Arthur Ward/CFL.ca
TORONTO — What’s not to like about spending Canada Day Weekend watching four exciting CFL matchups?
Thursday opens with the Edmonton Elks traveling (0-3) to Vancouver to face the BC Lions (2-1). Each teams’ opening games have been decided in the final three minutes so far and both quarterbacks have shown they can air the football like no other, ranking first and second in passing yards over the first three weeks of the season. If you like high-scoring affairs with plenty of deep bombs, this one is for you.
Friday Night Football is a clash between the top two teams in the East Division. The Montreal Alouettes (3-0) are riding an 11-game winning streak dating to last season while the Toronto Argonauts (2-0) continue to dominate in the regular season. The two last met in the Eastern Final last season, with the current champions coming out on top in dominant fashion.
The first game of the weekend is a West Division battle between the Calgary Stampeders (1-1) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (0-3). Nobody expected Winnipeg to be winless entering Week 4, setting up an already important matchup against a Red and White team coming off a bye. The Bombers have won six straight against the Stamps but are trying to avoid their first 0-4 start since 2012.
Sunday features another team trying to avoid an 0-4 start with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-3) visiting the Ottawa REDBLACKS (1-1). It’s a matchup between a veteran quarterback in Bo Levi Mitchell and a young signal caller in Dru Brown. Both teams also feature explosive receivers with Shemar Bridges leading the Tabbies with 22 catches and 270 receiving yards while REDBLACKS’ Justin Hardy leads the league in average yards per catch (18.1). Who’ll come out on top?
RELATED
» AMSOIL Power Rankings: Als fly high on Canada Day weekend
» Prediction Time: CFL.ca writers’ Canada Day weekend picks
» 5 outstanding Canada Day weekend performances
» Tickets: Go see some football this long weekend
» Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally
WEEK 3 IN HINDSIGHT
- 4 points per game – the highest so far this season
- Quarterbacks had 16 touchdown passes to five interceptions
- Six receivers with 100+ yards
- Kickers were 14-of-16 on field goal attempts (87.5 per cent)
- 23 big play (long gainers) – the most in one week this season
BEASTS OF THE EAST CLASH
- Montreal and Toronto meet in a rematch of the 2023 Eastern Final.
- Montreal has won eight straight regular season games – the most since 2006; including the 2023 postseason, the team has won 11 in a row.
- Toronto has won 11 straight regular season games at BMO Field. Their last loss came in Week 21 in 2022 – a 38-33 setback at the hands of the Alouettes.
- Toronto leads the CFL with 37.0 points per game. Montreal tops the league in points allowed – 17.7 per game.
- Toronto is first in rushing yards per game (153); Montreal is second (95).
OFF TO A FLYING START
- Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace is 3-0 as a first-time head coach.
- Since 2008, he is the seventh head coach to open his first season with at least a 3-0 run.
- Ken Miller (SSK 2008) – 6-0
- Kavis Reed (EDM 2011) – 5-0
- Chris Jones (EDM 2014) – 4-0
- Corey Chamblin (SSK 2012) – 3-0
- Mike O’Shea (WPG 2014) – 3-0
- Orlondo Steinauer (HAM 2019) – 3-0
- Dave Dickenson in 2016 and Steinauer in 2019 hold the record for most wins by a first-time head coach (15).
QUICK SLANTS
League-wide
- Average of four sacks per game – down 23 per cent from 5.2 in 2023
- Four quarterbacks are averaging 300+ passing yards per game
- Quarterback TD:INT ratio is 2.26:1
- Six Canadians sit in the Top-12 in receiving yards
- 160 rushing yards per game
- Average of 597 passing yards per game
- 50.6 per cent on second down conversions
- 20.5 per cent of drives have resulted in TDs
- Seven fourth quarter game-winning drives
- Half of the games have featured three or more lead changes
| Game Notes | |
| Edmonton at BC | Download PDF |
| Montreal at Toronto | Download PDF |
| Winnipeg at Calgary | Download PDF |
| Hamilton at Ottawa | Download PDF |
EDM at BC
- Each teams’ opening games have been decided in the final three minutes.
- In Week 3, Edmonton’s McLeod Bethel-Thompson tied a career high with four TD passes – a league season high. He is the only QB to throw for 300+ yards in each game this season.
- The Elks are tied for the league lead in sacks (eight). Noah Curtis is tied for first with three.
- Jake Julien leads the CFL with a 52.5-yard punt average.
- BC has won the previous seven matchups.
- Alexander Hollins leads the league with 402 receiving yards and he is tied for the most receptions (23). His 215 in Week 3 was the 13th most by a Lion in the past 70 seasons.
- Ben Hladik (25) and Josh Woods (24) sit atop the league in defensive tackles.
- Sean Whyte has been successful on his last 25 field goal attempts.
MTL at TOR
- 10 of the teams’ past 13 regular season meetings have been decided in the final three minutes.
- Montreal has opened the scoring in each of their games.
- The Alouettes are looking to start 4-0 for the first time since 2009.
- Cody Fajardo is in search of his 40th career victory (39-24). He is 3-4 vs. Toronto.
- Delta, B.C., native Tyson Philpot is tied for the league lead in receptions (23) and touchdowns catches (three), and he is second in receiving yards (340).
- Fajardo and Toronto’s Cameron Dukes have a combined 12 TD passes to one interception.
- In 2023, Toronto swept the season series 3-0.
- Dukes has an 81.3 completion percentage this season and an efficiency rating of 145.8.
- Last week, Ka’Deem Carey recorded his first 100+ yard game as an Argo; it was the seventh of his career. In two games, he has 226 yards from scrimmage.
WPG at CGY
- 11 of the teams’ past 13 regular season meetings have been decided in the final three minutes.
- Winnipeg has won six straight against Calgary.
- The Bombers have had the fewest penalties (5.7 per game).
- Winnipeg has not started 0-4 since 2012.
- Adam Bighill needs two more defensive tackles to reach 900 in his career.
- Calgary’s René Paredes (553) is currently tied with Sean Fleming for seventh all-time in made field goals.
HAM at OTT
- Last week, Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell became the 13th player to reach 200 career touchdown passes. Dieter Brock sits 12th with 210.
- Mitchell (34,547) needs 259 passing yards to surpass Michael Reilly (34,805) for 14th all-time. He needs 284 to pass Dieter Brock (34,840) for 13th.
- Seven-year veteran Richard Leonard is slated to play in his 100th game this week.
- In his first CFL season, Shermar Bridges leads Hamilton with 22 catches and 270 receiving yards.
- Ottawa’s DeVonte Dedmon recorded the first kick-return TD of 2024 last week – a 101-yard kickoff return. He is the fastest player in CFL history (26 games) to reach six career kick-return majors (three punt and three kickoffs).
- Justin Hardy leads the league in average yards per catch (18.1).
