Canadian Crossing

Winnipeg Blue Bombers snap a 29-year drought to win the 2019 Grey Cup

For the W.

Andrew Harris, a Winnipeg native, wears #33 for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Blue Bombers scored 33 points in the 2019 Grey Cup win 33-12 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Calgary

Since the Most Valuable Canadian award started in 1971, Harris is the only Canadian to win both Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Canadian in the Grey Cup. The last Canadian to win Most Valuable Player was Russ Jackson in the 1969 Grey Cup.

Harris also won Most Valuable Canadian in the 2011 Grey Cup while with the BC Lions, ironically against Winnipeg.

On Sunday, Harris had 134 yards on 18 carries along with 35 yards on 5 receptions, scoring a touchdown each on the ground and in the air.

The 2-game suspension was a buckle in an otherwise impressive season for Harris and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Congratulations to the @Wpg_BlueBombers on winning the #GreyCup! 🏆 #GreyCup2019 #ForTheW pic.twitter.com/Keez5zVgW8

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) November 25, 2019

We've seen this favorable pattern in other cities. The Winnipeg Jets sent their love for the Blue Bombers in the CFL championship win.

2019 Grey Cup preview

How long has it been since Winnipeg won the Grey Cup? The Beachcombers, which started in 1972, ended its run in 1990 on CBC after 387 episodes.

2019 CFL division finals preview

Seemed fitting for the 2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers that the starting quarterback would have fewer passing yards than his opponent. Zach Collaros went 17-for-23 for 170 yards while Dane Evans was 16-for-27 for 203 yards. Chris Streveler only threw 3 passes, all completions, for Winnipeg for 39 yards with a 18-yard TD pass to Andrew Harris. Collaros and Streveler combined for 209 yards, barely surpassing Evans.

When Matt Nichols was healthy, his passing yards weren't that impressive but that was the way Winnipeg won all season.

Streveler was seen limping at times in the postseason. While we know he's thrilled to win the Grey Cup, Streveler is likely happy to let his legs recover in the offseason.

I was 10yrs old the last time the Bombers won the Grey Cup, so it was pretty cool to get a pic of MY 10yr old watching tonight when they finally won it again. #CFL

— Sara Orlesky (@saraorlesky) November 25, 2019

There is no cheering in the press box. There isn't. This was a nice human moment after Winnipeg won from TSN's Sara Orlesky. She is based in Winnipeg. There is an emotional impact. Journalism is about honesty. Thanks for being open and sharing with us.

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Paul LaPolice on offence and Richie Hall on defence. We don't often reflect on the coordinators but both were outstanding this season. Hall's defence only gave up a single touchdown in the West final and the Grey Cup. The lone Hamilton major came late in the 3rd quarter.

2019 CFL playoffs preview

The perception of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers changed before the 2016 season when Andrew Harris and Justin Medlock signed with the Blue Bombers in free agency. Harris came home from BC while Medlock came over from Hamilton.

Medlock went 6-for-7 on field goals in the 2019 Grey Cup. He hit the last 6 attempts from 45, 17, 39, 41, 17, and 18 yards. Medlock was the fourth kicker to hit 6 field goals in a Grey Cup.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

We noted in our 2019 Grey Cup preview that the losing fan base would be crestfallen by the result. Hamilton has lost 3 Grey Cups in the 2010s in 2014, 2015, and now 2019. The streak will be 21 years in 2020. Montréal will have the second-longest streak at 10 years in 2020.

Ottawa had a 40-year drought between CFL title championships. The city didn't have football from 1997-2001 after the loss of the Rough Riders and 2006-2013 after the loss of the Renegades. About a third (13) of the drought were seasons where Ottawa didn't have the CFL.

Hamilton had an amazing run with a all-time best 15-3 record. The Tiger-Cats struggled on offence and had the first 6 turnovers of the game.

"It's not up to the standards of modern sport...I'd like to say this is the last time we'll have a Grey Cup at McMahon."

CFL Commissioner @RandyAmbrosie says he wants to start a conversation with @nenshi about a new football stadium in Calgary.#GreyCup107 #GreyCup #yyccc pic.twitter.com/lnrGdSR6S7

— Andrew Brown (@browncbc) November 22, 2019

McMahon Stadium has a great intimacy but isn't high on the list of ideal CFL stadiums. The stadium (1960) is the second-oldest CFL stadium to Percival Molson Stadium (1915). There isn't an outcry in Montréal since that situation is very different. Calgary had a need to replace both McMahon and the Saddledome but the talk has been mostly about the Flames, not the Stampeders.

Calgary voters say no to 2026 Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics bid would have solved both of those issues with a large payday for Calgary, but the voters said no.

The 108th Grey Cup will be on November 22, 2020 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. Regina will host for the fourth time and the first at Mosaic Stadium. The 2021 Grey Cup will be at Tim Hortons Field for the first time in Hamilton since 1996. Those stadiums are the newest crown jewels in the CFL.

photo credit: TSN/CFL
Twitter captures: @NHLJets; @saraorlesky; @browncbc

2019 Grey Cup preview

The 2010s will have 8 different CFL teams with a title. Toronto and Calgary have won 2 Grey Cups each in the decade while Montréal, BC, Saskatchewan, Edmonton, and Ottawa have won a single Grey Cup in the decade. Hamilton (1999) and Winnipeg (1990) will vie to be that last Grey Cup winner in the decade.

Zach Collaros and Simoni Lawrence. Their paths literally collided knocking Collaros out for weeks and Lawrence served a 2-game suspension. They are on opposite sides of the final game of the 2019 CFL season.

Hamilton narrowly defeated Winnipeg at home 23-15 on July 26. Jeremiah Masoli got hurt in that game and Dane Evans took over for the Tiger-Cats. Hamilton had little trouble with the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg 33-13 on September 27.

Neither team has won the Grey Cup in high-definition or on TSN. The 2019 Grey Cup in Calgary will be long-awaited joy to one fan base and yet more tragedy to the other fan base.

ESPN2

Sunday
Hamilton vs. Winnipeg @ Calgary, 6:30p

TSN

Sunday
Hamilton vs. Winnipeg @ Calgary, 6:30p

We know the two teams in the game, but who has the edge at each position?

Let's take a closer look | https://t.co/tkO3f4l59W @Shaw_CFL #RoadtotheGreyCup #GreyCup pic.twitter.com/UO9GOttC41

— CFL (@CFL) November 18, 2019

The 2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers are the first team that isn't a top seed to be in the Grey Cup since 2013 and only the 11th third-place team to reach the Grey Cup. When you hold the top seed in the West without a touchdown, that team can make a lot of history.

"We got down inside the five three times and couldn't score a touchdown. When you play like that, you don't deserve to win," said Saskatchewan quarterback Cody Fajardo. Fajardo went back and forth between comfortable and not-so comfortable with his oblique injury. He only has a single major run and that was late in the game. The Roughriders lacked a bit of imagination in the scoring zone.

