Safimod’s 2018 Power Rankings – Week 2

Safimod’s 2018 Power Rankings – Week 2

Published: Monday, Jun 25th 2018, 2:06pm

By: Stephen Safinuk (@Safimod)

1 – Calgary (2-0)

2 – Winnipeg (1-1)

3 – Ottawa (1-0)

4 – Hamilton (1-1)

5 – Edmonton (1-1)

6 – BC (1-0)

7 – Saskatchewan (1-1)

8 – Toronto (0-2)

9 – Montreal (0-2)

Calgary put to bed any questions of a slide, at least for now, after a dominating win over the defending champions from Toronto. Eric Rogers also quickly put to rest any concerns over his health with a huge game (5 rec. 131 yards and 2 TD). The play of the game goes to Kamar Jorden for his touchdown saving tackle at the end of the first quarter.

Winnipeg bounced back from a tight, weather effected game, with a crushing 56-10 victory over the hapless Montreal Alouettes. Chris Streveler has done well while Matt Nichols recovers from his knee injury. Having said that, he has gone up against Edmonton (missing 5 defensive starters due to injury) and Montreal (missing 12 defensive starters due to talent). His first big test will come up against a Hamilton team that beat the team that Streveler and the Bombers lost to in week 1.

Ottawa put all the talk of their abysmal home record to rest with a crushing 40-17 win over the Roughriders. Going into this game, all the talk was on how the Riders vaunted defensive line would feast on a young offensive line in Ottawa, but it was the exact opposite that happened. Ottawa was in the Riders backfield consistently all night long, while the Riders barely breathed on Trevor Harris on Thursday night. We knew Ottawa would have a strong offense again in 2018, but it’s their defense that led the way in their season opener. If they can keep that level of play up all season, they will take 1^st in the East and be a definite Grey Cup contender.

Speaking of Grey Cup contenders coming out of the East, Jeremiah Masoli and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats quieted talk of Johnny Manzeil for at least another week with a solid performance versus the Eskimos. 332 yards in the air (with 3 touchdowns) to go with 59 yards on the ground, and Masoli showed why he is QB1 in Hamilton. Mercer Timmis had himself a day as well, with 17 carries for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Saskatchewan had a rough trip out to Ottawa this past week. Their defensive line got no pressure all game long, and their offensive line couldn’t seem to stop anything. On top of it all, we saw starting QB Zach Collaros go down to a potential concussion in the 2^nd quarter. The Duron Carter was a complete roller coaster that started with his 2^nd pick six in as many starts, while seeing him get beat by Diontae Spencer for a long touchdown. Hopefully this isn’t a long term plan from the Riders, but it certainly seems like we will be seeing Carter on defense for the foreseeable future.

What started off as a great night, with a solid crowd, turned into a nightmare for the Argos on Saturday night. Not only did they get crushed by the Stampeders, they also lost Ricky Ray to a scary injury as well. We don’t know much other than he has feeling in his extremities, but we do know that he was stretchered off with a neck brace and taken to hospital. Our thoughts are with Ricky Ray as he recovers. Hopefully that’s not the last time we see him on a CFL field. Toronto will likely need to rely on their offseason pickup – James Franklin – to right their ship after an 0-2 start to the season.

At this point, I’m not sure what else needs to be said about the Montreal Alouettes. We predicted they would be bad, but an 0-2 start to a combined 78-20 score is not what they needed to keep their fans coming for more than the 4^th quarter. On a side note, that promotion still makes me laugh a week later. Nothing wrong with trying to get bums in the seats, but the “4^th quarter tickets” promo will only work if the Als are actually in a game going into the 4^th quarter.

Piffles Podcast is putting on a touch football event at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Friday, August 10 to raise money for a great charity, Hope’s Home! We will play on the field for a few hours and then head off to Mr. Mike’s in Grasslands to celebrate and hold a silent auction with ALL the proceeds going to Hope’s Home in Regina! $60 gets you on the field for a fun evening, a shirt and more! Let us know if you are interested! Email pifflesbowl@gmail.com for more details!

*** Don’t forget to enter the 2018 Piffles Podcast Fan Contest! Running all season, we want to hear more about YOU, the GREAT Rider fans! What does Rider Pride mean to you? How did you become a fan? Who’s your favourite player? We would like to ask you these questions and more and share your story with ALL of Rider Nation! We have over $2,500 in prizes to give away and we would love to learn more about the passionate fans that make up Riderville! To enter, fill out the questionnaire and you are qualified! 20 Weekly Winners will be drawn throughout the season and EVERYONE that enters is put into the Grand Prize Draw to be made during the final week of the CFL regular season! ***