It’s fair to say the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts had higher expectations than being .500 (or worse) through 14 weeks.
All three teams are hoping the return of their starting quarterbacks can give them the boost they need to finish strong and challenge for the Grey Cup.
Toronto’s Nick Arbuckle (calf), Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros (head) and Montreal’s Davis Alexander (hamstring) all are expected to start this weekend as the CFL finally has good health in its quarterback class.
The situation is most desperate for Arbuckle and the Argonauts. Toronto dropped to 5-9 last week after a gut-wrenching 21-19 loss to the visiting Alouettes (7-7) in which Montreal backup QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson beat out Jarret Doege of the Argos.
The Als, second in the East, own the tiebreaker on the third-place Argos, who also are well back of two potential crossover teams — Winnipeg (7-7) and the B.C. Lions (7-7). Therefore, the Argos likely have to win out to have a realistic shot of defending their Grey Cup title.
That is a daunting task with Toronto having the toughest remaining schedule in the league, with an opponent winning percentage of .630.
The stiff challenge begins Friday in B.C. against a Nathan Rourke-led Lions team that has scored 33 or more points the past four games. Arbuckle, second in the league in passing yards, threw for 443 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-34 win over the Lions last month in Toronto, so this has the potential to be another shootout. The Lions and Argos are first and second, respectively, in yards per game.
The Alouettes and Blue Bombers are in better positions in the standings than Toronto, but need to find more consistent play on offence if they have hopes of winning big games.
Blue Bombers backup QB Chris Streveler completed just three passes last week, but his team still managed to win against the woeful Ottawa Redblacks.
The Blue Bombers became the first team to win with three or fewer completed passes since 1975.
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Collaros, 37, has missed the past two games with his head injury, which has been a recurring problem over the course of his outstanding career. That has raised concerns about whether he should keep playing.
“I appreciate people’s care and concern about it,” the CFL’s two-time most outstanding player told reporters this week. “If I shouldn’t be out here, then I wouldn’t be out here.”
He will be out there Saturday for a home game against the East-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Blue Bombers still have a very real chance to finish as high as second in the West, which would be huge in a year in which they host the Grey Cup.
As for the Alouettes, Alexander gives them their best chance to win, even though Bethel-Thompson has guided the Als to victories in their past two games. Alexander is 8-0 as a starter, one short of a CFL record for most wins to start a career.
The problem is he has struggled to stay on the field. Alexander last played July 17 against the Argonauts when he re-injured a hamstring that had sidelined him for the previous two games.
“Way more confident (this time) because going into that Toronto game, I myself definitely rushed back,” Alexander said this week, as his team prepared for Friday’s home game against the Calgary Stampeders. “I didn’t do much sprint work going into that game. Right now, we’re into Week 4 of me doing sprint work. I feel as confidence as (he has) since before camp.”
The Tiger-Cats (9-5) hold the tiebreaker on the Alouettes, so the most likely scenario sees them finishing second in the East.
Still, Montreal needs to establish some rhythm after using four different starting quarterbacks this year. The Alouettes barely held on to beat an offensively challenged Argos team last week, getting a late interception to put away Toronto.
Sad month
The CFL is mourning the loss of Edmonton Elks owner Larry Thompson. The Elks announced his death on Thursday night. Thompson was 65.
The Alberta businessman purchased the club just over a year ago, giving the Elks a shot to bounce back on and off the field after they had fallen on hard times under their longtime community-ownership structure.
Sadly, Thompson won’t get to see what the Elks can do in the years ahead after he overhauled the front office and coaching staff in the off-season.
His wife, Deb, will maintain ownership of the Elks, who host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday.
The Thompson news came just two weeks after the Tiger-Cats announced the death of general manager Ted Goveia following a battle with cancer.
Rourke talks to league
Nathan Rourke made headlines after the CFL announced its much-debated rule changes on Monday, calling the moves “garbage.”
The Lions star quarterback confirmed Thursday he talked to the league after his initial comments, though he didn’t offer many details about what was said.
“I wouldn’t say ‘happy’ is the right word,” Rourke said, per Postmedia Vancouver, when asked how the conversation went.
The Canadian voiced his displeasure Monday about the changes announced by commissioner Stewart Johnston, which include shrinking the field to 100 yards from 110, moving the goalposts to the back of the end zone and eliminating the rouge for kicks sailing through the end zone.
“Hopefully, there’s enough people out there who watch the game and love the CFL who are able to speak and make their voice heard,” said Rourke.
“Collectively, we all want the league to get better. It’s about, what is the problem? That’s the big disagreement. Hopefully, there’s an understanding that we have an exciting league, exciting players, exciting teams, exciting football.”
Crossover likely?
With the Blue Bombers and Lions four points ahead of the Argos, a B.C. win over Toronto this week would greatly increase the chances of the CFL having its 13th crossover team in the playoffs since the format began in 1997.
All previous 12 teams have come from the West, but no crossover squad has advanced to the Grey Cup.
A crossover requires the fourth-place team from one division to finish with a better record than the third-place team in the other. The fourth-place team then goes on the road for a division semifinal and potential division final.
The 2019 Edmonton squad, coached by current Als coach Jason Maas, was the most recent crossover team. Edmonton beat the Alouettes in the East semifinal before losing in Hamilton in the East final.
Could Winnipeg represent the East at home in this year’s Grey Cup? This is the quirky CFL, so far stranger things have happened.
Week 17 schedule
Friday, Sept. 26: Calgary Stampeders (8-5) at Montreal Alouettes (7-7), 7 p.m. ET
Friday, Sept. 26: Toronto Argonauts (5-9) at B.C. Lions (7-7), 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Saturday, Sept. 27: Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9-5) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7), 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CDT
Saturday, Sept. 27: Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-3) at Edmonton Elks (5-9), 7 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. MT
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