CFL Week 13 Recap: Labour Has Rewards

Labour Day Weekend is always a big deal in the Canadian Football League, and this year was no different. The Labour Day Weekend games are often important, but this year, it was especially important for those in the West Division, which, well, has seen better days. Entering Labour Day Weekend, the Saskatchewan Roughriders led the West Division at 5-5-1, even in spite of a five game winless stretch. Would the Riders continue to get away with skating by?

Let's find out, shall we?

The BC Lions hosted the Ottawa Redblacks to start the weekend, and it was a bloodbath. However, this bloodbath was in favor of the Lions, and they needed this badly. 38-12 was the final score in favor of BC, and that ended a five-game losing streak for the Lions. BC had won five straight after losing their opener, but they followed that with a five-game losing streak that kept them from capitalizing from the Riders' skid. So the Lions moved into first place in the West...for a day.

Next up was the Sunday matchup between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and that was the beauty of Labour Day Weekend--we get pro football on the last Sunday before the NFL starts. This was a close one, which is no surprise; the Riders and Bombers often played nailbiters. The Riders were closing in on possibly forcing OT--they got in the end zone, but the two pointer ended up intercepted. 35-33 was the final score in favor of the Bombers, and with that, Winnipeg--who started 0-4--took over the West Division lead. As for the Riders, it's now six games without a win, and they are now paying for it.

And then there's Labour Day. The Battle of Ontario and the Battle of Alberta took place as usual. The Argonauts were in Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats, and...oh boy. We had serious problems against Hamilton. Didn't lead at all in the first half. We finally had a one point lead, but a rouge took that away, and then the TiCats got a late field goal. Our chance to at lease break even didn't end well, and as a result, the TiCats won 31-28. The Tiger-Cats have won three games this season. TWO of them were against Toronto. Even worse, this was a good chance to gain ground on the Redblacks and we couldn't do it. I blame Chad Kelly; he better not start our next game.

The Battle of Alberta ended Labour Day Weekend, and with the game in Calgary, there was a moment of silence for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who were taken from us way too soon on August 29. As for the game itself, it started slow, as the Edmonton Elks had back-to-back singles followed by a field goal, but the offense did pick up--mainly for the Elks. The Calgary Stampeders could not find any answer or their provincial rivals, and it resulte in a huge 35-20 win for the Elks, who have now won four of their last five games. They are still the hottest team in the West Division.

So here's how things look after Labour Day Weekend.

So yes, the Montréal Alouettes are officially playoff bound. Per usual, the Als are the one team who are not part of the Labour Day festivities, but they could have clinched a playoff spot during that weekend. Their normal scenario, however, did not pan out, but the league determined that there was no way that the crossover could knock them out. So with that, the Alouettes became the first team to qualify for the 111th Grey Cup Playoffs. The Als remain at 10-1 and gained more of a lead over the Ottawa Redblacks and the Toronto Argonauts, who both lost.

In the West Division, there are still no teams with a winning record, but there is a change of the guard. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the BC Lions are even at 6-6, but it's the Bombers who are ahead via tiebreaker. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are now down to third place at 5-6-1, having gone 0-5-1 in their last six games. The Calgary Stampeders are now down to 4-7, and the Edmonton Elks are 4-8--and possibly closing in on a playoff spot. Holy moley!

Week 14 kicks off on Friday, September 6 with the Montréal Alouettes hosting the BC Lions. After that, it's a tripleheader on Saturday, September 7, starting with the long overdue first meeting between the Toronto Argonauts and the Ottawa Redblacks. After that, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers meet once more, and the Battle of Alberta shifts to Edmonton.

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