CFL Week 11 Recap

Week 11 in the CFL is past us as playoff pictures are starting to come together and once again we may be in line for a Western division crossover. Many people suggest that most of the CFL season up to this point “doesn’t matter” as the true CFL season kicks off Labor Day Weekend. Thankfully that’s next weekend. Calgary remains dominant in Week 11 and maybe just maybe Montreal found their quarterback for the future and his name isn’t Johnny Manziel? Here’s your Week 11 CFL recap.

Week 11 Bye:   

Edmonton (6-3)  - 24

Hamilton (3-5)  - 25

Hamilton and Edmonton met each other in a Week 11 matchup with both teams looking to keep up in their respective playoff races. The Tiger-Cats come into Week 11 with a 3-5 record but because of the weakness of the East, they’re still in the playoff race. Edmonton comes into Week 11 with a 6-3 record and opposite of the Tiger-Cats, they are in fear of falling behind in the race with a loss this week.

Hamilton would start with the ball in this game but wouldn’t hold onto to it for long as Jeremiah Masoli would turn the ball over to JC Sherritt and put the Eskimo’s in good field position. They would go two-and-out and end up punting the ball back.

The Tiger-Cats would get on the board first in this game as Alex Green would cap off an 83-yard drive with a 10-yard rushing TD and put the Ti-Cats up 7-0 early.

The two teams would trade field goals heading into the second quarter with the Tiger-Cats up 10-3, the Eskimos first possession of the second quarter would prove to be a good one for them as they’d finally score a major. Mike Reilly would connect with Derel Walker on a 36-yard TD and the Eskimos would tie the game 10-10.

Hamilton wouldn’t do much with the following possession and surrender the ball back to the Eskimos who didn’t take long to score. Mike Reilly would find Duke Williams on a 95-yard TD that would put the Esks up 17-10 with less than 3 minutes to go in the first half.

Masoli would turn the ball over on the next Tiger-Cats possession, leaving the Eskimo’s with the opportunity to put up more points before the half, which they did. Mike Reilly would find Derel Walker for the second time in the quarter and the Eskimos would head into the half up 24-10.

Hamilton would start the second half off with two field goals, bringing them within eight points. In a very uneventful third quarter and first ten minutes of the fourth quarter, the Tiger-Cats were the only team to score points. The Eskimos would have the lead 24-16 with 5 minutes left.

The Ti-Cats would bring the game within two points with a Masoli-Tasker connection.

The Tiger-Cats would get the ball back after some questionable time management from the Eskimos, leading into a game-winning opportunity from Hajrullahu, which he would drain from 29-yards out and win the game for Hamilton.

Hamilton pulled this game out due to some very questionable play calling by the Eskimos, something that has plagued them all season and to be honest, ever since Jason Maas has taken over as head coach. It’s costing them games this year, after costing them in the playoffs last year. I don’t think the Eskimos defense is good enough for them to contend for the Grey Cup this year. It’s becoming more and more obvious that they simply are a team with a MOP at QB and some very good receivers and that’s it.

Hamilton is now in second place due to this victory, which means they currently occupy a playoff spot in the East, lot’s of season left but with a back-to-back against Toronto on the schedule, they can basically secure their playoff spot with two wins.

Player of the Game: Luke Tasker. 9 catches for 156 yards and TD.

Toronto (3-5)  - 22

Montreal (1-8)  - 25

The second game of the week featured the Toronto Argonauts going into Percival Molson Memorial Stadium to take on the Montreal Alouettes in an Eastern Division showdown.

The Argos have been climbing the standings leapfrogging the Ti-Cats for second place heading into Week 11 behind new starting quarterback Mcleod Bethel-Thompson. Bethel-Thompson put together a 65.2% completion percentage while throwing for 562 yards and 5 touchdowns in his two starts resulting in Argo wins.

They looked for much of the same against the league’s worst team in the Al’s.

The Alouettes gave Antonio Pipkin his second career and consecutive start Friday night with Johnny Manziel still out with an injury. Pipkin is the 6th QB to suit up for Montreal this season and it shows with their one win on the year against Saskatchewan in Week 3.

They looked to find something to build off with a win at home against the 3-5 Argos.

