• The Calgary Stampeders make their way up the rankings: No player along the Calgary defensive line earned a sub-60.0 PFF grade this past week, and the unit now finds itself ranked fourth.
• Montreal plummets to last: The unit had no defender grade above 60.0 and finished with grades of 47.5 overall, 48.2 in run defense and 51.4 in pass rush.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
1. Toronto Argonauts (No Change)
Base Defensive Set: Even Front
Field EDGE: Folarin Orimolade
Field DI: Jake Ceresna
Boundary DI: Ralph Holley
Boundary EDGE: Robbie Smith
• Toronto's defensive line was the top-graded run-defending group in Week 9. They earned a 74.2 grade with three defensive stops and an average tackle depth of 1.25 yards.
• Interior defender Ralph Holley was the top-graded run-defending defensive lineman of Week 9, earning an 81.4 run-defense grade.
• Robbie Smith (74.3), Holley (73.3) and Folarin Orimolade (71.3) all finished with defensive grades above 71.0 and ranked among the top nine defensive linemen of the week.
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders (No Change)
Base Defensive Set: Even Front
Field EDGE: Bryan Cox Jr.
Field DI: Caleb Sanders
Boundary DI: Micah Johnson
Boundary EDGE: Malik Carney
• For the first time this season, Saskatchewan's unit earned a sub-60.0 overall grade (57.7).
• The Roughriders' usually stellar run defense struggled this past week. The unit allowed 6.1 yards before contact and earned a 51.1 run-defense grade.
3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (No Change)
Base Defensive Set: Even Front
Field EDGE: Nick Usher
Field DI: Casey Sayles
Boundary DI: Dewayne Hendrix
Boundary EDGE: Brandon Barlow
• There is little to say about the Tiger-Cats' defensive line effort in Week 9. The group earned a 64.5 overall grade, a 63.1 run-defense grade and a 62.3 pass-rush grade.
• Potential Defensive Player of the Year Casey Sayles had his worst game of the season, earning a 61.7 overall grade. Despite the mediocre showing, Sayles still has an 86.6 mark on the season.
4. Calgary Stampeders (Up 2)
Base Defensive Set: Even Front
Field EDGE: James Vaughters
Field DI: Mike Rose
Boundary DI: Josiah Coatney
Boundary EDGE: Clarence Hicks
• Mike Rose earned his highest single-game defensive grade (72.9) of the season, with a 65.7 run-defense grade and a 70.7 pass-rush grade.
• No player along the Calgary defensive line earned a sub-60.0 PFF grade this past week. The unit posted a 70.8 overall grade, a 70.6 run-defense grade and a 68.1 pass-rush grade.
5. Ottawa Redblacks (No Change)
Base Defensive Set: Even Front
Field EDGE: Bryce Carter
Field DI: Cleyon Laing
Boundary DI: Michael Wakefield
Boundary EDGE: Lorenzo Mauldin IV
• The Redblacks were on a bye in Week 9.
6. British Columbia Lions (Down 2)
Base Defensive Set: Even Front
Field EDGE: Pete Robertson
Field DI: Marcus Moore
Boundary DI: Christian Covington
Boundary EDGE: Sione Teuhema
• The Lions earned a poor 48.6 run-defense grade and had an average depth of tackle of 5.56 yards in Week 9.
• BC still holds off the Blue Bombers' surge up the rankings. On the season, the Lions rank in the top six in all three defensive line categories, including a third-place pass-rush grade (74.4).
7. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Up 2)
Base Defensive Set: Odd Front
Field EDGE: Willie Jefferson
NT: Jake Thomas
Boundary EDGE: TyJuan Garbutt
• The Blue Bombers' defensive line switched back to a more predominantly odd front and earned grades of 84.4 overall, 70.1 in run defense and 85.0 in pass rush.
• Willie Jefferson (88.1), TyJuan Garbutt (81.0) and Devin Adams (74.7) were the three highest-graded defensive linemen in the CFL this past week.
8. Edmonton Elks (No Change)
Base Defensive Set: Even Front
Field EDGE: Elliot Brown
Field DI: Noah Curtis
Boundary DI : Shawn Oakman
Boundary EDGE: Noah Taylor
• The Elks' unit recorded a 64.6 PFF overall grade, a 63.1 run-defense grade and a 63.6 pass-rush grade in Week 9.
• No player on this defense earned a 70.0-plus overall grade in Week 9. Noah Taylor had a solid week against the run, earning a 70.7 run-defense grade, and Shawn Oakman was excellent against the pass, earning a 75.8 pass-rush grade.
9. Montreal Alouettes (Down 2)
Base Defensive Set: Odd Front
Field EDGE: Avery Ellis
NT: Mustafa Johnson
Boundary EDGE: Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund
• It was an awful week for the Alouettes' defensive line. The unit had no defender grade above 60.0 and finished with grades of 47.5 overall, 48.2 in run defense and 51.4 in pass rush. All of those marks ranked last in the CFL in Week 9.
• This defensive line has fallen in the rankings since Shawn Lemon was suspended after Week 4. In Weeks 1-4, the Alouettes' unit earned a 74.0 overall grade; in Weeks 5-9, they earned a 54.6 overall grade.
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