CFL.ca Game Notes: Strong start under centre

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO — Week 1 provided a little bit of information about teams and players after an off-season of change.

Now everyone is eager to know if what we saw in Week 1 was a mirage or if teams will be able to sustain (or improve) their level of play. It was especially impressive from a passing standpoint, with pivots all across the nation showcasing their playmaking abilities in exciting aerial matchups.

Week 2 begins with Dru Brown and the Ottawa REDBLACKS hosting his former team in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Blue and Gold are coming off a loss to the Alouettes in Week 1 and are dealing with injuries to a couple of key players such as Brady Oliveira and Kenny Lawler. The Bombers will be trying to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2016, while Ottawa hopes to start the season on the right foot after the arrival of Brown, linebacker Adarius Pickett and the return of receiver Dominique Rhymes.

On Friday, the current champions Montreal Alouettes take on the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium. Quarterback Cody Fajardo is 6-1 in his career against the Elks and is coming off an excellent Week 1 performance against the Bombers. Edmonton meanwhile is hoping that a good passing game led by McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Eugene Lewis, Dillon Mitchell, Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Hergy Mayala is enough to overcome one of the best secondaries in the CFL.

The weekend features two exciting matchups, first with the BC Lions playing in front of a 50,000-plus crowd at BC Place against the Calgary Stampeders. The Stamps are hoping to play spoiler in Vancouver once more, having won eight of their last nine games on the road against the Leos. BC is also trying to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2019 and will once again rely on an offence capable of scoring in bunches. Last week, BC scored four offensive touchdowns, but they also committed five turnovers.

Sunday wraps up Week 2 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders going on the road against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Riders started the Corey Mace era with a win over the Elks and will look to put two more points on the board when they face Bo Levi Mitchell and the Ticats. Mitchell has defeated Saskatchewan 12 times in 16 opportunities and the Tabbies have won their last three home matchups against the Green and White. Who’ll come out on top in Week 2?

THE WEEK THAT WAS

2024 vs. 2023
- Points per game: 51.8 vs. 43.5
- Yards per carry: 4.4 vs. 5.3
- Net yards: 700 vs. 602
- Offensive TDs: 20 vs. 13

Four QBs registered 300+ passing yard games, but they went 1-3.
Toronto (14) and Saskatchewan (13) overcame double-digit deficits to claim victory. During the 2023 season, 1-in-5 games involved a double-digit comeback.
Each club registered at least one sack; Toronto had six.
3-of-4 games decided in the final three minutes.
The four teams that led after the first quarter won the game, but three of them also trailed at some point during the contest.

STRONG STARTS UNDER CENTRE
(W1: 2024 vs. 2023)

TD passes: 15 vs. 9
Interceptions: 7 vs. 11
TD-to-INT ratio: 2.1 vs. 0.8
Passer rating: 108.0 vs. 77.4
Completion percentage: 73.4 vs. 61.0
Passing yards: 2,285 vs. 1,838

ALS FLYING HIGH

Montreal has won six straight regular season games, dating back to the final five matches of 2023; it is the team’s longest streak since 2014. A seventh win this week would be their longest run since 2006.
The stats behind this stretch:
- Yards allowed per game: 294
- Sacks: 22
- Turnovers forced: 23
- Turnover ratio: +18
- QB completion rate: 77 per cent
- Points per game: 28.8
- Points allowed per game: 13.7

QUICK SLANTS

Game Notes
Winnipeg at Ottawa	Download PDF
Montreal at Edmonton	Download PDF
Calgary at BC	Download PDF
Saskatchewan at Hamilton	Download PDF

WPG at OTT

Winnipeg has not started 0-2 since 2016
Zach Collaros is a career 4-4 vs. Ottawa
Dalton Schoen needs for four receptions to reach 150 in his career. He has registered at least one catch in every game he’s played.
Ottawa is 5-3-1 in season openers.
The REDBLACKS are coming off a bye. In 2023, teams coming off a week’s rest were 14-6.
After three seasons with the Bombers, QB Dru Brown will be making his first start against his former team. Since 1960, among all QBs with 150+ passes, Brown ranks first with one touchdown every 10.9 attempted passes. Collaros has one every 18.4 attempts.
Brown’s career TD-to-INT ratio is 14:2.
Dominique Rhymes rejoins Ottawa after having played with the team from 2017-19, registering 1,578 yards on 102 catches over that span.
These two teams last met in Week 6 when Ottawa overcame a 25-6 deficit for a 31-28 overtime victory; it was the seventh largest fourth quarter turnaround in CFL history.

MTL at EDM

Montreal has won four of the past five meetings with Edmonton. Before that, Edmonton had won 11-in-a-row.
Cody Fajardo is a career 6-1 vs. Edmonton.
Tyson Philpot led all receivers with 141 yards last week – his second career game eclipsing 100 yards.
Montreal linebacker Frédéric Chagnon and Edmonton offensive lineman David Foucault played in their 100th CFL games last week.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson is a career 3-4 against Montreal. He passed for 300+ yards and two touchdowns last week; it was the first time an Elk had accomplished the feat since Taylor Cornelius in 2021.

CGY at BC

Last week, Calgary became the first CFL team to reach 700 victories.
In their last nine meetings at BC Place, the Stampeders are 8-1.
Jake Maier is making his 29th straight start – the most by a Calgary QB since Henry Burris’s 69 from 2008-11.
Last week, René Paredes registered his fifth career 6-for-6 showing on field goals.
BC Has not started 0-2 since 2019.
Last week, BC scored four offensive touchdowns, but they also committed five turnovers.
Vernon Adams Jr. led all quarterbacks in Week 1 with 363 passing yards. He made 11 20+ yard attempts, completing five, for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

SSK at HAM

Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace won his head coaching debut last week. No Roughriders head coach has won his first two games since Corey Chamblin started 3-0 in 2012.
Trevor Harris (30,189) eclipsed the 30,000 passing yard milestone last week, and he now sits 19th all-time. Next up are Tom Burgess (30,308) and Sam Etcheverry (30,381).
Last week, Shawn Bane Jr. tied a team record with three touchdown receptions in one game.
Hamilton is in search of its fourth straight home win vs. Saskatchewan. The streak dates back to July 19, 2018.
Bo Levi Mitchell is a career 12-4 vs. Saskatchewan. He only has more victories vs. Edmonton (15). Last week, he established a new personal best with 36 rushing yards.
James Butler (119) was the only RB to reach 100 yards last week. It was his ninth game reaching the milestone.

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