The Hamilton Tiger-Cats suffered their worst loss of the season on Saturday as they were trampled by the visiting Edmonton Elks 47-22 at Tim Hortons Field.
The loss drops the Tabbies to 2-8 on the season, and they are now in sole possession of last place in the East Division and last place in the CFL’s overall standings. Here are my thoughts on the game.
Injury update
The Ticats found themselves in a pair of scary situations yesterday as both receiver Luther Hakunavanhu and quarterback Taylor Powell were transferred to a local hospital with apparent head injuries.
Hakunavahu caught a 15-yard pass over the middle from quarterback Taylor Powell and was tackled by a group of Elks’ defenders. Linebacker Nyles Morgan appeared to catch the receiver up around the head and neck area with his arm, causing him to go limp and get twisted in the tackle. Medical staff were rushed to the field to tend to Hakunavahu who was placed on a spine board and carted off the field via ambulance. It was later reported that Hakunavanhu was fully conscious while transported to the hospital and had full movement of his extremities.
Powell was knocked out of the game midway through the first quarter when he took a blow to the head from Morgan as he was going down after scrambling for a 17-yard run. The play left Powell crumpled up on the field, but he was able to leave for the locker room under his own power. He was later taken to hospital for precautionary reasons.
Both players were discharged from the hospital on Sunday morning, which is very positive news considering how serious their injuries looked in real-time.
Penalties galore
Penalty woes continue to plague the 2024 Hamilton Tiger-Cats as they found themselves once again giving away far too much free real estate. The Ticats took 11 penalties on Saturday for 100 yards, including the first seven of the contest for 62 yards.
Hamilton has dealt with penalty issues for a good portion of this season and it appears that trend isn’t going away anytime soon. The Black and Gold are among the league’s worst when it comes to penalties as they rank last in total penalties with 89 and yards given up with 778, an average of 8.9 penalties per game for 77.8 yards.
Couple that with the fact the Ticats also have one of the worst turnover ratios in the league and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Fresh batch of turnovers
Speaking of turnovers, Hamilton once again lost the turnover battle on Saturday, committing four on the evening compared to Edmonton’s zero. Bo Levi Mitchell threw two interceptions in the game, both in potential scoring range, while Jonathan Moxey fumbled on special teams and Hakunavanhu fumbled on the same play he was injured. Hamilton now has committed 21 turnovers and has a minus-12 turnover ratio on the season, good for last in the CFL.
The turnovers, paired with the lack of offensive punch, drew some boos from the Hamilton faithful, which is becoming more of a regular occurrence as the year goes along. It must feel like déjà vu for Ticats fans this season as almost every home game feels the same. Slow start, too many turnovers, far too many penalties and a loss.
No answer for Rankin
It was another tough night for defensive coordinator Mark Washington and his unit, which allowed 47 points on the evening. It is the second time this season that the defence has surrendered more than 40 points and the seventh time the team has allowed 30-plus points.
On Saturday the Ticats had no answer for Elks rookie running back Justin Rankin, who came into the game for the injured Javon Leake. Rankin ran roughshod over Hamilton’s front seven, going for 108 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.
Hamilton did an okay job defending McLeod Bethel-Thompson and the Elks’ air attack, holding MBT to under 300 yards, but they were never able to get a stop when they needed one. It was far too easy for Edmonton to move the ball, such as they did on their second touchdown drive when the Elks drove the length of the field with ease.
Ring the Bell
One positive from the game was the performance of Greg Bell, who made his second career start in place of the banged-up James Butler. Bell rushed for 85 yards on 12 carries, an average of 7.1 yards per rush, while adding six receptions for 88 yards. Bell also scored twice, with one coming through the air and the other on the ground.
Bell has impressed me in his limited action thus far this season, as I thought he was productive in his first start against Ottawa as well. It appears the Ticats have found a diamond in the rough with the 26-year-old back and should Butler miss more time, Bell has proven he can fill those shoes.
Up next
The Ticats will now travel to Winnipeg to take on the Blue Bombers at Princess Auto Stadium. Hamilton split the season series with the Blue and Gold last season, falling 42-31 in the season opener before returning the favour at home by defeating Winnipeg by a 29-23 score. It was a similar story the season prior, as both teams won their home games and split the season series.
The path to a potential playoff spot looks bleak for the Tiger-Cats as the loss on Saturday keeps them three games back of both Toronto and Calgary, with the Argos now holding a game in hand. Hamilton will need to start stringing together some wins if they want to get themselves back into the postseason conversation.
