Canadian Crossing

2024 CFL Week 17 preview

The Elks wrap up their 2-game set with the Blue Bombers, this time in Winnipeg, to start the Friday night doubleheader. The Ford brothers — Tre Ford at quarterback with Edmonton and Tyrell Ford in the secondary with Winnipeg — won't get to make more memories since McLeod Bethel-Thompson is back as the Edmonton starting QB.

CBS Sports Network has a rare telecast in the second half of the season.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats start up around their bedtime in traveling to Vancouver for the Friday night matchup. The Lions are coming off a bye with no travel, hoping to do better against the other southern Ontario team.

Nathan Rourke gets the start for the Lions at quarterback. This would have been the first time in 2024 that 2 Canadian quarterbacks started in the CFL, except that Ford isn't starting. Bo Levi Mitchell has better memories of BC Place than the rest of the team in this cat battle.

The Ottawa RedBlacks spent its summer playing West teams and gets to relive those times at Saskatchewan in the CTV Saturday afternoon contest. Maybe one of these teams will win, given the tie the last time they played. Given the CTV history, they should refer to the teams as Red Riders and Green Riders.

The Saturday nightcap feels more like Hockey Night in Canada with Montréal in Toronto at the time they normally play in hockey. This contest determines the tiebreaker between the teams, though the Argos can't catch the Alouettes.

Calgary gets to enjoy an early fall weekend, which could supply cool weather, such as single digits Celsius last week.

CBS Sports Network

Friday
Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 8p

CTV

Saturday
Ottawa @ Saskatchewan, 3p

TSN

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

Bye week: Calgary

The tension at McMahon Stadium was thicker than an elk steak (which is a very good local delicacy, medium rare). Saskatchewan had gone 0-6-1 while Calgary had gone 0-5-1. They could tie but what would happen if one of these teams actually won a game?

The Roughriders were struggling with the running game so they signed running back Ryquell (Rock) Armstead, released by Ottawa. Armstead had an incredible debut with 207 rushing yards on 25 carries. Armstead had a balanced attack in each half, as you can see in the above graphic.

The running mark was the best in the CFL since Calgary running back Jon Cornish (Canadian) rushed for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Winnipeg in 2013.

Trevor Harris went 16-for-18 for 248 yards for Saskatchewan.

Backup Calgary quarterback Tommy Stevens had the only major for the Stampeders in the first half with a 69-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. The play came on a short yardage situation, Stevens' specialty for Calgary.

Jake Maier was proficient with 25-for-31 yet only 197 passing yards for the Stampeders. The team did come close in the second half. While Saskatchewan can breathe a bit easier, Calgary's futility continues and with a bye week, the stew only has more time to cook.

The schedule makers place Ottawa in Regina on the CTV game Saturday afternoon. Armstead will get to see some old friends with the RedBlacks.

2024 CFL Week 16 preview

2024 CFL Week 15 preview

The most adamant Montréal Alouettes fan wouldn't call the win over Ottawa anything like An Eye for Beauty | Le règne de la beauté (also the title for the Denys Arcand 2014 Canadian film).

"This felt like a playoff game," said Montréal quarterback Cody Fajardo after the game. "Our defence played incredible, our special teams played awesome and our offence did enough to win the football game. We've just got to clean some things up and I think we're well on our way." Fajardo went 16-for-27 in the air for 226 yards and scored a rushing touchdown.

The Alouettes defence only gave up a 3rd-quarter touchdown to the RedBlacks. Montréal's Dionte Ruffin got a Pick-6 off of Dru Brown for 79 yards for a touchdown.

Ottawa finished up with Jeremiah Masoli after starting quarterback Dru Brown aggravated an ankle injury late in the second quarter. There were a few minor injuries. The linebacker core has been rocked with injuries, especially linebacker Adarius Pickett, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury the previous week.

Brown was 8-for-16 for 69 yards with 2 interceptions. Masoli went 17-for-26 for 218 yards and the lone touchdown for Ottawa.

The RedBlacks took 11 penalties for 137 yards. Ottawa has a 2-game losing streak for the first time this season.

#CFL pic.twitter.com/sEotAAzeqf

— CFL Fans Toronto (@CFLFansToronto) September 21, 2024

Brady Oliveira had been pretty patient in not scoring a rushing touchdown in 2024. The Winnipeg star running back took care of that in Edmonton with 2 rushing touchdowns, finishing with 127 yards on 18 carries. Oliveira now has 1,021 yards on the season.

Tre Ford had a rough time in his return as the Elks starting quarterback with a fumble and 2 interceptions. Ford went 10-for-17 for 131 yards. We did make reference to the twin battle with Winnipeg cornerback Tyrell Ford, who didn't have any interceptions from his brother. The teams do meet on Friday, a rare CBS Sports Network TV appearance in the second half of the season.

Edmonton did get help from Justin Rankin with 157 rushing yards on 14 attempts.

The Elks (5-9) lost for just the second time in 7 games. However, Edmonton has to try and beat the Blue Bombers, the team that has won 10 in a row against the Elks.

The teams got off to a slow start on offence: 3 points (Winnipeg) in the first 35 minutes of the game and a 10-10 tie through 3 quarters.

Not sure I’ve seen worse play calling at the goal line, ever. https://t.co/MrTTiZJ3ui

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) September 21, 2024

Marc Liegghio kicked 6 field goals in all, including the game winner from 48 yards out, to keep some hope in Hamilton for the CFL playoffs. The Ticats swept the season series with the Argonauts for the first time since 2019.

Those field goals came in great part because of the play calling in the red zone. For those whining about the rouge in the last few minutes of a CFL game, a Liegghio miss would have tied the game at 31.

Lirim Hajrullahu's 28-yard field goal put Toronto up 31-30 with 56 seconds on the clock.

Hamilton starter Bo Levi Mitchell is now 15-2 in his career against Toronto, finishing 31-for-40 for 362 yards and a touchdown.

Oop 🫣 pic.twitter.com/IRnhuf9W7F

— Kristina Costabile (@kcostabile1) September 20, 2024

No fan base is as loud and proud in a road contest as Hamilton fans are in Toronto. The Tiger-Cats helped the Argos draw a crowd of 18,210 at BMO Field on a Friday night.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the only current CFL franchise to have never won a Grey Cup in the 21st century, winning the title in 1999.

2024 CFL Week 14 preview: Revenge games

2024 CFL Week 13 preview: Touchdown Pacific comes to Victoria, BC

Montréal clinched a home playoff game with a win over the RedBlacks. The Alouettes technically did this with a Hamilton win over the Toronto Argonauts. Montréal (11-2-1) has a 3-game lead on Ottawa (8-5-1) and the Argos can't catch the Alouettes.

Montréal is undefeated on the road with a trip to Toronto (7-7), a tough place to play. Hamilton is 5-9 yet 3-0 against Toronto. The Tiger-Cats are 2 games behind Toronto with 4 to play with the tiebreaker. Hamilton plays 3 West teams down the stretch while Toronto plays 2 West teams.

The RedBlacks can clinch a playoff berth with a win or losses from Hamilton and Edmonton.

Winnipeg (8-6) is in rather good shape in the driver's seat in the West. The Blue Bombers have the tiebreaker with every division team except for Edmonton and have a +13 going into the other game tonight. The Blue Bombers need a win for a playoff spot. Winnipeg has made the playoffs 7 years in a row.

The BC Lions (7-7) have a ½ game edge on Saskatchewan (6-7-1), which snapped a 7-game winless streak in defeating Calgary.

The 2 Alberta teams are below the playoffs line with tough losses last week. Edmonton (5-9) travels to Winnipeg, winners of 6 in a row, while Calgary (4-9-1) gets to reflect on the CFL equivalent of an early golf season in the NHL (skiing?).

Dave Naylor discusses the potential for a first-time East team as a crossover to the West.

The Canadian Football League’s nine member clubs will proudly wear Indigenous-designed logos to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation during its Week 17 slate of games: https://t.co/kXAqEbtniD

— CFL on TSN (@CFLonTSN) September 23, 2024

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is Monday, September 30. We have seen the CFL step up in recent years with Indigenous logo designs created by Indigenous people.

Calgary has the week off but the Stampeders wore theirs 2 weeks ago when hosting Montréal.

A first look at gameday inside Northwestern’s temporary lakefront football stadium 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/1RfphV9vZZ

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 31, 2024

We haven't and won't give up on the Atlantic Schooners as a 10th team in the CFL. We noted Northwestern University's new temporary football field that is about as close to the water (Lake Michigan) as the water is to the San Francisco Giants ballpark.

The Wildcats are rebuilding their football stadium further inland in Evanston, Illinois. They transformed their practice field and built seats surrounding the field.

The capacity is about 15,000, not much smaller than what is possible in Halifax for the HFX Wanderers FC, the Atlantic Schooners, and possibly the Saint Mary's University Huskies football team. You might recall that Touchdown Atlantic 2023 was placed on the Saint Mary's University campus.

The CFL stadiums in Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, and Winnipeg are tied into university football in those cities.

The Northwestern people made the transition in a matter of months. Admittedly, they had a field in place and just built around that facility. Imagine needing a year to build a nice, permanent facility in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Concerts and other outdoor events can justify the cost.

2024 CFL preview

2024 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Hamilton @ Toronto: Rod Smith/Duane Forde/Matthew Scianitti
Saskatchewan @ Calgary: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Claire Hanna
Montréal @ Ottawa: Marshall Ferguson/Matt Dunigan/Kenzie Lalonde
Winnipeg @ Edmonton: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Ryan Rishaug

The CFL on TSN put their top east crew on the game that seemingly didn't count as much in the CFL standings. There might have been other forces at work, such as not traveling to Ottawa. Speaking of Ottawa, Claire Hanna ended up in Calgary, the only CFL market without a regular TSN sideline person. Kenzie Lalonde made a quick side trip down Highway 417 to Ottawa.

We assume the soundtrack in the car with Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor features a lot of country music going from Calgary to Edmonton.

Jim Barker filled in on the panel for both days while Henoc Muamba came in on Saturday. Paul LaPolice did segments from the studio.

The CFL on CTV game drew decent numbers if you count RDS. The combined total of 548,800 (317,800 CTV and 231,000 RDS) was stronger than either of the Friday night games. [Hamilton at Toronto — 431,600; Saskatchewan at Calgary — 452,600].

The battle of the Ford brothers — Winnipeg at Edmonton — drew the best crowd at 640,800.

The true measurement comes for the playoffs when CTV and TSN carry the East playoff games and the Grey Cup.

logo credit: CFL
photo credit: TSN/CFL
Twitter captures: @CFLFansToronto; @nielsonTSN1260; @kcostabile1; @CFLonTSN; @FOS

2024 CFL Week 16 preview

The Battle of Southern Ontario finally gets its revenge game with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and their many fans in Toronto. Beating the Argos on Friday night wouldn't be just for fun; Toronto is the target for Hamilton to find out whether they are still in the CFL playoffs chase.

