CFL Week 20 Recap: Collapses and Completion

I was honestly hoping that we would see some playoff drama continuing into the final week of the season. Week 20, of course, is the penultimate week of the CFL season, and while the East picture is completely locked in, the West still had a few things to settle. I did figure that Week 21 would be needed to fill in those final pieces.

That would not be the case.

The scenarios entering Week 20 were as follows: The Winnipeg Blue Bombers would clinch the division with a win or a loss from BC. The BC Lions needed a win to stay alive in the race for first place; overall, they needed to win out and have Winnipeg lose out to get that important position. Also, the dismal Calgary Stampeders and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are still alive for that last spot, that third place position in the West. Stamps need a win and a Saskatchewan loss, while the Riders need a win and a Stamps loss.

The Stamps started out Week 20 in Vancouver against the Lions, with both teams looking to achieve different goals. However, despite the home field, they were no match for the Stamps. That's usually the case in football. In a playoff chase, the team with more to lose often outplays the team with just a bit less to lose, and that was the case here. Calgary absolutely tamed the Lions--41-16 victory to keep hope alive. As for BC, their loss meant that they would host the Western Semifinal on November 4.

The Stampeders now had to wait an extra day to see if they would be playoff bound, as the following day saw the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Toronto Argonauts. For the fifth straight week, the Argos had nothing to play for, while the Riders were fighting for their lives. Usually, the latter part of that equation comes through and wins, but this was not the case here. The game was close, and very back and forth, but it ended with the Boatmen victorious for the 15th time this season, a final score of 29-26.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders' 2023 season is over, in more ways than one. This was their 18th and final game of the regular season, and thanks to their loss, it's the final game of the overall season. The Riders ended their 2023 campaign on a seven-game losing streak, and having lost 11 of their final 14 games after a 3-1 start. That is absolutely horrendous. What makes it worse is that the Stampeders were just as bad as the Riders down the stretch. The Riders had every chance to capitalize on Calgary's problems, but failed to do so. If they had won their game over the Stamps on Week 19, they'd have been in the playoffs and wouldn't have to worry about having to beat a high-powered Argos team to stay alive. But sadly, they didn't do so, and as a result, the Stampeders are headed to Vancouver on November 4.

As a result of the previous two games, the game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Edmonton Elks became meaningless, as the Bombers will host the Western Final once again. The Bombers defeated the Elks, 45-25, sealing Edmonton at 4-14 in the 2023 season. This is usually the part where I go over the records, but there's no need for that. Everything is set with only the final week of the season to go. The playoff matchups are set. It'll be Stamps/Lions and Tiger-Cats/Alouettes in the Division Semifinals. The Division Finals will be in Toronto and Winnipeg. It should be another exciting postseason, but before we get there, the final week has to play out.

The 21st and final week of the 2023 CFL season will kick off with the Calgary Stampeders hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, October 27. The regular season will end on Saturday, October 28 with a pair of East Division games; first off, an Eastern Semifinal preview between the Montréal Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and the finale will feature the Toronto Argonauts and the Ottawa Redblacks in the Canadian capital.

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