Week 8 will open up on Thursday with the first-place team in the East hosting the first-place team in the West as the Saskatchewan Roughriders travel to take on the Montreal Alouettes. The week will wrap up on Sunday with the last-place teams from each division facing each other as the Edmonton Elks host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday night.
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The reigning Grey Cup Champs are coming off the bye to take on the first-place team in the west as Montreal looks to bounce back from a loss against the Toronto Argonauts in week 6 which saw quarterback Cody Fajardo leave the game early due to a leg injury. Montreal will be without Fajardo in this contest and instead, Caleb Evans will start at quarterback. The Saskatchewan Roughriders will be without a key player of their own as runningback A.J. Ouellette will miss the game due to injury.
Friday, July 26, 7:30 PM Eastern, Ottawa, ON, TSN (Canada), CFL + (USA), CFL+ (Global)
The Calgary Stampeders look to build on their win last week which saw them defeat the BC Lions 25-24. Quarterback Jake Maier has completed 71.5% of his passes for 1,559 yards and 11 touchdowns with 5 interceptions over 6 games.
The Ottawa RedBlacks won each of their last 2 games which were both against the Edmonton Elks. Dru Brown has completed 62.5% of his passes for Ottawa for 1,556 yards and 5 touchdowns with 4 interceptions over 6 games.
Writer’s Pick: 67% Ottawa
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-5) @ Toronto Argonauts (3-3)
Saturday, July 27, 7:00 PM Eastern, Toronto, ON, TSN (Canada), CBS Sports Network (USA), CFL+ (Global)
The Toronto Argonauts will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday in what is a rematch of the 2022 Grey Cup. The Bombers look to bounce back after losing to Saskatchewan last week 9-19 after winning their 2 games prior to week 7. Quarterback Zach Collaros has completed 65.3% of his passes for 1,406 yards and 2 touchdowns with 7 interceptions over his 6 starts.
The Toronto Argonauts are coming off a close loss to their divisional rivals the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a score of 24-27 in week 7. Cameron Dukes has completed 72.5% of his passes for 1,184 yards and 6 touchdowns with 5 interceptions over 5 games.
Writer’s Pick: 56% Winnipeg
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-5) @ Edmonton Elks (0-6)
Sunday, July 28, 7:00 PM Eastern (5 PM MT), Edmonton, AB, TSN (Canada), CBS Sports Network (USA), CFL+ (Global)
From a pure win percentage standpoint, this matchup is a battle of the bottom feeders however both teams have played at a higher level of quality than their record would indicate. Hamilton finally got their first win last week as they defeated Toronto 27-24. Hamilton’s quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is 2nd in passing yards in the league having completed 67.9% of his passes for 1,941 yards and 12 touchdowns with 6 interceptions over 6 games.
Edmonton has been snakebitten and they are still looking for their first win. They lost on game-winning field goals three weeks in a row from weeks 4 through 6. McLeod Bethel-Thompson is currently third in passing yards in the league having completed 71.2% of his passes for 1,703 yards and 9 touchdowns with 6 interceptions over 6 games.
Jonathan Clink joined CFL News Hub in early April of 2023. His primary responsibilities are covering the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes.
He self awarded himself the CFL Rookie Journalist of the Year in 2023 following the 2023 CFL season. He also proclaims himself to be a "really cool guy". He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and lived a large portion of his childhood in Northwest Ontario. He currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan and misses being being able to have 4 months of skating every winter.
Clink has written over 240 articles for CFL News Hub. He was the publication's boots on the ground at the 2023 Grey Cup in Hamilton.
Clink has always had an obsession for sport and has a background in other sports as well having played hockey all his life and soccer, basketball, and lacrosse in high school. As a young child he used to log his hockey statistics after every game which is either an indication that he was destined for the role or perhaps and indication that he is rather strange.