CFL Power Rankings Week 21

1) Winnipeg Blue Bombers

A monumental performance from quarterback Matt Nichols combined with strong defensive play lead the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a 29-21 victory over the Calgary Stampeders on Friday night. Nichols completed 24 of 33 passes for 358 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win, which cemented Winnipeg’s place in the Road to the Grey Cup playoffs. The Bombers have played at a very high level for over a month and the win over the Stamps coupled with a 31-0 shutout win over a very good Roughriders team is why they are ranked number one in these standings.

2) Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are riding a modest winning streak of two, as their defense put on a dominant display to silence the Lions’ growl, earning a 35-16 victory. Zack Evans and Ed Gainey each scored a defensive touchdown, as the Riders moved into a tie for the single-season record with 11 defensive touchdowns on the campaign. The Riders can still win the West with a Calgary loss.

3) Ottawa Redblacks

A damp and windy afternoon in Hamilton left the Tiger-Cats out in the cold as the Ottawa REDBLACKS went on to put their stamp on No. 1 in the East Division, defeating the Black and Gold 30-13 at Tim Hortons Field. As a result, the REDBLACKS will receive the first round bye when playoffs roll around. The Redblacks are a team that has been inconsistent all season, but they seem to finally have everything going in the right direction headed into the playoffs.

4) Calgary Stampeders

Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell lost a third-straight game for the first time in his CFL career. The Stamps have played poorly for the last month and need a win in their final regular season game to win the Western Division.

5) BC Lions

The Lions were brought back to earth by the Saskatchewan Roughriders but they still look to be a very dangerous team headed into the playoffs.

6) Hamilton Ti-Cats

Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli had a bad night at the worst possible time as the Ti-Cats lost any chance at winning the East losing back to back matchups with the Ottawa Redblacks.

7) Edmonton Eskimos 

The Eskimos had a bye week.

8) Montreal Alouettes

I wrote last week that the Alouettes had clinched last in the CFL power rankings for the year with a loss to Toronto. NOT SO FAST! Sunday was a day to celebrate for rookies and veterans alike on the Montreal Alouettes, as they downed the Toronto Argonauts 40-10 in their final home game of 2018 at Percival Molson Stadium. Rookie running back William Stanback racked up 112 all-purpose yards, along with his first and second career touchdowns in the Montreal victory, while veteran defensive end John Bowman electrified the Alouette faithful one final time with a late-game defensive touchdown.

9) Toronto Argonauts

The Argonauts lost to the Alouettes 40-10, enough said.