Winnipeg @ Calgary preview
McMahon Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 8, 2019 ) Calgary 24, Winnipeg 26
The Calgary Stampeders look to move a step closer toward clinching their fourth straight West Division title when they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday. The Stampeders have won five of their last six games, including a 30-28 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Week 18, to grab a share of first place while capturing the tiebreaker with their division rival and hope to stay in the driver's seat by taking down the Blue Bombers in the first game of a crucial home-and-home set.
"It's just so hard and each game is going to come down to the wire," Calgary coach Dave Dickenson told reporters. "It just doesn't seem like anything is going to be easy." Winnipeg snapped a three-game losing streak with an impressive 34-25 win over the Montreal Alouettes. The Blue Bombers had dropped four of their previous five games to lose their grip on first place in the division, but bounced back from a disappointing 21-6 loss to Saskatchewan in Week 17 with a punishing ground game that gained 240 yards and hope to stay in the hunt to host a playoff game by posting their second win in Calgary in three years. "We understand what's at stake and we know we've got to go in there and play Bomber football," Winnipeg defensive back Brandon Alexander told reporters. "We know the team we're playing has been there before and they've been there every single year for the last four years now."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN
ABOUT BLUE BOMBERS (10-6): Andrew Harris was named one of the CFL's Top Performers of the Week after racking up a season-high 166 yards on the ground with a touchdown against Montreal. Harris moved past Leo Lewis (8,861) for ninth place on the CFL's all-time rushing list with 8,919 while defensive back Marcus Sayles also garnered honours from the league after intercepting a pair of passes and forcing a fumble against the Alouettes. Quarterback Zach Collaros practiced for the first time since being obtained in a trade with the Toronto Argonauts on deadline day Oct. 9.
ABOUT THE STAMPEDERS (10-5): Bo Levi Mitchell completed 23-of-29 passes for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Saskatchewan to extend his streak of games with a TD pass to 14 (playoffs included). Defensive back Tre Roberson, who leads the team with seven interceptions, is questionable after hurting his leg in the first quarter while linebacker Marcus Ball will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Hergy Mayala caught the first two touchdown passes of his career as he finished with five receptions for 70 yards while Jamari Gilbert returned a fumble 28 yards for his first career score.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Harris leads the CFL in rushing yards (1,261).
2. Mitchell has thrown for an average of 362.5 yards over his last four games.
3. Calgary is 59-12 at home since 2012.
PREDICTION: Stampeders 26, Blue Bombers 20