My wedding’s in two days. The chances of watching this week’s slate of games is close to zero, but this is why push notifications for scores were invented. At least it’s been a beautiful weather week here out east. I look forward to things calming down soon so I can back to doing what I do best: lounging out in front of a game on the boob tube.

In league news this week:

• In a last-chance agreement with the CFL, commissioner Randy Ambrosie agreed to reinstate disgraced Argos QB Chad Kelly to the league; he was sued by a former team staffer in the offseason and accused of sexual assault and workplace harassment. The suit was settled out of court, and he’s missed all of training camp and the first nine games of the season. His conduct is unquestionably reprehensible – and he’s had a decade of incidents that have been in line with his behaviour here – so it’s safe to say that he doesn’t deserve to be back in the league, but will be anyways. He’s an immediate upgrade at QB for the Argos which is probably the only reason why he’s managed to stick around this entire time. He’ll likely be back on the field this week, and must continue to adhere to a number of unspecified conditions throughout the season in order to remain eligible to play.
• The Hamilton Tiger-Cats dismissed defensive coordinator Mark Washington this week, and replaced him with recently-fired Edmonton Elks head coach/GM Chris Jones. While I still feel very surprised to see Jones back into a job so quickly, his ongoing friendship with Tabbies HC Scott Milanovich helps to explain the hire; and as disastrous as his tenure with the Elks was in this most recent go-around, he has, historically, been a far better DC than he ever has been a head coach. For a floundering team like Hamilton, I guess the gamble is somehow worth it?
• Wide receiver Austin Mack, recently released from the Atlanta Falcons, is re-joining the Montreal Alouettes, where he was a CFL All-Star and one of the team’s best rookies last year. He had 1154 receiving yards and four TDs in 17 regular season games, and 185 receiving yards and a TD in two playoff games, including an important score in the Grey Cup title game. That’s an incredibly deep receiving corps they’ve got going on now in Montreal. Wow.
• Roughriders RB Thomas Bertrand-Hudon made history last week by becoming the first professional player to wear a guardian cap in game; with teams now able to have a little shrink-fitting sock-type thing overtop of the cap to help it match the helmets a little more, I find it looks slightly less goofy than it did before. Looks aside, I guess this is a small but good step forward for player safety?

Onto the games!

WEEK 11 RECAPS

Ottawa 31 vs. Calgary 29: Once again, Lewis Ward walked it off for the REDBLACKS in dramatic fashion, kicking the game-winning field as time expired. It probably shouldn’t have come to that point; Ottawa faded down the stretch and allowed Calgary to storm back after three straight rush TDs from backup QB Tommy Stevens, but after failing to convert on third and 3, the REDBLACKS’ D managed to hold the Stamps with just enough to get the ball back and kick the winner. Jeremiah Masoli, starting for the first time since July 2023, looked absolutely excellent under centre for Ottawa, and picked up his first win since 2019 – a staggering stat to me – but between injuries, Covid, and a ‘21 Ti-Cats team that started slowly out of the gate, I guess it’s true.

PICK: Ottawa

RESULT: Ottawa

Montreal 27 vs. Saskatchewan 24: The Alouettes set a new franchise record with their eighth straight road win, and Montreal swept the season series with the Roughriders in another dramatic finish. Trevor Harris made his return to the field after six weeks away; the Riders managed to have a good offensive night, but Montreal made yet another dramatic second-half comeback to topple Saskatchewan on the road after another slow start. Davis Alexander put together some late drives to put the Alouettes ahead; Brett Lauther had a missed field goal returned 128 yards for a touchdown by Montreal’s James Letcher, Jr., and then had his final kick of the game, which would have tied it, miss as well. A tough ending from a hard-fought game for the Riders.

PICK: Montreal

Edmonton 47 vs. Hamilton 22: It was a frightening game for the Tiger-Cats in more ways than one. QB Taylor Powell and WR Luther Hakunavanhu were both taken to hospital early in the game, delaying things by more than 20 minutes as the teams awaited an ambulance to return from the ER; after that initial scare, Edmonton roared out and racked up their third straight win of the season. With McLeod Bethel-Thompson back in the starter’s job in place of an injured Tre Ford, the offence looked as sharp as it has all season long; but to be fair, the Tiger-Cats’ secondary has been abysmal this season. In particular, the ground game has really come along in the last few weeks; with Javon Leake out with what appeared to be a hip injury earlier, Justin Rankin took over and had 108 yards on 17 carries, showcasing the Elks’ depth at the position. Edmonton is now just one game back of Winnipeg and two back of BC after what had been a disastrous start to the season. The West Division sure is tightening up.

