• The Roughriders shine: Saskatchewan moved up two slots, thanks in part to an unreal performance by right tackle Trevon Tate.
• Ottawa slides: The Redblacks’ pass protection has waned without their two usual starting tackles.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Week 16 of the 2024 CFL season is in the books.
These post-Week 16 lineups include players who played the most at each position, and highlighted in red are those with a season-long PFF grade below 60.0.
1. Toronto Argonauts (No Change)
LT Isiah Cage
LG Ryan Hunter
C Peter Nicastro
RG Anthony Vandal
RT Dejon Allen
• One week after I claimed the Argonauts would be nearly impossible to drop out of the top spot, they played one of their worst games of the season. But their worst is what the lower-ranked teams strive for, as they still earned a unit PFF pass-blocking grade above 60.0 (63.2). Their 58.7 PFF overall grade was their second-lowest unit mark this season, dragged down by a 57.3 unit run-blocking grade.
• Star left tackle Isiah Cage started after an injury scare last week but once again was unable to finish due to an apparent injury. Toronto’s pass-blocking grade was 67.2 with him on the field and 57.9 without him.
2. Montreal Alouettes (No Change)
LT Nick Callender
LG Pier-Olivier Lestage
C Justin Lawrence
RG Jesse Gibbon
RT Josh Donovan
• It was another solid week for the Alouettes' offensive line, and they are the first team to clinch a playoff berth. Montreal earned a 64.9 PFF overall grade, a 62.1 run-blocking grade and a 66.0 pass-blocking grade.
• Star left tackle Nick Callender was this week's top pass-protecting tackle, notching an 83.0 pass-blocking grade with only one pressure allowed across 32 snaps.
3. Edmonton Elks (No Change)
LT Martez Ivey
LG David Focault
C Mark Korte
RG Shane Richards
RT Brett Boyko
• Edmonton had an excellent week along the offensive line to hold on to its top-three spot. With a stellar 76.8 unit run-blocking grade, the Elks strengthen their claim as the top run-blocking group in the CFL. While their 63.4 unit pass-blocking grade leaves something to be desired, it does help in their quest to bring their season-long grade back above 60.0.
• Left guard David Foucault was the top-graded guard overall (75.1) and the top overall pass protector, with an 87.5 pass-blocking grade and zero pressures allowed across 30 snaps.
4. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (No Change)
LT Brendan Bordner
LG Brandon Revenberg
C David Beard
RG Coulter Woodmansey
RT Jordan Murray
• Hamilton could not carry over some of the stellar play from Week 15 against Ottawa and had a bit of a regression in Week 16 against Toronto. However, the Tiger-Cats still pulled out the much-needed win despite their unit's 56.1 pass-blocking grade.
• Like Edmonton, Hamilton's offensive line strength is in run blocking. The Tiger-Cats earned a 67.8 unit grade this week and rank as the second-highest-graded group of the year (73.6).
• Star left tackle Brendan Bordner strengthened his CFL Rookie of the Year case this week against the Argonauts by earning an 80.3 run-blocking grade, pushing his season-long run-blocking grade to a 74.6, a top-five mark in the CFL, and his overall grade to a 72.3, a top-six mark.
5. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Up 1)
LT Stanley Bryant
LG Liam Dobson
C Chris Kolankowski
RG Patrick Neufeld
RT Eric Lofton
• With Stanley Bryant back at left tackle, the Blue Bombers are poised for a stellar final stretch. The Bombers' depth along the offensive line is a significant asset; they have seven offensive linemen with at least 290 snaps on the season and 60.0-plus PFF overall grades. They also are the CFL team that is most willing to lean into its strength, having the most snaps with six or seven offensive linemen on the field at once.
• This past week, Winnipeg was the top pass-protecting offensive line in the league. The Blue Bombers earned a 78.0 unit pass-blocking grade with only four pressures allowed, good for a 12.9% pressure rate. Lofton (79.6), Kolankowski (77.7) and Dobson (73.0) were the stars in pass protection last week, finishing with grades above 73.0.
6. Saskatchewan Roughriders (Up 2)
LT Trevor Reid
LG Noah Zerr
C Logan Ferland
RG Nick Jones
RT Trevon Tate
• What a week for the Roughriders’ offensive line. One week after Hamilton became the only offensive line with an 80.0-plus overall grade, the Roughriders came out and upped it. Saskatchewan earned an 85.8 PFF overall grade, an 84.2 run-blocking grade and a 74.6 pass-blocking grade.
• Trevon Tate earned an elite 91.7 overall grade and a sensational 92.1 run-blocking grade in Week 16. That overall grade is the top mark for an offensive lineman with 15-plus snaps in a game in the PFF CFL era.
• Not to be forgotten, Logan Ferland (77.7) and Trevor Reid (77.7) rounded out the top three offensive linemen in the CFL this week with 77.0-plus overall grades. Nick Jones has also finished with back-to-back 70.0-plus overall game grades.
7. Calgary Stampeders (No Change)
LT D’Antne Demery
LG Zack Williams
C Sean McEwen
RG Christy Nkanu
RT Joshua Coker
• Calgary had its best run-blocking performance of the season this past week. The unit earned a 69.1 run-blocking grade and its second-highest single-game overall grade (67.1).
• Sean McEwen starred for the Stampeders this past week and was the highest-graded center in the CFL, earning a 77.4 overall grade. He was also the second-highest-graded run-blocker (80.9).
8. Ottawa Redblacks (Down 3)
LT Drake Centers
LG Drew Desjarlais
C Eric Starczala
RG Dariusz Bladek
RT Jacob Ruby
• While a three-spot rankings drop in a single week is not positive, it is not entirely due to poor play from the Redblacks. As noted above, all three teams that jumped them had terrific weeks. Ottawa, however, has hit a bit of a skid at a very important time of the season.
• Ottawa's pass protection has lacked during this 1-3 stretch. Since Week 13, the offensive line has earned a 55.2 pass-blocking grade with a 22.5% pressure rate allowed.
• The Redblacks’ depth is being tested, as both normal starting tackles did not play this week, with Dino Boyd and Zack Pelohos on the six-game injury list. Ottawa will need two of Drake Centers, Jacob Ruby and Dontae Bull (Bull played 23 snaps at left tackle this week) to step up in their absence.
9. British Columbia Lions (No Change)
LT Chris Schleuger
LG Kory Woodruff
C Michael Couture
RG Sukh Chungh
RT Kent Perkins
• The Lions remain at No. 9 after being on a bye in Week 16.
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