The Canadian Press
TORONTO — The BC Lions became the latest team to clinch a spot in the post-season behind a dominant performance by their receivers and the passing game.
The Ottawa REDBLACKS kept their season alive by also excelling through the air with Dustin Crum leading the way in the win against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Meanwhile the Toronto Argonauts – who have secured first place in the East Division – put on yet another strong performance by their coverage unit, same group that also excelled for the Alouettes in Calgary against the Stampeders.
Check out who dominated in Week 16 on CFL.ca’s Weekly Team Grades Powered by PFF:
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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 16 of 2023
Ottawa REDBLACKS (75.6 offensive grade, 73.7 defensive grade)
Key area: 90.8 passing grade
Dustin Crum made the PFF Honour Roll again in Week 16 with an excellent performance by Ottawa’s passing offence as a whole. The REDBLACKS had 243 passing yards over only 27 attempts while having no turnover-worthy plays.
Ottawa led the league in completion percentage (78.0), adjusted completion percentage (91.7) while ranking second in passing yards per attempt (9.4).
Saskatchewan Roughriders (61.6 offensive grade, 55.8 defensive grade)
Key area: 84.0 rushing grade
The Riders only rushed 14 times but were able to pick up nine first downs and 90 yards on the ground. Saskatchewan was second in yards per carry (6.4), yards after contact per attempt (3.9) and explosive runs (four).
Filling in for an injured Jamal Morrow, Frankie Hickson had 77 yards on only nine carries for an 8.6 average and the highest individual rushing grade amongst running backs (80.6). He also led the league in missed tackles forced (four) and first down runs (five).
BC Lions (68.1 offensive grade, 69.1 defensive grade)
Key area: 67.3 receiving grade
The Lions led the league in receiving grade with a league-leading 152 yards after the catch and 105 yards after contact.
BC was second in receiving first downs (12) and first in explosive plays (seven) and yards per reception (9.5).
Edmonton Elks (63.1 offensive grade, 70.1 defensive grade)
Key area: 76.8 pass rush grade
The Elks pressured quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. all game, totalling 21 pressures over 32 pass rush snaps with two sacks, five hits and 14 hurries.
Jake Ceresna had the second highest individual pass rush grade with two sacks, two hits and four hurries.
Montreal Alouettes (65.8 offensive grade, 79.6 defensive grade)
Key area: 89.4 coverage grade
Another unit that excelled – again – in coverage was the Als defence. Montreal allowed the second lowest yards per reception (9.2), while getting two interceptions and keeping the Stampeders to the lowest average depth of target (6.2) in Week 16.
Defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy had the highest individual coverage grade (92.0) after allowing only three catches for 16 yards and registering a pick.
Calgary Stampeders (61.9 offensive grade, 64.2 defensive grade)
Key area: 86.6 rushing grade
Another team that ran the ball well was the Stampeders. Calgary rushed for 125 yards over 20 carries for a 6.3 average. More importantly, the team had 11 first downs on the ground and forced six missed tackles while also leading the league in explosive runs with six.
Lead back Ka’Deem Carey seems to be rounding back into form and finished with four first downs and 44 yards after contact in only 10 rushing attempts.
Toronto Argonauts (62.6 offensive grade, 82.9 defensive grade)
Key area: 85.5 coverage grade
Another week, another excellent performance by the Argos coverage unit. The Argos forced a league-leading five incompletions while also tallying two interceptions against quarterback Taylor Powell.
Leading the way was linebacker Wynton McManis with two interceptions and a 91.9 individual coverage grade.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (55.2 offensive grade, 65.3 defensive grades)
Key area: 74.9 run defence grade
The Tiger-Cats did a good job containing the run against the Argos but with the caveat that both AJ Ouellette and Andrew Harris did not play in Week 16.
That said, Toronto had only 67 rushing yards over 19 attempts as Hamilton led the league in stops (11) for the week while also missing only three tackles.
| TEAM | OFFENSIVE GRADE* | DEFENSIVE GRADE* | OVERALL OFFENSIVE GRADE** | OVERALL DEFENSIVE GRADE** |
| Toronto Argonauts | 62.6 | 82.9 | 83.3 | 90.1 |
| BC Lions | 68.1 | 69.1 | 76.9 | 88.6 |
| Montreal Alouettes | 65.8 | 79.6 | 73.7 | 84.7 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 61.6 | 55.8 | 66.6 | 73.8 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Bye | Bye | 87.4 | 87.3 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 61.9 | 64.2 | 67.8 | 82.3 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 55.2 | 65.3 | 69.9 | 75.9 |
| Ottawa REDBLACKS | 75.6 | 73.7 | 71.3 | 82.6 |
| Edmonton Elks | 63.1 | 70.1 | 70.7 | 64.2 |
*Grades based on team-performance in Week 16 of 2023
**Cumulative grades based on team-performance in Weeks 1-16 of 2023
