CFL Week 10 Recap: So You're Telling Me There's a Chance?!

The CFL holds celebrates two holidays with specially scheduled games: Labour Day in September and their Thanksgiving holiday in October. Week 10 featured a loaded lineup of games: a five-game schedule capped off by a Canadian Thanksgiving doubleheader, though strangely, the BC Lions were not part of this. The week kicked off with the Toronto Argonauts hosting the Ottawa Redblacks, and it wasn't even close. It was all Argos from start to finish, as Toronto blasted Ottawa by a score of 35-16, adding on to the Redblacks' woes.

The West Division took center stage in the following two games, starting with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosting the Edmonton Elks. This was another laugher--a 30-3 win for the defending champs, who are continuing to show their might in the West Division. The game between the Calgary Stampeders and the Saskatchewan Roughriders was much closer. The Riders were looking for payback for their Week 9 loss in Calgary, and while it was a nail-biter all the way, the end saw Rene Paredes nail a walkoff field goal, giving the Stampeders a 22-19 win. The Stamps have won back-to-back games to kick off the second half of this season.

For Canadian Thanksgiving, it was the East Division's turn in the spotlight, as the Redblacks played their second game of the week, another road game. This time, the Redblacks went just a bit farther east to Montréal to face the Alouettes, and it looked like the Redblacks would pull off a road upset, especially with Als quarterback Vernon Adams being sidelined late. However, Matthew Shiltz entered in relief and led a very clutch drive that was capped off by Cameron Artis-Payne's TD to give the Alouettes a 20-16 victory. For Montréal, this was their first home win of the season, and their third in division play.

The Argonauts also played their second game of the week, this time a road game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Playin in Hamilton had been tortuous for the Boatmen in the last several seasons, and it looked like it would be more of the same, as the Argos were behind by as much as 12 points...late. McLeod Bethel-Thompson had to go on the comeback, and he certainly did: back-to-back touchdown drives that gave the Argos their first lead of the game, 21-20. Though the Tiger-Cats reached the Argos' five yard line, they ended up being held to a chip-shot field goal, giving the Argos time to get into field range. They did just that with six seconds left, and after they ticked away, Boris Bede nailed a 51 yarder to give the Boatmen their second win of the week, and a rare victory in Hamilton, by a score of 24-23. For this Argos fan, I saw it as the equivalent of the Green Bay Packers' walkoff FG win over the San Francisco 49ers, as both teams won in road arenas where they were usually unsuccessful in.

So after Canadian Thanksgiving, after 10 weeks, here's how things stand. In the West Division, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are 8-1 and hold a commanding division lead. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are now 5-4, the BC Lions are 4-4, and the Calgary Stampeders are 4-5--while the Edmonton Elks are 2-6. Two weeks ago, I said the Stampeders were done. Now, after back-to-back wins over the Riders, and the Lions on a decline, the Stamps seem to be resurrected and have a shot at possibly making the playoffs. The Horsemen are only a half game out of third place, and only one game out of second, which Calgary could get if the Riders continue to decline. That's basically what the final six weeks will be: a battle for 2nd place and hosting the West Semifinal, because none of those teams are passing the Bombers.

In the East Division, the Toronto Argonauts vastly improve to 6-3 after their two wins in Week 10. The Montréal Alouettes are now in second place at 4-4, surpassing the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 4-5, while the Ottawa Redblacks drop to the league-worst 2-7 after losing twice in Week 10. The Argos are definitely playoff-bound, but those two wins (especially the one in Hamilton) now give them a stranglehold in the East Division. It is theirs to win or lose. As I said before, 1st place is a prime position--it means a bye and hosting the Division Final, which is the last round before the Grey Cup. The Boatmen are sailing on the right path, while the Alouettes and Tiger-Cats are in a battle for second place.

An abbreviated Week 11 kicks off on Friday, October 15 with the Edmonton Elks hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who could clinch a playoff spot in the upcoming week. This will be followed by two games on Saturday, October 16: the Ottawa Redblacks hosting the Montréal Alouettes, and an important West Division game between the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions in Vancouver.

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