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CFL Week 12 Recap
30 Plays1 month ago
The Goal Post is back after another awesome week in the CFL!
Damien and Patrick start off the show by talking about the Stampeders vs Roughriders game — which was the most anticipated matchup of the season thus far. They then move onto the rest of Week 12 in the CFL. The Argos had an incredible performance against the Lions, which included a fifty-burger, while the Elks strung together their third win in a row against a struggling Redblacks team. They finish by recapping Montreal’s tough loss to Winnipeg, and just how far they continue to slide.
The Boys then issue another edition of The Goal Post 3 Stars of the Week before doing an update to the CFL power rankings to take into account Week 12 wins and losses, before moving to Week 13.
They quickly preview each game on the Week 13 slate, including moving lines and quick thoughts, before giving out their Week 13 picks - The Podcast is 23-13 (+10 units) to date.
Enjoy!
STAMPEDERS 32 ROUGHRIDERS 15: 0:00 - 13:34
ARGOS 52 LIONS 34: 13:35- 28:51
ELKS 30 REDBLACKS 20: 28:52 - 40:43
BLUE BOMBERS 26 ALOUETTES 16: 40:44 - 51:05
3 Stars of the Week: 51:06 - 54:03
Power Rankings: 54:04 - 58:29
Week 13 Preview: 58:30 - 1:09:29
Week 13 Picks: 1:09:30 - 1:15:56
Recommended
Transcript
CFL Week Recap
00:00:22
Speaker
All right, welcome back to another episode of the Goalpost. Coming at you after another incredible week of CFL football.
00:00:33
Speaker
Exciting, exciting games. And we're back again to recap it all for you. How are you doing, Patrick? I'm good, Damien. Excited.
00:00:44
Speaker
yeah yeah We had a bit of, you know, it was a different week. We had, you know, like ah a high-end matchup to to cap the week off. We had an upset this week and we had, you know, ah a team that is finding a way to like put some wins together and like kind of bringing themselves out of the basement, Damian. And then we have a team that just finds a way to continue to struggle without their starting quarterback. think we know.
00:01:09
Speaker
we all know who we're talking about here, but yeah, this week was a fun one. It kind of had a nice touch of everything, a lot of defense, a lot of offense and in one game in particular, but yeah, it was a fun week.
00:01:21
Speaker
And I mean, they they just, you got to hand, you got to give some credit to the CFL because the CFL, you know, takes a lot of criticism, a lot, a lot of criticism, more than a lot of professional leagues, what they are finding a way to like get these double headers on Saturdays right a lot of the time. And that's not an easy thing to do, but the schedule makers have been killing it so far this year. And I just got to kind of tip my cap when like Saturdays are just entertaining and both games I've found can are consistently living up to the hype.
Calgary's Dominance Over Rough Riders
00:01:54
Speaker
Yeah, it's ah we we're getting to that point in the CFL season now where i think Thursday night was the last Thursday night game of the year, especially with the NFL coming around the corner. We get no more Thursday night games, no more Sunday night games.
00:02:06
Speaker
So we're going to be you know compacting these schedules pretty hard coming up now. um like We got a Monday night game next week for for Labor Day, um and you know it's all going to get kind of more jammed in together, which just means kind of better full days of watching CFL football.
00:02:24
Speaker
And I couldn't agree more. Saturday was an incredible doubleheader, and it's where we're going to start today um with what was kind of the marquee matchup of the year going into it.
00:02:34
Speaker
The first and second place teams in the West going at it this time in Calgary. And it was the home team, the Calgary Stampeders, 32, Rough Riders 15. They are the Rough Riders kryptonite. That is now two games. Calgary's undefeated against the big bag Rough Riders.
00:02:56
Speaker
The only two losses that the Rough Riders have taken all season have come to Calgary. And this one was a weird start to the game for this one. Really sloppy on both ends. Like first drive, there was Penalty on the opening kickoff.
00:03:12
Speaker
Pass interference. Penalty. Dropped end zone passes. Missed field goals. Like, it was a very odd start to this game. It started getting a bit more clean. Like,
00:03:23
Speaker
Saskatchewan goes down, they drop an end zone pass, and then it it ends up being a missed field goal. Then Calgary cleans it up with a touchdown drive. Then Trevor Harris throws an interception. Vernon Adams throws an interception almost directly after. it seemed like these two teams were really jumpy to start this game.
00:03:41
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it was kind of all over the place. To me, this game started in exactly how you you might think with a Lawler missed field goal. just Just so classic at this point. I wish i wish you'd that FanDuel needs to add that in some props. Brett Lawler, I don't care. It could be minus a thousand.
00:03:58
Speaker
I still think I might take it for for a missed field goal. But yeah, this game was not the most exciting first quarter, especially. ah It felt like Calgary only put one drive together, but at least they you know ah got it into the end zone, which was a key touchdown. you know When you're up 7-2 and you're kind of stopping Saskatchewan at the end of the first quarter, you're in a good spot, even though you haven't really had a lot of momentum offensively.
00:04:23
Speaker
And then you get into the second quarter, and you know obviously the Philpott 8-yard touchdown reception right you know early in the second quarter, it's clear that when Calgary is...
00:04:35
Speaker
feeling good in this game. like They're driving down the field, they're executing, and they're getting into the end zone, which early in this game, especially with Saskatchewan struggling to score some points offensively, it was looking like that was going to be the difference early. And then the Riders finally woke up a bit.
00:04:52
Speaker
they ah Harris found Dante Myers for seven-yard pass. And then with about fit under a minute left, they find Duncan Busby again for another touchdown. of 10 yard pass and they have a lead at half and it didn't feel like they were the better team in the first half. It felt like ah Calgary was kind of stifling them defensively.
00:05:11
Speaker
They were the ones who were getting into the end zone and not making the mistakes in the first half. And then, you know, the the last five minutes, it was all Saskatchewan and they go up with a two point lead at at half. Yeah, it felt like that was, you know, the marker of a good team is even if you're not playing your best, you can kind of scrape these drives together.
00:05:28
Speaker
And thought that really showed in Saskatchewan in the second quarter, especially this game. I feel like both of these teams have a real identity on what their drives on offense look like. and they're kind of similar um in the sense that Dedrick Mills or A.J. Ouellette are you know putting together really big chunk plays like 10, 12 yards a time when they're running the ball.
00:05:50
Speaker
And then you're just mixing that in with hitting points. really talented receivers for big splash plays. I think both of these teams like mirror each other that way. And that was the case for Saskatchewan and this quarter, like a a great mix of, you know, Keyshawn Johnson making huge catches. Dante Myers has six touchdowns now on the year.
00:06:11
Speaker
And then AJ let just doing what he does best. And I really thought that Saskatchewan was going to carry that momentum into the second half.
Key Defensive Plays by Calgary
00:06:19
Speaker
And man, did they not. Saskatchewan with zero second half points in this game, which was just shocking to see.
00:06:28
Speaker
it They definitely weren't playing their best ball, but Calgary's defense stepped up in a major way this game. Saskatchewan entered the game with the second fewest sacks allowed. They had only allowed 11 sacks through nine games, which is just a crazy stat.
00:06:44
Speaker
Saskatchewan Calgary goes out and gets four sacks in this game. And at perfect times to like a lot of drive stopping snaps. Wow. Drive stopping sacks. There it is getting ahead of myself.
00:06:58
Speaker
Uh, and Trevor Harris took a beating in this game. Yes. And you know, on the flip side of that, the writers had no sacks, which is kind of what we have learned, uh, for them to be in their identity, especially with Corey Mesa as their head coach. And then it was flipped. Like you said, I kind of the same idea when it was at halftime. I go,
00:07:17
Speaker
right, Saskatchewan didn't play their best half. They're up by a point, and you know here here they go. like you You shouldn't have let let them get to this point. But instead, i mean, Calgary must have got a hell of a halftime speech there because they came out firing ready to go They've intercepted Trevor Harris twice as well, not to like along with to go with the sacks.
00:07:37
Speaker
So it was just a defensive game that you know I don't think we... look at Calgary as like ah a defensive powerhouse. It's been a lot of Vernon Adams Jr. It's been a lot of Dedrick Mills, you know, Damian Alford when he's healthy, just making big plays, which it was nice to see him ah back in this game.
00:07:54
Speaker
And, you know, he also played a huge part, like couple big connections. But yeah, in the second half, it was all Calgary ah passing touchdown right in the first five minutes of the second half. ah The attack on a field goal late in the third quarter.
00:08:07
Speaker
And then the fourth quarter, which depending on who you're, if you're a casual fan was pretty boring. It was pretty boring, but that's, that's what Calgary wanted. They had the lead.
