Introduction | Week 10 | Week 12
Another week of football in the books, and some interesting developments, particularly in the West division.
GAME VODS
Ottawa @ Calgary
Montreal @ Saskatchewan
Edmonton @ Hamilton
Winnipeg @ BC
OTTAWA REDBLACKS @ CALGARY STAMPEDERS
Played: Thursday August 15
Final Score: OTT 31 – CGY 29
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: OTT-13 CGY-14 | Q2: OTT-8 CGY-2 | Q3: OTT-7 CGY-3 | Q4: OTT-3 CGY-10
This was a great performance from Ottawa. Jeremiah Masoli started at quarterback for the first time in over a year and looked great, throwing for 254 yards. Running back Ryquell Armstead also had a fantastic game, rushing for 120 yards. The Redblacks relied pretty heavily on the run, taking advantage of Calgary’s poor rushing defence, and it paid off big. The defence also did a good job keeping on top of Calgary’s offence. Between this week and last week’s overtime tie against Saskatchewan, I have to imagine Ottawa fans are getting a little sick of these nail-biter endings. Still, the Redblacks haven’t lost in their last 5 games, so I don’t think they can complain too loudly. I’m really amazed at how this team has performed given that they only won 4 games last season. They play BC next week, and with the Lions backslide over the last couple weeks I think it’s Ottawa’s game to lose.
The Stamps played well today, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Their defence put in a valiant effort, but they just couldn’t contain Ottawa’s running back. Other than that, the team played well. The offence put up solid numbers, the defence made life hard for Ottawa’s receivers, and they generally looked like a good football team. That doesn’t make the loss sting any less, especially since this was Calgary’s first loss at home this season. Calgary’s position in the standings is also a lot shakier than it was, and they’ve actually been jumped by Winnipeg. Winnipeg and Edmonton have both been making waves, and BC and Saskatchewan have stumbled. If the Stampeders can really show up in the back half of this season, they may be able to win the division. They still have both their bye weeks, and mostly face other West teams. They have next week off, and then face the rival Elks in the Battle of Alberta on Labour Day.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES @ SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Played: Friday August 16
Final Score: MTL 27 – SSK 24
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: MTL-0 SSK-1 | Q2: MTL-10 SSK-6 | Q3: MTL-3 SSK-10 | Q4: MTL-14 SSK-7
This one really came down to the wire. The Als played well, but they certainly didn’t have a perfect game. Saskatchewan completely stuffed their rushing offence, to the point that quarterback Davis Alexander led the team in rushing yards. They also gave up a fumble and spent most of the game trailing. While their passing offence did well, they didn’t put up particularly remarkable numbers. That said, they managed to pull together some great drives, and just barely pulled into the lead at the very end of the game with a rushing touchdown by Alexander. The Alouettes certainly benefited from some bad luck on Saskatchewan’s part, but they still played well. Montreal registers their fourth win in a row and ninth of the season. They are still the team to beat in the league. They face Edmonton next week, and we’ll see if they can stop the resurgent Elks.
Oh, Riders fans are mad. Another win stripped away by a controversial command centre ruling. That said, the Riders had lots of opportunities to put this away, and they didn’t. In particular, kicker Brett Lauther left 12 points on the table, missing 4 field goals. They were definitely in his range too, and the last came with no time on the clock that could have sent the game into overtime. This could have easily been a 36-27 Saskatchewan win, if not for one player’s bad night. That’s football for you. The Riders barely hold on to their top position in the West by virtue of last week’s tie with Ottawa, and they haven’t won any of their last four games. With Winnipeg and Edmonton both on win streaks, the Riders have to be nervous. They play Toronto next week, and assuming they don’t have more bad luck and Lauther gets over his yips, they have a chance to stop the skid.
