With four weeks remaining in the CFL regular season, it is starting to heat up down the stretch, with three games packed into two days of Week 18 action on TSN.

The week begins with a rematch of the very first game of the season back in June, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders travelling to the nation’s capital to face the Ottawa Redblacks.

Then, Saturday’s doubleheader begins out east, with a classic matchup between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts, before the biggest showdown of the week closes things out between the Calgary Stampeders and BC Lions.

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Roughriders vs. Redblacks

The league’s best team takes on the league’s worst in the nation’s capital.

Watch the Roughriders take on the Redblacks LIVE at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT across the TSN Network, streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App.

While it might not seem like there is much up for grabs in this matchup between the Roughriders and Redblacks, both team’s playoff outcomes still remain in the balance.

While technically not out of the hunt, Ottawa needs a win to remain playoff eligible, though their postseason chances are highly unlikely. The team would need to climb past four other teams, including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Lions with one of them needing to lose out.

There would be much more impact for the Roughriders in the standings if the Redblacks were able to pull off an upset, as Saskatchewan has still not locked up the No.1 seed in the West.

Technically, the Riders could still slide all the way down to the crossover, as Calgary, Winnipeg, and BC all sit just four points back. A win against the Redblacks would go a long way for the Riders to clinch a bye for the first time since 2019 and for the fourth time since 1976.

Saskatchewan comes into this one having lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, as in Week 15 it was the defence that let the team down against the Montreal Alouettes, while the offence was the problem last week against the Edmonton Elks.

The defence is still elite, topping multiple statistical categories despite missing pieces like edge Shane Ray, and corners Tevaughn Campbell and Marcus Sayles over recent weeks.

Offensively, there are a ton of moving pieces in and out of the lineup, and the lack of chemistry between Trevor Harris and receivers Sam Emilus and Ajou Ajou was somewhat evident. Building that bond and getting healthy on both sides of the ball is the priority for Saskatchewan.

For Ottawa, who for all intents and purposes won’t be making the playoffs, will want and will get to see more out of pivot Dru Brown.

The 28-year-old played for the first time since Week 11 in Ottawa’s last game, throwing for 406 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in Ottawa’s Week 16 loss to the Bombers. The Palo Alto, Calif., native has had to deal with a variety of injuries this season from a hip problem to concussion-like symptoms, to a knee injury, resulting in only six complete games played.

Just getting to see Brown go out there and gather more information on him as a player is a win for the Redblacks.

It’s been everything else around the quarterback play that has held Ottawa back this season, however, as the running game has been inconsistent while the defence finds themselves near the bottom in most defensive categories.

Seeing how the team stacks up against the CFL’s best will add more to the evaluation process for the front office with the roster heading into next season.

Tiger-Cats vs. Argonauts

The classic all-Ontario battle between the Tiger-Cats and Argonauts kicks off Saturday’s doubleheader.

Watch the Tiger-Cats battle the Argonauts LIVE at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT across the TSN Network, streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App.

It’s a similar storyline in this matchup as the last one, as the Tiger-Cats will look to strengthen their grip on the East Division’s No. 1 seed while the Argonauts will look to keep their very unlikely playoff hopes alive.

East Division CFL Standings ahead of Week 18 East Division CFL Standings ahead of Week 18

With Hamilton holding a one-game lead and the tiebreaker over the Alouettes, the magic number to clinch first place is two, which can be any combination of Hamilton wins or Montreal losses the rest of the season.

The Tiger-Cats will have to bounce back on both sides of the ball after suffering one of the worst losses across the whole league this season last week in their 40-3 blowout loss to the Blue Bombers

Hamilton’s offence has been largely lethal all year, and they will get a chance to get back to that by going up against an Argonauts team that allows the most points per game in the CFL (31).

Everyone knows about the fire power Hamilton possesses between quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and the plethora of receivers he has at his deposal in Kenny Lawler, Tim White, Kiondre Smith, and Shemar Bridges, but it’s been running back Greg Bell that has emerged lately.

The 27-year-old now sits seventh in combined scrimmage yards (1,234) as the Ticats have started to run the ball more effectively while continuing to use Bell in the passing game.

The Argonauts will look to make the Tiger-Cats’ road to the No. 1 seed as difficult as possible, as they will look to take Hamilton down for the second straight time.

The Argos picked up a 35-33 win when the pair played on Labour Day, and it was largely thanks to Nick Arbuckle’s play. The 31-year-old completed 33-of-40 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns, and after returning to play from injury last week, Toronto will be hoping to get a similar performance out of him to match Hamilton’s output.

Stampeders vs. Lions

The best is saved for last in Week 18 as the Stampeders and Lions square off.

Watch the Stampeders take on the Lions LIVE at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT across the TSN Network, streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App.

A couple of weeks ago, it looked like the Stamps were going to walk into the No. 2 seed and even challenge for the top spot after taking down the Roughriders twice.

Since then, however, Calgary has gone on a three-game losing streak, getting outscored 121-62 over that span, and the Lions have taken full advantage.

BC has rattled off three straight wins, including a dominant 52-23 victory over Calgary in Week 16, meaning a win this week would vault the Lions into second place in the west.

West Division CFL standings ahead of Week 18 West Division CFL standings ahead of Week 18

The Lions are surging right now on both sides of the ball, something that could not be said up until this win streak. In their previous six games, BC allowed a league-high 35.3 points per game over that span, including giving up 52 points, the most points scored this season, to the Argonauts during this stretch.

Over the last three games, however, the defence has been much improved, only allowing 24 points per game.

There have been no concerns on the other side of the ball for BC at any point during the season, as the Lions offence has been elite and is on pace for history.

The team is averaging 7.87 yards per play, which is the best mark in the CFL ever, while also leading the league in net yards per game, offensive points per game, and big plays. This of course has been because of the big three of Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke, the CFL’s rushing yards leader James Butler, and receptions and receiving yards leader Keon Hatcher.

They’ll go up against a defence in Calgary that has been considered elite for most of the season up until recently. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Stampeders led the league in points allowed, passing yards, big plays allowed, and forced two-and-out percentage. They now lead in none of those categories. Oh yeah, they are also allowing over 40 points per game during this three-game losing streak, not a great number by any means.

They have brought in reinforcements, however, acquiring defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin IV from the Ottawa Redblacks to help fill the void left by former East All-CFL member Folarin Orimolade after his Achilles tear.

It’s going to be tough to turn things around against literally the best offence ever, meaning Calgary’s own offence might have to put up a boatload of points themselves.

Week 16 was quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.’s first game against the Lions since they traded him last off-season, and it did not go to plan. The 32-year-old completed 11-of-16 passes for 125 yards and two interceptions before leaving the contest early with an injury. He’s back and healthy now and Calgary will certainly need his big play ability to take the top off, while Dedrick Mills and that mauling offensive line continue to run the ball physically as they have all year.