CFL
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — There’s plenty to take from each week of exciting CFL action, and every Monday we deliver some of the things we learned from the week’s biggest plays. Week 20 featured a wild finish, as the Ticats went from potentially missing the playoffs to winning their first division title since 1998, while the Riders edged the Eskimos to move up to third in the West and setup a Semi-Final rematch with Edmoton. In this week’s Cliff Notes, we focus on what we learned heading into the 2014 CFL Playoffs.
1. The Riders can still pound the rock.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders fell to third in the CFL in rushing this season, impacted partly by the departure of Kory Sheets, injuries on the offensive line and to Darian Durant, as well as the emergence of a strong running game in Edmonton. But in the first half of Saturday night’s 24-17 win over the Eskimos, the Riders resembled the team that went on a run in last year’s playoffs and captured the 101st Grey Cup Championship on home turf.
Rookies Anthony Allen and Steven Miller ran all over the Esks’ stingy run defence, to the tune of 172 team rushing yards in the first 30 minutes alone. That prevented the Esks from gaining their usual edge in ball possession, and despite a slow second half the Riders were able to hang on for the victory.
The Eskimos may not have dressed some of their top offensive stars, but their first-team defence was mostly on the field. If the Riders can run the ball like that and at least make some big plays through the air, a playoff run isn’t out of the question.
2. Matt Nichols won’t hurt the Esks.
While the rumours swirling about Mike Reilly’s injury status are unconfirmed, the Esks’ star quarterback was forced to miss the team’s season finale against the Riders, leading the team to turn to Matt Nichols under centre.
Nichols was efficient overall but struggled to generate offence, throwing for 261 yards and two interceptions on 30-of-42 passing with one rushing touchdown. His biggest issue wasn’t moving the ball though — it was finishing drives, something that may have been an issue for any quarterback in that lineup without the presence of Adarius Bowman and John White.
The Esks’ backup quarterback was in the running for the number one job at the start of the 2013 season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury, and is very capable of being a starting CFL signal-caller. If he’s forced to play in the playoffs with the Esks’ stacked deck on offence, which includes the likes of league-leading receiver Adarius Bowman, the hottest running back in the league in John White, and the shifty lightning bolt in Kendial Lawrence, Nichols will be fine and so will the Esks.
3. Riders-Esks is a dream Semi-Final matchup.
The Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders had a schedule backloaded with head-to-head matchups, playing three times in the final six weeks of the season with huge playoff implications hanging in the balance. As it turns out, the battle between these hated rivals and their fan bases isn’t about to get any more light-hearted. Saturday’s win by the Riders combined with a BC loss means Saskatchewan stays in the West, ensuring yet another head-to-head clash.
On Sunday, Nov. 16, the Riders and Eskimos will square off for the second week in a row; the third time in four weeks; and the fourth time in seven weeks. These teams showed no shortage of disdain for one another up to this point, at times nearly reaching their breaking point during what was, at least for one team, a season finale that meant nothing in the standings.
Now they’ll meet again for all the marbles, with one team set to go home and the other off to Calgary to play in the Western Final. Rivalries are the true beauty of the CFL Playoffs, as two teams that hate each other try to end each other’s season. In the Western Semi-Final, that will undoubtedly go down both on the field and in the stands, as the league’s testiest head-to-head rivalry reaches new temperatures.
4. Marquay McDaniel and the Stamps are ready for playoff football.
The Stamps took their lumps for a late-season Week 18 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but they bounced back on the road in a tough place to play against a Lions team with lots to play for. Martell Mallett got some work in while young receivers Eric Rogers and Joe West played an important role, but perhaps most promising was the triumphant return from injury by Marquay McDaniel.
Calgary’s go-to receiver was near the top of the leaderboard in receiving yards when he want down two months ago, and on Saturday in his first game off the injured list he returned to his usual role. McDaniel caught a game-high 12 passes for 165 yards, helping Drew Tate and Bo Levi Mitchell combine for over 400 yards in an air assault of one of the league’s elite pass defences.
5. The Ticats bring the home advantage in full force.
There’s no question that the switch to Tim Hortons Field sparked the Ticats’ remarkable late-season run, as the team went 8-3 down the stretch and a perfect 6-0 at home on the way to its first division title since 1998 and a trip to the Eastern Final. The bigger question: just how huge was getting that division-clinching win over the Alouettes in Week 20?
During that 8-3 stretch, the Ticats were ordinary on the road, going 2-3 away from home with losses to Toronto and Montreal and very close wins over Ottawa and Winnipeg — three of those opponents being non-playoff teams. The Tabbies were 2-7 on the road this season, and the prospects of a road Eastern Final wouldn’t have been overly promising.
At Tim Hortons Field it’s a different story, however. The Ticats beat both the Argos and Alouettes there in their only visits, while also scoring a key home win over the surging Edmonton Eskimos. The Als, meanwhile, just didn’t look like the Als during that Week 20 loss to the Ticats in the Hammer. It’s an intimidating place to play, and getting a win there must seem daunting for both the Lions and Alouettes — one of which will visit Hamilton for this year’s Eastern Final.
6. Stick with what works, Montreal.
After engineering arguably the most impressive mid-season turnaround in CFL history, going from a 1-7 start to within a game of winning the East Division, the Alouettes lost the most important game of the season by getting away from what made them so successful. A productive run game and careful game management while relying on an elite defence helped the Als rattle off eight straight wins, but in rainy conditions on the road in Hamilton, it’s like all of a sudden they forgot what turned their season around.
Jonathan Crompton threw the ball 35 times, while neither Tyrell Sutton nor Chris Rainey could make an impact in the Als’ running game — nor were they given the impact to. Perhaps it’s because the Als were shy to attack Hamilton’s league-leading run defence, but ultimately the Alouettes’ gameplan was not one conducive to success from the get-go.
Teams that have had success against the Ticats this season have done so by staying patient with the run and keeping their defence off balance, both of which Tom Higgins and the Alouettes failed to do in Sunday’s loss. If the Als get through BC, expect a different approach to Hamilton’s defence in the Eastern Final.
7. Travis Lulay could really spark the Lions.
Kevin Glenn is a top-10 CFL all-time passer and second this season in passing yards, so his veteran leadership will prove valuable for the BC Lions as they enter this weekend’s Eastern Semi-Final. However, that team is in serious need of a spark — not just on offence but on defence.
The Lions don’t seem to have the same bite as usual. Their previously league-leading defence was lit up by Mike Reilly and the Esks two weeks ago, before last week that unit was toasted by Marquay McDaniel, while surrendering more than 400 yards to Bo Levi Mitchell and Drew Tate.
2014 hasn’t been kind to the Lions on the injury front, but the good news is Travis Lulay appears set to return to practice in a backup role. He doesn’t have to start Sunday’s game in Montreal to make an impact, but his return to practice and to the sideline could really help a Lions team in need of a a significant boost. If he could get into the game for some playing time, that’d be even better, as he’d provide an extra look against the Als’ stingy defence.
