Another entertaining week of football has come and gone in the CFL; just like the real-life standings, the #TotalPickEm race for $5,000 is heating up.
broncodc6 used a strong week to propel themselves into first place, with a trio of players — including former leader burzmiester5 — close behind.
Let’s take a look at how the week shook down.
Friday | Calgary 38, Toronto 16
The Calgary Stampeders proved that they can withstand serious hits to their receiving corps and still whitewash teams, with the likes of Juwan Brescacin, Markeith Ambles and Julan Lynch stepping up in the absence of a trio of star receivers.
Receiver Marken Michel was a difference-maker through the air and on the ground, and the Stamps sprinted to a win — effectively ending Toronto’s season in the process.
Calgary lost breakout receiver Reggie Begelton for the season to an arm injury, but looked downright dominant regardless.
Saturday | Hamilton 40, BC 10
I suppose the Hamilton Tiger-Cats did care about BC prancing on their logo.
That’s what it looked like on Saturday, at least, as the Ticats sprinted to a first-half lead and put it in cruise control in an all-out hammer job on the Lions.
Brandon Banks announced his return with authority, scoring a pair of touchdowns before giving an impassioned TSN interview following the game.
The Ticats are an interesting #TotalPickEm proposition moving forward, while the Lions are a question mark with Jonathon Jennings in the coming weeks.
Saturday | Winnipeg 30, Edmonton 3
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers went into Edmonton and stunned the Esks, neutralizing Mike Reilly and sending star Edmonton receiver Duke Williams to the trainer’s table after a crunching Marcus Sayles tackle.
It’s a loss that could rock Edmonton’s season; Reilly was shut down, throwing two picks in the process, while Williams suffered what looked like a bad injury.
On the flip side of the matchup, it was a statement win for Mike O’Shea’s Bombers; coordinator Richie Hall’s defence brought consistent pressure with varied looks, throwing the league’s best QB for a loop, while Matt Nichols and co. moved the ball reasonably well on offence.
Kevin Fogg’s pick-six was sick.
Saskatchewan 34, Montreal 29
Johnny Manziel’s first decent start in the CFL was all for naught as the Als fell 34-29 to the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday afternoon.
Zach Collaros, however, was the real story of the day: 394 pass yards, a touchdown and number of big fourth-quarter completions to secure the victory.
Chris Jones’s Riders outfit is starting to roll, and at 9-5 now owns the second-best record in the CFL and appears on course for a home playoff game — no pretty trip for anybody in the West Division playoffs.
Montreal’s season is pretty much in the books, with the magic number now sitting at just one: A single Bombers win or Als loss next week would eliminate Mike Sherman’s team from playoff contention.
Week 16: 3-1
Season: 38-23 (.623)
