2023 Grey Cup: How have the CFL teams played in the first half?

Grey Cup

Most of the teams have nine games played in the CFL regular season, and nine games still to go before the playoffs begin. There are a couple of exceptions but in general, the halfway point has been reached. We are looking at all nine teams in the CFL and see who still has designs on lifting the trophy come November 19.

There are plenty of CFL games still to be played with prices available at all the best betting sites in Canada for the action. Three of the teams have notched up seven wins on the year while one of them is still without success languishing with a 0-9 record. Their fans might be better off playing some free spins in the hope that they will have something to cheer for.

East Division

The east holds the defending Grey Cup champions as one of the four teams. It has been rather one way traffic in the division in the first half which should not be a massive surprise. 

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Home cooking has not been good so far for the Tiger-Cats, just 1-3 at Tim Hortons Field with their overall record standing at 3-5 at this point. Only the 0-9 Edmonton Elks have put fewer points on the board which has to be improved upon in the second half.

The Tiger-Cats have made the Grey Cup Final in four of the last nine seasons, losing all of them, including in the 2019 final which was held at their home stadium. Their drought goes back to 1999, the longest streak without winning a Grey Cup in the CFL.

The 2023 final is back at Tim Hortons Field but at present, it looks rather unlikely that the Hamilton fans will have anything to cheer about. They have just not looked good enough so far this season to have any hope of ending their streak.

Montreal Alouettes

A comfortable win over the Roughriders saw Montreal head into the halfway point at 5-3. They have looked a little middle of the pack so far, beating the teams that they should beat but unable to trouble the strongest sides in the CFL.

Cody Fajardo to Austin Mack has been the key to the offense so far this season, Mack with a number of catches of 30 yards or more plus a chunk of yards after the catch making him one of the top receivers in the league. Ciante Evans has picks on the other side of the ball to lead what has been a relatively solid defense.  

The Alouettes made a third straight Grey Cup Final back in 2010, winning that game to go back-to-back. They have not made it back to the deciding game in more than a decade since. They are the second-best team in a weak Eastern Division so that should be enough to see them into the playoffs and from there, it’s a clean slate.

Ottawa Redblacks

Scoring points has not been an issue so far this season in Ottawa but the volume being put up at the other end has been a massive cause for concern. They are 3-6 and bottom of the east having put up 207 points this season, fourth to the three teams who all have seven wins. 

They are one of the two teams to have a decision over Winnipeg this season, an overtime win in week 6. Before that game they were 1-3 but the result did not have the desired effect to kick on to a higher level, instead winning just one more of their four games leading to this point.

Justin Hardy has been busy in the receiving game but fans will have seen too much of Lewis Ward kicking field goals, for all that he has done a great job of it. It is hard to be overly optimistic about their second half chances with only pride left to play for.

Toronto Argonauts

The defending Grey Cup Champions have made an excellent start in their quest to go back-to-back. A 7-1 record so far, with a perfect 4-0 both on their own turf and in their own division, they have looked the strongest team in the east by quite some margin. 

Their only defeat on the season so far came in week 9 when only putting up 7 points in Calgary. That was a rare blip in an otherwise excellent year so far. Only Winnipeg has put up more points than the Argos while only BC and Montreal have conceded fewer. 

Chad Kelly has done a solid job keeping the offense moving while Robertson Daniel has been the stats star of the defense so far. It is hard to see beyond the Argos when it comes to winning the east. Week 17 at Winnipeg, a clash of the 2022 final,  will be a huge clue as to whether they can make it two Grey Cup Final wins in a row.

West Division

Five teams in the west where things are much tighter at the top than they are in the east. There should be some very meaningful games to be played as we head into the fall here.

BC Lions

It has been an excellent season so far for the Lions, hitting the halfway point with a 7-2 record, the same mark as the Blue Bombers in the west. Week 3 saw the Lions roll out of Winnipeg with a win but they came back to earth with a bump in Week 9 at IG Field when they were on the wrong end of a 14-50 scoreline.

Their only other loss this season was at Toronto who lead the east so fans should be happy with their body of work. They closed out the first half with a comfortable win over the Stampeders so now all eyes will turn to October 7 when Winnipeg comes to town in the game that could decide the west.

Their defensive work has been the key so far, 153 points against is the lowest in the CFL and as mentioned 50 of those came in one game. Mathieu Betts is averaging more than a sack per game this season to lead the way.

