Weekly, SportsCage.com contributors from around Western Canada collaborate to rank the Canadian Football League teams. After week 16, there is no change atop the power rankings with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in first for a third straight week. However, behind the Riders, the Calgary Stampeders took the week’s biggest tumble. Here is how the ranking broke down:
The Saskatchewan Roughriders had a bye week in week 16, and it didn’t hurt them a bit, as they were unanimously selected as the top team in the CFL. The contributors are curious to see how the Riders bounce back from a pre-bye loss to Montreal against a desperate Edmonton team.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats clawed their way into the second spot thanks to a walk-off 29-26 win over the Edmonton Elks in Week 16. Head coach Scott Milanovich has his team believing that they are starting to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the East Division.
Up a spot from a week ago is the B.C. Lions who put it all together in a 52-23 dismantling of the Calgary Stampeders. The Lions’ offence is becoming more consistent while the defence is starting to put it together. It could be a dangerous combination on the West Coast.
The Calgary Stampeders are sliding from number two to number four. In Week 16, the Stamps lost back-to-back games for just the second time this season, falling 52-23 to B.C. However, in those two losses, the Stamps’ defence has surrendered 83 points. Has the retooled defence started to lose its mojo? Will quarterback Vernon Adams Junior be able to play when the Stamps head to Montreal in week 17? Both are contributing factors moving forward.
Those Montreal Alouettes held onto their fifth spot in the rankings, thanks in part to a 21-19 win in Toronto. The victory separated them from the Argos in the East Division standings and kept the Als ahead in the race to avoid the crossover.
A win is a win. Just ask the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who, despite only registering 54 passing yards, topped Ottawa 26-18. The Blue Bombers showed that they know how to win when they need to, impressing the contributors.
The Toronto Argonauts dropped a spot this week to number seven despite third-string quarterback Jarret Doege nearly leading them to a come-from-behind win over the Montreal Alouettes. However, as they say, close only counts in horseshoes and manure fights.
The Edmonton Elks, despite suffering a second walkoff loss in as many weeks, fell 29-26 to Hamilton last week. What was that saying about being close? It may be now or never this week for the double-E who host the Roughriders in Week 17.
The Ottawa Redblacks, in the last spot, were the second unanimous selection of the contributors this week. An inability to limit their own mistakes against a beaten-up Blue Bombers team with a playoff spot on the line disappointed fans in the Nation’s Capital and the SportsCage.com contributors.