It’s Thanksgiving long weekend! Well, the proper Thanksgiving weekend, if you ask me. Not too cold, not too commercial, and football has arranged itself nicely around my eating schedule for the weekend in not one, but two leagues! In between a long-running turkey coma and the usual NFL RedZone Sunday lineup, I’ll be reclined pantsless on a couch somewhere watching the CFL as well. The perfect complement to having to train for dual Thanksgiving dinners this year – I haven’t pulled a double-header for a number of years now, so looks like I’ll have to skimp on Saturday breakfast to make sure all systems are go for the following 48 hours. Onto the games!

WEEK 15 RECAPS

Edmonton 40 vs. Winnipeg 26: After a seven-game win streak, the Eskimos handed the Blue Bombers their second loss in a row. With running back John White returning to the lineup for the first time since September 10th, the Eskies stuck it to Winnipeg on the ground – White led the charge with 104 yards rushing, 64 yards receiving, two rushing TDs, and a two-point convert. Mike Reilly threw for 355 yards and another two touchdowns as well to help pull away in dramatic fashion. Tied at 7 at the end of the first quarter, Edmonton pulled away, up 24-10 at the half and kept the lead for the rest of the game, not allowing Winnipeg to climb back into it. For the Bombers, Matt Nichols threw for 330 yards on 26-41 passing for 2 TDs, as well as a pick; Winnipeg is in need of versatile pass-catching RB Andrew Harris to return to the lineup to help their offence return to the form it showed on their seven-game win streak.

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Edmonton

Calgary 36 vs. Hamilton 17: In their first game since the murder of their teammate Mylan Hicks, the Stampeders came out flying. Calgary was up 22-9 at the half and kept pressing into the fourth as well. Injuries continue to pile up for the Ti-Cats; with receiver Chad Owens still out for an unknown period of time as well as starting RB CJ Gable, not to mention a host of others, QB Zach Collaros left the game at halftime with an upper-body injury of some non-specific variety, and did not return. Jeremiah Masoli took over and threw for 150 yards on 16-28 passing as well as rushing for a touchdown, but it was no match against a dynamic Stampeders lineup. Bo Levi Mitchell had probably his shakiest outing of the season, throwing two interceptions, but still went 20-29 for 293 yards and two touchdowns as well, both of them to receiver DaVaris Daniels. Add in another 59 yards rushing from Jerome Messam, as well as a touchdown, and another 50 yards on top of that from various others, and it’s clear that Calgary keeps finding ways to win, no matter what the situation. Another interesting tidbit: Stampeders defensive back Jamar Wall switched his number from 29 to 31 to honour his fallen teammate; Wall was a mentor to Hicks and one of his closest friends and teammates in Calgary. The jersey change comes as a very touching tribute in what is still a very raw and emotional time for players, coaches, staff, and fans alike.

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Calgary

Ottawa 33 vs. BC 40: Trevor Harris had a career high in passing yards against the Lions, and it still wasn’t enough to win. Harris went 32-45 for 485(!!!) yards and two touchdowns, but the defence let the REDBLACKS down this game, as counterpart Jon Jennings chucked some bombs as well, going 20-25 for 348 yards and 3 TDs. BC’s ground game, which has the most rushing touchdowns in the league with 15, contributed to that total with one from backup QB Travis Lulay in this match. Overall, it was a slugfest, but the Lions kept Ottawa’s D very confused with their rushing plays – Anthony Allen had 82 yards on 12 carries, while the Lions topped out over 100 total with a few other contributors. New receiver Terrell Sinkfield also had a strong first game with his new team, snagging four balls for 84 yards and a touchdown. Chris Williams paced the Ottawa receiving corps with 155 yards and a TD while Ernest Jackson added 122; Brad Sinopoli and Greg Ellingson also had plenty of work, with 73 and 56 yards, respectively. Despite the loss for the REDBLACKS, there were a lot of positives to take away from this game, namely that the offense regained the form that made it the most dangerous in the CFL through the first five weeks of the season. With a few more key defensive players coming back to the lineup, expect a better result next time out.

PICK: BC

RESULT: BC

Toronto 11 vs. Montreal 38: Drew Willy’s first start as an Argonaut was… not good. The new quarterback, just recently acquired from Winnipeg, threw for just 226 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception, as a strong defensive effort from the Alouettes stuck it to the double-blue all game long. The win for Montreal, just their fourth of the season, was also interim head coach Jacques Chapdelaine’s first at the helm, and indeed his first win as well. For the Als, Rakeem Cato had a fantastic outing, throwing 210 yards for 4 touchdowns on 18-23 passing and ran for another 30, while a strong rushing game from Tyrell Sutton added 83 yards on 10 carries. Alouettes fans have to be encouraged at the progress of this team from even just a few weeks ago, before GM Jim Popp handed off the headset, and when Cato was feuding with his teammates after the management traded away popular veteran QB Kevin Glenn. Toronto, meanwhile, is in total freefall, having fallen out of a playoff spot due to the CFL’s Crossover Rule, which allows for the fourth-place team in one division to take the final playoff in the other if their record is better than the third-place team in the other division. Edmonton, at 7-7, pulled ahead of Toronto last week, who now drop to 5-9 on the year.

