The 2021 CFL season begins with a rematch of the 2019 Grey Cup between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The long-reigning CFL champions serve as hosts at IG Field for the 8:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Below, we look at the Tiger-Cats at Blue Bombers odds and lines and make our best CFL picks, predictions and bets.
The 2020 CFL season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic and it has been over 600 days since these teams last squared off. The Blue Bombers are still led by QB Zach Collaros while QB Jeremiah Masoli will be under center for the Ti-Cats after winning the starting job over Dane Evans.
Blue Bombers RB Andrew Harris, the MVP of the 2019 Grey Cup, won’t play Thursday due to a calf injury. He’ll be the most notable absence among many for both teams after the long layoff.
Tiger-Cats at Blue Bombers odds, spread and lines
Odds via Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Tiger-Cats -190 (bet $190 to win $100) | Blue Bombers +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Against the spread/ATS: Tiger-Cats -3.5 (-110) | Blue Bombers +3.5 (-125)
- Total: 50.5 (O: -140 | U: +100)
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Tiger-Cats at Blue Bombers odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Tiger-Cats 27, Blue Bombers 22
Money line
The Tiger-Cats were East Division champs in 2019 but had to play the Grey Cup with Evans at the helm of the offense in place of an injured Masoli. The Sanger, Texas native went 16-for-27 for 203 yards and 1 touchdown against 2 interceptions in the biggest game of his pro football career.
Without Harris, who rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown in the Grey Cup, look for Masoli to lead the Ti-Cats to a relatively easy victory as the best player on the field. He passed for 1,576 yards and 9 touchdowns while rushing for 4 more across six games in 2019 before being shut down.
Back the visiting TIGER-CATS (-190) to get some revenge in the 2021 season opener, even in front of an amped-up full-capacity crowd.
Against the spread
Back the TIGER-CATS -3.5 (-110) to win by at least 4 points as a better value play.
They outscored the rest of the CFL 551-344 in 2019 while the Bombers scored 508 points against 409 allowed in a third-place finish in the West Division.
Over/Under
Lean slightly to the UNDER 50.5 (+100).
Both offenses should be slower moving and more disjointed than the defense after the missed season. Additionally, the 2019 Grey Cup played to a total of just 45 points and the top offensive player from that game won’t be on the field.
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