TORONTO — The Eskimos and REDBLACKS were the two teams everyone talked about going into the 2016 season, yet heading into Week 7 neither team leads its respective division.

You come to expect the unexpected in the CFL and the first month of the season has offered plenty of intrigue and surprise. The aforementioned Esks and REDBLACKS have combined for four straight losses while the Argos are on top of the league with a 4-2 record. Meanwhile, the Alouettes have seemingly narrowed down their search for the quarterback of the future in Montreal.

With Week 7 matchups fast approaching, we want you to have your say.

Here are nine pressing questions for Week 7:

1. At 2-3, who are the Edmonton Eskimos?

The defending Grey Cup Champion Edmonton Eskimos earned a pass for their up-and-down play and a 2-2 start through five weeks based on their championship pedigree. No longer is that the case, as a 30-23 loss at home to the Bombers on Thursday night has seen Edmonton fall from the top three, where it’s been comfortably situated all season, to sixth in the Nissan Titan Power Rankings.

Third in the West Division standings and now sixth in the power rankings, what gives? Edmonton’s offence has been one of the best in the league statistically through a month and a bit while Mike Reilly is on pace to break the all-time single-season passing yards record. Yet inconsistency has plagued that side of the ball, where the Eskimos were listless in the second half vs. the Ticats (who came back from a 25-point deficit to win) and again in the first half of a Week 6 loss to the Bombers.

Then there’s the defence, which has struggled to overcome the loss of Chris Jones and a number of regulars from last year’s Grey Cup-winning team. That unit ranks last in the CFL with only eight sacks and is allowing the second-most yards in the league at 417.8 per game.

Is this who the Eskimos really are — a team that can put up big points in sudden bursts but struggle to stop teams and battle to be .500? Or are these early-season growing pains after an off-season of a fair amount of change?

Remember, it wasn’t long ago — only six quarters ago, in fact — that the Green and Gold appeared well on the way to contending once again.

 2. Are the Argos one of the big dogs in the East?

With a new home field and Rich Stubler back in control of the defence, there was a chance the Argos would be a much-improved team in 2016. So far they haven’t established a true home advantage at BMO Field, but the defence has made a big difference and suddenly, through six weeks and now heading into a bye, the Argos are 4-2 and leading the CFL East Division.

We’re only a third of the way into the season but it’s hard to ignore what the Boatmen have accomplished in three road victories this season over Saskatchewan, BC and, most recently, Ottawa. Despite injuries to Ricky Ray, Kevin Elliott and Tori Gurley among others, the Argos resemble a team capable of making some noise in what looks to be a highly-competitive East Division.

In a division where everyone talked about the REDBLACKS and Ticats, the two teams that squared off in the Eastern Final last season, have the Argos entered the discussion as one of the division’s big dogs and the league’s true contenders?

» Milanovich on Kilgore: ‘I thought he played a hell of a game’

Logan Kilgore was poised in his first professional football start in Week 6 (Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca)

Don’t forget, the Argos made the playoffs last season and were competitive despite being traveling nomads through most of 2015. With a better situation off the field and a seemingly-improved defence on it, don’t sleep on Scott Milanovich’s team.

 3. Should Riders fans still have faith in Chris Jones?

OK, so who really expected the Riders to be a Grey Cup contender right out of the gate in 2016? After all, so much of the organization changed from the end of November through the beginning of June; growing pains were inevitable.

Still, it’s safe to say more was expected than what happened to the Riders in their 41-3 blowout loss at the hands of the Montreal Alouettes.

It’s not that the Riders are 1-4, it’s the way they’ve gotten there — their Chris Jones-coached defence ranks seventh in the league with 398.2 yards allowed per game and sits at the bottom of the CFL with eight sacks. The offence, while without Darian Durant the past two and a half games, ranks sixth in total yards (345 yards per game) and second-last in first downs (100).

It’s too early for panic to settle in; then again, after enduring a three-win season in 2015, it might be hard for Riders fans not to feel at least a little bit worried. Jones has had success everywhere he’s gone all throughout his CFL career, but he’s never been a part of an organizational face lift quite like this. Should Riders fans still have faith in their team’s head coach and general manager?

4. Will Bo Levi Mitchell break the record?

With a winning percentage of .808 (31-7-1 in 39 career starts), winning is what Bo Levi Mitchell does best. Throwing touchdowns may be next on the list for the Katy, Texas native, who has his sights set on another record: the most consecutive games with a touchdown pass.

Mitchell has thrown a touchdown pass in 20 straight games and is closing in on both Doug Flutie and Anthony Calvillo at 21 for fourth overall on the all-time list, while all-time leader Sam Etcheverry (34) doesn’t feel all that far behind.

Some good fortune is no doubt involved, but early in his career Mitchell appears to have the same makings as some of the all-time greats. At about this time next year he could be on the brink of history — can he break the record?

 5. Did the Alouettes make the right move dropping Brandon Bridge?

Word out of Montreal is the Alouettes have said goodbye to national quarterback Brandon Bridge, a surprise move to many coming out of Week 6 action in the CFL.

