By Canadian Press

Blue Bombers can clinch first in West with win, tie against Alouettes

Oct 23, 2024 | 9:02 AM

Zach Collaros and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers head into their regular-season finale with the ability to determine where the West Division final will be played.

Winnipeg (10-7) can clinch first in the West — and home field for the division final Nov. 9 — with a road win or tie Saturday versus the Montreal Alouettes (12-4-1). A Bombers loss would give the Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-7-1) an opportunity to finish first with a home victory later that night versus the Calgary Stampeders (4-12-1).

Should Winnipeg lose and Saskatchewan either earns a tie or loss against Calgary, the Bombers would take first for a fourth straight season. Idle B.C. (9-9) will travel to either Princess Auto Stadium or Mosaic Stadium for the division semifinal. Nov. 2.

Montreal has already clinched first in the East and will host either Toronto (10-7) or Ottawa (8-8-1) in the division final. The Argonauts and Redblacks meet Nov. 2 in the semifinal at BMO Field.

Winnipeg comes off a bye week following a 14-11 home loss to Toronto on Oct. 11 that snapped its eight-game win streak. The Argos defence, which leads the CFL with 47 sacks, got to Collaros seven times in that contest.

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And although CFL rushing leader Brady Oliveira averaged a solid 5.3 yards per carry, he only had 12 in the game for 64 yards. Receiver Kenny Lawler also had six catches for 108 yards but Winnipeg’s lone offensive TD came on Terry Wilson’s one-yard run.

This contest has no impact on Montreal’s standing but a loss would be the defending Grey Cup champion’s second straight heading into the playoffs. The Alouettes are coming off a 27-3 road defeat to B.C.

But there will certainly be questions regarding just how long head coach Jason Maas will play such veterans as quarterback Cody Fajardo and linebackers Tyrice Beverette and Darnell Sankey. The Alouettes do have a bye to the East final but Maas faces a delicate balancing act of trying to keep his team sharp while not risking injury to key starters.

Montreal has fared well against West Division teams with a solid 6-2-1 record and is 6-2 at home.

Winnipeg is 4-4 on the road and 3-4 versus East Division teams.

The two teams met to open the 2024 season in a rematch of last year’s Grey Cup, which Montreal won 28-24. The Alouettes also emerged victorious on June 6 by a 27-12 score.

Oliveira is a big part of Winnipeg’s offence as he leads the CFL in rushing with 1,318 yards and is averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Montreal’s defence is second in fewest offensive points allowed (20.6, behind only the Bombers at 19.5) but is eighth against the run (119.4 yards per game).

Pick: Winnipeg.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats versus Ottawa Redblacks (Friday night)

At Ottawa, Hamilton (7-10) looks to finish its season with a sixth win in seven games. Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 450 yards and five TDs in last week’s 42-20 victory over Calgary, Mitchell’s first against his former team. The Redblacks have dropped five straight but rallied impressively in last week’s 38-31 road loss to Toronto, outscoring the Argos 25-0 in the fourth quarter. Playing that way for 60 minutes will be the goal but there’s also the matter of a playoff game looming. This one means more to the visitors.

Pick: Hamilton.

Toronto Argonauts versus Edmonton Elks (Friday night)

At Edmonton, Toronto chases a fourth straight victory. Running back Ka’Deem Carey needs 29 yards to surpass his career high of 1,088. But the Argos also have a home playoff game to look forward to so Carey and many other starters likely won’t play the entire contest. Canadian Tre Ford makes another start for the Elks (6-11) after passing for 208 yards and running for 33 more in their 23-18 win over Calgary on Oct. 12. Justin Rankin rushed for 140 yards, his fourth 100-yard performance of the season.

Pick: Edmonton.

Calgary Stampeders versus Saskatchewan Roughriders (Saturday night)

At Regina, Saskatchewan will know by kickoff if it still has a shot at top spot or will be hosting B.C. in the West semifinal. The Riders come in on a nice roll, having won four straight and are rested. But if first place isn’t available, again the expectation is that Trevor Harris and other starters won’t play the entire game. It’s been a long stretch for Calgary, which is 0-8-1 in its last nine games and hasn’t won since a 27-23 home decision over Toronto on Aug. 4.

Pick: Saskatchewan.

Last week: 3-0.

CP’s overall record: 47-30.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press