#5 Calgary Stampeders (1-1)
Previous Rank: 5
Week 1 Result: Defeated Hamilton at home 32-24.
Week 2 Result: Lost to BC on the roa
d 17-26.The Calgary Stampeders took their first L of the season on the road against BC in week 2. So far this season I’ve been very impressed by the strong play from Jake Maier. Maier has completed 47 of his 59 passes for 591 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. He has shown particularly good play when rolling right with good technique and accuracy while on the move. Running back Dedrick Mills is 2nd in the league in rushing yards as he has rushed 24 times for 133 yards (5.5 average).
On defense, linebackers Cameron Judge and Micah Awe are both coming off of impressive games. Both players had 5 tackles in week 2. Judge also had 3 solo run stops while Awe was involved in 3 shared run stops. Calgary did a good job utilizing the 2 on blitz packages as well to put pressure on Vernon Adams Jr. Kobe Willims also made an impact in the run defense with 2 solo run stops last week.
One thing I would want to see Calgary improve on is t
o have a lower rate of pressure allowed in pass protection. Maier was pressured too often in week 2 in addition to being sacked 4 times.Key Strength: Passing Game
Key Weakness: Pass Protection
Week 3: Bye Week.
Previous Rank: 8
Week 1 Result: Defeated Edmonton on the road 29-21.
Week 2 Result: Defeated Hamilton on
the road 33-30.Saskatchewan was the benefactor of an untimely drop from Tim White which led to a late-game interception that resulted in great field position for Saskatchewan. This ultimately allowed Saskatchewan to win in regulation with a 43-yard field goal from Brett Lauther to break the tie on the last play of the game.
There are some underlying issues with the Riders despite the 2-0 start to the season and it primarily derives from the offensive line. In each of the first 2 weeks, we saw offensive lineman Ryan Sceviour get elevated to more playing time and he struggled in both weeks. In week 2 he came in place of left guard Philip Blake who left the game due to injury.
However, the group as a whole has struggled in run bl
ocking. I would argue that so far this season they have been by far the worst run blocking unit in the CFL. Running back A.J. Ouellette frequently has a first point of contact on his runs very early and often in the backfield. It is the primary reason that Ouellette is limited to just 2.2 yards per carry on his runs so far this season. The offense has been 1 dimensional having to overly rely on the passing game which has worked so far but as defenses gel that will only get harder as the season progresses. The Riders had some big strikes in week 2 from cover assignments not being followed and the rate at which that happens is going to be much less every week moving forward.Additionally, in pass protection Trevor Harris was sacked 4 times in week 2. Trevor Harris is coming off a 390-yard game with 2 touchdowns but I have concerns about Saskatchewan’s ability to protect the 38-year-old quarterback. Offensive linemen Phillip Blake and Jermarcus Hardrick both did not practice on Wednesday due to injuries. If either of them are unable to play on Sunday the team could be in some trouble.
Key Strength: Passing Game
Key Weakness: Run Blocking
Week 3: Hosting Hamilton Sunday.
#7 Ottawa RedBlacks (1-0)
Previous Rank: 7
Week 1 Result: Bye Week
Week 2 Result: Defeated Winnipeg at
home 23-19.Ottawa balled out in their win against Winnipeg on defense. The pass rush had a lot of success with Lorenzo Mauldin IV leading the way with a sack and 7 additional pressures. Mauldin had the most quarterback pressures of anyone in week 2 across the league by my count. Damon Webb and Michael Wakefield also had a sack. The frequency of the pressure was very impactful in the season opener for the RedBlacks and it came in key moments. The pass defense allowed 285 yards from Collaros but no touchdowns while generating 2 interceptions. Another shining bright spot for Ottawa was their tackling. I did not see a single missed tackle by a RedBlacks player.
Downtown Dru Brown completed 20 of his 33 passes for 238 yards and 1 touchdown in his debut as a RedBlack. Runningback Ryquell Armstead had a great outing in his debut rushing 16 times for 95 yards (5.9 average). The offensive line put together a good game but Winnipeg did lose some key pieces on their defensive line early in the game with injuries to Celstin Haba and Miles Fox. I am hesitating to say that the offensive line problems from last season are resolved due to the injuries on Winnipeg’s side but right now I am cautiously optimistic for them.
Key Strength: Pass Rush
This is really due to last season which saw them finish with the lowest-ranked offensive line unit by Pro Football Focus. We saw Ottawa have a good game in week 2 against Winnipeg although there were some struggles early on in the game prior to injuries to defensive linemen on Winnipeg’s side. For that reason, I still need to see more of a body of work in this area before moving on from this area of need.
Week 3: At Montreal on Thursday.
#8 Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-2)
Previous Rank: 6
Week 1 Result: Lost to Calgary on th
e road 24-32.Week 2 Result: Lost to Saskatchewan at home 30-33.
It was unfortunately a gut-wrenching loss for the Tiger-Cats fans in their home opener. Wide receiver Tim White is unfortunately the scapegoat in this loss after for the 2nd week in a row that he dropped a would-be touchdown pass. He also had a drop just before the end of the game that led to the ball being easily intercepted which ultimately resulted in the game being lost moments later on a field goal.
The coverage felt soft at times from Hamilton in week
2 which saw Trevor Harris pass for 390 yards. Harris had a lot of success dropping the ball into soft spots in Hamilton’s zone coverage. In man coverage, there was often just too much room being given to receivers. Hamilton did sign cornerback Kordell Rodgers on Wednesday. Rodgers was an honorable mention for Most Outstanding Rookie in Pro Football Focus’ midseason awards last year. Rodgers was playing very well filling in for injuries with Montreal last season and is proven to be a capable starter as a rookie.Bo Levi Mitchell has been a bright spot in Hamilton’s offense. He has completed 71.1% of his passes for 680 yards and 4 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. If not for some key drops he would have a lot more yards, 2 more touchdowns, and 1 less interception. Over 2 games he has looked like the BLM of old that saw him dominate the CFL for years although the wins have not been coming yet.
Key Strength: Bo Levi Mitchell
Key Weakness: Soft Spots in Zone Cov
erageWeek 3: At Saskatchewan on Sunday.
CFL Week 3: Can Hamilton Overcome their “Invisible Wall” at Saskatchewan? by Aaron Sauter
#9 Edmonton Elks (0-2)ng>🃏
Previous Rank: 9
Week 1 Result: Lost to Saskatchewan at home 21-29.
Week 2 Result: Lost to Montreal at home 20-23.
Edmonton is still at the bottom of this ranking simpl
y because they have not yet earned their way up with a win yet. Edmonton’s pass protection is miles ahead of where it was last season. In fact they were the third highest-ranked offensive line unit in Pro Football Focus’s week 2 rankings. The run stopping has also been much better for Edmonton in the first 2 weeks although there was a 39 yard run by Montreal’s Walter Fletcher. Linebacker Nyles Morgan was involved in 4 run stops.Edmonton did have some missed tackles in the game but the team is showing signs of real progress.McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw for 300 passing yards in week 2 although he did have 2 interceptions against the league’s strongest defense against the pass. They will have another test against a good
Edmonton is a lot better than what their record would indicate and are just a few improvements away from being very dangerous.
Key Strength: Depth of Receivers
Key Weakness: Inconsistent Run Stopping
Week 3: At Toronto on Saturday.
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