On one hand, Bridge had not yet established his role as the team’s quarterback of the future, caught in constant competition with other young Alouette gunslingers in Rakeem Cato and Vernon Adams. Cato exploded onto the scene in 2015 with a strong rookie season while Adams arrived as a rookie in camp at the cost of a first round pick via trade with the BC Lions.

Whenever Glenn went down it was Cato in the game for the Montreal offence, while how could anyone escape the shadow of Adams considering what was given up to acquire him?

On the other hand, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Bridge is more than just a glimmer of hope for those waiting on the next Canadian quarterback to break through and shine in the CFL — he’s displayed some upside as a professional passer. That was particularly the case at the end of last season, when in his first career start he threw for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21-of-30 passing vs. the Riders.

Bridge should have a good chance of catching on elsewhere, whether that’s as a receiver or a quarterback. Will the Alouettes regret letting him go?

 6. Is Jonathon Jennings among the league’s elite?

After turning many heads in 2015 with a strong rookie campaign, Jonathon Jennings has managed through six weeks to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. His Lions are 3-2 and competing for the top of the West Division, while his numbers are respectable and not far off the league’s elite passers.

The 24-year-old had a career day against the Riders a few weeks ago with 429 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-40 passing, but perhaps his biggest coming out party came in Week 6 — despite the result of the game not going his way.

Jennings continued to show he’s got a big-time arm and can make just about any throw on the field, while his ability to scramble and improvise gives him something few other CFL quarterbacks possess.

» Cauz: How Jonathon Jennings made impossible look easy

While Jennings continues to find his way as a young up-and-coming pivot, the upside appears to be there (CFL.ca)

That was also the same quarterback that struggled early in the Western Semi-Final last year against Calgary before being sidelined for the rest of the game to an injury — and the same one that threw two interceptions and watched his team surrender a 15-point lead with just a few minutes left in the game in last week’s loss to those very same Stampeders.

Jennings has his skeptics, and he also some learning to do as a CFL quarterback — but has he arrived as an elite pivot in the league, whose name belongs among those like Bo Levi Mitchell and Mike Reilly? If not yet, it may not be long.

 7. What’s got the REDBLACKS in a slump?

The REDBLACKS were in a league of their own the first few weeks of the season but have since fallen back to earth, losing two straight and winning only one of their last four. A blip on the radar, probably, and it’s true that Ottawa is in a pretty good position in the CFL East with a 3-2-1 record next to its name.

Still, any team that wins just one game over a stretch of four matchups leaves some cause for concern, and the same goes for the REDBLACKS. Whether it was a bit of rust on Henry Burris, the offensive play-calling or the receivers, the Ottawa offence just wasn’t able to sustain drives and march down the field in a 23-20 loss to the Toronto Argonauts over the weekend.

Then there’s the sudden lack of production from superstar receiver Chris Williams, who’s caught 13 passes for 132 yards his last three games after igniting for 493 yards in his first three games.

Trevor Harris is out for Ottawa after sustaining injuries on the opening drive of Ottawa’s loss to Saskatchewan in Week 5, and there’s no coincidence that his injury coincided with Ottawa’s offensive struggles. Still, this is a team that went 12-6 and reached the Grey Cup Championship in 2015 without Harris, making Ottawa’s recent stumble, no matter how small, at least a little surprising.

Losing to a division rival and falling to 0-2 at home this season won’t put anyone in the nation’s capital in a better mood.

 8. Do the Ticats possess the CFL’s top defence?

Hamilton’s defence has been pretty darn good up to now — in fact the Ticats lead the CFL in fewest yards allowed (308.6 per game), yards per play (5.2) and sacks (20). Does that make them the best in the league?

Last year the Ticats were on track for that honour but were surpassed by the end of the season by the Stamps, Eskimos and REDBLACKS. Part of it may have had to do with the absence of Zach Collaros over the second half of the season, putting more pressure on a defensive unit that was on the field more often.

This year Orlondo Steinauer’s defence is off to a hot start despite not having Collaros under centre, and his return soon could provide an added boost to that unit.

Slow starts for defences in Ottawa and Edmonton leave those units out of the conversation for now, and while other top-ranked defences come and go, the Ticats’ remains among the very best. Still, with Adam Bighill and Solomon Elimimian, the Lions’ defence presents some pretty stiff competition.

 9. Who needs to step up in Winnipeg?

The injury bug has hit hard across the CFL, some teams more than others including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. High-priced and highly-anticipated free agent adds Ryan Smith and Weston Dressler are on the shelf this week and joined by another pass-catcher in Darvin Adams — and just as the Bombers started to pick up momentum with a win over Edmonton.

What’s old is new again in the Manitoba capital as it appears Clarence Denmark will be a top target of Matt Nichols after agreeing to sign with the team this week, but he can’t be the only one shouldering the load. Who else needs to step up?

Andrew Harris is among league leaders in receptions as he makes an impact from the running back position, and if last week’s win over Edmonton is any sign he appears to be just heating up. Then there are nationals Rory Kohlert and Addison Richards and young international pass-catchers like Thomas Mayo and Jace Davis.

The Bomber passing attack just started to get ticking last week, and for that to continue someone is going to have to take on a much greater role in the offence.