CFL Power Rankings: A new world order
TORONTO — We head into Week 4 with some significant change, at least around these parts.
The BC Lions are the top team in the CFL.ca Power Rankings. Their move up won’t surprise many, given the Lions’ resounding 30-6 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday night.
The Lions’ win was a statement in every way. It was almost a year ago that these two teams met with undefeated records in BC. The Bombers, on a short week spent downplaying the significance of the clash, let their play on the field do the talking. This year, the Lions repaid the favour, going into IG Field and winning emphatically, handing the Bombers the kind of medicine they’ve routinely doled out to the other eight teams in the league over the last few years.
Before we get into the rankings, let’s take a moment to stand in awe of the Bombers’ dominance. Their fall from the top spot in the rankings this week marks the end of a run at No. 1 that started in Week 5 of the 2021 season. That’s not a typo. The Bombers have been the top team in the Power Rankings for 32 consecutive regular season weeks; you can bump it up to 34 if you want to count our last two annual Way Too Early Power Rankings.
Today is a new day, though. Let’s look at these Lions.
1. BC Lions (3-0)
Last week: 2
Last game: 30-6 win over Winnipeg
Next game: At Toronto, Mon. July 3
Worth noting: The Lions claim the top spot on the heels of a second consecutive outstanding defensive performance. Jake Maier and Taylor Cornelius, as it was pointed out during TSN’s broadcast Thursday night, might feel slightly better about their limited outputs against this 12-man offensive wrecking unit. Three games into the season, the Lions are the cream of the CFL crop.
2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-1)
Last week: 1
Last game: 30-6 loss to BC
Next game: At Montreal, Sat. July 1
Worth noting: The Bombers’ finally loosen their grip at the top of these rankings, with an uncharacteristic 235 yards of net offence, four turnovers and an eye-popping seven sacks allowed. In a sense, this Bombers’ showing puts in perspective just how consistently good they’ve been for two-plus seasons now. That’s not to say it wasn’t difficult to watch. Our best wishes to anyone that thought Week 3 was the time to roll with a Zach Collaros-Rasheed Bailey-Dalton Schoen stack in CFL Fantasy. It was not.
3. Toronto Argonauts (2-0)
Last week: 3
Last game: 43-31 win over Edmonton
Next game: Vs. BC, Mon. July 3
Worth noting: If there were any concerns about a still inexperienced Chad Kelly going up against a Chris Jones defence, they’re gone now. Two games into this Argos season and we’re seeing a team that can hurt you in a lot of ways. A bigger test awaits the defending champs this week, as they host the undefeated Lions on holiday Monday at BMO Field.
4. Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-1)
Last week: 4
Last game: 29-26 OT win over Calgary
Next game: Vs. Edmonton, Thurs. July 6
Worth noting: Two wins on the season and both are the building block-type of wins that can fuel teams through the trying moments that are bound to come in a season. For the second week in a row, Trevor Harris has led an offence that’s gone over 400 yards. It’s early days, but the vibes are strong in Saskatchewan.
5. Montreal Alouettes (2-0)
Last week: 7
Last game: 38-12 win over Hamilton
Next game: Vs. Winnipeg, Sat. July 1
Worth noting: There were many questions swirling around the Als through the winter. Can Jason Maas and Cody Fajardo succeed together? Did the Als’ uniquely challenging free agency leave the roster whittled down on talent? Did they have the receivers to go out and compete on a weekly basis? Those answers so far: Yes, not as much as we thought and go read Don Landry’s feature on Austin Mack.
6. Calgary Stampeders (1-2)
Last week: 5
Last game: 29-26 OT loss to Saskatchewan
Next game: At Winnipeg, Fri. July 7
Worth noting: Things feel a little topsy-turvy when you look at the Stamps right now. There’s the losing record and the fact that both of their losses have come at McMahon Stadium. Some of that could be having Jake Maier settle in as the starting quarterback, as he’s thrown just two touchdowns to five interceptions in three games. Dave Dickenson’s team gets a week to look inward and deal with a slew of key injuries. They’ll need to be on point when they return, as they’ll head to IG Field to try and even up their record.
7. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-3)
Last week: 6
Last game: 38-12 loss to Montreal
Next game: Vs. Ottawa, Sat. July 8
Worth noting: Matthew Shiltz came out slinging and threw for 345 yards, but the Ticats weren’t able to get a passing touchdown in their lopsided loss to the Als. Three Black and Gold end zone drops will no doubt linger in the minds of Shiltz and the Ticats’ receivers this bye week. Still, as each unit gave up touchdowns in the loss to the Als (never a recipe for success), there’s an across-the-board need for this team to pull itself together to reverse the bad start it’s had to this season.
8. Ottawa REDBLACKS (0-2)
Last week: 8
Last game: 26-15 loss to Calgary (Week 2)
Next game: Vs. Edmonton, Fri. June 30
Worth noting: The REDBLACKS turn to Tyrie Adams at QB, while Jeremiah Masoli inches closer to a return. With a home losing streak that gets overshadowed by the 19-game run of futility that Elks have, the REDBLACKS have a chance this week to pile on to the Elks’ woes and generate some momentum after a difficult start.
9. Edmonton Elks (0-3)
Last week: 9
Last game: 43-31 loss to Toronto
Next game: At Ottawa, Fri. June 30
Worth noting: It may feel dire for Elks fans, who will watch their team try to sort through its quarterback issues in the wake of a second-half collapse that dropped them to 0-3. The silver lining to this cloud is that they head to Ottawa this week, where backup Tyrie Adams is set to start. That first win of the season (home or away) may be the mental hurdle this group needs to clear to get its season on track. Just three games in, there’s still lots of time to salvage things.
