Safimod’s 2018 Power Rankings – Week 9

Safimod’s 2018 Power Rankings – Week 9

Published: Monday, Aug 13th 2018, 2:08pm

By: Stephen Safinuk (@Safimod)

1 – Calgary (7-0)

2 – Winnipeg (5-3)

3 – Edmonton (5-3)

4 – BC (3-4)

5 – Ottawa (5-3)

6 – Saskatchewan (3-4)

7 – Hamilton (3-5)

8 – Toronto (2-5)

9 – Montreal (1-7)

With Saskatchewan, Calgary and Toronto on the bye, it was a quieter week in the CFL that still saw some movement in the Power Rankings.

Ho-hum – another edition of my CFL Power Rankings that sees the Calgary Stampeders atop the rankings, and Montreal riding the pine at the bottom. The Alouettes did manage to make a game of their most recent battle versus Ottawa on the weekend, but 5 turnovers wasn’t enough to lead them to victory. On a side note, does anything else think Johnny Manzeil was knocked out on his fumble at the 1 yard line? It certainly looked that way to many people, including myself. Not a good look for the Als medical staff or the CFL’s concussion spotter.

Winnipeg seems like the most likely team to take down the Calgary Stampeders at this time. Well rounded team with a great offense and a solid defense. They held off a late charge from the Ticats en route to a 5-3 record, tying the Eskimos for 2^nd in the West.

Edmonton drops down a spot following their 2^nd half collapse versus BC on Thursday night in Vancouver. Leading 20-10 at the half, the Eskimos would score only 3 points in the 2^nd half on route to a 31-23 victory. Meanwhile, the Lions have moved up again, on the back of Travis Lulay.

I don’t normally like to drop teams on a bye week, but the Riders move down a spot following the release of Duron Carter. Regardless of the reasons Chris Jones had for making the move, it is certain that the Riders offense, which was already struggling, has gotten worse over the weekend. While we currently hold on to a championship level defense that is the only reason the Riders sit at 3-4, rather than 1-6, the offense needs to start putting the ball in the end zone. 8 offensive touchdowns through 7 games is worst in the CFL. They seemed to be on the right path versus Edmonton, but need to shore up their short yardage work.

Hamilton is this year’s Jekyll and Hyde team. One week, they look like they can beat near on anybody, and the next they shoot themselves in the foot and lose. I honestly don’t know what to expect each week when they take the field.