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Edmonton chose to take the wind in the 3rd quarter when traditionally done in the 4th quarter. The Esks didn't score in the 3rd quarter with the wind and only 3 points in the 4th quarter.

The Esks had a couple of early turnovers. The Tiger-Cats had all the big offensive plays of the game.

While Edmonton was the third crossover team in the last 4 years to make the East Division final, no crossover team has ever made the Grey Cup.

2019 CFL division finals preview

Orlondo Steinauer has reached the Grey Cup in his first season as a CFL head coach. You might recall that June Jones had willingly stepped aside to let Steinauer be the head coach. Hamilton does owe some gratitude to June Jones and Jerry Glanville. Some American coaches come to Canada and are overwhelmed by the CFL nuances. Jones and Glanville embraced their time in Canada and made the Tiger-Cats better.

Steinauer played in three Grey Cups, winning twice in 1999 and 2004. The 1999 game was the last time the Tiger-Cats were CFL champions.

Mike O’Shea is also in his first Grey Cup as a coach. O’Shea won 3 Grey Cups as a player with Toronto.

Steinauer and O'Shea won a Grey Cup in 2012 as assistant coaches in Toronto: Steinauer as the defensive backs coach and O'Shea as the special teams coordinator.

O'Shea's team defeated teams coached by the Dickenson brothers: Dave with Calgary and Craig with Saskatchewan. Like Steinauer, this was Craig Dickenson's debut season as a CFL head coach.

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Jeremiah Masoli and Matt Nichols might be playing the Grey Cup in their minds as Dane Evans and Zach Collaros are on the field in Calgary. In the year of the backup quarterback, Evans and Collaros took different paths to get to Calgary.

2019 CFL playoffs preview

The NHL chose to move the Hometown Hockey game to nighttime on Grey Cup Sunday. In recent years, the game has been in the afternoon, like with the Super Bowl. The Edmonton Oilers are in Arizona opposite the Grey Cup. Edmonton sports fans would have had a tough dilemma if the Oilers and Esks were playing at the same time.

The Oilers play late on Saturday night and have to fly on Sunday, which is likely why the Oilers have to play at night. The NHL should respect the Grey Cup when making out its schedule.

The Oilers game is on national TV in both countries as the NHL Network will carry the Hometown Hockey game.

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The teams last met in the 1984 Grey Cup where Winnipeg won 47-17 over Hamilton. The 1984 Grey Cup was also the last time Winnipeg represented the West Division in the Grey Cup.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Those who read last week's CFL preview might have thought I predicted a Hamilton-Winnipeg Grey Cup. Not the biggest fan of predictions or speculation — just the idea that all the CFL teams should have recent success.

The current players aren't responsible for the frustration of these long streaks but they will feel it on Sunday. Collaros guided Hamilton to a Grey Cup in 2014.

Despite the recent droughts for Winnipeg and Hamilton, the franchises have been quite successful. Toronto (17) and Edmonton (14) dominate the standings of current teams. Winnipeg is third with 10 and Hamilton tied for fourth with 8 Grey Cup titles.

Calgary (8), Montréal (7), BC (6), Saskatchewan (4), and Ottawa (1) round out the current list. The Ottawa Rough Riders (9) won a lot of Grey Cups but none after 1976.

Hamilton was in the Grey Cup in 2013 and 2014. Winnipeg has had quite a few Grey Cup appearances since 1990 in 1992, 1993, 2001, 2007, and 2011.

Keith Urban will be the halftime entertainment star. The Beaches will play at the Grey Cup kickoff show. The opening festivities also has the Calgary Stampede Showband and a young guest vocalist performing the national anthem.

ESPN2 coverage is scheduled to start at 6 pm Eastern.

CFL crossover games

Year	Team	Result
2019	Edmonton (8-10)	beat Montréal (10-8), lost to Hamilton (15-3)
2018	BC (9-9)	lost to Hamilton (8-10)
2017	Saskatchewan (10-8)	beat Ottawa (8-9-1), then lost to Toronto (9-9)
2016	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Hamilton (7-11), then lost to Ottawa (8-9-1)
2014	BC (9-9)	lost to Montréal (9-9)
2012	Edmonton (7-11)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2009	BC (8-10)	beat Hamilton (9-9), then lost to Montréal (15-3)
2008	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Winnipeg (8-10), then lost to Montréal (11-7)
2005	Saskatchewan (9-9)	lost to Montréal (10-8)
2003	BC (11-7)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2002	Saskatchewan (8-10)	lost to Toronto (8-10)
1997	BC (8-10)	lost to Montréal (13-5)

Twitter capture: @CFL
photo credit: CFL

2019 CFL division finals preview

They started the year on the same roster, now Cody Fajardo (CodyFajardo17) and Zach Collaros (@ZCollaros7) will face each other in the Western Final.

Early Preview | https://t.co/ji81cLVcTk #GCPlayoffs @shaw_cfl #RoadtotheGreyCup pic.twitter.com/FSpJEzAlor

— CFL (@CFL) November 12, 2019

Zach Collaros started 2019 with Saskatchewan. That didn't last long. Now the Roughriders are all that separates Collaros and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from the 2019 Grey Cup in Calgary.

Edmonton became the latest crossover team from the West to advance to the East final in Hamilton. 3 of the last 4 East finals ahve featured a West team. Trevor Harris played in the East final last season for Ottawa and advanced to the Grey Cup against Hamilton.

The road winner theme dominated last week. The home teams have won every division final since 2013. The winners play next week in Calgary in the 2019 Grey Cup.

The U.S. audience will be split with ESPNews handling the East final while ESPN2 has the West final. Both come from the TSN feed.

ESPN2

Sunday
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 4:30p

ESPNews

Sunday
Edmonton @ Hamilton, 1p

TSN

Sunday
Edmonton @ Hamilton, 1p
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 4:30p

Trevor Harris completed his first 22 passes, almost a playoff record. Harris finished 36 of 39 for 421 yards. Former Montréal kicker Sean Whyte went 5-for-5 on field goals.

Harris has had plenty of rest with only his second start since September 7.

Montréal's Mario Alford had a 99-yard kickoff TD return, the third longest in playoff history. Vernon Adams Jr. looked to be in position for a comeback but 2 late interceptions stopped the Alouettes. Adams had a less than stellar line of 14 of 27 for 226 yards and 3 interceptions.

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The third quarter was so bad for Calgary that the Stampeders didn't score and Bo Levi Mitchell had 0 passing yards. Calgary also didn't score in the fourth quarter. Winnipeg scored more points (20) in the fourth quarter than the team did through 3 quarters (15) or Calgary did all game (14).

Collaros and Chris Streveler were the arms and legs, respectively, for the Winnipeg quarterback position. Saskatchewan has an intriguing challenge based on what they did in Calgary.

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Hamilton just edged Edmonton 30-27 on September 20 in the Alberta capital. The Tiger-Cats had an easier time at home with a 42-12 win on October 4.