Saskatchewan at Calgary used to be a battle of the Dickenson brothers as head coaches. Craig Dickenson now works as an assist for his brother Dave. This is the first game between these teams, the late game on Friday night. The revenge game in Regina will be the final regular season game in the CFL season.

The Highway 417 rivalry is the CTV game of the week on Saturday. The RedBlacks have a lot of appearances on CTV. Helps that the team is good this year. This game counts more in the standings than we've seen in a long time. We explore playoff considerations further down in the story.

Speaking of first-time battles, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Elks meet for the first time this season, Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium. This marks the first battle of the Ford brothers in 2024: Tre Ford at quarterback with Edmonton and Tyrell Ford in the secondary with Winnipeg. Unlike Saskatchewan and Calgary, this revenge game is next week in Winnipeg.

This is a good weekend for the U.S. viewers to get CFL+ set up since CBS Sports Network takes the weekend off.

The BC Lions get a lovely weekend at home in Vancouver to enjoy late summer and to think about last week's loss.

CTV

Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 3p

TSN

Friday
Hamilton @ Toronto, 7p
Saskatchewan @ Calgary, 9:30p
Saturday
Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 7p

Bye week: BC

Regular readers know we are not betters or into gambling. If you asked your humble narrator to put money on last week's games, the money would have gone on BC, Ottawa, and a convincing Montréal win. Toronto easily downed BC in Vancouver, Hamilton had a convincing home win against Ottawa, and we had a second tie this season, featuring Montréal and Calgary.

The Lions were without David Mackie for short-term running. Then again, the Lions had -1 overall yards in the 1st quarter.

BC and Ottawa had something unusual in common: both teams tried out 2 quarterbacks and neither got too much done. Nathan Rourke and Vernon Adams Jr. for the Lions; Dru Brown and Jeremiah Masoli for the RedBlacks. Cool to see Masoli on the Tim Hortons Field turf after all those years in Hamilton.

2024 CFL Week 15 preview

The Alouettes had a couple of early fumbles, leading to 10 Calgary points. Montréal blocked a punt for a touchdown but that was negated by a roughing the kicker penalty.

We noted that the unbalanced schedule means some teams don't travel to every city. Still, the Argos went 2,505 days since their last road win in Vancouver on November 4, 2017. Toronto hadn't swept the season series with the BC Lions since 2001.

2024 CFL Week 14 preview: Revenge games

There is extra pressure for the Grey Cup host to be in that Grey Cup. The BC Lions hosted in 2011 and won the Grey Cup at BC Place. Vancouver last hosted the game in 2014. We have seen BC play lights out football. Ask Hamilton in Hamilton and Ottawa in Victoria. The team that showed up against Toronto has no chance on any level, playoffs or Grey Cup.

The 2007 CFL season was the last time we saw 2 ties in a season. Since July 2007, every CFL tie has involved either Calgary or Ottawa. Consider that those teams have tied each other twice. This was the first CFL tie for the Alouettes since September 20, 1998 at Hamilton.

2024 CFL Week 13 preview: Touchdown Pacific comes to Victoria, BC

We didn't think AJ Ouellette would be gone this long for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The team signed former Redblacks running back Ryquell Armstead.

Armstead was the CFL's fourth-leading rusher prior to his release. Armstead had 623 rushing yards, 284 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns in 11 games with Ottawa. Amusingly, Ottawa had signed former Roughrider Jamal Morrow as a replacement at running back.

The CFL decided to do something about Saskatchewan defensive tackle Miles Brown after his low hit on Chris Streveler in the Banjo Bowl. The league issued a maximum fine, ½ a game salary.

We are concerned for the quarterbacks of the future Roughriders opponents this season until Brown gets a suspension.

Winnipeg has former Toronto Argos backup QB Bryan Scott and veteran QB Jake Dolegala on the practice roster. The Blue Bombers will be without linebacker Adam Bighill, who had season-ending knee surgery.

2024 CFL Week 12 preview

2024 CFL Week 11 preview

The BC Lions lost out on a chance to take over first place. The Lions (7-7) are ½ game behind Winnipeg (7-6) and don't have the tiebreaker. The bottom 3 teams in the West are Saskatchewan (5-7-1), ½ game ahead of Edmonton (5-8), and 1 game ahead of Calgary (4-8-1). Since the Roughriders and Stampeders could need a tiebreaker, this week's winner (please, no more ties) is in the driver's seat with the final game between the teams on the last day of the season.

A Montréal (10-2-1) win this week against Ottawa (8-4-1) would be huge for the Alouettes. A win would give Montréal a 3-game lead for the East Division and the tiebreaker with the RedBlacks. An Ottawa win would mean the tiebreaker wouldn't get decided until Canadian Thanksgiving (in Montréal) and a 1-game deficit. Ottawa is 6-0-1 at TD Place in 2024 while Montréal hasn't lost on the road this season. The RedBlacks missed on a chance to clinch a playoff spot in Hamilton.

Montréal clinches a home playoff game with a win over the RedBlacks or a Hamilton win over Toronto Argonauts.

Toronto (7-6) gains ½ game on Montréal and extends its lead over a potential crossover from a West team. Hamilton (4-9), even with the win, trails the Argos by 3 games with 5 to play. The Tiger-Cats own that tiebreaker.

An Ottawa win would also get the RedBlacks a winning record, the third time in franchise history (2015, 2018) in the RedBlacks era. You might recall that Ottawa was 8-9-1 in 2016 when the RedBlacks won the Grey Cup.

Admittedly, both Montréal and Ottawa have had gaps in not being in the CFL but the 2 franchises have not been in the playoffs in the same year since 1985.

2024 CFL preview

Rogers bought out Bell's share of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the organisation that owns the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, Toronto Marlies (AHL), and the Toronto Argonauts. This would bring Rogers up to 75% ownership.

MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum, via his holding company Kilmer Sports, owns the other 25%. Canadian pension fund OMERS owning 20% of that (5% overall) of MLSE.

This will not affect Bell's TV deals and sponsorships, including the CFL TV deal.

"The kick hit the scoreboard.... again!"

Official Ben Major gets a chuckle a month after his entertaining call from BC place, the first time Stefan Flintoft hit the score board! #CFLGameDay
📺: @TSN_Sports 🇨🇦 & @CBSSportsNet 🇺🇸⁣
📲: CFL + pic.twitter.com/pgPq0ZWHTk

— CFL (@CFL) September 14, 2024

Same punter (Stefan Flintoft). Same referee (Ben Major). Same giant scoreboard at BC Place. The previous time was at the last BC Lions game in Vancouver.

Punters want lift in their punts to give the cover team time to get down field.

Good Morning from Calgary!!

Stamps looking to find their game but a tough test with Montreal rolling into town!

I’ve got the call with @GlenSuitor & @britdort! pic.twitter.com/ZgAnJ4TdCM

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) September 14, 2024

Dustin Nielson features these fun videos of him walking in the CFL city where he is broadcasting. You can find the videos on his Twitter feed. Nielson mentions in this video that he just landed in Calgary from Vancouver with only 6 hours to kickoff. Your humble narrator finds that intriguing about the time frame involved in calling games on back to back days.

The CFL schedule in the autumn means more doubleheaders and quick turnarounds, especially out west where Nielson and Glen Suitor will be most weekends.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Toronto @ BC: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Shantelle Chand
Ottawa @ Hamilton: Rod Smith/Duane Forde/Matthew Scianitti
Montréal @ Calgary: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Brit Dort

Matthew Scianitti filled in for Kate Beirness on Friday night. Jim Barker was in for Davis Sanchez on the panel. Kate Beirness and the CFL on TSN panel were at Hamilton for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame ceremonies in Hamilton. If you don't know, the Hall of Fame, as such, is within the confines of Tim Hortons Field.

CTV had the Hall of Fame game in Hamilton. The slow start on the over-the-air network got even slower. The Ottawa contest in Hamilton drew 275,000 on Saturday afternoon. The RDS numbers for the Alouettes at night was 291,600 (the Tiger-Cats game was on RDS2). 

The Argos in Vancouver drew the largest English language audience at 438,800.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @CFL; @nielsonTSN1260

2024 NHL preseason schedule

We normally run an elaborate presentation of the NHL preseason schedule. Like our future NHL coverage, this will be on a scaled down basis. 

Kraft Hockeyville 2024 celebrates the winning community of Elliot Lake, Ontario. The game featuring the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins will be at the Sudbury Community Arena in Sudbury, ON (home of Shoresy) on September 29.

Vancouver hosts a preseason game in Abbotsford, BC with the Calgary Flames on September 25.

The Centre Videotron in Quebec City hosts 2 Los Angeles Kings preseason games: Boston on October 3 and Florida on October 5. We miss the days when the Montréal Canadiens would play a preseason game in Quebec City.

Per the city of Elliott Lake, Ont., the Penguins-Senators preseason game awarded to that city for the Kraft Hockeyville promotion on Sept. 29 will be held in Sudbury, Ont.https://t.co/dzrw6Psn0u

— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) July 31, 2024

You can check any last-minute adjustments to the schedule. Here are the relevant NHL preseason games to Canada for the 2024-2025 NHL season (all times Eastern).

September 21

Minnesota @ Winnipeg, 8p

September 22

Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 6p
Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p
Calgary @ Seattle, 10p

September 23

Philadelphia @ Montréal, 7p
Calgary (split squad) @ Edmonton (split squad), 9p
Edmonton (split squad) @ Calgary (split squad), 9p

September 24

New Jersey @ Montréal, 7p
Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p
Seattle @ Vancouver, 10p

September 25

Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 8p
Calgary @ Vancouver, 10p (Abbotsford (BC) Centre)

September 26

Buffalo @ Ottawa, 7p
Montréal @ Toronto, 7p

September 27

Winnipeg @ Minnesota, 8p
Vancouver @ Seattle, 10p

September 28

Toronto @ Montréal, 7p
Seattle @ Edmonton, 9p
Vancouver @ Calgary, 9p

September 29

Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh, 7p (Kraft Hockeyville 2024 from Sudbury (ON) Community Arena)

September 30

Seattle @ Calgary, 9p
Vancouver @ Edmonton, 9p

October 1

Ottawa @ Montréal, 7p

October 2

Calgary @ Winnipeg, 8p
Edmonton @ Seattle, 10p

October 3

Boston @ Los Angeles, 7p (Videotron Centre in Quebec City)
Toronto @ Detroit, 7p

October 4

Ottawa @ Detroit, 7p
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 9p
Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p

October 5

Detroit @ Toronto, 7p
Florida @ Los Angeles, 7p (Videotron Centre in Quebec City)
Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p

Edmonton Oilers fell short of the dream of winning the Stanley Cup

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The NHL Network in the United States will have live and tape delayed telecasts of NHL preseason games. ESPN+ has live NHL preseason games, subject to local blackouts. Rogers Sportsnet and TSN feeds provide potential Canadian coverage of those games. Knowing the Rogers Sportsnet and TSN games aren't as obvious since the U.S. version of the NHL schedule no longer lists Canadian outlets.

