SI.com's CFL 2024 Week 5 Power Rankings: Als Show Championship Mettle, Argos Sink Deeper, Bombers Finally Get W
With nearly a quarter of the CFL 2024 regular season in the books, the pecking order in the East and West has been firmly established.
Let's delve into how the CFL's teams measure up heading into Week 6.
1. Montreal Alouettes (No. 1 last week)
5-0, 30-26 comeback victory over Calgary in Week 5
The Alouettes showed their championship mettle battling back from a two-score deficit to surpass Calgary at home.
Montreal has now won 13 straight games, including last year's postseason. The Als will try to keep the streak alive in Week 6 as they host a reeling Toronto team this Thursday.
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders (No. 2 last week)
4-0, 30-23 home victory over Toronto in Week 5
Corey Mace's Riders remain unbeaten after trifling his former team with a stellar defensive performance. It was enough to carry a mediocre performance by Saskatchewan's offense without Trevor Harris.
The Roughriders must continue playing clean, disciplined football with an underwhelming Shea Patterson at the controls, especially with a pivotal West showdown coming up next Saturday in BC.
3. BC Lions (No. 4 last week)
4-1, 44-28 road victory over Hamilton in Week 5
The Lions won their fourth straight game with another impressive showing by early MOP front-runner Vernon Adams.
VA is literally on pace for probably the greatest season ever by a pro football player
— Nik Kowalski (@nik_kowalski) July 8, 2024
(6,714 yards, 43 TDs, 3 INTs) https://t.co/NjCkBpP72K
A peaking BC team has a chance to take control of the West at home next Saturday night if they can deal Saskatchewan its first loss of the 2024 season.
4. Calgary Stampeders (No. 5 last week)
2-2, 30-26 road loss to Montreal in Week 5
Calgary gave the defending CFL champs all they could handle on Saturday night. The Stamps had their chance to make an enormous statement in Week 5 but let a 10-point lead slip away.
Nevertheless, it was an impressive showing by a Stampeders team that looks vastly better than last year's 6-12 bunch. Calgary is going to be a contender in what is shaping up to be an ultra-competitive West division. The Stampeders will have a chance to keep pace when they face the Bombers for a second time in three games in Winnipeg on Friday.
5. Toronto Argonauts (No. 4 last week)
2-2, 30-23 road loss to Saskatchewan in Week 5
After a 2-0 start, Toronto's season has taken a negative turn. The Argonauts lost a game in Saskatchewan that they should've won. But five turnovers by a rudderless Cameron Dukes sunk the Boatmen's ship.
With superstar quarterback Chad Kelly several weeks away from a potential return, the Argos are going to have to ride out the storm, and things will likely get stormier as they continue a three-game road stretch, continuing with Mighty Montreal this Thursday.
6. Ottawa Redblacks (No. 6 last week)
2-2, 25-16 road loss to Winnipeg in Week 5
The Redblacks were outmuscled by a desperate Winnipeg team in Week 5. The fortunate thing for Ottawa is that suddenly beyond Montreal, the East's other teams are very vulnerable with Hamilton and Toronto in despair.
Bob Dyce's squad faces another desperate team this coming weekend as they take on a winless Elks coming off a bye.
7. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (No. 8 last week)
1-4, 25-16 win over Ottawa in Week 5
Winnipeg finally got one for the W after a vintage Bombers effort against Ottawa at home.
The back-to-the-basics Blue Bombers rushed for over 200 yards with the combination of the league's best running back in Brady Olivera and best running quarterback in Chris Streveler.
Mike O'Shea's team can build off the Week 5 effort by avenging their loss two weeks ago to Calgary when they host the Stamps on Friday night.
8. Edmonton Elks (No. 7 last week)
0-4, 24-21 road loss to BC in Week 4
Despite their 0-4 start, the Elks are staying the course coming off a bye. The hope for hard luck Edmonton is that it will finally start to turn the corner after losing four games by a total of only 17 points.
The Elks have a back-to-back date with Ottawa, before hosting winless Hamilton. If the turnaround doesn't come now, it won't arrive at all in 2024.
9. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (No. 9 last week)
0-5, 44-28 road loss at BC in Week 5
Things haven't been this bad in the Hammer in a while. You have to go back to the 2017 season to find a Ti-Cats team that got off to this brutal of a start.
Hamilton has all the earmarkings of a bad team in 2024. The Tiger-Cats are playing undisciplined football and have struggled mightily on defense and special teams. If this were a young rebuilding team, you'd chalk it up to growing pains. But Scott Milanovich's group is a high-priced veteran squad with high expectations attached.
Hamilton heads to a much-needed bye before regrouping to host rival Toronto.
You can find Mike Mitchell on X @ByMikeMitchell.
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