So much happened in Week 2 of the 2017 season of the CFL that it is almost impossible to compress the highlights into just a few words; suffice to say, there is no better time to be a Canadian Football fan. And looking at the sites that offer Canadian football lines, everyone seems to agree.
The Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Redblacks just don’t know how to disappoint, especially when they play one another. The breathtaking shootouts they have delivered on four out of the five times they have met make it a shame that they won’t play one another this season, this excluding the playoffs.
Calgary’s Week 2 43-39 victory was something to behold. There were simply too many late game fireworks and highlight reel catches. Fans would have definitely been spoilt if the Ottawa/Calgary game went into overtime. They came close but it didn’t happen.
And that doesn’t change the fact that a rivalry is starting to take shape, a rivalry that could reach a tipping point if Ottawa and Calgary meet in the post season. Of the two, it is Ottawa that has every reason to grind its teeth.
After all, even with their solid performances in the last two games, they still have a tie on their hands. They are mostly to blame, though. They keep making mistakes at the worst possible time, this while Calgary has maintained consistency, showing the ability to deliver explosive and seemingly unstoppable plays when the need arises.
It could be argued Calgary and Ottawa need one another. Their growing rivalry is allowing them to grow sharper and that much more dangerous.
The Edmonton Eskimos can only wish they had the fortune that Ottawa and Calgary enjoy. The Eskimos opened the season with two astounding victories. However, their celebrations were ostensibly muted by the key players they lost to a major injury in each game.
J.C. Sherritt and Cory Greenwood’s injuries were bad enough. John White only added insult to injury when he was sidelined during the team’s victory over Montreal on Friday. The Eskimos should be title contenders but the absence of key linebackers and a powerful running back make that argument a little difficult to swallow.
John White struggled in 2016. Because he was still recovering from an Achilles Injury, it took White quite a while to find his rhythm. The 2017 season began with White looking like had finally reacquired his groove.
To miss another full season due to injuries will hurt him in more ways than one.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders can probably understand the pain of the Eskimos. Their game against Winnipeg was amazing. There was plenty of drama and the atmosphere in Mosaic Stadium was something to envy.
And anyone that knows anything about Canadian football will tell you that the Roughriders played beautifully. However, that didn’t stop them from losing in overtime. And that has become the trend.
The Roughriders always circle victory but they never take it. Tyler Craougna probably hates himself right now. He missed a couple of crucial kicks so he bears some of the blame, though not all of it. The Bombers were on fire on Saturday and every Roughriders player seemed incapable of stopping them from scoring 24 unanswered points in the third quarter, ruining the team’s 17-3 lead.
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