Edmonton defeated Hamilton in the 2016 East semifinal playoff game.

Every Winnipeg-Saskatchewan game went to the home team. The Roughriders prevailed 19-17 on September 1 and 21-6 on October 5. The Blue Bombers won 35-10 in the Banjo Bowl on September 7.

Winnipeg pulled off a road playoff win last year at Regina 23-18 in the West semifinal.

Though both road teams won last week, the Grey Cup has featured the top seeds since 2014. The 2013 Grey Cup had #2 seeds with Hamilton and Saskatchewan, the #1 seeds in 2019.

Saskatchewan did get the top seed, its first division title since 2009.

The lowlight of the season that didn't have to do with an injured quarterback was the controversial Saskatchewan rain-shortened win over Montréal on August 10. The fans weren't aware of the new rules that gave the Roughriders the win for having a lead after the halfway point of the 3rd quarter.

The Alouettes would have finished in second place in the East even with a win. The Roughriders definitely benefited from the win. That win could be the difference in making the 2019 Grey Cup.

2019 CFL playoffs preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

At the beginning of each season, I teasingly ask for a Hamilton-Winnipeg Grey Cup since they are the teams with the longest Grey Cup droughts. Hamilton hasn't won the Grey Cup since 1999 and the Winnipeg streak goes back to 1990.

The teams were in this situation in 2018 but neither team advanced to the Grey Cup. The other 7 teams have won a Grey Cup in the last decade.

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Davis Sanchez and Mike Benevides got some sideline work. Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor were in Calgary with Rod Black and Duane Forde were in Montréal.

CFL crossover games

Year	Team	Result
2019	Edmonton (8-10)	beat Montréal (10-8), playing Hamilton (15-3)
2018	BC (9-9)	lost to Hamilton (8-10)
2017	Saskatchewan (10-8)	beat Ottawa (8-9-1), then lost to Toronto (9-9)
2016	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Hamilton (7-11), then lost to Ottawa (8-9-1)
2014	BC (9-9)	lost to Montréal (9-9)
2012	Edmonton (7-11)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2009	BC (8-10)	beat Hamilton (9-9), then lost to Montréal (15-3)
2008	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Winnipeg (8-10), then lost to Montréal (11-7)
2005	Saskatchewan (9-9)	lost to Montréal (10-8)
2003	BC (11-7)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2002	Saskatchewan (8-10)	lost to Toronto (8-10)
1997	BC (8-10)	lost to Montréal (13-5)

Twitter capture: @CFL
photo credit: TSN/CFL

2019 CFL playoffs preview

A single point separated Winnipeg and Calgary after 3 games in the regular season. Though the Blue Bombers took 2 out of 3 from the Stampeders, Winnipeg goes on the road for the West Division semifinal in the 2019 CFL playoffs.

Saskatchewan clinched the West with a win at home against Edmonton. The Roughriders get an extra week off.

Edmonton travels to Montréal for yet another crossover game for the East semifinal. The winner travels to Hamilton for the East final.

ESPN2 will have the TSN simulcast for both games in the United States.

ESPN2

Sunday
Edmonton @ Montréal, 1p
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 4:30p

TSN

Sunday
Edmonton @ Montréal, 1p
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 4:30p

The 2019 season marks the 4th in a row and 5 of the last 6 where the crossover is in effect. 2 of the last 3 seasons have seen the crossover team advance to the East final. No crossover team has ever advanced to the Grey Cup. Saskatchewan came very close to doing so in Toronto in 2017.

This year's East semifinal should be inspirational since Edmonton and Montréal missed the playoffs last season. This is the 4th season in a row where there has been a crossover of a West team to the East.

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The Alouettes and Esks split the season series. Edmonton won at home 32-25 on June 14 while Montréal won in La Belle Province 20-10 on July 20. Montréal was 6-3 at home this season while Edmonton has been 3-6 on the road.

Winnipeg edged Calgary at home August 8 26-24. Calgary scored its lone win at home on October 19 37-33. The Blue Bombers won the series with a 29-28 win at home on October 25.

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Montréal got to above .500 with the win in Ottawa. Saskatchewan posted a 10-point win but the game was tied at the 3-minute mark. Hamilton ended up 15-3 (new club record) and a perfect 9-0 at home. The BC Lions went winless in the division this season.

The last week of the season was littered with backup quarterbacks. Isaac Harker (Saskatchewan) got into the mix along with Logan Kilgore (Edmonton), Matthew Shiltz (Montréal), Dominique Davis (Ottawa — original starter), Dakota Prukop (Toronto), Hayden Moore (Hamilton), and Danny O'Brien (BC).

CFL crossover games

Year	Team	Result
2019	Edmonton (8-10)	playing Montréal (10-8)
2018	BC (9-9)	lost to Hamilton (8-10)
2017	Saskatchewan (10-8)	beat Ottawa (8-9-1), then lost to Toronto (9-9)
2016	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Hamilton (7-11), then lost to Ottawa (8-9-1)
2014	BC (9-9)	lost to Montréal (9-9)
2012	Edmonton (7-11)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2009	BC (8-10)	beat Hamilton (9-9), then lost to Montréal (15-3)
2008	Edmonton (10-8)	beat Winnipeg (8-10), then lost to Montréal (11-7)
2005	Saskatchewan (9-9)	lost to Montréal (10-8)
2003	BC (11-7)	lost to Toronto (9-9)
2002	Saskatchewan (8-10)	lost to Toronto (8-10)
1997	BC (8-10)	lost to Montréal (13-5)

Jeremiah Masoli and Matt Nichols won't be there. Zach Collaros, who has gone from Saskatchewan to Toronto to Winnipeg, is in the playoffs along with Chris Streveler. Trevor Harris was gone for awhile but returned just before the playoffs.

In the year of the backup quarterback, Dane Evans, Chris Streveler, Vernon Adams Jr., and Cody Fajardo want to be that backup quarterback that leads the team to a 2019 Grey Cup win.

Team	Total	Home	Road
Edmonton	6	4	2
Toronto	5	3	2
Montréal	5	1	4
Ottawa	5	1	4
Winnipeg	4	1	3
Hamilton	3	3	0
BC	3	2	1
Calgary	3	2	1
Saskatchewan	0	0	0

The CFL on ESPN schedule was remarkably stable with a full schedule that didn't deviate in the slightest.

There were 17 telecasts, same as in 2018. The ESPN family had more post-Labour Day games with 4 as opposed to 2 in 2018: 6 in June, 3 in July, 4 in August, 1 in September, and 3 in October.

The 6th best team led the way with 6 telecasts. Toronto and Ottawa, 2 teams not making the playoffs tied Montréal with 5. The huge mistake was not having Saskatchewan for a single game. The West final will be the first time the Roughriders are on U.S. TV. Mosaic Stadium got on U.S. TV with the Heritage Classic before Saskatchewan got on TV.

