The final week of the CFL regular season is here and there is plenty left to be decided.
Week 21 will feature a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday to wrap up the season before the East and West semifinals kick off on Nov. 1. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will kick off the action on Friday against the Ottawa Redblacks, followed by the Calgary Stampeders visiting the Edmonton Elks.
Saturday’s doubleheader begins with the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, followed by the BC Lions taking on the top-seeded Saskatchewan Roughriders.
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Ottawa Redblacks vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Ticats can lock up the top seed in the East Division and a first-round playoff bye with a win over the Redblacks on Friday afternoon.
The Tiger-Cats and Alouettes have the same record entering Week 21 but Hamilton holds the tiebreaker having won both matchups between the clubs this season.
East Division standings heading into Week 21
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 10-7 Montreal Alouettes 10-7 Toronto Argonauts 5-13 Ottawa Redblacks 4-13
Coming out of their bye week, the Tiger-Cats will attempt to bounce back from a 37-20 blowout loss to the Calgary Stampeders in Week 19 as they host the league-worst Redblacks.
Ottawa enters the final week of the season on a five-game losing streak and will try to play spoiler while ending their season on a high note. Quarterback Tyrie Adams got the start last weekend against the Alouettes, completing 27 of 44 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns in place of the injured Dustin Crum.
“It felt good to get a start,” Adams said after last week’s 39-28 loss to the Alouettes. “It felt horrible to lose, though.”
“When you’re that fourth quarterback, you don’t get a whole lot of time running our offence,” said Redblacks head coach Bob Dyce. “I thought Tyrie did a good job.”
Dyce did not confirm whether Adams would be getting a second-straight start.
Calgary Stampeders vs. Edmonton Elks
The Stampeders are locked into a spot in the Western semifinals but still have plenty to play for as they finish their regular season schedule against the Elks.
A win, combined with a Lions’ loss, would give Calgary the right to host the Western semifinal.
Stamps quarterback Vernon Adams will look to replicate his performance from the playoff-clinching win against the Toronto Argonauts in Week 20, where he completed 12-of-14 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-13 win.
“We feel we still have a shot at that home playoff game. It’s going to be a tough road regardless,” Stampeders head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said after Saturday’s game.
“There’s some great teams in the West, but if we could get a home playoff game, I think that’s enhancing our chances big time.”
West Division standings heading into Week 20:
Saskatchewan Roughriders 12-5BC Lions 10-7 Calgary Stampeders 10-7 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 9-8 Edmonton Elks 7-10
The Elks were eliminated from playoff contention after last week’s 37-24 loss to the Lions.
Montreal Alouettes vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
If Hamilton takes care of business against the Redblacks on Friday, the Als will have nothing to play for on Saturday afternoon. However, if Ottawa is able to pull off the upset, Montreal can leapfrog the Tiger-Cats and snatch first place in the East Division and a first-round bye with a win.
The Alouettes topped the Redblacks 39-28 on Saturday for their fifth-straight win. The victory also extended quarterback Davis Alexander’s career-opening win streak to 11 games. He completed 21-of-31 passes for 328 yards in last week’s win.
The Bombers clinched a playoff berth with their win over the Roughriders, and Edmonton’s loss to the Lions last Friday. Winnipeg can avoid the crossover spot with a win and a Lions loss.
BC Lions vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Lions can clinch the second seed in the West and a home playoff game with a win over the Roughriders on Saturday.
Watch LIVE Saturday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on TSN1, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.
Quarterback Nathan Rouke has come alive over the past month, having surpassed 300 yards passing in four of his past five games as the Lions vaulted to second in the West with a five-game win streak.
The 27-year-old is second in the CFL in passing yards with 4,922, trailing only Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell (5,032) for the league-lead.
Saskatchewan has won both meetings between the teams this season but, as they did last week against the Blue Bombers, could rest several starters with nothing to play for in the regular-season finale.