The Lions sit at 1-1 on the season after a 15-9 win over the Calgary Stampeders last week.  Edmonton, on the other hand, is still searching for their first win of the season following a 30-13 loss to Montreal that dropped them to 0-2.

BC is a 5-point favourite to win on the CFL odds, with a total of 44.5.

CFL Odds and Betting

Edmonton crushed the Lions in 2019, sweeping the three-game season series and outscoring BC by a combined 91-35.  The Elks easily covered in all three games and the total went Under in two of those contests.

The Elks haven’t just lost their first two games this year, they haven’t even come close to covering or hitting the Over, scoring a combined 25 points.  BC has managed to cover in both of their games and they’ve split the Over/Under.  With the 44.5 Over/Under even at -110 apiece for this game, taking the Under is a better value.  Edmonton is 1-4-1 against the spread over their last six road games, while the Lions are 4-2 ATS over their last six at home.  The smart money is on both those trends to continue on Thursday.

Edmonton Elks

Edmonton has squandered their two home games to start the season.  The Elks are now forced to try to get their first win of the year away from home as for their next three games are on the road.  Offensively, this team is a mess and quarterback Trevor Harris has struggled.  It took the Elks 119 minutes of gameplay to score their first touchdown of the season and they couldn’t get a single TD against Ottawa, who had the second-worst defence in the league in 2019.  Harris threw three INTs in the Ottawa game, although he avoided getting picked off against Montreal.  The Elks have only punched in a touchdown once in six red-zone opportunities this season.

The best player on the team has been kicker Sean Whyte, who attributes for 18 of Edmonton’s 25 points this year.  The problem?  If the kicker is the best player on the team, you’re not going to win.  Turnovers have been a huge issue.  The Elks gave away the ball on downs twice against Montreal and their giveaway-takeaway ratio this season is 0:5.  That’s not good enough in this league.

BC Lions

It’s tough to say if there’s a little gamesmanship going on in BC or just some bad luck.  The Lions haven’t started the quarterback they had listed at the top of their depth chart in either game this season, so take Mike Reilly being listed as the starter in Week 3 with a grain of salt.  Reilly has looked good despite an elbow injury.  He threw for 342 yards last week against the Stamps, so it’s puzzling to figure out how BC only managed 15 points in the game.  The Lions’ lone touchdown in the game was actually run in by Reilly.

With BC, it seems there’s always a possibility of the second QB on the depth chart being inserted as a last minute starter.  If that’s the case on Thursday, Canadian rookie Nathan Rourke would get the nod.  Rourke started Week 1, throwing for 194 yards with two TDs and two INTs.  Expect running back Shaq Cooper to make his Lions debut against the Elks, after recovering from a hamstring injury.  Offensive lineman Hunter Steward is also expected to play despite an ankle injury.  Fellow offensive lineman Ryker Matthews (head) is not expected to be cleared.

CFL Prediction: Who Will Win Elks vs. Lions?