- The Toronto Argos start the CFL season with Chad Kelly as quarterback.
- Are the Saskatchewan Roughriders the team to upset the Blue Bombers?
- The Calgary Stampeders are looking to rebound from a week 1 loss.
How about that? We went 3/4 last week in our week 1 picks. We lost out on that Edmonton v. Saskatchewan game which was a coin flip, and kudos to the Riders for grinding out the win. I feel for the fans in Edmonton; the Elks still can’t win at home, even if they look like a team that’s improved.
We now focus our attention on week two. It’s always a bit of a learning process in the opening weeks of a season. We see what the teams look like on paper, but now we get to see firsthand how they look on the field. Week 1 lessons, the Bombers aren’t going to slow down, and the BC Lions might be a team that could challenge them in the West. Outside of that, it’s a crapshoot, an ongoing discovery, as they say.
Here is who we are leaning toward in our CFL week two predictions. Make sure to make your picks in OfficePools.com’s CFL Pick’em Challenge for your chance to win weekly prizes.
CFL Week Two Picks
Calgary Stampeders at Ottawa Redblacks
The Redblacks put up a decent fight against the Alouettes, but something tells me this is a team that is still looking for its identity and a starting quarterback. Their QB-in-waiting, Jerimiah Masoli, is expected to get the all-clear from team doctors to start playing in week three. Meanwhile, backup QB Nick Arbuckle will have to be better this week if the Redblacks want to keep the game close against Calgary on Thursday.
The Stampeders got beat by a deeper BC Lions team on both sides of the ball. The Redblacks aren’t anywhere near that calibre, and Jake Maier and the entire Stamps offence will need to be better against an Ottawa defensive line that had six sacks last week.
The Stamps are better than what they showed in week one and, quite frankly, have more options on offense that could hurt Ottawa. That said, Calgary will be without their star running back in Ka’Deem Carey, who left last week’s game with a toe/foot injury that could have him on the shelf indefinitely. Expect a capable Peyton Logan or Dedrick Mills to pick up the slack on the ground.
Trevor’s Pick: Calgary Stampeders
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Saskatchewan Roughriders
The good news for the Roughriders, they only allowed two sacks last week which is encouraging for their new and improved offensive line. The bad news is they have to face the powerhouse Winnipeg Blue Bombers in week two. The Riders allowed Trevor Harris to cook, but what they got was a sputtering offense that had flashes of the speed and high-octane plays that coach Craig Dickenson wants to implement. This is a team that looks better than they did last year, but this week two matchup is a tough test.
Meanwhile, the Bombers showed what a “high-octane” offense actually looks like, as Zach Collaros went 21 for 31 and put up 354 yards passing. The reigning MVP doesn’t look to be slowing down, and the Riders will have a tough time matching that kind of output. Winnipeg is just too balanced on both sides of the ball that I don’t expect them to lose here.
Trevor’s Pick: Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Edmonton Elks at British Columbia Lions
The BC Lions will have LL Cool J serenade them before the game on Saturday night. “Mama Said Knock You Out” is exactly the mantra the Lions had last week and will continue to have going into week two against the Elks. BC didn’t waste any time last game saying, “Nathan Rourke, who?” As Vernon Adams Jr showed he was capable by putting up points early and finished the game going 28 for 36 with 270 yards passing.
The Elks put up a fight against the Riders and showed glimpses of a team that is ready to make positive steps forward, but Taylor Cornelious will need to be lights out if he wants to get past that Lion’s defence. Just like the Saskatchewan matchup with the Bombers above, the Elk are in tough against a BC team currently strong on both sides of the ball.
Trevor’s Pick: BC Lions
Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Toronto Argos
The Argos didn’t play in week 1, but they get to hang their Grey Cup banner and face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in week two. It will be interesting to see how new starting QB Chad Kelly will look behind the Argos’ line of scrimmage. We saw glimpses of him last season and a tiny bit in the preseason, and he seems to be trending in the right direction. They are facing a Hamilton team that made some significant improvements in the offseason, and even though they lost to Winnipeg in week 1, they still managed to put up 31 points, which mostly came off of turnovers.
The Argos added pieces to their defense, and we’ll see how they hold up in their first regular season test. I expect Toronto will want to establish their running game early with the likes of Andrew Harris and AJ Ouellette. The Ti-Cats had a hard time stopping the run against the Bombers, so if the Argos can move the ball, they should be able to squeak out a win. I’m leaning toward the Argos, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Hamilton pulls out the win if they can keep it close. This feels like a trap game for Toronto, but I’m going to stick with them for the win here.
Trevor’s Pick: The Toronto Argos
For those playing the OfficePools Pick’em Challenge, I was way off in my total point tie-breaker last week by going with 48 points total. I will stick to my guns on this one, stay in the 40s, and go with 42 points scored in the final game. Good luck!