00:08:18
Speaker
ah They were in control of this game and it, you know, it was a Brooks touchdown for 11 yarder ah about midway through the the fourth quarter was the only score of the fourth quarter. And it's,
00:08:29
Speaker
Something you look at, like you said, ah Calgary kind of owns the Riders this season. ah And that's going to play a pretty big part in who's going to get that buy in the West. Because, you know, we'll get to the game, but, you know Winnipeg had a nice win this week, but it seems pretty clear that it's these two teams that are going to be duking it out for the buy in the West.
00:08:50
Speaker
And, i got it I don't have the schedule in front of me, but I got to think they play at least once more. ah But it looks like, you know, Calgary is going to have the season series over the over the Riders.
00:09:02
Speaker
Oh, they don't play anymore. Oh, no, they... Yeah, no. No more games against each other, which is shocking. ah But yeah, so Calgary has the season series over the Riders. And if they find a way to you know keep going on a winning there's still ah two points behind Saskatchewan in the standings. But this was a huge game for them. And it seemed like...
00:09:23
Speaker
you know, off a buy at home. Like it, it did have the signs pointing towards Calgary in this game, but give them credit. They delivered, they showed up and it wasn't like a Vernon Adams junior game. Like he had three touchdowns, but also had two interceptions.
00:09:36
Speaker
It was the defense that got it done. Dedrick Mills. And then the offense when they needed to, they converted touchdowns and avoided field goals. Yeah, it's just they're an impressive team. Like there's no other way around it.
00:09:48
Speaker
They've won close games. They've pulled ahead in tight games. They just seem to win in a ton of different ways. There's different guys stepping up each week. They now have Damian Alford back like.
00:09:59
Speaker
This is all right in front of them here to go get the one seed. They play the Elks three more times. Not like the Elks are an easy get anymore, but you know a team as good as Calgary should be beating the Elks right now. They play the Lions twice. They still have the Alouettes.
00:10:16
Speaker
It is directly in front of them to go and get the one seed. Now you have the season series, and I think that's going to be massive for this team to get to a great cup is avoiding duking it out with one of those Western teams in a semifinal and then having to go play a huge Western final game.
00:10:34
Speaker
Really impressed with Calgary out of this one. And I'm left with a bit of questions about the riders in this one. Like you go out and you, you kick the hell out of Hamilton the week before, and then you should be really riding that momentum to then go take on your biggest Western opponent.
00:10:52
Speaker
And you kind of just drop a dud. Granted it's on the road, but Yeah, I left with some questions about the riders in this one. They had a tough, tough time stopping the run. This was a very classic Dedrick Mills game.
00:11:07
Speaker
16 carries, 78 yards and a touchdown, three receptions for 27 yards. We said that earlier this year. feels like he has the same stat line every single game, but they couldn't stop the run. They couldn't stop receivers from making big plays like Jalen Philpott, the stat line doesn't jump out at you. Three receptions, 51 yards and a touchdown, three carries for 31 yards. But he was huge in this game. You got guys like Brooks and Baldwin stepping up. like i just i This game left a little bit of a seed of doubt to me that if these teams meet in a really big playoff game, is this going to be like the classic riders of the last three years that seem to drop a bit of a dud in the playoffs?
00:11:48
Speaker
I think some of your questions might be answered in the next two weeks, Damian, because the Rough Riders have a home and home against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
00:11:59
Speaker
So it's like, you know, there's still some there's still some runway for the CFL season, the regular season. There's still, you know, more games than you you would expect there to be left. But those two games are going to be massive because imagine the Rough Riders are kind of, they go into a little bit of a lull here.
00:12:16
Speaker
ah They drop both of them. Then you're on a three game losing streak. And then Winnipeg will have the same amount of points as you in the standings. Now Calgary, you think would maybe jump them at that point. it i I am kind of getting ahead of myself thinking it's just a two-horse race in the West because Winnipeg over the next two weeks can absolutely throw their name back into the contender conversation.
00:12:38
Speaker
And that that'll be a huge week. And then they also, they play again on the second last week. But I mean, the home and home is going to be huge to answer your questions immediately because like you said,
00:12:50
Speaker
This team hasn't lost a lot. So it's just how are they going to bounce back? And it's not like you have a layup the week after. ah ah Thankfully for them, their first game against Winnipeg is at home and then the second game is on the road. So at least you're going to have that Mosaic Stadium fan base behind you.
00:13:06
Speaker
But these these next two weeks for the Riders and Blue Bombers are going to kind of tell a lot about where where we match up here. Is Winnipeg finally back in that upper tier or is Saskatchewan just kind of, you know...
00:13:19
Speaker
Hanging on a bit and just like going to ride their early momentum. So I think your questions will be answered. Yeah. Yeah. That's a banger of a matchup. I think the second one is the banjo bowl, the one in Winnipeg um after, but it's going to be a huge Labor Day weekend
Argos vs Lions: Offensive Showdown
00:13:33
Speaker
for them.
00:13:33
Speaker
um And we'll move to the earlier part of Saturday now. um with an absolute barn burner of a game. Argos 52, Lions 34. Just when we think they're out, they pull us back in this Argos team.
00:13:50
Speaker
C&E game, great crowds, but like just under 20,000 there. And man, this game had it all. Like Argos opened the game with with a field goal and you're like, all right, Argos are at least like getting some points on the board early.
00:14:05
Speaker
Then the Lions come back with back-to-back touchdown drives that must have taken about three minutes off the clock. like they They went hurry up immediately in this game. First play of the game for the Lions is a 30-yard pass to Keon Hatcher, and I was...
00:14:21
Speaker
Sitting there like, oh man, this is going to be a long, long day. Javon Katoi gets in the end zone like 20 seconds later. Then, you know, the next drive, Rourke hits Berryhill for a big one. James Butler breaks about six tackles on his way to the end zone for like a 16-yard run that was just supposed to be like a second and two play. Turns into a touchdown.
00:14:44
Speaker
And it was 14-3 in the blink of an eye in this game. I thought it was going to be the same old Argos. Based off that start, it was fourteen to three The defense looked like they had no hope. Nathan Rourke was kind of in it in his flow state.
00:15:02
Speaker
And it was it was just dangerous. I thought we were on the brink of blowout territory early in this one. ah But that... changed immediately in the second quarter. They they did not waste any time. An early field goal under minute into the second quarter, and then the offense kind of kind of started going another drop. like They got BC off the field after that field goal.
00:15:23
Speaker
Argos marched down the field. Arbuckle cashes it in with a two-yard run, and then... the The drive after that, just when we thought that defense was going to be a big problem, they put back-to-back stops together, including a pick six from good old Benji Franklin. feel like we haven't been mentioning his name as much as this year as opposed to last, but he had a great game.
00:15:43
Speaker
And then it was just like, this game is on. like yeah You know what I mean? The blowout factor is out the window. The Argos take a quick lead, and it's clear that the defense... made some in-game adjustments. And it was nice to see that because we haven't really been getting that from the Argos at all this season, but they made the the adjustments necessary in this one. And then, you know, Javon Catoi got another touchdown. He finished his game with two.
00:16:07
Speaker
And I thought... You know, we've mentioned it. It's always a different receiver. BC. They would, today was his day in terms of the touchdowns. Obviously Hatcher had a million yards and will continue to lead the league in receiving yards this season.
00:16:19
Speaker
Uh, and then Kevin Mattel late, late in the second half, second quarter, sorry, uh, gets another touchdown and the Arcos have a lead at halftime. I did not see that coming at, uh, at the end of the first quarter, but a great bounce back quarter from the Argos and especially their defense.
00:16:35
Speaker
Yeah. Quick on Keon Hatcher. He's already over a thousand yards, which is mental. um And you're right about the defense. Like Andrew Chatfield was a menace in this game. He's second in the league for sacks, probably could have had about three or four in this game.
00:16:51
Speaker
He took a couple bad penalties. He launched Rourke for roughing the passer. But I'll at least give this to the refs. like While it's a bit frustrating, they set a precedent early, especially on Rourke. like You cannot touch Nathan Rourke. it's like It seems like a pretty clear mandate across the board.
00:17:09
Speaker
If you touch Nathan Rourke, it's going to be a roughing the passer. Granted, he had a few that were pretty pretty warranted. um but the The biggest thing about this second quarter, like the Argos outscore them 25-7.
00:17:22
Speaker
That pick six was a huge, huge turning point. But most importantly, The Argos, and it was a trend for this entire game, had a response every single time.
00:17:33
Speaker
And it's something that um you know fans aren't used to with this offense that seems to be really hot sometimes, really anemic other times. um But the after that pick six, like the Lions fought back.
00:17:46
Speaker
They go down and Javon Couture gets another touchdown. The Argos end that half with a nine-play, 82-yard drive for that Mattel touchdown.
