SI.com’s Post Week 14 CFL Power Rankings: West Division Teams Move Up Rankings
Week 14 in the CFL has caused absolute chaos in the West Division as it is now tied at the top with all five teams mathematically in it to win the division.
The BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers made statement wins to earn the top spot in the West. Even in the East, the Ottawa Redblacks dominated the third-place Toronto Argonauts and saw the top team Montreal Alouettes suffer their second loss of the year. While Montreal is the only team that is in the playoffs entering Week 15, anything can happen in the last month-plus of the season.
Here's the updated SI.com Power Rankings after 14 weeks of the CFL season.
Power Rankings [Ranking Last Week]
1. Montreal Alouettes [No. 1]
10-2, 37-23 Loss to BC Lions
It was a rare setback for the Alouettes as the defense was able to create four turnovers but couldn't keep the Lions off the field as Montreal tied for a season-high 37 points allowed. The offense surprisingly struggled to move the ball down the field with only 10 first downs converted and 270 total yards of offense.
Montreal can look forward to playing the struggling Calgary Stampeders, as the two teams last played each other in Week 5, with the Alouettes sneaking by with a 30-26 win. With so much instability at quarterback for Calgary, there shouldn't be any concerns about Montreal losing in Week 14. Two losses on the season aren't going to derail the momentum the team has built.
2. Ottawa Redblacks [No. 2]
8-3-1, 41-27 Win Over Toronto Argonauts
Ottawa got the bounce-back win it desperately needed after losing by 26 points to BC two weeks ago. The Redblacks blew out Toronto with a 31-3 halftime lead, and while Toronto fought back, it wasn't enough to complete the comeback.
Quarterback Dru Brown is protecting the ball well and the defense continues to shine as one of the most underrated units in the CFL. The Redblacks hit the road to play the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who have a solid offense with arguably the worst defense, which should result in a lot of points for the Ottawa offense.
3. Winnipeg Blue Bombers [No. 3]
7-6, 26-21 Win Over Saskatchewan Roughriders
Winnipeg's defense continues to assert its dominance on teams. The unit came up big with a game-clinching interception to beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 26-21. The Riders in some ways played better than Winnipeg, but the Bombers made the big plays needed to get the victory, which has been a successful formula over the five-game winning streak.
The Bombers' only challenge on their calendar is Montreal in the final week of the regular season, and they have two games against Edmonton, one against Hamilton and one against Toronto remaining. It's a winnable schedule with a great defensive unit that hopes quarterback Zach Collaros can keep improving his performance to get back to his old form from last year.
4. BC Lions [No. 5]
7-6, 37-23 Win Over Montreal Alouettes
BC isn't completely back, but two straight wins certainly help, especially when one is a convincing win against the best team in the CFL. Quarterback Nathan Rourke has a lot to clean up on decision-making, but he continues to improve his accuracy and build good relationships with his receivers. BC's offense is the most complete unit in the league with a deep receiver room and running back William Stanback coming off a 100-yard game on the ground.
The Lions have one of the easiest schedules down the stretch with Toronto, Hamilton, Calgary, Sasaktchewan and Montreal still on the calendar. Unfortunately for BC, the Bombers own the tiebreaker in the division as they won the season series against the Lions, so BC has to make sure it gets one game on them before the end of the year.
5. Edmonton Elks [No. 7]
5-8, 37-16 Win Over Calgary Stampeders
Jarious Jackson continues to prove that he should be the full-time head coach for the Elks now that the team has won five of its last six games. McLeod Bethel-Thompson is at the top of his game at quarterback and the running game is elite with three backs averaging more than four yards a carry. The defense has been able to create nine interceptions in the last two games against the Stampeders.
Looking ahead, Edmonton is on a bye and will face division rival Winnipeg twice in the next three weeks. The Elks will be challenged late in the season and the good times might not last very long, but they are a more competitive team than they were earlier in the season.
6. Saskatchewan Roughriders [No. 6]
5-7-1, 26-21 Loss to Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Last week was not a bad loss for the Riders, but they have not been able to win a lot of the close games like they should. Trevor Harris has thrown the ball well overall but had two bad interceptions against Winnipeg that hurt Saskatchewan.
The team has gone almost two months without a win. Their last five games have been decided by five points or less as they have gone 0-4-1 in that span. The good news for Saskatchewan is it is on a bye this week, and the next opponent will be the Stampeders, so breaking the losing streak against them is realistic and much-needed.
7. Toronto Argonauts [No. 4]
6-6, 41-27 Loss to Ottawa Redblacks
Quarterback Chad Kelly turns the ball over at an alarming rate for someone who won the league's MOP award a season ago. Kelly has thrown six interceptions in the last three games, including four in the loss to Ottawa. Toronto is still in prime position to make the playoffs, but its last two losses have been rough. The Argos need to find a way to get back on track.
8. Hamilton Tiger-Cats [No. 9]
3-9, Bye Week
The Tiger-Cats enjoyed a much-needed bye last week as they are coming off a win against the Argos. While the defense has been one of the worst, the offense has been able to move the ball down the field, and quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is slowly improving after initially losing his job to Taylor Powell. There might be some questions at quarterback, but the offense will keep them in games. .Chris Jones has to figure out how to fix the defense to close out the close ones.
9. Calgary Stampeders [No. 8]
4-8, 37-16 Loss to Edmonton Elks
There is little good in Calgary right now as the Logan Bonner experiment at quarterback ended with five interceptions in the loss to Edmonton. The team is in the bottom four in the CFL in total offense and defense. It Doesn't help that that the Stampeders have the Alouettes next week, so Calgary will need a hope and a prayer to salvage what has been a miserable stretch, with the last four games all resulting in losses.
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ANTHONY MILLER