Every CFL field, including Moncton, got on TV except for Mosaic Stadium.

June 14 Montréal @ Edmonton, 9p ESPN2
June 15 Ottawa @ Calgary, 7p ESPNews
June 15 Winnipeg @ BC, 10p ESPN2
June 21 BC @ Edmonton, 9p ESPN2
June 27 Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 8:30p ESPN2
June 28 Montréal @ Hamilton, 7:30p ESPN2
July 13 Montréal @ Ottawa, 4p / Calgary @ Hamilton, 7p ESPN2
July 18 Toronto @ Calgary, 9p ESPN2
August 1 Winnipeg @ Toronto, 7p ESPN2
August 9 Ottawa @ Edmonton, 10p ESPN2
August 23 Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 9p ESPN2
August 25 Montréal @ Toronto (Moncton), Noon ESPNews
September 13 Ottawa @ BC, 10p ESPN2
October 4 Edmonton @ Hamilton, 7p ESPN2
October 11 Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p ESPNews
October 18 Toronto @ Montréal, 7p ESPNews

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

2 of the 3 coaches not in the playoffs won't be returning to their team. Rick Campbell agreed to leave as the Ottawa coach while the BC Lions fired Devon Claybrooks after a single season.

Campbell is the only head coach in the history of the Ottawa RedBlacks. He coached there for 6 seasons.

Campbell and Claybrooks may not have to sit out for too long. Claybrooks would be high in demand for a defensive coordinator position. Campbell could be a good fit at other franchises. Toronto will look into the status of head coach Corey Chamblin, who is still the coach for the moment.

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Chris Cuthbert pulled double duty in the final week, working with Duane Forde in Ottawa on Friday and Glen Suitor in Vancouver late on Saturday.

Dustin Nielson (game #7) worked with Matt Dunigan in Regina. Rod Black and Duane Forde were reunited in Hamilton on Saturday. Nielson was scheduled to work 8 regular season games this season.

logo credit: CFL

2019 CFL Week 21 preview

Halloween is done but the CFL tricks aren't done yet. The two most East teams finish the season in Canada's capital on Friday Night Football.

Edmonton and Saskatchewan don't change dance partners as the teams are in Regina to start the Saturday tripleheader. The Battle of southern Ontario reaches a conclusion with Toronto at Tim Hortons Field. Calgary goes to Vancouver for the final regular season game. The Stampeders may know their fate before kickoff.

Winnipeg has no more mysteries to figure out and gets an extra bye week for the playoffs.

TSN

Friday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p
Saturday
Edmonton @ Saskatchewan, 4p
Toronto @ Hamilton, 7p
Calgary @ BC, 10p

Bye week: Winnipeg

Zach Collaros did a lot with a little, a tradition set by Winnipeg quarterbacks. Collaros took a few hits, had a scramble where Jeremiah Masoli would have been proud and threw a TD pass on that play.

The game was going to be close so a key turning point was Janarion Grant returning a missed extra point conversion for 122 yards. The 3-point conversion (1 not for Calgary and 2 for Winnipeg) proved crucial in a 1-point win.

Winnipeg took the season series with Calgary on the Justin Medlock winning field goal. The win helped Saskatchewan, the team where Collaros started 2019. The Blue Bombers get an extra week off before the playoffs. Winnipeg would host Calgary in the West semifinals if the Stampeders somehow lose to BC.

Calgary and Winnipeg will make for an excellent playoff matchup. The teams played 3 games and the point differential was Calgary +1 even though the Stampeders lost 2 of 3 games.

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Cody Fajardo has come a long way as the Saskatchewan quarterback. The game-winning drive against Edmonton was frosting on top of frosting. The Roughriders in a must-win were down 14-0 and 17-7 to the Esks. Edmonton came from behind to tie the game before the Fajardo-led drive for the winning field goal.

Sean Whyte had his 25 straight field goal streak come to an end for Edmonton.

Trevor Harris made his return for Edmonton at quarterback. The Esks have a rough road away and far from home starting next week in Montréal.

Andrew Harris passed Normie Kwong for the all-time rushing total by a Canadian running back. Then again, Kwong's rushing yards weren't tracked in 1948-1949 at the beginning of his CFL career. 

Harris finished the game with 9,038 yards as compared to 9,022 for Kwong. 

The feat is still rather remarkable. Harris now ranks 8th all-time in CFL history. 

Harris passed former Montreal receiver Ben Cahoon (13,368 yards) earlier this season to become the all-time leader in scrimmage yards among Canadians.

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Matthew Shiltz played most of the game for Montréal replacing Vernon Adams Jr. in the second quarter. The Alouettes strategy against Hamilton is an intriguing one, though Montréal had a trick play on its first offensive play.

The Alouettes might try the same strategy this week in Ottawa. Montréal would like to finish 10-8 as opposed to 9-9. If Edmonton wins and Montréal loses, both teams will be 9-9. Montréal is the host city regardless in the crossover.

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Toronto has clinched 3rd place in the East. The Argonauts are a game up on Ottawa. Toronto won all 3 games with the RedBlacks.

Toronto has 4 victories: a win over Winnipeg and 3 over Ottawa.

Ottawa beat Calgary and Saskatchewan to start the season, then beat Montréal in overtime on August 2. That was over a month before Canada election 2019 was called, then there was an election cycle, and the aftermath of the election.

The most rare sight in the CFL — a Canadian quarterback — was spotted for Toronto against Ottawa. Michael O’Connor was the third quarterback for the Argonauts, going 5-9 for 61 yards and a TD pass.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Playoff scenarios are pretty straightforward.

Saskatchewan win or tie OR Saskatchewan loss and Calgary loss — Saskatchewan is the West Division winner

Calgary win AND Saskatchewan loss — Calgary is the West Division winner

Calgary win or tie — a home playoff game

Calgary loss — Calgary travels to Winnipeg for West semifinal

Winnipeg needs a Calgary loss to have a home playoff game. Otherwise, the Blue Bombers finish 3rd.

Someone on the TSN telecast noted why the fight for the top spots in the West is crucial:

• Home records: SSK 7-1 CGY 7-2 WPG 8-1
• Road records: SSK 5-4 CGY 4-4 WPG 3-6

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Dustin Nielson (game #6) hung out with Matt Dunigan in Montréal. Gord Miller (game #3) worked with Duane Forde in Toronto. Miller has drawn Ottawa in every game but this was his first 2019 game not in Ottawa. Rod Black covered the Skate Canada International this past weekend in Kelowna, BC.

Sara Orlesky, who is normally on the field for Winnipeg home games, was also in Kelowna. Claire Hanna filled in for Orlesky in Winnipeg.

Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor made the west their home Friday night in Winnipeg and Saturday evening in Edmonton.

photo credit: TSN/CFL

2019 CFL Week 20 preview

Calgary and Winnipeg just played each other in Calgary and will battle again this week in Winnipeg. They literally were the last CFL teams on the field last week and the first teams this week with the lone Friday game.

