CFL Week Two in Review

 Another week in the CFL is complete! Only one team in the east has won a game, while only one team in the west has not won a game. There were some huge plays on the ground and through the air and some high scoring games which lead to some very entertaining games. The TSN broadcasts continue to impress and Luke Willson is generating some buzz around the league with his fan rankings and his "CFL Numpties". But let's start week two in review with some power rankings!

9: EDMONTON ELKS (9)

They didn't play! They still did look bad against the Lions though, so here they will stay.

8: TORONTO ARGONAUTS (8)

The Argos have yet to put 20 points on the board in 2025, as they fell to the Calgary Stampeders 29-19. Aside from a solid performance from their defensive line, holding Dedrick Mills to 28 yards and recording two sacks, Toronto's defense wasn't amazing. They allowed 301 passing yards from Vernon Adams and allowed him to scramble for an extra 54 yards and a touchdown. Nick Arbuckle performed well enough, throwing for 309 yards and a touchdown, but also tossed two picks in the affair. Wynton McManis is also now expected to be out for a few weeks. Toronto just hasn't been amazing without Chad Kelly.

7: HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (7)

If Brett Lauther hadn't missed three field goals and an extra point, this game would not have been as close as it was. Kenny Lawler had a big day and Bo Levi threw for 336 yards, but a strange decision was made by Scott Milanovich to stop running the ball with Greg Bell. Bell was averaging 9.2 yards per carry and ran for 46 yards against a solid run defense in Saskatchewan, but was only given five carries! The Riders also diced up the Hamilton run defense for 133 total yards on the ground. They have the tools to be a good team, but they need to start putting it together.

6: OTTAWA REDBLACKS (6)

After being nicked up on four sacks in week one, Dru Brown was unavailable for the week two matchup against the Montreal Alouettes. The game went as many thought it would, as Ottawa was beat by 21 points at TD Place. Matthew Shiltz, playing in relief of Brown, threw for just 205 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. William Stanback had another slow week, rushing for only 29 yards. The RedBlacks can be a good team, but alas, they move to 0-2 after two weeks.

5: BC LIONS (1)

After a great first game against Edmonton, Nathan Rourke and the BC Lions got a reality check against Rourke's kryptonite, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Rourke threw for 249 yards against the Bomber's defense, a much lower total than week one. He threw for one touchdown and one pick on the night. Rourke ran for more yards than James Butler did during the game, which is certainly an interesting stat line. The main cause for concern here is how the Lions defense was sliced and diced by rookie running back Matthew Peterson, who ran for 130 yards against the Leos in relief for Brady Oliveira. They will need to tighten up against the run in the future.

4: CALGARY STAMPEDERS (4)

The Stamps continue to prove the early season haters wrong as they improved to 2-0 after a 10 point win over the Toronto Argonauts. Jalen Philpot looked amazing after Reggie Begelton endured a long-term, potentially season-ending injury to his knee. The Stampeders almost had two 100-yard receivers, as Philpot recorded 117 yards and Dominique Rhymes was right behind him, with 98 yards. Overall, the Stamps have looked good to start 2025.

3: WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (5)

Chris Streveler proved many doubters of his throwing prowess, throwing for 246 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. An injury to Brady Oliveira took him out of the game early (mind you, he had already recorded 49 yards), but this didn't matter for the Bombers' elite offensive line and their rushing game. Rookie Matthew Peterson had a huge game, rushing for 130 yards and one touchdown. Keric Wheatfall also had a big game, recording 127 yards and one touchdown pass. Hopefully for Bombers fans, this much time off won't make Collaros rusty going into next week,

2: SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (3)

Despite injuries, the Roughriders continue to play well week after week. The Riders gave up their first and only sack of the season 6.5 quarters into the year. The Riders recorded two sacks against Hamilton's offensive line on the night. AJ Ouellette had a big game for the Riders on the ground, rushing for 96 yards and a huge 47 yard touchdown. Trevor Harris threw for 295 yards, 1 touchdown and one interception. Among his passing totals, KeeSean Johnson had a big game, catching 8 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Also making big plays was Dohnte Meyers, who made a spectacular catch on the sidelines. The only concern for the Riders is their kicking game, as Brett Lauther missed three field goals and an extra point. Lauther seems to do this every year, so Rider Nation is hoping this is his yearly bad game.

1: MONTREAL ALOUETTES (2)

A dominant performance in Ottawa improved Montreal to 2-0 as Davis Alexander continued his winning streak as a starter. Rookie Travis Theis rushed for 75 yards behind an offensive line that only allowed one sack. The Alouettes' defense held strong, giving up only 205 passing yards and picking off three passes. They also only gave up 40 total yards on the ground. The Als remain the only team in the east with a win and look like the team to beat in 2025.

GAME OF THE WEEK: SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS AT HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

The Riders continue to have close, high suspense games as they made the game closer than it had to be in the Hammer. Kenny Lawler and Dohnte Meyers both had some beautiful catches, and both quarterbacks were lighting it up during this game. The Riders did eventually finish the game with a crucial pass breakup and pulled out a five-point win.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: RB MATTHEW PETERSON

After an injury to Brady Oliveira, no one was expecting Peterson to have the performance he had against BC. He carried the ball 23 times for 130 yards and a touchdown. Peterson will look to have a similar performance against the Lions again this week as the Bombers travel to BC for a rematch.

PLAY OF THE WEEK: HB ROLAN MILLIGAN JR

Milligan Jr. looks to continue to build on his DPOY performance from last year and that starts with a huge 64-yard return for a touchdown off an interception thrown by Bo-Levi Mitchell. The huge run silenced the crowd at Hamilton Stadium and set the tone for the rest of the game.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT WEEK

Will the Elks be able to end Davis Alexander's winning streak?

Can Grey Cup MVP Nick Arbuckle finally right the ship for the 0-2 Argos?

Can Calgary keep the momentum going even without Reggie Begelton?

Can Nathan Rourke earn redemption against the team he's never beaten?

By Bruce Chimirri-Olson