The week's highlight game lived up to its billing in Winnipeg, a winning streak came to an end, a new quarterback's star was on the rise in Calgary and the Argos almost played spoiler for the second week in a row.
Some of the key moments of week seventeen can be found below.
British Columbia at Hamilton
Some streaks are destined to come to an end and for some the end of a streak is a welcome thing, such was the fate of Saturday's wrap up to Week seventeen of the CFL Schedule.
The British Columbia Lions finally tasted defeat once again, a bitter reminder of what the start of the season tasted like and for a good portion of their match up with the Tiger Cats, it seemed as though the Lions of July had returned to the field.
The Tiger Cats playing their last game at Ivor Wynne Stadium the Cats sent off their ancient home in fine style, dominating the Lions in all aspects of the game. Bringing to an end their two game losing skid, their troubles over the last two weeks has been an unwelcome distraction for a team that had high expectations for 2011, but one that tells the tale of the Cats inconsistent season.
On Saturday, the Cats resembled the team that Marcel Bellefeuille probably imagined he had, though the fact that he had to rely on Jason Medlock's foot on seven successful field goal attempts suggest that he still has a bit of work to do with the Ticats offence.
Medlock accounted for half of the TiCat points on their 42-10 victory over the Lions, both Kevin Glenn and Quinton Porter saw action at quarterback, providing for real time, live action scrimmages for the most part, the Cats stuck in that CFL never land of holding down third spot with no hope of advancement.
The Tiger Cats play out the rest of the schedule in a similar fashion, waiting for their Eastern Semi final appearance on November 13th, hoping to work out the inconsistencies while avoiding injuries.
The value of Saturday's game was much higher for the Lions and with their loss, which ended their winning streak at eight games, the Lions find themselves back into a race for the CFL West title.
Should they offer up the same kind of effort against the Eskimos this weekend, then they'll be making plans for a CFL West semi final, maybe at home, maybe not. all depending on whether they can cobble together the start of another streak, a streak of two.
That of course will be a considerably harder task, the first step is this weekend against the Esks and the Lions bring a list of injured players to add to their troubles, key among them the state of the health of Travis Lulay who was a frequent target of a ferocious Tiger Cat defence on Saturday night.
The Lions haven't said much about their battered line up in the early part of the week, but the health status of some key players could tell the tale if the Lions remarkable run back into contention in the CFL will carry forward towards the playoffs.
As for Hamilton, there is only one streak they are concerned about now one that would be required starting on November 13th and coming to an end on the 27th...
Hamilton Spectator-- Ticats maul Lions 42-10
Vancouver Province-- Lions win streak ends at eight in Hamilton
Vancouver Sun-- Injuries continue to chip away at B. C. Lions roster in loss to Tiger-Cats
Globe and Mail-- B. C. Lions still have much more work to do
National Post-- Lions' storybook season could have trick ending
Montreal at Winnipeg
It was billed as the showdown of the week in the CFL East and by the game's end it didn't disappoint.
Saturday's matchup between the Alouettes and the Bombers at times resembled a heavyweight prize fight, both teams took their slugs, made a few potentially disastrous errors and the righted themselves to offer up one of the most exciting finishes to a CFL game this year.
The game provided a rare occurrence in CFL circles, a less than perfect display of quarterbacking by Anthony Calvillo, the Als quarterback was clearly rattled by the Bombers always intimidating defensive corps, offering up four interceptions, a rather rare thing from the CFL's top quarterback of recent years.
The Bombers put seven points on the board thanks to one of those picks, but couldn't capitalize on their other opportunities in the first half, heading to the locker room with a 10-9 lead, no doubt aware that their lack of ability to take advantage Calvillo's struggles in the first thirty minutes.
And, as we've seen in the past, when challenged with a bit of adversity, AC tends to deliver, despite that less than successful portion of his day, Calvillo still managed to bring the Als back on track. He regained his mojo in the third quarter pacing his team through the second half, taking control of the flow of the play and propelling his squad to a 25-10 lead heading into the final quarter.
With such shifts in momentum through the game, the fourth quarter would not disappoint, especially for the hometown fans who would quickly have cause to exchange their boos for cheers as the Bombers launched their comeback leading up to a wild finish, the kind of which that CFL fans sometimes take for granted.
Making the best use of the gusting, blowing winds of Manitoba, the Bombers with that wind at their backs set the stage for Chris Garret's twin touchdown runs to secure victory 26-25.
The fourth quarter was vintage CFL, the elements as key to the result as the players on the field, the resolve of the Bombers not to let the opportunity escape key to the comeback victory that made for a remarkable sports day in the Manitoba capital.
The win took the Bombers to the top of the CFL East, tied with the Als for the chance to host the CFL East final, with their victory over the Als, the second of the three head to head matches this year, the Bombers took on the role of favourite in the CFL East, the final two weeks providing for more drama as the two teams battle on to secure that top stop.
