CFL Power Rankings Week 17 are here, and these rankings are getting harder to put together every week. Montreal and Edmonton keep finding ways to win, but I’m starting to see some cracks. BC is playing some of the best football in the league and nearly took my No. 1 spot, Toronto continues to make huge plays when it matters, and Calgary is suddenly making some noise.
1. Montreal Alouettes
Montreal stays at number one, but I’m not completely sold on how they are playing right now. They keep winning football games, but we still haven’t seen them put together a complete four quarters lately. There are stretches where Montreal looks like the best team in the CFL, and then there are stretches where they let teams right back into games. They way they let Hamilton almost come back in. the 4th two weeks ago, makes me uneasy to say the least. The Als are still number one for me, but that gap is getting smaller.
2. BC Lions
I almost put BC at number one. That’s how impressed I am with the Lions right now. They are playing amazing football and look like one of the most dangerous teams in the CFL. The offence is rolling, the defence is making plays, and this team is hitting its stride at the right time. My biggest concern continues to be the kick return game. They are getting the worst kick return yardage in the CFL and its easy to see that. There are still mistakes there that could hurt them in a close playoff game. Clean that up, and I really don’t see many weaknesses on this football team.
BC is knocking on the door of number one.
3. Edmonton Elks
Edmonton keeps winning, getting a bounce back win after a tough lose vs the Argos the week before. You have to give them credit for that, but I’m starting to see some downward football from this team. The biggest concern for me is the passing game. Edmonton hasn’t thrown a passing touchdown in its last two games. You can get away with that when you’re still finding ways to win, but eventually you’re going to need to make plays through the air.
Edmonton is still one of the best teams in the CFL, but I want to see that offence get going again. That game against Hamilton made me nervous. Funny how Hamilton did this to me on back to back weeks. The Elks got the win, but against a Ticats team that has struggled all season, I expected more. Not barley getting by winning in overtime. Edmonton keeps finding ways to win, but with BC and Toronto playing the way they are, they can’t afford to keep leaving the door open.
4. Toronto Argonauts
I almost put the Argos at number three this week. Toronto just keeps finding ways to win football games, and their defence continues to make amazing plays when they need them most. This is a team that can look like it’s in trouble and then suddenly completely change a game with one play. Chad Kelly is a big part of that. He continues to make some huge plays, but the big mistakes are still there too. That’s what kept Toronto out of my top three. Kelly can make a throw that reminds you why he’s one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the CFL, and then make a decision that puts the Argos right back in trouble. Still, Toronto is winning. The defence is making plays, the offence can be explosive, and they are finding ways to win close games.
I seriously considered putting them ahead of Edmonton at number three, and if they keep winning, that move could be coming.
5. Calgary Stampeders
Don’t look now, but Calgary has won back-to-back games. The Stamps are starting to build some momentum, but I still have major questions about this defence. Ottawa has thrown for over 800 yards against Calgary and that CAN’T HAPPEN! Calgary is finding ways to win, and right now that’s what matters. But if they want to make a serious run, the defence has to be better. Giving up that many yards through the air against one of the teams you could potentially see when the games matter most is concerning.
Still, back-to-back wins gets Calgary moving up my rankings.
6. Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Riders are really struggling right now, but I’m not ready to give up on them.
I still think Saskatchewan has the talent to finish the season strong. The biggest thing for me is touchdowns. They need to find a way to finish drives and put more touchdowns on the board instead of leaving points out there. This team has too much talent to continue struggling like this. I still believe there is good football left in Saskatchewan, but we need to start seeing it soon.
7. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg needs to figure out what this team is without QB1 Zach Collaros. That’s the biggest question right now. When Collaros isn’t there, what is the identity of this offence? The Bombers still have talent and experience all over the roster, but somebody has to step up and give this offence some consistency. Winnipeg has been one of the CFL’s top teams for years, but right now they need to figure out how to win without the guy who has been at the centre of that success.
Until they figure that out, it’s hard for me to move Winnipeg any higher.
8. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
It’s officially over for the Tiger-Cats. Hamilton has been eliminated from the playoff race, and I think everyone involved is probably ready to move on from this season. There’s really no other way to put it: this season was just bad. The Ticats never found any real consistency, injuries hurt them, the quarterback situation became a major problem, and too many mistakes cost them games they needed to win. Every time it looked like Hamilton might have a chance to turn things around, something else went wrong.
At this point, I think it’s good for Hamilton to move on and start looking toward next year. Figure out what worked, figure out what clearly didn’t, and start making decisions about what this team needs to look like going forward. For Ticats fans, it’s been a long season. Now the focus shifts to making sure they don’t go through another one like it next year.
9. Ottawa REDBLACKS
Ottawa remains at the bottom, and at this point it’s about finding something positive to build on going into next season.
There have been opportunities to win games, but costly mistakes continue to hurt them. Whether it’s turnovers, missed opportunities or mistakes at the worst possible time, Ottawa just hasn’t been able to put everything together.
It’s been a brutal season in Ottawa, and there are going to be a lot of questions that need to be answered during the offseason.
For now, they stay at number nine.
