Looks like it’s time to put the West-beats-East storyline to bed in the CFL. It was an early-season aberration, and Eastern division teams have won four straight and eight of the last nine crossover games.
At the moment the hottest team in the CFL resides in the East, and more specifically in Hamilton. The Ticats have won four consecutive outings—all against Western opponents—and are riding their longest win streak since 1998.
An Eastern showdown between Hamilton and Toronto headlines Week 16 on the CFL schedule. So let’s zero in on what you need to keep a close eye on.
Plenty on the line for Ticats, Argos
For Toronto, Friday night’s tilt with Hamilton should be considered a playoff game. If the Argos come out on the wrong end of the scoreline they’ll fall four points and two wins behind the Ticats for first place in the East and the post-season bye that goes with it. The Tabbies will also hold the ever-important tiebreaker over their QEW rivals by virtue of claiming the season series.
A healthy Chad Owens has been a catalyst for the Argos on offence. In two outings since Owens returned from a knee injury, Toronto has scored 40 and 33 points respectively, both victories. No. 2 in double blue had 100-yard receiving performances in each of those games.
Hamilton has not faced Owens yet this season, but the Ticats defence is playing at a high level and their secondary has been locked in on opposing receivers. Hamilton has not allowed a player to go over 100 yards receiving in seven straight games, slowing down the likes of Duron Carter, Weston Dressler and Adarius Bowman in that span.
Owens runs many of his routes out of various slot positions, which sets up an intriguing matchup between him and Ticats defensive backs Brandon Stewart and Rico Murray. Owens against Hamilton’s secondary could be the deciding factor in the latest installment of the Battle of Ontario.
Redblacks look for first win streak
Ottawa will roll into BC Place with positive momentum on their side for the first time in a while. It’s been a trying season in the nation’s capital, but a resounding 42–20 win over Winnipeg was impressive and ended a long nine-game losing steak.
The Redblacks’ young defence turned in a strong effort for the first-year franchise, ringing up six sacks and three interceptions. In Week 16 Ottawa faces a Lions offence that has managed one touchdown in its last two games. And the Redblacks didn’t allow BC to find the end zone in their first meeting this season.
On the flip side the Lions ‘D’ has been showing their bite of late, too. BC has not allowed a major in eight quarters. So it looks like a low-scoring affair is shaping up out on the Left Coast. And maybe a defensive touchdown—Redblacks linebacker Travis Brown and Lions defensive back Josh Johnson each had interception returns for scores a week ago—decides the outcome.
Blue Bombers nosedive
Winnipeg needs to steady its plane and get back on course. After suffering a blowout loss in Ottawa the Bombers’ season has hit a new low with five defeats in a row.
The Bombers let Redblacks running back Jonathan Williams—playing in his third career CFL game—roll up 180 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in Week 15. As a result Winnipeg now has the worst rush defence in the CFL, allowing an average of 127.5 yards per game.
Poor tackling has been at the heart of the problem for the Bombers. Missed tackles at every level have led to chunk yardage and game-changing plays for opposing teams. It’s flat-out unacceptable for professional defenders to be as bad as these Bombers have been recently in trying to get ball carriers to the ground.
Facing Edmonton playmakers like Mike Reilly, Jon White and Adarius Bowman in Week 16 will put a premium on sure-tackling. If the Bombers can’t get opposing players on the turf their playoff hopes will continue to slip away.