Peerless Week 17 Picks

Two weeks left in the 2011 Canadian Football League regular season and Peerless is looking to finish strongly.

He had a good week last week going 3-1, but must admit it was interesting. He had the Eskimos to cover by three over the Argos, and thought he was home and cooled out with Edmonton leading 31-3 going in the fourth. Not so much. The Argos pumped out three touchdowns. But they couldn't score one more touchdown, which was okay by Peerless.

Peerless' only miss came in the Hamilton-B.C. game, which was a pick that's always dangerous. Peerless wondered how B.C., which had a lengthy win streak, wasn't favoured against Hamilton, which is inconsistent at the best of times.

But could anyone have anticipated Hamilton winning 42-10?

What a shocker.

This is going to be an interesting weekend because there are some serious playoff implications in both divisions, while Toronto and Saskatchewan are limping toward the finish line.

Peerless has put on his thinking hat - or is it a helmet? - and is looking for another big week in the win column.

Friday

Toronto (4-12) at Winnipeg (10-6)

The Argos are 1-7 in games against East Division opponents and are 1-7 on the road. This week they are facing arguably the best defence in the league. The Bombers certainly proved that last week against Montreal, absolutely pounding Anthony Calvillo. The Argos have a pitiful passing game and will have to rely on their run game. Running back Cory Boyd has had back-to-back 100-plus yard games - the only time he has done that this season - and has averaged 8.5 per carry. But can he continue to take a physical pounding? The Argos win the majority of the time when he hits the 100-yard plateau. He had 100 yards in a crazy game in Toronto filled with mistakes, but only 14 yards on seven carries in Winnipeg in the second game of the season. Aside from Boyd and return specialist Chad Owens, the Argos don't have many playmakers. They continue to experiment with the receiving corps. All the offensive line has is patchwork at this point, and facing a stout pass rush will make things even more challenging. Argo general manager/head coach Jim Barker, who almost certainly will relinquish his coaching duties after this season, has taken to calling the plays in the last two games. He had better use maximum protection because it could get ugly for quarterback Steven Jyles, who is facing his former team. The Bombers are battling for first in the East and playing their final home game at Canad Inns Stadium. There is ample reason for the Bombers to be pumped. Receiver Terrence Edwards cracked the 1,000-yard mark last week with his best game in some time. If it's a trend, watch out. Quarterback Buck Pierce played well early, then went into a funk and finished strongly. When he's on his game, he's hard to stop. You've got to like the Bombers' depth on defence. Rush end Jason Vega has filled in solidly for Odell Willis with two sacks in the last two games, both of which he has started, and has six in his last four games.

Bombers favoured by 8½.

And the pick is: Bombers to cover.

Saturday

Hamilton (8-8) at Saskatchewan (4-12)

There's absolutely no way the Ticats can duplicate what happened against the Lions in Saturday's game vs. the Roughriders. Everything worked out perfectly against B.C. It's just a question of whether the Ticats can continue playing consistently. Ticats are 2-5 on the road and 4-3 against West Division opponents. Montreal is the only other East Division team with a winning record against the West. This would seem to be a gimme for the Cats because the Riders are simply beat up and won't be playing with their starting quarterback. Hamilton beat Saskatchewan 33-3 at home this year. When the spirit moves the Cats, as it did last week, they can beat the best teams in the league. Now they face one of the worst. It's all about developing good habits and intensity because the Cats can't move up higher in the standings, but they can finish strongly. They have to learn to produce more scoring drives. They have one of the best field-goal kickers, but need better production in the scoring zone. The Riders have clearly fallen apart, physically and mentally. This is their final home game and the fans have had to suffer through some awful outings, but still continue to show support. Backup Ryan Dinwiddie gets the start at quarterback. He can play decently at times, but he's facing an improving defence with some speed off the edges. He'll need to get the ball off in a hurry to what's left of the receiving corps.

Ticats favoured by 5.

And the pick is: Cats to cover.

Edmonton (10-6) at B.C. (9-7)

Eskimos are on a four-game win streak and they've been able to do it with a balanced offence. Power running back Jerome Messam, the one-time Lion, has been moving over the opposition. Interesting nickname his teammates have given him - Seabiscuit. It's because he's a workhorse. Moose should be the obvious nickname, unless Mark Messier has copyrighted it. Messam needs only 36 yards to hit the 1,000-yard mark. There's talk he will be in consideration for the Most Outstanding Canadian Player honours. Certainly he'll be the Eskimos' pick, but I have to think B.C. kicker Paul McCallum is a slam dunk. The Eskimos can be forgiven for taking their foot off of the pedal against Toronto last week, but their focus will have to be much stronger throughout in this game. The Eskimos lost to the Lions last month and were thoroughly embarrassed in the summer, but playing without their full receiving corps. Fred Stamps was turned loose against the Argos and responded. The Lions' eight-game win streak ended against Hamilton in a big way, but they also were wounded. Receivers Akeem Foster and Shawn Gore are questionable to play. More importantly, quarterback Travis Lulay suffered an ankle injury in the loss to Hamilton, so how well he'll be able to operate - assuming he starts - is big question. Still not sure about the status of middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who has missed two games with a wonky ankle.

B.C. is favoured by 4½, but the game is circled because of Lulay's status.

And the pick is: Eskimos and the points.

Sunday

Calgary (9-7) at Montreal (10-6)

Stamps pulled together with backup quarterback Drew Tate getting the start, and he showed some real fire. Can he duplicate it? He's facing a much more challenging situation with a tougher opponent and hostile place to play. Tate has played well of late against the two worst teams in the league and right now has the best efficiency rating in the league. The Stamps have all the skill to be one of the best teams in the league, so Tate merely needs to cut down on the turnovers and get some support. He had a couple of interceptions last week, but they didn't hurt the team, which was the case throughout this season with supplanted starter Henry Burris. Stamps are the best road team this year with a 5-3 mark. Stamps might need to get back to throwing mixed fronts and formations, which they've gotten away from, presumably because they've been playing from behind. Play meekly against the Als, and quarterback Anthony Calvillo will dink and dunk. Als had their four-game win streak snapped against Winnipeg, giving up 16 unanswered points and were physically overpowered on the offensive line. Calvillo shouldered the loss, blaming himself for throwing three interceptions. Calvillo likely won't be feeling the same kind of heat compared to last week against Winnipeg unless Coach Jones listens to Coach Peerless. Als feature receiver Jamel Richardson had his fifth consecutive game with 100 or more yards last week, but this time the team didn't win. The Als will be going to him early and often to get him and Calvillo in a rhythm. As always, dual-purpose running back Brandon Whitaker is the X factor. Als are 4-2 against West Division teams and are 6-2 at home. They have been able to rebound for tough losses with big efforts at home. This game boils down to two things: Is Tate the real deal and how much will Calvillo be physically affected by last week's game? I think it will be close either way.

Als are favoured by five.

And the pick is: Stamps and the points.

Record last week: 3-1

Overall record this year: 35-28-1

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on Sportsnet.ca.