CFL Beat: Week 20

We have mostly just the West playoff picture left to settle now that we’re down to our final two weeks of the regular season. Thanks to Hamilton’s last-minute loss last Friday to BC, Montreal is guaranteed to host the East semifinal, leaving just questions about our West division winner and which team is going to sneak into the third and final slot. Will it be Calgary, who’ve been woefully injured and therefore wildly inconsistent all year long? Or Saskatchewan, whose hot start and good vibes were dashed when Trevor Harris broke his leg and have been in complete freefall since early September? Either way, neither team is probably worthy of being a playoff team, but when you play in a league that features the likes of Edmonton and Ottawa, sometimes good things happen to bad teams anyway.

A quiet week for general stories to share. In league news this week:

• The Roughriders signed former NFL DB Mark Fields II, who’s appeared in five games in three years with Minnesota and Houston, with training camp stops in KC and San Francisco. He most recently played with Birmingham in the USFL; Saskatchewan remains in tight to make the playoffs as their lead on third in the West has dwindled, but he may potentially add some depth in the last few weeks of the year.
• The Elks released six players this week, including DB/LB Mark McLaurin, who started eight games this year for Edmonton and had 41 tackles and a forced fumble in 11 total games. Having played both safety and SAM this year, he may find work again soon due to his versatility.
• Calgary suspended WR Tommylee Lewis due to not returning to the team following their bye week; he’s awaiting the birth of a child and it’s unclear when exactly he’ll return.

Onto the games!

WEEK 19 RECAPS

BC 33 vs. Hamilton 30: Hard to believe that Bo Levi Mitchell was only making his home debut in Hamilton in mid-October, but thanks to an early season road-heavy schedule and some absolutely abysmal injury luck, last Friday was the first chance that fans in the Hammer had to finally see the future Hall of Famer in black and gold at Tim Hortons Field. With Mitchell’s playing time still limited by the team medical staff, he made the most of his limited reps, throwing for 135 yards, two TDs and a pick, while Matthew Shiltz, who finished the game, had 180 yards and a TD. Hamilton’s had some better QB play as the season’s gone on, but the story of this game is really all about a former Ti-Cat – specifically, Dane Evans, who left Hamilton after 2022 following a disastrous pick-filled campaign. When the Leos’ Vernon Adams, Jr. went down late in the game with a leg injury, Evans stepped in once more, and went 4-4 on the final drive of the game, which saw Sean Whyte’s kick sail through the uprights as time expired, stunning the home crowd and guaranteeing the Tiger-Cats the third place slot in the East Division playoffs.

PICK: BC

RESULT: BC

Saskatchewan 19 vs. Calgary 26: The Stampeders are still alive in the playoff race – at least for a few more days. They won this one in dramatic fashion, too – after the Roughriders took a 13-0 lead into the dying minutes of the first half, Calgary finally managed to get their sputtering offence restarted and got the comeback moving. Thanks to a gigantic second-half effort, which featured touchdowns by receiver Floyd Allen and a ground score by backup QB Tommy Stevens, it was LB Cameron Judge that sealed the deal for the home side thanks to his huge pick-six on Saskatchewan’s Jake Dolegala, who’s continued to flounder in this losing skid – his score gave Calgary the lead, and while Saskatchewan tied it up with a field goal shortly afterwards, the visitors would never lead again after the defensive score. The Stamps win their season series against the Riders – which could potentially be a huge playoff tiebreaker factor if both teams end the season with identical records.

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Calgary

Montreal 35 vs. Edmonton 21: The Elks started this one strong, jumping out to a 21-3 lead in the second quarter the Alouettes, but unfortunately for them, they imploded right after. It was a complete team effort from the Als to put this one away – Montreal had scoring contributions from their offence, defence, and special teams in this game to turn the tide. Hamilton’s loss, coupled with Montreal’s win, locks the Als into hosting the East Semifinal against Hamilton in early November. In a huge second quarter, Montreal scored three touchdowns and a field goal to jump ahead 26-21, and they didn’t look back afterwards. Edmonton’s Tre Ford threw for 216 yards and two scores on 21-30 attempts, while Montreal’s Cody Fajardo went 23-29 for 258 yards, a TD and a pick. Jose Maltos, in at kicker in place of the injured David Cote, went 5/5 on field goals, and return man James Letcher Jr. scored a big punt return TD for the home side.