EDMONTON ELKS @ HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Played: Saturday August 17
Final Score: EDM 47 – HAM 22
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: EDM-7 HAM-0 | Q2: EDM-25 HAM-3 | Q3: EDM-0 HAM-13 | Q4: EDM-15 HAM-6
Well, this one wasn’t even close. There really isn’t any doubt about Hamilton being the worst team in the league anymore. Even without Tre Ford, the Elks just ran roughshod over Hamilton, despite having nearly 100 fewer yards of net offence. They played well, didn’t take many penalties, and let the Tiger-Cats do the hard work for them. The Elks are finally finding their stride, and completely routed a Hamilton team they just barely lost to weeks ago. If they keep playing like this, the post-season may not be off the table. They have eight games left to play, and while they do have to square off with Montreal, the rest of those games are definitely winnable. It’s wild to say given how the season started, but Edmonton could swing to post an even record, or possibly a winning one. If they can at least put up a good fight against Montreal next week, they could be in great shape.
This was a bloodbath for the Ticats. It started on the opening kickoff, with poor Luther Hakunavahnu getting rocked so hard he had to be taken off the field in an ambulance. Fortunately, he appears to be fine with no serious long term damage, but it was still the scariest hit I’ve seen in the CFL. Taylor Powell started at quarterback, and was promptly injured and pulled from the game. Hamilton players were just dropping like flies, and when they weren’t getting injured, they weren’t playing well either. The offence put up good numbers, but also lost 100 yards to penalties. The defence put up about as much resistance as a wet paper bag against both the pass and the run. I don’t understand how this offence can put up these huge numbers and then lose by 25 points. I think the season is done for the Ticats, and now they’re just playing for pride. In one last gift from the Elks, Hamilton fired their defensive coordinator Mark Washington and replaced him with former Edmonton head coach Chris Jones. Hamilton plays Winnipeg next week, and I’m not optimistic about their odds.
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS @ BC LIONS
Played: Sunday August 18
Final Score: WPG 20 – BC 11
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: WPG-7 BC-0 | Q2: WPG-3 BC-0 | Q3: WPG-7 BC-0 | Q4: WPG-3 BC-11
Well, I wasn’t expecting that outcome. First game back for the Bombers after their bye is the rematch against BC, and they win it convincingly. They didn’t manage to shut them out again, but it was still a very dominant performance. Winnipeg’s defence completely smothered BC’s offence, snatching the ball away and not letting them get anything going for three whole quarters. The offence was looking pretty solid too, especially considering some of their more lacklustre performances earlier in the season. As it turns out, if you score points every quarter and stop the other team from doing the same, you’re in a pretty good position to win. I think the Bombers have finally turned the corner on the season. They have some tough games ahead of them, but if they keep playing like this I think they have a chance, especially considering how the top teams in the West have suddenly stalled out. They play Hamilton next week, and I’m expecting their win streak is only going to get longer.
What a disappointing return for Nathan Rourke. He made just 8 of his 25 attempted passes for 126 yards, and didn’t even get points on the board until the fourth quarter. He had real trouble connecting with his receivers, and even if they got their hands on the ball they couldn’t always hold on to it. He threw interceptions, his receivers dropped the ball, and he got pressured hard by the Winnipeg defence. In Rourke’s defence, he hasn’t played a full game of football in almost two years, and has had to learn five different offensive schemes in the last year as he’s bounced around NFL practice rosters and then finally home to the Lions. I’m sure he’ll get back into the swing of things, but he needs to do it quick. This was BC’s fourth loss in a row, and with the bottom teams in the West kicking into high gear, they need to start winning if they want to keep their position in the standings. Unfortunately, they play Ottawa next week, so the Lions are going to have to work for that win.
STANDINGS AT THE END OF WEEK 11
EAST
MONTREAL ALOUETTES 9 – 1
OTTAWA REDBLACKS 6 – 2 – 1
TORONTO ARGONAUTS 5 – 4
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS 2 – 8
WEST
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS 5 – 4 – 1
BC LIONS 5 – 5
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS 4 – 6
CALGARY STAMPEDERS 4 – 6
EDMONTON ELKS 3 – 7
NEXT WEEK: WEEK 12
Saskatchewan @ Toronto – Thursday August 22 7:30PM EDT
Hamilton @ Winnipeg – Friday August 23 8:30PM EDT
BC @ Ottawa – Saturday August 24 7PM EDT
Edmonton @ Montreal – Sunday August 18 7PM EDT