Tuesday Morning QB (CFL Week 16)
There has yet to be a week where the difference between the two sides of the country was as evident as they were in Week 16.
It has been an issue in the CFL for years as the west division has been far better than the east.
The west is full of great talent with young quarterbacks that have taken over the league and defences that rank among the best ever in the league.
The east continues to struggle to find those players that can make a difference or keep those players on the field.
Despite the talent in the east, they are constantly haunted by injuries and poor decision making when it comes to building a team to last longer than a few seasons.
The west meanwhile has been the side that has built long-lasting success and they continue to see that success translate on the field.
For the last three seasons the west has taken the Grey Cup and every year they seem to enter as the teams to watch.
In those three years though the league has not seen the dominance truly take over the league that was until this year.
In Week 16 the bottom two teams in the east took on two western teams and looked completely outclassed.
The Montreal Alouettes lost to the Edmonton Eskimos easily and saw their playoff hopes disappear for another year.
The Toronto Argonauts took on the Calgary Stampeders and continued their struggles while putting their playoffs hopes on thin ice.
In most years the Argonauts would be fine in this situation as they would still be ahead of the Alouettes and still in the playoffs.
That isn’t the case this year as the west is simply too good this year with too many teams playing too well.
The only struggling team in the west has been the Roughriders but beyond them, there are four teams all looking very good.
As a result, the crossover has come into effect in a big way this year as the west seems like it could be putting a team into the eastern playoffs.
With wins this week the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers completed their amazing comeback stories both clinching a spot in the playoffs.
Essentially nobody in the east would be able to catch up to them even if they went on a bad losing streak to end the season.
The win by the Edmonton Eskimos put them in a great spot heading into the final few games as one more win and they will clinch a spot in the playoffs.
That would be the fourth western team to clinch meaning that only two teams in the east would find their way to the playoffs.
If Edmonton makes it into the playoffs using the crossover things could get very interesting heading into the playoffs and into the 104th Grey Cup.
The east is not very good this year even the teams at the top of the division aren’t looking like they are dominant this year.
If the Eskimos do find themselves sin the east for the playoffs they might not have the toughest route to the Grey Cup.
They may be in the crossover because they struggled to start the year but they are playing better right now than they have the entire season.
If they could have found this earlier they may have rocketed up the west standings but for now, they seem to be finding their way to the eastern playoffs.
What makes everything more interesting is that they might be able to find their way to the Grey Cup through the east and meeting them on the other side of the field could very well be their biggest rivals.
The Stampeders are currently the best team in the league as they are playing at a different level than everyone else with a massive win streak and control of the west.
They will be playing in the Western Final after their latest win and if they play up to their standards they will likely be in the Grey Cup in Toronto.
If the Eskimos find their way to the eastern playoffs and work their way through what looks like a weaker group it could mean a dream match-up for the Grey Cup.
The Battle of Alberta could determine the Grey Cup champion this year and it will only add to an already amazing rivalry.
That is still yet to be determined though as there is a lot to figure out in the coming weeks with the playoffs still up for grabs for a few teams and the entire playoffs yet to be played.
The end of the season is coming and the crossover is in effect with plenty of interesting scenarios possible as the playoff picture gets clearer.
Fourth Down:
(More news this week in the CFL)
Burris Back under Centre
The Ottawa REDBLACKS have had an issue at quarterback all year with Henry Burris and Trevor Harris looking good at points and bad at others with Burris now taking over as the starter and the REDBLACKS heading into the final weeks of the season
Trestman Available
Marc Trestman will go down as one of the best coaches in CFL history and he might be able to add to his legacy as he was just fired from the Baltimore Ravens leaving him available while a few teams might need coaches soon
Collaros Still Out
Zach Collaros is on the comeback trail but he still doesn’t seem to be ready as he has been ruled out for next week’s game although it does seem like he will be back for the playoffs which could be a big boost for the Ti-Cats
Week 16:
Saskatchewan Roughriders 32-30 Ottawa REDBLACKS (OT)
– The Roughriders have not had a great season but as they end the year they seem to be figuring things out and they showed it against the REDBLACKS fighting until the end and taking the overtime win
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 37-35 BC Lions
– The Bombers have turned things around but just as the season was ending everyone wondered just how good they could be and after losing to the top team in the division they got back to winning in a tight battle with the Lions to clinch a playoff spot
Edmonton Eskimos 40-20 Montreal Alouettes
– For the Alouettes, it was essential that they run the table for the rest of the season if they wanted to find their way to the playoffs but they couldn’t get it done against the Eskimos who moved closer to the crossover with the win
Calgary Stampeders 48-20 Toronto Argonauts
– The Toronto Argonauts went into their latest game with a different look on offence but it didn’t work as they couldn’t keep up with the Stamps who easily took the win and clinched the western division
Week 17:
Ottawa REDBLACKS vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Friday, October 14th; 7:00 pm ET)
– The REDBLACKS and Ti-Cats might be the only two teams to make the playoffs from the east but they will fight to get into the eastern finals and this game will go a long way to ensuring their spot in that game
Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. BC Lions (Friday, October 14th; 10:00 pm ET)
– The Bombers have continued to prove that they are for real and after just getting by the Lions at home they travel to the west coast where the Lions hope to gain that loss back and help guarantee a home playoff game
Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Toronto Argonauts (Saturday, October 15th; 4:00 pm ET)
– The Riders are playing better right now and they will look to show that against the Argos who need this win to stay in the hunt for the playoffs as a loss in this game could mean they are officially eliminated
Montreal Alouettes vs. Calgary Stampeders (Saturday, October 15th; 7:00 pm ET)
– The Alouettes don’t have much to play for but they will try to end their season on a high note and will hope to end the winning streak by the Stamps who are hoping to continue their run right through the end of the regular season
The Sport Addiction 