PICK: Montreal

RESULT: Montreal

Ottawa 27 vs. Toronto 40: Well, the REDBLACKS did put up some points early, but the Argos proved yet again why they’re far and away the league’s best team with a solid come-from-behind win at home to stay undefeated at BMO Field this year. With Ottawa already eliminated from the playoff picture, losing Dustin Crum to an injury off a sack in the third quarter really just rubs salt in the wound at this point. Devonte Williams ran for 125 yards and a TD for Ottawa – he’s been a bright spot in an otherwise fairly dismal year. Chad Kelly threw his 22nd TD pass of the year, grabbed by DaVaris Daniels, who had six catches for 141 yards. Tobias Harris also had a really cool 93-yard kick return TD for Ottawa in the first half. Alas, too little, too late for the REDBLACKS – a recurring theme of their 2023 season.

PICK: Toronto

RESULT: Toronto

BYE: Winnipeg (12-4)

WEEK 20 PREVIEWS

Calgary (5-11) vs. BC (12-5), Friday, October 20th, 10:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): Vernon Adams, Jr. did leave last week’s game with injury, but BC head coach Rick Campbell expects he’ll be good to go for this one – a welcome sign for a worthy MOP candidate this season. There’s a division title still up for grabs here, so a win, coupled with a Winnipeg loss, would bring the Lions even closer to winning the division. However, with Winnipeg still having two games to play, that does seem like a longshot right now. Calgary needs a win here for sure, but they also need a Saskatchewan loss just as badly; in theory, it’s possible that both teams could end, at max, with 7-11 records at best. The Stamps have the tiebreaker in the scenario they end with identical records, but they have to have a win this week or next if the Riders lose. There’s a ton hinging on this game for both teams.

PICK: BC

Toronto (14-2) vs. Saskatchewan (6-11), Saturday, October 21st, 4:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): Talk about an inopportune time to play the league’s best team. Saskatchewan has absolutely imploded in the second half of the season – they haven’t won a game in over a month and a half. A win now would mean a playoff spot – but that seems like it’s insurmountable to me with the way the team is playing, especially on defence. Plus there’s the added issue of Calgary continuing to breathe down their necks, sitting just one game back with one game in hand. The Argos are just out here to make people miserable once again – this could be another old-fashioned mauling if all goes right, but the Toronto passing game could use a little polishing as we head even closer to the playoffs.

PICK: Toronto

Edmonton (4-13) vs. Winnipeg (12-4), Saturday, October 21st, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): If BC loses on Friday, then Winnipeg has a chance to clinch the West division title in a game with a highly favourable matchup. Edmonton’s woes continue, but one gets the sense that the team has finally found a real core to its offence to build around for next year. QB Tre Ford, RB Kevin Brown, and WR Dillon Mitchell are three guys that I think will be significant players in Edmonton for a while yet – it’s going to be important that these last few games, and the Elks’ offseason, moves ahead with a plan to supplement these core guys in a significant manner. Also fixing the secondary, I guess.

PICK: Winnipeg

BYE: Ottawa (4-13), Hamilton (8-9), Montreal (10-7)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

x – clinched playoff spot
y – clinched division
e – eliminated from playoff contention

Passing Yards 

1. Adams, Jr., BC – 4653
2. Collaros, WPG – 4127
3. Maier, CGY – 4004

Passing TDs

1. Collaros, WPG – 32
2. Adams, Jr., BC – 31
3. Kelly, TOR – 22

Rushing Yards

1. Oliveira, WPG – 1426
2. Butler, HAM – 1116
3. Brown, EDM – 1032

Receiving Yards

1. White, HAM – 1269
2. Hatcher, BC – 1226
3. Schoen, WPG – 1222

Defensive Tackles

1. Awe, CGY – 119
2. Pickett, TOR – 111
3. Dean, SSK – 100

Sacks

1. Betts, BC – 17
2. Carter, OTT – 12
3. Ceresna, EDM – 11

Interceptions

1. Houston, WPG – 7
2. Dandridge, OTT – 5
3. Dequoy, MTL – 5

Field Goals

1. Whyte, BC – 49
2. Paredes, CGY – 48
3. Castillo, WPG – 40

PICK POOL

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Enjoy the games, everyone.