The Sunday Snap: Week 16 of the 2026 CFL Season
Updated: Oct 31
A light week is not a quiet week. With B.C., Saskatchewan and Winnipeg on bye, only six teams took the field, and all three games found their way into the record books. A 41-year-old kicker hit the kick of his life. Toronto beat the West leader while spending most of the afternoon watching from the sideline. And Montreal reminded everyone, without breaking a sweat, who runs the East.
Calgary Stampeders 40, Ottawa Redblacks 38
McMahon Stadium, Calgary (20,113)
Two seconds. That was all that remained when René Paredes lined up from 62 yards with Calgary trailing by a point. The kick was good, and in his 251st regular-season game, the veteran had the longest field goal of his career.
For context, only Paul McCallum and Sergio Castillo have kicked longer in league history, from 63 yards, and neither did it to win a game on the final play. Paredes had already tied his previous career long with a 57-yarder earlier in the night and finished four-for-four.
It should have been a shorter try. Calgary had moved 29 yards in five plays from its own 37 when an ineligible-receiver flag pushed it back 10. The real masterstroke came earlier: Dave Dickenson chose the wind for the fourth quarter over the ball in the third, a call that paid off on the last snap.
The game itself was a tug-of-war. Brett Lauther missed from 43 on Ottawa's opening drive, but McLeod Bethel-Thompson, making his first start of the season, found Keelan White from 25 yards for a 14-10 lead. Tevin Jones answered with a 60-yard touchdown before the half (17-14). Vernon Adams Jr. survived an ankle scare early in the third and led a 57-yard drive finished by Quincy Vaughn (24-14). Kalil Pimpleton pulled Ottawa back in, the kickers traded field goals, and a Zy Alexander interception set up a Calgary field goal for a 37-31 lead with just over two minutes left. A successful pass interference challenge kept Ottawa alive, and Justin Hardy scored with 72 seconds to go to make it 38-37. The rest belonged to Paredes.
Adams finished 28-of-41 for 357 yards and two touchdowns but has now been intercepted in five straight games after eight clean ones. Vaughn scored twice on the ground; Jalen Philpot caught the other touchdown. Bethel-Thompson deserved better: 27-of-48, 379 yards, five touchdowns, three of them to White, a 24-year-old from North Vancouver.
Ottawa has now lost 19 straight and becomes only the second team in CFL history to open a season 0-13, after the 1994 Shreveport Pirates. The rematch is Saturday in Ottawa.
Records: Calgary 6-8 | Ottawa 0-13
Toronto Argonauts 24, Edmonton Elks 19
BMO Field, Toronto (15,991)
Having the ball isn't enough. Edmonton learned that the hard way.
The Elks held it for 38:45; Toronto for just 21:15, the lowest time of possession ever posted by a winning team since the league began officially tracking it in 1994. The previous mark, 23:02, belonged to B.C. in 2025. Toronto also won with minus-one rushing yard; only the 1995 Birmingham Barracudas had previously won a modern-era game with negative rushing yardage.
The Argos' formula was simple: strike fast. Chad Kelly hit a deep ball on the first offensive snap, and two plays were enough to go up 7-3. Edmonton's usually stingy secondary gave up five explosive completions, and that early 3-0 was the Elks' only lead. Kelly finished 19-of-31 for 373 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, becoming just the third Argonauts quarterback in 65 years with 20-plus touchdowns and 20-plus picks in a season, alongside Gilbert Renfroe (1988) and Doug Flutie (1997).
The difference-maker came off an Edmonton mistake. With centre David Beard hurt, backup Mark Korte sailed a snap in the third quarter and Ralph Holley returned the loose ball 55 yards for a touchdown. Dymere Miller, pressed into action by injuries, added three catches for 90 yards and his first career score.
Edmonton kept hitting the same wall: one touchdown on six red-zone trips. Cody Fajardo (31-of-42, 360 yards) ran that one in himself but was picked twice in the end zone, by Benjie Franklin to end the third quarter and by Tarvarus McFadden with 21 seconds left. Vincent Blanchard made four of five field goals — too many threes, not enough sevens. Justin Rankin ran for 89 yards, Austin Mack crossed 1,000 receiving yards on the season, and rookie Montrell Washington piled up 219 return yards in his debut. Chelen Garnes was ejected after striking Kevin Mital, who denied starting it.
Combined with Hamilton's loss, the win clinches a playoff spot and a home playoff game for Toronto in Mike Miller's first season as head coach. Edmonton's streak ends at four, but the Elks remain four points clear in the West.
Records: Toronto 8-6 | Edmonton 10-4
Montreal Alouettes 37, Hamilton Tiger-Cats 25
Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton (Friday)
The final score flatters Hamilton. For three and a half quarters, this was no contest.
On a short week and fresh off a tense night in Vancouver, Montreal played with total discipline and led 34-3 with more than 13 minutes left. Offensive lineman Donny Ventrelli opened the scoring on a designed rollout, and defensive tackle Lwal Uguak picked off Harrison Frost moments later. In the second quarter, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku stuffed Jake Dolegala on third-and-short and forced a fumble that Nate Beauchemin returned for a touchdown. Tyson Philpot added a 12-yard score, and Hamilton's choice to kick a 13-yard field goal on the last play of the half drew boos.
Davis Alexander went 15-of-17 for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the first half (218 overall), while Stevie Scott III ran for 108 yards. Frost, starting with Bo Levi Mitchell out for the season, threw four interceptions as Hamilton turned it over six times, before late touchdown passes to Kiondre Smith, Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Keric Wheatfall.
Hamilton has lost four straight; Montreal sweeps the season series 3-0 and has a bye before hosting Winnipeg on October 3.
Records: Montreal 11-3 | Hamilton 4-10
Vancouver, the aftermath
The league suspended B.C.'s Josh Hagerty two games for allegedly striking Montreal running back Liam Talbot in the groin twice on unpenalized special-teams plays; Talbot required season-ending surgery. Ronald Kent Jr. and Montreal's Don Callis each received one game.
Where things stand after 16 weeks
West: Edmonton (10-4) stumbled but remains clinched and in first, four points ahead of a rested Saskatchewan (8-5). B.C. and Winnipeg (7-6) are still level, with the Bombers keeping an eye on Zach Collaros. Calgary (6-8) is last, but Paredes bought it time.
East: Montreal (11-3) cruises toward first, Toronto (8-6) has its home playoff game, Hamilton (4-10) has almost no margin left, and Ottawa (0-13) is now playing against history: no team has ever finished a season winless.
Three games, three records or near-records. The CFL doesn't need a full slate to be unforgettable.
