RedBlacks vs. Lions Prediction: CFL Week 17 Point Spread, Odds
The RedBlacks hit the road after being swept in back-to-back home dates with the Toronto Argonauts, capped by last week’s crushing 45-15 loss that leaves them lagging six points behind second-place Montreal in the East Division standings. The Lions look to rebound from a 25-11 home loss to Calgary that marked their third defeat in four outings.
The RedBlacks have made steady gains since opening as 9.5-point underdogs, vaulting to +7. However, the Lions maintain a slim 51% majority of support from sports bettors. With both these teams struggling to generate consistent offence, the total has dipped to 46.5 since opening at 48.5, with vast majority of the betting action backing the OVER.
CFL Odds and Betting
Friday night’s matchup at BC Place Stadium marks the second and final meeting of the regular season between these teams. The Lions hung to claim a 34-31 victory when these teams met in Ottawa in Week 4, and have now taken six straight from the RedBlacks. With five of those victories coming by double-digit margins, the Lions have now covered in seven straight meetings. The RedBlacks struggled to score points in their five dates with BC prior to their Week 4 loss, averaging a meagre 10.2 points per game. However, the OVER has paid out in their past two dates, ending a 4-0-0 run for the UNDER.
While the Lions have regularly paid out when facing Ottawa, they have struggled at the sportsbooks since losing quarterback Nathan Rourke to injury, covering just once during their current 1-3-0 run. BC has also produced mixed results on home turf, losing outright and against the spread in two straight, and have now covered just three times while going 4-3-0 through seven contests.
The road has been surprisingly kind to the RedBlacks, who have tallied just one win in 22 home games since June 2019. Ottawa has claimed victory by an average margin over 10 points during its current three-game road win streak, and covered in seven of their past nine. And while they have won just one of four while pegged as underdogs by seven or more points, they have covered three times over that stretch.
Ottawa RedBlacks
It is tough to win a ball game when you commit seven turnovers. The RedBlacks found that out the hard way in last week’s loss to Toronto, in what is widely considered to be the worst performance of what is quickly becoming another lost season. Ottawa turned over the ball seven times including five combined interceptions tossed by quarterbacks Nick Arbuckle and Caleb Evans, two of which were returned for touchdowns. And while the Ottawa offence racked up 442 total yards, they managed to convert just 7-of-27 third downs.
Conversely, the efficient Argos offence did not find themselves in a third down situation beyond the first quarter. Complicating matters for the sputtering Ottawa attack, which ranks dead last in team scoring, is the uncertain status of receiver Nate Behar, who suffered an ankle last week while racking up a season-high 119 receiving yards.
BC Lions
Poised to clinch a playoff spot on their own terms with a win last week, the Lions fell flat in a brutal 25-11 loss to the Calgary Stampeders. With Hamilton also losing, BC is now guaranteed of at least a carryover playoff spot, but this team must show dramatic improvement if they are to make any noise come November.
The Lions have struggled to integrate Vernon Adams into their attack since Rourke went down to injury. Adams has yet to find the end zone in two starts since joining the team, extending a dismal run that has seen this team average just 17 points per game since losing their star pivot. Considering their current scoring woes, and the fact that four of their past six wins have come by five or fewer points, it is tough to see this team winning by a touchdown this weekend.
OTT
BC