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CFL Week 3 power rankings

Jonathan Hamelin • July 21, 2010 • Comments (0)

1) Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-0-0; Last Week: 1; Defeated Edmonton 24-20 in Week 3)

Their Week 4 victory against Edmonton wasn’t pretty, but the Riders perserverd again. Saskatchewan is still a dangerous team to play. Their offence has cooled down since posting 54 points in Week 1, but the scary thing is their are so many weapons they can use. They obviously have a talented receiving core, but no one expected running back Wes Cates to have such a stellar campaign. He leads the league in rushing.

2) Montreal Alouettes (2-1-0; Last Week: 4; Defeated B.C. 16-12 in Week 3)

Montreal survived their brutal West Division road trip. The defending Grey Cup champions have not played as well as they did last season, but stating the season on the road for three games is not easy. They almost bested the Riders and then earned victories in Edmonton and BC, places they have historically struggled to win. A home date against Hamilton this week will be a good test for the Alouettes.

3) Toronto Argonauts (2-1-0; Last Week: 5; Defeated Calgary 27-24 in Week 3)

Who expected Toronto to be tied for top spots in the East? They have yet to win handily over any opponent, but the Argonauts are finding ways to get it done. Cory Boyd has emerged as a star running back and the defence is keeping Toronto in ball games. If Cleo Lemon had help ignite the passing attack the Argonauts could be a very dangerous team.

4) Calgary Stampeders (2-1-0; Last Week: 2; Lost 27-24 to Toronto in Week 3)

Turnovers killed Calgary last week. Henry Burris threw four interception, effectively killing the Stampeders’ chances to pull out a road victory. Calgary’s offence has a lot of problems. They are not stretching the defence deep and need to better utilize running back Joffrey Reynolds. A win against Saskatchewan could turn things around.

5) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-2-0; Last Week: 8; Defeated Winnipeg 28-7 in Week 3)

Last week, the Tiger-Cats finally played like everyone thought they would. Kevin Glenn led the offence to four touchdowns and the defence stymied Winnipeg’s offence. The question is: was their performance a fluke? We will find out this week as they travel to Montreal.

6) Edmonton Eskimos (0-3-0; Last Week: 7; Lost 24-20 to Saskatchewan in Week 3)

The Eskimos could very well be 2-1-0, but they only have themselves to blame for being 3-0. Dropped passes, turnovers and bad penalties have doomed them for the first three weeks. The Eskimos have a good chance to get back on track this week in Winnipeg. They have the potential to be one of the top teams in the West.

7) British Columbia Lions (1-2-0; Last Week: 6; Lost 16-12 to Montreal in Week 3)

BC is a mess. Casey Printers is not generating enough offence and the play of the offensive line is a major concern. Jamal Robertson has cooled down after his strong start. Paris Jackson has been a major dissapointment this season.

8) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-2-0; Last Week: 3; Lost 28-7 to Hamilton in Week 3)

The Bombers could be in a lot of trouble now that Buck Pierce is injured. Steven Jyles will be hard pressed to match his success. Running back Fred Reid will need to carry the offence. As it is, Winnipeg’s defence needs to play better. They have allowed around 30 points in every game this season.

Biggest Rise: Hamilton, +3

Biggest Drop: Winnipeg, -5

About the Author

An aspiring journalist who has a freelance contract with the Regina Leader-Post and is a veteran online CFL columnist. Hamelin currently attends the University of Regina and is enrolled in the pre-journalism program. After this year, he will apply for the school of journalism. Hamelin has had work published in his highschool paper, university paper, Regina's paper and a number of online sites. For a look at all of his work, visit http://jonathansjournalismportfolio.webs.com/

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