3DownNation power rankings: Larks fly high while Boatmen sink

The 3DownNation power rankings have been tallied following Week 12 of the 2021 CFL season.

This week, the highlight is two eastern teams moving in opposite directions after a Friday night clash. The Vernon Adams-less Montreal Alouettes rode William Stanback all the way to first place in the East , rising 5 spots in our rankings in the process. Their hapless victims, the Toronto Argonauts, tumbled just as many, setting up what is sure to be a wild finish to the playoff race.

Our power rankings are created by having our contributors rank each team from No. 1 to No. 9 independently, then averaging out the scores. Last week’s rankings are listed in brackets.

Enjoy the rankings and feel free to roast us on Twitter for anything you feel we’ve got wrong.

Photo courtesy: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

1. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1)

At this point, is the existence of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers even fair to the rest of the CFL? A 45-0 drubbing of the B.C. Lions on Saturday is just the latest statement made by the defending Grey Cup champions and there doesn’t appear to be anything they can’t do.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

T-2. Montreal Alouettes (6)

On a three game winning streak, the Alouettes’ dominant showing against the Toronto Argonauts to claim first in the East proves they are for real. It doesn’t matter who is under centre if William Stanback is out there putting up 200-yard games.

Photo courtesy: CFL

T-2. Saskatchewan Roughriders (4)

Cody Fajardo and Craig Dickenson ripped the monkey off their backs by finally notching their first win against Calgary and now the Riders are in sole possession of second in the West. When Shaq Evans and Duke Williams hit their stride, that offence could be scary.

Photo courtesy: David Moll/Calgary Stampeders

4. Calgary Stampeders (3)

The revival of the Stampeders hit a snag with a loss to the Riders this week, but don’t forget that Calgary still has the season series in the bag. It will be a two horse race to host the West Semi-Final, a battle made even more important by the fact that the Stamps will have 5 or 6 key players unable to travel in the playoffs due to their vaccination status.

Photo courtesy: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

5. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5)

No better way to recover from a rivalry loss than with a refreshing bye week and a chance to use the Ottawa Redblacks as a punching bag. The Ticats were dominant in the outing and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli looks to be rounding into form at just the right time.

Photo courtesy: Toronto Argonauts

6. Toronto Argonauts (2)

Toronto was looking like the class of the East Division until they delivered a dud against Montreal. Injuries have beached the Boatmen and a banged up offensive line struggled to keep McLeod Bethel-Thompson upright this week.

Photo courtesy: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

7. B.C. Lions (7)

The B.C. Lions’ position on this list says more about the teams below them than it does the group in Vancouver. After suffering the franchise’s first shutout loss in 51 years, the Leos have now lost four straight games to West Division rivals and are seeing their playoff hopes slip away.

Photo courtesy: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

8. Ottawa Redblacks (8)

The debut of much talked about QB signee Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges left a lot to be desired, as the Redblacks’ backup failed to provide any hope to his ailing team. More concerning however is that Paul LaPolice is being soundly out-coached, an assessment that would have seemed ludicrous in 2019.

Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks

9. Edmonton Elks (9)

You can’t move out of the rankings basement on a bye week and none of the Elks major problems have gone away. Remarkably, they are still alive in the playoff race, but that seems like a glimmer of hope that will soon disappear.