After the first three weeks of the 2019 CFL season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have solidified their status as one of the league’s elite teams.
Hamilton improved to 3-0 Friday night with a dominating 41-10 victory over the visiting Montreal Alouettes and will look to win their first four games of the year for the first time since 1989 when they visit the Als on July 4.
When was the last time the Tiger-Cats started a season with at least five straight wins? You’d have to travel all the way back to 1961 when the club burst out of the starting block 7-0, its best start since the 1950 Tigers and Wildcats merger. Hamilton’s longest unbeaten streak to start a season came in 1958 when they went 8-0-1 (they tied Montreal 21-21 in Week 6).
The Cats opened this season with a 23-17 win over Saskatchewan, then embarrassed Toronto 64-14 before toppling the Alouettes last week.
One of the stranger stats in Hamilton’s early season success has been the first quarter. The Cats have outscored their opponents 128-41 overall this year but they’ve been outscored 10-9 in the first quarter of their opening three games. Hamilton is averaging 13 points in every other quarter.
Some fans who chimed in on CHML’s 5th Quarter on Friday night attributed Hamilton’s hot start, in part, to the level of competition the team has faced. Entering Week 3, the Roughriders, Argonauts and Alouettes were a combined 0-4.
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But The Tiger-Cats can only play the team that is next on the schedule, and those marquee games against Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton (you can throw Ottawa in there too) will come soon enough.
So enjoy the good times while they are here because in the CFL, as we’ve seen many times in the past, a team’s fortunes can change on a dime.