{"id":200280,"date":"2025-10-09T14:07:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/200280\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T14:07:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:07:22","slug":"landrys-5-takeaways-from-week-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/200280\/","title":{"rendered":"Landry&#8217;s 5 takeaways from Week 18"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hello, AJ Ouellette. Adding your name to the list of high hurdlers, eh?<\/p>\n<p>Impressive. But, kind of a downer as well.<\/p>\n<p>I do love to watch you run through people as opposed to jumping over them, is all. You\u2019ll still do that, though, right?<\/p>\n<p>Here are the Week 18 takeaways.<\/p>\n<p>RELATED<br \/>\u00bb\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/2025\/10\/04\/lions-punch-playoff-ticket-with-win-over-stamps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/2025\/10\/04\/lions-punch-playoff-ticket-with-win-over-stamps\/\" aria-label=\"Lions punch playoff ticket with win over Stamps - open in a new tab\" data-uw-rm-ext-link=\"\" data-uw-original->Lions punch playoff ticket with win over Stamps<\/a><br \/>\u00bb <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/2025\/10\/04\/3-stats-that-defined-hamiltons-week-18-win-over-toronto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">3 stats that defined Hamilton\u2019s Week 18 win over Toronto<\/a><br \/>\u00bb <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/2025\/10\/03\/3-stats-that-defined-saskatchewans-week-18-win-over-ottawa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">3 stats that defined Saskatchewan\u2019s Week 18 win over Ottawa<\/a><br role=\"presentation\"\/>\u00bb <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/2025\/10\/02\/112th-grey-cup-playoff-scenarios-als-eye-playoff-berth-home-date\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">112th Grey Cup Playoff Scenarios: Als, Lions clinch playoff berths<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MORE THAN JUST IMPRESSIVE JUMPING ABILITY, ACTUALLY<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Ottawa flips the field and Bryce Carter is MOVING!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CFLGameDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">#CFLGameDay<\/a><br \/>\ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f: Roughriders vs. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/REDBLACKS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@REDBLACKS<\/a> LIVE NOW<br \/>\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6: TSN, RDS<br \/>\ud83c\udf0e: CFL+ <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1kO7JZhlvY\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/1kO7JZhlvY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CFL (@CFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CFL\/status\/1974298341107503581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">October 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<p>My, my, my. Never mind the hurdle.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s also a power runner and a premium blitz picker-upper. AJ Ouellette showed off all that and more in Sasky\u2019s 20-13 win over the<br \/>Ottawa REDBLACKS.<\/p>\n<p>And after an off-season of training a little differently than he had previously, he also showed that we should all respect his speed, too.<\/p>\n<p>In racing to play catch-up when Ottawa defensive lineman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/bryce-carter\/167154\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"Bryce Carter\">Bryce Carter<\/a> looked like he had no one to worry about on what would\u2019ve been a 98-yard fumble recovery touchdown romp, Ouellette doggedly raced the length of the field, finally eroding Carter\u2019s five-yard head start when he caught and muscled him to the ground at the Saskatchewan 17-yard line.<\/p>\n<p>And a touchdown was, instead, a field goal, with two minutes to go.<\/p>\n<p>That was some pretty impressive, cinema-worthy running, as good as anything Tom Cruise has ever put on film.<\/p>\n<p>THEY HOPE THEIR LATEST CLOUD HAS SOME SILVER IN IT<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A loss is a loss is a loss, some say and the Calgary Stampeders now have dropped four in a row after Saturday\u2019s 38-24 defeat in Vancouver.<\/p>\n<p>But after finding themselves 31-9 after three quarters, the Stamps may have found the dawn at the end of a long dark night by rallying to cut the BC Lions\u2019 lead to just seven before giving up a late touchdown to end the comeback.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s try to build off this rally,\u201d Calgary defensive back <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/damon-webb\/165623\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"Damon Webb\">Damon Webb<\/a> told Stamps TV after the game. \u201cMomentum into how we used to play.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur guys kept fighting,\u201d said head coach Dave Dickenson. \u201cAnd to get it back to a one-score game\u2026 that was something. Something to build on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe in this team. They know that. Hopefully, we can turn the corner, get some wins and get some momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A home playoff date is dependent on that.<\/p>\n<p>HE\u2019S EFFICIENT I\u2019LL SAY THAT MUCH FOR HIM<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t do it much better or more economically than Hamilton\u2019s Brendan O\u2019Leary-Orange did it against the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Two targets. Two catches. Two touchdowns. 111 yards.<\/p>\n<p>If there was such a thing as a Receiver Efficiency Rating, O\u2019Leary-Orange would have scored a 158.3.<\/p>\n<p>ONCE MORE INTO THE BREACH<\/p>\n<p>With Toronto and Ottawa losing in Week 18, it means the crossover playoff scenario will once again be triggered. And once again, it will be a West team making the jump, doing it for the 13th time.<\/p>\n<p>Number of times an East team has done it? Zero.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinish fourth in the West and take the easier path,\u201d is something I\u2019ve heard often over the years.<\/p>\n<p>Funny thing about that, though.<\/p>\n<p>Over the previous twelve visits to the East for the playoffs, the team that\u2019s done it has never advanced to the Grey Cup game. In fact, the crossover team has only made it as far as the Eastern final on five occasions and of those five, only once did they come close to punching their ticket, when the Saskatchewan Roughriders saw a lead slip away in the final minute against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/ricky-ray\/80458\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"Ricky Ray\">Ricky Ray<\/a> and the Toronto Argonauts, in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Five times the BC Lions have crossed over (1-5, including one Eastern Final loss). Four times for Edmonton (3-4, including three Eastern Final losses). Three for Saskatchewan (1-3).<\/p>\n<p>If the Winnipeg Blue Bombers or Calgary Stampeders are the ones to finish fourth in the West, it would mark the first time they\u2019ve ever crossed over.<\/p>\n<p>Well, other than the times the Bombers have crossed over for an entire season, that is. They\u2019ve made seven Grey Cup appearances as an East Division team.<\/p>\n<p>BUTTERFLY EFFECT: IN EVIDENCE<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Well how do you like that? Found a place where \u2018trickle down theory\u2019 is actually valid.<\/p>\n<p>In looking to improve the productivity and difference-making at free safety, the Saskatchewan Roughriders moved <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/c-j-reavis\/166773\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"C.J. Reavis\">C.J. Reavis<\/a> back there for Friday night\u2019s game in Ottawa.<\/p>\n<p>That meant they needed someone else to play the spot Reavis has been manning so very well for the team, the SAM linebacker position.<\/p>\n<p>They turned to Antoine Brooks Jr., who\u2019d seen spot duty so far in 2025, starting one game at corner.<\/p>\n<p>In just his sixth appearance of the season, Brooks was pretty SAMMY when he jumped a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/dru-brown\/164252\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"Dru Brown\">Dru Brown<\/a> pass at the Saskatchewan 25-yard line and took it 85 yards for a major and a 13-nothing Roughriders\u2019 lead.<\/p>\n<p>The ripples of defensive change paid off big for the \u2018Riders.<\/p>\n<p>AND FINALLY: \u201cWhenever he levellin\u2019 up, it\u2019s a good day.\u201d \u2014 Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace on the breakaway speed of receiver Dohnte Meyers.<\/p>\n<p>                                <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hello, AJ Ouellette. Adding your name to the list of high hurdlers, eh? Impressive. But, kind of a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":200281,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-200280","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}