Kickoff: Saturday, October 26th, 2 p.m. CDT; Percival Molson Stadium, Montreal, Que.
TV/Streaming: CTV; RDS; CFL+
Radio: 680 CJOB
Streaks: Wpg.: 1L; Mtl.: 1L.
Road/Home: The Blue Bombers are 4-4 on the road and have won four straight away from home since a 16-14 OT loss in Toronto on July 27th. Montreal is 6-2 at home, including a 19-12 win over Ottawa in their last game at Molson Stadium.
Scene Setter
The numbers are astonishing and mean oh so much more when we reach this time of year on the Canadian Football League schedule.
Yes, homefield advantage is a very real thing in this loop come November when the leaves have fallen, the frozen ground crunches under foot and any one play can lead to playoff glory or a full and sudden stop to a season. And that’s especially true here in Winnipeg, where the Blue Bombers are 40-6 at Princess Auto Stadium — including victories in the last three Western Finals — since 2019.
The Blue Bombers were reminded of that this week when it went from 22C at practice on Monday to rainy and 6C on Tuesday to 11C on Wednesday, with Thursday an off day. That inconsistency in weather patterns takes some getting used to, even for those who grew up here.
Blue Bombers veteran receiver Nic Demski
“It’s funny. The other day the sun was out, everybody was sweating,” said veteran receiver and Winnipeg product Nic Demski earlier this week. “And now look at me… I can’t even stay still right now because I’ve got to keep the blood flowing. It’s Winnipeg weather. You’ve got to love it.
“And that’s why Saturday is big, not only to end the season the way we want to and to go 1-0 this week but because we already have a home playoff game, and it would be that much sweeter if we could get the West Final here.”
Here are the playoff scenarios as the Blue Bombers try to lock up first place in the West Division for a fourth straight season this Saturday in Montreal against the Alouettes:
WEST DIVISION
- First-place will host the Western Final on Saturday, November 9 at 5:30 p.m. CT.
- Second-place will host BC in the Western Semi-Final on Saturday, November 2 at 5:30 p.m. CT.
- WPG WIN or WPG TIE = WPG claims first-place in the West Division and SSK takes second.
- WPG LOSS and SSK WIN = SSK claims first-place in the West Division and WPG takes second.
- WPG LOSS and SSK LOSS = WPG claims first-place in the West Division and SSK takes second.
- WPG LOSS and SSK TIE = WPG claims first-place in the West Division and SSK takes second.
Some numbers courtesy Blue Bombers radio play-by-play voice Derek Taylor of CJOB: from 2000-present 67 percent of teams competing in the Grey Cup were the #1 seed in their division, with 61 percent of the Grey Cup winners a #1 seed. Interestingly, in the 16 years prior to that — 1984-1999 — a top seed captured the West just 31.3 percent of the time; ditto for the Grey Cup champions.
All of that is juicy historical context, but it’s that 40-6 mark and the three straight division final victories that has the Blue Bombers fixated on exiting Montreal with a ‘W.’
“It’s Montreal week, man,” said Brady Oliveira earlier this week. “We’ve got a really big test ahead of us. We know what’s on the line here.
THE DEPTH CHART
The Blue Bombers have made five changes to the depth chart this week. On are DB Michael Griffin II, FB Bailey Feltmate, LB Michael Ayers, OL Gabe Wallace and DL Miles Fox.
Off are DB Tyrique McGhee, LB Max Charbonneau, DE Celestin Haba, LB Fabian Weitz and DB Bryce Notree.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
1. EFFICIENCY/CONSISTENCY ON ‘O’
The Blue Bombers recently snapped eight-game win streak that brought they from 2-6 to atop the West Division and still a chance to lock up first place in the West Division was built on many things, including a stellar defence that has surrendered a league-low 19.5 points per game heading into this weekend’s finale.
Offensively it was also backstopped, as per usual, by a sturdy group along the line of scrimmage who kept quarterback Zach Collaros clean and opened holes for Oliveira.
