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Edgar Chaput
Elks vs. Roughriders Prediction: CFL Week 5 Point Spread, Odds
Week 5 of the CFL starts Thursday between these sides. Craig Dickenson’s Roughriders had Week 4 off. They came off a breathtaking overtime win on the road against the Stampeders the week before. Edmonton has not benefited from a bye yet, which means they have plenty of opportunities to finally taste victory.
The CFL odds currently have Saskatchewan pegged as a -8.0 favourite, the total established at 43.0.
CFL Odds and Betting
Even though this is only Week 5, these sides have already clashed in 2023. The opening week of the campaign saw the Elks play hosts to the Roughriders in a low scoring, sluggish game that went to the visitors 17-13. Of note, that ended up being the closest game Edmonton has played all season, as they’ve mostly been blown out of the water by opponents since then.
Week 1 also happened to be the lone occasion on the schedule when they were favoured. What followed were spreads as underdogs, none of which were covered, resulting in an 0-4 ATS. The over has also cashed just once.
As for the Roughriders, their 2-1 win-loss record is reflected in their performances against the spread. Furthermore, it’s been a straightforward path thus far. Wins have translated to covers and the loss did not. The over has connected twice in a row.
On Monday it was made public that Taylor Cornelius is back under centre for the Elks.
Edmonton Elks
Playing on the road has spelled doom and gloom for Chris Jones’ troupe, which is saying something given they haven’t won at home either. The point being made here is that in two games they’ve mustered all of seven points. They fell 22-0 to the Lions in Week 2 and 26-7 to the Redblacks in Week 4.
The frustrating part is that from a defensive perspective, it isn’t as though Edmonton has put in terrible performances. It’s far from great, but it’s not outright bad either. The damage on Ottawa drives was limited to field goals four times last week.
The coaching staff handed the ball over to QB Jarret Doege after the Taylor Cornelius experiment failed to amount to much. Doege let the ball rip a bit more, but the issue was that it landed in the hands of Redblacks defenders three times. 19-for-33 for 223 yards was still respectable. WR Maurice Ffrench led the receiver corps with 74 yards and the team’s only touchdown. The running game is nonexistent. Kevin Brown is their best performer with only 144 yards in four games, although he’s not getting the ball much.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Roughriders need to take this game seriously. For starters, it wouldn’t do to begin the campaign 0-2 at home given the competitive nature of the Western Division. Second, they’ve already had one close call against these Elks this season. Third, their last contest was nearly two weeks ago in Week 3, a memorable game versus Calgary.
Over 800 yards of total offence, six lead changes, five turnovers, balls dropped on the ground and bouncing back into the same player’s arms, a game-sealing interception in the end zone, the 29-26 OT win by the Riders a fortnight ago stands as the game of the season thus far. It had a little bit of everything. Most importantly for Rider Nation, they now know that their team is capable of entering hostile territory and going blow-for-blow with a tough opponent.
Trevor Harris led his side to the tune of 20-for-30 for 275 yards, a TD and one INT. RB Jamal Morrow had his breakout game, gashing Calgary for 133 yards. Linebacker Larry Dean and DB C.J Reavis had field days, tallying nine tackles each and Dean and an interception.
EDM
SSK