3DownNation CFL awards: the best and worst of Week 6

Week 6 of the 2024 CFL regular season has come to a close, which means it’s time to look back at the best and worst of the week that was.

Montreal lost their starting quarterback to injury, the Stampeders and Blue Bombers played a surprise shootout in The Peg, B.C.’s offence continued its hot start, the Elks made bewildering late-game decisions, Dru Brown lit it up for Ottawa, the Riders suffered their first loss, and Toronto’s defence and special teams came to play,

These awards are selected by 3DownNation’s contributors and will be presented weekly throughout the 2024 season on Tuesday mornings. Enjoy.

Offensive player of the week: REC Justin McInnis, B.C. Lions

The native of Pierrefonds, Que. had a career day against his former team, catching 14 passes for 243 yards and one touchdown to help launch his team atop the West Division and the 3DownNation power rankings. The six-foot-five, 210-pound target has now made 45 catches for 725 yards and five touchdowns on the year to set a new career-high in receiving yardage. He’s currently on pace to shatter Geroy Simon’s single-season team receiving record of 1,856 yards.

Honourable mention: QB Dru Brown, Ottawa Redblacks

Photo: Neil Noonan/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Defensive player of the week: DB Deatrick Nichols, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The two-time CFL all-star rarely gets challenged by opposing quarterbacks but made the most of a target from Jake Maier, intercepting his pass and returning it 55 yards for a touchdown. Nichols also forced Peyton Logan to fumble, which was recovered for a turnover by Lucky Ogbevoen in his first career CFL game. Winnipeg’s defence struggled as a whole this past week but Nichols showed why he’s arguably the best defensive back in the league.

Honourable mention: DL Mustafa Johnson, Montreal Alouettes

Special teams player of the week: KR Janarion Grant, Toronto Argonauts

The native of Trilby, Fla. continued his red-hot start to the season with 242 return yards in Toronto’s upset win over the Montreal Alouettes, including a 103-yard kickoff return touchdown. Grant has now recorded 10 return touchdowns over just 46 career regular season CFL games, which is tied for sixth all-time in league history. He is only five away from tying Bashir Levingston for second all-time.

Honourable mention: K Lewis Ward, Ottawa Redblacks

Breakout player of the week: REC Ontaria Wilson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

One of Winnipeg’s young receivers finally stepped up to replace the injured Kenny Lawler and Dalton Schoen as Wilson caught 13 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown to help his team win a shootout against the Stampeders. The Florida State product has clearly earned the trust of Zach Collaros as he was targeted 16 times, accounting for almost half of the quarterback’s pass attempts.

Honourable mention: REC Kalil Pimpleton, Ottawa Redblacks

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

Offensive line of the week: Calgary Stampeders

The unit of Eric Smith, Bryce Bell, Sean McEwen, Zack Williams, and Josh Coker provided a ton of time for Jake Maier to operate in the pocket and helped Dedrick Mills rush for 131 yards. The performance was even more impressive considering Smith was a last-minute call-up from the practice roster as left tackle D’Antne Demery was a late scratch. This marks the third time Calgary’s offensive line has won this award this season.

Honourable mention: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Coach of the week: OC Tommy Condell, Ottawa Redblacks

The veteran assistant coach had franchise quarterback Dru Brown ready to roll despite spending the practice week in concussion protocol as he threw for 480 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in a big win over the Edmonton Elks. The Redblacks finished the game with 37 points and 520 yards of offence as three different receivers eclipsed the 100-yard mark, harkening back to the days of Brad Sinopoli, Chris Williams, Ernest Jackson, and Greg Ellingson.

Honourable mention: HC Ryan Dinwiddie, Toronto Argonauts

Best play of the week: REC Eugene Lewis, Edmonton Elks

The 31-year-old was off to a slow start to the season but made an incredible catch to help spark Edmonton’s short-lived comeback attempt against Ottawa. Midway through the fourth quarter, Lewis had a step on cornerback Deandre Lamont but was slightly overthrown by McLeod Bethel-Thompson when he reached out his left hand, batted the ball toward himself, secured it, and dodged a hit from Damon Webb. The two-time CFL all-star now has 19 catches for 266 yards and one touchdown on the year.

Honourable mention: LB Wynton McManis, Toronto Argonauts

Worst play of the week: K Boris Bede, Edmonton Elks

The veteran kicker not only missed a 31-yard field goal on Sunday but also hammered a kickoff out of bounds with eight seconds remaining, allowing Ottawa the chance to scrimmage at their 50-yard line. Head coach Chris Jones said Bede was trying to kick the ball hard enough to score a rouge but in hindsight, it’s clear he should merely have executed a normal kickoff. Had he done so, Jones might still have a job.

Honourable mention: HC Mike O’Shea, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Best game of the week: Calgary Stampeders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers

This was expected to be a low-scoring, ground-and-pound affair but instead was a track meet as the Stampeders and Blue Bombers combined for 78 points and 902 yards of offence as Ontaria Wilson, Jalen Philpot, Dedrick Mills, Deatrick Nichols, and Erik Brooks recorded explosion plays at Princess Auto Stadium. There was also a lot riding on this game as it also decided the season series between the West Division foes.

Honourable mention: Ottawa Redblacks at Edmonton Elks

Worst game of the week: Toronto Argonauts at Montreal Alouettes

Cody Fajardo left the game with an apparent hamstring injury at the end of the first quarter and the Alouettes simply weren’t able to keep up despite getting two touchdown passes from backup quarterback Caleb Evans. Toronto got touchdowns on defence and special teams to put this game away by the start of the fourth quarter. Though this was far from a bad game, it was the weakest of a strong Week 6 slate.

Honourable mention: Saskatchewan Roughriders at B.C. Lions