PICK: Edmonton

RESULT: 

Winnipeg 20 vs. BC 11: It was supposed to be Nathan Rourke’s triumphant homecoming; alas, the Bombers spoiled the party in the Canadian QB’s first game back in the CFL since 2022. The Lions’ offence continued to sputter, with Rourke throwing two interceptions in the first half and no TDs; RB William Stanback had a hundred yards on the ground to lead the way for the home side. Full credit to Winnipeg for an absolutely ferocious defensive effort – the Lions weren’t on the board until early in the fourth quarter, and their lone TD on the night was in garbage time by rookie Chase Brice, who was in mopup duty. With the win, Winnipeg now sits just one game back of BC for the second spot in the West Division.

PICK: BC

RESULT: Winnipeg

BYE: Toronto (5-4)

WEEK 12 PREVIEWS

Saskatchewan (5-4-1) vs. Toronto (5-4), Thursday, August 22nd, 7:30 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): Chad Kelly is likely returning to action as QB1 this week, so it’ll be interesting to see if the sex pest will be rusty, or simply just his usual talented but despicable self. If it’s the latter, the Argos are poised to make a major second half push. For the Riders, the team has had the bad look of fading down the stretch over the last few weeks; granted, they had to face the top-ranked Alouettes in consecutive weeks, which is a big ask for any team this season. Getting Trevor Harris back healthy is only going to help them down the stretch, especially if he continues to be as efficient and accurate with his passing as we’ve seen from him this season. RB AJ Ouellette, who’s had a pretty good start to 2024, has unfortunately been moved to the six-game injured list, which means that Frankie Hickson will get more opportunities this week.

PICK: Toronto

Hamilton (2-8) vs. Winnipeg (4-6), Friday, August 23rd, 7:30 PM EDT (TSN, CBSSN, CFL+): The Tiger-Cats are changing things up as much as they can right now; Chris Jones will take over defensive play-calling duties, and Bo Levi Mitchell will return to the starting QB role. Taylor Powell and Luther Hakunavanhu have both been moved to the six-game injured list after being rushed to hospital last week, but both have been discharged and appear to be on the mend. That said, things are looking pretty grim for the Ti-Cats right now. Even with a Winnipeg that isn’t firing on all cylinders, that D is bringing the thunder in a way that the Hamilton O-line is not really prepared to handle. Not only that, but the Bombers getting Kenny Lawler back healthy is going to help them quite a bit moving forward down the stretch too.

PICK: Winnipeg

BC (5-5) vs. Ottawa (6-2-1), Saturday, August 24th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): The Lions are sliding bigtime, but any team with Nathan Rourke on it can never truly be written off. With more time to practise, I think he’ll be further picking up his familiarity and comfort with the Lions’ offence – but the big question will be about the O-line’s ability to give him time to make his reads. Dru Brown appears to be healthy and ready to go again for the REDBLACKS, who’ve been a force to reckon with at home. Weird that the bookies have the Lions favoured for this one. If Rourke breaks through, I guess their alleged expertise will be true.

PICK: Ottawa

Edmonton (3-7) vs. Montreal (9-1), Sunday, August 25th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CBSSN, CFL+): Cody Fajardo makes his return to the lineup this week for the Alouettes, who’ve continued to roll on in his absence; he’ll also have Austin Mack back to throw to, which is welcome news with Tyson Philpot and Kaion Julien-Grant still banged up right now. For the Elks, it’s unclear as to whether or not Tre Ford will go this week; he was listed as day-to-day last week with his rib injury, but those can oftentimes be nagging ones that take longer than expected. The Elks played the Alouettes closely at the start of the year and still lost; going into Molson Stadium will be a tough task for them despite having won three in a row going into this week.

PICK: Montreal

BYE: Calgary (4-6)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Mitchell, HAM – 2816
2. Maier, CGY – 2624
3. Adams, Jr., BC – 2469

Passing TDs

1. Mitchell, HAM – 19
2. Maier, CGY – 14
3. Adams, Jr., BC – 14

Rushing Yards

1. Oliveira, WPG – 689
2. Stanback, BC – 618
3. Carey, TOR – 611

Receiving Yards

1. McInnis, BC – 875
2. Philpot, MTL – 779
3. Hollins, BC – 774

Defensive Tackles

1. Morgan, EDM – 71
2. Beverette, MTL – 61
3. Milligan, SSK – 61

Sacks

1. Ceresna, TOR – 5
2. Johnson, SSK – 5
3. Johnson, MTL – 5

Interceptions

1. Milligan, SSK – 6
2. Houston, CGY – 4
3. Ford, WPG,  – 4

Field Goals

1. Ward, OTT – 33
2. Castillo, WPG – 30
3. Whyte, BC – 28

PICK POOL

In a shocking upset… I have taken the lead in the pool. This is indeed unexpected. As it turns out, I actually have a prize for the first time ever for the winner; when we reach November, if it’s not me, I’ll need to collect your home address. I promise I won’t send anything illegal through the mail. Well, not that illegal, I guess…

Remember to submit your picks here! https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=231808

Enjoy the games, everyone.