Week 16 Picks: Moving into must-win territory

Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-10) at Ottawa Redblacks (6-6)
Fri., Oct. 7, 7 p.m. EST

Saskatchewan (3-10) comes off the bye looking for a third straight win and second this season over Ottawa after a 30-29 victory in July. Mitchell Gale led the Riders on their game-winning drive against Hamilton on Sept. 24 after starter Darian Durant suffered a head injury but Durant is expected back under centre. The Redblacks can earn some much-needed separation over idle Hamilton with a victory. Veteran Trevor Harris threw for 485 yards and two TDs in last week’s 40-33 loss to B.C., but also had an interception returned for a TD.

Dunk: The Riders are on a roll but is stops now. REDBLACKS
Edwards: Saskatchewan is playing with confidence. Irrational confidence, but still. RIDERS
Smith: I don’t trust either team, but as crazy as it is to say, I trust Ottawa less. RIDERS
Filoso:  Eventually, all those yards Ottawa racks up has to turn into red zone success REDBLACKS
Hodge: The East beats the West for the first time since August. REDBLACKS
Busby: This would be a good time for the RedBlacks to start putting things together for a stretch run. REDBLACKS
Gasson: Ottawa’s offence is back. REDBLACKS
Totals: REDBLACKS 5 RIDERS 2

B.C. Lions (9-4) at  Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-6)
Sat., Oct. 8, 4 p.m. EST

After reeling off seven consecutive wins, Winnipeg has lost two straight. A ball-hawking defence anchored the win streak but has forced just two turnovers the last two weeks. Matt Nichols – who had just one interception over the win streak – has been picked off in both defeats. The Bombers can clinch a playoff berth with a win and losses by both Toronto and Montreal. B.C. comes off an exciting 40-33 win over Ottawa as quarterback Jonathon Jennings threw for 348 yards and three TDs. Linebacker Solomon Elimimian added 13 tackles, one off his club record. The Lions can secure a post-season spot with a win or tie or losses by both the Als and Argos.

Dunk:  Winnipeg needs to get back to their winning ways. Like, now. BOMBERS
Edwards:  The Bombers need mistakes from their opponents to win. That’s not B.C.’s bag. LIONS
Smith: To borrow from Lionel Richie, we are going to be seeing Jennings to Arceneaux all night long. LIONS
Filoso:  Bombers are on a cold streak, BC is not LIONS
Hodge: The Bombers simply haven’t been getting enough pressure lately. This one’ll be close, but… LIONS
Busby: A matchup between two teams trying to prove they are for real. Can’t believe I’m saying this. BOMBERS
Gasson: game of the week. BC just a bit better. LIONS.
Totals: LIONS 5 BOMBERS 2

Edmonton Eskimos (7-7) at  Montreal Alouettes (4-9)
Mon., Oct. 10, 1 p.m. EST

Edmonton is back in the thick of the West Division playoff race with consecutive wins over Winnipeg and B.C. Mike Reilly has thrown for a combined 655 yards and three TDs in the victories and the Eskimos have also had a 100-yard rusher in each contest. The dual receiving threat of Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker continues to create matchup issues for rival defences. Montreal chases a second straight win under interim head coach Jacques Chapdelaine. The coaching change certainly agreed with Rakeem Cato, who threw four TD passes in last week’s 38-11 victory over Toronto.

Dunk: Cato, unleashed. ALS
Edwards: With the offensive (sorta) fixed, Montreal’s defensive shines. ALS
Smith: Als got the new-coach bump last week. Won’t happen two weeks in a row. ESKIMOS
Filoso:  Don’t let the Als win last week fool you, this is still a bad team ESKIMOS
Hodge: These Alouettes ain’t going streaking anytime soon. ESKIMOS
Busby: Als come back to reality after great opening win for Chapdelaine. ESKIMOS
Gasson: Als come back from their new coach bump, ALS.
Totals: ESKIMOS 4 ALS 3

Calgary Stampeders (12-1-1) at Toronto Argonauts (5-9)
Mon., Oct. 10, 4 p.m. EST

Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson can register his 13th win of the season when Calgary visits the Toronto at BMO Field. That would move him into a tie with Adam Rita (1991 with Toronto), John Hufnagel (2008 with Stamps) and Mike Benevides (2012 with B.C.) for most regular-season wins by a first-year head coach. Stopping Calgary won’t be easy for a Toronto squad that’s lost seven of its last eight games. The Argos are in definite must-win territory as they trail Hamilton (6-8) and Ottawa (6-6-1) in the East Division and are just two points up on Montreal (4-9).

Dunk: Calgary is good. The Argos… STAMPS
Edwards: Toronto needs to circle the wagons. But not against these cowboys. STAMPS
Smith: One team just gutted their roster and the other hasn’t lost since Week 1. STAMPS
Filoso:  If you thought things were ugly in the Big Smoke this week, wait until they get blown out by Mitchell and Company STAMPS
Hodge: I’ll be impressed if Toronto keeps this one within twenty. STAMPS
Busby: Just foolish to bet against the Stamps in what is essentially a neutral site game. STAMPS
Gasson: yeah, STAMPS
Totals: STAMPS 7 ARGOS 0

Season records
Dunk: 39-21-1
Edwards: 37-23-1
Smith: 37-23-1
Filoso: 37-23-1
Hodge: 35-25-1
Busby: 30-30-1
Gasson: 29-31-1