Introduction | Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 3
We have a full slate of games this week, so let’s just jump right into it.
OTTAWA REDBLACKS @ HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Played: Saturday May 25
Final Score: OTT 31 – HAM 22
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: OTT-14 HAM-3 | Q2: OTT-1 HAM-10 | Q3: OTT-13 HAM-3 | Q4: OTT-3 HAM-6
Game VOD
This game got away from Hamilton quickly and they never quite got it back. In the first quarter they took a penalty for too many men on the field which set up Ottawa for an easy touchdown, which turned into a quick two and out drive, followed by a spectacular punt return by DeVonte Dedmon that he takes straight to the house for a second Redblacks touchdown. Hamilton did manage to stabilize somewhat, and even take a slight lead in the third, but bad penalties put Ottawa in good positions and a lacklustre offence meant they could not keep up in points. Both defences put in good performances, but the Ottawa offence was more reliable, and you can’t win games if you don’t score points.
This game ended up looking pretty good for Ottawa. Sure, the Cats are not exactly the dominant team in the East, but the Redblacks played better than their 4-14 record last season would indicate, especially with starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli out with injuries. In particular I liked how aggressive backup quarterbacks Dustin Crum and Jake Dunniway were being with running the ball, though I’ve always been a sucker for QBs who will just go get the first down themselves. The team looked well balanced, and I’m looking forward to watching more of them as the season goes on. By contrast, the Ticats much touted new additions to their receiving corps didn’t make much of an impact. A lot of these guys are very new to the team though (in fact, Marcus Rogers only joined the Hamilton roster the day before the game), so I’m inclined to be patient as they settle in. More concerning is the lack of discipline on this team, which was a recurring problem last season. At least one Ottawa touchdown could have been avoided by not taking stupid penalties. If the Cats can get that together and get something going on offence, they’ll be in a good spot, but they can’t keep relying on their defence to win games.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS @ EDMONTON ELKS
Played: Saturday May 25
Final Score: SSK 28 – EDM 27
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: SSK-7 EDM-6 | Q2: SSK-14 EDM-7 | Q3: SSK-0 EDM-10 | Q4: SSK-7 EDM-4
Game VOD
So, remember what I just said about how you can’t rely on defence if you want to win? Apparently you can if you wear green and white. Though truthfully the Elks handed this game up to Saskatchewan on a silver platter. The Riders scored three touchdowns this game, all of them off the back of interceptions and fumbles. Meanwhile, Edmonton only managed one touchdown all game. The wild thing about this one was that the Elks were playing better by far. Almost every Saskatchewan drive that didn’t start after a turnover got stuffed badly, while the Elks were super consistent on both offence and defence. They didn’t make many mistakes, but by god the ones they did make were catastrophic. Bobbling punts right in front of the end zone, receivers dropping the ball, and on one occasion Elks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson just dropped the football as he was winding up to throw.
I really have no idea what to take away from this one. Edmonton played consistently better football in all three phases of the game and lost. Saskatchewan had a very good defensive outing, but their offence was completely stuffed, and yet they won. Saskatchewan is likely feeling pretty comfortable after winning both their preseason games, and now they get an extra week to rest before the regular season begins (away against Edmonton again, interestingly enough). I imagine their offence is going to get a talking to, as pretty much the only reason they won was that the Elks made mistakes, not that the Riders played well. Edmonton didn’t make that many mistakes, but they made them at all the wrong times. If they can tighten up their game they’ll be looking pretty good, but this is a little worrying. We’ll just have to wait for their next game to see if they can clean up their play.
BC LIONS @ CALGARY STAMPEDERS
Played: Saturday May 25
Final Score: BC 6 – CGY 30
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: BC-0 CGY-7 | Q2: BC-3 CGY-6 | Q3: BC-0 CGY-7 | Q4: BC-3 CGY-10
Game VOD
There’s really not a whole lot to say about this one. Calgary just controlled the game top to bottom. The Lions didn’t even manage a first down until the first half was almost over, and they only managed to scrape together a pair of field goals for points. They barely spent any time on the Stampeders’ half of the field, and were mostly scrapping only a few yards in front of their own endzone. Calgary’s play was very workman like; not flashy or particularly impressive, but consistent and effective. Unlike the Riders and Elks, there weren’t any real turnovers, the Stamps just played a solid, consistent game.
On the surface this is a pretty nasty loss for BC, but I wouldn’t worry too much about them. They basically didn’t play any of their starters and hit the field with the B-team. I doubt Calgary looks half as good against a Lions team firing on all cylinders, but I could be wrong. Calgary, to their credit, played a very solid game. Sure, they turned over on downs a couple times trying to go for 3rd and 3 type situations, but it’s the preseason, so they’ll play a little looser and riskier. It is interesting to note that both the dominant teams in the West have now lost their first preseason games by a very comfortable margin. It’s not really something to worry about, just an observation. Also, I’m glad Matt Schiltz landed on his feet in Calgary. I liked him a lot when he was in Hamilton, and was sad to see them not renew him. I’m glad he’s still getting work in the league, and he looked pretty good this game too.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS @ MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Played: Saturday May 25
Final Score: TOR 13 – MTL 30
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: TOR-7 MTL-13 | Q2: TOR-6 MTL-7 | Q3: TOR-0 MTL-3 | Q4: TOR-0 MTL-7
Game VOD
I’ll be honest, I was expecting a stronger performance out of Toronto this week. They’ve gone through some shake-ups and lost some players, but I was not expecting the quality of their play to drop this much. It wasn’t bad necessarily, but it was certainly worse than I would have expected for the team with the best record in the league last season. They kept it largely competitive through the first half, but gave up ten points in the second half without putting a single point on the board in return. Montreal looked rock solid, with great play across both offence and defence as well as their starters and backups. They even had a few flashy plays; with defensive back Nafees Lyon pulling down a beautiful interception and backup quarterback Caleb Evans scrambling across the entire width of the field to throw a touchdown pass in the fourth. I was already expecting them to finish strong this season, and this certainly reinforces it.
The biggest question this game, as well as in Toronto’s game against Hamilton next week, is who will replace Argos QB Chad Kelly for the first half of the season (or more, if he violates the conditions of his return). Cameron Dukes, Nick Arbuckle, and Scott Bryan all had time behind the ball. Arbuckle had the most success of the three, but not dramatically so. Kelly was the most outstanding player last season after stepping up to fill the shoes left by McLeod Bethel-Thompson when he left for the USFL in 2023 (who, incidentally, is back in Edmonton now). Now Dukes, Arbuckle, and Bryan have the unenviable job of having to replace arguably the best quarterback in the league. We’ll just have to wait and see who the Argos settle on to lead their squad.
NEXT WEEK: PRESEASON WEEK 3
Hamilton @ Toronto – Friday May 31 7PM EDT
Montreal @ Ottawa – Friday May 31 7PM EDT
Calgary @ Winnipeg – Friday May 31 8:30PM EDT
Edmonton @ BC – Friday May 31 10PM EDT