Standings

Playoff Schedule

Schedule

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Report

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the Canadian Football League chose to have no preseason, and start the league late, in August, running for 16 weeks regular season with each team playing 14 regular season matches before the playoffs.

Week 1 Recap

Saskatchewan Roughriders broke out of the blocks in the first game at home in Mosaic Stadium in over 600 days, as they put up 32 points in the first half against BC Lions. The Lions made a spirited comeback in the second half, but the Roughriders held them off to win 33-29. The other contests were not as high-scoring, Toronto making a fourth quarter comeback to defeat Calgary with a late Field Goal, and Winnipeg coming from 6-0 down in the first quarter to win 19-6 at home to Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The much-anticipated game between the Edmonton Elks, playing for the first time under their new nickname, and Ottawa REDBLACKS ended 20-16 to Ottawa with the expected Offensive showdown between Quarterbacks Trevor Harris and Matt Nichols giving way to a defensive battle where the only Touchdown was a 102-yard Interception Return by Abdul Kanneh with 5 minutes remaining to give Ottawa victory.

Week 2 Recap

Kyran Moore, a player with an Irish name was on the scoresheet for Saskatchewan Roughriders as they came from 8-7 down in the second quarter to storm to a 30-8 victory in Hamilton versus the Tiger-Cats. Moore caught a 6 yard touchdown pass from Cody Fajardo to put the Roughriders 24-8 up in the third quarter. Meanwhile the BC Lions Michael Reilly, in for starting quarterback Nathan Rourke, both Irish names, scored on a 1 yard quarterback sneak that put them 12-3 up against Calgary Stampeders. Reilly would guide the Vancouver franchise to a 15-9 victory. Meanwhile Shai Ross caught an 11 yard touchdown pass from Trevor Harris to score a consolation TD for the Edmonton Elks as they went 0-2 in a 13-30 loss at home to Montreal Alouettes. Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated Toronto Argonauts 20-7 in the other game. After two weeks Montreal Alouettes (1-0), Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-0) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-0) were undefeated.

Week 3 Recap

Edmonton Elks got their first win under their new name, 21-16 versus British Columbia Lions, dropping the Lions to 1-2. Calgary Stampeders also moved to 1-2 with a 28-22 win against Montreal Alouettes as the Alouettes fell to 1-1. Toronto Argonauts gained revenge for the previous weeks loss to Winnipeg by defeating the Blue Bombers 30-23 to join them on four points. Saskatchewan Roughriders became the team to beat by defeating the also undefeated Ottawa REDBLACKS 23-10.

Week 4 Recap

Toronto Argonauts v Edmonton Elks was postponed due to a COVID outbreak among Edmonton players, and Hamilton Tiger-Cats won 27-10 versus Montreal Alouettes to gain the Ti-Cats first win of the season. British Columbia Lions won 24-12 versus Ottawa REDBLACKS to move to four points, while Winnipeg Blue Bombers joined Saskatchewan Roughriders on 6 points with a narrow 18-16 win over Calgary Stampeders.

Week 5 Recap

Montreal Alouettes defeated Ottawa REDBLACKS 51-29 to move into a three-way tie in the East with Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats with all three teams on four points after Hamilton had defeated Toronto Argonauts 32-19. Meanwhile in the West Division Edmonton Elks won 32-20 versus Calgary Stampeders in the battle of the two Alberta teams languishing on two points at the foot of the table before the game. The big game of the weekend, however, was Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-8 defeat of Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Riders first loss of the season, and which left the Blue Bombers in sole possession of first place in the West on eight points.

Week 6 Recap

With both teams on a 2-2 record the meeting of Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats was always likely to be close and so it proved as the Argos won by the slenderest of margins 17-16. Meanwhile the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders met again at the top of the West with the Bombers coming out best for the second week in a row, 33-9, to move into a four point lead at the top of the division. Calgary Stampeders moved level with Edmonton Elks with a 32-16 win to put both teams on four points, and British Columbia Lions joined Saskatchewan Roughriders on six points with a 45-13 rout of Ottawa REDBLACKS.

