4 QBs with something to prove in Week 16

We have some spicy matchups this weekend in the CFL.

You can focus on what this week means for the standings and playoff positioning, which is the more logical path, as home field and first-round byes mean so much come post-season time.

Or you can follow me on the path of quarterback revenge angles, and which passer has the most to prove in Week 16.

I have four storylines that are ranked from medium heat (the hottest I will go with a chicken wing) to something called “Pepper X,” which should only be consumed if you have a complete medical team standing by.

4. DRU BROWN | OTTAWA REDBLACKS | VS. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

With Dru Brown a full participant in practice throughout the week, the pivot enters the game with something to prove in case he plays.

Saturday’s contest has nothing to do with Brown going after the organization that chose to stick with Zach Collaros. We all would have done the same thing.

The Bombers were in “win-now” mode at the time, and they still are today. There is no way that after the 2023 season Kyle Walters was going to move on from the quarterback who had just led the CFL in touchdown passes and is a fixture in the Grey Cup.

This game is all about Dru proving to the team, and to himself, that his injury-plagued 2025 season is behind him.

After a gangbusters debut against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Dru was sidelined for several weeks with a hip injury. A head injury in Week 7 and a knee injury in Week 11 against his former team have limited Ottawa’s main signal caller to just six starts.

The shame is that when he plays, the REDBLACKS have a 30+ point-per-game offence. A strong finish for the team and the quarterback would bode well for their long-term future.

3. MCLEOD BETHEL-THOMPSON | MONTREAL ALOUETTES | AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS

I bet you thought this would be one spot higher on the spicy scale, however, the team and the quarterback did not exactly have a messy divorce.

Yes, the Argonauts could have tried harder to bring McLeod Bethel-Thompson back, but the team had Chad Kelly ready to take over as the full-time starter. Also, the two sides at least ended on a happy note, with a victory in the 109th Grey Cup.

The better story is the Alouettes quarterback wanting to write a better ending for himself.

Many people, including myself, thought we had possibly seen the last of Bethel-Thompson back in Week 10 after the Alouettes’ 23-22 loss to the Edmonton Elks, highlighted by Tyrell Ford picking off the seven-year veteran and returning it 87 yards for the score at the end of the first half.

Then came the unexpected last week. Against one of the league’s best defences, Bethel-Thompson turned back the clock and rained down deep shot after deep shot in a 48-31 win over Saskatchewan.

Coming into that game, McLeod was 1-4 as a starter and had more interceptions than touchdowns. I did not see it coming, and it was glorious to watch.

Now the 2022 passing leader is out to prove that last week wasn’t a fluke and that he can help the Alouettes challenge the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for top spot in the East.

2. CHRIS STREVELER | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS | AT OTTAWA REDBLACKS

You have to go back a decade to find the last CFL season that ended with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the outside of the playoffs. The Bombers find themselves in an unfamiliar spot, below .500 after their third straight loss, this time to Hamilton.

One of the heroes of the 107th Grey Cup-winning team has got to find a way to throw on that cape again and prove he can lead this team in case Zach Collaros, who was limited in practice all week, is not ready to return from his injury. We all know Chris Streveler can power his way for a first down and plow through several defenders on the goal line, but what about when Mike O’Shea and company need Streveler’s arm?

His second-quarter interception to DaShaun Amos late in the first half, with the Bombers trailing by three, was critical. It was a rushed, across-the-body throw that led to a Tim White touchdown reception and a secure 20-10 lead for the Tiger-Cats.

No one is expecting Streveler to look like Collaros, but he will need to cut down on the interceptions and make three to five critical passes on second down to give his team a chance to win. This stretch is Streveler’s opportunity to prove he can be that complete, winning quarterback.

1. VERNON ADAMS JR. | CALGARY STAMPEDERS | AT BC LIONS

Vernon Adams Jr. is acting exactly how I expected, like a total professional. He is heaping praise on his former team, pointing out how important a win is for Calgary, and saying he wants to be better for the Stampeders.

Quite frankly, I am tired of Adams Jr. doing the right thing. He would make my job far easier by going full scorched-earth on the BC Lions, with these two teams meeting up for the first time in 2025.

Yes, big picture, we can all understand why the Lions turned to Nathan Rourke, especially after Adams Jr. suffered a knee injury last year. But Adams Jr. was being talked about in the MOP conversation before the setback, and in his two years there he put up over 7,600 passing yards with 47 touchdowns to 27 interceptions.

There have to be some emotional slivers of revenge coursing through the Stampeders’ new quarterback.

Putting the obvious storyline to the side, Vernon is out to prove that his recent two-week swoon against the Elks, where he was more of a passenger in their Week 13 win and struggled in the team’s 31-19 loss to Edmonton, is a thing of the past.

4 QBs with something to prove in Week 16

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