Week 15 is officially in the books, capping a truncated slate of games that featured two upsets and a tie. Not much seems to make sense in the CFL right now, so we’ve done our best to determine 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 Larks held onto the top spot in our rankings despite failing to win for the second straight week, a trend that’s unlikely to hold for another game. The team managed a measly 19 points and 292 yards of offence in Calgary despite Walter Fletcher and Charleston Rambo recording explosion plays of 50-plus yards. Montreal’s defence and special teams are still up to snuff but team’s offence is going to have to be more consistent if they’re going to repeat as Grey Cup champions.
2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4)
Going into a bye week is always easier when you’re on a winning streak and the Blue Bombers have won five in a row. The break didn’t come without bad news, however, as Chris Streveler suffered three torn ligaments in his knee during the Banjo Bowl, leading to the additions of Jake Dolegala and Bryan Scott. If Winnipeg is going to get back to a fifth-straight Grey Cup, it’s more critical than ever that Zach Collaros stay healthy.
3. Edmonton Elks (5)
The Elks entered their second bye week of the season in style, having just swept the annual Labour Day home-and-home with their archrival Calgary Stampeders for the first time in 20 years. Tre Ford will be under centre when the team returns to the field, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if McLeod Bethel-Thompson remained part of the game plan considering how well he played during Ford’s month-long absence due to injury.
4. Toronto Argonauts (6)
The Boatmen were significant underdogs when they made the cross-country trip to Vancouver this past week but shocked the world with a one-sided win. The defence, led by rookie defensive tackle Ralph Holley, made seven sacks, while Chad Kelly and Makai Polk connected six times for 116 yards and one touchdown. With the Redblacks getting blown out in Hamilton and Montreal failing to win either of their last two games, there’s no reason to think Toronto can’t still host a playoff game this year.
5. Ottawa Redblacks (3)
Every time the Redblacks look to prove they’re for real, they find a way to get blown out. Dru Brown had his worst game of the season in Steeltown, throwing for 164 yards and committing two turnovers before getting benched, while Ottawa’s defence got blown off the line of scrimmage in the run game and failed to generate a sack. Despite sitting second in the East Division at 8-4-1, the Redblacks are back to have a negative point differential on the season.
6. B.C. Lions (2)
Nathan Rourke and Vernon Adams Jr. both saw the field in B.C.’s loss to Toronto on Friday Night Football and the results were the same: bad. The Lions’ reshuffled offensive line was putrid, allowing seven sacks and making it difficult for either passer to throw with timing or accuracy. Worse yet was how many players the team lost due to injury as Alexander Hollins, Garry Peters, Christian Covington, Kory Woodruff, and Maxime Rouyer all went down at various points of the game.
7. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8)
It might be too little too late but the Ticats have now won back-to-back games, including a one-sided victory over the Redblacks. Greg Bell ran for 99 yards and a touchdown as Hamilton controlled the line of scrimmage, while the team’s defence chased Dru Brown from the game before intercepting Jeremiah Masoli twice. Bo Levi Mitchell continues to play well after his brief benching as he completed eight passes to Steven Dunbar Jr. for 151 yards and one touchdown.
8. Saskatchewan Roughriders (7)
Since opening the season on a 5-1 tear, the Green and White have grown as cold as a Saskatchewan winter, going 0-6-1 over their last seven games. Unlike the last two years during which their late-season collapses have cost them a playoff spot, the Riders still control their own destiny in the West Division. Perhaps this week’s game against the lowly Stampeders will be just what the doctor ordered.
9. Calgary Stampeders (9)
The Stampeders didn’t lose to the top-ranked Alouettes but that still wasn’t enough to move them out of the basement of our power rankings. Dedrick Mills ran for 122 yards against arguably the league’s best defence, Jake Maier didn’t throw any interceptions, and a Montreal touchdown was negated by a questionable penalty for roughing the kicker. Those breaks still weren’t enough for Calgary to get the win as the club’s offence fell asleep in overtime.
