Three weeks left to go in the regular season, and a few questions still remain about the playoff picture in the East Division; Edmonton will be crossing over, but will Toronto manage to turn it around in time and somehow magically overtake Hamilton for the final spot up for grabs? Will Ottawa seal the deal and clinch the division on Friday night? Lots of possibilities, but we may see a finalized picture as soon as Saturday night if Ottawa wins and Toronto loses. Onto the games!

WEEK 17 RECAPS

Ottawa 30 vs. Hamilton 29: It was a barn-burner of a game that had a lot on the line with first in the East up for grabs, but a big 17-point second quarter was the difference-maker at the end of the game for the REDBLACKS, who snapped their losing streak. With Henry Burris returned to the starter’s job at QB, he led the charge himself, throwing for 393 yards and a touchdown on 27-39 passing, and rushing in two more majors himself. The Ti-Cats, missing many key contributors in receivers Chad Owens, Luke Tasker and quarterback Zach Collaros, still made it a very close one all the same. With the score at 30-28 in the fourth quarter, Hamilton attempted a field goal to take the lead, but kicker Brett Maher missed right and got only a rouge for his efforts – too little, too late. These two teams meet again this coming week in Ottawa for a rematch, and a chance for the REDBLACKS to clinch the division.

PICK: Hamilton

RESULT: Ottawa

Winnipeg 35 vs. BC 32: The Lions committed two very costly turnovers late in the fourth quarter of this one, and the Blue Bombers made them pay. Just after the three-minute warnings, Leos pivot Jon Jennings looked to Shawn Gore, but was picked off by rookie DB Kevin Fogg, who returned it to the 10-yard line and set up the tying touchdown of the game. After Winnipeg kicked off, BC return man Chris Rainey had the ball pop loose, and the Bombers recovered it again, setting up a drive that saw Justin Medlock kick his seventh field goal of the game to give Winnipeg the lead and the win. Jennings had another very mixed game for the Bombers, throwing two touchdowns on 327 yards passing, but also committing three total turnovers in the process. For the Leos, who live and die by his performances, he needs to be more consistent as they head into the playoffs hoping to make an impact – but as a 24-year-old sophomore, he still has room to grow as a starting quarterback in the league.

PICK: BC

RESULT: Winnipeg

Saskatchewan 29 vs. Toronto 11: Toronto is not yet officially eliminated from the playoffs just yet, but it’s definitely not looking good. The offense was again inert for the Boatmen, with Drew Willy throwing for just 87 yards and no touchdowns on 11-23 passing before being replaced by backup Dan LeFevour. For a guy who is supposed to be “the guy” moving forward for Toronto, it’s hard to have confidence in his performance on-field, even considering the fact he’s still learning a new playbook, has terrible pass protection, and had his top three receivers all cut. On the flip side, Saskatchewan, despite being eliminated from the playoffs a couple weeks ago, has to be feeling extremely good about their prospects for next year; new signee Joe McKnight, a USC grad and former New York Jet, debuted in the backfield for the Roughriders, rushing for 150 yards on 17 carries for an 8.8 yard average. Darian Durant threw for just 154 yards, but had two touchdowns and no turnovers; the Riders dominated this one from start to finish, taking a 20-0 lead into the half.

PICK: Saskatchewan

RESULT: Saskatchewan

Montreal 8 vs. Calgary 22: This was a defensive battle for much of the game; the Stamps were only up 9-0 at halftime after a couple sacks by the Alouettes ended a few drives prematurely. Bo Levi Mitchell had 256 yards passing and a touchdown on 26-36 passing, while counterpart Rakeem Cato had none, and just 124 yards on 13-29 attempts. In the second half, both Calgary and Montreal had one rushing TD each, but it was too little, too late for the Als, and Calgary won their thirteenth straight game. Stamps coach Dave Dickenson, despite the win, was unhappy with his team’s effort, stating that “I think both offences on both teams, five days in between games, neither team looked sharp and looked organized as far as offences… The defences stole the show. We didn’t have our best game. We were not as focused. The effort was still high, I just don’t feel like they were locked in to what we wanted to do.”