Week 7 Recap

Winnipeg Blue Bombers won for the sixth time in seven games as they defeated Edmonton Elks 37-22 to continue to set the pace in the West Division. The British Columbia Lions remain their nearest challenger on 8 points thanks to Michael Reilly’s 308 yards and two touchdown passing display versus Montreal in a 27-18 victory. The Saskatchewan Roughriders snapped a two-game losing streak to also move to 4-2 in the West with a 30-16 win against East Division leaders Toronto Argonauts. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats joined the Argos on 3-3 at the top of the East with a 23-17 triumph over Calgary Stampeders.

Week 8 Recap

Hamilton and Toronto both moved to 8 points and a joint lead in the East Division with victories over Division rivals Ottawa (24-7) and Montreal (30-27) respectively. In the only match-up in the West Division Saskatchewan defeated BC Lions 31-24 to go ahead of the team from Vancouver on 10 points, still in second behind Division leaders Winnipeg on 12 points.

Week 9 Recap

The East Division was shaken up a little in Week 9 with Montreal’s overtime win versus Hamilton, leaving the Alouettes back in touch on 6 points with with the Tiger-Cats on 8 points along with Toronto. In the West Division Winnipeg Blue Bombers stretched their lead over Saskatchewan with a 30-9 defeat of BC Lions as the Roughriders went down to Calgary Stampeders 17-23. Winnipeg now stand on 14 points, four ahead of the Roughriders with BC Lions a further 2 points back and Calgary on 6 points. Edmonton’s poor start under new name Elks continued as the lost 24-34 to Ottawa REDBLACKS in an Inter-Division game. The win put Ottawa on a similar 2-5 record as the Elks, but both teams remained rooted to the bottom of their Divisions.

Week 10 Recap

In a big week for the Argonauts the Toronto team defeated both Ottawa REDBLACKS 35-16 on Thursday and then on Monday squeaked by Hamilton Tiger-Cats 24-23 to put a bit of light between the teams as Toronto moved to 12 points, four ahead of Hamilton and Montreal who also had a narrow win (20-16) over Ottawa. In the West Division Winnipeg moved to 16 points and a three game lead as they won easily versus Edmonton 30-3 in a match-up between the Division leaders and bottom-placed team. Meanwhile Saskatchewan lost to Calgary for the second week in a row as the Stampeders won 22-19 in Regina to get back into playoff contention on 8 points, level with BC Lions and 2 behind the Roughriders.

Week 11 Recap

Edmonton put up a better display against Winnipeg after the previous weeks’ heavy defeat, but still went down 16-26 as the Blue Bombers further widened the gap at the top of the West Division to 8 Points. Calgary joined Saskatchewan on 10 points in second place in the West with a 39-10 victory in Vancouver over the Lions. In The East Division Montreal moved back into striking distance with the Argonauts as they downed the REDBLACKS 27-16 in Ottawa. The REDBLACKS remain in last place in the East on 4 points while the Alouettes claimed sole possession of second place on 10 points, two points behind Toronto.

Week 12 Recap

The top of the Standings became congested in the East Division as Montreal moved level with Toronto on 12 points after the Alouettes defeated the Argonauts 37-16. Hamilton were just 2 points back after the Tiger-Cats crushed the REDBLACKS 32-3 to remain in contention for the Division title. Ottawa slipped further out of Playoff contention with the loss. In the West Winnipeg scored another big win as they shutout BC Lions 45-0 at home in Manitoba as they moved to 20 Points, 8 Points clear at the top. Saskatchewan halted their slide, getting back to winning ways with a narrow 20-17 victory over Calgary in Alberta. The win put the Roughriders 2 Points back ahead of the Stampeders on 12 points with British Columbia 4 points back.