00:17:58
Speaker
And that was the first response. Then the second half starts. Lions open with a quick field goal drive. Argos immediately respond with a touchdown drive. Like it, Arbuckle airs it out to DeJuan Brissett, who feels like sometimes gets lost in this receiver room a bit, but he always seems to have these games where he reminds you exactly who he, what who he is, why he was the most outstanding Canadian in the great cup last year.
00:18:24
Speaker
He had a fantastic game. And then Spencer Brown finished it with a 11 yard run or sorry, a three yard run. But Spencer Brown, after Deontay McMahon or Mac Mahone went out of this game, i still can't get used to that one.
00:18:39
Speaker
He took over in this game. Like it really showed up late when they were burning clock, but Brown was absolutely fantastic in this game. He finished with a a really good stat line. Like he he was extremely efficient down the line here.
00:18:55
Speaker
And they just every single time, like the second half, there was a million scoring plays. So it's hard to you know keep track of. But it was every time the Lions had something, Diargos responded. How nice is it to actually have a running game? like it it felt like It felt like it was almost the first time this season the Argos had a running back contributing on offense. And it was nice to see from them.
00:19:17
Speaker
Shout out Spencer Brown. Like he came through, what was the final sound? Over 80 yards, a touchdown, 85 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Added 34 yards in the ah in the receiving game. So over a hundred total yards for Spencer Brown, which is nice for this Argos team. And just the ah offense was in a flow. You mentioned DeSean Brissette, you know, DeMonte Cox, he was out this game.
00:19:39
Speaker
Nice to see the boys step out for him. ah Obviously Brissette had a good one. And then Jake Herslow, who is... He's balling right now. yeah There's just no other way to so explain it. Five receptions, 149 yards, and two touchdowns.
00:19:53
Speaker
As long as you know Kevin Mattel, you mentioned also. like These guys stepped up for the guy who has been... i mean... We'll get into this in a little but like the most consistent receiver on this team out, they stepped up for them.
00:20:06
Speaker
ah And another like you in our sheet here, you have like the TSN turn point. Like, yeah, we don't need to get into all the the scoring plays in the second half because it was a gong show on offense.
00:20:17
Speaker
couple plays that stuck out and especially the one that you pointed out. But I think you could even start off by the one immediately to start the second half, like an 11 yard field goal. you know what kind of game you're in, Buck Pierce?
00:20:29
Speaker
ah You are right there, and you kicked an 11-yard field goal, and then you this one was even worse. like Obviously, it was a little bit farther away, but it's a third and goal, and you – the start of the fourth quarter, and you settle for another 14-yard field goal.
00:20:43
Speaker
And then the Argos – every time BC got points, the Argos would just respond with a touchdown. And it was field goal to a touchdown, field goal to a touchdown. And then the one that was the worst – The absolute worst for me was after the Argos responded after that fourth quarter field goal from BC.
00:21:02
Speaker
BC is at midfield and they punted. They punted. That's Mike Tallman stuff, man. That was unbelievable. Like, look at the game that you're in and you're at midfield and you need to make something happen and you punt.
00:21:17
Speaker
You got that. That single point did wonders for you, didn't it, Buck? The decision-making on offense, especially the second half from BC, was mind-blowing to me. You have to be able to adjust and realize that the Argos aren't going away and they're responding every single time.
00:21:31
Speaker
And you're kicking field goals inside the 20, or sorry, ah and goal. You're kicking field goals and then you're punting at midfield halfway through the fourth quarter. it was It was puzzling to me, ah but credit to the Argos who just you know did not let up and just continued to respond. and yeah right Do we praise Nick Arbuckle now or later?
00:21:51
Speaker
late we'll We'll get to Nick Arbuckle. It's one thing when your defense clearly is not having a day. like Lions fans, I know, were very frustrated with this defense, with the defensive play calling. They were blitzing Arbuckle a ton, and Arbuckle was just burning them on it. Like it it wasn't working and they kept blitzing them.
00:22:11
Speaker
And, but it's one thing when your defense clearly hasn't, isn't having the best day and your offense is actively contributing to making it worse.
00:22:21
Speaker
Like you're putting them back on the field sooner and sooner with less points to show for it. Like that one, I pointed out you're down 12 and you are, are and goal.
00:22:34
Speaker
and you settle for a field goal to go from being down two scores to being down two scores on the first play of Toronto's next drive. Arbuckle airs it out to her slow takes it 70 yards the 49 to 33 was over. Like it game was over like it was in In the span of about a minute and a half from kicking that field goal, the game was completely over for the Lions.
00:22:58
Speaker
They punt from that midfield, and then shortly after, Nathan Bork gets clobbered by Wynton McManus. Argos get the ball back. That was really when Spencer Brown like came out. He had like six rushes for 60 yards in that drive. like It was insane.
00:23:15
Speaker
They finished the game off with a field goal, and the Lions just sputtered out, mostly from play calling, like, you you can't say that they didn't have the talent or or the jam to win this game because they showed it throughout, you know, the first three quarters. It was just some bad decision-making,
00:23:32
Speaker
And the Argos jumped all over it. This was really the first game of the season where you you could maybe point to that Red Blacks game where the Argos won in Ottawa, but where all three parts of Toronto's special teams, defense, offense, play calling, coaches, everyone was on the same page.
00:23:52
Speaker
And it showed 529 yards of net offense. You're now even with Ottawa in points. And Nick Arbuckle, man. Nick Arbuckle goes 26 33, 430 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.
00:24:10
Speaker
Unbelievable. And now leads the league in passing yards by over 400 yards. He's one back of Bo Levi Mitchell and the for the lead league in passing touchdowns.
00:24:22
Speaker
I saw Bo Levi Mitchell on a hopeless Hamilton Tiger Cats team last year win MOP. yeah and I mean, if Arbuckle goes and leads the league in passing yards, which almost like that looks like it's going to happen.
00:24:37
Speaker
um and then finds a way to surpass Bo Levi in passing touchdowns. like i so I noticed, I believe it was ah Third Down Nation was the one who kind of brought this up. was Why is no one like talking about it?
00:24:51
Speaker
ah You know what I mean? it's i so I mentioned earlier that DeMonte Coxy has been a you know the most stable presence offensively for the Argos this year, but it's probably Nick Arbuckle as well.
00:25:02
Speaker
Every week he has kind of shown up. Maybe the first two weeks he was a little bit off, a little bit rusty. He's shaking the rust off and he's just airing it out. It's every single game he's over 350 passing yards. Sometimes it's because they're down by 30 points and they have to do it. But like in a game like this, he just out-dueled Nathan Rourke.
00:25:20
Speaker
It was just so impressive to see. And you know for the... 19,000 or whoever however many were in the crowd this game, they probably thought Nick Arbuckle is the MOP. And what a showing that the Argos gave those fans.
00:25:33
Speaker
You got to hope a couple of them buy some more tickets. Like, come on. like What a show they got there. i You know, you just, you think, right? Like, I'm sure it was plenty of people's first Argos games this year, if not ever.
00:25:47
Speaker
And you got a great show and, you know, maybe the best three and eight team ever in the CFL. what a game to have that game. You know what I mean? Like it it, and you got lots of asses in the seats. Like you're trying to kind of really change the culture here. And that was a great game to do it. see ah TSN panel in the end zone. Like it was the whole production of it was awesome.
00:26:09
Speaker
It, that I'm not even going to touch that argument because it it has been warfare on Twitter the last two days about that topic specifically. um But yeah, just a great game for them to have that game. Nick Arbuckle plus 3,500 for MOP.
00:26:27
Speaker
Shockingly long odds. I'm not saying he should be the favorite. i that that Those words never came out of my mouth. But if you look at how Bo Levi Mitchell won his MOP last year, it's eerily similar. Oh, yeah.
00:26:37
Speaker
Better contenders maybe this year than last. But it is the exact same blueprint that Bo Levi won it last year. They missed the playoffs. Like if if Toronto manages to turn this ship around and at least sneak into an Eastern semifinal,
00:26:51
Speaker
Why not? It's the exact same blueprint, and he's over 30-1. I just don't really understand the odds makers on that, but yeah sometimes they're a little bit out to lunch on the CFL lines. I think our our Rourke MOP odds took a big hit in that game. Yeah. um State plus 1,100, which seems a a little far-fetched to me.
00:27:11
Speaker
And the the one thing that could... like if If Chad Kelly comes back, like i part of me doesn't trust this... Argo's brass to not do something stupid. Like I actually don't really know.
00:27:24
Speaker
Like if you, if Chad Kelly is ready, if you were to start him, I'm, I don't, and you know, obviously you face that bridge when you get there and kind of see where the team is at. You would love for them to carry some momentum from this game. You can't trust that they will, but you would like to see it.
