With just three weeks remaining in the CFL regular season, the post-season picture is becoming clearer. Even if there are some hotly contested battles remaining.
Week 18 opened up with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-10) falling to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-10), 18-14, at Tim Hortons Field Friday night. That made way for a double-header on Saturday, beginning with the Toronto Argonauts (9-6) edging the B.C. Lions (10-5), 23-20, at BMO Field to take a commanding lead atop the East Division.
The Argonauts victory provided the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (14-2) the opportunity to clinch the West Division with a win, which they secured with a 48-11 beatdown at IG Field over the Edmonton Elks (4-12), who, with the loss, are now officially eliminated from the post-season. Finally, the Montreal Alouettes (7-8) stumbled to a 24-18 defeat to the Ottawa Redblacks (4-11), who somehow still have a shot at playing in November.
Such is the crazy world of the CFL. And like every week in the three-down loop, there’s plenty of things to talk about. So, let’s get to it in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.
1) The Roughriders potentially missing the playoffs in a year they’re hosting the Grey Cup has been one of the juiciest storylines in recent weeks. The plot only thickened with the loss to the Tiger-Cats — the club currently chasing them for third spot in the East. With the defeat, Saskatchewan no longer controls its own fate, as Hamilton can punch its ticket to the playoffs by winning out its remaining three games.
2) If the Roughriders do get a chance to compete for the Grey Cup, they will be the definition of backing into the playoffs. Saskatchewan has now lost five straight and eight of its last 10 games.
3) The Tiger-Cats remaining schedule: at Calgary, Ottawa, at Ottawa. For the Roughriders: bye, Calgary, at Calgary.
4) It appears the Argonauts are playing chess while the rest of the league is stuck in a game of checkers. Toronto had more than half of its usual starting defence out or playing a different position, while every receiver moved to a different spot from the previous week. That seemed to have the Lions reeling, as the Argonauts squeaked out the win and avenged a 44-3 blowout loss back in Week 3.
5) Toronto has spent much of the season atop the East and I believe they are a real threat for the Grey Cup. But I can’t help but wonder that as the temperature dips, creating a higher reliance on the run game, that the lack of a ground attack might end up being their Achilles heel. The Argonauts are dead last in rushing attempts (260) and average rush yards per game (77). I mentioned last week that I was hearing whispers of Andrew Harris trying to work his way back from surgery on a pectoral muscle, which would be a clear answer to this perceived problem.
6) Some more bad injury news for the Lions, who are already without quarterback Nathan Rourke and receivers Bryan Burnham and Lucky Whitehead, among others. The team announced that DL Steve Richardson has suffered a setback in his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered during a workout in April and will miss the remainder of the season. While Richardson hadn’t played all year, he was on track to return in the coming weeks after recently joining his teammates in B.C.
7) Speaking of Rourke, I made the comment last week that while the Lions aren’t ruling out a return for him this season from a Lisfranc sprain, it’s probably unlikely. Well, Rourke was seen throwing the ball this week at practice, only adding to the intrigue. I’m sticking with my original belief, but if Rourke starts running during workouts, I might have to change my tune.
8) The Bombers and Elks game was about as close to a no-doubter as they come, with Winnipeg scoring six touchdowns, including one on each of their first four drives. The Bombers certainly looked good, but the biggest takeaway for me was how miserable the Elks played. They needed this game to extend their faint playoff hopes another week — not to mention compete for jobs next year — and to look that uninterested in this one was another low in a season full of them.
9) The Dalton Schoen show was on a full display again, with the rookie receiver reeling in a trio of touchdowns to give him the league lead, at 14. His 1,275 receiving yards is also tops in the CFL.
10) With the West already locked up, the Bombers will sit QB Zach Collaros against the Lions this week. There’s been no other announcements to date, but I’m expecting several other starters to be sidelined as well. I also expect Winnipeg, with a bye the week after playing the Lions, to dress a majority of their regulars in the season-finale, which is at home to the Lions.
11) I don’t love to talk about who should or shouldn’t win year-end awards, other than when it’s blatantly obvious or if I believe someone should be in strong consideration. But there’s been a lot of talk of late over who should win the league’s most outstanding player award between Collaros and Rourke. Personally, Collaros should be a slam dunk to repeat, and while Rourke was sensational this year, he only played nine games. It’s impossible to argue Rourke wasn’t, well, outstanding, when he did play, but an MOP nod after only playing half the season would be embarrassing for the CFL.
12) It was the first game for the Redblacks after the firing of head coach Paul LaPolice and the first victory for interim head coach Bob Dyce. It was great to see Dyce give a passionate speech to the team afterwards, delivering as many F-Bombs as his team had points on the night.
13) The Alouettes entered this week winners of three straight and five of their last six to move into a fight with the Argonauts for first place in the East. Then they laid an egg to the lowly Redblacks, and at home no less, pretty much sealing their fate to finish in second.
14) The Bombers want to host the Grey Cup game, either in 2024 or 2025, and the provincial government is ponying up the dough to help. The Manitoba government is offering up $5.5 million to juice up Winnipeg’s bid, with Premier Heather Stefanson adding city hall is expected to offer upwards of $1.5 million. The CFL shifted in recent years from simply rewarding a team the championship game to a bidding process, and if the money can be secured, it would go a long way to bringing the Grey Cup game to the city for the first time since 2015.
15) This week’s playoff scenarios: Toronto can clinch the East with a win over Edmonton and a Montreal loss; Montreal can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Ottawa.
16) The CFL made another cameo on the hit comedy series, The Simpsons, which is now in its 34th season. Predictably, it was used to pick fun at the three-down league, including shots at the length of field and the one-point rouge, with Homer Simpson telling a cartoon Doug Flutie to shut up. It wasn’t exactly a glowing endorsement, but it was funny and any recognition on a show watched by millions is a good thing.
Twitter: @jeffkhamilton
Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer
After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.
