CFL Week 18 Recap: Giving Thanks
The playoff picture takes some twists and turns during the CFL's Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend
Week 18 of the CFL season saw the league celebrate the final holiday of the regular season: Canadian Thanksgiving. As we all know, in Canada, the Thanksgiving holiday falls on the second Monday in October, and similar to Americans, they do celebrate with turkey and football. Entering Canada's Thanksgiving Weekend, a few teams could lock up playoff spots and a first-round bye, while two others faced elimination. The scenarios for Week 18 were as follows:
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers could lock up first place in the West Division with a win and a BC Lions loss. The Montreal Alouettes could clinch a playoff spot and a home playoff game with a win over the Ottawa Redblacks. If the Edmonton Elks lose, they're eliminated. If the Saskatchewan Roughriders win and the Ottawa Redblacks lose, the Elks and Redblacks are eliminated. However, the Roughriders kicked off Week 18 with a shocking loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a score of 18-14. This was the Riders' fifth straight loss, and it was a big win for the TiCats, as it keeps them very much alive in the playoff race.
Next up, the Toronto Argonauts hosted the BC Lions, and it didn't look good for the Boatmen. They were making quite a few mistakes against BC, but McLeod Bethel-Thompson's clutch go-ahead touchdown ended up saving the Argos, who would win 23-20. So BC's loss fulfilled half of Winnipeg's scenario, and as for the Bombers...well...they had the easiest task: beating the Edmonton Elks. The Bombers blasted the Elks, 48-11, and with that, the Bombers will host the West Final on November 13. As for the Elks, their season is over; no playoffs for the second straight season.
Canadian Thanksgiving Monday took place in Montreal, with the Alouettes hosting the Ottawa Redblacks. This was why I was so relieved that the Argos won, because the Als had a cakewalk opponent. However, while the Alouettes had the first half in control, the second half ended up belonging to Ottawa. They absolutely took over and stole the game from the Alouettes, who ended up losing to Ottawa, 24-18. Wow!
So with three weeks left in the regular season, here's how things stand:
In the West Division, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers improve to 14-2 and are locked in at first place. The BC Lions dropped to 10-5, the same record as the idle Calgary Stampeders, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders dropped to 6-10. The eliminated Edmonton Elks are 4-12, but the developments elsewhere are very interesting. BC and Calgary are now in a race for second place and home field in the West Semifinal, with the two teams locked in as opponents. The Lions have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Stamps, so all they have to do is win out to clinch second place.
As for the East Division, the Toronto Argonauts improved to 9-6, meaning that an East team will finish with at least a .500 record. They also gained a game on the Montreal Alouettes, who dropped to 7-8 with their home loss. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are 5-10, and the Ottawa Redblacks are 4-11, but both teams are still alive in the playoff race. Saskatchewan's loss kept Ottawa alive regardless of how they performed on Thanksgiving Monday, but Ottawa's win really made things interesting. The Tiger-Cats' win over the Riders moved them within half a game over Saskatchewan, and with the Riders off next week, Hamilton has a chance to move into a playoff position. Remember: if Saskatchewan finishes tied with the East Division's third place team, then the Riders don't get in via the crossover.
Speaking of Week 19, it begins on Friday, October 14 with the Ottawa Redblacks and the Montreal Alouettes facing each other again, this time in the Canadian Capital. Later that same evening, the Calgary Stampeders will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and on Saturday, October 15, the Edmonton Elks will host the Toronto Argonauts, followed by the BC Lions hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Argos can lock up first place in the East with a win and an Alouettes loss, but the Als can nab a playoff spot and a home playoff game with a win.
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About the Creator
Clyde E. Dawkins
I'm a big sports fan, especially hockey, and I've been a fan of villainesses since I was eight! My favorite shows are The Simpsons and Family Guy, etc.
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