Football (CFL)

OTTAWA — Playoff hopes are on the line as the Ottawa Redblacks host the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday.

EDMONTON — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have won five in a row. The Edmonton Elks have won five of their last six games. They are the two hottest teams in the West. When they meet Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium, something has to give.

TORONTO — Wynton McManis will get a second shot at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The veteran linebacker returns Friday night when the Toronto Argonauts (7-6) host Hamilton (4-9). McManis missed six games with a groin injury.

CALGARY — Even though the Calgary Stampeders haven’t won a game in more than a month, they’re still right in the thick of things in the CFL’s West Division.

WINNIPEG — Veteran Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill said Thursday that he will undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee. The 35-year-old posted the injury update on his Instagram account and said he plans to return after rehab.

Dru Brown and the Ottawa Redblacks will give it another try. For a second straight week, the Redblacks (8-4-1) will attempt to clinch an East Division playoff spot with a victory.

TORONTO — Neil Lumsden has signed his organ donor card for decades, so the decision to do his part for concussion research was a no-brainer.

It hasn't taken Chris Jones long to make an impact with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' defence. The unit has forced 10 turnovers in three games under Jones, Hamilton's senior defensive assistant.

Ben Fairbrother, an offensive lineman who was selected second overall in the 1997 CFL draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, has died. He was 51. Both the Riders and B.C.

CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders may have snapped a four-game losing streak and the Montreal Alouettes may have remained unbeaten on the road, but Saturday's 19-19 tie was unsatisfying for both football clubs.