Photo courtesy: CFL/Matt Smith.

Week 19 of the 2025 CFL regular season has come to a close and while the Saskatchewan Roughriders sewed up first place in the West Division, everything else remains up for grabs. A stumble by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats has kept the victorious Montreal Alouettes in the mix for a first-round bye, while the Edmonton Elks secured an upset that stopped both Winnipeg and Calgary from clinching for another week.

These awards are selected by 3DownNation’s contributors and will be presented weekly throughout the 2025 season. Enjoy.

OFF THE NAMEPLATE

Sam Emilus, we are not worthy!#CFL #Riders #RiderNation
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— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) October 11, 2025

Offensive player of the week: REC Samuel Emilus, Saskatchewan Roughriders

It’s tough to earn this weekly award without the benefit of a splashy touchdown, but Emilus more than made up for it with a trio of big plays among his six catches. The Canadian receiver kicked things off with a 50-yard catch-and-run, followed it up with a brilliant toe-tap late in the first half, and capped it all with a spectacular grab over the top of a defender in the fourth quarter, which would have received play of the week in almost any other week. With 142 total yards receiving, it was a definitive statement that Emilus is back in elite form three weeks after his return from injury.

Honourable mention: RB Justin Rankin, Edmonton Elks

This year, Marc-Antoine Dequoy is thankful for Ottawa’s punt protection — or lack thereof.

Montreal’s veteran safety gets the block and the score on this holiday.#CFL #AlsMTL #Alouettes
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— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) October 13, 2025

Defensive player of the week: DB Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Montreal Alouettes

Did Dequoy play after the first quarter? Who knows and who cares. The Canadian safety had this award all but wrapped up 15 minutes into his clash with Ottawa. He made just three tackles, but came up with a key sack in the red zone and a pair of knockdowns, including one that saved a touchdown. While it may be cheating to include it in this category, the crown jewel of his performance was a blocked punt, which he recovered himself for a touchdown.

Honourable mention: LB Isaac Darkangelo, Toronto Argonauts

THE DOINK RECOVERY

Jose Maltos-Diaz drills it off Zachary Philion for a surprise onside kick to start the second half!#CFL #AlsMTL #Alouettes
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— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) October 13, 2025

Special teams player of the week: K Jose Maltos-Diaz, Montreal Alouettes

The Alouettes scored just one offensive touchdown in their 30-point performance against the Redblacks, which meant all that scoring had to come from somewhere. Enter Maltos-Diaz, who was a perfect five-for-five on field goals and produced more than half of his team’s point total. The Mexican kicker nailed his longest from 53 yards out and connected on three others from outside of 40 yards, while also perfectly drilling a surprise onside kick off the side of a front-line player to open the second half.

Honourable mention: K Brett Lauther, Saskatchewan Roughriders 

ALL THE WAY TO THE HOUSE!

Ludovick Choquette breaks away for a huge touchdown!@WestJet Thanksgiving Weekend
📅: @calstampeders vs. Ticats LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN, CTV, RDS
🌎: CFL+#CFLGameday pic.twitter.com/R6RaPYDuqo

— CFL (@CFL) October 11, 2025

Breakout player of the week: RB Ludovick Choquette, Calgary Stampeders

Sixth-round CFL Draft picks rarely amount to much, and undersized Canadian running backs almost never find success. Choquette has already beaten the odds on both fronts by earning a roster spot this season, and Saturday was his coming-out party, as he turned seven carries into 73 yards and a touchdown. The native of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. looked like an all-star en route to his first career major, hitting a decisive cutback and powering through two would-be tacklers before capping his 44-yard romp with a decisive stiff arm.

