CFL Week 5 Recap: Labour Day Weekend

The Canadian Football League's first holiday celebration is Labour Day; on that day, the league's closest rivalries take center stage. When I started watching, the CFL had eight teams, and the matchups were always Roughriders/Blue Bombers, Argonauts/Tiger-Cats, the Battle of Alberta, and Lions/Alouettes. The addition of a ninth team, the Ottawa Redblacks, now often see one team taking Labour Day Weekend off, though that team often alternates between the Lions, Redblacks, and Alouettes. Whenever the Atlantic Schooners join the league, I would think their rivalry would be with the Alouettes, as Quebec and Nova Scotia are both on the Atlantic coast. In a normal season, Labour Day Weekend is often the 11th week of the season, usually at the midpoint. This year, it kicks off the 2nd quarter of a 16-week season.

The weekend started off with a Friday matchup between the Montréal Alouettes and the Ottawa Redblacks in the Canadian capital, and it was all Birds throughout the entire game. The Redblacks had literally no answer for the Als, who ended up putting up 51 points on their divisional rivals--a 51-29 victory. For the Redblacks, this was their third straight loss, and they have given up 110 points in four games played.

The traditional meeting between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders followed this past Sunday, with the Riders entering as an unbeaten team coming off a bye, while the defending champion Bombers were coming off a close win over the Stampeders. This one wasn't as close, and it saw the Bombers score 16 unanswered points after trailing 8-7, resulting in a 23-8 win. The Riders are undefeated no more, and the Bombers improve to 2-0 in division play. Winnipeg clearly looks like exactly what they are: defending Grey Cup Champions.

Labour Day Monday featured the traditional provincial rivalries, beginning with the Battle of Ontario between the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. One thing I've notices as a CFL watcher and an Argonauts fan since 2013: Labour Day has not been kind to the Argos. This year was no different. The Boatmen were sunk...badly. Their offense couldn't solve the TiCats. Their defense couldn't solve the TiCats. It was an absolute drubbing most of the way, with the exception of garbage points from the Argos. Hamilton won 32-19 and created a logjam in the CFL's East Division.

Last up, Labour Day Monday's traditional Battle of Alberta meeting, and this was an important one for the Edmonton Elks and the Calgary Stampeders. Both teams have been struggling, and the Elks are playing for the first time in two weeks due to their COVID-19 outbreak. This was basically do-or-die between the clubs, but it was close all the way--a 14-10 Elks lead at halftime, only for the Stamps to take the lead in the third. Elks tied it with a field goal, but Calgary got one of their own and led 20-17. That would be it for the Stamps--15 straight points from the Elks, and it resulted in a 32-20 win for Edmonton that, IMO, sealed the Stampeders' fate this season.

So here's how things stand after Labour Day Weekend. In the West Division, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' road win moved them into first place at 4-1, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders drop to 3-1. The Edmonton Elks' big divisional win improved them to 2-2, which is the same record as the BC Lions, who had Labour Day Weekend off. As for the Calgary Stampeders, they are now 1-4 overall and 0-3 in divisional play. This team is done. It would take a miracle for them to be playoff bound, and with the way the Stamps are playing, I don't see one happening.

In the East Division, we have a three-way tie for first place. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Montréal Alouettes, and the Toronto Argonauts each have 2-2 records, while the Ottawa Redblacks are close behind at 1-3. Hamilton stands as the official first place team due to their 2-0 division record, with the wins coming against Montréal and Toronto. The Als are the 2nd place team due to their 1-1 division record over the Argos' 0-1 tally. The already close East Division is now very tight, and with the season still being young, the door is open for anything in the East.

Three of the same matchups will take place next week, starting with the Toronto Argonauts hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday, September 10. Saturday, September 11 will see the remaining three games of the week: the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Battle of Alberta switching to Edmonton, and the BC Lions hosting the Ottawa Redblacks.

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