00:27:40
Speaker
I just don't know if they're going to play Chad Kelly. Even if he's like, I think if he's 95%, I don't know if they're going to do it. Just based on how they've been treating him up to this point, they've been super secretive about what's going on, how bad the injury actually is.
00:27:56
Speaker
you know Six weeks away at the start of the season, we hit that six-week mark, always rehabbing in Buffalo. He's got some personal matters over there. week later back on the six game I out. So it's just the way they're kind of treating that Chad Kelly situation. I wouldn't trust that we will see Chad Kelly in, in uniform this year. Maybe if we're in the playoff, if they're in the playoff, sorry, and something happens, but you got to love what you're getting from Nick Arbuckle this year. And he hasn't given you much reason to take him out and not have confidence in him, especially after he led you to a great cup victory in that game last season.
00:28:31
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's very true. And and you talk about building momentum. We'll get to it later. But the Argos were able to carry that momentum and beat Hamilton on the road in the Labor Day game like that is that is some season turning around momentum if you could get that win.
00:28:49
Speaker
um But we'll get to that later. We'll move um to Ottawa in, you know, a another kind of weird game ah on Friday night. Elks. 30 red blacks, 20.
00:29:02
Speaker
The Elks have a three game winning streak. Cody Fajardo becomes the first Elks quarterback since Mike Riley in 2018 to win three games in a row.
00:29:15
Speaker
That is seven seasons ago. And that is just a crazy thing to say. And the Elks came in this game. Absolutely firing.
00:29:26
Speaker
And Fajardo was dealing in this game. Like it, it started with them having a huge block punt that, that set up Edmonton for the first points of the game on a field goal.
00:29:37
Speaker
And, you know, maybe the most important thing that Cody Fajardo does for this offense is take care of the football. Even when he's getting sacked, he he limits chances of getting a turnover and,
00:29:49
Speaker
They followed up that field goal drive with an absolutely perfect touchdown drive. Fajardo went four for four for 59 yards. Leak goes three carries for 23 yards.
00:30:00
Speaker
Fajardo finishes it at the goal line. They pointed out on the broadcast how good ah this game plan was from Jordan Maximik about dealing with the Darius Pickett coming off the edge and blitzing.
00:30:13
Speaker
And then just to build on that, who else but Javon Leak, 80-yard punt return, puts Edmonton up 17-0 in this game, very similar to the last time they played.
00:30:24
Speaker
And i I thought, like, watching this game up to that point, he had a couple returns before that where he looked like he's just one of those guys where you see him in a certain game you're like, man, he's looking froggy.
00:30:37
Speaker
And I was like, he is going to take one to the house in this game, and sure enough, he did. Yeah, and it's nice to see because I don't think he's had this season yeah i don't think he's lived up to his standards this season in terms of his special teams play.
00:30:51
Speaker
ah And he hasn't really, you know, he's I feel like last year he's getting a little bit more touches as the running back. Rankin has kind of overtaken him this year. So he's probably a little bit frustrated about how his season has gone up until this point. So it's really nice to see a guy like Javon Lee get out there. He had a couple carries on that touchdown drive, like you mentioned.
00:31:08
Speaker
And yeah, like Fajardo was just smooth in the first half, smooth and efficient. Uh, and it, you know, he had a 30 yard run there. Like said, he does take care of the football had just one kind of brain lapse with the interception. But other than that, he was pretty much perfect. Like it's just every time Cody Fondrato, his, his,
00:31:28
Speaker
completion percentage is always so high, like 22 of 28 in this game, 270 yards, just, just the most Cody Fajardo stat line, you know runs one in, it's just clean football, efficient football, and it's helping this Elks team be successful as opposed to, you know, the volatility that was Trey Ford before that.
00:31:47
Speaker
Uh, so yeah. And then 20 to seven at half, uh, you know, Dustin Crum runs one in late. Ottawa put a drive together.
Ottawa's Struggles Against Elks
00:31:54
Speaker
And then Blanchard kicks a little field goal right as time expires in the first half.
00:32:01
Speaker
And then Ottawa, you know, Came out of the gates in the second half, and you're thinking, okay, what do we got going on here from the Red Blacks? ah They go out with seven-play drive. dust crumb Dustin Crum goes three of four.
00:32:13
Speaker
ah Standback grabs 27 yards on the ground on three rushes. And it was just a nice drive to open up that second half, right? Especially when you're down in a game. You need to build some momentum and they go out there and they put a touchdown drive together. You know Miller gets the 19 yard touchdown reception from Crum and it's, and it's a game you're back within ah a score from the Red blocks. And it was a perfect bounce back. Those are the only points in the third quarter.
00:32:40
Speaker
Uh, but it set you up for, you know, to make this a ah football game. And that's kind of what it turned into after that. Yeah, like it's got to be so frustrating to be a fan of this Red Blacks team. There is so much talent on this team, especially on offense.
00:32:56
Speaker
Like at points, it doesn't even look like it matters who's throwing the football because the receiving room is so good in Ottawa. Like Keelan White had a great game.
00:33:09
Speaker
Justin Hardy is so, so good. Gino Lewis makes a play every few drives that like makes you scratch your head. And the Red Blacks ah offense was humming, you know, to start the second half to carry it into the fourth quarter.
00:33:25
Speaker
And, you know, they, they kept tacking on points, making this a much, much closer game. And then, and it felt like the Elks stalled for certain. They had a couple of tough finishes. Like there was a second and three where Rankin tripped on his own feet kind of, and they got their first two and out in the third quarter.
00:33:44
Speaker
But the Elks, it felt like Ottawa needed to be getting touchdowns where some of these drives, they were getting field goals. Instead, the Bob Dice special and the Elks offense just woke up like it was, they were delaying the inevitable for when,
00:33:59
Speaker
This offense was finally going to wake up. It started with like a full field touchdown drive for the Elks. couple of huge runs from Rankin and Leak for pretty much the entire drive.
00:34:10
Speaker
Huge 18-yard catch from Leak. that got them down into Ottawa's half of the field. And then, you know, it's second and three, they're down 10 on the Elks 19 yard line.
00:34:25
Speaker
And Bob dice kicks a field goal. And this is like, this is very similar to Buck Pierce in the lions game. Like this, felt like a turning point in this game where it's like you are on the 19 yard line.
00:34:38
Speaker
Stand back had been having a great game. You gotta go for it because it ended up, you know, they ended up having to punt it after, ah on the next drive.
00:34:49
Speaker
And then we have, you know, this really scary injury, to red blacks, Daniel, uh, a poco long stoppage resulted in a stretcher ambulance on the field. Hold mine.
00:35:00
Speaker
Um, luckily he has been discharged from the hospital. According to Don Brennan from post media, all scans came back negative, all that good stuff that you want to hear. There was a huge stoppage in this game and the Elks had, you know, a big second down after it.
00:35:17
Speaker
And it was a savage play like to start that second down and Fajardo came out after the game and said they had a similar stoppage earlier in the season where they ran the exact same play.
00:35:30
Speaker
Huge goal ball to girlly Curly Gittens on man and man coverage. And he just, Ended the game in one play, basically like caught the Red Blacks completely off guard, which granted, it's hard to kind of snap back when you're thinking of a teammate who just went down with that injury. But credit to the Elks to kind of know the moment that they're in and absolutely just take advantage of it.
00:35:53
Speaker
Yeah, it's. ah They had the killer mentality there. And, you know, it's a team that maybe if they hadn't won two in a row and, you know, they were losing, maybe they wouldn't have had that same mindset. But this team is starting to build that winning mindset. And you can, it it shows like plays like that show ah that the Elks are starting to build some confidence. They're able to trust their guys to go out there make plays in the biggest moments to go seal the victories.
00:36:18
Speaker
ah You know, it's nice to see a team actually like go for a win instead of just trying to run out the clock, which we have seen. And yeah, Bob Dice like kicking the field goal there.
00:36:30
Speaker
I get it. It does make it a one-score game, so it's not the craziest move in the world. But it's not... you know it's when you When you're there, they're inside the 20-yard line. Who's to say you're getting back to the 20-yard line? right Especially when it was under three minutes to play in the game.
00:36:46
Speaker
ah You go out there and you try and get a touchdown. And then worst case, there are... you know Edmonton's at least backed up and then you try and force it to an out ah punt it. And then you're probably going to get the ball on their side of the field for that next drive. So you would have liked to seen them go for, go for it on third and try and get the touchdown. You could just converted a first down too. You didn't have to get a touchdown.
