Matt Smith/CFL.ca
TORONTO — Another round of games is in the books and we are here to bring you PFF’s Team Grades for every offensive and defensive unit that took the field in Week 2.
The idea is to highlight areas in which teams performed well and which ones are still a work in progress.
The Montreal Alouettes were on a bye in Week 2 and won’t feature in the breakdown below.
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PFF utilizes extensive review of game footage to provide additional context for every action on the field. Highly-trained PFF staff break down every game, player and play to provide over 200 unique data points, which are used to compile Player Grades – a numerical representation up-to-100 of performance at their specific position.
For more information on PFF, Player Grades, the Grading Scale and more, please visit pff.com/grades.
*All player grades required a minimum of 15 snaps played in Week 2 of 2023
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (82.9 offensive grade, 68.8 defensive grade)
Key stat: 88.8 passing grade
Winnipeg’s passing offence continues to dominate as Zach Collaros (90.8) and co. again finished with the best offensive and passing grades of the week. The pivot finished with the best individual offensive grade amongst starting quarterbacks and doesn’t seem to be slowing down after winning back-to-back Most Outstanding Player awards.
A big part of the success through the air is wide receiver Dalton Schoen (78.5). The second-year pass catcher finished with the best offensive grade amongst pass catchers.
BC Lions (75.8 offensive grade, 76.5 defensive grade)
Key stat: 74.7 pass rush grade
The Lions shutout the Elks at home and a big part of the defensive effort was the pass rush. Despite only sacking quarterback Taylor Cornelius once, BC’s defence collapsed the pocket all afternoon, generating pressure in 40 per cent of its pass rush snaps and winning the matchup against Edmonton’s offensive line 68 per cent of the time, according to PFF.
They were led by defensive lineman Mathieu Betts (73.6), who finished with the fifth best individual pass-rushing grade in Week 2 after tallying a sack, a hit and three hurries.
Toronto Argonauts (72.3 offensive grade, 76.7 defensive grade)
Key stat: 78.5 run defence grade
Toronto’s defence picked things up right where they left off last season, playing a complete game against the Tiger-Cats on Sunday to complement an efficient Chad Kelly-led offence.
The Argos finished with the best run defence grade of Week 2 to go along a second-best coverage grade (74.0) and a league-high in stops* with 20.
*solo tackle or sack that leads to an offensive failure (45% or less of distance on 1st, 60% or less on 2nd)
Calgary Stampeders (65.2 offensive grade, 84.7 defensive grade)
Key stat: 86.4 coverage grade
Calgary had the best coverage grade of Week 2 in their win against the REDBLACKS. Both quarterbacks Nick Arbuckle and Tyrie Adams struggled to get anything going against the Stamps’ defence, combining for two interceptions and failing to score a single touchdown.
Defensive lineman Julian Howsare (90.6) had the top defensive grade of Week 2 and finished the evening with two hurries and three hits on Ottawa’s quarterbacks.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (65.6 offensive grade, 64.6 defensive grade)
Key stat: 67.7 receiving grade
Hamilton’s passing offence was able to move the ball against the Argos a couple times, but turnovers in the final 20 yards of the field ended promising drives for the Ticats.
Wide receiver D’haquille “Duke” Williams (75.4) was amongst the best offensive performances for the Tiger-Cats, finishing with 102 yards on six catches and the fourth best individual receiving grade of Week 2.
Saskatchewan Roughriders (70.8 offensive grade, 66.3 defensive grade)
Key stat: 70.8 passing grade
Saskatchewan finished with the fourth best passing grade of Week 2, trading blows with an explosive Bombers’ offensive unit until a Janarion Grant punt return broke the game open for Winnipeg.
Wide receiver Samuel Emilus (76.5) was the highlight of the Riders’ offence, scoring three touchdowns and finishing with the third-best offensive grade amongst skill players in Week 2.
Ottawa REDBLACKS (51.9 offensive grade, 64.6 defensive grade)
Key stat: 24.7 pass blocking grade
Arbuckle and Adams could not find any success against the Stamps in part because of a pass-blocking unit that struggled to contain Calgary’s pass rush. Ottawa converted only four of 16 second downs for four or more yards and went 0-for-3 in the redzone.
A silver lining for Ottawa was another good performance by Douglas Coleman II (75.5), who had the third-best coverage grade amongst all linebackers in Week 2.
Edmonton Elks (49.8 offensive grade, 57.9 defensive grade)
Key stat: 63.7 pass rushing grade
There aren’t a lot of positives to take from a 22-0 loss to the Lions on the road.
The Elks did keep the Lions away from the end zone for most of the game, allowing only one touchdown to BC’s offence. Edmonton’s defence did relatively well in clear passing situations, allowing BC to convert only 20 per cent of its second downs with seven or more yards to go.
Defensive back Ed Gainey (71.3) was the highest Elks player graded in Week 2 – registering an interception on a pass from quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. – as the team continues to search for answers after an 0-2 start.
| TEAM | OFFENSIVE GRADE* | DEFENSIVE GRADE* |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 82.9 | 68.8 |
| BC Lions | 75.8 | 76.5 |
| Toronto Argonauts | 72.3 | 76.7 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 65.2 | 84.7 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 65.6 | 64.6 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 70.8 | 66.3 |
| Ottawa REDBLACKS | 51.9 | 64.6 |
| Edmonton Elks | 49.8 | 57.9 |
*Grades based on team-performance in Week 2 of 2023
