Who’s ready for Week 16?

With just six weeks left in the regular season, playoff positioning for all nine teams is still wide open. That means every game is as important as the next.

Buckle up.

To get you set for every game this week, here’s a storyline to follow in each.

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CLOSE RACE FOR SECOND

Montreal at Toronto | Friday, September 19 | 7:00 p.m. ET | TSN/RDS/CFL+

This opening game of Week 16 has some major implications in the standings.

Montreal and Toronto are neck-and-neck in the East, with the Argos just two points behind the Als for second place. That means their meeting on Friday night at BMO Field is a big one for both teams. Toronto will want to catch Montreal. The Alouettes will want to keep some distance from the Argonauts behind them.

If Toronto wins, they tie Montreal in points, but the Alouettes hold the tiebreaker at the moment, as they lead the season series 2-0. Montreal defeated Toronto in Week 1, 28-10. Davis Alexander‘s heroics late in the contest in Week 7, scoring a rushing touchdown with under two minutes left in the contest, gave his team a narrow 26-25 victory over the Double Blue.

With Nick Arbuckle injured, it appears that Jarret Doege, who led the drive to get the Argos into game-winning field goal range last week, will be starting behind centre for Toronto. Alexander isn’t likely to be ready this week, meaning it will be McLeod Bethel-Thompson in the driver’s seat, coming off the best game of his season.

THE VERNON ADAMS JR. REVENGE GAME?

BC at Calgary | Friday, September 19 | 9:30 p.m. ET | TSN/CFL+

He won’t say it, but this game against the BC Lions has to mean a little bit more to Vernon Adams Jr., right?

Well, if you ask the quarterback, he’ll shrug, shake his head, and say, nope, not really.

“No, not at all,” he told reporters, when asked if he has any points to prove against his former team when they meet this weekend. “I’m in year 10 of my CFL career. I’m just trying to play a good game. I just want to be better for this team, for this organization, for this city and just play one of my best games, hopefully.”

This week marks the first time Adams Jr. faces his former team since the Lions traded him away this off-season. He may brush it off, but it’s hard to believe that there won’t be at least a little bit of extra motivation for the Stampeders quarterback to get a win against the Leos.

Calgary is 8-4 on the season and returning from a Week 15 bye. The Lions sit 6-7, tied in points with Winnipeg, coming off a win over Ottawa.

CAN THE BOMBERS KEEP RUNNING THE BALL?

Winnipeg at Ottawa | Saturday, September 20 | 3:00 p.m. ET | TSN/RDS/CTV/CFL+

With Brady Oliveira in the backfield, there’s no secret to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ success. Run. The. Ball.

Between Oliveira and now Chris Streveler, who filled in for an injured Zach Collaros last week, the Bombers sit first in the CFL in rushing yards per game (117.6). Ottawa has been able to keep their opponents from running the ball, holding teams to 89.0 yards per game on the ground, good for second-least in the CFL, just behind Saskatchewan (81.2). The REDBLACKS are also holding their opponents to 4.6 yards per rush.

It appears that Streveler may get the start again this week, with the quarterback taking reps with the first team offence on Wednesday. Streveler ran for 82 yards and a touchdown in last week’s loss to Hamilton, averaging 7.5 yards per carry and his longest run going for 17 yards.

Will Oliveira, and potentially Streveler, be able to run through the tough REDBLACKS defence to snap their three-game losing skid? Or will Ottawa give their fans at TD Place something to cheer about with a win?  With the West standings tightening up and Ottawa still in striking distance of a playoff spot, this could be a must-win for both teams on Saturday afternoon.

THE QUARTERBACKS

Edmonton at Hamilton | Saturday, September 20 | 7:00 p.m. ET | TSN/RDS2/CFL+

The Edmonton Elks and Hamilton Tiger-Cats boast two veteran quarterbacks who are performing at a high level.

Bo Levi Mitchell is throwing a lot of yards, 3,883 to be exact. He’s on pace to throw for over 5,000 yards for just the fourth time in his career. The 35-year-old has also been calling his own number, rushing 17 times (the most since 2015 when he had 19 carries), for 108 yards and a touchdown, his first TD on the ground in 10 years. Mitchell’s thrown a league-high 26 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions so far this season.

Cody Fajardo, on the other hand, is the king of efficiency since taking over behind centre for the Elks. Fajardo has completed a league-best 77.0 per cent of his passes, for 2,179 yards, 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. I’m going to forget about Fajardo’s late-game fumble in Toronto last week because his overall body of work this season has been solid.

Fajardo and his Elks may be fifth in the West Division, but they’re still in the hunt for a playoff spot. Mitchell and his Ticats sit first in the East and will want to put more distance between them and second place as they look to stay in position to host the Eastern Final.