The Calgary Stampeders were once considered unbeatable at home but have opened as heavy underdogs to the Toronto Argonauts this week.
The Stamps are coming off a 25-18 loss to the Montreal Alouettes during which the team was unable to reach the end zone, settling for six field goals from Rene Paredes. Jake Maier threw two costly interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown and the other of which came on a late potential game-tying drive.
Calgary had a remarkable run at home from 2012 to 2019, posting a combined record of 60-12. This included two 8-1 seasons in 2013 and 2015 as well as one perfect 9-0 run in 2016, which culminated in a Grey Cup appearance.
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The Stampeders were mere mortals at McMahon Stadium coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, going 8-8 during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. They’ve been flat-out bad at home this year, going 0-3 with losses to B.C., Saskatchewan, and Ottawa, two of which came in overtime.
Calgary dominated their matchup against the Argos at McMahon Stadium in 2022, earning a 29-2 victory. Toronto has since reached new heights, upsetting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in last year’s Grey Cup before opening the 2023 season with a perfect 6-0 record.
Toronto’s team is littered with former Stampeders, including head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, defensive coordinator Corey Mace, receiver DaVaris Daniels, defensive lineman Folarin Orimolade, linebacker Wynton McManis, and defensive back Royce Metchie. After losing both regular season games against their former team last season, this group of Argos should be anxious to get the win at McMahon this week.
Friday’s game between Toronto and Calgary is schedule for Aug. 4 with kickoff slated for 9:00 p.m. EDT.
The CFL’s betting lines for the rest of Week 8 are as follows.
[metabet_core_odds_board query=”531036″ site_id=”3downnation”]
[metabet_core_odds_board query=”531038″ site_id=”3downnation”]
[metabet_core_odds_board query=”531039″ site_id=”3downnation”]
