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November 8, 2023

Checking Down: News and notes from the Division Finals

Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca

TORONTO — There are only four teams standing in the battle for the 110th Grey Cup.

The BC Lions, Montreal Alouettes, Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers battle it out on Saturday for a chance to travel to Hamilton next week. It all comes down to this as there is no more room for error for all four clubs.

As the season approaches its end, 27 players have been named to the 60th annual Canadian Football League All-Star team. The season’s best were selected by 41 members of the Football Reporters of Canada, the league’s nine head coaches and fans who took part in this year’s All-Star Fan Vote powered by the league’s Official Data and Technology partner, Genius Sports.

Wide receiver Dalton Schoen missed practice for the Blue Bombers on Tuesday in advance of the game against the Lions on Saturday. Meanwhile in Toronto, running back Andrew Harris was a full participant as the Argos prepare to face the Alouettes.

Check out all the news and notes from Division Finals weekend:

Jump to team:

BC | Calgary | Edmonton | Saskatchewan | Winnipeg | Hamilton | Toronto | Ottawa | Montreal

BC LIONS

 

– CFL.ca brings you three stats that could decide who advances between the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final (CFL.ca).

– Check out CFL.ca’s Chris O’Leary’s three storylines to watch in the Western Final, including the impact that Vernon Adams Jr. and Mathieu Betts could have on the game against the Bombers (CFL.ca).

Who has the edge in the Western Final? CFL.ca’s Marshall Ferguson goes through the matchup position by position (CFL.ca).

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

 

– Quarterback Jake Maier is looking to continue getting better going into 2024 (Todd Saelhof, Calgary Sun).

– The Stamps are searching for consistency as they head into the off-season after losing the Western Semi-Final to the Lions (CFL.ca).

– Wide receiver Reggie Begelton was named to the CFL All-Star Team after another outstanding season in Calgary (CFL.ca).

EDMONTON ELKS

– The Elks have announced that season seats for 2024 are available now (GoElks.Com).

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

– Rob Vanstone recaps the 1989 Riders team that downed a 16-win Edmonton side to capture the championship (Riderville.com).

– Darrell Davis writes about how the playoff race could affect the Riders coaching search (Regina Leader-Post).

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Brady Oliveira was voted the first ever Fan Favourite Player, in addition to being a league All-Star (Daniel Crump/CFL.ca)

– CFL.ca’s Jamie Nye is back with his Weeky Predictor for the Division Finals. Check out who he thinks will emerge victorious between the Blue Bombers and Lions on Saturday (CFL.ca).

– The Bombers finished at the top of the West Division with several players making the CFL All-Star team (CFL.ca).

– In a complete rematch of last year’s playoff bracket, the CFL Simulation sees that trend continuing into the 110th Grey Cup. Check out who’s favoured to win the Western Final (CFL.ca).

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

White led the CFL in receiving yards in 2023 but talked about not being satisfied despite his individual success (Peter McCabe/CFL.ca)

– The Hamilton Tiger-Cats were able to make the playoffs after starting the season 3-6 but ultimately ended up falling short of the goal of winning a championship, with wide receiver Tim White speaking to the media about having “more room to grow” (CFL.ca).

– Head coach Orlondo Steinauer held a press conference to wrap up the Ticats season, talking about being proud of what the team accomplished in 2023 season but also disappointed the results were not what they expected (TSN.ca).

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

Kelly was named the East Division MOP after leading the Argos to 16 regular season wins (Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca)

– The Toronto Argonauts lead all teams with eight selections to the CFL All-Star Team (CFL.ca).

– CFL.ca’s Kristina Costabile brings you three storylines to watch in the Eastern Final, including quarterback Chad Kelly starting his first playoff game for the Argos (CFL.ca).

– Kelly is focusing on the Alouettes as the Double Blue attempts to make it to their second consecutive Grey Cup (TSN.ca).

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

– The Ottawa REDBLACKS announced on Friday morning that the team has parted ways with assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Khari Jones (CFL.ca).

– Punter Richie Leone made the CFL All-Star team for the fifth time in his career (CFL.ca).

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

 

Who has the edge in the Eastern Final? Check out CFL.ca’s Marshall Ferguson breakdown position by position (CFL.ca).

– Wide receiver Austin Mack and defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy made the CFL All-Star team after outstanding seasons with the Alouettes (CFL.ca).

– CFL.ca brings you three stats that could decide the matchup between Als and Argos on Saturday in the Eastern Final (CFL.ca).

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