Toronto did not waste time getting on board forcing a Montreal two-and-out before scoring on their first drive. Bethel-Thompson took the offense down the field on a 9-play drive from the Montreal 50-yard line to their 5.

The drive stalled, however, forcing the Argos to settle for a 12- yard Zack Medeiros field goal and the early 3-0 lead.

Montreal would answer back with a field goal of their own on the following drive. Pipkin took the team down the field with a couple of passes to BJ Cunningham and a 13-yard scramble before Boris Bede kicked a 43-yarder for the 3-3 tie.

The score would remain tied at three heading into the second quarter after Bethel-Thompson hit Declan Cross for a 15-yard play but while being tackled near the sideline Cross would fumble the ball with it being recovered by Tommie Campbell who returned it to the Toronto 24-yard line with zeroes on the clock.

The drive, however, would net in no first downs ending in a 31-yard Bede field goal and the 6-3 Al’s lead. It was the half of the field goals.

The Montreal defense would force a two-and-out on the Argos next drive. Pipkin took the ball and connected with Ernest Jackson on a beautiful throw down the field completing a 52-yard pass. The drive would end in a 29-yard Bede field goal jumping out to a 9-3 lead.

John Bowman would record his second sack of the season on the next drive and his 123rd of his historical career.

After getting a punt return from Martese Jackson that looked like a touchdown, but ultimately would be possession at the Montreal 31-yard line with Jackson stepping out of bounds, the Argos would add seven points.

Bethel-Thompson would hit Armanti Edwards in the back of the end zone on a beautiful catch for the 7-yard touchdown and the 10-9 lead.

Antonio Pipkin would answer back with a couple of huge plays of his own. First, he hit Eugene Lewis for a 32-yard completion. A few plays later Pipken would run the ball for the 2-yard touchdown scramble. The 2-point attempt was no good resulting in the 15-10 Montreal lead at the half.

Toronto would open the scoring in the second half and score a quick 10 points started with a 13-play drive capped off with a 25-yard Medeiros field goal. On Pipkin’s next throw on the following drive, Alden Darby came up with an interception off a tipped pass and returned it 46 yards for the pick-six and the 19-15 score.

The Argos would add an 11-yard Medeiros field goal on their following driving pumping the score up to 22-16.

Montreal would strike back with seven minutes left in the game. Pipkin would hit BJ Cunningham for a 41-yard completion down to the Toronto 1-yard line. On the next play, Pipkin would take it the rest of the way for the TD. Boris Bede would miss his first PAT of the season, however, keeping the score at a 22-22 tie.

The Alouettes would then go on a drive that didn’t just eat up yards but also the clock. The 11-play drive ate up four minutes of time before Boris Bede kicked a 27-yard field goal for the 25-22 lead with 1:11 left in the game.

The Argos took the ball and moved it to the Montreal 41-yard line setting up Medeiros for a 57-yard attempt, but it hit the uprights allowing Montreal to snap their 6-game losing streak.

The Alouettes found a way to win their first game since June and their first game at home in over a year. Antonio Pipkin has earned his first win as a starter in just his second start and put together his second impressive performance. It’s clear now that the team is starting to buy into him as a leader.

Montreal put up a total of 388 yards of total offense and while their defense gave up 354 of their own, they held the Argos to just 58 yards rushing while keeping James Wilder quiet. The defense kept the pressure on Bethel-Thompson and did their jobs just enough to allow Pipkin to get the job done.

The Argos looked like they may put together their third straight comeback victory but ultimately didn’t have enough to pull it out. They started out slow again and turned it on late in the second half with Bethel-Thompson finishing 26/37 for 296 yards and 1TD.

He didn’t get a tonne of help with very little of a running game behind him and while he did get 114 yards out of Armanti Edwards he didn’t have any other receiver go over 53 yards.

The defense for Toronto had one of their worst games. They did generate some pressure on Pipkin with two sacks but the secondary looked lost through most of this game seeming like they didn’t know who to cover in zone coverage.

The Argos looked like they had something going over the past two games, and while I think they’ve figured out their short-term quarterback situation, they have other issues to fix if they want to compete for a playoff spot.

Player of the Game: Antonio Pipkin. Pipkin went 22/32 for 303 yards with 1INT. He showed leadership capabilities that you don’t see in rookies and managed the game like a vet. The game-winning drive in which he chewed up yards and clock was something you don’t usually see in a QB’s second career start. The Al’s may have found something in Pipkin.

