-
Edgar Chaput
Elks vs. Argonauts Prediction: CFL Week 18 Point Spread, Odds
At 4-11, visiting Edmonton Elks are desperate to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. They are in a three-way battle with Calgary and Ottawa, all clubs with 4-11 records. All of this is moot, however, if Saskatchewan wins another couple of games. As for the Toronto Argonauts, having the East Division locked up doesn’t mean they have nothing to play for. Momentum is a fickle thing, and the Argos would like to bounce back from a 31-21 loss against the Blue Bombers last week.
Check back once the game’s CFL odds are up.
CFL Odds and Betting
Ironically, given all of Edmonton’s recent struggles, they had a four-game winning streak against Toronto heading into the 2022 regular season campaign. Since then, the Argos have taken the most recent two affairs, including a wild June contest this year that finished 43-31 in their favour.
Even though no one would argue that the Elks are a great bet by any definition, the results on the field belie the fact that they’ve somehow mustered a 6-9 record against the spread. They had a good thing going during the summer but since late August have fallen off a bit, tallying a 1-3 record ATS in the last month. They’ve covered three of their last four road spreads.
It’s been mostly smooth sailing for the Argonauts in all respects this season. Their 12-2 tally in the East Division standings has translated to an enviable 10-4 ATS effort. Of note, Toronto is only 3-3 against the spread in its last six games. Furthermore, they’ve covered the last four games in which they were favoured by 9.0 points or more.
Edmonton Elks
With playoff aspirations hanging by the thinnest and weakest of threads, the Elks head to Toronto to battle a squad that overmatches them in every department. Perhaps Edmonton can rely on the element of surprise just as they did against a few opponents in the last month.
Said element did not catch the BC Lions off guard a fortnight ago, which was the Elks’ last game before their bye. Sooner or later defences have enough tape on a player to figure how they should defend him. In this case, the Tre Ford fireworks were muted against a Lions defence that has been quite staunch all season against the pass. Ford only threw for 129 net yards (not helped by two sacks that lost an incredible 53 yards). Edmonton has played valiantly in an effort to finish the campaign with an air of respectability, but on this night BC simply said “no.” It was already 21-7 for the visitors by the time the opening stanza concluded. The Elks couldn’t handle RB Taquan Mizzell, who bulldozed his way to two TDs and 112 yards. Edmonton made it somewhat close late but ultimately fell 37-29.
Toronto Argonauts
Losing is never fun, especially when one has ridden a significant winning streak like the Argonauts had when they landed in Winnipeg to play the Blue Bombers last week. Even so, it wasn’t a disaster and, if anything, may serve as motivation should the sides meet in November in the next Grey Cup.
The 31-21 final score looks disappointing, but the nature of the contest told a more nuanced story. For one, Chad Kelly did not take a snap, despite what head coach Ryan Dinwiddie suggested in the leadup. Cameron Dukes played most of the night and had a decent stats sheet (17-for-24, 231 yards, one TD). Second, the Argos held a 21-16 advantage over their Manitoban rivals early in the fourth quarter. It was a case of a defence bending but rarely breaking. Winnipeg kicked a lot of field goals, with Sergio Castillo going 5-for-6. RB Brady Oliveira still torched Toronto for 169 yards, something the Argos will want to work on.