00:37:08
Speaker
which is also another kind of frustrating point. But this was an impressive loss for Ottawa. They didn't really make mistakes. Like, you know Dustin Crum has been a bit of a wild card. He was 23 or 29, 277 in the air, touchdown, 59 yards on the ground and another touchdown.
00:37:24
Speaker
They only committed two penalties. ah They only, you know, they, they only got sacked three times, like no turnovers. Like, There was nothing that you can point at Ottawa and this game be like, you did that wrong. You did this wrong. This is where you kind of messed up here.
00:37:39
Speaker
They played a pretty efficient football game and they still found a way to loss, which just... Like you said, it just must be so frustrating for these Red Blacks fans because like you said, there's talent there.
00:37:51
Speaker
And guys, it wasn't even Hardy and Lewis. It was other guys getting it done in the receiving room. So it shows that there's still depth there as well. But man, was this a frustrating loss for your honor because it was right there for you.
00:38:02
Speaker
I know ah Edmonton got out to the hot start, but you responded immediately in the second half. You made it a one score game. ah you You took their offense off the board the entire third quarter. And then you just kicked a couple field goals and you lose. That's just, to me, it was it was field goals to touchdowns in this game. There's no real mistakes. you made them You made the play to get the interception as well. It's just a frustrating loss. And just don't really, those guys probably look in the mirror and say, how did we lose this one? like We didn't do anything wrong. We didn't lose it. No specific plays.
00:38:35
Speaker
Just a frustrating game for the Red Bucs. and And a huge loss for them. like We will get to the final game of the week, but Montreal drops another game and and Toronto wins their game.
00:38:47
Speaker
like this This was a game where you could have gotten even closer to leapfrogging Montreal and put more distance between yourself and Toronto. They don't. like And it was the opposite of that in terms of the standings for the Elks. This was a huge win in the standings for the Elks.
00:39:03
Speaker
They're now two points ahead of Ottawa and Toronto in the East. They're now only two points behind BC in the West with a game in hand. And if they can beat Calgary, they'll be all square.
00:39:14
Speaker
with BC next week. And, and yeah, just this feels like two teams that are on really different trajectories right now, where the Elks are managing to really turn this ship around and, and build something here.
00:39:29
Speaker
And Ottawa just keeps going backwards and, you'd like to think that if Drew Brown was in this game, it would be different. But again, like it's not like Crum was a huge problem in this game. He didn't turn the ball over. He actually had some pretty good numbers.
00:39:44
Speaker
It was just, you're right. Like it's hard to point to a single reason where it's like Ottawa lost this game because of this. This just seems to be this Ottawa team. Yeah, it's it's the same old story. And like said, I guess if you have to point at something, it's that they didn't get the touchdowns and Edmonton got the touchdowns when necessary and Ottawa was kicking field goals, which makes that Bob Dice decision even more frustrating. But...
00:40:08
Speaker
Yeah, this is Ottawa. i know I don't know what to say ah other than that, but it's just like like you said, there was no real mistakes. There was no real you know one thing you look at where this play was the difference.
00:40:20
Speaker
It was just they were that they were even with Edmonton, but Edmonton just came away with a win. And Ottawa at home too, like that that whole... at home last year thing that they had going that's just evaporated so yeah just a frustrating time to be an audible red block and a fan of that team as well yeah can can imagine right now and that's coming from a guy cheers for the argos uh but we'll move to the last game of the week Blue Bombers 26, Alouette 16 on the Thursday night.
00:40:53
Speaker
this was ah This was pretty much exactly how we thought it was going to go. like it It took a bit of time to get there. Weird game to start the week, but kind of just went exactly how we thought it would.
00:41:04
Speaker
Montreal showed some fight early in this game. ah Very similar to that BC game in that sense that the first half was very neck and neck. Honorable who's back of the week. Alexander Hollins, man, like out of the clouds.
00:41:19
Speaker
You forget about how good he was to start the season last year, how good of a season he had with the Lions finishes this game with five receptions for 132 yards.
00:41:30
Speaker
Had some big catches early in this game that, you you know, helped them kind of move the chains. And Montreal went down 10-3 in this game. Like, Winnipeg had a classic opening drive field goal.
00:41:41
Speaker
And then they hit Dembski in the end zone to make it 10-3. And then Montreal was going deep in their bag here to try and keep their head above water. Like a, you know, reverse kind of flea flicker play to Tyler Sneed. 44-yard pass to Holland. Sneed then finishes it it himself later in the drive to make it ten ten And this is where we were texting like early in this game.
00:42:03
Speaker
The Bombers just refused to run the ball. Like Oliveira had three rushes for 37 yards at this point in the game and still couldn't sniff a touch on offense.
00:42:15
Speaker
And, you know, not not directly related, but it ended up happening this way that both Jareth Stearns and Nick Dembski left this game. You know, part of that first half kind of passing barrage that they had.
00:42:29
Speaker
Both left this game with injuries, not looking good for either. Currently, I think Stearns is on the one game list. Dembski is out further, but now they're without shown Dembski and Stearns.
00:42:40
Speaker
They signed Kyron Moore at receiver who last played for Edmonton. Hasn't played since 2023. They signed Cam Eccles who played with the stamps last year. So always not a great sign when you go out and sign two receivers directly after two of your biggest receivers get injured.
00:42:57
Speaker
Yeah, shout out to goalpost promoter, Carrick Weeple. Time for him to take the reins of this ah receiving core in Winnipeg. But, you know, it was frustrating to watch some of the decision-making, specifically to the run game. And just, you know, second and two, they they don't want to run it, so they throw the screen pass out there to Dembski. Results in the injury. Like,
00:43:22
Speaker
I just don't understand because like you said, it wasn't like you Brady Oliveira was struggling to run the ball. He's kind of come into his own. He had a slow start. Obviously, he missed the first couple of weeks. First couple weeks back, he wasn't really doing much. And then now he is back to his form.
00:43:36
Speaker
And it's pretty evident really early in that game. And like you said, he had three rushes for 37 yards at that point in the game. And they were just kind of refusing to give them the ball. And I, yes, we were texting. We just go, what are they doing? Can just run the ball. You can kill the clock. And yeah, Montreal was showing a lot of fight in this game.
00:43:54
Speaker
ah They ended up being 16 to 10 at halftime. Like we had, you know, it's our first bet of the week. We had some high hopes for our bets this week. We had to sweat this one out a little bit longer than we wanted to. Cause we definitely wanted to get the first one in the books.
00:44:08
Speaker
And then Montreal comes out at halftime. and kicks a field goal. And it's a three point game and we're sweating profusely at this point. Uh, and then the rest of the third quarter, it was just kind of a defensive battle.
00:44:20
Speaker
Kind of look like the offenses both fell, fell asleep a little bit. Uh, and then Isaac added Demi Berglund, uh, gets his eighth sack of the season, extending his CFL lead. Like,
00:44:32
Speaker
I feel like the defensive guys haven't really been highlighted a ton this season. It's been pretty focused on, you know, Bully by Mitchell, Vernon Adams Jr., Nathan Rourke when he has a great game. Arbuckle starting to come to the conversation. tre Very quarterback focused league right now, which is good for marketing.
00:44:48
Speaker
But we got to give some shine to the defensive players when they're playing, you know, Chatfield in the Argos game. Got to give him some shine. ah And yeah, and then the Bombers... said enough's enough. And then the fourth quarter happened, a balanced attack.
00:45:01
Speaker
Finally, what we were looking for, Brady Olivera started getting it going. ah He gets over a hundred rushing yards and, and they get a touchdown. He gets a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, not late in fourth, like midway through the fourth quarter, three yard run. And then Sergio Castillo tax on like a late field goal to just kind of seal this game ah and just kind of get it, get like,
00:45:24
Speaker
I guess it was a comfortable victory if you look at the scoreboard 26-13, but Winnipeg had to work a lot harder than they probably would have wanted to to win this game. Yeah, and I think that the difference maker ended up being Brady Oliveira. You're right. He's he is back to his MOP form.
00:45:39
Speaker
Like you're going up against a Montreal defense that entering the week had the third fewest yards per game on the ground and or yards per game in general. And then the second fewest rushing yards per game.
00:45:51
Speaker
And he finishes with 210 yards from scrimmage, ah hundred and thirty seven on sixteen carries And then had a team leading 73 receiving yards on nine receptions. Like it is it. This was a classic game where you look at him and you're like, man, like he still has it.
00:46:12
Speaker
Absolutely took over that game against a tough defense. Part of what you're saying about giving, you know, the defense a shine is this Montreal defense early in the season. It was almost the star of the show. Like it was.
00:46:23
Speaker
Davis Alexander was doing great, but it was like this defense is incredibly good. They've had to kind of go through a slog of being on the field more than they wanted to. um And no turnovers for Winnipeg, which was huge.
