CFL Week 18 review: Edmonton Elks swept aside by Toronto Argonauts

Another week in the CFL has passed and it was yet another fun one, as Week 18 brought us three blowouts, lots of points and a thrilling overtime finish.

This week showed that the teams who are pushing for the playoffs are fully initiated and are looking to make a strong final push.

Let's take a look at the Week 18 results and what they mean going forward.

Toronto hunt down the Elks

Week 18 kicked off on Friday evening between the Edmonton Elks and Toronto Argonauts, and the Argonauts won 35-12. The game took place at BMO Field in Toronto and home field advantage was certainly shown.

Right from kickoff, the Argonauts asserted their dominance, earning a 10-1 lead after the first quarter. The Elks then showed some life in the second quarter, making it 18-11 for Toronto at the half.

However, that life quickly faded, as the Argonauts outscored them 17-1 in the second half, leading to a 35-12 win for the home team. This dominant win from Toronto was backed by three rushing touchdowns and two defensive scores.

Their defense continues to join the fun, as they seem to score almost every week. Toronto continues to solidify their first overall position in the East Division and their record has now improved to 13-2.

The Elks, meanwhile, are staying at the bottom of the league with a 4-12 record. Toronto has run away in the division and are clearly the  +110 Grey Cup favourites up to this point.

Winnipeg prevail in overtime

The second matchup of Friday CFL action was with no question the most electric contest of the week. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and BC Lions went to battle and what a battle it was, ending in a 34-26 score.

It was a back-and-forth game, with the Lions owning the first half and the Blue Bombers owning the second half. This resulted in some overtime excitement.

Winnipeg kicked off the overtime with a touchdown plus a two-point conversion and, when it was BC’s turn to answer back, they came up short.

This game had major implications, as the teams came into this game with matching 11-4 records.

Now, the Blue Bombers who are 12-4, own the sole possession of first in the West Division. As for BC, they are now 11-5, but there is still time for things to change with two games remaining for each.

Winnipeg are -275 to reach the Grey Cup this season and they are +165 to win it.

Tiger-Cats send Roughriders packing

Saturday in the CFL had just one matchup, between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

This was an intra-division matchup that took place at Mosaic Stadium in SK. This was a must-win for the Tiger-Cats and they went out and did just that.

Hamilton exploded in the second quarter, dropping 18 points which helped them take a 25-9 lead into halftime. Their scoring continued in the second half, leading to a 38-13 win.

It was an all-around effort with two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and four made field goals, but the Tiger-Cats still have work to do as they are in a tight battle in the standings with the Montreal Alouettes.

With an 8-8 record, Hamilton is still very much in the hunt for second in the East Division. As for Saskatchewan, they are playing with fire, as their 6-10 record is not fully secure for the playoffs.

Montreal take down Redblacks

To close out Week 18 in the CFL, we were treated to a Monday night game.

The matchup was between the Montreal Alouettes and Ottawa Redblacks and the game stuck to the Week 18 trend of blowout finishes. This game, however, was a total shutdown by the Alouettes.

Ottawa scored just once, when they converted a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. Montreal’s defense was excellent and they didn't even need an interception to keep Ottawa to three points.

This was a much-needed win for Montreal, as their East Division opponent Hamilton stayed hot on their tail as they also earned a win this week.

An all-around effort like this helped them earn that win and improve to 9-7. The Redblacks, however, have been near the bottom of the league all year and they now sport a 4-12 record.

The Calgary Stampeders were on a bye-week during Week 18, so while they rested and recovered, they saw both the Roughriders and Elks, the two teams who are closest to them in the standings, lose.