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CFL Week 21 Recap: Let's Get Nuts!

A meaningless finale week serves as practice for six of the teams participating in the 109th Grey Cup Playoffs

By Clyde E. DawkinsPublished about a year ago 3 min read
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The 2022 Canadian Football League season ended with a weekend's worth of games that had absolutely no meaning in the standings. This was because the playoff puzzle was completed during Week 20, which saw first place in the East Division wrapped up, and the last playoff spot ended up filled, resulting in the playoff matchups being set in stone. Even with that, the regular season still had to be completed, and though the Edmonton Elks completed their immensely disappointing season (at 4-14), the remaining eight teams still had to finish their campaigns.

The final week of the season began with a Friday showcase between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the BC Lions, with the defending champs winning 24-9 in what could possibly be this year's Western Final. As for the remainder of the week, the last three games all took place on Saturday, beginning with the Montreal Alouettes and the Toronto Argonauts facing each other for the second straight week. The previous meeting saw the Argos win on a walk-off rouge to lock up first place in the East Division, but in this go-around, which had no meaning, the Als took it to the Boatmen by a score of 38-33, giving Montreal a .500 record (9-9) to finish the season. Next up, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the Ottawa Redblacks, 23-16, and as a result, the Redblacks finish with a winless home record in 2022. Finally, the Calgary Stampeders blasted the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 36-10, handing the Riders their seventh straight loss to finish the season.

So that's that for the 2022 regular season, and now the real fun begins.

The 109th Grey Cup Playoffs will kick off in Montreal, Quebec, as the Montreal Alouettes will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Eastern Semifinal. These same two teams faced off in last year's Eastern Semifinal, which was won by Hamilton by a score of 23-12. Regarding the regular season, the Als took the season series, losing in Week 8 on the road but winning the home meetings on Week 11 and Week 16. For the Alouettes, they are hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2019; they are 26-10 as the home team in the playoffs. As for the TiCats, despite entering the playoffs with an 8-10 record, they are on a quest to reach the Grey Cup for the third straight year, as well as win the Grey Cup for the first time since 1999.

The Western Semifinal will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, with the BC Lions hosting the Calgary Stampeders. For BC, this playoff appearance comes after a very disappointing 2021 campaign that saw them eliminated during the penultimate week. The Lions and Stamps last met in the playoffs in 2016, doing so in that year's Western Final, which was won by Calgary. 2016 was also the last time that BC hosted the Western Semifinal, and as the home team, the Lions are 10-9 all time in the playoffs. Both teams finished with 12-6 records, but BC received home field by winning the season series--defeating Calgary in Weeks 10 and 15, while the Stamps won the rubber match during Week 16. The Stampeders are looking to win their first Grey Cup since 2018, while the Lions have been waiting since 2011 for their next championship.

As usual, all five playoff games will take place on Sundays, with the Division Semifinals taking place on November 6. The Division Finals will again emanate from Toronto (East) and Winnipeg (West), and will occur on November 13, and it will conclude with the 109th Grey Cup in Regina, Saskatchewan on November 20. Regarding TV rights, TSN will have the games in Canada, while the ESPN TV networks will air all playoff games in the United States.

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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.

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  • Linda Rivenbarkabout a year ago

    Good run down on the CFL team placements. The real excitement is still to come. I enjoyed reading about the Canadian teams. Hearted.

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