The 2023-24 regular season starts October 8 for some U.S. teams and October 9 for Canadian teams.

photo credit: NHL
Twitter capture: @SethRorabaugh

2024 CFL Week 15 preview

The CFL has a lot of momentum coming out of the revenge games weekend. So 3 teams hit a bye week. Sad.

The BC Lions host Toronto to start the week on Friday night. This was the criticism last year where the Lions struggled in Toronto but didn't get a chance to host the Argos. Fun to think about a Toronto team that plays at 10 pm, unlike the Maple Leafs on a Saturday night.

This is the first CFL game in Vancouver since August 18, though there was a home game in Victoria.

The U.S. viewers should make a late night out of this game since this is the only CFL game this week on the CBS Sports Network. Only 3 scheduled TV games after this one, including Canadian Thanksgiving.

Hamilton swept Ottawa last season yet the RedBlacks won the first contest against the Tiger-Cats at home. Ottawa will be at Tim Hortons Field on Saturday afternoon on the CTV game.

The Philpot brothers do the second part of their family reunion, though Tyson (Montréal) is injured for the trip to see Jalen at his home in Calgary on Saturday night. The Stampeders had a considerable lead at Molson Stadium before the Montréal comeback. The Stampeders lost their last 2 home games after starting 4-0 at home while the Alouettes are the league's only undefeated team on the road.

Edmonton, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg get to spend a nice weekend in Western Canada, hopefully without wildfires.

CBS Sports Network

Friday
Toronto @ BC, 10p

CTV

Saturday
Ottawa @ Hamilton, 3p

TSN

Friday
Toronto @ BC, 10p
Saturday
Montréal @ Calgary, 7p

Bye week: Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg

Chris Streveler posts on his instagram this evening that he tore three major knee ligaments in the Banjo Bowl.

He describes it as “a long road to recovery” which will, in all likelihood, omit him from the remainder of the 2024 season, but pledges to return to the field. #Bombers pic.twitter.com/1gV4AZ3Kqb

— Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) September 10, 2024

Miles Brown has had plays that injured 3 CFL quarterbacks in 2024. Difficult to put blame on the hit that hurt Dru Brown (Ottawa). The hit on Zach Collaros (Winnipeg starter) was cheap, late, and not a football play. Chris Streveler (Winnipeg backup) became his 3rd victim in 2024 with crutches after that hit on Saturday.

Perhaps Brown has an allergy to the capital of Manitoba since Brown used to play for Winnipeg. We aren't as concerned as to whether Miles Brown is a "dirty player" and just want the terrible hits to stop. Brown can't hurt any more Winnipeg quarterbacks since the season series is done.

Winnipeg converted a 3rd down play late in the game to kick a field goal to go up 5. Trevor Harris had a chance to snap the Roughriders rough stretch but his final pass landed in the arms of Blue Bombers cornerback Tyrell Ford for a second time.

Winnipeg has won the last 5 Banjo Bowls. The 5-point margin (26-21) was the smallest in that 5-game streak. Saskatchewan started 5-1 yet has gone 0-6-1 since then. The Roughriders would have a playoff spot as of now. Winnipeg won its 5th straight to improve to 7-6.

Former Toronto Argos backup Bryan Scott and Jake Dolegala, late of BC and Saskatchewan, are newly signed contenders for the backup role to replace Streveler. Terry Wilson has been the third-string quarterback.

If Miles Brown had been suspended for the Banjo Bowl, as we wanted, Streveler could walk without crutches.

2024 CFL Week 14 preview: Revenge games

2024 CFL Week 13 preview: Touchdown Pacific comes to Victoria, BC

A pretend conversation with defensive backs Tyrell Ford (Winnipeg) and Damon Webb (Ottawa):

Ford: "I had an amazing day. 2 interceptions. The last one clinched the win for our team. Can you beat that?"

Webb: "I had 2 interceptions. Amazing. Ran both back for a Pick-6. In the first half. The margin of our win was 14 points, which matched what I brought to the game."

Ford: "You had the better day. I am tied with Rolan Milligan Jr. (Saskatchewan) with 6 interceptions, tops in the league."

Webb gets style points for a 98-yard return on the second interception. Chad Kelly had 3 interceptions for Toronto. Dru Brown went 30-for-40 for 348 yards and a touchdown.

This was the first matchup between the Ontario teams that are likely to play in the opening round of the playoffs. The RedBlacks tie likely won't mean a tiebreaker is at stake. When the teams meet in Toronto on October 19, the backups will likely be in play so this was the best test for these teams.

SO NICE, HE DID IT TWICE!

Damon Webb has his second pick 6 of the game.😤

📺: #CFLGameday on @TSN_Sports, @RDSca
📱: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/25dcnHqmDq

— CFL (@CFL) September 7, 2024

Montréal wins 5, loses 1, wins 5, and loses 1. At this rate, the Alouettes will lose the final game of the regular season, which won't matter too much. Both of those losses have come at Percival Molson Stadium.

The Lions with their many air miles felt very comfortable coming off the longest non Atlantic Canada road trip currently available.

Nathan Rourke threw 3 interceptions yet went 22-for-28 for 304 passing yards, adding a TD pass and a run for a major that reminded us of 2022. William Stanback rose to the occasion in his first trip back to La Belle Province. Stanback had 128 rushing yards on 20 carries and 28 receiving yards on 2 catches.

The Alouettes could field an all-star team with injured receivers. Tyson Philpot, Austin Mack, and Kaion Julien-Grant lead that unfortunate list. Philpot is now out for the season.

Good to see a sellout at Stade Molson for a non-division opponent.

2024 CFL Week 12 preview

2024 CFL Week 11 preview

Let's play things that haven't happened to the Calgary Stampeders since 2004!! The team hasn't lost 4 straight games and got swept by Edmonton in the Labour Day series. Both of those happened last week.

Logan Bonner started for Jake Maier as the Calgary quarterback. Bonner threw 5 interceptions, more than Johnny Manziel in his CFL debut (4) for the Alouettes. Though Bonner played the whole game to get those 5 interceptions.

Calgary is still winless at 0-6 on the road, even with its shortest road trip of the season.

Edmonton has 2 strong quarterbacks and 3 solid running backs. Calgary, well, doesn't. If Montréal gets the road win this week, the Stampeders will be a full game in back of the Elks without the tiebreaker.

Good Morning from Winnipeg!

What can I say, Banjo Bowl on CTV!!

I’ve got the call with @GlenSuitor & @JohnLuTSNWpg! pic.twitter.com/BHmP2HK9KN

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) September 7, 2024

Everything lined up for the Banjo Bowl to be huge for the CFL on CTV, 21st century version. The potential for an exciting game in Winnipeg versus the blowout in Ottawa by the time kickoff happened in the Manitoba capital.

Turns out the Banjo Bowl on CTV drew more than 100,000 fewer viewers than last year's Banjo Bowl on TSN. The CTV numbers were 571,000 versus 688,100 for the 2023 Banjo Bowl on TSN.

The Friday night Nathan Rourke show in Montréal drew a combined 701,700 (458,200 TSN; 243,500 RDS). The latest Battle of Alberta in Edmonton drew 488,100 while Toronto in Ottawa had 253,300 viewers.

CTV requires a cable or satellite password to stream. The over-the-air network has stations in Regina and Winnipeg; those outside those cities would need some other way to watch. The 3 pm Eastern starts for the CTV games that were originally 4 pm Eastern starts. The casual fans who didn't pay attention.

The regular season games are CTV exclusives while the postseason games are on CTV and TSN. The idea is to build momentum. There is no more early Saturday afternoon games for the rest of the CTV run. We will follow this ongoing saga.

Thanks to 3 Down Nation for staying on this topic. Let us know in the comments if you had a good or poor experience with accessing the CFL on CTV.

2024 CFL preview

We've written twice this season over the TVA Sports patch on the Montréal Alouettes uniforms. The first time was when we first noticed the patch. The second time was when we thought the patch issue was fixed.

The pattern we see is that the Alouettes wear the TVA Sports patch for home games and have a different patch for the road games.

Montréal Alouettes owner Pierre Karl Péladeau owns TVA Sports. RDS, rival to TVA Sports, has the CFL rights en Francaise as part of Bell Media.

The American mind simply can’t comprehend pre-snap motion pic.twitter.com/DX6igs7gTh

— r/CFL on Reddit (@cfl_reddit) September 12, 2024

2024 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

BC @ Montréal: Rod Smith/Paul LaPolice/Kenzie Lalonde
Toronto @ Ottawa: Marshall Ferguson/Duane Forde/Claire Hanna
Saskatchewan @ Winnipeg: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/John Lu
Calgary @ Edmonton: Rod Smith/Matt Dunigan/Ryan Rishaug

Rod Smith logged in some major miles Toronto to Montréal to Edmonton. Paul LaPolice was in Montréal on Friday and the studio on Saturday. Ryan Rishaug made a rare CFL sideline appearance in Edmonton.

Jim Barker and Henoc Muamba filled in for Davis Sanchez and Matt Dunigan, the latter spending the weekend in Edmonton.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @DarrinBauming; @CFL; @nielsonTSN1260; @cfl_reddit
photo credit: CTV/CFL

2024 CFL Week 14 preview: Revenge games

The BC Lions went from Ottawa to Victoria (Touchdown Pacific) and then back out to Montréal on Friday night. Could be worse if Halifax finally gets a CFL team. This is the anti-climatic start to a weekend of revenge games. Well, a couple of them on Saturday. The revenge games aren't worthy of the CBS Sports Network as the U.S. outlet carries only this game in the CFL weekend.

The Toronto Argonauts switch opponents and travel to the federal capital for the first of the Saturday tripleheader. This is the first Toronto-Ottawa battle of the season and lining up to be a playoff match. This is also the RedBlacks' first game against an East Division opponent since June 30.

The Banjo Bowl (Saskatchewan in Winnipeg) marks the first over-the-air CFL telecast since the 2007 Grey Cup. CTV runs an exclusive Saturday afternoon package in Canada. There will be a significant overlap for the CFL+ fans in the States versus the first game of the day.

The revenge game in the Battle of Alberta completes the tripleheader in Edmonton.

Hamilton has more time to recover from hosting the Labour Day game and posting its second win over Toronto.