Winnipeg (5-4)  -26

Calgary (7-1)  -39

Winnipeg and Calgary would meet in the #LiveMic game for Week 11. I truly believe that this was a matchup of the two best teams in the West currently, Edmonton just hasn’t sold me on them being a contender. Both Winnipeg and Calgary have amazing offenses, but Calgary’s defense is something else, by far the best defense in the CFL we’ve seen in a long time.

Calgary would start the game off with the ball and go two-and-out quickly surrendering the ball back over to Winnipeg.
The Bombers would bring out some trickery on their first possession, as backup quarterback Chris Streveler would come in on 2nd and inches, presumably for the QB sneak, however, he would drop back and lob a deep pass to Ryan Lankford for a 65-yard touchdown. As Winnipeg would quickly go up 7-0.

The two teams would trade some small scoring players, whether they be safeties or field goals as eventually, Winnipeg would end up with a 12-3 lead after all the fun. The next major, however, would be scored by the Stamps with 7:19 left in the second quarter as Bo Levi Mitchell would find DaVaris Daniels in the end-zone for a 20-yard TD, they would fail the two-point conversion and trail 12-9.

Once again, the teams would trade field goals to close out the first half with the visitors winning 15-12.

The defense would dominate much of the third quarter as both teams weren’t able to accomplish much offensively in the quarter, Calgary would be the first ones to score in the second half. After a 52-yard pass to Jorden that brought the crowd back into the game for Calgary, Mitchell would lob a pass over to Marken Michel who would walk into the end zone from 25-yards out, giving the Stamps a 19-15 lead, their first lead of the game.

Parades would extend the lead to seven points for Calgary with just under 10 minutes left to go in the fourth quarter as the Stampeders would come down the stretch leading 22-15. Winnipeg would go two-and-out after a 10-yard sack that led to once again, another Stampeders drive ending in a field goal as they’d go up 25-15 with 5:39 left to play in the game.

Winnipeg would pull within 7 points off a Medlock 23-yard field goal with two minutes left to play but that’s as close as they would get. The very next play Mitchell would complete a pass to Kamar Jorden for a 68-yard TD, which was also important as Jorden would break the Stampeders single-game record for receiving yards with 249-yards on the game.

Any chance of a comeback would be thwarted off by Ja’Gared Davis pick six off Matt Nichols, putting Calgary up 39-18.

Winnipeg would keep fighting and add some consolation points on the board with 13 seconds left as they’d fall 39-26 to the Calgary Stampeders.

What a game. Kamar Jorden would break the Calgary Stampeders single-game receiving yards record with 249 yards as Calgary would go to 8-1 on the season and take firm control of first place in the West due to an Eskimos loss. Calgary is by far the best team in the league, they have an amazing defense, although they look like they are starting to bend a bit. One of the best offenses in the league, however, I do believe Edmonton has a better offense still. Calgary is the team to beat, they’ll be in the Western Finals for sure, it’s just a matter of time before they lose that “big game” in the playoffs though.

Winnipeg is currently the fourth best team in the west now in my opinion. Calgary, Edmonton and now Saskatchewan I believe are all better-rounded teams. I do however believe that there will be a western division crossover into the East again this year as currently, the western division is simply a much stronger division, so that bodes well for Winnipeg who might be the odd team out in the west.

Player of the Game: Kamar Jorden. 249 yards receiving on 10 catches and 1 TD. Simply remarkable, broke the Stampeders record.

Saskatchewan (4-4)  -24

BC (3-5)  -21

Week 11 wrapped up with two teams from the Western Division as the BC Lions hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders at BC Place. The Lions were coming off a disappointing come from behind loss to the Argos in Week 10 as they sat in fifth place with a 3-5 record.

BC has found themselves towards the bottom of every offensive category with Travis Lulay now the starting quarterback tallying 1,456 yards and 6 touchdowns through 5 games. The Lions have been a team that has seemed to have a chance each week but has found themselves at the bottom of the West.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are coming off an upset win over the Calgary Stampeders in Week 10 in which they shocked the league with a 40-27 win at home. The offense looked like it finally found some rhythm not turning the ball over and putting together a consistent and efficient game.

