CFL Week 3 Predictions: A big rematch is set for Sunday in Vancouver, while three East teams look to avoid going 0-3.

With two weeks of the 2025 CFL season in the books, we have the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Calgary Stampeders tied atop the West Division at 2-0, while the 2-0 Montreal Alouettes have a two-game lead on the other three East Division teams. Can the Riders and Stampeders keep their early momentum going with wins in their respective games? Or will we see one of Hamilton, Ottawa, and Toronto claim their first victories of the season? 

(Image Credit to: CFL)

Last week, I went 2-2 with my picks, getting the Alouettes-Redblacks and the Stampeders-Argonauts games right, while missing on the Lions-Blue Bombers and the Roughriders-Tiger-Cats game. As a result, I now find myself with a 3-5 record on the season so far. 

Here are my picks and analyses of each of the four Week 3 games.

Montreal Alouettes (2-0) vs Edmonton Elks (0-1):

I will give the Edmonton Elks this one thing. Their performance in the first half of their game against the B.C Lions did make it seem like a stone was finally turned and that the team was finally going to become the team we all expected it to be when quarterback Tre Ford first became an Edmonton Elk. Despite the score being 7-3 in their favour, the Elks knew they had a foothold in that game, and they were finally playing like it.

But the second half? In short, the Elks' second-half performance is a perfect example of the saying “one step forward, two steps back.” 

One step forward symbolises the team's performance in the first half and at times during the second half. One such play saw quarterback Tre Ford make an unbelievable throw to running back Justin Rankin to set up a first-and-goal at the Lions' three-yard line, which was followed up by a score two plays later. 

Two steps backwards symbolise the Elks' defence surrendering twenty-eight points in the final two quarters of play and giving the Lions enough momentum to run the Elks off the field. It also symbolises the Elks kicker Vincent Blanchard missing two field goals and an extra point, basically kicking away seven points that could have potentially made the result a little more passable. 

What does all that result in? A 31-14 defeat and a missed chance to put a win on the board before a tough stretch of games. 

That stretch begins against the Montreal Alouettes, who are coming off a dominant 39-18 win over the Ottawa Redblacks. While the Redblacks were able to halve a 19-3 deficit heading into the final quarter of play, the Alouettes quelled any threat from the Redblacks quite quickly at the start of the fourth quarter by converting a defensive stop into a field goal and then getting a pick-six off of the Redblacks backup quarterback Matthew Shiltz to blow the game wide open. 

Like against the Argonauts, the Alouettes' defence put themselves on the map against Ottawa in three big ways. Firstly, they were able to get three interceptions off of Matthew Shiltz, with one of them being the backbreaking pick-six in the fourth quarter. Secondly, the pass rush looked strong once again as the Alouettes were able to sack Matthew Shiltz twice. And finally, the run defence made its mark by holding the Redblacks to 40 rushing yards on 15 carries. 

This week, the Alouettes' defence will have to contend with an Elks running game that almost broke the 100-yard mark against the Lions in Week 1. Simply neutralising the Elks' rushing advantage could put the Alouettes on course for victory, and I see just that happening. A strong defensive effort that works off the battles on the line of scrimmage will keep the Elks from scoring a lot of points and allow for the Alouettes to win their third-straight game to start the season.

The pick: Alouettes 31, Elks 10

Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-0) vs Toronto Argonauts (0-2):

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Nick Arbuckle Experience. Witness as your favourite Argonauts quarterback turns the ball and momentum over at the worst possible time. You may think your team has a good defence (and that may be true), but watch as those beliefs crumble as fast as the Argonauts' defence folded in the second half. And finally, you can only stand by as Nick Arbuckle throws a late touchdown, only to watch as his defence immediately gives up a field goal. 

This is the Nick Arbuckle experience. And it only seems like it is going to continue for another week as the Argonauts welcome a Saskatchewan Roughriders team coming off a 28-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. While the Riders' defence didn’t play its best once again, it did get a few turnovers, and it stopped the Tiger-Cats from scoring late in the game. And with the Argos struggling to consistently put drives together, the Riders' defence can win this game by forcing Toronto into mistakes and turnovers.