The Blue Bombers O-line at work earlier this week
That momentum was derailed in the loss to Toronto before the bye week, as the group surrendered a season high seven sacks.
“We’ve just got to play cleaner up front,” right tackle Eric Lofton told bluebombers.com earlier this week. “It wasn’t our best game by any stretch, but we had the bye week and time to review it, time to get better, time to rest up, heal up and get ready for this last little push. Up front we’ve got to play a lot better.
“There’s a collision on every snap but if you’re not on the same page as the other four guys sometimes that collision can be with us going backwards. If it’s the right kind of collision, then we have a chance to insert our force on people. We have to ratchet up the physicality and I think this week we have been.”
It’s not complicated: when the big eaters are on, the pile pushes forward and Collaros has time to survey the field from the pocket.
“When it’s on, no one should touch Brady… he should have a lot of room to make anybody miss. Zach should be clean, should be able to drop back, look around, have a Coke and then be able to throw it. We’ve got to be a lot better for our skill positions. I know I have to play a lot better — I can’t let people get to Zach like that and I will fix that.”
2. WILL THE REAL ALS STAND UP?
The defending Grey Cup champions — and, yes, it still stings in these parts to hear/read/say/type that — haven’t exactly been sprinting to the finish line over the last few weeks.
The Alouettes locked up top spot in the East Division eons ago with a 10-1 run to the end of August but are just 2-3-1 since then. They been battling the rest-vs-rust debate over the last few weeks, giving some of their banged and bruised bodies breathers as the club prepares to host the division final on November 9th.
QB Cody Fajardo started last week’s 27-3 loss in Vancouver to the B.C. Lions, but threw only nine passes, completing seven, before giving way to Davis Alexander.
How the Als might use their personnel on Saturday has been a topic in Bomberland all week.
Defensive coordinator Jordan Younger
“It won’t necessarily impact what we do,” began Blue Bombers offensive coordinator Jordan Younger. “But we need to be aware of the pieces and how they have a tendency to use those pieces and then maybe dig in and do a little more homework on what their skillset might be if we don’t have a good sample size of film on them.
“You want to know the guys who are really fast, the guys who have exceptional size… things of that nature. The best play designers find a way to get the most out of the pieces they have.”
As to Fajardo vs. Alexander at QB, Younger offered this as a comparison:
“They have fairly similar skillsets. They’re both tough, they’re both intelligent and Jason Maas does a great job of teaching them out to read defences and play within their system. They both get rid of the ball quickly and can both improvise and make plays with their feet once the play breaks down. They both fit that system very well.”
3. MOP WATCH
Oliveira is a double-nominee — Most Outstanding Player, Most Outstanding Canadian — for a second straight season for the Blue Bombers and has a real opportunity on Saturday to stake one final claim to both honours before the next round of voting.
In what has been a wide-open, wacky MOP race, Oliveira will be on the field against Montreal’s talented linebacker Tyrice Beverette with the other candidates across the league being four receivers in B.C.’s Justin McInnis, Edmonton’s Eugene Lewis, Reggie Begelton of Calgary and Ottawa’s Justin Hardy, Hamilton QB Bo Levi Mitchell, Saskatchewan defensive back Rolan Milligan, Jr. and Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey.
Oliveira leads the CFL in rushing with 1,318 yards and yards from scrimmage — including receiving — at 1,783. He’s had six 100-yard rushing games this year and 12 games over over 100-yards from scrimmage. All this after missing most of training camp and having just 64 yards rushing and 118 yards from scrimmage through the first three weeks (he missed Week 2 due to injury).
“My body just wasn’t where I wanted it to be when the season started but it started to pick up and I started to feel like myself and things got rolling pretty quickly,” Oliveira said this week. “I take pride in trying to be the most consistent player I can be every single week for this team. That being said, you hope that translates to wins for this football club. I think I did a great job of being consistent this year whether it was in the run game or the pass game.”
The Last Word