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Ottawa Redblacks find yet another way to lose in Hamilton (& nine other thoughts)

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Ottawa Redblacks found a way to lose a game they could’ve and should’ve won.

R-Nation woke up Sunday morning feeling a strong sense of déjà vu because although Ottawa’s 23-20 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats was unique in its own way, the way the offence failed in crucial moments, the way special teams were anything but, and the way unnecessary flags proved extremely costly, all felt familiar.

Here are all my thoughts on the game.

1) Coming into the game, Dru Brown was the only CFL starter yet to throw an interception. That changed versus the Ticats, and each of the turnovers proved costly. In both cases, Brown was intercepted on passes that were underthrown. The first came in the third quarter on a jump ball to Eugene Lewis near Hamilton’s goal line. Every turnover stings, but when you’re already in field goal range, coming away with nothing looms large in a one-score loss.

The second was another underthrown ball to Canadian running back Daniel Adeboboye. Clearly, the Redblacks were hoping to catch Hamilton napping as it was an against-the-grain throw across the field to Adeboboye, but the Ticats never seemed phased as cornerback Jamal Peters was ready and waiting. Given how that coverage matchup played out, it was a bit surprising to see Brown still target his running back, as it was seemingly a very bad mismatch.

Overall, Brown completed 63 percent of his passes for 283 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. While his numbers are respectable and the loss shouldn’t be laid at his feet, it was disappointing to see that on the Redblacks’ final two possessions, Brown only completed one of the last six passes he attempted. During those two drives, Ottawa was up by four points and then trailing by three.

Had Brown been able to march the ball down the field and score, it would’ve provided the offence as a whole with a boost of momentum that could’ve been something to build on going forward. Alas, that was not to be.

2) I hate to harp on the same thing week after week — and I truly do understand that each game has a distinct flow which plays a large part in dictating how plays are called– but yet again, Ottawa’s run-to-pass ratio was wildly unbalanced. Yes, the CFL is a passing league, and yes, short screens and hitch passes can provide you similar yardage to runs, but calling four times as many passes in a game that was never out of reach just seems unnecessary. Against Hamilton, offensive coordinator Tommy Condell dialled up 38 passing plays to just 10 runs. When the defence doesn’t have to worry about the run, it makes life that much easier for them.

Overall, the Redblacks generated 17 first downs and 313 yards of total offence, but their production was heavily hampered by four turnovers. Of Ottawa’s 14 possessions, nine gained 20 yards or less.

Most damningly, Ottawa’s four fourth-quarter possessions resulted in an interception, eight yards and a punt, six yards and a punt, and 20 yards and a turnover on downs. In particular, going two-and-out and killing just one minute off the clock following Hamilton’s turnover on downs in the red zone was a massive missed opportunity.

A full third of the year has gone by and it’s clear that while Ottawa has a bevy of talented, dangerous weapons on offence, the coaching staff has yet to figure out how to maximize what’s at their disposal. For example, something doesn’t add up when you have Kalil Pimpleton making four catches, but those receptions only result in six yards.

Until things like that change, the losses will continue to pile up.

3) Coming into the game, the Ticats were averaging a CFL-best 33.8 points per game, with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell averaging 304.8 passing yards per game. Hamilton was also converting on 88 percent of their red zone opportunities, failing to score just once with the ball inside the 20-yard line.

Against Ottawa, they were more than held in check. They finished with 23 points, Mitchell completed merely 56 percent of his passes for 266 yards, and the Redblacks limited them to just one-for-three in the red zone.

Of Hamilton’s 15 possessions, ten gained less than 15 yards. In most games, that’s absolutely a winning effort from the defence.

A number of players had strong performances, but linebacker Adarius Pickett led the way with nine tackles and a knockdown. Bennet Williams made his first start at safety and made five tackles, and also had a knockdown. Now healthy, Ayinde Eley got the start at weak-side linebacker and made five tackles. Defensive back Amari Henderson had three tackles and a pair of knockdowns. C.J. Coldon had four tackles, a knockdown and some terrible luck on Kenny Lawler’s first touchdown. Coldon was in the perfect position, timed his jump well and got his hand on the ball — and he was still beat.

 Finally, Canadian Lucas Cormier had three tackles, including one for a loss.

