Neither the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, nor the Saskatchewan Roughriders played this past weekend – two teams battling it out for first and second in the West – and none of the games this weekend played impacted first or second in the West. However, the BC vs. Montreal game had huge implications.

Gearing up to watch the game, and wanting Winnipeg to secure first place my son asked me, “Dad, who do we want to win; BC or Montreal?” He followed that up with, “We want Montreal to lose, right? Because the Bombers play them next…so we don’t want them feeling good about themselves.”

Normally that is not bad logic. But I told my son, “You know what? I think we want Montreal to win. If Montreal loses, and if they lose big, they will probably play more of their starters, and more of the game when they face Winnipeg. Montreal will not want to go into the playoffs with 2 losses, and a by before hosting the Eastern Final.”

And with that we watched the game, hoping Montreal would do enough to want to rest their starters in the final regular season week of CFL action against Winnipeg. However, that is not what happened.

What is worse is that it is not like Montreal was even in the game!

Why does any of this matter? For Winnipeg to clinch first in the West they either need to beat Montreal in Montreal in the final week, or have Saskatchewan lose to Calgary. It is important to note that the Bombers’ game is before Saskatchewan’s game. So as far as Winnipeg is concerned, they need to beat Montreal. (A Winnipeg tie, or a Saskatchewan tie would also give the Bombers first place in the West.)

While Bomber fans were looking for some help from Montreal, they did not get it. For the Bombers, now they must do it the old fashioned way; play hard and smart football vs. Montreal. Right now, I believe Saskatchewan has an easier path to hosting the Western Final.

Look, if you would have told Bomber fans that a 2-6 start to the season would have them chasing first place in the West in the last regular season game of 2024, they would be elated. However, that is not the sentiment right now, probably particularly because Winnipeg could have already clinched first…and now it is not so certain that they will.

While I expect Montreal to focus on executing – and winning – it will be interesting to see what happens ‘if.’

• If Winnipeg’s defense gets after Farjardo, does Mass pull him from the game so he does not get injured? (As much as going into the playoffs playing good football matters, the end goal is winning the Grey Cup).
• If Saskatchewan gets out to a lead, when do they pull some of their starters; and at that point d they care about winning or just that they have got it back on the right page again?
• If it is a close game does Montreal lose sight that staying healthy is paramount over winning that game?

What are your ‘if’s’ to consider? Let me know in the comments, wherever you are reading this.

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