The story of the Eastern and Western Finals was all about the respective secondaries of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Montreal Alouettes. It is overly simplistic to proclaim the East was won on that Marc-Antoine Dequoy interception touchdown on the Toronto Argonauts opening drive, but it’s hard not to think that.

Toronto was marching down with ease and then suddenly one brilliant play by the 2023 CFL All-Star changed everything. It happened so swiftly Argonauts fans had to quickly pivot away from complaining about traffic getting to BMO Field to griping about the lack of ball security from Chad Kelly.

Out West, Winnipeg’s defence certainly benefited from the Keon Hatcher injury and Vernon Adams Jr. being banged up but make no mistake about it, the Bombers blunt force trauma defence shared the spotlight with Brady Oliveira on Saturday night. The BC Lions quarterback went from unstoppable against Calgary to three interceptions, a low yardage day while completing 50 per cent of his passes.

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Much of the credit goes to the double J duo of Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat but if you re-watch the game several of the nine sacks were the result of tight man-to-man coverage forcing Adams Jr. to hold onto the ball longer than Coach Rick Campbell would have wanted. You take out the 45-yard touchdown on the Hail Mary to Justin McInnis and the final Lions passing statistics looks downright grim.

There are plenty of storylines to focus on for the 110th Grey Cup, but for me I want to spotlight the key aerial battles between defensive backs and receivers that will go along way in determining our 2023 champion.

Dalton Schoen vs. his ankle:  

Yes, I am starting with a bit of a cheat but against a Montreal secondary that is on a crazy heater, Winnipeg is going to want the West’s leading receiver especially with so many banged up Bombers at that position. In two playoff games Montreal has intercepted three different quarterbacks allowing less than 200 yards a game. It has been six weeks since we saw the game’s best receiver over the past two years. If Schoen can somehow play, he immediately makes life so much easier for Zach Collaros.

Kenny Lawler vs. Kabion Ento:

Who doesn’t want to see these two six-foot-two players battle on Sunday? One is a four-year veteran with two Grey Cup wins as a member of the Bombers and two West Division All-Star team awards on his resume while the other is looking to continue to build on an impressive rookie season with Montreal. With Schoen on the sidelines, it was up to Lawler to pick up the slack when called upon. I’m not sure what was more impressive, Lawler’s third quarter leaping reception for 15 yards that required the highest level of hand eye coordination or the fact he was able to produce several big plays going up against one of the best defenders in the game in Garry Peters. Lawler led the team in receptions and yards. Ento will be in the spotlight because of his interception return touchdown against Toronto but the moment that stuck out for me was a week earlier in the Eastern Semi-Final when he helped set the tone early by breaking up a Matthew Shiltz pass to the 2023 receiving champion Tim White. Watching Ento not only keep up with White but looking comfortable with that assignment is remarkable for a rookie.

Evan Holm vs. Tyson Philpot: 

This is more of an undercard fight but remember Philpot is second on the team in post-season targets and the Canadian was the Alouettes leader in receiving yards against Toronto. Did I include this match-up just to highlight Holm winning an intense, late game, hand checking battle with Dominique Rhymes? When your halfback is giving up around five inches and still finds a way to disrupt a pass from a mountain of a receiver, attention should be given.

Marc-Antoine Dequoy vs. Nic Demski:  

I could have just had the Montreal safety against any and all slot receivers but I will go specifically with Demski who just completed his first 1,000-yard season with Winnipeg. The Alouettes are going into the big game as the clear underdog which makes sense considering the respective seasons both organizations had. This is no slight against Montreal but more of a tip of a cap to the Kyle Walter’s creation, Mike O’Shea’s coaching and a roster stacked with talent. Of course, the upset can happen, just go back to last year’s Grey Cup. I’m not saying Jason Maas’s team needs another pick six from Dequoy to get the win, but they will need him to do what no defensive player has done as often as him over the past two years, take the ball away. On the flip side Demski will need to keep the Montreal turnover machine guessing and if he can force Dequoy into chasing plays rather than anticipating where Collaros is going with the ball it will be a long night for Noel Thorpe’s unit.

Austin Mack vs. Demerio Houston: 

Finally, it is the main event. Underdogs win championships by creating big plays early forcing Goliath to play catch-up for the majority of the night.  Two weeks ago, Mack fought through Richard Leonard’s coverage, a three-time East Division All-Star on his way to a 30-yard touchdown at the end of the first half. It was best-on-best, and it was the exciting rookie receiver who came out on top. In the fourth quarter of a one score game, it was Houston getting past Justin McInnis, who slipped on his break, to pick off Vernon Adams Jr. That turnover led to a time-consuming Sergio Castillo field goal drive and in the process ending any chances of a Lions upset win. I don’t expect Cody Fajardo to go vintage Anthony Calvillo on Sunday but for an Alouettes win in Hamilton he’ll need flashes of it and to get to that level he’ll need his receivers, namely Mack to play the role of another former Alouette great, Ben Cahoon.