Blue Bombers vs. Lions Prediction: CFL Week 18 Point Spread, Odds
Both these teams are coming off wins in Week 17 to remain deadlocked atop the standings with identical 11-4-0 records. The Lions extended their current straight up win streak to four games with last week’s 33-26 win over Saskatchewan. The Blue Bombers enjoyed the benefit of a decision by the Toronto Argonauts to rest stars like quarterback Chad Kelly to claim a 31-21 home victory last week, but are winless in each of their past two road dates.
The Lions look to Friday’s contest perched as slim 1.5-point home favourites on the CFL Week 18 odds. The Blue Bombers are pegged as strong +105 moneyline underdogs, and the total is listed at 50.5.
CFL Odds and Betting
Friday night’s matchup at BC Place marks the third and final regular season meeting between these CFL West rivals. These squads split a pair of meetings in Winnipeg earlier this season, capped by the Bombers’ 50-14 victory back in Week 9. While both these teams have already clinched playoff spots, the winner of this contest will enjoy a tiebreaker edge should these both squads finish the season with identical records. Overall, the Bombers hold a clear edge in head-to-head action, winning and covering in eight of their past 10 dates with the Lions, including victories in three of their past four visits to BC. Recent games involving these teams have tended to be one-sided affairs. Nine of their past 10 dates have been settled by double-digit margins, with lone exception being a 40-32 BC home victory last October.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
It took the Bombers three quarters to find their offensive groove, but responded with 15 unanswered points in the final frame to eke out a 31-21 win over the undermanned Argos. The win came against an Argos squad that opted to rest quarterback Chad Kelly, while several key contributors including DeVaris Daniel and AJ Ouellette saw limited action. Quarterback Zach Collaros to an early 7-0 lead with a with scoring pass to Brady Oliveira, and tallied 258 yards on the night. Overall, the Bombers racked up 457 total yards, but were also forced to settle for field goals on six occasions. Winnipeg has now limited opponents to 21 or fewer points in six of nine outings, but need to be more responsible on defence after surrendering at least 29 points in four of their past five road dates.
BC Lions
The Lions will be looking to turn in another dominating performance after topping Saskatchewan 33-26 in a game that was nowhere near as close as the score suggests. Vernon Adams Jr. racked up 458 passing yards and connected in the end zone on three occasions while powering the Lions to a 33-11 lead by the end of the third. Once again Keon Hatcher emerged as Adams’ favourite target, compiling 172 receiving yards while making his sixth scoring catch of the season, and now trails only Blue Bombers receiver Dalton Schoen with 1103 passing yards this season. The challenge for the Lions will be reining in the Winnipeg attack after surrendering an average of 31 points over their past three games. This game has the potential to produce fireworks, with the winner likely to emerge as division leaders.