Week 18 ended with many implications on the line as we inch near week 21 for the final leg of the 2025 CFL Season.  Saskatchewan officially clinched the West Division with its win over Toronto.  Calgary made a statement with a big win over Hamilton.  Edmonton is running on a high right now with an impressive win over Winnipeg.  And last but not least, Montreal displayed why they are one of the best defences in the CFL with a physical display over Ottawa.

Hello CFL Fans!  Here are your CFL News Hub Power Rankings – the Aftermath of Week 19.

1 – Saskatchewan Roughriders

Record: 12-4

Previous ranking:  1

Saskatchewan hosted Toronto, with more at stake for Saskatchewan, although minor to Toronto.  With Toronto entering the game officially out of the playoffs, Saskatchewan, on the other hand, made it official by clinching the West Division with a 27-19 win.  Saskatchewan was able to accumulate 431 yards of net offence on the Toronto defence in a game that was more one-sided than the final score indicated.       

Next game:  Friday, October 17th, 2025, in Winnipeg. 

2 – BC Lions

Record:  9-7

Previous ranking:  3

The Leos were on a bye in week 19.  They are a football team that is riding a big wave now and will be a difficult team to stop come playoff time. 

Next game:  Friday, October 17th, 2025, vs. Edmonton.

3 – Montreal Alouettes

Record:  9-7

Previous ranking:  4

The Alouettes were on a mission in week 19.  With the East Division still up for grabs, the Alouettes took nothing for granted, and it showed for the duration of the game.  The Montreal defence stole the show with a physical pounding.  Montreal was able to create too many obstacles for the Ottawa offence by creating any momentum with a 30-10 victory over Ottawa.  This Montreal team will be a scary team to play come playoff time.

Next game:  Saturday, October 18th, 2025, in Ottawa.

4 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Record:  10-7

Previous ranking:  2

The Tiger-Cats had a chance to create more separation between themselves and Montreal.  However, they had a date with a struggling Calgary team that was still fighting for a playoff spot.  Hamilton was exploited by the Calgary running game and had no answers in halting the ground attack.  It was another game where Hamilton was unable to engineer any offence, as it was dormant for a fair bit of the game.  There are some areas of concern for Hamilton come playoff time, as it was in week 17 (40-3 loss vs. Winnipeg), week 11 (29-9 loss vs. Saskatchewan), followed by the recent 37-20 loss vs. Calgary.  Yes, we can say it’s only 3 losses.  However, there are games this season when they did not look good, despite securing a comeback victory.       

Next game:  Hamilton will be on a bye in week 20.  Their next scheduled game will be on Friday, October 24th, 2025, vs. Ottawa.

5 – Calgary Stampeders

The Stampeders were looking to regain their mojo in week 19.  On the other side of the spectrum was a tough Hamilton team.  Calgary displayed a powerful running game with a combined 211 rushing yards.  Both Dedrick Mills and Ludovick Choquette provided most of the damage towards the Hamilton defence with 173 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns.  It was an important 37-20 victory for Calgary as they snapped their current 4-game losing streak.    

Record:  9-7

Previous ranking:  6

Next game:  Saturday, October 18th, 2025, vs. Toronto.

6 – Edmonton Elks

Record:  7-9

Previous ranking:  7

Edmonton had been playing some inspiring football lately.  With their playoff hopes in 2025 still slim, it is fun to watch as a football fan to see how they have played recently.  The odds were still against Edmonton, considering they have not defeated Winnipeg in 13 straight games.  Edmonton showed a lot of character with its 25-20 victory over Winnipeg.  One of the biggest challenges for Edmonton was to minimize the Brady Oliveira effect.  He still obtained a combined total of 147 yards.  With that said, the Edmonton defence was able to keep him out of the endzone.  Justin Rankin was the engine behind the offence, as is the case in most games for Edmonton, as he gives you the best chance to win.  He had another big game with 138 rushing yards and 1 touchdown.  The Elks have another challenge as they now head to BC to take on a hot team in week 20.               

Next game:  Friday, October 17th, 2025, in BC.

7 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Record:  8-8

Previous ranking:  5 

It’s hard to predict Winnipeg this season.  It’s really been a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  One week, they are a team that is standard of the CFL, while other weeks are the complete opposite.  Winnipeg has faced the most adversity among other CFL teams this season.  It is a fair assessment.  When you have been dominant for 5 years, it comes with the territory.  Winnipeg was unable to take control of its game vs. Edmonton.  The Edmonton defence was hungry and made some big plays when it mattered most.  The result was a 25-20 defeat.  The reliable front 7 of the Winnipeg defence was unable to halt the running game by Edmonton.             

Next game:  Friday, October 17th, 2025, vs. Saskatchewan.

8 – Toronto Argonauts

Record:  5-12 

Previous ranking:  8 

It has become a season that Argo fans would like to forget.  From Grey Cup Champions last season, to a 5-win team thus far in 2025.  The Boatmen entered week 19 in Regina, resting some starting roster players and shutting down some for the remaining scheduled games.  It only made sense to do this as they had nothing to play for this season.  Moreover, a risk of long-term injury to some roster players for the 2026 season.  The Argos took this approach in Regina to showcase some of their non–starters for next season.  It was more apparent at the quarterback position (Nick Arbuckle injured) with Jarret Doege taking most of the reps, along with Tucker Horn and Max Duggan.     

Next game:  Saturday, October 18th, 2025, in Calgary.

9 – Ottawa Redblacks

Record:  4-12 

Previous ranking:  9

Similar to Toronto, Ottawa did not start quarterback Dru Brown, as he will not be on the depth chart for the remainder of the season, rather than risking injury.  Ottawa has encountered a lot of gluttons for punishment this season.  Ottawa will have to go back to the drawing board to see what the best way is to turn things around in the Nation’s Capital.          

Next game:  Saturday, October 18th, 2025, vs. Montreal.