Blue Bombers vs. Redblacks Prediction, Expert Picks & Odds: Bombers Bounce Back in the Capital
The Ottawa Redblacks open their season with a game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and we're offering our top Blue Bombers vs. Redblacks predictions based on the best CFL odds for Thursday's game.
Week 1 of the CFL season didn't go as planned for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (0-1), who lost to the Montreal Alouettes again in a rematch of the Grey Cup. The Bombers now look to get back on track in Week 2 against the Ottawa Redblacks (0-0), who enjoyed a Week 1 bye.
Winnipeg is a 6.5-point road favorite for Thursday's contest at TD Place in Ottawa, and the club remains atop the Grey Cup odds despite its loss to Montreal. To win and cover, the Bombers will need both Zach Collaros and Brady Oliveira to live up to being Most Outstanding Player odds favorites.
Blue Bombers vs. Redblacks prediction
(odds via our best sports betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Blue Bombers -6.5 ⭐⭐⭐
The Blue Bombers certainly didn't look like the team that's played in four straight Grey Cups in their 27-12 loss to the Alouettes. Winnipeg was sloppy, with multiple turnovers and missed field goals.
It was a tough matchup against the team that beat the Blue Bombers to win the 2023 title, and our best sportsbooks aren't overreacting to the loss, with the Bombers still Grey Cup favorites.
That's because Winnipeg boasts the CFL's best roster on paper, and the Redblacks are the perfect team for them to bounce back against. Ottawa was resting during a bye in Week 1, but the RedBlacks went 4-14 during 2023 and put up the third-fewest yards per game (347.6) while allowing the second-most (395.4).
Even with former Bombers backup Dru Brown as their new starting QB and the addition of Adarius Pickett on defense, Ottawa doesn't possess the firepower or stopping power for this fight. The Redblacks lost star running back Devonte Williams to a torn Achilles during the offseason, and backup Jackson Bennett only recorded 32 carries in 2023.
That'll make it hard to keep up with Collaros, Oliveira, and the Bombers' loaded receiver room, especially if Ottawa's secondary play isn't any better in 2024. The Redblacks allowed the most passing yards per game in the CFL during 2023 (310.6) and a QB rating of 100.5.
These odds imply a 52.61% probability the Blue Bombers cover the spread, according to our odds converter, with a $10 winning bet paying out $19.01.
Best odds: -111 via Betway
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Blue Bombers vs. Redblacks first team to score
Winnipeg (-167)
The Redblacks' offense is going to look very different in 2024 with Williams out for the year and Brown as the new starting quarterback. Given the uncertainty around Ottawa, and the Bombers trotting out several All-Stars on offense, the safe bet is to go with Winnipeg to score first.
Another reason to back the Bombers is the CFL changing the rules to allow kickers to use footballs that don't contain microchips. The move came after Winnipeg's Sergio Castillo, one of the league's best kickers, struggled in the opener. Castillo and several kickers around the CFL complained about the microchip-implanted footballs, and the rules were changed after the Bombers' game.
This is an even better bet if Castillo is back to his old ways. The odds imply a 62.55% probability Winnipeg scores first, with a $10 bet paying a $5.99 profit.
Blue Bombers vs. Redblacks odds
Blue Bombers vs. Redblacks odds via Betway as of Tuesday at 1:10 p.m. ET.
| Teams | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Bombers | -333 | -6.5 (-111) | Over: 46.5 (-105) |
| Redblacks | +275 | +6.5 (-111) | Under: 46.5 (-115) |
The Redblacks are 14-54 since 2019, and the Bombers are 51-18 during the same stretch. That's why Winnipeg is a near-touchdown favorite on the road after struggling to look competent against Montreal. While the Redblacks made moves in the offseason to get better, this is still a team that went just 6-12 ATS in 2023, and the Bombers were 11-7. The Bombers may have been 9.5-point favorites for this contest if they won during Week 1.
As for the total, it's hard to know just how different Ottawa's offense will look with Brown under center. He was terrific in cleanup duty during 2023 for Winnipeg, but the 2024 team is far less talented. Still, the Redblacks' defense was bad enough in 2023 to help them go 11-7 to the Over. And Winnipeg was the league's best Over team at 13-5.
Blue Bombers vs. Redblacks game info
- When: Thursday, June 13
- Where: TD Place, Ottawa, Ont.
- How to watch: TSN/RDS, CFL+
- Weather: 79 degrees, 13-mph winds, 40% chance of precipitation
- Favorite: Blue Bombers -6.5 (-111 via Betway)
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