CFL Week 16 Recap: A Successful Playoff Push

Week 16 is the last three-game week of the 2022 CFL season, but so much was up for grabs. Entering this week, only the Winnipeg Blue Bombers had locked in a playoff spot, but they were idle this week after suffering their second loss of the season. Despite this, they could still lock in a home playoff game with help elsewhere, and this was one of many playoff scenarios for Week 16, which were as follows:

The BC Lions could clinch a playoff spot with a win, or losses from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Ottawa Redblacks. A BC win would also give Winnipeg a home playoff game, as the Bombers could finish no lower than second in the West Division. The Calgary Stampeders could get in with a win and losses from Hamilton and Ottawa, while the Toronto Argonauts could clinch with a win and a Hamilton loss. Get all that? Good. On with the recap.

The week began with a Friday night East Division matchup between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Montréal Alouettes, and this was a close battle, as East games usually are. Naturally, being an Argos fan, I was pulling for the Als to get the win, but it didn't look good for the home team. However, when they took their first lead of 15-13, there was hope, but Hamilton regained the lead with their own field goal. The Als struck back with a touchdown and a two-point conversion, and they would hold on to win 23-16. So with that, all three teams' scenarios became just a bit easier, especially the Lions, as they had eyes on the Argos/Redblacks game.

So how would that go for the Argonauts?

This Simpsons clip represents every Argos fan's reaction (myself included) to the Ottawa Redblacks in Saturday's game. To say that literally nothing went right for Ottawa would be an understatement. The Redblacks turned over the ball six times! Six! The Argos won, 45-15, and all but THREE of the Boatmen's points were scored off turnovers. This included not one, but two Pick Sixes thrown by the Redblacks! It was an absolute disaster for Ottawa in front of their home crowd, who still haven't seen a win this season. I never thought I'd say this, but Ottawa is waiting for the new-look Senators right now.

So with that result, the Toronto Argonauts are in this year's Grey Cup Playoffs, and the BC Lions also clinched before they took the field in Vancouver, as they needed Hamilton and Ottawa to lose, and that's exactly what happened. Now BC had to take care of business against the Calgary Stampeders, but they couldn't do so. The Stamps were too much for the Lions on both sides of the ball. They had shut out the Lions until a field goal late in the third quarter, and by the time the Lions finally found the end zone, the game was already settled. The Stampeders won, 25-11, and as a result, Calgary's in the playoffs as well. What a week!

So with five weeks remaining in the season, here's how things stand. In the West Division, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers remain 12-2, while the BC Lions drop to 9-4 with the loss to the Calgary Stampeders, who improve to 9-5. The Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-8) and the Edmonton Elks (4-10) were idle this week. Winnipeg, BC, and Calgary are all officially playoff bound, though it's a foregone conclusion that the Bombers will finish in first place once again. The Lions and Stamps are jockeying for second place and home field in the West Semifinal, and BC has the tiebreaker; they won the season series over Calgary and they are finished with each other in the regular season. The Riders will most likely get the crossover playoff spot, and they'll most likely do so with a record of .500 or worse.

In the East Division, the Toronto Argonauts improve to 8-5 with their victory, and the Montréal Alouettes improve to 6-7 with their own win. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats drop to 4-10, and the Ottawa Redblacks drop to 3-10, but despite this, they are still alive in the playoff race. However, first place is out for both teams, as they both lost season series against Toronto. The Alouettes have a tight stranglehold on second place in the East, and they have a good chance to get to .500 next week.

Two playoff spots remain, and Week 17 kicks off on Friday, September 30 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders, with the Bombers needing only a win to get a home playoff game, as well as move closer to locking up first place in the West. The second half of the doubleheader will feature the BC Lions hosting the Ottawa Redblacks, and on Saturday, October 1, the Edmonton Elks will host the Montréal Alouettes, and it will be followed by the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders facing off in a battle between playoff bound teams.

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