Week five of the Canadian Football League season was a bit of an odd one. A third of the league was on a bye, with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Toronto Argonauts, and Montreal Alouettes all sitting at home watching the games. What it did mean was the West Division’s thrashing of the East wouldn’t be as bad this week, but it also meant there were only three games. Regardless, there was one game this week that was billed as the one to see, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Here’s how our writers see things across the league after five weeks of action.

9. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-4)

This bye week came at the perfect time for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, that’s for sure. After starting 0-4 and looking pretty bad doing it, this offered them a chance to rest and get ready for their week six game against the Ottawa Redblacks, who are also winless, for the record. If there was ever a time for Dane Evans, Bralon Addison, Simoni Lawrence, and the other leaders on the team to step up and make something happen, it’s right now. The Redblacks likely won’t have Jeremiah Masoli in this meeting, and the Cats need to take advantage of that. A win over Ottawa would do a lot to rejuvenate the Cats, bringing them right back into the playoff picture in the East Division.

8. Ottawa Redblacks (0-4)

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Ottawa Redblacks. You want to talk about their loss in Saskatchewan where they weren’t very good. You want to talk about their coaching this season and what should be done there. You want to talk about the lack of offence. But you can’t. There’s only one thing that can be thought about after that game, and it’s hoping that Jeremiah Masoli’s injury isn’t as bad as it is feared to be. Now, the Redblacks are going to be forced to turn to Caleb Evans and Tyrie Adams, and possibly for a considerable amount of time. Many are fearing the worst, and it’s hard to see how the Redblacks’ woes disappear without their star quarterback. We’re sending love to Masoli, no one wants to see injuries like that, ever.

7. Edmonton Elks (1-4)

It’s a pretty similar situation for the Edmonton Elks as it is for the Redblacks right about now. Tre Ford was also injured in their blowout loss against the Calgary Stampeders, and that glimmer of hope Elks fans had has now been dashed. After Ford left, the Elks’ offence shut down, and they lost that spark that helped them beat the Tiger-Cats two weeks ago. Kai Locksley looked decent, and if he’s healthy, he could very possibly start in week six against the Montreal Alouettes. But for as long as Ford is out, the Elks are going to have to scramble to find that lightning in a bottle and propel themselves to a few more wins. Once again, we wish the best to Ford in his recovery.

6. Toronto Argonauts (1-2)

The Toronto Argonauts were also a team in need of a bye week in week five, strictly for needing to hit the reset button. When you take a glance at their schedule, however, you will notice how bad this actually was for them in retrospect. They have already served two of their three bye weeks of the season, meaning that in their 15 remaining games, they will have just one week of rest. They had two bye weeks in the opening five weeks of the season, one of those things the CFL schedulers do that make you shake your head. This is going to be a challenging race to the finish for the Argos, and it’s only going to get more complicated if McLeod Bethel-Thompson plays as he did in the first half of their week four game against Winnipeg.

5. Montreal Alouettes (1-3)

For a team that just fired their coach and defensive coordinator, they are pretty high up the power rankings. Not only do they have a new coach in town, but they also have a quarterback controversy where there has been no clear winner so far. Danny Maciocia’s decision between Vernon Adams Jr. and Trevor Harris could be the difference between winning and losing, and for the Alouettes who have shown the most promise out of any of the East Division teams, they have a real chance to win the division and host the East Final later this season. How quickly can Maciocia and Noel Thorpe figure this out? Time will tell, but the sooner the better, of course.

4. Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-1)

Before Roughriders fans crucify me for complaining about the worthless cheap shot from Garrett Marino, we’ll mention that Dino Boyd’s low hit on Pete Robertson was bad and should also be punished. But when stupid plays weren’t happening on the field, the Roughriders handed it to the Redblacks in convincing fashion all night long. The Riders dominated on offence, on defence, and their special teams played pretty well too. Cody Fajardo had himself a game, but perhaps most importantly for the Riders, the penalties were down. They took just four penalties for 35 yards, and if Marino wouldn’t have taken a penalty worth 25 yards, it would have been even less. If you’re a Riders fan, you have to be pretty happy with the performance in week five.

3. BC Lions (3-1)

The BC Lions suffered a little bit of a setback in week five when they hosted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. For one thing, the game was by far the most entertaining game of the week, even though the scoreboard wasn’t particularly close. The Lions and Bombers put their offences on display for the world, and man did they ever deliver. For the Lions, this was a little bit of a humbling experience. Marcus Sayles called the Bombers’ offence “vanilla,” and was promptly shown otherwise. Nathan Rourke didn’t have that perfect game he has previously had, but this is still a young Lions team. They will be back, and if they have good coaching, this game will be a great learning experience when these two teams met down the line, and potentially in the playoffs.

2. Calgary Stampeders (4-0)

The Calgary Stampeders have been pretty much ignored by many to start the season. The chatter was all about the Lions and Bombers, but quietly, the Stamps have worked their way to a 4-0 start. Bo Levi Mitchell looks like he’s back to being the same man who terrorized the CFL for years on end, becoming one of the most hated players in the league (because for some reason, fans hate greatness). There’s the feeling that the Stampeders are back, like when the villain of a superhero movie comes back. They are back stronger than ever, and their route over the Edmonton Elks in week five was just another step. Now, they enter a very tough stretch of their schedule, with their next two games coming against the Blue Bombers.

1. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-0)

That was quite the statement for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. When people thought their reign of terror was over and the BC Lions were about to take over, the Bombers said ‘nope, this is still our league.’ Zach Collaros was pitch-perfect, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns, throwing no interceptions. What that performance told us was that the Blue Bombers are still the king of the CFL hill, and if you thought they were vulnerable in the first four weeks of the season, it doesn’t seem like they are now. Perhaps they were angered by the Lions’ hype, but no matter what it took for them to get there, they figured it all out and showed the league who they really are.

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