Argonauts vs. Alouettes Prediction: CFL Week 11 Point Spread, Odds
Two of the CFL’s most disappointing teams, the Argos and the Als, face off in Friday’s lone game of Week 11 in Montreal. The Argos are solid road favourites on the CFL odds board.
Betting Analysis
That Toronto is a favourite is notable because the Argos haven’t been since Week 1 in Saskatchewan. That Montreal is less than a 7-point underdog is notable because it hadn’t been all season. Something has to give here as the Alouettes have given up a league-leading 306 points, while the Argonauts are second-worst in allowing 243. The news isn’t much better offensively as Montreal is last with 144 points and Toronto second-from-last with 161. Tie game, anyone?
Current action on that 5.5-point spread is heavy on Toronto giving the points as well as over the total of 52.5. On the moneyline, the Argos are -250 and Als +200. On the race to 10 points, Toronto is -156 and Montreal +118. On first team to score, the Argos are -143 with a touchdown at +290. The Als are +102 to take the first lead with a touchdown at +350. On the winning margin prop, Toronto by 1-6 points is +350 with the Als by the same margin at +375.
It’s the first of three meetings between the teams, with Montreal visiting BMO Field in Week 19 and the clubs going back to Molson Stadium the following week. The total has landed under in 15 of the past 21 in this series overall.
Toronto Argonauts
Toronto (3-5) is tied for second in the East Division with Hamilton, albeit both 2.5 games behind Ottawa. The Argos are still looking for their first road win. They enter on a two-game winning streak following last week’s 24-23 victory over the BC Lions – things might be turning around under new starting quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson as he led a rally from down 20-10 in the third. James Franklin’s 1-yard TD run with 2:59 left was the difference. Bethel-Thompson, who also led a shocking come-from-behind win the previous week vs. Ottawa, completed 18 of 29 passes for 260 yards with a TD. There are some reports that the Argos could soon get another major boost as they are rumored front-runners to sign free-agent receiver Duron Carter, who was surprisingly recently released by the Roughriders. Toronto has covered its past five after a victory.
Montreal Alouettes
The Alouettes have been a mess at quarterback all season, and as of this writing it’s still not 100 per cent who starts Friday. Johnny Manziel missed last week’s 40-24 loss in Edmonton – the Als did cover – with a concussion. As of Wednesday, Manziel hadn’t practiced this week even though Mike Sherman was sounding optimistic. It’s looking doubtful that Manziel will play because the Als don’t practice again after Wednesday. Thus, it should be Antonio Pipkin again. He played decently vs. the Eskimos, completing 14 of 25 for 217 yards, a touchdown and an interception while also rushing for a score. Montreal is 1-8 ATS in its past nine vs. East Division teams and has failed to cover six straight games on Friday overall.
