Well, I might be back to work this week after what feels like an all-too-short summer break for me – but at least I can head into the school year knowing that we have the joy that is Labour Day weekend to look forward to in Canadian football. As most of you know by now, having been long-time readers of the CFL Beat by either choice or by my coercion, you’ll know well enough that this is the marquee weekend for football north of the border outside of the Grey Cup championship game. I look forward to the best of what this league has to offer – and I’m confident the theatrics will be fully out on display.

In league news this week:

• The Montreal Alouettes traded QB Vernon Adams, Jr. to the BC Lions in exchange for their first-round pick in the 2023 CFL Draft; with superstar Nathan Rourke out for the year, Adams, if healthy, could provide them the key to a Grey Cup win this year – his dynamic dual-threat ability fits the Lions’ offence perfectly.
• Montreal also traded DL Avery Ellis and a third-round pick in the 2023 CFL Draft in exchange for DL Thomas Costigan and DB Nafees Lyon. Ellis will be missed in the front seven, but the return of two fairly solid Americans is a reasonable deal.
• Montreal minority owner Gary Stern, who made waves earlier in the season for guaranteeing several wins for the team on his Twitter account (none of which panned out), is stepping away from team operations and resigning his seat on the CFL’s Board of Governors. The Als were bought by Stern and his father-in-law Sid Spiegel back in January of 2020, just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; Spiegel, who owned 75% of the team, passed away in July 2021 without ever having the chance to see a game. TSN’s Dave Naylor stated that the team is likely to be sold, as the current situation of Spiegel’s estate retaining majority ownership is most certainly untenable in the long run.
• The Alouettes also suspended FB Christophe Normand “until further notice” after being arrested outside of Montreal on charges of luring a minor for sexual purposes; Normand has been in the league for seven seasons and was also working as a supply teacher in various schools in the Montreal and suburban areas.
• Roughriders HC Craig Dickenson tested positive for COVID yesterday; he’ll miss the Labour Day Classic matchup against Winnipeg.
• The Roughriders also welcomed back WR Brayden Lenius to the team; he was recently released by the NFL Atlanta Falcons, who signed him in January of this year. Lenius had a breakout year last year in Saskatchewan, playing in all 14 regular-season games and two playoff contests, where he caught a total of 43 passes for 514 yards and four touchdowns.

Onto the games!

WEEK 12 RECAPS

Calgary 29 vs. Winnipeg 31: What an excellent game. The Stampeders gave the Blue Bombers one of their toughest tests of the season in a back-and-forth game featuring a litany of lead changes, but, as good teams know how to do on a consistent basis, Winnipeg found a way to win. Jake Maier gave Calgary an offensive spark they’d been missing in a few previous tilts, going 23-28 for 294 yards, three scores, and no turnovers, but alas, couldn’t bring home a win. Zach Collaros was good – not great – an end-zone interception to end the first half was perplexing – but he did throw for almost 300 yards and two TDs to go along with two picks – but he also had help from backup pivot Dakota Prukop, who threw one pass for a TD and ran for the game-winner as well. A shame about the outcome for Calgary – the Blue Bombers have now swept the three-game season series against their divisional rivals.

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Winnipeg

Hamilton 20 vs. Toronto 37: The Tiger-Cats were looking good in the first half of this game, up 16-10 after 30 minutes of play. And then, midway through the third, Matthew Shiltz hurt his throwing hand, knocking him out of the game. With Dane Evans back from injury after a few weeks away, the Tabbies then proceeded to blow the rest of the game completely. Evans threw not one, not two, but three interceptions, all to Argos DB Jamal Peters, who took the final one 67 yards to the house to blow this game wide open and make it a two-score contest. Credit to McLeod Bethel-Thompson as well, who shook off a first-quarter interception by DB Rodney Randle Jr. to throw three TDs for the Argos on the night.

PICK: Toronto

RESULT: Toronto

Saskatchewan 23 vs. BC 16: The BC Lions are now officially in a tough spot. With runaway MOP candidate Nathan Rourke done for the year after suffering a Lisfranc injury in Week 11, fellow Canadian Michael O’Connor got his first experience as a starting quarterback in the CFL. Unfortunately, he left midway through the second quarter with a groin injury, leaving Antonio Pipkin, one-time #1 guy for the Montreal Alouettes, to close things out. With the Lions’ offence in disarray, the Roughriders took home their first win over BC this season; RB Frankie Hickson, in particular, had an excellent night for Saskatchewan, with 15 carries for 129 yards and three catches for 30 more. QB Cody Fajardo, who’s faced a lot of criticism for his play through the first half of this season, even as he continues to deal with a long-term knee injury, put together arguably his strongest performance of the season, going 19-24 for 321 yards and two TDs.

