CFL Update: COVID, A Canceled Season and What’s to Come

In the United States, all eyes are on the NFL Playoff Race. Heck, In Canada, all eyes are on the NFL Playoff Race as well because the CFL canceled their 2020 season.

For the first time since 1919, the Grey Cup won’t be hoisted by a Canadian football team.

Football Fix First

Before we break down what’s going on in the CFL, we’ll inject a bit of NFL news to get your football fix taken care of first.

The Playoff Race is underway, and we have a pretty solid view of the playoff picture. In the AFC, the Kansas City Cheifs clinched the West. Over in the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills clinched their division as well. The Steelers dropped a couple of games, so the AFC North isn’t clinched, but Pittsburgh is ensured a playoff berth. The Titans, Browns m Colts, and Dolphins are all in the hunt. The Raiders have a slim chance as a bubble team, and so do the Ravens.

Over in the NFC, the Green Bay Packers won the North. The NFC South is still up for grabs, but the New Orleans Saints are in the postseason. The Seattle Seahawks have also done enough to make the playoffs, but the NFC West still hasn’t been won. Surprisingly, the 6-8 Washington Football Team (still so weird saying that) is in the hunt because they are first in the NFC East. The LA Rams are in the hunt with their 9-5 record, and if they beat the Seahawks and get help from the Niners, they could steal the Division. The Buccaneers are looking good for a wildcard berth, though it isn’t assured, and the same goes for the Cardinals. The NFC bubble teams are the Bears, Vikings, Cowboys, and Giants. Either Dallas or NY could steal the NFC East with a bit of help.

Sports interaction [Full Review] has odds showing the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs as the most likely to win their respective conferences.

CFL 2021 Comeback

After much effort, the CFL decided to cancel the 2020 season over safety concerns due to Coronavirus. They agreed directly after failing to garner financial assistance to weather the storm. They kicked around ideas of playing a shortened season in the fall, but it just wasn’t economically viable without fans in the stadium. The NFL has more financial resources to float through an unprofitable season, or perhaps with their international television deals and sponsorships, turn a small profit despite the mostly empty stadiums. The CFL, on the other hand, needed to focus on a clean comeback in 2021 and avoid possible financial ruin. Although, game officials and CFL players (the players union) we willing to play a shortened season in 2020, even with the risk of infection, the money just wasn’t there.

The good news is we now have a 2021 CFL schedule, and it kicks off with a tilt between 2019’s Grey Cup contenders, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tigers. Unfortunately, CFL fans have to wait until June 21st before they see their beloved teams in action once more.

More Good News

The league is preparing for a season with in-stadium attendance. So, we should be able to watch our favorite teams live and in person, at least to partial stadium capacity. On top of that, the schedule is loaded with traditional matchups, including:

● Friday, September 3rd– Montreal Alouettes @ the Ottawa Redblacks

● Sunday, Sep. 5th – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Saskatchewan Roughriders

● Labour Day Double-Header – Toronto Argos @ Hamilton Tigers and Edmonton Eskimos @ the Calgary Stampeders

● Thanksgiving Football, Oct, 11 – Ottawa Redblacks @ Montreal Alouettes

The regular-season finale will include a divisional doubleheader between the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts in Toronto and the Edmonton Eskimos versus Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Winnipeg on October 30th.

The CFL playoffs officially commence on Sunday, November 7th. The first weekend of November will decide who plays in the Divisional round on Sunday, November 14th. Just a week after that, we’ll get to see the Grey Cup played for and presented once more!