Another week in the Canadian Football League has passed us by. This week saw some of the worst attendance we've seen in a while, unfortunately, and some valid criticism that sparked some controversy from Luke Willson. All in all, week four is almost upon us, so let's take a look at power rankings after week three.
9: EDMONTON ELKS (9)
Edmonton lost another game by a sizeable margin to the Montreal Alouettes, who were without their starting quarterback for some of the game. Tre Ford didn't look comfortable in the pocket and only really started putting up points in garbage time at the end of the game. Ford has struggled to gain control of his offense to start the year, and some fans are already wondering if Cody Fajardo will see action soon.
8: HAMILTON TIGER CATS (7)
A bye week! Fans in Tiger Town are hoping the Tabbies can become the 3rd team in the east with a win next week.
7: TORONTO ARGONAUTS (8)
This week, Nick Arbuckle had his best game since his magical Grey Cup MVP game, out throwing Trevor Harris for 259 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Kevin Mital is looking great in his second season, catching seven passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. The Argos were competitive in this game but penalties and a lack of a player on the final play of the game that won the game for the Riders proved to be the dagger in this game. The Argos are close to getting Chad Kelly back in the lineup, and that may bump the Argos up the rankings in the near future.
6: BC LIONS (5)
The Lions were yet again bested by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, this time at their own stadium. An early touchdown from Winnipeg kicked things off before a bad drop from James Butler on a lateral pass turned into a scoop and score that widened the lead for Winnipeg. BC couldn't claw their way back into this game after going down early, as they drop their second consecutive game to the Bombers 27-14.
5: CALGARY STAMPEDERS (4)
The Stampeders and Redblacks played in the rain in what was possibly the worst game all year. The Stamps only managed 12 points against the Dru Brown-less RedBlacks in Calgary. Dedrick Mills ran well in the contest, rushing for 96 yards on 15 carries. Vernon Adams still hasn't thrown a touchdown pass with the Stampeders, as he went 17/32 for 218 yards and an interception. The Stampeders are dealing with some injuries as well, with players like Reggie Begelton and Marquel Lee not on the field against Ottawa.
4: OTTAWA REDBLACKS (6)
No Dru Brown, no problem for the RedBlacks this week as they come into a rainy date with Cowtown and come away with the victory, winning 20-12. Dan Adeboboye, William Stanback and Dustin Crum combined for 242 yards on the ground, which they needed as Crum only threw for 111 yards and a touchdown. Their best receiver was Khalil Pimpleton who recorded two catches for 31 yards. Overall, Calgary and Ottawa are two teams we have questions about. For now, Ottawa is the better team.
3: SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (2)
The Riders keep finding ways to make games entertaining, as they blew a sizeable lead for the 3rd week in a row to then win the game on a walk-off touchdown from Mario Alford. The Riders are capable of getting out to big leads and controlling games, they just need to figure out how to finish. Saskatchewan's running game was on point for a second week in a row, as AJ Ouellette ran for 91 yards and a touchdown. Dohnte Meyers had a huge game, catching four passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, including a huge 70-yard touchdown.
2: MONTREAL ALOUETTES (1)
The Alouettes added to the Elks misery as they walked into Commonwealth Stadium and beat the Double E 38-28. The final score flatters the Elks as the Alouettes dominated most of the game. Davis Alexander continues his win streak, but his status is in the air as he exited the game early with a hamstring injury. That injury is something to keep an eye on as we move into week four.
1: WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (3)
The Bombers are off to a hot start to the season, beating the Lions in back to back weeks with two separate quarterbacks. Winnipeg took advantage of BC early and didn't give the lead to the Lions for the whole game. After some concerns about the team's age, it looks like the Bombers are proving the haters wrong with each passing week.
GAME OF THE WEEK: SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS
For the 3rd consecutive week, the Riders top my game of the week list. This game started with Saskatchewan taking the lead before lots of penalties from both teams and a comeback from the Argos left the game tied at 32 near the end of the fourth quarter. Mario Alford then returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to walk it off and improve the Riders to 3-0.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: DANIEL ADEBOBOYE
Daniel Adeboboye took the reins in a bigger role against Calgary this week, proving he can and should earn top minutes after leaving Toronto in the offseason. Adeboboye rushed for 96 yards in Cowtown for 9.6 yards per carry while also reeling in two catches for 17 yards and a touchdown.
PLAY OF THE WEEK: MARIO ALFORD
Alford made a big time play in a crucial stage of the game for the Riders with a 99 yard kickoff return touchdown to win the game for Saskatchewan. He took advantage of Toronto fielding one less player than usual, dancing around tacklers en route to the endzone.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT WEEK
Can Tyrell Ford have a big revenge game against his former club?
Can Hamilton pull out their first win of the season against the undefeated Alouettes?
Will Trevor Harris be able to play against BC in Saskatchewan's first west division matchup?
Will Chad Kelly return for the Argonauts?
By Bruce Chimirri-Olson
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