00:46:35
Speaker
That's kind of been a problem this year. Entered week 12 with a... dash 11 turnover ratio. And this, that like Claros had thrown multiple interceptions in five of seven games, which is just not really like the, the Zach Claros that everybody knows.
00:46:54
Speaker
um And then on the other side, like the defense took advantage of the QB mismatch for Winnipeg, two interceptions, one turnover on down um James Morgan, again, like still kind of impressive as a fourth stringer doing what he's doing.
00:47:09
Speaker
The point we had last week is you're not going win games with him, which is, you know, still holding true. But it's it's kind of impressive that he's holding up ah as good as he is. But yeah, it's this is just continuing the trend of like Montreal is drowning right now.
00:47:26
Speaker
Yeah, Morgan kept them in the game for as long as he could. And then eventually that was the difference in the game. Like said, Caleros, no turnovers. Morgan with two. And then, you know, in the fourth quarter, when you need your quarterback to like play at his best, Morgan just, his best isn't good enough in this league, unfortunately. But I mean, he's doing fine. Like you can't knock James Morgan for this loss. You just, he did what he could. And I mean, i don't know what they're going to do in this quarterback situation. They obviously signed Shea Patterson, Cameron Dukes.
00:47:55
Speaker
Like they have some guys in there. I don't know who, who takes the reins ah going forward until Davis Alexander comes back. I don't know if I've seen enough, like,
00:48:07
Speaker
So they go they go on the road. Or no, they have a bye week. That is good timing for a bye week for the Alouettes. So we'll see, you know, obviously another week closer to Davis Alexander's return and another like a free week to get Shea Patterson and Cameron Dukes well-versed in this offense. So I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see James Morgan take that first snap of the game in two weeks.
00:48:30
Speaker
But I mean, if they're comfortable with what they've seen and they know that they can work with them and he knows the offense, I just, you know, they might put him out there. I just think his ceiling is not good enough.
00:48:41
Speaker
And I guess he gives you a half decent floor where he's not going to be horrible. But I just don't think he's your answer and by any means. But he is a four-string quarterback. So what do you expect? I know. This feels like bullying. I know. I had to check myself a little bit there. um But yeah, Montreal is struggling a lot without Davis Alexander. Like one win without him in total is just...
00:49:03
Speaker
I don't know. Like other teams are finding ways to win with backup quarterbacks and Montreal isn't. and And is that, is that like, they're so dependent on Davis Alexander? Is that, you know, where there's so many holes in this team that once your quarterback goes down, you can't survive.
00:49:18
Speaker
Don't know, but there's a lot of questions going on with Montreal. And, you know, if Toronto figures it out, you know, Ottawa finds a way to string like two out of three together and they keep dropping. Yeah.
00:49:30
Speaker
life will come at you pretty quick because this East is not dead yet. And these teams are starting to get some life, especially Montreal keeps losing. It's only going to give some more fuel to the fire for those two teams below them.
00:49:42
Speaker
Yeah. and And it's like I said, like if if Toronto can win, can beat Hamilton next week, then Toronto's a game behind Montreal. and And it's just starting to catch up a lot faster.
00:49:54
Speaker
And yeah, the the East is... ah I can't can remember what the exact stat was, but since Keiondre Smith in that Lions game like a month ago was like, who says the East is weak? The West is weak.
00:50:08
Speaker
The West is a combined like 17 and something against the East since. Yeah, theyre there's no question about who the better conference is at this moment, but it's if the past is shown that doesn't really matter once you get to the great cup, um, you Winnipeg has been more battle tested, I guess you could say in those past couple of years, but the Argos have kind of found a way that the Alouettes that one year they won a couple of years ago, the East has the, the, the leg up in the most recent great cups, but it's pretty evident this season that the depth and the top of the Western conference is, is better than, than the East.
00:50:46
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. Um, that'll do it for our week 12 recap, lot changing. The standings is, is very fluid right now in terms of kind of going down the stretch here. It's going to make for a really exciting finish to this season. Like it's not like anyone's running away with it, especially with Saskatchewan, uh, losing that game to Calgary.
00:51:05
Speaker
We'll move to three stars of the week now where couple guys very clearly stand above the rest, uh, in this one. It's just about where we really want to slot them. Um,
00:51:17
Speaker
i I have a hard time not putting Nick Arbuckle first on this list. I would agree. i think I don't want to tip the picks, but I think you could do a bit of a sandwich with these. ah I agree.
00:51:29
Speaker
Yeah. So, yeah, Nick Arbuckle. I mean, kind of i feel I'm kind of shocked that this is, is I believe, our his first time on our three stars because like he has been playing great this year.
00:51:40
Speaker
um But yeah, 26 to 33, 430 yards in the air, three touchdowns, added one on the ground as well. And just yeah he did is leading the league in passing yards and one touchdown behind Levi for the league and passing touchdowns. It's just, he is having an under the radar, incredible season.
00:51:58
Speaker
He's just not getting the shine because, you know, the Argos are losing some games, but hopefully there's enough time for him to turn it around and start getting in that MOP conversation. Yeah. um Second, I think we we just mentioned him.
00:52:10
Speaker
He was a force in this game. It's Brady Oliveira, 16 carries for 137 yards and a touchdown, nine receptions for 73 yards, was the leading rusher and the leading receiver for Winnipeg in this game, gets the win. um Yeah, it's it's scary for the rest of the league and for the rest of the West if not only Brady Oliveira comes into form, but if this Winnipeg team comes into form where it's like you thought they were dead,
00:52:38
Speaker
And they're very clearly not. Yeah, I think you could, I think he can take the over and Brady Olvera's props for the next couple weeks, especially with Winnipeg's injuries in the receiver room.
00:52:48
Speaker
So until some of those guys start working their way back, expect Brady Oliveira to be a candidate for the three stars every single week. And to finish it off here for the third star, another guy who's just been under the radar playing amazing football recently. That is Jake Herslow, the hurdler, five receptions, 149 yards, two touchdowns, and just the touchdown that really sealed the game in the BC game, the 70 yarder, just incredible.
00:53:17
Speaker
ah He's been playing some unbelievable football and just a guy who you know, is deserving to get some shine here. And yeah, he's our third star of the week. Yeah, it's a haley he has just been balling like he he's had four touchdowns in the last three weeks, like it or the last three games for the Argos. It's ah he is just balling that he turned around that game almost single handedly on the receiving end in the second half.
00:53:44
Speaker
um and 150 yards on five receptions and two touchdowns is just nutty. So there's another three stars of the week, finally featuring some Argos, which is very nice to see, um and some Bombers, like two teams who have kind of struggled to have those big play games in the season so far.
00:54:03
Speaker
We'll now move to power rankings, Patrick, where there is certainly going to be some movement in these power rankings ah this week. Because we got to we got to readjust here.
00:54:15
Speaker
Big time. Big time. Big time. um And we go Calgary, I think, is is deserving of number one right now. A quick one-two swap.
00:54:26
Speaker
Yeah. now A quick one-two swap. we We said that number one for the power rankings was on the line in this matchup. Calgary delivered. They were the better team, especially in the second half. Just kind of dominated the Rough Riders defensively.
00:54:39
Speaker
And they're absolutely our number one power ranked team right now. BC, get out of there. See ya. um I think you could. Obviously, Hamilton was off.
00:54:52
Speaker
Yeah. Did they win the bye week? Argos won...
00:54:59
Speaker
Ottawa lost. So I would, and the Argos were the furthest from them. So I, I think it's almost fair if you throw Winnipeg at the three. Yeah. Right now, I think Winnipeg is, is that third team.
00:55:12
Speaker
That's kind of what I was getting at. Like did, did Winnipeg do enough for you to jump over Hamilton in a bye week? I would say yes. Uh, and I would kind of keep Hamilton where they are. They didn't do anything. Then, you know, no reason to drop them.
00:55:26
Speaker
now yeah like yeah yeah Now we have some fun. yeah um So I don't know what you want to do with, you know, BC. We can figure that out later. i think a team that's got to plummet is our sixth seed last week, which looking back, I don't know what we were thinking.
00:55:42
Speaker
ah Ottawa's got to drop to at least eight and you could convince me nine. No problem. Yeah, I agree. I really do agree. i just, the way that they lost that game with no mistakes is so impressive.
00:55:54
Speaker
and So impressive. It's tough because Montreal is crashing and burning right now. Like, I think we can move Toronto to ah sevens tough. Edmonton's got to move up.
00:56:07
Speaker
That's got to happen. Ottawa has to drop. I think Edmonton goes to five. Yeah, I have no problems with that. And then BC at six. Yeah, BC at six.
