Saturday’s regular-season finale between the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers is a clash between division leaders, though for one team the stakes are significantly higher.
The Blue Bombers are looking to secure top spot in the West Division and a bye directly into the Western Final with either a win or a tie against the Alouettes.
“We understand the ramifications of the outcome of this game, but you really can’t be thinking about the outcome throughout the week,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea told reporters in Winnipeg this week.
“Prepare the way you should, play hard the way 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 Eastern Final on Nov. 9 against either the Toronto Argonauts or Ottawa Redblacks.
“We want to just continue to get better,” Alouettes head coach Jason Maas said. “That’s what this test against Winnipeg is all about. We want to win and be playing great football at the end of the year and then work our butts off for the next days of practice to be ready for Nov. 9.”
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 began the season with an 0-4 record, but have since gone 10-3. The team won eight straight games between Aug. 1 and Oct. 4 before losing their last contest, 14-11 at home to the Toronto Argonauts on Oct. 11.
The Blue Bombers returned to practice last Friday after a shortened bye week to gear up for their matchup against Montreal.
Winnipeg will be counting heavily on running back Brady Oliveira in their quest for a fourth straight West Division title. Oliveira, voted as his team’s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian for the second straight season earlier this week, leads the league with 1,318 rushing yards entering the CFL’s final weekend of the regular season.
“We’ve got a really big test ahead of us,” Oliveira said Wednesday. “We know what’s on the line here. It’s literally whatever it takes this week.
“You need everyone’s best going into this game and understanding that we’re going into Montreal to win this game and after that, we’ll have some rest. So, I need everyone’s best effort — like they give every single 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 run, but has a 2-3-1 record in its last six contests. Last week, the team was held to just one field goal in a 27-3 loss to the B.C. Lions in Vancouver.
The Alouettes will not have defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund or kick returner James Letcher Jr. in the lineup against the Blue Bombers. Adeyemi-Berglund and Letcher, nominated as their team’s Most Outstanding Canadian and Most Outstanding Special Teams Players, respectively, will each miss their first game of the season for precautionary measures.
However, Montreal will receive some welcome reinforcements to their offence this week with the return of wide receiver Austin Mack and running back Walter Fletcher. Both sat out last week’s game as Montreal rested some of its starters.
The 27-year-old Mack rejoined 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 in the Alouettes’ final tune-up before the playoffs.
“Last game, I don’t feel that was us or our identity,” said Mack. “We need momentum and we need to make sure that we finish the season off with a statement, that we’re still the No. 1 team in this league. To do that, offensively, we want to be explosive like we’ve shown all throughout the year and our defence to be as dominant as they’ve been all year.”