The Saturday tripleheader features all your favourite East teams in the first 2 games. Hamilton goes to Montréal in a rare Saturday afternoon game in Quebec. Ottawa doesn't travel too far with a trip to Toronto. The tripleheader ends with the green uniforms as Saskatchewan is in Edmonton.

BC enjoys really nice fall weather in Vancouver.

TSN

Friday
Calgary @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Saturday
Hamilton @ Montréal, 1p
Ottawa @ Toronto, 4p
Saskatchewan @ Edmonton, 7p

Bye week: BC

Even the fans were exhausted watching the Calgary-Winnipeg game. A game that meant everything was played that way.

Calgary truly outlasted Winnipeg, scoring a touchdown as opposed to a Blue Bombers field goal after the teams were tied at 30.

The Stampeders might have had it because they were at home or Chris Streveler's ankle struggles. Winnipeg used Sean McGuire and not Zach Collaros in place of Streveler.

Reggie Begelton scored 3 touchdowns in the Calgary win.

Calgary and Winnipeg play for the second week in a row on Friday. Zach Collaros starts at QB for Winnipeg. The cities will also battle Saturday night on the CFL field in Regina for the NHL Heritage Classic. The CFL tripleheader will lead into the Heritage Classic. Take plenty of bathroom breaks.

2019 Heritage Classic preview: NHL comes to Regina

Here are the paths to the 2019 West Division title:

Calgary (11-5) controls its own destiny. Win 2 and win the West. A Calgary loss is okay if Saskatchewan also loses.
Saskatchewan (11-5) sweeps Edmonton and needs a Calgary loss.
Winnipeg (10-7) needs a win, a Calgary loss in Vancouver, and 2 Saskatchewan losses and still won't clinch the West.

Calgary has the tiebreaker with Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan has the tiebreaker with Winnipeg. The Calgary-Winnipeg winner this week gets the tiebreaker. If somehow the Stampeders and Blue Bombers tie, Calgary gets the tiebreaker with a 2-point differential in the mutual games.

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The 2019 Hamilton set a franchise record with 13 regular-season wins. The previous record had been 12 in 1989 and 1998.

The Redblacks had been dominant at Tim Hortons Field. Ottawa had won 5 straight in Hamilton and hadn't lost since 2014.

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Montréal wanted to stay healthy. Toronto wanted an upset. The Alouettes disappeared in the third quarter but found enough to catch the Argonauts.

The Alouettes are now 9-7. A win or tie gives Montréal a winning record.

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The only guarantee from the Saskatchewan win over BC was that the Roughriders couldn't fall into the crossover path. Edmonton will be in Montréal on November 10 in the East semifinal. Not much drama there.

Danny O'Brien did okay in his first CFL start for the Lions. Saskatchewan got off to a rough start but eventually outlasted BC in Vancouver.

The Lions can influence the West positioning with an upset over Calgary next week.

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Brett Maher has spent most of his kicking career in the CFL but has been with the Dallas Cowboys. Maher was big in the news for hitting a 63-yard field goal for Dallas against Philadelphia on Sunday night.

The 63 yards is one yard off the NFL record of 64. Maher has hit 2 field goals from 60 yards and beyond this season, hit a 62-yard field goal against the New York Jets the previous week. He now has 3 overall in his career, a new NFL record. Maher had a 62-yard field goal also against Philadelphia last season.

Maher was in camp in the preseason in Winnipeg in 2014 but got released. Maher went to the new Ottawa RedBlacks and kicked and punted for the team in 2014-2015 and 2017. Maher played for Hamilton in 2016.

Paul McCallum has the CFL record at 62 yards for Saskatchewan on October 27, 2001 at the old Taylor Field. Maher's best CFL mark was 58 yards on October 1, 2016 at Tim Hortons Field.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Black and Duane Forde stayed east in Montréal on Friday and Hamilton on Saturday. Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor handled the west in Vancouver on Friday and Calgary on Saturday.

Davis Sanchez filled in for Milt Stegall on the CFL on TSN panel.

2019 CFL Week 19 preview

The CFL players get to run off their Canadian Thanksgiving dinners with intra-division battles this week.

Toronto hasn't seen Montréal since the 2019 Touchdown Atlantic adventure in Moncton. This week, they are in Montréal on Friday on the final U.S. TV game of the regular season on ESPNews. Saskatchewan goes all the way west to Vancouver late on Friday.

Ottawa goes to Hamilton in what has been traditionally the best of the East battle late Saturday afternoon. Winnipeg in Calgary in prime time in the East on Saturday could be the best matchup on the schedule.

Edmonton takes a breather this week.

ESPNews

Friday
Toronto @ Montréal, 7p

TSN

Friday
Toronto @ Montréal, 7p
Saskatchewan @ BC, 10p
Saturday
Ottawa @ Hamilton, 4p
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 7p

Bye week: Edmonton

Winnipeg got some revenge on Saturday over Montréal. The defence played havoc for Vernon Adams Jr.'s line of vision. Chris Streveler and Andrew Harris carried the Winnipeg offence on the ground. The snow muted the Winnipeg celebrations.

The win snapped the Blue Bombers 3-game losing streak.

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S.J. Green went over the 10,000 receiving yards mark Friday night at home in Toronto against Ottawa. Most of those yards came with Montréal, some of them with Anthony Calvillo. Green also went past 700 CFL catches.

Will Arndt has an inconsistent debut as the Ottawa starting quarterback.

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Mike Reilly was the last of the starters to stay healthy. Reilly suffered a fractured left wrist early in the game in Edmonton.

The Lions signed Canadian QB Brandon Bridge. Can't believe the number of teams and scenarios that ignored what Bridge could bring to their teams. Perhaps this will be an audition to show what Bridge can do. Danny O'Brien will also be in the BC mix.

No Canadian football on Thanksgiving Monday makes the #CFL turkeys 🦃 https://t.co/wCFyup8gkY (Edit by @TaylorCurrieSK) pic.twitter.com/mcQ7QwoJwt

— Justin Dunk (@JDunk12) October 14, 2019

The CFL and CFLPA needs to fix this. No Thanksgiving games. No word on why they are not there. Turkeys, indeed.

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The CFL insists on overlapping games in doubleheaders, especially on Thursday and Friday nights. If you stuck with the early game in Toronto on Friday, you missed a bad bounce on a punt where Calgary recovered for a touchdown, and then a huge Saskatchewan interception for a Pick 6. The late game started on TSN1 in Canada.

Calgary gave Saskatchewan its second loss in the last 11 games. The Stampeders are tough at home and has the tiebreaker over the Roughriders.

These teams might meet again in the West final, which might be in Calgary as well.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Hamilton clinches the East with the Montréal loss. The Tiger-Cats get the bye and will host the East final. The Alouettes will host the crossover team. That crossover team is almost certain to be Edmonton. A Saskatchewan win or an Edmonton loss will send the Esks to Montréal. Saskatchewan plays Edmonton home-and-home the last 2 weeks.