CBS Sports Network

Friday
BC @ Montréal, 7:30p

CTV

Saturday
Saskatchewan @ Winnipeg, 3p

TSN

Friday
BC @ Montréal, 7:30p
Saturday
Toronto @ Ottawa, 1p
Calgary @ Edmonton, 7p

Bye week: Hamilton

VICTORIA! Thank you for being such an amazing host for #TouchdownPacific this past weekend 🧡

Re-live the entire TDP experience with this 🔥recap 🎥: @westjet | #BCLIONS pic.twitter.com/r5fTpxs7Nl

— BC LIONS (@BCLions) September 3, 2024

The BC Lions had a lot riding on Touchdown Pacific. Giving the spotlight to Victoria and Vancouver Island. A neutral site game with a home-field advantage. Oh, there was a 5-game losing streak.

Nathan Rourke had his best game since 2022 with 21-for-30 for 325 yards, 3 passing touchdowns and a rushing major along with an interception.

The Lions got William Stanback involved with 93 rushing yards on 20 carries and 6 receptions for 78 yards.

The Ottawa RedBlacks, who had defeated the Lions in Ottawa, had their undefeated streak snapped at 6 (5-0-1). Dru Brown was 21-for-33 for 206 passing yards and a touchdown.

Touchdown Pacific drew a great crowd of 14,727 at Royal Athletic Park, home of the Victoria HarbourCats of the West Coast League (baseball).

There was a bit of a spark about the abrupt end of the interview with Nathan Rourke with Farhan Lalji at the teams went into halftime. We liked things better when both team interviews happened after the teams came back out in the second half. Rourke will learn to talk more in subsequent interviews. The "job's not done" approach should factor in that the interviews are part of the "job."

2024 CFL Week 13 preview: Touchdown Pacific comes to Victoria, BC

WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?!?

Mario Alford muffs the Jamieson Sheahan (@JamSheahan) punt and Nick Hallett (@nhallett21) recovers to retake the lead!#CFL #Bombers #ForTheW
pic.twitter.com/2JgqpdyQlE

— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) September 2, 2024

The Zach Collaros injury shifted the dynamic of the second half of the Labour Day Classic in Regina (more on this below). Saskatchewan had its way through the second half. The Blue Bombers did get 2 field goals in the second half. Too often, leading teams go scoreless in the second half so this was a switch.

Winnipeg's rouge in the first half did make a difference in that Saskatchewan could have gone for a single extra point when scoring the touchdown late in the game.

Willie Jefferson is a physical presence. Watching Jefferson get taken down on the onside kick was a genuine surprise. Brett Lauther came close to hitting a 60-yard field goal at the end that would have been Labour Day Classic legendary.

Both the Roughriders and BC Lions have had tailspins of late. BC found its way for one week. We will see when Saskatchewan does the same.

2024 CFL Week 12 preview

2024 CFL Week 11 preview

The running joke with a bad team is that as long as you beat your rival, the season isn't so bad. Hamilton has 3 wins on the season and 2 of them are against Toronto. The Tiger-Cats have won the season series over the Argonauts.

Bo Levi Mitchell is now 7-0 on Labour Day, 6 of those with Calgary. Mitchell, who finished with 347 passing yards, hadn't played on Labour Day in 5 years. Chad Kelly had his first loss against the Ticats. Hamilton won 10 of the last 13 Labour Day Classics and snapped a 2-game losing streak.

Mitchell connected on the long ball, something we don't see a lot of these days in the CFL. Tim White is good, catching 2 long passes in the 1st quarter. The Ticats defence held the Argos, forcing then to kick 5 field goals, which were better than touchdowns in a close game.

Thanks to the Hamilton fans who brought out signs and had chants about Kelly over the harassment of a now former Argos coach.

On a personal note, the only Labour Day Classic I attended in person was at old Ivor Wynne Stadium where the Hamilton team sold me a ticket to a seat that didn't exist. The fans let me sit there anyway as long as I wasn't rooting for the Double Blue. The only revenge game I saw in person was this rivalry at Rogers Centre. I remember Timmy Chang throwing a few interceptions against Toronto.

2024 CFL Week 10 preview

2024 CFL Week 9 preview

The Calgary Stampeders suffered their second home loss of the season to the archrivals from up north in Edmonton. Unlike the other 2 rivalry games, the Battle of Alberta was one-sided.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 25-for-36 for 486 yards with 2 TD passes to Tevin Jones and another to Eugene Lewis.

The Elks snapped a 2-game losing streak on Labour Day. Edmonton had lost 10 of the last 11 on the holiday.

Peyton Logan had the Stampeders highlight with a punt return for 104 yards for a touchdown. Rene Paredes set a personal record with a 57-yard field goal.

Calgary is 0-5 on the road and headed to Edmonton for the revenge game late on Saturday. The team has a streak of 18 consecutive playoff appearances, 4th-longest in league history. Calgary has lost 3 in a row.

VICTORIA! Thank you for being such an amazing host for #TouchdownPacific this past weekend 🧡

Re-live the entire TDP experience with this 🔥recap 🎥: @westjet | #BCLIONS pic.twitter.com/r5fTpxs7Nl

— BC LIONS (@BCLions) September 3, 2024

More on the CFL Victoria experience.

Zach Collaros is shaken up after a direct hit to the head. Yikes. pic.twitter.com/26TYiZsCZP

— Connor Hrabchak (@ConnorHrabchak1) September 2, 2024

Winnipeg Blue Bombers President Wade Miller and your humble narrator have something in common. Our reaction to a non football hit by Saskatchewan's Miles Brown on Zach Collaros. The pass interference call on this play meant there was no actual punishment for this play. 15 yards is sufficient in most roughing the passer calls. This was beyond terrible.

A penalty box where either the offender sits out for the rest of that quarter and the next quarter. Automatic ejection. Automatic 1-game suspension. A 25-yard penalty chip the other team can use within that quarter, cashing it in to improve field position.

Plays that are not tied into the contact of football deserve a special category.

Brown did receive a fine. The amount of CFL fines are not disclosed.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

Random news and notes:

The Montréal Alouettes clinched a CFL playoffs spot. Exciting yet that seems to be the only certainty for the upcoming playoffs.

Dean Faithfull was the kicker for the Elks instead of Boris Bede. Faithfull missed a 29-yard attempt but otherwise had a good day.

We haven't talked much about the Alouettes kicking situation. José Maltos has filled in well for David Côté. We noticed that Montréal released Canadian kicker Michael Domagala this week. Maybe Edmonton would look in that direction.

By all accounts, Ryquell Armstead has had a successful year on the field as a running back for the Ottawa RedBlacks. The RedBlacks added running back Jamal Morrow to the practice roster while releaseing Armstead. There was the game in Week 8 against Calgary when Armstead was ejected and Ottawa was left without a traditional running back for most of the game.

The criticism of the smaller Saskatchewan crowds earlier in the season had a contrast for the Labour Day Classic, where 33,861 attended, the largest crowd ever at the new Mosaic Stadium. Roughriders fans often travel long distances to Regina and the holiday helped boost the attendance. Thursday night games are more viable in Toronto or Montréal than Regina.

Calgary had 17 days of rest. McLeod Bethel-Thompson complained about too little rest earlier in Edmonton's schedule. The Stampeders felt like a team with rust. Edmonton had a rough stretch at the end of the 2021 season that would have been worse if they had any chance at a CFL playoff spot.

Woah. #CFL #CFLonTSN pic.twitter.com/63l3l3bUxW

— Rider fan (@GreyCupBound) September 3, 2024

We normally don't even blink at the CFL standings in early September. The West Division is very different this season. Edmonton and Winnipeg have 2 games to come. Same for Calgary and Saskatchewan. BC has 2 divisional games left in the whole season. The Roughriders tie is a significant variable. Consider that the top 3 go to the playoffs and 2 of them will go home.

2024 CFL on CTV schedule, all kickoff times ET:

Sept. 7 | SSK at WPG | 3 p.m.
Sept. 14 | OTT at HAM | 3 p.m.
Sept. 21 | MTL at OTT | 3 p.m.
Sept. 28 | OTT at SSK | 3 p.m.
Oct. 12 | EDM at CGY | 3 p.m.
Oct. 19 | OTT at TOR | 3 p.m.
Oct. 26 | WPG at MTL | 3 p.m.
Nov. 2 | Eastern… https://t.co/8U37PsRNg1 pic.twitter.com/3EOIsGmxPW

— Justin Dunk (@JDunk12) June 6, 2024

CTV hasn't carried a CFL game since the end of the 1986 season. The Canadian Football Network (1987-1990) carried games on over-the-air stations. CBC resumed control of the CFL in 1991 and carried its last game in 2007.

CFL commissioner Randy Ambroisie wanted the CFL on CTV for some time, as previous commissioners likely felt the same way.

The setup is similar to what ESPN telecasts on ABC look like as these are TSN productions for CTV. Hoping for some fun graphics or even special blazers for the CTV effort.

The few Americans who have access to a CTV station should be in great shape. Those games should not be blacked out for any reason. As we've noted, none of the CTV games appear on the CBS Sports Network.

We don't know about the streaming options for the CTV games in Canada. Enhanced feeds of the CTV game should be on TSN+.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Ottawa @ BC: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Farhan Lalji
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan: Rod Smith/Paul LaPolice/Brit Dort
Toronto @ Hamilton: Marshall Ferguson/Duane Forde/Matthew Scianitti
Edmonton @ Calgary: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Farhan Lalji

Before the pandemic, the CFL crews were very specific for the 3 major Labour Day weekend games. Touchdown Pacific threw that off. Glen Suitor wasn't in Regina. Dustin Nielson called Touchdown Pacific and the Battle of Alberta. Marshall Ferguson called the Labour Day Classic in Hamilton.

The regular CFL on TSN panel was in place, as in Victoria on Saturday and Hamilton on Monday.

We will be curious as to whether the same PBP and colour crews will stick with the same matchups in the revenge games. This used to be the weekend for Gord Miller and Matt Dunigan, a combo where I would watch them call just about any sport.

TSN had some issues in Victoria with the stuttering transmission. Someone could have said "sorry" for what happened.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @BCLions; @3DownNation; @BCLions; @ConnorHrabchak1; @GreyCupBound; @JDunk12
photo credit: CFL

2024 CFL Week 13 preview: Touchdown Pacific comes to Victoria, BC

Touchdown Pacific kicks off the Labour Day weekend for the CFL on Saturday night. The Ottawa RedBlacks travel to British Columbia to Royal Athletic Park in Victoria instead of BC Place in Vancouver. This game will indeed by on the CBS Sports Network in the United States.

The primary prairie teams have Sunday night to themselves as the Blue Bombers travel to Regina. The teams also met in Week 7 in Regina.

Toronto goes down the Queen Elizabeth Way to Hamilton for the Labour Day game. The teams also met in Week 7 in Hamilton with a rare Ticats win.

Unlike the other 2 major rivalries, this is the first Battle of Alberta in 2024 as the Elks and Stampeders match up in Calgary. This is the Labour Day nightcap.

CBS Sports Network has all the games on Labour Day weekend in the United States.

