THIS WEEK IN THE CFL – WEEK 18

By Lucas Barrett Manager, Communications & Public Affairs, Canadian Football League

Thursday, October 10, 2019 — Toronto will play host to Ottawa beginning at 7 p.m. ET as Week 18 gets underway. The REDBLACKS will be well-rested following a bye week and are hoping to notch their third road win of the year. The two teams last faced one another in a Week 13 matchup where the Argonauts scored 28 second-half points en-route to a thrilling 46-17 comeback win. The provincial rivals will conclude their season series in a Week 20 contest in Toronto.

The second half of the Friday Night Football doubleheader will see Saskatchewan head to McMahon Stadium with first place in the West Division on the line. The Roughriders lead the West Division with 20 points and the Stampeders are two points back, while both teams have four games remaining. Calgary owns a 5-2 mark at home and is hoping to rebound from last week’s 21-17 setback in Montreal which snapped a four-game winning streak. The Roughriders are winners of three-straight and will be looking to avenge a 37-10 loss when these two teams last met in Week 4. Kickoff is slated for 9:30 p.m. ET.

Saturday’s matinee features the Alouettes in Winnipeg for a 4 p.m. ET tilt. The Blue Bombers are mired in a three-game slide, but the team has fared well in front the home crowd this season, compiling a 6-1 record at IG Field. Montreal is hoping to carry forward momentum from a Week 17, 21-17 victory over Calgary. The visitors will also be buoyed by memories of the two teams’ previous encounter: a stunning 38-37 win in Week 15 which set the Alouettes’ franchise record for its biggest comeback.

Week 18 will wrap up at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium with BC in town. With a win or tie, Edmonton will clinch the final playoff spot via crossover and earn the right to face Hamilton or Montreal in the East Division semifinal. The Eskimos have collected five victories in interdivision matchups this season. The Lions have registered four consecutive wins and are coming off a dominant 55-8 showing against Toronto, which kept the team’s slim playoff hopes alive. BC will need to win its final three games, in conjunction with Edmonton collecting no more than one point, for the Lions to enter the post-season picture. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. ET.

This week’s Live Mic game will be BC at Edmonton.
Toronto at Montreal will be broadcast on ESPNEWS, while the week’s remaining three games can be seen on ESPN+.

107^TH GREY CUP PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

• Montreal Loss OR Tie = Hamilton clinches first place in the East Division and the right to host the Eastern Final on November 17
• Edmonton Win OR Tie = Edmonton earns a playoff berth via crossover

Playoff picture

• Calgary clinched its 15^th consecutive playoff appearance in Week 15.
• Winnipeg secured its fourth straight spot in the post-season in Week 15.
• Hamilton locked-up a home playoff date for a second year-in-a-row in Week 15.
• Saskatchewan claimed a post-season berth for the third consecutive year in Week 16.
• Montreal will play in the post-season for the first time since 2014 after a win in Week 17.

Remaining Schedules

• Battle for the East (record of remaining opponents):
  • Hamilton – 24 points (.310)
  • Montreal – 16 points (.448)
• Road to the West (record of remaining opponents):
  • Saskatchewan – 20 points (.475)
  • Calgary – 18 points (.559)
  • Winnipeg – 18 points (.619)
• Five down, one to go (record of remaining opponents):
  • Edmonton – 14 points (.581)
  • BC – 10 points (.605)
  • Ottawa – 6 points (.421)

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY

• East Division Final Bye – Hamilton
• East Division Semi-Final – Edmonton at Montreal
   
• West Division Final Bye – Saskatchewan
• West Division Semi-Final – Winnipeg at Calgary

