Week 11 featured three very close games but here is where the CFL Power Rankings stand after a weekend of narrow victories and crushing losses.
1. Calgary Stampeders
Coming off their first loss of the season, Bo Levi Mitchell and the Calgary Stampeders bounced back in a big way. After going into the half down by a field goal Mitchell and star receiver Kamar Jorden really turned up the heat in the second half. Mitchell finished with 452 yards in the air with three touchdowns. 249 of those were to Kamar Jorden plus a score. The Stampeders will head into their Labour Day matchup with the Edmonton Eskimos continuing to lead the CFL.
Last week: 1
2. Ottawa Redblacks
Despite a week of rest, the Ottawa Redblacks have moved up to second place in this week’s power rankings. However, it was at the expense of their closest divisional opponent coming two points closer to catching them. The Redblacks will host the Alouettes this Friday to kick-off the weekend hoping to increase their lead over the rest of the East.
Last week: 3
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders
In a battle of defence and special teams the Saskatchewan Roughriders found a way to go into B.C Place and hand the Lions their first home loss of the season. The Roughriders defence held the Lions to just 314 yards of total offence and surrendered just one major score. Question marks surrounding Chris Jones and his unorthodox methods have been put to rest for the time being. The Roughriders will host the Blue Bombers this week in the first leg of the Banjo Bowl. They will look to secure third spot in the West and potentially climb into a tie with the Eskimos for second place.
Last week: 5
4. Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos woes against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats continued last week. Edmonton managed to choke a 14-point second half lead after not scoring a single point in the second half despite their loads of offensive talent. Their defence was no better allowing 557 yards of total offence to the Tiger-Cats including 419 yards through the air and another 104 on the ground to Alex Green. Things don’t get any easier for this Edmonton team as they will travel to Calgary to face the Stampeders on Labour Day.
Last week: 2
5. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
It was another embarrassing loss for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after Bo Levi picked apart Winnipeg’s defence for 452 yards and three touchdowns. Matt Nichols completed less than 60% of his passes and threw two interceptions. The Calgary front seven made M.O.P. candidate Andrew Harris a non-factor on the ground as he rushed seven times for just 13 yards. A garbage time touchdown made the score more respectable, but Winnipeg has work to do. They will face another stingy defence at Mosaic Stadium this weekend.
Last week: 4
6. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
In a must-win game for the Tiger-Cats, Jeremiah Masoli and the offence delivered in a big way. Despite only completing 61% of his passes and being picked off twice Masoli produced 446 yards of total offence. The Hamilton defence also managed to hold arguably the most talented offence in the league to zero points in the second half. Hamilton took a big blow losing Chris Williams for the season, but they have plenty of depth in their receiving core. The Tiger-Cats will host the Toronto Argonauts to close out the Labour Day weekend as they look to keep pace with the Ottawa Redblacks.
Last week: 7
7. B.C Lions
Following a crushing late minute defeat at BMO Field the Lions returned home to another narrow loss. In the final minute the Lions were looking to drive into field goal range to send the game to overtime but Cody Fajardo and the offensive line turned the ball over on downs. The Lions defence managed to hold Saskatchewan to just 301 yards of total offence but this game was won and lost on defence and special teams. The Lions will take Labour Day weekend off before hosting the Ottawa Redblacks as they look to climb out of the bottom of the West Division.
Last week: 6
8. Toronto Argonauts
After back to back last-minute wins, the Toronto Argonauts showed us once again why they belong second to last in the power rankings, failing to defeat a Montreal Alouettes team that was without their starting quarterback. McLeod Bethel Thompson was efficient completing over 70% of his passes. Yet James Wilder Jr disappeared rushing for just 29 yards against one of the worst run defences in the CFL. The Argos were a last-second field goal away from sending the game to overtime but their luck finally ran out after Zach Medeiros hit the upright to secure the loss for Toronto.
Last week: 8
9. Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes and their 23-year-old quarterback Antonio Pipkin picked up the team’s second win of the season. In his second CFL start, Pipkin didn’t manage to throw a touchdown and had an interception. However, he did throw for over 300 yards and ran in a pair of touchdowns himself. It looks as though Johnny Manziel could return this week as Montreal heads to Ottawa hoping to string together a pair of wins.
Last week: 9
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