CFL Beat: Week 20

A quiet week for general CFL stories to share. We’ll cut right to the chase and jump straight into it, I think.

In league news this week:

• It looks like Ottawa may have starting QB Dru Brown back this week against Toronto; he suffered what’s believed to be an ankle injury a while ago and missed the past two games, both of which Ottawa lost. His return is sorely needed heading into the playoffs, with the REDBLACKS needing to win this week against the Argonauts in order to stay ahead of them in clinching the second seed and the right to host the East Semifinal.
• Saskatchewan inducted alumni Darian Durant and Roy Shivers into the team’s Plaza of Honour before last week’s game against BC; Durant, a quarterback, played for the Riders from 2006 to 2016, winning the Grey Cup in 2007 and 2013. He also led the league in passing yards in 2010 with over 5500 yards on the year, and led the league in passing TDs in 2013. Shivers was the Riders’ GM from 2000 through 2006, and while he didn’t win a Grey Cup with the team in that tenure, his moves, including masterminding the trade that brought Durant to Saskatchewan in 2006, was directly responsible for the team winning the year after his contract expired. Shivers is a four-time Grey Cup winner as a coach and executive (1985 and 2011 in BC, 1992 and 1998 in Calgary); the Roughriders’ 2007 Grey Cup win broke a 33-year drought for the franchise and never would’ve been possible without the work put in by Shivers and his team in the previous year to set the roster up for success the year later.

Onto the games!

WEEK 19 RECAPS

Toronto 14 vs. Winnipeg 11: The Bombers had been running red hot, winners of eight straight games and buzzsawing their way back to the top of the West Division; then, suddenly, they ran into an extremely strong Argos defence and were utterly shut down on offence. Toronto had a great night, mostly shutting down Winnipeg in the red zone, while Sex Pest Chad Kelly unfortunately had a very good game for Toronto, with efficient passing and good ball protection. Toronto’s win now means they leapfrog Ottawa for second place in the East, setting them up for a showdown this week to settle who gets to host the East Semifinal in just over two weeks. For Winnipeg, they now sit just a single point ahead of Saskatchewan for the West Division crown. That could be wrapped up soon if the BC Lions lose this week, but it’s never over until it’s over.

PICK: Winnipeg

RESULT: Toronto

Edmonton 23 vs. Calgary 18: 

PICK: Edmonton

RESULT: Edmonton

BC 8 vs. Saskatchewan 39: This was absolute domination by the Roughriders, who clinched a home playoff game thanks to this blowout win. The home side got the party started early with a pick-six just over a minute into the game and never really let up once. The second quarter saw the defence then capitalize on a fumble by Lions receiver Justin McInnis, which was turned into another TD; Rourke got picked off a second time shortly after and that was turned into a field goal. Credit to Saskatchewan for putting away this game very early on; the Lions looked completely out of it from pretty well the opening kickoff, and if this is the kind of performance that they give in the postseason, I expect to see a significant number of coaching changes made for a team that, on paper, should have a ton of talent and the ability to do lots with it.

PICK: Saskatchewan

RESULT: Saskatchewan

Ottawa 12 vs. Montreal 19: On what was Canadian Thanksgiving Monday, it was somewhat fitting that the REDBLACKS played like a bunch of absolute turkeys. In a wet and windy game in La Belle Province, Ottawa was wildly undisciplined, particularly in the first half, and couldn’t convert on any of their three trips to the red zone, squandering tons of possession with approximately ten zillion penalties. Most egregiously, DB Money Hunter was directly responsible for setting up an Alouettes score with a personal conduct call – his second flag of the game – while WR Nick Mardner squandered a first-and-goal chance when he got mad at a tackle and threw the ball at a defender after the whistle. These kinds of penalties simply cannot happen if Ottawa wants to make a playoff run. On the other side of the things, the Alouettes coasted into a win, resting many key players including starting QB Cody Fajardo. WR Austin Mack, fresh off the six-game injured list, did play, and overall looked pretty sharp returning from injury, with four catches on nine targets for 92 yards on the afternoon. Not a riveting game by any stretch of the means but overall a positive showing for the league-leading Alouettes.

