Winless and banged up on defence, the Ottawa Redblacks hit the road looking for anything resembling momentum against a wounded but still-favored Elks squad.

Game Details

Matchup: Ottawa Redblacks at Edmonton Elks
When: Thursday, July 9 at 9:00 PM ET
Where: Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
TV: TSN
Stream: Watch live on CFL+

Odds

Spread: Edmonton Elks -7
Moneyline: Ottawa Redblacks +245, Edmonton Elks -305
Over/Under: 58

Ottawa is 1-1-1 against the spread this season with two overs and two unders, while Edmonton sits at 2-1 ATS with the same over/under split. Vegas clearly still respects the Elks despite last week’s stumble, and this line hasn’t budged much off what you’d expect for a 3-1 team hosting an 0-4 club.

Overview

This is about as lopsided a gap as you’ll find on paper. The Redblacks are the last winless team in the league at 0-4, having been outscored 137-102, and they’ve lost four straight dating back to that Week 1 defeat to this very Elks team. Ottawa jumped Edmonton in that opener before falling 29-21, and head coach Ryan Dinwiddie has been blunt about what’s sinking his club since — penalties. After Saturday’s 27-22 loss to Saskatchewan, Dinwiddie called it “self-inflicted,” pointing to flags that turned a 10-0 Ottawa lead into another defeat. That kind of talk after four straight losses tells you where this team’s head is at.

Edmonton, meanwhile, arrives off its first loss of the year, a 36-24 blowout in BC where James Butler and the Lions’ ground game ran the Elks ragged. That’s the first real crack in what had been a 3-0 start, and it’s fair to wonder if a home date against the league’s only winless team is exactly the get-right spot Edmonton needs. History says probably. The Elks have won three of four, own the head-to-head over Ottawa already this season, and get to play in front of their own crowd at Commonwealth Stadium off a short week of rest to fix what went wrong against BC.

The real story here is depth — or lack of it — on Ottawa’s defence. The Redblacks are dealing with a flood of injuries at linebacker and defensive back, including leading tackler Nyles Morgan’s running mates and top ball-hawk Scott Hutter, who’s out with ribs. Against a Cody Fajardo-led offence that’s found different ways to win each week, that’s a brutal problem to solve on the road. Edmonton has the clear edge here, and it’s not particularly close.

Key Players

Jake Maier (Ottawa Redblacks, QB) — Ottawa’s offence goes as far as Maier can carry it, and he’ll need a big night to keep pace with Edmonton’s attack.
Greg Bell (Ottawa Redblacks, RB) — Paired with Daniel Adeboboye in the backfield, Bell gives Ottawa its best chance to control the clock and keep this one from getting away early.
Cody Fajardo (Edmonton Elks, QB) — 101-of-149 for 1,159 yards and 6 TDs on the year; he’s got four picks too, which is where Ottawa’s banged-up secondary has to find a way to cash in.
Justin Rankin (Edmonton Elks, RB) — Leads the CFL with 406 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, and against an Ottawa front missing multiple linebackers, he’s the guy who could turn this into a laugher.
Nyles Morgan (Ottawa Redblacks, LB) — Ottawa’s tackling leader is going to be extremely busy trying to plug gaps with reinforcements thin behind him.

Keys to the Game

Ottawa has to find a way to slow Justin Rankin without bleeding out its already-thin linebacker corps even further.
Penalties have been Dinwiddie’s public enemy No. 1 — the Redblacks simply cannot afford self-inflicted wounds against a team this talented.
Jake Maier needs an efficient, mistake-free night through the air to keep this from turning into a track meet Edmonton wins comfortably.

Injury Report

PlayerTeamStatus

King Ambers (DB)Ottawa RedblacksOut
Habakkuk Baldonado (DL)Ottawa RedblacksAvailable
Emeric Boutin (FB)Ottawa RedblacksOut
Michael Brodrique (LB)Ottawa RedblacksOut
Aaron Casey (LB)Ottawa RedblacksOut
Scott Hutter (DB)Ottawa RedblacksOut
Nick Mardner (WR)Ottawa RedblacksOut
Daniel Okpoko (DL)Ottawa RedblacksOut
Jamie Pettway (LB)Ottawa RedblacksOut
Kalil Pimpleton (WR)Ottawa RedblacksAvailable
Luiji Vilain (DL)Ottawa RedblacksAvailable
Michael Wakefield (DL)Ottawa RedblacksAvailable
Keelan White (WR)Ottawa RedblacksQuestionable
Bennett Williams (DB)Ottawa RedblacksOut

Depth Chart

Ottawa Redblacks starters by position, built from the official Week 6 depth chart. This is a projected look and may shift with in-game adjustments.

PositionOttawa Redblacks

QBJake Maier (McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Bryson Barnes)
RBGreg Bell (Daniel Adeboboye)
FBAnthony Gosselin
WR (Boundary)Eugene Lewis
WR (Field)Binjimen Victor, Kalil Pimpleton
SBJustin Hardy, Cade McDonald, Ayden Eberhardt
LTDino Boyd
LGDrew Desjarlais
CSean McEwen, Samuel Carson
RGGiordano Vaccaro
RTZack Pelehos
DECharlie Parks, Aidan John, Habakkuk Baldonado
DTCleyon Laing, Jelani Stafford, Muftah Ageli
DE (Field)Kemari Munier-Bailey, Luiji Vilain, Michael Wakefield
WLBBrian Cole II, Lucas Cormier
MLBBenjamin Dobson, Josh Connors, Nyles Morgan
SLBMarcus Barnes, CJ Reavis
CBDemerio Houston, Amari Henderson
HBJeremy Lucien, Eric Cumberbatch, Adrian Frye
SAlonzo Addae
K/PBrett Lauther, Noah Gettman
LSPeter Adjey
RETKalil Pimpleton, Cade McDonald

Score Prediction

Ottawa Redblacks 26 – Edmonton Elks 33. Ottawa’s offence should move the ball behind Maier and its two-headed backfield of Bell and Adeboboye, but the Redblacks’ shorthanded linebacker corps and secondary won’t have the answers for Rankin and Fajardo over four quarters. Edmonton bounces back from its first loss with a comfortable cover at home, and Ottawa’s winless streak reaches five.

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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.