The Calgary Stampeders earned themselves the third and final spot in the West last weekend by pounding the BC Lions 41-16. Incidentally, that victory is what granted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the West Division crown and a home game for the divisional final in two weeks. The visitors may have more reasons to thank their hosts this week than to hit them. After all, should they meet again in the playoffs, there’ll be plenty of opportunities for hitting when the time comes.

Check the CFL odds as they develop.

CFL Odds and Betting

Late-season games such as this don’t offer much at stake when everyone already knows where they stand concerning the playoff picture. Had Calgary or Winnipeg been mathematically eliminated, perhaps there would be a higher chance at fireworks because one team would play for pride. In this particular case, each already has a ticket to the postseason in its pocket.

As such, they probably want to expend the least amount of energy and avoid significant injuries. Don’t be the least bit surprised if, especially on Winnipeg’s side, a lot of backups get the call to play in this game. Do they really need to have QB Zach Collaros for 60 minutes? Do they need him at all for that matter?

Calgary has defeated Winnipeg only twice in the last ten matches, the most recent coming in another late-season game in 2021. The Stampeders have gone 9-8 against the spread this season to the Blue Bombers’ 10-7. That doesn’t sound like a great record, as the Bombers have been heavily favoured a lot this year.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Kudos to Mike O’Shea’s group for keeping things professional last week. When their match versus the Edmonton Elks commenced, they already knew they had the West Division wrapped up and would be playing a home playoff game in a few weeks.

That didn’t deter their intent to put on a good show in front of their fans at IG Field. RB Brady Oliveira did his usual thing, albeit perhaps not as emphatically, scoring two touchdowns and tallying 72 yards. The numbers put him in second place all-time for Canadian ball carriers in CFL history. Hats off to you, good sir. After Collaros put up a decent stat line (13-for-16, 125 yards and a TD) he was dutifully replaced by Dru Brown, who tossed a couple of touchdowns into the end zone to emphasize the 45-25 final score. It was the last time all year fans got to see some excitement out of Elks and Canadian QB Tre Ford since Edmonton will be on a bye this week. Winnipeg did well to contain him, largely by keeping the ball for over 38 minutes.

Calgary Stampeders

What Calgary accomplished last Friday night on the road against the BC Lions could be their performance of the year. That statement can be dulled should the squad pull off a Cinderella-style Grey Cup run, but as it stands, they did a heck of a job when it mattered most.

Where had this sort of performance been all season long is anybody’s guess. Maybe this was an outlier prior to a swift elimination against these same Lions in a week. Who knows. But in Week 20, when everything was on the line and the Saskatchewan Roughriders still had a prayer’s hope of leap-frogging the Stamps, the latter said “No, no. We’ll take care of business.” Calgary crushed the hosts 41-16, earning themselves a playoff spot, eliminating Saskatchewan, and sending a message to the Lions that their matchup in two weeks may not be as obvious as the Lions previously thought.  The Stamps rode off five BC turnovers and a thunderous ground game (213 yards). RB Peyton Logan led the side with 105 yards on eight touches, followed closely by Ka’Deem Carey’s 88 yards on 15 totes.

Who Will Win Blue Bombers vs. Stampeders?