First look at marquee matchups in CFL Division Finals on TSN
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The matchups for the 2024 CFL Division Finals are set as the road to the 111th Grey Cup continues.
Four of the best teams in the league will take the field this weekend for an action-packed day of football on TSN.
Toronto Argonauts vs. Montreal Alouettes
After their high-powered offence led them to a 58-38 win on Saturday, the Toronto Argonauts will look for a measure of revenge against the Montreal Alouettes after a stunning upset in the Eastern Final last season.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly led the Argos to a franchise-record 16 wins last year, but threw four interceptions against Montreal in what would end up as a 38-17 loss in Eastern Final.
“Obviously, I made it a lot harder on the defence than it should have been,” Kelly said after last year's game. “This loss is on me. I take full responsibility from throwing those mistakes out there, playing careless with the football.”
This is Toronto’s fourth consecutive appearance in the Eastern Final, and third straight against the Alouettes.
“It’s 100 per cent unfinished business [with the Alouettes],” said Argonauts cornerback Tavarus McFadden to TSN’s Matthew Scianitti following Saturday’s win. “We’re going back to 1-0. We try to take every game one by one. That’s one down, we’ve got two more to go.”
“[Last year’s loss] keeps us humble,” defensive back DeShaun Amos told TSN1050’s First Up last week. “We were 16-2 and heavy favourites to win the Grey Cup. We didn’t really face a lot of adversity…we’re hungry, ready to play and we still have that sour taste from last year.”
Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo only needed one passing score to beat the Argos last year after the Als’ defence scored two pick-sixes while forcing nine turnovers from Toronto. The 2023 Grey Cup MVP will likely need to be more involved this time around if they are to repeat as East Division champions.
In two full regular-season contests against Toronto this season, Fajardo completed 53-of-70 passing attempts for 509 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
One of Montreal's top weapons, wideout Cole Spieker, will look to continue his success against the Argonauts this season after recording 17 receptions for 282 yards and two majors across three games.
The Alouettes dropped the season series with the Argos 2-1 after a close 37-31 loss on the road in Week 17.
The matchup will take place from Montreal this time around, with the Alouettes hosting an Eastern Final for the first time since 2012.
The Alouettes are 28-10 at home all-time in the playoffs, and hold a 5-3 record against Toronto in Division Finals.
Montreal will look for their second consecutive Grey Cup berth since winning back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.
Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
After a 28-19 victory last weekend, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are set for a matchup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final on Saturday.
The Roughriders will be playing in a Division Final for the first time in three seasons, with their last appearance coming in a 21-17 loss to the Bombers back in 2021.
Both quarterback Trevor Harris and running back A.J. Ouellette have joined the team as free agents since then, forming a formidable duo to lead the offence.
Harris, now in his second season in Saskatchewan, posted 3,264 passing yards and 20 touchdowns en route to earning Divisional All-Star honours this year, while Ouellette rushed for two touchdowns in his first Grey Cup Playoff game as a Roughrider.
Ouellette’s impact in the win last Saturday did not come as a surprise to Harris.
“I asked him before the previous B.C. game how he was feeling, and he said, ‘They didn’t pay me to come here and run in June and July. They did so I could run in October and November, so let's freaking go.’ That kind of sent chills up my spine," said the 38-year-old quarterback.
"I never told him that but when I walked away from him, I was like, ‘This guy's frigging ready’ and you guys saw that tonight.”
On the other side of the Western Final, Winnipeg has their own star pairing in Zach Collaros and Brady Oliveira, who will look to get the Bombers back to the Grey Cup for the fifth straight season.
Collaros got off to a sluggish start to the season that saw him go without a touchdown in each of his first three games, but has found his groove since then.
From Week 8 and on, the two-time MOP has recorded a passing score in 10 out of 11 games, including a six-touchdown performance in Week 17.
Oliveira, a 2024 CFL All-Star in his own right, has now rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the past three seasons, while adding a career-high 57 receptions out of the backfield this year.
In three games played against the Roughriders this season, the 2023 Most Outstanding Canadian has logged 283 scrimmage yards on on 48 opportunities.
Winnipeg took the season series 2-1 against Saskatchewan, and have been victorious in each of their past two meetings.
The Bombers will be making its sixth consecutive appearance in the Division Final, and will host the game for the fourth season in a row.
If Winnipeg is able to advance, they will face either Toronto or Montreal, two teams that have bested them in the Grey Cup in each of the past two seasons.