Hamilton @ Winnipeg preview
McMahon Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2019 ) Hamilton 33, Winnipeg 13
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 107th edition of the Grey Cup in Calgary on Sunday. The Tiger-Cats set a franchise record with 15 wins in the regular season before cruising past the Edmonton Eskimos in the East Division final to advance to their first Grey Cup since 2014, while the Blue Bombers won two road playoff games to put themselves in position to end the longest championship drought in the CFL, which sits at 28 years.
"Any time you can make a journey like this and then have something to play for at the end is special," Hamilton coach Orlondo Steinauer told reporters. "I also respect Winnipeg and the path they've had to get here." The Tiger-Cats won both meetings with Winnipeg this season by a combined 56-28 and hope to make it a clean sweep as they search for their first Grey Cup victory since 1999. The Blue Bombers look to become the first third-place team to win the Grey Cup since 2005 following victories over the Calgary Stampeders 35-14 in the Western semifinal and the Saskatchewan Roughriders 20-13 in the division championship. "It's been eight years since we've climbed into this position and another 29 since we finished the job," Winnipeg coach Mike O'Shea told reporters. "So there's going to be some nerves and the expectations are very high."
TV: 6 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS, ESPN2
ABOUT THE TIGER-CATS (16-3): Dane Evans completed 21-of-36 passes for 386 yards and a touchdown in his first postseason start while short-yardage quarterback David Watford added two rushing scores in the 36-16 victory over the Eskimos. Brandon Banks, who is a finalist for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award after leading the league in receptions (112), receiving yards (1,150) and touchdowns (13) in the regular season, hauled in four catches for 100 yards to register the first 100-yard receiving game of his playoff career. Bralon Addison had the best game of his postseason career as he caught seven passes for a game-high 130 yards to help Hamilton improve to 10-0 at home in 2019.
ABOUT THE BLUE BOMBERS (13-7): Zach Collaros threw for 267 yards and a touchdown against Saskatchewan to improve to 3-0 as a starter since being acquired at the trade deadline Oct. 9. Collaros became the first player in CFL history to appear in a division final after being on both teams' rosters in the same season while Winnipeg's 107-yard touchdown drive, which culminated in a touchdown catch by Kenny Lawler, was the second-longest in playoff history. Wide receiver Lucky Whitehead and defensive back Jeff Hecht are questionable after missing the West Division final with unspecified injuries.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Winnipeg has lost five consecutive Grey Cup games, two shy of the CFL record.
2. Hamilton DE Ja'Gared Davis is making his fourth consecutive Grey Cup appearance after playing for Calgary from 2016-18.
3. Blue Bombers K Justin Medlock has made 20 consecutive field goals.
PREDICTION: Tiger-Cats 34, Blue Bombers 31