Week 13 Recap

In a Week of Inter-Division match-ups Calgary easily disposed of bottom-placed in the East Ottawa 26-13 to move to 12 Points and Hamilton also had an easy win over West Division last-placed Edmonton as the Tiger-Cats moved to 12 Points with a 39-23 defeat of the Elks. Toronto won 31-29 at home to BC Lions to improve to 7-4 and go 2 Points in front in the East as Montreal fell 14-19 at home to Saskatchewan, putting the Alouettes on 6-5 and joint second in the East with Hamilton. The Roughriders improved to 7-4 also and narrowed the gap to West Division leaders Winnipeg to 6 Points with the Blue Bombers on a bye week.

Week 14 Recap

With the Playoffs looming in a COVID-19 shortened regular season Hamilton stayed in the East Division title race with a 26-18 defeat of British Columbia, consigning the Lions to their sixth defeat in a row. The Tiger-Cats were on a three-game winning streak with this win which saw them overtake Montreal in second place as the Alouettes lost 21-31 at Winnipeg, assuring the Blue Bombers of the West Division title. Saskatchewan had a narrower 19-17 victory at Edmonton which secured the Roughriders a spot in the Playoffs and meant the Elks were assured of last place in the West with their 7th loss in a row. Toronto also had a narrower than expected 23-20 win at the REDBLACKS in Ottawa as they maintained first place in a tightly-contested East Division.

Week 15 Recap

With only one Week to go in the Regular Season the Argonauts wrapped up the East Division title with a convincing 31-12 victory in Toronto versus nearest challengers Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Montreal joined Hamilton on 14 points with a shock 28-14 victory at Winnipeg as the Blue Bombers, already assured of the West Division title and League Best-Record slipped up, losing for the first time in 9 games. Saskatchewan had a narrow 29-24 win at home in Regina over Edmonton Elks, ensuring the Roughriders of second place and homefield advantage in the Western Semi-Final versus Calgary Stampeders who earned third place with a 33-23 defeat of British Columbia in the Lions 7th loss in a row.

Week 16

With the Argonauts already assured of first place in the East, Edmonton Elks snapped an 8-game losing streak with a 13-7 win in Toronto in a rescheduled game from Week 4. Edmonton then went on to lose heavily to British Columbia as the Lions snapped a seven-game losing streak of their own with a 43-10 win to finish out the season in front of their own fans in Vancouver. Ottawa likewise finished off the season ending a long losing streak as the REDBLACKS won for the first time in seven games by defeating the Alouettes 19-18 in Montreal, thus depriving the Quebec team of second place in the East Division which went to Hamilton as the Tiger-Cats won 24-3 in Ontario versus the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders. Meanwhile Winnipeg gave their fans some concern with their second loss in a row after a nine-game winning streak as the Blue Bombers fell 12-13 at Calgary Stampeders.

With the Regular Season wrapped-up Toronto had a bye into the East Division Final after winning the East title with a 9-5 Record. Second-placed Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8-6) secured home advantage for the visit of Montreal Alouettes (7-7) in the East Semi-Final while Ottawa REDBLACKS finished fourth on 3-11. In the West Division a two-game slump at the end did not prevent Winnipeg Blue Bombers (11-3) from winning the West title and Homefield advantage for the West Division Final where they would meet the winners of Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-5) and Calgary Stampeders (8-6). British Columbia Lions (5-9) and Edmonton Elks (3-11) both finished out of Playoff contention after long losing sequences for both teams mid-season.

CFL Playoffs 2021 Recap

Close games abounded in the 2021 CFL playoffs, with Hamilton Tiger-Cats 23-12 defeat of Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Semi-Final the widest margin of victory. The Western Semi-Final was decided by a Field Goal in Overtime as Saskatchewan Roughriders won 33-30 at home to Calgary Stampeders. The Tiger-Cats went on to defeat the Argonauts in Toronto 27-19 to reach the 108th Grey Cup while Winnipeg Blue Bombers sneaked by Saskatchewan, winning 21-17 versus the Roughriders in the Western Final.

