• No stopping Zach Collaros: The veteran quarterback is taking his game to an even higher level than last year. And if he continues to play at this level, it’s going to be hard for any team to beat the Bombers.
• An opportunity for Matthew Shiltz: Shiltz has been in the league for six years but has never really been given a chance to start. However, he has looked fantastic every time he’s seen the field.
• Argonauts continue their title defense: The Argos kicked off their Grey Cup defense with a resounding win last week. New starting QB Chad Kelly was solid, earning a 75.4 overall grade that ranked third among starters.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
With the clock ticking down to another exciting weekend of Canadian football, here is PFF's CFL Week 3 preview, highlighting the must-watch matchups and players set to shine on the field.
BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS VS. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
This Thursday night game between the Lions and Bombers figures to be an exciting clash between two of the best teams in the league. The Bombers are averaging 43.5 points per game, while the Lions defense is allowing 7.5 points per game. Something has got to give.
Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros enters this one with a league-leading 91.2 PFF grade, but B.C.'s Vernon Adams Jr. isn't far behind him at 80.0. Still, the Lions defense will need to rely on secondary players like Garry Peters (75.4) and Marcus Sayles (74.7) to slow down this vaunted Bombers passing game. If they can do that, they stand a good chance. If not, Collaros and the Bombers could have a field day.
This promises to be an exciting matchup, no matter the outcome.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: WR DOMINIQUE RHYMES, BRITISH COLUMBIA VS. HB EVAN HOLM, WINNIPEG
After a solid rookie season as a backup, Holm earned the starting halfback role coming into this year. He’s played well so far, allowing seven catches for 63 yards and a touchdown while breaking up three passes. However, he has yet to line up across from someone like Rhymes.
The B.C. receiver is one of the most explosive players in the league. He's already come down with two of his three contested targets, and just 21 of his 172 receiving yards have come after the catch. Entering Week 3, he has 150 receiving yards from passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield, the second-best mark in the league.
This matchup could make or break the game.
PLAYER TO WATCH: QB ZACH COLLAROS, WINNIPEG
The Lions defense has been fantastic this season, allowing just 268 passing yards and one touchdown. Collaros has 647 yards and five touchdowns already. He has recorded three big-time throws to just one turnover-worthy play, and his 12.9-yard average depth of target leads the CFL. He's graded negatively on just five of his 120 snaps so far.
Collaros is taking his game to an even higher level than last year. And if he continues to play at this level, it’s going to be hard for any team to beat the Bombers.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES VS. HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
The Alouettes come off their bye and get to face off against what has been an underwhelming Hamilton squad so far. The TiCats have been blown out in both games to start the season, and now their starting quarterback is out.
The Alouettes’ defense looked excellent in Week 1, completely stymying the Ottawa Redblacks en route to a win. Their secondary was fantastic: Ciante Evans, Najee Murray and Marc Antoine-Dequoy each graded above 70.0 and earned a spot on PFF’s Week 1 Team of the Week.
Offensively, Montreal will look to make strides against a Hamilton defense that has allowed a league-worst 7.8 yards per play this season.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: RB JAMES BUTLER, HAMILTON VS. LB AVERY WILLIAMS, MONTREAL
Butler has been a bell cow for the Tiger-Cats, taking all 28 carries over the first two games. He’s looked impressive thus far, earning a 71.9 grade that ranks third at his position to go with a league-leading nine missed tackles forced.
Hamilton will lean on him even more with starting QB Bo Levi Mitchell out, and Williams will look to stop him in his tracks. The top-graded run defender in Week 1 recorded six tackles and four defensive stops. It’ll be a long night for the Tiger-Cats offense if he can stop Butler from getting going.
PLAYER TO WATCH: QB MATTHEW SHILTZ, HAMILTON
Shiltz has been in the league for six years now but has never really been given a chance to start. However, he has looked fantastic every time he’s seen the field.
Last week was a perfect example, as he came in late in the game and recorded a 90.1 passing grade. Last year, he split starting snaps and ended up as the third-highest-graded quarterback in the CFL, so he’s not just collecting numbers against garbage-time defenses.
If Shiltz can play well, perhaps he’ll earn a full-time starting job.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS VS. CALGARY STAMPEDERS
After a tough start to the season, Stamps QB Jake Maier took a big step forward in Week 2: He pushed the ball downfield a bit more and looked like a quarterback capable of leading this team.
Riders quarterback Trevor Harris proved that he can still sling it last week, throwing for over 400 yards and three touchdowns. Both teams are very well-rounded in all phases of the game. The difference here might be the Calgary pass defense, which is the highest-graded unit in the league entering Week 3.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: LT D’ANTNE DEMERY, CALGARY VS. EDGE ANTHONY LANIER II, SASKATCHEWAN
Lanier has been the best pass-rusher in the CFL through two games. His 14 total pressures lead the league, as does his 31.9% pass-rush win rate.
It’ll be a tall task for Demery to stop him, but he's coming off a game in which he didn't allow a single pressure. In fact, he’s allowed just one quarterback hurry all season.
Demery is one of the best left tackles in the CFL and could be just the man to slow Lanier down in Week 3.
PLAYER TO WATCH: HB KOBE WILLIAMS, CALGARY
It’s been a hot start to the season for the Stampeders’ defensive back, as he is currently the fourth-highest-graded defensive player in the CFL. He’s allowed seven completions from 12 targets in coverage, giving up just 59 yards and three first downs. He’s broken up three passes and has allowed just 0.88 yards per coverage snap.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS VS. EDMONTON ELKS
The Argos kicked off their Grey Cup defense with a resounding win last week. New starting QB Chad Kelly was solid, earning a 75.4 overall grade that ranked third among starters, and he looks like he’ll have no problems as a CFL quarterback.
Meanwhile, the Elks were shut out, and much of that falls on the poor play of QB Taylor Cornelius, whose 40.5 passing grade ranks dead last at the position entering Week 3. His 56.0% adjusted completion percentage is also the lowest mark in the league. If the Elks are to have any chance in this game, they need Cornelius to step up.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: WR DAMONTE COXIE, TORONTO VS. CB KAI GRAY, EDMONTON
One of the few bright spots for Edmonton this season has been the play of Ed Gainey at cornerback, but he’s now out injured. So, it looks like it’s up to rookie Gray, who’s been starting at outside corner opposite Gainey.
Gray has played well enough this year, allowing five catches for 52 yards and a touchdown while also recording an interception. However, he’ll need a big game to stop Coxie, who was last week’s highest-graded wideout.
Coxie is an all-around receiver who can make plays in tight coverage — he went 2-for-2 on contested targets last week — and make defenders miss after the catch.
PLAYER TO WATCH: RB A.J. OUELLETTE, TORONTO
It was a great start to the season for Ouellette, who took the majority of carries in last week’s game for the Argos. He finished as the highest-graded running back in the league at 73.8, with 52 of his 60 yards coming after contact. He forced three missed tackles and picked up three first downs, adding a 25-yard reception.
Ouellette could make the game easy for his quarterback and the Argos if he can keep putting his team in favorable second-down positions and continue to pick up first downs.
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