Monumental weekend for CFL

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This article was published 09/10/2024 (524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not often we open this space talking about the future, but the CFL schedule this Thanksgiving weekend is just too appetizing to ignore.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the Toronto Argonauts Friday night; the Edmonton Elks visit the Calgary Stampeders for a matinee game Saturday, followed by the B.C. Lions at the Saskatchewan Roughriders later in the day; with the weekend capped off with a tilt between the Ottawa Redblacks and Montreal Alouettes in the La Belle Province on Thanksgiving Monday.

With three weeks remaining, only the Elks and Stampeders have been officially eliminated from the playoffs — marking the first time in CFL history an Alberta-based club won’t be in the post-season — so that game will be fought for bragging rights. The other three games have major implications in the standings.

The Bombers can lock up the West for a fourth consecutive year with a win or tie against the Argos, with Toronto able to earn a playoff berth with a victory that would also officially eliminate the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. If the Argos can win and snap Winnipeg’s lengthy win streak, that would keep the Riders in contention for first place in the West, so long as they defeat the Lions, who already secured a playoff spot with a win over the Elks last week.

A victory for Saskatchewan would also secure a home playoff game in Riderville, meaning the Riders can’t finish any worse than second in the West.

The Alouettes have already clinched top spot in the East Division but can play the spoiler role this weekend against the Redblacks, who have lost their last three games but still hope to finish second in the East after clinching a playoff berth last week. A win for the Argos, regardless of what happens in the Alouettes-Redblacks game, would keep Toronto hot on Ottawa’s heels, setting up a critical matchup between the two clubs a week later.

Indeed, it’s another thrilling weekend of three-down football on the horizon, in what’s been as unpredictable a season as any in recent memory. As exciting as those games will be, let’s take a moment to look back at the top stories from the week that was in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) It’s not great news for the rest of the CFL the Bombers are once again dominating the league at the most important time, now winners of their last eight games. What’s more, they’ve proven they can beat you in different ways, either through the air — as was the case against the Elks in a 55-27 beatdown in Week 17, when QB Zach Collaros threw for a career-high six touchdowns while passing for more than 400 yards – or on the ground, as seen against the Ticats, with RB Brady Oliveira finishing with a season-best 147 rushing yards on 24 carries. With a defence that is also tops in the league, that’s a scary recipe in November. Among the greatest improvements from the first eight games to the last eight is the decrease in turnovers by the offence and an increase in takeaways by the defence, which has been, quite literally, from worst to best in the CFL.

2) Looking at the West standings, the biggest threat to the Bombers making it to a fifth consecutive Grey Cup is no doubt their prairie rivals. While I don’t see the Riders catching up to the Bombers for first in the West, I do see them clinching second. That could all change if the Riders lose at home to the Lions this weekend, but I just don’t see B.C., with the way it has been playing, leaving what will be a sea of green at Mosaic Stadium with a W. There are a few reasons I think Saskatchewan could be dangerous in the playoffs. The Riders are battle tested when it comes to playing in frigid climates; has an experienced QB in Trevor Harris; will see a boost to their run game with the return of RB A.J. Ouellette; and they can stop the run, as the Riders are second only to the Argos when it comes to run defence. Mostly, though, it’s because you can never predict what will happen between these two rivals, and while it was an impressive feat by the Bombers to sweep the Labour Day Classic and Banjo Bowl, the two victories came by a combined seven points. Saskatchewan will need to be a more disciplined team — it currently leads the CFL in unnecessary roughing penalties — but if they can figure that part out, it feels like anything could happen.

3) Never in the 66 years the CFL has been in existence have both teams from Alberta missed the playoffs before this season. It’s certainly a weird feeling not having the Stamps or Elks in the mix for the Grey Cup. Perhaps the most surprising part is it didn’t happen last season, with the Stamps squeaking into the 2023 post-season with a 6-12 record. Calgary misses the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and the first time since Dave Dickenson took over as head coach ahead of the 2016 season. Meanwhile, the Elks will miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season and haven’t won a post-season game since winning the semifinal in 2019.

4) I’m not sure who has a fuller plate between Edmonton and Calgary heading into the offseason. Dickenson will likely have to fire himself as HC and focus solely on his GM duties. The Stamps locker room has been a mess for two years and Dickenson clearly has struggled at playing both the good and bad cop in his two roles. Perhaps Mark Killam, a name we’ve been hearing for years as the next coach in waiting, will take over. In Edmonton, new owner Larry Thompson is expected to announce a new president within the next couple of weeks. Thompson needs to bring in an experienced executive whose immediate job will be to decide on the future of GM Geroy Simon and HC Jarious Jackson and his staff. The Elks should clean house, if only to rid themselves of the stink left behind by Chris Jones, but I could also see them hanging onto Simon. If they go with the same personnel, they better be damn sure of their decision because they won’t have nearly the same leash as someone new.

5) The Elks also need to figure out what they want to do with QB Tre Ford. In other words, they need to decide if he’s their guy or not, and if he’s not, Edmonton needs to move on. Ford will likely get a look elsewhere, but I wonder just how interested other teams will be. I like Ford and anyone who has watched him knows how athletically gifted he is. It’s clear he’s having a hard time adjusting to being a traditional QB; and in trying to play differently, we’re also not seeing the best of Ford’s athletic gifts, notably his ability to take off on the run. In talking to people across the league, the biggest issue with Ford is he doesn’t command the huddle the way a QB needs to. Specifically, he’s not coaching up his receivers once he breaks huddle and that speaks to the growing pains of being a young QB, someone who still has to think too much when it comes to identifying opposing defences and cleanly going through his reads. In pro sport, where results matter and are the difference between keeping and losing your job, that’s a lot to gamble with.

6) Not sure when or if the Redblacks will figure things out in time, but there are three areas that are clearly hurting them right now. The first is QB, with Dru Brown currently banged up and Jeremiah Masoli, while still serviceable behind centre, clearly no longer the dangerous option he once was. Brown needs to get healthy and back to playing with the confidence he had earlier in the season. Second, the loss of DB Adarius Pickett is a big one and I’m not sure that hole can be filled. Finally, the run attack has struggled in the four games since cutting RB Ryquell Armstead, with the Redblacks averaging fewer than 75 rushing yards per game, which ranks them last in the CFL. Here’s hoping HC and resident good guy Bob Dyce can get his guys going.

7) The Alouettes were a bit of dark horse last season, entering the playoffs in second spot in the East before defeating the Ticats, the 16-2 Argos and the mighty Bombers en route to their first Grey Cup since 2010. It was a similar story with the Bombers in 2019, only they were on the road the entire time as the third seed in the West. I don’t see another dark horse this season, although I could picture the Argos getting revenge on the Alouettes. Montreal has one win over its last four games, and with nothing to play for in the three games, you wonder how dialed-in the club will be.

8) I’m on the record saying Lions QB Nathan Rourke should be starting. Seven starts later, with middling results, including no passing TDs in the last three games, I’ve changed my mind to Vernon Adams Jr. It’s clear Rourke is struggling to build chemistry with the offence and Adams is beloved by his teammates and is on the same page with his receivers. I’m not saying Rourke isn’t the future — he absolutely is — but this is Adams’ team, and his unique playing style only helps with what is a sub-par O-line. It might be a little bit awkward for Rourke, but if you can ask Adams, in the midst of an MOP-calibre season, to take one for the team, surely Rourke can do the same. The only difference is Rourke has a massive payday waiting for him after this season while Adams will be looking for a new home.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton