CFL 'Quick Kicks' 2026: Week 9

By Chris Lawton

Welcome to week nine of our weekly review of each week of the 2026 CFL season. ‘Quick Kicks’ brings you week-to-week news of how the games went, scores, surprises, and a general feel of ‘what we learned’ from the games.

Let’s dive right in. The first game of the weekend saw the BC Lions travel to Winnipeg to play the Blue Bombers and come away with a largely unexpected 35-19 win.

Backup running back Zander Horvath was the headline story, racking up a career night with 191 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 carries. The two long ones, a 58-yarder and a 35-yarder, arrived in the final six and a half minutes to turn a tight contest into a rout. With starter James Butler out through injury it was initially rookie Emani Bailey pencilled in as the starter, but a late change to the depth chart put the ball back in Horvath’s hands, and doesn’t he know how to make the most of an opportunity.

Rookie quarterback Kaidon Salter, making the first start of his CFL career in place of the injured Nathan Rourke, had an even bigger night with his legs than his arm. He finished just seven of 15 for 96 yards and a touchdown through the air, but ran for 160 yards on only 10 carries, breaking a Lions quarterback rushing record that had stood since 1960. Between them Salter and Horvath racked up 351 yards on the ground, part of a Lions total of 377 rushing yards on the night, a new low for the Bombers defence to have conceded and one that beat a mark that had stood since 1956.

It was a tight, tense old game for long stretches. The Bombers led 6-0 early through two short Sergio Castillo field goals before Horvath’s one-yard touchdown gave BC an unexpected 7-6 lead at the break. Winnipeg nudged back in front with another Castillo field goal early in the third, BC’s Sean Whyte replied in kind, and then Dru Brown found Tim White for a two-yard touchdown to make it 16-10 heading into the fourth. Whyte cut the gap again early in the last period, only for Castillo’s fourth field goal of the night to restore Winnipeg’s cushion at 19-13, and with the rookie-led Lions offence still finding its feet through the air, the Bombers looked to be cruising towards a fifth straight win in the series. Then it all fell apart for the home side. Salter found Jermaine Jackson for a 24-yard touchdown to put BC back in front 20-19, before Horvath took over, breaking off his two long touchdown runs either side of a two-point conversion pass from Keon Hatcher Sr. to Salter, and the rout was on.

Brown, who had been solid if unspectacular going 18 of 21 for 180 yards and a score, was forced off in the fourth quarter after hurting himself on a scramble, with rookie Taylor Elgersma unable to get much going in relief. Brady Oliveira went over the century mark on the ground for a second straight week with 107 yards, but was repeatedly stopped short in the red zone, several of those missed chances contributing to the final gap on the scoreboard.

The result snapped a four-game Bombers winning streak in the series and handed Buck Pierce his first win over his former team since taking over as BC’s head coach. It also drops Winnipeg to 4-4 on the season and a miserable 1-4 at home in front of 31,509 fans at Princess Auto Stadium, while BC move to 2-5 as they build towards a possible return for Rourke in the coming weeks.

MOP of the game

Zander Horvath RB, BC Lions: 17 carries for 191 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The second game of the weekend was between the Ottawa RedBlacks and the Montreal Alouettes, played at TD Place Stadium. It was the visiting Alouettes who prevailed, cruising to a 34-13 win to claim a fifth straight victory and improve to 7-1 on the season, while Ottawa’s misery continues as they slip to 0-7, their worst start since rejoining the league in 2014.

Quarterback Davis Alexander, or ‘Dynamite’ Davis as he’s increasingly deserving to be known given just how explosive he can be through the air, was sensational, throwing for 420 yards and three touchdowns on 22 of 30 passing, a career-best 14 yards per attempt and his third 400-yard outing of the season. It was some response after his interception-marred, 187-yard display against Hamilton last week, (sorry Als fans I picked him for my fantasy team last week and obviously cursed him), as the Als offence was purring from the opening drive. Alexander moving the chains with completions of 16, 20 and 36 yards before finding Cole Spieker for the game’s first touchdown.

The headline story though belonged to Tyson Philpot, who is rapidly building the strongest case in the league for Most Outstanding Canadian. His nine catches for 184 yards took him through the 1,000-yard mark for the season, and in just Montreal’s eighth game too. That’s a feat only two other players in CFL history have managed faster, Hal Patterson back in 1956 and Terry Greer in 1983, meaning Philpot is now the fastest Canadian ever to reach four figures receiving, with plenty of season still to play. In fact, we have to be asking, will he be joining Greer, Derrell Mitchell & Allen Pitts as the next CFL player to have 2,000 yards receiving in a season?

Philpot’s 54-yard catch-and-run in the first half set up a Travis Theis rushing touchdown, Theis’ sixth in as many games, while fellow receiver Tyler Snead was nearly as good, posting a career-high 174 yards of his own as the pair combined for 358 yards on the night.

Ottawa did show some fight through Jake Maier, who threw for 168 yards without an incompletion in the first half and finished with 311 on the day before giving way to Bryson Barnes late on. Daniel Adeboboye’s one-yard touchdown run and two Lewis Ward field goals, (with regular kicker Brett Lauther still on the six-game injured list), got the RedBlacks within touching distance for stretches, but Montreal’s defence stiffened when it mattered, stopping the home side on four of five red zone trips, including a Joshua Archibald interception in the third quarter.

This was Montreal’s 13th straight win over Ottawa, a streak dating back to October 2022, and with the result the Alouettes maintain their grip on top spot in the East, still yet to reach the halfway point of the season. For Ottawa there is little to celebrate as they head to Saskatchewan next week still chasing that elusive first win.

