After a busy off-season via free agency on February 11th, followed by the CFL Draft on April 29th, it was opening day for 8 out of the 9 teams last week, with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers beginning on a bye week to start Week 1 of the 2025 CFL Season.

Before we start, let us applaud both the Michigan Panthers on their USFL Championship win over the Birmingham Stallions (44-29) and the DC Defenders’ 36-18 victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL Championship game.  Good luck to both the Michigan Panthers and the DC Defenders in the UFL Championship game on Saturday, June 14th.

1:  Montreal Alouettes

From the opening kickoff to the end of the game, the Montreal Alouettes played a perfect game to open up week 1.  The tone was set by their defence that controlled the game.  The Toronto Argonauts‘ offensive line was outmatched for the majority of the game.  And the Argos had no answer to stop the bleeding.  Montreal’s run game was effective with a total of 163 yards compared to only 34 yards by the Boatmen.  Montreal won in just about every category with 22 first downs to Toronto’s 13.  It was either Montreal making a statement, or that of a revenge game with a chip on their shoulders at the hands of the Toronto Argos from last year’s East Semi-Final.  Either way, you look at it, Montreal is one of the top four teams to win a Grey Cup this year, whereas the Toronto Argonauts played the Grey Cup hangover game.

Next Game:  Friday, June 13th at Ottawa 

2.  Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Many fans would ask why the Blue Bombers are number 2 on this list.  And that is a fair assessment.  The Blue Bombers, love them or hate them, are still one of the best teams in the CFL.  Let us wait until week two to judge them if they stay as is or drop down the rankings.

Next Game:  Thursday, June 12th vs. B.C. Lions

3.  Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders appeared to be running away in this game vs. the Ottawa Redblacks, going into the 4th quarter.  As is in the CFL, no lead is safe.  The Riders flexed their muscles on the defence led by Jameer Thurman, with 10 tackles.  Unfortunately for the Roughriders, RB A.J. Ouellette left the game early for a suspected head injury.  The Redblacks began to turn a corner late in the 3rd quarter, where he would toss 3 touchdown passes from the 6:38 mark of the 3rd quarter to the 4:26 mark of the 4th quarter.  In the end, it was too little, too late for Dru Brown and company as they would fall 31-26. 

Next Game:  Saturday, June 14th at Hamilton Tiger-Cats

4.  BC Lions

Things appear to go all too well for the BC Lions whenever they have a big artist as an opening concert.  This was the case again with legendary hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg.  There were questions about the play of Nathan Rourke if he still had to shake off some rust since coming back from his NFL stint late last season.  Let us just say, from what we saw right now, he appeared to be back on track.  More Importantly, the B.C. Lions obtained full control of the game by winning the total yards of 448, compared to the Elks at 265.  Add in the Lions piled up 25 first downs compared to Edmonton’s 17, and you get the picture.

Next Game:  Thursday, June 12th at Winnipeg Blue Bombers

5.  Calgary Stampeders

For a team that had a subpar season last year, the Calgary Stampeders looked like a team that wanted to prove the doubters wrong this season.  Everyone knows that Vernon Adams Jr. is an elite quarterback in the CFL.  The overall factor was that there was history in this game.  The Calgary Stampeders are celebrating their 80th Anniversary in 2025.  Although the stats for this game appear to be close, it was another issue with the Tiger-Cats with slow starts.  The hard running of Dedrick Mills of 94 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a 5.5 average yards per carry, was too much for the Hamilton defence. Vernon Adams Jr. did not throw a touchdown pass, but he was able to not make the game predictable for the Hamilton defence by spreading the ball to Clark Barnes for 112 yards, Regie Begelton for 58 yards, Tevin Jones for 48 yards, and Dedrick Mills for 30 yards.

Next Game:  Saturday, June 14th at Toronto Argonauts

6.  Toronto Argonauts

This will be the most controversial seed with the Toronto Argonauts in the sixth spot.  There is one reason and one reason only. The strength of the schedule.  You can say that they would still be a competitive team with all the key losses on the defence during the free agency period.  But nobody thought that this was a game where the Argos’ offensive line could not block anything.  Losing 28-10 to the Alouettes does not appear to be a blowout.  But it sure felt that way.  In a nutshell, the Montreal defence went through Toronto’s offensive line like a hot knife through butter.

Next Game:  Saturday, June 14th vs. Calgary Stampeders

7.  Ottawa Redblacks

Moral victories are not what the

Ottawa Redblacks want to hear in 2025.  It had been their nemesis in years past, post the 2016 Grey Cup win.  They put up a good fight in a tough environment in Saskatchewan.  And it is an area of concern when road losses accumulate, as it was in 2024.  Going 2-7 on the road last season did not cut it.  Starting 0-1 on the road only brings back nightmares.  The one big positive was that they did not fold.  The play of Dru Brown was an emotional spark the Ottawa Redblacks were looking for when it mattered most, as it looked like the game was simply going to slip away.  It was the case of digging themselves into a hole in week 1 when the inevitable occurred when time expired.

Next Game:  Friday, June 13th vs. Montreal Alouettes

8.  Edmonton Elks

It’s the old cliché t

hat it looks good on paper when free agency concluded for the Edmonton Elks, and it was anything but good.  The BC Lions had control over Edmonton from every aspect of the game.  The Elks’ defence played the game, giving the B.C. Lions a cushion in open spaces for Nathan Rourke to hit his targets when needed.  Take away the 54 yards rushing by Tre Ford, and the Elks’ combined rushing yards were only 33 yards collectively from Justin Rankin, Javon Leake, and Cody Fajardo when he entered the game for short yardage.  The Elks cannot afford to start slow with long winless records until they get their first win of the season.

Next Game:  Bye in Week 2.  Their next opponent vs. the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday, June 19th

9.  Hamilton Tiger-Cats

It seems to be the same broken re

cord with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats regarding how they start a season.  Bo Levi Mitchell is not getting younger, and he can still play the game at a high level.  However, it’s the same old song. Their start for the season has been similar to the Edmonton Elks. It was 28-11 for the Stampeders when entering the 4th quarter.  Scoring another 15 points in the 4th quarter was great.  However, playing behind the eight ball will get you burned on many occasions when you let it happen.     

Next Game:  Saturday, June 14th vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders

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