FIRST CAREER STARTS

• Ottawa will start its third pivot of the season in Sandy Hook, Conn., native Will Arndt, joining Dominique Davis and Jonathon Jennings
• Arndt becomes the REDBLACKS’ 8^th QB in team history (Henry Burris, Trevor Harris, Brock Jensen, Drew Tate, Ryan Lindley, Davis and Jennings)
• The Western Connecticut State University alum holds several school records, including:
  • Passing yards (7,940)
  • Total Offence (9,248 yards)
  • Passing TDs (73)
  • Total TDs (91: 73 Passing, 17 Rushing, 1 at WR)
• Arndt is the third QB to make his first-career start this season, joining Cody Fajardo and Nick Arbuckle who are a combined 14-6 in 2019. Their first starts:
  • Cody Farjardo: 27-of-34 for 360 yards and 2 TDs. Loss to Ottawa
  • Nick Arbuckle: 19-of-22 for 262 yards and 2 TDs. Win against Saskatchewan

LIONS ROAR

• After starting 1-10, the Lions have won four straight and face a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive.
• A win would give BC its first five-game winning streak since 2011, when the team won eight-in-a-row and went on to capture the Grey Cup.
• Over its current four-game streak:
  • BC has averaged 37.3 points while allowing 10.8 points per game, including three with eight-or-fewer points.
  • Mike Reilly has passed for 1,224 yards and 10 touchdowns, including a career-best five against the Argonauts last week.
  • League-leading receiver, Bryan Burnham, has 33 receptions for 452 yards and five TDs.

MOMENTOUS MILESTONES AHEAD

• Bryan Burnham (1300) needs 93 receiving yards to set a new personal-best. He has compiled four-straight seasons with 1,000+ yards. No Lion has accomplished the feat since Geroy Simon’s nine-year stretch from 2003 to 2011.
• Justin Medlock needs 6 points to become the 14^th player to reach 1,500 in a career.
• S.J. Green needs 90 yards to become the 18^th player to collect 10,000 career receiving yards.
• Mike Miller (194) needs one special teams tackle to overtake Wade Miller for second place on the all-time list.
• 1K Club: Five receivers are within 100-yards of reaching 1,000:
  • With 22 yards, Ricky Collins Jr. will reach the milestone for the first time.
  • Greg Ellingson is 39 yards shy of his fifth consecutive season with 1,000+ yards.
  • Dominique Rhymes is 50 yards away from reaching the benchmark for the first time.
• Six players have already surpassed 1,000 receiving yards:
  • Burnham (1,300)
  • Brandon Banks (1,233)
  • Reggie Begelton (1,134)
  • Bralon Addison (1,123)
  • Shaq Evans (1,096)
  • Derel Walker (1016)

QUICK SLANTS

• The last time Saskatchewan and Calgary played for first place in the West Division this late in the season was in 2009. Each team entered the game 9-7-1; Saskatchewan won 30-14 to clinch top spot.
• Mike Reilly is searching for his 60^th victory as a starter on Saturday night. He is 59-52 in 111 career starts. He has 48 games with 300+ passing yards and needs 109 to reach 4,000 on the year. It would be his fourth-straight year reaching the milestone and the fifth of his career.
• The last time Montreal was two-games above .500 this late in the season was in 2012. They were also 8-6 that year and went on to capture the East Division with a record of 11-7.
• Last week, Montreal defeated Calgary to sweep the season series. The Alouettes last swept the Stampeders in 2009.
• Hamilton’s Dane Evans is 7-1 in his last eight starts with five 300+ yard games. Evans needs 77 passing yards to reach 3,000 on the season.
• Vernon Adams Jr. is 5-1 in his last six starts and has orchestrated four 4^th quarter game-winning drives this season.
• With a win over Saskatchewan, Calgary will move into first place in the West Division by virtue of tie-breaker
• Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons has been named General Manager of Toronto. As a coach from 2000-2007, he led the team to a 68-55-1 record with 10 playoff games and a Grey Cup victory in 2007.
• BC’s 55-8 victory over the Argonauts in Week 17 was the second largest in franchise history behind a 67-15 win over the Shreveport Pirates in 1994.

ABOUT THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

The 2019 regular season is underway and fans can stay up to date on all the non-stop action at CFL.ca, follow the 2019 season from around the world, and join us at a game. The 107th Grey Cup presented by Shaw will be played at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Sunday, November 24.

VIA: https://press.cfl.ca/this-week-in-the-cfl-week-18-267196