Winnipeg Blue Bombers Entertain Calgary Stampeders
Kick off the third week of CFL betting action with another great tussle on the gridiron at Canad Inns Stadium. The surprising Winnipeg Blue Bombers will look to keep their undefeated record intact on Thursday, July 14 when they take on the Calgary Stampeders.
This midweek kickoff is slated for 5:00 p.m. (PT), and live television coverage can be found on TSN.
This is the second straight road test for the Stamps, who just barely survived last week with a 34-32 win at Empire Field against the BC Lions. Head coach John Hufnagel had to be very, very frustrated with his offense in the first half against the Leos, as Calgary only accounted for one major, and that came just 19 ticks before intermission.
It marked the second straight week in which the Stampeders have really gotten off to a slow start. In fact, in the first quarter this season, they only have a grand total of four points scored, and in the first half, they only have a total of 12.
Needless to say, for a team that ranked No. 1 in the league offensively a season ago, this just isn't going to cut it.
The good news is that the points have found their way onto the scoreboard late in both of the first two games of the year for Calgary. It has accounted for a shade under 400 yards of offense per game this season, No. 3 in the league, and a scoring average of 27.5 PPG is a healthy figure.
Henry Burris really needs to do a better job of protecting the pigskin, though. He already has four picks and a grand total of five turnovers for the year, and that just won't get the job done. Calgary is already a minus two this year in the turnover department, and that was a category that it really excelled at last season.
Meanwhile, Winnipeg has really been a treat for CFL bettors over the course of the first two weeks of the season. Despite being the worst team in the CFL last year, the Blue Bombers have come out of the blocks in 2011 with guns blazing, pulling upsets over both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts.
The key has been a stifling defense. The Blue Bombers rank No. 2 in the league in total defense at 327.0 YPG allowed, and No. 1 in scoring defense at 16.0 PPG allowed.
The only question is whether the league's worst rated offense is going to be able to get anything going against Calgary. Buck Pierce hasn't looked sharp under center this season, accounting for just 316 passing yards, and the offense only has two majors to its name on the campaign.
There is a ton of good news here for Winnipeg, though. The Blue Bombers have gone a stellar 5-1-1 ATS over the last seven duels between these teams. The home team had also won nine straight before Calgary came here to Canad Inns Stadium a season ago and stole a 35-32 victory.
Still, that was only good for a push for the Stamps, who were three point favorites on the day. They haven't covered a spread in Winnipeg since 2005, going 0-4-1 ATS since that point.
The Blue Bombers still aren't really getting the respect of the oddsmakers, as they are three point underdogs on Thursday night. The 'total' opened up at 52 at The Greek on Monday.
Kick off the third week of CFL betting action with another great tussle on the gridiron at Canad Inns Stadium. The surprising Winnipeg Blue Bombers will look to keep their undefeated record intact on Thursday, July 14 when they take on the Calgary Stampeders.
This midweek kickoff is slated for 5:00 p.m. (PT), and live television coverage can be found on TSN.
This is the second straight road test for the Stamps, who just barely survived last week with a 34-32 win at Empire Field against the BC Lions. Head coach John Hufnagel had to be very, very frustrated with his offense in the first half against the Leos, as Calgary only accounted for one major, and that came just 19 ticks before intermission.
It marked the second straight week in which the Stampeders have really gotten off to a slow start. In fact, in the first quarter this season, they only have a grand total of four points scored, and in the first half, they only have a total of 12.
Needless to say, for a team that ranked No. 1 in the league offensively a season ago, this just isn't going to cut it.
The good news is that the points have found their way onto the scoreboard late in both of the first two games of the year for Calgary. It has accounted for a shade under 400 yards of offense per game this season, No. 3 in the league, and a scoring average of 27.5 PPG is a healthy figure.
Henry Burris really needs to do a better job of protecting the pigskin, though. He already has four picks and a grand total of five turnovers for the year, and that just won't get the job done. Calgary is already a minus two this year in the turnover department, and that was a category that it really excelled at last season.
Meanwhile, Winnipeg has really been a treat for CFL bettors over the course of the first two weeks of the season. Despite being the worst team in the CFL last year, the Blue Bombers have come out of the blocks in 2011 with guns blazing, pulling upsets over both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts.
The key has been a stifling defense. The Blue Bombers rank No. 2 in the league in total defense at 327.0 YPG allowed, and No. 1 in scoring defense at 16.0 PPG allowed.
The only question is whether the league's worst rated offense is going to be able to get anything going against Calgary. Buck Pierce hasn't looked sharp under center this season, accounting for just 316 passing yards, and the offense only has two majors to its name on the campaign.
There is a ton of good news here for Winnipeg, though. The Blue Bombers have gone a stellar 5-1-1 ATS over the last seven duels between these teams. The home team had also won nine straight before Calgary came here to Canad Inns Stadium a season ago and stole a 35-32 victory.
Still, that was only good for a push for the Stamps, who were three point favorites on the day. They haven't covered a spread in Winnipeg since 2005, going 0-4-1 ATS since that point.
The Blue Bombers still aren't really getting the respect of the oddsmakers, as they are three point underdogs on Thursday night. The 'total' opened up at 52 at The Greek on Monday.
