With the excitement of the 2021 CFL season officially a go, Calgary Stampeder fans have plenty to look forward to with the release of the 2021 schedule.
Calgary fans got a first look into their 2021 schedule as it was released on Tuesday.
This season will be unlike an other CFL season as it now contains just 14 games from the typical 18 games. The CFL season in the past has started in May with the preseason and then the regular season runs from June until early November. This time around, the season will start August 5 with no preseason and finish December 12 with the Grey Cup concluding the season.
For every CFL team, it’s been two years since they have hit the field to play. While there isn’t a preseason this year, the first few weeks will show early who the contenders and pretenders are. With four less games, the room of error is less than any season in quite a while. If Calgary wants to get back to the Grey Cup, they will have to get off to a fast and strong start.
2021 Calgary Stampeders Schedule
The Stampeders have a favorable start to the season as they will spend the first three weeks playing at home in McMahon Stadium. Two of the three are against East Division teams as they play Toronto in week one and Montreal in week three. Week two will be a short week for Calgary giving them five days to prepare for a Thursday game against the BC Lions.
Week four sees Calgary hitting the road for the first time as they take on the defending Grey Cup champions Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The next week has the Stampeders playing their only Monday night game as part of their traditional Labor Day Classic against Edmonton at home. They’ll play Edmonton again the same week of the Monday night game on the road and continue their road trip the next week against Hamilton.
The Stampeders get their first of two bye weeks in week eight. Two of their next three games are on the road, but start week nine at home against Saskatchewan. They’ll play the Roughriders again the next week, but on the road this time. Week 11 will feature a matchup against BC, but week 12 has Calgary playing Saskatchewan for the third time in the past four games at home.
Calgary hits the road afterwards against Ottawa before their week 14 bye week. The all important last two has them on the road in week 15 against BC. Winnipeg comes to Calgary in the final week of the season on November 20 as playoff spots could very well be on the line.
For the full 2021 schedule for Calgary, fans can go to their website to view it.
Final Analysis
The key to Calgary landing a spot in the playoffs is how fast of a start they get into. Four of their first five games will be at home which is a major advantage for the Stampeders. Four of their seven home games will be played on Saturday which will keep their schedule consistent. Wins against Saskatchewan and BC will be critical as they play them a total of six times this season.
Their last seven games features six division matchups which puts more of an emphasis on finishing their division with a winning record. Calgary’s two bye weeks also come in the second half of the season which could help players rest up prior to their potential playoff push. Matchups against BC and Winnipeg will be critical in the sense that it could decide the West Division and set up momentum going into the playoffs beating the defending champions.
Of the schedules released from each CFL team, the Stampeders have to feel good about their chances of making the playoffs. The beginning and end of the season works in their favor with home games and bye weeks landing at the perfect spots. Stampeder fans have a lot to hope for with the team having a schedule that could land them a Grey Cup come December.
