Blue Bombers vs. Eskimos Prediction: CFL Week 21 Point Spread, Odds
The Blue Bombers will use this game as a tune up for next week’s West semi-final in Calgary or Regina. Their playoff faith has been sealed. For the Eskimos, it is going to be a long off-season figuring out what went wrong in 2018.
CFL Betting Analysis
There may not be a playoff spot on the line for the Edmonton Eskimos in this one, but surely they remember what happened the last time the Bombers came to town. It was back on September 29 with both teams fighting for a playoff position when the Bombers dropped a 30-3 embarrassment on the home side Eskimos. The Eskimos were outclassed in that game only managing 276 total yards on offence. Through two games this season head-to-head, both teams have won one game each. The Bombers are 4-4 on the road this season and are 19-7 against the spread (ATS) in their last 26 road games. They are also 13-5 ATS in their last 18 Saturday games, unfortunately for them, this will be their last Saturday night of the season (all playoff games are played on Sunday). The Eskimos are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with winning records.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Bombers cemented a playoff spot with a great effort against the Stampeders (29-21). The club entered the game needing a win to clinch a playoff spot and they got it. With everything that developed around the league in Week 20 it means the Bombers can’t go higher or lower than third place in the West division. They will travel to Calgary or Regina for the first round of the playoffs depending on what happens in Week 21.
Quarterback Matt Nichols had his best game of the season this past Friday night. He was 24-of-33 for 358 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Nichols guided an offence that tallied 503 total yards of offence, which was the team’s second biggest offensive performance of the season (Week 2 vs. Alouettes 588 yards). Receiver Darvin Adams caught five passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. He’s ranked sixth in the league in receiving yards (1028 yards), and tied for third in touchdowns (10). Linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox had a game high eight tackles and one forced fumble. Between Santos-Knox and Adam Bighill the Bombers had a great one-two punch at the linebacker position. The Blue Bombers will use this game to rest some key starters. Next week’s game is much more important than this one.
Edmonton Eskimos
The Eskimos have the Blue Bombers to thank as the team that put the final nail in their playoff coffin. Because of last week’s Bomber win over the Stampeders, the Eskimos will find themselves on the outside looking in as the only west division team not to make the playoffs this season. It’s the first time since the 2013 season that they will miss the post-season, and they picked a bad year to miss that mark.
At the start of the season the Eskimos were excited, reigning MOP Mike Reilly was in the fold, they were coming off a 12-win campaign in 2017, and hosting the 2018 Grey Cup. A championship they legitimately thought they would be part of this year in their own hometown. The Grey Cup host is toast. It’s all for naught right now for the Eskimos. This final game of the season will be a meaningless one for the Eskimos, and it’s hard to figure out which players will be on the field come Saturday afternoon. Mike Reilly and friends will likely start this game, but will they play the entire game? That’s in the hands of Head Coach Jason Maas. The entire coaching staff’s future is up in the air come the off-season. The best guess would be that the Eskimos will play to win this game.
