Week 18 is officially in the books and there is just one playoff spot remaining to be filled.
The Ottawa Redblacks, B.C. Lions, and Saskatchewan Roughriders all secured some extra football this week, joining the previously clinched Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks were also officially eliminated, leaving just the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts eligible for the final ticket.
3DownNation’s power rankings are created by having twelve contributors rank each team from No. 1 to No. 9 independently, then averaging out the scores. The previous week’s rankings are in brackets. As always, please be sure to check back every Monday morning for our updated power rankings following each week of action in the CFL.
Enjoy the rankings and feel free to roast us on Twitter — yes, we still call it “Twitter” — for anything you think we got wrong.
Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography
1) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1)
The Bombers’ passing attack returned to its plodding pace in Hamilton but Brady Oliveira didn’t, adding a 147-yard outing to his late-stage application for M.O.P. That’s bad news for lockdown corner Tyrell Ford, who may not get the team nomination for M.O.C. or M.O.P. despite grading out as one of the best players in the CFL according to Pro Football Focus. having too many worthy award candidates is a good problem to have and is part of the reason Winnipeg was able to lock up a home playoff game with an eighth straight win.
Photo: Montreal Alouettes
2) Montreal Alouettes (2)
Montreal may still have the best record in the CFL but the reigning champs are slipping. Prior to this week’s bye, they had won just one of their last four games with losses against B.C. and Toronto, plus a tie with lowly Calgary. With nothing to play for down the stretch and the number one seed already locked up, Jason Maas’ team runs the risk of losing their winning edge.
Photo: Timothy Matwey/3DownNation. All rights reserved.
3) Saskatchewan Roughriders (5)
Make that three straight post-Labour Day wins for the Riders, who are finally headed back to the playoffs after a two-year hiatus. It took some absurd catches from Kian Schaffer-Baker and KeeSean Johnson in the fourth quarter to make it happen, plus another pick for Rolan Milligan Jr.’s M.O.P. resume. However, it was backup cornerback Amari Henderson, playing in place of the suspended Deontai Williams, who sealed the game with a classic peanut punch.
Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.
4) Toronto Argonauts (4)
The Boatmen’s path through the 2024 season has mimicked their mythical namesake in many ways, with plenty of twists, turns, and as nearly as many defeats as victories. However, the team earned the trust of our panellist by defeating the Alouettes two weeks ago and could find a new gear coming out of the bye week. Everything’s looking up in Toronto, including the addition of coveted draft pick Sage Doxtater after a three-and-a-half-year wait.
Photo courtesy: Paul Yates/B.C. Lions
5) B.C. Lions (7)
It has been three games since Nathan Rourke threw a passing touchdown and the Lions’ offence failed to find the end zone at all against Calgary, but a struggling defence stepped up big with four key takeaways. Mathieu Betts returned his first career interception 70 yards for his first career touchdown and T.J. Lee batted down a backward pass to become the first player ever to score in a Guardian Cap — both of which came in the fourth quarter. B.C. now has a ticket to the postseason dance and have a chance to secure the home Grey Cup they covet.
Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography
6) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3)
The Ticats’ late-season resurgence sure was fun while it lasted but their playoff hopes are back on life support after a decisive loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. No amount of overalls could save Bo Levi Mitchell from a pair of interceptions or from the 107 yards worth of penalties his team committed. Hamilton can still make a run, but they’ll need their friends up the QEW to outright collapse for it to happen.
Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com
7) Ottawa Redblacks (6)
The Redblacks are officially headed back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 but you’ll have to forgive R-Nation if they aren’t dancing in the streets after three straight losses. A bye week came at just the right time for this banged up Ottawa squad but Adarius Pickett isn’t walking through the door to seize back control of the defence. They’ll also need better quarterback play from either Dru Brown or Jeremiah Masoli than they have as of late.
Photo: Timothy Matwey/3DownNation. All rights reserved.
8) Edmonton Elks (8)
Mid-season mirages mean nothing when you can’t finish strong and the Elks are once again out of the playoff hunt. McLeod Bethel-Thompson had a solid day at the office, aided by a couple of spectacular grabs from Eugene Lewis, but also threw two interceptions — one of which was also aided by Lewis. You can bet the CFL will intercept part of his pay cheque too after he criticized the officials for a pivotal late-game call and showed a fundamental misunderstanding of the league’s review policy.
Photo courtesy: Paul Yates/B.C. Lions
9) Calgary Stampeders (9)
For the first time since 2004, the Stampeders will not be playing football in November — ending the longest active playoff streak in North American sports. Head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson was already getting snippy with the media entering this week about his place on the hot seat, but now faces a decision on the future of quarterback Jake Maier after he was pulled yet again.
