Blue Bombers vs Argonauts

11/17/2024 08:51 AM

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts waited 72 years to meet in the Grey Cup again in 2022 after their famous 1950 Mud Bowl at the old Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto.

The two teams cut that Grey Cup head-to-head drought by 70 years this time around.

Toronto and Winnipeg are back in the title tilt Sunday at BC Place, where the Grey Cup will be awarded for the 111th time.

Fourteen Argos players from that 2022 Grey Cup win played in last week’s East final, while 18 Bombers from that heartbreaking 24-23 defeat suited up in the 2024 West final.

But one very important player is missing — injured Argos QB Chad Kelly. That development makes the Blue Bombers heavy favourites in this game.

Here is a capsule look at this year’s game featuring the top two franchises in the league this decade:

THE SCHEDULE

Sunday, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT at BC Place in Vancouver.

THE LINE

The Blue Bombers were favoured by 9.5 points at BetMGM, as of Saturday. Winnipeg was favoured by 5.5 in the 2022 game. The underdog has won the last three Grey Cups.

AT STAKE

The Blue Bombers, in the Grey Cup for a fifth consecutive season, are trying to cement a dynasty. They have lost the past two title tilts after starting the incredible run with two wins. Winnipeg is one of just four clubs to reach five consecutive Grey Cups.

The Argos, meanwhile, are looking for a CFL-best 19th Grey Cup and are 18-6 in the big game. Toronto has won the last seven Grey Cups it has played in, not losing since 1987.

PRE-GAME AND HALFTIME

Country artist Owen Riegling gets the pre-game call, while Sofia Camera gets anthem duties.

It’s the Jonas Brothers at halftime. Joe Jonas has been busy this weekend after he attended the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing bore on Friday in Arlington, Texas.

THE SEASON SERIES

Toronto won a pair of low-scoring games.

Lirim Hajrullahu’s 34-yard field goal in overtime gave the Argos a 16-14 win on July 28 in Toronto.

The Argos then snapped the Blue Bombers’ eight-game win streak with a 14-11 win in Winnipeg on Oct. 11.

Toronto recorded 12 sacks in the two games. If that pressure holds in the Grey Cup, the Argos will have a chance to pull off the upset.

PLAYOFF HISTORY

The Bombers’ 2022 Grey Cup setback on a late blocked field goal by Toronto ended Winnipeg’s bid for a rare three-peat. Another late stumble resulted in a Grey Cup loss last year against Montreal. The Bombers now have motivation to show people they will not falter again with all the marbles on the line.

The Argos’ historic 16-2 season last year ended in disaster as Toronto turned the ball over nine times in a stunning loss to Montreal in the East final. They got their revenge on the Als last week and now look for another upset.

THE QUARTERBACKS

Zach Collaros (Winnipeg) vs. Nick Arbuckle (Toronto)

While Collaros may not have been as good this year as in previous years, he remains the gold standard at his position.

Collaros, 36, turned his career around in 2019 after the Argos sent him to the injury-riddled Bombers prior to the trade deadline. A former college teammate of close pals Travis and Jason Kelce at Cincinnati, Collaros led Winnipeg on an improbable march to the 2019 Grey Cup before winning the CFL’s most outstanding player award in 2021 and ’22. The future Hall of Famer is the first quarterback to start five consecutive Grey Cup games.

The quarterbacking battle is a one-sided matchup on paper, but that won’t bother Arbuckle one bit. He’s used to being doubted.

Arbuckle, 31, was forced into action last week in the East final in Montreal after Kelly suffered a gruesome tibia and fibula injury. The journeyman made some key plays to help Toronto stay in front and now will get to start in his first Grey Cup game.

The Georgia State product thought his career might be over in the off-season when he remained unsigned after spending last year in Ottawa. But with Kelly serving a nine-game suspension for violating the gender-based violence policy to start the year, the Argos came calling. Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie was familiar with Arbuckle from their time in Calgary when Dinwiddie was an assistant. That relationship has paid off in a big way.

Dinwiddie, a former quarterback, knows what it’s like to make an unexpected Grey Cup start. He made his first career start for Winnipeg in the 2007 championship after a Kevin Glenn injury. The Bombers went on to lose against Saskatchewan.

THE COACHES

Mike O’Shea (Winnipeg) vs. Ryan Dinwiddie (Toronto)

All these guys do is win.

