Week 14 in the CFL has three games on a packed Saturday slate beginning with an afternoon clash between the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts.
The Als are coming off back-to-back losses against strong Blue Bombers and Lions squads and things won't get any easier for them as they head on the road to face the Grey Cup odds-leading Argos.
CFL odds opened with Toronto as 10.5-point home chalk for this clash with the Over/Under at 51.5. Here are my best free Alouettes vs. Argonauts CFL picks for September 9.
Alouettes vs Argonauts best odds
Alouettes vs Argonauts picks and predictions
The Toronto Argonauts have won three in a row since suffering their only loss of the year in Week 9 but while their offense continues to steamroll opponents, their defense has shown cracks.
They're coming off a 41-28 win against Hamilton where they surrendered 296 passing yards and three touchdowns to third-string rookie quarterback Taylor Powell. They also had a tough time separating from a couple of mediocre offenses in their previous two games, allowing both the Stampeders and Redblacks to drop 31 points.
The Stamps rolled up 446 yards of offense in that Week 12 clash while Ottawa totaled 386 yards, including a career-high 292 passing yards from their own rookie QB Dustin Crum. Toronto's defense isn't necessarily bad but their quick-strike scoring and up-tempo pace leads to plenty of offensive opportunities for opponents who generally become aggressive with their own play-calling after falling behind.
The strength of Toronto's defense lies in its defensive line but the Montreal Alouettes have the highest graded offensive line in the league, according to PFF. The Alouettes have a balanced offense and rolled up a whopping 533 yards and four touchdowns in last week's loss to the Lions.
The Als have scored 25+ points in six of their last seven games despite missing starting quarterback Cody Fajardo for two of those contests. The only game during that span where they scored fewer than 25 points was when they traveled to IG Field on just four days of rest to face Winnipeg's stingy stop unit.
Getting fewer than five days of rest is a brutal spot and teams in that situation have gone 2-9 straight up and against the spread this year. That's another important factor to consider in this matchup since Toronto is on four days of downtime while Montreal previously played on Saturday.
With the Alouettes team total set at just 20.5, hammer the Over against a tired Toronto defense that has been giving up plenty of points.
My best bet: Alouettes team total Over 20.5 (-105 at BetRegal)
Alouettes vs Argonauts spread and Over/Under analysis
This line opened with the Argos as 10.5-point home favourites and the total at a whopping 51.5. Since these lines didn't come out until Tuesday night, there hasn't been any movement as of this preview on Wednesday morning.
The Alouettes went on a four-game winning streak between Week 8 and 11 but all of those victories came against sub-.500 teams. Over the last two weeks, they played the Blue Bombers and Lions and promptly showed that they aren't on the same level as the CFL's top dogs.
That's been the theme of the season for the Alouettes who routinely beat up the teams they should while losing to the Big 3 of the league. That Big 3 includes the defending Grey Cup champion Argos, who are 9-1 SU (8-2 ATS) and whose only defeat came in a contest where they lost superstar QB Chad Kelly to an early injury.
The Als did keep things close when these teams previously faced off back on July 14 in Montreal. That clash was a back-and-forth battle that Montreal tied up 27-27 with three minutes left in the game but Toronto responded with a touchdown to pull away.
Alouettes vs Argonauts trend to know
The Over is 7-1 in Montreal's last eight road games while going 5-2 in Toronto's previous seven contests at home. Find more CFL betting trends for Alouettes vs. Argonauts.
Alouettes vs Argonauts game info
| Location: | BMO Field, Toronto, ON |
| Date: | Saturday, September 9, 2023 |
| Kickoff: | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN |
Alouettes vs Argonauts key injuries
Alouettes: Landon Rice OT (Questionable), Kaion Julien-Grant WR (Questionable), Reggie White Jr. WR (Questionable), Wes Sutton DB (Questionable), Najee Murray DB (Out), Tyrell Richards LB (Out).
Argonauts: Tarvarus McFadden DB (Questionable), Trevon Tate OT (Questionable), Henoc Muamba LB (Out), Jared Brinkman DL (Out), DaShaun Amos DB (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.
