The Forty Creek Quadruple Header is almost here, my friends.

I’d like to first point out to you that it is a must to rotate your couch cushions during this marathon. I once binged a season and a half of “Better Call Saul” in one day, a few years ago, and that particular cushion still has not bounced back.

In honour of the Forty Creek Quadruple Header, I’ve put together a list of my favourite scoring plays of at least 40 yards so far this season.

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Seven of them altogether, one each from the following categories: Field goals, receptions, rushes, interceptions, kick, punt and missed field goal returns.

RUSHING TOUCHDOWN | JUSTIN RANKIN | EDMONTON ELKS

All the way back to Week 1 we go for this one, when the Elks were taking on the REDBLACKS on a rainy night in Ottawa.

Early in the fourth quarter, and with the Elks up by nine, running back Justin Rankin took a hand-off deep in the backfield and accelerated up the middle, ever so briefly.

Seeing no hole there at all, he cut HARD to his left. A split-second later, he cut HARD right when that lane was blocked too. Met by REDBLACK linebacker A.J. Allen at the line, Rankin spun like a top to get away from what looked like a sure-thing tackle, and then jetted to the perimeter to out-run containment before fully sprinting away on a 61-yard touchdown romp.

Hard cuts, a video game move and scintillating speed. That run had everything.

RECEIVING TOUCHDOWN | JALEN PHILPOT | CALGARY STAMPEDERS

There’s a handful of beautiful explosive touchdown receptions you could choose from in 2026, but I am going to go with one that is a little less-heralded, because I think it deserves a whole lotta love.

In Week 8, Calgary’s Vernon Adams Jr. and Jalen Philpot teamed up for a sensational touchdown to open the second half of their game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Dropping back from his own 41-yard line, Adams fired a 25-yard strike to Philpot, who’d made a marvellous cut inside to get open against Winnipeg cover man Jonathan Moxey.

Looking up, Philpot immediately saw Winnipeg’s Deatrick Nichols closing at warp speed.

Philpot lowered his shoulder, blasted through Nichols, then spun and headed downfield, faking out Moxey once more and then doing the same to Evan Holm before sprinting the rest of the way to complete a 69-yard touchdown.

Had Philpot’s teammate Tyreik McAllister not stolen the headlines with a three-touchdown night, this one would have gotten tons more attention.

FIELD GOAL | VINCENT BLANCHARD | EDMONTON ELKS

Of all the money field goals we’ve seen so far this year, this one is the most money-est.

In Week 8, Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard blasted a last-play, 57-yarder to give the Elks a 36-34 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina.

That capped a gritty, last-minute drive for the Elks, during which quarterback Cody Fajardo twice completed passes on third down to move the sticks.

As time expired, Blanchard launched a winner that looked like it would’ve been good from even 67 yards.

In a rock-solid, All-CFL worthy campaign, this stands as Blanchard’s crowning achievement (so far).

INTERCEPTION | JOSH WOODS | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

Late in their Week 6 game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Saskatchewan Roughriders got a ‘nighty-night’ pick-six from linebacker Josh Woods.

With the Ticats threatening a late score to tighten things up, Woods leapt up at the three-yard line to snag a Jake Dolegala pass and then he took it the distance for a 107-yard touchdown to seal the deal.

One of the things I love about this play is that you can see teammate Antoine Brooks Jr. trying to entice Woods to pitch the ball to him at the Saskatchewan 10. Brooks watches him go by but he doesn’t just say ‘good luck, bud, bye-bye now.’ Instead, he sprints downfield to block Hamilton’s Kurleigh Gittens Jr., the only man left who could have stopped Woods once he’d gotten past midfield.

KICK RETURN | KALIL PIMPLETON | OTTAWA REDBLACKS

Back in Week 4, Ottawa’s Kalil Pimpleton electrified the REDBLACKS faithful, returning five kick-offs for 243 yards, his biggest being a 94-yard house call in the final minute of Ottawa’s game against the Montreal Alouettes.

Midway through the return — which highlighted Pimpleton’s speed and quick decision-making — he gets caught up with teammate Michael Brodrique before a quick recovery has him cutting back and then accelerating through a crowd, off to the races.

PUNT RETURN | ISAIAH WOODEN SR. | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

Holy hash marks, Week 8. Another one?

Hamilton punt returner Isaiah Wooden Sr. stung Montreal’s cover team with a 100-yard major during the first quarter of this game, dipsy-doodling through defenders and blockers over the first 15 yards, slowed up by a tackle attempt at the 25, then shaking off another tackle attempt at Hamilton’s 35-yard line.

One hard cut inside at the 40 and Wooden found complete daylight, sprinting the next 70 yards to the end zone.

Bonus entertainment from this one: Early on, watch Hamilton’s Myron Mitchell on the other side of the field, drawing an Alouettes cover man over by pretending he’s the one who’s fielding the punt.

MISSED FIELD GOAL RETURN | TREY VAVAL | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

In a Week 6 game against the Toronto Argonauts, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers held an eight-point lead, midway through the fourth quarter. Returner Trey Vaval fielded a missed Lirim Hajrullahu field goal attempt as far back in the end zone as he could possibly get, and then took it back 129 yards for a touchdown to give Winnipeg a two-score lead in a game they would win, 30-21.

Vaval made good after he’d fumbled on a punt return a few plays prior, setting Toronto up on the Winnipeg 33-yard line.

Another thing that is so striking about this play is that it wouldn’t have happened at all had Winnipeg coach Mike O’Shea not called a timeout just in the nick of time on Hajrullahu’s first attempt, which actually sailed through the uprights.

THE OH-SO-CLOSE FUMBLE RECOVERY

There’ve been two fumble recovery touchdowns scored this season, but neither made it to the minimum 40-yard threshold.

Coming tantalizingly close to legitimately landing on this list is Edmonton’s 93-yd recovery return in Week 4.

Elks defensive lineman Jordan Williams knocked the ball loose, linebacker Brock Mogensen scooped it up, and then later pitched it to corner Tyrell Ford near midfield.

Ford made it all the way to the Winnipeg three-yard line before being knocked out of bounds by Winnipeg receiver Ontaria Wilson.

Lots to love about this play, but what I like most is Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros hustling all the way back to cut Ford off at the 10-yard line, allowing the also-hustling Wilson to make the touchdown-saving tackle.