When the CFL season started in June, the schedule-makers went for an instant Grey Cup rematch, sending the Montreal Alouettes to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Montreal won that night 27-12, launching a 10-1 stretch to open the season. But as the Alouettes (12-4-1) prepare for a rematch with visiting Winnipeg (10-7) in Saturday’s regular-season finale, there’s a sense of unease.
They are just 2-3-1 in their last six games, including a 27-3 pasting last week at B.C. Although they clinched home-field advantage in the East weeks ago, the Als certainly aren’t carrying much momentum as of now into the postseason.
“We got kicked in the teeth and for us, it’s a wake-up call,” said quarterback Cody Fajardo of the loss to the Lions. “Sometimes it’s a good thing to get your butt kicked, especially before the playoffs. Now you understand that you just can’t rest on your laurels.
“You got to go out there and you got to grind and you got to make every single day count in order to win football games.”
While Montreal looks to get back on track, Winnipeg is in a must-win situation in terms of earning a bye for next week’s first round as West champions. The Blue Bombers, who were idle last weekend, could have done that on Oct. 11 but instead suffered a 14-11 home loss to Toronto.
If Winnipeg loses and Saskatchewan defeats Calgary on Saturday night, the Roughriders would take the West title by a half-game margin.
“I want to earn the right to host the West final again here at home and not putting it into someone else’s hands,” said Bombers running back Brady Oliveira. “I want us to go in there as a team and earn that victory.”
Quarterback Zach Collaros said that having to go all-out to win the last regular-season game, something the team didn’t have to do last year when it had the West title locked up, might be beneficial.
“It doesn’t give you the three weeks of kind of nothing before the West final,” he said.
–Field Level Media
