At no point last week did we think the Montreal Alouettes would be playing for the 110th Grey Cup. What happened to the Toronto Argos? Choke job? Meltdown? Full credit to Montreal; they shocked the system. Now, they face another CFL juggernaut in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Should we count the Als out this Sunday? Here’s our CFL Grey Cup prediction.
Montreal Alouettes vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in another Grey Cup for the fourth straight season. The word Dynasty comes to mind, and a win would solidify that. The Bombers are the favourites going into this matchup with the Cinderella Montreal Alouettes, but Winnipeg were the favourites in last year’s Grey Cup, and we remember how that went.
Montreal
As for this matchup, we’re still scratching our heads on whether the Alouettes won that Eastern Final or did the Argos lose it? We don’t want to downplay Montreal’s effort; they’re a good team, but at 11-7 in a weak Eastern Division, never at any point this season did they show they were elite. But their defense just might be, and sometimes, that can win you a Championship.
They should be riding high after forcing MOP candidate Chad Kelly to toss four interceptions and force nine team turnovers. Their D has only allowed 21.8 points per game, which was second-best in the league just below, you guessed it, Winnipeg. If they can make life difficult for Zach Collaros, maybe they have a chance to win. We’ve seen teams get hot at the right time and win it all, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
But let’s return to reality for a second and deal with the hard facts. Winnipeg averaged 33 points per game as one of the top offensive teams in the league. And as we mentioned above, they also have the top defense in the CFL, only allowing 20.9 points per game and 298.9 net offensive yards. They’re elite in every part of the game, including special teams.
Winnipeg
The biggest X factor in this matchup is the run game. This is Winnipeg’s bread and butter. The Als’ defence might be able to wreak havoc, but they’ll have their hands full with MOP candidate Brady Oliveria running rabid. And unfortunately, as soon as you put your focus there, it opens up the game for the receivers. As we saw in the Western Final, Winnipeg can hurt you in so many ways.
Experience also comes into play here. Collaros knows what it takes to win, and even if Montreal keeps the game close, there is nobody better to find a path to victory. That can’t be said for Als’ QB Cody Fajardo, who will be forced to make big plays instead of just trying to manage the game like he did last week.
Prediction
In the end, Winnipeg is far too balanced on both sides of the ball that they’ll find a way to win and cement themselves as one of the greatest Dynasties in CFL history.
Prediction: Winnipeg Blue Bombers
