Division Finals: The Alouettes Are the Clear Favorites

The Montreal Alouettes enter the Eastern Conference Final as heavy favorites against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In the West, the British Columbia Lions are slight favorites against the Edmonton Elks.

Montreal and Winnipeg split their two matchups this season. The Bombers won 44–28 in Week 13 at Princess Auto Stadium. Zach Collaros completed 26 of 32 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. Brady Oliveira added 106 rushing yards.

Montreal's response was brutal in Week 18. The Alouettes crushed the Bombers 37-10 at Percival Molson Stadium. Davis Alexander, the favorite to win the Most Valuable Player award, threw for 440 yards. Tyson Philpot caught 11 passes for 207 yards.

Doubts Loom Over Zach Collaros

The big question in Winnipeg is Collaros. The 38-year-old quarterback, who is dealing with a rib injury, watched the Eastern Conference semifinal from the sidelines. It was Dru Brown who led the Bombers to victory over the Argonauts, thanks to a game-winning touchdown pass to Nic Demski.

Head coach Mike O'Shea is refusing to commit. “He's doing better, but who knows. He's improving every day, and then there comes a point where you have to make a decision,” he explained, adding that with a quarterback, you sometimes have to make a call sooner. The Eastern Conference Final will be played in Montreal at 3 p.m.

In the West, the Lions will visit the Elks at Commonwealth Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Nathan Rourke is in top form after throwing for 366 yards and three touchdowns in the 33-26 semifinal victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The two teams had also split their season series. The Lions won 36–24 in Kelowna. The Elks responded with a 19–17 victory, a game in which Rourke injured his left shoulder on the very second play.

The Alouettes, Lions, Elks, and Bombers are the four teams still in contention for the 113th Grey Cup, and Montreal is seen as the team to beat.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.