I am not a fan of the CFL. That has been well-documented.
So, naturally, I will not be watching the Grey Cup on Sunday and here are my reasons why.
-I’m not being forced to watch it. The only reason I have watched this minor league championship in the past is because I have had to work on the sports desk and my colleagues need to watch it to do their jobs.
-There are much better NFL games on. Are you telling me if you’re a fan of the sport of football, you’d rather watch Hamilton-Calgary over the epic battle between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers or the Broncos and Chiefs in prime time? Because those are the two games that are on at the same time as the Grey Cup.
-There’s not even a good halftime show. Imagine Dragons is playing the Grey Cup. Their album is two years old and it’s not like Kendrick Lamar is going to come out and make “Radioactive†actually listenable.
-Even CFL fans didn’t tune in for the division title games. Ratings were down 20% from last year. I guess that’s what happens when the Saskatchewan Roughriders – whose fans really are propping up this league – aren’t involved.
Anyway, if I were to guess, I’d say the Calgary Stampeders take the Grey Cup easily. Jon Cornish will run wild over the Ticats defence and Zach Collaros can be too inconsistent at times and can’t be relied upon.
As for the real games on Sunday…
The lines are from Vegas and the home teams are in CAPs.
INDIANAPOLIS -9.5 over Washington
The Colts beat up on lesser teams and Washington sure fits in that category. Starting Colt McCoy over Robert Griffin III is just another sign of how much tumult this team is in.
HOUSTON -6.5 over Tennessee
With Arian Foster back, I like the Texans’ chances against the struggling Titans – even with Ryan Fitzpatrick involved in the offence again.
BUFFALO -2.5 over Cleveland
The Browns have won a lot of games with smoke and mirrors. Brian Hoyer has been terrible for weeks now and the Bills defence will be able to take advantage of him.
BALTIMORE -5.5 over San Diego
The Chargers playing an early game on the east coast is never a good thing. If this game was played on Monday night, Philip Rivers and Co. could have started their annual December run, but we’re still in November.
New York Giants -2.5 over JACKSONVILLE
Are you ready for Odell mania? After last week’s amazing catch, we’re just wondering what the Giants rookie can do against the poor Jags.
Cincinnati -3.5 over TAMPA BAY
The Bucs play teams tough, but the Bengals are getting healthy on offence and could light up Tampa Bay.
Oakland +7 over ST. LOUIS
As bad as the Raiders are, I don’t want to be giving a touchdown when Shaun Hill is my QB. This should be the ugly game of the day.
PITTSBURGH -4.5 over New Orleans
It just isn’t the Saints season. After losing three in a row at home, they’re now on the road – where they typically struggle – and face a well-rested Steelers team coming off a bye.
Carolina +3 over MINNESOTA
Cam Newton is running out of time to turn this season around. Coming off a bye and facing an equally weak Vikings team could be the recipe for success.
Arizona -2.5 over ATLANTA
If this was an early game, I might pick differently. The Falcons are somehow in the division lead, but that’s not saying much with the NFC South. The Cardinals defence could pitch a shutout on the Falcons running game in this one.
New England +3 over GREEN BAY
Two of the hottest offences in the league meet at Lambeau, but I trust the Patriots defence just slightly more. Getting points with Tom Brady is always a bonus too.
Denver -2 over KANSAS CITY
A lot of people are going with the Chiefs in this one, but I just don’t see it. A loss here for the Broncos would actually put their playoff hopes in jeopardy – somewhat unthinkable, right?
NEW YORK JETS +6.5 over Miami
The Dolphins are a pretty strong team, but the Jets seem to get up for games at weird times. In a prime-time division matchup, we’ll take the points – even with Geno Smith involved.
This week: 2-1
Last week: 9-5-1
This season: 94-79-2