CFL.ca Game Notes: A look at Week 7

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO — Week 7 kicks off on Friday night as the Calgary Stampeders pay a visit to Hamilton to take on the Tiger-Cats at Tim Hortons Field.

Later on that night, the Toronto Argonauts visit Mosaic Stadium for a matchup with the Saskatchewan Roughriders to cap the Friday night doubleheader.

A Saturday doubleheader gets underway in Montreal as the BC Lions travel east to meet the Alouettes at Percival Molson and the week ends in Edmonton as the Elks host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Buy Week 7 Tickets
» Friday, 7:00 p.m. ET: Calgary at Hamilton
» Friday, 9:45 p.m. ET: Toronto at Saskatchewan
» Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET: BC at Montreal
» Saturday, 9:45 p.m. ET: Winnipeg at Edmonton

TRENDS

In Week 6, Winnipeg scored a touchdown against Saskatchewan after allowing a sack – the first team to do so this year. After the sack, Winnipeg converted on a 2^nd and 15 en route to a 10-play, 87-yard drive capped by one of Sean McGuire’s three touchdowns in the game. McGuire now leads the league with five touchdowns.
BC scored a CFL season-high 45 points against Ottawa on Saturday night. Remarkably, the Lions matched Saskatchewan’s feat of scoring on its first three possessions of the game.
All four teams last week led by as many as 12 points during the game.
Only one team has overcome a double-digit deficit to win this season: Calgary trailed by 11 points on Aug. 20, before winning 28-22 against Montreal.
Over the last two weeks, the average margin of victory has been 17 points.
In the last three weeks, the 11 winning teams made 41 big plays (long gainers); losing teams only made 16.

WINNIPEG SURGING

This week, the Bombers head to Edmonton looking to improve to 6-1 on the season – a feat they have not achieved since 2011 when they started the season 7-1 and reached the Grey Cup. Prior to that, they reached the mark in 1984 when they won the Grey Cup.
This season, Winnipeg has scored the most points (136) and allowed the fewest points (76) for a +60-point differential.
Winnipeg leads the league in several key categories so far this season:
- Points allowed (12.7 per game)
- Touchdowns scored (16)
- Touchdowns allowed (6)
- Turnover ratio (+12)
- 2-and-outs forced (32)
- Turnovers forced (17)
- 30+ yard completions (12)
- Lowest passing efficiently (73.7)
12.7 points allowed per game is the fewest since 1966 (Ottawa with 12.6). Winnipeg’s team record was set in 1958 (11.4) during a season in which they finished 13-3.
In the fourth quarter this year, the Bombers have allowed a total of three points.
Bombers receiver Kenny Lawler leads the league with 15-second down-conversion receptions, accounting for 47 per cent of his catches.
Zach Collaros is tied for the league-lead with nine touchdown passes.
Mike Miller has had multiple special teams tackles in each game this year and stands at a total of 15 to lead the league.
Jackson Jeffcoat is tied for the league lead with five sacks and leads the league with four forced fumbles.

FEELIN’ LUCKY

BC Lions receiver and returner Lucky Whitehead has had a great start on his new team. He is currently third in receiving yards with 421 yards on 24 receptions and leads the league in average yards per catch (17.5) and yards after catch (178). His yards after catch amounts to 42 per cent of his receiving yards.
Whitehead’s 119-yard missed-field goal return for a touchdown against Ottawa was the longest major of its kind since Toronto’s Martese Jackson’s 125-yard return in 2017.
Through five games this year, Whitehead is 101-yards shy of his rookie total, which he accumulated in 15 games with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Whitehead is on pace for 67 receptions and 1,179 receiving yards for the 14-game season.

QUICK SLANTS

In the last two games, Kamar Jorden has recorded 21 receptions for 282 yards and a touchdown. His 159 yards last week established a new season-high and his 12 receptions were a career-high. He now has seven career 100+ yard games.
Jorden has been targeted 11 times downfield (20+ yards) and has made nine catches.
Montreal is coming off a Week 6 bye. They are currently 1-0 off a bye with a win in Week 2. In the past two seasons, they were 1-5 following a bye week. Teams off a bye this year are 3-2.
Saskatchewan’s Cody Fajardo has the highest rushing average amongst quarterbacks with 6.8 yards per rush.
This week, Edmonton and Montreal will be looking for their first home victories on the season.
Hamilton and Montreal own the highest red zone touchdown percentage this season (66.7 per cent).
Calgary’s Darnell Sankey leads the league with 41 defensive plays. Rounding out the Top-3 are Adam Bighill (40) and Jordan Williams (38).
Saskatchewan has been the most penalized team so far this season with 68 penalties accounting for 600 yards.
Each of Calgary’s games this year has been decided in the final three minutes. Each of Toronto’s victories has been decided in the final three minutes.
The league average on kicking converts is 92.4 per cent (73 of 79).
In 13 career games against Montreal, Michael Reilly has 10 victories.
Reilly threw four touchdown passes last week against Ottawa, matching a career-high. He has passed for 300+ yards in three of his last four games.
Bo Levi Mitchell made his 100^th career start last week in Calgary’s win over Edmonton. His record stands at 78-20-2 (.790).
If the Ticats give David Watford the nod this week, it will be his first career start in the CFL. He has appeared in 32 games and has 50 career passing attempts.
Brandon Dozier and Mike Miller are the only players in the CFL with at least one special teams tackle in each game this year.

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