4) Just as players are paid to win, so too are coaches. And the reality is that right now, head coach Bob Dyce isn’t winning.

Is it Dyce’s fault that James Peter was called for a block in the back that wiped out a 105-yard fourth-quarter punt return touchdown? No. Is it Dyce’s fault that the offence did nothing with their final two possessions? Also no. And was it his fault that defensive end Michael Wakefield unnecessarily hit Bo Levi Mitchell to gift 15 yards to the Ticats on their go-ahead drive? Again, no. And yet the buck has to stop somewhere.

The fact of the matter is, since the Redblacks popped out to a 7-2-1 record in 2024, they have spiralled, losing eleven games while winning just three times. And since becoming Ottawa’s coach, Dyce’s record is 15-30-1.

Personally, I don’t think firing Dyce is the answer. I think it really makes no sense given the realities of the football operations cap and the fact they just extended him this past April But after Ottawa’s next game, they have a bye. If the team were to make a change, they won’t have a better time to do it.

Many in R-Nation are nostalgic and long for Rick Campbell to take the reins, but it is worth noting that the unit he is currently coaching, special teams, hasn’t exactly been great. From the leaky coverage to decisions such as using Williams Stanback as a returner, to the endless litany of penalties that wipe out positive plays, his coaching so far in 2025 has left plenty to be desired.

Perhaps the organization will feel the need to make a change to placate fans. The anger in R-Nation risks turning to apathy, and with seven home games remaining, OSEG might not want to risk continually diminishing crowds.

5) You’ve gotta feel for receiver/returner Kalil Pimpleton. One fourth-quarter punt return, he’s weaving his way through the Ticats’ coverage unit, going 105 yards for the touchdown that might provide Ottawa the breathing room needed to secure the win. Only for a very chintzy/debatable flag to wipe it out.

And on the next return, he misjudges the trajectory of the punt, muffs his attempt to secure it, and gifts Hamilton the ball at the 15-yard line. Ultimately, it didn’t matter as the defence held, but the way the ensuing field position played out over the following possessions set the Ticats up for their go-ahead score.

Even with the error, it shouldn’t overshadow how well Pimpleton played in place of the injured DeVonte Dedmon. The 26-year-old averaged 13 yards per punt return and 46.5 yards per kickoff, looking like a threat to make a house call every time he returned the ball.

6) Eugene Lewis was Brown’s favourite target, and it wasn’t close. Lewis was targeted 14 times, and turned that into seven catches for a game-high 128 yards. As for the rest of the receiving corps, Justin Hardy made six grabs for 68 yards, including a reception off a deflected ball that will be one of the best catches of the 2025 season.

 Rookie Canadian Keelan White snagged three balls for 33 yards and his first career CFL touchdown, and American Andre Miller made one catch for 14 yards.

 7) The return of Zack Pelehos at right tackle provided Ottawa’s offensive line with a noticeable boost. American Parker Moorer was solid last week in his CFL debut, but Pelehos looked exactly like the guy the Redblacks envisioned when they selected him second overall in the 2022 draft.

As a unit, the offensive line did well to limit Hamilton to just two sacks on the 38 dropbacks. They also did well opening holes in the ground game, as evidenced by the fact that Daniel Adeboboye and William Stanback averaged 4.3 and 5.7 yards per touch, respectively.

8) We’re so used to seeing Lewis Ward be perfect that it’s almost jarring when he isn’t. Although he made field goals of 41 and 14 yards, the miss from 49 yards stings given it was a three-point loss.

As for the rest of the special teams, Ottawa came into the game as the league’s worst punt cover unit, and those woes continued. Rick Campbell’s cover teams gave up 14.6 yards per punt return, including a 47-yard return that completely flipped field position. Global linebacker Tyron Vrede led the way with two special teams tackles.

9) With the loss, Ottawa drops to 1-5 on the season and remains last in the CFL. Given the state of the East division, things actually aren’t as dire as they could be. There is still time for things to get back on track, and beating Hamilton at home next week on Sunday night would be an excellent start.

But a third of the season is gone, and for a team that came into 2025 with a desire to build off of last season’s return to the playoffs and fight for the right to earn a home playoff game, the margin for error is quickly vanishing.

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Santino Filoso is originally from Ottawa and has written about the Redblacks since 2013. He is the only CFL writer currently living in Brazil (as far as we know).

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