Lions vs. Roughriders Prediction: CFL Division Finals Point Spread, Odds
The Lions earned a berth in Saturday’s contest on the strength of last week’s 33-30 CFL West Semi-Final win over the visiting Calgary Stampeders, extending their current win streak to seven games. The Roughriders have been idle since closing out their schedule with a 27-21 home loss to BC in Week 21 and have now fallen to defeat in four of six outings including two of three on home turf.
The Roughriders lead the way as 3-point favourites on the CFL West Final odds. The Lions lag as +140 underdogs on the CFL moneyline, and the total is set at 53.5.
CFL West Final Odds and Betting
The Lions’ schedule-ending win in Saskatchewan enabled them to avoid getting swept in their three-game season series with the Roughriders, and put the brakes on a four-game head-to-head losing streak. In addition to covering the spread just once in their past 10 dates with the Riders, BC has also come up short in three straight playoff games versus Saskatchewan and are winless in their past four appearances in the CFL West Final. However, the Lions may be peaking at just the right time. The squad has averaged an impressive 36 points scored per game during their current 7-0-0 run, but failed to cover while claiming victory by a combined margin of just nine points over their past two contests. The Roughriders are also seeking to flip the script on a losing playoff narrative. The squad has fallen to defeat in five straight Final appearances since their Grey Cup victory in 2013, but enter Saturday’s action deadlocked with Montreal as +200 co-favourites on the Grey Cup odds. While the Riders produced mixed results down the stretch, it is understandable given how early they clinch the CFL West crown. But it remains to be seen whether they can quickly find their groove against a Lions squad with lots to prove.
BC Lions
While the Lions finished the regular season as the CFL’s highest scoring team, they also surrendered the third most points, behind only playoff also-rans Ottawa and Toronto, and have surrendered over 24.4 points per game during their current win streak. Now set to take on Saskatchewan’s league-leading defence, the pressure will be on quarterback Nathan Rourke to duplicate the effort that produced three scoring passes in the team’s Week 21 over the Riders and avoid a repeat of last week’s shaky outing in which he failed to find the end zone in the squad’s narrow win over the Stampeders. While Rourke offers value on the CFL player props as a -120 to be an anytime TD scorer, he should be backed as a -115 bet to toss for UNDER 1.5 TDs.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Idle since their Week 21 date with the Lions in which starters were used sparingly, the Roughriders will certainly be well rested for Saturday’s contest, but that lack of game action may require them to shake off some rust. Indeed, it has been four weeks since quarterback Trevor Harris played any meaningful football. In addition to seeing limited action versus the Lions, Harris was also given the night off in the team’s 17-16 loss to Winnipeg in Week 20. But with a pair of Grey Cup rings already in hand and multiple CFL playoff records to his credit including a six-TD performance while leading Ottawa to a 46-27 win in the CFL East Final and a Grey Cup berth in 2018, there is no denying the 39-year-old’s credentials as a big-game stud. While Harris has connected on just five TD passes over his past four full game appearances, he has tossed for tossed for at least 340 yards in each of his past three outings and is a solid -118 bet to go OVER 269.5 passing yards. That leaves the job of finding the end zone to running back AJ Ouellette, who has recorded five scoring runs in seven games and leads all players on the TD scorer odds as a -130 bet.
BC
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