Alouettes vs. Elks Prediction: CFL Week 3 Point Spread, Odds
The middle game of the first Saturday triple-header of the CFL season features a pair of early division leaders as Montreal visits Edmonton. The Alouettes are 3.5-point favourites on the CFL odds with a total of 53.5 points for the 4 p.m. ET kick.
CFL Odds and Betting
Could this be a potential Grey Cup preview? Obviously way too early for that, but Montreal enters Week 3 atop the East Division and as the league’s only 2-0 club. Edmonton and Saskatchewan are tied for first in the West at 1-0. The Alouettes are current +250 favourites to win the Grey Cup with the Elks +1500.
Saturday marks the first of two regular-season meetings between the clubs with Edmonton visiting Montreal in Week 10. The teams split last year, each winning on the road. Montreal prevailed 38-28 in the first matchup at Commonwealth Stadium in what was Edmonton’s home opener as it is this year. Elks QB Tre Ford completed 27 of 36 passes for 308 yards, with touchdown tosses to Kaion Julien-Grant and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. in the loss. Edmonton trailed 28-6 through three before making it interesting.
Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander completed 20 of 24 passes for 254 yards with three touchdowns before exiting the game in the third quarter with an injury. In the rematch in Montreal last year, the Elks ended a five-game overall skid in the series with a 23-22 upset. Cody Fajardo completed a touchdown pass to Julien-Grant with 15 seconds remaining – both are ex-Alouettes.
Montreal is 7-1 ATS in its past eight trips to Edmonton.
Montreal Alouettes
Perhaps expect one team to score 30 points in this game as one has in both Alouettes matchups so far with Montreal winning, 30-27, at Hamilton in Week 1 and then winning, 37-30, over Toronto in the home opener in Week 2.
Quarterback Davis Alexander threw for a career-high 441 yards and two touchdowns against the Argos. That’s now 13 straight wins as a starting QB in the regular season. Both of his TD throws were deeper throws to Tyson Philpot, who finished nine receptions for 193 yards and those scores.
Alexander enters Week 3 leading the league with 777 passing yards, and Philpot leads with 269 receiving yards and 16 receptions. He needs 157 yards for 3,000 in his career.
Montreal looks to start 3-0 for a third straight season. Alexander can tie the CFL record for most consecutive regular-season starts with a victory held by Bo Levi Mitchell (14 in 2016). Montreal is 4-2 ATS in its past six away.
Edmonton Elks
The Elks were 1.5-point underdogs in Week 1 Ottawa and prevailed 29-21 to win their season opener for the first time since 2019. Tailback Justin Rankin and wideout Austin Mack each had a TD, while Vincent Blanchard was 5-for-5 on field goals. Rankin rushed for 102 yards on 13 carries and caught five passes from Cody Fajardo for 94 yards.
Edmonton won the turnover battle 4-0 but also was penalized 14 times for 142 yards. Having a Week 2 bye should help in that regard.
One piece of bad news from the opener was Canadian offensive lineman Coulter Woodmansey going down injured, and he will miss weeks. The right guard was made the CFL’s highest-paid Canadian non-quarterback when he signed a three-year contract with the Elks earlier this year.
“He had a tremendous game one,” Fajardo told the media after the opener about Woodmansey. “I think we counted five pancakes in that game, just a complete difference-maker for us offensively.”
Fajardo is two passing TDs away for 100 in his career. The Elks are 11-3 ATS in their past 14 games.
MTL
EDM