More than a month after playing their last game of consequence, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are ready to begin Phase 2 of their three-peat bid.
The Blue Bombers, who clinched first in the CFL West on Oct. 8, host the B.C. Lions for the division final on Sunday.
With a win over Nathan Rourke’s Lions, the Blue Bombers would have the chance to become the first team to win three Grey Cups in a row since Edmonton reeled off five straight from 1978 to ’82.
That Edmonton team just happened to be coached by Hugh Campbell, father of current Lions coach Rick Campbell.
Here is a capsule look at the West final.
THE SCHEDULE
Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT at IG Field
THE LINE
The Blue Bombers were favoured by 4.5 points on FanDuel as of Saturday.
AT STAKE
The winner goes to Regina for the Grey Cup on Nov. 20 against the winner of the East final between the Toronto Argonauts and visiting Montreal Alouettes
THE SEASON SERIES
The Blue Bombers took two of three, including the only game with meaning for both teams on July 9 when Winnipeg prevailed 43-22 in B.C.
That was a battle of unbeaten teams, with the Blue Bombers 4-0 and the Lions 3-0 entering the game.
Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros and Rourke each threw for three touchdowns, though the latter was picked off twice.
The teams then met twice in October, after the Bombers had already clinched first.
The Lions won 40-32 at home with Vernon Adams Jr. in at QB against Bombers’ backup Dru Brown, before the Bombers won 24-9 in the season finale in Winnipeg with both teams simply tuning up for the playoffs.
PLAYOFF HISTORY
The Blue Bombers are in the West final for the fourth season in a row and host the game for the second straight time.
Last year, too, they clinched the West with plenty of time left in the season before rolling to a Grey Cup repeat.
The Lions beat the visiting Calgary Stampeders 30-16 last week in the West semifinal.
It marked the team’s first playoff win since 2016.
The Lions haven’t won the Grey Cup since they beat Winnipeg in the 2011 game at BC Place.
THE COACHES
Mike O’Shea (Winnipeg) vs. Rick Campbell (B.C.)
O’Shea’s record the past three years speaks for itself.
The former star linebacker has guided the league’s best team since 2019 – Winnipeg is a gaudy 42-13 over that timeframe. O’Shea is 82-58 for his career.
Credit the Blue Bombers for not making a quick change when O’Shea struggled out of the starting gate, missing the playoffs in his first two years at the helm in 2014 and ’15. In the six seasons since, they’ve never had a losing record.
Campbell made the bold move to give the Canadian-born Rourke the starting job after Michael Reilly retired in the off-season – and it has paid off in a big way.
Now in his second year as Lions head coach, Campbell led the Ottawa Redblacks to the Grey Cup in 2016 and was also runner-up with that team in two other years.
THE QUARTERBACKS
Zach Collaros (Winnipeg) vs. Nathan Rourke (B.C.)
The league’s two biggest stars battle it out.
Collaros is the heavy favourite to be named the CFL’s most outstanding player for the second year in a row.
It looked like his career was all but finished before a late-season trade from Toronto to Winnipeg in 2019 changed everything – both for him and the Blue Bombers franchise.
Rourke appeared to be on his way to unseating Collaros as MOP before he suffered a foot injury midway through the season, requiring surgery and over two months on the sideline.
He returned to play one quarter in the regular-season finale and then started last week, going 22-for-30 passing for 321 yards and two touchdowns.
THREE MATCHUPS TO WATCH
Collaros vs. B.C. secondary
In Garry Peters (five interceptions) and Marcus Sayles (four), the Lions have two of the top four players in that category.
They go against a passing attack featuring Collaros and expected rookie of the year wide receiver Dalton Schoen.
The Lions didn’t have much success slowing down Collaros and Schoen in the summer. They’ll need to do better here.
Rourke vs. O’Shea and defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall
O’Shea, of course, is a head coach with a defensive background and Richie Hall is one of the most experienced DCs in the league.
You can be sure they’ve left no stone unturned when it comes to studying up on Rourke.
While Rourke was solid last week, it remains to be seen if he can provide the dynamic level of play he brought so many times before suffering the injury.
O’Shea and Hall will make it as difficult as possible for him to do so this week.
Bombers vs. pressure
The Blue Bombers are the clear team to beat in the playoffs – and only two wins separate them from making history.
With the Grey Cup hosted one province away, Regina could turn into a sea of blue.
Rourke made sure to mention who is favoured when meeting with reporters earlier this week.
“I think it’s great that people aren’t picking us because I think that all the pressure isn’t on us, it’s on them,” he said. “They’re supposed to win, they’re supposed to three-peat. It’s all about us, we got nothing to lose and it’s a good place to be.”
THIS ‘N THAT
Could the weather be a factor? Winnipeg was hit with 14 cm of snow Thursday night and the high on Sunday is just -5 C. The Lions, of course, have a roof on their stadium. … The Lions have lost their last four games in Winnipeg. … The winner of the West has won the last three Grey Cups. … While the quarterbacks are definitely the marquee players in this one, each team also has a 1,000-yard running back. The Lions’ James Butler was second in the league with 1,060 yards, while Winnipeg-born Bomber Brady Oliveira was third at 1,001. … The contest features the league’s top two receivers this year – Schoen led the league with 1,441 receiving yards with Dominique Rhymes of the Lions second at 1,001. … Both teams could be missing a key receiver. Winnipeg’s Rasheed Bailey (knee) is listed as doubtful, while B.C.’s Lucky Whitehead (ankle) is out.
PREDICTION
Blue Bombers 28, Lions 10