Week 9 of the 2022 CFL season has the undefeated Winnipeg Blue Bombers visiting the 2-5 Montreal Alouettes. This has the makings of a typical West Division powerhouse against a lackluster East Division team. Montreal is coming off of a 24-17 loss to the unimpressive Hamilton Tiger-Cat, while The Blue Bombers defeated a very capable Calgary Stampeders squad 35-28. The last 10 meetings between these two teams gave Winnipeg the edge, 7-3, and oddsshark.com has the Blue Bombers as 5.5 point favorites.
The Blue Bombers have a potent offence, headed by QB Zach Collaros who leads the league with 1994 yards passing and a 15:5 ratio of TD’s to Interception’s. WR’s Dalton Schoen and Greg Ellingson are Collaros’ favorite targets, the duo combined for over 1,100 yards and 9 TD receptions this season. Ellingson has been sidelined for the last two games and is uncertain for week 9, if he returns the Alouettes will have to cope with the double threat. Canadian product, RB Brady Oliviera is a solid ball carrier, balancing the offence with 368 yards rushing. Montreal does not have a strong pass defence, having only two players with more than one interception. DL Mike Wakefield and LB Brian Harelimana are the main pass rush threat for Montreal, but it won’t be enough to stop Collaros from putting on a passing display.
The Alouettes QB Trevor Harris was pulled from last week’s game after taking a big hit following a 17 yard run. Harris appeared to be composed and ready to return to play, however he was sidelined for concussion protocol. I haven’t seen a confirmation yet, but the latest reports say he is expected to start in week 9. Harris was proficient against the Ti-Cats with 288 yards passing, a touchdown and a 61% completion rate, he does have potential. Montreal WR Eugene Lewis is a deep threat with 619 yards receiving and a 17.2 yard average per catch. After Lewis, the Al’s receiving threats are limited with WR’s Hergy Mayala and Reggie White Jr. as the only players with more than 200 yards in the last 7 games. RB Jeshrun Antwi is impressive, with over 300 yards this season and 6.6 yards per carry. Antwi has two spectacular runs this season with a 70 yarder in the opening game, and a 55 yard romp in week 7 against the Ottawa Redblacks. With statistics like that, it is tough to comprehend how he has NOT scored a single touchdown this season!
If you thought the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were intimidating on offence, have a look at their defence, the best in the CFL! Look for the Bombers’ DL’s Casey Sayles and Willie Jefferson to put some heat on Montreal QB Harris early in the game. The defensive line for the Blue Bombers is imposing, and their linebacker group is equally talented. Look for top coverage in the defensive backfield from DB’s like Nicholas Taylor, Demerio Houston and Donald Rutledge Jr. If Harris survives the pressure of the Winnipeg pass rush, he will have a challenge ahead of him. Harris will have to thread his passes “like a needle” if he wants success this week.
@TheBrysh sees this as a runaway victory for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. With a defence that is allowing less than 18 points per game, and a QB leading the league in passing yards and TD/INT ratio, the Bombers look NEARLY unbeatable! I’m sure the Blue ‘n Gold will take a loss this season, but I’m betting it won’t be at the hands of the Montreal Alouettes this week. I predict a 26-13 victory for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
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Written by: Jack Cameron @TheBrysh
