This Week in the CFL – Week 16

Stats and storylines heading into this week’s action

HOW IT STARTED/HOW IT’S GOING
​Statistic (average per game) | Weeks 1-8 | Weeks 9-15 | Change

• Scoring | 46.1 | 54.6 | +18.4 per cent
• TD drives | 3.8 | 5.3 | +39.4 per cent
• Big plays | 5.3 | 5.9 | +11.3 per cent
• Sacks | 5.7 | 4.5 | -21.1 per cent
• Passer rating | 87.7 | 99.9 | +13.9 per cent
• Percentage of games decided in the final three minutes | 0.58 | 0.68 | +10 per cent

LAY OF THE LAND
​(Team | Remaining opponents | Combined record)

West Division

• Winnipeg | Bye, TOR, @BC, Bye, EDM, @CGY | 28-24 (.538)
• BC | @EDM, SSK, WPG, @HAM, CGY, Bye | 30-37 (.448)
• Saskatchewan | @OTT, @BC, HAM, @CGY, TOR, Bye | 33-31 (.516)
• Calgary | MTL, @HAM, Bye, SSK, @BC, WPG | 37-29 (.561)
• Edmonton | BC, @TOR, MTL, @WPG, Bye | 36-16 (.692)

East Division

• Toronto | HAM, @WPG, EDM, OTT, @SSK, @OTT | 32-48 (.400)
• Montreal | @CGY, @OTT, OTT, @EDM, Bye, HAM | 20-46 (.303)
• Hamilton | @TOR, CGY, @SSK, BC, Bye, @MTL | 36-28 (.563)
• Ottawa | SSK, MTL, @MTL, @TOR, Bye, TOR | 40-23 (.635)

SURGING HERD

• Edmonton is 4-1 in its last five games.
• In their first eight games, the Elks averaged 13 points per game. Since then, the team has averaged 29.
• Over their past six games, they have built leads of at least seven points.
• During that stretch, they have averaged 205 rushing yards per game, including 200+ in their past three contests – a feat last accomplished by Saskatchewan in 2002. The last team to do so in four straight was Edmonton in 1991 – a team that went on to make it seven in a row.
• In his last two games, Kevin Brown has 34 rushes for 318 yards (9.4 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.
• Tre Ford has had at least 50 rushing yards in each of his six starts this season, including four for 70+ and a 135-yard effort in Week 13.
• In their last two contests, the Elks have shutout their opponents in the fourth quarter (34-0). In both those games, they trailed by 10+ points and went on to win.

QUICK SLANTS

• The East holds a 12-11 edge over the West.
• Home teams are 32-27 (.546) this season.
• Last week, Saskatchewan’s Jake Dolegala matched a career-high with three touchdown passes.
• Ottawa’s Devonte Williams has 373 yards from scrimmage in his last three games.
• By erasing a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter last week, BC set a club record for the largest home comeback victory. The team trailed Ottawa by 16 with 2:22 left.
• BC has won six in a row versus the Elks, including shutouts in Weeks 2 and 8. No team has shutout the same opponent three times in a season.
• Last week, Rick Campbell collected his 70^th win as a head coach, equaling his father Hugh Campbell’s total during his Hall of Fame career.
• Vernon Adams Jr. has passed for 300+ yards in five straight games, while totaling 1,732 yards and 14 touchdowns in that span.
• BC’s Terry Williams recorded a CFL season-high 284 combined yards last week.
• Alexander Hollins (900) is 100 receiving yards away from his first 1,000-yard season.
• Sean Whyte is slated to play in his 200^th career game.
• Montreal, BC and Toronto are undefeated when leading after three quarters with a combined record of 21-0.
• Montreal and Calgary have split their previous six meetings with each game being decided in the final three minutes.
• Last week, Montreal’s Shawn Lemon collected his fifth sack of the season and the 97^th of his career.
• Calgary’s Reggie Begelton (919) needs 81 receiving yards for his second 1,000-yard season. His career-high is 1,444 set in 2019.
• In his last four starts, Hamilton QB Taylor Powell is 3-1, while passing for 1,080 yards and eight touchdowns, with 79 rushing yards.
• Simoni Lawrence (720) needs three tackles to move past Kevin Eiben (722) into the Top-10 all-time.
• Tim White (906) is 94 receiving yards shy of his second consecutive 1,000-yard season.
• Toronto’s 11-1 start is its best-ever in the club’s 150-year history. Four more wins will tie the team record.
• Toronto is 7-0 when scoring first this season.
• The Argonauts are looking for their first season sweep of Hamilton since 2007 (3-0).
• Defensive lineman Brandon Barlow notched a hat-trick of sacks last week, bringing his total to seven on the season.
• In his last three games, Adarius Pickett has 32 defensive tackles, including 12 last week. He has notched nine or more on five occasions this season.