3DownNation CFL power rankings: Hamilton Tiger-Cats miss target without Bo Levi Mitchell

Photo courtesy: Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Week 6 of the CFL season is officially in the books, and injuries are beginning to take a toll on the results.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats continue to plummet down the charts following Bo Levi Mitchell’s ankle surgery, as their replacement options have fallen flat in consecutive weeks. However, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been rewarded for the strength of their depth behind Zach Collaros, recording a win and a bump up the rankings.

3DownNation’s power rankings are created by having our contributors rank each team from No. 1 to No. 9 independently, then averaging out the scores. Each team’s most recent ranking is listed in brackets.

Enjoy the rankings and feel free to roast us on social media for anything you think we got wrong.

1) Montreal Alouettes (1)

The sight of Davis Alexander clutching at his left hamstring may have prompted some traumatic flashbacks, but all parties claim that things are perfectly fine after Saturday’s victory. That’s good news, because the Alouettes’ passing attack is lethal right now and Tyson Philpot continued his torrid start with another 132-yard outing. Travis Theis also had his best game on the ground, and the defence found an unlikely hero, as David Perales notched a sack and the game-sealing knockdown in his first career CFL game.

2) Saskatchewan Roughriders (2)

Is it possible for a blowout win to be unflattering? The Roughriders sure tried to make it so on Sunday, as they let the Ticats hang around with offensive mistakes and a couple of interceptions from Trevor Harris. It was the defence that put their thumb on the scales to make things lopsided, recording four turnovers. Marcus Sayles was stopped just short of the end zone on a fumble recovery, but Josh Woods completed the whole shebang with a 107-yard interception return for a touchdown.

3) Edmonton Elks (4)

The Green and Gold got back to basics this week, which meant smothering defence, a 4:1 turnover ratio, and 215 rushing yards. Justin Rankin put on a show with three spectacular touchdowns — two on the ground and one through the air — but Javon Leake was heavily involved as well, and Cody Fajardo capped the spectacle with 340 yards passing. Defensively, Kordell Jackson secured two of the team’s four interceptions, as Edmonton held Ottawa to just three points in the fourth quarter.

4) Calgary Stampeders (3)

Calgary came down to earth after their offensive explosion in the Stampede Bowl, though Dejon Brissett continued his strong play, finishing with two touchdowns for the second straight week. Vernon Adams Jr. still has yet to throw an interception this season but did cough up a critical fumble in the loss to Montreal, putting his defence in a tough spot. The Stampeders’ vaunted pass rush only got to Davis Alexander once, and Bob Slowik’s secondary struggled to slow down Tyson Philpot, who beat Jalen decisively in the battle of the twins.

5) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7)

No Zach Collaros, no problem for the Bombers, as Dru Brown proved why the team paid such a steep price to acquire him via trade two weeks ago. The ex-Ottawa QB completed 80.6 percent of his passes and threw for 339 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a triumphant return to Winnipeg. However, returner Trey Vaval turned out to be the real hero, as he made up for an uncharacteristic muffed punt with a spectacular missed field goal return touchdown on the very next series.

6) B.C. Lions (6)

The Lions had a whole week to bask in the glory of their first victory, following up their stint in B.C.’s top vacation destination with a bye week vacation. That time off should help some receivers return to full health, while the team is finally showing signs of life defensively, thanks to an increase in pressure and a sudden flood of takeaways against Edmonton. However, the team has yet to provide an update on the hiring of a new special teams coordinator, with interviews supposedly happening during the break.

7) Toronto Argonauts (8)

Life on the road appears to be wearing on the Argonauts, as Chad Kelly vented his frustrations about their World Cup eviction following a second-consecutive loss. Toronto once again kept it close against a strong opponent, but Lirim Hajrullahu missed two field goals in the second half, one of which was returned 129 yards for a touchdown. The offence was also forced to operate short-handed for the final six minutes, as star receiver Damonte Coxie was ejected for slapping a defender across the facemask.

8) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5)

Our condolences, Ticats fans. Your era of misery without Bo Levi Mitchell has officially commenced. After being given the start over Tre Ford, Jake Dolegala stunk out the joint against his former team in Saskatchewan, completing just 56.7 percent of his passes for 122 yards and an interception. Given that the pick was returned 107 yards for a touchdown, he generated just 15 net passing yards. Despite a valiant defensive effort, a blowout was unavoidable with that type of offensive performance.

9) Ottawa Redblacks (9)

The Redblacks’ run of misery continued in Edmonton, as a complete fourth-quarter collapse resulted in a blowout defeat. Publicly reaming out the punter didn’t generate the response that Ryan Dinwiddie expected, and the head coach was remarkably subdued post-game. Meanwhile, quarterback Jake Maier openly admitted that he doesn’t know how to turn his winless team around after he was picked off four times and benched late for McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Adding salt to the wound was the performance of Dru Brown in his first start for Winnipeg, further calling into question the team’s decision-making.