Week 11 saw the visiting team win in all 4 games. The top 2 teams in the East won as Montreal and Ottawa added to their win column. The West playoff race became a lot more congested as Edmonton and Winnipeg both won their games while the top 2 teams of the West both lost in Saskatchewan and BC.
Predictions: CFL News Hub Writers’ Week 12 Picks
The Crown Holder and the Court Jester
Crown Holder 👑 – The Montreal Alouettes defended the title of Crown Holder as they defeated Saskatchewan 27-24. Montreal will host Edmonton on Sunday.
Court Jester 🃏 – The Saskatchewan Roughriders were unable to pass the title of Court Jester off as they lost to Montreal 24-27. Saskatchewan will have an opportunity to force the title onto the Toronto Argonauts when they face them on the road on Thursday.
If a team defeats the Crown Holder they steal the Crown and become the new Crown Holder.
If a team loses to the Court Jester they become the new Court Jester thus freeing the previous team from being the Court Jester.
#1 Montreal Alouettes (9-1)👑
Previous Rank: 1
Week 11: Defeated Saskatchewan 27-24 on the road.
Week 12: Hosting Edmonton on Sunday
The Montreal Alouettes remain at the top of the league as they continued their winning ways with a 27-24 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Davis Alexander has played well at quarterback in the absence of injured Cody Fajardo. Alexander had 285 yards passing and scored a passing and rushing touchdown. Both Charleston Rambo and Cole Spieker broke 90 yards receiving. Montreal has won their last 4 games all without Fajardo who appears to be healthy or close to it as he dressed as the third-string quarterback in week 11. Montreal will see Cody Fajardo start this week and also WR Austin Mack returning who they signed earlier in the week.
Rank Reason: Reigning Grey Cup Champs with a 90% win rate.
#2 Ottawa RedBlacks (6-2-1)
Previous Rank: 2
Week 11: Defeated Calgary 31-29 on the road.
Week 12: Hosting BC on Saturday.
Ottawa added another to the win column with a 31-29 win in Calgary. Jeremiah Masoli was productive in his first game of the season as he completed 27 of his 35 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown. Jaelon Acklin led the team in receiving with 6 catches for 94 yards. Ryquell Armstead averaged over 10 yards per carry as he rushed 11 times for 120 yards and a touchdown. The game ended on a 51-yard walk-off game-winning field goal from Lewis Ward.
Rank Reason: Ottawa is on a strong run that has not seen them lose a game since week 5. Ottawa earned their way to 2nd place in these rankings as BC and Saskatchewan were losing their footing in the west.
#3 Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-4-1) 🃏
Previous Rank: 3
Week 11: Lost to Montreal 24-27 at home.
Week 12: Visiting Toronto on Thursday.
Week 11 was a the second meeting between Saskatchewan and Montreal and once again ended in a close loss for the Riders. While they did not come away with the win there were some positives as Trevor Harris returned to the lineup and completed 31 of his 39 passes for 355 yards and 2 touchdowns. A.J. Ouellette was also back in after missing time to injury and rushed 18 times for 77 yards, 4.3 yards per carry. WR Dohnte Meyers is taking the CFL by storm since making his CFL debut. Meyers has 8 catches for 101 yards in each of the last 2 games. On defense, Malik Carney recorded 2 of the 4 sacks Saskatchewan had in the game.
Rank Reason: While Saskatchewan’s recent body of work has not been as strong as Winnipeg or Toronto they still remain above them due to the fact that they beat both of those teams not too long ago with a win against Toronto in week 5 and a win over Winnipeg in week 7.
#4 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-6)
Previous Rank: 4
Week 11: Defeated BC 20-11 on the road.
Week 12: Hosting Hamilton on Friday.
The West had an opportunity to put distance on Winnipeg after they opened the season 0-4. Now the Bombers are back in 3rd place in the West and close behind BC and Saskatchewan. Zach Collaros completed 23 of his 31 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown with 1 interception. Nic Demski caught 6 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Kenny Lawler was back in the lineup and caught 4 passes for 54 yards. Willie Jefferson was a problem for BC in the win as he recorded a sack and put on frequent pressure. Deatrick Nichols and Tyrell Ford recorded an interception.
Winnipeg Vs. Hamilton – Winnipeg Tries To Tame Some Kitties by Don Cruickshank
Rank Reason: Winnipeg has 4 wins in their last 6 games and has only 1 loss in regulation in the last 7.
#5 Toronto Argonauts (5-4)
Previous Rank: 5
Week 11: Bye week.
