Week 16 of the CFL season has come and gone, featuring two exceptional Friday night games and a couple of disappointing matchups on Saturday.
Below we’ve recognized the best and worst performances of the week from across the country. These awards are selected by 3DownNation’s contributors and will be presented weekly throughout the 2024 season. Enjoy.
Offensive player of the week: RB Ryquell Armstead, Saskatchewan Roughriders
The former fifth-round NFL draft pick signed with the Riders just last week and immediately wreaked havoc on Calgary’s defence, rushing for 207 yards to help lead Saskatchewan to a 37-29 win. Things might not have worked out for Armstead with the Redblacks but he’s off to a great start in Riderville. He now trails A.J. Ouellette and Frankie Hickson by 259 and 185 yards, respectively, for the team lead in rushing despite only playing one game for the Green and White.
Honourable mention: QB Bo Levi Mitchell, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Defensive player of the week: LB Tony Jones, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The 29-year-old was dominant against his old team as he recorded seven total tackles, one sack, one interception, one fumble recovery, and one pass knockdown to help the Blue Bombers win a sixth straight game. Winnipeg needed someone in its linebacking corps to step up after Adam Bighill recently underwent season-ending knee surgery and Jones appears ready to help fill that void.
Honourable mention: DL Mustafa Johnson, Montreal Alouettes
GAME-WINNER!!!
Marc Liegghio drills the ball right down the middle to win the game for the Tiger-Cats!#CFL pic.twitter.com/7AZl1juiJW
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 21, 2024
Special teams player of the week: K Marc Liegghio, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Western University product went a perfect six-for-six on his field goal attempts on Friday night, including two kicks from beyond 45 yards. His longest kick, a 48-yard attempt, came on the final play from scrimmage to help the Tiger-Cats win a third straight game and sweep the rival Toronto Argonauts, keeping their faint playoff hopes alive. Liegghio also kicked off four times for an average of 63.8 yards.
Honourable mention: DB Michael Griffin II, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Breakout player of the week: RB Justin Rankin, Edmonton Elks
The five-foot-ten, 215-pound ball-carrier was the runner-up for this award in Week 11 but burst through the door with a 14-carry, 157-yard performance against Winnipeg. Rankin broke a ton of tackles and single-handedly accounted for almost half of Edmonton’s yards from scrimmage. The Northwest Missouri State product is now averaging 7.8 yards per carry so far this season, so it’ll be interesting to see if he gets a chance to start over Kevin Brown and Javon Leake.
Honourable mention: LB Michael Ayers, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Offensive line of the week: Saskatchewan Roughriders
The unit of Trevor Reid, Noah Zerr, Logan Ferland, Nick Jones, and Trevon Tate helped pave the way for Ryquell Armstead’s 200-yard rushing performance and allowed only one sack, helping Trevor Harris to complete 16-of-18 pass attempts for 248 yards and one touchdown. Saskatchewan has been decimated by injuries along the offensive line but their patchwork group impressed on Friday.
Honourable mention: Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Coach of the week: DC Jordan Younger, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The first-year defensive coordinator made life miserable for dual-threat quarterback Tre Ford, double-spying him on second downs to take away his running ability. Ford managed only two carries for nine yards and committed three turnovers, losing one fumble and throwing two interceptions. Younger’s unit allowed only 364 yards of net offence and 14 points against Edmonton and recorded six total takeaways, a season-high.
Honourable mention: OC Marc Mueller, Saskatchewan Roughriders
Best play of the week: QB Bo Levi Mitchell, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The 34-year-old ripped a 40-yard pass down the right sideline for Shemar Bridges, who made an excellent catch before being brought down just shy of the goal line. It was a vintage Mitchell throw, the type of toss that helped him win two Grey Cups and twice be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player. Ante Milanovic-Litre scored on the following play to give Hamilton a third-quarter lead.
Honourable mention: REC Justin Hardy, Ottawa Redblacks
Worst play of the week: DL Robbie Smith, Toronto Argonauts
Toronto’s incredible third-quarter goal line stand was partially thwarted when veteran defensive end Robbie Smith lined up with his hand offside on third-and-goal, drawing a five-yard penalty that gave Hamilton a fresh set of downs. The Argonauts ended up keeping the Tiger-Cats out of the end zone, forcing a 10-yard field goal, but Smith’s penalty negated what would have been a turnover on downs.
Honourable mention: DB Demerio Houston, Calgary Stampeders
Best game of the week: Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Toronto Argonauts
A rivalry game with seven lead changes? It’s hard to beat that. Bo Levi Mitchell was excellent under centre for the Tiger-Cats, while DaVaris Daniels and Damonte Coxie put on a show for the Argonauts. Though there were still plenty of empty seats at BMO Field, the crowd of 18,210 was Toronto’s second-largest of the season and helped create a nice atmosphere to elevate this rivalry.
Honourable mention: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Calgary Stampeders
Worst game of the week: Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Edmonton Elks
This matchup was billed as the two hottest teams in the CFL meeting for a game that pinned star twin brothers Tre and Tyrell Ford against one another for the first time. Instead, it was a dud. Tre’s running ability was neutralized by the Blue Bombers and he was benched late in favour of McLeod Bethel-Thompson, while Tyrell got burned for a touchdown on a flea-flicker. Here’s hoping the second half of the home-and-home between these two teams is better.
Honourable mention: Montreal Alouettes at Ottawa Redblacks
