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Even though only one game this past weekend came right down the wire, there were some pretty gusty efforts highlighting Week 12 of the Canadian Football League season.
We found out the importance of an effective backup quarterback, and we also learned some hard lessons about the other end of that equation.
There’s a new leader atop the East Division, an interesting conversation about who wins the rushing title, and a whole lot more.
Backup plan
When Travis Lulay went down for the BC Lions late in their Week 11 win over Ottawa, you certainly felt bad for him. 
But you also knew the Lions were in a decent spot, because they had a very capable quarterback backing him up, and a guy who had seen the majority of action for most of the season.
Well, now the Calgary Stampeders are in a very similar situation with their number one pivot, and just like in BC, the feeling of panic isn’t anywhere near as bad as it could be thanks to having a strong backup.
We’ll start with the Stamps, who lost number one quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell in the late stages of their 40-33 win over Toronto.
We know Mitchell is listed as week-to-week, and we also know the ball will go Drew Tate for the time being.
Losing Mitchell is tough, because he’s been nothing but successful for the Stamps this season. But it’s not as if Tate hasn’t had his fair share of success.
There was a reason why John Hufnagel never even entertained the notion of trading Tate, because he knew this was always going to be a possibility. Tate’s problem has never been his ability or winning football games.
He showed that while going six-for-six and throwing two touchdowns in helping the Stamps come from behind to win for a tenth time this season.
No, Tate’s biggest problem was always his injury prone nature, which has dogged him throughout his starting career. He’s won some big games for the Stampeders and if you’re a fan of the Red and White, you are probably pretty confident he can get the job done.
Is Mitchell the best-case scenario? Probably. But having Tate step in is far from the worst-case scenario.
For Lions fans, their confidence in Glenn was well founded. He was nothing but solid in a 26-9 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday night. Glenn threw just seven incomplete passes and for two touchdowns while spreading the ball around to an impressive nine receivers.
Glenn has had his problems in big games (the 2012 Grey Cup and 2013 West Final come to mind), but he’s also been pretty darn good in some big games too.
But, more than anything else, he is an effective quarterback. Yeah, there’s probably a drop from Lulay to Glenn, but just like the situation in Calgary, it’s nowhere near as much of a drop as it could have been.
What to do?
Not everything went as well without a number one quarterback as it did in Vancouver and Calgary. The Saskatchewan Roughriders had nothing but trouble moving the football Sunday afternoon in Hamilton. As such, they had their seven game win streak snapped and suffered their most lopsided defeat since week two.
The Tiger-Cats hammered the Riders 28-3, and there was no coincidence that a loss like that came in their first game this season without Darian Durant.
Saskatchewan’s number one pivot is likely done for the rest of the season, and so it was Tino Sunseri taking the ball.
It was just one game, but there really wasn’t anything to be encouraged about at all when it comes to how the Riders offence worked.
As much as Anthony Allen and Jerome Messam gave it their best shot, Saskatchewan’s very prolific run game wasn’t anywhere near as effective as it had been in week’s prior. That tends to happen when the passing game is rendered completely ineffective.
So, the question is, what do you do if you’re the Riders? For me, it’s pretty simple, despite game one for Sunseri. You have to stick with him, at least for another week or two. Corey Chamblin and the rest of the Saskatchewan staff had been very high on Sunseri throughout training camp, so there had to be a reason.
If Sunseri makes some strides against the REDBLACKS this weekend, it becomes a much more positive outlook. If not, it’ll probably be time to look at Keith Price, or another option that we haven’t even thought of yet.
What the doctor ordered
The Edmonton Eskimos were not happy with two straight losses to the Calgary Stampeders.
They were not happy at all.
And even though it was against an East Division opponent still trying to figure out what they are, Edmonton’s 33-16 win over the Montreal Alouettes was an important one.
It was important for a number of different reasons. First, from a mental standpoint, to get back on the horse was huge.
Losing to their archrival like they did, and getting swept 3-0 in the season series, was not easy. But, despite a slow start, the Esks played a pretty solid game, which should go a long way in restoring some of that confidence.
Seeing Mike Reilly return and have a really solid game was huge, too. Yes, he didn’t end up with any passing touchdowns when it was all said and done, but he ran for two and moved the ball down the field extremely well.
Matt Nichols did a decent job as understudy, but Edmonton is a different, more dynamic team with Reilly behind centre.
Seeing Adarius Bowman and Fred Stamps both play like top-end targets simultaneously for a second-straight game was encouraging, as well.
It’s not like they haven’t been targets this year, but to see it happen in the same game hasn’t always been the case for various reasons. Add in a pretty solid, workmanlike effort from the defensive group, and you’d have to think some faith has been restored in Edmonton.
Quick hits
Ricky Ray wasn’t the reason why the Argos ended up falling short in Calgary on Saturday night. After a few so-so performances, and performances not up to Ray’s standards, Toronto’s most important player was on point against the Stampeders.
Ray missed just five times while throwing for 338 yards and four touchdowns at McMahon Stadium, and looked more dangerous than he has in a long time.
The fact he did it against the league’s best defensive unit makes his performance that much more impressive.
Yes, the Argos lost for a fourth straight time, but maybe Ray’s solid outing is a sign of more positive things to come.
Is it totally farfetched to think Jon Cornish could end up winning the 2014 rushing title? Despite missing six games with a concussion, Cornish sits third in the league’s rushing race with 587 yards, less than 100 behind the pacesetter Nic Grigsby.
Let’s do the math. Cornish’s average per game is at 117.4 so far this season, which is ridiculous when you think about it. With Calgary playing seven more times this season, Cornish would finish with more than 1400 yards if he continued to rush at his average.
Even that average dropped to 100, he’d be over 1200. The point is, the reigning Most Outstanding Player is lurking, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he wins a third straight rushing title.