Calgary Stampeders

A win over the Toronto Argonauts has been a rare high point so far in an otherwise frustrating 3-6 campaign. 2-2 against the east but only 1-4 in their own division is their story with far too many points against.  

Overtime losses at home to the Roughriders in week 3 and the Redblacks in week 7 are the differences between a winning and losing record at this stage of the season. They still have the opportunity to play spoiler down the stretch which might just be a role they relish.

Reggie Begelton and Tre Odoms-Dukes are both amongst the league leaders in receptions while Micah Awe and Mike Rose have done a solid job on the other side of the ball. Winnipeg and Toronto are next up which are tough but they also have two games with the Elks.

Edmonton Elks

The winningest team in CFL history in the post-merger era with 11 Grey Cup wins but they have not enjoyed the 2023 season, hitting the halfway point with the worst possible record, 0-9. Their loss to Winnipeg last week showed just how frail they are. Up 15-0 after the first quarter and 22-10 at halftime, they scored just seven points in the second half to lose again.

Fans do not have much to look forward to in the second half of the season. The best that they can hope for is that somehow the team can turn things around and gain some sort of respectability in the standings. 

Three receiving touchdowns this season of 80 yards or more have at least given some joy to fans while AC Leonard is amongst the league leaders in sacks in his first season as an Elk. These are small things to cling to, however, in an otherwise poor side.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

4-5 at the halfway mark leaves the Roughriders with some work to do. Two of those four wins have come against the 0-9 Elks so are not the strongest of efforts, their other pair were narrow victories over Calgary and Ottawa.

They closed out the first half with a particularly disappointing loss at Montreal. At the end of three quarters, they had just three points on the board, adding nine in the final quarter when the game had already gone out of reach.

One-dimensional is the issue, the vast majority of their offense comes through Shawn Bane Jnr who has been taking catches like it’s going out of fashion, with Tevin Jones close behind. For all that, they have not managed to cash in on the game through the air and defensively, they have been poor. 

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

A 7-2 record at the halfway point will have plenty of Blue Bombers fans hoping that they can make it to a 4th straight Grey Cup Final. Offensively, they are carrying all before them with 278 points from their first nine games. 

Dalton Schoen has been the main target for Zach Collaros in terms of yards but Nic Demski and Drew Wolitarsky have been keeping up with Schoen when it comes to touchdowns. A widespread receiving core is a powerful weapon with defenders struggling to double team.

On the other side of the ball, things have not been quite so strong on the D side, conceding 190 points but they have not needed to be strong given their steamroller of an offense. When things come to crunch time, they are going to have to tighten things up as it won’t be so easy to rack up points come the playoffs but they are clearly a strong contender.

Second Half Hopes

At this stage there are realistically only three teams who have strong claims of winning the Grey Cup. The Toronto Argonauts look to have the east division under control while the west looks like it could be more of a dog fight with both the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the BC Lions sitting at 7-2 with a win each in the season matchup.

Most of the others will have some hopes of at least making it into the playoffs, even if their dreams of lifting the Grey Cup are looking slimmer by the day. Only the Elks are completely out of things without a single win on the board but who of the mid-level teams can have a strong second half?

The most likely is the Montreal Alouettes. The old adage is that defense wins championships, well this would be the way that they would have a chance, only the Lions have conceded less points this season. 

If there is to be a big shock then it might be the Calgary Stampeders. They sit at 3-6 at present but they have arguably been a touch unlucky to have such a poor record. They have a couple of tough games coming up but are the only team to play the 0-9 Elks twice in the second half. That could get them on a run.

2023 Grey Cup Prediction

LeoVegas Free Bet

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have played in three straight Grey Cup Finals. They have the strongest offense this season, able to put up points at will and while they have suffered a couple of hiccups, they still look the side that they all have to beat.

Defensively, they could do with tightening up a little but they have the ability to outscore their opponents even if they are giving up points at the other end. They lost 24-23 to the Argos in the 2022 Grey Cup Final and it would be no surprise if this is the matchup we see again in 2023.

The Bombers will have revenge on their minds while the Argos will have a back-to-back scenario to try and enjoy. Whichever two teams line up on November 19, we are sure to be treated to another outstanding game to decide the Grey Cup.

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