Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca
TORONTO — Football almost every day of the week. That’s what’s on the table Week 4, with one game every day from Wednesday through Saturday.
It starts Wednesday night when Trevor Harris makes his highly-anticipated return to Toronto. There’s plenty of history between Harris and the Argos after the league-leading passer’s off-season departure to Ottawa, and the duel between him and Ray in this mid-week matchup at BMO is must-see TV.
On Thursday night a crucial early-season all-West affair kicks off in Winnipeg, where the Bombers and Eskimos are both coming off their first win of the season in Week 3 and looking to sustain some momentum. This exact point in the season is particularly important for Winnipeg, a team looking to establish itself as one of the big horses in the West.
Friday Night Football hits Montreal this week as a familiar rivalry between the Ticats and Alouettes unfolds for the first time this season at Percival-Molson Stadium. The Alouettes pulled off two of the bigger upsets in 2015 against the Ticats, while Hamilton looks to get back on track on the road following back-to-back losses at Tim Hortons Field.
Last but not least, the Lions and Riders square off in what’s been deemed this week’s marquee matchup. All eyes will be on the quarterbacks in BC, as Travis Lulay pushes Jonathon Jennings for playing time in the wake of the Lions’ first loss of the season to Toronto. Darian Durant meanwhile has shown little rust for the Riders, who many believe have played much better than their 0-2 record indicates under the direction of Chris Jones.
BUY WEEK 4 TICKETS
» Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET: Ottawa at Toronto
» Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET: Edmonton at Winnipeg
» Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET: Hamilton at Montreal
» Saturday, 7 p.m. ET: BC at Saskatchewan
CFL-WIDE TRENDS
Airing it out: This year’s average of just 166 rushing yards per contest is the lowest rushing total per game in CFL history – over 79 per cent of total yards gained in 2016 have come by the pass. The rushing average has fallen by 23 per cent from 216 yards per game a recently as 2014.
Setting the pace: This year the REDBLACKS lead the CFL with 520.0 yards per game on offence. Only the 1956 Montreal Alouettes have averaged more net yards in a single season in CFL history – an average of 532.6 per game.
Setting the pace II: The single-season record for yards from scrimmage is held by Mike Pringle at 2,414 yards, or 134.1 per game (Baltimore 1994, Montreal 1998). Chris Williams is averaging 164.3 yards per game, all from his 25 catches. He is on pace for 2,958 receiving yards – well above the 2,036 yard record set by Allen Pitts in 1994. Williams is on pace for 150 receptions which would be 10 behind the record set by Derrell Mitchell in 1998 with 160.
Home vs Away wins: The visiting team has won eight of the 11 games thus far (72.7 per cent excluding the tie) and that is an unprecedented winning percentage by the visitors. Long-term visiting clubs have tended to win 40 per cent of the time.
TIE #100: Last week’s tie between Calgary and Ottawa was the 100th in league history dating back to the roots of the CFL in the east in 1907. In 5,403 games there had been 99 heading into 2016 with the last on Oct. 17, 2009 between Calgary and Saskatchewan at McMahon Stadium. It was Calgary’s 20th tie and for all Ottawa clubs their 18th.
» DUNK’S QB INDEX: Willy on the way up after strong Week 3
Scoring, offence continue to rise: Both remain up after a strong rebound in 2015 over the standout defensive 2014 season. Net offence is up to 764 yards per game (13 per cent higher) based primarily on a 20 per cent increase in passing yards over last year’s 533 yards per game mark. Scoring on offence sits at 47.8 points per game, up 7.4 per cent over the 44.5 points per game mark in 2015.
Healthy quarterbacks: 10 different quarterbacks have started for nine different clubs this season, as eight out of nine clubs have started no more than one different QB so far and only Ottawa has split games (Henry Burris and Trevor Harris). Last year, 26 different starters were used across the CFL.
Reaching 120: Linebackers Ian Wild and Adam Bighill have each made 20-plus tackles thus far with Wild on top at 22.
Each is on pace to go 120-plus in 2016. Keon Raymond of Toronto has made a terrific all-round defensive contribution with 18 tackles, an interception and fumble return, two sacks and a pass knockdown.
WEEK 3 GAME NOTES
Lirim Hajrullahu: The Toronto kicker has gotten off to a great start and last week made six of seven field goal attempts at B.C. Place – one short of the Argos’ single-game record. He has made 11 of 12 FGs thus far and is averaging 13 points per game. At that pace, he would easily surpass the 200-point barrier and reach 234, just two back of Argos’ record holder Lance Chomyc who had 236 in 1991.
Greenwood and Munoz: Cory Greenwood leads the Argos with 19 tackles and ranks third in the CFL, tied Ottawa’s Damaso Munoz. The two will square off for their respective defences on Wednesday night in Toronto.
Road warriors: The REDBLACKS are trying to start their season with three straight road wins on Wednesday. The last time that any Ottawa club started a season with three wins on the road was in 1976 when they last captured the Grey Cup. In 1976 they went 2-0 with a win at home and then on the road, dropped a home game and then got 3-1 with their second straight away victory.
Trevor Harris at 80 per cent: Harris has completed 80 per cent of his passes this season and that rate continues to put him well above the completion percentage record of 77.2 per cent set by Ricky Ray in 2013. His passer rating of 143.3 tops the CFL record of 126.4 by Ray in 2013.
Winnipeg emphasis on the pass: The Bombers have attempted 121 passes in their first three games, an average of 40.3 pass attempts per game. The club record for the most in a single season was set in 1993 at 39.3 per game so they are ahead of that pace. The Bombers have averaged just 16.0 rushes per game, just under the all-time club low of 16.4 per game set in 2000.
Mike Reilly – 383 & 378: The Edmonton QB has become the second Edmonton QB to ever throw for 375-plus yards in the first two games of a season with his two big passing efforts thus far. Ricky Ray started off 2006 with totals of 393 and 392 yards to be slightly higher than Reilly’s start at 390-plus. The Edmonton record for most passing yards in the first two games of any season was set by Ricky Ray in 2005 with 823 yards (Game totals: 354 and 469); Reilly’s 761 yards ranks third all-time.
Sean Whyte 18 straight: Has now made 18 consecutive field goal attempts and is just 4 short of Sean Fleming’s Edmonton record of 22 (2001). It is not Sean’s longest personal run however as he made 24 in a row for Montreal in 2011. Whyte ended the 2015 season making his final 11 kicks, the last miss being a FG attempt that was blocked on Oct. 17, 2015. Beyond the blocked attempt, Whyte has made 24 of his last 25 kicks. Whyte is the ONLY CFL kicker not to have missed this season.
Winnipeg fourth quarter defence: Last week, the Bombers shut down Hamilton and did not allow a point in the final quarter to win 28-24. In the fourth Quarter thus far in 2016, the Bombers hold a 25-3 scoring edge. They have not allowed an offensive TD by any opponent and held Calgary without a first down and to just 14 net yards. Winnipeg forced two Hamilton fourth quarter turnovers and held Montreal to only a field goal.
