CFL Week 18 Recap: The Wild, Wild West
A three-game Week 18 sees the CFL's playoff picture become more and more clear
I bring good news to my fellow American CFL fans: the Grey Cup is again airing on CBS Sports Network here in the States. This is Year Three of the Canadian Football League's relationship with CBS Sports Network, after several years on the ESPN networks, which in turn, followed their years on the now-defunct NBC Sports Network. Ever since the CFL first hit CBS Sports Network, games that don't air on the channel air on a stream site known as CFL+, which is for fans in the U.S. and other countries outside of Canada. 2023 saw the entire playoffs (including the Grey Cup) air on CFL+, but last year saw the Grey Cup air on CBSSN.
This year, will be more of the same. While the Division Semifinals and Finals will only be available on CFL+ to us Yanks, the 112th Grey Cup will air on CBS Sports Network on Sunday, November 16, with the game taking place in Winnipeg.
But that's in November. Let's talk about Week 18 and what took place.
First, the Saskatchewan Roughriders faced off against the Ottawa Redblacks, and the scenarios in that game were as follows. The Riders needed a win and a Lions loss to obtain a home playoff game, while an Ottawa loss would allow the Alouettes into the dance. It was a close one, but the Riders did win it, 20-13, and as a result, the Montréal Alouettes, the champions from 2023, clinched a spot in this year's playoffs despite not playing that week. In addition, Ottawa's loss served as Step One in the road to lock up the crossover.
The second step would come in Toronto. Would the Argonauts join the Redblacks among the eliminated? Sadly, yes. We were no match for a Hamilton Tiger-Cats team who was moving closer and closer to finishing first in the East Division. TiCats won 47-29, and with that, the defending champs were eliminated. Also, with the Redblacks and Argos both losing, it became official: for the first time since 2019, the crossover will happen. A fourth place team in the West will cross over into the Eastern half of the Grey Cup Playoffs, and face off against either the TiCats or Alouettes on the road in the Eastern Semifinal. The last game that week was the BC Lions hosting the Calgary Stampeders. BC had the win and in scenario, and win they did: 38-24 over Calgary to punch their ticket.
With three weeks left, here's how things stand:
Four spots clinched, and two more remain. It's a purely Western battle for the final two spots, and there's still a lot of positioning to determine. It's a foregone conclusion that the Riders will finish first in the West, but second place is still up for grabs. The BC Lions hold the lead for 2nd but it's close. They could easily fall to the crossover spot, which might be a benefit, but even so. The Stampeders or Blue Bombers could move up to 2nd place and host the Western Semifinal. This will be an interesting final three weeks.
Week 19 is Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend, and it starts with the Saskatchewan Roughriders hosting the Toronto Argonauts on Friday, October 10. On Saturday, October 11, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will host the Calgary Stampeders, followed by a Western battle between the Edmonton Elks and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. On Canadian Thanksgiving Monday, the Montréal Alouettes and the Ottawa Redblacks will clash.
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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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