The Montreal Alouettes really had a chance to take a stranglehold on a playoff position. With BC and Winnipeg losses already accounted for, the Als had a chance to move two games up in their quest for a crossover playoff berth. Instead, they fell 33-21 to the Riders and missed their best chance to gain some playoff breathing room. At this stage of the season, losing to a 1-11 team just can’t happen if you’re Montreal.
Missed opportunity
Take nothing away from Saskatchewan, because they were very good on Sunday afternoon. But the Alouettes needed to win that football game. Knowing the situation Montreal is in, yesterday’s showdown had to be treated like a must win. But there wasn’t any sign of that urgency at Mosaic Stadium.
The Als had no answer for Saskatchewan’s running game. As Head Coach/GM Jim Popp said, the Riders ran the ball down their throats. Kevin Glenn was fairly pedestrian at quarterback for the Riders, but that didn’t matter, because their run game met little resistance. That was a tad surprising, knowing how well Montreal has played against the run this season.
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None of Montreal, BC and Winnipeg could make waves in Week 14 to shake up the hold on the final playoff spot in the West. |
Defensively the Alouettes didn’t look ready, and they looked out of step on the other side of the ball too. In his second game back from injury, Jonathan Crompton just looked off. He made some really questionable decisions and had trouble connecting with open receivers.
These things happen, but the timing of Montreal’s mediocre effort was not good. This week was probably their best chance to create some breathing room in their quest to be the first CFL team to crossover from East to West. The Als play mainly teams ahead of them in the standings for the rest of the season, so their schedule is far from easy.
The good news for Montreal is that neither Winnipeg nor BC look like they’re close to busting out. The Lions coughed up a big lead to Edmonton on Saturday and lost runningback Andrew Harris in the process. And despite a late surge the night before, Winnipeg looked largely unimpressive in a loss to Calgary.
The Als remain in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot right now. But because they have to finish with more wins than either BC or Winnipeg to crossover, missing opportunities like this weekend is tough. Give the Riders credit, because they needed a win. But Montreal needed it too, and they weren’t able to get the job done.
In step
It’s not a guarantee, but it sure does look like Week 16’s showdown between Calgary and Edmonton will decide the West Division. For most of the season, the Stamps have stayed one step ahead of their provincial rivals for their division’s top seed. That’s the case right now, and it sets up a really fun game between the two teams on October 10th.
Let’s just assume for a second that the teams will be in the same spot for that game as they are right now. That would put Calgary at 11-3 and Edmonton at 10-4 heading into their meeting at McMahon Stadium. If that’s the case, then that game will mean a ton.
If the Stamps are able to win that game, it’ll likely put the division out of reach for Edmonton. If the two teams are separated by just one game heading in, then a Calgary win would give the defending champs a two game lead with just three games remaining. I find it hard to believe the Stamps would cough up a lead like that.
An Eskimos win, on the other hand, would put the ball very much in their court. Again, assuming the teams are still just a game apart heading in, Edmonton winning would also give them the division lead. The winner of this Week 16 matchup will also win the season series. So even if both teams were 11-4, the Eskimos would get the edge with the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Now, I’m fully aware I’m putting the cart before the horse just a little bit here. Both teams have to win their games this weekend for this scenario to play out. The Eskimos are on the road in Winnipeg on Saturday while Calgary travels to Hamilton on Friday.
Regardless of those results, though, this Week 16 battle is going to be of crucial importance. I know it’s a still a couple weeks away from happening, but watching the Stamps and Esks win in the fashion they did this past weekend jumped out to me. It seems like there’s a little “anything you can do, I can do better” going on right now. Let’s hope that continues.
Rising to the occasion
I give the Toronto Argonauts a ton of credit. Going into extremely hostile territory in their most important game of the year, the Argos raised their game and conquered a tough challenge in the Ottawa REDBLACKS. Now let’s buckle up to see how this East Division falls down the stretch.
You could feel how big this game was for Toronto even prior to kickoff. The Argos had lost three consecutive games and been passed by Ottawa as a result. But watching Toronto warm up made you realize how big this game was for them. And that was keyed by one player in particular.
Typically you can tell when Chad Owens is fired up. Owens is an emotional, fiery player and the Argos needed all of that fire on Saturday night. Well, their guy delivered, because the way Owens played in that first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game.
Overall it wasn’t a huge game for Owens. But the 21-yard pass he caught from Trevor Harris on Toronto’s first play from scrimmage got his team into it. And watching Owens go for an 87 yard punt return touchdown a few minutes later sealed his outstanding first quarter. I really believe Toronto fed off that energy and rode it to victory.
These two teams meet to kick off Week 16, and much like the provincial rivalry we talked about in the last section, this one is going to decide a lot too. Currently tied for second in the East Division, Toronto and Ottawa have a rivalry that is heating up more every time they meet. I’ll be curious to see who rises to the challenge in just over a week.
Quick hits
Well, life after Zach Collaros begins this weekend for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Without their starting quarterback, and MOP frontrunner, for the rest of the season is devastating. But the Ticats are still leading the East and will likely be a playoff team. Their opponent this weekend is Calgary, which is daunting at the best of times. But maybe playing against one of the league’s elite teams will give Hamilton the motivation they need to persevere without their best player.
Speaking of the Stamps, they do have a bit of an issue right now. That issue is on special teams, specifically defending returns. A team coached by John Hufnagel can’t be happy with seemingly allowing a big punt return every single week. It bit the Stamps on Friday night and contributed to them almost losing in Winnipeg. Calgary is a pretty complete team, but if there’s one hole they need to plug, that’s it.
