CFL.ca Photo/Geoff Robins
Well, Mark’s Labour Day Weekend certainly lived up to the billing.
Whether it was the Alouettes stunning the first-place REDBLACKS in Ottawa, Rene Paredes and the Stamps walking off Edmonton out west or Hamilton’s offensive explosion, Week 12 had it all.
In #TotalPickEm, players are competing for a $5,000 end-of-season cash prize. In addition, the best predictor each week wins two tickets to any 2018 regular-season CFL game of their choice.
Let’s take a look at how things shook down.
Friday | Montreal 21, Ottawa 11
The Alouettes were coming off a solid victory against the Argos in Week 11, but few people thought that they — unheralded backup QB Antonio Pipkin, undersized rookie RB Ryder Stone, etc. — could engineer an upset in the nation’s capital against the first-place REDBLACKS.
They did.
Look, we’re not saying the Alouettes are going to win the Grey Cup. But Mike Sherman’s team has won two games on the hop, and has BC (3-6) and Winnipeg (5-6) on the schedule after a Week 13 bye. Keep an eye on them.
Sunday | Saskatchewan 31, Winnipeg 23
The Riders continued their upward trend, sending Winnipeg back across the prairies with a sub-.500 record for the first time since mid July.
Both the Riders and Bombers stayed true to their recent form; Saskatchewan’s defence was merciless, forcing a number of key turnovers, while Winnipeg’s offence — Andrew Harris aside — looked listless.
Matt Nichols threw two more interceptions in the loss: Until Winnipeg’s quarterback sorts his confidence issues out, it will be hard to justify taking the Bombers.
Saskatchewan remains the firm favourite entering Week 13’s rematch at IGF.
Monday | Calgary 23, Edmonton 20
Monday’s Labour Day Classic at McMahon Stadium was the last stand: For any other team to have a shot at the West Division, the Eskimos needed to buck the historical trend and beat Calgary.
They didn’t; a critical Chris Edwards penalty prolonged a Stampeders drive, and Rene Paredes sent the southern Alberta crowd home happy with a walk-off field goal.
Calgary moved to 9-1, while the Esks sank to third place in the West.
Until Edmonton can clean up its discipline issues and play to its potential regularly, they remain an unpredictable pick.
Monday | Hamilton 42, Toronto 28
With Friday’s result leaving the East Division open for business, both the Ticats and Argos had a massive opportunity entering Monday night’s Labour Day Classic.
The Ticats came to ball, and showed a glimpse of their offensive potential.
Even with Jalen Saunders sidelined in the first half by a serious-looking knee injury, Hamilton’s offence was simply too much for coordinator Mike Archer’s Toronto defence.
It’s beginning to look like it’s Tabbies Time in the East, as Hamilton sits a single win back of the REDBLACKS for first place and plays sub-.500 teams in three of its next four games.
Week 12: 3-1
Season: 28-18 (.609)