PICK: BC

RESULT: Saskatchewan

Ottawa 25 vs. Edmonton 18: A home win for the Elks is going to have to wait a little longer, as the visiting REDBLACKS got revenge for last week’s defeat to Edmonton by heading out on the road and returning the favour. Nick Arbuckle stat line won’t appear especially impressive from this game – 21-32 for 219 yards and a rushing TD from the goal line – but he looked far more patient in the pocket than backup Caleb Evans did in previous weeks. That calmness under pressure is likely going to be the only way the REDBLACKS can hope to gain any ground in the East Division – and it’s remarkable that a two-win team isn’t out of the playoff race just yet, but such is the state of the East these days. Taylor Cornelius didn’t throw a TD for the Elks, but he did have two on the ground – and in a quirky but cool point, connected with star receiver Kenny Lawler just three times – but Lawler still turned his opportunities into 146 yards, leading Edmonton’s receiving corps.

PICK: Edmonton

RESULT: Ottawa

BYE: Montreal (4-6)

WEEK 13 PREVIEWS

Ottawa (2-8) vs. Montreal (4-6), Friday, September 2nd, 7:30 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): There’s the faintest glimmer of hope in Ottawa now that the REDBLACKS have finally made a much-anticipated QB change, but they’re still very much on the outside looking in. It might be possible to leapfrog Hamilton, especially if Dane Evans continues to see the field, but a lot is going to have to go right in order for any sort of playoff drive to happen. They’ll also desperately need this win against Montreal if they want to keep pace, despite being just two games back. While it’s true that Montreal also has notable issues, they also are the only team to beat Winnipeg this year – and that’s not nothing.

PICK: Montreal

Winnipeg (10-1) vs. Saskatchewan (6-5), Sunday, September 4th, 6:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): If the Bombers win, they’ll clinch a playoff spot. Even with a strong Riders performance last week, the smart money is all on Winnipeg. They’ve continuously owned Saskatchewan in recent history – even with squeaking out that key win in the West Final last year – and I don’t think that’s likely to change anytime soon. Saskatchewan did have a good game last week, but it’s important to keep in mind that their victory over the Lions had much to do with the fact that they were facing a third-stringer at QB. They’ll have no such luck against the Bombers this week. Time to get the prairie rivalry really going.

PICK: Winnipeg

Toronto (5-5) vs. Hamilton (3-8), Monday, September 5th, 1:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): It’s the fourth and final meeting of the season between our two southern Ontario teams, and what better way than to cap it off in the Labour Day Classic? Perhaps the condensed scheduling of these rivalry games between our two Eastern foes has taken some of the intrigue out of this current year’s September matchup. Regardless, with Matthew Shiltz out of the lineup for the next four to six weeks with a wrist injury, Dane Evans will have just a few final opportunities to salvage his CFL career and hopefully lead the Tiger-Cats back to a playoff spot. But having him in the starter’s job is pretty tough right now – he’s one of the main reasons why Hamilton is in such a predicament right now.

PICK: Toronto

Edmonton (3-8) vs. Calgary (6-4), Monday, September 5th, 4:30 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): It’s the final classic Labour Day matchup of the weekend, and the Battle of Alberta, despite having lost some of its shine in recent season with the Elks being fairly inept at football, will still hopefully deliver some quality entertainment to finish off the week. Jake Maier was a breath of fresh air last week for Calgary, and if he can continue with another strong performance, I feel it quite probable the Stampeders leave this one with a highly important home win. Despite the earlier-season disappointment that Saskatchewan showed, they are nipping at Calgary’s heels in the standings – every game counts. Edmonton had a frustrating game last week against Ottawa – Taylor Cornelius still shows flashes of extreme talent but remains wildly inconsistent as a quarterback. I don’t think he’s the long-term answer here, even as Chris Jones prepares to give him the ball for another week. It’s also tough knowing that the Elks’ run game is virtually nonexistent right now – with James Wilder Jr. out for the year a few weeks ago, there really hasn’t been anyone who’s stepped up to carry the rock since his departure from the roster.

PICK: Calgary

BYE: BC (8-2)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards 

1. Rourke, BC – 3281
2. Bethel-Thompson, TOR – 2764
3. Collaros, WPG – 2749

Passing TDs

1. Rourke, BC – 25
2. Collaros, WPG – 20
3. Bethel-Thompson, TOR – 13

Rushing Yards

1. Oliveira, WPG – 604
2. Morrow, SSK – 564
3. Carey, CGY – 533

Receiving Yards

1. Rhymes, BC – 893
2. Lewis, MTL – 849
3. Lawler, EDM – 849

Sacks

1. Robertson, SSK – 8
2. Mauldin, OTT – 8
3. Lanier, SSK – 7

Interceptions

1. Moncrief, SSK – 4
2. Peters, TOR – 4
3. Kelly, HAM – 4

Field Goals

1. Paredes, CGY – 33
2. Bede, TOR – 28
3. Lauther, SSK – 28

PICK POOL

Looks like we all got got by that Michael O’Connor injury. Only WCS managed to do better than .500 last week. Good work, Yinzer.

Remember to submit your picks here! https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=205786

Enjoy the games, everyone.