TORONTO – We have a strong contender for game of the week in Calgary.
For the first time as a starter, Nathan Rourke will lead the BC Lions to Calgary to take on Bo Levi Mitchell and the Stampeders.
Rourke, of course, is coming off a record-breaking game (in which he broke the record he previously set) for passing yards from a Canadian quarterback. His Lions are now 6-1, trailing only the mighty Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the standings. The Stamps aren’t quite at the level we’ve seen in years past, but they played at a high level in 2022 and gave these Bombers two very tough games that produced their only losses of the season.
The Bombers are once again the class of the league, sitting at 9-0 and challenging the other eight teams in the league to try to get a win or the Gray Cup they’ve won from them the past two seasons . We know how the story, which has been perfectly told so far, will continue.
This Lions Stamps game is very intriguing and given the Bombers’ dominance this year, it could be a preview of the Western Semifinals. On a lesser scale, there may also be some clarity about second place in our power ranking. For now, the Lions are sticking with it. A Calgary win would undoubtedly turn that on its head by this time next week.
TIED TOGETHER
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1. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Record: 9-0
Last week: 1
Another week, another upgrade of the story unfolding before us. With a 9-0 lead, the Bombers now have the seventh best start to the season we’ve seen from a team. Keep in mind that this is a league with over a century of history and what the Bombers are doing is getting almost overwhelming. There were some masterful performances in their dominant period and some like what we saw against Montreal last week, where the Bombers endured some less than nice games but found ways to win. The team’s ability to find those wins – look at how they closed against Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal – shows a completeness and an undying belief in one another. This week’s mission: get win #10 against the Alouettes and finally enjoy the first bye of the season.
2. BC Lions
Record: 6-1
Last week: 2
We wonder what will be Nathan Rourke’s best CFL performance? TSN’s Matt Dunigan felt a little scared at halftime on Saturday night when Rourke was on track to break Dunigan’s passing record of 713 yards in a game. In their previous two encounters, Rourke amassed 759 passing yards in two blowout wins against the Edmonton Elks. Unfortunately for Rourke/fortunately for the Elks, they are scheduled to meet only once this season, on October 21 at Commonwealth Stadium. Next up for Rourke and the Lions is the promising showdown with the Stamps on Saturday.
3. Calgary Stampeders
Record: 5-2
Last week: 3
The Stampeders were fortunate to come up against the Ottawa REDBLACKS with strong defensive play. That can be enough to get them past a team struggling to navigate a tumultuous season. against a team like the BC Lions it probably won’t be enough this week. The Stamps are more than capable of playing that full game, and we’ve seen some flashes of that in the first nine weeks of the season. Remember the comments from the Stamps Bombers game in week 8 how well it played, how clean and fast? This week’s Calgary BC game has the same atmosphere.
4. Toronto Argonauts
Recording: 4-3
Last week: 6
The Argos won the first game in four promising games in five weeks against the Ticats with a very strong performance in the second half that blew out of all three stages. Victory will see the Argos jump up the rankings, but as we touched on last week, once you get past that 1-2-3 punch on this list, there can be plenty of room to move from week to week. As we have also said in this area in the past, consistency would help the Argos work their way into these upper level talks. Let’s see how things go in Hamilton this week. This is a great chance for the Argos to create some separation in the standings while pushing their arch-rivals towards the basement.
5. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Record: 4-4
Last week: 4
We try not to move teams after a bye week, but given that Argos have beaten Riders twice this season and now have a better win percentage, the move is justified. Hopefully the week off has helped the riders recover and take steps to get their season back on track. They get a green and gold opportunity this week in Edmonton, where the Elks’ winless streak at Commonwealth Stadium is now 10 games and stretches back into the 2021 season. There’s pressure every week, but throwing one to an Edmonton team that’s not that far behind them in the standings could see the panic button being practiced at Regina given their troubles at home.
6. Hamilton Tiger Cats
Record: 2-6
Last week: 5
The Ticats’ loss to the Argos results in both doing a yo-yo in the leaderboard. As impressive as the second half of Saturday’s Argos at BMO Field was, the disappearance of the Ticats was disappointing. The Ticats are saved by the fighting of their East Division counterparts. Losses at Montreal and Ottawa have kept the 2-6 Ticats in second place in the East Division, but they know they can’t count on anything like that in their last 10 games when they play for a playoff row in November want to worry. The numbers will say it’s not a must, but it would do them great to regain some momentum both in this series with the Argos and in their season as a whole. Victory would also be in sight in the east first, so unlikely that seems given the course of this year’s The Hammer.
7. Montreal Alouettes
Record: 2-6
Last week: 8
It’s not often that a team drops to 2-6 and rises in the rankings. We’ll give the Alouettes this: They fought tooth and nail against a top-ranked Bombers team and went into the fourth quarter with them tied on points. The wheels fell off in the fourth quarter, but there are many scattered wheels of different team colors in the wreckage of this year’s Bombers success. Rising in the rankings is also a by-product of the struggles of the teams around them. Things won’t get any easier for the Als this week. They get the league’s most unpopular home-and-home opponent as they head to IG Field on Thursday to see the Bombers again.
8. Edmonton Moose
Record: 2-6
Last week: 7
We might not have been expecting an Elks win at BC Place on Saturday night, but given the Elks’ improved game since the Week 1 crash-and-burn against the Lions, it was fair to expect a closer game. The lions had other plans. Nathan Rourke was exceptional once again, leaving Edmonton’s GM and head coach Chris Jones as flattering of a rival as you may ever hear (jump to the 2:50 mark). After that loss to the Lions, Jones and the Elks make their way home where they seek their first win in the Commonwealth against a Riders team they played well against in Week 2, oddly right after being dismantled by the Lions were to open their season. They have suffered heavy losses in a short space of time earlier this season. This week they have to do it again.
9. Ottawa REDBLACKS
Record: 1-7
Last week: 9
The REDBLACKS suffered a frustrating loss to the Stampeders by struggling more on offense than their visitors. We got our strongest dose yet of Nick Arbuckle in a REDBLACKS uniform, and while there was some movement on offense, it wasn’t enough. The team will use their bye week to rest and try to find a way to maximize the talent in this roster. Could we see Caleb Evans move to Arbuckle in QB when the REDBLACKS welcome the Elks in Week 11? As mid-season approaches, head coach Paul LaPolice will no doubt be exploring all of his options at each position.
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