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Insight and Analysis July 27, 2026

5 things we learned from Week 8

Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca

CFL.ca
@mcauz56

Who doesn’t love the element of surprise when it comes to their sports?

Going into Week 8, Edmonton and Saskatchewan had the top two defences in yards allowed. Naturally, these teams would combine for nearly 900 yards through the air and 42 second half points.

The final play of the first quarter between Calgary and Winnipeg was Willie Jefferson sacking Vernon Adams Jr. with the score being just 8-0. There would be 74 points in the next three quarters!

The lesson, as always, is to expect the unexpected. Here are five other things we learned from this past week of football.

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THE ‘MAD BOMBER’ GENE EXISTS IN CODY FAJARDO AND IT WAS GLORIOUS!

 

To be honest, I could have devoted this entire column to the masterclass of a game that saw Edmonton come away with a 36-34 victory.

Cody Fajardo set the tone in the second quarter with a 68-yard deep shot to Kaion Julien-Grant, who had gotten a step on DaMarcus Fields.

So much of the focus, rightfully so, has been on the Fajardo to Austin Mack connection, but for me Cody’s best throw was his third-and-10 completion to T.J. Luther with under a minute left and his team trailing 34-33. The Elks quarterback didn’t play it safe; he gunned it to Luther downfield.

That was as high a pressure play as we saw this past week and it set up the ridiculous 57-yard, game-winning field goal by Vincent Blanchard.

DEVODRIC BYNUM STRIKES FOR ALL DEFENSIVE BACKS

 

All good things must come to an end, including Davis Alexander’s impressive streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception that concluded at 356 near the end of the second quarter of Sunday night’s game between the Alouettes and the Tiger-Cats.

The turnover was less about a mistake by Alexander and more about a great play by the third-year defensive back. Devodric and Kaseem Ferdinand both went up for Alexander’s pass, and it was the Tiger-Cat defender who came down with the jump ball. Bynum’s first interception since 2024 could not have come at a better time.

THE ALOUETTES DON’T NEED DAVIS ALEXANDER TO BE SUPERMAN TO GET HEROIC WINS

As mentioned, this was the first time all year the Alouettes star quarterback threw an interception. It also marked the first time Alexander has been held to under 300 passing yards. We were also not treated to any Tyson Philpot rip the top off of the defence moments. So naturally, Montreal would suffer their first loss in regulation, right?

Quite the contrary.

For the first time all year, the Alouettes outscored their opponent by more than a touchdown, coming away with a 31-18 win. That is credit to a running game that saw Travis Theis put up 156 yards and a touchdown. The real star was their defence that sacked Tre Ford three times and held the Tiger-Cats to 228 total yards, with Robert Kennedy coming away with a game-sealing interception on Ford.

TYREIK MCALLISTER PROVES BACKUP RUNNING BACKS CAN BE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS BACKUP QUARTERBACKS

 

The star of the Calgary Stampeders ground game is Dedrick Mills, who could lead the league in rushing. On Friday night, it was the “understudy” who was the star of the team’s 52-30 victory over Winnipeg. He was someone who certainly made the most of his opportunities.

Tyreik McAllister only got one carry and turned it into a 17-yard touchdown run as he made one decisive cut up the middle, fooling the initial defender and then his speed led to the first touchdown of the game.

The backup running back only had two targets, but he turned them both into receptions, including a 56-yard, got-behind-the-defence, how-did-he-get-so-open touchdown for the second Calgary major.

Finally, Sergio Castillo missed only one kick, but that was all McAllister would need to race through the Bombers special teams for a 118-yard missed field goal return touchdown. Tyreik put up a trio of touchdowns each coming in a different way and the second quarter wasn’t even halfway done.

NOT ALL INTERCEPTIONS ARE BUILT THE SAME

Benjamin Labrosse’s third pick was the most important play.

The former McGill star had a career day picking off Dru Brown three times. For a game that saw 82 total points scored, it was his final interception that proved to be one of the most pivotal plays.

The Bombers had gotten back into the game, thanks to a 46-yard Brady Oliveira touchdown run and a Castillo field goal that turned a 39-20 deficit into a tighter 39-30 affair.

Momentum was firmly with Mike O’Shea’s squad, especially after a failed Quincy Vaughn run on third-and-short had given the ball back to Winnipeg’s offence with under 12 minutes to go. Labrosse, again, played the hero, as he stepped in front of Brown’s intended target and returned it 65 yards, setting up a short Jude McAtamney field goal. That was the last time the Blue Bombers would threaten in the contest.