Montréal enjoys the Labour Day weekend to finish up the summer in La Belle Province.

CBS Sports Network

Saturday
Ottawa @ BC, 7p
Sunday
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 7p
Monday
Toronto @ Hamilton, 2:30p
Edmonton @ Calgary, 6p

TSN

Saturday
Ottawa @ BC, 7p
Sunday
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 7p
Monday
Toronto @ Hamilton, 2:30p
Edmonton @ Calgary, 6p

Bye week: Montréal

Nice to have a special CFL game without the pressure of putting a team in that city. Victoria, BC is hosting a CFL game but there is virtually no way a CFL team will end up in the British Columbia capital.

Victoria is not normally a late night spot downtown after the game but as we noted in our latest travel notebook, the city offers some fun in the evening.

Royal Athletic Park is a short walk away from downtown with a slight elevation going away from downtown. We are thrilled that CBS Sports Network is carrying the game.

We know that BC has quarterback issues, among other things lately. Nathan Rourke is from Victoria and will start the game.

If you are going, enjoy Victoria and then explore Vancouver Island.

Canadian travel notebook: Brittlestar talks up Atlantic Canada

WALK-OFF ROUGE 🚨

Argos only needed a single point to win... and they got it!#CFLGameDay pic.twitter.com/vkvuxF9f5K

— CFL (@CFL) August 23, 2024

The beauty of the CFL is deeper end zones — 20 yards — to give the offence more chances to score. Except that BMO Field in Toronto doesn't have regulation size end zones. They are 18 yards, still larger than puny NFL end zones of 10 yards.

The short end zone cost the Toronto Argonauts in 2019 as Chris Rainey caught the ball after a Sergio Castillo miss but stepped on the back line, giving the BC Lions a narrow win.

Saskatchewan had a strong 1st quarter but 2 quick interceptions helped Toronto back into the game. The Roughriders defence was legendary on the goal line to prevent Argos touchdowns.

Saskatchewan's game management was quizzical at the end. A timeout called with 31 seconds negated a first down reception. The timeout also limited the ability to run out the clock, though a run play would have helped knock off some time off the clock.

Not that the Roughriders wanted another tie but that looked more tempting as Lirim Hajrullahu's missed field goal gave Toronto the win.

Brett Lauther went perfect in field goals in a bounce back week for the Roughriders. Toronto's Chad Kelly went 24-for-39 with 322 passing yards and an interception. That was the most passing yards the Argos had this season in a game.

2024 CFL Week 12 preview

The BC Lions have lost 5 games in a row. Their defence, which had been the pride of the team, has been missing for some time. Dru Brown compiled 390 passing yards with 3 touchdowns. Nick Mardner caught 2 of those touchdowns for 95 overall yards. The big play with a 64-yard TD pass, the majority of which was YAC (yards after catch).

Nathan Rourke was a lot better, going 22-for-31 with 234 passing yards and 1 interception. Sean Whyte had his beautiful 46 consecutive made field goals streak come to an end thanks to a block from Ottawa's Jovan Santos-Knox.

Ottawa remains undefeated at home, something Montréal can't even claim.

The BC Lions could use some help in the past rush. Canadian defensive lineman Mathieu Betts (BC Lions) got his walking papers from the other Lions team, as in Detroit Lions. Betts had 2 solo tackles and a sack in 3 NFL preseason games. While Betts was a CFL free agent, he did return to Vancouver.

2024 CFL Week 11 preview

Before Friday's game in Winnipeg, Zach Collaros had 24 game-winning drives while Bo Levi Mitchell had 21 game-winning drives. The Blue Bombers slept walked through most of the second half while the Tiger-Cats took the lead. Winnipeg had one good drive in the second half, which was enough for the comeback win. Kenny Lawler caught the winning TD pass as he had struggled since returning from injury.

2024 CFL Week 10 preview

The Edmonton Elks had a formula when they lost. Play close but never getting enough momentum. The Elks 3-game winning streak was snapped in a new way: have a big lead and then don't score in the second half. Edmonton had the 17-6 halftime lead. The running game was excellent with Kevin Brown and Justin Rankin. McLeod Bethel-Thompson looked unbeatable. Cody Fajardo did not look like himself.

The magic of the second half led the Alouettes to another comeback win. Cole Spieker had 2 major touchdown catches in the second half: a 33-yard effort over the middle and a 22-yard sideline grab with the sideline running out on Spieker. The receiver finished with 5 catches for 107 yards.

Fajardo ended up with 22-for-34 in the air for 336 yards.

Yes, Boris Bede missed a field goal attempt in the second half on the turf of his original CFL home field. That was as close as the Elks got to productive offence. The Alouettes defence even stopped the Elks running attack.

Montréal celebrated the 1974 Grey Cup championship team. The Als defetaed Edmonton on a rainy day at the old Empire Stadium (pre BC Place) in Vancouver.

Austin Mack seemed destined to be in the NFL. Mack returned to the CFL and got some security with a rare (for non quarterbacks) 4-year contract with the Alouettes.

2024 CFL Week 9 preview

Saskatchewan (5-5-1) has a ½ game lead over Winnipeg and BC (5-6) and 1½ games up on Calgary (4-6).

Winnipeg is 1-4 on the road and Mosaic Stadium should be loud on Sunday. The Roughriders are 1-0 over the Blue Bombers so far.

Calgary is 1½ games ahead of Edmonton. The Stampeders are 4-1 at home while Elks have 2 of their 3 wins on the road.

Toronto is 1-3 on the road while Hamilton is 1-4 at home. Psychologically, this is the best chance Hamilton has to beat Toronto.

Ottawa is 2-2 on the road while BC is 3-1 at home, though the Saturday game is in Victoria.

Here’s the thing that defenders of the rouge fail to admit: the kickers who ‘earn’ the point view it as FAILURE for 59 minutes.
🏈 If a kicker misses a FG he’s disappointed, so is his team.
🏈 If a punter fails to pin the opponent inside the 10 & the ball goes into the endzone,… pic.twitter.com/nl4BrkLQ2m

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) August 23, 2024

Twitter went wild over the way the Saskatchewan-Toronto game ended. Even Farhan Lalji, who is pro-rouge, has some doubts. As a convert who didn't understand all parts of the rouge for a long time, I have an outsider view that embraces all aspects of the rouge. You can be a CFL fan and not like some or all parts of the rouge.

If the reasons you dislike the rouge have to do with gambling or point spreads, I ask calmly to get a nicer hobby. Hug your spouse and/or kids. Take walks in the park during football season. Or just stick to the boring NFL game.

MLB has taken a lot of the fun out of the game. Forced designated hitter in the National League. Constraining many elements of the game. Setting high standards for when a position player can pitch. The fun strategy part of sports. Your humble narrator gravitated to the CFL because of the many points combinations you can get.

Lalji is right in one sense that teams don't think much of the rouge early in the game. Unlike Whose Line Is It Anyway, the points do matter, no matter when they are scored. They might just add up to victory.

Last season, @goelks lost on a rouge in the final minute. Rewarding #BrettLauther for a great kick. Strategy makes @CFL better.

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) August 24, 2024

The Saskatchewan Roughriders fans travel well and hadn't been in Toronto in 4 years. The Canadian National Exhibition was in town so ticket holders got free admission to the Ex. Chad Kelly returned for his first game. The Argos drew 19,327 to BMO Field, the second-largest crowd there since 24,812 attended the Argos' first-ever game on the lakefront.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

An independent arbitrator upheld the CFL’s indefinite suspension of defensive lineman Shawn Lemon for wagering on CFL games. The league suspended Lemon on April 24 over a $100 wager while with Calgary in 2021. The wager involved a game in which he played.

Lemon retired before the suspension and came back during an appeal. He played in 4 games this season with 6 tackles and a sack.

Lemon won a Grey Cup with Montréal in 2023 and played for the Alouettes before losing his appeal. If the Alouettes repeat, would his name go on the Grey Cup again? 

As much as we like Shawn Lemon on the field, we have zero sympathy for his situation. Didn't seem worth what he lost.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Saskatchewan @ Toronto: Rod Smith/Glen Suitor/Matthew Scianitti
Hamilton @ Winnipeg: Dustin Nielson/Duane Forde/John Lu
BC @ Ottawa: Rod Smith/Glen Suitor/Claire Hanna
Edmonton @ Montréal: Marshall Ferguson/Paul LaPolice/Kenzie Lalonde

Glen Suitor got some time out east to get some chemistry with Rod Smith. Maybe Suitor likes the rides in the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. Dustin Nielson and Duane Forde worked together for the first time in 2024. Paul LaPolice is getting games Matt Dunigan would have had this year.

Glad to see Claire Hanna back on the CFL sidelines in Ottawa after her stint calling beach volleyball at the Olympics in Paris.

The CFL on TSN panel went back to 3 people on Sunday. This Sunday is the last one until Grey Cup day.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @CFL; @FarhanLaljiTSN; @canadian_xing
photo credit: TSN/CFL

2024 CFL Week 12 preview

Saskatchewan comes to Toronto, the actual city, for the first time since before the pandemic. The Roughriders fans travel well and they should know that a ticket to see the Argos also gets you into the Canadian National Exhibition.

The Argonauts usually get 2 home games during the CNE but got a bye last week. If you are going to be in Toronto, the CNE runs though September 2.

Saskatchewan hasn't played Toronto in Canada's largest city since September 28, 2019 with a 41-16 over the Argonauts. The Roughriders played the Argonauts in Halifax (2023) and Wolfville, NS (2022) and didn't have a road trip to Toronto in 2021.

The CFL on TSN panel will be on site at BMO Field.

Hamilton gets to relive memories of playing Winnipeg for the Grey Cup (2019 and 2021). Unfortunately for the Tiger-Cats fans, both those tries fell short. Michael O'Shea remembers from the other sideline at Princess Auto Stadium.

CBS Sports Network throws off the algorithm by carrying the Friday night game.

The BC Lions study up on sleeping on planes with the team's second-longest road trip as they go to the federal capital. Ottawa has a much better team and has performed well at TD Place. This is the Saturday game and NOT on CBS Sports Network.

Alouettes GM Danny Maciocia remembers well the yellow and green of the Edmonton franchise. The Elks visit Maciocia's current home of Montréal on Sunday night. CBS Sports Network has this game in the United States.

Calgary gets a chance to rest up for the Battle of Alberta at home at McMahon Stadium.

CBS Sports Network

Friday
Hamilton @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Sunday
Edmonton @ Montréal, 7p

TSN

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

Bye week: Calgary

The spider cam work on this return is phenomenal!

I’m not paying attention to it during the play, obviously, but wow. pic.twitter.com/IGe1dlVfmA

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) August 17, 2024

James Letcher Jr. was in the end zone for Montréal, waiting on a Brett Lauther field goal attempt. This is usually a futile exercise since Lauther usually makes these field goals.

