Argonauts vs. Alouettes Prediction: CFL Week 20 Point Spread, Odds
The Toronto Argonauts travel to Montreal to open a schedule-ending home-and-home series with the Alouettes. The Argonauts escaped with a narrow 28-23 win in Edmonton last week, and look to the penultimate weekend of the regular season with a four-point lead over the second-place Alouettes in the East Division standings. The Alouettes return home after clinching home field advantage in the opening round of the CFL playoffs with a 34-30 win in Ottawa. However, the Als have produced mixed results on home turf, where they have compiled a middling 4-4-0 record this season.
The Argonauts have made major gains on the CFL Week 20 odds despite capturing just 29% of the betting action, vaulting from their opening position as 1.5-point underdogs to 1.5-point favourites. The total briefly faded to 48 in early wagering, but with 88% of sports bettors backing the OVER, it has since rebounded to its opening position at 48.5.
CFL Odds and Betting
Saturday afternoon’s matchup at Percival Molson Stadium marks the second of three meetings between these teams this season. The Argonauts escaped with a 20-19 win when they opened their schedule with a visit from the Alouettes. Overall, the Argos have now taken two of three from the Alouettes. However, they have enjoyed little success of late when visiting Montreal, where they have lost six straight while scoring an average of just 15.3 points per game.
Toronto’s offensive woes in head-to-head action on the road have contributed to a continued steady run for the UNDER in totals betting, which has paid out in five of eight meetings, and 20 of 27 matchups involving these teams since 2011.
Toronto Argonauts
For the second time in as many outings, the Argos needed a fourth quarter rally to earn the win in last week’s visit to Edmonton. After enduring yet another slow start, Toronto rebounded to score twice in the final four minutes to extend the Elks’ epic losing streak on home turf. The squad also needed a late score to claim a slender 23-20 win in BC two weeks ago. In both cases, the Argonauts attack came out flat, producing just one total touchdown before halftime in those outings. Indeed, early points have come at a premium, with the Argos generating just six total points in first-quarter action over their past four games.
The upside for Toronto came in the form of the continued steady play of quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who racked up 273 passing yards and one touchdown while avoiding getting intercepted for a second straight game. Bethel-Thompson enjoyed the benefit of AJ Ouelette’s best performance of the season. The diminutive rusher ran for 91 yards and the game-winning touchdown, but has not faced the Alouettes since seeing limited action in a 2019 contest.
Montreal Alouettes
The Alouettes have also been forced to play catch-up in their bid to nail down a playoff spot for a third straight season. The Als spotted Ottawa a double-digit lead and were forced to twice erase deficit to earn last week’s 34-30, and have now found themselves trailing at the half in each of their three most recent wins. Scoring points early has not been a problem for the Alouettes, who have averaged 14.6 first-half points over their past five games. However, they have also surrendered big totals early on in recent clashes, including last week’s contest, which went into the half with the RedBlacks sporting a 24-17 advantage.
The Alouettes have also been wildly inconsistent at home, where they have lost two of four, and allowed 28 or more points on four occasions. That adds to the pressure on quarterback Trevor Harris, who has now found the end zone in seven straight appearances, but connected on just one scoring pass in four of his past five outings.
TOR
MTL