The 2023 CFL playoffs are finally upon us and the records have been wiped clean. The Grey Cup is ripe for the taking for any team that can get hot at the right time, which is music to the ears of a couple of sub-.500 teams taking on the role of underdog on Semi-Final Saturday.
The race for the 3DownNation picks crown is just as open, with a massive log jam at the top. Just Brendan McGuire has been mathematically eliminated from taking home the straight-up title, while he, Justin Dunk, Josh Smith, Ben Grant, John Hodge and Andrew Hoskins have been ruled out against-the-spread.
If you think you have the chops to match our experts, try 3DownNation’s new Pick’em game. It’s free to play with a $50 Amazon gift card up for grabs each game. All residents of Canada and the U.S. are eligible to participate, excluding Quebec.
Photo courtesy: Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Saturday, November 4: Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Montreal Alouettes — 3:00 p.m. EDT
Pinch me, this feels like deja vu. Not only is this a rematch of last year’s Eastern Semi-Final, these two teams also faced off last week in the regular-season finale — a 22-20 win by Montreal. The Alouettes easily swept the three-game season series between the two teams and remain undefeated against sub-.500 opponents, but this should be a distinctly different Ticats team than what they are used to. Orlondo Steinauer is intent on rolling with a two-quarterback system through the playoffs and it won’t be franchise pivot Bo Levi Mitchell serving as the lead-off hitter. Instead, veteran backup Matthew Shiltz has been tapped to start and figure out the stingy Als’ defence. Offensively, Montreal offers more of the same with the conservative Cody Fajardo under centre and could see their ground game suffer without top offensive lineman Pier-Olivier Lestage.
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DUNK: Grey Cup or bust means there’s all kinds of pressure on Hamilton to perform. Two QB systems aren’t sustainable long-term but the Tabbies have made it work under Orlondo Steinauer in the past.
Straight-up: TICATS. Against the spread: TICATS.
HODGE: Montreal plays a low-risk, opportunistic style of football perfect for taking advantage of a lesser opponent in the playoffs. They’ll lose next week, but the Alouettes will get it done against Hamilton.
Straight-up: ALS. Against the spread: ALS.
ABBOTT: Hamilton is a boom-or-bust team with a pair of quarterbacks that are equally likely to create a big play as they are to make a big mistake. That’s not a sustainable model for success, but it could create some fireworks with the prospect of a home Grey Cup on the line.
Straight-up: TICATS. Against the spread: TICATS.
BALLANTINE: As a rule, Montreal has beaten everyone below them in the standings all season. This weekend proves to be the exception to the rule.
Straight-up: TICATS. Against the spread: TICATS.
FILOSO: Jason Maas’ squad wins the games they should — that’s why they’ve beaten Hamilton every time they’ve played them this season. Saturday will be no different.
Straight-up: ALS. Against the spread: ALS.
GASSON: It feels odd to bet against a team that hasn’t lost to a team below them in the standings all year but Hamilton did the smart thing instead of the safe thing. If Bo was starting, I’d bet on Montreal.
Straight-up: TICATS. Against the spread: TICATS.
GRANT: The same solid Montreal team shows up each week, while Hamilton is all over the road. They have a gear Montreal doesn’t have, but they also burn out the clutch a lot. Fasten your seatbelts.
Straight-up: TICATS. Against the spread: TICATS.
HOSKINS: Montreal’s defence continues to dominate teams under .500. The home crowd helps them even more.
Straight-up: ALS. Against the spread: ALS.
KLEIN: The Als’ success against sub-.500 teams continues in a close win.
Straight-up: ALS. Against the spread: ALS.
MCGUIRE: The Alouettes were busy bragging about their 11-win season last weekend, while the Ticats were laser-focused on this playoff game. Tabbies in a romp.
Straight-up: TICATS. Against the spread: TICATS.
SMITH: The Als have spent all year beating up on teams with losing records. I don’t see why that would end with the last one they will face.
Straight-up: ALS. Against the spread: TICATS.
TOTALS STRAIGHT-UP: Hamilton 6, Montreal 5
TOTALS AGAINST THE SPREAD: Hamilton 7, Montreal 4
Photo courtesy: Paul Yates/B.C. Lions
Saturday, November 4: Calgary Stampeders at B.C. Lions — 6:30 p.m. EDT
Same two teams as last year, near identical storylines. After the Stampeders stunned the Lions with a 41-16 blowout in Week 20, all the focus will be on Calgary’s vaunted running game led by Ka’Deem Carey. The same was true in 2022, only for Dave Dickenson to abandon his game plan early in the face of a dangerous B.C. aerial assault and place the burden on an overwhelmed Jake Maier, who had to be pulled in the fourth quarter. The Stamps are certain to be much more bullish on the ground in this game, but Vernon Adams Jr. and his star-studded receiving corps could still take it out of their hands — just as they did in the first two meetings between the teams this season. The Lions will also have their own boost to the ground game thanks to the return of Taquan Mizzell.
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DUNK: Vernon Adams Jr. still needs to prove he can win in the playoffs. Dave Dickenson will have Calgary ready for an upset.
Straight-up: STAMPS. Against the spread: STAMPS.
HODGE: B.C. got punched in the mouth two weeks ago but won’t let that happen again as they look for a West Final rematch against Winnipeg. If Vernon Adams Jr. is on his game, this one doesn’t have to be close.
Straight-up: LIONS. Against the spread: LIONS.
ABBOTT: The Stampeders have a perfect game plan for how to beat the Lions, but they tipped their hand too early. With two weeks to dissect the Calgary defence on tape, Jordan Maksymic and Vernon Adams Jr. will ensure the point differential is too wide for the running game to matter.
Straight-up: LIONS. Against the spread: LIONS.
BALLANTINE: The Stampeders lineup that is headed to B.C. is the same one that beat the Lions by 25 two weeks ago when both teams needed a win. Look for Carey and Logan to run Calgary all the way to Winnipeg.
Straight-up: STAMPS. Against the spread: STAMPS.
FILOSO: The Stamps’ 2023 season won’t be classified as a failure simply because they snuck into the playoffs, but there’s no magical run about to happen. This is a bad team versus a good one.
Straight-up: LIONS. Against the spread: LIONS.
GASSON: Calgary knows what they have to do to win. So does B.C. now. This will come down to who executes better. I think B.C. will find a way to stop the run.
Straight-up: LIONS. Against the spread: LIONS.
GRANT: I’ve been trying to talk myself into thinking this will be a game, but regardless of what happened a few weeks ago, this isn’t your slightly older brother’s Stamps anymore. B.C. is a very good team and Calgary just isn’t.
Straight-up: LIONS. Against the spread: LIONS.
HOSKINS: The Stamps won a couple of weeks ago but B.C. is still the better team.
Straight-up: LIONS. Against the spread: LIONS.
KLEIN: The Lions will learn from that upset a couple of weeks ago. The Stamps will do enough to keep it close but not enough to seal the deal.
Straight-up: LIONS. Against the spread: STAMPS.
MCGUIRE: This will depend on which VA shows up: Good Vernon Adams or bad Vernon Adams. Good VA is due for an appearance.
Straight-up: LIONS. Against the spread: LIONS.
SMITH: The Stamps got their big win in B.C. a couple of weeks ago. I see no reason to think a repeat of both of those performances will be in the cards for this one.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
