Tuesday Morning QB (CFL Week 13)
With the halfway point of the season past the playoff race is beginning to heat up and two teams have solidified themselves as the two most important teams in the league.
Unfortunately for those teams, their importance has very little to do with their own playoff hopes.
The BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts share the honour of having less than a 0.01% chance of winning the Grey Cup.
Neither are officially out of the playoff race but with the Lions only winning one game and the Argos getting their second win of the season this week their chances aren’t great.
Both would have to win-out and would need a lot of help in order to make the playoffs as every loss now is one step closer to being officially eliminated.
Yet they will remain the most important teams in the league for the next two months as they will have the power to change the face of the playoffs.
In the east, the Argos already flexed that power as they took a big win against the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
It was only their second win all year and they would still need to win every game left just to get a 9-9 record.
For Ottawa though, things were a little more high stakes as they still haad a shot at the playoffs.
A loss against the Argos didn’t help them as they were forced further out of the playoff race at the top of the division.
That loss only helps to push the REDBLACKS further out of the race to keep the west from taking a fourth playoff spot.
At the end of the season, the Argos will play a major role in determining how the east ends up as they will play every eastern team in the final four weeks.
From Week 18 until 21 they will take on Ottawa two more times and will take on Hamilton and Montreal once more each.
A win in any of those games could shape the way that the east finishes as any of those teams could need a win to take first place or a playoff spot.
That makes these games all the more important and with the Argonauts looking better every week they might be able to provide a challenge.
They aren’t likely to win every game and won’t find their way to the playoffs this year but they could make the path much more difficult.
They may even have an influence in the west as their next three games will be against western teams including Calgary and Saskatchewan.
The Stamps are hoping to stay out of the crossover at this point while the Riders are still in the hunt for the first place spot.
A loss for either could hurt their chances of either team achieving what they were hoping to achieve by the end of the year.
The Lions will have their own influence on things as they take on Saskatchewan, Edmonton and Calgary at the end of the season.
These games will go a long way to determining the way that the west plays out with so much being wide open.
If the Lions can produce they have the chance to shape the west despite not being able to compete for the playoffs themselves.
Their biggest influence could be in the east though as they will play Montreal and Ottawa over the next few weeks.
Their biggest influence will be with Ottawa as they will begin a home and home series in Week 14 against the REDBLACKS.
Two wins for the REDBLACKS keeps them in the hunt for a playoff spot as those four points are essential.
If they lose either it could be a tougher road and if they lose both this could mark the end of the season for the REDBLACKS.
Although the Lions and the Argos have struggled throughout the year with historically bad seasons for both franchise they are the ones holding the cards.
They will have the biggest impact on the playoff race as a few wins to end their season could change everything.
It might seem like an easy thing as both teams are clearly not the best this year but stranger things have happened when the pressure is on.
Fourth Down
Another One Down
The 2019 season might just be defined by the backup quarterback position as the CFL has seen more starting QBs go down than any time in recent memory. Heading into Week 13 all but two teams have had to use their backup QB as a starter at some point in time. Some have had great results while others have struggled without their main guy. The only two who were leftover were Mike Reilly in BC and Trevor Harris in Edmonton. That number shrunk to one though as Harris went down this week against the Calgary Stampeders. There is no word on whether or not he will be able to return but the injury bug continues to run through starters in the CFL.
The Influx
NFL season is underway and with the beginning of a new season in the south means a new wave of players for the CFL. After NFL cuts many of the players looking to play professional football head north to the CFL. That goes especially for those Canadians who went to the NFL right out of university to try to make a team. These Canadians are usually all drafted by CFL teams and if they do get cut they always have a chance to play in the CFL with the team who drafted them. Two such players are looking to make that move as the NFL cuts brought top picks back to their home countries. Edmonton signed defensive lineman Mathieu Betts, drafted third overall in 2019, while BC added offensive lineman Josiah St. John, drafted first overall in 2016 by Saskatchewan, to the practice roster.
The Sport Addiction 