CFL Week 7 Recap: You Can't Spell "Ottawa" Without OT

It is hard to believe that I've been watching the Canadian Football League for ten years now. It's also hard to believe how fast this season has gone. We are now one-third through the 2023 season, and the game that officially locked the season in that one-third mark was the battle between the Ottawa Redblacks and the Calgary Stampeders. Every time I look at that matchup, I always think back to 2016, because that year's Grey Cup Championship pitted those two teams against each other. The Redblacks won in overtime to take their first Grey Cup in only their third year of play.

Even seven years later, the teams liked playing extra football so much that they decided to do it again! This was an absolute shootout; Ottawa put up 10 each in the first and second quarters, and it was just back and forth the whole way. The fourth quarter saw the Redblacks put up a clutch touchdown with only the final minute to go, but Calgary managed to get into field goal range and set up a game-tying kick for Rene Paredes, who surpassed the 2000-point mark with his FG. OT was needed, Calgary got the ball, scored, but the two-pointer was no good. Ottawa's turn: touchdown, and converted the two. Final score: Redblacks 43, Stampeders 41, in overtime--Ottawa's second straight OT win.

Week 7 began with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers adding to the Edmonton Elks' woes with a 28-14 victory, with the Bombers trying to keep up with the BC Lions in the West. The centerpiece, however, came a day later, as the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats faced off for the second time this season. The Argos opened the season against the TiCats, but that's the only home meeting for the champs, as the next two are in Hamilton. Winning in Hamilton had been a chore for the Argos, but that's changed recently. The game started out as a potential laugher, Hamilton made it close, but not close enough, as the Boatmen won 31-15. And finally, a Western battle between the BC Lions and the Saskatchewan Roughriders saw a lot of defense, and quite a few turnovers, but when the dust settled, it was BC standing tall--winning 19-9.

Again, one-third of the CFL season is over, and here's how things stand:

In the West Division, the British Columbia Lions are in first place at 5-1, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are close behind at 5-2. The Saskatchewan Roughriders dropped to 3-3 with their loss, the Calgary Stampeders dropped to 2-4 with their overtime defeat, and the Edmonton Elks are still looking for their first win of the season at 0-7. It definitely looks like BC and Winnipeg will be the top two teams in the West, and we will see them face each other in Week 9, with BC one up in the season series.

In the East Division, the Toronto Argonauts stand tall at 5-0, while the Ottawa Redblacks move into 2nd place at 3-3. The idle Montréal Alouettes remain at 2-3, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats fall to 2-4. So we pretty much have a battle for second place between Ottawa, Montréal, and Hamilton. That is an important position, as second place means hosting the Division Semifinal.

The heart of the CFL season begins with Week 8, and that week kicks off on Friday, July 28 with the Ottawa Redblacks hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in an Eastern battle. A doubleheader takes place on Saturday, July 29, beginning with the Toronto Argonauts hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and being followed by the Edmonton Elks looking to finally end their home losing skid against the BC Lions. On Sunday, July 30, the Calgary Stampeders will face off against the Montréal Alouettes to end Week 8.

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