Dave Dickenson chases win No. 100 at McMahon against a Hamilton team the Stampeders have already torched once this season.
Game Details
- Matchup: Calgary Stampeders vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- When: Saturday, August 29 at 3:00 PM ET
- Where: McMahon Stadium, Calgary
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Calgary Stampeders -6
- Moneyline: Calgary Stampeders -275, Hamilton Tiger-Cats +220
- Over/Under: 60
Calgary sits 4-5-1 against the spread with the over hitting in eight of their ten games. Hamilton is 5-6 ATS but the under has cashed in seven of their eleven, a sign this line of 60 might be a stretch given how the Ticats have been playing on offense lately.
Overview
Both of these clubs are fighting from behind the pack, but only one of them owns the head-to-head bragging rights this year. The Stampeders (4-6) host the Tiger-Cats (4-7) at McMahon Stadium off a Week 11 loss to BC, while Hamilton limps in on a four-of-five losing skid capped by a 39-20 second-half collapse in Toronto. Calgary already handled this matchup once, running Hamilton off the field 44-20 back in Week 9, and since 2017 the Stamps are 5-1 against the Ticats at home. That trend, plus a defense missing key Hamilton pieces on offense, tilts this one hard toward the hosts.
Calgary's issue all year hasn't been scoring — they lead the league in points for at 378 — it's been stopping people, with 327 points allowed and a defense that's been shredded in shootouts against BC and Toronto the last two weeks. Hamilton has scored just 257 points, third-fewest in the league, and that offense took another hit when Bo Levi Mitchell landed back on a six-game injury extension, leaving Tre Ford to try to save the Ticats' fading playoff hopes on his own. Ford was sharp last week with a career-high 356 passing yards against Toronto, but the result was still a 19-point loss, and Hamilton's run game has been quiet with Larry Rountree averaging barely four yards a carry on the year.
The bigger question mark for Calgary is at quarterback. Vernon Adams Jr., who leads the entire CFL with 22 passing touchdowns and carries an 8-4 career mark against Hamilton, is questionable with a head injury and was limited in practice all week. If he can't go, Ben Wooldridge steps in under center — a sizable downgrade against a Hamilton defense anchored by Reggie Stubblefield, who leads the league in defensive tackles. Even with the QB uncertainty, Calgary's higher ceiling on offense and home-field history against the Ticats make them the play here.
Key Players
- Vernon Adams Jr. (Calgary Stampeders, QB) — Leads the CFL with 22 passing touchdowns and is 8-4 for his career against Hamilton, but he's questionable with a head injury heading into Saturday.
- Dedrick Mills (Calgary Stampeders, RB) — Calgary's workhorse has 756 rushing yards on the season and is cleared to go after being listed with a head injury during the week.
- Tre Ford (Hamilton Tiger-Cats, QB) — Sits 2-2 in his career against Calgary and just posted a career-high 356 passing yards with four 30-plus-yard completions against Toronto.
- Keric Wheatfall (Hamilton Tiger-Cats, REC) — Over his last two games he's put up 12 catches for 232 yards and a touchdown, Hamilton's most reliable weapon right now.
- Clarence Hicks (Calgary Stampeders, DL) — Has racked up four sacks over his last five games and gives Calgary a pass-rush problem for whichever Hamilton line takes the field.
- Reggie Stubblefield (Hamilton Tiger-Cats, LB) — Leads the entire league with 59 defensive tackles, the engine of a Ticats defense trying to keep this one respectable.
Keys to the Game
- Calgary needs its defense to clean up the tackling issues that let BC and Toronto hang points on them the last two weeks, especially against a Ford-led attack that just dropped 356 yards through the air.
- Whoever plays quarterback for Calgary — Adams Jr. or Wooldridge — needs to lean on Dedrick Mills early and control tempo rather than get into a track meet with a Hamilton offense missing its top passer.
- Hamilton has to find a way to slow Calgary's playmakers on the perimeter; they surrendered 44 points to this same Stampeders team back in Week 9 and can't afford a repeat if they want to stay in the East race.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Vernon Adams Jr. (QB) | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable — Head |
| Reggie Begelton (WR) | Calgary Stampeders | Out — Knee |
| Bailey Devine-Scott (DB) | Calgary Stampeders | Out — Hamstring |
| Anton Haie (DB) | Calgary Stampeders | Out — Hamstring |
| Dedrick Mills (RB) | Calgary Stampeders | Available — Head |
| Rene Paredes (K) | Calgary Stampeders | Available — Hip |
| Eric Rascoe (LB) | Calgary Stampeders | Out — Shoulder |
| Quincy Vaughn (QB) | Calgary Stampeders | Available — Hamstring |
Depth Chart
Calgary Stampeders starters by position, built from the team's official Week 13 depth chart. This is a projected chart and may not reflect any last-minute mid-week changes.
| Position | Calgary Stampeders |
|---|---|
| QB | Ben Wooldridge (in for Vernon Adams Jr.), Josh Love, Quincy Vaughn |
| RB | Dedrick Mills, Ludovick Choquette, Tyreik McAllister |
| WR (wide) | Clark Barnes, Damien Alford |
| SB (slot) | Jalen Philpot, Ajou Ajou, Dejon Brissett, Erik Brooks, Jesulayomi Ojutalayo |
| OL | LT D'Antne Demery, LG Zack Williams, C Chris Fortin (Bryce Bell), RG Christy Nkanu, RT Brad Ashmore |
| DL | DE Clarence Hicks / Kelon Thomas, DT Elijah Hills / Jaylon Hutchings, DT Miles Brown, DE Tristan Marois / Charles Wiley / Folarin Orimolade |
| LB | WLB Kelechi Anyalebechi / Kyle Wilson, MLB Micah Teitz / Marquel Lee, SAM R.J. Moten / Derrick Moncrief |
| DB | CB Anthony Johnson, HB Godfrey Onyeka / Zy Alexander, S Ashton Miller-Melancon / Damon Webb, HB Jaydon Grant, CB Adrian Greene / Ben Labrosse |
| K | Rene Paredes |
| P | Mark Vassett |
Score Prediction
Calgary Stampeders 33 - Hamilton Tiger-Cats 27. Calgary's offense keeps its edge behind Dedrick Mills and whoever lines up at quarterback, while Hamilton's Tre Ford makes it interesting through the air but can't get enough stops against a Stampeders unit that's averaged 30-plus points for most of the season — a repeat of the Week 9 blowout script, just closer.
CFL Standings | Full Schedule | League Leaders
Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.