CFL Week 2 Recap: Trouble in Winnipeg?

Winnipeg has always been an interesting pro sports city. It's located smack dab in the middle of the country, it's basically Canada's equivalent of Chicago. Much like Chicago and St. Louis, Winnipeg's geographical sports alignment is quite fluid. When I started watching the CFL, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were in the East Division because there were eight teams in the league at the time. Once the Ottawa Redblacks debuted, the Bombers moved to the West Division, because there were (once again) three Ontario franchises in the league.

Of course, Winnipeg's other main pro sports franchise is the Jets, and we've seen two iterations of that team, and both are hard luck. Neither version has won a Stanley Cup, neither version has even been to the Final, and each iteration reached the Final Four once. The original team has relocated twice, moving to Arizona and now moving to Utah, while the current version moved to Winnipeg after playing 11 seasons in Atlanta as the Thrashers. Though at least they have the Blue Bombers, who are still a dynasty in the making.

That dynasty is now in jeopardy.

Week 2 of the 2024 CFL season started with the Blue Bombers in Ottawa against the Redblacks, and it was a bit rocky for the Bombers at first. Down 10-0 after the first quarter, the Bombers did start to pick it up later on, even entering the fourth quarter with a slight lead. The Redblacks regained control late in the fourth, which was marred by a lightning delay, but the pause did not help the Bombers. The Redblacks won, 23-19, increasing them to 2-0, while the Blue Bombers fall to 0-2. Now, 0-2 in the CFL isn't that worrisome, but considering that this is a Bombers team who reached the Grey Cup four years straight, and is coming off back-to-back losses in the final round. A pessimist would say that the season's over already, but there are 16 games left.

Speaking of the Grey Cup, the team who won the whole thing, the Montréal Alouettes, were in Edmonton for the second of the Als' back-to-back road games before their long awaited home opener. This was another close affair, and a great effort by the Elks, but in the end, les champions held on and won it, 23-20. The Alouettes have now won ten straight games dating back to last year and including the playoffs, and while the Elks are 0-2 again, the losses have been close. I do see some improvement from last year.

Saturday's action was a Western Division battle between the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions, with the Lions looking to make their case that they should be favored to win the Grey Cup this year. Again, it's a personal mission for the Lions, as this year's game is in Vancouver, and they made another bold statement with their 26-17 win over the Stamps. I was hoping for overtime in this, but the Lions broke away in the fourth quarter. Speaking of a game that should have went to overtime, let's talk about what ended Week 2.

The Saskachetwan Roughriders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were the Sunday matchup, and this was wild! It was a shootout, which was no surprise; the CFL is full of games like these. It looked like Hamilton would take it, but the Roughriders bounced back in the fourth quarter, which included tying the game up at 30 with a touchdown very late in the frame. With under a minute left, overtime was on the horizon--emphasis on was. Hamilton's possession ended with an interception, and that allowed the Riders to win it in regulation with a last second field goal. Sucks that we did not get overtime, but even so, this was quite a classic between these two clubs.

So after two weeks, here's how things stand:

The Saskatchewan Roughriders stand alone in the West at 2-0. That is a huge turnaround from last year. The Riders were 6-12 in 2023, same as the Stampeders, but the Riders actually missed the playoffs via tiebreaker. It's been rough (no pun intended) for the Riders since they won the Grey Cup in 2013, but they are trying their best. It's only two games, but we'll see how it goes for Saskatchewan. As for the East, the Montréal Alouettes are red hot, and that dates back to last season. I said two years ago that the Alouettes would be the #1 foe for the Toronto Argonauts (who were off in Week 2), and I've been proven right so far. The Bombers are one of three 0-2 teams, which is concerning, but again, it's early. A lot of football left.

Week 3 will kick off on Thursday, June 20 with the Montréal Alouettes hosting the Ottawa Redblacks--the long awaited home opener for the defending champions. On Friday, June 21, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will host the BC Lions, and on Saturday, June 22, the Edmonton Elks will head to Toronto to face the Argonauts. On Sunday, June 23, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will go at it one more time, this time in Regina.

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