CFL Week 5 Recap: Divisional Decline
Week 5 sees the CFL's East Division start to go south
We are only five weeks through the 2025 CFL season, yet it's clear that the West is the stronger division. I had sensed this after Week 4, but Week 5 really turned things up big time. Now, Week 5 started with a West Division Thursday Night battle between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Calgary Stampeders, but that even delivered a huge surprise, as the Stamps stomped on the Bombers--the very Bombers who have represented the West five years straight in the Grey Cup--by a score of 37-16. Wow!
The East's first appearance in Week 5 was the first meeting of the season between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts, and... well... we just can't seem to beat Hamilton anymore. We had no chance in the Friday night battle. Hamilton led 17-7 after the first period and never looked back. A 51-38 victory for the TiCats, their fourth straight win over the Argos dating back to last year, where Hamilton swept the season series. The Boatmen's Grey Cup hangover continues on.
The first place Montréal Alouettes took the field that Saturday against the BC Lions; they were coming off a loss a week prior, and it looked like they had a strong win going against BC. And then, the fourth quarter happened. The Lions prowled their way back in that final frame. A 12-3 fourth quarter capped off by a walk off field goal. A 21-20 win for the Lions; the second straight loss for the Alouettes. Finally, the Edmonton Elks hosted the Ottawa Redblacks on Sunday night, and these were two teams who were definitely on a downward spiral. To my pleasant surprise, the Elks started strong; up 22-3 prior to halftime, but it looked like the Redblacks would come back. Edmonton prevented Ottawa's rise, going on to win 39-33, and picking up their first win of 2025.
So after five weeks, here's how things stand:
So with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' defeat, the Saskatchewan Roughriders stand alone as the league's only unbeaten team, and they were idle in Week 5. The Bombers actually drop to third place via tiebreaker, as the Stampeders' win gives them a head-to-head edge of ver Winnipeg. The BC Lions improved to 2-3, and the Edmonton Elks improve to 1-3. While 3-1 is third place in the West, the East has the Montréal Alouettes leading at 3-2, the only winning record in the East at this point. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the only East team to win in Week 5, improved to 2-2, while the Toronto Argonauts and the Ottawa Redblacks dropped to 1-4. While the Argos are in third place in the East, we are currently not in a playoff position. At this point, the crossover would apply if the season ended right now, as the Lions have a better record than Toronto. That's the only way a crossover would happen; if the fourth place team in one division has a better record than the third place team in the other division.
Week 6 is an abbreviated week (the first abbreviated week of this season) that will begin on Friday, July 11 with a Western battle between the Calgary Stampeders and the undefeated Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina. On Saturday, July 12, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will host the Ottawa Redblacks in an East Division battle, and on Sunday, July 13, the Edmonton Elks will host the BC Lions. That will be all of the action taking place in the sixth week of the 2025 CFL season.
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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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