Winnipeg Free Press-- Bombers come bad from 15 point deficit to beat Als
Winnipeg Sun-- Solid Bombers defence praised
Globe and Mail-- Bombers roar back to beat Alouettes
Canada.com-- Montreal Alouettes blow 15 point lead, lose to Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Saskatchewan at Calgary
Two teams in very different situations took to the field on Friday in Calgary, on one sideline the Stampeders still in the thick of the CFL West race, with a playoff home date still a possibility, over on the other, the Saskatchewan Roughriders playing out the string on a beyond disappointing season, the frequent Grey Cup finalists not even in the hunt for a playoff spot in 2011.
The Stamps, a team that has no shortage of controversy the last few weeks made the dramatic move of starting back up quarterback Drew Tate in Friday night's game, Tate came on in relief last week in Toronto and almost rescued a terrible Stampeder effort, his reward for that task was the start on Friday indicative that John Hufnagel is more than a little concerned about the consistency of long time CFL star Henry Burris.
Tate's debut as a starter was a quite successful session, the Stamps finding confidence in Tate's abilities as the game moved on. Calgary held the halftime lead 17-10 thanks to some stellar passing by Tate in the first thirty minutes, showing little in the way of nerves with his chance to start.
The Riders appeared on the cusp of turning the game around in the third, picking off a Tate pass and taking it towards the Stamps end zone, but a few plays later the Stamps' Charleston Hughes picked off a pass of their own, snuffing out the Rider drive, setting up a four yard Jon Cornish drive for another touchdown.
A tally that brought the score up to it's final result of 25-13, a key win for a struggling Stampeder squad and one that keeps their hopes of hosting a playoff game still alive.
The Riders started Darian Durant at QB a questionable move considering the status of his injured foot, with the season lost one has to wonder what was the purpose of putting Durant at further risk, one of the many questions that seem to be popping up around the Riders camp these days.
For Saskatchewan these last few games are more along the lines of extended practices and try out sessions, the only real consequence of their work the opportunity to play spoiler for the playoff bound teams and their status in the standings.
On Friday, the Riders came up with blanks both on the field and in the role of spoiler.
Calgary Herald-- Tate guides Stamps to win over Roughriders
Calgary Sun-- New Stamps QB worth watching
Regina Leader Post-- Darian Durant survives scare as Riders lost 25-13 to Stampeders
Globe and Mail-- Drew Tate spurs Stamps past Riders
National Post-- Tate aims to improve on Stampeders scoring chances
Edmonton at Toronto
It took them about three quarters to warm up to the task, but in a wild fourth quarter the Toronto Argonauts almost snatched victory from the Edmonton Eskimos, coming up just a little bit short, much to the relief of the Eskimos who almost let their first place maintaining win get away from them.
For most of the Friday Night Football opener, the Eskimos were in control of the game, Ricky Ray taking advantage of far too many Argonaut mistakes, staking the Esks to a 31-10 lead deep into the fourth quarter.
With less than 6 minutes to go in the fourth, the Argos struck quickly twice picking up fourteen points in the waning moments, the Eskimos suddenly making costly errors that had head coach Kavis Reed less than impressed with his squad as they wasted away a 21 point lead.
The Argos almost pulled off the improbably comeback when they recovered a second on side kick, that after the usually reliable Jerom Messam coughed up the football, setting the stage for the Argos last, if unsuccessful drive, the Argos coming up short when the final whistle sounded to give the Esks their 31 to 24 victory..
For Eskimo supporters the fourth quarter was perhaps was a worrisome thing to watch, the teams inability to stem a sudden surge by the last place Argos.
For Argo fans the fourth quarter theatrics were not the only bright spot on the day, the game also featured a record breaking performance from Chad Owens, who reached the 3,000 all purpose yards mark in consecutive seasons, a mark that places him atop the listings in professional football.
It is a coveted achievement for Toronto fans, considering the woeful nature of the way their season went, an achievement that stands out for 2011, a tribute to Owens skills, one wonders how many yards he may have added to the totals had the Argos been more competitive at the start of the season?
The Eskimos collected the valuable points and kept their hold on first in the CFL West, a race that would appear to be one that will go down to the last week of the season with three teams seeking the advantage. Edmonton can dash the hopes of the Lions quest this weekend when they take on BC, a game that becomes a showdown for first in the West.
And owing to a possible labour disruption at BC Place there's a possibility that showdown game could be played at the friendlier confines of Commonwealth Stadium, a decision that will be made early this week.
Edmonton Journal-- Argos come within a TD of unfathomable comeback against Edmonton
Edmonton Sun-- Esks Thompson made it interesting
Toronto Sun-- Owens blasts into record books
Toronto Star-- Owens' record lone bright spot for abysmal Argonauts
Globe and Mail-- Eskimos hang on to beat Argos
National Post-- Argos run out of time against Eskimos
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