Week 7 of the CFL season has come and gone and as my CFL on TSN colleague Rod Smith put so expertly on Sunday night as the credits were rolling on Winnipeg’s overtime win in Ottawa: “we saw some things this weekend we’ve never seen before.”
There was a missed field goal that didn’t result in a rouge on Saturday in Hamilton, followed by an extended final game of the weekend in the nation’s capital that didn’t end in a tie because it couldn’t under the new rules for 2026!
As much as this league changes, it stays the same at its core, which is where I begin with five takeaways from the weekend’s action.
THE BROTHERHOOD IS REAL
On Sunday, the CFL released a statement about the passing of Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Jayden Dalke. I was sitting with my five-year-old son on the couch watching the World Cup Final after a red-eye flight home from calling Calgary-Montreal on Saturday and immediately started tearing up.
Of course, children see everything and my son asked, “what is it,” which led me to explain how someone I watched grow after scouting his final season at the University of Alberta in 2021, to the CFL Combine and CFL Canadian Draft in 2022, to a Grey Cup championship just last year with the Riders had been in an accident and was gone.
Watching the game from Ottawa last night, seeing our TSN crew expertly show former teammates A.J. Allen (Ottawa) and Tommy Nield (Winnipeg) in short succession during the moment of silence drove home to me just how tight-knit this league really is. It feels large and spaced out due to the physical geography of our nation, but everybody knows everybody, and right now every single member of the CFL family is in pain for the loss of one of their own.
THE PHILPOT TWINS ARE JUST DIFFERENT
“WE’RE NOT DONE”
Jalen Philpot with a score to keep the Stamps in it!
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In the first third of the CFL regular season, Tyson Philpot has been on a pace so unreasonable it doesn’t seem real.
It is, but the box score shows twin brother Jalen outproduced Tyson in their second meeting in as many weeks because of course he did. All the Philpots do is raise their level to another level every time a challenge presents itself.
Officially, Jalen had just as many targets but one more catch (six) and eight more yards (96), not to mention a touchdown, while his slacker of a brother fell WAY off his 2026 pace with a measly 88 yards. Love those guys!!
BC HAS… A RANKIN ANTIDOTE?
Nobody can stop the Edmonton Elks runaway George Reed Most Outstanding Player nominee Justin Rankin this season, except for the West Division’s 1-4 BC Lions? It’s strange, but it’s true so far this season, as Rankin has run wild for totals of 102, 179, 106 and 107 yards on the ground against anyone not wearing orange and black.
The Lions held Rankin to 19 yards in Week 5, which seemed impossible to beat until they held him to just nine yards on seven carries in Week 7. Furthermore, the yardage production was offset in their first meeting by a 10-catch, 100-yard receiving effort, but that too dropped to six catches and 46 yards in the rematch.
Whatever defensive coordinator Mike Benevides is doing needs to be studied and replicated by the rest of the league if they hope to beat Edmonton.
DAVIS ALEXANDER IS HIM
Last week on social media, the Alouettes online crew produced a scintillating sizzle reel asking “who is him?” There was a simple answer: Davis Alexander.
On Saturday I saw it in person again, and when healthy, Alexander produces play after memorable play with a knack for the dramatic and unmatched arm strength while keeping a clean sheet. He also set the CFL record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception this week.
THE REDBLACKS ARE IN REAL DEEP
What a gut punch for Jake Maier, Ryan Dinwiddie and the REDBLACKS, who had done a masterful job of controlling the game on Sunday night before it slipped away in overtime.
Dru Brown was far from spectacular in his return to Ottawa, but left with the win and the REDBLACKS have a full 11 days to sit back and search for answers after their 0-6 start as they head out on a Week 8 bye.
