Week 5 of the 2024 CFL regular season is in the books, which means it’s time to look back at the best and worst of the week that was.
The Lions rattled off a fourth straight win, the Tiger-Cats lost yet again, Cameron Dukes threw a ton of interceptions, Calgary collapsed, Winnipeg finally got off the schneid, the Redblacks struggled to stop the run, and Montreal and Saskatchewan stayed perfect.
These awards are selected by 3DownNation’s contributors and will be presented weekly throughout the 2024 season on Tuesday mornings. Enjoy.
Offensive player of the week: QB Vernon Adams Jr., B.C. Lions
The 31-year-old torched Hamilton’s secondary early in Sunday’s one-sided win, completing 18-of-25 pass attempts for 321 yards and four touchdowns in the first half alone. Had the Lions not called off the dogs in the second half, Matt Dunigan — who provided commentary for TSN — might have started worrying about his single-game passing record. It’s still early in the season, but V.A. has to be considered the early favourite to receive the West Division’s nomination for Most Outstanding Player.
Honourable mention: RB Walter Fletcher, Montreal Alouettes
Defensive player of the week: DB Rolan Milligan Jr., Saskatchewan Roughriders
The four-year CFL veteran was the main reason Cameron Dukes had a miserable outing in Regina, recording four tackles and two interceptions, which he returned for 53 yards. Milligan has already set a new career-high with three picks on the season and stands to record many more as part of a team that’s forced 14 takeaways amid a 4-0 start, putting them atop the West Division.
Honourable mention: DL Willie Jefferson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Special teams player of the week: K Sergio Castillo, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The eight-year CFL veteran was outstanding in his team’s first win of the season, going a perfect six-for-six on field goals. Castillo booted two from 53 yards out and one from 49 yards away despite there being virtually no wind at Princess Auto Stadium to aid his kicks. The 33-year-old native of La Joya, Texas hasn’t missed a field goal since Week 1, when he attributed two misses to the CFL’s new microchipped footballs.
Honourable mention: KR Janarion Grant, Toronto Argonauts
Breakout player of the week: KR Davon ‘Smoke’ Harris, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
It was a miserable week for the Tiger-Cats but the rookie out of Louisiana Tech University, who signed with the team barely a week ago, was a bright spot as he broke a kickoff return for 61 yards midway through the second quarter, setting up a field goal from Marc Liegghio. Harris finished the game with 181 total return yards over 10 attempts in his first-ever CFL game, playing in place of the injured Lawrence Woods III.
Honourable mention: DB Kaylyn St-Cyr, Calgary Stampeders
Offensive line of the week: Montreal Alouettes
The unit of Nick Callender, Pier-Olivier Lestage, Justin Lawrence, Philippe Gagnon, and Joshua Donovan didn’t allow any sacks during Montreal’s comeback win over the Calgary Stampeders, allowing Cody Fajardo to throw for a season-high 374 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Fajardo, Walter Fletcher, and Caleb Evans also combined for a respectable 97 yards along the ground.
Honourable mention: Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Coach of the week: OC Jordan Maksymic, B.C. Lions
B.C.’s players did a great job executing in the first half, posting 34 points against the Tiger-Cats, though it’s clear the club’s game plan had a lot to do with their success. The Lions consistently had receivers running wide open in Hamilton’s secondary, which doesn’t happen unless the offensive coordinator is dialling up perfect route concepts to expose the opposition. Maksymic has established himself as a CFL pass-game guru and more than lived up to that reputation this past week.
Honourable mention: OC Buck Pierce, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
THERE GOES THAT MAN!!!! 🏃🏿💨
Janarion Grant (@JanarionGrant) hesitates and squirts free for his first TD as an Argo.#CFL #Argos #PullTogether
pic.twitter.com/9YjGlupxD3— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) July 5, 2024
Best play of the week: KR Janarion Grant, Toronto Argonauts
The veteran return specialist drifted to his right after corralling a punt from Adam Korsak and noticed a seam up the middle of the field. Grant exploded through it, dodging Rolan Milligan Jr. and getting key blocks from Jonathan Edouard and Jack Cassar en route to an 84-yard score. The 30-year-old native of Fort Trilby, Fla. now has eight career punt return touchdowns over 45 career CFL games.
Honourable mention: REC Samuel Emilus, Saskatchewan Roughriders
Worst play of the week: QB headshots
Redha Kramdi hit Dru Brown in the head during Friday night’s game in Winnipeg, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty and the young quarterback leaving the game. Though Dustin Crum has since said he doesn’t feel the hit was dirty, the subsequent hit on Chris Streveler certainly was as Tobias Harris went helmet-to-helmet with the dual-threat passer and was charged with spearing. The CFL needs its quarterbacks to remain healthy. A note to defensive players: please stop smashing them illegally in the head.
Honourable mention: DB Tre Roberson, Calgary Stampeders
Best game of the week: Calgary Stampeders at Montreal Alouettes
The Alouettes faced their toughest test of the season as they trailed 26-12 late in the third quarter but rallied as Cody Fajardo threw for a season-high 374 yards, hitting Cole Spieker and Kaion Julien-Grant for touchdowns. Montreal took the lead with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter and the team’s vaunted defence slammed the door as Dionté Ruffin intercepted Jake Maier to seal it with just over 30 seconds remaining.
Honourable mention: B.C. Lions at Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Worst game of the week: Ottawa Redblacks at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
If you like football that harkens back to an era in which the forward pass was considered little more than a gimmick, this was the perfect game for you as Ottawa and Winnipeg combined for 392 rushing yards as Dustin Crum, Ryquell Armstead, Chris Streveler, and Brady Oliveira pounded it out along the ground. It didn’t make for the most entertaining game for most CFL fans, however, who generally prefer to see big plays through the air.
Honourable mention: Toronto Argonauts at Saskatchewan Roughriders
