Can everyone feel that? Chilly mornings, early sunsets, and playoff football. The season is winding down and with that some teams are showing us what they were built for, and others will show us that next year is more than enough to think about.
Week 18 CFL Power Rankings
1. Calgary Stampeders
Calgary has been a powerhouse in the league for a good chunk of the season, and nothing has changed while the rest of the West is falling in a downward spiral. Bo-Levi Mitchell is leading his team to possibly tie the most wins by a CFL team in a season (16, by Edmonton in 1989). An injury-rattled defence let 23 points past them in Winnipeg last week but their powerful offence once again prevailed and proved why they’re the best team in the league.
2. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The defending East Champions Hamilton Tiger-Cats are showing that their surprise trip to the Grey Cup last year wasn’t a fluke; they are a legitimate team. Zach Collaros has claimed Tim Hortons Field it as his own. The physical defence led by Eric Norwood, Rico Murray, Simoni Lawrence and Justin Hickman have been a force to be reckoned with on home turf since they first played there on Labour Day weekend. With the Alouettes right on their tail, the Tiger-Cats will have to battle hard to host a game at Tim Hortons Field come the post season, but Kent Austin’s resilient group have what it takes to take a top spot in the East.
3. Montreal Alouettes
Much has changed since the Larks were ranked tenth in the LWOS power rankings. The Als seem to have found a competent starter in Johnathon Crompton; he is is 6-1 when starting for the birds. You could also make a case for the Montreal D, led by Chip Cox. They effectively ate up the clock on their possessions, controlled the game with big plays on defence, and had an aerial assault in full flight in the Als’ latest win against the Argos. Don’t look now, but the team that was in dire need of something to happen is now well in the hunt to host an East final game this season.
4. Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton took a big two points from Saskatchewan last week, and with that victory they are stopping the bleeding. The green and gold started this year hot but cooled off along with the weather, starting with three straight losses to the Stampeders, a team they likely will have to beat in order to get to the big dance this year. But Esks are looking more like the team we saw at the start of this year. Bowman is making big catches when needed, and their D is arguably the best in the league. Chris Jones could be voted as coach of the year; however this team will need to dial back their penalty taking ways to see much more success.
5. Toronto Argonauts
After their dramatic come-from-behind win in Week 16, the Argonauts looked like they were ready to break through the logjam that sat atop the East division. Ricky Ray, Chad Owens, Shea Emry – the pistons were firing all over the field. But the limp, uninspired offence in the first three quarters of that game returned against Montreal, and Toronto now sits third in the East. There’s still time, they’re still in the hunt – but even this late in the season, they don’t look like a playoff-bound team. They can’t be dismissed too easily, but they also don’t merit a high ranking.
6. B.C. Lions
They’re coming off a bye this week, so they don’t move in the standings, but they probably wouldn’t have made any ground anyway. The Lions sit in the Western crossover spot, with a strong chance of making the playoffs in the East; even more likely, they will pass Saskatchewan by the end of the season. B.C. can’t point to a consistent winning record, ideal personnel, or recent wins over strong teams. They’re a good-enough sort of outfit, and their power ranking reflects that.
7. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Kerry Joseph came in and stabilized the quarterback position for the Riders on Sunday, but ultimately he didn’t make enough plays to prevent the Riders from losing to Edmonton, 24-19. It is mathematically possible for Saskatchewan to finish second in the west and host a playoff game, so no reason for Riders fans to get too discouraged, but Joseph will need to take the offense to another level in order to make that happen. Is that too much to ask of a QB who has only been with the team for 3 weeks? Probably, but this is the CFL: crazier things have happened.
8.Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Bombers are now officially playing out the string for the rest of 2014. It’s hard to think of a team that has started a season with such promise collapsing the way Winnipeg has. Even QB Drew Willy is now under evaluation again as the Bombers will need to work on a plan for 2015 that ensures this disaster is not repeated. Pressure to win next season will be even higher as Winnipeg will be hosting the Grey Cup.
9. Ottawa Redblacks
The results for the Redblacks should not come as a major surprise this season. Ownership and management would like to see a better record then 2-13, but for a football team to gel with all new players in one season is unrealistic. So where do they go from here? The major question is whether they bring veteran Henry Burris back for next season or start fresh with a young QB like Thomas DeMarco. Should be an interesting team to track in the off-season.
That’s it for our collaborative power rankings this week. Our CFL panel consists of Matt Bin (@lastwordonCFL), Nicholas Di Giovanni (@lwosnick), Steve Gifkins (@lwossteve), and Lance Keiser (@lwoslance). Thank you for reading! Leave a comment below to contribute to the conversation.
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