Playoff races heating up

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/09/2022 (1074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With just five weeks remaining on the CFL schedule, the playoff races are heating up.

For some teams, that means an ongoing fight for a place in the post-season. For those who have already clinched, it’s about jockeying for position in the standings, with the hope of hosting a playoff game come November.

Kicking off Week 16 was the Montreal Alouettes downing the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, rallying from behind in the second half to earn a 23-16 victory at Molson Stadium. The Toronto Argonauts did Montreal no favours, however, maintaining a four-point lead atop the East Division with a commanding 45-15 win over the Ottawa Redblacks at TD Place.

Wrapping up the three-game weekend was the much-anticipated rematch between the Calgary Stampeders and B.C. Lions following a dustup the week before. It was the Stampeders that would rise to the occasion, delivering a 25-11 triumph on the road at B.C. Place.

As is always the case in the three-down loop, there’s plenty to talk about over the week that was in the CFL. Let’s get right into it with the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1 Trailing 10-3 at halftime, the Alouettes outscored Hamilton 20-6 in the final two quarters to secure the win. It was the fifth time this season the Tiger-Cats have gone into the break with a lead, only to see it slip through their fingers. Hamilton has been awful in the second half this year; only twice this season have they scored more than their opponents and have been outscored by a combined 119 to 250.

2 After representing the East in the last two Grey Cup games, it’s becoming clear the Tiger-Cats have no business making a third consecutive trip. Just consider that over its last five games, Hamilton is 0-4 against the Alouettes and Argonauts – the two clubs ahead in the East standings. They’re still not mathematically eliminated but it only feels like a matter of time at this point.

3 There is one caveat to that and it’s whether the Saskatchewan Roughriders can continue their steady free-fall. The Roughriders sit in fourth place in the West, at 6-8, which currently gives them the crossover to the East. With the Tiger-Cats boasting a 4-10 record, the Roughriders should be in the clear, right? Not so fast. Saskatchewan has arguably the most difficult finish to its regular season, with a game against Winnipeg this week, followed by a road meeting in Hamilton and a home-and-home series against Calgary to wrap up the year. With Calgary almost surely to be fighting B.C. for second in the West, they’re going to be facing a motivated Stampeders club in those final two games. It’s not crazy to suggest the Roughriders might not win another game this year and if Hamilton can find some magic down the stretch, there’s the possibility the Tiger-Cats could leapfrog into the third playoff spot.

4 Speaking of the Roughriders, even when they’re not playing, they manage to take a major L. News broke this week that backup QB Jake Dolegala was arrested and charged for driving impaired over the team’s bye week, resulting in a one-game suspension by the Roughriders. Just the latest distraction for a club that’s been covered in them this season.

5 Can Montreal claim top spot in the East? The Alouettes have won four of their last five games to put themselves in a position to possibly catch the Argonauts for first. Montreal and Toronto each have five games remaining, with the Alouettes having the much easier schedule. Montreal gets to play Edmonton, followed by back-to-back games against the lowly Redblacks; meanwhile, Toronto’s next three games include dates with Calgary, B.C. and Edmonton. That all then sets up a home-and-home series between the Alouettes and Argonauts to round out the season.

6 This might help… Alouettes running back William Stanback returned to practice this week for the first time since breaking his ankle in the season-opener. Stanback said he knew right away about the injury, telling the Montreal Gazette, “I felt like my foot was hanging off.” He won’t play Saturday in Edmonton but is on pace to return Week 18 against Ottawa. Stanback led the CFL last year with 1,176 rushing yards and was the East Division nominee for most outstanding player. Montreal’s run game took a significant hit with his absence, as only the Toronto Argonauts, who lost starting RB Andrew Harris in Week 10, have had less run attempts this season.

7 The Argonauts won their fourth straight game, with the victory against the Redblacks ensuring they finish no lower than second in the East. It’s been a somewhat rocky season at times for the Double Blue, but they’ve emerged as serious Grey Cup contenders.

8 Not so much for the Redblacks, who are now 1-21 in their last 22 home games. Fans have turned on the organization and it feels like a matter of time before head coach Paul LaPolice is given his pink slip. It’s too bad, as losing your starting QB within the first month would be challenging for any bench boss. Given how inconsistent the Redblacks have been this year, despite having plenty of talent outside the guy throwing the ball, there’s really been nothing to suggest having another year under LaPo’s leadership.

9 I was expecting a bit more fire from the Lions after their Week 15 matchup, when after that game Stampeders linebacker Cameron Judge blindsided Lions receiver Lucky Whitehead with a punch to the face, leading to an altercation in the parking lot. Instead, it was a rather tame affair, which probably had something to do with Judge serving his one-game suspension.

10 The Stampeders are a well-coached team that all clubs have a high level of respect for. That doesn’t change the fact Saturday’s win was the first this season for Calgary against a team with a record better than .500 — and it was against a Lions club without Nathan Rourke.

11 The biggest football news out of Calgary came off the field. On Tuesday, the Stampeders announced that they’ve signed QB Jake Maier to a two-year extension. The deal ultimately cements Maier as the team’s future pivot, while essentially marking an end to Bo Levi Mitchell’s run in Cowtown beyond this season. Maier is getting genuine starter money, north of $400,000 per season. It’s a smart move by the Stampeders, as Maier has proven to be a quality player and at 25 years old, has plenty of good years still in him.

12 I find it kind of funny that while Mitchell’s future in Calgary might be in doubt, there’s now a debate brewing over his present. I get that head coach Dave Dickenson didn’t outright deny the chance for a trade by the Oct. 5 deadline, and that Mitchell revealed there have been calls from other teams. There’s no situation here where a trade benefits the Stampeders, not with the importance of having a reliable backup QB — and there would be no better Plan B than Mitchell.

13 The teams that would be interested in Mitchell also makes it a laughable prospect. The only obvious club in need of an upgrade that still has a legitimate chance at making the playoffs is the Roughriders. Why would the Stampeders make a trade with Saskatchewan when they’re still in a fight for second in the West and have to play the Roughriders twice to close out the regular season?

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

14 I see the only way this happens is if Mitchell demands a trade — which he said he hasn’t — and the Stampeders oblige out of pure respect for his decade-long service. Even that seems like a bizarre development; if Mitchell plans to have a statue erected in his honour one day, you can’t be asking to go to a rival team as your own club readies for a playoff push. What’s clear is Mitchell isn’t the guy anymore in Calgary, and what’s most likely to happen is he signs with a new club next year. That’s assuming he still wants to play at all.

15 Here are the playoff ramifications for this upcoming weekend, as set out by the CFL: Winnipeg win OR Calgary loss and Winnipeg clinches a home playoff date; Saskatchewan loss AND Calgary win means Saskatchewan can only qualify for the playoffs via crossover; and an Edmonton loss AND Saskatchewan win means Edmonton is eliminated from playoff contention.

16 The 109th Grey Cup in Saskatchewan has officially sold out, the Roughriders announced Wednesday morning. The Grey Cup festival runs between Nov. 15-20, with the championship game set for Sunday afternoon. A week earlier than usual and three weeks ahead of last year’s COVID-affected season.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.