A reeling Calgary team looks to a winless Ottawa club as the cure for a two-game funk that's turned an average season sour.
Game Details
- Matchup: Calgary Stampeders vs Ottawa Redblacks
- When: Saturday, September 19 at 7:00 PM ET
- Where: McMahon Stadium, Calgary, AB
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Calgary Stampeders -9
- Moneyline: Calgary Stampeders -450, Ottawa Redblacks +350
- Over/Under: 62
Calgary has been a rollercoaster against the number this year, sitting 4-8-1 ATS with the over cashing in a whopping 10 of 13 games. Ottawa's not much more predictable at 3-6-1 ATS, though the Redblacks have leaned under more often than not at 5-6-1.
Overview
Nobody in Calgary is pretending this is a normal Week 16. The Stampeders (5-8) are coming off consecutive losses to Edmonton — a 38-28 defeat in Week 14 followed by a 53-16 embarrassment last Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium, where the Elks outscored them 50-9 over the final three quarters. Head coach Dave Dickenson didn't mince words afterward, and linebacker Marquel Lee echoed him: Calgary got physically beaten up front. Now they turn around and host the one team in the league that can't seem to buy a win.
The Redblacks (0-12) were mathematically eliminated from the playoff race in Week 15, a fact the league only noted in passing in its own release. Ottawa still nearly pulled off the upset in Toronto last week, with Chad Kelly needing 443 yards through the air just to survive a 26-23 final. Jake Maier went 16-of-23 for 192 yards and a touchdown before giving way to McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who now gets the start in Calgary — his first of the season, and he owns a 4-5 career record against the Stampeders. Ottawa's offense has been thin all year, particularly on the ground, where the Redblacks own the league's fewest rushing attempts, yards and 10-plus-yard carries.
Historically, this is a lopsided series. Calgary is 47-30-2 all-time against the Ottawa/Renegades/Rough Riders lineage, including a dominant 27-11 mark at McMahon Stadium, and Vernon Adams Jr. carries a personal 6-2 record against this franchise. Both clubs' last Grey Cup appearances actually came against each other — Ottawa in 2016, Calgary in 2018 — but there's no championship magic left in this particular meeting. Calgary is banged up and coming off a beatdown, but Ottawa is 0-12 for a reason, and the Stamps' offense, which ranks second in the league with 450 points and 50 total touchdowns, should be able to feast even without their top back. The edge here is Calgary's, and it isn't especially close.
Key Players
- Vernon Adams Jr. (Calgary Stampeders, QB) — Sitting at 2,904 passing yards, he needs just 96 more to crack 3,000 this season and carries a 6-2 career mark against Ottawa.
- Clarence Hicks (Calgary Stampeders, DL) — He's racked up a league-high 11 sacks and has taken down the quarterback in five straight games, including two more last week in Edmonton.
- Jalen Philpot (Calgary Stampeders, WR) — At 797 receiving yards, he needs just 34 more for a new career high and is on pace for over 1,100 this season.
- Jake Maier (Ottawa Redblacks, QB) — Ottawa's leading passer with 3,139 yards, though he could see reduced snaps again if McLeod Bethel-Thompson gets extended run in his first start.
- Alonzo Addae (Ottawa Redblacks, DB) — Ottawa's interception leader with 3, and one of the few bright spots on a defense that's allowed 439 points this season.
Keys to the Game
- Calgary needs its offensive line to bounce back after getting manhandled in Edmonton, especially with Dedrick Mills sidelined and the ground game now leaning on Ludovick Choquette and Deonta McMahon.
- The Stamps' defense has been excellent at creating extra possessions, sitting first in the league in interception-return yardage (318) and fumble-recovery yardage (107) — turning Ottawa's turnover-prone offense into points early would take this one out of reach fast.
- Calgary is 2-7 in games decided in the final three minutes and 0-4 in games decided by four points or less this season, so the smart move is putting Ottawa away well before it gets to crunch time.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bailey Devine-Scott | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Zy Alexander | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Reggie Begelton | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable |
| Dejon Brissett | Calgary Stampeders | Out |
| Jaydon Grant | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Ben Labrosse | Calgary Stampeders | Out |
| Dedrick Mills | Calgary Stampeders | Out |
| Jesulayomi Ojutalayo | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Charles Wiley | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
Depth Chart
Calgary Stampeders starters by position, built from the team's official Week 16 depth chart. This is a projected chart and may not reflect every mid-season adjustment.
| Position | Calgary Stampeders |
|---|---|
| QB | Vernon Adams Jr., Josh Love, Quincy Vaughn |
| RB | Deonta McMahon, Ludovick Choquette, Tyreik McAllister |
| WR/SB | Damien Alford, Clark Barnes, Jesulayomi Ojutalayo, Jalen Philpot, Reggie Begelton (GTD), Erik Brooks, Tevin Jones |
| LT | D'Antne Demery |
| LG | Zack Williams |
| C | Chris Fortin, Bryce Bell |
| RG | Christy Nkanu |
| RT | Brad Ashmore |
| DE | Kelon Thomas, George Idoko, Clarence Hicks / Daniel Joseph, Khairi Manns, Folarin Orimolade |
| DT | Miles Brown / Collin Kornelson, Jaylon Hutchings |
| LB | WLB: R.J. Moten, Kelechi Anyalebechi — MLB: Micah Teitz, Marquel Lee — SAM: Derrick Moncrief |
| DB | CB: Anthony Johnson, Adrian Greene — HB: Godfrey Onyeka, Zy Alexander, Anton Haie, Jaydon Grant — S: Ashton Miller-Melancon, Bailey Devine-Scott, Damon Webb |
| K | Rene Paredes |
| P | Mark Vassett |
| LS | Jason MacGougan |
Score Prediction
Calgary Stampeders 36 - Ottawa Redblacks 27. The Stamps' offense has too many weapons in Adams, Philpot and a suddenly deep receiving corps for Ottawa's worst-in-the-league run defense to slow down, and Clarence Hicks should get after Bethel-Thompson early. Ottawa's shown it can hang around for stretches — see last week's near-upset in Toronto — so expect a respectable final score, but not nearly enough to cover or pull the upset.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.