Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca
TORONTO — It’s already Week 5, which means that by now we can start picking out which units are excelling at their jobs and which ones are not. However, it’s also early enough in the season for the ones that aren’t to turn it around and start assorting their dominance over the league.
There were only three games last week, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Calgary Stampeders were on a bye and thus won’t be featured in the team breakdown.
Stick around to find out how teams fared in both defence and offence in Week 5 and which positional groups played an important role.
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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 4 of 2023
Toronto Argonauts (69.9 offensive grade, 74.4 defensive grade)
Key area: 82.9 passing grade
Quarterback Chad Kelly led all offensive players in Week 4 with an 86.4 overall grade in the win against the Lions and the unit as a whole finished with the highest passing grade of the week.
Although it was the defence that forced BC’s Vernon Adam’s Jr. into costly mistakes, Kelly’s yet another efficient outing – with a 79 completion percentage and zero turnover-worthy plays according to PFF – also gives reason for optimism going forward as the defending champs chase a second-straight title.
BC Lions (65.7 offensive grade, 65.7 defensive grade)
Key area: 51.9 passing grade
There is no tiptoeing around it, Adams’ performance against the Argos is one he’ll look to forget. Six interceptions and the worst team passing grade (51.9) of Week 4 to go alongside the worst individual passing grade (51.6) for the veteran.
Despite tallying a league-high 17 first downs, the Leos QB had the highest turnover-worthy plays in Week 4 with six and also had the second lowest mark for completed passes with 61.5 per cent.
Montreal Alouettes (63.8 offensive grade, 59.1 defensive grade)
Key area: 86.6 pass blocking grade
If quarterback Cody Fajardo led the league in passing grade in Week 3, this past week the aerial unit in Montreal was second last in that aspect according to PFF. Fajardo’s 54.9 grade was only better than Adams Jr. with the Lions.
The good news for the Als is that the offense earned an 86.6 pass blocking grade, as only two of the five sacks allowed were credited to the offensive line. That mark will be tested once again in Week 5 as they travel to BC to face another dangerous pass-rushing group in the Lions.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (71.3 offensive grade, 70.4 defensive grade)
Key area: 78.2 rushing grade
The Bombers were able to establish their ground game under tough conditions at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium against the Als. Running back Brady Oliveira finished with 20 attempts for 120 yards and Greg McCrae added 49 yards on four carries as the unit finished second in rushing grade in Week 4.
McCrae’s impressive 12.3 yards per attempt led the league and also earned him the highest individual running grade for the week with a 77.2.
Ottawa REDBLACKS (68.8 offensive grade, 82.1 defensive grade)
Key area: 82.4 coverage grade
The REDBLACKS had the highest defensive grade of the week and their coverage unit also led the league with an 82.4 grade.
Leading the way were Douglas Coleman II (88.3) and Brandin Dandridge (80.4) with the second and third highest individual coverage grades of the week.
Edmonton Elks (60.5 offensive grade, 59.7 defensive grade)
Key area: Pass rushing grade 70.4
The Elks trailed only the REDBLACKS in pass rushing grade this week, pressuring quarterback Tyrie Adams all game and keeping the score somewhat close for a while despite not having a lot of success on offence.
The unit was led by edge Jake Ceresna who tallied two hits and a hurry for three total pressures.
| TEAM | OFFENSIVE GRADE* | DEFENSIVE GRADE* | OVERALL OFFENSIVE GRADE** | OVERALL DEFENSIVE GRADE** |
| Toronto Argonauts | 69.9 | 74.4 | 79.4 | 88.9 |
| BC Lions | 65.7 | 65.7 | 74.8 | 84.9 |
| Montreal Alouettes | 63.8 | 59.1 | 73.0 | 76.4 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | Bye | Bye | 71.9 | 83.7 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 71.3 | 70.4 | 77.5 | 75.1 |
| Calgary Stampeders | Bye | Bye | 60.9 | 78.4 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Bye | Bye | 59.2 | 60.8 |
| Ottawa REDBLACKS | 68.8 | 82.1 | 55.7 | 75.5 |
| Edmonton Elks | 60.5 | 59.7 | 53.4 | 62.1 |
*Grades based on team-performance in Week 4 of 2023
**Cumulative grades based on team-performance in Weeks 1-4 of 2023
