Introduction | Week 8 | Week 10
Well that was a very interesting week of football. Some major upsets happened; could this be a sign of changing fortunes?
GAME VODS
BC @ Winnipeg
Montreal @ Hamilton
Edmonton @ Saskatchewan
Toronto @ Calgary
BC LIONS @ WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Played: Thursday August 1
Final Score: BC 0 – WPG 25
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: BC-0 WPG-3 | Q2: BC-0 WPG-10 | Q3: BC-0 WPG-6 | Q4: BC-0 WPG-6
What on Earth happened here? 129 yards of total offence, and only 74 yards from Vernon Adams Jr. This has been the most productive offence in the league this season, and they didn’t score a single point. I’m flabbergasted. The Lions got 15 second downs all game, and couldn’t even get in field goal range. This wasn’t just a loss, it was a complete and utter rout. The defence did their best, and managed a couple pretty heroic stops, but they kept getting worn down spending so much time on the field. To make matters even worse, Adams injured his leg in the 4th quarter. He hasn’t been moved to the injured list, but I imagine the Lions will be a little careful with him next week. I would have normally said they’ve got an easy week against Edmonton coming up, but the Elks finally woke up this week and are out for blood.
The Bombers have to be feeling great after such a dominant win in their own house. Their defence completely smothered BC in a way that I haven’t seen in a while. They had complete control the whole game, and were well rested since they only ended up being on the field for 18 minutes. Sergio Castillo also proved his lacklustre performance last game was a fluke by landing 6 field goals, the longest of which got his name in the record books as the only kicker in CFL history to have two 60+ yard field goals in a single season. Yet, even when they win, I come back to criticize the offence. They had the ball for over 40 minutes and scored a single touchdown. That is a cause for concern, though when your kicker is having a great night and your defence is playing out of their minds, you can get away with it. The Bombers needed a win, and by god they got one. Winnipeg has the bye next week, which gives them a much needed break to let their rapidly dwindling receiving corps get some rest.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES @ HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Played: Friday August 2
Final Score: MTL 33 – HAM 16
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: MTL-0 HAM-0 | Q2: MTL-10 HAM-7 | Q3: MTL-7 HAM-1 | Q4: MTL-16 HAM-8
Montreal did pretty well on this one, though I can’t say I’m surprised. They struggled a little against Hamilton’s defence early, and then it was off to the races. Davis Alexander continues to prove that he can steer the ship while Cody Fajardo is out injured, and it certainly helps that he has a great receiving corps around him. The Als defence continues to be a nightmare; dominating Hamilton’s offence and not letting them get anything going. Honestly, there’s not a whole lot else to say. Montreal played well, but the Ticats didn’t put up much of a fight. Alexander missed a third of his targets, but that’s hardly surprising in his first start. They play Hamilton again next week, and I would be surprised if they didn’t pick that win up as well.
I didn’t expect this Tiger-Cats team to win against the best team in the league, but I expected them to put up more of a fight. The most glaring problem all game was, unfortunately, one that they are unable or unwilling to fix. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell looked like a deer in headlights. There were multiple times where a receiver would be wide open, waving his arms over his head, and Mitchell would instead throw the ball into double coverage. I’m honestly amazed he was allowed to play the whole game and wasn’t subbed out for Taylor Powell. His receivers did everything they could to make it work, but it was nowhere near enough to make a difference. The defence also had a rough night, and had a very difficult time containing Montreal even without their starting quarterback. I’d hoped for more from the Cats after a couple of wins, but Toronto and Edmonton aren’t exactly top contenders, so I shouldn’t be surprised. Hamilton rematches Montreal next week, and I’m not optimistic about their chances.
