TORONTO — The Ottawa REDBLACKS are moving up. Now one of three teams in the league with a 5-2 record and sitting just behind the 6-1 Montreal Alouettes in the East Division, the REDBLACKS have taken a seat at the proverbial big kids’ table in this week’s edition of the CFL Power Rankings presented by AMSOIL.
As Dru Brown and his teammates have built up a winning record, there had been arguments against moving them up. Their wins had come against Winnipeg, Hamilton and twice against Edmonton, all of those clubs winless at the time they’d played. Their Week 3 game against the then 3-0 Montreal Alouettes was a 47-21 Alouettes win.
The REDBLACKS’ Week 8 win over the visiting Calgary Stampeders pushed the Stamps under .500 — a week after they toppled the top-ranked BC Lions — and forced some eyes open on what this team is doing. They’re now 4-0 at home and their 167 points allowed is second in the league behind Montreal (152) and Saskatchewan (158). Along with the Alouettes and the Roughriders, the REDBLACKS boast the fewest touchdowns allowed this season (14).
Under first-year starting quarterback Dru Brown, the REDBLACKS’ offence is finding its way. Brown is third in the league in passing yards, with 1,881 on 145-221 passing, with six touchdowns against four interceptions. He had an enormous 480-yard showing against the Elks in the REDBLACKS’ Week 6 win and had 325 passing yards in last week’s win over the Stamps.
Another big key for the REDBLACKS’ these last three games has been Kalil Pimpleton. The first year receiver/returner has provided a big boost on special teams, scoring a return touchdown against the Stamps last week and has found quick chemistry with Brown, totalling 289 receiving yards and a touchdown in the last three games.
Absent from the playoffs since their trip to the Grey Cup game in 2018, the REDBLACKS are finally making some noise again. They get a great test after their bye week, when they host the Roughriders on Aug. 8.
Let’s get into this week’s rankings.
1. BC Lions (5-2)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: 25-24 loss to Calgary (Week 7)
Next game: At Winnipeg, Thurs. Aug. 1
Worth noting: The Lions come out of their bye, perhaps with some ill will stewing over their Week 7 loss to the Stamps and look to get back into the win column against a Bombers team that has to be feeling desperate for a win. The Lions’ defence welcomed T.J. Lee back into action in Week 7; could Week 9 mark the return of a key offensive piece in receiver Keon Hatcher? Both players suffered long-term injuries in the Lions’ trip to Winnipeg for the Western Final last year. It would be a fitting time for Hatcher’s return, as the Lions look to establish their dominance over the West Division.
2. Montreal Alouettes (6-1)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: 20-16 win over Saskatchewan
Next Game: At Hamilton, Fri. Aug. 2
Worth noting: The Als unraveled a successful Riders’ first half behind the play of third-string QB Davis Alexander, who made good on his first 12 passes, reigniting the offence — Montreal out-scored Saskatchewan 17-3 in the second half — and getting them just enough to win a tough game against a very good opponent. From the misfortune of Cody Fajardo‘s move to the six-game injured list, the Als appear to have found a quarterback worth taking a deeper look at in Davis. Should head coach Jason Maas stick with him, the cat will be somewhat out of the bag as the Als prep for the Ticats, but the 25-year-old’s play is something Als fans can certainly feel encouraged about while they wait for Fajardo’s return.
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-2)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: 20-16 loss to Montreal
Next game: Vs. Edmonton, Sat. Aug. 3
Worth noting: The Riders managed 325 net yards of offence against a stingy Alouettes’ defence, but only found the end zone once, as the clamps came down on them in the second half of what turned out to be their second loss of the season. The focus shifts now to the visiting Edmonton Elks, who could be rolling into Mosaic Stadium with Tre Ford at the helm as the club still looks for its first win of the season. The shifty quarterback would throw a different element at the Riders’ defence, who will remember him well from last year. Ford walked into Mosaic last year and got the Elks their fourth and final win of the 2023 campaign.
4. Ottawa REDBLACKS (5-2)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: 33-6 win over Calgary
Next game: Vs. Saskatchewan, Thurs. Aug. 8
Worth noting: REDBLACKS fans may see their team here at the No. 4 spot and yell, ‘Finally!’ We are admittedly late to your party, R-Nation, but we’re here to give Dru Brown and crew some overdue love. The REDBLACKS’ dismantling of the visiting Stamps pushed them to 5-2, tying them for the second-best record in the league and keeping them in second place in the East Division. As they start stacking wins after a very difficult four years of being out of the playoffs, we’re seeing this team start to make some good historical strides. Case in point: the REDBLACKS are 4-0 at home for the first time in 46 years. That 4-0 home record is also a league best.
