• RB Brady Oliveira carries the load for Blue Bombers: He forced an impressive nine missed tackles and had three explosive runs. Both of those marks were the highest among running backs this week.
• Edmonton DI Shawn Oakman can rush the passer, too: Despite not recording a sack, Oakman finished with a 78.3 pass rush grade thanks to a hit, a hurry and five additional pass rush wins.
• Huge coverage game for Winnipeg’s Deatrick Nichols: The strongside linebacker was targeted just three times and allowed one catch for six yards. He intercepted a pass and forced incompletions on two others.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Week 18 is in the books here in the CFL, and the playoff picture is starting to take place. Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Ottawa have all clinched their spots, while the Toronto Argonauts need just a single win or a Hamilton loss to clinch the final spot. Here in PFF’s Team of the Week, we’ll highlight many of the players that helped lead their team to a playoff berth.
With only three games this week, there were a lot of teammates making it onto this list. Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Edmonton all tied for the most appearances, with seven players each making it onto the Team of the Week. Unfortunately, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats didn’t have a single player listed after their four-game win streak was snapped.
OFFENSE
QB: Nathan Rourke, B.C.
RB: Brady Oliveira, Winnipeg
Receiver: Nic Demski, Winnipeg
Receiver: KeeSean Johnson, Saskatchewan
Receiver: Samuel Emilus, Saskatchewan
Receiver: Zach Mathis, Edmonton
Receiver: Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Edmonton
LT: Stanley Bryant, Winnipeg
LG: Liam Dobson, Winnipeg
C: Chris Kolankowski, Winnipeg
RG: Nick Jones, Saskatchewan
RT: Joshua Coker, Calgary
DEFENSE
DI: Shawn Oakman, Edmonton
DI: Mike Rose, Calgary
Edge: Bryan Cox Jr., Saskatchewan
Edge: Elliott Brown, Edmonton
LB: Nick Anderson, Edmonton
LB: Adam Auclair, Saskatchewan
Cover LB: Redha Kramdi, Winnipeg
CB: Tre Roberson, Calgary
CB: Jalon Edwards-Cooper, B.C.
HB: Deatrick Nichols, Winnipeg
HB: Rolan Milligan Jr., Saskatchewan
S: Loucheiz Purifoy, Edmonton
SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Sean Whyte, B.C.
P: Jake Julien, Edmonton
Returner: Mario Alford, Saskatchewan
QUARTERBACK OF THE WEEK: QB NATHAN ROURKE, BRITISH COLUMBIA
After a very tough start to his return when it came to passing the football, Rourke finally had himself a great game through the air. While he didn’t have any huge highlight-reel throws, Rourke played an incredibly efficient game, finishing with an adjusted completion rate of 91.3%. He led the CFL this week with an 83.9 passing grade and also added a couple of scrambles for first downs with his feet. Rourke has struggled passing the football this season, with a passing grade of 62.6 that ranks 14th out of 14 quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts. But, his rushing grade of 91.7 ranks first among those same quarterbacks.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: RB BRADY OLIVEIRA, WINNIPEG
After this game, Oliveira should be the odds-on favorite for the Most Outstanding Player award. Oliveira rushed the ball 24 times for 147 yards and a touchdown. He forced an impressive nine missed tackles and had three explosive runs, both of which were the highest among running backs this week. He also added a 15-yard reception through the air. Oliveira leads all RBs in the CFL this season with a 90.9 overall grade.
OFFENSIVE LINE OF THE WEEK: WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
This was an easy one, as no offensive line played even close to as well as the Bombers’ unit did this past week. The group finished with a 77.0 run-blocking grade thanks to a league-best 84 yards before contact gained on the ground. They also led the league with a pass-blocking grade of 86.5 by allowing zero sacks and just three total pressures on 24 passing plays. The Bombers were led by All-World LT Stanley Bryant and C Chris Kolankowski, both of whom won every single pass-blocking snap they played.
PASS RUSHER OF THE WEEK: DI SHAWN OAKMAN, EDMONTON
Oakman has been nothing short of dominant since he signed with Edmonton earlier this season. He’s won multiple of these weekly awards, both as a pass rusher and a run defender. This week, it was his pass rushing. Despite not recording a sack, Oakman finished with a 78.3 pass rush grade thanks to a hit, a hurry and five additional pass rush wins. He finished with an extremely impressive 25.0% pass rush win rate. Oakman’s season pass rush grade of 84.3 ranks third in the CFL.
RUN DEFENDER OF THE WEEK: LB NICK ANDERSON, EDMONTON
Another Elk defender earns the run defender award after an impressive performance despite Edmonton’s loss. Anderson finished with four tackles in the run game, all of which were solo stops. He didn’t have a single negatively-graded run defense play all game and was the biggest reason Edmonton held Saskatchewan to just 53 rushing yards on 19 carries. Anderson has been the best run defender in the CFL this season, leading the league with 23 solo stops and a 90.7 run defense grade.
COVERAGE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: SAM LB DEATRICK NICHOLS, WINNIPEG
What a game from Nichols, as he helped Winnipeg win its eighth straight game. The strongside linebacker was targeted just three times and allowed one catch for six yards. He also intercepted a pass and forced incompletions on two others, finishing the day with a league-leading 91.1 coverage grade. Nichols has been quietly having a dominant season, ranking ninth in the CFL with an 81.7 coverage grade thanks to three interceptions and nine pass breakups.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.