CFL Week 13 Recap: Labour Day is a Very Nail-Biting Day

Ah, Labour Day. The NFL had long stopped opening their season on Labo(u)r Day Weekend, but the CFL continues to celebrate Labour Day with the usual rivalry games. Usually it's a four-game week that starts on the Friday before the holiday, but this year, it was an abbreviated three-game week that started on the day before Labour Day. And as those who have read my stories about the CFL notice, I always honour the Canadian spellings. While we Yanks celebrated Labor Day, the Canadians do so with the "u" involved.

Of course, the true rivalries featured on Labour Day Weekend are as follows: Blue Bombers/Roughriders (a battle between the Prairie Provinces), the Battle of Ontario (Argonauts/Tiger-Cats), and the Battle of Alberta (Elks/Stampeders). Per usual, Blue Bombers @ Roughriders took place on the day before the holiday, and it was a wild and close game that I hoped would go to overtime. Down eight late, Winnipeg got the touchdown, and needed a two-pointer to tie it. However, Zach Collaros pass was underthrown, intercepted, and returned all the way. So instead of a 32-32 tie, the Riders got the two points the other way, making it 34-30 for the Riders, which ended up being the final score.

Labour Day Monday was, per usual, the home date for the provincial rivalries. First off, Argos/TiCats. The Boatmen were coming off a much needed win over the BC Lions, but we were not out of the woods yet. We had to go on the road and face a Hamilton team who had our number recently. We were leading big, until we weren't, but we still had a shot--especially after stopping Hamilton on third down late. However, we went two and out ourselves, and Hamilton capitalized. Touchdown made it 33-32 TiCats. Oh boy. We had the ball, got a good return (thank goodness), but still needed something. Nick Arbuckle's bomb connected, but the fact that the receiver was still running made me nervous, especially after time ran out and he didn't make it to the end zone.

The thing is, we didn't need a touchdown. Now I'm hoping the review tells us that there was some time left. There was! Stepped out of bounds, in the red zone, with a second left! Argos were going to win this, and that's exactly what happened! Chip shot field goal made; Boatmen win it 35-33, second straight victory! So that's two games that weekend that were nailbiters. Maybe the Battle of Alberta would be close? It would not be. Stampeders totally dominated the Elks, who were on a bit of a roll entering that weekend. Stamps won it, 28-7, over the Elks.

So after Labour Day Weekend, here's how things stand:

The West Division is slowly becoming a two team race between te Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Calgary Stampeders, with the Riders up by a game. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers' loss dropped them to 6-5, only one game ahead of the idle BC Lions for third place, while the Edmonton Elks still remain within striking distance of a playoff position. The East has become quite interesting, as the first place Hamilton Tiger-Cats dropped to 6-5, just one game ahead of the idle Montréal Alouettes. Even wilder, the Toronto Argonauts needed just two straight wins to move withing striking distance of the division lead. It is amazing how close the Boatmen are despite the team's hideous start, but that's what happens when the East becomes quite the shitshow.

Week 14, the final week before the home stretch starts, kicks off on Friday, September 5 with the Ottawa Redblacks hosting the BC Lions, and it's followed by a hat trick of action on Saturday, September 6. First off, the Montréal Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats face off in an Eastern battle, and it's followed by a rematch of the Labour Day meetings in the West, with the home fields swapped: Prairie Province rivalry shifts to Winnipeg, while the Battle of Alberta will head to Edmonton.

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