Week 11 is in the books, with some physical football witnessed among the scheduled games. Winnipeg won a nail-biter over Ottawa. Edmonton played a physical game against Toronto. The battle of the best from the West vs. the best in the East, Saskatchewan displayed a dominant performance over Hamilton. A limping Montreal team was no match on the road vs. BC.
Hello, CFL fans. Here are your CFL News Hub power rankings. The aftermath of week 11:
1 – Saskatchewan Roughriders
Record: 8-1
Previous ranking: 1
Saskatchewan had a date with Hamilton at home for the battle of the best two teams in the Canadian Football League. With the home crowd on their side, Saskatchewan not only won 29-9, but they also displayed a dominating performance. The Saskatchewan front seven stayed hungry all game and created a lot of penetration on the Hamilton offensive line. The Hamilton offensive line had no answer to the constant onslaught by Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan’s game plan was to slow down Bo Levi Mitchell, and they did just that. Saskatchewan was able to hold the Hamilton running game collectively to 95 yards. Moreover, they kept the deep threat of the Hamilton receivers in check with Kenny Lawler, Shemar Bridges, and Tim White as non-factors in this game. They held Bo Levi Mitchell to only 16 completions on 31 attempts, for 201 passing yards, and 2 interceptions. The better team showed up.
Next game: Saturday, August 23rd, 2025, in Calgary
2 – Calgary Stampeders
Record: 6-3
Previous ranking: 3
Calgary was on a bye in week 11. They will now focus their attention on an important match against the league’s best, Saskatchewan.
Next game: Saturday, August 23rd, 2025, vs. Saskatchewan
3 – Hamilton Tiger Cats
Record: 6-4
Previous ranking: 2
The way the season has played out thus far, along with the current standings leading up to week 11, had all the makings of a classic when Hamilton entered Regina, Saskatchewan. Unfortunately for Hamilton, they came out very flat. Hamilton had no answer for the all-around performance by Saskatchewan. Bo Levi Mitchell was under pressure a lot and took a lot of hits from the constant pressure by Saskatchewan. This was the first game of the 2025 season for Hamilton, where they were exposed more often. It happens in pro football. Good teams have bad days.
Next game: Hamilton will be on a bye in week 12. Their next scheduled game will be on Monday, September 1st, 2025, vs. Toronto.
4 – BC Lions
Record: 5-5
Previous ranking: 4
The inconsistencies of the BC Lions had occurred during this season, including being unable to play a full sixty minutes of a game from time to time. The last two weeks of their respective schedule saw the Leos play a full sixty minutes. Yes, we can say the outcome could have been closer had Davis Alexander been at quarterback for Montreal. No matter how you put it, injuries are inevitable in pro football. Injuries are a plague to many teams when their high-end talent is unavailable. BC did not take anything for granted in this game and came out flying. Nathan Rourke was 26 for 34 in pass completions, for 382 passing yards, 4 touchdown passes, and a lone interception. Just like Josh Allen, where “everyone eats,” this was the case of Keon Hatcher with 156 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, Justin McInnis with 66 receiving yards and 1 touchdown, Ayden Eberhardt with 63 receiving yards, and Staley Berryhill with 51 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.
Next game: Saturday, August 23rd, 2025, in Toronto.
5 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Record: 5-4
Previous ranking: 5
Many fans in Winnipeg are worried about this season, as it has been a roller-coaster ride. They have faced more adversity amongst other teams in the CFL. With that said, a win is still a win, regardless of how the outcome played out. Whether you win by 1 or 50 points, it’s irrelevant in the win column. It has been a battle for the Bombers, and they came out on the winning end over Ottawa. The one area of concern in this game from a Winnipeg standpoint was the lack of big defensive plays to halt Ottawa’s comeback. Ottawa scored 24 points in the 2nd half and was in a great spot to cause a big upset. The Bombers were lucky to come up with the 10 points in the 4th quarter to seal off a 30-27 win. Week 12 is an interesting matchup for Winnipeg, as they will be on the road in Montreal. This will be another game where it will be a must-win for both football clubs.
Next game: Thursday, August 21st, 2025, in Montreal
6 – Montreal Alouettes
Record: 5-5
Previous ranking: 6
Montreal is sliding down at the wrong time. Fans in Montreal cannot wait for when QB Davis Alexander is fully healthy and cleared to play. Because, as it stands right now, and the longer this goes, they will be on the outside looking in for a playoff spot. Since starting the season 3-0, they have gone 2-5 in their recent stretch. Their match in BC was a learning curve. The score did not dictate effort, all things considered. Caleb Evans suffered a hamstring injury and had to exit the game. 4th string quarterback James Morgan then entered the game. His numbers were not great, but they were not brutal either for a quarterback who had limited snaps this week leading up to the BC game. He would go 20 for 33 in pass completions, for 211 passing yards with 1 touchdown pass, and a lone interception.
Next game: Thursday, August 21st, 2025, vs. Winnipeg
7 – Edmonton Elks
Record: 3-6
Previous ranking: 8
Edmonton was looking for its first winning streak this season, and achieved just that with a blue-collar and exciting football game against Toronto. It was the Justin Rankin show again for Edmonton. Justin Rankin was stellar, displaying his running and receiving talents by catching all 5 pass attempts in his direction for 87 yards, followed by 92 yards on the ground on 13 carries with a 7.1 yards average, and 1 touchdown. He was a thorn in the Toronto defence. On the defence, Joel Dublanko contributed with 9 tackles, Kordell Jackson contributed with 8 tackles and 1 sack, Brandon Barlow with 1 sack and a forced fumble, and JJ Ross with a forced fumble. With their current 2-game winning streak active, they are playing with a lot of confidence now.
Next game: Friday, August 22nd, 2025, in Ottawa
8 – Ottawa Redblacks
Record: 3-7
Previous ranking: 7
It was the case of too little, too late for Ottawa when they played Winnipeg. The effort was there. They had Winnipeg on the ropes. The problem Ottawa encountered was its lack of production in the 1st half, displaying only 3 points. Being down 20-3 was a big hill to climb against an experienced team. In the CFL, no lead is ever safe. Ottawa proved that with their comeback that fell short. However, they left too many points off the scoreboard. Unfortunately for Ottawa fans, Dru Brown had to exit the game due to the physical hits that accumulated throughout the game. Dru Brown was then replaced by Dustin Crum, who displayed his resilience. Crum went 11 for 17 in pass completions, for 125 yards and 1 touchdown.
Next game: Friday, August 22nd, 2025, vs. Edmonton
9 – Toronto Argonauts
Record: 2-8
Previous ranking: 9
The Argos are falling for all the wrong reasons. This was a game where both teams needed this win. When they arrived in Edmonton, they were in for a big fight, and they knew it. The Toronto defence had no answer as Justin Rankin had a field day on the Toronto defence with 179 total yards and 1 touchdown. Although the passing game was great again, with Nick Arbuckle passing for 382 yards, they fell victim to the lack of a running game. Deonta McMahon was a non-factor in this game with 12 yards on 4 carries. He would only have 21 receiving yards on 4 catches. David Ungerer III had a huge game with 96 receiving yards, along with Dejon Brissett, also with 96 receiving yards. Toronto will have to find a way to obtain its next win. Because as of now, they have a date with a hot BC team, only to meet their foe, Hamilton, on Labour Day.
Next game: Saturday, August 23rd, 2025, vs. BC