Tiger-Cats vs. Alouettes Prediction: CFL Division Semifinals Point Spread, Odds
The regular season is over in the CFL and the playoff teams are finalized. Post-season football gets underway Sunday afternoon with the Montreal Alouettes hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Percival Memorial Stadium in the East Division semifinals.
The Als finished second in the East standings with a 9-9 record, while the Ti-Cats finished third at 8-10. The winner of this game will face Toronto in the East Division Final on Nov. 13.
Montreal is a 3-point favourite to win on the CFL odds, with a total of 49.5.
CFL Odds and Betting
Friendly confines have been beneficial for these teams as the home side has won the last four head-to-heads. The Alouettes won two of three regular season meetings in 2022. This will be a rematch of last year’s East semifinal when Hamilton came out on top 23-12 at home.
Something clicked for the Ti-Cats over the last month and a half as they finished the regular season on a four-game win streak. They were 7-11 against the spread overall, but they managed to cover in four of their final six games. Don’t bank on heavy offence as the total has gone Under in five of Hamilton’s last six games against Montreal.
The Als have been inconsistent this season, going 4-5 straight up at home versus 5-4 SU on the road. They’re 10-7-1 ATS overall, but have failed to cover in six of their last nine home games against the Tiger-Cats. The total has gone Under in four of Montreal’s last five home games.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Ti-Cats finished the year with a bang, reeling off four straight victories including a 23-16 decision over Ottawa in the regular season finale. Backup Matthew Shiltz started at quarterback for Hamilton, but starter Dane Evans also saw some snaps to gear up for the playoffs. Shiltz finished 12-for-18 for 144 yards, but failed to throw a touchdown. Evans, who will start on Sunday, was 7-for-9 for 117 yards and no touchdowns.
Offensively, the Tiger-Cats finished the regular season ranked fifth in points per game (21.2), fourth in yards per game (351.6) and fifth in yards per play (5.0). Defensively, they allowed the third-fewest yards per game (348.1) and ranked sixth in points allowed per game (26.3) and fourth in sacks (42).
Montreal Alouettes
Montreal’s 38-33 win in Toronto to close out the regular season was essentially a meaningless game, but it still served as a good tuneup for playoffs. The really interesting thing to come out of the game was the performance of rookie receiver Cole Spieker. In his first career CFL start, Spieker finished with 105 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Spieker has spent most of the season on the practice squad, but could possibly find himself dressing on Sunday in the biggest game of the year.
The Alouettes were middle of the pack offensively in the regular season, ranking fourth in points per game (21.2), yards per game (351.6) and yards per play (5.2). Montreal’s defence ranked fifth in both yards allowed per game (361.5) and points allowed per game (25.9) as well as sixth in sacks (37).
HAM
MTL