The time has come: It’s the CFL Playoffs. After 21 regular season weeks only six of the nine teams remain.
To kick-off the excitement, we have got two Division Semifinal games. Below, we will be discussing each of the two matchups and preparing you for all that is to come in what is the next step in the race to the Grey Cup.
What | Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Montreal Alouettes |
Where | Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal |
When | 3:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 4th |
How to watch | TSN, RDS |
Odds | HAM Tiger Cats +155 ML, MON Alouettes -3.5 |
The postseason drama kicks off Saturday, November 4th at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in Quebec.
The game taking place is the East Division Semifinal between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes.
These two teams are well aware of each other, as they’ve faced off in three matchups this season. Montreal swept the season series 3-0, outscoring Hamilton 87-46, but all that matters is this one game as both teams try to advance to the next stage where they will face the league-best Toronto Argonauts.
Hamilton has gotten closer in score with Montreal across their three meetings, but this game is do or die so it is vital they have a game plan to finally take their opponents down.
With a usual winning culture, this shouldn't be too big of an ask. This Tiger-Cats team had high expectations coming into the year, and while they have yet to achieve those expectations, the time to do so is now.
However, they are playing a team who is extremely hot. The Alouettes come into this game with five straight wins, where they averaged almost 30 points per game and just 14 points against.
They are firing on all cylinders and it is hard to see an area that is weak right now, especially on home field, but one thing seems certain, and that is the fact we should be in for a really close and dramatic game.
When all is said and done, expect this to be very close early and for the majority of the contest, but many signs lead to the red-hot Alouettes moving on to the East Division Finals.
What | Calgary Stampeders @ BC Lions |
Where | BC Place, Vancouver |
When | 6:30 PM ET, Saturday, November 4th |
How to watch | TSN, RDS |
Odds | CAL Stampeders +230 ML, BC Lions -6.5 |
On the same Saturday, we see the West Division Semifinal take place at BC Place in British Columbia.
This game is between the BC Lions and Calgary Stampeders, as each team looks to move on and face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
In three matches this season, the Lions own the 2-1 record, outscoring the Stampeders 78-65. Although we all know it is just this game that matters now.
In this rematch of the 2022 West Division Semifinals, the Stampeders will look to avenge a 30-16 defeat, but they will be in for an even tougher task this time around.
BC has a very complete team and compared to Calgary they are much better. The Stampeders were very inconsistent this season, and gave up the most points among playoff teams. They are going to have to play their best game of the season if they want a chance as the road team.
In Week 20 of the regular season, these two teams faced off and it went an unexpected way. In a game Calgary needed to win, they did just that and absolutely dominated in a 41-16 success.
They clearly caught the Lions off guard. The question is, can they do it again?
For the sake of the Lions, they better hope not. However, teams who fight for their lives late in the season have shown they can go much deeper in the playoffs compared to some teams who had minimal stress. When taking that into consideration, maybe BC isn’t the guaranteed win that many may assume them to be.
It may look like BC has the edge in many aspects of the game, but even if they carry a lead for the majority of it, you can’t officially count out the Stampeders until the game is over.
We could be in for an action-packed Saturday with two high-intensity battles that should last until the final whistle. Playoff football is here in the CFL.