MOP of the game

Tyson Philpot WR, Montreal Alouettes: 9 catches for 184 yards, passing 1,000 receiving yards on the season and becoming the fastest Canadian ever to reach the milestone.

The third game of the weekend saw the Calgary Stampeders travel to Hamilton to take on the Tiger-Cats at Hamilton Stadium. It was the Stampeders who left with the win, running out 44-20 winners to make it back to back victories and get themselves back to .500 on the season at 4-4, while Hamilton’s miserable run continues as they drop to 3-4.

Vernon Adams Jr. continued his fine form under centre, throwing for 252 yards and a touchdown on 18 of 25 passing, connecting with Dejon Brissett for a 43-yard score in the first quarter that set the tone early on. Brissett finished with six catches for 109 yards on the day, and Adams Jr. is still yet to throw an interception this season, a run that now stretches across 24 touchdown passes.

Hamilton had a sniff early, going up 3-0 through a Marc Liegghio field goal, but it all started to unravel from there. Running back Tyreik McAllister capped a sustained second quarter drive with a 15-yard touchdown run to make it 17-6, and moments later Calgary’s defence got in on the act too. Marquel Lee forced a fumble from new Ticats quarterback Harrison Frost, who had come in for Tre Ford after he was benched with just over a minute left in the first half, and Kyle Wilson scooped up the loose ball and ran it in from 28 yards to push the lead to 24-6 heading into the break.

Ford’s afternoon had gone from bad to worse before the switch was made. He completed just four of 10 passes for 58 yards and added a costly fumble of his own trying to hurdle a defender, prompting head coach Scott Milanovich to turn to Frost. The change did spark something for Hamilton briefly, Frost finding Kenny Lawler for a 24-yard touchdown to make it a five point game late in the third, but that was as close as the Ticats would get. Calgary took over from there, adding 20 points in the fourth quarter including a Quincy Vaughn rushing touchdown and a Derrick Moncreif interception return for a touchdown to turn a tight game into a rout. The pick-six for Moncreif was a gift as Frost threw it straight to him on the numbers.

It continues a rough stretch for Hamilton, who are now 1-4 since losing Bo Levi Mitchell to injury earlier in the season, with defensive issues and a rotating door at quarterback compounding their problems. For Calgary, the win keeps them within touching distance in a crowded West Division, with the Roughriders and Elks both still ahead of them in the standings but plenty of the season still to play.

MOP of the game

Vernon Adams Jr. QB, Calgary Stampeders: 18 of 25 passing for 252 yards and a touchdown. 2 carries for 8 yards.

The Final game of Week 9 saw the Saskatchewan Roughriders travel to Edmonton to take on the Elks at Commonwealth Stadium, in what was the second meeting between the two sides in as many weeks. It was the Roughriders who came out on top this time, edging out a 28-26 win to level the season series after Edmonton’s big win in Week 8, with the two games between them producing a combined 96 points.

Tommy Stevens was the story for Saskatchewan, scoring all three of his team’s touchdowns on the ground, each of them from inside the five yard line, as the short yardage specialist proved impossible to stop all afternoon. Trevor Harris was steady throughout, completing 19 of 24 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown, while Quali Conley chipped in a career high 61 rushing yards, including a highlight reel hurdle over an Edmonton defender to help set up a late score.

Edmonton struck first through Justin Rankin, who weaved his way in from three yards out after a strong return from Javon Leake and a roughing the passer penalty had put the Elks deep into Riders territory. Saskatchewan hit back almost immediately though, Johnny Johnson III’s 87-yard return setting up the first of Stevens’ scores. The lead changed hands several times through a scrappy, weather affected contest, and the second half was delayed by more than an hour due to lightning in the area.

Vincent Blanchard kept Edmonton in it with four field goals on the day, and the Elks would not go away, Cody Fajardo finding T.J. Luther for a late touchdown to make it a two point game with just over three minutes to go. But Saskatchewan’s defence came up with a crucial stop on the ensuing Edmonton drive, forcing a punt and allowing the Riders to run out the clock.

This was the second instalment of what is fast becoming one of the most competitive rivalries going in the West this season, after the two sides put up 70 points between them just a week earlier. With the split, Saskatchewan improve to 5-2 while Edmonton fall to 6-2, though it’s worth pausing on just how far the Elks have come to even be in this position. After five straight seasons without a playoff appearance, Edmonton now sit at the top of the West Division, a remarkable turnaround overseen by general manager Ed Hervey, who has overhauled the roster almost from top to bottom since taking charge, with only 17 players remaining from the squad at the end of the 2024 season. It certainly looks to be working, with over 31,000 fans packing into Commonwealth Stadium for this one and the upper bowl opened for the first time since 2023.

MOP of the game

Tommy Stevens RB, Saskatchewan Roughriders: 13 carries for 29 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Standings

Next week there is once again a full slate of four games. Whilst three of them are after midnight UK time, you can catch up with them for free on CFL+. Beyond that though, the best game for UK-based fans to check out is on Saturday at 8 PM as the Elks travel to the Alouettes in what should be a good matchup.

Until next week, CFL friends!

 

Standings

Interdivisional Standings This Week: East Division 0, West Division 1

Interdivisional Standings 2026 season: East Division 6, West Division 10

CHRIS LAWTON

CFL ANALYST

Chris originally started following the NFL with the ‘first wave’ of fans when it was shown on Channel 4 in the 1980’s. He has been a keen supporter of the Miami Dolphins since 1983. Chris first encountered the CFL in 2016 and instantly fell in love with the Canadian game. He has been writing about the CFL 2017. Chris has a degree in history, postgraduate degree in librarianship and can be found on twitter as @CFLfanUK

Rated 5 out of 5