The Canadian Press photo
Week 15 was nothing short of bonkers.
Noel Thorpe’s Ottawa defence continued its dominant form, shutting down Mike Reilly and the Edmonton offence, two missed kicks from Zack Medeiros sunk the Toronto Argonauts; on the west coast and BC completed a miracle comeback to defeat Hamilton.
A truly remarkable week had little impact on the #TotalPickEm leaderboard; burzmiester5 continues to lead the pack, with a trio of players — bobmcdonald14160, hungsolo and paddlegirl — all within striking distance.
Let’s take a look at how things shook down.
Winnipeg 31, Montreal 14
The majority went with the Bombers to snap their four-game skid, which Winnipeg did in confident fashion.
A strong pass rush had Als QB Johnny Manziel scrambling for much of the night, while Matt Nichols had a solid 256-yard performance — his best output in three weeks.
Montreal’s season is effectively over: Even a perfect 5-0 finish would require the teams ahead of the Als to play sub-.500 football. Steer clear in upcoming matchups against what will be hungry Saskatchewan and Calgary teams.
Winnipeg, meanwhile, is still not an overly confident pick in upcoming divisional games — especially if running back Andrew Harris‘s injury keeps him sidelined moving forward.
Ottawa 28, Edmonton 15
The REDBLACKS stunned a good number of #TotalPickEm players, pundits and fans around the league with a strong performance on home turf against Mike Reilly and the Esks.
Noel Thorpe’s defence has rounded into an elite unit, while running back William Powell has diversified the Ottawa offence and taken a massive load off of quarterback Trevor Harris.
It’s full steam ahead for Rick Campbell’s Ottawa team, which heads into its bye week two games ahead of Hamilton for first place in the East Division.
Jason Maas’s Esks, on the other hand, are now in danger of falling back into the crossover playoff discussion. Uncharacteristic concerns about the offence — C.J. Gable got just six touches in Saturday’s loss — make Edmonton a tricky proposition moving forward.
Saskatchewan 30, Toronto 29
The Toronto Argonauts could’ve, and maybe should’ve, won Saturday’s contest.
But Zack Medeiros missed critical kicks, while Saskatchewan’s Brett Lauther drilled a 56-yard field goal late that ultimately decided it.
Saskatchewan’s offence had its best half in a long while to open the ballgame, then sank back into mediocre form in the second half and gave Toronto a way back into the ballgame.
It wasn’t a game either squad will be totally satisfied with, but it does shift the power balance in the West Division: The Riders are now firmly in home playoff position, and remain an interesting option going forward if for no other reason than their monstrous defence.
BC 35, Hamilton 32 (OT)
Miracle in Vancouver, indeed.
A ridiculous finish to a game that the Ticats appeared to have well in-hand, Saturday night’s result has thrust the Lions back in full control of their playoff destiny, while Hamilton will now need to get on a serious roll in order to pip Ottawa for first in the East.
There will be questions for the Ticats: June Jones’s decision to punt for a single instead of attempting a 44-yard field goal late which would have made it a two-score game, along with the ever-present narrative of Jeremiah Masoli‘s ability to close out games.
As for BC, Wally Buono’s team is trending in the right direction and it looks — for now at least — as though Jonathon Jennings is rediscovering his 2016 form. That can only be a good sign moving forward for the Lions.
Week 15: 4-0
Overall: 35-22 (.614)
