TORONTO — It is already Week 3, which means we are starting to see some early trends develop around the league.
The Montreal Alouettes are once again playing dominant defensive football, which will be put to the test when they travel to Edmonton to face Tre Ford and the Elks on Thursday.
The week continues with the Saskatchewan Roughriders looking to move to 3-0 as the Toronto Argonauts try to avoid an 0-3 start on Friday at BMO Field.
Saturday’s doubleheader features a Calgary Stampeders team who’s off to a hot start in 2025 against an Ottawa REDBLACKS squad that is trying to get their first win on the board. Finally, the week closes with a rematch between the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers from Save-on-Foods Field at BC Place. The two teams duelled in Week 2 with the Blue and Gold getting the best of the Orange and Black.
To get you set for the week, here’s one storyline to watch in every game in Week 3.
RELATED
» AMSOIL Power Rankings: Montreal back on top
» Quarterback Rankings: Who is the No. 1 pivot in the CFL?
» Buy Tickets for the 2025 season
» Subscribe to the CFL’s official YouTube channel
» Subscribe to the CFL’s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates
CAN ANYONE GET PAST MONTREAL’S DEFENCE?
Montreal at Edmonton | Thursday, June 19 | 9:00 p.m. ET | TSN/RDS/CBSSN/CFL+
Two opponents have tried and failed to get past Montreal’s defence so far in 2025. The Alouettes have allowed only 28 points through two weeks thanks to a terrific effort by Noel Thorpe’s unit.
In comes Tre Ford and the Edmonton Elks, who were off to a good first half in their Week 1 matchup against the Lions before being shut down in the final two quarters. It’s a battle of strength on strength, as a powerful running attack in Edmonton led by Ford, Justin Rankin and Javon Leake meets a defence that is allowing only 37 yards per game on the ground.
The key for Edmonton will be to limit the impact of Montreal’s defence on the scoreboard. The Alouettes have scored defensive touchdowns in their first two games, giving Davis Alexander and the offence the opportunity to play with the lead for most of the game.
THE RETURN OF THE RUNNING BACK
Saskatchewan at Toronto | Friday, June 20 | 7:30 p.m. ET | TSN/RDS/CFL+
When the Roughriders travel to Toronto in Week 3 it’ll mark the return of several former Argonauts running backs to BMO Field.
That’s because starter A.J. Ouellette used to play in Toronto, but newly signed Ka’Deem Carey played for the Boatmen just last season. Running backs coach Andrew Harris completes the trio of backs that donned the Double Blue, adding an interesting aspect to their matchup on Friday.
The Argos have allowed 125 yards per game on the ground, third worst mark in the league, and will be without star linebacker Wynton McManis, who has been ruled out with a knee injury. Saskatchewan is fourth in the league in rushing yards per game (111.0). If Ryan Dinwiddie’s team doesn’t find a way to contain Ouellette and the ground game, it could be a long night for the defending champions.
RED-HOT RED AND WHITE
Ottawa at Calgary | Saturday, June 21 | 4:00 p.m. ET | TSN/RDS2/CBSSN/CFL+
The Calgary Stampeders have won two games by more than one score to start 2025 on the right foot. That’s despite Vernon Adams Jr. not throwing for a single passing touchdown in two games. Regardless, the veteran pivot has been as good as advertised, guiding the Stamps to almost 400 yards of net offence per game.
It would be a mistake to point to the offence as the sole reason for Calgary’s fast start, though. The defence ranks third in yards allowed (355.5), points allowed (22.5) and opponent rushing yards (57.0). The addition of the former REDBLACKS defensive back Damon Webb, alongside returning pass rusher Folarin Orimolade, are two big factors why the Stamps have the makings of a complete team.
Their challenge will be to stop an Ottawa team that could see the return of starting pivot Dru Brown, who missed Week 2 with a hip injury and has been limited in practice all week leading up to Saturday’s matchup.
CAN NATHAN ROURKE BEAT THE BOMBERS 2.0?
Winnipeg at BC | Saturday, June 21 | 7:00 p.m. ET | TSN/CTV/CBSSN/CFL+
Last week, CFL.ca’s Kristina Costabile wrote: “Nathan Rourke has been able to find success pretty easily against defences in the CFL, with the exception of one team. Against the rest of the league, he’s put up great stats. Against Winnipeg, he just can’t seem to break through.”
Sure enough, Rourke and the Leos were unable to take down the Blue Bombers in Week 2, falling 34-20 with the pivot completing less than 50 per cent of his passes.
That means Rourke is now 0-4 against Winnipeg, a sharp contrast to his 13-5 record against everybody else. But football is a team sport, and the Lions will need a complete team effort to take down Winnipeg on Saturday at Save-on-Foods Field at BC Place. Running back James Butler was kept to 27 yards on 10 carries in Week 2. If BC has any chance of splitting the season series, they’ll need a performance from their running back more akin to Week 1, when he finished with 90 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches.