Hamilton Tiger-Cats keep pace atop East Division with wire-to-wire win over Redblacks (& eight other thoughts) 

Winning the turnover battle continues to pay dividends for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a pair of timely interceptions from Destin Talbert and a total of three takeaways spurred the club to a wire-to-wire 30-15 win over the Ottawa Redblacks on Sunday.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Move over, Tracy

Bo Levi Mitchell needed 27 yards heading into the contest against Ottawa to surpass Tracy Ham for tenth in all-time CFL passing yards.

Mitchell ended the night throwing for exactly 300 yards clear of Ham on the back of a 327-yard, one touchdown, and one interception performance.

“It’s special. I’ve been blessed to play this game a long time and avoid anything terrible,” Mitchell told TSN postgame. “When you’re an old guy like me, those numbers will come eventually.”

It was a nice touch from the league, TSN, and Ham to have the 61-year-old congratulate Mitchell on the achievement via a previously recorded video.

There was a time when people were questioning whether or not Mitchell should retire. The question now is how high on the all-time passer list he will be when he eventually does hang them up.

Mitchell is 35 and looks great, while Trevor Harris is 39 and still at the helm of the Riders. It’s not impossible to envision Mitchell continuing to climb the ranks in Black and Gold for a few more years.

Different DB, same result

Testing Hamilton’s cornerbacks on fade routes did not work out for the Redblacks for the second week in a row.

This game, it was Destin Talbert who provided blanket coverage and a takeaway when the Redblacks tested the Tiger-Cats down the sideline.

Talbert later picked off Redblacks quarterback Dustin Crum for the second time when Ottawa was in desperation mode.

Since joining the Tiger-Cats last season, Talbert has quietly done his job well.

He picked up 58 defensive tackles and two interceptions last season, which means his two-interception performance on Saturday ties his career-high. He has 19 defensive tackles to go with the pair of picks this season.

Hamilton has built a secondary that can hurt you by committee — there is turnover potential across the board. On Saturday, was Talbert’s turn to steal the spotlight.

Poetry in motion

I do not envy Redblacks defensive coordinator William Fields as Hamilton had Ottawa in a vice all night.

One of the reasons Kenny Lawler is getting open so often is because it’s impossible to provide safety help on the same receiver every play without leaving the opposite side of the field exposed.

If you double Lawler, you’re leaving Tim White one-on-one. While Lawler’s 41-yard touchdown stole the show early, White ended the night with the most receiving yards of any Hamilton receiver with 89, which seemed like a product of both his abilities and the attention Lawler drew away from him.

The solution, as TSN analyst Paul LaPolice alluded to on the broadcast, is to play with two safeties and completely expose yourself to the run.

Hamilton opened the game run heavy and Johnny Augustine ripped off a couple of chunk plays. Two drives in and it was clear selling out to stop the deep ball was not working.

Ottawa adjusted, and one play later Mitchell connected with Lawler for 41 yards and a touchdown over the top.

If the Redblacks played with a single safety, Mitchell let loose for Lawler, Kiondre Smith, or White. When there were two safeties, Hamilton used deep routes to clear space in the flats, sat in space over the middle, or picked up big gains on the ground.

Augustine finished the night with 85 yards on 18 carries, and both Ante Milanovic-Litre and Treshaun Ward added touchdowns on the ground.

If you can stop Kenny Lawler, you have a chance. If Lawler is getting open, it becomes a game of pick your poison.

The Bakersfield Bandit

Stavros Katsantonis has played some of his best football in 2025. His interception this week was all world. It looked like Dustin Crum had a man open when Katsantonis came flying into the frame.

There were a lot of highlight-reel plays on offence for Hamilton but this was my play of the game.

Katsantonis has racked up 27 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions for Hamilton in 2025 and is another key piece of what is becoming a dangerous secondary.

That was ugly

Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown was forced to leave the game after a dangerous helmet-to-helmet collision with DaShaun Amos.

While I don’t think Amos intended for the play to shake out the way it did, the result was still an ugly hit. There’s no question Amos needed to get lower and try to avoid contact with the crown of his helmet.

Brown was positioned awkwardly and it played a part in leaving him exposed, but it was still an ugly hit. Hopefully, Brown makes a full recovery. I expect some form of supplementary discipline to come from the hit.

Protect your quarterback

Mitchell only ended up on his backside a handful of times on Saturday, though it was probably a handful of times too many from the Tiger-Cats perspective.

The Mitchell-Lawler connection is Hamilton’s golden goose. We already talked about how it makes everything else in the playbook available. Things can change in a hurry if he’s getting sacked multiple times a night, however.

The offensive line has been improved this year, no question, but they weren’t good enough in protection on Saturday. They need to be better against B.C and Edmonton.

A great start in the East

Six games into the season for the last three years, the Tiger-Cats have been in a colossal hole.

They now sit tied atop the East Division with the Montreal Alouettes at 4-2, and more importantly they have already beaten every other East Division team.

This is crucial ahead of a four-game stretch against West Division opponents. Even a disastrous one win in their next four would see Hamilton at .500 on Labour Day. Under head coach Scott Milanovich, Hamilton has had no problem finishing strong.

This was the start the Tiger-Cats needed.

Into the Lions’ den

I predicted the Tiger-Cats’ next matchup will be a preview of the Grey Cup at the beginning of the season. Hamilton travels to B.C. next Sunday to take on Nathan Rourke and the Lions with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. EDT.