Lefko's CFL power rankings: Week 12 - sportsnet.ca

Previous Power Rankings

TW	LW	Team	Our Take
1	4	(8-3-0)	Swaggerville is back. After humbling back-to-back losses to Saskatchewan, the Bombers were facing their biggest challenge of the season, but they answered it by beating the Alouettes in Montreal in what may have been the team’s most impressive victory of the season. Winnipeg hadn’t won in Montreal in several years and faced a team that had was coming off an impressive victory. But Winnipeg focused and received strong leadership from quarterback Buck Pierce, who played through bruised ribs and made some outstanding throws, while also rushing the ball a few times. The defence frustrated Als quarterback Anthony Calvillo and his favourite target, Jamel Richardson, for basically the whole game. It’s a testament to head coach Paul LaPolice and his entire staff for keeping the team focused.
2	5	(7-4-0)	When running back Jerome Messam gets in gear, he’s incredibly hard to stop. He single-handedly ran over Hamilton, producing 139 yards on 15 carries. You have to credit offensive co-ordinator Marcus Crandell for devising a strategy to get the ball to top receiver Fred Stamps early with some simple plays. When their passing and running games are working well together, the Eskimos are hard to stop. Rookie defensive end Marcus Howard had two sacks and has a total of seven in only six games, while fellow rookie Julius Williams is producing at the other end position. Add in the fact that the Eskimos are playing rookie Canadian Ted Laurent at nose guard and you have to be impressed. The Eskimos are 2-1 in their last three games and are showing how strong they can be with a healthy receiving corps.
3	2	(6-5-0)	Who could have foreseen the Als losing at home and getting little production from league-leading receiver Jamel Richardson? That said, it’s not like the Als were embarrassed playing the team with the best record in the league. They battled back and played hard in the fourth quarter. You could see quarterback Anthony Calvillo was frustrated the entire game. It’s happened quite a few times this season, but he’s still leading all quarterbacks in passing yards and quarterback rating. The Als are dealing with a patched-up defensive backfield. Defensive back Dwight Anderson didn’t play in the game and middle linebacker Shea Emry was also sidelined. While the Als have been somewhat inconsistent, they still have some great playmakers
4	7	(5-6-0)	Four wins in a row for the Lions, who proved they could beat an upper-echelon team by downing the red-hot Stampeders. The Lions are 4-1 since the acquisition of receiver Arland Bruce, who produced another touchdown catch and has a total of four in the last four games. The young receivers are coming of age, holding on to balls that were dropped earlier in the season. The overhauled defence is getting a great push up the middle from rejuvenated interior defensive lineman Kalif Mitchell and end Brent Johnson, who had a sack against Calgary. This team is oozing with confidence and continues to get great consistency from punter/kicker Paul McCallum.
5	3	(4-7-0)	Three wins in a row for the Riders since the coaching change, but they looked overmatched at times vs. Toronto, a team that simply has no offence and turned over a sure victory in the final quarter. That said, this victory resulted from a staunch defence that was on the field for a considerable amount of time but refused to buckle, allowing only one touchdown and forcing four field goals. Receiver Chris Getzlaf added another touchdown, which gives him six in his last four games, and had a total of seven catches for 170 yards.
6	1	(7-4-0)	A case could be made that Stamps should be higher in the rankings, but in terms of power they seem to have it one week, then lose it the following week. And for whatever reason they struggle at home. They were thoroughly embarrassed by B.C. at home, where quarterback Henry Burris is really struggling with consistency. On one play against B.C., he slithered through the grasp of various Lions, looking like Good Hank, then on another play he dropped a snap from centre, looking like Bad Hank. Joffrey Reynolds had nine touches for 30 yards, which is a big reason the Stamps are struggling in their ground game. Turnovers were the ultimate difference in the latest loss. The good news is the Stamps are on the road this week in Moncton in a neutral-site game against Hamilton. Stamps are 5-0 on the road and a win could help the team shoot up in the rankings next week.
7	6	(5-6-0)	A simply awful display losing 38-23 to Edmonton at home. The fans were booing at halftime and want a coaching change and/or a starting quarterback change. The issues on this team are many: running back Avon Cobourne simply isn’t doing anything productive. Rush end Stevie Baggs is being harnessed in a system that does not allow him to make plays. Collectively, Baggs and Cobourne are two high-priced free agent players the Cats targeted in the last two years. A case can be made that the Cats have lost their last two games without their team leader, centre Marwan Hage, but compared to most teams the overall injuries have been few.
8	8	(2-9-0)	The end of the season can’t come soon enough only too soon for Toronto. This team simply doesn’t have the players. They played valiantly for three quarters against Saskatchewan, but simply gave the game away in the final quarter. So far, quarterback Steven Jyles has been only a slight improvement over deposed starting quarterback Cleo Lemon. When a team produces some 475 yards on offence and produces only one touchdown, that says it all. It’s only a matter of time before the Argos are mathematically eliminated. They now have as many losses in 11 games as they had all of last season.

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