3DownNation CFL power rankings: Winnipeg Blue Bombers rise after clutch win

Photo: Samantha Keen/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Week 19 has come and gone in the Canadian Football League, culminating in a Thanksgiving Day beatdown in La Belle Province. The playoff picture has become slightly clearer, so let’s take a look at how the league’s nine teams stack up with eight regular-season games left.

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 Larks exacted revenge for last year’s Grey Cup loss with an absolute thrashing of the Roughriders on Thanksgiving. Davis Alexander threw for 403 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception in the win, repeatedly gashing Saskatchewan’s secondary deep down the field. Montreal’s defence forced two turnovers in the victory, including an interception from Geoffrey Cantin-Arku and a fumble recovery from Wesley Sutton. This team looks borderline unbeatable right now, which bodes well for their chances of getting back to the Grey Cup in 2026.

2) B.C. Lions (2)

B.C. survived a mid-game scare from the winless Redblacks to earn a one-sided victory, and extend their winning streak to four games. Nathan Rourke threw for 360 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, while Zander Horvath added two touchdowns to his record-pace total. The team’s defensive front erupted for five sacks, two of which came from Casey Sayles, who entered the game with only one on the year. The Lions can still finish as high as first or as low as third in the West Division, though it’s likely they’ll end up in second place.

3) Edmonton Elks (3)

The Elks didn’t look great in Steeltown but they played well enough to get the win and take one step closer to securing first place in the West Division. Austin Mack made some highlight-reel catches on offence, Malik Carney notched an incredible four sacks on defence, and Zach Mathis made a game-sealing pick-six on special teams in the fourth quarter. Cody Fajardo hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 15, which seems like a less-than-ideal trend this late in the year. Edmonton can clinch first place in the standings with at least one win over its next two games, or at least one loss from the B.C. Lions.

4) Toronto Argonauts (4)

The Boatmen were on bye this past week, as they wait to see which team they’ll host in the East Semi-Final. Chad Kelly sat out the club’s most recent game with a hand injury, though he was a full participant in practice on Monday, so it appears he’s back to full health. The only question left facing this team is how much they want to play their starters over the next two regular-season games, neither of which mean anything in the standings.

5) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7)

Winnipeg’s passing game erupted on Saturday night in what may have been the final game for Zach Collaros in Bomberland. The 38-year-old turned back the clock, throwing for 349 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception to lead his team to a clutch win over Calgary. The victory not only clinched the head-to-head season series for the Blue and Gold, but drew them even in the standings with the Stampeders and Roughriders. This team looked dead in the water after a blowout loss to the Alouettes two weeks ago, but it now has new life.

6) Calgary Stampeders (5)

The Stampeders won the turnover ratio 2-0 in Winnipeg but it still wasn’t enough to knock off the Blue Bombers. The loss was devastating to Calgary’s playoff hopes, as a win would have clinched a spot in the postseason. In order to qualify now, the Red and White must win against the B.C. Lions this week, and hope that Saskatchewan and Winnipeg stub their toes over the next two weeks. It’s still possible that the Stampeders will be playoff-bound, but they blew a huge opportunity to punch their ticket at Princess Auto Stadium.

7) Saskatchewan Roughriders (6)

Woof. The Roughriders had no answer for Davis Alexander and the Montreal Alouettes, who lit them up for 44 points, 524 yards of net offence, and five passing touchdowns on Monday. Saskatchewan has now lost six of its last eight games, including each of its last four. This team still controls its own destiny when it comes to the playoffs, but it’ll have to win at least one of its last two games in order to reach the postseason, which will be easier said than done considering the matchups are against the first-place Alouettes and Edmonton Elks.

8) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8)

The Tabbies looked sloppy in Friday night’s loss to Edmonton. Harrison Frost was inaccurate, Larry Rountree III was ineffective along the ground, and Nik Constantinou threw a disastrous pick-six on an ill-fated fake punt attempt. Hamilton’s defence is the only unit that’s playing well at the moment, but it’s impossible to keep the opposing offence at bay when you’re on the field more than your fair share. This team needs more balance and better scoring when they come back from bye in Week 21.

9) Ottawa Redblacks (9)

What is there left to say? This team stinks.