The first week of a new season is in the books and it sure is great to have CFL football back!
We’ve got some early year-end award choices to go through for the second part of this week’s MMQB, but with a stellar Week 1 all wrapped up, we had to add a few observations from the first four games of the 2025 campaign.
And so, in no particular order, here’s what we’ve got:
One of the things we wondered about all winter was how Nathan Rourke would respond to a full training camp with the Lions after his frustrating return to the league midway through last year. Well, if Week 1 is any indication, the answer is pretty well. Rourke was nearly flawless as he threw for 324 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in BC’s 31-14 win over Edmonton.
RELATED
» Landry’s 5 takeaways from Week 1
» Nathan Rourke throws three TD passes as Lions beat Elks
» Dedrick Mills hat trick powers Stamps over Ticats
» Alouettes beat Argonauts in Eastern Final rematch
» Subscribe to the CFL’s official YouTube channel
» Subscribe to the CFL’s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates
» Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally
The Calgary Stampeders entered Week 1 with almost an entirely new defence, which was a big reason for uncertainty. But in an impressive 38-26 win over Hamilton (yes Stamps admin, the CFL.ca writers see you), Calgary allowed only one touchdown pass against and held their opponents to just 47 yards on the ground. Oh, and one guy to keep an eye on: second year corner Ben Labrosse, who one former CFL defensive back told me is “the real deal.”
Davis Alexander looked legit in a handful of appearances last season. And that fact didn’t change in his first outing as Montreal’s full-time starter Friday night. Alexander looked poised, shifty, and elusive in the pocket (and out of it) while throwing for 205 yards and a touchdown while picking up 50 more yards on the ground on four quarterback keepers.
I love the job general manager Jeremy O’Day has done rapidly improving Saskatchewan’s offensive line. It was only a few years ago when the Riders were dangerously porous up front. But, after allowing just 35 sacks last season, Saskatchewan’s line looked dominant in their 31-26 win over Ottawa on Thursday. The Roughriders didn’t give up a sack in the victory and allowed their tailbacks to average more than 4.5 yards per carry.
It was awesome to see Tyson Philpot score the first touchdown of the season for the Alouettes in their convincing 28-10 win over Toronto. Philpot was en route to an All-CFL nod last year before sustaining a season-ending injury in Week 10, so it’s nice to see him start his follow-up campaign on a strong note.
IT’S PREDICTION TIME
Early every season we like to put down our choices for year-end awards, so we have them in writing. It’s a good thing to check in on midway through the season and then again at the end. And, in full disclosure, I made these choices before kickoff for Week 1.
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER | BO LEVI MITCHELL | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
2024 was proof a healthy Bo Levi Mitchell is still an elite CFL quarterback. In fact, with two MOP’s already on his resume, Mitchell set new career highs with 420 completions and 5,451 passing yards to go along with 32 touchdown passes, the second highest total of his career. With an elite receiving core and a stacked offensive line, Mitchell has a real chance to become a three-time winner of the league’s most prestigious individual honour.
MOST OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER | TYRICE BEVERETTE | MONTREAL ALOUETTES
With two straight East Division All-CFL nods at linebacker under his belt, it feels like Tyrice Beverette’s time to be recognized as one of the league’s best defensive players is now. Fast, smart, and a punishing tackler, Beverette impacts the game all over the field. Last year saw him rack up 102 defensive tackles, five sacks, two interceptions, and a mind-bending four forced fumbles.
MOST OUTSTANDING OFFENSIVE LINEMAN | MARTEZ IVEY | EDMONTON ELKS
No one allowed fewer sacks last season than the Elks and Martez Ivey was a massive part of that. Now entering his fourth year in Green and Gold, the left tackle anchors what should be one of the league’s best offensive lines once again. As such, he could very well be the first Edmonton player to win this award since 1989.
MOST OUTSTANDING SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER | JANARION GRANT | TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Sometimes there’s a king of the castle that someone needs to oust before betting against him. When it comes to special teams players, that’s undoubtedly Janarion Grant. Toronto’s electrifying returner has the ability to turn a game on its side every time the ball is kicked to him, as evidenced last season by his 1,989 total return yards and four touchdowns (three punt return, one kick return).