The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are perfectly positioned to become the first team to three-peat in the CFL since a dynastic Edmonton franchise won five Grey Cups in a row from 1978 to 1982.
Unlike the only other two back-to-back champs since the Edmonton run (the 1996-97 Toronto Argonauts and 2009-10 Montreal Alouettes), the Blue Bombers will have a first-round playoff bye and home field for a divisional final.
That means the Blue Bombers are two wins away – in games they will be favoured in – from joining an exclusive club.
What’s more, the Blue Bombers would figure to have plenty of support in the stands If they qualify for the Grey Cup one province away in Regina on Nov. 20.
Here’s a look at some of the key storylines for the CFL playoffs.
Similar bracket
Five of the six qualifiers return from last year with the only switch being the B.C. Lions replacing the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Also, the Blue Bombers and Argonauts won their divisions for the second year in a row, getting the all-important playoff byes and home field for division finals on Nov. 13.
The Argonauts’ East title also ensured a Montreal-Hamilton Tiger-Cats East semi for the second year in a row on Sunday, though the Alouettes are at home this time after losing at Tim Hortons Field last year.
Rourke vs. Stamps
Some very good news for the CFL came last Friday when Lions star quarterback Nathan Rourke returned from a foot injury that had sidelined him since August.
The Canadian played one quarter in a meaningless season finale in Winnipeg, giving him some valuable reps ahead of Sunday’s West semifinal against the visiting Calgary Stampeders.
Rourke, who was poised to win the CFL’s most outstanding player award before the injury, guided the Lions to a 41-40 win over the Stamps in Calgary in one of the most exciting games of the season on Aug. 13.
Rourke threw for 488 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for two majors in the only game he played against Calgary this year.
Ticket sales have been promising for this one, continuing a feel-good story in B.C., where the team seems to be gaining some traction in a crowded marketplace under new owner Amar Doman.
Don’t count out the Ticats
For most of the season, it looked like the two-time reigning East champion Tiger-Cats were destined to miss the playoffs.
But the Ticats won three tight games in a row (by a combined 10 points) to overtake the Roughriders and clinch the final playoff spot with one week to go in the season.
When he’s on, Dane Evans is as good as any quarterback in the East. The Ticats also have the second-best field-goal kicker in the league this year in Seth Small (90 per cent) – an area they struggled badly in at times last year.
If they can win in Montreal, expect many Ticats fans to make the short drive to Toronto for the East final.
The Alouettes were 2-1 against the Ticats this year with the home team winning all three games.
However, Montreal hasn’t won a playoff game since 2014 and is riding a seven-game post-season losing streak against the Ticats.
The top seeds
The Blue Bombers have to be considered heavy favourites.
Quarterback Zach Collaros is headed to his second most outstanding player win in a row. Coach Mike O’Shea guided his team to the title in a similar situation last year – with a long stretch between clinching the West and hosting the division final.
The Argonauts, meanwhile, haven’t been nearly as consistent as the Blue Bombers, but still found a way to return to first place in a weaker division.
Second-year coach Ryan Dinwiddie has taken some criticism in his time in Toronto, though the team has been cleaner in recent weeks. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson also hasn’t always earned rave reviews, but he did lead the league in passing.
The Argonauts haven’t won a playoff game since 2017.
Schedule
Sunday, Nov. 6
• East semifinal: Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Montreal Alouettes, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
• West semifinal: Calgary Stampeders at B.C. Lions, 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT
Sunday, Nov. 13
• East final: East semifinal winner at Toronto Argonauts, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
• West final: West semifinal winner at Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT
Sunday, Nov. 20
• Grey Cup at Regina, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT
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