Only four weeks remain in the 2026 CFL season as every game means a little something extra with playoff spots and seedings on the line.
Week 18 brings a doubleheader of doubleheaders, with a pair of games on both Friday and Saturday. The week kicks off in the nation’s capital as the Ottawa Redblacks search for their first win of the season as they play host to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, before the Calgary Stampeders travel to play
the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a crucial West Division clash.
Saturday’s doubleheader begins with two of the hottest teams north of the border matching up as the Toronto Argonauts host the BC Lions, all before a rematch of the 110th Grey Cup between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes goes down in Quebec.
Tiger-Cats vs. Redblacks
Week 18 begins with an East Division matchup in the nation’s capital between the Redblacks and Tiger-Cats.
Both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention following the Tiger-Cats’ 37-35 overtime shootout loss to the Edmonton Elks last week. Even so, Hamilton will try to get back into the win column as they are currently riding a five-game losing streak and have lost eight of the past nine games.
The Redblacks will try to get into the win column for the first time this season and will try to avoid making history. With last week’s 45-31 loss to the Stampeders, Ottawa tied the record for the worst start to a season in CFL history with the 1994 Shreveport Pirates at 14 straight losses.
One of Ottawa’s best opportunities to erase the goose egg, however, is in
this matchup as they catch a Hamilton team that has struggled over the second half of the season and is on their fourth quarterback in Harrison Frost.
Frost has remained at the helm for the Tiger-Cats over the past couple of weeks and has a 1-3 record as a starter. The 27-year-old has completed 59.1 per cent of his passes for 1,278 yards, 10 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
The Redblacks have also turned to a new quarterback, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, which has given the offence a spark. This season, the 38-year-old has completed 61.2 per cent of his passes for 1,092 yards, eight touchdowns, and only three interceptions.
Stampeders vs. Roughriders
A crucial West Division matchup goes down in the prairies as the Roughriders host the Stampeders.
The main intrigue of Week 18 comes in the late Friday Night Football matchup, as this one will have a major impact on the West and crossover standings.
West Division Standings
Edmonton Elks 11-4 - X
BC Lions 8-6
Saskatchewan Roughriders 8-6
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 7-7 - Crossover
Calgary Stampeders 7-8
X = Clinched playoffs
Most of the focus down the stretch will be on Calgary, as they sit as the lone team not in a playoff spot with three big-time matchups – with tiebreakers available – remaining on the schedule.
The Stamps begin with the Riders, and based on the tiebreaker criteria, will need to beat Saskatchewan by four points to win the tiebreaker. After losing four of the past five, Calgary has won back-to-back games with offensive explosions over the Redblacks and will look to carry that momentum into Saskatchewan.
They’ll take on a Riders team that has faltered lately, having lost four of the past six games. While Calgary’s offence has been flying high, Saskatchewan’s has let them down over this stretch. Over the past six games, the unit has averaged 20.8 points, a far cry from the 34.3 points the team averaged over the first eight games of the season.
Will the Stampeders offence continue its success against a solid Saskatchewan defence? Will the Roughriders’ offence bounce back now that they are getting healthy? These questions will be answered, as the outcome of this one will have big ramifications for the playoff picture.
Lions vs. Argonauts
The hottest team in the West, the Lions, travel to take on the hottest team in the East, the Argonauts.
Saturday’s doubleheader begins with what should be a high-flying cross-division matchup between the two teams on fire.
The Argonauts are riding a four-game win streak and have won five of the past six. It’s largely been because of the offence’s production, as one of the league’s top passing units led by Chad Kelly and his plethora of wideouts featuring Damonte Coxie, Kevin Mital, and Tyler Kahmann, has been clicking all season. The only problem has been the interceptions and overall turnovers, as Kelly has thrown a league-high 24 picks while the Argos have the second-most turnovers overall.
They’ll be taking on a Lions team that is also streaking and whose offence is also soaring.
After starting 1-5, BC has won seven of its past eight while reigning Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian Nathan Rourke and the offence have been on fire. The unit as averaging 34.5 points over that stretch while Rourke is averaging 349.7 passing yards and boasts a 15-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his last seven games.
The pair of teams met back in Week 8 when both were facing adversity, and it was Toronto coming out on top 26-12. In that one, however, Rourke was unavailable as it was Chase Brice and Kaidon Salter taking the reins and only mustering 12 points and 320 yards offence.
Blue Bombers vs. Alouettes
The week wraps up with a 110th Grey Cup rematch between the Blue Bombers and Alouettes.
There is lots to play for in the final game of the week, especially for the Bombers as Winnipeg will try to keep pace in the tight West Division and crossover playoff race.
Their task will be to slow down a juggernaut in Montreal and especially the offence. Davis Alexander has virtually done whatever he has wanted on the field as he, Tyson Philpot, and Tyler Snead have lit it up. Combine that with a mauling run game – even with breakout back Travis Theis on the shelf – and it will be tough to stop, even though Montreal is .500 over their past four games.
Stepping up to the plate will be the No.1 passing defence in Winnipeg, as Jordan Younger’s unit has consistently been amongst the league leaders in pass defence since he took over in 2024.
That has continued in 2026.
The unit featuring standout rookie Major Williams, former All-CFL team members Evan Holm and Deatrick Nichols, and the impressive-as-ever Redha Kramdi did a very good job holding down the Argonauts’ No. 1 passing offence a week ago. The group held the offence to 70 fewer passing yards than Toronto’s average and will be hoping for a repeat performance at Percival Molson Stadium Saturday evening.
