How the Tiger-Cats can make the playoffs – barely

Just one little slip up could result in an end to the Tiger-Cats’s season. Photo Credit: Hamilton Tiger-Cats/X. 

After starting the Canadian Football League (CFL) season with zero wins and five losses, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have turned things around, winning four games in a row to put themselves in the playoff picture.

Only a few weeks ago, the team sat at 2-9, far behind in last place in the Eastern Division.

But the Tiger-Cats started to come alive after a 31-28 win against the Toronto Argonauts in the Labour Day Classic at Tim Horton’s Field thanks to a 55-yard field goal in the closing minutes by Marc Liegghio.

What followed was a 37-21 win against the Ottawa Redblacks and then a 33-31 win against the Argos because of another field goal from Liegghio, only this time from 47 yards in what was the final play of the game.

Finally, last week, against the B.C. Lions, the Tiger-Cats were down 16-0 at halftime but came back to tie the game and force overtime, winning 32-29.

However, despite winning their last four games, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats remain in last place in the Eastern Division standings with 12 points and a 6-9 record.

Each team in playoff contention, including the Tiger-Cats, has only three games left to play.

Since each win earns a team two points in the standings, that means that the maximum number of points the Tiger-Cats can get is 18 – and that’s only if they win every single one of their remaining games.

The Argos, who are directly ahead of the Tiger-Cats in the standings, have 16 points, meaning that it will be difficult to catch them and claim an Eastern Division playoff spot.

The good news is that the Tiger-Cats won their season series against the Argos which means that if the two teams finish with the same number of points, the Tiger-Cats would edge them out in the standings and qualify for the playoffs.

The other good news, and this could be crucial, is that the CFL has something called the Crossover Rule.

With the Crossover Rule, even if the Tiger-Cats are unable to catch the Argos for an Eastern Division playoff spot, they might still be able to qualify for a Western Division playoff spot.

The official CFL website states, “If the fourth-place team in Division A has more points than the third-place team in Division B, the fourth-place team will cross over to Division B and replace the third-place team in Division B.”

The Saskatchewan Roughriders currently sit in second place in the Western Division with 15 points, while the B.C. Lions sit in third place with 14 points.

If the Hamilton Tiger-Cats manage to finish above either of those teams in points then they would be able to snag a playoff spot.

It’s important to note that, in this instance, tying the Roughriders or Lions on points would not be enough to qualify, as stated by the Crossover Rule.

Thus, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats fate is not in their own hands – they must win as many of their remaining games as possible, and then also hope that specific other teams (Argos, Lions, or Roughriders) lose as many games as possible.

This week’s Tiger-Cat game on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Tim Horton’s Field will be key.

After that, the team has a game against the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, October 18th at 7 p.m. at Tim Horton’s Field before finishing the season in Ottawa against the Redblacks on Friday, October 25 at 7 p.m.

So while the Tiger-Cats have come a long way from where they were just a few weeks ago, they are still at the point where even just one little slip up could result in an end to their season. 

Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.