To start up: Saturday, October 26, 2 p.m. CDT; Percival-Molson Stadium, Montreal, Que.
Television/Streaming: TVC; RDS; LFC+
Radio: 680 CJOB
Traces: CEO. : 1L; Mtl.: 1L.
Road/House: The Blue Bombers are 4-4 on the road and have won four away since a 16-14 overtime loss in Toronto on July 27. Montreal is 6-2 at home, including a 19-12 win over Ottawa in its last game at Molson Stadium.

Scene maker

The numbers are astonishing and mean so much more when we get to this time of year in the Canadian Football League calendar.

Yes, home field advantage is a very real thing in this loop in November, when the leaves have fallen, the frozen ground crunches underfoot and any play can lead to playoff glory or complete and sudden shutdown of a season. And that’s especially true here in Winnipeg, where the Blue Bombers are 40-6 at Princess Auto Stadium — including wins in the last three Western finals — since 2019.

The Blue Bombers were reminded of that this week when it went from 22C at practice on Monday to rainy temperatures and 6C on Tuesday to 11C on Wednesday, with Thursday an off day. This inconsistency in weather conditions takes some getting used to, even for those who grew up here.

Blue Bombers veteran receiver Nic Demski

“That’s literally all it takes this week. Whatever it takes, you must collapse. We need everyone to do their best before this game, knowing that if we go to Montreal and win this game, we will have a little rest.

THE DEPTH MAP

The Blue Bombers made five changes to the depth chart this week. Present are DB Michael Griffin II, FB Bailey Feltmate, LB Michael Ayers, OL Gabe Wallace and DL Miles Fox.

There is DB Tyrique McGhee, LB Max Charbonneau, DE Celestin Haba, LB Fabian Weitz and DB Bryce Notree.

3 THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. EFFICIENCY/CONSISTENCE ON ‘O’

The Blue Bombers recently ended an eight-game winning streak that moved them 2-6 atop the West Division. A chance for first place in the West Division rested on many factors, including a stellar defense that gave up a league. -low 19.5 points per game heading into this weekend’s final.

Offensively, he was also supported, as usual, by a strong group along the line of scrimmage that kept quarterback Zach Collaros clean and opened holes for Oliveira.

The Blue Bombers O-line at work earlier this week

That momentum was derailed in the loss to Toronto before the bye week, as the group gave up a season-high seven sacks.

“We just have to play cleaner up front,” right tackle Eric Lofton told bluebombers.com earlier this week. “It wasn’t our best game by any means, but we had a week off and time to review it, time to improve, time to rest and heal and prepare for this last one. small push. Up front, we have to play a lot better.

“There’s a collision every snap, but if you’re not on the same page as the other four guys, that collision can sometimes set us back. If it’s the right kind of collision, then we have a chance to exert force on people. We have to increase the physical level and I think this week we did it.

It’s not complicated: when the big eaters are in the game, the pile advances and Collaros has time to survey the ground from the pocket.

“When it’s on, no one should touch Brady…he should have plenty of space to make anyone miss. Zach should be clean, should be able to step back, look around, get a Coke and then be able to throw it. We need to be much better at our skill positions. I know I have to play a lot better – I can’t let people attack Zach like that and I’m going to fix it.

2. WILL REAL SLA BE HELD?

The reigning Gray Cup champions — and, yes, it still stings in these parts to hear/read/say/type that — haven’t exactly sprinted to the finish line in recent weeks.

The Alouettes clinched first place in the East Division a long time ago with a 10-1 streak through the end of August, but are just 2-3-1 since then. They have battled in the rest versus rust debate over the past few weeks, giving some of their battered and bruised bodies a break as the club prepares to host the division final on November 9.

Quarterback Cody Fajardo started last week’s 27-3 loss in Vancouver to the BC Lions, but threw just nine passes, completing seven, before giving way to Davis Alexander.

How the Alouettes could use their personnel on Saturday has been a topic in Bomberland all week.

Defensive coordinator Jordan Younger

“It won’t necessarily have an impact on what we do,” said Blue Bombers offensive coordinator Jordan Younger. “But we have to be aware of the plays and how they tend to use them, and then maybe dig in and do a little more research on their skills if we don’t have a good film sample on them.

“You want to know the guys who are really fast, the guys who have exceptional size… things of that nature. The best game designers find a way to make the most of the pieces they have.

As for Fajardo vs. Alexander at QB, Younger offered this for comparison:

“They have quite similar skills. They are both tough, smart and Jason Maas does a great job teaching them how to read defenses and play within their system. They both get rid of the ball quickly and can improvise and play with their feet once play is interrupted. They both fit very well into this system.

3. MOP WATCH

Oliveira is a dual nominee – Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Canadian – for a second straight season for the Blue Bombers and has a real opportunity Saturday to claim both honors one last time before the next round of voting.

It’s Time to Shine: Team Award Winners in the Spotlight

In what has been a wide-open and far-fetched MOP race, Oliveira will be on the field against talented Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette, with the league’s other candidates being four receivers, Justin McInnis of B.C., Eugene Lewis of Edmonton, Reggie Begelton from Calgary and the one from Ottawa. Justin Hardy, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, Saskatchewan defensive back Rolan Milligan, Jr. and Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey.

Oliveira leads the CFL in rushing yards with 1,318 and yards from scrimmage – including receptions – with 1,783. He has six 100-yard rushing games this year and 12 games over of 100 yards in scrimmage. All this after missing most of training camp and only having 64 rushing yards and 118 scrimmage yards through the first three weeks (he missed Week 2 due to injury).

“My body just wasn’t where I wanted it to be at the start of the season, but it started to improve and I started to feel like myself and things started to pick up pretty quickly,” said Oliveira this week. “I pride myself on trying to be the most consistent player possible every week for this team. That being said, you hope it translates into wins for this football club. I think I’ve done a great job being consistent this year, whether it’s in the running game or the passing game.

The last word

“We found this gear on offense recently, now we have to stay in this gear or pass in the right direction. We know what we can do. We know what we are capable of. We filmed it and put it out there for people to see.

“Now it’s about staying consistent and getting better every week.” —Nic Demski