CFL Week 9 Recap: Full Control

The 2022 Canadian Football League season has entered the month of August, which is an important month, as it brings the season closer to the Labour Day matchups. It's also a pacesetting month, and regarding Week 9, the action kicked off in Montréal, with the Alouettes hosting the undefeated defending back-to-back champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The game was strangely close, and even entering the fourth quarter, it was tied: 14-14. It did look like we were in for an upset, but it would not come to pass, as the Bombers outscored the Als 21-6 in the fourth quarter, resulting in a 35-20 victory.

The Friday night matchup featured the Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Redblacks, and this was a game that didn't have scoring. Even so, it was all Stamps, as the Redblacks could not build off getting their first win of the season in Toronto, and ended up nearly shut down completely in an attempt to win back-to-back games. The Stamps won 17-3, getting back in the winning groove after back-to-back losses.

Saturday's doubleheader also aired on ESPN2 here in the U.S., and I was elated to see both games on actual TV. The first half was the first meeting between the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and for the former, they were looking to make up for their home loss to the Redblacks. It was not a good start for the Boatmen; they were down 13-0 early, and down 17-6 in the third quarter. However, the Argos bounced back with a touchdown, a two-point conversion, a safety, a rouge, and a blocked punt returned for a TD to take the lead. Hamilton attempted to get back in it, as they cut their deficit to seven points. However, with Hamilton down 27-20, their attempt at a game-tying drive ended with a pick six, and the Argos took this game by a score of 34-20.

So I had said that I was excited to see both halves of the Saturday doubleheader. That is, until the second game kicked off. The week ended with the BC Lions hosting the Edmonton Elks, and this was yet another night where the Elks should have stayed in bed. The Lions toyed with Edmonton; it was a complete massacre. BC had a 37-7 halftime lead, and with that, I changed the channel--this game was done. The final score ended up being 46-14, and for the city of Edmonton, hockey season can't come fast enough.

So here's how things stand after August's first bit of action. In the West Division, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers improve to 9-0, while the BC Lions remain in 2nd place at 6-1. The Calgary Stampeders improve to 5-2 with their win, the idle Saskatchewan Roughriders remain 4-4, and the Edmonton Elks drop to 2-6. The Lions' 32 point win increases their already high point differential to +119 for the season, which is an average of about two touchdowns per game.

In the East Division, the Toronto Argonauts improve to 4-3 and increase their lead over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Montréal Alouettes, who are both 2-6. The Ottawa Redblacks drop to 1-7 with the loss, but because the rest of the East lost in Week 9, the Redblacks are still one game out for 2nd place in the division. The Argos needed that win this week, as it further separated them from the rest of the pack in the East. Because of how bad the East is, it doesn't take much to gain anything. All Toronto did was win three of their last four games, and as a result, their lead in the East is quite commanding.

Week 10 kicks off on Thursday, August 11, with the Montréal Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers meeting once again, this time in Winnipeg. On Friday, August 12, it's the second of four meetings between the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, this time in Hamilton. The doubleheader on Saturday, August 13 features the rest of the West Division; the Calgary Stampeders hosting the BC Lions, followed by the Edmonton Elks hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

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