Courtesy: Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards/Saskatchewan Roughriders
Week 21 of the 2025 CFL regular season has come to a close with the Edmonton Elks and Ottawa Redblacks wrapping up their seasons, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats clinching first in the East Division, the B.C. Lions clinching second in the West Division, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Montreal Alouettes looking to stay sharp.
These awards are selected by 3DownNation’s contributors and will be presented weekly throughout the 2025 season. Enjoy.
Offensive player of the week: QB Nathan Rourke, B.C. Lions
The native of Victoria, B.C. threw for 368 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception to beat the Roughriders in Regina and clinch second place in the West Division for B.C. Rourke wasn’t productive along the ground — he rushed only one time for five yards — but threw for so much yardage that he almost caught Bo Levi Mitchell for the CFL’s passing crown despite starting two fewer games on the year.
Honourable mention: QB Bo Levi Mitchell, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Defensive player of the week: LB Jacob Roberts, Calgary Stampeders
The Stampeders did a brilliant job stopping Justin Rankin, holding the star running back to nine carries for one yard, and Roberts was a big part of the reason why. The 24-year-old native of Charlotte, N.C. led the team with nine defensive tackles and also recorded two sacks and one tackle for loss. The Wake Forest product finished his first full season as a starter with 102 total tackles, four sacks, and one forced fumble.
Honourable mention: DB Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Montreal Alouettes
Special teams player of the week: P Jake Julien, Edmonton Elks
The native of Barrie, Ont. had a monster day booting the ball for Edmonton, averaging 51.8 net yards on five punts. With the CFL averaging around 38 net yards per punt in 2025, this means the Elks essentially gained 14 extra yards each time they punted against the Stampeders. Though the performance didn’t come in a win, Julien deserves recognition for how dominant he was on special teams.
Honourable mention: P Carl Meyer, B.C. Lions
Breakout player of the week: LB Braxton Hill, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Ottawa’s quarterbacks gave away interceptions like Halloween candy this past week and Hill took full advantage, recording five tackles, two interceptions, and one knockdown. The Tiger-Cats have had multiple rookie linebackers make big plays this season, including Devin Veresuk and Kyler Fisher, and Hill has firmly put himself in that group. The 26-year-old finished his first CFL season with 30 total tackles and two picks.
Honourable mention: REC Jalon Calhoun, Edmonton Elks
Offensive line of the week: Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The unit of Jordan Murray, Brandon Revenberg, Coulter Woodmansey, Liam Dobson, and Quinton Barrow was the only one in the CFL that didn’t allow a sack in Week 21. Greg Bell also had a productive game behind the blockers, rushing 15 times for 94 yards to reach 1,000 on the year, marking only the sixth time in league history that six different rushers reached the milestone in the same season.
Honourable mention: Saskatchewan Roughriders
Coach of the week: DC Brent Monson, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton’s defence crushed the Redblacks on Friday Night Football, limiting the team to 15 points and 283 net yards. The Tabbies also recorded six takeaways and four sacks, terrorizing Tyrie Adams and Matthew Shiltz as they closed out Ottawa’s disappointing season. If the defence in Steeltown is able to keep up this level of intensity in the playoffs, they very could win it all in Winnipeg in three weeks.
Honourable mention: DB Bob Slowik, Calgary Stampeders
Marquel Lee read that play like a book! Calgary gets the ball back after the 3rd down stop!#CFLGameday
📆: @calstampeders vs. Elks LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN
🌎: CFL+ pic.twitter.com/uzSKyGFqaF
— CFL (@CFL) October 25, 2025
Best play of the week: LB Marquel Lee, Calgary Stampeders
The former NFL linebacker made a brilliant play near the midway point of the second quarter when he shot the gap on third-and-one to tackle Justin Rankin for a four-yard loss. Rankin is as dangerous as any player in the league when the ball is in his hands but Lee read the play brilliantly, wrapped up the ball-carrier, drove his feet, and didn’t let go until the whistle was blown. The result was a turnover on downs.
Honourable mention: REC Ayden Eberhardt, B.C. Lions
Worst play of the week: The quick whistle
The officials at Mosaic Stadium cost the home team early in the third quarter when Keon Hatcher caught a pass near Saskatchewan’s goal line, then fumbled due to a big hit from DaMarcus Fields. Tevaughn Campbell picked up the loose ball and returned it for a Roughriders touchdown, though it was determined upon replay that an official had prematurely blown the play dead, wiping out the entire 108-yard return. Yikes.
Honourable mention: QB Matthew Shiltz, Ottawa Redblacks
Best game of the week: B.C. Lions at Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan had nothing to play for this week but the team still brought plenty of intensity with most of their starters in the lineup. Trevor Harris was sharp in a quarter-and-a-half of action, while Nathan Rourke threw the ball all over Mosaic Stadium, twice hitting Ayden Eberhardt for touchdowns. If these teams meet in the West Final in a couple of weeks, it should be an absolute dandy.
Honourable mention: Calgary Stampeders at Edmonton Elks
Worst game of the week: Montreal Alouettes at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Football can be tough to watch when neither quarterback is “on” and that was absolutely the case in this game as McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Terry Wilson struggled to get much of anything going. The atmosphere and unseasonably warm weather were great for the fans in-stadium but this game offered little if anything for fans watching on television. Here’s hoping the East Semi-Final between these same club is much more entertaining.
Honourable mention: Ottawa Redblacks at Hamilton Tiger-Cats
