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CFL Week 1 Recap: We Missed You

An abbreviated 2021 CFL season kicks off with close games and thrilling finishes

By Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 4 min read
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The 2019 (and defending) Grey Cup Champions, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers

November 24, 2019. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a score of 33-12 to win their 11th Grey Cup in franchise history, and their first since 1990. It was a dream season for the Bombers, and that team was set on defending their championship in 2020. Unfortunately, that year saw the COVID-19 pandemic impact the entire world greatly, and that included sports. While MLB, the NBA, and the NHL simply paused/postponed their seasons and playoffs, the CFL ended up cancelling their entire 2020 season, as Canada was (and still is) very strict regarding their protocols.

So with 2020 done, the fate of the 2021 season came into play, as the ongoing pandemic began to affect that season's plans to start in June (the normal month for CFL's opening week). In April 2021, it was officially announced that the CFL season would start on August 5, 2021, and it would be slightly abbreviated: 14 games instead of the usual 18, and no preseason. The regular season will end on November 20, 2021, with the Grey Cup Playoffs starting eight days later, ending with the 108th Grey Cup in Hamilton on December 12, 2021, which is two weeks later than usual.

After 620 days, the 2021 CFL season kicked off with the same two teams who played the last game: the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It was a night of celebration for Winnipeg, as the Bombers raised their championship banner before officially (and finally) starting their title defense. It was a low scoring affair; Hamilton actually scored the game's (as well as the season's) first touchdown, but missing the two-point conversion only gave them a 6-0 lead. It would be all they would get; the Bombers shutdown the Tiger-Cats the rest of the way, and the defending champions ended up winning 19-6--a pretty defensive affair.

The game of the week ended up being the West Division affair between the BC Lions and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, though it originally didn't look that way. It was all Riders for most of the first half, as they went on to lead 31-0 prior to halftime. It was 31-9 at halftime, but the 2nd half was all BC, as they chipped away at the big lead and even cut it to as low as four points. That's the lowest it would reach; the Riders somehow held on and won 33-29, but even with the unpredictability of the CFL, that's alarming. The Riders had to hold in a game that they originally led 31-0, which is not a good sign, especially in a shortened season.

The Toronto Argonauts' season kicked off in Calgary against the Stampeders, and despite the Argos' Grey Cup win over the Stamps in 2017, the team's track record against Calgary isn't a good one. The Argos got off to good start with a long opening drive that resulted in a touchdown and a two-point conversion, but the team couldn't seem to do anything right as the Stampeders took control for the rest of the first half, which ended with blown opportunities--namely a missed chip shot by Boris Bede that resulted in a single. The third quarter was more of the same, and so was most of the fourth, but a key turnover gave the Argonauts a golden chance, and it turned into another eight-point score to tie it. After stopping the Stamps defensively, Bede ended up winning it with a 32 yard field goal in the final minute. The Argonauts won 23-20.

Week 1 ended with the Ottawa Redblacks facing the renamed Edmonton Elks in a game that featured nothing but field goals in the first half. Edmonton led 9-6 at the half, and 12-6 after three quarters. However, Trevor Harris did not have the most ideal of nights: 333 yards, no TDs, three interceptions. Abdul Kanneh caught two of the picks, and ran one of them back 102 yards for a touchdown--the only one of the game. A thrilling final drive for the Elks saw them 17 yards away from a TD with seven seconds left, but a pass to James Tuck saw him tackled just one yard short at the final whistle. The Redblacks held on and won. When I saw the final stop, I simply said, "I missed this league."

So after Week 1, the West Division has the Blue Bombers and Roughriders one up, while the Lions, Stampeders, and Elks are one down. In the East Division, the Argonauts and Redblacks each won, the Tiger-Cats lost, and the Montréal Alouettes were idle. Week 2 will kick off with the Stampeders hosting the Lions on Thursday, August 12; a battle between 0-1 teams, followed by the Blue Bombers hosting the Argonauts on Friday, August 13. On Saturday, August 14, the Alouettes will kick off their 2021 season in Edmonton, as they face the Elks, and the week will end later that evening with the Roughriders hosting the Tiger-Cats.

In closing, I'd simply like to say: Welcome back, CFL. We missed you so much.

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About the Creator

Clyde E. Dawkins

I am an avid fan of sports and wrestling, and I've been a fan of female villains since the age of eight. Also into film and TV, especially Simpsons and Family Guy.

Feel free to follow my social media:

Twitter - Facebook - Tiktok - Instagram

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