THIS WEEK IN THE CFL - WEEK 6

Hamilton at Toronto will be on TSN, RDS2, ESPN+, BT Sport 3 and Yare
​Saskatchewan at Winnipeg will be on TSN, ESPN+ and Yare
​Calgary at Edmonton will be on TSN, RDS, ESPN+ and Yare
​Ottawa at BC will be on TSN, RDS, ESPN+ and Yare

TRENDS

• Through Week 4, an average of 38 points was scored per game with no team scoring more than 33 points in a contest. Last week, the four games averaged 53.5 points helped by three return touchdowns.
• Touchdown drive percentage was just 11 per cent (1-in-9 drives) through Week 4. Last week, teams scored on 19 per cent of their possessions (1-in-5 drives).
• Nineteen games into the 2021 campaign, no team giving up a sack has scored a touchdown on that possession. Teams are a combined 0-for-74 when allowing a sack.
• Big Plays: In the previous eight games, the team that has produced more explosive long gaining plays has won the game.
• Big Leads: Over the previous 14 games, 13 of the winning teams built a lead of 12-or-more points during the game.

LABOUR DAY REMATCH: TIGER-CATS VS. ARGONAUTS

• This year’s contest will mark the 10^th rematch between the two teams following a Labour Day game in Hamilton.
• When Toronto hosts the second game of the back-to-back set, the Argos are 6-2.
• The last time the two teams met following the Labour Day Classic was in 2018. The Ticats won 42-28 in Hamilton before the Argonauts claimed a 36-25 home victory in the rematch.
• Resuts in the two-game series:
  • Toronto sweeps: 3
  • Hamilton sweeps: 2
  • Splits: 4
• This game will be the 319^th match-up between Toronto and Hamilton franchises, dating back to 1907. Hamilton leads the series with a record of 172-137-9. The breakdown of the games:
  • 1907 – 1947: Hamilton Tigers and Toronto Argonauts – 73 games
  • 1948 – 1949: Wildcats and Argonauts – 8 games
  • 1950 – 2021: Tiger-Cats and Argonauts – 237 games

LABOUR DAY REMATCH: BANJO BOWL

• This will be the 17^th edition of the Banjo Bowl; Winnipeg leads the series with nine wins.
• Winnipeg won last season’s game 35-10 and has won five of the last six Banjo Bowls. The lone victory for Saskatchewan during that stretch came in 2018, with Zach Collaros helming the Roughriders.
• Last week, the Blue Bombers won the Labour Day Classic 23-8. Winnipeg has swept the Labour Day-Banjo Bowl matchups on two occasions:
  • 2004: 17-4 LDC; 27-24 BB
  • 2016: 28-25 LDC; 17-10 BB
• The teams have split the back-to-back series on seven occasions: 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019.
• The team that scores first in the Banjo Bowl is 11-5 (69%).
• This year’s game will end Matt Nichols’s four-year streak as Winnipeg’s starter in the match-up.

LABOUR DAY REMATCH: BATTLE OF ALBERTA

• With the exception of 1992 when the Labour Day Classic was played in Edmonton and the subsequent rematch took place in Calgary, the Elks have hosted the second contest every year since the back-to-back sets began in 1989.
• Calgary narrowly holds the edge in the Labour Day Rematch with a 16-15 record after winning last season’s contest 33-17.
• This will be the 32^nd time that Calgary and Edmonton have played a home-and-home series following the Labour Day Classic (1989-2019).
  • Calgary sweeps: 11
  • Edmonton sweeps: 5
  • Splits: 15

MAIER’S FIRST THREE STARTS

• Jake Maier has passed for 300+ yards (304, 307 and 328) in each of his first three starts, becoming the first quarterback to accomplish that feat according to records kept since 1950.
• Including Maier and Nathan Rourke this year, 329 quarterbacks debuted over that span. Only 35 players during that time threw for 300+ yards in their opening game and among those, only eight players (below) also eclipsed 300 yards in their second game.

QUICK SLANTS:

• Home vs. Away: This season, road clubs have won 10 times; the home team has claimed 9 victories.
• Heading into the Banjo Bowl, Winnipeg has allowed a total of three points in the fourth quarter all season long. Last week was another clean sheet in the final 15 minutes against Saskatchewan.
• Ottawa found their offence last week, notching season-highs with 396 yards and 315 passing yards.
• Coming off a bye week, B.C. will face Ottawa for the second time in three weeks. Last season, the Lions were 0-3 coming off a bye. This season, teams coming off a bye are 2-2.
• B.C. has won eight of their 13 meetings against the REDBLACKS.
• Dominique Davis has never started against B.C. in his career. He owns a 4-7 mark in career starts.
• Micheal Reilly is 8-3 in his career against Ottawa.
• Last week, Edmonton QB Trevor Harris passed for 398 yards and four touchdowns – both CFL season-highs. In the process, he earned his first career victory against the Calgary Stampeders (1-9-2).
• Winnipeg’s Jackson Jeffcoat has four forced fumbles this season – halfway to the record of eight held by Joe Montford (2000), John Grace (2002) and Sean Lemon (2014).
• Hamilton’s Jumal Rolle has seven knockdowns through four games and is on pace for 25 in the 14-game season. The record in a season is 18 held by Malcolm Frank (1994) and Adrion Smith (1996).
• As a team, Hamilton has 25 knockdowns, putting the Ticats on pace for 88; the team record of 89 is held by the 1991 B.C. Lions.