TORONTO — Week 2 featured several statement performances across the CFL, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders opening their season with a thrilling win over the BC Lions while the Montreal Alouettes improved to 2-0 behind another stellar outing from Davis Alexander.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats rebounded with an impressive victory over Winnipeg, and Chad Kelly‘s return gave the Toronto Argonauts plenty of reasons for optimism despite a hard-fought loss to Montreal.
With another weekend of intriguing matchups on deck, here’s how all nine teams stack up in this week’s AMSOIL Power Rankings.
1. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Last week: 1
Last game: 31-27 win over BC
Next game: at Calgary, June 20
Worth noting: The Roughriders remain the team to beat after winning a heavyweight clash in Week 2. Trevor Harris looked every bit the veteran leader, throwing for 417 yards and three touchdowns, while Samuel Emilus hauled in all three scores in a statement performance against BC.
Saskatchewan continues to find ways to win close games and once again showed why it captured the 112th Grey Cup just months ago. A divisional showdown with Calgary now awaits as the Riders look to remain unbeaten.
2. Montreal Alouettes
Last week: 3
Last game: 37-30 win over Toronto
Next game: at Edmonton, June 20
Worth noting: It’s difficult to separate Montreal from Saskatchewan after another impressive offensive display. Davis Alexander extended his perfect regular season record to 13-0 while Tyson Philpot exploded for 193 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Toronto.
The Alouettes continue to look like one of the CFL’s most complete teams and remain neck-and-neck with the Riders atop the league. They’ll have another chance to prove it this week when they travel to Edmonton.
3. BC Lions
Last week: 2
Last game: 31-27 loss to Saskatchewan
Next game: at Hamilton, June 19
Worth noting: The Lions may have opened the season with a loss, but they showed they belong among the league’s contenders. BC held a late lead against Saskatchewan before the defending champions engineered a game-winning drive.
Nathan Rourke remains one of the CFL’s most dangerous quarterbacks, and there’s little reason to panic after a narrow defeat. A massive Week 3 meeting with Hamilton should tell us even more about where the Lions stand.
4. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Last week: 4
Last game: 37-27 win over Winnipeg
Next game: vs. BC, June 19
Worth noting: Hamilton bounced back in impressive fashion after its opening-week loss to Montreal, dominating Winnipeg behind another efficient performance from Bo Levi Mitchell. The veteran quarterback completed all but five of his passes while throwing three touchdowns and earning a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
The Tiger-Cats looked much closer to the team many expected entering the season and now face a huge measuring-stick game against BC. Another performance like last week’s could send Hamilton climbing even higher.
5. Edmonton Elks
Last week 5
Last game: 29-21 win over Ottawa
Next game: vs. Montreal, June 20
Worth noting: The Elks enjoyed a bye in Week 2 after opening the season with an encouraging victory. They’ll now try to build on that momentum against one of the hottest teams in the CFL.
Adding another layer of intrigue, Cody Fajardo and Austin Mack will face their former club when Montreal visits Commonwealth Stadium. Edmonton has a chance to make an early statement against one of the league’s favourites.
6. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Last week: 6
Last game: 37-27 loss to Hamilton
Next game: vs. Edmonton, June 25
Worth noting: The Blue Bombers couldn’t establish their usual ground game against Hamilton, but Zach Collaros still eclipsed 400 passing yards in defeat. Winnipeg’s offence remains capable of putting up points even when the running attack stalls.
The Bombers now head into their bye week before returning in Week 4 for what should be an entertaining matchup against Edmonton.
7. Calgary Stampeders
Last week: 7
Last game: 30-28 loss to Winnipeg
Next game: vs. Saskatchewan, June 20
Worth noting: After sitting out Week 2, the Stampeders will be eager to respond following their narrow opening-week defeat. The margin for error in the West Division is slim, making an 0-2 start something Calgary will try to avoid.
The challenge doesn’t get any easier, however, with a matchup against the defending champion Roughriders next on the schedule. A strong showing could quickly change their spot in these rankings.
8. Toronto Argonauts
Last week: 9
Last game: 37-30 loss to Montreal
Next game: at Ottawa, June 20
Worth noting: Despite the loss, Toronto left plenty of reasons for optimism after pushing Montreal to the limit. Chad Kelly looked comfortable in his first start since the 2024 Eastern Final, helping the Argonauts hold a second-half lead against one of the league’s best teams.
The early signs of the Mike Miller era were encouraging and a strong performance against Ottawa could see Toronto rise quickly in next week’s rankings.
9. Ottawa REDBLACKS
Last week: 8
Last game: 29-21 loss to Edmonton
Next game: vs. Toronto, June 20
Worth noting: The REDBLACKS had a bye week after opening the season under difficult weather conditions. It’s still too early to know exactly what this version of Ottawa will become, but there are reasons for optimism.
Fortunately, their matchup against Toronto offers us a great opportunity to watch a big East Division showdown between two teams showing plenty of promise.
