For a second season in a row, the Calgary Stampeders were the class of the CFL regular season. For a second season in a row, they came up short in the Grey Cup. They begin the 2018 campaign as the favorites to win the Grey Cup, where they have lost in two straight years. The Stampeders won’t want to make it three years straight as they look for their eighth Grey Cup but they’ve got some playoff demons to overcome.
Calgary Stampeders 2018 regular season win total
Over 12.5
Under 12.5
Odds courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook.
What Happened Last Year
The Stampeders tied their first game of the season against the Ottawa Redblacks, and then won 13 of their next 14 games. However, they lost their last three games of the regular season after they had basically clinched the top seed in the West Division, which took some of their momentum away. The Stampeders got a bye to the West Final, where they edged out their rivals from Edmonton by a score of 32-28, but in the Grey Cup, they fell 27-24 to the Toronto Argonauts.
Bo Levi Mitchell led a powerful offense with 4,700 yards passing and 23 touchdowns, while Jerome Messam ran for 1,016 yards and nine scores. The defense was the story, allowing the fewest points in the CFL, with linebacker Alex Singleton winning the Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award.
What Will Change This Year
The Stampeders let the 33-year-old Messam head to Saskatchewan in free agency. That will be a major replacement to make. Leading wide receiver Marquay McDaniel, who is 34 years old, was also released. Josh Bell retired to become a coach for the Stampeders, leaving a spot open at cornerback. Roy Finch was the top special-teams player in the CFL last year, but off-field issues have led him to step away from the game. Linebacker Deron Mayo also retired, and leading sack-getter Charleston Hughes is also now in Saskatchewan. Head coach Dave Dickenson has a lot to figure out heading into his third season in charge.
Outlook & Prediction
The Stampeders have to replace Messam out of the backfield. It looks like Terry Williams has the inside track to do so. They have enough at receiver to make up for the loss of McDaniel as Mitchell likes to spread the ball around. Also, Mitchell has to stay healthy as backup Andrew Buckley retired at 24 to pursue a medical career. However, the defense should still be good enough to ensure that the Stampeders can stay at the top of the West Division. Singleton, as good as he has been, is still only 24 years old and improving.
They do have some holes to fill at the back of the defense, but a front seven that helped the Stampeders rack up 50 sacks last season is largely back outside of Hughes. The defense can hold down the fort until the offense comes around, and the Stampeders should do just fine. However, they’ll fall short of the 12.5-win mark that is slated for them, which might not be the worst thing for them.
