A stunning loss by the Ottawa Redblacks and a victory by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats has made the race for first place in the East Division considerably tighter.
The Alouettes recorded their second win in a row and have pulled into a tie for third with the Argos from a points perspective. However, they are actually in fourth place as they have played one more game than Toronto.
In reality, the Argos and Alouettes are long shots to pull themselves back into the race for the East Division crown. Toronto faces a must-win against Hamilton on Saturday to entertain any hope of climbing to second in the East.
The Redblacks had ample opportunity to open up a wide margin on Hamilton but came up flat offensively, yet again. The Alouettes took a page from the Calgary Stampeders in running a “0” coverage scheme against the Redblacks, and like the Stampeders stymied the Ottawa attack.
The Details
The Redblacks have a very tenuous two-point lead over the Tiger-Cats with eight games remaining. The two teams play a home and home series in Weeks 19 and 20 that could decide the East Division. The issue for Ottawa is the relative ease of Hamilton’s schedule in the six other games compared to their own.
In those six remaining games, Hamilton plays five of them against clubs with losing records. Meanwhile, Ottawa only plays the lesser lights three times.
Additionally, Hamilton has already completed trips to all Western opponents except for B.C. However, the Redblacks still must travel to Edmonton, Saskatchewan and B.C.
The Redblacks are mercifully done with the Calgary Stampeders while Hamilton must host them in Week 14 for the Hall of Fame Game.
The Argos and Alouettes also play a home and home with each other. Outside of that matchup, they have only one game against teams not named Eskimos, Stampeders, Roughriders, Tiger-Cats or Redblacks. It will be a tough road for both of them to prevent a Western cross-over to the third seed in the East Division.
The Battle for First
With all due respect to Toronto and Montreal and recognizing that in the CFL anything can happen. It is safe to say that it is down Ottawa and Hamilton to see which team will host the Eastern Final. With a coveted trip to the Grey Cup in Edmonton on the line.
Hamilton is a team that played above its record in the first half of the season. The Tiger-Cats swept the Eskimos and put a very large scare into the Stampeders in Week 1 losing 28-14. That was a score which flattered Calgary and is not indicative of the success the Ti-Cats had.
The Redblacks have been, well, consistently inconsistent. Ottawa could reasonably be 8-2 at this point. Unfortunately, the aforementioned no-show against Montreal last week and the historic meltdown versus Toronto in early August have not only affected their inter-divisional record but has also put them in a dogfight for playoff seeding.
Coming off a stunning 44-21 dismantling of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers many felt the Redblacks had turned the corner. It also led many to believe that they deserved to be counted amongst the elite teams in the CFL. The deflating loss to Montreal has some in Ottawa questioning the entire trajectory of this team.
Good teams become great by consistently improving. The Ottawa Redblacks have yet to show any sense of a steady incline instead, their season is a picture of peaks and valleys.
The fervent scratching the Redblacks hear at the back door is the Tiger-Cats. For Ottawa it’s time to put up or get mauled.
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