Honourable mention: DB Anthony Johnson, Calgary Stampeders

Dedrick Mills turns on the jets down to the 10-yard line! 🏃‍♂️@WestJet Thanksgiving Weekend
📅: @calstampeders vs. Ticats LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN, CTV, RDS
🌎: CFL+#CFLGameday pic.twitter.com/i0cLsEJ0km

— CFL (@CFL) October 11, 2025

Offensive line of the week: Calgary Stampeders

How did Choquette suddenly have a breakout performance? The same way Dedrick Mills rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns as Calgary’s primary ball-carrier — exceptional blocking kept him untouched until he hit the second level. The Stampeders’ starting five of Josh Coker, Zack Williams, Christopher Fortin, Christy Nkanu, and Preston Nichols helped pave the way for an impressive 211 combined yards on the ground, and sixth-man Tomas Jack-Kurdyla stepped in admirably after Coker went down with an injury. The unit also surrendered just one sack to a Hamilton defensive line that has been surging as of late.

Honourable mention: Edmonton Elks

Coach of the week: OC Pat DelMonaco, Calgary Stampeders

Dave Dickenson often gets most of the credit when Calgary finds offensive success, but DelMonaco is the coordinator, official play-caller, and the offensive line coach to boot. In addition to getting elite play from his positional group, the native of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., deftly rotated through his personnel to keep all weapons fresh without losing the hot hand and had the guts to call a deep shot to kill any hope of a comeback when others may have been too conservative.

Honourable mention: DC J.C. Sherritt, Edmonton Elks

Winnipeg’s Ontaria Wilson makes a catch-of-the-year grab, tipping it to himself inches above the turfpic.twitter.com/eHursflFfu

— Benched (@Benchedshow) October 13, 2025

Best play of the week: REC Ontaria Wilson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Play of the Year seemed signed, sealed, and delivered after Robert Carter Jr.’s interception in Week 8, but suddenly, a legitimate competitor has emerged. Wilson didn’t seem to have a hope in hell of making the catch when Zach Collaros underthrew a deep end zone shot mid-way through the fourth quarter, with the ball bouncing off of Chelen Garnes’ chest and the hands of a trailing Tyrell Ford. However, the former Florida State star managed to dive over top of the fallen Garnes and tip the falling football away from the turf twice with an outstretched right hand, before finally corralling it into his body. No matter how hard Kordell Jackson tried to sell it as an interception after coming in late, this was a touchdown catch and a display of focus that proves CFL athletes are world-class.

Honourable mention: REC Samuel Emilus, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Worst play of the week: HC Mark Kilam, Edmonton Elks

Mark Kilam’s fiery personality has clearly been embodied by his team in their fight against long playoff odds, but the first-year head coach still has something to learn about situational game management. While Edmonton needed a win this week to stay alive in the postseason hunt, they needed to do so by at least 13 points in order to obtain a vital tiebreaker over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Despite this fact, Kilam didn’t let his team take a shot at the end zone from Winnipeg territory while leading by five late in the fourth quarter and elected to punt on third-and-two with 10 seconds remaining. While a touchdown and two-point conversion were an unlikely outcome, they would have dramatically improved his team’s odds of making the playoffs, and the choice to play conservatively could be the Elks’ undoing.

Honourable mention: LB Zachary Philion, Ottawa Redblacks

Best game of the week: Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Edmonton Elks

Let’s be honest, this week’s pickings were a bit like a turkey carcass after the holiday feast, but at least you could make a solid soup out of this matchup. The playoff fates of three different CFL teams hung on the result of this game, and Edmonton’s upset win ensured that nothing has been settled ahead of next week. Winnipeg’s late push and the tie-break implications made the finish compelling despite the lack of a real back-and-forth. Plus, the action featured another glorious touchdown run from Justin Rankin, Kordell Jackson running in his own team’s fumbled punt return for a score in one of the wildest plays of the season, and the potential play of the year courtesy of Ontaria Wilson.

Honourable mention: Toronto Argonauts at Saskatchewan Roughriders

Worst game of the week: Ottawa Redblacks at Montreal Alouettes 

There were many things to be thankful for at the dinner table this Thanksgiving, but this game was not one of them. Billed as a lopsided matchup between a Grey Cup contender and an eliminated basement dweller, it delivered on all that lack of meaningful stakes without any of the offensive excitement of a blowout. Neither side cracked 300 yards of net offence, the lead never changed hands, and Davis Alexander dubbed it the worst game of his career — despite out-passing Dustin Crum by almost 80 yards.

Honourable mention: Calgary Stampeders at Hamilton Tiger-Cats