5. Calgary Stampeders (3-4)
Last Week: 4
Last game: 33-6 loss to Ottawa
Next game: Vs. Toronto, Sun. Aug. 4
Worth noting: The talk on the TSN panel after the Stamps’ lopsided loss to the REDBLACKS was about which team was legitimate and which was fooling us. We won’t go quite that far — the Stamps are just a week removed from downing league-leading BC — but their loss to Ottawa was disappointing. Jake Maier and the Stamps’ offence was bottled up by the REDBLACKS, with Lorenzo Mauldin IV and Bryce Carter leading the pressure-packed charge. Buoyed in the West Division standings by the shortcomings of the winless Elks and the still-struggling Bombers, the Stamps have some room for error, while they’ll continue to try to work their way up to the level of the Riders and the Lions, who sit two wins ahead of them.
6. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-5)
Last Week: 8
Last game: 44-28 win over Edmonton
Next game: Vs. Montreal, Fri. Aug. 2
Worth noting: Owners of a 2-5 record, sixth may feel a little high for the Ticats. While they are on their first win streak of the season (downing the Argos and Elks, who sit further down these rankings), this team draws more confidence at the moment from those ranking the power than any of the teams below them here. Bo Levi Mitchell (2,257 yards) is now the league’s second-leading passer, closing in on Vernon Adams Jr. and the incredible pace he’s been on with the Lions this year and his 17 touchdowns thrown are a league-best. With the offence clicking and the defence showing improvement and special teams coming through — the group now has blocked punts in consecutive games — the Ticats get a tough test in back-to-back games against the Alouettes. Over the next two weeks we’ll get a good sense of where Scott Milanovich’s team stands.
7. Toronto Argonauts (4-3)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: 16-14 OT win over Winnipeg
Next game: At Calgary, Sun. Aug. 4
Worth noting: The positive for the Argos is that they came out of their defensive battle with the Bombers with the win. That’s something that come October, could be a key piece to their search for a playoff spot. Bigger picture, the Argos’ struggles to score points is concerning. After throwing five touchdowns in his first two games, Cameron Dukes has passed to the end zone just once in the last four games, with him coming out having made 3-4 passes in Week 8 against the Bombers. Nick Arbuckle made 12-22 passes for 87 yards with no touchdowns, while the Argos relied on their defence for a major and the steady foot of Lirim Hajrullahu (3-3 field goals) to stay above .500. If they’re going to keep winning they’ll need some offensive scores.
8. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-6)
Last Week: 6
Last Game: 16-14 OT loss to Toronto
Next game: Vs. BC, Thurs. Aug. 1
Worth noting: Film sessions might be tough for the Bombers, as they head into this short week. Amidst that offensive grind of a game sit some key missed opportunities. There was the third-and-one gamble from the Bombers with under a minute to play, when a 29-yard field goal would have broken a 13-all tie. In overtime, there was Sergio Castillo‘s missed field goal attempt, which set the table for Hajrullahu’s game-winner. In a five-turnover showing, the Bombers left too much room for error as they landed at their sixth loss of the season. There’s still time for them to turn things around, but the frustration around the team’s record seems to be showing. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the core of this Bombers team that’s had so much success over the last few years, is in a new and challenging situation. With a bye week sandwiched between back-to-back games against the Lions, the Bombers will have to be sharp to start to get back on track.
9. Edmonton Elks (0-7)
Last Week: 9
Last Game: 44-28 loss to Hamilton
Next game: At Saskatchewan, Sat. Aug. 3
Worth noting: For the second year in a row, the Elks are 0-7. Much like their poor start from 2023, questions are swirling around Tre Ford and if the previously benched backup will get the start in an effort to salvage the team’s season. Ford sparked the Elks in Sunday’s game, despite getting on the field when the score was already out of hand. As we mentioned above, Ford had a lot of success against Saskatchewan in the Elks’ win against them last year. That includes a 70-yard rushing effort and one of his best highlights of the season. The Elks would happily take a highlight-free performance though, if it got them in the win column on Saturday.