CFL Week 2 Recap: The Champs Are Here

And so it begins.

It was a grand day for the Toronto Argonauts. They received their beautiful Grey Cup Championship rings, and they raised the banner in front of a raucous crowd at BMO Field in Toronto. For this Argos fan, I was waiting for this day, the Argos' season opener. I still remember the happiness I felt as I watched the Argos win the Grey Cup against a Winnipeg Blue Bombers team who was looking to win their third straight. When the season opened last week, I would find out that I'd have to wait an additional week for the Argos, as the champs had opening week off.

The Argos' 2023 season opener actually ended Week 2, and fittingly, it was a rivalry matchup against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who were showing off their new starting QB, none other than Bo-Levi Mitchell. The Argos also had a new starting QB, Chad Kelly, who ended up taking over the latter quarter and change of the Grey Cup last year, and is now the Argos' starter due to McLeod Bethel-Thompson taking his CFL ring to the USFL as the starting quarterback of the playoff bound New Orleans Breakers.

So how did Chad Kelly fare in his first week on the job? Nothing special, he only scored three rushing touchdowns, that's all. Toronto's first score of the game was a single, but even a 1-0 lead turned into a rout. The Tiger-Cats had absolutely no answer for the Argos, who completely shut down Mitchell, who threw for 158 yards and two picks, and ended up scoring four rushing TDs, with Andrew Harris (playing in his final season) having the only other score. The Argos won 32-14, a stellar start to a title defense season.

Week 2 actually began in the province of Ontario as well, as the Ottawa Redblacks hosted the Calgary Stampeders in a battle between two teams who lost during Week 1. It never fails, every time I see these two play, I think back to their Grey Cup meeting in 2016, which actually went to overtime and was won by Ottawa. This one wouldn't be as nail-biting, though the Redblacks did hang with the Stamps during the first half, but in the end, Calgary picked up their first win of 2023 by a score of 26-15. It was also the first win under new starting QB Jake Maier, who threw for 270 yards, a TD, and threw an INT.

The NFL had guys like Desmond Howard and Devin Hester, and from what I'm seeing, the CFL equivalent of those guys is Janarion Grant. Oh man. Last year saw Grant score not one, but two special teams touchdowns during the Grey Cup Playoffs, including a 102-yard return in the actual Grey Cup game. During a rivalry matchup between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Grant picked up where he left off, following a long missed FG return with an 89 yard punt return for a TD in the 3rd quarter. This came after the Bombers regained their lead with an earlier touchdown, and Grant's score increased their lead to 10. This was part of a 28-6 run to end their game, resulting in a 45-27 win for the Bombers in Regina--the same city where they lost the Grey Cup.

The other Western game, well...wasn't as thrilling. Poor Edmonton. This team is absolutely tepid. They were actually shutout, 22-0, by the BC Lions in Vancouver. I've watched the CFL for 10 years now, and one thing I do know: shutouts are rare in this league. You'll see them in the NFL because their rules don't really open the door for higher scoring like in Canada. In a league where it's pretty easy to score a lot of points, the Elks were blanked. This brings Edmonton's scoring average to just 6.5 points per game. Oh man.

So after two weeks, here's how things stand. In the West Division, the BC Lions and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers each have 2-0 records, the Calgary Stampeders and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are both 1-1, and that leaves the Edmonton Elks at 0-2. BC definitely looks like they're for real this season, and I realize that we are only two weeks in to a 21-week regular season. This team reached the Western Final last season, they were the top foe for the Bombers, and it looks like they'll be a force in the West once again.

In the East Division, the defending champion Toronto Argonauts are 1-0, as are the Montréal Alouettes, who were idle this week. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Ottawa Redblacks both have 0-2 records, but still, the East looks better this year than it did last year. I was happy to see the Argos start this season on a winning note, but still, that's just one game. There's 17 more of these things to go.

Week 3 will kick off on Thursday, June 22 with a huge Western matchup: the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosting the BC Lions in a battle of unbeatens. On Friday, June 23, the Montréal Alouettes will face off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in an Eastern matchup, and on Saturday, June 24, the Calgary Stampeders will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders. On Sunday, June 25, the Edmonton Elks will try to end their long home losing streak, but they will have to do so against the defending champion Toronto Argonauts (boy, that feels so good to say!).

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