The Globe and Mail - 24.10.2019

THURSDAY,OCTOBER24,2019 | THEGLOBEANDMAILO FOOTBALL B17

B

o Levi Mitchell has been a
thorn in the side of the Win-
nipeg Blue Bombers.
The Calgary Stampeders quar-
terback sports an 11-2 career re-
cord against Winnipeg, his latest
win being a 37-33 home decision
over the Blue Bombers on Satur-
day night. The two teams com-
plete their home-and-home se-
ries Friday night at IG Field.
The Bombers aren’t alone.
Mitchell boasts a stellar 76-17-2
regular-season record as Cal-
gary’s starter and twice has been
named the league’s most out-
standing player (2016, ’18).
The 29-year-old native of Katy,
Tex., has also led Calgary to two
Grey Cup titles (2014, ’18), securi-
ng MVP honours in both contests.
He has passed for more than
4,000 yards during his career
against Winnipeg, boasting a 67.6
per-cent completion average
with 26 touchdowns against nine
interceptions.
Last week, Mitchell completed
22-of-33 passes for 337 yards with
three touchdowns and one inter-
ception to improve his record this
season to 7-2 as Calgary’s starter.
All three of his scoring strikes
were to Reggie Begelton, who
moved into a tie with B.C.’s Bryan
Burnham and Hamilton’s Bran-
don Banks for the league lead (10
TDs apiece). Mitchell has at least
one TD pass in his past 13 games
and thrown for 1,787 yards in his
past five contests.
Calgary (11-5) can clinch a
home playoff game with a win or
tie against Winnipeg (10-7). The

Stampeders would also secure

first place in the West Division

with a victory and Saskatchewan

(11-5) losing to Edmonton (8-8)

on Saturday.

Winnipeg needs to win to re-

main in the hunt for a home play-

off game. Both Calgary and Sas-

katchewan have a game in hand

on the Bombers.

Winnipeg opened the season

with five straight wins and ap-

peared on cruise control atop the

West Division with a 7-2 record.

But then starter Matt Nichols suf-

fered a season-ending shoulder

injury and the Bombers have

gone just 3-5 since.

Backup Chris Streveler has pro-

ven to be a much more effective

runner than passer, having

cracked the 200-yard passing

plateau just twice since assuming

the starting duties. Streveler has

run for 550 yards on 88 carries

(6.25-yard average) and seven

TDs over that span. However, he’s

gone four games without a rush-

ing TD. And there’s some ques-

tion whether Streveler (ankle)

will play Friday. Rookie Sean

McGuire replaced Streveler for

one series last week against Cal-

gary. However, veteran Zach Col-

laros practised Tuesday with Win-

nipeg’s first-team offence.

Regardless of who starts, Cal-

gary’s defence will present a big

challenge as the unit is ranked

second behind Winnipeg (45) in

forced turnovers with 42. But

what makes that stat even more

impressive is the Stampeders

have scored a CFL-high 113 points

off turnovers this season, 14 more

than the second-place Bombers.

Then again, there’s something

about playing at IG Field that defi-

nitely agrees with Winnipeg,

which is 7-1 at home this season.

But Calgary counters with a 4-3

road record and 7-1 West Division

record. And then there’s the mat-

ter of Mitchell, who always seems

to give the Stampeders a solid

chance for the win.

Pick:Calgary

HAMILTONTIGER-CATS

VS. MONTREAL ALOUETTES

(SATURDAY)

At Montreal, the question re-

mains how long will both teams

play their starters having already

clinched playoff berths. Hamilton

(13-3) has won four straight as

Dane Evans had a career-best 452

passing yards last week versus Ot-

tawa. The Alouettes (9-7) held on

for a 27-24 home win over Toron-

to as Vernon Adams Jr. threw

three TD passes and ran for 44

yards on seven carries. The home

team has won the previous two

matchups this season. Hamilton

will finish first in the East and the

Als are locked into second.

Pick:Montreal

OTTAWAREDBLACKS

VS.TORONTOARGONAUTS

(SATURDAYAFTERNOON)

At Toronto, the Argonauts (3-13)

look to sweep the three-game

season series with Ottawa (3-13).

Starter McLeod Bethel-Thomp-

son has led his squad to both pre-

vious victories. He threw for 342

yards and two TDs against Mon-

treal last week. Rookie Will Arndt

is 45-of-72 passing (62.5 per cent)

for 200 yards with two TDs and

three interceptions in two

straight starts for the Redblacks,

who’ve lost nine in a row.

Pick:Toronto

SASKATCHEWANROUGHRIDERS

VS.EDMONTONESKIMOS

(SATURDAYNIGHT)

At Edmonton, quarterback Cody

Fajardo leads Saskatchewan (11-5)

after signing a two-year contract

extension Monday. He remains

the CFL’s feel-good story and has

been a pivotal figure for a club

contending for first in the West.

