THE CANADIAN PRESS
CFL.ca Staff
Calgary Stampeders
Week 17 Ranking: 1
Matt Walter filled in admirably for Jon Cornish, while the defence made a major statement in helping the Stamps score 25 unanswered fourth-quarter points on the way to a victory over the Riders. Next up is another home game, as Calgary continues its playoff preparation against Winnipeg.
Edmonton Eskimos
Week 17 Ranking: 2
A much-needed bye week should keep the Eskimos fresh, as they focus on getting ready for a home playoff game in a few weeks’ time. A matchup against the hungry Lions next Saturday should be a good test.
Montreal Alouettes
Week 17 Ranking: 3
The Alouettes continued their roll in an emotional Friday night game in Ottawa, overcoming a defiant REDBLACKS team to win their seventh game in eight tries. Crompton is sustaining drives and making plays, while the defence continues to dominate all opponents.
Toronto Argonauts
Week 17 Ranking: 5
The only change in this week’s power rankings is by the Argos and Ticats, who swap spots after Saturday’s Argo win in Toronto. The Boatmen still have some turnover and penalty issues to clean up before another pivotal late-season matchup in Montreal next weekend.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Week 17 Ranking: 4
Turnovers and some opportunistic offence almost helped the Ticats steal a victory in Toronto, but in the end Hamilton couldn’t overcome a stellar night by Steve Slaton. The division is still up for grabs, though, as the Black and Gold look to get back on track against the REDBLACKS.
BC Lions
Week 17 Ranking: 6
John Beck was the spark the Lions needed on Saturday, as his two fourth-quarter touchdown passes led the Lions to a key road win over the Bombers. With the league’s top defence (10 sacks vs. Winnipeg) and an emerging offence, BC remains the darkhorse team in the West heading into the playoffs.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Week 17 Ranking: 7
Kerry Joseph looked very impressive in leading the Riders to a second-half lead over Calgary, but the Riders came undone late and for the second week in a row just couldn’t finish. Still, the recent results are promising, as this team appears to be getting back on track.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Week 17 Ranking: 8
The Bombers almost battled back in that fourth quarter against BC, but in the end came up just short. A tough losing streak ends Winnipeg’s season, but this young group has lots to look forward to in 2015.
Ottawa REDBLACKS
Week 17 Ranking: 9
They couldn’t come away with the win in the end, but give the REDBLACKS plenty of credit for a gutsy performance against the Alouettes. On a night when football came second, Ottawa plugged away and battled back from a second-half deficit to nearly steal a victory from the first-place Als.
