Some might say this year's Grey Cup is a disappointing matchup, but to that I say WHO CARES! It's the Grey Cup!! The Argonauts from the east will take on the Blue Bombers from the west at BC Place tomorrow which is a game that I'm sure will have many exciting moments. But let's take a look at how either team can win the Grey Cup!
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Brady Oliveira will have a tough task ahead of him facing the 2nd best run defense in the league, but considering he rumbled for 119 yards against the league's best run defense last week, I think Brady can handle it. The Bombers need to establish the run game early to have the best chance of beating this tough Argos defense. Toronto's Defense is 4th in the league in yards allowed per game, which means if Zach Collaros can find his men, like how Kenny Lawler had a crazy game in the Western Final, then Winnipeg can pull away faster. Speaking of quarterbacks, Nick Arbuckle is making his first career Grey Cup start. This bodes well for the Bombers, because the Argos are playing a quarterback who has only played in five games this year. The Bombers defense, which has been the best in the league, can feast if they can a) contain Ka'Deem Carey and b) shut down Arbuckle early.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
The odds are currently against the Argos, literally, with this game opening with the Boatmen at +9.5 on the betting markets, which makes them massive underdogs. Still, that mentality may be able to fuel the Argos to keep their Grey Cup winning streak against the Bombers alive. Ka'Deem Carey is 3rd in the league in rushing and has been electric all year, so if he can make his way through this Bombers run D which is 6th in the league, that will take the load off quarterback Nick Arbuckle and provide some energy to his team. Speaking of Arbuckle, he'll be making his first career Grey Cup start on Sunday, which is a huge accomplishment for him. He comes into this game riding a 378-yard game against Edmonton, and some playing time in the Eastern Final after Chad Kelly's catastrophic leg injury. We haven't seen a bunch of playoff Arbuckle, but Toronto is hoping for it to be good and honestly I am too. If he plays well that will make the game much more fun to watch. Going to the defensive side, the Argos are 2nd in the league in run defense, which is a great tool to have when going up against someone named Brady Oliveira. Their defense has been solid all year, landing 4th in total yards allowed, and they may need to emphasize coverage on Kenny Lawler, who went for almost 200 yards last week against Saskatchewan. If their D can play at championship level and create turnovers, they give themselves a better shot at beating the Bombers come Grey Cup Sunday.
By Bruce Chimirri-Olson
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