Edmonton at Toronto may not sound like an exciting matchup. When the 2021 Elks were forced to finish with 3 games in 7 days (thanks to COVID-19), Edmonton did win in Toronto on a Tuesday night. The 2023 Argos aren't likely to lose to Edmonton but you never know.
An Elks loss means no playoffs in Edmonton. CBS Sports Network has this game on tap.
Winnipeg and BC play for the tiebreaker late on Friday in Vancouver. This is by far the best game of the holiday weekend. Worth watching on CFL+.
Hamilton fans travel well though the Roughriders are traditionally tough at home. Each team is fighting for playoff position. The game featuring the 2 non-NHL markets is on the final Saturday of the CFL season before Hockey Night in Canada dominates the Canadian sports schedule.
Ottawa and Montréal complete the Hwy 417 rivalry for the year on Thanksgiving Monday in La Belle Province. The CFL used to have a Thanksgiving doubleheader but we should be thankful (pun intended) that the CFL even plays on the actual holiday.
CBS Sports Network has this game as promised: its final telecast of the season.
Calgary gets extra turkey for the holiday and doesn't have to run around too much.
CBS Sports Network
Friday
Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p
Monday
Ottawa @ Montréal, 1p
TSN
Friday
Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p
Winnipeg @ BC, 10p
Saturday
Hamilton @ Saskatchewan, 7p
Monday
Ottawa @ Montréal, 1p
Bye week: Calgary
One of those "Only in the CFL" kind of moments 👀
— CFL (@CFL) September 30, 2023
📺 #CFLGameday on @TSN_Sports, RDS
📲 Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/pjErv8jnDt
2nd-and-18. A short pass to the running back. Wait. What!! A short dribble kick and then falls on the ball. 1st down!!!
Some may wonder if I cover the CFL for plays such as these. There is a bit of truth to this. Montréal running back Jeshrun Antwi performed a bit of CFL magic to secure a first down. All the Ottawa defenders were more than 5 yards away so there wouldn't be a no yards penalty. Recovering one's own onside kick is a thing in the league up north.
The key to the play was that Antwi was behind the line of scrimmage when punting the ball and recovering the ball past the line of scrimmage.
A punter can always recover a punt as long as the punt is behind the line of scrimmage and the punter recovers the ball across the line of scrimmage. Doesn’t matter how far the punt goes. If the player recovers the ball like Antwi did, the team gets a fresh set of downs.
The Alouettes could have saved this for a Hamilton playoff game or at BMO Field in mid-November. To be fair, Antwi attempted the same play in July in Vancouver, but missed the kick.
Joseph Zema came in second for unusual plays by an Alouettes player. Zema "inadvertently" kicked the ball out of the arms of Redblacks returner Brandon Dandridge. David Cote tried a 46-yard field goal with Dandridge was returning the miss. Alouettes tight end Regis Cibasu recovered the fumble.
In most CFL games, a Pick 6 for a touchdown would be the highlight. Montréal safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy went 108 yards for a Pick 6. Dequoy now has a career-high 5 interceptions in 2023.
Ottawa had 6 turnovers, going from +8 before the game to +2 as a team. The RedBlacks still haven't beaten an East team in 2023.
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Oh my gosh, Toronto lost for only the second time this season but no one really cared about that. Winnipeg needed the game more to keep up with the BC Lions. The Blue Bombers and Lions will be 1-2 in the West. BC has a domed stadium in BC Place and would love to have home field for the West final (and a week off). Winnipeg wants cold and snow at IG Field since their running game is much better than what BC has.
Saskatchewan now has a 4-game losing streak with losses to Edmonton and Ottawa in that streak. Yet the Roughriders (6-9) still have a 2-game edge on Calgary (4-11) and Edmonton (4-11). There will not be a crossover to the East so the teams are fighting to be the road team in the West semifinal, either in Winnipeg or Vancouver.
Saskatchewan has the tiebreaker with Edmonton and will play for the tiebreaker with Calgary next week. A Roughriders win over Hamilton this week eliminates Edmonton and a potential Ottawa crossover. The RedBlacks can't gain an East playoff spot but have a very slim chance of a crossover to the West, something no East team has ever done.
Montréal and Hamilton clinched playoff spots. The Alouettes have a 1-game lead on the Tiger-Cats and the tiebreaker with Hamilton: the teams play in the final game of the season.
The Hamilton victory shows the potential impact of quarterbacks recovering from injury. The return of Matthew Shiltz made an impact after replacing Taylor Powell as the Ticats quarterback. Mason Fine is back for Saskatchewan. The return of Trevor Harris could make an impact in the playoffs for the Roughriders.
Meanwhile, Calgary's Jake Maier, the Stampeders starter, couldn't get a touchdown in Hamilton. Even the threat of a deep ball would have helped Calgary.
Edmonton is technically alive for the playoffs with 3 games to go. Ottawa is alive but only as a crossover. The RedBlacks lost the 2018 Grey Cup and haven't been to the playoffs since that time.
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Even if the Saskatchewan Roughriders don't make it to the 110th Grey Cup in Hamilton, there will be green as part of the celebration. Green as in Green Day, the halftime band for the Grey Cup.
This would be more impressive in the United States if the game was on TV. Hamilton is the furthest team south in the CFL (a bit south of Toronto) so that might be encouraging to draw a well-known band for the Grey Cup.
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The CFL traditionally had a Thanksgiving Monday doubleheader. The league even blew off the day in 2019. The CFL has a story on recent exciting Thanksgiving weekend games. Your humble narrator recalls the 2011 game mentioned involving Anthony Calvillo.
A titan of the game, and a #CFL legend.
— CFL (@CFL) October 2, 2023
It is with tremendous sadness that the Canadian Football League mourns the loss of George Reed.https://t.co/abzVNYZCtI pic.twitter.com/maT0aYdpiM
George Reed was before my time in knowing about the CFL. I certainly heard people talk about how great Reed was for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I have a friend in Saskatchewan who named his son Reed after George Reed. Sorry to hear of his passing.
Wab Kinew becomes first First Nations premier with NDP win in Manitoba
We didn't mention a battle of former Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Tuesday's Manitoba election. Obby Khan (PC) defeated Willard Reaves (Liberal) in the Fort Whyte riding in southwestern Winnipeg. Khan beat Reaves in the 2022 byelection to replace former premier Brian Pallister, albeit by a close margin. Khan became the first Muslim elected to the Manitoba legislature.
We have noted a number of Canadian politicians with football backgrounds. Yes, Reaves' son Ryan is a new member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL.
CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage
Rod Smith and Duane Forde had another busy weekend, starting out in Winnipeg on Friday night with John Lu and on Saturday in Hamilton with Matthew Scianitti.
Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor were in the sunny weather in Vancouver with Farhan Lalji on Friday night. Marshall Ferguson and Matt Dunigan got a more interesting game in Ottawa on Saturday afternoon with Kenzie Lalonde.
logo credit and Twitter captures: @CFL
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