Because they play in the CFL, the Calgary Stampeders control their playoff fate.
In a league where six of nine teams make the playoffs, one team well below .500 is going to be in the post-season this year.
At 5-11, the Stampeders are in the driver's seat to be that team. They can thank the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Ottawa Redblacks and Edmonton Elks for also being bad.
To be fair, the NFL also can have below-average playoff teams — Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South last year with an 8-9 record, even getting a home playoff game (something the worst CFL playoff team won't have) for their efforts.
This year, the CFL has had three clear top teams — the Toronto Argonauts, B.C. Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. There has been a massive gap between the top tier and the rest of the league — resulting in a snail race for the final spot.
“I think we’re super fortunate, to be honest,” quarterback Jake Maier said, per Todd Saelhof of Calgary Postmedia. “I think we’re feeling pretty lucky right now to be in the position we’re in.
“And yeah … you might as well take advantage of it.”
The team with the worst record to make the playoffs since the crossover playoff rule was introduced in 1996 was Edmonton, with a 6-12 record, in 1999. It was worse before the crossover rule — the 1981 Montreal Alouettes made it at 3-13 and the 1993 and '94 Ottawa Rough Riders got in at 4-14. The crossover rule sees the fourth-place team in one division make it if it has a better record than the third-place team in the other division — a scenario that will not transpire this season.
The Stamps became the team with the upper hand in the bid for the final playoff spot with a 26-19 win over the free-falling Roughriders (6-11) last week in Calgary. It was just the second win in the past eight games for the Stampeders.
“It’s crazy that we’re just putting the fate in the other team’s hands, but it is what it is,” Roughriders receiver Shawn Bane Jr. said, per Taylor Shire of the Regina Leader-Post. “We’ve just got to keep moving forward and obviously hope that they lose.”
The victory gave the Stamps the win in the season series (2-1) with Saskatchewan, meaning Calgary is assured of going to the playoffs for the 18th time in a row if the team wins its final two games.
It won't be easy, though. Calgary is in B.C. to face the Lions on Friday before concluding its season next week at home against the Blue Bombers.
The Stamps could also get in with one win and a Roughriders loss in Saskatchewan's season finale on Saturday against the visiting Argonauts.
“It’s in our hands, but you’ve got to remember we are scrapping and it hasn’t been the type of football that we want,” Stampeders coach Dave Dickenson said. “Can we get there? I think we can. I really felt like we could, so I’m going to keep the faith — keep believing in that. And I understand that it’s a tough, tough road. I get that.
"But I do think if we do win the next few games, we’d feel pretty good going in the playoffs playing those same teams and knowing that you just beat them. That to me is something that I think if it happened, we’d feel good coming into a playoff run — hopefully.”
The Stampeders have been hit hard by injuries this year — the team had a whopping 17 players on the six-game injured list last week.
And while Maier is third in the league with 4,004 passing yards, his touchdown to interception ratio (16:15) is not great and his play has been inconsistent. Calgary has scored the second-fewest points in the league.
Defensively, the team is in the middle of the pack.
The good news for Calgary is that Saskatchewan has been a mess. The Roughriders have lost six in a row, reminding many of last season's collapse when they lost their final seven games and missed the playoffs.
“The last couple of weeks we’ve been, ‘the Riders gotta lose — they gotta lose and all that,’" Stampeders linebacker Cameron Judge said.
"So now it’s just, ‘We gotta win.’ I’d rather have that.”
What We Liked in Week 19
• The Lions-Hamilton Tiger-Cats game, won on a walkoff, 48-yard field goal by B.C. kicker Sean Whyte. Former Ticats QB Dane Evans, replacing a banged-up Vernon Adams Jr., guided the Lions on their winning drive.
• Chad Kelly and the Argos putting up 40 points in a win over the Redblacks. The Argos have maintained their high level of play while playing meaningless games after clinching first in the East in mid-September.
What We Didn't Like in Week 19
• The Roughriders' inability to hold a 13-0 lead versus Calgary. Things are getting rough in Regina.
• The Edmonton Elks allowing the Montreal Alouettes to score 23 points in the second quarter. The visiting Alouettes won the game 35-21.
Power Rankings
1. Toronto Argonauts (14-2, first last week): It's all about avoiding key injuries in the final two games.
2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (12-4, second last week): Can clinch first in the West if Lions lose to Calgary on Friday. Can also do so with a win over Edmonton the next day.
3. B.C. Lions (12-5, third last week): Character win in Hamilton against a much-improved Ticats team.
4. Montreal Alouettes (10-7, fourth last week): Clinched second in the East with Hamilton's loss last week.
5. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8-9, fifth last week): Lots of positive signs in close loss to B.C. Looking like a scary playoff team.
6. Calgary Stampeders (5-11, sixth last week): Hey, somebody's got to be sixth.
7. Edmonton Elks (4-13, seventh last week): Feels like there are pieces here to make a move up next year.
8. Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-11, eighth last week): Another late-season horror show.
9. Ottawa Redblacks (4-13, ninth last week): Fourth non-playoff season in a row.
Week 20 Picks
Calgary Stampeders at B.C. Lions (-8.5), Friday, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT: Stamps have to keep this close. PICK: Calgary
Toronto Argonauts at Saskatchewan Roughriders (No line), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT: Argonauts have nothing to play for. Saskatchewan does. PICK: Saskatchewan
Edmonton Elks at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (-11.5), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT: Elks have been competitive with Tre Ford at the helm. PICK: Edmonton
2023 Picks Record: 42-33.
Odds from FanDuel as of Thursday.