O’Shea, 54, became the winningest coach in Blue Bombers history this year, surpassing the legendary Bud Grant. He’s been on the job since the 2014 season after the Bombers hired him from his assistant-coaching post in Toronto.

The North Bay, Ont., native survived a couple of losing seasons to start in Winnipeg and has now reeled off eight winning seasons in a row.

Dinwiddie, 43, is an impressive 46-22 in four regular seasons in Toronto, and has always ended his campaigns in the East final or Grey Cup.

After some questionable on-field calls in his rookie year, Dinwiddie has silenced any critics and now has to be considered one of the top coaches in the league. His job this year, missing Kelly for half the campaign, might be his best work to date.

THE VENUE

BC Place hosts a Grey Cup for the first time since 2014 and the 10th time overall.

In 2014, Collaros was the starting quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats against the Calgary Stampeders.

A dramatic 90-yard punt return for a touchdown by Hamilton’s Brandon Banks late in the game was called back on an illegal block penalty, and the Stamps held on for a 20-16 win.

2024 AT A GLANCE

The Blue Bombers (11-7 in the regular season) started 0-4 and were 3-6 at the halfway mark, leading many to wonder if the balance of power finally was shifting in the West.

But O’Shea and Co. never panicked, putting themselves in the driver’s seat in the West with an eight-game winning streak.

After Toronto derailed that run, the Bombers needed a win in the season finale in Montreal to secure first in the West. It was looking dicey before a sudden wind storm resulted in a short punt by the Alouettes in the final minute. Winnipeg took full advantage with Sergio Castillo booting a 51-yard field goal for a wild win.

That led to home-field advantage for the West final. The Bombers were excellent in front of a fifth consecutive sellout crowd, throttling Saskatchewan 38-22 behind four touchdown passes from Collaros.

The Argos (10-8) went a very respectable 5-4 without Kelly to start the year, mostly using the inexperienced Cameron Dukes at QB. Kelly’s return was uneven, but he found his rhythm later in the year and got the Argos into second place in the East.

The Argos set a franchise record for playoff points in a 58-38 win over visiting Ottawa in the East semi before edging Montreal 30-28 in the East final.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Winnipeg RB Brady Oliveira

The league’s most outstanding player was mostly held in check by Toronto in their two games this season. For Toronto to have any chance, the Argos need to do a similar job against the Winnipeg-born star and give their league-best pass rush a chance to wreak havoc on second-and-long.

Toronto WR Damonte Coxie

In one-on-one situations, few are better than this guy. Coxie had five catches for 105 yards last week against the Als. The Blue Bombers have one of the best defensive backs in the league in Tyrell Ford. If these two go head-to-head, we’re in for a treat.

Toronto KR Janarion Grant

The Blue Bombers let Grant go in free agency this past off-season, and Toronto pounced.

Grant won the league’s special teams award this year after notching four return touchdowns.

O’Shea cut his teeth as a special-teams coach, so you know Winnipeg has a plan for Grant. But it’s one thing to have a strategy, and it’s another thing to stop him.

Blue Bombers WR Kenny Lawler

After an injury-plagued year, Lawler hauled in three touchdown passes from Collaros last week in the West final and finished with 177 receiving yards.

These two might have the best chemistry of any quarterback-receiver combo in the league.

THIS ‘N THAT

The Argos were the highest-scoring team this season, while the Bombers gave up the fewest points … Arbuckle is looking to become the third quarterback in a row to win the Grey Cup in his first start in the championship game. McLeod Bethel-Thompson won in 2022 for Toronto, while Cody Fajardo captured the crown for Montreal last year … The Blue Bombers didn’t give up a sack last week, a good sign heading into a game against a team that specializes in hitting the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage … If Toronto wins, the East will capture the Grey Cup for a third year in a row. That hasn’t happened in 50 years (1972-74, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal).

PREDICTION

Arbuckle has experience, but he’s not nearly as dangerous as Kelly. The Blue Bombers are very well coached and should be able to cause problems for a backup quarterback

If Winnipeg limits Argos running back Ka’Deem Carey, the pressure falls on Arbuckle to pick up yardage in chunks. That feels unlikely.

The Bombers’ proud offensive line, meanwhile, will have a point to prove after struggling against Toronto this season.

Dinwiddie and his players have done a great job getting this far, but this last step is daunting.

After three close Grey Cups in a row, we don’t see a nail-biter this time around.

WINNIPEG 31, TORONTO 13