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Insight and Analysis July 15, 2024

Costabile: 8 moments you may have missed in Week 6

Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca

CFL.ca
@kcostabile1

This has been said plenty of times this season, but what a slate of football we were treated to this week!

Week 6 featured a wild affair in Winnipeg, a walk-off, game-winning field goal in Edmonton, quarterbacks airing it out, receivers hauling in plenty of yards and much, much more.

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If you missed any contests this weekend (I’m sorry if you did because you missed some really entertaining stuff), here are eight moments to catch you up on from the week.

WALK IT OFF, LEWIS WARD

 

If you’re an Edmonton Elks fan, I want to start by saying I’m sorry. Losing a game on a walk-off field goal is tough enough, but losing three games in a row in the same fashion? Devastating.

If you’re an Ottawa REDBLACKS fan, this point is music to your ears.

The Elks tied things up with just 11 seconds left on the clock thanks to a Dakota Prukop rushing touchdown. Overtime was enevitable, or so it seemed. Boris Bede‘s kickoff went illegally out of bounds, setting up Dru Brown and co. on their own 50-yard line. Brown found Kalil Pimpleton (more on him later) for a 29-yard pick up to allow for Lewis Ward to boot a 38-yard kick with zeroes on the clock.

What an ending. I, for one, am so excited for the rematch between these two clubs this Friday.

JUSTIN MCINNIS’ BIG NIGHT

What a night for Justin McInnis.

The Canadian receiver hauled in 243 yards and a touchdown in his team’s win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders over the weekend. He now sits first in the CFL with 725 yards and if he keeps up this pace, he will finish the year 2,175 yards.

What was even more impressive in his performance on the weekend was the fact that he hauled in all 14 passes thrown his way. The six-foot-five pass-catcher has some unbelievable chemistry with his quarterback through the first six games of the season and a reliable pair of hands as well.

WELCOME TO THE CFL, ONTARIA AND KALIL

 

For those who asked who would fill the shoes for an injured Kenny Lawler and Dalton Schoen, Ontaria Wilson stood up, chest puffed, raised his hand and said “I will.”

Wilson was exceptional in last week’s game against the Stampeders, racking up 201 receiving yards on 13 catches (16 targets) and caught Zach Collaros‘ first touchdown pass of the season.

He wasn’t the only new pass-catcher making plays this weekend.

In the final game of the week, Kalil Pimpleton made his name known in his CFL debut. The receiver, who was filling in for an injured Bralon Addison, showed off his speed in his first game of his career turning on the jets for a 70-yard touchdown score. He finished the game with 153 yards on four catches.

AJ OUELLETTE SAID MY MULLET IS THE BEST

Well, maybe he didn’t actually say that (he was one of four players with mullets that were the options for fans to get their hair cut like before the game) but he did show out in Week 6.

It’s been tough sledding for the five-foot-nine, 210-pound running back this season, not getting as many yards as he was used to racking up when he was an Argonaut. Despite only averaging 3.32 yards per carry heading into Week 6, Saskatchewan has continued to feed him the rock, with double digit carries in every game he’s played this year.

Against the Lions, he averaged 6.0 yards a carry, his highest average in a game so far this season, and two major scores. The 28-year-old finished the night with 72 yards on 12 rushes, including one for 27 yards, his longest run of the season.

DRU BROWN/VERNON ADAMS JR. GO FOR OVER 400

 

Vernon Adams Jr. is playing the best football of his career right now and continued on his historic pace this past weekend. The Lions pivot threw for 451 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, the first picks he’s thrown since Week 1.

But if anyone thought that would be the most passing yards of the weekend (I did!) then you were wrong.

Enter: Dru Brown.

Brown was sensational on Sunday night, throwing for 480 yards in his team’s win over the Edmonton Elks. He also had two touchdown passes and an interception at Commonwealth Stadium.

JANARION GRANT RETURNS ANOTHER TO THE HOUSE

 

For the second time in as many weeks, Janarion Grant scored a return touchdown for the Argonauts. Last week he scored on a punt return and this week he took a kickoff 103 yards for the major.

Grant wove his way through coverage, going untouched all the way to the end zone in the second quarter of Thursday night’s contest against the Alouettes, reminding everyone why he’s one of the best returners in the CFL.

NATHAN ROURKE, THE BROADCASTER

It was so nice to see Nathan Rourke again on CFL on TSN broadcast this weekend.

No, he wasn’t slinging the pigskin on the field, he was providing colour commentary alongside Glen Suitor in the booth. When Rourke is ready to hang up the cleats, which will not be for a long, long time, he definitely has a future in broadcasting.

DON’T THROW WYNTON MCMANIS’ WAY

 

Wynton McManis continued to make his presence felt this week and showed everyone why he’s one of the most dangerous defenders in the league. He scored his first touchdown of the year at Percival Molson, picking off a Caleb Evans screen pass and returning it nine yards to the house.

McManis has a knack for finding the end zone when he has the ball in his hands. Over seven career interceptions with the Argos, the middle linebacker has scored touchdowns on four of them (one in 2022, two in 2023 and one this season).

A note for opposing quarterbacks: perhaps think twice before throwing a pass in the direction of McManis.

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