Introduction | Week 7 | Week 9
Well, I can safely say I didn't expect the week to go the way it did. Some surprising blowouts and another overtime win are on the docket, so let's get into it.
GAME VODS
Saskatchewan @ Montreal
Calgary @ Ottawa
Winnipeg @ Toronto
Hamilton @ Edmonton
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS @ MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Played: Thursday July 25
Final Score: SSK 16 – MTL 20
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: SSK-10 MTL-3 | Q2: SSK-6 MTL-0 | Q3: SSK-0 MTL-14 | Q4: SSK-0 MTL-3
The Riders came out of the gate strong in this game. They shut Montreal’s offence down hard, and set up a commanding 16-3 lead going into the second half. Unfortunately, that’s where it all fell apart. Saskatchewan didn’t score a single point for the entire second half of the game. They forced Montreal to switch to their third-string quarterback, but that seemed to give the Als the spark they needed. More than anything else, the Roughriders sabotaged themselves by taking a ton of penalties, especially as things started to fall apart and they got more desperate. They took over double the yards in penalties that Montreal did, and they came at the worst times. The Riders had been pretty clean the last several weeks, especially compared to how they started the season, so for them to backslide like this is not just disappointing, but concerning. They play Edmonton next week, and I expect they’ll bounce back from this loss just fine
What a game for Davis Alexander. Coming in at the start of the second half to relieve a struggling Caleb Evans, Alexander put up 178 yards in that half, plus both of Montreal’s touchdowns. Not bad for the first game of the season from the third-string quarterback. Of course, he couldn’t have done it if the receivers weren’t putting in the work. Given that Saskatchewan’s defence held them to just 33 rushing yards, they needed to be on and they were. The Alouettes’ defence continues to be very scary. They had a bit of a rough first half, but made poor Shea Patterson’s life miserable after half time. I’m sure the Als are feeling very relieved after this one. While Saskatchewan wasn’t at full strength, they’re still one of the best teams in the league. Montreal proved they can still compete even with several key players out injured. They play Hamilton next week, and while the Cats are doing better than they have been, I’m still putting my money on Montreal.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS @ OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Played: Friday July 26
Final Score: CGY 6 – OTT 33
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: CGY-3 OTT-7 | Q2: CGY-0 OTT-9 | Q3: CGY-0 OTT-10 | Q4: CGY-3 OTT-7
I’ve said it before, but this Calgary team is so inconsistent. Some games they make you believe they’re a real contender, and then you get games like this. Jake Maier only managed 136 passing yards, and I’m amazed he got that many. The offence just could not get anything going. They even had trouble getting into field goal range. Special teams also had a hard time getting the Stamps good field position, and while Rene Paredes kicked Calgary’s only points this game, he was only able to make two attempts. Even the defence, which is usually fine, kind of fell apart. They played aggressive while they were down, choosing several times to try to make the play on third down rather than punt. I think that’s the correct decision, but it never worked out and they turned over on downs multiple times. I really do believe the Stampeders are better than this, but they need to work on their consistency. They play Toronto next week, and whether they win is all dependant on if they actually show up.
Kalil Pimpleton is quickly becoming the player to watch on the Redblacks. He had another excellent performance tonight, with 80 receiving yards and a kick-six. Honestly, the receiving corps in general had a great night, helping Dru Brown put up 325 passing yards. The defence hounded Calgary all game long and didn’t let them get any momentum. The special teams had a great night, including the previously mentioned kick-six and Lewis Ward’s 4 field goals. The only real blemish on this game was running back Ryquell Armstead getting ejected from the game pretty early for some objectionable conduct fouls. Even then, Bralon Addison and Justin Hardy stepped up to help fill the running back slot. The Redblacks played great on all sides of the ball and generally made the Stamps look like a high school team. Ottawa has the bye next week, and they’ll need the rest to take on a very strong Saskatchewan team.