Calgary has the tiebreaker over Saskatchewan, which has the tiebreaker over Winnipeg. The Blue Bombers are ½ game behind Calgary and Saskatchewan; the latter has an additional game with the BC Lions. Winnipeg's final 2 games are with Calgary; the Blue Bombers have a 1-0 advantage over Calgary.

This compels Saskatchewan fans to root for Winnipeg down the stretch. That should prove intriguing.

The CFL will have a crossover for a record 4 years in a row. Edmonton, Saskatchewan, and BC have crossed over the last 3 seasons. Edmonton (2016) and Saskatchewan (2017) won their semifinal game. No CFL team has advanced to the Grey Cup as a crossover team.

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ESPN feeds the U.S. audience another useless East game. Better to have games on TV than no games at all. Winnipeg-Calgary would be great on TV but U.S. fans will have to settle for ESPN+.

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Rod Black and Henry Burris stayed awake in Toronto Friday night. Black made his way through the snow to Winnipeg on Saturday working with Duane Forde.

Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor lived, ate, and breathed Alberta with stops in Calgary on Friday and Edmonton on Saturday.

Mike Benevides and Davis Sanchez helped out on the CFL on TSN panel as Matt Dunigan had Friday night off and Burris took Saturday off.

Twitter capture: @JDunk12

2019 CFL Week 18 preview

Welcome to Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. For the first time that anyone can remember, the CFL gives football fans, players, and broadcasters a football-free Canadian Thanksgiving. You can tape the games and watch them on Monday, but that won't be the same.

The teams don't have to travel far this weekend. The Friday doubleheader starts with the Battle of eastern Ontario in Toronto on ESPNews. Saskatchewan visits nearby Calgary in the nightcap.

Saturday has the longest trip as Montréal goes west but only as far as Winnipeg. The BC Lions cross the Canadian Rockies into Edmonton in the early evening local start. The Esks need a win to clinch a playoff spot.

Hamilton gets an early start on turkey and pumpkin pie.

ESPNews

Friday
Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p

TSN

Friday
Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p
Saskatchewan @ Calgary, 9:30p
Saturday
Montréal @ Winnipeg, 4p
BC @ Edmonton, 7p

Bye week: Hamilton

Montréal is back in the playoffs and with a home playoff game for the first time since 2014. The Alouettes looked really sad last season when they thought Johnny Manziel was going to be the hero.

A new coach at the very last minute, the second quarterback they tried, and a resurgent defence have brought the playoffs back to La Belle Province.

Calgary scored 17 points in the first half. The Alouettes defence rose to the occasion, even winning the player of the game with 5 turnovers and 2 sacks.

Khari Jones went for a field goal in a 3rd-and-short encounter late in the game. The safer call paid off thanks to the Alouettes defence.

Calgary suffered its second loss after a bye (13-2) since Bo Levi Mitchell became the starting quarterback.

The Montréal win knocked out Toronto and Ottawa from playoff contention.

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Saskatchewan didn't score much but didn't need to do much against Winnipeg. The Roughriders have the season series and the tiebreaker. After starting 1-3, Saskatchewan has won 9 of the last 10. The only loss was to Winnipeg in the Banjo Bowl. Winnipeg has lost every game since the Banjo Bowl.

Chris Streveler had trouble all day trying to get time to throw for the Blue Bombers.

The Roughriders are now in the top spot in the West.

Michael Clemons aka Pinball is the new Toronto Argonauts general manager, Jim Popp will help out ownership through the end of the calendar year. Popp has been a general manager in the CFL since 1995. John Murphy was named vice president of player personnel.

Pinball and the Toronto Argonauts have a long history. Clemons won 3 Grey Cups as a player, had 2 terms as head coach with a 2004 Grey Cup win. He has also been team president, chief executive officer, and vice chair since May 2009.

Popp's contract was going to expire at the end of the season.

Jim Popp had an impressive run in the CFL. A general manager since 1995, Popp's teams have gone to 11 Grey Cups and won 5 of them (Baltimore, Montréal [3], Toronto). Popp has had 4 different stints as Montréal head coach. 

Things did not work out well in Toronto, despite the 2017 Grey Cup win. With a bit of time and distance, Popp will contribute again to the CFL.

Then again, Popp had a 1-year extension lined up for quarterback Zach Collaros, who has been injured for most of the season after a vicious hit by Simoni Lawrence in the first CFL game of the season.

The new Argonauts management dealt Collaros to Winnipeg with a 2020 5th-round draft pick. Toronto gets back a 2020 3rd-round draft pick and a conditional 1st-round pick as early as 2020 if Collaros re-signs with Winnipeg.

Toronto originally acquired Collaros from Saskatchewan for a conditional 4th-round pick

Collaros has reportedly been cleared to play. This might be the last time we see Collaros in the CFL with his injury track record. Winnipeg needed a good backup quarterback with Matt Nichols out for the season. Chris Streveler remains the Blue Bombers starting quarterback.

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Tyrell Sutton is making a great Hamilton offence even better. The running game becomes crucial as the weather turns colder. Dane Evans gets better with a strong running game.

The Tiger-Cats looked inspired by members of the 1999 Hamilton squad, the last Tiger-Cats team to win the Grey Cup.

Logan Kilgore had a solid game for Edmonton, but those numbers didn't translate to points. The Esks are below .500 but are almost certainly going to the playoffs.

Hamilton tied its franchise mark (12 wins) and is now 7-0 at home. Tiger-Cats finish the schedule at Tim Hortons Field with Ottawa and Toronto.

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You might have thought there was no reason to watch the Toronto Argonauts in Vancouver. BC Lions fans and curious onlookers were very intrigued.

Mike Reilly had 5 TD passes. Danny O'Brien had plenty of time in the game.

Giving up 55 points means a bad game. Getting almost shut out means a bad game. The Argos scored with 6 seconds left in the game. As Mike Benevides said on the panel, the Toronto Argonauts have won 7 games in 2 seasons since winning the 2017 Grey Cup (the Argos have only won 6 games). The Pinball Clemons timing is quite good.

The BC Lions hadn't posted a shutout since a 30-0 whitewash versus Toronto on August 23, 1977. The Lions in those days played outdoors at Empire Stadium.

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Will Arndt is the latest of a very long list of quarterbacks to start a CFL game this season. Ottawa had a bye and settled on Arndt to start against Toronto. Arndt has had some mop-up work this season and has been with the team since late in 2017.

Jonathon Jennings will serve as the backup. Dominique Davis is injured and will not dress.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Hamilton clinched a tie for the top spot in the East over Montréal. Edmonton clinched a tie for a playoff spot over BC.

The West playoff positioning will continue to shuffle. Calgary and Winnipeg still have 2 games with each other. Same goes for Saskatchewan and Edmonton. Calgary and Saskatchewan have their final game against each other tonight.

