Best in the West meets best in the East.
We’re talking about two CFL teams and their top-rated quarterbacks meeting in a showdown to prove who’s better. Hamilton Tiger-Cats deep-passing pivot Bo Levi Mitchell is about to guide his East-leading, 6-3 squad into Regina for Saturday’s game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
So which quarterback is having the better season — Mitchell or Harris?
That’s The Big Question for this week.
According to the league’s complicated formula for rating quarterback efficiency based on completions, yardage and newsworthy quotes (just kidding!), it’s Harris with a rating of 119.7. Although Edmonton’s Cody Fajardo (119.6) is sneaking into the conversation, among quarterbacks who have started the majority of their team’s games, Mitchell is fourth in efficiency rankings at 112.5 behind Harris, Fajardo and Ottawa’s Dru Brown (113.7). A perfect ranking is 158.3.
Mitchell leads the league with 2,856 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. It helps that Mitchell has started each of Hamilton’s nine games, the only first-string QB in the CFL who hasn’t missed any action. Harris, who missed one of Saskatchewan’s eight games with concussion symptoms, sits fifth with 2,183 yards and second with 13 TDs.
Mitchell is having a better statistical year.
After playing 10 seasons with the Calgary Stampeders and winning two Grey Cups before being dealt in 2023 to Hamilton, it initially looked like Mitchell’s Hall of Fame career was waning when he temporarily lost his starting job to Taylor Powell. Mitchell has bounced back impressively this season, attempting a league-high 58 deep passes while being intercepted a league-low three times.
Harris is 39, four years older than Mitchell. Through 14 seasons with five CFL teams, Harris also has won two Grey Cups, but neither as a starter. He joined Saskatchewan as a free agent in 2023 and, after missing chunks of his first two Rider seasons with knee injuries, may be playing the best football of his career while maintaining a league-best 75 per cent completion percentage.
Since thumping the hometown Montreal Alouettes 34-6 on Aug. 2, the Roughriders are on a three-game winning streak and coming off a bye week. Hamilton had won six straight before losing 41-38 in overtime to the B.C. Lions in Vancouver on Thursday.
This will be the second and final game between the Riders and Ti-Cats, unless they meet in the playoffs. On June 14 the Roughriders defeated the hometown Tiger-Cats 28-23. Harris completed 26 of 37 passes for 295 yards with one interception and one touchdown. Mitchell was 26-of-40 for 336 yards with one pick and one TD.
If this were hockey, Mitchell’s Tiger-Cats figuratively have more shots on goal. But with their better overall record, Harris’ Roughriders are leading 1-0.
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