The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will return to the CFL playoffs after a one-year absence, but will it be with a bye through to the East Final? The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be in the playoffs for the ninth straight season, but will it be in the East or the West? Today’s Tiger-Cats vs. Blue Bombers matchup (3:00 p.m. ET, CFL+) will be pivotal in deciding those outcomes.
The Ticats (9-5) are in the driver’s seat in the East Division, but with the Montreal Alouettes (8-7) having won three in a row (and with Davis Alexander fit and firing again), their first division title since 2021 is not a certainty at this point.
On the other side, the Blue Bombers (7-7) should continue their playoff streak, but they are fighting with the BC Lions (8-7 and winners of three straight) for either third in the West or the crossover spot as the third team in the East.
The Tiger-Cats make the trip to Manitoba seeking a fourth consecutive win. The second of those wins came in Week 15 at home against the Blue Bombers, as Greg Bell tallied nearly 170 total yards and two total touchdowns in a 32-21 victory at Tim Hortons Field.
After ending a three-game skid with a hard-fought victory at Ottawa, the Blue Bombers will aim to move to 5-2 at home with a win vs. the Tiger-Cats, who have not won in Winnipeg since 2019.
Will that streak end today at Princess Auto Stadium? Read on for our Tiger-Cats vs. Blue Bombers prediction and picks, as well as the best value betting odds from top online sportsbooks such as BetOnline.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | +2 (-110) | +115 | Over 51.5 (-110) |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | -2 (-110) | -135 | Under 51.5 (-110) |
Tiger-Cats vs. Blue Bombers Betting Trends
- The Tiger-Cats are 5-2 SU and ATS on the road this season, including 1-1 SU and ATS as a road underdog.
- Hamilton is 2-2 SU and ATS overall as an underdog this season.
- The under is 4-3 in the Ticats’ road games this season.
- In Hamilton games this season, when the previous game has gone under, the next game has gone over in five of six instances.
- The Blue Bombers are 4-2 SU and 3-3 ATS at home this season, including 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS as a home favorite.
- Winnipeg is 5-4 SU and 4-5 ATS overall as a favorite this season.
- The over is 5-1 in the Blue Bombers’ home games this season.
- In Winnipeg’s games this season, when the previous game has gone under, the following game has gone over four times in four instances.
Tiger-Cats vs. Blue Bombers Prediction and Picks
Prediction: Tiger-Cats to win
Winnipeg’s season has been adversely affected by repeated spells on the sidelines for star quarterback Zach Collaros. Collaros has missed four full games, three due to injury and one due to suspension, and he exited early in three other games.
After missing the last two games against the Redblacks and Tiger-Cats due to a concussion suffered against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Week 14, Collaros will start today’s game for the Blue Bombers.
Winnipeg somehow pulled out a 26-18 win at Ottawa last Saturday despite tallying only 54 passing yards and 226 total yards. In a gameplan rarely seen in the CFL, Chris Streveler threw all of eight total passes against the Redblacks, completing three of them to his teammates for 54 yards one to the other team for his 11th interception of the season.
But Streveler (11 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown) and Brady Oliveira (20 carries for 100 yards) got it done on the ground, the defense bent but didn’t break and picked off two passes to negate a 400-yard game by Redblacks QB Dru Brown, speedster Trey Vaval returned a missed field goal for a score, and Sergio Castillo kicked four field goals.
It was a real team effort, but may we not see that offensive gameplan for some time.
It certainly was not a bad idea given the struggles that Streveler had in moving the ball aerially, but Collaros has not been his best self either.
He has thrown for 300+ yards only twice this season, has more multi-interception games (six) than multi-touchdown pass games (three), and he is currently on average the fewest yards per attempt (8.6) of any of his five seasons as Winnipeg’s starting quarterback.
Season-by-Season Yards Per Attempt for Zach Collaros in Winnipeg
- 2021: 9.2
- 2022: 9.6
- 2023: 10.1
- 2024: 8.9
- 2025: 8.6
Today’s game vs. the Tiger-Cats is not necessarily a must-win for the Blue Bombers, but it would behoove them to win it. It’s difficult to be overly enthused about Winnipeg right now given the stop-start nature of their quarterback situation this season and the inconsistent and overall underwhelming production that has come as a result (and the league’s most interceptions).
This is a game that they should win if they play at or near their best, but will that happen? The Tiger-Cats love to live dangerously—last Saturday’s 29-27 win over the Edmonton Elks was their sixth game decided by four or fewer points and by a late score or overtime—but they also play well on the road. I’m on the fence about it, but at this point, I’m giving a slight lean to the Ticats.
Tiger-Cats vs. Blue Bombers Picks
1) Tiger-Cats/Blue Bombers First Half Over 25 (-110 at Bovada)
In the last meeting between these two teams, they combined for 30 first-half points as Hamilton led 20-10 at halftime.
With Collaros back, I do expect the Blue Bombers to move the ball early vs. the Tiger-Cats. I also expect the visitors to do the same, even though they can sometimes start slowly. Given what both teams can do, 25 is a pretty reasonable total for the first half.
2) Greg Bell Over 58.5 Rushing Yards (-115 at Lucky Rebel)
Bell is on a real heater right now. In his first eight games this season, he tallied 363 rushing yards at 4.7 yards per carry. But in his last three games, he has 386 rushing yards at a clip of 6.5 yards per carry, with 156 yards on 20 carries against the Alouettes in Week 14, 137 yards on 22 carries against the Blue Bombers in Week 15, and 93 yards on 17 carries against the Elks last week.
Winnipeg is allowing 5.0 yards per rush and ranks eighth in the CFL in average yards allowed on first down and last in average yards allowed per play. Given Bell’s recent production, this number is very generous on the low side.
3) Tiger-Cats ML (+120 at Everygame)
This does not carry the same confidence as the other two picks, as there are compelling reasons to take either side.
It should be another close game for Hamilton, but I like the Tiger-Cats to prevail vs. the Blue Bombers and move a step closer to the East Division title.
They do indeed like to live life on the wild side, but all of those close games have made them a tough team to take on, and I think Mitchell and the offense will execute in the clutch again in a matchup of veteran signal-callers.
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