• Winnipeg CB Tyrell Ford is the best defense in the league: Ford has a league-high seven interceptions and 18 forced incompletions this season.
• QB Trevor Harris is in the midst of a fantastic season: He leads the league with a 91.2 passing grade and ranks fourth with a 4.7% save percentage.
• Unleash your benefits with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our seasonal fantasy tools, including weekly ratings, WR/CB Matchup Schedules, weekly forecasts, Launch and squat optimizer and much more. Register now!
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS VS. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Week 19 begins with a game that will have playoff implications for both teams. The Blue Bombers, winners of eight straight games, are one win away from clinching the West Division. A seemingly unthinkable moment earlier this year when they were 2-6 at the bottom of the division. They were bolstered by the league’s best defense and RB Brady Oliveira (90.9 season rating) carrying the offensive load. In contrast, the Argonauts need one win to clinch the final playoff spot in the East. Not only that, but a loss to Ottawa would put Toronto in the driver’s seat in an all-important home playoff game. Toronto will be looking for better play from QB Chad Kelly, whose 75.7 season grade since his return is a far cry from his 92.0 grade a season ago.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: RT DEJON ALLEN, TORONTO VS. ED WILLIE JEFFERSON, WINNIPEG
The first match of the week to watch features two players at the top of their game. Allen, last season’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player award winner, is again the favorite to win the award this year. The tackle leads the CFL with a pass blocking grade of 81.2 and an impressive pass blocking efficiency rating of 98.1. The ageless Jefferson ranks second in the CFL with 53 total pressures this season and ranks in the top six in pass-rush win percentage (13.9%) and pass-rush rating (80.9). He also has a ridiculous nine passes. These two going head to head is a true battle of the best, and the winner may just provide all the advantages their team needs to come out on top.
PLAYER TO WATCH: CB TYRELL FORD, WINNIPEG
CFL defenders need to think twice every time they throw the ball near Ford. The Canadian leads the league with a 91.6 coverage grade and is the poster child for the big game. Ford has a league-high seven interceptions and 18 forced incompletions this season. His 39.5% open receiver rate (percentage of plays with an open target) ranks fifth in the league, and his forced incompletion rate (22.2%) ranks fourth. Ford has been one of the main reasons for the turnaround in Winnipeg this season, and he is the one who will be watching every team the opposing team drops back to pass to.
EDMONTON ELKS VS. CALGARY STAMPEDERS
While it was an impressive run for Edmonton, starting with an 0-7 start and ending up in contention for a playoff spot, it was always going to be a longshot. The Moose’s chances came to an end a week ago after they suffered a loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Although they are no longer in the playoffs, this game is not meaningless. The Elks will return to QB Tre Ford (70.0 season rating) to see if he can prove he should be the team’s long-term starter. For the Stampeders, last week’s loss also sealed their fate. For the first time since 2004, the Stampeders will not participate in the CFL playoffs. It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Stampeders fans, but there’s still a lot to see in this game. On offense, many will be running QB Matthew Schiltz after another disappointing up-and-down season for starter Jake Mayer (79.2).
MATCHUP TO WATCH: WR EUGENE LEWIS, EDMONTON VS. CB DEMERIO HOUSTON, CALGARY
While it wasn’t his usual dominant season for Lewis, he was still fantastic on the pitch. He has a 70.0 receiving rating and leads the league with 19 contested catches. He was even better against Calgary. In two games this year, he has caught 12 passes for 208 yards. He’s done a lot of damage to Houston, which has struggled at times this year. Houston has the third-most passing yards in the CFL this season (783), and its 1.90 yards allowed per snap is the highest in the league. Additionally, with four interceptions, he only allowed three incompletions. The silver lining for Houston is that it has only managed two touchdowns all year. Bad news? Both of them were against Lewis.
PLAYER TO WATCH: QB MATTHEW SHILTZ, CALGARY
With the playoffs officially out of reach for Calgary, the Stampeders will turn to the backup QB for his first start of the season. Schiltz saw his first play in the second half of last week’s game, completing four of five passes for 99 yards and a touchdown (an important throw to Reggie Begelton) and rushing for 26 yards and two first downs on two scrambles. Schiltz has been a reliable QB when given the chance to play over the past two seasons, with 21 big catches and just nine loss-worthy plays since 2022. He needs a little more consistency in his accuracy, but has proven to be a safer bet than what Jake Mayer has done for Calgary over the same period.
BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS VS. SASKATCHEWAN RAFFRIDERS
Lions vs. Roughriders is another game with big playoff implications this week. Saskatchewan is currently one point ahead of British Columbia for second place in the West. A win and the Roughriders win at least one home playoff game. They lose and BC is ahead of them as both teams only have one game left. As for the Lions, they finally got the pass they were looking for from QB Nathan Rourke last week. His 89.7 game rating led all forwards. Rourke has struggled since his return, but last week he could turn around and move closer to the upper echelon of CFL defensemen. However, he faces a much tougher test this week against a Saskatchewan secondary that includes the likes of Roland Milligan (90.2 coverage grade, second in the CFL) and Marcus Sales (88.1, third).
MATCHUP TO WATCH: WR KEON HATCHER, BRITISH COLUMBIA VS. HB ROLAND MILLIGAN, SASKATCHEWAN
Hatcher has always needed a little time to find his rhythm this season. Last season’s leading receiver tore his Achilles in the playoffs and returned to action less than nine months later. But Hatcher delivered his best game last week. He caught four passes for 97 yards, all of which resulted in first downs and three of which were explosive. Hatcher returning to his elite form is intimidating to opposing defenses. But perhaps not for Saskatchewan, who will have elite midfielder Milligan covering him most of the time. Milligan is a legitimate candidate for Most Outstanding Player this season. His 90.2 coverage rating ranks second in the CFL. He leads the league with eight interceptions, and his 11 forced incompletions also rank second. Milligan’s quarterback rating is 51.4, second-lowest in the league. If he can stop Hatcher, it could be a big day for the Roughriders defense.
PLAYER TO WATCH: QB TREVOR HARRIS, SASKATCHEWAN
No defenseman has played as consistently this season as Harris. He leads the league with a 91.2 passing grade and ranks fourth with a 4.7% save percentage. No one is better at immediately finding the open receiver than Harris. This is evidenced by his 50.0% throw rate above the first mark (third in the CFL), as well as the fastest throw time in the league at 2.29 seconds. If there’s a downside to Harris, it’s that his turnover-worthy 4.4% rate ranks fifth in the CFL. However, if he can avoid such games, no defense can stop him from methodically picking them apart.
OTTAWA REDBLACKS VS. MONTREAL ALOUETTE
We finally got to our fight on Thanksgiving Monday. The Montreal Alouettes are already in first place in the CFL and at this point it’s all about keeping the reps active while staying healthy for the playoffs. QB Cody Fajardo is having a great season (league-best 79.0% adjusted completion rate), but there’s a chance he won’t play the entire game and we’ll see Davis Alexander at quarterback (80.6 season rating). The Redblacks need a win to right the ship. They started the season 7-2-1 but have since fallen to 1-4, including losses in their last three games. They still hold second place in the East and a home playoff game, but are now just one point ahead of Toronto. This home game is very important for the Redblacks, especially QB Drew Brown. At home he has a solid 76.6 overall rating, but when he’s on the road that rating drops to 58.8.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: LT NICK CALLENDER, MONTREAL VS. EDGE LORENZO MAULDIN IV, OTTAWA
Although Montreal has one of the best offensive lines in the CFL, the Alouettes are far from invincible. Calendar had some good moments, but struggled to protect his quarterback at times. His pass blocking efficiency rating (96.5) is seventh-highest in the CFL, and his total attacks allowed (35) are fifth-highest. He’ll have a tough time this week every time Mauldin lines up opposite him. The edge rusher set a career-high with 70 total pressures in the league and ranks second with eight sacks. His 12.1% pressure rate leads the CFL, as does his 6.8 passer productivity rate. Mauldin can get to the quarterback with the best of them, and if Callender can’t stop him, it could be a long Thanksgiving for Montreal’s offense.
PLAYER TO WATCH: WR JUSTIN HARDY, OTTAWA
While all the talk at the start of the year was about Justin McInnis, Hardy was quietly preparing for a season that could rival McInnis. Hardy ranks second with 1,241 receiving yards, just three yards behind McInnis. He also leads the league with 90 receptions. Hardy had 38 explosive receptions (first) and caught 12 contested passes (fifth). He’s the only receiver in the CFL besides McInnis to average over 2.00 yards per carry (2.05 to be exact). He has become a powerful backup for QB Drew Brown, who has a 105.9 QB rating when rushing Hardy and a 92.7 QB rating when attacking every other receiver.
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