The Ottawa Redblacks are the easiest fade in the CFL.
A Thursday Night Football matchup against the Grey Cup favourite gave us another glimpse into just how bad things have become for the league’s only winless club.
The Montreal Alouettes beat the Redblacks 46-16.
Montreal, which was a 13.5-point favourite at FanDuel, improved to 6-0 straight up and against the spread in their last six games dating back to Week 5.
Ironically, the last time the Alouettes didn’t cover, they were in the same venue, against the same opponent they played last night.
In Week 4, Montreal beat Ottawa 37-35 as a 9.5-point favourite at FanDuel.
Yes, that was one of 10 straight losses for the Redblacks to begin the season.
However, Ottawa at least showed signs of fight earlier in the year, covering the spread in three of their first six games, including that narrow loss to the Alouettes and a 36-34 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Since Week 7, the Redblacks have gone 0-4 against the spread with four straight double-digit losses.
After jumping out to an early 7-0 lead in Montreal, Ottawa was outscored 46-10 the rest of the way and failed to cover once again as the biggest underdog (+13.5) in the CFL this season.
With the loss, the Redblacks became the first team to clinch their regular season win total at under 8.5.
Now the focus shifts to what’s next for Ottawa.
Can the 0-10 Redblacks avoid becoming the first winless team in CFL history?
The CFL on TSN panel was asked that exact question last night, and their outlook wasn’t very optimistic.
Let’s take a closer look at their remaining schedule in this Morning Coffee column for Friday August 21st, 2026.
Will The Ottawa Redblacks Win A Game This Season?
The good news is that Ottawa won’t have to play another game against the Alouettes, Saskatchewan Roughriders, or the Edmonton Elks.
The bad news is that the four opponents remaining on the Redblacks’ schedule are all fighting for playoff spots.
Ottawa will play one home game and one road game against each of their four remaining opponents.
All four opponents have a losing record this morning.
All four opponents still have plenty left to play for this season.
The BC Lions (4-5) and the Calgary Stampeders (4-6) are looking up at the Elks, Riders, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a loaded West Division in which all five teams are separated by three wins.
The Lions can take a big step towards a playoff spot with a win over the Riders on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Calgary was the Grey Cup favourite at FanDuel just a few weeks ago and could still turn their season around if Vernon Adams Jr. and Dedrick Mills are healthy on the other side of a Week 12 bye.
Nobody expects the Toronto Argonauts (4-5) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-6) to challenge Montreal for first place in the East Division, but a six-team playoff picture means that both Ontario teams are still very much alive.
Saturday’s clash between Hamilton and Toronto will have major implications in the East Division standings.
The Argonauts are a 4.5-point favourite at FanDuel, but the TiCats should be motivated to pull off another upset after taking down the Riders as a 6.5-point underdog.
Last night, Kate Beirness asked Henoc Muamba, Davis Sanchez, and Milt Stegall if they thought the Redblacks would become the first winless team in CFL history.
Milt was the only one of the three that responded with a “Yes”, but even his optimism was tempered.
Milt referenced the potential for Ottawa to get its first win against an opponent that had nothing to play for late in the season.
That is certainly possible with games against provincial rivals Toronto and Hamilton late in the season.
Still, all four opponents left on the Redblacks schedule are fighting for playoff spots, and all four have pencilled in their dates with Ottawa as must-win situations.
Next up, the Redblacks host the Lions on Sunday night in Week 13.
Regardless of whether they win or lose as a 1.5-point favourite versus Saskatchewan this week, that game in the nation’s capital is a must-win for BC.
FanDuel opened Lions -4.5 – the lowest number in any Redblacks game since they were a 2.5-point underdog against the Argonauts all the way back in Week 3.
Considering Ottawa is coming off four straight double-digit losses, I’m willing to bet that the public will jump on BC -4.5 and ultimately drive that number up.
I’ll jump on the Lions -4.5 now and see if I’m right.
The 2003 Hamilton Tiger-Cats own the all-time CFL single-season record for the most losses with 17.
What are the odds the Redblacks win a game this year?
Ottawa is +190 to upset BC in Week 13.
Beyond that, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season shakes out, and whether the Redblacks find themselves in a relatively favourable spot against an opponent without much to play for later in the year.
For now, I’ll continue to fade Ottawa and hope one of the most profitable trends of the CFL season continues in Week 13.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
