Twelve years after they broke into the CFL, Zach Collaros and Bo Levi Mitchell are the leaders of the two hottest teams in the league.
On Friday, the top passers in the CFL this year square off in a marquee matchup with significant playoff implications at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.
Mitchell has his Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-9) back in the playoff race thanks to a four-game win streak, while Collaros’ Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-6) have won seven in a row to take over first place in the West after an 0-4 start.
What makes each quarterback so special?
“I think it’s pretty simple, they’ve won a whole ton of games between them,” Blue Bombers coach Mike O’Shea told reporters this week. “For opponents, they’ve been tough to play for a long time.”
Both quarterbacks are two-time winners of the CFL’s most outstanding player award — Mitchell accomplished the feat in 2014 and ’18 as a Calgary Stampeder, and Collaros in 2021 and ’22 with the Blue Bombers.
But although Mitchell, 34, and Collaros, 36, are destined for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame upon retirement, there have been plenty of doubts about each quarterback at various times in their careers.
Earlier this year, an interception-prone Mitchell lost the starting job to Taylor Powell. But Powell was hurt in his first game as starter, giving Mitchell a second chance. He has elevated his game in a big way, earning kudos from first-year Hamilton coach Scott Milanovich.
Mitchell leads the league with 4,359 passing yards in his second year with the Ticats, who signed him after he lost the starting job to Jake Maier in Calgary. Injuries limited Mitchell to just six games last year.
“He’s definitely playing with more confidence, playing more within the offence,” Milanovich told reporters. “It really comes down to making better decisions with the football. He’s still making the big plays when they’re there. But when they’re not there, he’s checking it down and keeping us ahead of the sticks and not putting the defence in a bad situation.”
Collaros, who started his career with the Toronto Argonauts under Milanovich before heading to Hamilton, was hampered by injuries for a good chunk of the early portion of his pro career. With the Blue Bombers facing their own health problems at QB in 2019, Winnipeg swung a deal to land Collaros at the trade deadline from the Argos. The Cincinnati graduate didn’t even play a game in his second stint with the Argos, who acquired him earlier in 2019, weeks after he suffered a concussion in the season opener while playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Blue Bombers went on to win the Grey Cup that year and Collaros has been the best player at his position since the trade.
After faltering out of the starting gate this year, the Blue Bombers have found their usual stride and are in great position to make a run at a fifth consecutive Grey Cup appearance.
“I don’t even know the numbers of these two guys, but multiple Grey Cups both of them have won,” Milanovich said. “Touchdowns, yards, wins, all of the above. Both great guys, both true professionals, love the game, very competitive, good leaders. Definitely a treat for the fans and it’s good for the CFL, no doubt about it.”
Added Blue Bombers defensive lineman Jake Thomas, per Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun: “They’ve been going at it probably since, what, 2012? Quarterbacks, it’s one of those positions where you see those guys can be pretty successful close to 40. I think they’ve both got a few years left. As a fan of the league, it’s great to see Bo back to being Bo.
“He’s back to playing with that confidence, and when he has the confidence, he’s a very dangerous player.”
Weirdly, the Bombers have lost the past two years in their visit to Hamilton, despite owning a much better record than the Ticats in 2022 and ’23.
However, Winnipeg’s last Grey Cup win came against the Ticats in Hamilton in 2021.
The Ticats, meanwhile, desperately need a win to keep two potential playoff paths possible. They are four points behind the Argos for the third and final playoff spot in the East, and two points back of the B.C. Lions for a crossover berth.
No East team has ever crossed over to grab the third and final West playoff spot. Hamilton, if it finishes last in the East, must finish with more points than the third-place finisher in the West to cross over.
Feeling the heat?
With the Stampeders sitting last in the league, questions are starting to be asked about GM/coach Dave Dickenson’s future.
That doesn’t mean he has to like those queries, however.
This week, Dickenson bristled when asked about his status.
“Honestly, what do you want me to say to that?” Dickenson said, per Todd Saelhof of Postmedia. “I’m (expletive) here to work — I don’t really give a damn. I’m here to work.
“Speculate all you want, but I’m here to work.”
Dickenson has coached the Stamps since 2016 and is the second-longest-serving coach in the league, behind O’Shea. He has also been GM the past two years.
The Stampeders have made the playoffs 18 years in a row. A loss Friday in Vancouver against the Lions would all but ensure that streak ends.
Clinching scenarios
The Blue Bombers can wrap up first in the West with a win over Hamilton and a Saskatchewan loss to Edmonton.
The Roughriders need a win and Calgary and Hamilton losses to secure their first trip to the playoffs since 2021.
The Grey Cup-host Lions need a victory along with Hamilton and Edmonton losses to book a post-season ticket.
Finally, the idle Ottawa Redblacks will wrap up their first playoff berth since 2018 if Hamilton loses to Winnipeg.
The idle Montreal Alouettes already have clinched first in the East for the first time since 2012, while the Blue Bombers are guaranteed an eighth consecutive playoff spot.
Game of the week
If the Bombers beat the Ticats, Hamilton is pretty much finished. But if Hamilton wins, we could be looking at a Grey Cup or West final preview.
Here’s the full Week 18 schedule.
Friday: Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-6) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-9), 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
Friday: Calgary Stampeders (4-9-1) at B.C. Lions (7-8), 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Saturday: Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-7-1) at Edmonton Elks (5-10), 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT