The Calgary Stampeders are for real.
As we approach the one-third mark of the season, the questions about this team have been answered. They knocked off the CFL’s lone remaining undefeated team in Saskatchewan on Saturday by a 24-10 score that flattered the opposition. This puts the Stampeders into first place in the league by virtue of the tiebreaker with the Riders.
The game, originally slated for Friday night, was forced to be rescheduled for the following day due to air quality concerns. This caused a logistical nightmare for the Stampeders, the Riders, the league, and its fans, but the game was able to begin on time the next afternoon.
Here’s what I saw from my couch in Calgary.
Vernon breaks out
The season to this point had been good for Vernon Adams Jr. in the red and white. Coming into this game, he was third in total passing yards thanks to a balanced and measured attack heavy on long ball completions.
Adams blew the doors off every mark he had set thus far in this game, completing 28-of-36 throws for 428 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The turnovers came on the first play from scrimmage, where he underthrew a ball into coverage and later when a ball was tipped at the line before being intercepted in the endzone.
Head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson was shocked by Adams’ total passing yards following the game.
“We really become conservative at times because we have a two-touchdown lead. He did a great job with his eyes. He manipulated the zone coverage and moved guys to where you want them.”
As Adams continues to progress — and with a potential Malik Henry return on the horizon — this offence will cause a sleepless night or two for defensive coordinators as the season progresses.
All aboard that are going Alford
When the Stampeders took Damien Alford first overall in the 2025 draft, there were some pundits who wondered if they wouldn’t have been better off taking a player at another position to fill a need.
That is another question that has now been answered. Since replacing Clark Barnes, who was injured last week collecting a 65-yard touchdown throw, Alford has been outstanding.
Targeted eight times in this game, Alford made six catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns, including an 81-yard catch-and-run where the Roughrider defender made the bizarre choice not to cover the massive receiver.
“We miss Clark (Barnes), and we miss Reggie (Begelton),” Dickenson said of his injured receivers. “No one wants to see any injuries, but it is sometimes the way you get to see the field, especially as a rookie. We moved Damien out to the field, and he’s a problem. He not only has speed, as you saw, but size and strength. How many big corners are in our league? Leave him one-on-one, and Vernon is confident (Alford) will go get it, and he showed that.”
Alford not alone
Elsewhere on the field, other receivers were also having solid efforts, as Jalen Philpot caught six of nine targets for 86 yards, Dominique Rhymes caught five of six for 88 yards, and Erik Brooks collected all four of his targets for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Multiple times throughout the game, TSN’s Davis Sanchez suggested that the Stampeders group of pass catchers doesn’t rank very highly when it comes to collective talent. Another performance like this next week might just change his mind.
Ouellette or Ou-est-il?
The game was billed as a battle for first place, which it was. It was also billed as a matchup between two of the game’s best running backs, which it was, but only technically.
The Stampeders completely negated the Riders’ rush offence, allowing just 16 yards on nine total carries. Only nine of those yards went to A.J. Ouellette, the league leader coming into the weekend.
That nine-yard performance was the lowest total for Ouellette since November 13th, 2021, when the then-Argo was a backup to Andrew Harris and got just three carries for six yards.
With this dominant performance, the Stampeders have now surrendered 461 yards through five games, good enough for a top-three league-wide ranking. What is more shocking is that if you take away the wind-affected loss to Ottawa, in which the Redblacks ran their way to 230 total rushing yards, in their other four games, the Stampeders are averaging just 57.75 rushing yards allowed.
Sack attack
The Stampeders had only three sacks through their first four games before picking up a trio of takedowns on Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris.
Clarence Hicks had a pair, including a strip sack that caused a turnover, while Jaylon Hutchings added another while generally being in the backfield all day long.
As part of a completely revamped Stampeders defence, the defensive line hasn’t put up the sexy stat lines as of yet. But they have done the job of pressuring the QB into making bad throws and not letting anyone but Ottawa take off on the ground.
If those pressures start turning into sacks, teams will score even less than the 18.2 points per game they are allowing thus far.
Up next
The Stampeders went into hostile territory to face an undefeated team coming off a bye week, and once the smoke cleared, they found themselves in first place.
They will face a similar challenge again next week, playing a rested Bombers team in a game that suddenly turns from standard rest to short rest thanks to the game in Saskatchewan being rescheduled.
To a man, everyone interviewed by the media following the game downplayed the team’s record, reminding us that you don’t win the Grey Cup in July. But a win next week would go a very long way towards returning to the playoffs after missing them for the first time in generations last season.
Ryan Ballantine is a lifelong Stamps fan and host of the Go Stamps Go Show Podcast. He has been covering the team since 2008.
