Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
TORONTO — The Argos’ unforgettable comeback in the snow last month was, in some ways, a microcosm of the 2017 CFL season.
Much like few could have predicted Toronto’s upset in the Grey Cup, this season kept fans guessing every single game — from Tyler Crapigna‘s missed field goal in the season-opener to Matt Black‘s game-sealing interception against Bo Levi Mitchell.
Earlier this week we counted down the most unforgettable moments of the 2017 campaign.
It wasn’t easy, but now, we’ve narrowed down the best 12 games of the season:
12. Upset of the year
July 14, 2017 | Week 4
Montreal 30, Calgary 23
The Alouettes’ three-win season makes hindsight even more of a shock. Yes, one of Montreal’s three victories in 2017 came against the CFL-leading Calgary Stampeders, 30-23 back in Week 4.
Jerome Messam was ejected in the first half, Branden Dozier scored a defensive touchdown and the Als had a 427-398 edge in total yards, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.
11. Never in doubt
July 29, 2017 | Week 6
Calgary 60, Hamilton 1
‘No lead is safe’, you hear often in this league, but the Calgary-Hamilton matchup in Week 6 was never really in doubt. The Stampeders scored early and often, routing the Ticats in the second-most one-sided victory in CFL history.
The Stamps’ top players were out of the game by halftime, with Canadian quarterback Andrew Buckley leading the huddle for the final 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s fifth straight loss to open the season was the lowest point of the 2017 campaign.
10. The kick out
Oct. 21, 2017 | Week 18
Toronto 29, Winnipeg 28
A back-and-forth game saw the Argos score twice to take a late lead, only for Winnipeg to threaten with a game-winning field goal try with no time on the clock. The usually-clutch Justin Medlock missed to the right, while Argos kicker Lirim Hajrullahu — calm under pressure — punted the ball out of the end zone to preserve the win for the Argos.
The kick out is unique to the Canadian game and always a fan favourite, and in this instance it played a key role in helping the Argos eventually secure their first East Division title since 2013. The Boatmen would not lose another game in 2017.
9. Silence at last
Oct. 13, 2017 | Week 17
Ottawa 33, Saskatchewan 32
REDBLACKS players and fans grew tired of watching Duron Carter celebrate after each of his career-high 11 catches. Carter was a man possessed that night in Regina, racking up 231 yards in one of the most dominant individual performances of the 2017 season.
In the end, however, it was the REDBLACKS getting the last laugh. A fake punt and two late scores — including Ryan Lindley‘s touchdown on the last play of the game — lifted Ottawa to a 33-32 win, silencing a sold-out crowd at new Mosaic Stadium.
8. A record-breaking night
Oct. 27, 2017 | Week 19
Ottawa 41, Hamilton 36
William Powell‘s late touchdown run capped off a wild back-and-forth night in the Hammer, maintaining Ottawa’s hopes of winning the East Division with a much-needed victory. The real story though was Diontae Spencer, whose 497 all-purpose yards set an all-time single-game record.
If you need to know about one of the CFL’s most electrifying players, watch the highlights from that cold October night in the donut box. Just try not to blink.
7. A controversial call?
Nov. 19, 2017 | Western Final
Calgary 32, Edmonton 28
For the football purist, the Western Final was the best game the 2017 season had to offer. Two CFL powerhouses squaring off in a game with zero turnovers and only two yards and one first down between them — yet in the end, the game will be remembered for a controversial decision by Head Coach Jason Maas.
Late in the game and trailing by seven, Maas opted to kick on third down from the Calgary 13, hoping to get the ball back and go for the win. Mike Reilly never did get another chance, leaving plenty of second-guessing in one of the most exciting games of the 2017 season.
6. The donut curse is lifted
Sept. 30, 2017 | Week 15
Toronto 43, Hamilton 35 (OT)
Weeks after the Ticats’ storm-delayed win on Labour Day, the Argos exacted revenge over their division rival. The Boatmen snatched victory from the claws of defeat that night, with DeVier Posey’s lunging grab tying the game before Posey struck again in overtime.
The game had all the makings of a classic, including a scramble and conversion by Ricky Ray on third-and-17, helping the Argos win their first ever regular season game at Tim Hortons Field.
5. Lulay gets the last laugh
July 21, 2017 | Week 5
BC 45, Winnipeg 42
The first successful onside field goal (at least known to man) helped the Bombers open up a two-score lead over the BC Lions. But the home team roared back, first erasing the deficit on Travis Lulay‘s touchdown scramble, then promptly intercepting Matt Nichols before, finally, capping it all off with a Ty Long game-winning field goal.
The thrilling finish marked the fourth straight win for the Lions, who owned a share of top spot in the West with their impressive 4-1 start to the season.
4. The beginning of an era
July 1, 2017 | Week 2
Winnipeg 43, Saskatchewan 40 (OT)
Saskatchewan celebrated Canada’s 150th birthday in memorable fashion, launching a brand new era in the first regular season game at new Mosaic Stadium. There were plenty of fireworks before and during one of 2017’s highest-scoring games, with the clubs combining for 83 points in just the second week of the season.
By the end of overtime, however, the fireworks had subsided in Rider Nation, because for the second straight week, Tyler Crapigna’s missed field goal cost the Riders a chance at a victory.
3. Pressure makes diamonds
Nov. 19, 2017 | Eastern Final
Toronto 25, Saskatchewan 21
One of the most chill-inducing moments of the season came in the Eastern Final when Christion Jones ran by the Argos’ cover team and gave the Riders a late lead. Yet for all of the emotions flooding through BMO Field at that moment, one person was unfazed.
The pressure never got to the unflappable Ricky Ray, who took the field and delivered arguably the most impressive game-winning drive of the season. Ray was nearly perfect on the sequence, including a third-and-five completion to his running back James Wilder Jr. that would help the Argos reach the 105th Grey Cup Championship.
2. Change of course
Nov. 25, 2017 | 105th Grey Cup
Toronto 27, Calgary 24
Like a scene from a movie, the snow started falling as fans filed into TD Place at the 105th Grey Cup, setting up the first snow-covered championship since 1996. The real magic, however, came in the fourth quarter, when Cassius Vaughn‘s 109-yard fumble return touchdown flipped the script in one of the most exciting Grey Cups ever.
The Argos needed two 100-plus-yard touchdowns and a last-drive interception from Matt Black to upset the Stamps, going from worst to first in one year under Marc Trestman and Jim Popp.
1. ‘The comeback’
July 27, 2017 | Week 6
Winnipeg 41, Montreal 40
The ‘no lead is safe’ theory was scientifically proven in Week 6, when the Bombers erased a two-score deficit with fewer than two minutes on the clock in the best game of the 2017 CFL season.
Justin Medlock’s onside kick got the ball back in Matt Nichols’ hands, while the Winnipeg quarterback moved the offence to the one-yard-line with just one play remaining. Then, in the most suspenseful moment imaginable, Andrew Harris‘ touchdown needed to be reviewed, putting the game in the hands of the control room.
The play was upheld and Harris’ touchdown stood, capping off the biggest comeback in recent memory, much to the delight of a packed house at Winnipeg’s Investors Group Field.
