This week's SportsCage.com CFL Power Rankings show plenty of movement as the regular season approaches its conclusion.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers make the biggest climb, moving up two spots to No. 5 after a 33-28 victory over the Calgary Stampeders.
Calgary goes the opposite way, dropping two spots from fourth to sixth after the loss in Winnipeg.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders also continue to slide, falling from sixth to seventh after suffering their fourth straight defeat, a 44-24 loss to the Montreal Alouettes.
Montreal remains No. 1, followed by the B.C. Lions and Edmonton Elks. Toronto moves up to fourth, while Hamilton and Ottawa remain eighth and ninth, respectively.
1. Montreal Alouettes (13-3) — LW: 1
Montreal continues to look like the team to beat.
The Alouettes delivered another statement performance Monday afternoon, hammering Saskatchewan 44-24 to improve to 13-3 and finish the regular season 9-0 at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.
Davis Alexander put together his best performance of the season, throwing for 403 yards and five touchdowns. It was the first five-touchdown game of his career, and he surpassed 5,000 passing yards for the season.
Jerreth Sterns led Montreal with 124 receiving yards, while Charleston Rambo, Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead all found the end zone.
The victory also pushed Saskatchewan's losing streak to four games and left the Riders fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Montreal remains No. 1 and continues to look like a serious Grey Cup contender.
2. B.C. Lions (10-6) — LW: 2
The Lions are heading into the playoffs with momentum.
B.C. defeated Ottawa 41-20 to clinch a postseason berth, with Nathan Rourke throwing three touchdown passes and the Lions' running game adding three more majors.
Rourke completed 25 of 31 passes for 360 yards, with Stanley Berryhill III leading the way with 105 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Zander Horvath scored twice on the ground, while James Butler added another rushing major.
The Lions also forced four turnovers, helping them secure an important victory as the West Division race tightened.
B.C. stays at No. 2, continuing to pressure Edmonton and positioning itself for a potentially important regular-season finish.
3. Edmonton Elks (12-4) — LW: 3
Edmonton keeps getting the job done.
The Elks picked up a 27-12 road win over Hamilton, securing a home playoff game.
Cody Fajardo rushed for a touchdown and threw for 229 yards, while Shunderrick Powell added a late major to put the game away.
The Edmonton defence was the difference. Malik Carney recorded four sacks, while Zach Mathis returned an interception for a touchdown after Hamilton attempted a fake punt.
The Elks have now won six of their last seven games and continue to look like a dangerous team heading into the postseason.
Edmonton remains third in this week's rankings.
4. Toronto Argonauts (9-7) — LW: 5
Toronto moves up one spot despite sitting idle.
The Argonauts are fourth in the rankings, moving ahead of Calgary and Saskatchewan as both Western teams suffered losses.
Toronto fell 24-17 to B.C. in Week 18, with Nick Arbuckle throwing for 292 yards and two touchdowns in his first start of the season.
David Ungerer III caught all 12 of his targets for 124 yards and a touchdown, while Tyler Kahmann crossed the 1,000-yard receiving mark.
The Argos had a chance to make a late push, but B.C.'s defence made a crucial goal-line stand to seal the win.
Toronto moves up to fourth as the playoff picture continues to take shape.
5. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-8) — LW: 7
The Bombers make the biggest move in this week's rankings.
Winnipeg jumps two spots to fifth after defeating Calgary 33-28 at home, ending a two-game losing streak and moving ahead of the Stampeders in the West Division standings.
Zach Collaros returned from a two-game absence and delivered a strong performance, throwing for 349 yards and two touchdowns.
Trey Vaval provided a major spark with an 88-yard kickoff return touchdown, while Ontaria Wilson and Nic Demski caught touchdown passes.
The Bombers also secured the season-series tiebreaker over Calgary, which could prove important if the teams finish level in the standings.
Winnipeg has work to do, but the victory was a significant step in its playoff push.
6. Calgary Stampeders (8-9) — LW: 4
Calgary takes the biggest fall this week.
After three straight wins, the Stampeders couldn't keep the momentum going, falling to a 33-28 decision by Winnipeg.
Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 284 yards and a touchdown, while Deonta McMahon scored twice.
The Stamps battled back after falling behind, with McMahon's second touchdown cutting Winnipeg's lead to two points late in the third quarter. However, the Bombers held on.
The loss was costly. Calgary missed an opportunity to clinch a playoff berth and surrendered the season-series tiebreaker to Winnipeg.
The Stampeders fell from fourth to sixth, with their playoff push now under pressure as they head into their final regular-season game.
7. Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-8) — LW: 6
The Roughriders keep sliding at the worst possible time.
Saskatchewan dropped its fourth straight game, falling 44-24 to Montreal on Thanksgiving Monday.
Trevor Harris threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, both to Kian Schaffer-Baker, while A.J. Ouellette rushed for 77 yards on just 11 carries.
The Riders briefly got within one point in the second half, but Montreal's offence took over. Davis Alexander threw three second-half touchdown passes as the Alouettes pulled away.
Saskatchewan is now 8-8, and its playoff hopes are in jeopardy with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
The Riders fall to seventh, putting them in the bottom third of the rankings for the first time this season.
8. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-12) — LW: 8
Hamilton remains eighth after another difficult outing.
The Tiger-Cats lost 27-12 at home to Edmonton, managing just 12 points against a defence that recorded four sacks and a pick-six.
Harrison Frost completed 21 of 36 passes for 221 yards, but Hamilton struggled to generate enough offence to challenge the Elks.
An attempted fake punt proved costly when Zach Mathis returned an interception for a touchdown, helping Edmonton pull away in the fourth quarter.
The Ticats remain eighth in the rankings.
9. Ottawa Redblacks (0-16) — LW: 9
Ottawa remains at the bottom after another loss.
The Redblacks fell 41-20 to B.C., extending their difficult stretch as the Lions clinched a playoff berth.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw for 253 yards and a touchdown, but the Ottawa defence struggled to contain Nathan Rourke and the Lions' rushing attack.
Ottawa also committed three turnovers, while B.C. forced four of its own.
The Redblacks remain ninth, with no movement at the bottom of the rankings.
SportsCage.com Week 20 CFL Power Rankings
|
Rank |
Team |
LW |
|
1 |
Montreal Alouettes |
1 |
|
2 |
B.C. Lions |
2 |
|
3 |
Edmonton Elks |
3 |
|
4 |
Toronto Argonauts |
5 |
|
5 |
Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
7 |
|
6 |
Calgary Stampeders |
4 |
|
7 |
Saskatchewan Roughriders |
6 |
|
8 |
Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
8 |
|
9 |
Ottawa REDBLACKS |
9 |
The big movers
Winnipeg makes the biggest jump of the week, climbing two spots to fifth after beating Calgary and taking the season-series tiebreaker.
The Stampeders drop two places to sixth, while Saskatchewan continues its slide, falling to seventh after four consecutive losses.
The Riders move into the bottom third of the rankings is a first this season, and the timing could hardly be worse with the playoff race tightening.
Montreal remains firmly on top after clinching first place in the East, while B.C. and Edmonton hold their positions among the top three.
With the regular season winding down, every game carries added importance — particularly in the West, where Calgary, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan are battling to secure their postseason positions.
