The Winnipeg Blue Bombers came to Montreal on Saturday afternoon with a mission: to secure first place in the CFL West Division.

Thanks to Sergio Castillo’s 51-yard field goal on the last play of the game, the Bombers achieved this feat by beating the Alouettes 28-27 in front of a packed house at Percival-Molson Stadium.

Trailing by two as time expired in the fourth quarter, veteran kicker Castillo scored his fifth field goal of the game to help Winnipeg (11-7) secure its fourth straight division title and home-court advantage for the final of the Western Division.

“We did it a few different ways,” Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea said. “The stats will say it’s important, but if we hadn’t gotten this win I would have said it wasn’t important.

“I don’t think we’re going to put too much emphasis on it. It just gives us time to get healthier and continue working.

Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros was 24-for-32, throwing for 331 yards and a touchdown.

“What a turn of events in the last few minutes,” Collaros said. “It started to rain or hail a little with a bit of swirling wind. (Castillo) gave us a huge kick. He did it over and over again.

Receiver Nic Demski finished with a 90-yard touchdown run, allowing him to surpass 1,000 yards for the second straight season.

Alouettes starting quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 16 of his 20 passes for 171 yards and a passing touchdown in just under three quarters of action. Backup quarterback Davis Alexander took over behind center late in the third quarter, completing 7 of 9 passes for 100 yards and a rushing touchdown.

“We arrived this evening,” Fajardo said. “We showed that we were not going to abandon anyone. Our philosophy going into this game was that it was our first real playoff game against a really good team that was going to give us everything they had. We took them all the way, so I’m proud of the guys.

Montreal (12-5-1) had already won first place in the East division, a feat accomplished for the first time since 2012.

Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette made five tackles, giving him 103 this season. In doing so, he became only the seventh Alouette to surpass 100 tackles in a single season. He also added his fifth sack in the contest.

Alexander opened the fourth quarter with a 1-yard rushing touchdown. The play came after he completed a 39-yard pass to Tyjon Lindsey, making his season debut for the Alouettes.

The Alouettes also wasted no time getting on the scoreboard to start the third quarter. Fajardo connected with Cole Spieker for a 47-yard reception to give Montreal a 20-9 advantage. Two plays later, Walter Fletcher rushed three yards into the end zone, capping a seven-play, 84-yard drive.

After missing a 49-yard field goal attempt earlier in the quarter, Castillo made it from 25 yards out to open the scoring for Winnipeg just over 10 minutes into the first period.

Montreal responded with a 45-yard field goal from Jose Maltos to tie the score with 90 seconds left in the first quarter.

Montreal scored the first touchdown of the game on a two-yard pass from Fajardo to Charleston Rambo just over five minutes into the second quarter to give the Alouettes their first lead of the game. Rambo’s fifth touchdown of the season was made possible by a 30-yard run from Sean Thomas Erlington and a 26-yard reception from Kaion Julien-Grant earlier in the drive.

“Montreal’s offense took what we gave them and hit us on a few shots,” O’Shea said. “It’s not something you’re concerned about.”

Castillo added a 53-yard field goal to cut Montreal’s lead to one. However, Maltos made a 34-yard field goal to give Montreal a 13-9 lead as time expired in the first half.

Winnipeg scored its first touchdown of the game late in the third quarter. Collaros led the Blue Bombers on a three-play, 81-yard drive, culminating in a nine-yard touchdown pass to Demski.

The Blue Bombers added another major midway through the fourth quarter, thanks to a two-yard run by backup quarterback Terry Wilson. Winnipeg’s two-point conversion attempt failed, preserving the Alouettes’ lead 27-25.

“The good news about losing a game like this is that it stings,” Fajardo said. “When you get to your next opportunity, you want to do everything you can to close the door. »

FOLLOWING

Alouettes: Host the East Division final on Saturday, November 9.

Blue Bombers: Host the West Division Final on Saturday, November 9.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 26, 2024.