The Riders can clinch a home

playoff game with a win or Winni-

peg loss or tie versus Calgary. Ed-

monton (8-8) activated starting

quarterback Trevor Harris (upper

body) from the six-game injured

list but won’t finish higher than

fourth in the standings.

Pick:Saskatchewan.

Last week:4-0.

Over all:53-20

THE CANADIANPRESS

Mitchelltotestrecordvs.BombersinCalgary

StampsQBhasgone

11-2againstWinnipeg

inhiscareer,includinga

winonSaturday;the

home-and-homeseries

wrapsuponFriday

StampedersquarterbackBoLeviMitchellfakesahandofftoTerryWilliamsagainsttheWinnipegBlueBombers

inCalgaryonSaturday.TheStampswon37-33.JEFFMCINTOSH/THE CANADIANPRESS

DANRALPH

J

ust last week, the Green Bay-
Kansas City game was looming
as one of the largest in the
NFL this season.
Then Patrick Mahomes went
down with a dislocated kneecap,
tainting a bit this made-for-
prime-time TV matchup against
Packers counterpart Aaron Rodg-
ers. Matt Moore, as experienced
as he is, doesn’t produce the same
what-will-he-do-next wizardry at
quarterback.
The injury made this contest a
little harder to pick, too, even if
the Chiefs have yet to rule out Ma-
homes, because the Packers
jumped to 4^1 ⁄ 2 -point favourites by
Wednesday.
Rodgers and the offence hit a
stride under new coach Matt La-
Fleur last week against Oakland,
sure, but winning at Kansas City is
never an easy task. With the Pack-
ers pegged fourth and the Chiefs
slotted seventh in the latest AP
Pro32 power poll, there’s plenty of
evidence that these are two of the
top teams in the league.
“We’ll see how it all goes,”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “but
we have a lot of confidence in
Matt.”
Mahomes or not, the Packers
could be due for a slight stumble,
so ...
Pick:Chiefs, 31-27.

Knockout pool:The AP prognos-
tication crew is still alive, almost
halfway through the season, so
now is the time to lean on the

home-field advantage MINNESO-

TA has at U.S. Bank Stadium,

where the Vikings have outscored

three opponents this year 100-36.

NO.30WASHINGTON(PLUS16)

ATNO.6MINNESOTA

Kirk Cousins faces his former

team for the first time. His prede-

cessor as quarterback of the Vik-

ings, Case Keenum, probably

needs another “Minneapolis Mir-

acle” pass – and then some – to

win this one.

Pick:Minnesota, 30-16

NO.31CINCINNATI(PLUS13)

VS.NO.13LOSANGELESRAMS,

INLONDON

The Rams ironed out some rough

spots last week. The Bengals have

many more issues, whether trav-

elling domestic or international.

Best bet:Rams, 38-13

NO.16PHILADELPHIA(PLUS2)

ATNO.8BUFFALO

The biggest disappointment of

the season to date visits the

league’s surprise success. The

Bills ought to be less daunting of a

foe than what the reeling Eagles

pass defence has faced lately.

Upset special:Eagles, 24-20

NO.9SEATTLE(MINUS3^1 ⁄ 2 )

ATNO.29ATLANTA

The Seahawks and Packers are the

only road favourites this week.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn might

secretly wish he was still running

Seattle’s defence.

Pick:Seahawks, 34-21

NO.24LOSANGELESCHARGERS

(PLUS4)ATNO.17CHICAGO

Setting aside the matter of Mitch-

ell Trubisky, this could be the type

of game the Bears defence can

win all by itself.

Pick:Bears, 17-10

NO.27NEWYORKGIANTS(PLUS7)

ATNO.15DETROIT

Golden Tate gets to see firsthand

that Matthew Stafford and the Li-

ons receivers are faring just fine

without him.

Pick:Lions, 27-24.

NO.18OAKLAND(PLUS6^1 ⁄ 2 )

ATNO.14HOUSTON

After two interceptions and three

sacks at Indianapolis last week,

Deshaun Watson will find less

stress at home against the Raid-

ers.

Pick:Texans, 35-27.

NO.28NEWYORKJETS(PLUS6)

ATNO.21JACKSONVILLE

No, those aren’t ghosts, Sam Dar-

nold, just empty seats.

Pick:Jaguars, 23-14.

NO.19ARIZONA(PLUS10)

ATNO.2NEWORLEANS

Can Teddy Bridgewater go 6-0?

The Saints keep marching on.

Pick:Saints, 33-20.

NO.26TAMPABAY(PLUS2^1 ⁄ 2 )

ATNO.20TENNESSEE

There would have been some seri-

ous buzz around this interconfe-

rence game, 20 years ago. Or even

in 2015, when Jameis Winston and

Marcus Mariota had so much

promise as the top two picks in

the draft.

Pick:Buccaneers, 28-24.

NO.11CAROLINA(PLUS5^1 ⁄ 2 )

ATNO.3SANFRANCISCO

The 49ers have beaten one team,

the Rams, with a winning record.

Here comes another one, albeit

on a cross-country road trip.

Pick:49ers, 17-13.

