The playoff picture is now finally set! We have one “meaningless” week of football – but I do hope all the same that it’s mildly entertaining. Not too much on the news this week, but expect to see a few more notes once the regular season officially concludes and we see the dominoes fall for coach firings and players opting to test free agency.

In league news this week:

• After 19 seasons combined in the NFL and CFL, Roughriders punter Jon Ryan is calling a career. At 40, he’s one of just a few guys to have such an illustrious career in both leagues, winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks and being a named a CFL All-Star with the Bombers and Riders.
• Hamilton is bringing back veteran safety Mike Daly, who played seven seasons with the team from 2014-2021. Daly didn’t play at all this year after going unsigned as a free agent; he spent the year as DB coach and special teams assistant for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks university football team in Waterloo, ON.
• A few veteran receivers are expected to be healthy soon for their respective teams; Winnipeg expects to have Greg Ellingson back this week against BC, while the Lions hope to have Bryan Burnham healthy next week against the Stamps in the West Semi-Final.

Onto the games!

WEEK 20 RECAPS

Ottawa 27 vs. Hamilton 30: It wouldn’t be Ottawa REDBLACKS football if it didn’t end in heartbreak, right? The visitors were eliminated from the playoff race on the final play of the game, when Seth Small drilled his fifth field goal of the game with no time left to ice it for the Ti-Cats. Ottawa had a big first half and jumped to a sizable early lead, but Hamilton whittled away at things over the second half and did a good job of preventing the REDBLACKS from doing much more. Ottawa DB Brandon Dandridge had an impressive force fumble that he returned for a score, while backup QB Caleb Evans scored his 15th rushing TD of the season, setting a new CFL record for rushing majors by a quarterback… but in the end, it all amounted to nothing. Dane Evans was hurt in the fourth quarter, but backup Matt Shiltz managed to get the job done, leading the final drive of the game to set up the winning kick.

PICK: Hamilton

RESULT: Hamilton

BC 31 vs. Edmonton 14: Figures that the Elks lost decisively to the Lions for the third time this year; fitting that it was also how they closed out their 2022 regular season. BC running back James Butler was a force, with 24 carries for 141 yards and a touchdown, while Vernon Adams, Jr. was efficient in his passing, going 18-24 for 211, a TD to receiver Keon Hatcher, and a pick. For Edmonton, Canadian rookie QB Tre Ford took the reins as starter in place of an injured Taylor Cornelius, and while not perfect on the night with two interceptions, still showed some flashes of significant potential in this league, going 22-36 for 242 yards and a TD while also rushing 8 times for 72 yards. With such an inept defence, there’s a lot that Edmonton needs to do ahead of 2023 to win back fans at home. Rebuilds take time, of course, but you’d think that a team could win at home at least once in a three year period, no?

PICK: BC

RESULT: BC

Toronto 24 vs. Montreal 23: Make it two straight division titles for the Argos. Unfortunately for Montreal, the game ended in the dumbest, most ridiculous fashion possible, which was definitely disappointing for the home side, who traded blows with Toronto all game long in a really evenly matched tilt. The Als tied the game at 23 apiece when Trevor Harris found favourite receiver Eugene Lewis in the endzone, giving Toronto just 34 seconds to set up a game winning drive. On the last play of the game, Boris Bede lined up to kick the winning field goal from 47… and missed wide left. And off we went to overtime. But wait! A flag on the play! As it turns out, the Als had too many men on the field; by declining the penalty, Toronto got the rouge, and the win, and a first-round playoff bye. Never has getting it wrong gone so right for the Argos.

PICK: Montreal

RESULT: Toronto

Calgary 32 vs. Saskatchewan 21: Well, the Riders blew it. To few people’s surprise, I’m confident. After such promise to start the year, Saskatchewan just imploded following Week 5, when much-maligned DE Garrett Marino was suspended four games for ending Ottawa QB Jeremiah Masoli’s season with a dirty, low hit and some racial slurs as well. Discipline was never the team’s strong suit, but it was especially absent through this 2022 season. Calgary ran all over the Riders – Dedrick Mills had 17 carries for 103 yards plus a TD, while star Ka’Deem Carey had 11 for 75 and a score as well. Saskatchewan’s offence looked mediocre – Mason Fine, replacing Cody Fajardo, went 18-28 for 196 and a score, but did protect the ball well. With the loss, Hamilton claims the final playoff spot on the virtue of Saskatchewan being unable to beat their final record – only tie it.