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS @ TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Played: Saturday July 27
Final Score: WPG 14 – TOR 16
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: WPG-3 TOR-3 | Q2: WPG-3 TOR-3 | Q3: WPG-0 TOR-0 | Q4: WPG-7 TOR-7 | OT: WPG-1 TOR-3
This Winnipeg offence gets sadder to watch every week. Yes, their receiving corps has taken a beating, but that still doesn’t explain this. The Bombers had over double the passing yards of Toronto and more rushing yards, and yet they only found the endzone once. I don’t know how you can have 400 yards on offence and only one touchdown. The offence productive, but somehow they weren’t effective. It probably didn’t help that they turned the ball over 5 times, as it seemed nobody could hold onto it. Also concerning is the fact that kicker Sergio Castillo’s yips seem to be back. He missed two of his four field goal attempts, one of which was in overtime and cost them the game. At the very least, the defence showed up. They played well all game and, even with the low scoring offence, managed to force overtime. If either the offence or special teams had a better night, the Bombers could have won. Unfortunately, you need at least two out of three phases to go well to win. They play BC next week, which means I’m not expecting them to pick up win number 3.
The Argos are very lucky they won this one. Their offence, quite frankly, played about as bad as Winnipeg. In fact, they were way less productive, and had just as hard a time finding the endzone. Their defence, like Winnipeg, played great, forcing a lot of turnovers and sacking the hell out of Zach Collaros. Fortunately for Toronto, Lirim Hajrullahu had a much better night than Castillo did, making all three of his field goals. They did squander their fair share of opportunities, just not as badly as Winnipeg. The real question hanging over this team, though, is that of Chad Kelly. His suspension will be up after next week, and opinions are mixed. On the one hand, the Argos could really use last season’s MOP back at the helm. On the other, many fans don’t want a harasser and sex pest as the face of Toronto football. Regardless, the Argos another week to figure it out, as they get ready to take on Calgary.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS @ EDMONTON ELKS
Played: Sunday July 28
Final Score: HAM 44 – EDM 28
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: HAM-6 EDM-6 | Q2: HAM-15 EDM-2 | Q3: HAM-13 EDM-0 | Q4: HAM-10 EDM-20
I don’t want to jinx it, but I really hope this is the start of a turnaround for this Ticats team. Bo Levi Mitchell had a career high 5 touchdown passes this game, all the receivers were getting in on the action, and James Butler rushed for just shy of 100 yards. On defence, they completely stalled out Edmonton’s offence for most of the game, and even got a blocked punt for the second game in a row. They forced fumbles, got an interception, and were constantly on top of Bo Levi Mitchell. There was cause for concern, however. After the Elks switched quarterbacks to Tre Ford, the Cats suddenly had a hard time adapting to his very mobile play style, and Edmonton absolutely lit them up. Even so, this is the best game Hamilton has played all season by a significant margin. Mitchell looked great for the first time in a long time, and the entire team was on. They’re going to need to keep playing this well if they want to salvage the season. They face Montreal next week, so we’ll see if this strong performance on offence was a fluke or not.
Congratulations to Tre Ford for playing his way into the starting role for next week. The difference between the Elks quarterbacks this week was stark. McLeod Bethel-Thompson made less than half of his attempts, for only 85 yards and two field goals. Ford came in with less than 10 minutes left in the game, put up 121 yards and three touchdowns. As soon as Ford took the field, it was like the Elks turned into a completely different team. It’s not surprising that the new coaching staff is finally listening to fans and making him the starting quarterback for next week. Edmonton’s defence really struggled this game, certainly not helped by how much time they spent on the field. If the offence showed more life early, maybe they could have slowed down Hamilton enough to keep it competitive, but the change came too little too late. The Elks play Saskatchewan next week, and if this team looks like they did for the last quarter of this game, they may have a chance.
STANDINGS AT THE END OF WEEK 8
EAST
MONTREAL ALOUETTES 6 – 1
OTTAWA REDBLACKS 5 – 2
TORONTO ARGONAUTS 4 – 3
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS 2 – 5
WEST
BC LIONS 5 – 2
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS 5 – 2
CALGARY STAMPEDERS 3 – 4
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS 2 – 6
EDMONTON ELKS 0 – 7
NEXT WEEK: WEEK 9
BC @ Winnipeg – Thursday August 1 8:30PM EDT
Montreal @ Hamilton – Friday August 2 7:30PM EDT
Edmonton @ Saskatchewan – Saturday August 3 7PM EDT
Toronto @ Calgary – Sunday August 4 7PM EDT