THE CANADIAN PRESS
The penultimate week of the CFL season is upon us and, man, does it shape up well. Two teams are fighting for the West Division crown and three are in the mix for the East Division title. Every single game this weekend has massive playoff implications, so let’s count down the top stories of week 19.
3. Finish strong
The Calgary Stampeders still have a shot at winning the West Division. But because it’s not something that is totally in their control, I think the Stampeders need to focus on something different. Calgary is going to the playoffs and while winning the division is great, the biggest goal has to be finishing the season strong and being on track heading into the post-season.
The Stamps play their final home game on Saturday afternoon when they welcome the Saskatchewan Roughriders for a rivalry game. As much as the Riders would love to roll into McMahon and shock Calgary, it would be a surprise for that to happen. Calgary has an opportunity to get its game in order against a team it needs to beat, so let’s see if that’s what the Stampeders do.
2. Really finish strong
The Edmonton Eskimos are the team in the driver’s seat for the West Division crown, and all they need to do to wrap that up is beat the Montreal Alouettes this weekend. The problem is, Edmonton is going to be facing a desperate opponent who can’t afford to lose. So while the Esks have lots to play for, you could argue easily Montreal has more to play for.
That said, Edmonton needs to use this game as a jumping off point heading into the playoffs. The Eskimos play their final game of the season on Sunday and then go into a bye week. The prospect of the Eskimos getting two full weeks off if they win the division is daunting enough going into their playoff game. If they go into the post-season not playing their best ball AND have to sit that long, I don’t like their chances.
1. A division on the line
You have to love the way the schedule is shaping up to end the season. With the East Division still very much in the balance, the season ends with a home-and-home series between the Ottawa REDBLACKS and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. I don’t know if the CFL saw this matchup being as important as it’s ended up being when making the schedule, but it sure has worked out that way.
I sure like this REDBLACKS team and I think it has the edge over Hamilton and Toronto to lock up the East. I say that because Ottawa seems like the one team not in flux right now. Sure, the REDBLACKS are beat up, and sure things aren’t perfect, but the way that offence is capable of clicking and the improvement Ottawa has shown defensively is really impressive. This home-and-home set will be fun, but I give the edge to the REDBLACKS
