Trips to 111th Grey Cup on the line Saturday on TSN
Published
The stage is set for the 2024 CFL Division Finals on Saturday, with four teams standing just one win away from reaching the 111th Grey Cup.
Argonauts vs. Alouettes - Saturday at 2:30pm ET/11:30am PT on TSN
The defending-champion Montreal Alouettes will look for a repeat of last year’s Eastern Final, in which they handed the Toronto Argonauts a stunning 38-17 upset to end their season.
Last season, Montreal stymied the Argonauts’ high-powered offence in the win, forcing four interceptions from Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly.
“We’re excited for our opportunity,” said Alouettes linebacker Darnell Sankey prior to Saturday’s matchup. “It’s a rematch, but we don’t really look at it that way. It’s just another opponent to knock off the list.”
Sankey, now in his second season with Montreal, recorded six tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception in the win over Toronto in the Eastern Final last year.
Kelly shouldered much of the blame for the loss in what was a first career playoff start to forget for the 2023 Most Outstanding Player.
“This loss is on me,” said the 30-year-old after last year’s Eastern Final. “I take full responsibility from throwing those mistakes out there, playing careless with the football.”
Toronto is fresh off of a dominant 58-38 win over the Ottawa Redblacks last week, with Kelly coming off of perhaps his best performance as a professional.
The Ole Miss product threw for 358 yards and four touchdowns while completing 90 per cent of his passes, and added 29 yards with a major on the ground.
"It's done and over with," said Kelly of the loss last season. "I definitely looked at it throughout this year, but it's about managing. Take what they give you, and if it's not there don't force it.”
Opposite of Kelly on Saturday will be Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo, who won 110th Grey Cup MVP honours after leading a late touchdown drive to lift the Alouettes to their eighth title in franchise history.
Fajardo is hoping the Alouettes faithful can force Kelly into making even more mistakes in an Eastern Final, with the game taking place from Montreal this time around.
“It’s part of the competitive advantage for us having a home game this week,” said the eight-year veteran. “I hope our fans are loud and crazy, and make it very hard for them in the huddle to communicate.
“All you need is a little self-doubt, a little indecisiveness, and that gains all the competitive advantage that our defence needs, our offence needs, our special teams needs.”
Roughriders vs. Blue Bombers - Saturday at 6pm ET/3pm PT on TSN
While the Argos and Alouettes get set for their third straight matchup in the Eastern Final, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will look for a fifth consecutive trip to the Grey Cup against their heated rival Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Zach Collaros and Brady Oliveira will go toe-to-toe with Trevor Harris and A.J. Ouellette in what is shaping up to be a star-studded battle for the West Division.
Collaros, a two-time CFL Most Outstanding Player, finished second in the league with 4,336 passing yards this season. He has yet to lose a home playoff game since joining the Bombers in 2019.
The 36-year-old is aware of the many challenges the Saskatchewan defence present in one of the biggest games of the year.
“They have tremendous speed,” said Collaros ahead of the West Final. “They’re fast, they play very physical, they do a really good job pursuing the football. That's why they've been able to generate so many turnovers this year.
“The way they pursue the football and get to the quarterback makes it difficult for teams and that leads to turnovers.”
The Bombers went 2-1 against the Roughriders in the regular season, and earned home field advantage through the Division Final after finishing as the top team in the West at 11-7.
Winnipeg’s Princess Auto Stadium has been somewhat of a house of horrors for Saskatchewan over recent years, as the Roughriders have lost each of their last eight games to the Bombers on the road.
Harris, now in his second season with the Riders, will be tasked with putting that losing streak to an end.
The 38-year-old is coming off of a regular season that saw him post 3,264 passing yards and 20 touchdowns for Divisional All-Star honours.
If Harris is able to come away with the victory Saturday, he will get the chance to add a third Grey Cup to his trophy cabinet after winning in 2012 and 2016.