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Jeremy Perry
RedBlacks vs. Roughriders Prediction: CFL Week 9 Point Spread, Odds
Ottawa Redblacks fans and bettors had been on a two-game binge as the team had been part of a couple of high-flying, high-scoring outcomes. That two-game ride and winning streak came to an end against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last Sunday. It was still a winnable game for Ottawa – even if their offence stumbled a bit. The Redblacks are still in the thick of things in the East Division and are now a 1.5-point road favourite on the CFL odds at Saskatchewan this Friday. Can Ottawa get back in the win column?
CFL Odds and Betting
Last August wasn’t kind to the Redblacks as they went 1-4 against the spread in those games. We’ll see if they can start this August a bit differently. They have covered seven of their last 10 away games, so that’s a good sign.
As for the Roughriders, they are 9-2 against the spread in their last 11 August games. However, they are just 1-7-1 ATS in their last nine off a straight up loss. They’ve also failed to cover five straight home games.
Ottawa RedBlacks
The Redblacks scored 31 points in Week 6 and 43 in Week 7, so it was a bit of a surprise to see them muster just 12 points at home against Hamilton in Week 8. It’s become clear that quarterback Dustin Crum is what makes this offence go and he took a step back last Friday. He went just 13-of-22 for 158 yards and an interception. He did have another 82 yards on the ground, though. That was a sizeable drop in production versus the previous week when he was 22-of-29 for 254 yards and two touchdowns, along with 63 yards on the ground.
The reality is that Crum has probably saved the team’s season and given the offence a shot in the arm. They’re clearly still a work in progress – as evidenced by last week’s output – but they’re much more confident and competent. And in terms of this week’s matchup, they might not need a ton of points to get the job done.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Roughriders are a bit of a mess these days. The team has been forced to find some answers at the quarterback position with Trevor Harris out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Mason Fine is the right solution.
Fine has guided the team to just 22 points total in the last two weeks and has openly acknowledged that this is not good enough. He might not be solely to blame as the offence did muster over 400 yards last week. Pro Football Focus graded his performance as the second-best last week among quarterbacks. At the same time, he has to guide the team into the end zone – not just scoring range – and he has to cutback on the turnovers. Last week, he had three turnover-worth plays, according to PFF. He now has four interceptions in his three appearances this season. Until this offence starts delivering, this team is going to be hard to trust.
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