The Toronto Argonauts (11-7) will look to avoid a repeat of last year's result when they step onto the field against the Montreal Alouettes (9-9) in the CFL East final on Sunday.
For the first time in 10 years, the Argonauts and Alouettes square off in the East final with the winner booking their trip to the Grey Cup. Back in 2012, Toronto came away with the win at Olympic Stadium in Montreal and went on to win the Grey Cup at home.
Can the Argonauts take advantage of the extra week of preparation unlike last season or will the Alouettes keep their momentum going?
Here is a capsule look at the East final.
THE SCHEDULE: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT at BMO Field.
THE LINE: The Argos sit as 3.5-point favourites on FanDuel.
AT STAKE: The winner goes to the Grey Cup in Regina on Nov. 20.
THE SEASON SERIES: Toronto took the season series 2-1.
The Argonauts prevailed in the first meeting during Week 2 by a single point as kicker David Cote missed a 21-yard field goal that would have given the Alouettes the victory. McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw for 269 yards, a touchdown and an interception while Andrew Harris rushed for 87 yards while adding 23 yards through the air in his first game with the Double Blue.
Both teams met later in the season in Montreal as Toronto clinched the top spot in the East Division with a walk-off rouge on the final play of the game.
The Alouettes scored 21 points during the opening quarter in the regular season finale two weeks ago to beat the Argonauts but it was a game where neither team played their starters as both had clinched their spot in the playoffs.
Toronto is hosting the East final for the second straight season and is looking to reach the Grey Cup for the first time since winning it back in 2017. The Argos' 2021 season came to a disappointing end after losing in the East final to the Tiger-Cats despite having a bye and home-field advantage.
After finishing its playoff drought with the win against Hamilton, Montreal will try to book a ticket to Saskatchewan. The Alouettes' last Grey Cup appearance came in 2010 when they prevailed over the Roughriders in Edmonton.
Ryan Dinwiddie (Toronto) vs. Danny Maciocia (Montreal)
For the second straight season, Dinwiddie was named the East’s Coach of the Year after getting his first gig as a head coach last season with the Argonauts. He helped lead Toronto to back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1996-97 with an 11-7 record and will now look to earn his first playoff victory as a head coach.
Maciocia, who joined the Alouettes as GM in January 2020, took over as head coach after dismissing Khari Jones four weeks into the season, a move that wasn't seen as a popular one. However, the team was about to rebound after a 2-6 start to reach the playoffs under Maciocia with former quarterback Anthony Calvillo joining the team to help with playcalling.
Trevor Harris (Montreal) vs. McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Toronto)
Harris returned to the Alouettes this past off-season as the presumed backup to Vernon Adams Jr. but eventually took over as the starter. In the East semifinal against the Tiger-Cats, the 36-year-old threw for 243 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Bethel-Thompson led the CFL with 4,731 yards and was third with 23 touchdowns but as good as his numbers have been in the regular season, his performance in the post-season will be how most will judge the Argos starter. The 34-year-old will be making his second playoff start and will be hoping for a better outcome this time around after putting up 283 yards but failing to get Toronto into the endzone.
Alouettes running game vs. Argonauts run defence
Montreal's success against Hamilton came from their ability to run the ball as they had 20 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Walter Fletcher and William Stanback provide the toughest one-two punch in the league to stop, and the Argos will have their hands full with them.
"You always got to stop the run. And that's that was our goal going into to kind of slow them down to keep them to second and long and make them throw it into tight windows," head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said about the Argos' defensive approach. "I think we've got a good plan for it. The thing about Montreal is that they don't do a ton on offence but what they do, they do well. They're gonna keep it simple and we'll have to find out exactly how they're gonna approach us defensively and we'll have to counteract off that."
The Alouettes offence deserves a lot of credit for how they were able to keep the chains moving on the ground and wearing out Hamilton's defence. There will likely be a similar approach in this game.
On defence, the Argos will need their linebackers to step up and prevent the Alouettes running backs from getting to the second level. Wynton McManis was back at practice in a limited capacity working his way back from a knee injury that has kept him out since Oct. 1. He was playing at a level that had him in the conversation as the Most Outstanding Defender for most of the season.
Bethel-Thompson vs. Alouettes secondary
The Argos will need Bethel-Thompson to push the ball down the field but more importantly, avoid making the mistakes that cost Toronto some wins this season.
This is also an Alouettes defence that has lacked discipline, especially in the secondary where they have been flagged for the most defence pass interference plays.
The Argos offence will get a boost with running back Harris making an unlikely return from a torn right pectoral muscle that was supposed to keep him out the rest of the season. He returns to complement AJ Ouellette, who put up respectable numbers in Harris' place. Toronto isn't as capable of running the ball like Montreal does, which is why the pass game remains crucial to Toronto's success.
The Argos have many capable receivers that can make plays including Most Oustanding Canadian nominee Kurleigh Gittens Jr. Veteran receiver Brandon Banks made it known the offence has one goal in mind against Montreal.
"Getting the ball in the endzone," Banks said after practice this week. "I think we've been doing good moving the ball, we just have to finish drives and minimize penalties."
Eugene Lewis vs. Jamal Peters
Lewis didn't find the endzone against the Tiger-Cats, but he still put up a respectable seven catches on eight targets for 98 yards.
It shouldn't come as a surprise to Lewis that No. 3 on the Argos will likely be lining up on his side of the field for most of the game. Peters established himself as one of the top defensive backs in the CFL this season recording a league-high six interceptions.
In two appearances against the Argonauts this season, Lewis had 13 receptions for 199 yards and a touchdown. It will be a tough assignment for Peters to contain one of the top receivers in the CFL, but he will also have some help.
As a defence, Toronto made it a point to make plays on the football when the opportunity presented itself and they accomplished that with 48 turnovers, including 29 interceptions, which were the most in the CFL.
Argonauts 24, Alouettes 22
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