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Chris Cuthbert hung out with Henry Burris in Hamilton and added some extra kilometres with a trip to Vancouver with Glen Suitor.

Dustin Nielson covered the Calgary game in Montréal with Matt Dunigan. Rod Black and Duane Forde got the gift of covering the game in Regina.

Mike Benvides filled in on the CFL on TSN panel for Burris on Friday and Davis Sanchez on Saturday. Benevides has done well in short spurts. The coach factor hasn't been a part of the panel so his perspective in intriguing.

Burris is learning the analyst role in limited form. He is more vibrant in the booth than in the studio. Burris is improving in the role but not getting regular work will limit that progress.

photo credit: Toronto Argonauts

2019 CFL Week 17 preview

ESPN2 is back with Friday Night Football, starting out as Edmonton stays out east, this time traveling to Hamilton.

The Saturday tripleheader starts with rested Calgary in La Belle Province. The prairie teams battle to determine the tiebreaker winner as Winnipeg travels to Saskatchewan. This is the first divisional game in almost a month in the CFL. The BC Lions remain at home and welcome another East team, the Toronto Argonauts.

Ottawa enjoys a crisp fall weekend.

ESPN2

Friday
Edmonton @ Hamilton, 7p

TSN

Friday
Edmonton @ Hamilton, 7p
Saturday
Calgary @ Montréal, 4p
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 7p
Toronto @ BC, 10p

Bye week: Ottawa

Winnipeg and Hamilton were the last teams to be undefeated at home at 6-0. Fitting that Hamilton would give the Blue Bombers their first loss at home. Saskatchewan is 6-1 at home as well.

The Tiger-Cats kept pace with Winnipeg's opening major, which was the Blue Bombers highlight.

Dane Evans found throwing deep passes to be relatively easy against the Winnipeg defence.

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Ottawa juggled Dominique Davis and Jonathon Jennings at quarterback in the first half. That didn't work out too well for the RedBlacks. Davis got Ottawa back into the game with a FG and a TD after going 58 drives without a major. Davis came out of the game with an injury with Jennings finishing the game.

Logan Kilgore didn't get Edmonton going until the 4th quarter with a pair of TDs, the latter just after the 3-minute mark.

The final play involved Kilgore throwing a pass behind him to his own end zone to give up a safety. Won't see that in the NFL.

The RedBlacks have a week off to decide the quarterback situation.

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James Franklin, who hadn't started since Canada Day, might have been in a showcase for teams to acquire the Toronto quarterback at the CFL trade deadline. Franklin got an inconclusive grade.

Cody Fajardo, who started his CFL career in Toronto, was back in town. Saskatchewan had an easy time in front of a lot of their fans in Toronto. The attendance was all the way up to 12,406, about 3,000 likely rooting for green than double blue.

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Montréal had little chance in Vancouver based on previous experience. The Lions were 17-3 in their last 20 home games against the Alouettes. That said, Montréal seemingly had tied the game at 25 with a Devier Posey 2-point conversion. Posey thought he caught the ball. The replay looked like he caught the ball. The referees initially ruled Posey didn't catch the ball. As we've seen too often, the call stood because the replay wasn't conclusive.

Montréal Coach Khari Jones had an easy call to make: 3rd and 1 from the BC 3-yard line. Kick the field goal and go up by 1. Jones sent in Antonio Pipkin for the short-yardage play. Pipkin fumbled the snap and the ball never reached the first-down marker.

The Als could have gone the easy route and had a lead. Jones did what a lot of us think we would do in that case. A touchdown would have put more pressure on Mike Reilly and the Lions.

The Montréal saving grace is that its second-place status won't suffer much as a result of the loss. Matt Shiltz played better in the second half for the suspended Vernon Adams Jr.

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James Franklin or some other quarterback may be gone by the CFL trade deadline October 9 at 3:59 pm Eastern. As CFL starting quarterbacks keep dropping, having solid backups to backups would seem crucial.

Brandon Bridge was released early in the season by Montréal and has been dormant. While skin colour isn't the issue, being a Canadian quarterback does bring discrimination. Bridge is a run-pass threat; as the weather gets worse, a running quarterback becomes more valuable.

Bridge likely wouldn't find a home in the East with David Watford backing up Dane Evans in Hamilton and Montréal has plenty of quarterbacks. Winnipeg and Edmonton would be ideal destinations for Bridge.

We noted last week that all the stories we saw about Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols never mentioned which shoulder got hurt. The picture above confirms that the throwing shoulder was involved. Nichols had shoulder surgery and is out for the rest of the season.

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Saskatchewan clinched the fourth playoff spot to join Winnipeg, Calgary, and Hamilton.

A Montréal win would have put Montréal and Edmonton in the playoffs before the calendar flipped to October. Wins by the Alouettes and Esks will get them playoff spots. Toronto AND Ottawa losses (Montréal) and BC loss (Edmonton) will also settle the playoff picture.

An Edmonton win or Toronto AND Ottawa losses ensures another CFL crossover. That would be the fourth straight year for a crossover.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The CFL gets an unintentional timing award. Last week's games were mostly in the East or a domed stadium (BC Lions) while Calgary and Regina got snow. Late September snow is fairly common in Western Canada though not as much as they got. 

The game time temperature in Winnipeg was 8° C, which translates into 47° F.

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A lot goes into making a broadcast go smoothly. TSN, and we assume TSN is to blame, will often have silence in the halftime segments. You can hear the music but no audio from the studio. The first half of the game in Vancouver had low volume. The third quarter was completely silent during Montréal's first major.

The American online viewers are paying for ESPN+ above and beyond any cable bills. When you watch the CFL game recap, the volume is just fine. If this is a TSN issue, ESPN needs to speak up.

Back in the saddle with ⁦@GMillerTSN⁩ for the 1st time this season. We start the CFLonTSN triple header in the nations capital w/Edm@Ott 4ET then it’s off to Sask@Tor 7ET & night cap it w/Mtl@BC 10ET. Kickback, BBQ something tasty, grab some cold ones & enjoy! Ready Break pic.twitter.com/1vkbfImBlp

— Matt Dunigan (@MattDuniganTSN) September 28, 2019

Gord Miller and Matt Dunigan together is like the babysitter letting you stay up late and eating lots of popcorn and drinking lots of soft drinks. Miller and Dunigan haven't worked together too much but got a chance to work in Ottawa on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor were in Winnipeg on Friday. Dustin Nielson matched up with Suitor in Vancouver on Saturday. Nielson has now done 4 of his 8 CFL scheduled appearances for the season. Miller now has 2 appearances, both in Ottawa. Rod Black and Duane Forde did their normal routine in Toronto.

Where was Cuthbert on Saturday? Cuthbert could have been in Montréal on TSN5 calling Ottawa Senators preseason hockey. Bryan Mudryk called the game for TSN2/TSN5. Cuthbert probably had a personal function, a life outside of sports. Good for him. CFL and NHL are great but life is more than sports.

