Arthur Ward/CFL.ca
The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats used Mark’s Labour Day Weekend to the fullest. While all four victorious teams over the holiday weekend picked up important results, it was Hamilton and Saskatchewan making the biggest moves.
The Riders came to play in the second half of their 31-23 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In outscoring the Bombers 17-6 in the final two quarters of Sunday’s showdown at Mosaic, Saskatchewan made a couple important statements.
Most importantly, the Roughriders announced their intention to host a playoff game in November. By beating their prairie rivals, Sask altered the West Division standings in a big way. The Riders opened up a one-and-a-half game lead on Winnipeg, which is some nice breathing room in a tightly packed division. And, thanks to Edmonton’s loss over the weekend (more on that later), they also slid by into second place.
The second Saskatchewan statement was more of a reiteration of what we already knew: this defence is for real. The Riders forced multiple two-and-outs in the second half and also forced a huge Ed Gainey interception late in the fourth quarter to seal the win. The defensive unit set Zach Collaros up to succeed with good field position and the offence made sure to cash in with a pair of second half majors.
The only hurdle left to climb for Saskatchewan is tracking down the Calgary Stampeders for top spot. With a three-game gap to close, it’s a tough ask and would be unlikely, but if the Riders keep playing like this, there is one date to circle on the calendar. Calgary and Saskatchewan meet once more, so we’ll see if their Week 19 showdown at McMahon means anything or not.
RELATED
» Winning a contagious feeling for Ticats
» In Moore, Riders may have found their own ‘Speedy B’
» Collaros continues to make the most of Labour Day
» Watch: All the best highlights from Mark’s #LDWeekend
Alex Green added two more touchdowns vs. Toronto, giving him seven on the season (Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca)
Hamilton’s 42-28 win over Toronto on Monday evening was just as significant, and has one added caveat. Thanks to Ottawa’s loss to Montreal to kick off Week 12, the Ticats are all of a sudden just one game back of top spot in the East Division with even games played. Even better: this battle could go right down to the wire with a home-and-home set in Week 19 and 20.
Hamilton was also able to open up a nice cushion on both the Argos and Alouettes. Knowing how likely a West crossover is, the second place spot held down by the Tiger-Cats is crucial, so any advantage is a luxury.
And, perhaps most importantly, Hamilton did the thing they’ve struggled with all year: finish drives with points. I nominated quarterback Jeremiah Masoli as the player under the brightest spotlight on Mark’s Labour Day weekend, partly because he and the Ticats’ offence have struggled to turn yardage into big scores.
For just the second time this season, Masoli threw three touchdowns in a game, which paired nicely with his 385 yards on 26-of-35 passing. He was dialed in from the opening drive and made an emphatic statement of his own.
Both Hamilton and Saskatchewan have a lot of work to do, which means they can’t rest on the laurels of their big wins. But if they can build on what they accomplished over the last few days, we might be looking back on Labour Day Weekend as turning points for both teams.
Defensive Cassic
Alberta’s Labour Day Classic was defined by one thing more than anything else: defence. While it was quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and Calgary’s offence moving the ball into range for a game-winning field goal as time expired, they wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for an incredible defensive effort.
In fact, both defensive units should come out of Monday’s 23-20 win for the Stamps feeling really good about what they left on the field. Both Calgary and Edmonton were able to get a ton of pressure on the opposing quarterback, to the extent that neither Mitchell nor Mike Reilly was ever able to truly get into a groove.
Both defences made plays, too. The Eskimos and Stampeders each finished with multiple sacks and multiple turnovers, which is why this game deserved to go right down to the wire. In the end, though, the CFL’s number one defence got the job done.
Buy Week 13 Tickets
» Friday, 10:00 p.m. ET: Ottawa at BC
» Saturday, 1:00 p.m. ET: Hamilton at Toronto
» Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET: Saskatchewan at Winnipeg
» Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET: Calgary at Edmonton
Much like how the Riders made their defensive statement in the second half, Calgary did their best work in the final 30 minutes. The Stamps held their provincial rivals to just three points in the second half and wreaked havoc all over the field. At one point, Calgary forced three turnovers (two fumbles and a pick) on four possessions!
But it was a late defensive stand that was the most crucial moment of the game, at least from my vantage point. Starting with good field position from their own 41, the Eskimos were only able to move the ball 11 yards with a chance to win the game; the ensuing punt led to the game winning drive.
Yes, many will be talking about Chris Edwards and the illegal contact he took to extend that game winning drive, which is partially fair. But, had Calgary not stood tall with the game on the line, Edwards would never have been in that position.
There were a ton of key moments in Monday’s annual matchup. It turned out to be exactly what you want in a rivalry game: close, hard fought, and full of drama. But it as the defensive efforts winning the day, and the slightly better showing is why the Stamps have won on seven straight Labour Days.
An easy decision
When the Montreal Alouettes started the season 1-8, the scenario that has played out the last few weeks would have been unthinkable. Had you told me the Als would install a guy we knew nothing about in at quarterback and win back-to-back games to recharge their season, I simply would not have believed you.
That’s exactly what has happened, though, and the decision at quarterback has been made easy, at least for now: keep giving the ball to Antonio Pipkin. We led with that on last week’s MMQB, and the story has evolved significantly in just over one week’s time.
Pipkin is now 2-1 as a CFL starter and, even though his passing numbers aren’t incredible, he’s getting the job done. Because he’s a true dual-threat quarterback, Pipkin is dangerous in every situation, and he showed that on Friday night.
In Montreal’s 21-11 win over Ottawa, Pipkin threw for 242 yards and two interceptions, which is nothing to write home about. When you factor in his touchdown on 75 rushing yards, though, the picture becomes a whole lot rosier. Pipkin’s rushing touchdown tally is now up to four in three starts, as he continues to adjust to his new role.
Has Pipkin done enough to win the starting gig for the rest of the season? My answer to that would be no, because he needs to show improvement in some of his passing decisions and his sample size is still small.
But with back-to-back wins, the Alouettes have playoff life and sit two games back of eliminating a crossover. Until Pipkin shows us otherwise, he should be the guy attempting to track that spot down. We’ll see if that decision is as easy to make behind closed doors in Montreal.
