The CFL playoff picture is becoming much clearer heading into Week 19 and Thanksgiving weekend north of the border.
With just three weeks remaining in the CFL season, four teams have already clinched playoff berths, including the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, BC Lions, and Montreal Alouettes. That means there are still two playoff berths up for grabs in the final stretch of the regular season, not to mention plenty of jockeying for playoff positioning and first-round byes.
Let’s take a look at the odds and the clinching scenarios entering Week 19 of the CFL season as we inch closer to the Grey Cup in November.
CFL Week 19 clinching scenarios
- The Roughriders can clinch the West Division title and earn the right to host the Western Final at Mosaic Stadium with a win over the Toronto Argonauts or a Calgary Stampeders loss to the Tiger-Cats.
- The Winnipeg Blue Bombers can clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Edmonton Elks.
- Calgary can clinch a postseason berth with a win over Hamilton combined with an Edmonton loss to Winnipeg.
- Hamilton can clinch the East Division title with a win over Calgary or a Montreal loss to the Ottawa Redblacks.
CFL standings
West Division
| Team | GP | W | L | PTS |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders x | 15 | 11 | 4 | 22 |
| BC Lions x | 16 | 9 | 7 | 18 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 15 | 8 | 7 | 16 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 15 | 8 | 7 | 16 |
| Edmonton Elks | 15 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
East Division
| Team | GP | W | L | PTS |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats x | 16 | 10 | 6 | 20 |
| Montreal Alouettes x | 15 | 8 | 7 | 16 |
| Toronto Argonauts | 16 | 5 | 11 | 10 |
| Ottawa Redblacks | 15 | 4 | 11 | 8 |
CFL Week 19 matchups & odds
| Matchup | Moneyline Odds | Spread Odds | Game Total |
| Toronto Argonauts @ Saskatchewan Roughriders | Riders -600, Argos +450 | Riders -11 | 50.5 o/u |
| Calgary Stampeders @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Ticats -155, Stampeders +130 | Ticats -3 | 56.5 o/u |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Edmonton Elks | Bombers -185, Elks +155 | Bombers -3.5 | 53.5 o/u |
| Ottawa Redblacks @ Montreal Alouettes | Als -850, Redblacks +575 | Als -13.5 | 51.5 o/u |
CFL Week 19 best bet
- Stampeders +3.5 spread (-133 @ Betano). The Stampeders, who are 8-7 and tied with the Blue Bombers for third spot in the West Division, will be hungry to clinch a playoff berth on Saturday in Hamilton, especially after coming off four consecutive losses. In Week 1, the Stamps cruised to a 38-26 victory over Hamilton as three-point underdogs, as Dedrick Mills scored three touchdowns for Calgary in its season opener. Yes, Calgary has been in awful form on the defensive side of the ball recently, allowing at least 31 points in each game of its current four-game slide while being outscored 121-62, but this is a game the Stampeders absolutely need to win in order to stop the bleeding and potentially clinch a playoff berth this week. Hamilton presents a tough challenge, but we’ll back the Stampeders to at least keep this game within three points in what should be a closely contested contest.