Davis Sanchez has become the go-to filling in for Matt Dunigan when tripleheaders are on tap.

photo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @MattDuniganTSN

2019 CFL Week 16 preview

The Saturday tripleheader is back. First, Friday Night Football has the teams with the longest Grey Cup droughts in Winnipeg.

That Saturday tripleheader starts in the late afternoon with games based in Ontario. Edmonton goes to the nation's capital in the late afternoon. Saskatchewan will bring its traveling fans and find plenty of room in Toronto. Montréal ensures a bit of late-night fun as the Alouettes are in Vancouver.

Once again, we have no intra-division games.

Calgary misses out of the fun but will use the rest well.

TSN

Friday
Hamilton @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Saturday
Edmonton @ Ottawa, 4p
Saskatchewan @ Toronto, 7p
Montréal @ BC, 10p

Bye week: Calgary

You know it’s going to be a good game when you got a champ cheering you on 🙌🥎❤️#ToujoursGame #Montréals

Ça ne peut être qu’un bon match quand une championne comme @Bandreescu_ est là pour t’encourager 🙌🥎❤️ pic.twitter.com/O3lZKhN4KC

— Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) September 21, 2019

U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu saw an incredible CFL comeback in Montréal.

There was one of those amazing CFL comebacks on July 27, 2017. Montréal had a solid lead in Winnipeg. Even Rod Black thought the Alouettes were going to win. Montréal was up by 12 points with less than 2 minutes remaining. Andrew Harris scored on literally the last play of the game as the Blue Bombers won 41-40.

I had that deja vu in the opposite direction on Saturday as the Alouettes had a furious comeback in similar fashion for the 38-37 win. The Als scored 2 touchdowns, including a 96-yard TD drive with 6 seconds left on the clock.

Montréal scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. Winnipeg only had a 3rd quarter field goal in the second half. Vernon Adams Jr. finished the game with 488 passing yards and 4 touchdowns.

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Vernon Adams Jr. will sit out the game in Vancouver over a play with Winnipeg's Adam Bighill. The frustration from Adams was unprofessional.

Matthew Shiltz gets the nod over Antonio Pipkin for the Alouettes at quarterback in Vancouver. James Franklin is back to being the starter in Toronto as Saskatchewan comes to town. Dominique Davis and Jonathon Jennings will share time for Ottawa as Edmonton is in the Canadian capital.

Chris Streveler will be the Winnipeg quarterback for the rest of the season. Matt Nichols is undergoing shoulder surgery and will be out for the rest of the season. The intriguing element of the report is that we don't know which shoulder is the injured one for Nichols.

Edmonton moved Trevor Harris to the 6-game injured list, so Logan Kilgore will be starting for awhile.

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Hamilton scored the first 24 points; Edmonton scored the next 24 points. The Tiger-Cats did win the battle of the field goals late in the game with the Lirim Hajrullahu winner off the upright and in for the win.

Logan Kilgore wore #15 on the night Ricky Ray (also #15) was admitted to the Wall of Honour at Commonwealth Stadium. The Esks comeback helped validate Kilgore's performance in place of Trevor Harris.

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Bo Levi Mitchell has never lost to Toronto. The Argos hadn't been home in awhile. The fans knew what was coming.

The Toronto Argonauts are not eager to share attendance figures. We did find out that the last home game drew 9,819 at Toronto. The Hamilton games in Guelph drew a lot more. The Toronto "home" game in Moncton in 2019 didn't draw much more. The "home" game in Fort McMurray, AB in 2015 only drew 4,900.

The Argos will do better in attendance on Saturday since Saskatchewan fans travel well.

The Argos aren't good. BMO Field is a nice setup for the Argos but the fans aren't coming.

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Mike Reilly actually gave way to Danny O'Brien to mop up in a rare BC Lions blowout win. The Lions owned the game in Ottawa as the RedBlacks continue to struggle. Ottawa finished up with Will Arndt at quarterback.

Ottawa did beat Calgary (road) and Saskatchewan (home) to start the season. The RedBlacks last win was August 2 against Montréal.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

This week's Edmonton-Ottawa game may not seem too exciting but is crucial for the crossover. Edmonton has lost 4 in a row but is still 3 games ahead of Ottawa for the crossover with 5 games remaining. The RedBlacks have lost 6 games in a row.

An Esks win puts Edmonton 4 games up with 4 to go, reducing the crossover magic number to 1. The crossover can't happen if the teams are tied.

Hamilton clinched a playoff spot and a home playoff game. Winnipeg and Calgary also clinched playoff spots.

When a controversy over racism erupts in Canada it happens in the most Canadian way possible. pic.twitter.com/zAnca5cGdN

— Jim Jefferies Show (@jefferiesshow) September 25, 2019

We have a long-standing policy of not invoking the full nickname of the Edmonton CFL team. The Jim Jeffries Show on Comedy Central in the United States looked into the issue of the Edmonton nickname.

Jim Jeffries, who is Australian, mentions the more sensitive U.S. nicknames such as the Washington NFL franchise. Jeffries travels to Edmonton as well as northern Canada for the report. There is a lot of well-researched information for a "comedy" show.

The fact that the team URL is edmontonesks.com is a sign that the team knows the nickname has concerns. We have suggested the Edmonton Elks as an alternative.

The Jim Jeffries Show airs in Canada on the CTV Comedy Channel.

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Keith Urban will be the halftime entertainment at the 107th Grey Cup on November 24 in Calgary. While we prefer Canadian entertainers at the Grey Cup halftime show, Urban is a legit country star in a Grey Cup held in southern Alberta. We figure Glen Suitor is very happy with this selection.

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If you watch an Ottawa RedBlacks game in person or on TV, you can't help but notice the large condo building at 1035 Bank Street. One of the condos, not like the others, is up for sale. RedBlacks co-owner Jeff Hunt is putting up his condo (#307) on the market for $2 million.

The condo has a very nice view of the Rideau Canal. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom home has 1,141 square feet of living space and a 1,200-square-foot terrace. There is a hot tub with a privacy screen as well as an outdoor fireplace wall. The outdoor kitchen includes a barbecue, refrigerator, and granite counters as well as an outdoor TV.

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Chris Cuthbert and Duane Forde matched up together in Toronto and Ottawa. Since the week was East-focused and Cuthbert likes doing 2 games in a week, the teams were divided. Dustin Nielson got his 3rd regular season appearance on the CFL on TSN, this time with Glen Suitor in Edmonton. Nielson got to handle the interview with Ricky Ray in the booth.

Rod Black and Matt Dunigan both had fun in Montréal. Cuthbert is clearly an unselfish person, giving Black and Dunigan a great game in a great city. Cuthbert seems to like doing the latest game possible when traveling, sacrificing himself by calling the dog game in Ottawa.

Twitter captures: @MTLAlouettes; @jefferiesshow