Week 12: Hosting Saskatchewan on Thursday.
Toronto was on the bye week in week 11. They will have quarterback Chad Kelly returning to the roster after serving a lengthy suspension. Toronto surprised people by making a questionable roster move this week as they released quarterback Bryan Scott who proved to be a valuable asset whenever given an opportunity to play.
Rank Reason: While Toronto beat Winnipeg in week 8 in overtime 16-14, they are currently behind them in this ranking due to their 4-game losing streak which s
#6 Calgary Stampeders (4-6)
Previous Rank: 6
Week 11: Lost to Ottawa 29-31 at home.
Week 12: Bye week.
Calgary had another close game that resulted in a loss as they fell to Ottawa 29-31 at home. Jake Maier completed 24 of his 32 passes for 269 yards. Kylin Hill got the most carries rushing 9 times for 38 yards as Dedrick Mills is away for personal reasons Reggie Begelton led the team in receiving with 4 catches for 92 yards. Both Kenyon Reed and Mike Rose recorded a sack in the game. Calgary will need to put together some wins or they may see the playoffs race away with how congested the West has now become.
Rank Reason: Calgary just traded wins with Toronto but Toronto’s win was by a much larger margin of victory.
#7 B.C. Lions (5-5)
Previous Rank: 7
Week 11: Lost to Winnipeg 11-20 at home.
Week 12: Visiting Ottawa on Saturday.
The BC Lions are on a disappointing stretch falling to 5-5 after having an impressive 5-1 record. Things went downhill beginning with a 0-25 loss in Winnipeg which saw Vernon Adams Jr. leave the game late due to injury. In BC’s recent loss, Nathan Rourke was shut down after returning from the NFL as he completed just 8 of his 25 passes for 126 yards with 2 interceptions. He joined the team on Wednesday before making a quick turnaround to play in his first CFL game on Sunday since 2022. William Stanback was a bright spot as BC embraced the run to a degree that is rare for them as Stanback rushed 15 times for 100 yards, 6.7 yards per carry. On defense, Sione Teuhema had 2 sacks and was causing problems in the backfield frequently. TJ Lee had an interception.
BC Lions (5-5) Week 12 Preview vs Ottawa RedBlacks (6-2-1): Prediction, Depth Chart, Injuries, Odds
Rank Reason: The Lions have fallen in these rankings on what is now a 4-game losing streak.
#8 Edmonton Elks (3-7)
Previous Rank: 8
Week 11: Defeated Hamilton 47-22 on the road.
Week 12: Visiting Montreal on Sunday.
Edmonton is moving in the right direction but they need to stay the course. They are 1 game back from a playoff spot but still have the odds against them being in last place in the West. Edmonton is coming off a 47-22 win over Hamilton on the road that saw McLeod Bethel-Thompson pass for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns. Eugene Lewis caught 5 passes for 93 yards. Justin Rankin rushed 17 times for 108 yards and 3 touchdowns, 6.4 yards per carry. Derrick Moncrief and Kordell Jackson both recorded an interception. If Edmonton can continue playing tighter defense and running the ball well they will have a real shot at the playoffs despite starting the season with a 7-game losing streak.
Green & Gold Game Day Preview – Elks Roll to Montreal by Michael Willoughby
Rank Reason: While Edmonton is on a positive 3-game streak they are still towards the bottom of the rankings due to concerns that continue to linger. Edmonton has a good offense leading the league in points but they have also allowed the 2nd most points in the league.
#9 Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-8)
Previous Rank: 9
Week 11: Lost to Edmonton 22-47 at home.
Week 12: Visiting Winnipeg on Friday.
The Tiger-Cats are having a tough go of it this season. Week 11 had a scary start for the Tiger-Cats as receiver Luther Hakunavanhu had to be taken off early in the game by ambulance following a head injury. Hamilton had made a change at quarterback starting Taylor Powell who also suffered a head injury in the first quarter and he had to go to the hospital as well. Bo Levi Mitchell came into the game and had a lot of positive moments but the interceptions continued to be present as he completed 23 of his 34 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown with 2 interceptions. Harrison Frost also took some snaps and completed 8 of his 12 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. Shemar Bridges led the team in receiving as he caught 8 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. RB Greg Bell was impressive rushing 12 times for 85 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and also caught 6 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. DQ Thomas and Stavros Katsantonis both had an interception in the loss.
Rank Reason: Hamilton has the most points allowed in the league and appears to be lost in the jungle on a 3-game losing streak.
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