00:56:19
Speaker
And then what do we do with seven, eight nine here? The bottom of the east, the bottom of the east at seven, eight, nine. No kidding. um Like to me, Montreal is in more dire straits right now than Ottawa.
00:56:33
Speaker
But yeah, if we're going off current state of football team, Montreal has got serious, serious problems. Yeah, because because Ottawa is is two and two in their last four.
00:56:45
Speaker
Where whereas Montreal has now dropped four straight. Did Toronto do enough for you to get above both of these teams?
00:56:57
Speaker
It. like he kind of like that was a impressive victory that was a really impressive victory especially with how Ottawa is looking right now Montreal didn't win in the month of August okay they're nine yeah but just nine they're nine because until they get Davis Alexander back they are the number one team you want to play right now i think that's a good way to look at it so then the between Ottawa or Toronto who would you rather play right now you'd rather play Ottawa.
00:57:24
Speaker
Like no question. Then I think we kind of go off of that. yeah I think that's how you power rank him. I think you would rather play Ottawa than Toronto right now because Toronto's offense is lethal. And then, you know, their defense is 50, 50, but at least they put a week together this week and that's, they should get rewarded for that.
00:57:39
Speaker
Yep. No, I agree. And especially with Drew Brown's like kind of health up in the air. Um, man, what a, what a change of events for Montreal being ninth in in this power ranking.
00:57:51
Speaker
Yeah, they still have like solid great cup odds, and understandably so with Davis Alexander like just kind of waiting to get healthy. But I've said it a couple times, man. He hasn't proved that he can stay healthy. So i just I would not be buying stock in Montreal. In September, they go Hamilton, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Calgary.
00:58:15
Speaker
Yeah, it's not. That's a tough stretch. It could, you know, battle tested right before playoffs. But yeah, man, Montreal is is got serious problems, but mainly because of injuries. But yeah, they also just don't have a lot of depth as well.
00:58:29
Speaker
No, they do not. um But we'll move out of power rankings and into our week 13 preview. Labor Day weekend. Big one in the CFL.
00:58:40
Speaker
You cap off summer. with a big CFL slate, only three games, but three really enticing games, I would say, starting um with Winnipeg and Saskatchewan on Sunday night.
00:58:57
Speaker
this is again I think this might be the last Sunday night game of the season. um And this is a banger of a game. Like we you mentioned earlier, like the start of a home-and-home with Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan favored by five and a half points in this game.
00:59:11
Speaker
ah Winnipeg on the road in this one. And there is a lot, a lot at stake in this game. Like we mentioned, Winnipeg can get to being two points back of Saskatchewan ah if they win this game. And then, you know, you're looking at being even with Saskatchewan if you win both of them. So lot on the line here.
00:59:32
Speaker
Yeah, I think this line is at five and a half for couple of reasons. One, riders are at home. um Mosaic's a tough place to play in if you're the road team. And two, the injuries that we've seen Winnipeg have in the receiver room.
00:59:46
Speaker
It's... it's Not good. And two of their top guys, and then Adept Peace and Stearns, they don't have much left aside from Carrick Wheatfall in that receiver room right now.
00:59:58
Speaker
Obviously, you're gonna just I think you're just going to see a lot of Brady Oliveira touches in this game, receiving, running. I think it's going to be the opposite of the first half of that Montreal game. I think they're going look to get him involved early and often.
01:00:11
Speaker
And I think the Riders... sole focus in this game is shutting him down. If you can shut him down, the riders look good to kind of take care of business here.
01:00:23
Speaker
Nice bounce back game. And at the end of the day, I do think the one next week, hopefully, you know, the Bombers get some guys healthy and like the Banjo Bowl is kind of the game in this little home and home.
01:00:35
Speaker
But for this one, Saskatchewan's got it right in front of them to have a nice bounce back game here with the injuries that Winnipeg's dealing with. Mm-hmm. Yeah, and this is that that Western final rematch from last year, and the Winnipeg won that game thirty eight to twenty two That game was kind of a mess for Saskatchewan, and and this is you kind of wonder about those old kind of ghosts in in a game of this magnitude, where it's like you want to bounce back, but this is that classic Winnipeg team, even when they're injured. Like, can we beat this team?
01:01:09
Speaker
um Do we have enough to kind of get over ah what we were last year? And the riders are better than they were last year, especially at this point in the season. But something about that, like legacy that Winnipeg has there, they're a good team who knows how to win.
01:01:25
Speaker
um which is still giving me some, you know, a lean almost to the Bombers in this game. We'll obviously get to our picks in a bit. um But yeah, this is a this is a prove it game for me for Saskatchewan. like Like you said, like the game plan is simple. You stop Brady Oliveira.
01:01:41
Speaker
You have a pretty good chance of winning this game. And especially with Zach Kalaros, like he cleaned it up last week, but if you're, you know, this big bad defense that you have prided yourself on being for most of the season, you got to find a way to really rattle Zach Claros as well and make him turn over the ball.
01:02:00
Speaker
Yeah. And like said, I don't know if I'll be touching the five and a half here for the riders, but it's just a game that, like said, just bounce back, find a way to win. And like on paper, you're the better team, especially with the injuries you're at home.
01:02:13
Speaker
i it's pointing towards a Rough Riders victory, but based on kind of what we saw last week, it was, we're not encouraging signs and you got kind of figure it out fast because if you let this one slip away, then Winnipeg gets maybe one or two guys healthy the week after and they get you again at home, came at you fast. And like, then you're out of first, you might even be in third in the West, depending on what Calgary does. So yeah, this is an important game for Saskatchewan and we'll see if they can kind of handle business here.
01:02:41
Speaker
Well said. We'll move to the classic Labor Day game. To me, ah this is always the you know marquee matchup of a Labor Day is Argos at Ticats. Ticats favored by five and a half in this one. The lines have stayed steady in all three of these games like ever since they opened.
01:03:02
Speaker
um And this is, like we said earlier, like you want to talk about momentum. You want to talk about turning a season around. getting back-to-back wins, one at home, and then one on the road against the East leading Ticats.
01:03:15
Speaker
This is a huge game for the Argos. Do you have what it takes to win these kind of games, or are you that kind of team where yeah inconsistency is the name of the game for your whole season?
01:03:28
Speaker
Yeah, I think they've been spot on with the lines this week. Unfortunately, on the they hit them on a short week for us, which is just kind of bad luck in our sense. But it's okay. We'll find a way to get out here with the winning week. ah Yeah, Hamilton off a bye at home.
01:03:43
Speaker
ah It kind of reminds me of, not obviously not as much at stake, but kind of that Stampeders, Rough Riders game last week. like Calgary off a bye at home against like a big rival opponent. Big game.
01:03:56
Speaker
Hamilton is going to get up for this one. Will the Argos bounce back and ride this momentum that they just had against BC? You can't trust them to do it, but you would like to see them do it. And like you said, you don't,
01:04:09
Speaker
we've had We've said this a couple times about the Argos, but you don't have to win this game. You just have to show that like you are a ah team that people can start taking seriously down the stretch. I do think Hamilton is currently the class of the East.
01:04:22
Speaker
And Ottawa and Montreal aren't playing this week. So it's not the end of the world if you drop this one and then find a way to win those games when you play those two teams specifically. And, you know, maybe the Elks or whatever, just find a way to get an upset.
01:04:37
Speaker
It'd be great if they got an upset here. Just don't think the signs are pointing that way. love to be wrong. Think it'll be a fun one, though, in terms of the points. Yeah. And the Labor Day game was brutal last year for that Argos team that, you know, managed to go 0-3 against the Ticats in the regular season.
01:04:54
Speaker
Now, I don't know how they figure out the Labor Day scheduling, but like back to back years, it being in Hamilton, not the greatest bounce for the Argos. But yeah, like you said, like you just want to see some fight in this game.
01:05:06
Speaker
Make it a good game to watch. And yeah, it's a tough sled. But, you know, with the Ticats, that game that they played in Saskatchewan, is there some sort of blueprint out there with how you want to attack this game?
01:05:20
Speaker
I think the defense is is in a better shape than it was when they got 50-burgered by the Ticats at home earlier this season. You want to be able to pressure Levi a lot. Like, if there's anything that we learned from that Rough Riders game, it was being able to sack him was a huge difference in that game. You want to get guys like linear, like Chatfield getting to Bo Levi. think that's a huge key to this game.
01:05:45
Speaker
And then if the running game can still be there for the Argos, that opens up a ton for them. Hamilton has a great secondary. So it's, It's going be harder. You're not going to be getting, you know, BC secondary in this game.
01:05:57
Speaker
It's going to be a much tougher sled. So yeah, a lot of on the line for, for the trajectory of the Argos for the rest of the season here. um And then it finishes out on Monday night with the Elks going to Calgary to play the Stampeders.
