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CFL Week 4 Recap: The Stampeders Are In Trouble

A shortened Week 4 sees the Alouettes and Redblacks play their home openers, while the Stampeders come up short in a nail-biter

By Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Jake Maier has started the last two games for the Calgary Stampeders

We have now passed the one-quarter mark in the 2021 CFL season, which is 16 weeks long. Week 4 has come and gone, but it got off to a bad start before the week even kicked off. Days prior to their scheduled game against the Toronto Argonauts, the Edmonton Elks became the first team this season to be hit with multiple positive tests for COVID-19, with the number reaching 13. On Sunday, August 22, the game between the Elks and Argonauts was postponed, with no make-up date announced. On a good note, the last three days have seen no additional positive tests within the Elks organization, meaning that the team could return to play in the annual Labo(u)r Day outing against the Calgary Stampeders.

The Elks/Argonauts game was originally set for this past Thursday, but Week 4 ended up kicking off that following day with the Montréal Alouettes hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It was not only the first East Division game of the season, but it was the Alouettes' home opener, as well as the Tiger-Cats' chance to get a key first win of the season. Hamilton got off to a good start with a 10-0 lead, and despite the Als' bringing it to within three at halftime, it ended up being all TiCats the rest of the way. Hamilton, the lowest scoring team in the league entering Week 4, scored 27 points on the Alouettes--winning 27-10 overall. The TiCats' first win of the season came at a perfect time, as it was also a win inside the East Division, and those wins are very important.

The Ottawa Redblacks played their home opener this past Saturday against the BC Lions, but like the Alouettes, the Redblacks did not fare well in front of their home crowd. Both offenses were stagnant, as the game was mostly dominated by the placekickers: Jimmy Camacho (BC) and Lewis Ward (OTT). In fact, Ward scored all of Ottawa's points: four field goals, which were definitely not enough against BC's offense. The Lions won in the Canadian Capital, 24-12, to improve to 2-2, with both wins coming on the road.

The week ended with the first Sunday game of the season between the Calgary Stampeders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the last two Grey Cup Champions. This was a back-and-forth affair, as most West Division games usually are. Calgary led 13-9 at the half, but it became a battle of the kickers afterwards, as Marc Liegghio made two FGs to give the Bombers a 15-13 lead. Rene Paredes returned Calgary's lead, but with 37 seconds left, Liegghio's 45-yarder made it 18-16. The Stamps managed to get into FG range in the last moments, but Paredes' 52-yarder came up short. The Bombers pick up the win and make up for their big loss to the Argonauts a week prior.

So here's how things stand with 25% of the season over and done with. In the West Division, the Saskatchewan Roughriders remain 3-0 due to having Week 4 off, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are close behind at 3-1, the BC Lions are 2-2, the Edmonton Elks remain 1-2, and the Calgary Stampeders now drop to 1-3. The Stampeders are in serious trouble. 10 games left in a shortened season, and the Stamps (who last won the Grey Cup in 2018) are 1-3 overall and have lost two division games. A change in QB, from Bo-Levi Mitchell to Jake Meier, only calmed things for a week. The Stamps need to act pretty fast to save their season.

In the East Division, the Toronto Argonauts remain in first place at 2-1, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Ottawa Redblacks, and the Montréal Alouettes all stand at 1-2. Very close East Division at the 1/4 point, and it'll be even more interesting when the East Division games start adding up.

Next week is the annual Labo(u)r Day Weekend matchups, beginning with the Redblacks hosting the Alouettes on Friday, September 3. On Sunday, September 5, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and on Labo(u)r Day, September 6, it's the Battle of Ontario (Argonauts @ Tiger-Cats) and the Battle of Alberta (Elks @ Stampeders).

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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.

Feel free to follow my social media:

Twitter - Facebook - Tiktok - Instagram

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