3DownNation CFL power rankings: B.C. Lions turned upside down

Photo: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography / 3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Week 3 of the CFL season is officially in the books, and some preseason projections are already starting to look suspect.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders don’t seem diminished by their offseason losses, the Edmonton Elks don’t look like just another Green and Gold loser, and the Ottawa Redblacks appear much the same despite all their high-priced additions. Most importantly, everybody’s darling, the B.C. Lions, have come out of the gates like a lead balloon. It’s enough to make the power rankings go topsy-turvy.

3DownNation’s power rankings are created by having our contributors rank each team from No. 1 to No. 9 independently, then averaging out the scores. Each team’s most recent ranking is listed in brackets.

Enjoy the rankings and feel free to roast us on social media for anything you think we got wrong.

Photo: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography / 3DownNation. All rights reserved.

1) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4)

Anyone who pressed the panic button after Hamilton’s season-opening defeat has been proven premature, as the Ticats are now firing on all cylinders. For the second week in a row, Bo Levi Mitchell conducted a masterclass in CFL quarterbacking, tying a career-high with five touchdown passes while throwing just three incompletions. High-priced receiver Kenny Lawler also had a breakout game, leading the team with 81 yards and hauling in a gorgeous major. Add in the emergence of the “Autobahn Assassin” Max Mang in the red zone, and the Tabbies are awfully scary for opposing defences.

Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders

2) Saskatchewan Roughriders (1)

The pitchforks and torches are certain to emerge for us after dropping the defending Grey Cup champions one spot despite them remaining undefeated, but the Riders do have a tricky habit of letting inferior opponents back into games. It took double overtime to knock off the Stampeders in the aftermath of a 14-point fourth-quarter collapse, though that didn’t stop Saskatchewan from rubbing the result in Calgary’s face after some of Jalen Philpot’s offseason comments. In fairness, Kian Schaffer-Baker earned the right to say whatever he wants after posting 130 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and setting up the game-winning score with a gutsy catch over the middle.

Photo courtesy: Montreal Alouettes

3) Montreal Alouettes (2)

Davis Alexander has finally lost a CFL regular-season game, though he technically remains undefeated in regulation. It took overtime to knock the Alouettes off their pedestal as the only perfect team in the East, but the “L” counts just the same. Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead continued their strong play of late, Travis Theis had his best game on the ground, and safety Nate Beauchemin fully emerged in the secondary, but none of it could stop a lead from leaking away on the road.

Photo courtesy: CFL.ca

4) Edmonton Elks (7)

Chris Morris may have rehashed some old controversies in the press this week, but it is time to put some respect on the Edmonton Elks’ current name. Receiver Austin Mack backed up some smack talk against his former team with a spectacular touchdown grab, Justin Rankin amassed 230 yards from scrimmage and added two long majors to fuel a thrilling comeback, and Cody Fajardo channelled some “f*** you, just watch” energy into a winning run in overtime. Fans may not be flooding back to Commonwealth Stadium quite yet, but the ones that braved the rain on Saturday got their money’s worth and then some.

Photo: Gord Weber/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

5) Toronto Argonauts (8)

Saturday was a momentous day for Toronto head coach Mike Miller, as he defeated his friend and predecessor Ryan Dinwiddie to record his first career victory. Much of that was thanks to the early play of quarterback Chad Kelly, who recorded over 400 yards passing for the second straight game and built a sizeable lead with four touchdowns through the air. Unfortunately, he also tossed four interceptions, three of which put the result in jeopardy late. The fourth quarter also provided a scare when Canadian receiver Kevin Mital left the game late, but it was merely a cramp after slashing Ottawa for 178 yards.

Photo: Samantha Keen/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

6) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5)

The Bombers took a long hiatus after their loss to Hamilton in Week 2, using the time to sort through some defensive issues. The team brought in a couple of reinforcements on that side of the ball during the bye, and they may now need to figure out alternatives at receiver as well, with both Nic Demski and Ontaria Wilson missing practice on Sunday. It wasn’t all bad news this week, though, as Winnipeg announced plans to honour legendary coach and executive Cal Murphy.

Photo courtesy: David Moll/Calgary Stampeders

7) Calgary Stampeders (6)

The Stampeders’ offence had little going for it in the first half against Saskatchewan, though Clarence Hicks kept things competitive with a strip sack and Tyreik McAllister took a missed field goal return back to the house — much to Commissioner Stewart Johnston’s chagrin. Things changed in the fourth quarter, as Dedrick Mills gained steam on the ground and Vernon Adams Jr. connected with Tevin Jones to complete a 14-point comeback. That momentum didn’t carry into overtime, though, which makes Calgary just another two-loss team.

Photo courtesy: Logan Taylor/B.C. Lions

8) B.C. Lions (3)

The preseason Grey Cup favourites are reeling after a 0-2 start, with the latest defeat coming courtesy of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in an absolute thrashing. After insisting their defence could only get better after its disappointing opener, the unit somehow regressed further and provided little resistance through the air. B.C.’s high-powered offence wasn’t able to pick up the slack after four starting receivers were ruled out with injuries, three of those likely for six games. The emergence of fifth-round rookie Nick Cenacle was a small silver lining, but the only thing the Lions truly had to celebrate this week was Sean Millington’s Hall of Fame selection.

Photo: Gord Weber/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

9) Ottawa Redblacks (9)

A 0-2 start is merely a drop in the bucket compared to the myriad of miseries that the Redblacks have endured in recent years, but it’s tough to see a light at the end of this tunnel. While quarterbacks across the CFL have dazzled this year, Jake Maier has been the lone outlier, and he failed to capitalize on the bushel of comeback opportunities that the defence provided against Toronto. Ayden Eberhardt had a strong day in the receiving corps, and veteran Scott Hutter is a feel-good story on defence after recording his first two career interceptions, but both accomplishments seem unimportant when you consider that just 13,943 fans came to watch them — a new franchise low.