Montreal Alouetes vs Calgary Stampede
Play —- 1st Half Under (23.5) -110The 2022 CFL season kicks off on Thursday night at McMahon Stadium with the Calgary Stampeders hosting the Montreal Alouettes. Both teams will be looking for better results this season after early postseason exits in their respective division semifinals last year. Just how good both of these teams will be this season rests on how good the starting quarterbacks will be. Sure, you could say that about virtually every football team in existence ever, but in this particular case, both passers look nearly as capable of winning MOP as they are of getting benched.
And if I had my bet, Bo Levi Mitchell might just be donezo. The two-time league most outstanding player just ain’t that guy anymore. He still looked effective at times last year but finished with just 10 passing touchdowns and 15 interceptions during the regular season and playoffs. More of a concern for me was the off-season shoulder surgery that Bo underwent, and if the pre-season performances were anything to look at, he’s still not exactly ready to cook. (completing three of 10 passes for 37 yards and a pair of picks in his lone preseason action).
Montreal signal caller Vernon Adams Jr. is in a similar spot. He was one of the best QBs in the league in 2019 but struggled with his accuracy last season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 10. Even without Adams Jr down the stretch, the Alouettes managed to create the most yards from scrimmage of any team in the CFL last year —- and the always dangerous returner Mario Alford will remain a specials teams threat.
But I’m on the 1st Half Under because of two things —— the lines’ been absolutely juiced in the opposite direction in terms of total. Game started at 42.5, and has now risen all the way up to 47.5 —- in large part I suspect to the injuries the Stampeders are facing in their secondary. But I think what we are most likely to see here is a game that will feature a lot of ground-based football —- or as much as one can with a 3-down league.
Both offenses have work-horse running backs, and both offenses feature QB’s still perhaps a little uneasy on their surgically repaired shoulders. I’m looking for the Defenses to take center stage in the early going, as the teams feel themselves through the first game of the season.
Get all my picks/analysis over at my FREE NEWSLETTER!
Coochie vs The Bookie | DaCoochieCoo | Substack
Daily Plays and Betting Tips from the Danny Ocean of Sports Handicapping. Click to read Coochie vs The Bookie, by DaCoochieCoo, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
coochievsbookie.substack.com
Coochie vs The Bookie | DaCoochieCoo | Substack
Daily Plays and Betting Tips from the Danny Ocean of Sports Handicapping. Click to read Coochie vs The Bookie, by DaCoochieCoo, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
coochievsbookie.substack.com