The Highway 417 (Autoroute 40) rivalry is in Montréal to start Labour Day weekend on Friday night. Glad to see the CFL make this part of the Labour Day festivities. The league remarkably gave both teams byes on the Labour Day weekend in 2019.
The prairie rivalry gets started in Regina early Sunday evening. Unlike the other major rivalries, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan have not faced each other in 2022. The temperature heats up on and off the field when these teams meet.
The classic Labour Day lineup is set with Toronto in Hamilton for their final battle in 2022 (which is highly unusual) in the early slot. The Tiger-Cats could even the season series with the Argos. The Tiger-Cats can be in play for the tiebreaker with a win but needs to win by 25 or more points for the first tiebreaker.
The Battle of Alberta is in the late slot in Calgary (supper time in the East). The Stampeders won the first 2 games over the Elks this season.
The BC Lions enjoy Labour Day weekend with a barbecue (hopefully) and watching some great football.
ESPN usually carries 1-2 games on this holiday weekend. Alas, the games are on ESPN+.
TSN
Friday
Ottawa @ Montréal, 7:30p
Sunday
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 6p
Monday
Toronto @ Hamilton, 1p
Edmonton @ Calgary, 4:30p
Bye week: BC
The West is now 18-5 against the East in 2022 in the CFL thanks to the Ottawa win over Edmonton. The Elks now have 13 straight home losses. The record is 14 straight home losses for Edmonton. The revenge game with Calgary could tie the record.
Each team ended up winning on the road in what might be the 2 worst teams in the league in 2022.
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Michael O'Connor wasn't able to do much in his debut as a CFL starter for the BC Lions. O'Connor did become the 28th Canadian QB to start a CFL game since 1950, the 3rd in 2022 (his teammate Nathan Rourke and Edmonton's Tre Ford. This is the first time 3 Canadian quarterbacks have started in a season since 1968.
This also marked the second time in league history that a team started 2 different Canadian quarterbacks in consecutive games. The Calgary Stampeders of the Western Interprovincial Football Union started Bill Stevenson on September 24, 1955 and then halfback Lynn Bottoms started the next game because Stevenson was injured.
The bye comes at a good time for the BC Lions. The Lions acquired quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. from Montréal for BC's 1st-round pick in 2023. Adams had tendinitis in his throwing elbow but that injury is reportedly healed. Antonio Pipkin is also in the quarterback mix in Vancouver.
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Winnipeg swept Calgary for the first time since 1987. The Stampeders have 4 losses on the season, 3 of them to the Blue Bombers and another one to the then healthy Lions.
Calgary has been in the 3rd spot in the West for a very long time. The Stampeders haven't been consistent in some of those wins. A sweep of Edmonton could change the dynamic.
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Dane Evans and turnovers have proven to be a painful combination in Hamilton. When Matthew Shiltz came out of the game for the Tiger-Cats in Toronto, Hamilton's chances got a lot more difficult.
Shiltz is expected to be out 4-6 weeks with a wrist injury.
The Tiger-Cats traditionally play well on Labour Day against the Argonauts. Hamilton is 3-2 at home this season and the only team without a road win at 0-6.
Enjoying some rides at @letsgototheex
— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) August 25, 2022
Well, some enjoyed it more than others 😌 @BrizzyUL17@royce_metchie @Bonsie24 pic.twitter.com/3bdjdpOhR2
The CFL schedules the Toronto Argonauts at home during the Canadian National Exhibition to boost Argonauts home attendance. Since BMO Field is located within the confines of the CNE grounds, game admission gets you into the CNE for no additional cost.
Did the CNE dates help? The 2 top attendance marks this season have come in the last 2 home games: Calgary (12,584) and Hamilton (14,963). The Tiger-Cats fans often make the trip to Toronto though their team almost never gets to be a part of the CNE dates.
The home opener with Montréal drew 12,498. Every home game has drawn 5 digits except for the Monday night game with Winnipeg (9,806). The Argos lost a home game in Toronto for Touchdown Atlantic that drew 10,886 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Toronto only has 2 home games remaining: Saturday afternoon contests on October 8 (BC) and October 29 (Montréal).
| Toronto Argonauts 2022 home attendance | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Attendance | ||||||||||||||||
| Montréal | 12,498 | ||||||||||||||||
| Winnipeg | 9,806 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saskatchewan* | 10,886 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ottawa | 10,277 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hamilton | 11,623 | ||||||||||||||||
| Calgary | 12,584 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hamilton | 14,963 | ||||||||||||||||
* Touchdown Atlantic in Wolfville, NS
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Montréal Alouettes owner Gary Stern started out 2022 being a bit aggressive. Now Stern is stepping away from day-to-day operations with the club. There are reportedly issues with the estate of his late father-in-law Sid Spiegel. Stern's share is 25% while Spiegel's estate has 75%.
Alouettes ownership had been stable under Robert Wetenhall and his family from 1997-2018. The CFL took over ownership during the transition.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 28, 2022
Former Winnipeg QB Chris Streveler had an excellent preseason for the New York Jets. Yet Streveler is looking for a job after the Jets cut him.
Streveler played for Arizona the last 2 seasons in the NFL. The Jets were the 3rd NFL team for Streveler in 2022. Subsequently, the Jets signed him to the practice squad.
Several CFL teams would love to have Streveler in the quarterback mix. Streveler won the Grey Cup with Winnipeg in 2019.
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Edmonton is not having a great CFL season at 3-8. Winnipeg is having a great season at 10-1. With a 18-game schedule, we are at the point where a Winnipeg win or an Edmonton loss means the Elks won't win the West this season. That this is true before Labour Day is a show of extremes.
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Rod Smith and Glen Suitor hung out together in the west in Vancouver (Farhan Lalji) on Friday and in Edmonton (Brit Dort) on Saturday.
Dustin Nielson and Matt Dunigan with Sara Orlesky had the exciting matchup Thursday in Winnipeg. Marshall Ferguson and Duane Forde with Matthew Scianitti could smell the fair food from Toronto early on Friday night.
Dave Naylor filled in for Davis Sanchez on the panel.
logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @TorontoArgos; @nyjets
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