TORONTO — It’s nearly impossible to predict the future in sports. The best we can do is gather information from the past in an attempt to draw a picture of what’s to come.
After looking back on individual stats it’s time to take a look at which teams dominated during the 2023 season.
Who had the best offence and defence? Which team led the league in sacks? Who forced more turnovers? CFL.ca brings you those answers and more in our latest Stats Rewind.
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POINTS FOR | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS | 593
It’s no surprise that an offence led by Zach Collaros, Brady Oliveira and Dalton Schoen finished first in points scored. With a balanced offensive unit that ranked first in rushing (2,503) and second in passing yards (5,263), the Bombers present a very difficult matchup for opposing defences.
POINTS ALLOWED | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS | 377
Winnipeg showcased in 2023 that they were a complete team on both sides of the ball, leading the league in both points for and points allowed. Willie Jefferson led the only unit to keep opposing offences under 300 yards per game (298.8), 300 total first downs (280), and 50 or more offensive plays per game (49.1).
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE | MONTREAL ALOUETTES | 70.7
A lot of the success of the Montreal Alouettes in 2023 is attributed to a defence that found its groove halfway through the season. It’s fair to say though that the Alouettes wouldn’t have hoisted the Grey Cup if it wasn’t for an efficient offence led by Cody Fajardo and his stellar completion percentage (71.6). The Als played a mistake-free style of offence that perfectly complemented an aggressive defensive unit.
OPP COMPLETION PERCENTAGE | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS | 59.7
Winnipeg was the only team to keep opposing offences under 60 per cent completion percentage, while also featuring the interception leader in defensive back Demerio Houston, who left in free agency to join the Calgary Stampeders.
AVERAGE GAIN RUSH | EDMONTON ELKS | 6.1
Edmonton’s rushing offence came to life after pivot Tre Ford took over the starting position. Ford was the perfect complement to running back Kevin Brown and kept opposing defences on their heels with the dual threat coming out of the backfield.
OPP AVERAGE RUSH | OTTAWA REDBLACKS | 4.3
The REDBLACKS boasted the lowest yards per rush allowed with a 4.3 mark as one of the bright spots in a forgettable season at the Nation’s capital. With a lot of the names on defence returning like 2022 Most Outstanding Defensive Player Lorenzo Mauldin IV, alongside Bryce Carter, Brandin Dandridge and newly acquired Adarius Pickett, look for Ottawa’s defence to be even better in 2024.
AVERAGE YARDS PER PLAY | TORONTO ARGONAUTS | 7.34
Despite Winnipeg totalling higher yardage numbers overall, it was the Double Blue that finished as the most efficient offence with 7.34 average yards per play. A big reason for that was an offensive line led by Most Outstanding offensive lineman Dejon Allen that dominated in both the pass and running game.
OPP AVERAGE YARDS PER PLAY | BC LIONS | 5.97
The title of most efficient defence lies with the Lions, who were the only team to keep opponents under six yards per play. The 2023 Leos squad featured talent one every level of the defence, with names like Most Outstanding Defensive Player Mathieu Betts being assisted by linebacker Ben Hladik and defensive back Garry Peters, among others.
SACKS ALLOWED | TORONTO ARGONAUTS| 19
The No. 1 example of the Argonauts dominant performance in the trenches is the number of sacks allowed. Toronto’s offensive line gave up only 19 sacks all season, 14 less than the second-place Montreal Alouettes. The Argos also led the league in sacks made with 68, with Folarin Orimolade (10), Brandon Barlow (nine), Jonathan Jones (seven) and Pickett (six) leading the way for the Boatmen in terrorizing opposing quarterbacks.
TURNOVER RATIO | TORONTO ARGONAUTS | +27
Winning the battle at the line of scrimmage also often means winning the turnover war. That’s exactly what happened with the Argonauts, who led the league in fewest turnovers made (27) while also leading in opponent turnovers (54).
BIG PLAY RETURNS | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS | 17
The Tabbies had the most big plays on returns across all teams with 17. That’s thanks to specialist Tyreik McAllister, who had over 1,000 kickoff return yards (1,037 on 41 returns).
OPP BIG PLAY RETURNS | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS/BC LIONS |7
The Ticats were not only the most explosive team when it came to returning the football but also displayed a well-trained unit on special teams when it came to stopping opponents from getting big plays of their own. Hamilton tied the Lions with only seven big plays allowed on returns.