MMQB: 5 numbers that matter down The Final Stretch

If you were looking for more clarity with the CFL playoff picture coming out of Week 18, you had no such luck.

Fortunately, in this case, clarity is boring.

A Calgary surge mixed with recent stumbles from both Winnipeg and Saskatchewan has the West Division in a state of flux with three weeks to go.

Here’s what we DO know: Edmonton has clinched a playoff spot in the West. Montreal has clinched the East Division regular season crown, while Toronto has locked down the second seed. Finally, there will be a crossover for a second straight year, as one West team will visit the Argos in the Eastern Semi-Final.

The rest is up for grabs.

Knowing that, here are five numbers that matter as we enter the final three weeks of The Final Stretch.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

6️⃣2️⃣ YARDS AND 3️⃣ STRAIGHT WINS

When the Stamps walked off Ottawa with a 62-yard Rene Paredes field goal a few weeks ago, it felt like a faint heartbeat returned to a team’s playoff hopes. Fast forward to now and that heart is beating out of Calgary’s chest. In fact, the Stampeders come out of Week 18 in a playoff spot and suddenly in control of their own destiny.

That unequivocally would not be the case had Paredes not hammered that game winner.

Calgary has rattled off two more wins since, including Friday’s impressive 37-31 win over the Riders, which makes it a three-game win streak. As a result, the Stamps would be hopping on a plane to Toronto if the playoffs were to start today. And with head-to-head games with Winnipeg and BC to wrap up their season, Calgary now has eyes on a home playoff date.

It’s important to note: the Stampeders now own the tiebreaker on Saskatchewan and the same would be true with a win over Winnipeg this weekend.

BC LIONS

8️⃣ FIELD GOALS AND WINS

Sean Whyte is going to go down as one of the best and most accurate kickers in CFL history. And Whyte put himself in the record books again by booting eight field goals in BC’s 24-17 win over the Argos on Saturday. By doing so, Whyte set a franchise record for field goals in regulation one week after Edmonton’s Vincent Blanchard set the overall record with nine (two came in overtime).

That’s also eight wins for the Lions in their last nine games in a run that has completely erased a frustrating 1-5 start. As we wrote about late last week, BC is giving heavy 2011 vibes right now. That year saw the Lions win 10 of their last 11 games to nullify a 1-6 start and capture the 99th Grey Cup, which just happens to be the organization’s last title.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

1️⃣ GAME

While a loss to Calgary won’t completely seal their fate in Week 19, it would put the Bombers in a very difficult spot. That’s why Winnipeg has to be looking at Saturday’s home game with the Stamps as a one-game showdown with their season on the line.

Let’s break it down. A Blue Bombers win would get them to 8-8 and would displace Calgary in the crossover spot, with the latter dropping to 8-9. With Saturday being the rubber match of a three-game season series, a win would also give Winnipeg the tiebreak and serve as another leg up in this ultra-tight playoff conversation.

On the other hand, a loss would have the Bombers grasping at straws. They’d be 7-9 and looking at the slimmest of odds, needing to win their final two games and hoping for one of Sask or BC to lose their remaining games.

Suffice to say, winning Saturday will swing Winnipeg’s playoff pendulum dramatically one way or another. Yes, the status of quarterback Zach Collaros remains unclear, but it’s one game with the season on the line. I’m excited to see what type of effort we see.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

3️⃣0️⃣2️⃣ YARDS

With his spectacular performance in Montreal’s 37-10 win over the Bombers on Saturday, receiver Tyson Philpot has already made history. By making 11 catches for 207 yards, Philpot has now set a new single-season record for Canadian receivers in both categories: 119 receptions and 1,735 yards and counting.

The prior marks were held by Ottawa’s Brad Sinopoli (116 receptions in 2018) and Calgary’s Terry Evanshen (1,662 yards in 1967).

Next up is the overall CFL record. Philpot needs 302 more yards to pass Allen Pitts’s all-time single-season record of 2,036, which he set with the Stampeders in 1994. For whatever it's worth, Philpot’s current pace has him setting the record at 2,082 yards.

Knowing he needs slightly more than 100 yards per game in Montreal’s final three contests, which is less than his current average of 115.7 per game, this record chase isn’t a pipe dream. Philpot has a legit chance of making more CFL history before the regular season is done.