They looked to pick up a win on the road to leap-frog the Bombers for third place in the West. After both teams traded drives, Jeremiah Johnson found some success mixed with a beautiful 33-yard catch by Bryan Burnham setting up the 20-yard Ty Long field goal and the 3-0 lead.

The Riders would answer with a scoring drive of their own, but theirs would be worth seven points. Zach Collaros threw a ball up and Shaq Evans made a leaping 52-yard catch over the defender setting up the 1-yard sneak by DB/QB Nick Marshall for the 7-3 lead.

The Lions would come within one point on the following drive. They were given tremendous field position by a 74-yard Chris Rainey kick return before Ty Long nailed his second field goal attempt this time from 27 yards out for the 7-6 score.

Both teams continued to trade field goals as the Riders would then add a 37-yard Brett Lauther kick for the 10-6 lead.

Saskatchewan would take the ball back with a Charleston Hughes sack causing a Lulay fumble which was recovered by Toby Antigha who returned it to the BC 23-yard line.

Collaros threw a pass to Jordan Williams-Lambert who took it 32 yards for the touchdown and the 17-6 lead.

The Green & White then took control on another BC turnover. After the Lions kicked a 41-yard field goal the Riders would punt on their next drive and Chris Rainey fumbled the ball which was recovered by Mike Edem at the BC 39-yard line.

The drive however ended in a two-and-out and a 44-yard Lauther field goal for the 20-9 Rider lead.

The Lions would bring the game within five points after a pass interference penalty was called on Ed Gainey taking the ball from the Saskatchewan 51-yard line to the 10. Lulay would then hit Bryan Burnham for the touchdown with a failed 2-point conversion for the 20-15 score.

The Lions would add a 47-yard Ty Long field goal to take momentum and the 20-18 score into the half.

Collaros would start the second half off with a bang hitting Devon Bailey for a 39-yarder gain. The drive would stall, and Brett Lauther would miss a 38-yard attempt settling for one point.

After a BC two-and-out, they would punt the ball resulting in a 25-yard return by Christion Jones to the Lions 18-yard line. The drive ended in a 26-yard Lauther field goal who came up limping with what looked like a leg cramp after the kick and the 24-18 lead.

The Lions would add another field goal to start the fourth quarter to make it 24-21 for the Riders. The rest of the game was a complete defensive battle with both teams trading possessions until the end.

BC took possession with 1:06 left in the game and on a 3rd and 1 from the Saskatchewan 46-yard line. Cody Fajardo attempted the QB sneak, but the Rider D came up with a huge stop with 35 seconds left to seal the victory.

The Riders showed up fast early but the offense fell off late in the second quarter and never really seemed to regain its composure. Whether it be Collaros missing receivers or them dropping balls or even just suspect play-calling with screens on second and long the offense was quiet late and barely hung on for the victory.

Collaros finished 19/32 for 215 yards 1TD and 1INT. Tre Mason ran for 57 yards on 11 carries, with Shaq Evans and Devon Bailey both had 50+ receiving yards. But the story for the Riders continues to be the defense.

The defense was able to contain Travis Lulay for the most part as well as the run game which they gave up some big plays to here and there but never really broke. They recorded two sacks and a fumble which they recovered as well as the special teams unit forcing a fumble.

The Riders need more consistency out of their offense. The defense can win them a game like this against BC but against a premier team, they’ll need a performance more like Week 10 against Calgary.

The Lions put up a great effort. The defense came up huge late especially with an interception to give them a chance. They stopped the Riders on two-and-outs and gave the offense opportunity after opportunity to win this game.

The offense didn’t play a bad game for the Lions. Travis Lulay went 21/36 for 240 yards and 1TD and Bryan Burnham had 4 catches for 72 yards and a huge touchdown catch. The Lions offense was just outmatched by a slightly better Rider defense.

Manny Arceneaux was injured midway through the game and did not return, and his presence could have been a factor late in this game. If BC could have converted the 3rd and 1 sneak late, they would have been in great position to win this game.

Player of the Game: Rider Defence/Charleston Hughes. The Rider defense continues to be the backbone of this team and in some cases like this the reason they win games. Charleston Hughes was a huge factor with his 1 sack and forced a fumble and continues to be a force with QB pressures. He now leads the league with 12 sacks on the year.