The ladder has changed, thanks to a huge week for the east division has helped that. The chase for a home playoff game is heating up in the west. In the east we have a 3 way tie for first, another huge weekend of key match ups will help us figure out how this will all play out.
Week 14 CFL Power Rankings
1. Calgary Stampeders
Calgary lost just their second game of the season in Montreal, 31-15. Quarterback Bo-Levi Mitchell and all-star Canadian running back Jon Cornish were both absent from the game thanks to injuries. Even without them, though, the Stampeders are still the most powerful team in the league. We’ll let this loss slip by, but if the team can’t start winning without their star QB and RB, they are falling down this list.
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Rider fans survived a scare on Sunday when the expansion Ottawa Redblacks had to extend the game to a second round of overtime before Saskatchewan could seal the win. As Saskatchewan is another top team without their starting pivot, Tino Sunseri has stepped in to toss some bombs for the team. The defense looked soft despite creating a few turnovers but their offense was oh-so-powerful with Weston Dressler back from his NFL tryout. The Riders are knocking on first place in the power rankings and may see the door swing open in the coming weeks.
3. Edmonton Eskimos
The Eskimos are coming off a loss in Hamilton, and coach Jones was not impressed with the play of his prized pivot Mike Reilly. With a fire lit under his ass for this week’s massive matchup against the Roughriders, Reilly should be ready to go. A loss to Saskatchewan will be painful as they will find themselves four points back for the crucial second spot in the West, missing out on home field advantage in the playoffs, which is the the goal of any solid campaign.
4. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Well look what we have here, an Eastern division team with something to prove. The Tabbies are unbeaten in there new digs, and Zach Collaros is playing like the star Hamilton thought they had. A key win against Edmonton has helped keep pace with Toronto and Montreal, but the upcoming game against Winnipeg shouldn’t be looked at lightly or looked past at all. The Bombers are coming off a bye and are in need of a win. Keep in mind this team was in the Grey Cup last year – should we really be surprised with another late season surge?
5. Toronto Argonauts
6. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
7. B.C. Lions
B.C. slides down three spots in the LWOS power rankings after a loss at home to the Argonauts on Friday night. Penalties hurt the Lions in a major way and Paul Mccallum went 0-2 in field goal attempts which set the Lions back early. The Argos for the most part stayed away from star linebacker Solomon Elimmian in putting up 40 points on the Lions defense. All this being said, the Lions are loaded with potential, so don’t expect them to be hanging around the bottom of the power rankings for long.
8. Montreal Alouettes
The good news for Montreal is they looked solid while knocking off Calgary on Sunday afternoon at home. The bad news is they don’t move up in the power rankings because Hamilton and Toronto also won. Montreal’s defence forced three turnovers and held the high powered Calgary attack to just 15 points in the win. A great accomplishment even without having to face Bo Levi Mitchell or Jon Cornish. Montreal has put themselves in position to make a run in the East, who knows maybe a playoff run is around the corner.
9. Ottawa Redblacks
The RedBlacks have lost eight straight after a great effort fell short in Saskatchewan on Sunday. With a 1-10 record they are falling behind the pack in the Eastern division, as the rest of the East is finally picking up wins. Playoffs are a major long shot when you consider that Ottawa will likely need to leapfrog two teams in the east and get the number two spot and avoid being left out via the western crossover. Realistically RedBlacks fans should just look for steady improvements week to week and hope to build for next season.
That’s it for our collaborative power rankings this week. Our CFL panel consists of Matt Bin (@lastwordonCFL), Nicholas Di Giovanni (@lwosnick), Steve Gifkins (@lwossteve), and Lance Keiser (@lwoslance). Thank you for reading! Leave a comment below to contribute to the conversation.
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