• QB Chad Kelly may be getting back to form for Toronto: Kelly didn’t record a single turnover-worthy play and finished with an impressive 80.8% adjusted completion rate.
• A dominant performance from the Hamilton offensive line: The TiCats unit helped lead a rushing attack that gained a league-best 134 yards on 25 carries. Better yet, the group didn’t allow a single sack or hit on 30 passing plays.
• Don’t run at Montreal DI Mustafa Johnson: Across 26 run-defense plays, Johnson didn’t have a single negatively graded play and led the league with an 81.9 run-defense grade.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
There were only three games last weekend as the CFL enters the homestretch of the season. There were plenty of dominant performances across the board, though, and we’re going to highlight them in this week’s Team of the Week.
The most impressive win came from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who pulled off a dominant upset over the Ottawa Redblacks. As a result, Hamilton leads the way with nine players selected and claimed four of the six player awards. The Toronto Argonauts followed with six players named, while RT Joshua Coker was the lone representative for the Calgary Stampeders.
OFFENSE
QB: Chad Kelly, Toronto
RB: Greg Bell, Hamilton
Outside WR: Steven Dunbar Jr., Hamilton
Slot WR: Makai Polk, Toronto
Slot WR: Justin Hardy, Ottawa
Slot WR: Kaion Julien-Grant, Montreal
Outside WR: Dominique Rhymes, Ottawa
LT: Brendan Bordner, Hamilton
LG: Brandon Revenberg, Hamilton
C: David Beard, Hamilton
RG: Dariusz Bladek, Ottawa
RT: Joshua Coker, Calgary
DEFENSE
DI: Ralph Holley, Toronto
DI: Mustafa Johnson, Montreal
Edge: Brandon Barlow, Hamilton
Edge: Robbie Smith, Toronto
LB: Nick Usher, Hamilton
LB: Boseko Lokombo, B.C.
Cover LB: Jonathan Moxey, Hamilton
CB: Alijah McGhee, Ottawa
CB: Kabion Ento, Montreal
HB: Dionte Ruffin, Montreal
HB: Richard Leonard, Hamilton
S: Royce Metchie, Toronto
SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Jose Maltos, Montreal
P: Stefan Flintoft, B.C.
Returner: Janarion Grant, Toronto
QUARTERBACK OF THE WEEK: CHAD KELLY, TORONTO
The quarterback showcased a strong blend of passing and rushing, earning a league-leading 90.2 overall grade this week. He didn’t commit a single turnover-worthy play and posted an impressive 80.8% adjusted completion rate. On the ground, Kelly picked up 57 yards and nine first downs on 10 carries, including two explosive runs. If Kelly is rounding back into form, Toronto could be a team to watch down the stretch.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WR STEVEN DUNBAR JR., HAMILTON
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats dominate this week's list thanks to their standout performance. Dunbar caught all eight of his targets for an impressive 151 yards, with a league-high 77 yards coming after the catch. He forced three missed tackles and turned five of those catches into explosive plays. His 84.9 receiving grade was by far his best of the season, surpassing his previous high of 65.8 in Week 7.
OFFENSIVE LINE OF THE WEEK: HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ second straight win can be largely attributed to the dominance of their offensive line. The unit paved the way for a league-leading 134 rushing yards on 25 carries while not allowing a single sack or hit on 30 passing plays.
The trio of Brandon Revenberg, David Beard, and Jordan Murray was especially impressive. They did not surrender a single pressure between them. Revenberg, in particular, lost just three blocking matchups over 57 snaps, highlighting their overall control of the line.
PASS RUSHER OF THE WEEK: ED BRANDON BARLOW, HAMILTON
The third Tiger-Cat to make this week's list is one of their underrated defensive linemen, Brandon Barlow. While Casey Sayles and Dewayne Hendrix often steal the spotlight, Barlow is quietly having an outstanding season. He ranks in the top 10 for total pressures, and last week yielded his best performance yet.
Barlow recorded a sack, a hit, four hurries and two additional pass-rush wins. His 20.0% pass-rush win rate and 76.8 pass-rush grade were second only to Sayles, who had just 16 pass-rush snaps compared to Barlow’s 35.
RUN DEFENDER OF THE WEEK: DI MUSTAFA JOHNSON, MONTREAL
While Calgary found success running the ball against Montreal, it wasn’t due to a lack of effort from Mustafa Johnson. The interior defender made four tackles, including three solo stops, and was rock solid on his 26 run-defense snaps without a single negatively graded play. Johnson led the league with a run-defense grade of 81.9 for the week and continues to impress, holding the second-highest run-defense grade among all interior defenders this season at 80.1.
COVERAGE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: HB JONATHAN MOXEY, HAMILTON
The former Calgary Stampeder was brought into Hamilton early in the season and has struggled at times. But that was not the case this week when he dropped back in coverage and didn’t allow a single reception. He was targeted twice, breaking one of them up in the end zone and intercepting the other late in the fourth quarter, essentially sealing the win.
That was Moxey’s first interception of the season and, hopefully, a sign of things to come for the SAM linebacker down the stretch for Hamilton.
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