The Hamilton Tiger-Cats made waves on Saturday when starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was benched in favour of Taylor Powell during Hamilton’s 33-23 loss to Montreal.
The loss dropped Hamilton to a measly 2-7 on the season, last place in the East Division and tied for the worst record in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Elks. The Ticats are three games back of the Toronto Argonauts for the final divisional playoff spot and three games back of the Calgary Stampeders for the West Division crossover spot in the unlikely event that one occurs.
While the Tabbies have struggled this season, Mitchell has enjoyed a resurgence in 2024, throwing for 2,522 yards with 18 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. His yardage and touchdown totals both lead the league, causing outrage from the Steeltown faithful over the decision to put him on the bench.
From the outside looking in, the decision of head coach Scott Milanovich to roll with Powell for what appears to be the foreseeable future might come across as an odd one. How can the league’s leading passer get benched? Let’s take a look at the reasons why.
Not enough consistency
While Mitchell isn’t the only problem that plagues the roster, the Ticats weren’t getting enough consistent play from the quarterback position. The 34-year-old gunslinger posted some gaudy stat lines, but far too often his production came when Hamilton was trailing late in relatively lopsided matchups.
In the first game of the season in Calgary, Mitchell threw for 143 yards over the first three quarters and 157 in the fourth. Hamilton never led and lost 32-24 after trailing 22-7 after three quarters. Mitchell’s touchdown pass to Kiondre Smith came with under three minutes to go, making the game appear closer than it really was.
Mitchell played well enough for the Ticats to come away with a victory in Week 2 when he threw for 380 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception during a 33-30 overtime loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The problem is that the offence grew stagnant during the second half, mustering only 10 points after building a 20-7 halftime lead.
The rematch against Saskatchewan was bad from start to finish as Hamilton fell behind early and got down 28-7 heading into the fourth quarter, forcing Mitchell to push the ball downfield. He finished the game with under 300 yards, two touchdowns, and a season-high three interceptions.
The future Hall of Famer was solid in Hamilton’s 24-22 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks as a late special teams blunder was the deciding factor in this contest. Mitchell completed 67 percent of his passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns, one of which came late in the game when he engineered what should have been a game-winning drive.
Mitchell threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns in Hamilton’s 44-28 loss to the B.C. Lions in Week 5 but again, Hamilton fell behind big in the first half as they trailed 34-11. Mitchell was forced to throw the ball on essentially every play in the second half, giving him a chance to pad his stats.
The 34-year-old played well enough for the Ticats to nab their first win of the season over Toronto and went off against Edmonton the following week, tossing for 316 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in a 44-28 blowout victory. He regressed against the Alouettes, however, throwing three interceptions in less than five quarters of play.
Again, the disappointing first half of the year doesn’t fall entirely on Mitchell’s shoulders, but there haven’t been enough times through the first nine games where he’s been the consistent player the team or its new coaching staff could lean on.
Turnover issues
While Mitchell leads the league in passing yards and touchdowns, he also leads the league in interceptions. His pick on Saturday against Montreal was especially poor, throwing into double coverage across his body. He has two more interceptions than any other CFL quarterback and also had a fumble in Week 3 against Saskatchewan.
Milanovich said the team talked all week about limiting turnovers heading into their rematch with Montreal, yet they committed two almost immediately at Pervical Molson Stadium. Hamilton has a minus-eight turnover ratio on the season with 11 of their 17 giveaways coming from the quarterback spot.
A look to the future
Even if things were going smoothly in the Hammer, Mitchell is clearly on the back nine of his career, making him an unlikely candidate to be the team’s long-term solution at quarterback.
Taylor Powell was inserted into the lineup last season following injuries to both Mitchell and Matthew Shiltz early in the season. He started nine games and posted a 4-5 record, completing 67.5 percent of his passes for 2,283 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed 28 times for 196 yards and one major.
In Powell’s first meaningful action of the regular season against the Alouettes, he went 30-of-38 for 319 yards and two touchdowns, adding five carries for 52 yards on the ground. The sample size is small, but he appears to have improved since his rookie season.
Powell will turn 26 in October and the team inked him to a contract extension before the season, signifying the organization’s belief in him. Why not give him a chance to prove that he can build off his rookie campaign and become the guy the team so desperately wants him to be?
Getting him some valuable reps feels like the right decision in what is looking like a lost season, one the front office can use to evaluate the roster and attempt to start putting the pieces together for 2025. They have to see if Powell is going to be “the guy” moving forward and I think the final nine games is a big enough sample size for them to do that.
Who knows? Maybe Powell is the spark the Ticats need to revive their season, much like he was when he came into relief in 2023.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-7) will host the Edmonton Elks (2-7) on Saturday, Aug. 17 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
