CFL Week 3 Recap: Bachman-Turner Overdrive Said it Best

The Canadian Football League never fails to impress and to show out. Already, six games have been played, three in Week 1 and three in Week 2, and we saw the first game of the season need overtime, while the second almost needed that extra frame. Regarding Week 3, it was the first full week of the season, and by that, I mean it was a four game week, with all but one team playing.

For the third straight week, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats kicked off the action, as they were at home against the BC Lions. This wasn't even close; a 27-9 halftime lead for Hamilton, and by the time the Lions got their bearings together, it was way too late. Hamilton won the Friday Night Football contest, 41-27. Next up, the Saturday tripleheader kicked off with the other two Ontario teams, the Toronto Argonauts and the Ottawa Redblacks, go at it. We needed something badly, and we definitely got it! I figured we'd beat Ottawa, we may have sucked last year but Ottawa was somehow worse. It's like Ottawa is forever doomed to be Toronto's little brother in everything, despite the fact that they are Canada's capital city. This was more of that on display; a 44-24 victory over the Redblacks in Ottawa.

The last two games took place in Alberta, beginning with the Edmonton Elks hosting the Montréal Alouettes in what was a back and forth battle. How back and forth? After four quarters, it was tied up at 26. OT was needed, and the Alouettes struck first with a field goal, but the Elks found the end zone. Game over in one minigame; Elks won it 32-29, but the overtime fun was not done yet! In Calgary, it was a Western battle between the Stampeders and the champs, the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The two teams continued to prove what I've been saying about West Division games: they are high-scoring and gritty. Riders led 31-17 entering the fourth, but that lead went away quickly.

After 60 minutes: 31-31. Another OT coming up! This one need both minigames, as the first one saw the teams trade field goals. Calgary took the lead again 37-34, but the Riders managed to maneuver their way to the end zone on a near goal-to-go play. Riders won it 40-37, and again, regarding OT, they did change it. Had the Riders kicked the field goal (which I doubt they'd have done with the ball on the two yard line on first down), we would have seen the dueling two-point conversion attempts, similar to the UFL and college football. As a result, the CFL has no more ties, leaving the NFL as the lone North American pro football league that has tied games.

So three weeks have passed, and in the West, it's the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Edmonton Elks at 2-0. Wait, the Elks are undefeated?! Holy schnike! Even more shocking: the Calgary Stampeders are 0-2. They haven't started 0-2 since 2019! In the East, it's the Montréal Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats both at 2-1, while the Toronto Argonauts' first win puts us very close behind both teams. The Ottawa Redblacks are 0-2, but it's early, it's close, and there's still 18 weeks left in the regular season!

Week 4 will see four games in four days, starting with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosting the unbeaten Edmonton Elks on Thursday, June 25. On Friday, June 26, it's the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (the last two Grey Cup Champions) on Friday Night Football. On Saturday, June 27, the BC Lions host the Calgary Stampeders, and on Sunday, June 28, the Ottawa Redblacks face the Montréal Alouettes in an Eastern battle.

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