Argos, Redblacks and Riders, Lions kick off CFL Playoffs this weekend

After 21 weeks of regular season football, the CFL's Grey Cup Playoffs have finally arrived with a pair of divisional semifinals set to take place on Saturday. 

Let's take a closer look at the matchups and where you can watch them.

Eastern Semifinal - Ottawa Redblacks (9-8-1) at Toronto Argonauts (10-8)

Chad Kelly

Coverage begins Saturday at 3pm ET/12pm PT on TSN1/4 and streaming on TSN.ca or the TSN App

The CFL playoffs kick off with a clash between Ontario rivals in the Ottawa Redblacks and Toronto Argonauts. 

The Argos will host the Eastern Semifinal from BMO Field after finishing second in the division, earning just one more win than the Redblacks this season. 

Toronto and Ottawa split their two matchups this season, with the Argonauts winning the most recent clash by a score of 38-31 on Oct. 19. 

The Redblacks were on a five-game losing streak before downing the last-place Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday in the season finale to enter the playoffs on a high note.

Ottawa has won only twice on the road this season and not since Aug. 15 when they edged the last-place Calgary Stampeders, 31-29

The Argonauts, meanwhile, dropped their last game to the Edmonton Elks in overtime, but had won their previous three games, including four out of five. 

Here's how the two sides stack up head-to-head: 

Redblacks pivot Dru Brown ranked third in passing yards this season, tossing for 3,959 yards alongside 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over 17 games in 2024, his first season in the nation's capital. 

After winning the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award in 2023, Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly was suspended for the first nine games of this season for violating the league's gender-based violence policy.

When he returned, the 30-year-old threw for 2,451 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions over the final nine games. Despite having a terrific regular season last year, Kelly fell apart in the Eastern Final against the Montreal Alouettes with four interceptions. 

Will Kelly and the Argonauts get back to the Eastern Final or will Brown lead the Redblacks to their first playoff victory since 2018?

The winner will play the league-leading Alouettes, who captured the Grey Cup a season ago, in the Eastern Final. 

Western Semifinal - BC Lions (9-9) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-8-1)

Jerreth Sterns Saskatchewan Roughriders

Coverage begins Saturday at 6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT on TSN1/3 and streaming on TSN.ca or the TSN App 

Playoff football has returned to Regina as the Saskatchewan Roughriders will host the BC Lions at Mosaic Stadium in the Western Semifinal.

The Riders haven't made the playoffs since 2021 while the Lions have lost the West Semifinal to the Calgary Stampeders in each of the previous two seasons.

Saskatchewan and BC each won nine games in 2024, but the Roughriders earned a tie against the Redblacks in August, the difference in giving them a home playoff date. 

The season, the Lions defeated the Roughriders, 35-20, at BC Place before the Riders returned the favour just two weeks ago, picking up a 39-8 victory at their home stadium to clinch second in the West. 

Here's how the two sides stack up head-to-head: 

The Roughriders and Lions seem to be pretty even on paper, but BC could have an X-factor in quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.

The 31-year-old began the 2024 season as the Lions' starter, but suffered a knee injury during a blowout loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 9. Adams Jr. was one of better quarterbacks in the CFL before going down with his injury, throwing for 2,544 yards alongside 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

BC then brought back Nathan Rourke, who won the CFL Most Outstanding Canadian award in 2022 as a member of the Lions, just over a week later following a stint in the NFL. Over nine games, Rourke did not look as sharp as he did two years ago, throwing for 1,781 yards with four touchdowns and nine interceptions. 

Rourke struggled again during BC's massive loss to Saskatchewan on Oct. 12 as head coach Rick Campbell decided to give the reigns back to Adams Jr. for the season finale against the Montreal Alouettes on Oct. 19. He looked sharp in that game, throwing for 385 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions alongside a rushing touchdown. 

Despite missing some time with an injury, Trevor Harris has been consistent for the Roughriders behind centre, throwing for 3,264 yards with 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions over 12 games. 

The winner moves on to the Western Final against Zach Collaros and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.