Eskimos-Alouettes odds: Montreal favored in Eastern Semi-Final
The Edmonton Eskimos (8-10) cross over from the West Division to face the Montreal Alouettes (10-8) in the East Division Semi-Final Sunday at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. The first game of Sunday's CFL playoffs doubleheader kicks off at 1 p.m. ET. We analyze the Eskimos-Alouettes odds and lines, while providing CFL betting picks and tips for the matchup.
Eskimos at Alouettes: Eastern Semi-Final preview, betting trends and notes
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- The two teams split their regular-season meetings, with the home side winning each time. The Eskimos were 32-25 victors in Week 1 while the Alouettes got revenge with a 20-10 victory in Week 6.
- Both teams missed the playoffs last season. They last met in the postseason in the 2008 East Final, which the Alouettes won 36-26.
- Montreal was 6-3 at home, while Edmonton was 3-6 on the road.
- The Alouettes beat the Ottawa Redblacks 42-32 last week in the regular-season finale. The Eskimos lost 23-13 on the road against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
- Eskimos QB Trevor Harris ranked second in the CFL with 4,027 passing yards in just 13 games played. He had 16 touchdown passes against six interceptions.
- Alouettes QB Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 3,942 yards and 24 touchdowns against 13 picks through 16 games.
Eskimos at Alouettes: Eastern Semi-Final odds, picks and betting tips
Odds via BetMGM ; access Paste BN Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated 4:45 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Eskimos 24, Alouettes 19
Moneyline (ML)
I like the value with the ESKIMOS at +115. Harris is easily the better of the two quarterbacks and looks to return to the Grey Cup with his new team after guiding the Redblacks to the final a year ago. Home field has been big in Montreal's success this season, but experience will prevail for Edmonton.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Eskimos to win outright returns a profit of $11.50.
Against the Spread (ATS)
The Eskimos were just 5-12 against the spread this season. They were 2-6 ATS on the road and 2-7 over their final 10 games. However, Harris was absent for a large portion of the stretch run with the exception of Week 20. The Alouettes were 10-8 ATS overall, 4-5 ATS at home and 5-5 ATS over their final 10 games.
The moneyline is a more profitable play, but take the ESKIMOS with the +2.5 points for a little insurance. The -115 odds will return a profit of $8.70 on a $10 wager should Edmonton lose by 1-2 points or win outright.
Over/Under (O/U)
The two regular-season meetings played to either side of Sunday's 49.5 projected total points. Take the UNDER (-106) with the defenses likely to tighten up in postseason play and Adams likely to show some early nerves.
Esten's CFL betting record: 66-69-1
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