To say Friday night was not Brett Lauther's best night is a sharp understatement. The kick missed wide right and Letcher returned the ball 128 yards for a touchdown.

Lauther won a game for Saskatchewan last year over Edmonton with a kickoff single late in the game. The Roughriders still had a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Trevor Harris returned at quarterback for the Roughriders with 31-for-39 for 355 yards and 2 touchdowns. Saskatchewan struggled to get majors early on under favourable conditions.

Cody Fajardo, who used to be the Saskatchewan starting quarterback (3 seasons) was in uniform as a backup.

Davis Alexander can make you think his team won't win but then they do. Can't explain it. Alexander finished 22-for-33 for 285 yards and a passing touchdown. Alexander scored on the ground late in the game to give the Alouettes the win. The TSN replay showed green in between the white shoe and the sideline. There was another shot on the Internet showing Alexander's foot out of bounds. 

The Alouettes won their 8th straight road game, going back to September 9 of last year. The previous record was set in 2002-2003.

A shout-out to Saskatchewan's Rolan Milligan Jr. who may be the defensive player in the CFL. TSN flashed his stats during the 3rd quarter: first in interceptions (6) and pass knockdowns (10) as well as second in special teams tackles and defensive plays. We pay more attention to offence than defence yet Milligan is a standout.

CBS Sports Network doesn't usually carry added a rare Friday game, likely not knowing that this would be a classic.

Montréal gets back another outstanding receiver in Austin Mack after a stint with the NFL Atlanta Falcons. Mack had 78 receptions for 1,154 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2023. He had 104 yards in the Grey Cup.

2024 CFL Week 11 preview

2024 CFL Week 10 preview

2024 CFL Week 9 preview

Calgary wanted to sweep Toronto but lost control of the game at BMO Field. The Stampeders didn't want to get swept by Ottawa yet the RedBlacks gave Jeremiah Masoli his first CFL win in 999 days. Calgary suffered its first loss at McMahon Stadium.

That might have been the best played first half by both teams in a CFL game this season. Calgary had 2 punt singles while Ottawa had 1. They may seem meaningless but not to the margin to get a win, or the previous week for Ottawa to get a tie.

Ottawa seemingly blew a chance on a tough 3rd down call, turning the ball over late in the game. Yet the RedBlacks defence came through and forced a punt that led to the game winning drive.

2024 CFL Week 8 preview

As good as Masoli was in a long layoff, Nathan Rourke was not that great in his return.

Nathan Rourke was rusty. Really rusty. The BC Lions put a lot into Rourke at the home game against Winnipeg. Jake Dolegala likely couldn't have done much better. The same could be true of Chase Brice.

Rourke went 8-for-25 for 126 passing yards with 2 interceptions. He could have had more than that in terms of interceptions. Winnipeg was coming off a bye and looked very comfortable. Despite the terrible Blue Bombers start, Winnipeg is a game behind BC and Saskatchewan within striking distance once Labour Day weekend arrives.

Michael O'Shea wins his 100th game as coach for the Blue Bombers.

The Lions have lost 4 in a row and don't have the tiebreakers versus the Edmonton Elks and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. BC only has 2 more games with West opponents, none until October: hosting Calgary on October 4 and traveling to Regina on October 12. Back to back games with Ottawa is not the panacea the 2023 version might have provided.

2024 CFL Week 7 preview

The Edmonton Elks have a 3-game winning streak after a rare blowout win for the Elks. McLeod Bethel-Thompson won his first start as an Elk and had the first win as a starting quarterback not named Tre Ford in a very long time.

Tiger-Cats receiver Luther Hakunavanhu suffered a head injury on the first scrimmage play. That injury overshadowed the game with about a 20-minute delay before play resumed. Taylor Powell started the game at quarterback for Hamilton but a head injury forced Powell from the game.

Nyles Morgan contributed both hits. The hit on Hakunavanhu looked terrible but possibly was a "football hit." The hit on Powell was head on head. While Powell was running the ball, the hit should have drawn a penalty and/or a fine/suspension.

Justin Rankin ran for 108 yards as the Edmonton run game is now one of the best in the league, regardless of the quarterback.

Bo Levi Mitchell had good numbers in a losing cause again: 23-for-34 for 294 yards with a touchdown and 2 interceptions. Harrison Frost finished up in the 4th quarter.

This season series is over so neither team can rely on a relatively easy win.

Former Edmonton coach Chris Jones was seen at Tim Hortons Field on Saturday. Jones replaced Mark Washington as defensive coordinator on Sunday. The Tiger-Cats already replaced the special teams coach. Psst. The coaches aren't to blame.

Farhan Lalji reported that Jones will calling the defensive plays and not get paid by the Ticats for the rest of the season. Lalji noted that his buyout by the Elks means "receiving approx 12 months pay following his dismissal."

Toronto Argonauts update on Chad Kelly status pic.twitter.com/a2zp4oBHR3

— Toronto Argonauts Media Relations (@ArgonautsMR) August 18, 2024

The CFL has decided to reinstate Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly after a "last chance agreement." We have a number of problems with everything on how this was handled.

The Argos should not have fired the coach in question. Everything that happened with Kelly physically in camp. Kelly's past, official and unofficial. The only remote remorse from Kelly came in a statement he almost certainly didn't write or see until he signed it. Whether the standards of "success" would be acceptable to women who have experience sexual harassment at this level.

Cameron Dukes and Nick Arbuckle have shared the Argos quarterback position. Kelly gets the start for the home game against Saskatchewan tonight.

Thomas Bertrand-Hudon is the first professional football player to wear a guardian cap in a regular season game.

This is the second year of the guardian cap implementation in the CFL. Players have had the option this season to wear it in game if they wanted. pic.twitter.com/c1RoVW4MR9

— CFL (@CFL) August 17, 2024

Saskatchewan's Thomas Bertrand-Hudon is the answer of the trivia question: Who was the first professional football player to wear a guardian cap in a regular season game? The head is the part we want to protect. Good on Bertrand-Hudon to take the lead. We are curious if players like the feel of the guardian cap. Helmets seem to come off quite a bit in football, so we are also curious if guardian caps are more likely to stay on the head.

Safety may not be "cool" but a healthy head means more football and a better life after football.

Stefan Flintoft showing the power for @BCLions, and referee Ben Major is loving it too! #CFLGameDay
📺 on @TSN_Sports & @CBSSportsNet
📱 on TSN+ pic.twitter.com/LmKA9MnoDj

— CFL (@CFL) August 19, 2024 

The BC Place renovation of 2010-2011 brought in a very new, very awesome video scoreboard hanging down from the centre of the new retractable roof. Stefan Flintoft kicked a very high punt that went off the scoreboard Sunday night against Winnipeg. Head referee Ben Major had the best line of the week with his response.

As impressive as the current scoreboard is at BC Place, there will be a new video board as part of renovations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. CFL punters should take note.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Ottawa @ Calgary: Rod Smith/Paul LaPolice/Farhan Lalji
Montréal @ Saskatchewan: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Brit Dort
Edmonton @ Hamilton: Marshall Ferguson/Duane Forde/Matthew Scianitti
Winnipeg @ BC: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Farhan Lalji

Farhan Lalji is based in Vancouver yet Lalji seems to be the unofficial choice to cover Calgary on the sidelines. Shantelle Chand has also handled sideline duties in Vancouver. Lalji usually calls play by play on a game or two in Vancouver. We predict September 13 might be one of those times, maybe with Matt Dunigan.

Paul LaPolice seemed a logical choice in the Ottawa game in Calgary because of his relationship with Jeremiah Masoli (being his coach in Ottawa). TSN seems more likely to send LaPolice west than Duane Forde.

Milt Stegall had the week off. Laura Daikun filled in for Kate Beirness for Sunday, which also had 4 human beings on the CFL on TSN panel. We had seen a host and 2 panelists all summer on Sundays. Dave Naylor made his 2024 CFL on TSN panel debut on Sunday, though that could have been tied to the whole Chad Kelly story.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @nielsonTSN1260; @ArgonautsMR; @CFL; @CFL
photo credit: TSN/CFL

2024 CFL Week 11 preview

screw it, Nathan Rourke highlights. 😤#CFL pic.twitter.com/6D9kzMd3s4

— CFL (@CFL) August 13, 2024

Calgary fans hope their home game against Ottawa will be as lopsided as the road loss was in the federal capital. The Stampeders, undefeated at home, face a new quarterback. Jeremiah Masoli gets the start for the RedBlacks on Thursday night. This is the only CFL game not on TV in the States.

Saskatchewan has its own revenge outcome in mind as Montréal travels to Regina on Friday night. The Roughriders didn't score in the second half in Montréal in the earlier game. Cody Fajardo will be back at his old stomping grounds at Mosaic Stadium, even if he might not be ready to play. Former Alouettes QB Trevor Harris might play in this game.

Tre Ford gets a homecoming Saturday night as the Elks travel to Hamilton, near where Ford grew up in Ontario. The Tiger-Cats got a taste of what Ford can do when he came into the earlier game and threw 3 TD passes in the 4th quarter. Taylor Powell hopes to be stronger on offence for Hamilton.

The last Blue Bombers versus the Lions matchup was horrendous for BC. A 25-0 shutout and the loss of Vernon Adams Jr. was a terrible scenario for the Lions. Nathan Rourke should make a difference Sunday night in Vancouver.

CBS Sports Network has the final 3 games in the United States.

Toronto is usually playing at home during the Canadian National Exhibition but gets the week off. The CNE is an option as is going out to the Toronto Islands for relaxation.

CBS Sports Network

Friday
Montréal @ Saskatchewan, 9p
Saturday
Edmonton @ Hamilton, 7p
Sunday
Winnipeg @ BC, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Ottawa @ Calgary, 9p
Friday
Montréal @ Saskatchewan, 9p
Saturday
Edmonton @ Hamilton, 7p
Sunday
Winnipeg @ BC, 7p

Bye week: Toronto

CFL command centre rules roughing the passer after Riders recover supposed game-winning fumble in OT https://t.co/qGki7eEkvY#Saskatchewan #Riders #Redblacks #CFL pic.twitter.com/TobdIH8FyU

— Justin Dunk (@JDunk12) August 9, 2024

Rod Smith said the game was over. Twice. One time when Ottawa had won and another time when Saskatchewan won. Neither team won. Not Rod Smith's fault.

You could have slept through the first 3½ quarters and missed little except the Roughriders blocking 2 Ottawa field goal attempts. The RedBlacks got a punt single while Saskatchewan scored the only touchdown in regulation.

The Command Centre was busier than perhaps the players and coaches wanted. Very few were happy with the results. As Kate Beirness noted sarcastically, "Everyone was super happy after that game, like super pleased with the results."

Dru Brown was injured in the second quarter on a roughing the passer call. Dustin Crum finished up for Ottawa.