EDMONTON ELKS @ SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Played: Saturday August 3
Final Score: EDM 42 14 – SSK 31
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: EDM-13 SSK-8 | Q2: EDM-7 SSK-7 | Q3: EDM-0 SSK-6 | Q4: EDM-22 SSK-10
Holy crap, that was a completely different Elks team out there this game. Tre Ford is such an electric quarterback, and his strengths go a long way to evening out Edmonton’s weaknesses. He can scramble out of the pocket to extend plays when the o-line collapses, and can run 15 yards backwards and still circle around and get a 5+ yard gain on his feet. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the outstanding performance by Javon Leake, who got 169 rushing yards against the best rush defence in the league. The defence played great as well, managing to rob the Riders of more than one touchdown pass. The Elks won this in convincing fashion, and against a serious contender. They have to be feeling good, and all the fans who have been chanting “we want Ford” since he brought home Edmonton’s last win almost a year ago are very much vindicated. Unfortunately, this team has to face the Lions next week, and I wouldn’t count on them putting up a goose egg two games in a row. I’m looking forward to finally seeing two of the most exciting quarterbacks in the CFL finally clash.
While it’s a rough time being the first team to lose to the winless Elks, these Riders still put up a hell of a fight. Mario Alford started off strong with a kick-six on the opening kickoff and gave the offence great position all game. The Saskatchewan receivers were also in fine form, fighting for catches and keeping the Riders in the game until the end. Their passing defence was fine, but I’m shocked at how well the Elks were able to run the ball. Yes, having a mobile quarterback like Ford makes blocking the run harder, but this is the most yards the Riders have allowed on the ground all season. I can give them a pass though, as most quarterbacks in the league right now are much more stationary, and they maybe need time to adjust. I still think the Riders are the team to beat in the West, though BC are close behind them. They face Ottawa next week, and are going to be hungry after losing two in a row.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS @ CALGARY STAMPEDERS
Played: Sunday August 4
Final Score: TOR 23 – CGY 27
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: TOR-8 CGY-0 | Q2: TOR-14 CGY-6 | Q3: TOR-1 CGY-0 | Q4: TOR-0 CGY-21
Well, this game was going great for the Argos right up until it wasn’t. They held Calgary to just 6 points for three whole quarters. Their offence was very productive for the first half, and their defence was playing great football. Then they lost. The fourth quarter came and they suddenly couldn’t contain Calgary’s offence anymore. Worse, their offence completely lost steam. Despite a strong start, they only managed 177 passing yards all game. While Cameron Dukes did run for an impressive 95 yards, you don’t really want your leading rusher to be your quarterback. Though he had to be quick on his feet this game as his o-line fell apart and he got sacked 6 times. Toronto rematch Calgary next week at home, and they’ll be looking to even the score. Though the big question is if Toronto will choose to start noted dirtbag Chad Kelly now that his suspension’s up, or if they’ll wait a week to give him more practice time with the team.
This season cannot be good for the collective cardiac health of the Stamps fanbase. Though I must say they’ve graduated from “will they show up this game” to “will they show up this quarter”, which is improvement. They stalled out for the first three quarters, then came out firing on all cylinders. I particular, Cam Echols deserves a shoutout for realizing he was not, in fact, down by contact after a long catch in the fourth quarter, scrambling to his feet, and launching himself into the endzone to put the Stamps just 2 points behind Toronto. If this Stamps team can play like this for 4 quarters (or heck, at least 2), they could turn this season around. It was good enough for a win today, but that’s not going to get you to the Grey Cup. They rematch Toronto next week, so we’ll see if this win was a fluke or not.
STANDINGS AT THE END OF WEEK 9
EAST
MONTREAL ALOUETTES 7 – 1
OTTAWA REDBLACKS 5 – 2
TORONTO ARGONAUTS 4 – 4
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS 2 – 6
WEST
BC LIONS 5 – 3
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS 5 – 3
CALGARY STAMPEDERS 4 – 4
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS 3 – 6
EDMONTON ELKS 1 – 7
NEXT WEEK: WEEK 9
Saskatchewan @ Ottawa – Thursday August 8 7:30PM EDT
Calgary @ Toronto – Friday August 9 7:30PM EDT
Hamilton @ Montreal – Saturday August 10 7PM EDT
BC @ Edmonton – Sunday August 11 7PM EDT