Week 16 is officially in the books and the playoff picture isn’t getting any clearer. Only Montreal has booked their postseason ticket and no team has been eliminated yet, with one of the league’s basement dwellers suddenly making a compelling late push.
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)
Montreal clinched a home playoff game with their eleventh victory of the season and all but eliminated any opposition for first place by knocking off the Redblacks. It was a lacklustre offensive outing from Cody Fajardo, who threw for just 226 yards, but the team was buoyed by an early pick-six from Dionte Ruffin and some excellent returns by James Letcher Jr. In other words, it was a return to the Alouettes’ classic formula for success.
2) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2)
The Bombers continue to get things done despite ineffectual play from quarterback Zach Collaros, who threw for just 191 yards in Edmonton. Brady Oliveira put up 127 yards rushing and scored his first two touchdowns of the season to secure the victory, pushing himself over the thousand-yard mark for a third straight season. Meanwhile, the Winnipeg defence compensated for a bad day against the run by forcing six turnovers and chasing the CFL’s most exciting young QB from the game.
3) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7)
Forget about the fact that they are last in the East Division and still outside the playoff picture, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the CFL’s most exciting team right now. Since his benching earlier this year, Bo Levi Mitchell has turned into a legitimate M.O.P. candidate and lit it up once again in Week 16 with 362 yards through the air. A walk-off winner from Marc Liegghio secured the Tabbies their third straight victory and a season sweep of the Argos, giving them offseason bragging rights if nothing else.
4) Toronto Argonauts (4)
The Argonauts may not have been punished by our voters for losing a third time to their biggest rival but head coach Ryan Dinwiddie may not be so kind, likening the defensive performance to a seven-on-seven tournament. Maybe that’s why he chose to keep the ball in the air late, resulting in a near miss to DaVaris Daniels in the end zone and leaving enough time for Hamilton to kick the winner.
5) Ottawa Redblacks (5)
Losing to the Alouettes may not be a complete surprise but squandering an opportunity to control their own destiny will still sting the Redblacks. More concerning still is the play and health of quarterback Dru Brown, who left the game with an ankle injury in the second quarter in the midst of a second consecutive dreadful performance. Ottawa has been absolutely ravaged by injuries with their entire linebacking corps, both starting tackles, and a couple of key receivers all on the shelf. Another major loss will make clinching a playoff spot even more difficult.
6) Edmonton Elks (3)
Interim head coach Jarious Jackson may have made his first critical error in the job by announcing a quarterback change ahead of the team’s bye, as Winnipeg had the perfect game plan to defeat Tre Ford after two weeks of prep. The young Canadian threw for just 131 yards, committed three turnovers, and found himself completely boxed into the pocket before being pulled in the fourth quarter. The Elks will wisely wait to name their starter this time around but you can bet on seeing even more of running back Justin Rankin no matter who hands him the ball, as the rookie put up 157 yards on just 14 carries.
7) Saskatchewan Roughriders (8)
You can thank newcomer Ryquell Armstead for snapping the Riders’ seven-game winless streak, as the running back put up 207 yards on the ground less than a week after joining his new team. Trevor Harris wasn’t half bad himself, finishing with just two incompletions, while Jameer Thurman called the game with a timely interception. Saskatchewan has a long way to go before earning back the trust of pundits but earning their first post-Labour Day win since 2021 is a start.
8) B.C. Lions (6)
The Lions are still in sole control of second in the West Division after their bye week but that didn’t stop them from falling two spots in our rankings. Nathan Rourke is expected to be back under centre this week after his surprise benching against Toronto but it remains to be seen whether Rick Campbell has managed to smooth over any damage inflicted to the locker room.
9) Calgary Stampeders (9)
It may be the murkiest season in CFL history but there was still one unanimous ranking from our contributors this week. The Stampeders are now winless in their last six and hardly bothered to show up in the first half against Saskatchewan, before making things respectable with a second-half surge. It’s hard to tell which is uglier in the CFL: giving up 200 yards to an opposing rusher or failing to hit that same mark passing. Either way, Calgary is coming apart at the seams entering their bye week and bid each other adieu with a long locker-room shouting match.
