Week 12 of the 2024 CFL regular season is officially in the books, which means it’s time to reassess how the league’s nine teams stack up.
3DownNation’s power rankings are created by having twelve contributors rank each team from No. 1 to No. 9 independently, then averaging out the scores. The previous week’s rankings are in brackets. As always, please be sure to check back every Monday morning for our updated power rankings following each week of action in the CFL.
Enjoy the rankings and feel free to roast us on Twitter — yes, we still call it “Twitter” — for anything you think we got wrong.
1) Montreal Alouettes (1)
The Alouettes were put on upset alert by the Elks in Cody Fajardo’s first start back from injury but a second-half surge kept them on top of the standings in their slick ’70s throwbacks. Austin Mack was quiet in his comeback game but Cole Spieker turned up the volume with two impressive touchdown catches. The Montreal defence continued to be impenetrable after the halftime adjustments, led by two sacks from rookie first-rounder Geoffrey Cantin-Arku.
2) Ottawa Redblacks (2)
There is something special happening in the nation’s capital, as Bob Dyce has his squad out to the best start for an Ottawa team since the Rough Riders in 1978. Dru Brown was brilliant in his return to the lineup, dazzling with 390 yards passing, three touchdowns, and just one interception. Rookie Nick Mardner found his stride with a pair of touchdowns, while the team’s defensive line continues to get after the quarterback at an elite pace.
3) Toronto Argonauts (3)
The return of Chad Kelly gave the Argos’ passing attack the boost they expected, as he struggled early but finished with 322 yards through the air thanks to a couple of completed deep shots. Damonte Coxie had his first 100-yard game of the season as a result, while Dashaun Amos and Benjie Franklin put their offence in prime field position with key takeaways. The victory came courtesy of a missed field goal single — a fitting failure to maximize scoring for a team that was stopped at the one on three separate drives and had two touchdowns overturned.
4) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4)
Zach Collaros had an awful week throwing the football, finishing with 177 yards and three interceptions. That didn’t stop him from engineering an 11-play, 62-yard drive to hit Kenny Lawler for a game-winning touchdown with 19 seconds remaining. After being written off at the start of the season, the Bombers have clawed their way up into second in the West thanks to exceptional defensive play and hard running from Brady Oliveira.
5) Saskatchewan Roughriders (5)
A week after dazzling in his return to injury, Trevor Harris spontaneously combusted in Toronto, finishing with 190 yards and tossing two bad interceptions in his own end. The Saskatchewan offence was hapless after the first quarter and three goal-line stands on defence weren’t enough to overcome some critical game-management errors. Rider fans can’t blame the refs for this loss, so they’ll have to wallow in the reality of falling by a rouge to go winless in their last five.
6) Edmonton Elks (7)
The Elks took a 17-6 lead into the intermission but saw their three-game winning streak snapped when they failed to score a point in the second half. A potent ground game was largely ignored as Montreal raced out in front and McLeod Bethel-Thompson was held to just 200 yards total, blowing two opportunities to re-take the lead. Thankfully, Tre Ford should be in line to return soon, which means things are still looking up in Edmonton.
7) Calgary Stampeders (8)
Did you miss the Calgary Stampeders while they were on bye? Probably not, but being the most forgettable team in the CFL means they lack the chaotic peaks and valleys of the rest of the West Division. At least you can count on their return team being more exciting going forward, as all-star Chandler Worthy has been brought into the fold.
8) B.C. Lions (6)
Nathan Rourke was much-improved in his second game back from the NFL, throwing for 234 yards and rushing for 63 more. However, the Canadian standout was picked off once and stripped twice while facing relentless pressure from the Ottawa defence. The Lions defence did nothing of the sort when they were on the field, getting diced up for 390 yards and three touchdowns through the air without a single sack to show for it. B.C. has now lost five straight games and there is no end in sight for the spiral.
9) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9)
There were signs of improvement from the Ticats against Winnipeg, as Chris Jones’ hiring earlier in the week prompted a trio of takeaways. That wasn’t enough to overcome a slow offensive start and a fumble by returner Jordan Byrd taken back for a touchdown. After holding off the Bombers all night, the defence couldn’t stop a game-winning drive in the final minutes.
