Ottawa Redblacks officially eliminated from playoff contention

The Ottawa Redblacks are the first CFL team to be officially eliminated from the playoff race.

Ottawa fell 20-13 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders at home on Friday night, as starting quarterback Dru Brown was benched after throwing three interceptions. They can no longer finish better than 7-11, which will not be enough to prevent a West Division crossover.

The Redblacks were favoured by many to be a Grey Cup contender in 2025, after the team qualified for the postseason for the first time in five seasons last year. However, Brown missed time with multiple injuries and the defence struggled to find success, undermining the impact of high-priced offseason additions like receiver Eugene Lewis.

Ottawa has now missed the playoffs in six of their 11 seasons of existence. The franchise has won one Grey Cup, which came in 2016.

The Redblacks have three games remaining in the season, with a home-and-home against the Montreal before the season finale in Hamilton. They next face the Alouettes on Monday, October 13 in the annual Thanksgiving game.