NO.25DENVER(PLUS6)

ATNO.10INDIANAPOLIS

The ideal game for airing any

commercial featuring Peyton

Manning. Jacoby Brissett is doing

both him and Andrew Luck

proud.

Pick:Colts, 26-17.

NO.23CLEVELAND(PLUS13)

ATNO.1NEWENGLAND

The Browns have had two weeks

to rest and prepare for the defend-

ing champions. The Patriots, alas,

have allowed just 48 points in sev-

en games. Forty-eight!

Pick:Patriots, 28-10.

NO.32MIAMI(PLUS14^1 ⁄ 2 )

ATNO.22PITTSBURGH

The Steelers have only two wins

entering the last weekend in Oc-

tober, but their four losses have

come by opponents with a com-

bined 23-4 record.

Pick:Steelers, 27-13.

2019RECORD

LastWeek:9-5 against spread, 11-3

straight up.

Season Totals:57-48-1 against

spread, 65-40-1 straight up.

Best Bet:5-2 against spread, 5-2

straight up.

Upset special:4-3 against spread,

4-3 straight up.

THE ASSOCIATEDPRESS

GreenBay-KansasCitymatchupisonetowatch–Mahomesornot

Thepotentialfaceoffbetweenthe

Packers’AaronRodgers,seenOct.

20inGreenBay,andKansasCity’s

PatrickMahomesseemsmadefor

TV.DYLANBUELL/GETTYIMAGES

DAVECAMPBELL

FALCONS’MATTRYANMISSES
PRACTICE,HOPEFULHEWILLPLAY
FLOWERYBRANCH,GA.Atlanta Falcons
coach Dan Quinn says quarterback Matt
Ryan is hopeful he’ll return from a
sprained ankle to play against Seattle. As
expected, Ryan did not practise Wednes-
day. He also may sit out Thursday’s prac-
tice. Quinn says the team “will have a
better sense” of the quarterback’s status
for Sunday’s game on Friday. The 34-year-
old Ryan limped off the field in last
week’s 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles
Rams. He was hurt when sacked by Aa-
ron Donald. Ryan has not missed a start
since 2009. His streak covers 154 regular-
season games. Veteran Matt Schaub
would make his first start since 2015 with
Baltimore if Ryan can’t play. Cornerback
Desmond Trufant, who has missed two
games with a toe injury, worked with a
trainer on a side field and could join
practice on Thursday.

SAINTSQBBREESSAYSPLAYING

AGAINSTCARDINALSISTHEPLAN

METAIRIE,LA.Drew Brees says he plans to

play Sunday against Arizona unless his

form in practice this week does not meet

his expectations. Brees, who spoke after

practice on Wednesday, says he is com-

fortable throwing an NFL ball now that

he is more than five weeks out of surgery

on his right thumb. But Brees says he

needs to see how accurate and effective

he is throwing during competitive team

drills this week before he knows for

certain that his return is best for the

team. Brees says that technically his

thumb won’t be fully healed until he’s

three months out of surgery, but that a

surgically inserted internal brace pro-

vides enough support for him to grip the

ball firmly now. With backup QB Teddy

Bridgewater filling in, the Saints have

won all five games Brees has missed since

his injury during New Orleans’ Week 2

loss to the Rams in Los Angeles.

CHARGERSLTRUSSELLOKUNGTO

MAKESEASONDEBUTSUNDAY

COSTAMESA,CALIF.Left tackle Russell

Okung will make his season debut for the

Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at Chica-

go. Coach Anthony Lynn announced the

decision Wednesday on Okung, who has

been out all season recovering from a

pulmonary embolism caused by blood

clots. Okung returned to practice last

week with the Chargers (2-5), who have

lost three straight with a struggling rush-

ing game. Lynn held Okung out of Los

Angeles’s loss at Tennessee last Sunday,

and the Chargers still haven’t officially

added him to the roster. Lynn says Okung

probably won’t play the entire game

against the Bears. The Chargers have lost

starting offensive linemen Mike Pouncey

and Forrest Lamp to season-ending in-

juries in the past month. Trent Scott has

been playing left tackle.

OSEMELEHAVINGSHOULDER

SURGERY;JETSYETTOAPPROVEIT

FLORHAMPARK,N.J.New York Jets guard

Kelechi Osemele says he is having sur-

gery on his injured right shoulder Friday

despite the team not yet approving the

procedure. Osemele says Wednesday he

received a third medical opinion earlier

this week, and it was recommended he

have the surgery on what he says is a

torn labrum that has detached from the

bone. Osemele said last Friday the team

doctor and an independent doctor in

California both recommended the sur-

gery, but a person with direct knowledge

of the situation told The Associated Press

both doctors determined it is actually a

pre-existing injury and cleared Osemele

to play through the injury. The Jets have

been fining Osemele for conduct detri-

mental to the team for not practising.

Osemele says he and his agents have filed

a grievance against the Jets.

THE ASSOCIATEDPRESS

FOOTBALLDIGEST