2. Montreal Alouettes (5-1)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: 37-18 loss to Toronto (Week 6)
Next Game: Vs. Saskatchewan, Thurs. July 25
Worth noting: In the wake of Cody Fajardo limping off of the field in Week 6, the Als had the benefit of a bye week…that seems to have not helped their franchise player get back on the field yet. Fajardo, like breakout star receiver Kaion Julien-Grant, has sat out the last two days of practice in Montreal, potentially setting the stage for backup Caleb Evans to lead the team into its Week 8 showdown with the visiting Roughriders. Some positive news: Marc-Antoine Dequoy has been a full participant this week. His return to the lineup would be a big boost to a powerhouse defensive unit that will need him on Thursday night.
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-1)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: 19-9 win over Winnipeg
Next game: At Montreal, Thurs. July 25
Worth noting: Had they not dropped their Week 6 meeting to the Lions the week before, you’d see the Riders even higher in these rankings. That said, they handled their first loss of the season quite well as they put down their visiting arch-rivals in convincing fashion to move to the top of the West Division standings (the table that means more to them than these rankings). Shea Patterson is 2-1 since taking over for the injured Trevor Harris and he hasn’t been afraid to sling the ball, going over 260 passing yards in his last two games. The Riders’ defence has been exceptional, with Jameer Thurman playing disruptor at the middle linebacker spot and a balanced secondary showing that it’s a constant threat for an interception, as Adam Auclair reminded Zach Collaros last week. The Riders head into Montreal with momentum.
4. Calgary Stampeders (3-3)
Last Week: 6
Last game: 25-24 win over BC
Next game: At Ottawa, Fri. July 26
Worth noting: With Jake Maier completing almost 80 per cent of his passes and picking up three touchdowns with zero interceptions in a 307-yard showing, the Stamps’ offence looked impressive as it took down the favoured visiting Lions. Calgary’s defence made life difficult — physically and mentally — for Vernon Adams Jr. and picked up a big win that can carry them into the middle third of the season. For a squad that had much go wrong for it in its six-win showing last year, the significance of the win over the Lions can’t be overstated. Now 3-0 at home, the Stamps are building a positive identity this year and Sunday’s win felt like a glimpse of what this team can be.
5. Toronto Argonauts (3-3)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: 27-24 loss to Hamilton
Next game: Vs. Winnipeg, Sat. July 27
Worth noting: Six games into their season, we’re wondering who the Argos are. They’ve beaten both BC and Montreal this year, but have also had a very shaky loss to Saskatchewan and now to a previously winless Hamilton team. As head coach Ryan Dinwiddie weighs whether he’ll start Cameron Dukes or Nick Arbuckle this week against Winnipeg, he does so knowing that while the Ticats are still just 1-5, they’re only two games behind the Argos for third in the East Division. A win this week against the visiting Bombers would give the defending East champs a little more control in the standings.
6. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-5)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: 19-9 loss to Saskatchewan
Next game: At Toronto, Sat. July 27
Worth noting: Their two-game win streak comes to an end and the reality of the Bombers’ slow start hits home. The climb out of it won’t likely be a Point-B-back-to-Point-A journey and setbacks like last week’s loss to the Riders remind us of what’s plagued them so far this year: Zach Collaros‘ uncharacteristic seven interceptions are the highest in the league and their three turnovers overall — including Nic Demski having a red zone opportunity spoiled by Thurman’s chase down forced fumble — helped seal their fate. Big picture, the Bombers are just a game behind the Stamps for third in the West. It’s a different kind of season in Winnipeg, but the Bombers are still very much in the mix.
7. Ottawa REDBLACKS (4-2)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: 20-14 win over Edmonton
Next game: Vs. Calgary, Fri. July 26
Worth noting: Dru Brown and the REDBLACKS fought their way through a gritty game to stay undefeated at home, while the REDBLACKS’ defence can celebrate a shutout over an Elks team that while winless hasn’t had much problem putting up numbers this year. Their focus shifts to Calgary this week, where they have the opportunity to add to their perfect record at TD Place and could gain some important ground in the East Division. With the Als dealing with some injuries and the Argos sitting at 3-3, the REDBLACKS are in a great position to take a run at first place. There’s a sentence that hasn’t been written in a few years.
8. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-5)
Last Week: 9
Last game: 27-24 win over Toronto
Next game: At Edmonton, Sun. July 28
Worth noting: Bo Levi Mitchell‘s bleeped four-letter-word response to his team’s first win in six tries perfectly summed things up. The Ticats can exhale as the head to Edmonton for what could have been a meeting of the league’s two winless clubs, had they not found a way to take a win from their arch-rival Argos. Like the Elks, the Ticats have been at the doorstep of wins more than once this year and had them slip away. Now that they’ve gotten that elusive first victory, they just might be able to start piling them up. Mitchell said in his post-game that there was still a lot of work to be done. We think getting over the hump of that first win could be the hardest one for this group to get.
9. Edmonton Elks (0-6)
Last Week: 8
Last Game: 20-14 loss to Ottawa
Next game: Vs. Hamilton, Sun. July 28
Worth noting: The Elks came up short in a defensive battle for loss No. 6 on the season. Defensively, the Elks held their ground — four sacks, a pair of interceptions and knockdowns and a forced fumble — and gave the team opportunities to capitalize. An out-of-sync offensive night plus three missed field goals linger in what turned out to be a six-point loss. The Ticats got their first win of the season last week, so as they head to Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday, the pressure stays on the Elks in the Week 8 finale to end their losing streak and to start to make some waves in the West Division.
