Time for a visit to the quite interesting Canadian Football League and the match between the Elks of Edmonton and the Redblacks of Ottawa. Kickoff is at 23:00 GMT on Jul 06 at PlayAlberta Field. While it’s still too early into the league (the match in question is just for Round 5), we already have a preliminary picture of the strong and the weak teams of the East and West Divisions. Keep in mind that the championship lasts a lot less than the relevant NFL season in the USA.
Edmonton in deep trouble
The hosts still owe their match against Winnipeg. However, they already count two losses in 2 games. And two rather bad ones at that. Therefore, the two upcoming matches form their lifeline for a better standing and qualification for the playouts. On the other hand, the visitors, having played three matches, have 1 win and 2 defeats and are ranking 2nd in the East Division behind Montreal which already count 3 wins. Same do Saskatchewan and Winnipeg should they emerge victorious after hosting Edmonton.
Looking at the rest of the numbers, we have two rather poor defenses and two rather ineffective offensive lines. The home side are at -27 differential, while Ottawa are only a little better at -18. These stats can be read both ways. Either we will have a match of top scoring because of the inability to keep attacks away from the in-zone, or a low scoring games because of the inability to score points!
They can’t fall too far behind
And this goes for both. Besides Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Montreal, there’s also Calgary that have a better record. Which means that the 4 playoff spots are covered. They need wins to change that and they need them rather urgently. Should Edmonton lose to Winnipeg, which is a real possibility, and Ottawa win in Toronto, then the hosts will be backed with their backs to the wall.
There’s still more than a week until this match kicks off and we will be keeping an eye on things. At this time, both sides enjoy a higher than @2.20 set of odds.
Update
More or less as expected, Edmonton lost to Winnipeg 36-23. However, unexpectedly, Ottawa lost to Toronto 29-16! And now, it has become a confrontation between the two very last teams of the standings in both Eastern and Western Conferences. The Redblacks at least have one win to show for their efforts. The Elks have none.
Last call before a broken season
If either of the two sides want to make it through and qualify for the playoffs, they need to start winning. Period. Especially the hosts. For them, winning this one will just tie the record. Yet, it is also a good place to start. It will also be a good morale booster. However, it seems that the bookmakers do not think that they stand a real chance of doing so. This is most likely the reason that the odds at this time say @2.12 for Edmonton and @1.78 for Ottawa.
The only other acceptable market with a good payout is the one that says under 52 points at @1.98. While we have already discussed the shortcomings of both offenses and defenses, it will probably be more than that the total at the final score. So, we will trust our gut on this one and suggest to everyone that wants to open an account at the best betting platform, to go for the win of the home side Edmonton.