Week 3 came to an end last Saturday with some big surprises. We had a stock market crash in the CFL, and it did not affect the economy. As Elvis once said, “I’m all shook up”.
The biggest surprise was Edmonton shocking Montreal at home with a thrilling 32-29 OT win. Hamilton was dominant with their 41-27 win at home over BC. Toronto hit the win column in Ottawa with a 44-24 win. The week ended with Saskatchewan hanging on in Calgary with a 40-37 OT win.
Hello CFL Fans! Here are your CFL News Hub Power Rankings after Week 3.
1 – Saskatchewan Roughriders
Record: 2 – 0
Previous ranking: 1
The defending Grey Cup Champions embarked on a journey in Calgary in a thrilling game for both teams. The Roughriders were front-loaded in the 1st half, placing a lot of points on the board, and it appeared that they were going to run away with the game. The second half was more of a struggle, where Calgary orchestrated a 2nd half surge to really test Saskatchewan. Trevor Harris had a big game with 23 pass completions on 36 pass attempts, totalling 349 passing yards and 3 touchdown passes. His big target was the talented Kian Schaffer-Baker, who tore apart the Calgary secondary. Good teams find ways to win. No matter what the struggle or challenges they face.
Next game: Friday, June 26th, 2026, vs. Toronto.
2 – Hamilton Tiger – Cats
Record: 2 – 1
Previous ranking: 3
After losing their season opener to Montreal, it looks like the Tiger-Cats have flipped the script and are no longer taking anything for granted for the time being, with 2 straight victories. The recent 41-27 victory at home vs. BC does not dictate how Hamilton was in full control of the game. One of the best defensive players in the CFL, Stavros Katsantonis, was all over the field, creating a lot of problems for Nathan Rourke’s passing game. Bo Levi Mitchell was incredible, with only 3 incomplete passes for the whole game. He would go 15-for-18, throw for 285 passing yards, and post a video game stat of 5 touchdown passes. Like always, the always-dangerous Kenny Lawler was effective with 81 receiving yards and a lone TD. Spreading the offence was on display with Kiondre Smith for 72 yards and a touchdown. What was impressive was that he did this on only 2 receptions.
Next game: Hamilton will be on a bye in week 4. Their next scheduled game will be on Sunday, July 5th, 2026, vs. Winnipeg.
3 – Edmonton Elks
Record: 2 – 0
Previous ranking: 7
This is very odd to say this. The Edmonton Elks are 2-0. Facing their biggest challenge thus far, Edmonton showed composure, grit, resilience, and a willingness not to back down and fold. Davis Alexander is a tough quarterback to stop in any game. Saskatchewan was the one who ended his streak in the Grey Cup last season with his first official loss as a starting quarterback. The Elks added to this by defeating Davis Alexander for his first loss in a regular-season game. A key part of the game came in the 3rd quarter. Down 13-7, Edmonton buckled down with some solid defence, allowing Montreal to score no points. With the Edmonton offence struggling, so was the defence in the 4th quarter, allowing Montreal to come up with 13 points. It was a see-saw battle where it would take overtime to seal the deal. Eventually, it was Edmonton that would see a victory come to fruition in overtime. As always, Justin Rankin was a key piece for Edmonton with 179 yards on the ground and 51 receiving yards.
Next game: Thursday, June 25th, 2026, in Winnipeg.
4 – Toronto Argonauts
Record: 1 – 1
Previous ranking: 8
Many will debate why the Toronto Argos are up this high on the list. That is a fair assessment. With 2 games played, and 61 points allowed, they are one of the best defences in this league so far. This was not a great game by Toronto. Although Chad Kelly looked great in his passing statistics with 25 completions in 32 pass attempts for 424 yards and 4 touchdown passes, it was the 4 interceptions that could have been costly. The Boatman stood tall when it mattered most, causing 6 Ottawa turnovers. More importantly, they established a pretty good running game.
Next game: Friday, June 26th, 2026, in Saskatchewan.
5 – Montreal Alouettes
Record: 2 – 1
Previous ranking: 2
It may be early in the regular season. However, this is uncharted territory if you are an Alouettes fan. The surprise so far is the total number of points allowed, with 89. The Montreal we know in the last 5 seasons is a stingy defence that is hard to play against. The Alouettes had no solution for Justin Rankin as he simply carved the Montreal defence like a hot knife through butter. It was unusual to see Montreal have a soft defensive game, as it appeared they took Edmonton for granted.
Next game: Sunday, June 28th, 2026, vs. Ottawa.
6 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Record: 1 – 1
Previous ranking: 5
The Blue Bombers were on a bye in week 3. It’s not often that you can drop 1 seed in a ranking without playing a game. There are a lot of elements brainstormed to come to this conclusion.
Next game: Thursday, June 25th, vs Edmonton.
Record: 0 – 2
Previous ranking: 6
What looked promising for Calgary this season seems to be anything but that. However, this was a winnable game when they took on the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The big problem for Calgary was to chip away at a 31-17 Saskatchewan lead entering the 4th quarter. As much as it was a possible great comeback, the deficit was too much to overcome, even though Calgary forced the game into overtime.
Next game: Saturday, June 27th, 2026, in BC.
8 – BC Lions
Record: 0 - 2
Previous ranking: 4
For one of the best potent offences in the CFL in the last three seasons, the BC Lions appear to be shell-shocked. BC was unable to create consistency vs. Hamilton. With only 12 points scored entering the 4th quarter, it appeared that the writing was on the wall for any probable comeback. BC was completely outmatched physically by Hamilton. It is a game that they will have to address sooner rather than later.
Next game: Saturday, June 27th, 2026, vs. Calgary.
9 – Ottawa Redblacks
Record: 0-2
Previous ranking: 9
What could go wrong, did go wrong for the Redblacks with their date with the Argos. Not to mention, Ottawa has had 9 turnovers in its first two games of the early season. 6 of those turnovers were caused by the Double Blue. There are some positives in this game against Toronto. They were able to create some good plays on both sides of the ball. That was the positive. The negatives were that the many mental errors were on full display, leaving Ottawa fans scratching their heads.
Next game: Sunday, June 28th, 2026, in Montreal.