Thursday Night CFL betting preview and odds: Eskimos at Blue Bombers
The Blue Bombers have dropped six straight contests to the Eskimos.
Edmonton Eskimos at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (+3.5, 55)
The Edmonton Eskimos look to continue their dominance of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when they travel to Investors Group Field on Thursday. The Eskimos pulled out a thrilling 39-36 overtime victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Week 3 to hand Jason Maas his first win as a head coach and they hope to ride the momentum to their seventh consecutive triumph against the Blue Bombers.
Edmonton has won the last four meetings by an average margin of 21 points and can notch its fourth straight road win in the series. Winnipeg eased the pressure on embattled head coach Mike O'Shea by beating Hamilton 28-24 for its first win of the season last week. The Blue Bombers loaded up on big-name talent during free agency, but lost their first two games to bring O'Shea's record to 12-26 since taking the reins in 2014 but they held off the Tiger-Cats' late charge and will set their sights on beating Edmonton for the first time since July 26, 2012. "Hopefully this helps and hopefully people will ease off a bit," running back Andrew Harris told reporters. "This organization and the guys in the locker room have to stick together and keep that other stuff out of our ears."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TSN
LINE HISTORY: The Blue Bombers opened as 3.5-point home pups and were quickly bet to +3. However, since then they have moved back to the opening number. Meanwhile the total has seen much more action. The number opened at 52.5 and has been consistently been bet up all the way to the current number of 55. Check out the complete line history here.
ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (1-1, 0-2 ATS, 2-0 O/U): Mike Reilly has thrown for over 300 yards in five straight regular-season games after completing 27-of-37 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Saskatchewan. Adarius Bowman was the main beneficiary of Reilly's big night as he hauled in six passes for 141 yards and three touchdowns while John White rushed for 96 yards and a score. Linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis, who was acquired in a trade with Hamilton last week, tore his right bicep and will be sidelined for 12-16 weeks while defensive tackle Cedric McKinley was dealt to the Roughriders.
ABOUT THE BLUE BOMBERS (1-2, 1-2 ATS, 1-2 O/U): Drew Willy threw for 279 yards and one touchdown and Harris accumulated 104 yards from scrimmage in the crucial win over Hamilton. Defensive back Maurice Leggett was a disruptive force as he recorded five tackles, two interceptions, including a pick for a 50-yard touchdown and one sack while Adrian Hubbard stripped Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and recovered the fumble with the Tiger-Cats driving late in the game to preserve the victory. Linebacker Khalil Bass and kick returner Quincy McDuffie missed practice on Sunday but both players are likely to return in time to face the Eskimos.
TRENDS:
* Eskimos are 5-1 ATS in their last six meetings.
* Blue Bombers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.
* Over is 4-0 in Eskimos last four versus Western Conference opponents.
* Under is 7-1-1 in Blue Bombers last nine home games.
CONSENSUS: Bettors are baking the hot CFL trend to continue, with 56 percent of wagers taking the Eskimos and the points on the road. The public is more undecided when it comes to the total, with 51 percent of wagers giving the very slight edge to the Over.
EXTRA POINTS:
* Reilly has passed for 761 yards and five touchdowns in his first two games of 2016.
* Edmonton has scored 25 points or more in five of the last six meetings with Winnipeg.
* Willy is second in the CFL with 940 passing yards.
The Blue Bombers have dropped six straight contests to the Eskimos.
Edmonton Eskimos at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (+3.5, 55)
The Edmonton Eskimos look to continue their dominance of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when they travel to Investors Group Field on Thursday. The Eskimos pulled out a thrilling 39-36 overtime victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Week 3 to hand Jason Maas his first win as a head coach and they hope to ride the momentum to their seventh consecutive triumph against the Blue Bombers.
Edmonton has won the last four meetings by an average margin of 21 points and can notch its fourth straight road win in the series. Winnipeg eased the pressure on embattled head coach Mike O'Shea by beating Hamilton 28-24 for its first win of the season last week. The Blue Bombers loaded up on big-name talent during free agency, but lost their first two games to bring O'Shea's record to 12-26 since taking the reins in 2014 but they held off the Tiger-Cats' late charge and will set their sights on beating Edmonton for the first time since July 26, 2012. "Hopefully this helps and hopefully people will ease off a bit," running back Andrew Harris told reporters. "This organization and the guys in the locker room have to stick together and keep that other stuff out of our ears."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TSN
LINE HISTORY: The Blue Bombers opened as 3.5-point home pups and were quickly bet to +3. However, since then they have moved back to the opening number. Meanwhile the total has seen much more action. The number opened at 52.5 and has been consistently been bet up all the way to the current number of 55. Check out the complete line history here.
ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (1-1, 0-2 ATS, 2-0 O/U): Mike Reilly has thrown for over 300 yards in five straight regular-season games after completing 27-of-37 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Saskatchewan. Adarius Bowman was the main beneficiary of Reilly's big night as he hauled in six passes for 141 yards and three touchdowns while John White rushed for 96 yards and a score. Linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis, who was acquired in a trade with Hamilton last week, tore his right bicep and will be sidelined for 12-16 weeks while defensive tackle Cedric McKinley was dealt to the Roughriders.
ABOUT THE BLUE BOMBERS (1-2, 1-2 ATS, 1-2 O/U): Drew Willy threw for 279 yards and one touchdown and Harris accumulated 104 yards from scrimmage in the crucial win over Hamilton. Defensive back Maurice Leggett was a disruptive force as he recorded five tackles, two interceptions, including a pick for a 50-yard touchdown and one sack while Adrian Hubbard stripped Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and recovered the fumble with the Tiger-Cats driving late in the game to preserve the victory. Linebacker Khalil Bass and kick returner Quincy McDuffie missed practice on Sunday but both players are likely to return in time to face the Eskimos.
TRENDS:
* Eskimos are 5-1 ATS in their last six meetings.
* Blue Bombers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.
* Over is 4-0 in Eskimos last four versus Western Conference opponents.
* Under is 7-1-1 in Blue Bombers last nine home games.
CONSENSUS: Bettors are baking the hot CFL trend to continue, with 56 percent of wagers taking the Eskimos and the points on the road. The public is more undecided when it comes to the total, with 51 percent of wagers giving the very slight edge to the Over.
EXTRA POINTS:
* Reilly has passed for 761 yards and five touchdowns in his first two games of 2016.
* Edmonton has scored 25 points or more in five of the last six meetings with Winnipeg.
* Willy is second in the CFL with 940 passing yards.