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Calgary

BYE: Edmonton (8-7)

WEEK 18 PREVIEWS

Hamilton (6-9) vs. Ottawa (7-7-1), Friday, October 21st, 7:00 PM EST: In breaking news on Wednesday, the CFL suspended Ti-Cats star return man and receiver Brandon Banks for two games, in violation of the league’s drug policy; as it was his first offence, he will still be eligible for the playoffs, should the Tiger-Cats make it. The banned substance in question, methylenedioxyamphetamine, is classified as an artificial stimulant and is a Category 1 controlled substance in the United States. The loss of Banks is a big blow for Hamilton, without many key players already, and looking to make up the ground lost to the REDBLACKS last week. With the Ottawa offense humming along with Burris returned to the starting role, they’ll be looking for a much better home result than they’ve had so far this season; if they win, the REDBLACKS will clinch the division and a first-round playoff bye for the second year in a row.

PICK: Ottawa

Toronto (5-10) vs. Calgary (14-1-1), Friday, October 21st, 9:00 PM EST: With Toronto’s plan at quarterback for next season consisting of Drew Willy as the starter backed up by Ricky Ray, these final two games of the season against Edmonton and Calgary will be a “show me” to Argos brass that Willy is indeed ready, and that they didn’t massively shit the bed in trading away a first-rounder and strong defensive back in TJ Heath for him. If he looks bad… well… can’t say that I’ll be shocked, since Willy still has virtually no help on the team from any other aspect. For Calgary, who have two games left as well and end the season on a bye, plus having a first-round bye, this game will be a chance for some depth players to have more of a role and be ready to step up in the event any catastrophic injuries happen between now and then.

PICK: Calgary

Montreal (4-11) vs. Saskatchewan (5-10), Saturday, October 22nd, 4:00 PM EST: Both teams are out of the playoff race, but Saskatchewan has to be feeling better about next year after a strong, convincing win against Toronto the previous week. For the Als, Vernon Adams Jr., Oregon’s 2015 starter, will get his first start under centre, to finally prove what he’s got to add to this team. Montreal also made another significant roster change this week, cutting loose their two top receivers in Duron Carter and Kenny Stafford. While those names will absolutely draw some interest around the league, because they were cut after the October 12th trade deadline, they are ineligible to play for another team this season, so anyone signing either will obviously be looking ahead to next season. With no Carter or Stafford, expect Nik Lewis to have an expanded role in this game, as well as Sam Giguere and perhaps BJ Cunningham as well.

PICK: Saskatchewan

Edmonton (8-7) vs. BC (9-6), Saturday, October 22nd, 7:00 PM EST: With the Eskimos having defeated the Lions at Commonwealth Stadium 27-23 back in Week 14, they now head to Vancouver’s BC Place to try and do the same; Edmonton is rested, while the Lions are reeling, having lost two straight to Winnipeg and giving up second place in the West Division in the process. With Jon Jennings having thrown five interceptions in the last two games, the Lions need a lot more out of their quarterback in order to be able to keep up with Eskimos’ high-powered offence; the ground game itself is simply not going to get the job done, even against an Edmonton D that doesn’t do particularly well at stopping the run.

PICK: Edmonton

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Mitchell, CGY – 5127
2. Reilly, EDM – 5054
3. Jennings, BC – 4405

Passing TDs

1. Mitchell, CGY – 30
2. Rielly, EDM – 25
3. Jennings, BC – 20

Rushing Yards

1. Messam, CGY – 1051
2. Whitaker, TOR – 855
3. Harris, WPG – 816

Receiving Yards

1. Bowman, EDM – 1609
2. Walker, EDM – 1464
3. Williams, OTT – 1246

Sacks

1. Hughes, CGY – 14
2. Lemon, TOR – 14
3. Chick, HAM – 11

Interceptions

1. Leggett, WPG – 7
2. Heath, TOR/WPG – 7
3. Davis, HAM – 5

Field Goals

1. Medlock, WPG – 55
2. Paredes, CGY – 51
3. Whyte, EDM – 39

Game picks this week: 2-2

Game picks this season: 39-30