WEEK 16 IN THE CFL

Stats and storylines heading into this week’s action

CAPTAIN CANADA

Nathan Rourke (3,604) needs 38 passing yards to overtake Russ Jackson for the single-season record for a Canadian. Jackson set the mark in 1969.
Rourke also owns the Canadian record for 300+ passing yards games (17), career completion percentage (70.8 per cent) and passing yards in a game (488).
Canadian records in sight:
(Stat | Record | Rourke this season)
- Completions in a season | 255 (Nathan Rourke, 2022) | 246
- Pass attempts in a season | 387 (Gerry Dattilio, 1982) | 360
- TD passes in a season | 33 (Russ Jackson, 1969) | 20
Rourke (9,488) is 91 yards shy of matching Doug Flutie for eighth on BC’s all-time passing list.

QUICK SLANTS

LEAGUE-WIDE

Last week, only one game featured a league change – Toronto’s walk-off victory vs. Edmonton.
Five victories this season have featured teams overcoming 14+ point deficits, including Toronto last week.
There have been six walk-off wins this season: two each from Sean Whyte and Lirim Hajrullahu, and one each from René Paredes and Sergio Castillo.
Sixteen games have been decided by four points or less, with twelve being won by fourth-quarter comebacks.

MTL (6-7) at TOR (5-8)

Week 1: TOR 10 – MTL 28
Week 7: TOR 25 – MTL 26
Montreal has not swept a three-game season series against Toronto since 2011.
Tyson Philpot’s 238 receiving yards last week was the seventh most by a Canadian in league history. Bob Simpson owns the record of 258 set in 1956.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson is a career 0-1 against Toronto. He recorded his 100^th career passing TD last week.
Last week, Stevie Scott III notched 125 rushing yards, becoming the first Alouette to reach the 100-yard mark since 2023.
Tyrice Beverette recorded a season-high ten defensive tackles last week.
In their head-to-head matchups, Ryan Dinwiddie is 4-3 against Jason Maas.
Toronto has won its past three games.
Toronto won last week despite committing six turnovers, becoming the first team to win with a -5 differential since 2017. Before Toronto, teams with four or more turnovers in a game had lost 24 straight.
Jarrett Doege (0-1) last made a start on June 30, 2023. He will be the 20^th different starter this season.
Jake Herslow has at least one touchdown in each of his past five games, including two in each of his past three, as well at totals of 24 receptions and 419 yards.

BC (6-7) at CGY (8-4)

The Lions lead the league in net offence per game (422 yards). Their 7.63 yards per play is the second-highest mark in league history.
BC has scored 30+ points in each of its past six games – the longest streak since 1991.
Nathan Rourke is a career 2-0 against Calgary.
James Butler needs 11 rushing yards for his third career 1,000-yard season.
Mathieu Betts’s four sacks last week was the most since Khreem Smith’s quad in 2014. Betts is the first Canadian to collect four or more since Brent Johnson in 2005.
Calgary is 6-1 versus West opponents.
The Stampeders are coming off their final bye; they are 2-0 on a week’s rest.
Calgary has allowed the fewest points at 20.4 points per game.
The Stampeders have allowed 18 TD drives this season – one in every 9.2 possessions.
Vernon Adams Jr. will play against his former team for the first time since being traded to Calgary. He was 21-10 as a Lion with 53 touchdown passes. He is a career 1-1 against BC.
Erik Brooks had his first 100+ yard game last week – a six-catch, 115-receiving yard effort.

WPG (6-7) at OTT (4-9)

Week 11: OTT 27 – WPG 30
The teams have split their last four meetings.
Winnipeg leads the league with 117.6 rushing yards per game; Ottawa is tied for the league lead, allowing 4.6 yards per rush.
Ottawa has made a league-low 14 sacks. Winnipeg sits eighth with 16.
In Week 11, Nic Demski had six catches for 128 yards. His 5,441 receiving yards as a bomber is approaching Clarence Denmark (5,478) for eighth and Ernie Pitts (5,525) for seventh. At 417 receptions, his next will move him into the team’s Top-5 list.
Tony Jones is second in the league with 82 defensive tackles
Since returning to the CFL, Ontaria Wilson has 10 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown in two games.
Ottawa has played in the most games decided in the final three minutes (eight).
Dustin Crum has led the team in rushing over the last three games (186 yards on 27 carries). He also passed for 300+ yards in each of his past two games. He is a career 1-0 against Winnipeg, while Dru Brown is 1-2 against his former team.
Justin Hardy’s nine-catch, 100-yard game last week was the third time this season that he has reached the century mark.
Bralon Addison had a season-high 11 receptions for 132 yards last week.

EDM (5-8) at HAM (8-5)

Week 9: HAM 28 – EDM 24
Edmonton has five receivers with 30+ catches and four with 500+ yards.
The Elks has allowed the fewest yards per carry (4.6).
Edmonton has the highest pass completion rate (74 per cent) and the fewest turnovers made (17).
Cody Fajardo is a career 6-2 against Hamilton. He has not thrown an interception in his last 96 pass attempts.
Hamilton’s offensive line has allowed two sacks in its past three games.
Bo Levi Mitchell is a career 17-4 against Edmonton with seven 300+ passing yard games and 39 TD passes.
In his past two games, Greg Bell has 293 rushing yards on 42 carries – nine of which have been for 10+ yards.
Kyler Fisher has 38 defensive tackles in his last four games, including 11 last week.
Jamal Peters has an interception in each of his last two games. His next defensive tackle will be the 200^th of his career.
Julian Howsare has four sacks in his last five games.

Associate Vice-President, Communications & Public Affairs, Canadian Football League

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