CFL Week 8 Recap: Roughriders Close in on West Lead

The first half of the 2021 CFL season came to a close, and what a first half it has been so far. It started with madness, and ended with chaos, as everything shifted in only a matter of seconds. Week 8 only consisted of three games, but every single one of them was important.

Week 8 kicked off with a Wednesday night meeting between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Ottawa Redblacks. It was Ottawa's chance to try to end their terrible skid, but it just couldn't be done. The TiCats were just too much for the Redblacks, as Hamilton went on to win by a score of 24-7. Hamilton maintained their place as the top team in the East Division, while the Redblacks have now lost five straight. Each loss for Ottawa makes that last play in Week 1 that much more important, as without that stop, they are literally winless.

A pair of Friday games wrapped up Week 8; first up, an East Division meeting between the Toronto Argonauts and the Montréal Alouettes--the first meeting of the season. Like most of the Boatmen's games, it was quite the nail-biter, but it was also high-scoring, with the Argos taking over in the second half. Toronto took a 30-20 lead, but the Als' late touchdown game them some hope of coming back. However, Montréal's onside kick was quickly recovered by Toronto, but they couldn't get the key first down to seal it. The Als got the ball back...with only 11 seconds left; definitely not enough time for an attempt to get into FG range. The Argonauts left their home field with a 30-27 win, and continue to keep in pace with the Tiger-Cats.

Last up, the BC Lions hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders, with BC looking to avenge their opening week loss to the Riders in Regina. This game was back and forth, but with a 24-18 lead and under two minutes left in regulation, it looked like that--even with a punt--BC was closing in on victory. Then BC's punt went 26 yards. Yeesh. A short field gave the Riders just enough time to get it in, with Cody Fajardo scoring on 3rd and Goal at the 1 with two seconds left. To add insult to BC's injury, the Lions fumbled the kickoff, and it was returned all the way by the Riders, who ended up winning 31-24--an immense momentum shift in an important game with 2nd place up for grabs.

So with that, the first half of the 2021 CFL season is done. Eight weeks down, eight to go. Here's how things stand at the halfway mark:

In the West Division, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers remain on top at 6-1. At second place, the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 5-2. The British Columbia Lions drop to 4-3, but are a good bit ahead of the Alberta teams, who stand at 2-4 (Edmonton Elks) and 2-5 (Calgary Stampeders). With the big win in Vancouver, the Roughriders have established themselves as the main threat to the Blue Bombers in the West Division. There's just one problem: both of Saskatchewan's losses were against Winnipeg, and they weren't close losses. The Riders were outscored 56-17 in the two losses, and with the season series over, they need to jump ahead of the defending Grey Cup Champions in order to get that all-important first position. The Riders' second half schedule does get easier: five of their final seven games are against the Alberta clubs.

In the East Division, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts are tied at 4-3, with Hamilton's 3-1 division record being the very thing keeping them in first place. The two rivals have two more head-to-head meetings left this season, with the first of the remaining two taking place in Hamilton on October 11 (Canadian Thanksgiving). The Montréal Alouettes stand at 2-4, while the Ottawa Redblacks drop to 1-5 on the season. Both teams have to worry about the crossover rule, as they and the Alberta clubs are in a logjam in the overall league standings. Right now, the Als would be in the playoffs, but that could change drastically.

Here's to an intriguing and nail-biting 2nd half! If you liked this story, feel free to click the heart below! If you really love this story, feel free to leave a tip, but only if your heart desires!