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Have the East Division's teams turned a corner? Or were their performances last week a one-off?

The Argonauts might just have turned a corner with last Friday night's win over the B.C. Lions.
The Argonauts might just have turned a corner with last Friday night's win over the B.C. Lions.

For much of this CFL season, the overriding storyline has been how bad the East Division's teams have been. That script was flipped last week, though, with the East going 3-1 against the West (and the one defeat being Ottawa's extremely close double-overtime road loss to Saskatchewan). There won't be as many opportunities to prove divisional superiority down the stretch, as there are only five interdivisional games left (and just one this week, when Hamilton faces Winnipeg Saturday night), but did last week's results suggest that the East teams are turning into contenders (and that the crossover path through the playoffs might not be as easy as once thought)? Or were they a one-off, where anything can happen on any given Sunday (or Saturday, or Friday)? To find out, let's examine where each East team is at, in order of their records.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-7):

What they're doing well: The passing game and the defence. Zach Collaros has been impressive since returning from a concussion that had him miss most of the early part of the season, and he threw for 318 yards and a touchdown last week against Edmonton ( a 71.4 per cent completion rate), albeit with an interception. That kind of passing offence is an anomaly this year, making it even more impressive. Receivers like Brandon Banks, Andy Fantuz, Luke Tasker and Bakari Grant have all stepped up for this team. The Hamilton defence has also rounded into form a bit, particularly in the pass rush (they had five sacks last week, including four from Eric Norwood, our second star of the week) and in takeaways (they recorded an interception and two forced fumbles, one of which they recovered).

What needs work: The ground game and the scoring offence. Yes, last week's paltry 56 rushing yards (35 of which were from Collaros) were largely about an early injury to RB C.J. Gable and the lack of a real replacement on the active roster, but this team hasn't had a great rushing attack all season; their averages of 5.2 yards per rush and 90.5 rushing yards per game are fourth- and third-worst in the league. That's a big part of why the Tiger-Cats have only scored 22.4 points per game (fourth-worst), and it's notable that that didn't change much Saturday when they beat Edmonton 25-23.

Verdict: Promising, but flawed. There's lots of talent in Hamilton, but it hasn't completely gelled yet, especially on the defence or in the ground game. They showed more potential than Montreal or Ottawa earlier this year, and that's probably still the case, but they're not a finished product.

Toronto Argonauts (4-8):

What they're doing well: The passing offence. Ricky Ray leads the league in passing yards and touchdowns and is second amongst starters in completion percentage. The Toronto aerial attack has been great all year, leading the league in passing yardage (280.5 yards per game) and putting them second in overall yardage (353.5), but it's clicked into a new gear with the returns of Chad Owens and Andre Durie. Even more importantly, it's led to them punching the ball into the end zone: they hung 33 points on Calgary in a close road loss two weeks ago and thumped B.C. 40-23 on the road this past week.

What needs work: The defence. That unit looked great this past week, but on the year, it's allowed the most points per game (27.1) and the third-most yardage (331.8 yards per game). Coordinator Tim Burke's unit was better against B.C., but it was also a big part of their second-half collapse against Calgary. Consistently good showings will be needed for the Argos to be a real contender in the postseason.

Verdict: Almost there. This team has arguably more offensive firepower than anyone, especially in the passing game now that Durie and Owens are back. If that can continue to translate into points and if their defence can stay marginally competent, they'll be tough to beat.

Montreal Alouettes (4-8):

What they're doing well: The passing defence: Montreal's defence looked terrific against Calgary in last week's 31-15 win, especially against the pass, where they held Drew Tate to 152 passing yards and a 50 per cent completion rate. Yes, the Stampeders were missing tons of offensive stars, including Bo Levi Mitchell, Marquay McDaniel and Jon Cornish, but this was still a great effort from the Alouettes' defence. On the year, they've been more middle-of-the-pack in passing yardage allowed, but the defence is starting to look like the ferocious unit of last year.

What still needs work: Their passing attack: Jonathon Crompton has continued to improve with more starts, and he looked pretty good this past week, throwing two touchdowns while completing 71.4 per cent of his passes. However, he only threw for 220 yards. That worked this week thanks to Calgary's offensive struggles and turnovers, which often left the Alouettes in good field position, but more yardage will be needed for regular wins.

Verdict: Not quite. This is looking a lot like last year's Montreal team at this point, a group with a solid defence and a young-but-talented quarterback who's still learning the ropes. That can lead to some wins in close, low-scoring games, but it's not necessarily a recipe for continued success this season. The Alouettes are going to need more offensive progress to get anywhere. (And they'll really be hoping Crompton isn't a flash in the pan; Troy Smith looked great at times last year, but then failed to find much of any success this season.)

 

Ottawa Redblacks: (1-10):

What they're doing well: Passing offence and trick plays: Henry Burris had maybe his best game of the year this week, throwing for 282 yards and three touchdowns in a tough environment in Regina. He's starting to find chemistry with his receivers, and his line's giving him more time than they did earlier this season. Trick plays have also worked out well for the Redblacks this year, including a punt return lateral Sunday and a punt for a touchdown earlier this year.

What still needs work: Just about everything else. The ground game has been inconsistent, the defence is last in several categories on the year (including yards of offence allowed, gain per pass and completion percentage) and this team hasn't been able to execute well late in games. That was shown Sunday in the Roughriders' comeback.

Verdict: Not this year. The Redblacks are getting better, and they're by no means a walkover for anyone, but with their record and the way they've played this year, it's very difficult to imagine them getting into the playoffs at this point, much less being a real contender. There's still a lot for them to build on, though.

So, it looks like Toronto and Hamilton have the East's best chance at actually contending for the Grey Cup this year, and the Argonauts in particular might be able to pull that off. Their Achilles' heel has been their defence, and if the improvement they showed this past week was real, this could be a team that stacks up with the West's best and is exceptionally tough to beat. They still have the league's best quarterback in Ray and its top passing offence, and you don't want to get into a shootout with them, especially now that they're healthy. The Tiger-Cats also have a lot of promise, with a great passing attack and a defence that's recently been stepping up. They're more of a work in progress right now and one that's maybe not quite there with the top West teams, but they could potentially make some noise in the postseason if things come together for them. Montreal appears to be less polished all-around right now, but could make some things happen with that defence, and even Ottawa could surprise with a few upsets down the stretch; neither's a guaranteed win for opponents, but they don't look like real contenders right now.

Overall, though, while the East as a whole is still weaker than the West, that crossover berth might not seem as promising as it once did. The East Division's shown it can hang with the West for at least a weekend, and its top teams might have the potential to do more than that. Moreover, after great starts, many of the western teams are beginning to run into issues of their own, particularly with the waves of quarterback injuries. The East still has some issues, but its top teams aren't necessarily just the best of a bad bunch; if they continue to improve, they might be right up there with the West's best despite their records.