Labour Day weekend lived up to its reputation of thrilling rivalries and surprises as all four games were won by teams with the weaker record heading into the week. This tightened up the standings overall making the playoff race more dramatic and shaking up the landscape of the power rankings.
Nathan Rourke and the BC Lions flexed their muscles to rise back in the rankings with a 38-12 win over Ottawa in Touchdown Pacific to snap a 5-game losing streak. Winnipeg edged out Saskatchewan in a classic showdown. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats found their 3rd win of the season at home against Toronto. Edmonton has now won 4 games in their last 5 with the most recent coming against Calgary on the road.
The Crown Holder and the Court Jester
Crown Holder 👑 – The Montreal Alouettes held the Crown through their bye last week.
Court Jester 🃏 – The Saskatchewan Roughriders were unable to pass the title of Court Jester off as they lost to Winnipeg 33-35. Saskatchewan will face Winnipeg again this Saturday on the road.
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 (10-1)👑
Previous Rank: 1
Week 13: Bye week.
Week 14: Hosting BC on Friday.
The Montreal Alouettes were on the bye last week. They will host the BC Lions on Friday which will see the return of RB William Stanback and DB Ciante Evans who won the Grey Cup with Montreal last year. Unfortunately, Montreal will be without WR Austin Mack who was recently placed on the 6-game injured list.
#2 Ottawa RedBlacks (7-3-1)
Previous Rank: 2
Week 13: Lost to BC 12-38 on the road.
Week 14: Hosting Toronto on Saturday.
Ottawa had a humbling defeat last week visiting the BC Lions for Touchdown Pacific which saw them lose 12-38. It was Ottawa’s first loss in 7 games as they had not lost since week 5. Dru Brown completed 21 of his 33 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown. Eli Stove led the team in receiving in what was his CFL debut as he caught 8 of his 9 targets for 73 yards. On the ground, Ryquell Armstead was held to 24 yards on 7 carries.
On defense, Frankie Griffin led the team in tackles with 10. LB Davion Taylor had a sack and was in on 3 shared run stops. DE Lorenzo Mauldin had 4 tackles including 3 solo run stops and a shared run stop.
#3 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-6)
Previous Rank: 3
Week 13: Defeated Saskatchewan 35-33 on the road.
Week 14: Hosting Saskatchewan on Saturday.
Winnipeg has now climbed back to .500 after starting the season 0-4. The rest of the West failed to hold distance in the standings ahead of the Bombers who are now tied for first in record in the division with BC who they hold the tiebreaker over. Last week saw Winnipeg hold off Saskatchewan to win 35-33 on the road.
Zach Collaros completed 12 of his 18 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown with 1 interception before a hit to the head forced him to leave the game late in the first half. Ontario Wilson led the team in receiving with 3 catches for 75 yards and Nic Demski caught 3 passes for 64 yards. Chris Streveler finished the game at quarterback for Winnipeg completing 4 of his 6 passes for 46 yards. Brady Oliveira rushed 12 times for 42 yards, 3.5 yards per carry.
The Bombers led 29-14 at the half. A combination of Winnipeg seemingly avoiding any passing plays from Streveler in their play calling and a soft prevent-style defensive pass coverage scheme helped Saskatchewan make it a close game that came down to the wire.
On defense, Evan Holm led the team in tackles with 8. Both Jamal Woods and Willie Jefferson recorded a sack.
Winnipeg will face Saskatchewan again this week on Saturday at home in what will be a sellout for the Banjo Bowl.
#4 B.C. Lions (6-6)
Previous Rank: 7
Week 13: Defeated Ottawa 38-12 at home.
Week 14: Visiting Montreal on Friday.
The BC Lions ended a 5-game losing streak in a big way as they defeated the Ottawa RedBlacks 38-12 in beautiful Victoria, BC for Touchdown Pacific. Nathan Rourke completed 21 of his 30 passes for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception. William Stanback rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries (4.7 yards per carry) and also led the team in receiving with 6 catches for 78 yards, 69 of which were YAC. Both Justin McInnis and Keon Hatcher had over 70 yards receiving in the win.
On defense, TJ Lee led the team in tackles with 9. Ryder Varga, Christian Covington, Juliano Falaniko, and Mathieu Betts all recorded a sack. BC had a strong game defending the run as they held Ryquell Armstead to 24 yards on 7 carries. Defensive linemen Mathieu Betts and Jonah Tavai both had a solo run stop and were both in on 2 shared run stops. Josh Banks was in on 3 shared run stops.
The Lions will try to defeat the reigning Grey Cup Champs on the road on Friday.
#5 Toronto Argonauts (6-5)
Previous Rank: 4
Week 13: Lost to Hamilton 28-31 on the road.
Week 14: Visiting Ottawa on Saturday.