01:06:14
Speaker
You want to talk about a test like the Elks have been, you know, winning games. They won three in a row now. Now you got to play the best team in the CFL at this point. Currently stamps favored by six and a half points in this one, just under a touchdown.
01:06:29
Speaker
What's your read on this game?
01:06:32
Speaker
My read is Edmonton is a different team and they have some confidence and Cody Fajardo is probably not going to make the mistakes in this game for them to lose.
01:06:46
Speaker
And I think Vernon Adams has shown some volatility lately. He's been starting to throw a couple more interceptions than not recently. i i think six and a half is a decent number for the Elks. Like, think, you know, the lines the lines are very accurate, like I mentioned this week. None of them jump off the board at me as like, I need to get on this side of the of the spread.
01:07:06
Speaker
ah But yeah, it's the same thing. It's a tough test for Edmonton, but they're rolling right now. Three in a row. It's like, can you bring it? They're going to need their running game in this one. like Rankin's going to have to play a crucial part.
01:07:19
Speaker
ah He's kind of turned into like a little bit of the Alvin Kamara of the CFL receiving rush, and he's kind of doing it on both facets of the game. Love that, Tom. So look like love for him to get going in this one, and then Cody Fajardo just...
01:07:33
Speaker
Timely runs, timely runs. And then is can can Calgary just like prove that they're the number one team in the West now? right like you take You've beaten Saskatchewan twice. You're done with them for the rest the season.
01:07:45
Speaker
Can you just you know prove your dominance over the rest of the West teams? That's what they will be looking to do. I think it's going to be a good battle. I do. I think Edmonton can have some life in this game. I'm not saying that they will win, but I don't think this is going to be a blowout.
01:08:00
Speaker
And yeah, I mean, Calgary is tough place to play. We just saw Saskatchewan struggle there in the second half. But yeah, i'm I'm excited for this one. It's it's a real test for the Elks and Cody Fajardo.
01:08:11
Speaker
Yeah, and I think you know the part that goes against them is I think Edmonton has actually gotten some juice from playing at home. They have back-to-back home wins now. um And I think that they... They certainly feel a level of comfortability playing at home right now.
01:08:25
Speaker
um And yeah, Calgary has had some good turnouts. It's a tough place to play. feel like the Stamps really feed off of playing there in front of the home crowd. It's another week for the Stamps to get even healthier. So this will be a tough game for Edmonton, but I like...
01:08:40
Speaker
where your head's at in terms of this Elks team, not really backing down from that challenge at this point in the season and wanting to prove that this is a different team. If you want to do that, this goes a long, long way, especially in the standings. You would then be even with BC. So it's a lot on the line for the Elks in this game for the stamps. You're right. Like you just want to prove to everyone definitively that you are the best team in the CFL.
01:09:05
Speaker
And also sets a bit of a precedent because they have a home and home with the Elks. So it's like it if if you want to rattle off two quick wins, well, maybe Saskatchewan could be at the chance of, of you know, splitting or going on to against Winnipeg. That gives you a lot of leeway in terms of the standing. So big, big week in the CFL coming up.
01:09:27
Speaker
Packed week. And full of good matchups. We'll now go to our week 13 picks. We were 20 and 12. We went three and one.
01:09:38
Speaker
We are now 23 and 13 up 10 units on the season, Patrick. And this is where you really got to, you got to earn your stripes is weeks like this, where there's only three matchups.
01:09:53
Speaker
They're very well handicapped by, by the odds makers. And there's not a lot on the board to choose from. You got to be real selective. Yeah, ah you do.
01:10:05
Speaker
there's There's one, I guess, that jumps out at me. It's not a side. It's a total. It's scary. But I mean, if and if it's anything like last week, like the highest total soared over.
01:10:17
Speaker
So I'm going with the highest total on the board this week, ah over 56 and a half in the Argonauts and Ticats. Uh, two great offenses to little bit below average defenses.
01:10:29
Speaker
Like it, all the signs are pointing for this to be an absolute shootout, especially, you know, with a confident Argos team, uh, looking to kind of build some more momentum. So I like the over in this one.
01:10:40
Speaker
Um, and I hope like, I just hope it lives up to the billing, even, you know, Argos win, lose, whatever. I just hope this game lives up to the hype. I agree. That was the one that kind of jumped out to me ah in this week as well.
01:10:55
Speaker
it's ah It's tough sliding from here here on out, I would say, for the rest of these three picks. Yeah, yeah. Like I said, nothing jumps out at me. um Even from what I wrote down initially, and like now i'm I'm kind of doubling back on whether I want to take it.
01:11:10
Speaker
um And this is tough. Part you know part of me thinks that after talking through a lot of that, i I like kind of where my head was at last week, and especially with Winnipeg probably going with the more of a ground attack in this game.
01:11:29
Speaker
i like under 51 and a half in Bombers, Riders. that That was going be my other pick. If it got back to me, I was going to take the under 51 and a half. Like you said, Saskatchewan hasn't looked great on ah offense recently.
01:11:42
Speaker
Winnipeg's going to look to you know kill some clock with Olivera. They haven't been great offensively either recently. So yeah, I do like that one. I might stay in that game.
01:11:54
Speaker
I might just... The Bombers have been such a sweat. Like the Bombers in terms of sides have us down. I was thinking I might go with the Rough Riders.
01:12:06
Speaker
I think that's not a bad call. Like I think my my initial gut instinct for this game was Bombers 5.5 and I feel like almost... but In weeks like this, you almost have to plug your nose and go against it.
01:12:17
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's not an encouraging bet based off what we saw last week with the Riders.
Winnipeg's Underdog Status
01:12:23
Speaker
But we've mentioned that Winnipeg has not been blowing teams out this year. They're underdogs in this one, and they have some injuries that have gone on. And I mean, they haven't played each other in the regular season this year. So it's like, yeah, I got nothing to go off of in the past.
01:12:39
Speaker
Yeah, it's stinky.
Betting Strategies and Predictions
01:12:41
Speaker
I don't like it, but I'm taking the riders minus five and a half. Yeah. Yeah. No, I, you know what? I, I think I'm going to go. And this is, that's the case for two of these games. Like the Elks and the Stamps haven't played each other either.
01:12:55
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's, it's tough. You would like something to go off of, uh, that happened this year, but they're not giving us a lot. No, they're not. But I think I'm actually I'm going to ride with you in the sense of taking the home favorite here. And I'm going to take the stamps with the hook here at six and a half. I like this being under seven.
01:13:16
Speaker
I think that, you know, if the stamps kind of prove that they are the best team, they probably win this game by a touchdown, especially being at home. um So, yeah, I'm to take the stamps six and a half at home.
01:13:30
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, sounds good to me. It's definitely not a pick that I'm like, whoa, no, I don't like that. ah I was almost, if I had to make another pick, it was going to be the under in that game. I don't know why.
01:13:45
Speaker
pure Pure feel, just Cody Fajardo, long drives. Stamps defense is good. yeah so many Stamps defense has been good. like that's you know it's It's pure feel on that pick, and I don't know. We'll see. Like you said,
01:14:00
Speaker
Tough week for us here. This is where, you know, it's, we are what we are. We've, we've banked some wins. It'd be nice to get out of this week with a winning record. That, that would be a very encouraging sign going forward. Absolutely. And I think that would like, if we could get out of this week with a, with a winning record, i think that we're getting close to the territory of like pushing us over the hump.
01:14:21
Speaker
Yeah, to secure an above 500 season. and We are close because the weeks are running out. So a couple more good weeks from us, which, I mean, we've shown that we can give them to you. So I hope they don't slow down now. ah Yeah, we're looking to bank one. But yes, this is a ah proceed with caution week, shall we say.
01:14:40
Speaker
And maybe don't parlay these, but bet them individually. Don't parlay these. Bet them individually. um But that'll do it for us this week at the goalpost. um Big weekend, Labor Day weekend ahead. Enjoy it. Last weekend of summer.
01:14:54
Speaker
And mix in a little CFL football with ah whatever summer activities you're closing out the year with.
Enjoying Labor Day Weekend with CFL
01:15:00
Speaker
Yeah, this is a Canadian special. Labrador Classic, especially with the Argos Ticats for the people that you know the majority of our listeners are coming from, from Toronto.
01:15:09
Speaker
um Yeah, this is a staple. Embrace it and just live it. I mean, what else are you going be doing on that Monday in the afternoon unless you're driving home from the cottage? So yeah, put it on, have some drinks, enjoy the long weekend.
01:15:22
Speaker
Absolutely. Great way to finish it. Until next week, Patrick, I'll see you. See it Damien.