Overall, this game is going to come down to whether the Argonauts' offence can find its footing against a tough Riders defence. Even if Chad Kelly returns from injury, I cannot see the offence finding its footing in this situation. Therefore, I am going to back the Roughriders to secure a 3-0 start to the season. 

The pick: Roughriders 28, Argonauts 20

Ottawa Redblacks (0-2) vs Calgary Stampeders (2-0):

To be honest, I don’t even know what to make of the Redblacks' performance against Montreal.

On one hand, they did respond well coming out of halftime, halving the Alouettes' sixteen-point lead and instilling a feeling that they could still win the game. That also complements the culture being built in the nation’s capital, one where, unlike in the past, the team doesn’t give up at halftime and allow their opponents to cruise to easy wins. 

On the other hand, the Redblacks did let the Alouettes cruise to the win in Week 2; after bringing the game to a one-score contest, they allowed Montreal to outscore them 13-0 in the final frame to win the game 39-18. And there would be no comeback as the Redblacks seemingly gave up even when there was still a lot of time left in the fourth quarter. 

For now, it’s off to Calgary to face a Stampeders team that is now 2-0 on the season after a 29-19 win against the Toronto Argonauts. It did take the offence a while to get going; however, when it did get going, it looked really strong. In his second game as a Stampeder, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr was able to throw for over 300 yards, while rushing for over fifty yards and a touchdown. 

As for the defence, they were able to sack Argonauts quarterback Nick Arbuckle twice and secure two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. And they didn’t even give up a touchdown until the final frame, one that would be rendered useless when the Stampeders scored a late field goal to put themselves up by ten points. 

While the injury to wide receiver Reggie Begelton may be a big one for the Stampeders, it is undeniable that their offence is off to a hot start. And with the likes of Jalen Philpot and Clark Barnes playing well, the Stampeders do have some depth at the position should the injury situation deteriorate. 

If the Redblacks are to get their season back on track before a critical stretch that sees them play the Argos and the Tiger-Cats twice, this game is a must-win for them. And I think they can keep it close, especially if the offence plays like it did in the third quarter against Montreal. Still, I think the Stampeders are the better team and they will take advantage of a struggling Redblacks defence to move to 3-0 on the season. 

The pick: Stampeders 31, Redblacks 18

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-0) vs BC Lions (1-1):

The BC Lions might just be the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Boston Bruins. 

Including their 34-20 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday night, with quarterback Nathan Rourke as the starter, the BC Lions are 0-5 against Winnipeg since he became the full-time starter in 2022. In all games since the beginning of the 2022 season, the BC Lions are 3-8 against Winnipeg. 

Safe to say the Bombers have had the Lions' number?

In terms of Thursday’s encounter between these teams, the Bombers didn’t just look good, they looked nearly unstoppable. The Bombers’ first possession saw them go 80 yards in under three minutes to take an early lead; this was a drive that consisted of two 20+ yard plays. While the offence did stall for the rest of that first quarter, it was generally dangerous the entire night and capitalised on almost every BC mistake. The defence also played its role, taking the ball away from the Lions' offence three times and sacking Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke once.

If the Lions are to have any chance at winning in the rematch, they are going to have to rely on the passing game to get the job done. While the Lions do have a capable running back in the form of James Butler, the team only got 85 yards on 16 carries, resulting in a not-so-great 5.3 yards per carry. In addition, the Lions' two quarterbacks combined for over 300 passing yards and a touchdown on the night. So if the passing game looks strong, the Lions should find themselves in a decent position going into the rematch. 

That said, the one thing that is making me hesitant to back the Lions again is the return of Zach Collaros from his one-game suspension. The fact that the Bombers were able to score 34 points with Chris Streveler at quarterback doesn’t bode well for Lions fans holding out hope that the rematch will be any different from last week’s encounter. While there may be some rust for Zach Collaros to shake off, he once again has a strong supporting cast to work with. And with the motivation of a home Grey Cup fueling his performance, Zach Collaros should be able to kick off his 2025 season in style. 

While the Lions should be somewhat competitive in this rematch, I don’t think they will be able to beat Winnipeg. I see the Bombers' offence getting off to a strong start once again, and the defence will finish the job. 

The pick: Blue Bombers 30, Lions 19

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Article written by Noah Guttman