The last CFL tie was in the opening game of the 2017 season at TD Place featuring Calgary and Ottawa. Each time got a point, which is worse than 2 points and better than 0 points.

Jeremiah Masoli starts for the RedBlacks at quarterback. No matter which team you root for, here is hoping Masoli finishes the game in 1 piece.

2024 CFL Week 10 preview

2024 CFL Week 9 preview

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats had a comedy of errors to start the game in Montréal. A time count violation followed by a pass and a fumble. The second possession resulted in an interception. Taylor Powell came in for Bo Levi Mitchell. Soon after, the snap went over Powell's head, resulting in a safety.

The Alouettes couldn't get a touchdown on any of those moments. Davis Alexander did well enough to pull out a 3rd straight win with Cody Fajardo out of the lineup. Nice return for Dominique Davis in his return to the Alouettes as the short yardage quarterback.

Scott Milanovich says Taylor Powell will start next week vs Edmonton. Matthew Scianitti reported that Bo Levi Mitchell did not want to speak on camera post game.

Nathan Rourke knew Austin Mack from Atlanta NFL camp. The Falcons just released Austin Mack. Will that be to the benefit of the Alouettes? Tyson Philpot was hurt last week and presumably won't play this week.

2024 CFL Week 8 preview

2024 CFL Week 7 preview

Turns out Jake Dolegala vs. McLeod Bethel-Thompson is not must see(FL) TV. Dolegala and the Lions had an excellent first drive. His difficulty in going deep made things easier for the Elks defence. Bethel-Thompson seemed more relaxed coming in relief for Tre Ford for Edmonton.

Watching the second half made us wish for this game with Ford vs. Vernon Adams Jr. The Elks won their first home game in almost a calendar year in what was the largest home crowd to see an Elks game in 2024.

Edmonton has the tiebreaker with the BC Lions, something the team has not enjoyed with any team since 2019.

The Lions released Dolegala yesterday so perhaps Chase Brice, who finished up last week, is the backup this week.

Nathan Rourke bounced around the NFL: Jacksonville, New England, New York Giants, and Atlanta. Rourke signed a 3-year deal to return to the Lions and he knows the playbook. Regardless of the quarterback, the BC Lions have a 3-game losing streak. Perhaps Rourke can make that big of a difference.

2024 CFL Week 6 preview

2024 CFL Week 5 preview

There are a lot of quarterback stories in the 2024 CFL season. One we didn't see coming was Nick Arbuckle starting for Toronto and getting a win over his original CFL team, the Calgary Stampeders.

Jake Maier threw for 373 yards, more than twice the passing yardage of Arbuckle (181) yet Arbuckle got the W. The Argos were helped on defence with a DaShaun Amos Pick-6 that gave Toronto the lead for good and yet another punt return for a TD from Janarion Grant (86 yards). Grant and Justin McInnis are up there for most meaningful off-season CFL acquisition.

Ka’Deem Carey gained 89 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 rushes for the Argonauts against his former club.

The CFL season is sort of half over and there isn't much we can assume, given the current standings. The crossover looks really slim. The West Division standings outside of Edmonton are rather tight. Winnipeg still has a shot at climbing back into a playoff spot: 2 games left with Saskatchewan.

Upper bowl seating is OPEN at @saveonfoods Field at @bcplace when we host Winnipeg on Sunday, Aug 18. 🙌

Adult prices start at $25 and $15 for kids 17 & under. All tickets for Aug 18 are also valid for a FREE weekday entry to the @PNE_Playland! 🎢

🎟️| https://t.co/svGx0A7q7p.. pic.twitter.com/RivwdDr7Li

— BC LIONS (@BCLions) August 7, 2024

We note the connection Toronto has to the CNE. The BC Lions connection to the Pacific National Exhibition used to be as prevalent when the team played at Empire Stadium on the PNE grounds. The ticket deal applies to weekdays, which is still a good deal.

Nathan Rourke's return to Vancouver will also impact ticket sales. If you are visiting Vancouver and were going to the PNE, then you might as well take in the CFL.

Very intrigued for the Elks press conference on Thursday introducing Larry Thompson as the new owner.

I’ve heard there will be a desire to rebrand over the next 1-2 years to Esks or back to Eskimos.

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) August 13, 2024

One oddity about the CFL is the idea of community-owned franchises, especially in the West Division. The season started with 3 such franchises: Edmonton, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg. We had known for some time that the Elks were looking for a private owner.

Now we know unofficially that Larry Thompson is the new private owner of the Edmonton Elks. Thompson is the former owner of Thompson Brothers Construction. The issues with the coaching staff debt have been settled and so the hope is that Edmonton can work out building back its base like we have seen in Vancouver and Montréal.

We are excited about the long-term prospects with Edmonton. However, that will disappear over any backwards rebranding. The Elks are a forward moving team. Win more, make the playoffs, play exciting football, especially at home and the nickname talk will be just that: talk.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Saskatchewan @ Ottawa: Rod Smith/Duane Forde/Kenzie Lalonde
Calgary @ Toronto: Marshall Ferguson/Matt Dunigan/Kenzie Lalonde
Hamilton @ Montréal: Rod Smith/Duane Forde/Matthew Scianitti
BC @ Edmonton: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Tom Gazzola

Kenzie Lalonde was in Toronto instead of Matthew Scianitti while Scianitti was in Montréal instead of Lalonde.

A statement regarding today's announcement about 900 CHML.#TheHammer pic.twitter.com/UYjoZyq7uI

— Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats) August 14, 2024

We got word yesterday that CHML AM 900 in Hamilton is no more. One of Canada's oldest radio stations, Corus shut down the station. Not a format change but shutting off a key AM signal in the community. This is part of the insanity (a word we rarely use) that is Corus scrambling to make cuts.

The tweet notes that Tiger-Cats games are still available on Y108 CJXY-FM at 107.9 on the FM dial as well as online at ticats.ca/listen. CHML covered more ground in southern Ontario than Y108 does.

Besides the CFL angle, Hamilton needs more news outlets, including CHML. The CRTC should allow another company to take over the 900 AM signal in Hamilton.

Twitter captures: @CFL; @JDunk12; @BCLions; @nielsonTSN1260; @Ticats
logo credit and photo credit: CFL

2024 CFL Week 10 preview

Did not have Saskatchewan at Ottawa on Thursday as being a game of significance at the start of the season. The Roughriders are tied for first place in the West while the Ottawa RedBlacks are undefeated at home. This used to the Red Riders/Green Riders as the Ottawa team then was the Rough Riders.

Toronto giving up 21 points to Calgary in the 4th quarter should boost the incentive to defeat the Stampeders on Friday night. Calgary is winless on the road and the Argos are way better at home.

The Tiger-Cats and Alouettes also played last week and will battle for the final time in the regular season in Montréal on a Saturday. If you go to the game, there are plenty of entertainment options after the game.

Jake Dolegala in for Vernon Adams Jr. may be excited to get a chance to throw against the Edmonton Elks defence at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday night. The Elks are winless at home yet coming off their first win of 2024.

CBS Sports Network has the weekend games in the United States.

Winnipeg doesn't mind a week off with many of its players on the injured list.

CBS Sports Network

Saturday
Hamilton @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
BC @ Edmonton, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Saskatchewan @ Ottawa, 7:30p
Friday
Calgary @ Toronto, 7:30p
Saturday
Hamilton @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
BC @ Edmonton, 7p

Bye week: Winnipeg

Tre Ford with 190 passing yards, including this deep shot to the former Rider Tevin Jones. Elks as a team with 129 on the ground.

Riders hanging right with them. 20-15 EE at the half.

pic.twitter.com/Yi1JLjybKW

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) August 4, 2024

Tre Ford is 1-0 as a starter for the Edmonton Elks in 2024. Every Elks win in the past 2 seasons have come with Ford as the starting quarterback. The team is 5-6 with Tre Ford as the starter and 0-15 when McLeod Bethel-Thompson or Taylor Cornelius starts.

Ford looked a lot better as a passer in the pocket and occasionally out of the pocket. He finished 18-for-22 for 252 yards with 2 TD and 1 interception. Even the interception was one of those "might as well been a punt" ones.

Javon Leake, in for Kevin Brown, was a flash with 169 rushing yards and 3 TDs. Leake looked like the Starship Enterprise when it goes into warp drive.

Saskatchewan had allowed 48 yards rushing per game. The 276 rushing yards is well above average. Ford had 46 rushing yards on 5 carries.

Ford also was the quarterback the last time the Elks played in Regina, The 36-27 victory on September 15, 2023 was Edmonton's previous CFL win.

2024 CFL Week 9 preview

2024 CFL Week 8 preview

2024 CFL Week 7 preview

Winnipeg went 2 CFL games without a touchdown in any form. The BC Lions were coming off a bye. Oh, how 3 hours changed a lot of things.

The Lions suffered its first shutout since October 2021, a 25-0 whitewashing. Unfortunately, Vernon Adams Jr. suffered a significant knee injury that will reduce the momentum that had been the first-place team in the West Division.

The Winnipeg defence is hotter than the temperature in the Manitoba capital. 9 offensive points allowed in the previous 2 games and an effort that gave up 4 first downs and 102 net yards against the Lions.

Jake Dolegala gets his first start in orange and white. More William Stanback for certain.

Zach Collaros connected with newcomer Lucky Whitehead for a touchdown late in the first half. Whitehead played with Winnipeg and had spent 3 seasons in Vancouver. This was also the first game for Keon Hatcher for BC.

Sergio Castillo hit his SECOND 60-yard field goal in 2024 for the Blue Bombers.

2024 CFL Week 6 preview

2024 CFL Week 5 preview

Saskatchewan had a big lead over Montréal a couple of weeks back. The Roughriders didn't score a single point in the second half and the Alouettes pulled off a big comeback. Toronto had a big lead over Calgary on Sunday. The Argos did score 1 point in the second half, a punt rouge in the 3rd quarter.

The Stampeders had 0 points in the 1st quarter and 3rd quarter with a couple of field goals in the 2nd quarter. Yet Calgary scored the final 21 points for its own amazing comeback.

Calgary's road woes likely means the Argos will get revenge in Toronto this week. The Stampeders are still undefeated at McMahon Stadium.

2024 CFL Week 4 preview

2024 CFL Week 3 preview

HOTDOGS - 2$ 🌭 HOTDOGS - 2$ 🌭 HOTDOGS - 2$ 🌭

Notre offre la plus gourmande est de retour au stade ce samedi !

*Limite de 4 hotdogs par commande
*Jusqu'à la fin du premier quart#Alouettes | Match présenté par @PurolatorInc pic.twitter.com/EIE96EurN3

— Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) August 6, 2024

Davis Alexander seemed perfect when coming off the bench to lead the Alouettes past Saskatchewan. Alexander was not perfect in Hamilton yet Alexander and Caleb Evans did enough to snap the Tiger-Cats 2-game winning streak.