PICK: Toronto

RESULT: Montreal

BYE: Saskatchewan (3-10)

WEEK 16 PREVIEWS

Saskatchewan (3-10) vs. Ottawa (6-6-1), Friday, October 7th, 7:00 PM EST: The Roughriders head east for their annual trip to the nation’s capital; they picked up a surprise win in Week 5 against Ottawa when Trevor Harris hurt his right leg early in the first quarter and was replaced by backup Brock Jensen; Saskatchewan ended up pulling off a last-minute field goal to take it 30-29. Despite Saskatchewan being on a two-game win streak and coming off the bye, they’ll be in tough, as Ottawa’s offense seems to have regained the form it was missing for the middle section of the season. The return of running back Travon Van to the lineup will be another boost to a team that was relying on a patchwork system of Nic Grigsby, Mossis Madu and Patrick Lavoie during his time on the DL. If Trevor Harris can chuck bombs like he did last week, Ottawa’s going to do much, much better than the last time around.

PICK: Ottawa

BC (9-4) vs. Winnipeg (8-6), Saturday, October 8th, 4:00 PM EST: Winnipeg will be grateful to have RB Andrew Harris back in the lineup as they take on the Lions at home; while the two-game losing streak the Bombers are on can’t be attributed solely to his absence, there’s no doubt that the team has definitely taken some steps back without his dual-threat presence available. If BC wins this game, they can clinch a playoff spot; Winnipeg is also in need of righting the ship, with a resurgent Eskimos team nipping at their heels, now just a game back.

PICK: BC

Edmonton (7-7) vs. Montreal (4-10), Monday, October 10th, 1:00 PM EST: Defensive issues notwithstanding, the Eskimos are playing much better than even just a few weeks ago. The running game is going again, and Mike Reilly continues to have excellent chemistry with Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker, his two favourite targets. Even with matching up against a strong defense in the Alouettes, if they can keep the ball moving, there’s a good chance they’ll pull out another win. Montreal hopes that the offense won’t go inert after such an excellent outing last week, but that’s the tricky thing sometimes with young quarterbacks – you don’t always get that consistency. If Rakeem Cato is good, this game will be close; if he’s not, well…

PICK: Edmonton

Calgary (12-1-1) vs. Toronto (5-9), Monday, October 10th, 4:00 PM EST: Toronto has blown up the team again. With the Argos in free fall, GM Jim Barker chose to let four of his top receivers – Tori Gurley, Vidal Hazelton, Kevin Elliott, and Phil Bates – all walk. Of these key contributors, so far only Gurley has found a new home – he was snapped up by Winnipeg not long after being cut – but the other three will likely find a new team soon as well. It’s a sign to all that the team is hitting the reset button, but it’s a bitter pill for many who came into this season with the expectation that Toronto was going to be right in the thick of things for the East Division title this year. Some good news, though – the team is planning to retain Ricky Ray as a backup (which seems rather expensive to me) to Drew Willy, who is going to wear the crown for the rest of the season (or until further notice, I suppose). At any rate, with all this turmoil, it’s really not a reach to say that Calgary is going to absolutely demolish them this week. This will be the perfect holiday Monday lead-in to MNF for me.

PICK: Calgary

BYE: Hamilton (6-8)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Reilly, EDM – 4708
2. Mitchell, CGY – 4590
3. Jennings, BC – 3656

Passing TDs

1. Mitchell, CGY – 26
2. Rielly, EDM – 23
3. Jennings, BC – 18

Rushing Yards

1. Messam, CGY – 869
2. Whitaker, TOR – 833
3. Harris, WPG – 677

Receiving Yards

1. Bowman, EDM – 1497
2. Walker, EDM – 1368
3. Williams, OTT – 1206

Sacks

1. Lemon, TOR – 12
2. Chick, HAM – 10
3. Hughes, CGY – 10

Interceptions

1. Leggett, WPG – 6
2. Davis, HAM – 5
3. Heath, TOR/WPG – 5

Field Goals

1. Paredes, CGY – 46
2. Medlock, WPG – 45
3. Milo, OTT– 39

Game picks this week: 2-2

Game picks this season: 35-26