CFL’s Sunday evening bout in Week 3 pits familiar foes the Hamilton Tiger-Cats versus the Saskatchewan Roughriders. By that we don’t mean that the CFL is only a nine-franchise league so every club is relatively familiar with one another, but rather that the same teams butted heads at the conclusion of Week 2, with the Roughriders pulling off a miraculous 33-30 comeback victory.

Our CFL odds believe that Saskatchewan will complete the two-match sweep as they’re pegged at -2.5.

CFL Odds and Betting

Last week’s victory for the Roughriders halted a two-game slide against the Ticats dating back to two seasons ago. In fact, 2022 was the last time the Roughriders claimed a victory over their Ontario rivals at home. Sunday night’s Week 3 capper will also serves as Saskatchewan’s home opener at Mosaic Stadium.

As for performances against the spread, both clubs have records identical to their straight-up results, with the Roughriders starting the campaign 2-0 and the Tiger-Cats getting off to a slower 0-2 start.

As for the injury bug, the hosts have been bitten much more. No fewer than nine Roughriders were either limited or did not partake in practice on Wednesday. That includes three offensive lineman: Philip Blake (thigh), Peter Godber (personal), and Jermarcus Hardrick (ankle).

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Through two weeks of the 2024 CFL season, few would dispute that the Tiger-Cats are putting in a decent effort. That said, things are not panning out in their favour, with costly mistakes coming back to haunt them at the most inopportune moments of games.

In Week 2 at home to the Roughriders, the Ticats played a good game overall. QB Bo Levi Mitchell was slinging it all around, looked comfortable for most of the night, and put in his best effort in black and gold since arriving in 2023 (27-for-38, 380 yards, three TDs, one INT). Kiondre Smith had himself a night, hauling in six passes for 119 yards and a major, with fellow wideout Shemar Bridges not far behind (six catches for 72 yards and a score). What’s more, they held a 20-7 advantage when the halftime whistle blew.

But just as Edmonton struggled late at home versus Saskatchewan in Week 1, so too did Hamilton flounder at closing a game in Week 2. Back breaking defensive failings allowed the Roughriders to keep marching down the field in the fourth quarter for field goals and touchdowns. After allowing the visitors to tie the game at 30-30 with less than a minute remaining, a Levi Mitchell pass to WR Tim White bounced off the receiver’s chest and into the hands a green and white defender, setting up the game-clinching FG.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Just as one can see the positives in Hamilton’s play despite finishing on the wrong end, the story for Saskatchewan so far is that they are a heck of a second-half football team, but they would do well to help themselves and play a full 60 minutes.

By the same token, it’s only Week 3 of a long CFL campaign and the fact of the matter is that head coach Corey Mace has his men believing that they’re never down for the count. The Roughriders are the comeback kids of the season thus far. After a forgettable first half, they collected themselves at halftime and won the second and third quarters by a combined 26-10 and still trailed 30-20 with less than 10 minutes to go. We emphasized the Tiger-Cats’ mistakes in the previous section, but credit goes to the Roughriders for sticking with it and cashing in on their opportunities.

QB Trevor Harris is having a wonderful start to the season, leading all CFL gun slingers with 695 yards and five touchdowns. Harris’ favourites target has been Jerreth Sterns (193 yards), with Shawn Bane Jr. leading with league with a trio of scores.

Who Will Win Tiger-Cats vs. Roughriders?