PICK: Montreal

RESULT: Montreal

BYE: Hamilton (6-10)

WEEK 20 PREVIEWS

Calgary (4-11-1) vs. Hamilton (6-10), Friday, October 18th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): Neither of these teams will be heading to the post-season this year, and as such we can fully expect to see a series of auditions for 2025 and beyond throughout both rosters. Matthew Shiltz will probably start for Calgary, but all eyes are turned to see whether or not P.J. Walker, a recent arrival to the Stamps practise roster, will get elevated and see some playing time before the season is out. On the other side of the field, Bo Levi Mitchell has had one of his statistically strongest seasons in years, but it still amounted to naught, as his team won’t be in the playoffs this year; beyond the consistently tired debate of whether or not a league MOP candidate truly deserves to win an award as the top player if his side can’t even make the playoffs, it also makes fans and pundits wonder if this might be the last of him we see in black and gold, for the sake of roster and salary cap flexibility to start a true rebuild next year. One also must wonder if this could perhaps see the veteran face off against his former team for the final time in his career; after such success in Calgary for so many seasons, curious to see that the franchise couldn’t really find its footing moving on from him as their #1 QB… but then again, one could also say the same about the Tiger-Cats.

PICK: Hamilton

Ottawa (8-7-1) vs. Toronto (9-7), Saturday, October 19th, 3:00 PM EDT (CTV, CFL+): The REDBLACKS have now lost four in a row and are limping into the playoffs. A month ago it would’ve been inconceivable that they’d relinquish that second slot in the East, but thanks to a combination of significant injuries and undisciplined play, Ottawa now finds themselves in a must-win situation if they want to host a playoff game at home, where they’ve been excellent this year, rather than go on the road, where they have decidedly not been. The last time these teams met, the REDBLACKS smoked the Argos, but that was back weeks ago – before Dru Brown was found to have a lingering ankle injury and before the defence lost so many key contributors. The Argos had a truly excellent game last week to shut down the red-hot Blue Bombers – all it takes for the home side is one more win and that will guarantee a playoff date at BMO Field against these same REDBLACKS. This is really a playoff preview in its truest form.

PICK: Toronto

Montreal (12-3-1) vs. BC (8-9), Saturday, October 19th, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): With Montreal having already wrapped the East several weeks ago, and with BC able to finish no higher than third in the West, this is ultimately a meaningless game from a standings perspective. However, with the Lions continuing to falter down the stretch into the playoffs, they’re electing to start Vernon Adams, Jr. at quarterback for the first time since his injury back in Week 9. It’s true that Nathan Rourke has not looked like his dominant self thus far in 2024 compared to his sensational half-year in 2022, but this Lions team has notable flaws on defence and in the run game as well (outside of William Stanback, of course). That will greatly affect overall player evaluations, and oftentimes in ways that they can’t entirely control. If Adams has a good regular season finale, it’ll be interesting to see who the starter will be against the Roughriders in the West semifinal. For Montreal, this game is once again an example of the delicate balancing act of rest versus rust for their key players. I expect that Davis Alexander will also go at QB again in place QB Cody Fajardo, who is most likely in bubble wrap until the East Final.

PICK: Montreal

BYE: Edmonton (6-11), Saskatchewan (9-7-1), Winnipeg (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. Mitchell, HAM – 4576
2. Collaros, WPG – 4005
3. Bethel-Thompson, EDM – 3748

Passing TDs

1. Mitchell, HAM – 26
2. Bethel-Thompson, EDM – 24
3. Harris, SSK – 20

Rushing Yards

1. Oliveira, WPG – 1318
2. Stanback, BC – 1147
3. Carey, TOR – 1005

Receiving Yards

1. McInnis, BC – 1363
2. Hardy, OTT – 1241
3. Begelton, CGY – 1073

Defensive Tackles

1. Anderson, EDM – 106
2. Beverette, MTL – 104
3. Morgan, EDM – 103

Sacks

1. Ceresna, TOR– 8
2. Wakefield, OTT – 8
3. Holley, TOR – 7

Interceptions

1. Milligan, SSK – 8
2. Ford, WPG – 7
3. Amos, TOR – 5

Field Goals

1. Ward, OTT – 52
2. Hajrullahu, TOR – 51
3. Lauther, SSK – 51

PICK POOL

Balls has a four-point lead with just seven regular season games left to go. Will anybody catch him over these last two weeks??

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

Enjoy the games, everyone.