The Lions finished second in the West Division this season and sit one win away from a berth in the Grey Cup thanks to a 41-30 win over Calgary in the division semi-final last Saturday. Winnipeg earned a bye to their fifth straight division final after finishing first in the West with a 14-4 regular season record.

The Blue Bombers are 4.5-point favourites to win on the CFL odds, with the total set at 49.5.

CFL Odds and Betting

Winnipeg took two of three games between the teams this season. The last head-to-head went down Week 18 in B.C., with the Bombers winning 34-26 in overtime. Dating back to 2019, Winnipeg has won eight of the last 10 games between the teams, although they only covered the spread twice in that span.

The Lions went 6-3 straight up on the road in the regular season and earned a 30-6 win in the first of two games they played in Winnipeg. They’re an even 9-9-1 against the spread in 2023, including 5-3-1 ATS on the road. B.C. trends toward higher scoring games, with the Over hitting in seven of their last eight contests against West Division opponents.

The Blue Bombers were dominant in Manitoba during the regular season, going 8-1 SU at home. They’re also a much better cover option at home as they are 7-2 ATS at IG Field compared to 4-5 ATS on the road. Winnipeg has hit the Over in their last five games against West teams and their last five at home.

BC Lions

The Lions had one of the top offences in the CFL during the regular season. B.C. ranked third in average total yards per game (392.4), first in average passing yards per game (314.0) and third in points per game (27.5). The offence was largely driven by quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who led the CFL with 4,769 passing yards while throwing for 31 touchdowns (third-best) and 18 interceptions. Keon Hatcher torched the league for 1,226 receiving yards (second-best) and six TDs in the regular season and he put up 195 receiving yards and a touchdown in the West semi-final.

One area for concern on offence is the run-game. The Lions averaged the least amount of rushing yards per game during the regular season (78.4) with just 4.7 yards per carry. Taquan Mizzell (773 yards, 3 TDs) and Adams (324, 1 TD) were the only B.C. players to finish with more than 84 rushing yards on the season.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Winnipeg is one of the only offences in the league that rivalled the Lions during the regular season. The Bombers led the CFL in average total yards per game (431.4), average rushing yards per game (139.1) and points per game (33.0). They also ranked second in average passing yards per game (292.4). Quarterback Zach Collaros once again had a standout season. Collaros was second in the CFL with 4,252 passing yards and he led the league with 33 passing TDs while throwing 15 interceptions.

Winnipeg has a big edge if weather forces these teams to rely on a ground attack. Running back Brady Oliveira had a monster year for the Blue Bombers, leading the CFL in rushing yards (1,534) and rushing TDs (nine). Oliveira, the West nominee for the CFL’s best player award, had 393 rushing yards more than the next closest player in the league and nearly twice as many yards as B.C.’s top rusher.

CFL Prediction: Who Will Win Lions vs. Blue Bombers?