Bailey McLean/CFL.ca
TORONTO — Time truly flies when you’re having fun watching the CFL, doesn’t it?
We’re already into Week 4 of the season and it’s been full of surprises. The Montreal Alouettes, the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are all undefeated. On the other end of that scale sit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Edmonton Elks and shockingly, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who are all 0-3.
Two of those undefeated teams clash this week, with the 2-0 Argos hosting the 3-0 Alouettes on Friday night at BMO Field. The winless Elks are trying to break through in BC, where Vernon Adams Jr.‘s status for the game was temporarily put up in the air on Tuesday, before he was named the team’s starter on Wednesday. The Calgary Stampeders come out of their bye week to host the Bombers and in Ottawa, the REDBLACKS will host the Tiger-Cats on Sunday evening to close things out.
You know who’s sitting pretty in all of this? The 3-0 Riders, who are resting up and feeling good about themselves on their bye week. They host the Argos next week, but that’s a juicy storyline for another time.
Here’s a storyline to watch in each of this week’s four games.
RELATED
» 5 outstanding Canada Day Weekend performances
» Prediction Time: CFL.ca writers’ Canada Day weekend picks
» Weekly Predictor: Putting the ‘win’ in Winnipeg
» AMSOIL Power Rankings: A changing landscape
» Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally
A LATE WRINKLE IN THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME PLAN
Edmonton at BC | Thursday, June 27 | 10:00 p.m. ET
On the heels of a Lions win that saw Vernon Adams Jr. throw for 398 yards, a pair of touchdowns and 500 yards of net offence, the league’s leading passer was marked as questionable for Thursday night’s game against the Elks. Adams’ abdominal issue wasn’t enough to keep him out of the lineup; he’s listed as the team’s starter on their depth chart. We’ll wonder, though, just how close to 100 per cent he is when he takes the field.
While Adams is listed as the starter, Jake Dolegala, the former Roughrider that signed with the Lions in the off-season, could factor into this game in a more meaningful way than he has yet this season.
We say this with no disrespect to Dolegala, who filled in very well for an injured Trevor Harris last year in Saskatchewan, but it’s a dynamic that the Elks would welcome. Seeing a backup making his regular season debut instead of a pre-season favourite to win the Most Outstanding Player award would favour the visitors, who are starved for a win after a heartbreaking finish for them in Toronto last week.
A CLASH OF TWO UNDEFEATEDS
Montreal at Toronto | Friday, June 28 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Friday night is our pick for the game of the week, where the 2-0 Argos play host to the 3-0 Alouettes. The Argos have surprised many, with Cameron Dukes showing great poise in his first two starts as the Argos’ quarterback. Dukes is the only starter in the league to have not yet thrown an interception, while his five touchdowns thrown have him third in the league in that category.
He’ll be tested by an Alouettes defence that consumed the Argos in last year’s Eastern Final and has continued feasting through its first three games of the season. The Als are first in opponent turnovers, with 10, are second in the league with four interceptions and first in fumbles recovered (four).
CFL.ca’s writers lean heavily toward the Als in this one (save for Kristina Costabile), but the Argos have been almost unstoppable at home. At 2-0 this year, they were 9-0 at BMO last year in the regular season and a combined 12-4 in 2021 and 2022.
The Argos lead the CFL at 37 points per game. The Als lead the league in points allowed at 17.7 per game. This promises to be a battle.
GROUND UP FOR GRABS IN THE WEST
Winnipeg at Calgary | Saturday, June 29 | 7:00 p.m. ET
The Stamps sit at 1-1 and come out of a bye week, with the 0-3 Bombers angrily making their way to McMahon Stadium. The Bombers have won six straight games against the Stamps and are determined to not fall to 0-4 to start the season; something they haven’t experienced since 2012. While it’s early, a win will be a big deal for both teams and could factor into playoff positioning come October.
One person that may be giddy to see the Bombers’ struggles? Former Winnipeg cornerback Demerio Houston. A prized free agent signing in the winter, Houston has one interception in two games and will be looking to add to his totals against Zach Collaros, who is still seeking his first touchdown pass of the season.
One thing that both clubs might be able to count on in this one is a close finish. Eleven of their past 13 regular season encounters have been decided in the final three minutes.
GROUND UP FOR GRABS IN THE EAST
Hamilton at Ottawa | Sunday, June 30 | 7:00 p.m. ET
In the same vein as our Saturday game, Sunday’s offering is an important East Division clash that could have implications for playoff hopes come the fall.
The Ticats are still after their first win of the season and the REDBLACKS are looking to get back on track after the Als smacked them in the first half of their meeting last week. There are positives to extract from the host REDBLACKS, where Dru Brown is settling in as a first-year starting quarterback. He connected last week with Justin Hardy for seven catches and 143 yards. Hardy leads the league in average yards per catch, at 18.1. Ottawa also got its first boost of the season from returner DeVonte Dedmon, who ran a kickoff return back 101 yards for a touchdown. He’s the fastest player in CFL history (26 games) to hit six career kick-return majors (he has three punt and three kickoff return TDs).
In Hamilton, Bo Levi Mitchell looks to shake off a three-interception game that clouded his 295 yards thrown, with two touchdowns. He’s found quick chemistry with first-year receiver Shemar Bridges, who leads the Ticats with 22 catches and 270 receiving yards. If Tim White — last year’s league-leading receiver — can shake off his early season yips, the Ticats could have a lethal receiving corps.
