Elks vs. RedBlacks Prediction: CFL Week 7 Point Spread, Odds
A late field goal made the difference in Edmonton last week as the RedBlacks escaped with a 37-34 win. Dropping to 0-5 on the season, the loss sealed the fate of Elks head coach and general manager Chris Jones, who was fired the following morning.
Ottawa opened as 2.5-point favourites to win the Week 7 rematch on the CFL odds, with the total set at 52.5.
CFL Odds and Betting
Last week’s matchup continued a trend that has seen the Elks and RedBlacks evenly split their last 10 games. Edmonton and Ottawa have also split the season series in each of the last two years. The total has been a little more one-sided, with the Over hitting just three times in the last 10 head-to-heads.
The Elks might be 0-5 straight up, but they’ve managed to go 3-2 against the spread. All five of Edmonton’s losses have been one-score games and amazingly, the team has lost each of their last three games on last-second field goals.
The RedBlacks are also 3-2 ATS this season, while playing the Under three times. It could be a low scoring game on Friday as the total has gone Under in five of the last six games these teams have played in Ottawa.
Both teams have fairly long Grey Cup odds, so now’s the time to snag them if you think they can pull off a late season run like Montreal last year. Ottawa is +1800 to win the Grey Cup on the CFL futures board, while Edmonton has the longest Grey Cup odds at +6000.
Edmonton Elks
Despite the loss, McLeod Bethel-Thompson had a solid outing last week, finishing with 272 passing yards and two touchdowns. Entering Week 7, Bethel-Thompson ranks fourth in the CFL in both passing yards (1,497) and passing TDs (nine), but he is also tied for the second-most interceptions (five). And while there were chants from fans to put in Canadian Tre Ford last week, interim head coach Jarious Jackson has said Bethel-Thompson will remain the starter. After Edmonton started last season 0-8, Ford took over as starter in Week 10, finishing the year with a 4-6 record while putting up 2,069 passing yards and 15 total touchdowns (12 passing, three rushing).
The biggest problem for the Elks on offence right now is the rushing attack. Edmonton ranks second-last in the CFL in both average rushing yards per game (66.0) and average rushing yards per play (4.3) and they haven’t scored a rushing touchdown this season. Things are even worse defensively. The Elks allow the most average total yards (417.8) per game in the CFL, the second-most passing yards (319.8) and the second-most points (30.4).
Ottawa RedBlacks
After nearly missing the game because of concussion protocol, Dru Brown had a monster performance last week, throwing for 480 yards, two TDs and one interception. It’s the most passing yards in a single game this season and the fourth-highest single-game mark in Ottawa football history, dating back to the birth of the Rough Riders in 1876. Kalil Pimpleton (153 receiving yards, one TD), Dominique Rhymes (131 yards), and Justin Hardy (110 yards, one TD) all finished well above the century mark in receiving yards.
The RedBlacks have essentially done things by committee this season as they rank in the middle of the pack in most major offensive and defensive categories. It’s not necessarily the most sexy statistics, but the one area Ottawa has stood out in is kicking. With one miss in 18 attempts (94.4 per cent), Lewis Ward is third in the CFL in field goal accuracy and his 57 kicking points is also tied for third.