CFL Week 9 Recap: Bombers Dominate, Working Overtime, and Key Wins

Congratulations, fellow CFL fans! We made it through the first half of a very wild and insane season. The slightly shortened 2021 campaign has been a very thrilling sprint, but the first half of it is over, and the second half is underway. The next eight weeks will weed out the contenders from the pretenders, as things start to shape up in both divisions.

Week 9 kicked off in the Canadian Capital, as the Ottawa Redblacks hosted the Edmonton Elks. The Elks represented the Redblacks' one in their win column, with the victory coming all the way back in Week 1. Ottawa needed a spark, and they certainly got it, as everything seemed to go right for Ottawa, who started with a 14-0 lead and ended the first half up 17-7. I thought, somehow, that the Elks would mount some sort of comeback, but the 2nd half was back and forth between the two teams, and the end result was a 34-24 win in favor of the Redblacks. So for Ottawa, their five game losing streak is over, but the Elks remain the only team who can't seem to do anything against the Redblacks.

Next up, the BC Lions hosted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a game that was close...until it wasn't. Surprisingly, it was 3-3 after one quarter, but after that, it was all Bombers. The Lions couldn't make a dent on that vaunted Winnipeg defense, and after all was said and done, the defending champions left Vancouver with a 30-9 win. This team is a force; they seemingly cannot be stopped. Best record in the league, fewest points surrendered (107), highest point differential (+96). Bottom line, to say that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are legit would be an understatement.

Kicking off the Saturday doubleheader was an important East Division game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Montréal Alouettes; a game that had my full attention, as the Toronto Argonauts were off. It didn't look good for the Als; it was originally close, but the TiCats jumped to a 17-3 lead late. However, the Alouettes marched back. An early touchdown, a 30-yard field goal from David Cote, and a comeback drive that saw multiple third down conversions, and ended with a touchdown scored on a 3rd and 20, giving the Alouettes their first lead at 20-17. However, Taylor Bertolet tied it up with a 55-yard field goal, giving us overtime for the first time all season. In OT, Hamilton's first possession ended with a fumble recovered by the Als, and Cote's field goal won it. 23-20 was the final score in favor of the Alouettes; a huge comeback win to make things very interesting in the East Division.

Week 9 ended with the Calgary Stampeders hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and this ended up turning into another nail-biter. The Stamps dominated for the most part, only for the Riders to attempt to chip away at a late nine-point deficit. A field goal cut it to six, and after several attempts due to penalties, the Riders got the onside kick and attempted to complete the comeback. Unfortunately, Cody Fajardo's 3rd and 4 pass went in to double coverage and was intercepted easily, and Calgary held on by a score of 23-17; a thrilling end to an amazing week.

So here's the story so far after Week 9. In the West Division, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers remain on top at 7-1, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders fell to 5-3. The BC Lions are now 4-4, the Calgary Stampeders are 3-5, and the Edmonton Elks are 2-5. The Bombers have a two game lead and an unbeaten record in division play. That's dangerous. The Stamps did get a key win over the Riders, but it'll take more than that for me to believe that this team has anything resembling a pulse. Yes, Calgary sits one game behind BC, and a half game behind Montréal in the crossover race, but even so, they have a lot to do in the 2nd half.

In the East Division, the idle Toronto Argonauts sit alone atop the East Division at 4-3, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats drop to 4-4, the Montréal Alouettes are 3-4, and the Ottawa Redblacks are 2-5. This is a very close East Division; it's mediocre, but it's close. The Tiger-Cats had a golden opportunity to take sole possession of first place, and they blew it. Now it's turned into a very packed logjam. The Alouettes are not only in the playoff race, they're in the division race. They are just one game behind the first place Argonauts, and they picked up a key division win to boot. As far as division play, Montréal is done with Hamilton. They have one left with Toronto and three remaining with Ottawa, who also has a shot in the race. Oh man!

Next week is packed; five games on the schedule! The week begins with the Toronto Argonauts hosting the Ottawa Redblacks on Wednesday, October 6, then on Friday, October 8, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the Edmonton Elks. On Saturday, October 9, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Calgary Stampeders meet again, this time in Regina. And finally, a pair of Canadian Thanksgiving games will wrap up the week, as its East Division action on Monday, October 11: the Montréal Alouettes hosting the Ottawa Redblacks, followed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats hosting the Toronto Argonauts. The East Division picture should be very interesting after Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend.

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