• McLeod Bethel-Thompson slings the ball for Edmonton: Bethel-Thompson recorded four big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays on the way to a league-leading 90.0 passing grade.
• Edge rusher Malik Carney has another huge week: Carney failed to record a sack but produced one hit and five hurries, as well as three additional pass-rush wins. He led the league with a 78.6 pass-rush grade in Week 13.
• Edmonton WR Tevin Jones has been unstoppable since his CFL debut: Jones leads the league in both yards per route run (3.35) and receiving grade (84.1).
Labor Day weekend is behind us, and the CFL playoff race is officially heating up. Last week featured key divisional matchups that shook up the standings. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are now, incredibly, in first place in the West Division, while the Montreal Alouettes clinched a playoff berth without even playing a game.
As always, individual performances were key to the week's outcomes, and we’re spotlighting those efforts in our weekly ‘Team of the Week.' The Edmonton Elks led the selections, with eight players making the cut. Saskatchewan followed with five, while the B.C. Lions, despite their major win, didn’t have a single player featured.
OFFENSE
QB: McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Edmonton
RB: Greg Bell, Hamilton
Outside WR: Dohnte Meyers, Saskatchewan
Slot WR: Tevin Jones, Edmonton
Slot WR: Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Edmonton
Slot WR: Reggie Begelton, Calgary
Slot WR: Tim White, Hamilton
LT: Martez Ivey, Edmonton
LG: Brandon Revenberg, Hamilton
C: Mark Korte, Edmonton
RG: Logan Ferland, Saskatchewan
RT: Joshua Coker, Calgary
DEFENSE
DI: Noah Curtis, Edmonton
DI: Michael Wakefield, Ottawa
Edge: Malik Carney, Saskatchewan
Edge: Folarin Orimolade, Toronto
LB: Micah Awe, Calgary
LB: Tony Jones, Winnipeg
Cover LB: C.J. Reavis, Saskatchewan
CB: Marcus Sayles, Saskatchewan
CB: Devodric Bynum, Edmonton
HB: Damon Webb, Ottawa
HB: Richard Leonard, Hamilton
S: Brandon Alexander, Winnipeg
SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Sergio Castillo, Winnipeg
P: Jake Julien, Edmonton
Returner: Peyton Logan, Calgary
QUARTERBACK OF THE WEEK: QB MCLEOD BETHEL-THOMPSON, EDMONTON
This was a no-brainer to anyone who watched this week’s games, as Bethel-Thompson was chucking the football all over the field throughout the game. He passed for 486 yards and three touchdowns on a 74.3% adjusted completion rate. He recorded four big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays on the way to a league-leading 90.0 passing grade.
Bethel-Thompson has quietly been having an excellent season. He now ranks third in the CFL in passing grade (90.4) and second in big-time throws (19) this season.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WR TEVIN JONES, EDMONTON
Where there's a standout quarterback performance, there's often a receiver shining alongside him. This week, that receiver was Jones, who dismantled Calgary's defense. He caught all five of his targets, racking up 126 yards and two touchdowns. Jones made two contested catches (on two contested targets), forced a missed tackle and delivered two explosive plays. Additionally, he contributed with an 82-yard fumble recovery, returning it to the one-yard line, setting up an Edmonton touchdown. Despite playing just five games, Jones has emerged as one of the league’s top receivers, leading the CFL in both yards per route run (3.35) and receiving grade (84.1).
OFFENSIVE LINE OF THE WEEK: TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Despite not having individual players named to the ‘Team of the Week,' the Argonauts' offensive line earned the unit award. The Toronto line excelled in both run and pass blocking, even in a tough loss. The Argos averaged a league-high 2.8 yards before contact per rush, a full yard more than the second-best team. In pass protection, they allowed just one sack and six total pressures. Remarkably, they lost only seven pass-rush snaps — the fewest of any team this week. Leading the effort was RT Dejon Allen, who didn’t lose a single pass-blocking snap all game.
PASS RUSHER OF THE WEEK: ED MALIK CARNEY, SASKATCHEWAN
One of the top pass rushers of the season has done it again. Carney has been an absolute beast this season. He failed to record a sack but had one hit and five hurries, as well as three additional pass-rush wins. He led the league this week with a 78.6 pass-rush grade. Carney leads the entire CFL this year with a 17.6% pass-rush win rate and a 9.1 pass-rushing productivity score.
RUN DEFENDER OF THE WEEK: ED LORENZO MAULDIN, OTTAWA
While Ottawa didn’t have the greatest defensive game last week, Mauldin did all he could with his run defense. The edge defender made four solo tackles and two assists across 22 run-defense snaps. Three of those were solo stops, and he also forced a fumble. Mauldin has been one of the best run defenders in the league this season, ranking seventh with an 82.4 run-defense grade. He can do it all, as he also leads the CFL with 54 total pressures.
COVERAGE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: CB MARCUS SAYLES, SASKATCHEWAN
There were many good individual coverage performances this week, but Sayles took the top spot. He was targeted five times and allowed just two catches for 21 yards and one first down. He didn’t allow a touchdown, picked off a pass and broke up another. His 85.3 coverage grade was one of the highest in the league this week. Sayles has been fantastic in coverage all season long. He’s allowed just one touchdown and has three interceptions and seven forced incompletions.
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