Tiger-Cats and Blue Bombers Vie for Best Team in CFL
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will clash on Friday at Tim Hortons Field. The Blue Bombers look to cement themselves as the best team in the CFL tonight when they take on the Tiger-Cats. The oddsmakers have the Blue Bombers listed as 2.5 point favorites. The total is sitting at 52.5.
The teams enter Friday at the top of their respective divisions with a combined record of 9-1. A matchup in which both teams have played at least five games and have one loss combined is extremely rare. This scenario has unfolded only five times since 1958.
There is little to separate the Tiger-Cats and the Bombers statistically. Hamilton has the most points-per-game, while Winnipeg has the second-most. The Blue Bombers have the fewest points allowed per game and the Tiger-Cats have the second fewest. Tonight’s matchup should be a real slobber-knocker.
The Blue Bombers defense could get even better with Adam Bighill returning to the lineup tonight. The reigning CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player hasn’t seen any action since Week 3. His addition makes the Bomber defense even more of a threat. Bighill re-entering the lineup will only improve an already stingy Winnipeg run defense. The Bombers have given up a mere 59.2 rushing yards per game. It is unsurprisingly the lowest in the league.
Hamilton is still without starting running back Sean Thomas Erlington. If they are unable to establish the ground game early, it could be a long night for the Tiger-Cats. The three backs listed on the Hamilton depth chart – Maleek Irons, Anthony Coombs and Jackson Bennett only have 35 carries between them this year. If Hamilton struggles on the ground, expect a big game from Masoli. The seasoned quarterback already has two games of 400 passing yards or more this season. He has thrown more than 30 passes in four of his five games this year.
This, That, and a CFL Dart Throw
Masoli’s counterpart at quarterback is winning ball games, despite not lighting up the stat sheet. Matt Nichols has only tossed one pick in 2019 despite averaging 9.1 yards per completion. The way he takes care of the ball is a key to the offense. Nichols has not thrown for over 300 yards yet, which is unbelievable, but his team is nevertheless 5-0.
Hamilton will get a big boost on the offensive line. Dependable tackle Chris Van Zeyl will see his first action since July 4. The Tiger-Cats have one of the finest pass protection units in the league. The excelling unit has allowed only seven sacks over their five games. But with Van Zeyl out of the lineup last game, the Calgary Stampeders got to Masoli four times.
The Blue Bombers have nine sacks this season. Jackson Jeffcoat has three to his name. Masoli has been leaned on by the Tiger-Cats, and the Blue Bombers cannot afford to let him get comfortable in the pocket. This will be especially important if the Hamilton run game fails to get going.
Friday’s matchup will pit two long time teammates against one another as head coaches. Mike O’Shea and Orlondo Steinauer played on the same defense for nine years. They had one year, in 2000, with the Tiger-Cats. Then from 2001-2008 they were members of the Toronto Argonauts. They helped them in winning the Grey Cup together in 2004.
The Tiger-Cats are looking to make it four straight victories at Tim Hortons Field. This will be for the first time since they opened the stadium with an eight-game winning streak in 2014.
The Dart Throw: Blue Bombers 34, Tiger-Cats 30.
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CFL Blue Bombers vs Tiger-Cats Betting Odds & Trends
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
|---|
| Winnipeg is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games |
| Winnipeg is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg’s last 7 games |
| Winnipeg is 18-7 ATS in its last 25 games on the road |
| Winnipeg is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road |
| Winnipeg is 4-8-1 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Hamilton |
| Winnipeg is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Hamilton |
| Winnipeg is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games when playing Hamilton |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg’s last 5 games when playing Hamilton |
| The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Winnipeg’s last 12 games when playing on the road against Hamilton |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
|---|
| Hamilton is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games |
| Hamilton is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games |
| The total has gone OVER in 11 of Hamilton’s last 16 games |
| Hamilton is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home |
| Hamilton is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Hamilton’s last 6 games at home |
| Hamilton is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg |
| Hamilton is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing Winnipeg |
| Hamilton is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Hamilton’s last 5 games when playing Winnipeg |
| The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Hamilton’s last 12 games when playing at home against Winnipeg |
Next up:
Winnipeg at Toronto Thursday, August 1
Hamilton at Saskatchewan Thursday, August 1
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