and is coming off two straight road wins. Montreal has won six of its last seven. Those are two of your winners — both at home — this week.
Meanwhile, Toronto just stinks right now and hasn’t won since Don Matthews became head coach while Edmonton is coming off a 40-4 loss in Montreal. There are two of your losers.
Let’s take a closer look at Week 14…
Edmonton Eskimos (7-5) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-8)
Friday, 7 p.m. CT, TSN
Two teams apparently going in opposite directions. The Eskimos looked absolutely dreadful in a 40-4 shellacking at the hands of the Montreal Alouettes last week while the Bombers went into Hamilton and beat the Tiger-Cats 25-23. Granted, Edmonton played a superior team but when you start losing by five touchdowns on the road, it doesn’t matter who you’ve just played. Kevin Glenn is getting his game together and the Bombers defence is playing better with Zeke Moreno in the middle. This week, Bombers GM Brendan Taman said, “No matter what you think might happen, it doesn’t matter because Edmonton has a great quarterback.” He’s right, but still…
Pick: Winnipeg
Calgary Stampeders (8-4) at Toronto Argonauts (4-8)
Saturday, 5:30 p.m. CT, TSN
The Argos appear to be in disarray. From the start of the season you knew this Argos team was just an injury or a mistake away from collapse and when head coach Rich Stubler decided that he was going to have two “starting” quarterbacks, you kind of figured things would eventually come apart. That happened the day Stubler was fired and replaced by Don Matthews. Matthews is a legend, but he’s 69 and he took over the team in September, at a time when he couldn’t cut anybody without paying them anyway. Makes it hard to be a tough, taskmaster. Meanwhile, Calgary has moved into a first-place tie and last week looked great in a 34-4 shellacking of the sad-sack Argonauts in Calgary. The outcome shouldn’t be much different this week.
Pick: Toronto
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-10) at B.C. Lions (7-5)
Saturday, 8:30 CT, TSN
This isn’t even fair. Sport Select has made B.C. a 12 1/2-point favourite. The Lions should cover.
Pick: B.C.
Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-4) at Montreal Alouettes (8-4)
Sunday, 12 Noon CT, TSN
This should be the best game of the weekend. Saskatchewan is still banged up and have lost two straight. Obviously, all the injuries are starting to catch up to the Riders. The Alouettes just might be the best team (right now) in the CFL and it would appear that barring injury, Anthony Calvillo, will be the league’s most outstanding player. Montreal is playing extremely well right now and that 40-4 win over Montreal last week was impressive in all aspects of the game.
Pick: Montreal
Last Week: 3-1
Season: 27-13