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Calgary

BYE: Winnipeg (14-3)

WEEK 21 PREVIEWS

BC (12-5) vs. Winnipeg (14-3), Friday, October 28th, 8:30 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): Nathan Rourke is supposed to make his return this week from the Lisfranc injury he suffered in mid-August. If he’s healthy, he’s hands-down the best player in the CFL by a country mile and the Bombers should feel really, really nervous come playoff time. Yes, Winnipeg’s won against a Rourke-led Lions team, but that was quite some time ago. They’ll also be resting many of their starters again this week, making it inherently possible that the Lions will win two in a row against the league’s best team – though with the playoff positions already set, that won’t end up mattering much at all.

PICK: BC

Montreal (8-9) vs. Toronto (11-6), Saturday, October 29th, 2:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): Looks like the Argos have listened to King Hippo’s Bronco fandom desires, and the world will finally get to see Chad “Mr. Irrelevant” Kelly start at quarterback this week. The Argos will rest McLeod Bethel-Thompson as they gear up for the playoffs; expect to see a number of other starters get a rest this week as well. Montreal may well end up doing the same – even if they lose, which would tie them with Hamilton on record (if the Tiger-Cats win), they remain hosts of the East Semifinal by virtue of having won their season series against the Tabbies. We may be playing out the string here, but I hope, at least, that we see some reasonably entertaining football all the same.

PICK: Toronto

Hamilton (7-10) vs. Ottawa (4-13), Saturday, October 29th, 5:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): Nick Arbuckle is going to sit for this one – Caleb Evans will start at QB as the REDBLACKS begin looking ahead to 2023; we are most likely going to see third-stringer Tyrie Adams get some game reps in as well. Dane Evans left last week’s game late in the fourth quarter, and with the playoffs just around the corner, resting him and letting him heal seems like the sensible play for now – though apparently he’s going to get some snaps, according to the team. It’s the REDBLACKS’ final chance to win at home in 2022 and bring this cursed streak to an end – but I, for one, am still not hopeful, even with Hamilton likely resting many starters.

PICK: Hamilton

Saskatchewan (6-11) vs. Calgary (11-6), Saturday, October 29th, 8:00 PM EDT (TSN, ESPN+): What to do about the Roughriders? I think this is probably the last time we see Dave Dickenson and Cody Fajardo on the sidelines; while the team’s woes this year have not solely been due to coach and quarterback alone, they certainly have been a significant part of the story. The team needs a reset – among the biggest problems, besides the aforementioned coaching and QB situation, is the lack of a serviceable offensive line. Until that’s solved, I struggle to see how Saskatchewan will be able to get back into the heavy hitters category again. This could also well end up being Bo Levi Mitchell’s final game in a Calgary Stampeders uniform – he’s been an integral part of this team for a decade, but I think that time has finally caught up to him; with Jake Maier’s performance on the field, I think the team feels likewise. Might we see him wearing green & white next season?

PICK: Calgary

BYE: Edmonton (4-14)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

x- clinched playoff spot
y- clinched division title
e- eliminated from playoff contention

Passing Yards 

1. Bethel-Thompson, TOR – 4731
2. Harris, MTL – 4157
3. Collaros, WPG – 4115

Passing TDs

1. Collaros, WPG – 35
2. Rourke, BC – 25
3. Bethel-Thompson, TOR – 23

Rushing Yards

1. Carey, CGY – 1088
2. Butler, BC – 1054
3. Oliveira, WPG – 929

Receiving Yards

1. Schoen, WPG – 1357
2. Rhymes, BC – 1346
3. Lewis, MTL – 1303

Sacks

1. Mauldin, OTT – 16
2. Lemon, CGY – 14
3. Ceresna, EDM – 10

Interceptions

1. Peters, TOR – 6
2. Peters, BC – 5
3. Kelly, HAM – 5

Field Goals

1. Paredes, CGY – 51
2. Ward, OTT – 47
3. Cote, MTL – 43

PICK POOL

This is it, folks. One last chance to make history. Pick wisely.

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

Enjoy the games, everyone.