Game Notes: What you need to know ahead of Week 18

Week 18 has arrived and with it CFL.ca’s Game Notes, full of information about players and this week’s matchups, including:

• Trevor Harris is 9-5 against his former team. He needs 244 passing yards for his fifth career 4,000-yard campaign.
• Kevin Mital has 15 receptions in two games against Hamilton this season.
• Kenny Lawer has 15 catches, 330 yards and five TDs against Toronto this season.
• The Lions are on a three-game winning streak, while Calgary has lost three straight.
• Keon Hatcher Sr. (1,404) and Justin McInnis (1,054) have combined for 2,458 receiving yards. The franchise mark for a duo is held by Ray Alexander and Matt Clark, who totaled 3,135 in 1991.

Check out all CFL.ca’s Game Notes for Week 18 below.

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Game Notes
Saskatchewan at Ottawa	Download PDF
Hamilton at Toronto	Download PDF
Calgary at BC	Download PDF

TIME WINDING DOWN
​(Team | Remaining schedule | Combined record)

WEST DIVISION 

• Saskatchewan | @OTT, TOR, @WPG, BC | 25-34 (.424)
• Calgary | @BC, @HAM, TOR, @EDM | 28-32 (.467)
• Winnipeg | Bye, @EDM, SSK, MTL | 24-20 (.545)
• BC | CGY, Bye, EDM, @SSK | 24-19 (.558)
• Edmonton | Bye, WPG, @BC, CGY | 24-20 (.545)

EAST DIVISION

• Hamilton | @TOR, CGY, Bye, OTT | 17-26 (.395)
• Montreal | Bye, OTT, @OTT, @WPG | 16-27 (.372)
• Toronto | HAM, @SSK, @CGY, Bye | 27-16 (.628)
• Ottawa | SSK, @MTL, MTL, @HAM | 35-24 (.593)

QUICK SLANTS

LEAGUE-WIDE

• Completion percentage (69.7 per cent), passer rating (99.3) and percentage of drives resulting in TDs (18.3 per cent) are currently the highest in CFL history.
• 31.3 per cent of drives are resulting in two-and-outs – the lowest mark since the CFL began tracking the stat in 2006.
• Second down conversions (48.5 per cent) and red zone TD rate (61.5 per cent) are the highest since the league began tracking the stats in 2006.
• Canadians have never finished top-two in sacks. Mathieu Betts (13) and Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund (11) lead with five tied for third at seven.
• Three of the top-seven receivers in the league are Canadian – No. 4 Justin McInnis, No. 5 Nic Demski and No. 7 Kiondré Smith.
• Home teams have won five straight and eight of the last nine.

SSK (10-4) AT OTT (4-10)

• Week 1: OTT 26 – SSK 31
• Saskatchewan allows a league-low 81.7 rushing yards per game; Ottawa is second at 94.9.
• The Roughriders lead the league with 37 sacks.
• Saskatchewan last won in Ottawa on September 29, 2017.
• Trevor Harris is 9-5 against his former team. He needs 244 passing yards for his fifth career 4,000-yard campaign.
• Samuel Emilus needs six catches for 200 in his career.
• Last week, KeeSean Johnson registered his fourth 100+ yard game of the season with an eight receptions, 119-yard performance.
• A.J. Ouellette has rushed for a career-high 1,059 yards – his second time reaching the millennium mark. He has scored a TD in four straight.
• The REDBLACKS are coming off their final bye; the team won both of their games on a week’s rest this season.
• Ottawa has allowed the fewest passing touchdowns this season (16).
• Dru Brown is a career 0-1-1 against the Roughriders. In Week 1, he passed for 412 yards and two touchdowns.
• Eugene Lewis needs 103 receiving yards for his fourth 1,000-yard season
• Justin Hardy needs six catches for 300 in his career. He is 120 receiving yards shy of his third consecutive 1,000+ yard season.

HAM (9-6) at TOR (5-10)

• Week 5: HAM 51 – TOR 38
• Week 13: TOR 35 – HAM 33
• Hamilton is looking to bounce back from its worst loss since July 29, 2017 – 60-1 versus Calgary.
• Over the first 11 games, the Ticats averaged 316.2 passing yards and 72.3 rushing yards per game. Over the last four, the team has shifted to 246.5 and 155.0, respectively.
• Kenny Lawer has 15 catches, 330 yards and five TDs against Toronto this season.
• Kiondré Smith’s career-highs in receptions and receiving yards are 74 and 933. He currently has 69 and 906.
• Greg Bell has 474 rushing yards on 70 carries over his last four outings (118.5 yards per game and 6.8 yards per attempt).
• Toronto’s last four games have been decided by five points or less (2-2).
• Nick Arbuckle is a career 2-4 against the Ticats.
• Jake Herslow had a career-high 10 catches last week. In 11 career games, he has 47 receptions and 10 TDs.
• Kevin Mital has 15 receptions in two games against Hamilton this season.
• Last week, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made three field goals of 50+ yards, tying the single-game record set by Justin Medlock in 2009.

CGY (8-6) at BC (8-7)

• Week 16: BC 52 – CGY 23
• The Lions are on a three-game winning streak, while Calgary has lost three straight.
• BC leads the league in 30+ yard completions (29), but Calgary has allowed the fewest (15).
• BC tops the CFL in second down conversion success rate (53.2 per cent); Calgary is second (48.3).
• Calgary allowed 15 TD drives in its first 11 games. In the last three, the team has yielded 14.
• Vernon Adams is 1-2 against BC in his career.
• Dedrick Mills has 15 rushes of 10+ yards in his last six games. He has 70-or-more yards in 11-of-14 contests.
• Nathan Rourke is a career 3-0 against Calgary.
• Keon Hatcher Sr. (1,404) and Justin McInnis (1,054) have combined for 2,458 receiving yards. The franchise mark for a duo is held by Ray Alexander and Matt Clark, who totaled 3,135 in 1991.
• James Butler leads the league with 1,061 rushing yards.
• Micah Awe (103) has recorded his second 100+ defensive tackle season. His career-high is 134 set in 2023 as a member of the Stampeders.