Alexander went 19-for-27 for 262 yards with a TD pass and a Pick-6. Evans came in after Alexander took a bad hit in the 4th quarter and threw a TD pass on the next play. Evans also ran for a touchdown.

Evans suffered a season-ending knee injury late in the game. The Alouettes signed quarterback Dominique Davis as a replacement.

Oh, by the way, starter Cody Fajardo is expected to return for the rematch with Hamilton.

The Alouettes tied a club record with their 7th straight road victory.

As for the hot dogs in Montréal on Saturday night, there is a limit of 4 hot dogs per order and the sale only runs through the end of the first quarter. Just in case you don't know much French.

An ode to Canadian football - Washington Examiner https://t.co/TO24ycoMDT

— Zach Schnitzer (@zachschnitzer48) August 5, 2024

A nice and enthusiastic column for the advantages to Canadian football, the CFL over the NFL. We are seeing more skilled Canadians, especially at wide receiver. Otherwise, the piece is spot on and a fun read.

2024 CFL Week 2 preview

2024 CFL Week 1 preview: Opening week

2024 CFL preview

We noted in our Week 4 preview that the Montréal Alouettes had TVA Sports patches on their uniforms. The Videotron patch was to the left if you were facing the Alouettes player with the TVA Sports patch to the right. Noticed in the game in Hamilton that Montréal players now have the Videotron patch on the right and a Freedom Mobile patch to the left.

RDS carries all the Montréal and Ottawa games plus selected other CFL games. Pierre Karl Péladeau, owner of the Montréal Alouettes, owns Videotron and TVA Sports.

Someone actually paid attention to our point and the patches were changed.

2024 CFL preseason schedule

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

BC @ Winnipeg: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/John Lu
Montréal @ Hamilton: Marshall Ferguson/Duane Forde/Matthew Scianitti
Edmonton @ Saskatchewan: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Brit Dort
Toronto @ Calgary: Marshall Ferguson/Paul LaPolice/Farhan Lalji

Rod Smith, Kate Beirness, and Davis Sanchez got some summer vacation time away from the CFL. Laura Diakun filled in again on the CFL on TSN panel with Jermain Franklin handled duties on Sunday.

Marshall Ferguson got a rare trip out west in Calgary. Ferguson and Paul LaPolice formed the nerd version of CFL commentators. Part of me envisioned Rick Ball getting a freelance assignment to call a CFL game. Ball isn't employed by Rogers Sportsnet and the Chicago NHL preseason hasn't started. Dave Randorf could also be in the mix for calling CFL games in the summer.

Unlike ESPN+, CFL+ shows some of the pregame. We haven't figured out how much but the last 5 minutes or so of the pregame is available on the CFL+ feed. We wondered for years why the pregame couldn't also be part of the ESPN+ coverage. 

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @nielsonTSN1260; @MTLAlouettes; @zachschnitzer48
photo credit: TSN/CFL

2024 CFL Week 9 preview

The best West matchup in the last couple of years may not be as notable in 2024. This doesn't mean things won't get interesting when the BC Lions travel to Winnipeg for Thursday night football.

Montréal and Hamilton play twice in 2024 within a 9-day period. The Tiger-Cats really want to gain on the top team in the East. A home win on Friday would really make Tiger-Cats fans very happy.

TSN gives yellow as the color for the Elks against the green of Saskatchewan on Saturday night. The Roughriders are coming off a tough loss and will be in no mood to mess around. The Elks have a better chance on the road even as Saskatchewan is in second place in the West Division.

CBS Sports Network has the Saturday game in the United States. The schedule is subject to change.

Toronto at Calgary features a lot of players who have played for the other team. Most notably, this is Ka'Deem Carey's first time back in Calgary to show their coaches what they likely miss. The Sunday night game has a special advantage since most Canadians celebrate a holiday the next day.

Ottawa gets a breather the RedBlacks don't want to enjoy looking at the water portion of the Rideau Canal instead of skating on the ice 6 months from now.

CBS Sports Network

Saturday
Edmonton @ Saskatchewan, 7p

TSN

Thursday
BC @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Friday
Montréal @ Hamilton, 7:30p
Saturday
Edmonton @ Saskatchewan, 7p
Sunday
Toronto @ Calgary, 7p

Bye week: Ottawa

A little bit of magic from @treford_1 #GoElks

pic.twitter.com/tyrlGvqVmr

— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) July 29, 2024

Hamilton didn't look like a team with only a single win. Edmonton had a 6-0 lead and even a 8-7 lead (thanks, punt singles). The Tiger-Cats got another blocked punt, the running and receiving of James Butler, and Bo Levi Mitchell setting a personal record of 5 TD passes in a game.

Everyone agrees that the Elks problems are not McLeod Bethel-Thompson and they aren't. Tre Ford got to (finally) play in the 4th quarter and threw 3 touchdown passes.

2024 CFL Week 8 preview

2024 CFL Week 7 preview

Your humble narrator watched the first half from Montréal. The first half was Saskatchewan-dominated with Frankie Hickson getting 98 rushing yards on 14 carries. The Roughriders coaching staff looked like geniuses to leave AJ Ouellette back in Regina.

Usually when a first-string quarterback (Cody Fajardo) is out, announcers would mention the backup (Davis Alexander) to the backup (Caleb Evans). TSN isn't too good at mentioning that type of information. Well, Jason Maas went with Alexander in place of Evans and Alexander went 15-for-18 for 178 yards with 2 touchdown passes.

Saskatchewan had a 16-3 halftime lead yet didn't score at all in the second half. Brett Lauther missed 2 field goals by hitting the crossbar. A point out of one of them meant the Roughriders could have tied the game late. Hickson only ran 4 times in the second half for 19 yards.

Mitchell Picton caught what would have been a key first down late for Saskatchewan. Unfortunately for the Roughriders, Picton was out of bounds before coming back into play: Illegal participation. TSN didn't have video or couldn't show the video. We did get a freeze frame of Picton's foot being out of bounds.

PIMPLETON TO THE HOUSE ‼️ @REDBLACKS #CFLGameday: LIVE on TSN
📲: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/Dh62SQaIpJ

— CFL (@CFL) July 27, 2024

Calgary came into Ottawa winless on the road. Ottawa welcomed Calgary being undefeated at home. Those trends continued in the RedBlacks 33-6 win.

If we were to tell you that the starting running back of one of the teams got kicked out with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter and the team had no more running backs, you likely wouldn't guess that happened on the winning team. Ryquell Armstead was ejected for 2 misconduct penalties and the Redblacks had no running backs.

Armstead finished with 22 yards on 4 carries. Bralon Addison had 28 yards on 5 carries while Justin Hardy also had 28 yards but on 2 carries. Dru Brown made up for those yards, going 30-for-37 for 325 yards.

Kalil Pimpleton helped out with 162 return yards, including the 99-yard punt return for a major, and 80 receiving yards.

Ottawa has 5 wins, the highest total for a season since 2018, the last season Ottawa finished above .500 AND made the playoffs.

#CFL officials do a far better job than they’re given credit for. Command Center generally gets it right, both with review & eye in the sky, & the league is better for its use. But this is PI & should have been overturned IMHO. #Bombers #Argos pic.twitter.com/6C1DfCS18D

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) July 28, 2024

The Winnipeg-Toronto game was a head scratcher for a lot of reasons. Seemed like a good challenge for pass interference on the Argos only touchdown, an interception for a Pick-6. We didn't get a full replay from TSN but from what we saw, the play looked like pass interference.

The Blue Bombers looked like they barely got a first down late in regulation. The spot of the ball was automatically reviewed but didn't change. That was less obvious than the pass interference.

The defences played well for Winnipeg and Toronto. The Blue Bombers are now 2-6 and the path to the CFL playoffs is overcoming Calgary (at the moment).

2024 CFL Week 6 preview

2024 CFL Week 5 preview

The West Division has been the dominant division for as long as I can remember. All of the crossover teams have been West teams traveling east. All 4 East teams over the weekend defeated the West teams. Winnipeg and Calgary likely can't rely on a crossover in 2024.

Hamilton is on a 2-game winning streak. Right now, the Tiger-Cats wouldn't qualify for a crossover.

2024 CFL Week 4 preview

2024 CFL Week 3 preview

Winnipeg has lost more good receivers to offseason transactions and injuries than some CFL teams have on their rosters. Rasheed Bailey signed with Toronto in the offseason after excelling in Winnipeg. The Argos released Bailey earlier in the week. The Blue Bombers might sign Bailey. Too bad he missed this game in either uniform.

Janarion Grant tied the record (3) for consecutive games with a return for a touchdown. Toronto's only touchdown was on defence. Grant also used to play for the Blue Bombers until this season.

2024 CFL Week 2 preview

2024 CFL Week 1 preview: Opening week

2024 CFL preview

Ottawa didn't need their 3rd string quarterback this past week. The name of that quarterback was a pleasant surprise: Jeremiah Masoli. Masoli, 35, ruptured his Achilles tendon on July 8, 2023, the first game since a season-ending leg injury in 2022.

There are football hits, borderline hits, and then the cheap shot from Saskatchewan's Garrett Marino in 2022. We do not promote litigious behaviour as a rule but feel like this is a well-deserved exception.

It's unofficially official. @cfl @gwr record has been broken. It took a country of fine people across the nation to stuff the bucket. No matter how long the record lasts, the legacy YOU all created will last forever. Thank you. #CFLGWR #bucketguy #CFLFamily @cflffc pic.twitter.com/LGs1vxrVPk

— Chris Tymofichuk 🇺🇦 - The Bucket Guy (@Xpeggr) July 28, 2024

CFL overtimes are limited in scope so there wasn't much danger of running out of time to set a world record. Even with overtime, the game was well under 3 hours. Tymofichuk set the goal of eclipsing the record by 90 minutes.

The main focus is cancer research so a huge thank you to those who put loonies, twoonies, and bills into the bucket. The total as of Monday was over $26,288. Cancer sucks.

The idea of a CFL fan getting to all 9 cities in 362.5 hours is remarkable.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Saskatchewan @ Montréal: Rod Smith/Duane Forde/Kenzie Lalonde
Calgary @ Ottawa: Marshall Ferguson/Matt Dunigan/Matthew Scianitti
Winnipeg @ Toronto: Rod Smith/Duane Forde/Matthew Scianitti
Hamilton @ Edmonton: Dustin Nielson/Glen Suitor/Tom Gazzola

Matthew Scianitti made his 2024 CFL on TSN debut after covering soccer for the network. Scianitti made both games in Ontario this weekend. Dustin Nielson never had to get on a plane or sleep in a hotel since Nielson is based in Edmonton.

Davis Sanchez had the week off. Milt Stegall wasn't there on Sunday as the 3-person experiment continues.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @GoElks; @CFL; @FarhanLaljiTSN; @Xpeggr