3DownNation CFL power rankings: B.C. Lions bounce Bombers from top spot

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

We have a new team atop our power rankings following a strong slate of Week 10 games that changed the landscape of the playoff races in the CFL’s East and West Divisions.

3DownNation’s power rankings are created by having eleven of our contributors rank each team from No. 1 to No. 9 independently, then averaging out the scores. The previous week’s rankings are in brackets.

Enjoy the rankings and feel free to roast us on Twitter for anything you think we got wrong.

1. B.C. Lions (2)

The legend of Nathan Rourke continues to grow as he put up 246 passing yards in the fourth quarter alone to complete a massive comeback against Calgary. Bryan Burnham had his first elite game of the season, while the defence held the Stampeders to 286 yards of offence. If this team ever figures out how to cover kicks, they will be nearly unstoppable.

2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1)

All good things must come to an end, which is exactly what happened to Winnipeg’s undefeated start to the season. We’ve grown accustomed to the Blue Bombers dominating in the fourth quarter but they made a litany of late mistakes this past week, allowing a strip-sack on Zach Collaros, taking a penalty on a goal-line stand, and missing two relatively easy field goals.

3. Calgary Stampeders (3)

It’s not often that Calgary’s defence gets lit up, but that’s exactly what happened in Week 10 as Nathan Rourke threw for a season-high 488 yards in an epic come-from-behind win that Bo Levi Mitchell called “f***ing terrible.” After losing all three of the games they’ve played against Winnipeg and B.C. this year, one thing is clear: Calgary is currently not a top-two team in the West Division.

4. Saskatchewan Roughriders (5)

The Riders finally stopped the bleeding, ending a three-game losing streak coming out of their bye week. The offence remained sluggish as Cody Fajardo faced far too much pressure and Jamal Morrow didn’t get nearly enough touches. With that said, Saskatchewan’s front-seven continues to terrorize opposing quarterbacks despite injuries to A.C. Leonard and Pete Robertson.

5. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6)

Rookie quarterback Jamie Newman kept the Ticats afloat just long enough for Matthew Shiltz to return to the game and score 17 points in the fourth quarter for the win. This was more of a fingerpainting than a Piccaso — Hamilton took 12 penalties for 116 yards and lost the turnover battle — but the Ticats desperately needed a win and got it over a hated rival to remain firmly in the playoff picture.

6. Montreal Alouettes (7)

Très bien! The Als accomplished something no other team had done since Week 3 of the 2021 season: beat the Blue Bombers in a meaningful game. Montreal played clean, mistake-free football on the road and got home for five sacks on Zach Collaros, making life difficult for the reigning M.O.P. They only moved up one spot this week, but it’s only a matter of time for them to move higher if this trend continues.

7. Toronto Argonauts (4)

The Boatmen squandered a chance to bury Hamilton in the standings, instead allowing them to claw back within two points of first place in the East Division. One area of concern for the club is the health of Andrew Harris, who underwent an MRI for a possible torn pectoral muscle after leaving Friday’s game early and not returning.

8. Edmonton Elks (9)

Do you remember what life was like in October 2019? Hong Kong protests were in full swing, Joker was the No. 1 film at the American box office, and nobody had ever heard of COVID-19. Edmonton has still not won a home game since then, though they would have had they managed to avoid some bone-headed mistakes late against Saskatchewan.

9. Ottawa Redblacks (8)

The best thing about a bye week is that it’s impossible to lose. The worst thing about a bye week is that other teams have the chance to get ahead of you. That’s exactly what happened to Ottawa as Montreal and Hamilton got wins to gain some extra breathing room between them and the last-place Redblacks.