Week 20 is officially in the books and there is a new team atop of our rankings.
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.
1) Toronto Argonauts (3)
Like seasoned bull-rider, the Argonauts came out of the chute blazing hot this week and then hung on for dear life at the finish. All those fourth-quarter theatrics don’t change the fact that they are peaking at exactly the right time, having won three straight games and seven of their last eight against playoff teams. Chad Kelly put up 331 yards through the air and scored three total touchdowns against Ottawa, while the Toronto defensive line looks virtually unstoppable every week. With a home playoff game now secured, nobody is betting against the Boatmen.
Photo courtesy: Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4)
Some sober second thought has pushed the Bombers back up our rankings over their bye, as last week’s loss to the hottest team in the CFL doesn’t look so bad right now. Winnipeg has proven to be a problem for opponents over the second half of the season, thanks in no small part to M.O.P. frontrunner Brady Oliveira. They have will have first dibs at clinching the top spot in the West Division when they travel to Montreal this week.
Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders/Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards
3) Saskatchewan Roughriders (2)
Saskatchewan remains a point behind Winnipeg for first in the West, so it’s only fitting that they sit a spot behind them in our power rankings too. Trevor Harris is playing the best football of his career at 38 years old and Corey Mace has assembled an elite defence to compliment him, led by M.O.P. dark-horse Rolan Milligan Jr. If the Bombers stumble this week, the Riders can seize West Final hosting duties with a win over Calgary.
Photo courtesy: Jeff Vinnick/B.C. Lions
4) Montreal Alouettes (1)
The Alouettes went with two quarterbacks on Saturday and both of them stank, as Cody Fajardo and Davis Alexander combined for just 134 yards passing. Montreal was stopped three times near the goal line and failed to score a touchdown, resulting in the team’s second loss in three weeks. With first place long since clinched, the Larks appear to be losing their edge and will need to find it quickly to avoid the reverse of last year’s East Final.
Photo courtesy: David Friederich/B.C. Lions
5) B.C. Lions (8)
The B.C. Lions made a compelling statement that Vernon Adams Jr. is their quarterback of choice, breaking out of their offensive slump and reviving their explosive passing attack. The re-energization of the receiving corps resulted in VA throwing for 385 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 39 yards and another score along the ground. The defence also stepped up by allowing just three points, giving a dejected fanbase hope for a playoff miracle.
Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography
6) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6)
The next time someone tells you the CFL season doesn’t start until Labour Day, just point at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. They certainly wish they had taken the start of the year a little more seriously, as their red-hot offence has been doomed to watch the playoffs from the couch. After sticking it to his old club with 450 yards and five touchdowns this week, Bo Levi Mitchell became the first quarterback to surpass 5,000 yards since 2018 and is more than 1,000 yards ahead of the next most prolific pivot with a game to play. That still may not be enough to get him the M.O.P. nod without a postseason appearance.
Photo courtesy: Andrew Lahodynskyj/CFL.ca
7) Ottawa Redblacks (7)
The Redblacks scored 25 points unanswered in the fourth quarter and converted two onside kicks in a row — which has a likelihood of one in 370 — but that still wasn’t enough to save them from their sixth straight defeat. Turns out you have to play all four quarters to win — who knew? The silver lining may be the return of quarterback Dru Brown, who threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns after missing the last two games with an ankle injury.
Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography
8) Edmonton Elks (5)
It’s hard to remain at the forefront of power rankings’ voters minds when you are a non-playoff team on a bye and the Elks fall precipitously as a result. Week 21 will provide a platform for several individuals to make one last case for their future in the organization, with Tre Ford looking to prove he deserves to be the starting quarterback next year and Jarious Jackson hoping to remove the interim tag off his head coaching title. Those two decisions will set the trajectory of this franchise for years to come.
Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography
9) Calgary Stampeders (9)
Anyone with eyeballs and a functional understanding of football already knew that the Calgary Stampeders were the worst team in the CFL entering this week, but now they have the first overall draft pick to prove it. Rock bottom for the Red and White was allowing the face of the franchise they chased out the door to fire-bomb their defence, all while the quarterback they replaced him with was stapled to the bench. After backup Matthew Shiltz threw for just 124 yards in his second start, all fans have left to anticipate is a glimpse of P.J. Walker in the finale.