108th Grey Cup

Winnipeg Blue Bombers won the 108th Grey Cup, but left it late to really get started as they came from 22-10 down in the fourth quarter to lead 25-22 with minutes left. Hamiltion Tiger-Cats equalized with 6 seconds remaining with a Field Goal, before Zach Collaros passed for his second touchdown of the game in overtime to give the Blue Bombers a 33-25 lead with the successful two-point conversion. The Blue Bombers won the Grey Cup for the second year in succession after two more plays as first Hamilton were penalized 10 yards and then on 2nd and 20 were intercepted by Kyrie Wilson to end the game. Full Report and Scoring for the 108th Grey Cup available by clicking on the Game in the Playoff Schedule Above.

About the Canadian Football League

There are 3 main versions of Gridiron Football: the traditional 11v11 game played in USA, a 12v12 version of the game played in Canada, and a 8v8 version of the game played Indoors on converted Ice Hockey Arenas.

LOGOS

[1] Sports Logos (2021) 2757__canadian_football_league-primary-2016 [Internet] Available from: https://content.sportslogos.net/logos/8/2573/full/2757__canadian_football_league-primary-2016.png [Accessed 31 July 2021]

REFERENCES

[2] Canadian Football League (2021) Schedule 2021 [Internet] Available from: https://www.cfl.ca/schedule/2021/ [Accessed 31 July 2021]

LOGOS

[3] Sports Logos (2021) 8827_bc_lions-primary-2016 [Internet] Available from: https://content.sportslogos.net/logos/8/91/full/8827_bc_lions-primary-2016.png [Accessed 31 July 2021]

[4] Sports Logos (2021) 6644_calgary_stampeders-primary-2019 [Internet] Available from: https://content.sportslogos.net/logos/8/92/full/6644_calgary_stampeders-primary-2019.png [Accessed 31 July 2021]

[5] Sports Logos (2021) edmonton_elks_logo_primary_2021_sportslogosnet-5957 [Internet] Available from: https://content.sportslogos.net/logos/8/6790/full/edmonton_elks_logo_primary_2021_sportslogosnet-5957.png [Accessed 31 July 2021]

[6] Sports Logos (2021) 6261_saskatchewan_roughriders-primary-2016 [Internet] Available from: https://content.sportslogos.net/logos/8/98/full/6261_saskatchewan_roughriders-primary-2016.png [Accessed 31 July 2021]

[7] Sports Logos (2021) 2517_winnipeg_blue_bombers-primary-2012 [Internet] Available from: https://content.sportslogos.net/logos/8/100/full/2517_winnipeg_blue_bombers-primary-2012.png [Accessed 31 July 2021]

[8] Sports Logos (2021) 6242 [Internet] Available from: https://content.sportslogos.net/logos/8/94/full/6242.gif [Accessed 31 July 2021]

[9] Sports Logos (2021) 4816_toronto_argonauts-primary-2021 [Internet] Available from: https://content.sportslogos.net/logos/8/99/full/4816_toronto_argonauts-primary-2021.png [Accessed 31 July 2021]

[10] Sports Logos (2021) 9827_ottawa__redblacks-primary-2014 [Internet] Available from: https://content.sportslogos.net/logos/8/5033/full/9827_ottawa__redblacks-primary-2014.png [Accessed 31 July 2021]

[11] Sports Logos (2021) 5778_montreal_alouettes-primary-2019 [Internet] Available from: https://content.sportslogos.net/logos/8/95/full/5778_montreal_alouettes-primary-2019.png [Accessed 31 July 2021]

GAME REFERENCES

[12] Game Recap 2021-12-12 Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats [Internet] [Available from: https://www.cfl.ca/games/6201/winnipeg-blue-bombers-vs-hamilton-tiger-cats/ [Accessed 13 December 2021]

[13] Play-by-Play 2021-12-12 Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats [Internet] [Available from: https://www.cfl.ca/games/6201/winnipeg-blue-bombers-vs-hamilton-tiger-cats/#playbyplay [Accessed 13 December 2021]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Steve Hearn and Anton “Pippo” O’Grady (Dublin Bay Raptors)

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish, North American & World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 13 December 2021

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2021

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved. The Logos and Photos used in this article remain the property of the organisations and individuals which own the copyright and are used here for educational and information purposes only.