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Beyond the Headlines: A CFL fan’s guide to the Semi-Finals
It’s finally playoff time!
The stakes are high. Win and you move on. Lose and you’re done.
Our team here at CFL.ca has been keeping you up to date on every big story this week – Will Matt Nichols play on Sunday? Who will be in the back field for the Riders? Will the REDBLACKS be in the 105th Grey Cup presented by Shaw in their home stadium? Is Mike Reilly going to lead his team to their second Grey Cup in three years?
With those storylines in mind, I decided to put together a list of a few other things you should keep your eye on.
WATCH DURON CARTER.
If you’re anything like me, you find yourself asking: ‘What is Duron Carter going to do next?’
We all know he’s going to impress us on the field. We know he’s a wicked playmaker on both sides of the ball. I mean, have you see the catches he’s made as a receiver as well as the impact he’s made at corner on defence? He’s good.
But what about what he does off the field?
Keep an eye on Carter’s Twitter feed. Remember when Bo Levi Mitchell and Carter got into it? I can almost guarantee something like that will happen again heading into Sunday’s contest.
The entertainment factor of DC is at an all-time high.
TUNE INTO #CFLTHISWEEK.
Can’t make it to a Semi-Final game this weekend? Don’t worry. We have you covered.
#CFLTHISWEEK will be live on Twitter from the tailgate in Ottawa at 11:30 a.m. ET as the REDBLACKS host the Riders for the Eastern Semi-Final. Catch up on everything you need to know for both matchups as the countdown to kickoff begins.
The only thing you’ll be missing out on is a burger fresh off the grill (although you can definitely do this at home yourself!)
WELCOME HOME, WINNIPEG FANS.
Bomber fans have been waiting a while for this – a home playoff game hasn’t happened in Winnipeg since 2011.
That’s a long time to go without post-season football and something tells me the Blue Bomber faithful will be more than ready for Sunday afternoon’s game.
And not to mention it’s the first playoff game that will be played at Investors Group Field.
The stadium will be insanity – that’s a guarantee. The roof of IGF is specifically designed to help the sound from the fans bounce back down to the field below making it really, really loud.
Winnipeg fans also get to celebrate with their team – the celebration in the end zone after touchdowns looks like something I’d LOVE to be a part of. I mean, look at this:
Get ready Winnipeg, you deserve this.
SET YOUR TSN CFL FANTASY FOOTBALL PRESENTED BY AGF LINEUP.
Just like the six teams that remain in the 105th Grey Cup playoffs, it doesn’t matter how you did in the regular season.
It all comes down to the playoffs. Didn’t win your office league? That’s okay, you can find redemption this week because, just like every team left playing on the field, your record is wiped clean.
But who do you start? Do you drop your $$ on Mike Reilly and hope the 2017 MOP nominee continues to produce? Or do you start Trevor Harris and roll with the QB who is making his first post-season start?
I know what I’m doing but what about you?
Find all things fantasy, including Start or Sit advice, here: https://www.cfl.ca/category/fantasy/
DON’T COUNT OUT THE ROAD TEAM.
The Edmonton Eskimos will be on the road for, potentially, three straight games.
Things start in Winnipeg for the squad in the Western Semi-Final. Win that game and they go to Calgary to take on the Stampeders. A win in Cow Town and they take a trip east to the 105th Grey Cup presented by Shaw in Ottawa.
Although they won’t be enjoying the comfort of home at all for the month of November, the Esks boast the regular season’s third-best record on the road (6-3).
Think Edmonton cares their journey to the Grey Cup is on the road? I don’t think so.
Also, just an FYI, since running back C.J. Gable joined the Eskimos in Week 16 they have not lost a game. The team snapped their six-game losing skid in Gable’s first contest and they have yet to put up an L since. I’ll just leave that with you..
DON’T COUNT OUT THE HOME TEAM, EITHER.
If the REDBLACKS make their way to the 105th Grey Cup, they’ll be playing two games in their own back yard, first starting with hosting the Eastern Semi-Final on Sunday.
Three times in recent memory the team that hosted the Grey Cup won the coveted trophy.
In 2011, it was the BC Lions hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at BC Place. The Lions took down the Bombers (who were, at the time, part of the East Division) 34-23.
The following year in 2012, the Toronto Argonauts hosted the Calgary Stampeders at Rogers Centre. Toronto won the Grey Cup with a 35-22 victory over the Stamps.
And finally, in 2013, the Saskatchewan Roughriders hosted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and it was the Riders who hoisted the Grey Cup in front of their home crowd with a 45-23 win.
Will it happen again this year? Only time will tell. The REDBLACKS must host the Riders this weekend before they think that far ahead.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS ARE PEOPLE, TOO.
I think we under appreciate the special teams players from time to time.
I’m not talking about the Diontae Spencer’s and Roy Finch’s of the world. We know Diontae or Roy are going to explode up the field for a big return.
I’m also not talking about the kickers or punters. Justin Medlock will easily boot a field goal from anywhere on the field and Rob Maver is going to punt a lot further than the average punter – check this stat out from TSN’s Derek Taylor.
I’m talking about the guys that run down field at full speed making the tackles during a return to make room for big, explosive returns from guys like Spencer or Finch.
How about the league’s leading special team’s tackler, Ottawa’s Keelan Johnson, who tallied 29 on the season. (Keep an eye out for him this weekend helping Spencer in his return game.) Slow clap for you, Keelan.
Also shout out to BC’s Chandler Fenner (27), Toronto’s Llevi Noel (27), Saskatchewan’s Denzel Radford (24) and Hamilton’s Jay Langa (24) for rounding out the regular season’s top-five.
Make sure you tune in to both games on Sunday on TSN or follow along with our Game Tracker on CFL.ca. The Eastern Semi-Final between Ottawa and Saskatchewan gets under way at 1:00 p.m. ET and the Western Semi between the Bombers and Eskimos follows at 4:30 p.m. ET.
