MONTREAL –

Saturday’s regular season finale between the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers is a clash between the division leaders, although for one team the stakes are significantly higher.

The Blue Bombers look to secure first place in the West Division and a direct bye to the West Final with a win or tie against the Alouettes.

“We understand the consequences of the outcome of this game, but you really can’t think about it for the whole week,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea told reporters in Winnipeg this week.

“Prepare like you should, play hard like you should, play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. The scoreboard at the end of the game will tell you what happened.”

Meanwhile, Montreal has already clinched the East Division title for the first time since 2012 and is guaranteed to host the East Final on November 9 against either the Toronto Argonauts or the Ottawa Rougenoirs.

“We just want to continue to improve,” said Alouettes head coach Jason Maas. “That’s the goal of this test against Winnipeg. We want to win and play good football at the end of the year, then work hard for the next few days of practice to be ready for the 9 november.”

Winnipeg (10-7) currently sits atop the West Division standings, one point ahead of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who host Calgary later Saturday.

The Blue Bombers started the season 0-4, but have since gone 10-3. The team won eight straight games between August 1 and October 4 before losing their final game, 14–11 at home to the Toronto Argonauts on October 11.

The Blue Bombers returned to practice last Friday after a shortened bye week to prepare for their game against Montreal.

Winnipeg will rely heavily on running back Brady Oliveira in its quest for a fourth straight West Division title. Oliveira, voted his team’s Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Canadian for a second straight season earlier this week, leads the league with 1,318 rushing yards heading into the final weekend of the CFL regular season.

“We have a very big test ahead of us,” Oliveira said Wednesday. “We know what’s at stake here. That’s literally all it takes this week.

“Everyone needs to give their best before this game and understand that we are going to Montreal to win this game and after that we will rest. So I need the best effort from each – as they do every week But be prepared to play the most physical game of your life on Saturday.

Montreal (12-4-1) started the season on a 10-1 streak, but is 2-3-1 in its last six games. Last week, the team was held to just one field goal in a 27-3 loss to the BC Lions in Vancouver.

The Alouettes will not have defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund nor kick returner James Letcher Jr. in the lineup against the Blue Bombers. Adeyemi-Berglund and Letcher, named their team’s Most Outstanding Canadian Player and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, respectively, will each miss their first game of the season as a precaution.

However, Montreal will receive some welcome reinforcements to its offense this week with the return of receiver Austin Mack and running back Walter Fletcher. Both missed last week’s game as Montreal rested some of its starters.

Mack, 27, joined the Alouettes in August after a stint with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, but has missed five of his team’s seven games since due to an ankle injury and rest.

Mack says he is now fully healthy and ready to contribute to the Alouettes’ final tune-up before the playoffs.

“The last game, I don’t think it was us or our identity,” Mack said. “We need momentum and we need to make sure we finish the season with a statement that we are still the No. 1 team in this league. To do that, offensively we want to be explosive like we have shown .all year long and have our defense be as dominant as it has been all year.”

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (10-7) TO THE MONTRÉAL ALOUETTES (12-4-1)

Saturday, Percival-Molson Stadium

RENEWED RIVALRY — Saturday’s game is a Gray Cup rematch of last season’s championship game, which Montreal won 28-24. The teams have not met since Week 1, a 27-12 Alouettes victory in Winnipeg on June 6. Winnipeg, however, has won its last two games played in Montreal dating back to the 2022 season.

A GOOD CAUSE — Saturday’s contest will mark the Alouettes’ pink game, organized in collaboration with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Alouettes players will wear pink stickers on their helmets during the game to raise awareness.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 25, 2024.