Toronto lost a close game last week on the road in Hamilton 28-31. Chad Kelly had an interception on the opening drive but finished the game with a strong performance in which he completed 24 of his 30 passes for 322 yards and a touchdown. David Ungerer led the team in receiving with 4 catches for 78 yards. Ka’Deem Carey rushed 12 times for 78 yards, 6.5 yards per carry. DaVaris Daniels was the most targetted receiver for the 2nd week in a row as he caught 7 of his 10 targets for 74 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, LB Quincy Mauger led the team in tackles with 7 including a sack. Defensive linemen Ralph Holley, Derek Parish, and Folarin Orimolade also had a sack each.
Toronto will be on the road Saturday to take on Ottawa Saturday in a game with some key implications for the standings.
#6 Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-6-1) 🃏
Previous Rank: 5
Week 13: Lost to Winnipeg 35-33 at home.
Week 14: Visiting Winnipeg on Saturday.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders lost a close game at home in front of a sold-out crowd to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-35. The Riders trailed 14-29 heading into halftime before outpacing the Bombers 19-6 in the 2nd half to make it a close finish. The Riders are now winless in their last 6 games although most of them have been very close.
Trevor Harris completed 30 of his 49 passes for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns in the loss. CFL rookie receivers finished leading the team in receiving as Dhonte Meyers caught 5 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown and KeeSean Johnson caught 8 for 84 yards and a touchdown. Both Kian Schaffer-Baker and Samuel Emilus had over 70 yards and Shawn Bane Jr. had a touchdown. On the ground, Frankie Hickson was held to 32 yards on 10 carries.
On defense, Rolan Milligan Jr. led the team in tackles with 6. DL Bryan Cox Jr. had a sack. DB Marcus Sayles recorded the lone interception in the game against the team where his CFL career began.
The Riders will have another chance to defeat their rival as they will face Winnipeg on the road on Saturday.
#7 Edmonton Elks (4-8)
Previous Rank: 8
Week 13: Defeated Calgary 35-20 on the road.
Week 14: Hosting Calgary on Saturday.
The Edmonton Elks defeated the Calgary Stampeders on the road 35-20 last week. The Elks began the season 0-7 but have now brought their record up to 4-8 after winning 4 of their last 5 games. McLeod Bethel-Thompson had a dominant performance in which he completed 25 of his 36 passes for 486 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Elks saw 3 receivers break 100 yards in the win. Tevin Jones caught 5 passes for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns, Kurleigh Gittens Jr caught 7 passes for 115 yards, and Eugene Lewis caught 6 for 112 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Javon Leake rushed 10 times for 53 yards (5.3 average) and Kevin Brown rushed 9 times for 35 yards (3.9 average).
On defense, Derrick Moncrief led the team in tackles with 7. Defensive linemen Shawn Oakman and Elliott Brown both had a sack. Defensive backs Devodric Bynum and Loucheiz Purifoy both had 2 interceptions.
The Elks will face Calgary again this week Saturday this time at home. They are now just a game and a half out of playoff positioning.
#8 Calgary Stampeders (4-7)
Previous Rank: 6
Week 13: Lost to Edmonton 20-35 at home.
Week 14: Visiting Edmonton on Saturday.
The Calgary Stampeders opened the season with a promising 2-1 record but now find themselves 4-7 and on a 3-game losing streak. Last week Jake Maier completed 22 of his 34 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown with 4 interceptions. Reggie Begelton led the team in receiving as he caught 7 passes for 118 yards. Jalen Philpot caught 5 passes for 75 yards. Calgary was limited on the ground as they handed the ball to Kylin Hill just 6 times who rushed for 21 yards, 3.5 average.
LB Branden Dozier led the team in tackles with 7. Defensive lineman Julian Howsare had a tackle for a loss which came on a run play in the third quarter for a loss of 1.
Calgary will look to get back in the win column on Saturday when they rematch the Edmonton Elks on the road.
#9 Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-9)
Previous Rank: 9
Week 13: Defeated Toronto 31-28 at home.
Week 14: Bye week.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats took a strong step in the right direction with a close win on Labour Day against the Toronto Argonauts at home. The Ti-Cats get to head into the bye week with the sweet taste of victory over a divisional rival.
Bo Levi Mitchell had a strong game as he completed 20 of his 30 passes for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tim White had his biggest game of the season as he caught 6 passes for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has 314 yards over the last 2 games. Greg Bell had a strong performance on the ground as well averaging 8.7 yards per carry over 9 rushes for 78 yards.
Defensively, Jamal Peters led the team in tackles with 8. Defensive linemen Nick Usher and Dewayne Hendrix both recorded a sack. DB Richard Leonard had an interception on Toronto’s opening drive which led to a Hamilton field goal.
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