Grey Cup could come down to trench battle

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This article was published 16/11/2024 (313 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts are set to meet in the 111th Grey Cup at BC Place Sunday.

To get you better prepared for kickoff, here are five storylines to keep an eye on in the game.

Dynasty or devastation

Few will have sympathy for the Bombers as they get ready for a fifth straight appearance in the Grey Cup. But there’s a ton at stake for the legacy of this group, even if they refuse to acknowledge it.

The locker room following the loss to the Toronto Argonauts in 2022 was a sad scene, but it paled in comparison to the mood after last year’s defeat to the Montreal Alouettes. Players were heartbroken, in some cases so distraught they were unable to speak.

A third straight loss would be just as devastating, if not more by the fact Winnipeg had to survive some real adversity this year, losing its first four games and then going 2-6 through eight. A win would cement this group as a dynasty, cementing their place in CFL lore.

Run Brady run

It’s been a historic week for Brady Oliveira, who became just the fourth Canadian to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player and the first from Winnipeg.

Oliveira also captured his second straight Most Outstanding Canadian honour, after leading the league in rushing with more than 1,300 yards. It’s hard not to imagine a lot more personal accolades in the 27-year-old’s future, but the young man would trade that all a sip out of the Grey Cup Sunday.

Oliveira has two rings from 2019 and 2021 but hasn’t been fitted for another since taking over for Andrew Harris in 2022 as the team’s lead running back. He’s a proud Canadian and an even prouder Manitoban, so he feels a personal responsibility to win.

Collaros & Co.

Zach Collaros is exactly the guy you want behind centre for a high stakes game. While things haven’t worked out for him in the last two Cups, you get the feeling it won’t happen a third time.

Collaros has been showing some of his best stuff of late, including passing for 300 yards and four touchdowns in a dominating 38-22 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Final last Saturday. There’s been a lot of talk about Collaros’ slow start and uptick in interceptions this year, even in a campaign where he threw for a career-high 4,336 yards.

This is his chance to stick it to the critics who were calling for his head and lamenting trading Dru Brown to Ottawa. Collaros has been ornery all week and of all the versions of himself, the pissed off one is most dangerous.

Battle in the trenches

Did you think we were just going to move on from the offence after the Bombers, in their two losses against Toronto this year, were unable to register a touchdown, allowed 12 sacks and combined for nine turnovers?

While the first loss was some time ago, back in Week 8 when the Bombers were at their darkest. The other came just a few weeks ago and would have wrapped up the West Division early rather than having to go down to the wire.

The Bombers offensive line will be a major factor in this game and will determine the success of both Collaros and Oliveira. It took a while for this group to get going, as they worked in two new starters and had injuries throughout the season, but now they’re at their best and will need to play like it to win this battle in the trenches against a scary Argos front.

(Ar)buckle up!

Chad Kelly suffered a gruesome ankle injury in the East final and will not be in Toronto for the game as he undergoes treatment back home.

That’s created a marvelous opportunity for backup Nick Arbuckle to resurrect a career that never really took off after garnering a ton of hype while with the Calgary Stampeders during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. It’s likely Arbuckle wouldn’t even be in the CFL if not for his time in Calgary with Ryan Dinwiddie, who happens to be head coach of the Argos.

Arbuckle has beaten the Bombers in his last two starts, including an underwhelming 82-yard passing performance in a 14-11 win back in Week 8. The other game was back in 2021, in what was the Bombers only meaningful loss in a 14-2 season.

Dinwiddie won’t get Arbuckle to do too much and will likely lean on running back Ka’Deem Carey to chew up yards. The Bombers have the best defence in the league, so it won’t be easy to protect him.

Winnipeg’s defence has been its most consistent unit all season. What a bow it would be on the first year of Jordan Younger as defensive co-ordinator.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton