5 things we learned from Week 18

Good morning CFL fans!

Before I get into what I have learned from this past week, I have one quick observation and one quick question.

The battle for third place in the West is going to be wild. I can make a case for all three teams. Yes, I can make a case for the Blue Bombers as well.

As for the question: Am I jinxing things if I mention that, with the likely return for Chad Kelly in Week 20, we’re on a really nice run of quarterback health, with apologies of course to Hamilton? You know what, forget I asked.

KENNY LAWLER IS ONE OF THE GAME'S BEST RECEIVERS

Think of this more as a "re-learning."

I was as shocked as anyone to learn that Friday’s six-reception, 132-yard, two-touchdown night against the Ottawa REDBLACKS was Kenny Lawler’s first 100+ yard game of the season. No one would have imagined that the 2025 All-CFL receiver would almost hit Thanksgiving before hitting the century mark. Obviously the drop in production can be directly linked to Bo Levi Mitchell’s ankle injury he suffered in early July.

We got to see all of Lawler’s strengths in Hamilton’s 34-16 victory over Ottawa. The athleticism was on display on a sliding 29-yard reception in the second quarter with his team trailing 13-3. For a split second it looked like he would not be able to hold on to a five-yard touchdown on the final play of the third quarter as Ahmari Harvey got a good shot on the ball. Kenny’s hand strength, however, won the day as the Tiger-Cats took their first lead of the night.

Finally, we witnessed the whole package of speed and body control on his 41-yard hook up with Harrison Frost. Lawler had beaten Kahzir Brown downfield, but Frost’s pass hung in the air forcing the Ticat receiver to come back, win the battle for the ball, and then lunge into the end zone. It was a remarkable sequence.

VERNON ADAMS JR. IS THE GREATEST "SEVENTH-RANKED" QUARTERBACK EVER

Yes, it is true, I have the Calgary Stampeders quarterback seventh on my quarterback rankings.

As I wrote, Vernon Adams Jr.'s statistics in the Stamps' past two wins have been very good, but that was partially the result of his receivers going above and beyond and the fact that Ottawa’s pass defence currently ranks last in yards allowed.

But to go on the road in Regina, with so much on the line in terms of both standings and playoff qualifications, is an entirely different animal. Vernon was dialled in right from the start. With his second pass into a tight window with three defenders in good position, Adams Jr. hit Jalen Philpot for a 16-yard gain. There was also his highlight-worthy 48-yard bomb to Damien Alford and the teardrop to Tevin Jones for a 19-yard score right as Jones was about to go out of bounds in the far corner of the end zone.

Adams Jr. had turned down the volume of Mosaic Stadium to a whisper with Calgary up 34-13 with less than five minutes left to play. This will sound crazy as Adams Jr. had that ridiculous stat line of six touchdowns and five incompletions in a win over the Toronto Argonauts, but I think this was his best game of 2026.

CALGARY HAS SOME ROOKIE DEFENSIVE BACKS MAKING PLAYS

I always like to add at least one smaller, overlooked moment from the week.

The new guy, defensive back Ashton Miller-Melancon, made the two biggest defensive plays in the fourth quarter for his Stampeders. With less than eight minutes to go, Trevor Harris was doing all he could to get Saskatchewan back in the game, trailing 27-13. Harris forced the ball to Kian Schaffer-Baker and the former U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian swooped in for his first career interception. Then, any glimmer of hope was extinguished when in the final three minutes, Miller-Melancon swatted away the two-point conversion pass attempt intended for Johnny Johnson III.

Now let’s flash back to the first quarter right after the 48-yard Damian Alford touchdown. The Stamps had a 14-7 lead, and the home team was looking for a spark. Instead, on the ensuing kickoff, Anton Haie, a third-round pick in the 2025 CFL Canadian Draft, absolutely nailed Roughriders rookie returner Quali Conley on a hit that Conley did not see coming. The angle was perfect as Haie struck him with such force, inspiring Glen Suitor to announce, “it’s playoff time!”

That was indeed a postseason-intense tackle.

DARNELL SANKEY IS THE BEST SHORT YARDAGE DEFENDER IN THE CFL

Honestly, I’m shocked to be focusing again on this topic, but here we are.

Back in Week 14 in the BC Lions' 37-30 loss to the Montreal Alouettes, I noted that Lions linebacker Darnell Sankey stopped Montreal’s Terry Wilson three times in a row on a first-quarter goal-line stand. We had something similar happen in the Lions' 24-17 win at BMO Field against the Argos. Nick Arbuckle had gotten his team down to the Lions five-yard line trailing by one touchdown.

On first down, his completion to Samuel Hicks was a butterfly's eyelash away from a touchdown until Sankey came in and held up the Toronto running back until help arrived, ultimately twisting Hicks inches from a touchdown. I’ll be honest, I have no idea who made the tackle on the Arbuckle plunge up the middle on second down, but let the record show Toronto did not score and Sankey was credited with the tackle. One play later, the Boatmen turned the ball over on downs, BC got the win and their star linebacker played a key role again.

NO STAR SHINED BRIGHTER THAN TYSON PHILPOT

By now you know that if there was a receiving record to be broken, Tyson Philpot probably broke it on Saturday.

The Alouettes' fifth-year receiver has gone from winning the Most Valuable Canadian in the 110th Grey Cup to owning the record for receptions and yards in a single season for any Canadian.

Beyond the historic ramifications, what made his night so special was the quality of competition he was going up against. On his 52-yard catch on the Alouettes' first drive, he was matched up against 2025 All-CFLer Evan Holm. Go back and check out his record-setting catches for yards and receptions and you will see that Tyson isn’t alone because of broken coverage or miscommunication. He was guarded step for step by 2025 Most Outstanding Rookie Trey Vaval. These were not easy plays for Philpot. Both moments required elite levels of concentration.