Don’t look now, but the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have put together a 4-game win streak, and it is not even Labour Day yet. Coming into Week 7, the Tiger-Cats had pulled even with the Montreal Alouettes at the top of the East division. The Alouettes defeated Toronto 26-25 to take a slight lead over Hamilton in the standings. Still, the Tiger-Cats defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 30 to 15 to once again pull even with the Alouettes.
During the Alouettes’ victory over the Argonauts, Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander re-injured his hamstring and is now on the Six-Game Injured List. Why is that important to the Tiger-Cats? It is essential because the Alouettes are 4-0 with Alexander as their starting quarterback and 0-2 without Alexander.
This situation sets the Tiger-Cats up for an opportunity to pull ahead in the East division and create distance from the other teams in the East. The key to taking control of the East for the first time since 2019 is to keep winning. That is easier said than done in the CFL, but each game for the next six weeks is critical for the Tiger-Cats and their post-season hopes.
It is worth noting that the Tiger-Cats’ four wins have all come against teams in the East Division, and they are 0-2 against teams in the West Division. That is an important point to make, as Hamilton will face the BC Lions (3-3) on the road this week. If the Tiger-Cats can continue to play well and pick up their first win against a scrappy Lions team, then they will start to put pressure on the Alouettes.
With the Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks both sitting with one win, it appears to be a two-team race to the top in the East division. These next six weeks are a critical time for the Tiger-Cats to surge ahead and begin building a lead in the East, and at the same time, the Alouettes will be looking for ways to win without Davis Alexander. So, now is the time for the Tiger-Cats to pounce and take over the East rather than allow the other teams in the East to get back into the race for control over the East division.
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