CFL Week 17 Recap: How the East Was Won

I have been tied up writing about the NFL and baseball's postseason, that I've been admittedly lazy when it comes to writing about the CFL. I have been watching the games for sure. One game I definitely watched was Week 17's finale between the Toronto Argonauts and the Montréal Alouettes, and this was an important one--mainly for the Boatmen. We were falling behind in the Eastern standings, but thankfully, we did managed to get things going against the reigning, defending, undisputed Grey Cup Champions. The Argos won, 37-31, and stayed alive in the playoff hunt.

However, the Alouettes did have a reason to celebrate prior to their game in Toronto. The first half of that Saturday doubleheader saw the Ottawa Redblacks defeated by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 29-16, and as a result, the Alouettes locked up the East Division before they took the field in Toronto. So the Als will host the Eastern Final on Saturday, November 9, and they'll be one playoff win away from returning to the Grey Cup. Also, the Redblacks failed to clinch a playoff spot, yet again.

A team who didn't fail to lock in a spot was the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They absolutely blasted the Edmonton Elks, 55-27, and are playoff bound after an 0-4 start. WOW! As for the Elks, well, it does look like their pipe dream of possibly shocking the world and getting a playoff spot down the line may have went up in smoke. The Bombers also received some help from their favorite Grey Cup punching bags, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The TiCats actually defeated the BC Lions, 32-29, in overtime!

Here's how things stand as the CFL season enters the pivotal month of October:

So after starting 0-4, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are not only playoff bound, they also have quite the cushion in the West Division at 9-6. The Saskatchewan Roughriders moved up to 7-7-1, while the BC Lions dropped to 7-8 with the surprising home loss to the Tiger-Cats. The Edmonton Elks dropped to 5-10, and it looks like any aspirations they have of snatching a playoff spot are slowly fading. The idle Calgary Stampeders are still in the bottom of the division. They look screwed.

As for the East, the division race is over, and the Montréal Alouettes won't play a meaningful game for another month. As for the three Ontario franchises...oh boy! The race for second place now involves all three of them due to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats going on a tear as of late. The Ottawa Redblacks' loss has made things interesting, as the Toronto Argonauts are within a hair of Ottawa for second place. However, Hamilton now has an outside shot at 6-9. They're already ahead of Edmonton in the overall standings, and it could be crossover time if BC keeps slipping.

Week 18 starts on Friday, October 4, and it's an abbreviated schedule--three games. Two of them take place on Friday, and first off, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats face each other, followed by a Western battle between the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions. On Saturday, October 5, the Edmonton Elks host the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Winnipeg can wrap up the West Division, while Ottawa, Saskatchewan, and BC can lock up playoff spots, which would leave just one left entering the final three weeks of the season. This playoff push will be absolutely off the chain, without question!

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