Can I give a quick shout out that I, acknowledge on the front end, is so widely biased?

The work done by play-by-play man AJ Jakubec from TSN1200 in the closing minutes of the Ottawa REDBLACKS victory over the Toronto Argonauts was fantastic. Trust me, it is not hard to find online. I did it in under three minutes.

That moment highlighted just how important local radio is. You get a passion and a perspective that can be difficult to reproduce anywhere else. Here in Toronto, I’m a big fan of Mike Hogan and Ben Grant and how they elevate Argonauts games on the radio.

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If you have a moment, go back and listen to the emotion of that moment. I promise it will make you smile.

Moving on to what I learned from the second last week of the regular season.

BRYSON BARNES’ FIRST PASS PLAY AND HIS LAST COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFERENT

The first time Bryson Barnes dropped back to pass, the rookie was sacked by Ralph Holley. Barnes had plenty of time to throw. This was not Ottawa’s offensive line allowing an Argonauts jailbreak. His last pass came with less than 10 seconds as he fired a strike to Ayden Eberhardt for the game-tying, 24-yard touchdown. A Paul Geelen extra point moments later and the REDBLACKS got their first win of the year.

Wow, if you’re going to end such a painful streak, you may as well do it with style.

I have a couple of quick thoughts on Ottawa’s young passer. After that failed first drive, Toronto blocked Noah Gettman’s punt and returned it for a touchdown. Barnes was not fazed at all, as he led his team to a touchdown on the following possession, completing all four of his passes for 60 yards. The team had faith in him with 28 seconds left in the first half to be aggressive and get his team in position for a field goal, while already leading 20-16.

Finally, the former All-Mountain West star led Ottawa with 62 yards on the ground as well. He had an excellent debut.

JUSTIN RANKIN WAS A BEAST ON SECOND DOWN

The All-CFL running back was the best player on the field for the Edmonton Elks in their 35-27 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and that was most evident on that critical down.

Justin Rankin didn’t amass his 133 yards as a result of breaking off a couple big runs. His longest gain of his 23 carries went for 19 yards. He just beat up the Blue Bombers with body blow after body blow. On the night, Rankin converted seven times on second down, five of them coming on one impressive, game-sealing touchdown drive, where Justin was given the ball 10 times. He rewarded the coaching staff with 69 yards, including converting a second-and-seven. Edmonton clinched their first division title since 2015 and that drive played a big part.

TREVOR HARRIS GOT IT DONE WHEN IT COUNTED

A José Maltos Díaz missed 44-yard field goal and subsequent Mathew Sexton 46-yard return set up the Saskatchewan Roughriders at their own 36-yard line with 91 seconds remaining, trailing Montreal 12-9 with a playoff spot on the line. No pressure.

Trevor Harris’s first test was a third-and-10 pitch-and-catch to KeeSean Johnson. It was a simple play, but it had high stakes. Two plays later, the 40-year-old quarterback “raced” for a 22-yard gain on second down. Hat tip to Johnson and his downfield blocking to give Harris so much space. (Side note, Trevor led the Roughriders with 36 rushing yards. How often in his career has Trevor ever led his team in this category?!)

Finally, that 17-yarder to Johnson for the winning touchdown was a thing of beauty. Johnson had a step on his defender, and his quarterback got him the ball a split second before the safety could knock it down. Both things are true about this sequence. The Roughriders had an easier path for victory with Jason Maas resting key starters and that was a textbook playoff-sealing, game-winning touchdown drive by a veteran who knows how to get it done.

NATHAN ROURKE IS READY FOR THE PLAYOFFS

I’m always nervous when teams rest key players, like, say, the starting quarterback for extended periods of time at the end of the regular season. Yes, the BC Lions playoff positioning is set in stone, but resting Nathan Rourke for three weeks going into the West Division playoffs would not put him in the best position for the start of the Western Semi-Final.

Rourke looked sharp in his one half of football. His raw statistics were his normal standard and there was nothing normal about that Houdini touchdown pass to Justin McInnis, where Rourke made the ball suddenly appear on McInnis’ back hip off the strength of a 25-yard throw.

EVAN HOLM HAD THE BEST INTERCEPTION OF THE WEEK THAT NEVER COUNTED

If you look at the stat line, you will see that Evan Holm officially finished the day with three tackles, one tackle for a loss and a special teams tackle. The fifth-year vet also had arguably the best defensive play of the game with a crazy, fully stretched out interception off Cody Fajardo late in the first quarter.

Holm somehow kept possession of the ball. It was a testament to his athleticism, concentration and grip strength. Rightfully so, it did not count. His teammate Deatrick Nichols was called for pass interference on Brendan O’Leary-Orange, Fajardo’s intended target. It stinks that Holm wasn’t rewarded for that play, but it was the correct call.